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@Pele Alarion@Ercassie
Pausing in her efforts to widen the hole, Brooke considered that same hole as Aislin's question made her wonder. Did it go down? Or sideways? She tilted her head trying to see the angle. "I.. I'm not sure," She answered, sniffling from the cold. She fought back the urge to cough, feeling as if her throat would be raw before long if she kept on breathing this frigid air and coughing. She definitely didn't want to get into a fit of coughing and be unable to stop. Not only was that very frightening and unpleasant, but it might just alert the monster to where she and Aislin had gotten off to!

As the two girls began to work on digging into the frozen earth, Brooke struggled to push past her concerns about frostbite, and forced her numb fingers to grip the handle of her knife. The tip that had broken off bothered her, but she kept working. Saving someone's life was more important than a knife, heirloom or not. Especially someone who had put his life at risk to save hers.

She was so intent on her determined, yet feeble, efforts to loosen the soil so that it might be scooped and scraped away, that she wasn't at first aware of the man who had approached. When the dog near her suddenly burst into a run, Brooke heard the sound of his paws on the ground, and looked up in alarm. Had Mr. Spruce come and found them? Was the dog running away from him? Or, perhaps, he had run to attack him? She sat up on her knees, which were very cold, pressed into the snow like that, and held her breath for a moment as she watched man and dog topple over together. Slowly, she stood up in case running away became necessary, hoping her feet wouldn't be too numb to hold her up. She stumbled slightly, and put out a hand against the tree trunk to catch herself.

Brown eyes stared, wide and frightened, as the man then stood. But it was not the man she had feared it would be. Nor was it the other that she might also have been concerned about, had she not been so caught up with the current dilemma. Glancing down at the hole, and Aislin, then back to the man and the dog, Brooke hesitated, thinking swiftly, almost too swiftly to properly process all of the thoughts racing through her mind. The dog wasn't growling or acting afraid... in fact, he acted as if he'd just made another friend. Or, perhaps this was the dog's owner, and he was happily reuniting with him...

But no, that wasn't right. The man seemed to think that it was her and Aislin's dog. Suddenly, Brooke recalled where she had seen him before. This was the same man who had asked her and Aislin if they needed help before, when they were trying to get Mr. Buckthorn to answer the door. Briefly, she wondered.. had he followed them out here? But why would he? And if he had, why hadn't he shown up before now? Before she could come up with any sort of wild theories or possibilities, he spoke again, asking if they'd like him to find a better stick to throw for the dog. Better than.. the tree?

She recognized the attempt at a joke, and even offered the faintest hint of a smile in return, to acknowledge that she'd gotten the joke. But this wasn't a very funny situation, really. "P-please, we could really use some help." She admitted, speaking up before she'd taken the time to fully make up her mind about him. Perhaps it was a mistake, but this was a rather desperate situation, wasn't it? She only hoped he wasn't somehow connected with that awful monster, Mr. Spruce.

She motioned, a little frantically, toward the hole they were trying to widen. The words spilled out almost before she could think them. "Someone's trapped under there, and we don't have anything to dig with, and it's s-so cold, and he.. he might be injured," She thought she remembered seeing blood in Clay's tracks, though she could be wrong. "Please, can you help? The tanner might be back any moment," She was terrified that the man might be on his way even now, and she really had no idea what to do if he did. And what if this man turned out to be in league with him or something, what would they do then?

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
In the Woods, with Brooke, dog, and a strong helper, hopefully

Digging with a stone was a difficult task, and sometimes Aislin thought she did not even have any fingers - they were so cold she almost had stopped feeling them. She worked, then stopped to quickly place her hands in her armpits in an attempt to warm them, counting to five in her mind for she thought it would not do to linger any longer than that, then took to digging again.

They seemed to have a little progress, but way too little for the time and effort they had put in, and then something unexpected happened. Their dog companion shot off. Aislin stood soon after Brooke to explore what was it all about, and held the stone in readiness to throw it at that beast of the tanner if he had finally caught up to them.

Luckily, it was not so, and it was only the previously seen man. Aislin quickly put her hands in her armpits yet again as she watched and listened for a while before chiming in.

"Yes, we do need your help now, sir. And if digging up the tree is what's needed, we'll do that too. Clay is somewhere there. And if that horrible man finds us, he'll kill us all, more like."

Private with @Rillewen @Pele Alarion

Cold stole up Gwandhyra’s boots, in even the short span of time that it took for the trembling pair to answer him. Stamping down in the snow where he stood, the burn of idling in one spot was quashed some by the motion. He could only imagine how cold the two poorly wrapped young women were … squatting as they stood. Perhaps they were bothered by it little once the numbness had set in. But that was no good thing. Even coming from the warmer South, the Gondorian knew enough to mind their peril. The dog had run back unto their throng, as though his friendly greeting had been more a summons for the stronger stranger to come with. To come see. To come help ..

It turned out that the help that they were looking for was not what the man had offered, but it far better explained what they were up to. Brown eyes frowned under a knit of heavy eyebrows, as he tried to understand. The tree had not fallen, it stood reaching out bare white arms to the world, .. so how had someone become trapped beneath it ?


Digging they said though, the both of them. And the man’s gaze fell to the cold knife in the taller’s grasp, the small stone which the slighter had looked to hurl at him at the first .. neither one of the young things who ought not be out here at all .. bore tools which were like to accomplish their goal. Was this the Old Forest, as he had heard tales told .. of ancient tree spirits which would devour those who tripped carelessly over their tangle of roots ? The Southerner had thought the stories to be local folk nonsense. But this .. this would suggest else.

Details were heaped upon his thinking from small gasps of frantic breath. The one they were trying to retrieve was maybe injured. It was Clay …. The same Clay whose family roomed his daughter, back in Bree ? And a horrible man, the tanner, might be back … at any time. And this tanner .. might kill them.


Quite what had gone on since Gwandhyra had waved at these same two girls that morning was beyond his understanding. But it was neither good nor was there time to stand around and waste time over any more specifics. The concept of exhuming an entire young man the size of the Clay he knew from Bree .. out from underneath a tree ?

“He did not get below by means of that small hole,” the Ranger scratched his chin as he bent low to inspect their efforts. The mention of the tanner though, a horrible man that would come back .. well, that meant that a grown man had been here before. Which did not support the magical wonder of wild trees .. thank the stars, but suggested some other cause for the injured party’s malady. How long had it been since the other had been there ?


Glancing about him, the scene spelled out clues enough to piece together a guess. The ground had clearly been further blanketed since whatever altercation had led to this entrapment. He knew from walking thus far in hope of an astoundingly different conclusion, that the sky had been flinging down it’s flurries for some time now. And while the smaller girl declared their intent to ‘dig up the tree’, Gwandhyra could not imagine that they had been at it for a great span of hours without succumbing to the icy anaesthesia. There were no clear foot prints any more, but there was still a feint trek of shallow indents which might be tracks only part refilled by later fall. Following these, the man came upon a scattered knot of devastated briar. The delicate covering could not conceal that the foliage had been forcibly torn asunder, and a wider but equally shallowed channel underfoot led straight to a large snow-capped boulder. It must have been dragged a short distance … and sat now at the base of the same tree, a little ways around from where the girls had been employing all their time.

“You couldn’t move this,” he reasoned, aloud, and glanced back at the dog who barked closer by than he had realised it stood. “Just an observation, not a criticism,” he apologised. Then swept the cold icing off the top of the stone, and tested it’s obstinacy against his own.


Having seen the tanner in town, Gwandhyra could imagine the ease with which the other, monstrous, man must have heaved the barrier. The Ranger was no more spry than the apparent antagonist, where years were counted, but he was hale enough still to try and match the other’s ambition. The first attempt rocked it only at it’s base, and he paused to improve his grasp on the rock before trying again. Fingerless gloves allowed for both grip and some protection as man strove against nature, and emerged the victor. As neither of the two young shivering women had stopped him, he did not stall then in bending down and peering into the low tunnel which was laid bare.

“Clay,” he called, low but sure into the darkness. And caught at the dog about it’s neck before it ploughed into the deep. No response was immediate and the Ranger glanced toward his small audience and raised an eyebrow. “You sure you two aren't trying to trap me down there, the same way you snared him ?” he asked, with a half laugh as though such a thought was quite ridiculous. Or would be to one not so prone to paranoia. “Keep the dog,” he bade them, waiting until smaller hands had a firm grip to keep the beast from crowding him. Then Gwandhyra took a deep breath, and ploughed both hands into the hole, coming chin and chest into the snow himself, to better reach.

Snagging what felt like a pair of boots, he pulled, and received a jerking kick at the same time as a sharp hiss of pain from whatever he’d hitched onto. A moment he gave then, to allow for any complaint or confirmation to come from what (or hopefully who) he could not see .. and yet none came. “You, the other one,” he muttered, “Have an eye out for that tanner,” he coached, as though keen to keep them both busy. The dog had already clearly caught the scent of blood, and the Ranger was not sure how gruesome a thing he was going to reveal from it’s grave.



The skull surprised even the world weary Gondorian and, some short time later, as the Breeman struggled to keep his lurching chin upright on it’s neck where he was sat, the Ranger could scarcely take his own eyes from the flesh-shaven object which the unearthed youth held in his lap. As protectively in both hands, as though it were the young man’s own bony cradle that he had somehow slipped out of his head. Clay - for it was indeed the youth that he knew – had not yet spoken, not even to note the Ranger he ought to recognise. Nor to respond to the two girls who had risked their lives trying to succour his. Employing the lace from one of his own boots, and a sturdy seeming remnant of the bush, a makeshift brace was straddled around the young man’s bloodied ankle. Gwandhyra wasn’t sure if it was blood loss or the cold which had rendered the other so far from sense, but there was no time to waste. The snow was easing, and soon the path which they took out of here would be clear as though it were made of fire.

“Can you stand ?” he spoke, as warning more than actual enquiry. For coming to support the injured cobbler’s son, the Ranger eased himself to serve a prop. “There is a healer, in these woods,” he promised, to the girls as much as the young man. “I thought this was her dog in which case he knows his way home. And, if not, then yours may sense her’s sooner than we can spot them. Keep close, keep up. And keep on. I will see you there.” he promised. “Then I shall see about that tanner ..” he growled in a mutter that likely the dog alone would note above the chattering of all their teeth. “Do not mind now about tracks. Speed is everything. If you all want to come out of this with all of your fingers and toes still attached.”


The notion that he might be frightening them occurred to the man rather belatedly, but he supposed that the day had somewhat desensitised them already, or else stunned all to shock that it would pass them by without inflicting lasting damage. Which could not be said of the dread cold. And so the sky above them slowly bruised unto a shadow, which seemed as a stranger to the sun. The blanched path of cold earth which they skittered and trudged upon all the softer and the more eerie in contrast with each step taken.

Not exactly the way in which he had intended to come upon Seri, not even close. And it seemed he would not have her company all to his self. Though he could not deny that, as far as an excuse to visit, she would not turn them away. When the healer’s modest home came finally into view, he was glad, no longer for his own sake. But for all delivered out of the cold, in the very hour that the cruel day turned to night.

@Pele Alarion@Ercassie
It seemed her fears about the man being in league with Mr. Spruce were unfounded. Brooke might have breathed a sigh of relief, but she felt too cold and miserable to feel very much relief. She was glad to see the stranger come to investigate the situation, and moved aside to let him inspect the hole they had been working at. Her fingers were hurting from being so cold, yet while she might have put her knife away in her bag, she did not. He commented that Clay could not have gotten under the tree through that small hole, and Brooke shook her head in agreement, but before she could offer an explanation of how they had went around the tree from another hole, the man had spotted the tracks they had left, despite the continually snow having begun to fill them in.

As it was, Brooke had been so caught up with trying to dig Clay out from the tree, that she hadn't even noticed the snow falling around them. Perhaps it was a good thing, though. For if their tracks were filled in well enough, and if Mr. Spruce took long enough, maybe he wouldn't be able to find their tracks? It was a hope, though not a very hopeful one. The man was a trapper, who hunted animals for their hides, right? So, most likely, he was good at finding tracks even when others couldn't.

Quietly, Brooke followed the stranger and the dog as they went around the tree to find the boulder which she and Aislin had been unable to move. She sniffled, nodding in agreement when he concluded that they had not been able to move the boulder. "It just wouldn't move." She answered softly. Knife still in hand, she wrapped her arms around herself in a futile attempt to keep warm. "He must've crawled in there to get away from Mr. Spruce.. he was chasing him.. he.. Clay.. led him away, t-to save me," She explained, followed by a cough as her throat protested the frigid air. "I don't know why," She added with slight confusion. "He's never even spoken to me before." She mumbled, feeling even more confused as she wondered suddenly why Clay had even been here in the first place. But that was hardly important right now.. getting Clay out, was. The man's first attempt at rolling the stone away was unsuccessful, and Brooke worried that maybe he wouldn't be able to do it, either. Briefly, it occurred to her that maybe if all three of them put their efforts into it...

But just as she was thinking of offering, the boulder rolled away. Brooke let out a shaky breath, which came out in a faint puff of white in the frosty air. Glancing at Aislin, she smiled faintly, glad to see some progress at last. But it seemed that she was not the only one thinking to offer help. The dog leaped forward eagerly, probably intending to crawl down in the hole with Clay. "Oh, no.. come back!" Brooke tried to call, but the man was swifter, and caught him. Brooke inwardly cringed slightly, seeing that the man had caught the poor dog by the neck. It was the obvious place to have grabbed him, but.. well, the man hadn't seen the wounds that she'd seen on the dog's neck, which his shaggy, matted fur was now hiding. "Oh, careful," She gasped softly, moving forward to get the dog from him. "He's had a very tight rope around his neck," She explained, remembering how it had been cutting into the poor dog's neck.

"Stay back," She told the dog, trying to gently hold him by the shoulders instead. The suggestion the man gave then, that they were trying to trap him, made Brooke blink in bafflement. "We.. didn't do this," She told him, unsure if he was joking or serious. But, of course he couldn't be serious, because if they couldn't move the boulder away from the hole to free Clay, how could they have put it there in the first place?

As he suggested that one of them keep an eye out for the tanner's return, Brooke glanced back that way, and then looked to see if Aislin was going to keep watch for him. As she coaxed the dog to sit, she then slid her arms around him as if in a hug, and anxiously watched as the stranger reached into the hole. "I think he's very frightened," She muttered, in explanation, as the man seemed to recoil abruptly. Had he been kicked? She had no idea what Clay must think about all of this, and also wasn't sure if he had heard their voices earlier as they tried to assure him that they were here to help. Perhaps he thought it was Mr. Spruce trying to drag him back out? She glanced back in the direction from which she expected the tanner to come, and then back to the hole. 'Please, hurry...' she thought, anxious to get away from here.


At last, the man had pulled Clay out of the underground tunnel. Brooke wondered what sort of creature might have burrowed under the tree to create such a mini-cave large enough for the young man to crawl into. But she would probably never know the answer to that. Probably, some poor creature hiding from the terrifying tanner. The dog was intensely curious, leaning forward as he tried sniffing at the rescued young man, but she held him back as well as she could. She watched, wishing she had some sort of supplies to offer, while the stranger put a splint on Clay's ankle. In her bag, she only had a few small strips of fabric that wouldn't be nearly enough for this. Everything else she had of that sort was in her room at home.

The promise of a healer dwelling in these woods, well, that was something of a surprise. Releasing the dog at last, she stood slowly. So far, she was still able to walk, but she knew her feet were numb. She'd have to do her best to keep up. She was momentarily worried that the dog would rush down into the hole the second she let go of him, but instead, he sniffed briefly at the hole, then wandered over to investigate Clay and sniff thoroughly around his and the stranger's feet, while one supported the other. Finally he came trotting back over to Brooke, his tail wagging as he looked up at her and barked, if to say he was done now.

"He might be hers," Brooke answered uncertainly, upon hearing that the healer had a dog. She had no idea where this one had come from, after all. She looked to make sure that Aislin was keeping close, and couldn't remember whether she had any shoes or not. Brooke's own were makeshift, and barely kept her feet from the cold. She'd gotten wet earlier, and at least half of her skirts were frozen stiff, coated in a layer of frost and ice. It wasn't comfortable, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Keep close, keep up, and keep on. The stranger's words were encouraging, but Brooke thought it was easier said than done. Still, she nodded, and mentally added, 'and ears, and noses...' to the bit he said about their fingers and toes staying attached. She thought she heard a mutter about the tanner, but didn't quite make out every word. If she had not been freezing, she would have been far more reluctant to go anywhere with a strange man, despite the fact that he'd helped her and Aislin. But at the moment, she was too cold and tired and scared of Mr. Spruce to object, and the dog seemed to think he was alright. Dogs could tell if people weren't nice, right? She didn't know for certain but she thought she'd read that somewhere, that they could sense if a person was good or bad, and stuff like that.

At some point, she did finally stow the knife away in her bag. Not only was her hand too cold to hold onto it much longer, requiring her to tuck both hands into her armpits, but she was also becoming convinced that the man had no intentions of harm toward them. As she trudged on through the snow, occasionally slipping or tripping, she wordlessly got back up each time, and tried her best to keep up, despite the cold making it hard for her to take breaths without a little cough every couple of breaths. Her throat was feeling raw from the cold, and she considered telling the stranger to go on and get Clay to the healer, and that she and Aislin would catch up. They had his tracks to follow, after all. But the words didn't come out, and she shied away from speaking up with such a suggestion anyway. He was already slowed down by having to keep to a pace that Clay could manage, and she did worry about if Mr. Spruce might catch up to them still. It seemed odd to her, actually, that he had not already done so.

The cabin that appeared at last was a very welcoming sight. With windows glowing with warm light, and a thin stream of smoke rising from the chimney, it gave the place a cozy, warm appearance. A thick blanket of snow covered the roof, and beyond the windows, the light cast onto the snow made it glitter beautifully. If she hadn't been so cold, Brooke might have been better able to appreciate the sight, but for the moment she was glad to see the cabin for the thought of getting warm. As she thought she heard a bark from inside, the dog next to her perked up his ears and let out one of his own before running ahead, tail wagging as he stopped and looked back at the group of slow-moving humans, as if urging them to hurry up.

---

She'd just put another small piece of log on the fire, when Hwinia suddenly leaped up and barked. The excited dog spun in a circle, barked again, and ran to the window, her front paws resting on the sill as she peered through the frosted panes. As Seri stood from her task, she frowned slightly and watched her dog bounce over to the door, whining softly as she pawed at it. "What is it, girl?" She asked as she moved to cautiously peer out of the window.

Brown eyes widened slightly as she caught sight of the little group moving slowly toward her porch, which she could only just see by the light spilling out of the windows. Though she couldn't quite make out who they were just yet, she could tell by the way one supported the other, that at least one of them was injured.

Taking up a shawl as to wrap around her shoulders, she hastened to pull her dog back from the door, and opened it before the group had even knocked. "Come in, get out of the cold," She urged, ushering the entire group in. Only once she had closed the door behind the last of the half-frozen group, did she take a proper look and realize that she knew the tallest of the group; the one supporting the young man, whom she also recognized vaguely. Enough to recall his name, at least. The two girls she was less familiar with; one, she had never seen before, and the other, she had only occasionally glimpsed around town now and then.

Swiftly, she took an assessing glance over her unexpected guests. The young man, Clay, was being supported almost entirely by Gwandhyra, with a makeshift brace of sorts on his ankle. She saw blood, and he was covered in dirt. And he was clutching.. a skull?! She swiftly overlooked that before it drew forth any questions that could wait, and looked at the other members of the party. The girls looked like they were freezing, and no surprise in this weather.. especially since only one, the younger looking of the two, seemed to even have a wrap to keep the cold at bay. But they did not appear to be injured.

"You two, there's a fire in the hearth, go and get warm," She insisted in a kind tone, with a motion toward the fireplace. "Don't get too close 'til I can check your hands and feet for frostbite," She added in warning, before turning her full attention to the injured patient, and the one supporting him. Gwandhyra did not appear to have any injuries, at least. "You seem to find injured young men everywhere you go, don't you?" She commented to Gwandhyra with a lightly teasing tone, as she motioned for him to help Clay stretch out on the sofa. Referring, of course, to the recent occasion when she had met the ranger, tending to another injured young man. Thankfully, this one didn't appear to be as badly injured as the other.

"What happened?" She inquired, while she went to get some water and other supplies ready. Both brace, and the boot, would have to be removed, but she wasn't sure what she would find beneath. So, she wanted to be prepared to stop a flood of bleeding, in case. In the background, the dogs were greeting each other like old friends reunited, and with a quick glance in their direction, she noticed that the unfamiliar one appeared to be of similar breed to Hwinia. But that thought could wait. Returning with her supplies, she set these on the coffee table and took a seat on the floor so she could better get to the wounded foot, and frowned at what appeared like 'teeth marks' on the leather of the boot. These didn't look quite familiar to her. "Do you know what creature it was that bit him?" She looked up at the others, unsure whether there might be any added dangers she needed to be aware of, since some creatures were known to carry diseases.

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
In the Woods and to Seri's cottage

Aislin's lips formed an offended pout when the man suggested that they had snared Clay and would do so to him, even if it was in jest. Did they look like bandits to him? She responded nothing though and went along to the big rock which was luckily not too heavy for someone of that strength.

"Will do," she said shakily when she was too slow to snatch up the excited dog - at least Brooke had been faster. She climbed up to a spot which offered a good enough view of the surrounding woods and pressed herself against one of the trees as her eyes scanned the approach to their spot for that dreaded tanner. Fortunately, he did not show before Clay could be rescued, or else she did not know if her voice would be loud enough to sound the alarm.

Approaching the others she stared at Clay and at the skull which he clutched like it was some sort of treasure, and then glanced at Gwandhyra with question in her eyes. If there had been a skull under the tree roots, Aislin thought that it was a great possibility that the tanner had already chased someone into this trap - only then no one had been at hand to rescue them.

The girl's eyes lit up with hope when Gwandhyra said there was a healer nearby. "Oh, we do need a healer! I mean... Clay does look in a bad way," she said. And so were she and Brooke, though at least they could move unsupported. She had not realised how frozen she was until she had to move enough to be able to keep up; her legs seemed to have turned so stiff from cold.

The sight of a cabin was welcome indeed, and Aislin did not have to be told twice to move herself to the warmth emanating from the hearth. She overcame the powerful wish to reach out her hands towards it and instead turned her back to it, while she looked around the comfortable looking cabin, the dogs who were busy greeting each other, and eventually looking towards Clay who was now being inspected by the healer.

"Oh, it was no beast," she hurried to explain, having been the witness to the injury. "He stepped into a trap, the tanner's work, s'pose. I helped him to remove those iron jaws from his foot."

Private with @Rillewen @Pele Alarion

The door opened before they ever reached it, as though the woman within had been expecting them. And Gwandhyra was both concerned and also impressed at Seri’s decision to usher the small group inside, before she ever really knew who they were else. He tucked a smile away into his beard, a moment after letting it sit stupidly for a moment as he passed their kindly hostess.

“Well, I never. Have we quite by chance found you, here, at your home ?” he feigned surprise, without any plausible try to the act, and marked the presence of a second dog only as the girls were herded wisely toward the warm fire. Thankfully the two hounds seemed at a swift peace with one another, and their mutual intrigue allowed for the humans to indulge in a brief intrigue all of their own. “Alright, I confess. I knew you to dwell hereabouts,” he relented good naturedly to the healer, before either of the girls gave him away. “I'd clearly go as far as the freezelands of Forochel, for any cause that I might deliver into your diligent hands,” he offered the ridiculous claim, straight faced, as the two delivered Clay on to the long seat.


“That ..” the Ranger managed, moving to take the skull out of Clay’s grasp, “I could not rightly explain,” he confessed, when the woman asked what had happened. If he had been there to stand witness, of course, he would hope that whatever had occurred … would not have. A surprising reluctance from the injured Breeman strove to keep the macabre thing, before the skull slowly exchanged hands. The elder placed it with unsure respect upon the coffee table.

As Seri returned with her supplies, Gwandhyra took one of the soft cushions they’d moved, and eased it carefully underneath the injured foot. The patient’s head was flat along the sofa, so that the affected limb was raised above his heart. The Ranger climbed onto his knees, as questions came about the clear damage done to the ruined boot.


“Sounds like a beast to me,” he remarked, a more noticeably grim opinion, after Aislin piped up with her account of what she’d seen. “My thought was to keep pressure over the bleeding, and support the ankle when we had to move him,” he explained his part in it then, to ward off his anger and be useful to the healer. Slowly, the man began to undress his makeshift medical efforts, now that an expert was at hand to cater to what was beneath. “He couldn't well bear weight, so I am not sure if the bone is fractured. At least this one was wearing strong boots,” the mention was designed to draw attention to the two girls, neither of whom was so blessed in their footwear. Or indeed, their wear in general.

“So, you saved him,” Gwandhyra raised his voice to address Aislin, “and he saved your friend here,” the man turned brown eyes toward Brooke. “who in turn saved the dog,” he smiled, before returning attention to the healer, watching her with waiting hands to hold, take or hand her what she might require of him. “I thought they would be safe here,” he involved her in the chain of events, and prepared to delicately part Clay’s boot from his foot, so that Seri could save that. “Looks like they went to ground, when Spruce took to hunting them,” he sighed, as his hand grew ever more dirtied from the contact. The sigh was for the tanner of course, not for the dirt. In fact, it was probably the fact that the Ranger was dressed almost as a forest himself, that neither dogs had seen him to be a threat. Something he'd witnessed before, from Elvish associates.


“It’s Dorian Bay” Clay released an abrupt interruption, his closest hand raised to point to the skull which was leering at the scene from it’s seat on the table. “Knew he .. ” was as far as the injured man managed, before his ashen face grew paler still, and his eyes rolled back, even as the Ranger eased the last of the devastated boot free. It was difficult to tell what colour the sock beneath had once been, but it was warm and wet now with blood, as well as meshed in amongst where the skin itself had been punctured.

“Passed out,” Gwandhyra diagnosed, as he checked the young man’s pulse at his fallen wrist. “Probably for the best,” he rose then, as though readying to depart. “Spruce is still out there, somewhere ..” he added, as much as an explanation as was required really. He got as far as the door before glancing at that wooden obstacle, then back to the tempting scene he would rather loiter in a time. “I will return,” he promised, her, and himself. With a resolved nod then, he braced his cloak about him and slipped around a narrow opened door, to let in the least of the bitter cold.


A tap at the window moments later proved he’d gotten as far as the side of the house, where his lips spelled out a final word for Seri.
“I absolutely owe you.”
A few words, in honesty. And the last of these was accompanied by a suggestive wink. And then he was gone, for what time at least it would take.


The Ranger would not find the tanner, although Gwandhyra could not have known this when he set out to do just that. Sully Spruce was no fool. And rather than waste his time, in the freezing snow, chasing Brooke through the woods and the dark, he had headed straight for her father's house. The girl had to come home sometime, and according to the letter she had brought him, someone at the Willows homestead had some idea how to entertain him, until then.

@Pele Alarion@Ercassie
A slight eyeroll met Gwandhyra's comment of feigned surprise, at finding that this was her home. "As if you hadn't walked me home only a few weeks ago," She remarked in mild amusement, which, admittedly, was hampered a bit by the seriousness of the three patients brought to her all at once. At least he was not one of them, or she would have had her hands much fuller. As the ranger assisted with the wounded young man, she shook her head with a faint smile lingering on her lips, while he proclaimed to have gone as far as Forochel to find her these patients to tend to. "Oh, how thoughtful of you. With all this snow and ice all about the cabin, I was beginning to think I'd have to sit around here bored, without anything to keep me occupied." She replied with an equally straight face, though there was a teasing glint in her eyes as they worked together to ease Clay onto the sofa.

At her inquiry about the teeth marks, Seri had not expected the answer to come from the apparently youngest of the group, but she listened with a slight frown as the girl explained about the trap as she added some water into a bowl, then took a kettle of heated water from the fireplace, and added just enough to heat the water in her bowl so that it was about lukewarm. Her expression darkened a little at this news, and she gave a little nod in agreement with Gwandhyra's assessment. "A beast, indeed," She muttered, making an effort not to show too much anger. She had to focus on treating the patients, rather than ranting about the monster she had recently gained for one of her nearest neighbors. As if to help her keep her focus in the right place, Gwandhyra spoke of what he had been thinking, about the ankle. She gave a little nod. "Good thinking," She answered quietly, and while he was undoing the makeshift splint from Clay's foot, she went over to take a quick, preliminary look at the two girls.

After seeing what condition they were in, and making sure neither were sitting too close to the fire, she went back to find a couple of small tubs, which she filled halfway with water. Soon, she would have to draw up more water from the well, but she'd worry about that later. Next, she poured enough hot water in to mix with the water in the tubs, so that each would be slightly warm, but not too warm for the patients' currently hypothermic conditions. She set one in front of Aislin, and the other in front of Brooke. "Put your feet in there, and let them warm up slowly," She said softly, as she thought of the old saying, it never rains, but pours.

---

The journey to the healer's cabin had felt like quite a feat for Brooke, whose feet were so numb she had to look down often to make sure they were still there. While the kind lady took care of Clay, who obviously required much more urgent care than she and Aislin, Brooke wrapped her arms around herself, with her hands tucked under her armpits, as she found a seat next to Aislin, a safe distance from the fire, yet close enough to feel its warmth. Sitting so that she was sort of hunched forward, she closed her eyes and listened to the goings-on around her while she tried to keep her breathing from turning into constant wheezing/coughing. Still, every breath felt like a bit of an effort, and every other few ended up in a wheezing cough. She felt like her throat and lungs were raw and burning. She might have thought it was merely from the frigid air she had been breathing for.. well, she had no idea how long she and Aislin had been out in it, actually.. But none of the others seemed to be affected the same way, so she assumed it must be something wrong with just her.

She blinked at the bucket of water placed near her feet, and wordlessly nodded in answer to the healer's instructions. Though her fingers still felt sore and stiff, she fumbled a little as she pulled off the sorry excuse for shoes that had covered her feet. She'd made them by braiding grass and sewing it into the shape she needed, but they had long since become soaked, and the extra layer of dry grass she had lined the insides with, as insulation, had become soggy. Abandoning the 'shoes' on the floor, and moving her numb feet into the bucket, she tried to gauge whether she could still feel anything in them. Both hands and feet felt painfully cold, stiff, and numb, but at least that was probably a good sign, right? She kept her gaze down at her feet, through the water, as if staring at them would help them recover from the extreme cold she'd subjected them to.

Hearing their rescuer speaking, with a summary of his understanding about the chain of events, Brooke managed a weak smile, though still without looking up. "Then he found you, so you could save Clay," She mumbled, referring to the dog as she concluded the circle for the man. "And us..." She added, followed by some coughing. After that had passed, she sniffled and huddled herself into a little tighter ball. Already, she began to feel warmed up enough that shivering was beginning again. Before long, she knew she would be shivering so hard that talking would be nearly impossible, so she went quiet at that point and focused all of her efforts on attempting to continue breathing with minimal coughing.

---

Grabbing a couple of blankets from the chairs nearby, which had been kept pleasantly warmed by the fire's heat, Seri draped one around each girl. "I'll get you both some tea in a moment," She promised, pausing slightly in concern at hearing Brooke's coughing. She couldn't quite tell if the girl was suffering from a cold, or something more, but for now she filed that away for when she could take more time to see to them. For now, her attention was drawn back to Clay as she heard him speak out.

"Dorian Bay? He's been missing for about a year now," She mentioned, and glanced at Gwandhyra in curiosity, wondering if he knew what Clay was going on about. How could the young man be positive about the identity of the skull? Still, she made no comment, nor gave any indication of being upset by the dirt-stained skull being placed on her coffee table. It was certainly not anything she would have chosen to use as a decoration in her home, but she could see that it held some significance to Clay, and tables could be cleaned. Gwandhyra's observation, that he had passed out, brought a nod and more concern from the healer. "From shock, most likely," She agreed as she hurried to grab another blanket and spread over him, then added her shawl for good measure.

Just as she began cautiously peeling the sock off, gradually separating it from the young man's skin, Gwandhyra stood up as if to leave, but gave no time for her to wonder why, by explaining his purpose. Seri gave a small, slightly distracted nod while she continued to work; although she might have preferred him to stick around and help her, she understood the need to do something about the menace. Especially if there was a risk he might come looking for these young people here. As he headed for the door, she was intent on removing the blood-soaked sock without causing further damage to Clay's foot or ankle. But after Gwandhyra had reached the door, Seri thought of something, looking up suddenly. "Gwandhyra.." She called with concern, about the time he had stopped to look back. "Be careful," She warned, though probably unnecessarily, with a small nod toward Clay's ankle. It couldn't hurt to give him some warning, even if he didn't need it. "There are bound to be others out there, hidden by the snow... so watch your step." She explained quietly. "I've even found some of those contraptions on my own land, though I've told that brute plenty of times to keep himself and his traps away from here." She didn't bother to hide her irritation about that.

And then after a nod in reply, he was gone. Only, not quite so gone as one might have thought, for only moments later, he was tapping on the frosted windowpane. Glancing up, she gave a small smile of amusement in return after figuring out what he was saying. He had gone from the window before she could think of a suitable reply, and besides, she had patients to tend to. Shaking her head slightly with some amusement at the man, she turned her attention toward cleaning Clay's wound so she could get some idea of how badly damaged it was.

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
In the Woods and to Seri's cottage

"Lots of saving for one day, and hopefully enough already," Aislin half grumbled in return to Gwandhyra's kind words, though mostly because she now had time to ponder it all, and wondering what would have happened if they remained out there in the cold. "If you hadn't found us..."

She then did not speak anything else even though she listened keenly, and imperceptibly edged slightly closer to the fire to let the warmth embrace her more. She watched as Seri seemed to handle all of their needs quite expertly. Clay was stretched out, his foot readied for examination, and she and Brooke found water placed before them to warm their feet, and blankets on their shoulders. Happily Aislin kicked off her ankle-height leather shoes which had a couple holes here and there from much wearing and were filled with some snow. Yet, as soon as the girl had placed her feet in the water, she almost pulled them right out for the water felt hot. But it was not, right? She had observed Seri pour in more cold water than hot. She persisted though, and soon the water felt pleasant, and her feet came back to life with some tingling.

"Who's Dorian Bay?" she asked, looking suspiciously at the skull, as she huddled herself into the blanket. Curiously she glanced at Brooke to see if she knew, and frowned when she saw her friend coughing quite a lot.

Meanwhile Gwandhyra was already gone, presumably to make sure the evil tanner did nothing of the kind again. She hoped that he'd find the culprit all right and teach him a good lesson.

@Pele Alarion@Ercassie
"Dorian Bay," Seri frowned slightly as she worked on cleaning, inspecting, and tending to the injured foot, while also checking that the patient was regaining some warmth. "is a man who owned some property which he rented out to folks, as I recall. I don't know much else about him, other than he has a couple of daughters about my age, though I don't know them well." She had never really been all that close with any of the other children her age, despite growing up around here. She couldn't quite remember the daughter's names, however, though she thought they both started with an 'A'. "The man went missing about a year ago, and as far as I've heard, hasn't been heard from since." She glanced uncertainly at the skull. "I wonder if there's anyone who can positively identify.. that." She muttered, before shaking her head. She turned back to bandaging Clay's ankle.

When she had done all that she could do for Clay, she covered him with a blanket and went to the basin to wash her hands of the blood and dirt that had, inevitably, gotten on her. Then, with a brief glance toward the two girls, she grabbed two mugs and selected some tea for them, something with warming spices. "Do either of you have any problems with cinnamon? Or ginger?" She asked, checking, since she had heard of certain people having issues with some spices of those sorts. After receiving their replies, she fixed up the mugs accordingly. In Brooke's, she added a few extra things that would help with her cough. Pouring the hot water into each mug, she let the teas steep while she took a bowl outside and collected some nice, clean snow, and added a bit of that into the mugs to cool the tea down enough for them to drink without burning their mouths. Once finished, she set the tray down on the coffee table and took a thoughtful look at the girls. "How are your hands?" She asked softly, holding out a hand toward Brooke, who was closer to where she stood.

Brooke hesitated and considered telling her to take care of Aislin first, but she figured there was no sense in arguing with the healer, so she slowly pulled her hands out from under her arms and held them out for inspection by the healer. As she looked up at last, Brooke blinked as she caught a proper sight of the lady for the first time, and nearly did a double take. "W-who are you?" She managed to ask in slight amazement, through her shivering.

Taking the girl's hands, Seri smiled slightly, not quite sure why the girl looked so surprised, or.. something, which she couldn't put her finger on. "My name is Seri," She answered. "I'm a healer, in case you were worried." She added with a reassuring smile.

"Oh.." Brooke smiled weakly as she tried to hide something like disappointment. "No, n-not.. worried," She assured her. Of course, she knew that this couldn't be who she had almost thought it was, but the resemblance was a bit startling. Then, figuring some explanation might be called for, she added, "S-sorry.. you, um.. looked a b-bit.. familiar, at first," She couldn't quite bring herself to mention that the lady looked like someone she once knew. "I-I'm Brooke," She added, a little belatedly remembering she had not given her name yet.

Nodding, Seri wondered who she might have reminded the girl of, but she didn't ask. Brooke's hands were very cold, but she saw no immediate signs of frost bite. "Can you feel your fingers? Can you move them?" She turned her gaze onto Aislin then, "And what about yours?" She added, to let the girl know the same questions applied to her. Letting go of Brooke's hand, she held out her hands to take Aislin's and inspect them as well.

Brooke nodded slowly, after checking that she could still bend her fingers and straighten them again. "Hurts, but.. yes," She answered, then turned her head down as she coughed a couple more times. Thankfully, it passed soon enough, but she still felt as if she could hardly get enough air with each breath, without lapsing into more coughing.

"How long have you had that cold?" Seri wondered with a small frown.

"Not.. very long," Brooke answered after a little pause, in between shallow, almost raspy breaths.

"Hmm," Seri considered this for a moment, then picked up the mug that was for Brooke, and held it up for her. "Take a careful little sip. It's not real hot, but it might still feel a bit hot to your lips." She held it while Brooke sipped, then set it down and picked up the other for Aislin. "I think we'd better get both of your hands warmed up a little more before either of you go picking up these mugs," She explained as she helped her take a sip as well. After checking that their hands were not frostbitten, Seri made up another shallow dish of warm water, and placed it carefully between both girls where they could both reach it. "There, you can put your hands in that, and it should help them get warmer a little faster, but not too fast." She explained. "Once you're a little more thawed, I'll get you both some warm broth to sip on." She glanced from one to the other, then her curiosity got the better of her. "Are you two sisters?" She wondered, figuring it would make sense, as they shared some similarities in looks; both having dark hair, brown eyes, being small-framed young ladies, and they both seemed underfed and poorly clad for such weather.

Brooke smiled faintly and glanced at Aislin with some amusement. Part of her wanted to say yes, but that wouldn't be truthful. "I wish I could say yes," she answered softly. "But actually, we only just met today, ma'am," She replied, with a slightly regretful shrug as she dropped her gaze back down and cautiously slid her fingers into the warm water, leaving room on the other side for Aislin to do the same. It felt nice to her fingers, but she figured it would soon feel cold. The water for her feet had seemed to rapidly cool off once she put her feet in there. As if her feet were so cold, they had lowered the temperature of the water, instead of the water heating her feet. But thankfully, her shivering was beginning to slacken, as she gradually got warmer. It wasn't gone entirely, but hopefully it would be, soon.

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
Seri's cottage

Being quite unfamiliar with the location and its people, Aislin found that the name and description of Dorian Bay meant nothing to her, so she did not bother to explore the matter any further. Especially since there were other more urgent matters to tend to. Like those of getting warm enough. At least it seemed that the healer had already fixed up Clay's foot since she now had turned to tend to her and Brooke.

"Cinnamon and ginger sound heavenly, thank you," Aislin responded eagerly, and the very mention of these spices seemed to make her more hungry even if those were just ingredients of tea. Blush touched her cheeks when her belly grumbled loudly in confirmation that even a delicious liquid would be better than nothing.

"My hands are cold, but I think..." she moved her fingers and looked at them. "Fingers still moving, though they are a bit numb."

Her gaze then turned to Brooke, and it seemed to her that her friend was faring much worse - shivering more badly, and coughing too. Concern showed in her eyes, and she hoped that it did not mean that her friend would fall ill.

"I would give a lot to have a sister," she then murmured longingly as she placed her fingers into water to seek for some warmth. And then when Brooke introduced herself, she could not remember if she had ever said what her name was. "I'm called Aislin," she said, just in case. "And I came only today, and bumped into Brooke. And Clay. And... everything." The experience had turned out pretty wild, but she was not sure she had many regrets. It was good to have kind people around, and it far outweighed any danger from that tanner.

@Pele Alarion@Ercassie
As Aislin mentioned how much she'd like to have a sister, Brooke managed a faint, weak smile. She always used to wish for a sister. Or, in some ways, she had always felt like she should have had a sister. Like something was missing. Now.. she still felt that she probably wouldn't have been so lonely, growing up, if she'd had a sibling. Except, she also now had a stepsister whom she wouldn't wish on anyone. That wasn't her real sister, of course, but she couldn't help wondering; if she'd had a sibling, would they have gotten along? Or would that be yet another person who made her life awful? She held back a sigh, and tried to imagine what it would be like if she had Aislin for a sister. That would be nice. But, unfortunately, she knew that it couldn't happen. There was no way she could bring Aislin to live where she did, and Brooke just couldn't see any way for herself to go and live anywhere else. Which reminded her.. she had to get back home.

But Aislin's following comment made her feel bad for all that the other girl had been through because of her. While Brooke was really glad for her own sake that Aislin had apparently followed her, and had even brought someone to help.. she also wished her new friend had never been in any danger because of her. "I'm sorry," She murmured quietly, feeling guilty for it all. "You should've stayed in the warm shop, with Mr. Tunnelly. You and Clay were in danger because of me.. I'm really sorry." She kept her gaze down at the water and at their hands in the water.

"How's your fingers and toes feeling, now?" Seri asked, coming to check on them after she'd taken a moment to check on Clay. She had not heard Brooke's comments, since she had spoken quietly so that only Aislin would hear.

Brooke slowly curled her fingers in toward her palms, while still under the water, then straightened them again so her hand lay flat against the bottom of the pan. She could feel her fingers tingling, and it wasn't very pleasant, but she knew it was also a good thing. That meant the feeling was returning to them, and that... was quite a relief. Same with her feet, actually.

"Good." Seri smiled and put a finger into the water to check the temperature, then checked on how their hands and feet were looking. After a moment's thought, she added a little bit more hot water to raise the temperature up slightly. "You're going to be alright," She declared, aimed at them both. "How about some warm broth, now?" She smiled, then paused, glancing at the window. It was about suppertime, she noticed. Time when most parents would be expecting their young people home. "Do we need to send word to your parents, to let them know where you are?" She asked, uncertain where to send such messages.

The healer's question reminded Brooke yet again about how long she had been out. She had... sort of? completed her errand. She'd delivered the letter, anyway, but if there was any reply expected, she had no idea what to say to Claire. Still, she knew she couldn't linger too much longer. Only as long as it took for her to be able to walk again. "I.. I need to get home soon," She mentioned quietly, with reluctance. She regretted that she would have to leave this cozy place, with the healer who seemed to care, but.. her book was in danger, and she knew Claire was likely to destroy it if she didn't rescue it soon enough. And that would be a tragedy that Brooke couldn't let happen.

Serif frowned slightly as Brooke declared she had to go home. "I'm not sure how soon that'll be possible." She told her with some regret. "You're certainly not leaving here without a good hot meal first, and.. you should have a coat, or cloak, or something, at least, before you go out there. And proper shoes, or something." She said with a concerned frown. "What are you doing running around in this weather without anything of the sort?"

Blinking as the woman caught her by surprise with that reply, Brooke hesitated before dropping her gaze again. "I.. outgrew them." She admitted softly. "I had a blanket, but.. it got left in Mr. Spruce's house, and.. I wasn't going to go back for it for anything." She explained, a little awkward.

Seri's almost stern-like expression softened with understanding as she nodded. "I see. I don't blame you there.." She sighed, and looked thoughtful. "Hm, well. You aren't going anywhere until you're properly thawed out, anyway." She declared, in a tone that left no room for argument. She looked at Aislin next. "And you? At least you do have a cloak," She noticed with a faint smile, glad that she had something, at least. And shoes, though they looked quite tattered. If they weren't sisters, they sure seemed to have a lot in common, and she was curious about the fact she'd said she only just arrived today. "Should we send a message to where you live, so someone isn't worrying about you?"

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
Seri's cottage

"What? No... no!" Aislin protested to Brooke's expressions of regret that she had also happened into that trouble and tried to keep her voice as quiet as Brooke's. "Some freezing is nothing for having retrieved you from that monster's lair." In all honesty, she believed that Sully would have not minded killing her friend if she had not managed to escape, why else had he caused such damage to Clay?

When Seri returned to them, the girl left off that thread of conversation and did not return to it. Instead she gently splashed the newly supplemented warmer water with her hands, enjoying the feel of it as it made her hands more alive, and the promise of broth caused her to look up at the healer hopefully.

Yet, Aislin's face lost the hopeful and joyful smile as she was now faced with the fact that she would have to eventually leave and go out in the woods and the streets to fend for herself. At least Brooke did have some sort of home to return to, even though by the looks of it not much to enjoy.

"I have no one and no place to return to," she responded to Seri's asking quietly. "Probably would just spend the night somewhere under the tree." She could gather some armfuls of spruce branches to make a bit of bedding so that she would not freeze to the ground, and perhaps create a little bit of roof over her head with the same material. The more she thought of this, the more her shoulders drooped and she looked at the crackling fire in the hearth sadly.

@Pele Alarion@Ercassie
Shrugging, Brooke left off from any argument she might have given, about how Clay might have died doing what he did, and his ankle looked bad, and how he could easily have either suffocated or frozen to death down in that hole. And that Aislin could have been hurt or worse by that awful monster, more than just freezing. None of those things had happened, thankfully, but she was still aware of how much worse things could have been, and that it was all because of her. She glanced toward Clay briefly, noticing the bandages now on his ankle, but returned her attention to the healer as she checked on her and Aislin. Her coughing had eased up a little, thankfully, but she still had difficulty with taking deep breaths. While Seri added a little hot water to the pan, she glanced around and found the dogs, now curled up together by the fire.

Brooke was trying to decide how to go about bringing the lady's attention to the dog's injuries, when Aislin's reply distracted her. She frowned slightly, concerned about how Aislin was going to survive such weather without someplace to stay. She tried to think of any sort of place where she might be safe and warm, but Brooke didn't know of any better place that she could go, let alone Aislin.

After hearing both girl's replies, Seri couldn't help a frown. One had nowhere to go, and the other had someplace, but apparently her family could not afford to buy new things for the winter, as she understood it. This troubled her, and she let out a quiet 'hmm' as she nodded thoughtfully once she had heard both of their replies. She went to get a couple of bowls, deep in thought as she filled these with some stew she had cooking. Returning to the two girls, she set the bowls on the table, one in front of each girl. "There's plenty of broth in there, but meat and vegetables as well. Take care not to eat too quickly.. it might be a bit hot," She cautioned them. "I'll be right back."

"Thank you," Brooke hesitated. "Uh.. Ma'am?" She hesitated as Seri paused and glanced back. Now she had committed herself to saying something. "Um.." She coughed lightly a couple of times before she was able to continue. "If.. you get a moment to spare, well, could you look at the dog, please?" She nodded toward the one who had come with her and Aislin. "That monster had him tied up very cruelly," She explained quietly. "The rope had cut into his neck, and.. it looked bad.. I'm sure he's hungry, too.. if you've got anything to spare?"

Seri cast her gaze toward the other dog who had quickly made friends with Hwinia. She had seen that he was dirty and poorly fed, but his fur had hidden any injuries. "Of course," She assured Brooke with a slightly sad smile. "I'll see to him as soon as I return." She promised, though inwardly she was furious at the thought of that horrible mad being cruel to a helpless animal. Leaving the girls for a moment now that they were warming up and past the point of critical hypothermia, she took a moment to step into another room and take a deep breath.

Brooke's gaze was inevitably drawn toward the bowl of stew waiting for her. She could hardly stand having to wait, but she could see the steam rising from the top of it, though, and decided to heed the healer's warning about it being hot. With the water for their hands was warmer now, she could feel the tingling slowly abating from her fingertips, and she could move them without having too much discomfort, now. Taking her hands out of the water, she picked up the tea and took a cautious sip. It was warm, but not too warm as to feel like it might burn her. And it seemed to comfortably warm her inside as she took a slow sip of it. And, while the aroma was faint because it wasn't steaming anymore, it seemed to help sooth her cough a little.

"I hope he'll be alright," She mentioned quietly, glancing toward Clay again. She put down the tea and tentatively reached to pick up the bowl of stew. The bowl felt hot, so she carefully placed it in her lap, on top of the blanket that had been placed over her lap. The blanket protected her from too much heat, though she could feel some warmth the top of her thighs, which was nice. She couldn't help but try a cautious sip of broth, blowing on it first, but it was quite hot. She decided to wait and let it cool for as long as she could stand the wait. "How did you get him to come and help, anyway?" She asked, meaning Clay, as she looked curiously at Aislin.

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
Seri's cottage

If food could be devoured by looking at it alone, Aislin's bowl would already be empty; however, she managed to hold off from it for a while by means of taking her hands out of the water to wrap them around the cup of tea instead. She lifted the cup to her nose and breathed in the lovely herbal scent, and then proceeded to take a few sips. If she could not eat food right away, she could at least have tea which had cooled off slightly.

She had forgotten about the dog that had joined them for a while, and now when Brooke mentioned it to Seri, her eyes sought out the animal who looked comfortable by the fire in the company of the healer's dog. She wondered what would happen to the dog - it had no home after all.

"Oh, I think Clay would be all right," Aislin said encouragingly, after she had watched Seri leave them be for a while. "His foot is fixed, and he's getting warmed up too." She saw that healer knew what she was going, and had quickly sorted all of them out. She only wondered how long till he came to again. "We only ran into each other by accident," she chuckled softly at the event which had not seemed that funny at first. "And I don't know what he was doing there, but I told him that my friend was in that cabin, and I was going there with or without him, so he came..."

@Pele Alarion@Ercassie
Hearing how Aislin had run into Clay was intriguing. Brooke had just assumed that she had somehow convinced him to come with her out there, for the purpose of rescuing her or something, though, of course, that didn't really make sense. How would Aislin have known she would need rescuing until she got out there? "Thanks." She offered a faint smile to Aislin, for what she had done. Perhaps that had saved her life, though she wasn't sure. She really didn't know what Mr. Spruce would have done to her, if the interruption hadn't come when it did. And she didn't really want to know, either, she decided with a little shiver. She wondered, then, what had brought Clay out there in the first place? She glanced at him again, curiously, but he was still passed out. Her gaze landed briefly on the skull he had brought forth from the depths of the hole, recalling how he had insisted it was Dorian Bay. He'd almost seemed.. panicked wasn't the right word. But.. turning back to the fire, she searched in her mind for the right word. Impassioned, anxious, agitated.. distressed?

Deciding it was somewhat pointless to bother thinking of the right word to describe how Clay's words had seemed to her, Brooke turned back toward the fire and eyed the bowl of stew again. She took another long sip of the warm tea, then set the mug down and carefully picked up the bowl, and tested whether the heat was tolerable by now. Not quite yet, but she took a small spoonful of the broth anyway. After a little blowing over the top of the liquid, she was able to sip the tiny amount. Her stomach wanted the rest, and it was very difficult to deny it, but she made herself wait for it to cool a bit. After a moment, she used the spoon to slowly swirl the contents of the bowl around, hoping that might help it to cool a little faster. After a moment, she couldn't resist testing again, this time a small piece of carrot. Very hot. But also, very delicious. And almost before she could stop herself, she was carefully sipping another spoonful of broth, then stirred for a while, then tried a tiny piece of meat, stirred, and so on.

Seri returned from one of the bedrooms with an armful of things, which she deposited in an empty chair. "Alright," She looked at Brooke and Aislin with a little smile. "I've got a few things here which might fit you two." She had tried to gauge their sizes, and selected things she believed would fit them. She pulled out a couple pairs of boots. They were used, but still in much better condition than Aislin's current ones. "Try these on and see if they fit." She set one pair down by Brooke, and another, slightly smaller pair down by Aislin. The reddish-brown dog sat up from the fireplace, looking at the boots intently.

Blinking, Brooke set the bowl down and stared at the boots for a moment. She looked up at Seri, and the pile of clothing, and back to Seri. "I.. I don't have any money to pay you for anything, ma'am." She explained quietly, looking back down at the boots regretfully, and a little uncomfortable feeling she had to turn this down.

Seri tilted her head. "I didn't ask for any payment, did I?" She asked. "These are things which my daughter outgrew and left behind when she left home." She explained. "I don't know why I kept them, but I just couldn't ever seem to make myself get rid of them. Perhaps some part of me knew they'd be useful to someone, someday..." She shrugged and motioned to the boots. "See if they fit. Go on, I promise there's no spiders waiting inside to bite your toes." She said with a little smile. Then, recalling that they had their feet in buckets of water, Seri pulled out a towel she had brought along, and offered one to Brooke, and another to Aislin.

Quietly taking her feet from the warm-ish water, Brooke was glad to be able to move her toes easily without numbness, or tingling. While she worked on drying her feet, she blinked back some tears that had sprung to the corners of her eyes, and swallowed down a little lump. She tested the fit, though without socks it would feel a bit odd. The boots felt a little bit loose, but that was fine. Much better than being too snug. "Thank you," She managed to speak just above a whisper as she looked up at Seri.

"There are other things here, too. Dresses, coats.. a couple of blankets for you, Brooke." Seri added, since she had mentioned losing hers. By the way she had spoken about losing it, it sounded as if it might have been the only blanket she'd owned, so Seri felt she could certainly spare a few. There were also mittens, socks, and just about anything else they might need. She'd had to dig into some trunks of Emma's old, outgrown things that had been put away for years, but she'd found enough to ensure that both girls were properly attired for this bitter cold weather.

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
Seri's cottage

Joy seemed to bubble up within Aislin along with her warming up, and she felt as if all the troubles had already been years ago. A smile played on her lips as she watched Brooke approach the stew carefully, and she considered doing the same. The food smelled heavenly, and yet she saw that it was apparently too hot yet, so she did her best to be slightly more patient and trick her grumbling stomach with the tea which had already cooled enough to drink it properly. She shrugged lightly and beamed a wider smile at Brooke's thanks for what had been an attempt at rescuing her - in her mind she would not do it any other way.

When Seri returned with an armload of clothes, Aislin looked at it as if the woman had brought out a chest of treasure.

"Oh... We really may?" she asked just to make sure.

Yet she found herself being split between attacking that delicious smelling stew and exploring what looked to her as a mountain of clothes. And those boots! But she could do neither properly with her feet still soaking in water so the girl took the towel and laid it across her lap. Reaching down into the bucket, she made sure to run her hands over her feet to rinse away any dirt, but some of it seemed to be stuck on her feet forever.

"May I ask for some soap?" she eventually lifted her brown eyes towards Seri, and added with some embarrassment. "My feet are not exactly clean, and I don't want to step out of water and still look like I've been cleaning a pig sty." Besides, it would be a shame to leave the fresh towel dirty, as well as any socks she might try on - and yes, she had already spied a lovely looking pair.

@Pele Alarion@Ercassie
When asked for soap, Seri was a bit surprised, but nodded. "Of course," She smiled and went to get a bar of soap, and handed it to her. "I have no use for these things anymore, so help yourselves," She told them both, motioning to the pile of clothing.

Before anyone could stop him, the dog had leaped forward and snatched the left boot of the pair Brooke had tried on. "Oh!" Brooke cried softly, startled. She set her bowl down hastily and started after him. "No.. Give it back, stop!" Wearing the right boot, unsocked and unlaced, and her left foot bare, she went after him as he took off toward the kitchen with his prize, tail wagging.

Seri frowned and moved to cut him off. He was not moving as swiftly as he would have if he had been healthy, so it wasn't long before she managed to catch him, but her hands were full just holding him. "Alright, drop it. I was talking to Brooke and Aislin when I said to 'help yourselves'," She told him sternly.

He tried to wiggle free, and stubbornly readjusted his grip on the boot in his mouth. Hwinia sat up and watched with curiosity, but stayed by the fire instead of getting involved in the other dog's mischief.

"Please, let go." Brooke got down on the floor and grabbed the boot, trying for a moment to wrestle it out of his mouth, but this seemed to make him think it was a game and he resisted. She stopped tugging, frowning. "I think he's hungry," She told Seri as she kept one hand lightly holding the boot. "I found him tied up so close to a tree, he could hardly move," She explained. "And there was a piece of frozen meat lying nearby, but it was out of his reach. The rope had cut into his neck from him trying to reach it, I guess." Using the boot that he refused to let go of, she pulled his head down so and used her free hand to gently part some of his fur so the healer could get a look at it.

"Hmm, I see." Seri frowned as she took a look. Unexpectedly, the dog let go of the boot in favor of turning his head swiftly to lick Seri's face.

"Oh!" Seri laughed a little in surprise as she tried to pull her head away, but this gave Brooke a chance to snatch the boot back.

She got up and took the right one off, then set both near Aislin. "Guard these for me?" She asked in a whisper, before going back to help Seri, between holding him, turning his head this way and that, and keeping him distracted.

After taking as good a look at the dog's wounds as the dog would let her, Seri determined what the first step would have to be. "Alright. I'll need to clean the wounds," She sighed, gently rubbing around his ears, then glanced up at the two girls. "And, I hate to say it, but he's going to have to have a bath. Perhaps, between the three of us, we could manage to get him clean?"

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
Seri's cottage

"Thank you so much," Aislin happily grabbed the soap and set about scrubbing her feet clean. The water was cooling off, and it was no longer warming, so she did the washing as quickly as she could, while lifting up her head to see the dog disappear with one of Brooke's boots, and Brooke and Seri going after him. She wanted to help, but then again there were clothes. And she had not even had any of the stew. With a soft sigh, the girl wiped clean her feet and carefully stepped on the floor, spreading the towel over the chair's armrest to dry.

"I think it would take a lot of muscle to keep 'm still, ma'am," she said, when she padded over after devouring a few quick spoonfuls of stew. "Would we have to sit him in a bucket?"

The stew was delicious, and she really wanted to go back to it, but then again it would not be nice to leave the other two to handle the dog without any assistance. She hoped that Hwinia would not take any boots now that they were all here...

@Pele Alarion@Ercassie
Seri was smiling as she gently stroked the dog's back. "Oh, no," She assured Aislin. "I've got a fairly large tub in the washroom. You two finish your stew," She instructed. "And I'll get you something to eat," She told the dog, as if he could understand. She was smiling as she left him in Brooke's care for a moment to go find something. She returned with two pieces of meat, and gave one to each dog.. so that Hwinia would not be jealous and thus, hopefully avoid a fight between them over the meat.

"I'm going to get some water heating up for a bath," Seri declared. "And, I figure between the three of us we could wash him, and then after, you two can change into those things, how is that?" She suggested, figuring it would be better to do the washing before they changed. "Then I can treat his wounds."

"Sounds fine to me," Brooke answered. She was still not quite comfortable with her breathing, but it was much better than before, and she wasn't coughing as much. Only a sniffle or little cough now and then. She took a sip of her tea, then picked up the stew again. It was cool enough to eat now, and she only had to remind herself not to eat too fast. Meanwhile, she watched the dog munching happily on the slab of meat, his tail wagging. Unfortunately, little droplets of mud were slung around as he did, now that the muddy ice was thawing from his fur.

Once she had finished the stew, she looked around, feeling bad about all the mud tracked around Seri's house. "I'd better clean that up, after we've cleaned him up." She mumbled, mostly to herself, but it was audible to Aislin too.

Seri emerged from a back room shortly after. "There," She sighed. "The tub is half filled with water, and seems a suitable temperature. Shall we get to work?"

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
Seri's cottage

"All right!" Aislin exclaimed happily to learn that stew would come first, and dealing with the dog after. Now that all the stress of the recent events had worn off and she felt full force of hunger, it was difficult to think of much else without resentment knowing that there was a bowl of deliciousness within reach. Yet, she lingered for a while not to leave Brooke alone with the four-legged companion. Seeing that the healer returned with some meat for both dogs, the girl laughed as she looked at Brroke: "I think now your boots might be safe for a while."

Then it was finally the time to sit down to her own food, and she emptied her bowl rather swiftly and then sipped some more from the tea.

"Ah, it feels so good," she said happily, and then looked at her friend who seemed to take note of the dirt they had managed to bring into Seri's house. "I think I agree," she joined in. "Should not take too long to mop the floors. And probably do the dishes. Right?"

When the healer declared that everything was prepared for the dog washing mission, Aislin stood and stretched her arms out and then over her head in contentment. "I am ready to tackle one very quickly moving dog, if he won't escape," she said.

@Pele Alarion@Ercassie
"Maybe," Brooke answered, unsure about her boots. She moved them up to sit on top of the pile of clothes, after checking that the soles were clean, so they would be less in the dog's reach, now that Aislin had reminded her of them. Soon, both her stew and her tea were gone, and she felt much better. She managed to suppress a shiver as Aislin's words inadvertently reminded her a little of the horrible tanner, demanding that she clean his floors. She quietly set the bowl down and nodded slightly to agree with her friend on that; they certainly ought to clean up their mess.

She stood up with a small smile when Seri came out and said the tub was ready. "Yes, I guess I'm ready," Brooke answered, glancing over as she wondered how best to summon the red-brown dog and get him to come along quietly.

"Come on boy," Seri called to the dog. He was happily licking the floor where the meat had been, but there was none left for him. He looked up when the healer called, and tilted his head as if puzzled.

"Come on," Seri tried to coax him, patting her knee to try and entice him to come to her. "We're going to get you good and clean," She promised, but he just sat down and licked his lips after accepting that there was no more meat to be eaten. He looked over at Brooke with pleading brown eyes.

"Umm, sorry, I have nothing for you." Brooke shrugged apologetically. "Let's go see what the bath is like, though?" She walked over to the dog and held out her hand to let him sniff it, then lightly patted his head. "Come on, let's go see." She was surprised when he stood up and walked along with her, wagging his tail.

"Um, it may get a bit wet," Seri cautioned her. "You may want to leave your bag here, if there's anything you don't want to get wet."

Brooke hesitated, looking down at the bag. She was torn.. she did not want to leave it out of her sight, but she also didn't want it getting wet unnecessarily. After a little further deliberation, she took the bag off and tucked it carefully at the bottom of the pile of clothes Seri had brought in, so no dogs could get ahold of it, and it would be out of sight. "There." She went back to join Seri, and the group headed into the washroom to deal with the muddy dog. Seri paused and looked at Hwinia, who remained by the fire. "I'm counting on you to keep an eye on our patient while we're in here," She told her own dog. Hwinia replied with a little wag of her tail, as if to say 'no problem!'

---

By the time they all returned, the dog was clean, but wet, and looked much happier without all the mud and grime covering his fur and making it cling and clump together. He looked much nicer, as well. Brooke hurried after him, trying to catch him and wrap a towel around him. "Stop, come back!" She let out a little laugh despite the frustration, as she finally caught up to him by the fireplace. Her own dress was fairly drenched, but she didn't mind that too much since there was a whole pile of fresh, dry clothes waiting for her and Aislin. She draped the towel over the dog but it seemed unnecessary, since the fire would help him dry. Oh well.

Seri was rather wet too, and laughing lightly as she came out shortly after. "Don't worry about it, Brooke," She told her. "I'll take a look at his neck now, while you two get changed." She smiled and indicated the pile of clothes. "You can use the room across from the washroom to change in." She added. It was her daughter's old room, and while she knew it would be a bit cooler than the main room, since the door had been closed and most of the heat had been shut out, it would also not be wet like the washroom now was. And it would be private enough for the girls to change in.

Nodding, Brooke took her bag first from under the pile, then gathered up the clothes so she could carry them for her and Aislin both. "Thank you, ma'am." She said to Seri, then set off to locate the room she had said they could use.

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
Seri's cottage

It seemed that not only the dog was wet after the bath, but all of them, though the experience had also been rather fun, and Aislin had laughed quite a bit at the dog's antics. Eventually they all returned to the living room: and while the dog was now clean, Aislin did not quite feel so regardless of being quite wet.

"Should I clean up the mud from the floor first, ma'am?" the girl asked Seri, turning around after she had followed two steps after Brooke who had already taken off with the clean clothes. "I mean... while not dressed in something nice. We've brought so much mud in..."

Aislin looked at dog's footprints, at boot prints, and at splatters of mud that could be spotted all over the floor, and even a bit on one of the walls. "It looks like winter has come in and then has melted in the heat." A smile played on her face, and she was all prepared to take on the serious house-cleaning duty.

@Pele Alarion@Ercassie
Glancing around at the mud and water tracked on the floor, Seri then glanced back at Aislin. She waved a hand lightly in a dismissive manner. "Don't worry about that, dear," She told Aislin with a little smile. "As wet as you are right now, you'll only add to the mess." She pointed out with a little twinkle of amusement in her eyes. "Go on, get into those dry clothes." She shooed her gently toward the room where Brooke had disappeared.

Once Aislin had gone, Seri gathered a few towels and laid them on the worst puddles, figuring she'd worry about cleaning all of that up later. The floor was certainly no stranger to mud, she thought with a little smile, recalling how both her late husband and her daughter used to come in looking as if they'd intentionally been trying to wear as much of it as possible, sometimes. After he was gone, Emma continued the practice right up until she left home. The past few years since, were the cleanest Seri'd been able to keep the floor.

She went briefly to check on Clay and make sure that he was still sleeping well and that his ankle was doing alright. Then, she went over to the window to take a look out, but the snow and frost on the windowpanes kept her from being able to see very much. She sighed softly, wondering how long Gwandhyra might be. She bit her lip lightly, trying to mentally go over how long he ought to take to accomplish whatever it was he was going to do. But, she really didn't know what it was he did mean to do. There was some concern about him stepping into one of those traps himself, but she tried to comfort herself with the knowledge that he should be able to avoid them, especially knowing to watch out for them. He would be back eventually. With that thought in mind, she filled up the tea kettle again and got more water heating, figuring they might all like some nice hot drink before long.

That done, she went over to sit by the fire so she could see if the new dog would let her take a look at his neck. Holding out her hand to let him sniff her, she waited until he seemed comfortable with her before tentatively reaching to rub around his ears, gently. She spoke softly to him as she gradually worked toward his neck to part the fur and take a look at his injuries.

---

In the bedroom, Brooke had put the pile of clothing on the bed, and glanced around briefly. The room was free of dust or cobwebs, but mostly appeared to be unused, and abandoned. The theme of the room seemed to be green and forest-like. A couple of bows of varying sizes, hung on the wall. The first looked child-sized, and the next was a bit bigger, and the next a little bigger still. Arrows matching to the lengths of the bows rested in the corner, contained in some wooden box thing she assumed was designed for holding arrows, divided by size.

She began sifting through the clothing, making sure that there was one of each item in each pile. A dress in this pile, another dress in that pile.. and so on. The clothes were close in size, but whatever she found that was slightly smaller, she put into Aislin's pile, since Aislin was just a bit smaller than her. Things that were uncertain, like socks and whatnot, she put into a third pile so that they could decide on those mutually, though she intended to let Aislin have the first pick.

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
Seri's cottage

"All right..." Aislin said hesitantly after a brief pause as she studied Seri's face to make sure she really was free to go for the clothes, then smiled, and turned around to head for the room.

She found Brooke already busy sorting through the wealth of clothes, and she did not want to interfere since she saw that the other girl had already created some sort of a system. Quietly she stood near the door and took in the room with some interest.

"Neat, isn't it?" she asked Brooke. "The room, that is. Quite comfy and... adventurous?" she half wondered out loud, as she looked at the display of bows.

Then she moved to stand near her new friend, though not so that she would interfere with her activities.

"This looks like a whole lot of clothes, doesn't it? I am not sure I've ever seen that many in one place. My family was not exactly the poorest of the poor, yet I've never had more than three dresses at once, in good times," she said, and then looked at Brooke. "Similar for you, no?"

@Pele Alarion@Ercassie
It took a bit of effort, but eventually, Seri managed to examine the dog's cuts. The rope had dug into his skin, and she frowned to see where it had cut into him. But, she was also fairly certain that with time, it would heal well enough. She spoke softly and gently as she dabbed a bit of ointment on it, to help promote the healing and keep infection away. They had done their best to clean the wounds, but who knew how long that rope had been on him, and how long it had been gathering dirt and mud and whatever else.

Once that was done, she debated about putting a bandage over it, but then thought that it might upset the dog to have something put around his neck again. So, she just hoped the ointment would be enough. "Alright," She told him quietly. "You just stay cozy and warm, and we'll wait for the girls to come back out, alright?" She smiled and rubbed his head lightly, then she went to take a look out of the window again.

---

Glancing up as Aislin came in, Brooke paused and looked around again as she commented on the room. "I think it must be her daughter's room," She mentioned, sharing her own guess. "Or, well.. she hasn't mentioned having any other children besides a daughter. But, I guess it could be a boy's room," She realized she wasn't certain, but something about it felt more feminine than masculine, despite the bows and forested theme, and such. "I've been trying to think who her daughter might be," She mentioned thoughtfully, having been thinking back about everyone she was familiar with, from watching and observing. "But, I don't think I've ever really noticed this lady, before." She hesitated, debating if she should share her thoughts about Seri with Aislin.

The other girl then commented on the clothes, and Brooke smiled faintly. "I've got that pile for you.. but if you'd rather have any of the other things, you can." She told her, a bit timid about laying claim to anything in particular. "I only figured, you're about a size smaller than me, I think, and those things look about a size smaller than these, so.. it made sense." She held up one of the dresses from her pile, a nice woolen one in navy blue. "This looks like it was hardly ever worn," She whispered. "I haven't had anything so... nice and new, since my mother died." She admitted.

Considering Aislin's comment about how it looked like so much, Brooke smiled slightly. "It looks like more than it is, because there's enough here for us to have three dresses each, and then with all the underthings and such.." She shook her head, a bit disbelieving as she laid the blue dress down again. "It almost feels like.. it's too much. Like, I shouldn't accept such things." She mentioned quietly, unsure if Aislin felt the same.

"Do you.." She hesitated, but continued, "do you think she's.. real?" She had to ask, but dropped her voice to a whisper as she did. "I mean..." She fidgeted, a bit, feeling a little embarrassed to express the thoughts going through her mind. "it almost seems like.. a fairytale or something, you know? Finding this nice lady, right when we need help. And she just happens to be a healer? And.." She bit her lip and looked down, wrapping her arms around herself as she took a slow breath. "This.. may sound a little crazy," She murmured, a little self-conscious. "but, when I looked up at her earlier, I thought.. for a half a second.." She paused and glanced up. "Well.. she looks a lot like my mother, only.. that's impossible."

She picked up some leggings that looked like they'd be nice and warm to wear under a dress. "It's silly, I know. But, I'm sure I would have remembered if I'd ever seen this lady before.. I've lived around this area all my life. And yet, I haven't ever seen her before. So... I don't know." She shrugged slightly and decided she was being absurd. "I know that man was the one who brought us to her.. that we weren't the ones who found her. But, it just feels.. unreal, I guess." She concluded, unsure how else to put it.

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
Seri's cottage

Aislin took thought of Brooke's reasons behind sorting the clothes just the way she had done, and then then stepped closer to her with a small grin, and reached her hand up to measure the height differences between them. "I am certainly smaller," she said lightly and moved towards the clothes Brooke had set apart as smaller sizes.

She picked out a green warm dress, held it up to inspect it, and then pressed one of the sleeves against the cheek to feel the texture of the soft fabric. She stood still, while she observed her friend carefully, listening to her thoughts and doubts.

"I think... if we did not accept these clothes, the healer might think us ungrateful," she eventually began in quiet tones. "She must be doing this because she's... good. Like, a very good heart?" It came out more as a probing question than a confident statement, but then again Aislin was not sure she could claim anything to be exactly as she wondered. Then a small smile touched her lips, as she continued: "But she seems real all right, blood and flesh, though I could not be sure of much else." After a few brief moments she added in near whisper: "I would not mind having her for a mother..."

@Pele Alarion
Brooke smiled faintly as Aislin mentioned that refusing the clothes might seem to the healer as if they were not grateful. And she certainly was. She nodded slowly. "Yes. She is a very good and kind person," Brooke agreed quietly, and selected some warm things to put on. There were some soft, woolen items for warmth, meant to be worn under a dress, and then three dresses for them each.

Aislin's comment about Seri being real brought a faint smile to her face. "Yes, I suppose you're right. It couldn't be a dream," She agreed quietly. Dreams didn't usually start out horrible and end nicely. It was usually the other way around, if they didn't simply start out bad. Besides, she had eaten some delicious stew, and her stomach felt full. And she felt warm. During the winter, she hardly ever felt warm, especially during the instances when she fell asleep.

After gathering up all that she thought she needed for wearing right now, Brooke hesitated slightly as she looked down at the bundle in her arms. She felt tears trying to gather in her eyes, after hearing Aislin's words, that she would not mind if Seri were her mother. Brooke.. felt a sense of sorrow clutching at her throat, forming a tightness she tried to fight away. Sorrow for Aislin, for whatever had befallen her, as well as the familiar ache of missing her own mother. She would never seek to replace her own mother, but she also understood Aislin's feelings about this.

Taking a slow, careful breath, she spoke softly in reply, "She reminds me a great deal of my mother." She managed a faint, yet sad, smile. She'd already said that she had thought the lady resembled her mother a lot, but she also acted much like her, from what Brooke remembered. She took a slow breath in, feeling glad she could actually manage it without dissolving into a fit of coughing, and looked up again. "I umm, I'll go change in the washroom, so you can use this room," She decided, a little bit awkward about the thought of changing in the same room, despite the fact they were both girls. She just didn't feel comfortable, personally, and wasn't sure whether the other girl might also feel uncomfortable changing in another's presence.

She smiled slightly at her though, in hopes of assuring Aislin there was nothing wrong, then gave a small nod before slipping out to the room across the hall. It would be very nice to get out of the damp, dirty old dress she'd had for years, and put on something warm, dry, and clean.

@Rillewen
Aislin
Seri's cottage

Aislin looked at Brooke when she mentioned again that Seri resembled her mother; there was deep and quiet longing in her own eyes, yet she said nothing lacking ability to put what she felt into words. And so she only sighed gently, and turned back to look at clothes.

"All right..." she murmured, gladly accepting Brooke's suggestion of them getting dressed each in their own room. Not that she cared overly much if they did it in the same room; she felt like their adventure had been enough for her to consider the other girl a good friend, and so someone not to be terribly ashamed of.

When Brooke left, Aislin quickly removed her old clothes and lightly rubbed herself with it. She had managed to wash her feet quite well while warming up, and this was her way to brush off the rest of her body - after all she could not just go and ask for a bath, could she? It might definitely be too much too ask from the healer who had already gone way beyond what anyone else might have done for both of them.

It did not take her long to get dressed warmly with the thought in mind that she would have to head out into the cold soon enough. Then she took to folding the remaining clothes neatly and putting them in a small pile - there was not much left beyond dresses, for she had put on several layers of everything else. And then, while she waited for Brooke to return, she turned her attention to the bows; she walked up to one and gently ran her fingers over the wood to feel the texture. She did not dare much beyond it since it was not hers to handle as she would.

@Pele Alarion
After a little bit, Brooke came out of the washroom, dressed in the nice, warm clothes that Seri had given her. The blue dress was soft and the fabric thick and warm; not threadbare, like she was used to. She ran her hands over the skirt a few times, feeling the softness. Smiling softly, she came into the front room, having left her old things in a bundle of dampness in the washroom. She glanced around uncertainly, wondering what to do now.

"That looks very nice on you!" Seri declared, smiling as she spotted Brooke emerge. She had migrated into the kitchen by now, stirring a pot of something on the stove.

Sniffing the air, Brooke wondered if she was imagining the smell of chocolate, but didn't comment. "Oh.. thank you," She replied, glancing down shyly at the dress, then up at the healer. "Did.. um, did you make it? For your daughter?" She wondered, curious.

"Not me," Seri smiled and shook her head. "It was made for her, yes, but I didn't sew it. Mrs. Woods, in the wool shop, did that." She explained.

"Oh," Brooke knew who they were. That made sense.. they did that sort of thing, making garments and all that. "It's very nice, thank you." She added, wrapping her arms around herself. She jumped slightly when she felt something poke her side, and looked down to find the dog was nosing her, sniffing the new dress. She smiled slightly, relaxing. "You look much better now, too, don't you?" She commented to him quietly.

"He does," Seri agreed. She looked at Brooke. "You said you have to get home, right?"

Brooke nodded, a bit reluctant but she knew she should have been home ages ago.

"Hmm, well, I'm not really comfortable with you walking back alone," Seri mentioned thoughtfully. "At least not until we know what the status is with Mr. Spruce." She added, narrowing her eyes slightly at the mention of his name, but resumed her prior expression after. "Do you mind waiting until Gwandhyra returns?"

Brooke was somehow both relieved and somewhat distressed by the thought of waiting. Relieved, because it meant she could linger a while longer, and put off returning home for some time still. And yet, distressed, because she thought of how much more danger her book was in, the longer she stayed away. What if Claire damaged it while she was gone? She bit her lip lightly, nodding slowly as she felt the two conflicting emotions struggle within her.

"In the meanwhile," Seri continued gently, getting a ladle from a drawer. She filled up a cup of creamy, chocolate liquid, and offered it to Brooke. "I thought you girls might enjoy some chocolate." She smiled as Brooke's eyes widened slightly. It was the last of the cocoa from a tin she'd gotten as payment from someone in town for treating a broken arm several months ago. She'd had enough to make a pot of it large enough for about five mugs, which worked out perfectly for the number of 'guests' she had at the moment.

Surprised to find that it was, indeed, chocolate she had smelled, Brooke eagerly accepted the mug. "Thank you," She smiled faintly, trying to remember the last time she'd had anything like this. She quietly went to the seat she had been in previously, and blew softly over the surface of the steaming liquid before attempting a cautious sip. With her other hand, she gently shooed the dog away. "None for you," She told him, shaking her head. "Go lie down, please?" he sat and stared at her with imploring eyes, whining softly, but when Brooke shook her head again and refused to give him any, he finally gave up and laid down near her, sighing heavily as if with great disappointment.

@Rillewen
Aislin
Seri's cottage

Aislin explored the room in more detail, though she did not dare take anything into her hands for a closer look. Eventually she realised that she had been here for too long perhaps, carried away with explorations, and turned towards the door. Before exiting, she ran her hands over the green dress she had chosen and wondered if it looked well on her - it was slightly too big on her thin frame, and she turned back again to pick a leather belt from the stack of clothes. She tightened the belt quickly, and finally emerged from the room.

"I don't remember when was the last time I felt so warm," Aislin said as soon as she had joined the others. "Thank you so much!" She looked at Seri, her eyes beaming joy and satisfaction.

And then she stood still and sniffed the pleasant aroma in the air. "Ohhhh..." she breathed deeply in and out again a bit dreamily. Was she wrong to assume that there was hot chocolate somewhere? Her gaze travelled from Seri to Brooke who held a mug of some steaming liquid in her hand.

@Pele Alarion
As soon as she had handed off the mug to Brooke, Seri started filling another, expecting Aislin to be coming out soon after. When she did, Seri smiled to hear her comment about being warm, although she felt some sadness to hear that it had been so long for her. "You're welcome, and I'm glad to help." She held the mug out, but the girl had turned away and was looking toward Brooke now, so Seri waited.

"She has some for you, too," Brooke nodded toward Seri to direct Aislin's attention to the mug the healer had for her. "It's very good, ma'am." She added, holding the mug in both hands as she enjoyed the warmth from it as well as the deliciousness it held.

After handing over the mug to Aislin, Seri moved to check on Clay for a moment. He still had not wakened, so she took a seat. It seemed she finally had a moment, and now seemed a good time to talk to them. She took a moment to think how to ask what she wanted to ask, and absently rubbed around her dog's ears while she thought. "So, Aislin. What do you plan to do next? Where will you go?"

@Rillewen
Aislin
Seri's cottage

"Ohhhhh," Aislin murmured, smiling sheepishly at Brooke, and then looking at Seri. Carefully she took the mug, saying quiet yet heartfelt thanks, and then settled on one of the chairs expecting to enjoy the delicious drink. In fact, she did not even remember when she had had so much good and satisfying food and drink all in one day.

She had barely managed to enjoy a sip of hot chocolate when the healer brought up the one question the girl absolutely did not want to think about though she knew it would have to be handled very soon. She took a deep breath and looked into her mug before venturing to glance back at Seri.

"I... don't know, ma'am," she admitted, trying not to look too dejected at the only option that she saw before her. "I will probably try and find a dry corner to spend the night in, and then... don't know. Just survive. One day at a time. I don't have a home, so settling wherever I am not chased away from immediately."

@Pele Alarion
The answer was just about what Seri was expecting. She gave a small nod, trying to fight the sadness that swelled up inside her at the girl's words. “My daughter’s room has been empty for some years now,” The woman commented. “Ever since she left home and married. It.. well, it wouldn’t take much to clean it out, if I had a reason to.” She shrugged and offered a small smile. “If you’d like someplace to stay, the offer is there.” She let out a soft laugh. “I’d become so used to having Emma do all my herb-gathering, helping me do everything, it was a bit of a shock to have to do it all myself, when she left. I.. wouldn’t mind having the help again.” She hinted with a little smile. "If you'd like something to do, I could use an assistant?"

Near the fire, Brooke was mildly surprised to hear Seri's offer to Aislin, and glanced curiously toward her. Inwardly, she fought off a pang of jealousy. If only she didn't have to return home.. maybe she could have had such an offer as well. But she knew she'd never be able to leave home even if such an offer was given to her; certain people would never let her. Trying not to let her heart sink too low, Brooke managed a faint smile for Aislin's sake. It was good for her, at least. She had someplace to stay where she would be safe, warm, and well-fed. Still keeping a tiny smile on her face, she turned back to the fire, and quietly reached out to rub the dog around his ears.

He looked at her for a moment, then licked her face suddenly. "Ugh!" Caught by surprise, Brooke turned her head away, but not before he managed to swipe his tongue up one side of her cheek. "What'd you do that for?" She frowned slightly while she rubbed her palm over the damp spot on her face, then let out a soft laugh at the innocent look he was giving her.

Seri couldn't help a little laugh. "I think he was trying to tell you he likes you." She informed Brooke, amused. "Hwinia does that sometimes, to me." She added, then smiled slightly toward Aislin. "I bet she'd enjoy having you around too. Do you like dogs?"

@Rillewen
Aislin
Seri's cottage

Aislin's mood had plummeted regardless of the warmth and full belly when she thought of having to leave it all behind, but at Seri's offer the girl looked up with surprise equal to that as if she had been offered a mountain of gold for nothing in return. Her big eyes studied the healer, then she glanced at Brooke as if searching for answer if the other girl would accept an offer like this. She thought Brooke had a home, though it seemed wrong for her family to send her with messages to such dangerous men, all alone. She wondered briefly if that home was homelike at all.

"May I even?..." she then tested quietly, turning her attention back to Seri. "I mean..." She was not sure how to word her doubt. While her heart urged her to accept the offer, she felt that it would be a lot to ask for the healer to take her in when they had met just this very evening. Aislin did not intend to steal or do other equally disgraceful things, but how could Seri know that it was so? Didn't she have to prove herself somehow to the woman?

"I do like dogs," she murmured, still unsure if she dared to accept the offer right away no matter how much she longed for it. "That was a kiss for a friend, Brooke," she then commented towards the eager licking by the brown dog.

She was quiet for a while, and then looked at Seri again with the same question: "May I?"

@Pele Alarion
Brooke kept her attention focused down on the dog, giving a tiny smile when both Seri and Aislin informed her that the lick to her face was in friendship. So, she couldn't really be too upset, right? While Aislin was glancing toward her, as if to ask something, Brooke made sure that her attention was on the dog, so that she could "not see" the other girl's look. She quietly stroked his fur, which was now clean and dry, even a bit glossy. His neck was obviously too sore for her to be touching him there, but she petted his back and sides lightly. After a minute, he settled down and laid his head across her lap with a contented sigh.

Seri was mildly confused when Aislin asked, more than once, if she may. Why would Seri make the offer if she did not mean it? "Of course, you may." She answered, not quite sure what the girl was uncertain about. In fact, she almost wanted to insist, but she also would not force her to stay, if she did not want to. "If you want to." She added, making it clear that it was up to Aislin. She glanced toward Brooke. "In fact, I would rather you both would stay at least until morning, but.. if you have to get home, I understand that as well." She added, directing this part to Brooke. She looked back to Aislin. "It would certainly be warmer and more comfortable than.. your other option." She added gently.

@Rillewen @Pele Alarion

The wood was dressed in white, every landmark from the ground-hugging hedgerow to the stiff-standing trees properly swathed by snow. The sky above was colourless as the world all around, so that there was little clue as to the hour. Time was measured only by the growing chill that worked it’s way right to the bone. The sun, if indeed that pale sphere could be named so, quite resembled the moon. Still the Ranger, having explored as far or as long as he was happy to leave the others alone .. then took his feet toward the rise of smoke that signified a blazing hearth; inside the healer’s cottage. For all fires would have sputtered out to naught in the frigidness outside.

Glancing through the same glass pane where he had delivered his oath, Gwandhyra checked swiftly that all whom he had left there, were there still, and nobody more who might trouble them. Save if he now managed to do so. A tap on the window served him better than a knock at the door, for it allowed those within to see as soon as note his presence, rather than concern who the wooden portal might hide. The dogs he expected to note his return even if the others were occupied. Still with a wave, the man gestured his intention toward the door and made steps to meet that entrance in person.

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
Seri's cottage

Aislin did not find much help from Brooke in making her decision for the other girl was busy petting dog; but then again suppose it was only herself who could make a decision and no one else.

"It would certainly be better," she eventually said to Seri. "I just... I didn't expect anyone would offer a place to stay." Once again she glanced at Brooke when the healer said she'd want both of them to stay. That would be like a dream come true, but then again if Brooke's family came looking for her... "I would want to stay," she said with a tiny bit more of confidence. And inwardly she decided to do everything she could for Seri - she had learned that she had to nearly jump out of her skin to earn things, and even if this offer came without any strings attached, she'd want to return some kind of favour.

Aislin heard the knock on the window, but she was rather more startled by dogs reacting to it rather than the knock it self. She tried to distinguish the face behind and decided that it must not be the tanner but rather the man who had saved them all.

@Pele Alarion @Ercassie
"I suppose you wouldn't have expected it," Seri nodded. "But then, not everyone in these parts are uncaring." She added gently. "It sounds like you encountered the wrong ones." She smiled when Aislin declared that she would like to stay. "Alright then, it's settled."

Just then, the tap at the window brought a bark from Hwinia, who jumped up and spun in an excited circle. Brooke's dog lifted his head and added his slightly deeper voice, once, before raising his nose and sniffing the air. As Hwinia barked again, he laid his head down again, too weary at the moment for much more.

Startled by the sudden series of noises, Brooke jumped slightly and looked where the dogs were barking. At first, the sight of a man standing in the window alarmed her. Had he managed to track her down after all?! But, a second later, she realized that the face was not that of the tanner. No, it was the other man, the one who had brought them here. She tried to relax after that bit of alarm, but couldn't help feeling a bit jumpy. She tried to keep her breathing slow and steady as she gently stroked the dog's fur, noticing his tail wagging very slightly.

It took Seri but a few moments to glance over, recognize who was at the window, and move for the door. A small smile lit her face, both glad to see him, and relieved to have him back safely. Opening the door to allow the ranger entry, she shivered slightly at the cold that barged its way in along with him. "I was starting to worry about you," She informed him as she shut the door after him. After directing him toward some pegs next to the door where he could hang his coat, she then motioned toward the fire in a wordless invitation to warm himself.

While he settled in to warm up, Seri stepped off to the kitchen for just long enough to fill another mug of hot chocolate, which she offered to Gwandhyra. "Any luck..?" She asked, uncertain if he would be willing to speak of his 'mission' openly with the girls there. She noticed that Brooke, who was still sitting by the fire, had scooted aside enough to allow the man space to get closer to the warmth.

Hwinia, meanwhile, raced to greet him and find out if he had picked up any interesting smells since he'd last been in the cabin, before eventually losing interest and returning to her cozy little bed to one side of the fireplace.

@Rillewen @Pele Alarion


The Ranger could not have blamed any of the folks within for being still somewhat on their guard. Indeed it was a testament to their good sense that they had not allowed a warm fire to melt away all notion entirely of remaining alert. The gnawing bite of winter still reigned after all, beyond the meagre barricade of a wooden door. Still the dogs proved that they knew already the difference between this man and the other. And Seri had him in her debt before she ever opened her home to him, regardless.

Stamping his feet at the porch, the Ranger discarded much of the snow he might else have trekked through the kindly healer’s cottage. Her smile thawed the cold from his bones, and he grinned around a very much amused “Understandable”, when she said she had been worried about him.


The invitation to see his cloak hung away, meant more of a welcome than Seri required to speak. Be comfortable, the offer told him. Stay .. for long enough that standing there in weather-wild wraps would else become the opposite of comfortable after even a short time. A second greeting came from the nearest dog, whom the man dropped down to a stoop to have his face licked by, before the hound lost interest in him and idly trotted off. He could not blame the animal for, given his labours, he must not smell as fair as the rest of those gathered. Most of whom, he noted, had changed their clothes from wet to dry and cold to warm. The difference between the folk he had brought here and those he now found here .. was a testament to the woman’s generosity. A glance over the young man still laid out across the couch convinced him that the tinge of wind burn and risk of frosted touch about the youth’s fingers had been replaced by a more pleasant, rosy glow. Clay’s pulse was steady and his ankle had been dressed with better than the makeshift mess that Gwandhyra had wrapped it in initially.

“You’ve been busy,” he remarked, rather impressed at Seri’s ability to respond so well to an unexpected party of folks in need. Though this wasn’t the first time of course that she had demonstrated such an art. Gathering close to the fire, the man awarded a brown eyed glance from Brooke to Aislin. “And what about you two ? I scarcely recognise the pair of you !” he marvelled, approvingly. The shivering wraiths from the storm had transformed into bright eyed young cherubs.


Lured then back toward his hostess, by the promise of a hot drink, Gwandhyra accepted her offering, after peeling away his fingerless gloves and jamming each into a pocket, which seemed to appear out of the folds of his garb only once they had been filled.

“He hasn’t gone home,” the Ranger admitted, to her enquiry “and if he’s out in all this weather still looking .., there’s every chance he’ll catch his death. So here’s hoping,” he almost laughed but even for the case of Sully Spruce, that might be in bad taste. There were plenty worse than the likes of the tanner after all.

“Found a couple more of those traps out and put them out of harm’s way,” he assured Seri. “Would have set them all about ‘somebody’s front porch,” a glint of mischief belied the man’s age in his warm eyes, before he shrugged, “if I didn’t suspect he’s got the luck of the Abhorred and would only be able to make use of them again. Strangest thing though, the house I’m taking to be his .. has one of it’s windows busted in. Can’t see anything that’s close enough to have done that. Still, snow and wind have found their way inside and I dare say he’ll find a nice mess when he finally does come back to roost.”


For all of the suspicion the man now laid upon the two girls, it has to be said he did not look especially bothered by the thought of the tanner’s misfortune. Nor, evidently, had he taken any steps at all to limit or amend the damage. The hot drink was certainly a nice distraction, and further unwound the man’s resolve to be about an end to their little ‘get together’. Indeed he took up the meaning of Brooke’s making space .. and planted himself amidst their gathering. Thoughts to ask whether there was a plan, or what needed doing next all were forced to wait their turn, as supping from the sweet brew took precedence. There were few enough peaceful moments like this in the world any more and he was not a one to urge it away.

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
Seri's cottage

Since Gwandhyra now entered the room and gathered all the attention, Aislin did not return to speaking more to Seri on how glad she was that she could stay here. It just may have been that she mostly had ended up sitting at the wrong doors, but whatever the past - she now had a hope for the future. And that showed in the bright smile she awarded the man when he said he could barely recognise her and Brooke.

She was glad to hear that other traps were moved away, but the girl did not understand why would anyone wish to approach the tanner's house except to exact revenge for some evil deed, perhaps. Though she still was not sure why exactly Clay had happened to be thereabouts. Not that she regretted the fact that he was, even though she was sorry that he had been injured.

Nor did she regret smashing that window, and a satisfied grin formed on her face when she heard that it had turned out to be a cause of a mess within the house. It served the guy well to have to deal with that. "I can't imagine his house being tidy and orderly either way," she remarked out loud, though had meant to think it only. "So some shattered glass and snow puddles won't do much damage." However, Aislin had been too worried about simply getting Brooke out to pay much attention to what she saw of the room, and she based her assumption on idea that such an evil guy was likely to live in a gross den rather than a clean home.

She made herself cozy then on the comfortable seat, tucking the feet under her, and contentedly sipped the hot chocolate.

@Pele Alarion @Ercassie
Seri waited with the cup in hand, while Gwandhyra first pulled off his gloves. With a brief smile, she passed the vessel of sweet warmth to him once he was ready to receive it, and she felt the cold brush of his fingers as the mug changed hands. "Well, of course I have." She replied with amusement to his comment that she had been busy. "Did you think you'd just bring three half-frozen youths into my living room, and I would simply sit back and put up my feet?" She raised an eyebrow with an expression challenging him to accuse her of such a thing, then smiled, only teasing. "Everyone seems fine. No frostbite, although Clay's ankle is rather bad off. He'll need to stay here overnight, even if he does wake." She glanced at him in mild concern. "But I would like to send word to his family so they know where he is, and aren't worrying." She mentioned, dropping a minor hint.

The report concerning Sully dampened Seri's mood slightly, wondering where the man could be if he hadn't yet gone home. But she was pleased to hear that a few more of his traps had been decommissioned. "Good." She nodded emphatically. "I'm always worrying about Hwinia getting into one of those, but so far she's always been able to smell them out well enough." She smiled faintly. "I usually poke a long stick into them when she finds one."

As for Brooke, she sat quietly petting the dog's fur while he rested his head in her lap. He seemed very tired, and she wondered how long he had been tied up to that tree, starving. If she recalled right, the string had been too short and tied too high for him to even lie down, so he might not have been able to sleep in a long time. She had no idea. But after all the excitement of trying to dig Clay out from that hole, meeting several new friends, having a bath, and attempted boot-snatching, he seemed worn out now, too sleepy to even bother getting up to greet the ranger as he returned.

When Brooke had scooted aside to allow Gwandhyra room by the fire, the dog lifted his head and gave a small tail-wag before repositioning so that he lay even more across her lap. Finishing her mug of chocolate after quietly enjoying it, relishing it for as long as it lasted, Brooke set the mug aside and listened to what Gwandhyra was saying to Seri about Mr. Spruce not being home, and how he had 'taken care' of a few of his traps. When the window was brought up, she inwardly cringed. Yes.. that was going to upset him, she figured. He wouldn't be happy about that, nor about the mess. Especially about the mess she had not cleaned up.

Keeping her gaze downward, she bit her lip and tried to mentally fight off her worries about that. "It was my fault," She mumbled, taking the blame for the window. Aislin spoke up, not quite owning up to being the cause of the smashed window, but she sounded pleased. Brooke couldn't quite feel the same. Perhaps, because she knew that Sully knew right where to find her. The thought made her shiver slightly. It also reminded her that she was going to have to go home at some point.. in fact, she was probably already in deep trouble. As she felt her pulse starting to race with all the thoughts of what might happen if she stayed gone much longer, Brooke stared at the fire, watching the flames flicker and dance as they devoured the logs. She imagined Claire tossing her mother's book into the fire, at home, and suddenly felt that she really must get back as soon as possible.

"I-I need to go," She spoke up, looking up suddenly. "I should've been home hours ago, and.. and if I'm not back soon.." She stopped, her gaze flicking briefly to Aislin, before going back to Seri. "I can't stay here." She finished softly. No matter how much she wished she could, she knew she couldn't. And yet, the thought of going home gave her a sense of dread that seemed impossible to shake. She took a slow, steady breath while inwardly fighting back the growing unease.

Seri nodded quietly, then looked at Gwandhyra. "I was going to mention that, also." She said, then went on, "Even if she knows the way," And she had no idea whether Brooke did or not, "I don't feel comfortable with her trying to walk home by herself, given the circumstances. I was hoping, once you've warmed up a bit, that you might be willing to walk her home..?" She smiled hopefully. "And perhaps, as long as you're out that way, maybe you wouldn't mind telling Clay's family where he is and what's happened." She added, although she hated having to ask him to go back out into the cold after he'd just come in.

Although she did have a solution to help him get back to the warm, all the quicker. "I was also thinking.. my horse hasn't had a chance to get out of the barn in a couple of days." She mentioned, moving to sit on the arm of a chair. "If you wouldn't mind walking her along after you, it would make the trip back all the swifter.." She brought up the possibility to Gwandhyra, meaning that he could borrow the horse. "That is, if you had no plans to go elsewhere for the night. It is far too cold for anyone to be trying to camp outside, after all, and you're welcome, if you do wish to stay." With a shrug, she sipped from her own mug briefly, then held it in both hands, over her lap. "Aislin will be staying here with me, from now on." She added, anticipating he might ask whether he needed to walk the other girl anyplace as well. She smiled toward the girl before turning back to Gwandhyra. "She is going to be my new assistant."

@Rillewen @Pele Alarion

“Well I would not have entrusted them to the care of just anyone,” the Ranger acknowledged, as the healer made little of her charitable works. “A short time in your sweet company would soothe anyone who has encountered what fell horrors they did ...” he noted, thankfully. What might else have come of the young unfortunate folks, without their intervention, he did not raise aloud in conversation. Though Gwandhyra found the hot drink to be a fair consolation from such thoughts. “A tall, dark, stinky Ranger ..” he pulled a face and then chased it off with a laugh. It sounded like he at least had not yet seen the last of the cold or the forest for tonight. A disappointing realisation, but he had ventured out this far at all with thoughts to visit Seri. And departing from that company would always inspire some disappointment, however long or short a time he stayed beforehand. Best enjoy each moment that was allowed, until then.


As they settled for the time at least, about the flowering warmth of the fire, the man noted how strikingly diverse the young maids were in response to the news of the tanner’s damaged house. The one grinning almost proud, as the other dropped her head dejected and declared herself accountable. There was cause to argue the point of course, the least of which were the cuts on the slighter girl’s hands. He had noted those back when he asked her to be the lookout, and leave holding onto the dog to the other young girl with a stronger grasp. But there was little time even to assure both that the tanner no doubt deserved all he had got, and worse. There were apparently more concerns upon the taller girl’s mind than that foul brute.

He could relate, to the battle of wills which was evident on the young maid’s face. The will power to go, when one desired the comfort to be found in staying. Gwandhyra quietly supped from his cup, refuelling as it were, both his body and resolution, while Seri made her case.


“You have thought of everything, haven’t you ?” he smiled, and glanced sidelong toward the waif as her news was shared by the healer. “Well,Miss Aislin ..” the Ranger finished the last dregs of his drink, laid it down on the floor by his feet and planted both hands on his knees, before rising proper. He eyed the small girl with narrowed eyes and the promise of a grin to indicate he was not so stern as the tease might seem. “I’ll be trusting you to keep Miss Seri and her patient safe, while I see your friend home; yes ?”

Offering a hand toward that other girl, Gwandhyra waited to see if Brooke would allow him to help her up to her feet as well. “Have you ever ridden on a horse before ?” he raised one eyebrow, welcoming her to be as excited, as he would assuredly have been at her age. His head veered easily to one side, in an invitation to join him on such an ‘adventure’. “Does she need a coat ?” he wondered, of the healer. “Mine may be a little large but ..” he shrugged off the offer, with a hope that she might have something more suitable. He could always bring it back, along with the horse. And himself.

“I’ll see her safe back to her people,” he promised to Seri as Brooke readied herself to brace for the journey back to her distant bed. “And take your tidings to calm Clay’s,” he glanced over one shoulder to where the young man was yet lost to untroubled slumber. “Is there ought else you might wish for your ‘humble servant’ to bring back ?” he then ‘idly’ remarked. “Any thing you might want for. Other than your .. horse .. back,” he accepted her help to wrap his cloak back about him. As though there was some further, unseen, layer that she was endowing upon him, to invite such a smile in response. “You were not expecting company, I imagine,” he let brown eyes wander from the sleeping young patient to the warmed young new ‘assistant’. “Having brought this evening’s excitement upon you, it is the least that I should see you .. properly recompensed.”

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
Seri's cottage

Aislin found herself looking at Brooke with her head tilted and her mouth half open when the girl said the broken window was her fault. She felt like insisting that the man deserved that and more, and making a strong statement as to her handiwork so that the pride she felt would not be stolen from her. However, while she made up her mind, it seemed that the conversation had already move on, so she let it drop with a shrug. In fact, she would go right back and knock out all other windows if there were any if she was not rather afraid of having to face the tanner.

The mischievous grin grew into a gentle smile though when Seri explained that Aislin would be staying right here, and she then responded to the ranger's instructions: "Oh, no worries, sir. I'll do all I can to have things aright." Though she did not mean to actually take charge of the healer's home. However, it did sound cool to say something like that.

"Oh.. I think the chocolate ran out..." she suggested tentatively after a while when she spotted an opportunity to do so in hopes that Gwandhyra would bring some when he returned.

She also wanted to express her suspicions that Brooke's home was no good home - as far as she had seen, but she looked at her friend and decided not to speak of it. At least not in her presence and not yet. Perhaps she could entrust her doubts to the healer later.

@Pele Alarion @Ercassie
Seri smiled at Gwandhyra's words, and refrained from rolling her eyes at how he referred to her 'sweet company', as if simply being around her would heal a person of anything. She did try to be a good healer, but that was exaggerating a bit, she felt. Still, it was clearly meant complimentarily, and she couldn't help but enjoy the way he seemed to think so highly of her.

As Brooke recognized that the time was drawing nearer for her to have to leave, she mentally noted the man's comment, referring to himself as 'a tall, dark, stinky ranger'. So, she was right.. he was a ranger. The rest of the adjectives made little difference to her. She'd rather have a 'stinky' ranger with good intentions walk her home than a well-dressed, pleasant-smelling creep with ill intentions, any day. And somehow, she couldn't imagine Ms. Seri being so friendly with anyone who was like the latter option.

Seri let out a little laugh at Gwandhyra's comments, painting himself as some sort of undesirable company to be around. "I'm sure that tanner smells far worse," She pointed out, wrinkling her nose. Though, she smiled slightly as he asked Aislin if she was going to keep her and Clay safe. "I'm sure we can manage, at least as long as you're gone." She assured him. Neither of the adults mentioned the possibility that the tanner might come here trying to make trouble, but Seri was aware that it was a possibility. She didn't want Aislin or Brooke starting to worry about that, however.

Brooke looked up and observed the man's expression as he asked Aislin if she would be keeping Seri and Clay safe. While he might have appeared to be giving her a stern look, there was a hint of teasing lurking there that convinced her he was not serious. While Aislin responded, Brooke smiled faintly and stroked the red-brown dog's head lightly. He was going to have to let her get up in a moment. Just as she was thinking that, the ranger brought his hand down toward her. The motion caused her to jolt slightly in an automatic recoiling type reaction, although she managed to suppress it almost as fast as she did, recognizing that there was nothing threatening about the gesture. Still, she felt awkward knowing the ranger must surely have noticed her jump, even if no one else in the room saw it. Unless maybe he missed it when he looked toward Seri to ask about a coat.

The question reminded Seri of something. "Oh, just a moment!" She'd gotten a cloak from Emma's old things, but she hadn't brought it out with the clothes, did she? Where did she leave that? She set her mug aside and went off to the other room to look for it. While she was out of the room, she also took a moment to grab a jar of tea that she'd been thinking about. Brooke could benefit from using this, she thought, and she intended to send it with her.

While Seri left the room, Brooke bit her lip and hesitated at the ranger's question. Had she ever ridden a horse? Not that she recalled, nor did she have any desire to do so. She slowly shook her head in answer, while gently moving the dog's head out of her lap so she could get up. She tried to ignore the way he looked at her, almost as if offended, and tried to return his head to her lap. Since she had to use one hand to hold the dog off, she used that as an excuse for not accepting the ranger's offered hand. Once she was standing, she wrapped her arms around herself, inwardly starting to panic a little. Horse? He was going to have her ride the horse? She hadn't anticipated that... what to do? She didn't want to ride a horse, and she didn't even know if she could. And yet.. she didn't want to draw too many questions by refusing to ride the horse. Especially since it might make things awkward for the ranger to even bring the horse along at all. If she was unwilling to ride, then maybe he would decline bringing it, and then he'd have to walk all the way back and take longer to get back to the warmth. She also didn't know if he planned on them riding double, but she definitely didn't think she'd be comfortable with that. Maybe she could say something about wanting to try out how well these new boots would keep her warm, she thought, but then, again, he might decide there was no point in bringing the horse. Although, Seri had sort of asked him to give her horse some exercise, so there was that... There were so many ways that this could go, and she wasn't sure what to do. While her thoughts raced a mile a minute, Brooke let her gaze focus on the dog as he rose and stretched, then looked up at her wagging his tail, as if he thought that he would be going along with her. She frowned, realizing he would have to stay behind.. which made another problem to have to sort out.

Seri emerged from the hallway while Brooke was struggling to sort out her thoughts. She smiled as she approached with a soft green cloak, lined with soft rabbit's fur. "You may keep this," She told her, startling Brooke out of the hurricane of thoughts swirling around in her head.

Looking at Seri in surprise, Brooke opened her mouth to say something, to tell her she couldn't accept yet another thing like that, but the woman didn't give her a chance, and pushed a jar filled with herbs at her, as well. Instead of saying she couldn't accept the cloak, Brooke looked at the jar quizzically. "What is this?" She ended up asking.

"It's some tea, which ought to help with your breathing issues," Seri told her quietly. "Whenever you feel that cough coming back, fix a cup of hot water, and add about a spoonful of those herbs. Breathe in the aroma as well as drinking it, and it should soothe your throat and make your breathing easier." She explained. "Don't worry about the cost. Please, when you've used that up, let me know, and also.. let me know if you notice an improvement." She asked. "I hope it helps."

Brooke looked down at the jar, feeling tears spring to her eyes but she didn't want the others to see. She bit her lip and gave a tiny nod. Although she wasn't really sure she'd ever get a chance to see the lady again, this meant a great deal to her. "Th-thanks." She managed, softly. She found a safe spot for the jar in her leather bag.. which was emptier than usual, since it was missing the book her stepmother was holding 'hostage'. Looking up again, Brooke smiled slightly at the healer, unsure how else to express how grateful she was for all the kindness.

Seri smiled back at her and nodded, then turned toward Gwandhyra. "I know you will," She smiled at him as he promised to see the girl safely to her people, then she let out a little laugh as Aislin mentioned being out of chocolate. "I don't believe any of the stores would be open by now, Aislin." She told her regretfully. "Besides, cocoa is a little hard to come by, unfortunately. It has to be imported from far-away lands." She actually wasn't quite sure where those lands were, but she knew that it was rather expensive in these parts, and also not always readily available. Something about pirates making trade routes too dangerous, so that it was difficult for any merchant ships to actually make it to their destinations with their goods, which meant imported goods were difficult to get around here. She considered mentioning that he would find Nutmeg in the barn, but figured that would be rather obvious, so she decided there was no need. Instead, she went to retrieve Gwandhyra's cloak from the hook, since it seemed that they were preparing to leave now. "Only you," She told him quietly, in a more belated answer to his question, while settling the garment about his shoulders.

@Rillewen @Pele Alarion

Young Aislin was spirited indeed, the Ranger was amused to note her swift smile and good humour. So he bowed his chin in a subtle deference to her new ‘post’. “I shall see what can be managed, miss” he promised, with a wink. Though the market would be long closed for the day by now, .. he did happen to know that a certain inn keeper kept a small stash of the sweet stuff. And an inn was far more liable to stay open after dark.

For all that the one girl seemed merry enough, the other recoiled from his advance and looked panicked at the plan for a ‘tall dark stinky ranger’ to escort her home. Perhaps her mother would not like such a thing. Perhaps the girl herself did not, come to that. She certainly would not be the first to feel uneasy about his ilk, and there was a long trek ahead of them, just they two.


“I am certain, that if you would prefer to stay here, with your friends, Miss Seri would allow it,” he assured Brooke, quietly, while the healer went seeking out a coat. “I can take a message of where you are to your own folks, easy as I plan to for Clay’s people ..” he assured her. He had a daughter, he knew when a girl was uncomfortable. He had no desire to cause alarm or fear in the young thing. Perhaps he ought not to have mentioned that he was a Ranger ..

As Seri offered tea and warm garb for the girl, remarking that cocoa was hard to come by, Gwandhyra tapped the side of his nose, closest to Aislin and winked at her with a grin. The healer won back his attention easily, of course, by settling his own coat back about his shoulders. “Well then,” he met her ‘only you’ with a single raised eyebrow as he stepped in closer. “I shall have to conjure up some other means of recompensing .. you .. when I return.”


“I’d best look out that horse of ours then,” he spoke up suddenly, half turning his head for Brooke’s benefit. “Have her find me in the barn, if she’s still wanting to be homebound,” he mentioned to Seri, stealing back the hands he’d filled with hers, so that he could replace his gloves. Then he slipped out through the door leaving the healer to ascertain whether her taller young charge was still willing to set out with him. If yes, then the girl would knew where to come once she had said her goodbyes proper. If no, then somebody (and his guess was on the healer) would just have to come out and let him know where the girl lived, so he could inform her folks where she was.

The prospect .. that he and Seri might be allowed a proper, private, farewell in that case, in the barn .. well, he would not mind at all. But if Brooke did decide that she could brave him bearing her back to her home .. well then the thought of returning to the little cottage and it’s sheltered residents .. after .. would carry him through the cold with a warmth still to inspire a speedy return. Perhaps even with some unexpected chocolate ..

@Rillewen , @Ercassie
Aislin
Seri's cottage

Aislin looked at Seri thoughtfully realising that she had not thought how late it really was even when a look out the window would prove it beyond doubt. And she found herself wondering where chocolate - cocoa, apparently, it was called - grew. Or was it even a plant? Perhaps it was some sort of a bark powder? At any rate, she found it immensely delectable even if it was not easy to find and perhaps very expensive. She also wondered in passing if she should make it her job to make chocolate more available to people here.

Even as she considered this, she watched the healer provide more gifts for Brooke, and her respect and admiration for healer grew some more, if it was even possible.

"Do you really have to go, Brooke?" she asked eventually, regret in her voice. Now that she had just met a new friend, she was unwilling to let go so soon.

She watched Gwandhyra leave, quite sure that the ranger had something up his sleeve for sure, at least in terms of sweet delicious things. Then she looked back to Brooke to see what her friend would decide.

@Pele Alarion @Ercassie
“I am certain, that if you would prefer to stay here, with your friends, Miss Seri would allow it,”

The suggestion was far too welcoming. Brooke wanted to accept it, but she knew she dare not. Shaking her head slightly, she struggled to find the words to give some sort of reply. Something that would not stir up a lot more trouble and cause anyone alarm, and yet.. give enough explanation to not have them keep pressuring her to stay here. And the idea of directing anyone to where she lived? That was simply.. not going to happen. Having seen a little of the interaction between Ms. Seri and the ranger, she wouldn't think of sending him where he might end up speaking to Claire. Even if he might not be interested in her, she didn't want him to know the sort of people she had to live with.

Soon, the ranger had declared his intention to ready the horse, and slipped out again. Brooke's thoughts were racing. How could she keep the man from learning where she lived, if he was going to be walking her home? She thought about that for a moment, while Seri watching his progress through the window. She decided then, what she would do. Her own home was further beyond Bree, so she would simply pretend like one of the houses in Bree was hers, so that Gwandhyra could then go on his way to Clay's people, and come back to the warm cabin all the sooner. Aislin and Seri would be safer with him around, after all.

When Aislin spoke to her, it pulled her from her thoughts. She turned to her with a tiny smile. A slightly sad smile. "I have to get back," She answered with a little nod. "I'm.. very late, already." She hoped Claire hadn't done anything terrible to her book. She ought to have been back hours ago. She looked down at the dog who had come to stand beside her. With a tiny smile, she petted him around the ears again. "Aislin, he.. umm, he can't come back with me. Will you.. I mean... well, would you make sure he's taken care of?" She asked, hoping that would solve that problem.

"He'll be alright here," Seri promised. "He and Hwinnia seem to get along well." She added, then helped Brooke with the ties on her new cloak, and pulled the hood up for her. "That ought to keep your ears warm, at least." She smiled, then checked that the girl had already put on the boots. She had them on. "Well, I hope to see you again before long."

With a small shrug, Brooke was a bit at a loss for what to say. She wouldn't feel safe coming out to the woods this far on her own, even if she had a chance. But she didn't know how to tell Seri that. "Thank you.." She wrapped her arms around herself, a bit awkward about the goodbye. "I.. I.. just.. thank you." She said, feeling a little unsure what more to say. Then, turning to Aislin, she smiled faintly. "And.. thank you, for.. you know.. everything. I.. I'm glad I met you."

She was quite unused to this whole.. saying goodbye thing. If she had been better at it, she might have given out hugs, but aside from feeling too awkward for that.. she had some bruises that she didn't want to be squeezed. She hesitated, glancing toward the occupant of the couch. "Um. When he wakes.. would someone tell him thank you for what he did, for me?" She asked, glancing up to see Seri nod quietly.

Well.. with nothing left to say, she moved for the door. When the dog moved along with her, she stopped. "No.. you can't." She told him regretfully. "Stay," She backed toward the door. Once she had reached it, Brooke waved at them with a tiny smile, then slipped out and made sure that the dog didn't get out after her.

After Brooke had gone, Seri sighed softly, watching through the window as she went to the barn. "I hope she'll be alright," She muttered under her breath. Shaking her head, she went and gathered up the empty mugs. "Guess I might as well wash these." She said as she moved into the kitchen to wash the mugs. However, she had to go outside to get some water to wash the dishes with. Since Aislin was still recovering from nearly freezing to death, she wasn't about to ask the girl to do it. Wrapping a shawl around herself, Seri grabbed a pot and stepped outside to fill it with snow. When she did, the red-brown dog bolted through the door before Seri could stop him, and took off after the horse tracks, ignoring Seri's calls for him to come back. She sighed, shaking her head in regret as she packed snow into the pot, then returned to get started on heating it into dishwater.


(Brooke's part continued and concluded,here)