Rangers: Headquarters & Armoury

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
Headquarters, Command Office - January 24th
~ the day the Rangers return from sea training ~

Once Cali took a seat, Arnyn did the same. She blinked when the Smith put forth she thought someone may be trying to kill her. What?

And then... Cali began explaining why. And Arnyn... was not sure how to respond. Cali... was right on the money about the poison, of course. But so very wrong about the intent.

"Cali," she began, and then soon got stuck. She could not tell the woman that she had been poisoning herself. "Continued to seem just a little... what?" the Lieutenant asked. "I am fine, now," she countered. For she was definitely doing much better than she had been, weeks ago. For she had lowered her dose, as Gladhron had asked her, and her body had learned to metabolize it. Meanwhile, she was once more inching close to what she had begun taking at the start - with very few side effects. The expanded black of her pupils, which was less noticeable with her already dark eyes than it would be for people with light coloured irises, was now the only outward tell she displayed. And within.. other than a clearly increased thirst, she only felt some additional effects if she awoke in the night, now.

"I had a few rough days, at the time. That does not necessarily mean someone was trying to kill me. I am aware I do not fall sick often, but... I don't believe anyone was trying to kill me," she said, all of it the truth, in and by itself. Arnyn smiled a little. "I appreciate you for looking out for me, however."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Armory smith, Cali Dringolben
Jan 24, Command office

"I know, I realize that," Cali admitted, when Arnyn assured her that having a few rough days didn't mean someone was poisoning her. "And that's why I didn't think too much about it at the time. And you do seem significantly better.. now. Now that you've been away from here for a few weeks." She emphasized.

"In fact, it wasn't even until a few days ago that I started to question it," She went on. "And if that was the only thing to make me wonder about it, I'd probably dismiss the entire idea as crazy." She went on, before venturing onward to supply a bit more physical evidence to support her concerns.

"This," Cali unwrapped the broken pieces of leather and laid them on the desk, "came from your saddle. I was asked to replace it a few days ago." The Smith explained. "I'm not sure how much you know about leather and all that, but.. I know a good deal about it, myself. My mother's brother runs a leather shop here in town, right across from my family's forge, and I used to spend some time there with him, growing up. So, I learned a good deal about leather as well as metal, and I work with both all day." She took a breath before pointing to the broken spot. "I can assure you, Lieutenant... this has been tampered with. Deliberately."

[Ercassie]

Ehtyar Ilisys Azrubêl, finding Ranger Unalmis Raxëlilta.
Outside Ranger Headquarters >> Heading for the Armoury. Late January.

After exiting the Headquarters, the Ehtyar stalled. Glanced somewhat off the beaten track and found what she had not been looking for. A blend of surprise, resolve and concern formed a rather inscrutable expression. Which she took over to meet the young man’s clearly troubled countenance.

Without a word she stood at hand, glanced at the folded piece of parchment which the other Ranger was turning over in both hands, and then laid her steady gaze upon him. No question, no comment. Under the relentless silence though Unalmis sighed and idly kicked at nothing, with one boot. “I thought a written report would be just as ..” he began and did not finish. The offering he had not rightly offered up was accepted and bourne out of his grasp by long fingers.


“They are expecting you,” the woman reminded him, albeit gently, as she pocketed the other, unviable option. The choice to fail to report in .. would be an entirely other decision. But the young man’s head was not in the right state of mind to make any decision right now. There were so many voices screaming with a hundred reasons to do, or not do, any given thing he might conceive of .. that he had no answer what was the right thing to even consider. From their vantage point, the pair observed Ranger Mourgan arrive and enter the Headquarters, without interruption. Unalmis did not look at all sorry that he had missed his chance to take his turn.

“You said your friend is the best smith in Minas Tirith,” the Belfalasian recalled, and caught the young man’s attention by baiting a surprise. Nal could not disagree but was not quite ready to concede to wherever this might all take them. The sight of Cadil making his way into the Headquarters caused Unalmis to drop his gaze down to his feet again. Isys watched after the other young Ranger, thoughtfully, before she brought her grey eyes back upon her charge. And then made off with easy strides toward the armoury, and no further hint of what she might do or say once she had arrived there. Nal noted her destination and made haste to catch her up, so that the two made it almost a race into Cali’s place of work, before Mourgan ever exited the Headquarters.

There was time, the Ehtyar deemed.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
Headquarters, Command Office - January 24th
~ the day the Rangers return from sea training ~

She looked curious now, wondering what exactly had caused Cali to go down this path 'a few days ago'. The broken pieces of leather that found their way to the desk, made her eyebrows lift. "Those came from my saddle?" The Lieutenant frowned, trying to make sense of that while Cali went on to argue why she thought it was suspicious. And it definitely was. Because... "Everything about that saddle was in good condition before we set off," she told Cali. It would hardly surprise people that she was specific about her mounts gear, so she did not expand further on how regularly she checked it. "This is how it was brought to you?" Her frown deepened. "By whom?" Trastion, she imagined, immediately after the question left her lips. And that gave her pause. For there had been no wear and tear to a degree that this could have just naturally happened in just a few weeks. Not with the way Trastion handled gear. Arnyn knew how he did. He had already cleared that part of his training. And if whatever had happened to that strap, had happened while she was away, then who was to say that anyone was targeting her?

Arnyn knew Cali's concerns about the poison were not linked to any outside interference, of course. So another singular event would not necessarily be about her. Sure, perhaps a ranger Lieutenant was a target. But Trastion's situation was... precarious in a very different way. Had Trastion begun his axe training? Had Macardil figured it out, perhaps mentioned it to someone? Or was she jumping to worst case scenarios, out of the fear they might be true?

Recognizing she was forgetting one part of her, she deliberately pushed herself back into Lieutenant mode. "Were all other saddles in the stables inspected, after this was brought to you? It is possible not only my gear was affected."

[Karis Ziranphel]

Karis Ziranphel, Cúner Ranger
January Files - January 3rd
Headquarters

Walking into the archives filing room adjacent to the library and offices, Ziran carefully carried the small shielded lantern over to the stand by a desk and locked it into the bracket that sat ready for it, before adjusting the wick to lend enough light to read clearly. Taking an assessing look at the cabinets and shelves lit by the steady flicker of the flame for a brief moment, she stepped over to one of the shelves and lifted down a fully loaded crate of paperwork and brought it over to the desk she had claimed, the fingerless gloves she wore finding purchase on the wood of the crate.

Lieutenant Brian had been delighted when she offered to tackle the backlog of files that had been created during the last two years with the transition of the whole military into the Rangers or other organizations and sort any strays into the correct files. It had been one of the things that had only been partly kept up with and not really part of his job with running the barracks housing and supply, but which he had contributed plenty with reclamation of equipment that had not been gifted to those departing. It hadn’t been entirely neglected, but the sheer volume of paperwork wasn’t the highest priority next to every day tasks that he and the few remaining clerks had to deal with regarding supplies and rosters. Releasing the army had meant that the army of clerks working on personnel had also been let go.

The latest personnel files, those on current Rangers and recruits, were in the main office, but there were still many familiar names that she came across as she started sorting through and arranging them alphabetically while adding a connected note on their service years and areas of experience rather than the original system that had only been organized by dismissal date. It was tedious but not particularly difficult, and the hours passed slowly before the lantern fuel burned low and began to flicker, reminding her of the time spent.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Armory smith, Cali Dringolben
Jan 24, Command office

"Yes, your saddle." Cali confirmed, nodding with a small frown. She let the lieutenant take a moment to consider that, and nodded when she said that everything had been in good condition when she left it. She didn't find that surprising, since Arnyn seemed like the sort of person who took good care of her things. And she didn't recall ever having to make any repairs on Arnyn's gear, either.

"It was Trastion who brought it to me," She answered. "He said that he'd neglected to inspect the saddles before setting out that day, because he'd checked everything the week before and all was fine, and he didn't think it was all that necessary." She paused. "Trastion thought that the D ring on the saddle must have rubbed the leather and worn through it, but.." She shook her head. "My eyes see something very different." She pointed to the place where the leather strap would have been folded over the D ring. "First, you can see that there's barely any metallic coloring rubbed off on there, right? But look at how the underside of the leather is sort of... rough. That's not from the metal. It'd be smoother if that was the case. This looks.. like someone's taken a rasp or something, and deliberately filed the leather down so it would be worn thin enough to break when there was too much strain on it." She explained.

The next question made Cali nod. "I went and looked at them all, myself." She answered. "Not a single one of them had that sort of damage done to them. Only yours." She paused. "Hence, what made me begin questioning that day you got sick.. and what's made me begin to worry that someone might be ought to get you." She concluded. "Whoever it is probably didn't expect someone else to use your saddle, and to ride your horse." She mentioned, which made sense to her. "I mean," She hesitated. "It wasn't all that long ago that someone was out to get the rangers in general. Someone who was known to use poison," She reminded her. "So, who knows, maybe someone else is out to get the lieutenant of the rangers? They probably figured that you would be the next person to ride your horse, and then..." She shrugged. "Anyway. I wanted to bring it to your attention. Just in case."

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn , @Lantaelen

Captain Pele Alarion and also Recruit Cadil
Headquarters - Rangers reporting to the Command after sea training - late January

"I try my best to impress but always end up messing things up," Cadil muttered in response to Arnyn's statement. He did his best again - to collect his scattered thoughts and provide reasonable answers to the Lieutenant's questions. Pele looked towards the recruit with a slight frown, arms folded on her chest, but a merry spark lit her blue eyes as she eventually could not help but laugh softly before urging the Recruit: "Come now, Cadil, relax. No one is going to chastise you." After a moment's consideration she pulled her snack box out of the drawer, took the cover off and slid it towards Cadil across the desk. "Here, want some nuts to help you think?"

"Oh, thank you, Captain!" the young man seemed to perk up slightly as he took two hazelnuts, munched on them, and turned back towards Arnyn once his mouth was empty - he was not about to make an even bigger fool of himself by spitting bits of chewed nuts on his Lieutenant.

"I think... one of my worst mistakes, or something, is that I somehow make such mistakes whenever I am too focused on trying to impress," he admitted thoughtfully with a glance towards Pele, and continued after a slight nod from her. "It's not like I really mean to do those things, I just..." his voice trailed off and he shrugged.

"Your brain seems to switch off for some reason," Pele put in.

"Yeah, and I suppose it is not exactly a good thing, not on the sea, not on an important mission," he continued. "I was trying hard to... behave... even on the ship. But somehow... facing you three together set all my progress back. But I'll try to do better, I promise! I promise to adhere strictly to all orders."

Pele rolled her eyes slightly and reminded him gently: "You just said that trying to make impressions causes you to make mistakes, and now you sound like you are heading into the same trap. But don't despair, we'll see if we can work on this, hmm. Now, answer about the fear."

"Ohhhhh," Cadil drew out his breath and then set off into a story with more ease. "The storm must have been the worst. I am not all that excited about ships in general, and experiencing that - I thought I would not make it back and that sea would swallow me up. The waves almost carried me off the deck - had I not had a rope secured around me..."

Pele hummed softly. While she thought that Cadil had generally performed quite well, there was still much room for growth. It appeared that there was still a plenty of work to do if the Recruit should be kept as part of the mission.

"Are you willing to continue putting in a lot of effort, intense work to improve yourself? And how do you imagine the way out of your trail of mistakes, Cadil?" she therefore asked.

Cadil blinked and sighed. "Honestly, I dunno... eh... I do not know how to do it, but I will not give up and will do all it takes," he promised again, hoping that the leaders would not think him totally unfit.

Pele turned slightly towards Arnyn and Abrazimir to see whether they had more questions for the Recruit before them.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

Smith Cali
Jan 25th - Armory

Cali found herself in a rare moment, when she had no active projects to work on. With so many of the rangers gone for most of the past month, there had been far less things for her to repair or otherwise do. So, she'd gotten through pretty much everything that she had on her 'to-do' list, and now... she was left feeling a tiny bit bored.

Of course, she knew that the rangers were back, and that her work would surely pick up again soon. But still, she was a little glad when someone came walking in. She was even more happy to see that Nal was one of them. A smile greeted him as Cali left the seat where she'd been doodling out some ideas. "I was starting to wonder.." She began, though she left off from any teasing comments as she realized that she didn't really know Isys. She had met her, somewhat, on a few occasions, but that was about all. And that was hardly enough to get to know the woman. From all that she'd heard from Nal, even those who had known Isys her entire life still could hardly claim to really know her well.

"How did the sailing go?" Cali asked, her gaze shifting from Isys to Nal. The latter would surely understand that there was more to the question than simply how it sounded, of course. Considering... the circumstances of the last time he was on a ship. And the sailing 'adventures' of their other brother. And, well... everything there was to consider, when it came to the topic of sailing.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
Headquarters, Command Office - January 24th
~ the day the Rangers return from sea training ~

Intrigued, Arnyn paid close attention to Cali's words as she explained the situation further and detailed her own assessment of what had happened to the strap. It was good to hear that the smith had also inspected every saddle that was kept at the ranger stables. At least that was one thing Arnyn would not have to follow up on, then.

The next question Arnyn asked, though, might not be the most expected one. But the Lieutenant's concern for her protegé took central billing, currently. "Did Trastion notice before setting out? Is he alright?"

Once that had been answered, Arnyn fought the urge to narrow her eyes when Cali mentioned that it wasn't all that long ago that someone was out to get the rangers. Instead, the Lieutenant slanted her head.

"Regardless of any of that," Arnyn simply responded, "the taller the tree, the stronger the wind. It's just the natural order of things." It was a risk that came with the territory - basically. It made sense to pick out officers in skirmishes and battle. Arnyn herself had given such orders.
By extention, it made sense to try and eliminate officers off the field as well, especially if they were giving the adversary too much trouble. It was not unthinkable that someone might be targeting her. And if this was a relatively recent thing... then perhaps this was a sign that any hope for trusting Ava was indeed misplaced. Or - a sign that Ava had been watched, and that Arnyn was now on Umbar's radar. For Arnyn had not been, so far. Not to her knowledge, at least.
Or perhaps the story of Relic's demise had somehow found its way back to Umbar, and it was entirely unrelated to Ava.
Or... as she had already been worrying moments before, Trastion had been the target. Not her.

But if Trastion was targeted, it would not do to drop any hint of that to Cali. For that would raise further questions of why he would be - and that was much too dangerous territory.

"Thank you for bringing this to me," Arnyn finally nodded. "I will be keeping those," she added, with another nod of her head toward the leather straps. They were technically a part of her saddle, after all.

It almost seemed like the timing was intentional when another knock came at the door. Arnyn's gaze flicked toward it, then back to Cali. "If there is nothing else we need to discuss, I'm afraid we'll have to wrap it up here, Cali."

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
Headquarters - Rangers reporting to the Command - late January
Concerning: To the Belegaer & Back Again

Arnyn did not know much about Cadil. Other than the first impressions she'd gathered of him so far. That his heart was in the right place, even if his skill level might not be. Attitude was harder to fix than skill, though. Then again, aptitude was something you ever had... or did not have. And the Lieutenant could not help but privately wonder, at least for a moment, if Cadil would need to carry an endless supply of snacks to Umbar, if that is what he needed to keep his wits about him.

Therefore, she quietly listened to the exchange between the recruit and the Captain, and made a small note on the paper in front of her, which was slowly starting to fill up after the number of reports they'd already heard. And while Arnyn was not entirely satisfied with the answers Cadil had presented, nor could she say she was convinced he was skilled enough to join them on the mission to Umbar, he was being trained by Pele, and she was Captain. Her assessment counted, and that was that. The Lieutenant gave a minute shake of her head, indicating she had no further questions beyond those she had already posited earlier.

"Unless Lord Abrazimir has any further questions for you, recruit, you are dismissed," she simply put forth, looking sideways at Abrazimir for either confirmation or his possible inquiries to Cadil.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Armory smith, Cali Dringolben
Jan 24, Command office

The lieutenant's question made Cali pause. Because it was sort of a double question, and she had to decide how to answer that. "I believe he's alright," She answered. "But no, he didn't notice it before he left. It apparently broke while he was riding." She explained. "It wasn't completely... sawed through, you might say," She added. "More like, worn thin enough that the horse did the rest once there was enough strain on the leather piece."

Cali held back a sigh as the lieutenant seemed to almost brush off the possibility that someone might be out to get her, specifically. It wasn't like Cali had any particular person in mind who might have a grudge or vendetta against Arnyn, but she did feel like this was concerning enough to not shrug and dismiss it. 'Natural order of things'? Maybe that was so, but it seemed odd to Cali that someone who had a problem with the rangers would target the second in command, and not the first. But she had done her part. Now, it was in Arnyn's hands.

Cali nodded as Arnyn declared that she would be keeping the leather pieces. "Of course." She answered, having no objection to it. It wasn't like Cali had any use for those, and she wouldn't deny Arnyn something which technically belonged to her. "Nothing that I can think of," She shook her head. "I am glad you're back, lieutenant." She added with a little smile, on a more friendly note. Then there was a knock, and Cali figured that was her cue to go. "I'll be in the armory, if you have any questions or need me for anything." She let her know, then she left the office, with a little nod in passing to whoever was waiting outside the door.

[Ercassie]

@Rillewen

Ehtyar Ilisys Azrubêl and Ranger Unalmis Raxëlilta.
visiting Cali / the Armoury. January 25th.

The easy greeting which the Smith offered Unalmis, seemed to wither right there on the younger woman’s lips, when she registered that Isys had also come unto her little haven. The Belfalasian could scarcely blame Cali although she was surprised at the atypical shyness. She had not recalled seeing the other woman cowed by strangers when they had first met, but that first impression was in part a reason why the lady had headed this way. She dutifully nudged her chin into a subtle descent, of acknowledgement for the female artisan, and could not help but a small smile to herself. Even as the younger Ranger then reclaimed all of his ‘sister’s attention. Cali’s remark did inspire a half dozen possible responses that the young man might have guessed for fun, to complete her ‘wondering’. And Nal started to open his mouth, to shape some sort of reply, but then furrowed his brow and seemed to think better of it. A shrug was the concluding response to Cali’s query. The epitome of vague. Although perhaps as telling in his silence as in anything he might have said. And the Ehtyar made with a side look, to consider the young man. As their hostess asked a question which she hoped he might have found a little easier to face, coming from his sister, than from the pending officials.


“The venture was crisp, calm and quite intriguing,” the Ehtyar then answered .. because somebody had to say something. “Except for when it was not,” she added, drawing one hand faintly along a line of shields which were festooning the wall nearby. Leaning in, Isys appeared to scrutinise the closest example, and then stepped back to inspect it further, from an altered angle. She remembered her company after a moment, when she shot a look in the other Ranger’s direction. After he did not venture any opinion to improve on hers.

“You forgot to give me those instructions,” he shot back a meaningful look of his own instead. “The written instructions ..” he made his try to have the written report she had confiscated .. returned. For surely she could not refuse him, not in front of company.


“I remember,” Isys put in, blithely. And did not move to return his notes. “It is all up here.” she supposed, although tapped lightly at her heart, rather than her head. “I remember too that I was bid,” Isys returned to her past success in changing the subject, “that you, are the greatest smith in all of Minas Tirith.” Grey eyes flicked to Nal and then back to Cali, in a subtle reveal of how she had come to her conclusion. “I have always relied on my family’s people, back home,” the Ehtyar furthered the not quite apology, for favouring others of that craft. “But back home is now very far away,” Isys sighed, more forlorn than seemed necessary. “Trust between a smith and the warrior who she dresses, is a most important root relationship.” She turned to examine the line of polearms, her face brightening to see them as another lady’s might delight to observe rows of dresses, or of shoes.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

Smith Cali
Jan 25th - Armory

Belatedly, Cali realized that she had forgotten to actually say the "hello" that she'd meant to aim at the ehtyar, but she hoped that it was implied well enough. And it fortunately didn't seem as if the lady was offended, for sure spoke in place of Nal in answering Cali's inquiry. Which was of course fine, since she'd meant the question for them both, anyway.

Cali was not entirely sure, however, what to make of the response once it was given. And it definitely didn't escape her notice that Nal merely gave a shrug, and didn't seem enthusiastic about telling her much about the 'venture'. That, coupled with the concerns she'd had about the whole ordeal, left her still concerned about him. But perhaps he just didn't want to talk about it in front of Isys? Maybe he intended to wait until they were all together to tell his own impressions about the sailing. Cali thought about that while Unalmis was asking Isys for some instructions, and the latter replied to him.

She was trying to think of how she might coax a little more information from her brother, when Isys then addressed Cali, with words clearly come from the young ranger standing next to her. Cali glanced at Nal with a slightly raised eyebrow and a half smile, before turning her smile toward the lady knight of Belfalas. The best Smith in all of Minas Tirith? "Well... it's a possibility, anyway," She answered with amusement. "Though i haven't really inspected the work of the smith's down in the marketplace lately, so i wouldn't actually know, for sure." She admitted, neither confirming or denying the claim as true. She watched the ehtyar examine the shields and pole-arms, while casting a questioning sidelong glance at Nal.

As Isys continued, Cali nodded. One couldn't blame her for using her own family's smith, of course. And she agreed, too, about the trust thing. "Well, is there something you need, Ehtyar, which I can help with? I'll do my best not to disappoint, after such a build up of my reputation," She added, casting another, half amused, glance at Nal. Because of course that would have come from him, and she appreciated it just as much as she also felt slightly self-conscious about him bragging about her to people.

[Lantaelen]

@Arnyn @Pele Alarion @Isolde Alarion

Lord Abrazimir Dimaethor
Rangers: Headquarters and Armoury, January

Mourgan gave a crisp answer to being a good shot if even on a shaking, swaying boat on stormy waters. Because he would have to be. There was no room for doubt. Only confidence. Abrazimir could appreciate that, often having a similar mode of thinking. He glanced aside to Pele and Arnyn, indicating he had no more questions and they could conclude with this Ranger and move on to the next.

Well...it seemed the next was in quite a hurry to be seen, as Cadil knocked and then entered without waiting for an answer. Abrazimir just quirked his eyebrows up, somewhat shocked at the blatant tenacity to just enter a room of officers without being summoned or given leave! Cadil, by all appearances...seemed equally shocked at his own audacity to have done so. Abrazimir had never seen a blush sink in so deeply.

Mourgan was dismissed, officially, and Abrazimir returned the nod, with Cadil now being instructed to sit and give his own thoughts and answers to the Sea Training.

Cadil was certainly in a fit about his own interruption. Arnyn began her questioning but Cadil was still unsettled. Pele tried to calm him down, offering him an excuse from admonishment and even a snack. Abrazimir looked over rather enviously. There was snacks? But he held his mouth shut for now. Okay, now onto business. Cadil's primary mistake was his focus to impress. Too much. Showing up so early for this meeting that he interrupted the last meeting certainly emphasized such a thing.

But to Abrazimir...it seemed sincere. Too zealous to serve. Too excited to be of use. It was amusing. He couldn't help but smile softly as Cadil spoke. Abrazimir couldn't recall any potential insubordination from Cadil, however small or great, during the Training. Maybe the man was being too hard on himself. ”Don't feel too badly, storms are a frightful experience, even for veteran sailors. You ended up dry so you did well.” Abrazimir assured him. The man was willing to work on himself. That seemed the most important takeaway.

Arnyn had no questions of her own, so the ball was passed to Abrazimir, who was still grinning and tapping a booted foot up and down quietly. ”I think your focus is in the right place. Just remember you need to breathe. Breath is the fuel for thoughts. When you think so fast, you are squeezing your thoughts for every little bit of value. You are not a sponge, Ranger. You do not need to wring and wrung yourself. Take a moment. You can afford to inflate yourself, a little.” Abrazimir advised, before shrugging and glancing back to Arnyn and Pele. That was all he had to say on this humorous experience.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
Headquarters, Command Office - January 24th
~ the day the Rangers return from sea training ~

Thankfully, Cali had led with the fact Trastion was alright, or at least that is how he must have looked, when he had taken the strap to Cali. If the smith hadn't led with that, Arnyn would not have succeeded in keeping her expression as composed as it was now, when the smith went on to comment the strap had broken while Taras while riding. While he was riding.

Arnyn could see some of the other woman's frustration at her concerns not being delved into. It wasn't that the Lieutenant wished to discard the smith's concern, or that she thought it was implausible. And perhaps it should be higher on her radar, but there was no time for that in Arnyn's reality. Even if Cali were right, the work did not stop. There was impossibly much to do in very little time.

"Thanks, Cali," she smiled softly, in return to the smith's smile. Arnyn was also sure Cali would be glad for Unalmis' return, but she decided not to mention the younger ranger. She didn't add anything else as Cali left the office, after which a ranger promptly entered. Vorondil.

He gave a detailed and chronological report of what had been assigned to him and two others. For Ava had spun Arnyn a story about bringing back the parents of a certain Amber to Gondor, and since Arnyn had acquired more details of the alleged whereabouts of this man and this woman, and since Amber herself was being followed up on by Pele... It was most definitely a lead Arnyn had intended to follow up on, even if she had delegated it. De Mein would have been proud.

Vorondil told her of how the information Arnyn had gotten from Ava's Gondorian butler had brought them to the couple's house. How they had shown proof of their identity, their professions, before talking to them about Amber. Who might or might not be their daughter. How they had told the couple what they knew of how they had escaped Umbar; that Avaleazar Hazadazra had bought the woman from the auction block and had bought the man from the fields. How Avaleazar had taken them in, hidden them away, until she had brought them to Gondor upon a ship with a particular description. About their request to the couple to write this Amber a letter, with questions only their Amber would know the right responses to. That this could be a way to verify the question of whether this Amber was actually their lost daughter.

The couple had been eager, Vorondil relayed to Arnyn. Very eager indeed, even if they had not confirmed - nor denied - anything about Ava or how they had escaped Umbar. They had not claimed anything the rangers had told them to be false, about how they had been rescued. But they also had not wished to commit an answer to whether they would confirm the story. The woman had simply kept repeating that 'a kind person had helped them escape and get back home'. Vorondil and the others had rushed the letter back to Amber, and the other two were still away from bringing Amber's reply back to them. But Vorondil had read both the parents' letter and Amber's.

"It did not feel right," he told Arnyn, "to read such correspondence. But since we redacted the parents' letter along with them... and knowing that Amber's reply might lead to them reuniting with their daughter..." He shrugged. "It helped. From what I can tell from what they told us when we were there, Amber is in fact theirs. So, Ava did not lie to you about at least a big part of that story. Even if they were, last I knew, unwilling to actually confirm that it was specifically Ava who got them out of there."

"Technically speaking, they could have been an elaborate ruse, even if she was the one to return them to Gondor," Arnyn mused.

"You still have not told us, Lieutenant, why it is important to know whether this Umbarian told you the truth?" He knew, of course, what the rangers' plans were, concerning Umbar. Pele and Arnyn had shared it with all of them, about two months prior. "As I understand it, they cannot be trusted."

"I understand just about the same," Arnyn muttered. "But the exception does confirm the rule." And it would be freaking convenient if this one were the exception. "When do you suppose the others would be back?"

Vorondil paused in thought. "I think they should be back in a few days, Lieutenant."

Arnyn frowned. "Perhaps they will be more forthcoming once they see Amber," she decided. "Thank you, Vorondil. Good work." At the very least, Ava had not yet proved deceitful. And that was heartening, given the fact her brother and two of her friends were currently lodging at the Umbarian's estate.

Uncharacteristically, Vorondil lingered. Arnyn fixed her dark eyes upon his own. "Yeees?" she spoke slowly.

"Cal mentioned he might be leaving in a few days. Him, Pick, and you."

Arnyn tilted her head. "He did, did he?"

Vorondil shrugged. "The old Hyandaner crew's ties run deep, Lieutenant. You only have yourself to blame."

Her eyes narrowed, before she let out her breath in a small huff. "And?"

"And, nothing. That was all he said, in response to me telling him about our own assignment not being fully completed yet. But he was acting in that way he does when he doesn't want people to see he's nervous. And I don't remember being asked anything about a mission."

Arnyn smiled. "Jealous?"

Vorondil frowned. "If even Calan's nervous, I know not to be."

"What about Picker?" she asked. "Is he nervous?"

"Stars, that bastard seems as comfortable as ever," Vorondil said, shaking his head. "Will I see you again, before you leave? To deliver the final report on this?"

"Probably," Arnyn confirmed without fully committing. "You're dismissed, Hyandaner," she added on with a little smile.

Vorondil made a face, then nodded and saluted sharply, before flashing her a quick smile and leaving the office.

Arnyn followed him, closed the door behind him, and sat down at the desk to record Vorondil's verbal report into the correct file. If she'd already left by the time the others returned, Pele would need to be able to dive in seemlessly.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen @Ercassie @Karis Ziranphel

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
Headquarters - Rangers reporting to the Command - late January
Concerning: To the Belegaer & Back Again

Abrazimir's glance was telling enough. Arnyn nodded again at Cadil, and after he'd left the room, she glanced over her notes. "We've yet to hear from a good number of rangers," she mused aloud. "Unalmis and Thûllir amongst them," she noted thoughtfully.

[Ercassie]

@Rillewen

Ehtyar Ilisys Azrubêl and Ranger Unalmis Raxëlilta.
visiting Cali / the Armoury. January 25th.

“Your good reputation, here in Minas Tirith .. I heard also in Belfalas,” Isys told the polearms, and the Smith she did not turn to find, but who had inspired the remark. “Trust such as that I speak of though, is no easy thing to forge,” she realised. And turned now to seek out the young woman. “You were a help, and also a disappointment. At Erulaitalë,” she explained. The lady’s hand which had run the course of the weapons on parade .. found her chin thoughtfully.

“She was not the one who disappointed you,” Unalmis muttered, betraying his keeping tabs on what was said, even if he appeared to be vacant of thoughts else.

“As we have spoke before,” the Ehtyar agreed, lowering her hand. “My contact had not confessed to me, what you reported, that fair day,” she conveyed the truth to Cali, turning from her preoccupation to face the young smith. “That was not the first time that he lied to me. Nor the first time I failed to act, immediately, or visibly, upon a given warning,” she nodded acknowledgement toward Unalmis in turn. "It does not mean that I failed to act at all."


“She’s speaking of .. Lowendir” Nal employed the alias which his sisters knew their antagonist by the best. “I don’t lie,” he tacked on, confessing his concern over the reason he had come to Headquarters this day.

“Trust is the root of any lasting relationship. And I would have your trust, Calithildis, if you would have my service,” Isys reached her point, though did not pause for any reaction to stall her before continuing. “By rendering my arms into your care I would be placing my life in your hands. As you once believed, perhaps, that you had placed your life in mine. And I have been schooled, somewhat of late, that perhaps behaviours conducted in the short term, in the means of managing some long term goal, may warrant a rather difficult conversation with those yet unaware of the broader circumstance. It stands your turn,” the Ehtyar concluded, her grey eyes foxed upon the younger woman’s brown. She was accustomed to allowing people time to disentangle her speech so that they could interpret what she was saying.


The sound of the door indicated that Unalmis had took that cue as his ‘turn’. And having seen the Belfalasian commence a difficult conversation with Cali, he had no excuse to any further delay his own .. difficult conversation. For to stand now as awkward witness to theirs struck him as an even worse place to be than the one which was expecting him.

[Pele Alarion]

@Arnyn , @Lantaelen , @Ercassie

Captain Pele Alarion and also Recruit Cadil
Headquarters - Rangers reporting to the Command after sea training - late January

Seeing that no huge scolding was forthcoming from any of the officers present, Cadil relaxed a little and hoped that he had not really performed too badly. At least he gathered that Lord Abrazimir thought it was not too woefully bad. In fact, he couldn't quite believe that he was getting out of this whole 'interrogation' so easily, and he looked at each of the officers carefully to gauge whether it was really true.

"Go on, Cadil," Pele confirmed his guesses. "Let's see how you perform in further training after, but... don't get your hopes up too high just yet," she gave a bit of a warning at the end, though a small grin tugged at the corner of her lips. Cadil stood and saluted crisply, before heading out the door, remembering to close it quietly and not dash out through it with the same gusto he had entered.

When the door closed, Pele turned towards Arnyn to respond to her conclusion of more Rangers yet to arrive. "Aye, the day here is not over for us yet."

After a brief moment of consideration, she slid the snack box over to her two friends and comrades. "Treat yourselves if you care," she offered. "Before I stow the thing out of sight again."

[Ercassie]

@Pele Alarion @Arnyn @Lantaelen

Ranger Unalmis Raxëlilta. Reporting in at HQ.
After the Sailing experience. - To the Belegaer and Back Again
Mid January.

Having gained permission to enter, Nal glanced along the line of veterans as he walked in, and managed to salute without having yet an inkling of what he was going to say. The expectation of facing such a trifecta of authority figures was already giving him flashbacks to being called before the school headteacher, in his youth. Though he had never faced quite so many officers alone before. When he had enlisted, the kingdom had been very much upon the cusp of actual war already, the last breath before the final charge. The usual instructors had been busy, unavailable, and overwhelmed; but the young man had been already practiced at improvising by then. His prepared notes having recently been confiscated by Isys, there was nothing left to do but fall to that practice of improvising again. Here. Now.

“I’ll just get right to it, I suppose,” he assumed. “I know it was not meant to be a good time. That wasn’t the purpose, or anything. But it was an improvement on my any previous sailing experience,” he confessed, blinking at the floor rather than face the three sets of awaiting eyes. It had certainly been easier than he had expected, to ignore all the things he did not wish to think about. While they had been a-ship, days had been spent learning all the new names, new faces, and enough new things to completely bury his troubles under a whole heap of distraction. By night he was so exhausted by the days labours that he had not lain awake .. more than once anyway.


“My friend had told me, beforehand, about what some parts of ships were called, what they looked like. And another Ranger walked me through a tour of a ship docked at harbour, to properly see those things, up close and in person. But honestly, none of those things really prepared me for seeing all the pieces working together. Which I guess is what this exercise was really. When we sailed before from .. back from Poros last year, we were just passengers. But this was .. way more interesting. I thought the sailors would tire of my questions, but everyone was really pleased to explain things.” He was speaking rather more quickly than required, a tendency that those who knew him might recognise as nerves. Though there was no hesitation he could not trip over with more tale to disguise it.

“I fell out of the hammock once, by accident, and then a further couple times on purpose,” he accounted, honestly. “Just to test it, you know. So the only damage done was self inflicted. Like, when I took more than my share of turns at the oar,” he confessed, fully aware that his supervisors would not be unaware of the matter. “I wanted to prove that my shoulder could stand up to the stress, if need be. And I thought it was the only way to find out for sure.” It felt like the right call to be upfront about this, even though it was one of the things he was worried they’d hold him back from going for. “I absolutely learnt why we were told to change up chores, and it’s certainly something I won’t forget," he made sure to report. "Neither will I forget the smell of that ointment which I was given after, to help ease the joint. I mean, that helped. Thank you for that,” he allowed, with a small duck of his head in thanks to the one responsible.


“I learned that it is dangerous for me to tell a sailor I would try anything at least once. They held me to it. More than once.” Though he did not venture to raise eyes, and meet his audience, for the concern of becoming derailed by what he may see there, Nal did manage to find a smile, in recalling the amiable crew. They had given up on ‘encouraging’ him to take a strong drink, shortly after Isys had spoke with one of the crew, just once and subtle. Whatever she had mentioned, they had all then acted on without any disagreement. They had afterwards more than made up for it, though, in daring him to eat what he still believed were some very questionable sea oddities. The deck had paid the price in vomit, but at least he had not been sick from the sea or sway of it.

“The climbing was fun, and the race up the mast .. I still maintain that it was to test if we could manage it, even under less than ideal circumstances. I mean, preparation is important. We may need to tend to sails without the advantage of good light or watchful supervision. It was educational. And no one said we could not do it, until .. umm after we already had.” By his standards that meant they had not broken any rule, per se. And maybe he should never have mentioned it at all, but since they had been discovered, he’d rather offer his defence to their potential concerns. “I made some new friends, both in strangers and in people I had met before,” he deemed it unwise to go into too much detail .. on how exactly.


“The storm was wild, ..” he put in then, more to change the subject from certain alcohol runs .. than to rush toward dissecting the weather. “I’ve counted myself to have fairly decent balance before, but that storm was certainly a challenge. Of course, we’re probably better for having endured it this time, than be taken by surprise at a more integral moment later.” Though he did not express it now, the volatile tempest had made Unalmis very grateful he had never actually told Trev that his friend should have just jumped overboard the pirate ship ‘if it was that bad’. Facing the cold truth of being hurled out into a vast nothing else but sea, for leagues and leagues in every direction, when there was no guarantee that crew would even be able to stop or salvage those who fell .. that had been a very rude awakening. He had been so caught up with concerns on the ship, on past excursions, that he’d never taken time to really appreciate that vulnerability of being so far out at sea. And how dependent they were on the ship itself. Not until the threat of losing the ship had suddenly seemed a real threat. It had certainly proven an incitement to obey orders without question however. When it mattered.

“The games were fun, the trebuchet work was brilliant. I’m sorry that I wasn’t very good at it. But I’d definitely be up for more practice, if you think that it would be useful,” he suggested, shamelessly. “I now know so many rowdy songs that people will really begin to question what we have been training for exactly,” he shrugged. “I learnt a lot, honestly,” he began to wind down towards a conclusion. “More than I ever expected to,” he finished then abruptly. But finally raised up his eyes to meet the three officers, and what they might make of it all.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen @Ercassie

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
Headquarters - Rangers reporting to the Command - late January
Concerning: To the Belegaer & Back Again

Arnyn did not decline Pele's offer, and a handful of snacks only just disappeared when Unalmis entered, Arnyn's dark eyes met his briefly as he glanced them all over, and she nodded at his salute, averting her eyes a moment until he spoke before any of them could ask anything of him. His words caused her gaze to find him again, lightly resting upon the young Ranger with a pensive expression. Was he talking about Trevadir? More likely than not. And then Isys, probably, given the permission Arnyn had granted at some point.

She knew better than to interrupt, and to all eyes she appeared relaxed in her chair as she listened. The hammock comment pulled at the corners of her mouth, creating an undeniable hint of a smile. Arnyn glanced at Pele when thanks for the ointment was expressed, and she bit the inside of her bottom lip to hide her amusement when Unalmis claimed no one had told 'them' racing up the mast was not allowed - at least not until after the fact. But she sobered quickly when the storm was referenced, and when the ranger touched upon how much he had learnt. Which was, perhaps, not a conclusion he was limiting to the more and less expected skills that came with learning to sail and work a ship, and being amongst people who saw the sea as a second home.

"Indeed, you did," she opinionated. "As for your shoulder, it fared just as many a ranger's worst injury might, and I have seen no cause for concern there. You paid attention, out at sea," she added on, never able to forget the impression she had gotten from him, months ago, that he seemed inclined to downplay his contributions or abilities, because he was seemed so used to people not expecting much of him, or them not taking him seriously. "It was noted."

Arnyn drew in a breath, for there was more that the Lieutenant planned to draw out of Unalmis than merely his experience aboard the Bregolalph. "What was also noted," the Lieutenant continued, "was your suggestion to learn more about fighting wild animals." He had suggested it, after the debrief ranger command had given, post-Relic. And they were going to Umbar. Where some of the main players belonged to a family who held jackals as pets as well as weapons in their own right. Unalmis knew it. Arnyn knew it. "And given our future plans, that suggestion has been on my mind, lately."

Arnyn placed her quill into the inkpot, freeing up her hands so she could weave her fingers together, centered upon her notes. "I am to take my leave of the city again soon, unfortunately," she shared,"for a time. Yet it would be prudent not to wait with certain kinds of education. You ," she emphasized purely through her use of tone, "know which animals to focus on," she went on without much of a pause, half expecting Unalmis to start protesting. Or rather, she simply did not know what to expect from him at all. Whenever Arnyn pushed one of the rangers, it was like throwing up a coin. Sometimes it paid off. Sometimes it backfired. "You are clearly interested in such training," although she offered no more indication of what exactly had lead her to draw such a conclusion.

She seemed to assess him one final time, with a discerning gaze that lasted a full two seconds. "You will be in the lead for this." One hand lifted the top paper in front of her, revealing one beneath. She slid it out from under the top paper, and folded it clean in half. "This could get you started, if you want a starting point. But you are also free to go about this entirely your own way, Ranger Raxëlilta." She pushed the folded piece of paper forward to the other side of the desk, toward Unalmis. "You have a creative mind. I expect you to put it to good use."

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
Headquarters, Command Office - January 24th
~ the day the Rangers return from sea training ~

The written report was done, the file stowed away in the right place in the locked closet behind the desk, and Arnyn was just trying to ignore the letter stashed in her cloak by the door when a knock sounded.

"Come in," she said, relieved for the distraction from the lines she already had almost memorized. Glad she would not be tempted to pull out the letter again. Read it... again.

The ranger who stepped inside was one of the three she'd sent to Lossarnach. "Lieutenant." He saluted.

Arnyn returned the gesture. "Baranor. What do you have for me?"

Baranor crossed the room and placed a thick stack of papers upon her desk.

Arnyn stared at it. Then at him. Then back at the papers. "That's...your report on the seamstress?"

"Yes, Lieutenant," he confirmed, his expression a little glazed over.

"One seamstress," Arnyn emphasized, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Lieutenant." Baranor's expression remained perfectly serious... for perhaps three second... before it cracked. He sighed and ran a hand over the stubble along his jaw. "A very talkative seamstress."

A small smile tugged at Arnyn's mouth. "Sit." Once the ranger had done so, she continued. "At least you found her. What did she tell you?"

Baranor exhaled through his nose. "What didn't she tell us... that would be a shorter report." When Arnyn did not speak, he sighed again before straightening in his seat and getting down to business. "Taendis confirmed she is a seamstress from Lossarnach. She says she learned of the Midwinter masquerade shortly before it was publicly announced and went to the Ansellidus estate to discuss preparations with the lord and lady."

Arnyn nodded. That aligned with what she had already been told.

"They were absent. She left. Somewhere along the road home she was abducted." His voice lost some of its humor. "Bag over her head. Forced onto a ship. Taken south."

Arnyn's eyes lowered briefly to the desk. "She does not know who took her?"

"No."

"Gondorians? Umbarians?"

"She cannot say. She described arriving in Umbar. Being sold." His jaw tightened. "She was frightened. Understandably."

Arnyn said nothing.

"She expected the worst. Instead she was purchased by this wealthy woman."

Arnyn waited.

Baranor's expression became strange. The sort of expression one wore when facts refused to cooperate with your world view. "Lieutenant, if the woman fabricated this story, she invested a remarkable amount of effort into unnecessary details."

Arnyn tilted her head, interested, and glanced back at the stack of papers before focusing back on Baranor. "Such as?"

"Flowers."

Arnyn stared. "Flowers?"

"Flowers," he confirmed, his voice a little flat. "This wealthy Umbarian had them all over her rooms. Taendis must have spent ten minutes on those flowers alone. There was also a balcony. Several servants. Particular curtains. A parlor. A view of the sea. A tiger."

Arnyn looked up. "A tiger." She had been told about that, too. As incredible as it sounded. "Did she meet the tiger?"

Baranor blinked and frowned at Arnyn. "I'm telling you an Umbarian has a tiger walking around her place and the thing you ask about is if the seamstress met the tiger?"

Arnyn raised one shoulder, and leaned back into her chair. She'd probably never looked this casual, seated on that side of the desk. "Sure."

Baranor's frown deepened. "Well. We asked her to repeat that part."

"And?" Arnyn asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Still a tiger. Taendis said she stayed away from it. Everything is in there," he nodded at the papers. "But the short version is that nothing deviated from what you told us. No alarm bells, as far as we could tell." Baranor shifted in his seat, and spent a moment looking for the right words. When he spoke again, he still seemed undecided of whether he actually should. "Lieutenant... she never once described feeling threatened after arriving at the estate."

"Were her movements restricted?" Arnyn wanted to know. "Did she have to stay in a room, or a part of the house, or...?"

"No."

"Were people watching her?" Was she put under guard?

"No. Well. Not as far as she could tell."

"Not confined?" That... was just so difficult to believe.

Baranor shook his head. "Taendis told us she was advised not to leave the estate because Umbar was dangerous. But she described herself as a guest more than a servant."

Arnyn frowned. "And the woman who bought her?"

"Curious."

"Curious," Arnyn repeated, her tone deadpan.

"That was the word she kept returning to. Curious about Gondor. Curious about the masquerade. Curious about dances, customs, etiquette." His eyes lifted. "Apparently this Umbarian woman even arranged for dance instruction."

That fit. Annoyingly, it fit. "And the dress?"

Baranor looked almost offended. "Lieutenant, I could probably identify the dress myself at this point." He pointed at the stack. "I have notes on embroidery patterns."

Arnyn laughed quietly despite herself.

Baranor looked rather satisfied to have achieved the impossible. Then his expression darkened. "There is something else."

The humor drained from the room. "Yes?" Arnyn prompted.

The ranger was silent for a moment. "When she spoke about being abducted..." His gaze lowered briefly. "She was frightened. But when she spoke about the woman who'd bought her there, she seemed grateful."

Arnyn watched him carefully. "And when she spoke about returning home?"

Baranor looked directly at her. "That was when she became... more upset. She said she was locked away. How she still found it hard to believe that, first, she was dragged off Gondorian soil by strangers, and then when she finally returned, she was locked up in a dungeon. We spent a lot of time working through that emotion, without learning anything new."

A long silence followed. Finally, Arnyn spoke. "Understandable."

"Yes," Baranor agreed, but his expression spelled out his feelings. ""Lieutenant, I dislike the conclusion."

"The seamstress was most afraid of the people who took her. And of the Gondorian household that threw her in a dungeon. And least afraid of the woman who bought her. She felt safer at that Umbarian estate than she felt at Imloth Melui." The office grew very quiet. Baranor and Arnyn both stared at the papers. "I would have much prefered a simpler answer," he muttered.

Arnyn understood exactly what he meant.

The ranger sighed. "Everything she told us could still be a rehearsed lie."

Arnyn folded her hands. "Yes, it could."

"But if it is, then this woman has somehow convinced a seamstress from Lossarnach to invent an entire life in extraordinary detail." He gestured toward the mountain of notes. "And if that woman is lying, she is the most thorough liar I have ever met."

The Lieutenant looked at the stack. Those papers contained all the pieces that stubbornly aligned with the story Ava had given. Another lead that had failed to uncover deception. And then she started questioning Baranor, for things she explicitly wanted to hear from him.

After nearly half an hour, however, Baranor cleared his throat. "I should probably have lead with this," Baranor then said. "But she came with us."

For the first time, Arnyn looked surprised. "I'm sorry?"

"She came with us," the ranger repeated. "Taendis. She is staying in Minas Tirith. I wouldn't personally advise it, but you can hear it from the source. If you want."

***

After a few more minutes of debriefing Baranor, Arnyn sent him on his way. She was tired. And she no longer wanted to sit. Feeling restless, she filed the stack of papers away neatly, locked all the information back up, and left the office, locking that up in turn. There was at least one more person she wanted to talk to, today. Her trainee and apprentice.

[Ercassie]

@Pele Alarion @Arnyn @Lantaelen

Ranger Unalmis Raxëlilta. Reporting in at HQ.
After the Sailing experience. - To the Belegaer and Back Again . In January.

He had not known what to expect in response, any more than he had known what he would end up speaking, when it came down to it. So it was a relief that the Lieutenant seemed not too concerned by the antics he had owned up to. His old injury, Unalmis had been prepared to argue, had not only let him know exactly how much sailing wear and tear it was prepared to take, before some solace was sought, but that it could nonetheless stand him climbing up the height of a mast in the not so long afterwards also. As well as manage ropes and more when the entire world was trying to tip them off course in a violent storm. If the young Ranger had been seeking to cement a new image in the Ship Captain’s mind, out of all of them, Abrazimir having been the one who’d seen the injury when it was fresh .. Nal could only hope he had improved upon that rather unimpressive first impression. Even if he had been less than clever in the course of doing so. It mattered to him that the officers knew that they could trust him, when it came to it.

He was not surprised to learn that they had ‘noted’ what went on aboard the ship, no doubt more than any of the rank and file had stopped to consider. He was rather more surprised when Arnyn mentioned some random thought which he had made in her company, some six months previous ! When she mentioned it had been upon her mind since, but unfortunately she would now be going out of town .. he ducked his head in due acknowledgement. Good job he had not become too excited that something he had suggested might actually be incorporated ! It was decent of her to even recall it, he thought. And then she kept on .. that focused look of hers, and all the mention of how he was ‘clearly interested’ and ‘would be in the lead’. She knew he’d started looking into it on his own, then ! Of course she did. Honestly, it should not even be a shock what that woman managed to find out !


“It was not .." he began, to point out that his efforts had not been forbidden, and had been conducted in his own time, with no resources of the Rangers exploited for the purpose. But she had not finished. Some written .. something .. was readied, and implied for him to receive. ‘To get you started ..’ she said. It would be an assignment, then. Cleaning the stables or something. Some proper and what management would deem productive use of his time, to keep idle hands busy, rather than him coming up with his own take on .. wait .. what did she just say ?

He was ‘free to go about this entirely his own way’ ? Was that a challenge to make the most mundane chore that she might have to hand him .. more engaging ? The Barracks Master had accused Nal of being ‘creative’ too. The tone that opinion was made in here was very different. The confusion would have been palpable about his expression, but the Ranger managed to set forward in a rush forward to accept what she had written. Wary though that reading it now, before their scrutinising audience, while he was expected to stand on best behaviour, might not be the best means to keep his composure. But all the bluster he had puffed up to deliver his 'report was spent. If it were any one of them alone with him it would have been different. But an entire sounding panel ? The young man let his assignment fill the palm of one hand at his side, and waited to be told to leave. “Thankyou, Lieutenant,” he recalled manners in time, his eyes drawn back to the floor again, lest they betray him.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion @Lantaelen @Ercassie

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
Headquarters - Rangers reporting to the Command - late January
Concerning: To the Belegaer & Back Again

For a moment, it seemed like Unalmis would try and find a way out of the assignment. But he halted, mid-sentence, and after a moment of silence the ranger was very quick to accept the folded paper she had slid toward him. It brought a whisp of a smile to her face. "Certainly," she replied to this thank you. "We shall see if you still wish to thank me, later," she replied. "In any case - I am sure that the Captain will summon your fellow rangers as you require, when you have finished your preparations," Arnyn told him, not realizing that Unalmis might not have realized that the Lieutenant also meant that he would be in the lead for making sure the others rangers were also prepared for this aspect of their upcoming mission.

And then she glanced sideways at Pele, seeking the smallest hint of confirmation, and allowing for a moment for Pele to disagree, if she were of a mind to do so. For while Arnyn had mentioned this animal training to Pele at some point in the past, after Unalmis had suggested it - including also again the fact it had been Unalmis who'd offered up the suggestion -, putting Unalmis in the lead, well... that part, Arnyn had not exactly run past the Captain. But Arnyn thought she knew her friend and commander well enough to know that Pele would have agreed to it if Arnyn had brought it up beforehand, and that she would agree to it now. Pele knew that giving people a chance helped them grow. If not, then what was she doing with Cadil after all?

Her gaze found the note, now in the young ranger's hand. The note specified more of what the Lieutenant expected of Unalmis. That she wanted him and the other rangers who were venturing to Umbar to be aware of the typical size, weight, strength and speed of jackals. That she wanted them aware of the best kind of defense and offense against such animals. And that she expected him to find a way to make sure that the rangers venturing to Umbar would also be aware of what it felt like when one or many such an animal rushed to attack them. So that they would not be caught off guard by surprise or stress at the unknown, and so that they would have a level enough mind to implement what they had learned. The note also held the name and address of a certain couple in Harlond, who bred, raised and trained dogs there, and thus might be of service. With the added information that the ranger budget would, of course, pay these breeders for their services, if their dogs were to be used for any sort of... experience. With the caveat that, naturally, no dogs at all should be harmed in these preparations. It was merely a matter of being prepared, mentally and physically, for being rushed. Ideally by several canines at once. Whether Unalmis used the breeders or not, was up to his discretion. The note ended in no uncertain terms, and put into writing that Unalmis had verbalized several ideas and opinions which Arnyn had appreciated, and that she was certain that Unalmis would think of just the right ways to prepare the rangers for this matter.

"I have no further questions," she concluded her part, as one pair of dark eyes finally settled upon the other, and she gave him a minute nod. And thus she yielded the floor to the more fair-eyed in the room.