Minas Tirith Streets and Levels (Free RP)

[Rillewen]

"For the fashion of Minas Tirith was such that it was built on seven levels, each delved into the hill, and about each was set a wall, and in each wall was a gate. But the gates were not set in a line: the Great Gate in the City Wall was at the east point of the circuit, but the next faced half south, and the third half north, and so to and fro upwards; so that the paved way that climbed towards the Citadel turned first this way and then that across the face of the hill. And each time that it passed the line of the Great Gate it went through an arched tunnel, piercing a vast pier of rock whose huge out-thrust bulk divided in two all the circles of the City save the first. For partly in the primeval shaping of the hill, partly by the mighty craft and labour of old, there stood up from the rear of the wide court behind the Gate a towering bastion of stone, its edge sharp as a ship-keel facing east. Up it rose, even to the level of the topmost circle, and there was crowned by a battlement; so that those in the Citadel might, like mariners in a mountainous ship, look from its peak sheer down upon the Gate seven hundred feet below. The entrance to the Citadel also looked eastward, but was delved in the heart of the rock; thence a long lamp-lit slope ran up to the seventh gate. Thus men reached at last the High Court, and the Place of the Fountain before the feet of the White Tower: tall and shapely, fifty fathoms from its base to the pinnacle, where the banner of the Stewards floated a thousand feet above the plain."
—The Return of the King, Chapter I: "Minas Tirith"

The city is divided into seven 100-foot-high levels, each surrounded by white walls, except the first wall, the Othram, which was built of the same indestructible black stone as Orthanc. The gates connecting the levels did not lie behind one another in a line, but faced in alternating directions, southeast then northeast, save for the first and seventh gates, which both faced east. Passwords were required for each gate. A spur of rock, whose summit was level with the city's uppermost tier, jutted out from the front of the city in an easterly direction. The winding path through the city therefore passed through tunnels in spur of rock five times, making it necessary to pass through a tunnel on each level but the lowest and highest. Each level was scattered with many alleys, narrow passageways, and full-fledged houses.

It was guarded by both stone towers and bastions, and protected (as was each gate) by a password required to pass through when locked. Each of the Circles of Minas Tirith housed their own defining feature of life for the citizens who made the city their home, or their place of work, or both.

Levels

This list is not comprehensive and is subject to be updated. There may be other locations besides what are listed here; be not afraid to conjure your own home and/or business setting as scene for your stories, as long as it is fitting to Tolkien world. (no football stadiums, hot dog stands, etc)

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FIRST CIRCLE

The Great Gate set at the base of the White City was originally forged out of iron and of steel. However, as the lowest level of the city was heavily damaged during the War of the Ring, Minas Tirith was rebuilt and restored under King Elessar: the Great Gate was remade in mithril and steel, the streets were repaved with white marble and gardens and trees were planted all around the city. This labour was aided by the Dwarves of the Glittering Caves, led by Gimli, and Wood-elves brought there by Legolas. The First Level included the Rath Celerdain, the Lampwrights' street, where one could find an inn, the Old Guesthouse.
Noncanonically:
There is also an establishment known as the "Seven Bells Inn" somewhere on this level, where one can go for 'a good time'.

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SECOND CIRCLE

Here, you will find the Marketplace. Many shopkeepers have their homes in back of, or above their shops, and live there with their families. There is also at least one park on this level, possibly more than one, and possibly with fountains and benches and paths for taking a stroll. The grand public library of Minas Tirith is located on this circle.
On the Eastern-most end of the Second Circle is the Wayfarer's Inn

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THIRD, FOURTH, AND FIFTH CIRCLES

The levels above the second gave way to family homes and houses of business, schools and theaters, each level more affluent and wealthy than those below them. Taverns took a place on each and every circle, providing each to a new class of locale.

The Hall of Song, the Tavern of the Seven Stars, and a clothing shop featuring high-priced clothing fit for nobility are located on the Fifth level.


Unfortunately there is no further canon information about what can be found on the third, fourth, or fifth levels, so this is open to our own interpretation and imaginations.

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SIXTH CIRCLE

The Sixth Level contained stables for riders, and the Houses of Healing, which were surrounded by lawns and trees, set near to the Citadel-gate and the southward wall, and the Ranger Commons. On this level was also Fen Hollen, a door which was almost always closed, leading to Rath Dínen, the Silent Street. Here, the 'shoulder' of rock that joined the Hill to the main mass of Mount Mindolluin rose to the level of the fifth wall and was fortified with large ramparts, where the tombs of the Kings of Gondor and their Stewards lay. The uppermost tunnel was delved into the spur of rock that jutted out of the eastern face of the Hill; The keystone of its archway was carved with the head of a crowned King.

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SEVENTH CIRCLE

Guards of the Citadel manned the Seventh Gate which faced eastward in line with the Great Gate, 700 feet below, and emerged into the Citadel, the city's strongest point, surrounded by high walls and battlements. The Citadel housed the Court of the Fountain and the Tower of Ecthelion. Before the War of the Ring, the withered remains of the white tree was preserved in a courtyard before the tower. After King Elessar's return, a new sapling of the White Tree was planted. Here are also the King's House, lodgings for the Steward, Merethrond (the Hall of feasts), barracks for the Guard of the Citadel, and other buildings for guests and other workers.

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Rules:

• This is a Free RP thread. Feel free to RP your own stories, set in whatever time/year you like, as long as you follow a few simple rules.
• Please state your location at the top of your post, as this thread covers seven different levels of the vast city. Likewise feel free to include the year, if appropriate/flashback/ etc
• Mark your post as ‘Private’ if you do not wish any unplanned interactions from other writers to influence your RP.
• Be respectful of others, if you feel like your content might be offensive or a trigger to others, please put a warning at the top.
• Please no overly "mature" content
• Please keep all content within the bounds of the very wide expanse of Tolkien’s fantastic world-building. Ie no drinking cans of Dr Pepper or use of time travel, etc.
• No Godmoding, be respectful and allow others to write their own characters.
• Follow all Plaza rules and guidelines as posted here

Please let me know if any of the above is inaccurate or outdated and I will be happy to make the necessary adjustments! Happy writing!


*Credit to Ercassie for some content in this OP. Some things taken from LOTR Wiki. And of course, credit to our beloved Tolkien himself
Further credit goes to Arnyn for suggesting the word 'further' in this OP


Edit: adding a handy-dandy map
edit 2: adding some links
More edits: adding more writer-created locations

[Rillewen]

Second Level
(Private with @Ercassie )

Winter, TA. Some years ago
Snow Day!



Ryndir & Calithildis Dringolben
Dringolben's "Ironclad Weapons and Armor" (outside)

Cali carefully patted down a handful of snow, trying to smooth out a lump in the side of her creation. Snow was quite a rare thing in Gondor, which usually had much more balmy or mild weather even in the winter. But for the first time that the twins could remember, they had been gifted with snow; beautiful, deep, powdery snow, perfect for playing in! It was marvelous, and completely unexpected by anyone.

In light of the unusual event, Cali and Ryn had decided to build a person out of the stuff, using large balls of snow, rolled over and over to make them as big as they could get them, until, even together, it was too heavy for them to roll it. And now it was complete, except for decorations; A huge ball of snow with another large, albeit slightly smaller, snowball resting on top of it. It had been a struggle getting the middle ball on top of the base, but working together, the twins succeeded. A third smaller ball of snow made the head, and now the newest (and whitest) resident of the White City, stood sentry beside the Dringolben's shop.

Looking up after a moment, Cali was going to say something to her brother, but didn't see him around. Where had he gone off to? Cali had not seen her brother in some time. He'd wandered off to find some stones and things to put a face on their snowperson, and she wasn't sure what was taking him so long. Perhaps he'd gone inside to warm up and beg a hot cup of cocoa from their mother?

Even as she was pondering on what might have become of her twim, a large glob of snow suddenly found its way into the back of her neckline, making the girl gasp sharply. "RYN!" She shrieked, squirming to try and get rid of the cold mess now melting down her back. She spun and threw a handful of snow she'd just picked up, with intentions of adding it onto their snowperson, at her brother. Straight at his face, in fact. The boy was in the middle of laughing, then found himself choking on a mouthful of snow!

Now it was Cali's turn to laugh. She grabbed up another handful, preparing to throw it, but her brother pushed her before she had a chance to do so. She couldn't help giggling as she tumbled down into the snow. An armful of the stuff was quickly dumped onto her. She shrieked again, and gave his leg a yank so that he went flopping down into the cold powder as well. Soon, the siblings were both laughing as they finally called a truce. They lay still in the snow, catching their breaths and calming their giggles.

"Cali!" Ryn sat up suddenly after a brief silence, his eyes blazing with a sudden idea. She knew that look, and wasn't sure whether to feel excited or wary. He grinned. "I've got a wonderful idea!" He informed her, though without need. It was plainly written on his face that he'd been struck with some sort of inspiration... for something.

Cali sat up and gave him a suspicious look. "What sort of idea?" She wondered. Were they about to get into trouble again? They had only just gained back their privileges which were taken away after they got in trouble at school last week. She was not in a hurry to get in trouble so soon after getting out of it!

Ryn grinned, shaking his head. "We won't get in trouble," he assured her, as if he knew what she was thinking. He hopped up and held a hand down to help her, pulling his sister back to her feet. "I promise, it'll be great fun!" He looked as if he could hardly contain himself. His eyes were shining with excitement, the way he always looked when he thought up some new scheme.

"What is it though?" Cali was puzzled, but interested in knowing what her brother had come up with. Despite the trouble they sometimes landed themselves in, she was aware that her brother could think up some rather exciting adventures. Whatever had sparked his interest this time remained a mystery to her, though. She got no answers just yet.

"You'll see! But we must have everyone together, first." Ryn declared, grinning. "Go and find Iole, and I'll get Nal and Trev. I'll meet you..." He paused to think. "How about we meet at the top of the Fourth Circle, it ought not be terribly busy today since we've no school." His grin had spread from one ear to the other, it seemed. "Hurry! I'll see you there!"

With that, Ryn took off flying toward the homes of their other two friends, leaving Cali a little baffled but also intrigued. Her brother's excitement was infectious, and in no time Cali was running through the snow-covered city, grinning with eager anticipation as she set off on her "assigned mission".

---

Sixth Level
Calithildis

The girl was out of breath by the time she reached the gate to the sixth circle, where she slowed to a halt. Her breath puffed out as a white fog in the cold air. Her cheeks were rosy from racing through the snow, from the second circle all the way up to this point. She was puffing a bit as she approached the guards. They stood blocking the path to the next circle, where her friend abode.

"I've come to fetch my friend," Cali explained, short of breath. "So we may play together." She looked up at the men of the Watch who stood guarding the gate. She had never seen these guards before, and guessed they must be new to this post. Neither of the young guards seemed effected by her statement in the least. They exchanged a glance and then both looked at her skeptically.

"None may pass without first giving the password." The girl was reminded. "And oughtn't you be in school?"
"We've strict orders not to allow any children to roam freely, after some trouble in the parade grounds some days ago."
This was unexpected. Cali frowned, not sure what could have happened to bring this about. "Well, could one of you take a message please?" She wondered, hopeful. If they would not let her go to Iole, then perhaps they would bring her friend to Cali. "You'll find her at the home of-" She was on the verge of giving the man further directions on how to go about locating her friend for her, when the other guard rolled his eyes and interrupted,

"Oh, just take the girl to get her friend, Feirion. It won't do any harm to escort her there and back, will it?"
Ferion hesitated, then sighed. "Alright, I suppose that wouldn't be breaking orders."

Cali was mildly surprised by this, but also a little pleased. She'd done better than sending a message, she had managed to work it so she could go herself, with a guard escort! She felt as if she were some important nobleman's daughter, rather than the daughter of a smith. In moments, she was bouncing along beside the guard.
"Where do you expect to find your friend?" Feirion asked, resigned to having to escort the child on her errand.
"At the undertaker's house." She answered lightly, thinking nothing of it.

The guard stopped and gave her a startled look at that. "The undertaker?" There was a puzzled, yet alarmed note in the man's voice. "Is your friend..." He hesitated.

Cali nodded. "Yes sir. Iole's father is the undertaker," She added, explaining, not understanding that the guard had thought she was visiting a deceased friend.

"Oh." Shaking his head, the guard silently led her to the mortuary, a strange look coming across his face. He stopped at the end of the pathway. "Uh, go and ask for your friend. I shall wait here."

If the man seemed reluctant to walk up the path to the undertaker's place of business, Cali didn't notice. She ran up the path to the door, reining in her enthusiasm at that point. She took a deep breath and tried not to look as if she was about to drag Iole along on some sort of mysterious, exciting adventure. Which is, of course, what she suspected was the truth.

Trying her best to keep her excitement in check, the girl knocked quietly on the door, managing not to do so with too much eagerness. She remembered, of course, that it was best not to disturb Iole's poor mother. As she waited for someone to answer the door, Cali's face, though still bearing rosy cheeks from running and playing in the snow, took on an expression of a child about to invite her friend to tea, rather than to some grand scheme of potential mischief and adventure.

---

Second Level
Ryndir

As Cali stood waiting on the mortician's doorstep, Ryn meanwhile had made his way with all eagerness through the streets of the second circle to find the sibling's other two friends. First he went to Nal's home, hoping to find his friend free to join them in this latest excursion that had come to his mind. After a brief thought spared toward hoping Cali wouldn't run into too much trouble in retrieving Iole, Ryn reminded himself how well his sister could spin words to make things work to her favor. She could contrive the most convincing story, if she wanted to. He had no doubt she would manage with little trouble at all!

Contrary to Cali's gentle knocking on the Ishen's door, Ryn's knock upon the Raxelilta's door was infused with great enthusiasm. The boy could hardly wait to share his scheme with the rest of the group, and set this wonderful plan of his into action! The way he was pounding upon that door, one might think there was some emergency which had brought him. But, one look at the grinning, eager boy doing all that pounding would reveal that he was merely filled with excitement!


(edit; fixing image link)

[Ercassie]

Snow Day ! with @Rillewen

Iole Ishen, and Family, some years ago
Ishen Undertakers/Residence, Sixth Circle

The cold weather had swept it’s cloak over the entire city, shovelling new meaning unto the white stone. Most of the inhabitants had stopped quite in their tracks by the peculiarity, the usual routines rendered unthinkable this day. For who knew but things would return to the same old world tomorrow, and they ought enjoy what was delivered unto them while they still could ? But for some things would never be the same again, for death was not dispelled by snowfall. And nether did it quite mean the end. Not when there was paperwork and tidying up to be done.

The bereaved couple sat huddled on the high-backed sofa, close enough to Mort Ishen that their conversation remained cloistered. He handed the weeping daughter his silken handkerchief. He had a whole drawer of them in his desk, and never went anywhere without one close to hand. The awkward son-in-law offered his hand to console his teary-eyed wife, and found her shaking. Perhaps not entirely from cold. They had just agreed to accompany the patient professional, and survey the choice of casket, and of linings, and of flowers .. when there came a soft knock at the door.


The Undertaker excused himself from his clients, and allowed them some privacy to debate a compromise, which would satisfy the daughter’s grief, and the son-in-law’s purse. It was not custom for him to answer the door himself, but the kindly employer had assured his housekeeper when the weather turned, the day before, she need not trouble herself all the way to work through thick-fallen snow. The school had been closed for the weather, and possibly because it was impossible to keep the childrens’ minds on lessons, when the world as a whole had changed on itself outside. So Mort knew that Odessa, would have her hands full at home with her grandson this day. His own daughter, Iole was at home with her mother, in their rooms behind the parlour. Though, it seemed, perhaps not for long.


“Calithildis” the father looked out and then down to find his daughter’s playmate. A glance was awarded to the man who loitered at the end of the path, a man that was not the child’s father, and Mort wondered, but had not a chance to ask. For the gate guard turned his head away as though he had not seen the Undertaker, nor wished to do so. “Would you like to come inside ?” the soft-spoken man asked of his presumed guest. “Please,” he urged the young girl, “Make yourself comfortable.” One hand indicated the pair of now vacant sofas which sat like clouds in the huge high-ceilinged parlour.

“I will fetch Iole” he deduced without ever being asked. It seemed very unlikely that the girl had come all rosy-cheeked up to visit him or his wife. She was far too smiling to be in need of his services. To his credit, the man only glanced back once, to see that the girl was settled, with the most fleeting of memories from the last time his daughter’s friends had come to ‘visit’. Noting that the raucous boys were not present, he relaxed and imagined that the girls would be more capable of quiet.



His wife’s bedchamber was a winter wonderland, complete with a storm of paper snowflakes hung from many hair ribbons, from every item of furniture. Still Bronela curled her slender fingers around a svelte silver needle, fashioning more patterns out of folds of paper. Their daughter perched, legs swinging, upon the chair that stirred not from the massive bed. She was working with her mother’s sewing scissors, shaving tiny slivers of white confetti onto her long dark dress.

“You have been busy,” the Gondorian broke the spell by speaking, and his wife leaned back against so many pillows propped that she might have been sat upright herself. She smiled as Iole glanced up from her work, and handed a snowflake to her father. The smile was swiftly contagious. Both mother and daughter had braided their identical dark hair into coils of neat design, that spilt in many streams down their backs, bound by more still ribbons. But Bronela’s gown was a white night-dress, all the better to observe any blood should she cough any up. They could not be too careful but ensure she was attended, even at rest. There was only ever really rest.


“The kitten is back,” Iole let her father know, as his wife glanced to the frosted windowframe. There a cadaverous tabby cat could clearly be seen, arching its back in a self-important parade along the outside sill. The parent’s face slackened to a sadness then and he shook his head.

“We can not have the cat inside,” he reminded her. “The fur, it is not good for your mother’s lungs ..” his daughter’s face adopted a mirror of his own grief, and he could no longer speak refusals. But neither could he risk consequences.

“It isn’t a cat, its just a kitten. And it’s so very cold outside,” the girl mourned, as though it was lost to the climate already. “My cemetery is already so close to being full.” Their garden, such as it was, had become a ‘cemetery’ for many small pets and toys. The children had started bringing their beloved broken things to his daughter he could not recall quite when, but it had continued. And it had touched him, to see the girl conducting solemn little ceremonies amongst the neglected herbs.

“Perhaps you can ask one of the other children if they would like to home the cat, ” Mort ever sought to console the morose. “Cali is in the parlour,” he mentioned the cause for his interruption of their ‘play’, and stood back so that the girl could run from the room to find her friend. She ran back a moment later to lean in and kiss her mother on the brow, then squeeze her father tight around his dark suit before leaving them to find Cali.


“She doesn’t ask for a lot,” Bronela sighed, grasping for the handle of her topmost bedside drawer. Mort opened the drawer for her, and saw a new stack of freshly embroidered handkerchiefs. He patted them into his pocket and squeezed his wife’s hand. “Children should be allowed a pet,” he was lectured, softly.

“Other things are more important,” the man closed the drawer, and poured a glass of water from the carafe ontop the drawer set. He handed it to Bronela who dutifully swallowed it down in as hearty sips as she could manage. Mort wiped her lips afterward with his finger, and then kissed her gently, lest he impede her breathing to linger overlong. “I will ask at the market,” he promised, unable to refuse the imploring eyes of both the women he adored. “A nice fish in a bowl will teach her to be responsible. Or a tortoise perhaps ..,” the decision was made, and not just a little bit inspired by how irresponsible his daughter, and her friends, could sometimes prove.



“There is a gorgeous little kitten outside,” Iole met Cali in the parlour slowing from her run to as sedate a walk as she might manage (until she was past the room where her father’s clients were lost in thought). “You have to come see,” she embraced and then bid her friend, eagerly.

“If you are going outside, put a coat on,” the Undertaker followed his advice into the room and laid a stern glance over the girls. “And a scarf,” he added momentarily. “A hat, gloves too ..” he started to call after them as Iole waved with one hand, dragging Cali to the door with the other. She gathered the required items from the coat stand and held them up as evidence but did not slow down. The grieving couple returned to the parlour and the man was ‘ahem’-ing to gather Mort’s attention. Begrudgingly, the father turned back to his work and hoped he was not being overbearing. But it was so very cold outside, and he didn’t want his only child to catch her death ..

[Ercassie]

Snow Day ! with @Rillewen


Unalmis Raxëlilta, and Family, some years ago
Raxëlilta Residence, the Second Circle

The warrior leapt from his mighty steed and faced down his foe. Drawing up from his powerful landing, he rose to his full height, and there tilted. It only required the one leg to balance, while the other kicked out, the flat of his foot slamming into the varmint’s hawked nose. The fiend flew hands to his bloodied countenance as his opponent reeled in that leg and, ducked below the sword he employed in an orbit of both hands. His enemy recoiled, not far enough. Then as thunder pounded on applause, both hands froze, their almighty blade poised as a strike of flashing lightning to cast down, and shave the lid of the enemy’s skull, to rain down blood upon the exposed cavity of his jaw. The abhorrent menace of the deep caught his own capped scalp in both hands, falling onto his knees in a recognition that he would surrender, and the warrior gazed eyes upon that fallen foe and ...


“Whatever are you about now ?” Odessa was redfaced from where she had come hurrying down the stairs, heeding to all the mayhem she’d heard. “Unalmis ! You are supposed to be studying !” she reminded her deviant grandson.

“Oh, Gram !” the ‘warrior’ found it was quite impossible to pursue his imagination, with the old lady scowling at him in that way. The exciting thrilling adventure fell away, as might day to night, and the tutting matriarch was the moon. Swiping at the child to be safely aside, she began to pick up the sharp pieces of her broken crockery which had all been shattered where they sat so innocent upon the dresser. By an out-swung blow of a formidable weapon … With a sigh, and the worst of the shattered plates held in her apron, Odessa held her hand out with meaning. Dolefully, the warrior surrendered his father’s wooden crutch which was all could be found to defend the modest homestead.


The real sword was missing of course, as was the last member of the family to wield it. Addhor’s bow and quiver had been sold to make a rent payment some years back now, and his despoiled uniform had been bloodstained and cut away, destroyed so that the healers might save the Ranger’s life. There had been a hunting knife, the handle bone-carved, but it had been locked away for safety from precocious little hands, and now the key to that tightly locked chest had been lost. The lock bore scratch marks from determined nails of small fingers who had tried to prise it open countless times. All that was truly authentic about the young boy’s play was his father’s old belt, which he had slung over one shoulder and looped at his far waist. Because it seemed more exciting not to wear it the normal, boring way, and because it was far too large for him to even try.

“Here,” the grandmother unpiled the books which had been so neglected, left upon the chair-less table. “Do you not want to catch up your classes and be with those your own age ?” she wondered, honestly she did. Because his teachers told her, quite repeatedly, that the boy was not so unintelligent, but just unmotivated to sit still for long enough to learn. “When your father was your age, he was top of all of his classes, and they wanted to put him in with the older children.” Odessa recalled, as both she and her pouting grandson turned to glance at the heap on the makeshift bed. In the corner of the room, it seemed that Addhor had not even stirred from his hibernation, despite the ungodly battle close at hand.


“Well how can I possibly live up to that ?” the small boy tried not to roll his eyes, and shivered now his lively game was over. His grandmother saw it, and instinctively looked to light the fire. The last of the smashed chairs was holed up there. But “I’ll do it !” the helpful young charge excited at the prospect of creating a blaze. A hand rushed out to hold him at bay.

“Why don’t you read to your father ?” was the best excuse that the woman could manage. “It’ll be good for the both of you. Go on …” she bade him. The child could not have exhibited less joy as he went to gather his school books.

“Oh, but no. These are not the right books,” Unalmis declared, breaking into his grandmother’s brooding with the latest of excuses.

“Do not tell me you have brought home Trevadir’s books ?” he was warned. “Again ?! Unalmis where is your head ?”

The boy reached a hand up and ensured them both his head was still where it ought be. It wasn’t like he had picked up the wrong books on purpose, not the first time at least. But when they all flung their things in a pile, to play nearby, it was pot luck who grabbed whose things then when they were dragged inside to bed. And especially now they had worked out to bring home the books they did not share classes in … it had been one of their smarter ploys. Until the grandmothers had worked out the frequency of the trick !

“I guess I must go over to his house then and return them ..” Nal blew out an overexaggerated sigh and it was all that his even exasperated grandmother could do, to keep from laughing. Did he honestly think that she believed him ?

“Go,” the hoarse approval emanated from his father’s corner, taking both those who had forgot him by surprise. “Go far, far away, and make your noise there,” Addhor asked of his son, or his dreadful hangover, or both before managing a yawn, and considering that more than enough.

“So. You are alive ?” Odessa supposed. She placed his crutch purposely against the door, purposely back out of reach, now that it seemed that the boy might not look to play with it awhile. The nurses had told Addhor he should be far more mobile by now, by long before now. He should be at least trying. But every time she told him to take a turn up and down the stairs, he threw the crutch to the floor and withdrew to his slumber, like a wilful adolescent, unwilling to rise up in the morning. Ironically come dusk, he would find his wooden prop, though she then begged him not, and trudge out precariously to the nearest inn ..

Well, he should have to cross at least the room by himself to fetch it this time, the determined mother conspired. “I’ll make you some food,” she told her son, for her sake as much as his. There was no telling when she had last observed him swallow something solid. Running a hand over her grandson’s hair, she headed for the kitchen. Blind to the way that Nal dragged his own hand back across his hair immediately, shaking it back the way that he liked it.


The shattered crockery she took with her, and the fire was forgotten, quite on purpose. For as cold as it was now, she knew they’d be glad of that last fuel to blaze when night came again. “I’ll make you both some food,” she rallied as Addhor turned back to face the wall, and Unalmis leaned awkwardly against the table. It slid a small way across the floor from his small weight, and he leapt upright, hands flying to steady the flower vase which sat upon it, a lonely survivor of his game. In a new effort to evade studies, the boy shuffled over to perch on the very edge of his father’s mess. He leaned in to better investigate the strange shape of the malformed man, until a gruff threat bade him to ..

“Do not ..” Addhor did not even open one eye, but his son flounced away in annoyance at being dismissed, as usual. Nal retreated to the staircase, where he began to keep warm by jumping up one stair, then down, then trying to jump up two stairs all at once, ..


“Might as well have gone to work,” the old woman muttered under her breath, as she went about the chore which no one wanted her to achieve. A day spared from trudging up to the sixth circle was generous of her employer, but she could have certainly done with the money. Tipping the ruined plates into the bin, the only provider in the house clutched at the table top with both hands, and squeezed it’s edge until her knuckles turned white. That’s new plates to add to the list, that awfully terribly long list of things which was always growing. As was Unalmis for that matter; always growing. And even the clothes he had not grown out of, it was a sore trial to keep from him scuffing, tearing, or outright losing .. It was very fortunate that Odessa had raised two sons of her own singlehanded, before ever she had taken on the handling of her grandson as well. There was an almost inexhaustible supply of hand-me-downs, even after those she had donated to poor Duinion. He'd spent such a count of hours at their home back in the day she might as well have raised him too ! Plucking a lonely sock out of her cutlery drawer, Odessa was very grateful her employer could not see the state of the housekeeper's own home this day .. or any day really .. Addhor though had taken care of his things .. once. Very long ago. When he still cared to take care of himself at all. And Domanol had grown so fast he hardly had time spent in anything to wear it. But there, she’d promised herself that she would not think about him today. She told herself that at the start of every day.


A new thunderclap sounded from out of her sight, and before the old woman could catch at her heart to keep it jumping from her chest, she heard Unalmis call out “I have it !” He meant the door. Thankfully, someone had come to call before the boy did himself a mischief and fell down the stairs out of sheer boredom. The whooping and laughing that soon followed could only mean that it was one of his friends, come around to lure him outside. Well, that was not about to happen ! Not until he had committed a full hour to his studies. She might have relented after only half an hour, but even that target was beyond reach it seemed ! Odessa cast the wisps of hair which were curling around her ears down flat, and bore her refreshments in to delay the latest escape attempt.

“Ryn dear,” she should not be surprised, although Trevadir might well show up, with his grandmother hanging upon his ear, to exchange back the correct books at some point ! “You look awful cold, here. Have a sandwich. Both of you, eat up !” The bread had been going spare at Mort’s and he’d insisted. But it would go off before she could get anyone to sit up at the table and break dinner like a normal family would. Like they once had ..

“Oh Grams, it’s the most awful, dreadful thing,” Nal glanced back with a quick smile after whispering with his friend, and then gave his most heartfelt performance. “Little Tobedir is lost out in the cold some place, and we’re all called to go search for him,” the lie was attempted. “Before he outright .. dies !”


A snort sounded from where Addhor was absolutely not asleep at all, but simply trying to avoid them all. His mother was wise to them all however. “Eat your sandwich,” the grandmother bade the two young boys, dropping a single plate with two sandwiches upon it, one for each of them. It was a waste of time (and good food) to give one to Addhor.

“But how can we eat at a time like this ?” the tirade persevered. “A small boy .. with the tiniest icicles hung from his little nose … ” Unalmis turned in desperation to inspire Ryndir to support the story. As though the other boy required encouragement .. Already there were sandwiches being stuffed into small pockets so that it would keep them no longer from fun.

“Before you go, fetch me up that from beside the door,” Nal’s father shattered any illusions that he cared if it was a lie, or no. The former Ranger held a hand out from his covers and wriggled the fingers. There was no mistaking what he might mean, and his son did not need any better excuse. Falling over himself to fetch the crutch, he brought it over to prop beside his father, and then braved the obstacle course of crossing the room while Odessa (tightlipped) tried to force a coat about him before he could reach the door. The boy fled then, coat splayed wide open so that it would do small good in keeping him warm. But at least he was sure to run about and stay warm so.



“The only time you put any thought into raising up your child, it is to contradict me,” the grandmother chided her son.

“Why do you not go and see Ullothel, help her find that little boy,” Addhor spoke without otherwise even shifting, and dared dream that he might be left alone, for some peace and quiet .. please !!

His mother took the crutch up from where Unalmis had propped it, and carried it with her, upstairs, so that she could look out of the window and see what the boys were up to. Strangely enough, her son did not trouble himself to come after her and complain. He ought not be trying to traipse out to the pub in this weather, she decided. Not tonight ! There was encouraging the exercise and then there was outright encouraging him to do himself worse off again. She would face the tantrum later. If she wasn’t embroiled in resolving whatever mischief Nal and Ryn were clearly already up to by then ..



“Freedom !!!” Nal ran around in a circle outside, and collapsed in a drift of snow drenching his coat. “Another daring mission managed, Captain !” he saluted his friend, his role model, his idol. “So ?” He wondered what Ryndir had in mind for them all this day.

[Rillewen]

Snow Day!
@Ercassie


Calithildis - Sixth Circle
Ishen residence/funeral parlor

"Good morning, sir." Cali responded politely to Iole's father. As if she were incapable of being involved in anything remotely mischievous. She was fairly sure it was still morning, at least.
“Would you like to come inside?”
"Thank you." She agreed, eager to ask for her friend. She remembered to wipe the snow from her boots as she stepped inside. "I've come to ask if perhaps Iole may come to tea?" She explained, even as he declared that he would fetch his daughter.

"Thank you," Cali said again, with a brighter smile. She remembered just in time to keep her voice down, lest she disturb the hushed atmosphere which surrounded the Ishen's home. As she waited, she took a seat on the sofa in the parlor and looked around. Through a doorway, she thought she heard a sniffle as of someone in mourning. Probably some clients, and therefore, the girl made sure that she maintained a respectful level of voice. Still, she could not help but to bounce eagerly on the sofa as she waited for her friend to join her.

It seemed like ages passed while she waited for Iole to emerge. Was her father lecturing her about not getting into any trouble? Was he deliberately taking his time, so that he could check the girl for any signs of a cold? What if he forbade her from going out, because of the weather? But, then, Iole would miss out on the wonderful fun which awaited them! Oh, the torment of waiting! Perhaps her friend would decline to join them on this frigid day, and choose instead to stay with her mother. Cali frowned momentarily as she pondered whether this unusual cold snap may have had any poor effect on the frail woman. She hoped not.

At long last, Iole greeted her with what appeared to be barely suppressed enthusiasm. Cali grinned, (although she tried very hard to remember that there were grieving people in the next room who may not appreciate such joy at this time) and leaped up from her seat to return Iole's embrace. She bounced up and down a couple of times in excitement. "Oooh, a kitten! I want to see!" The exclamation was a whisper, but no less enthusiastic than if it had been yelled at the top of her voice.

Cali almost could not refrain from rolling her eyes as Iole's father insisted upon all the wrappings possible. Iole would be rolled up into an enormous ball of wrappings, if he had his way! "No need to worry, sir." She assured Mr Ishen, well-practiced in placating parents. "We shan't be in the cold for long, I'm sure, and I'll ensure that she's quite alright." She promised, before slipping outside hastily, practically dragged by Iole. She had seen the mortician's customers returning to the room and felt sure they would not want a couple of cheerful, excited girls hanging about.

The moment they made it outside, Cali spied the kitten she had been told about and found herself grinning ear to ear. "Awwwwww!" She dropped to her knees in the snow and held out a gloved hand, softly calling to coax the little furball to come to her. Apparently anxious for affection, he came running and rubbed his head against her hand. Though small, his purring could be heard loud and clear as Cali began to rub around his ears and stroked his fur. "How adorable you are!" She informed him, happily showering him with love and affection. "Your father will not let you keep him?" She asked of Iole, sympathetic. "The poor kitty," She frowned and wondered if her parents would object if the small feline showed up at their house... maybe they wouldn't notice? "I suppose I shall have to take you home with me, then." She decided, turning back to the little kitten. "And then you can come and play with him as much as you like!" She added to Iole, beaming.

Another 'ahem' drew her attention back to the end of the path, and the girl remembered her escort. "Oh, yes." Her brown eyes lit up once again, remembering her reason for coming. "I've come to invite you to join us..." This time her voice dropped to a conspiratory whisper as she cupped a hand between her mouth and Iole's ear, to shield any of the whispers from traveling further, "not for tea, but something far more exciting! Ryn's had an idea for something he says will be great fun." She giggled, scooping up the purring kitten, which was then slipped inside her coat; just in case. The guard couldn't say anything against her smuggling it out of the sixth circle if he didn't know about it, after all. Even if he didn't care, it was simply more fun this way!

"We're coming!" She informed the impatient Feirion, struggling not to giggle as the kitten squirmed against her belly. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if cold, and cast a grin toward her friend, suppressing a giggle. Though she wanted to run and skip through the snow, filled with joy at having successfully rescued her friend from a day of boredom, she remembered to keep her pace slow and steady so that she did not frighten the kitten.

"I trust that you have your father's permission to leave the Sixth Circle, miss?" Guard Feirion inquired of Iole, dutifully.

While he was focused thus on her friend, Cali sneaked a glance inside her coat, to reassure herself that the kitten was alright. He seemed fine, and she then adjusted her scarf to help hide any evidence of him, pretending that she had done no such thing. "I'm so glad you were allowed to come," Cali announced, after having given Iole a chance to reply to the guard. "I've got a new doll which I can hardly wait for you to meet," She added, truthfully, but mostly so that the guard would hear only evidence that the girls intended to play indoors. "And mother has baked some wonderful treats..." Also true; she'd smelled something delicious baking as she was building her snow person. And she had every intention of having Iole share in these delicious treats... after they'd had their fun outdoors!

Ryndir - Second Level
Raxelilta residence

What exactly Ryn hoped to accomplish by nearly beating the door down, he knew not. What he did know was that he could hardly wait to try out this wonderful idea he'd had, and he needed his friends together before they set about it! In fact, it would be downright criminal, not to include them! Therefore he was intent upon rescuing his closest friend from the prison of his home, and from the cruel jailer which Nal called 'Gram'.

Would his knocking be answered, or would the boy have to resort to more drastic means? It wasn't impossible to climb up unto the window of his friend's bedroom, after all, if Nal happened to be trapped in there. In such a manner, had Ryn helped the other boy escape from his prison in times past, so that his guardians would know nothing of the adventures which followed!

At last, after what seemed like absolute ages, the door was opened. And there stood Nal! No need to rescue him after all! But they must hurry, before... Ah, no, too late! They'd been caught. Ryn's eager reunion with his friend was cut short. In fact, to have heard the reunion of the two friends, one might think the two had not seen one another in months, rather than just the day prior at school!

"Ah... yes," Ryn nodded eagerly to go along with Nal's invented story. A glance toward the snorting lump off in one corner brought a brief hesitation, however. Was this story solid enough? But it had already begun, and he could not leave his friend hanging! "Indeed, it's quite serious!" He told Odessa with wide eyes. "Cali's gone even as far as the Sixth Circle, searching for the poor child." he improvised, though it doubled as a clue for Nal to know that both girls would also be joining them in their play. The more the merrier, after all!

The 'cruel jailer' was now attempting to delay their play-time with kindness, offering food which could not be turned down. Growing boys needed all the nourishment they could get, after all. But now was not the time! Thus was the food stuffed hastily away in a coat pocket, to be enjoyed later. At least, part of it. "Please, can Nal come out with us?" He added once it seemed a little safer to do so, looking imploringly up at the woman. Curious as to why it seemed so cold in Nal's house, Ryn spared a glance toward the fireplace, noticing it was unlit. He couldn't help noticing the pieces of the chair in there, also, but seemed to dismiss all of this, and instead turned back to Nal's grandmother.

"Really, we've a school assignment we must accomplish, ere we return." He invented this new story on the spot, to better convince the woman that they ought to be released into the city, and that it was alright to leave them to their own devices for a while. "You see," he carried on, around a mouthful of sandwich, "the teacher gave us each a whole list of experiments we're to carry out while we still have snow, but it must be done outside, with the snow... and it could take all day..." He might have carried on a while longer with his tale, but there was no need, for Nal's father came to their rescue, in his own way. They had won!

In no time at all, Ryn was grinning again as he ran outside with Nal. After an excited leap off of the end of the porch, the boy laughed as he collapsed in the snow beside his friend, returning the salute with a silly grin. "I thought she was going to say you couldn't come out!" he admitted, though was delighted that had not been the case. A moment later he had jumped up to his feet once again, eyes gleaming with eagerness. "Come, let us go now and rescue Trev! We must have him too!" With that, he wasted no more time in running for the home of the last member of their party.

[Ercassie]

Snow Day ! with @Rillewen


Iole Ishen, with Cali Dringolben
The Sixth Circle, some years ago

Even she had believed Cali when that young friend declared they would not be in the cold long, and as the chill drenched through her skin, Iole hoped that she was right. She pulled her woollen hat down so far that it nearly covered her eyes, and then whipped her long scarf about her throat, several times, so that her entire face seemed somewhat swallowed by the warmth. Gloves like soft armour to protect her small bone fingers, the girl wondered how Cali could stand sitting down in the crunch of snow. The kitten seemed to be a distraction from discomfort so, with a swift glance about her, the undertaker’s daughter leaned down as far as she could without leaning outright in the slush. The kitten felt so warm to touch and seemed so very happy to be the centre of their attention. As he strolled around their cooing, clucking intrigue, the little feline flicked each foot that he stepped, discarding the wet.


“Isn’t he just ?” she had known that Cali would be of a similar mind, and no sooner had Iole shook her well-wrapped head, but her friend supposed the very suggestion that father had proposed. “I would sneak him home as a secret ! But your father’s forge would be so much warmer. And I hate to think he would curl up in some soft silk box in my father’s parlour and be buried alive !” The thought stopped the girl where she’d even thought it, but she needed to have feared, for Cali had already taken to the tiny ball of fluff as though she’d birthed it herself.


The stern looking man who stamped his feet, impatient, caused her to glance up then, for the girl was sure she had never seen him loitering about here before. And she knew all the (few) families who lived in the Sixth Circle. “Who’s that ?” she whispered, the words catching in her swaddle, even as Cali spoke up and loud a declaration, as though she were in a play. Enunciating, her father would say. Iole closed in, to catch the better part of the truth, and to serve as an effective shield while her friend hid the kitten in her coat.


“Tea,” she grinned and raised her own voice then in kind. “How very grown up. Do you think your mother shall let us use the good china ?” A face at her father’s window, stole the young girl’s mirth, and she ducked her head, and followed Cali quickly over toward her apparent escort. How quite the girl had attracted an armed guard, like a princess !, Iole could not imagine, but it was very exciting. She could scarcely dare to wonder what might be better than this already !

Catching up the tail of her scarf, the neat child unbuttoned her coat, just long enough to plump the scarf inside it. Rather more of a show was made than could ever be required, but still she hoped that it might convince the guard that Cali’s little squirming bulge was only scarf as well.


“Oh, err .. yes,” she returned, sweetly to the man who had now cast his questions at her. “Of course/ I am permitted,” she tried to rise up on her heels to be taken seriously. “Will you see us there safe, sir ?” she added, almost sounding rather frightened, but it was only that he might not believe her. Her father had, after all, insisted that she dress up warm, and watched her leave with Cali. Those were not the actions of a man who would deny her the thrill. Entwining her arm with one of her friend’s, Iole found a strength in their comradery, and helped to increase the pace, stifling a giggle as the guard took up behind them, and almost lost his balance on a small patch of ice.

“You do not mean that same pretty new doll which your mother hinted, the one with the soft, sweet, furry coat ?” the undertaker’s daughter grinned, giggling again to smother the strange purring which sounded from the girl beside her. Merrily though they ambled along, like a pair of tiny queens, chins high, eyes shining, and their escort wondering how his important job-role had come suddenly to this.

Unalmis Raxëlilta, with Ryndir Dringolben
Second Circle, some years ago

Never had the White City presented so white, that even the skies were devoid of all colour save for the blinding purity. The sun herself could not be seen beyond the vast sheets of heaven that she unfolded, dusting all the crystals in a flurry to the ground. It did not take much for Unalmis to wonder at the world around him, whether just a bird outside the window when he ought be listening to teacher, a tree that bent down it’s branches at the perfect height to invite a foothold, when he ought simply to walk beside his Grandmother, a strange berry he had never seen before and could not guess how it might taste, except to try …. there was always … something. But this ?! This was something else.

The boy threw back his head upon the bed of a frozen shrubbery, and sought to catch the falls of cold upon his tongue. They burned with a pleasant strangeness and then melted, as did the catch of flakes which he attempted to hold upon his palm. Closing fingers over it, so it would not escape, he found water trickling through fingers, yet could not be disappointed. For what a strange thing this was ? He had been watching the weather from his window earlier, and that had been like gazing on the world as nature painted it anew. But he had never been one contented to merely look. Not when he could touch and taste and revel in the change.


“She always says I can not come out,” he laughed, for his grandmother had never managed to keep him from doing just that. Sometimes it took a bit of time, and sometimes it required help, and cunning, but he never did consider that he was doing the old woman an unkindness. For she could never stay cross with him for very long, and he had no doubt that she would be towelling his hair dry that same eve, and smiling despite herselt, recounting if they ever had seen snow in Lossarnach when she was a young girl. Even grandmothers had to have been young once ! Sometimes it felt as though there was some book she was reading out the rules from, though she wished she did not have to implement them. After all, whenever they broke the rules, nothing absolutely awful happened. Somehow they were always all alright, with no thought that a time might come when they would not be.

“Really, even if she did know we were lying, the thing of us needing to, two lies !, should tell her how desperately important this is. I can study any old time,” he shrugged, as he always did assume. And never really did study. “This …” he got to his feet and picked up his feet one at a time, to inspect the prints his shoes made in the snow, “does not happen every day !”


He was fortunate that Ryndir was much better at coming up with excuses and alibis than he was. It was rather unfortunate that Nal then had a tendency to burst into his first, so that the more believable explanation met an already suspicious mind ! As Ryndir found his feet though, Nal instinctively followed suit, as though the two boys were magnets and whatever one was doing, the other was compelled toward too. The girls, he recalled, glancing about with a growing frown as he did not find them. Had he misunderstood that Cali had gone to fetch Iole ? Ah, but then Ryndir made everything right in his mind. Trevadir ! Of course, they were not yet ready to reunite with the women. It was always important to outnumber them first, lest they wished to play at dolls or something dull like that. Three boys, sometimes three and a half, if Toby was sent out to shadow them, always could outvote anything that they did not wish to do. And usually Cali would come around to what Ryn suggested anyway, often injecting her own ideas into the game so that all the angles he had not considered were catered to and it was better than ever. And Iole would never stand against the rest of them, but join in too.

“For Trevadir !” Nal roared, raising an arm violently into the air of celebration. “Last one there has to eat snow !” he ventured, foolishly, for his friend was a whole year older and with longer legs besides !


The rambunctious child did not observe that Odessa was now watching them out of the bedroom window, but still ran so fast in trying to race Ryndir, that it might have seemed they fled from her old eyes. But no, he had his permission, Father had said so ! Nal knew that Addhor rarely put a look into his family's matters these days, and the boy sort of knew why, or at least a child’s comprehension of such things. But there did exist times when his father still trumped Odessa’s decisions when it came to his son. Usually, in Nal’s mind, any time that Father said he could do something, and Grandmother said that he could not.

A bold effort to lend a new burst of speed saw the boy fly down the street, coat flung open and flapping as he went like a host of sails slapping in his face. There was no telling where the road and the path met under all the snow, and who cared when there was scarcely anyone outside, save for a few odd folks shovelling their front path. Even when he fell, Nal did not falter, but picked himself immediately up, wiped the smallest dribble of blood that had split his lip and smeared it then across his face with the reckless wipe of the back of one hand and without the slightest mind. Then he took up again after Ryndir, who he would forever follow. One way or another.

[Rillewen]

Snow Day!
@Ercassie


Calithildis - Sixth Circle
With Iole Ishen

Cali was glad that the kitten seemed to be holding still against her stomach, and hoped he would stay that way. She could hardly wait to get a chance to cuddle him later, when she could let him out of her coat! As he mewed, she giggled loudly along with Iole who had suggested that they might get to use the family's best dishes, hoping to cover up the kitten's mews. "Yes, she might!" The girl replied, though she knew that would be quite impossible, as the family didn't exactly have "good" dishes. Mother used to, she said, when she and father were first married. Having three rambunctious sons had left little of those surviving, (Sweet, innocent Cali had nothing to do with this destruction, of course) and all that was left now were a few pieces; a couple of cups, and maybe one plate, and the saucer for one of the cups. They used metal dishes for everyday use. Still, it was fun to pretend, and the guard needn't know that there were no such fancy dishes the girls would be using in their nonexistent tea party.

Struggling to control herself and not skip along the path in her excitement, Cali laughed, partly to cover up the sound of the kitten mewing again. "Oh, no, not that one," She replied to her friend with a grin. "This is a different one!" The girl was genuinely excited to show her new doll to Iole, later. "Mother spent a long while making her for me, as a surprise for my birthday. She's got lovely dark yarn hair, and pretty blue buttons for eyes, and a beautiful dress with lace and ribbons!" Iole's inquiry about who the guard is merely brought a shrug from Cali. "He says we aren't allowed to roam freely on this circle anymore." She lowered her voice, "It must have to do with that bit of trouble the boys got into the other day, in the army barracks," She whispered so that only Iole could hear.

Behind them, Ferion rolled his eyes at the girl's talk of dolls and tea parties and other silly, boring girl things, holding back a sigh. "No miss, I'm only escorting you as far as the next circle. I've duties to fulfill, but you should be safe enough from that point." Gladly seeing the gates up ahead, he hoped the girls would hurry up and get past the gate so he could resume his post, where he would surely endure teasing from his fellow guards.

Cali grinned as she saw the gate ahead, at last. She quickened her steps, though this nearly caused her to slip and fall. Catching herself against her friend who had linked arms with her, the girl managed to keep her balance and continued onward. It wouldn't do to fall and risk squishing the poor little kitty!

At last, they reached the gate. They were nearly through to the next level now! "Thank you for your help, sir!" Cali smiled sweetly back at their guard escort. Soon, they should be free to proceed toward the place where they were to meet her brother and the other two boys. For now, though, as long as they were still in sight of the guards, they must keep up pretenses. "Come on Iole, we mustn't let the tea to get cold!" She shared a conspiratorial grin with her friend before hurrying carefully along the icy street.

---

Ryndir - Second Level
Raxelilta residence

"Exactly!" The boy agreed wholeheartedly with Nal. "Not only does it not happen every day, but it doesn't even happen every year! In fact, it's never happened before in our lives! Studying, at a time like this? How could they even think it?!" It was pure torture for any parent to expect a child to study when there was a whole new world of white outside. Ryn and Cali were tremendously lucky that their parents hadn't needed much persuasion. They'd already been playing in the snow most of the morning before Ryn decided they needed reinforcements!

"For Trev!" Ryn cheered along with Nal, and laughed as he scrambled to run after his friend. Eating snow wasn't even that bad, he'd already tried some! But to lose a race would be tragic! Not that it hadn't been done before, but still. He laughed as he skidded across an ice patch, glancing back briefly when he saw Nal fall down on the same one. But his friend got right back up, so there was no need to slow his own pace.

Swiftly dodging around one of the strange persons that was out there shoveling the amazing whiteness off of his pathway, Ryn leaped over the pile of shoveled snow and tried to put on a burst of speed, trying to get further ahead of Nal, yet found himself mostly slipping and sliding all over the path. Laughing, he drew up just short of slamming into the house of their third and youngest friend, and slapped a hand onto the wall. "I win!" He declared before checking whether he had, in fact, won the race. His breath puffed out little white clouds as he laughed, catching his breath from the running.

"Now, how shall we rescue our poor, trapped comrade?" He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, the wheels in his mind already turning for ways he could convince Trevadir's grandmother that it was necessary for him to come with them. As it turned out, it was unnecessary at all...


The door opened, and from it emerged a sulky boy carrying a shovel. The scowl, which had come upon him the moment his grandmother insisted that he remove the wondrous snow from the path before he was allowed to play in whatever was left by that point, vanished the second Trevadir spotted his friends. Silently, he broke into a grin and hastily glanced around, then poked his head back into the door. "Alright Grandma, I promise I won't come back inside till I'm all done, even if it takes me hours!" He then shut the door with a grin and tossed his shovel to the side before leaping over his grandmother's bushes to join the other two.

"Let's get out of here!" He whispered urgently, casting a nervous glance back toward the house, as if fearing pursuit. Nodding with his head once satisfied that she hadn't seen him, he grabbed them and would have dragged them along if they were not also eager to be gone from the vicinity.

"That was easier than I expected!" Ryn smothered a snicker as the friends sneaked away from the scene. "We're to meet Cali and Iole at the top of the Fourth Circle," he explained to them both as they traveled hastily away. "But first, we must make a quick... hopefully quick... stop at my father's shop." Ryn grinned with the knowledge of some secret he had yet to divulge yet. With eagerness barely suppressed, the boy broke into a run yet again, without caring about the snow or the slipperiness.

Only when he had reached the step of the door to his father's shop did he slow, then turned to check that his companions had kept up with him. And noticed that they had gained an uninvited guest.

"Way f'me!" Little Tobedir called, trailing along behind the others by a great distance, his little head muffled by a scarf far too big for such a little boy. Part of it trailed behind his short legs on the snow, like a train.

Glancing back at the sound of the nearly toddler's voice, Trev threw his head back with a groan, staring up at the wintry sky in supplication. "Why?" He grumbled, wondering how the little nuisance had managed to get out of the house and keep up with him, and gotten bundled up. It wasn't fair! Why couldn't he just have a few hours to play with his friends without his baby brother around?

Watching little Toby trying his hardest to keep up with the big kids, Ryn laughed, and hoped Trev wouldn't be too irritated by the intrusion. So long as the kid didn't go blabbing anything, Ryn didn't mind him joining the fun. He motioned toward a well-known (to him) little alcove around the corner where the friends could wait without being seen, should anyone happen to pass by or come out of the shop. "Wait here, I'll only be a minute." The boy dropped his voice to instruct his friends, then paused and 'borrowed' a little of Nal's blood by swiping a little so that a smear of it showed on his hand, then smirked and proceeded with his devious plan of deception.

Grumbling under his breath, Trev grabbed Toby and pulled him into the hiding place swiftly. "Keep quiet, alright?" He ordered the child, wrapping the excess scarf around his mouth a few more times. Maybe that would muffle any noise he made as they waited for Ryn to return. Trev wondered what his brilliant scheme was, this time.

Bursting into the shop, Ryn was relieved that there were no customers at the moment. "Mother!" He was already a bit out of breath from his running, his face flushed with excitement. But rather than a joyful expression, he wore a distressed one, well-practiced for just such times as this. "It's Cali, she fell down and scraped up her knee!" He lied, holding up his hand to show the smear of blood and widened his eyes in a dramatic show of concern. "She wanted me to come and get you!"

Meath, alarmed by this news and the sight of the blood, put her needlwork aside hastily, leaping to her feet. "Oh goodness! Is she hurt badly?" Snatching some nearby cloth scraps that might serve as bandages if it was an emergency, the worried mother hastily left her post behind the counter. "Where is she?"

Breathless, Ryn kept up his act. "It looked horrible! She was out back when I last saw her!" He waved toward the area behind the shop, as if he'd had to come around the long way. "Please, hurry. I think she's in an awful lot of pain." The boy looked up at his mother with wide eyes full of worry, and put on his best expression of innocence. "I'll mind the shop while you're gone, don't worry."

"Thank you, dear," Maeth swiftly placed a kiss on her youngest son's head before hurrying out of the shop to locate her wounded daughter, fearing it might be severe, and hoping it would not require a trip to the houses of healing.

The moment his mother had left the room, Ryn absently swiped a hand across his forehead as if to remove any hint of his mother having put a kiss there as he ran to the shield display. Carefully, he lifted one of the large, steel shields his father had made. With a bit of effort, the boy carried it to the door, glanced left and right, and then passed it to his waiting friends. "Here, take this, and don't let anyone see," he whispered, making sure that they could manage this feat. He had only a few minutes, and must hurry.

Curious what they needed with a shield, Trev struggled not to let it drop into the snow, lest it make unwanted marks there before they could whisk it away into hiding.
"Wff faffr?" Toby inquired, muffled under his layers of scarf. Trev thought he might have asked what it was for, and replied in a whisper, "I don't know, shh."

Returning to the display of shields once his friends had managed to smuggle the first shield into hiding, Ryn carefully lifted a second one, and made his way to the door. He imagined his mother was searching the little garden behind his father's workshop in vain, finding neither Cali nor any sign of blood. She would return soon, so he must hurry. "Here, Nal, get this one," he whispered, waiting until it had joined the first into the hiding place before he withdrew into the shop again.

As the boy was approaching the shields yet a third time, Maeth strode back into the shop, a deep frown set on her face. "Ryndir, where is your sister?" She demanded. "She's not anywhere out there."

Ryn pretended to have been merely wandering about the shop checking things, and turned to give his mother a surprised look. "She isn't?" He tilted his head. "Well, I don't know, then." He carefully formed a puzzled frown on his face. "I'll go look for her. Maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought." With a shrug, he raced back outside to join his friends, and hoped his mother wouldn't try and call him back. Fortunately, she did nothing of the sort. With a sigh, she gazed after him for a moment, then shook her head and went to warm up by the stove and wondered what sort of mischief Ryn might be up to now.

Back outside, Ryn squeezed into the alcove with the others, waiting a moment until he was sure they wouldn't be followed, then relaxed. "Let's go, two should be enough, I guess. I bet the girls are already waiting."

[Romeran]

Romeran
Sixth Circle - lost somewhere near the street for married housing
@Arnyn

Despite having been in the city for some time now Romeran did not yet know his way around. In fact, he barely knew the sixth circle and he lived in the ranger's barracks. Between outings with Tirdenin Duinion, days in the training grounds with Captain Pele, and his own practice and studying, he had barely had time to get to know the city. To make matters worse, Romeran had grown up with the same set of childhood companions since he could remember and had never had to make friends before. His sudden departure from everyone he knew not only removed access to all of his friends and family but his experience left him completely lacking in practice making friends. Consequently, Romeran had kept mostly to himself, devoting his time and energy to his training and expanding his knowledge.

This single minded focus on his training and lack of expanding his knowledge of the city did not escape the watchful eye of Captain Pele who pulled Romeran aside, who at the time thought he was in trouble for possibly eating too much, and suggested that he seek out Hyandaner Kaylin who might show him around. The idea was horrifying. Romeran had seen Hyandaner Kaylin when Captain Pele had been promoted, her and her husband, or at least Romeran guessed given that Captain Pele had mentioned they lived in married housing. They had both been intimidating to Romeran, although most of the senior rangers seemed intimidating to him, and the prospect of seeking one of them out and asking them to show him around was absolutely terrifying.

It hadn't strictly been an order, but if he ignored it Captain Pele certainly would find out and that would just be more embarrassing. What a pickle he had gotten himself into yet again. And so he found himself wandering through the streets of the sixth circle looking for Hyandaner Kaylin. He supposed on the plus side he did know what she looked like, which would make the search slightly easier and also slightly less embarrassing as he wouldn't have to wander around asking 'are you Hyandaner Kaylin?' like some sort of lost puppy. Maybe he should get a puppy? Romeran thought, he would have to ask the Captain.

It was probably the fourth time that he had walked around the sixth circle before he got the courage to ask for directions to where the married quarters might be. He had opted to ask a guard who had turned out to be much more polite and useful than Romeran had been worried he might be. The married quarters was larger than he thought, and he realized that he hadn't asked for a more specific location. And so he found himself rather wandering the married quarters of the sixth circle looking for Hyandaner Kaylin, trying to see if the houses had names written on them or otherwise hoping to simply wander into the ranger. He sorely hoped he would find her, or someone, otherwise he was growing more concerned he wouldn't be able to find his way back.

[Arnyn]

Kaylin
Returning home

The tedious business of grocery shopping had done a number on her characteristic good mood. She had felt like grumbling all the way from the second to the sixth circle. Once she'd passed through the sixth circle gate, however, it started to turn around somewhat. Home was nearby - and there she'd be able to drop the boring fruit, cheese and bread - and perhaps focus a bit on the much more interesting pastries she'd bought. A pastry - or two - and then maybe an outing?

Kaylin's mood was lifting already when she turned into their street. Whistling a tune, not caring who would hear, she smiled and said hello when she passed a few neighbors. A hand roamed through the sack of food she was carrying when she realized there was actually nothing holding her back from getting started on one of those pastries now. She was hungry, her duties for the day were over, and she could use a pick-me-up. Looking forward to the buttery sweet taste, she took a big bite and hummed her approval. When she saw a figure she didn't immediately recognize as a neighbor, her interest - and alertness - peeked. Who was that? And what were they doing here? It didn't happen all that often that someone who didn't live here was wandering around. He also looked familiar, but she couldn't place him right away. Where had she seen him before?

After swallowing, she took another bite. Her blue-grey eyes quickly scanned the rest of the street, the rooftops, the shadows. It seemed to be just the one individual, over there in plain sight. Her current trajectory would take her right past him, she estimated.

@Romeran

[Romeran]

Romeran
Sixth Circle - lost somewhere near the street for married housing
@Arnyn

None of the doors seemed to have any indication of who was the resident. There didn’t seem to be any further information on any of the mail slots although he wondered what he looked like crouching down to see if there was anything written. Why hadn’t he thought to ask for more information? He had been so flustered when the captain had pulled him aside, partially because he had just eaten Sergeant Pete’s cabinet out of salted pork and although the Sergeant had laughed about it and refused his offer to purchase more in the marketplace, Romeran was still convinced he was in trouble. But as soon as he had been told to find Hyandaner Kaylin he had forgotten his kitchen woes and acquired further things to be nervous about. But in his own distraction of anxiety he hadn’t thought to ask for details. He sorely hoped that he would get more used to being around so may important and intimidating people.

At this point, he was running out of hope and more than a little concerned about finding his way home. Should he turn around or keep going and hope that he come out on the other side to somewhere he recognized. No sooner had he decided to turn around when he saw Hyandaner Kaylin round the corner towards him. Romeran never forgot a face, it was a peculiar character trait, but he had made a particular point of learning the faces of all the rangers when Captain Pele had been promoted. He was glad for his diligence now.

“Excuse me, Hyandaner Kaylin” he said, as they got closer to speaking distance. Romeran was not in his ranger uniform, and so could forgive the ranger for not recognizing him. Instead he was wearing a long sleeve linen shirt under a dark green, short sleeve, tunic, belted at the waist, over grey breeches and tall brown boots. He carried a knife at his back, he always did, but no other weapon. His thick black hair was tied back loosely and his black beard, though recently trimmed, was still long enough to cover most of his face so that his tan skin showed only from above his mouth.

“I’m Ranger Recruit Romeran” he added, quickly, not wanting to force Kaylin to have to ask his name. Romeran was practically red in the face as he tried to get out the next few sentence. “Captain Pele has uhm” he paused, it looked like Kaylin had recently come home from shopping. He wondered what she might have. Anything tasty? He thought before snapping out of it “well she uhm asked me to well” he was walking around the point like a drunken man stumbling home “she said that since I’m not much used to the city, that maybe you might consider showing me around?” after adding about as many filler words as Romeran could muster he finally managed to spit out what the Captain had suggested. He practically sighed in relief that it was over. Only he still had to wait for her response he realized.

[Arnyn]

Kaylin
Returning home

The individual was a young man, and he actually sought her out! Well, that sure made things easy. Trying to think of where she had seen him before, especially when he called her by her name and rank, it had just clicked when she slowed to a halt and he introduced himself. Of course! She had seen him at headquarters, right after returning to the city.

She looked at him a bit funnily as he introduced himself as a Ranger Recruit and then dove into a hesitant explanation for his presence here. Apparently, he had been looking for her after Pele had made certain suggestions. Quietly munching on the pastry as he stumbled over his words, she swallowed just when he fell silent. Then she laughed and started walking again, beckoning him along. "Aha - I'm glad the Captain knows her Rangers' strengths!" Another laugh, this time a bit shorter. "Well, come on! I'll need to drop this off first. I was going back into the city for some fun, anways." Her light blue-grey eyes gauged Romeran's expression for a moment. "You do have the time now, right?"

[Romeran]

Romeran
Sixth Circle - with Kaylin
@Arnyn

Relief came over Romeran as Kaylin seemed to reply enthusiastically to his request. He felt more at ease as she laughed and explained that Captain Pele knew her rangers. He wasn't exactly sure what that meant, as he did not yet know Kaylin, but he presumed it meant that she knew her way around the city and might enjoy showing someone else around. That seemed, at least, to mean that his request had been less of a chore for the other ranger, which made him feel better.

Turning to follow the Kaylin, Romeran realized he hadn't yet been into anyone's house in Minas Tirith yet, having only stayed in the barracks and had made yet no friends to visit. Most of his time with Duinion had been in the woods. Romeran realized he didn't actually know where Duinion lived, in fact, he had learned that the farm was not actually his farm, but he hadn't bothered to pursue the line of questioning any further. He smiled widely as Kaylin mentioned having fun. It wasn't that his ranger training wasn't fun, but it was also very much work and that always seemed to have a way of taking the fun out of things.

When she asked him a question, Romeran found that his tongue wouldn't move in his moth. He really needed to get his anxiety around new people under control he thought and perhaps for a moment too long "Yes I do" he said "I did my training early this morning" he explained, Romeran had still been on a schedule of early morning training a trait which still held over from his days working on the farm. "I'm very much interested in seeing more of the city. The first time I had even seen MInas Tirith was when I moved here not too long ago to join the rangers" the words were flowing more freely now and with less interruptions of nervousness. Perhaps he would get used to it after all.

[Karis Ziranphel]

Thûllir Bregedýr
Sixth Circle - Men Thalad Cirbann
Home

There! Flexing his aching fingers, Thûllir sat back with satisfaction after successfully restitching a part of the bindings on his snowshoes that had looked loose and worn. His rusty brown hair was tousled despite its new shortened length, and the sleeves of his blue shirt had been rolled up early in the project. Replacing and fitting the new segment had taken time, and he had never much enjoyed the stitching side of leatherwork, although there always seemed to be sewing needing to be done. Looking over the simple hoops strung with woven rawhide and leather bindings, he gave a nod. It was much easier to take a good pair with him in case he encountered snow drifts than to have to stop and try to build a pair on the fly. A good set took time, and although he had made these himself a few years ago, time was of the essence in particular on lone patrols. It was worth the extra bulk on his pack.

Rising, he stretched his back and then made his way down the hallway from his workshop to the kitchen. The shadows on the wall meant that Kaylin would likely be home soon, depending on how long it took her to pick up the supplies she had mentioned on leaving.
It didn’t take long to heat the kettle of water and pour it over the tea leaves in the pot to steep. Thûllir got a cup out, poured a cup of the strong liquid, and then leaned against the counter to blow the steam away. A quick sip made him wince and go back to blowing on the tea even as he heard the garden gate open.

[Arnyn]

Kaylin
Sixth Circle

She nodded when Romeran mentioned he was relatively new to the City. "How long have you been here?" Opening the garden gate to the house, Kaylin looked back at Romeran while waiting for him to pass through before closing it again. "And what have you seen so far?" She didn't want to show him anything that was old news.

Giving Romeran some time to think it through - because it seemed he needed a little time to get comfortable enough around her not to stutter or ramble - she opened the back door to the house and was just about to yell she was home, when she saw Thûllir. Her face brightened and she lightly dropped the bag of supplies on the kitchen table. "We have company," she warned him, but the only thing keeping her from throwing her arms around his neck was the steaming cup of liquid he was holding, not Romeran, who would be entering the kitchen not far behind her or would perhaps hesitate near the doorway. Instead of pulling Thûllir in for a probably heady hello kiss, she settled for lightly kissing his bearded cheek. "Tea," she stated, glancing in the cup.

"Well, come in," she spurred on the youth, turning back to the door. "Thûllir, this is Romeran, one of the Ranger recruits. Apparently, he's new to Minas Tirith and Pele sent him my way." Kaylin couldn't help but grin as she looked at her husband. "To educate him a bit about big city life." Looking back to the recruit, she smiled. "Don't worry. Neither of us bite."

[Romeran]

Romeran
Sixth Circle - with Kaylin and Thûllir
@Arnyn @Karis Ziranphel

"Only a few weeks now" he said, thinking back to how long ago it had been. It seemed so much longer than that, but he also supposed that so much had happened from his joining the rangers to both of his mentors being promoted (and one to captain to boot) to the long days spent training and the camping excursions with Duinion. It was all such a blur, it was strange to think that it had only been a few weeks, but there it was. He wondered if time would always pass as such a blur now that he was a ranger, but he presumed that eventually he would fall into a rhythm and it would not be so daunting all the time.

"Well I've been to the ranger headquarters" he said, obviously, "and the barracks, of course" another obvious one given that he lived there "and the mess hall and kitchen" Romeran really was going to list all of the most obvious places in a poor attempt to increase the list of places he'd seen "Sergeant Pete has taken quite a liking to me" he added "I think it's because I always offer to help with the dishes and compliment his food" maybe if he talked about something else it would seem less lame that he hadn't been anywhere besides ranger related places "and then the training grounds with Captain Pele. Most of my lessons with Tirdinen Duinion occurred outside of the city" it was obvious that Romearan had spent little time outside of the ranger quarters and he almost mentioned this particular outing but it seemed a feeble example even to Romeran.

Romeran hesitated momentarily at the door, not sure if he had been invited in. When Kaylin clarified that Thûllir was also present, Romeran gulped. It had taken most of his courage at the prospect of asking one senior ranger to waste their time showing him around, let alone two. What else was he going to do? He thought, it was far too late to back out now. He gulped again and tried to stand up straight, the least he could do was try to act confident, although he guessed that both of them would see through it.

When Kaylin invited him in more specifically, Romeran realized he had been standing somewhat awkwardly in the doorway. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He bowed his head in greeting to Thûllir "It is good to see you again Ranger Thûllir, and to make your acquaintance" he said, referring to having recently seen him at the Captain's promotion but not had the chance to introduce himself. Romeran managed a smile at Kaylin's comment about them not biting, although it also caused him to blush slightly despite his darker skin. "I guess the captain noticed that I haven't exactly been anywhere other than ranger facilities or out of the city, learning from Duinion" Romeran was slowly beginning to feel more comfortable at least in small conversation.

[Karis Ziranphel]

Thûllir Bregedýr
Sixth Circle - Men Thalad Cirbann
Home

The sound of voices outside alerted him before they appeared at the door, but Kaylin’s tone was cheery enough to not raise alarms beyond his usual wariness at hearing a strange voice. It did have a vaguely familiar ring, but he couldn’t place it. His gaze warmed at the sight of Kaylin swinging breezily through the door, and a slight smile tilted his lips when he saw her face light. Thûllir lifted his chin in acknowledgement at her comment about having company. “Aye.” He accepted her kiss with a murmured “glad you are home,” and the “mhm, would you like some?” at her comment on tea. His gaze had already tracked back with curiosity to the tall young man who had paused in the doorway looking a bit flustered.

He remembered seeing the young man at the promotion ceremony, and remembered that he had been the first one to speak up in answer to the King’s question, although he didn’t think he had heard a name mentioned. Kaylin supplied it by giving an introduction, and Thûllir nodded acknowledgement as Romeran also greeted him. “Welcome Recruit Romeran.” After a glance at his cup he put it down on the counter beside him. It really was still too hot to drink quite yet despite the coolness of the day.

He continued, “It is good to meet you and learn your name. I am sure you will be earning the title of Ranger as well soon enough, but please just call me Thûllir. A ranger may be what I am, but I don’t often use the title.” Thûllir nodded towards Kaylin while keeping his gaze on Romeran. “Captain Pele has the right of it in recommending Kaylin as a guide. She knows the city better than I do, and the more interesting places to hang out.” Thûllir did, of course, know it pretty well from living in the city, and had learned much more during his skills training, but as a woodsman he was never as comfortable wandering its streets. He could blend in if he wished, but that didn’t translate to giving tours, although he did know the upper courts rather well.
“Would either of you like tea?” He glanced back at Kaylin with a grin. “There might be enough pastries to go around.”

[Arnyn]

Kaylin
Sixth Circle
Men Thalad Cirbann - Home

She watched the interactions between the two as she pushed her cloak back over her shoulders and casually crossed her arms, leaning back against the counter with her lower back. They were both being very proper. She wondered what type of personality Romeran had. He'd seemed a bit of a rambler earlier, and definitely insecure. But here he was being very polite and measured. Perhaps that wasn't so much his personality as it was how he felt around new people? Or perhaps it was because Thûllir and she were Rangers and Romeran wasn't sure how to behave around them, whether they were off duty or not.

When Thûllir asked Romeran if he wanted tea, and grinned that there might be enough pastries, she almost pouted at her husband. She supposed it was the polite and friendly thing to offer the pastries, though, and caught herself. Instead, she nodded begrudgingly. "Yeees, yes, there are still enough." She frowned at Thûllir. "What, you assumed I'd finished off too many already on the way home?" Her already crossed arms now served a sassy purpose as well. "I just had THE ONE, okay?" Sure, she was often hungry, but that didn't mean she was constantly stuffing herself... Or did it? She shrugged mentally. "Anyway, they're in the bag." Obviously.

She focused on Romeran again. "It's becoming clearer by the minute why Pele sent you to me. Of course it's a good thing you've gotten to know the barracks - and more specifically the kitchen and the mess - and the other typical ranger locations, but..." She shook her head in feigned disappointment. "You've been here a few weeks already, you say! Unacceptable. It also makes me feel like tea is rather inadequate."

Raising her hands as she talked, her shoulders lifted a bit too. "I'm just saying, it sounds to me like you could use some fun and relaxation. A proper drink, a proper game." She shook her head, still in disbelief. "A few weeks! And you've only done what's necessary to stay alive and to learn new skills?" Kaylin raised an eyebrow. "That's no way to live, Romeran."

[Romeran]

Romeran
Sixth Circle - Men Thalad Cirbann- with Kaylin and Thûllir
@Arnyn @Karis Ziranphel

"I'm glad to officially meet you Thûllir" he said with a smile in response. He was slowly learning that most of the rangers seemed to prefer low level or no formality. This was different than he had expected where he had thought a military unit would likely be highly structured and hierarchical, but then again the King's Rangers weren't a military unit in the traditional sense and they certainly weren't considered the 'army' of Minas Tirith, he was slowly learning more about what it meant to be a real ranger and not just the rangers of his childhood daydreams.

While the prospect of some pastries did sound good, Romeran was acutely aware of his appetite and was cautious so that he wouldn't eat people out of house and home. He smiled at the familial banter between Kaylin and Thûllir, he wondered if his parents had ever talked to each other like that, but he would never know. "Thanks, but I ate an hour or so ago" he said in reply "if we're going to stay here for a time, tea does sound pleasant, but if we are soon to leave then perhaps another time" he continued smiling as politely as he could although he still looked mostly like a grinning bear when he did so.

It seemed Kaylin also agreed that tea was an inadequate solution to his current lack of familiarity with the city. He blushed slightly as she claimed his experiences so far were unacceptable; he had been nervous to wander around the city alone, it was so much bigger than any place he had ever visited before -- even Pelargir but he had been only a child with his mother and uncle when he had went to the port city. "I guess I've just been nervous to explore the city" he confessed "I'm from a farm in Lossarnach and had never been to Minas Tirith until I joined the ranger" he continued "our farm was very large but it's quite a different experience than a city" his voice trailing off towards the end. That Romeran had worked and lived on a large farm for his entire life would obviously explain his size and muscularity, "honestly I thought I might get lost...." he was telling the truth, he wasn't used to navigating the complex levels of Minas Tirith and he barely had the courage to ask a guard for help should he get lost -- if he was so lucky o get lost nearby someone who he could ask at all. "It seemed easy enough to stay busy with my ranger duties, I feel like I already have quite a lot to learn there" he added as a form of explanation.

[Dungeon Delver]

Lime Tea and Poetry
The Plum Gardens, Fourth Circle
(Open to All)

Eril liked his new job. He really did. It was not so stressful as the nightwatchman job he’d lost several months ago, and it kept him stimulated, kept him sharp. Working with a pharmakeist was hard work though. It was much more physical than he’d expected when he took the job. Admittedly, he had no idea what it really entailed to begin with. Mayura was a hard worker and she expected anyone who worked with her to work just as hard. She kept her own garden, grew her own herbs and medicines, and tended to her own concoctions. Eril had never worked in a garden before. In years past, his wife had wanted a garden, even made a few attempts to brighten the color palette of their front yard with roses or tulips or some other flower, but the flowers never seemed to take to their yard. Presently, Eril tried not to look back on those attempts and feel offended by the curmudgeon nature of his yard. If she were still alive, he would know exactly what to do to help the garden, to nurture the seeds and bulbs; he would know to tear out the weeds by the root and toss them in the hearth for kindling. He knew how to get his hands dirty now. At the very least, under Mayura’s tutelage (and sharp spade), he felt like he was working toward something. She tested him constantly on flowers, trees, leaves, herbs, asking him what their properties were, what they looked like, what they could be used for, how to prepare them, and (most importantly) what could happen if misidentified or prepared improperly.

There were other days, like today, when she didn’t have work for him. She was manning the storefront and the garden didn’t need much tending. On those days, she sent him to her husband, a chef and restaurant owner a few blocks away. Once there, Eril was given buckets of potatoes to peel and chop, oysters to clean and shuck, fish to clean and debone, or simply clean up the restaurant as patrons came in and out. It was much harder, much more mind-numbing work than the pharmakeia, but Krittithee was nice enough that it didn’t always feel so bad. On days like this one, he always came up exhausted and ready to fall into a deep sleep but, too, he always came home laden with food for him and Thom. Before working for the husband-and-wife team, neither he nor Thom had had food from Rhûn. They spent the first night drinking all the water they had in the house, rushing to the fountains for more and drinking all of that. Not to mention other effects curry can have on one’s digestive tract. Mayura found the whole situation highly amusing and laughed at him the entirety of the following week. Since then, however, both he and Thom had grown more accustomed to the curry and the spice were able to prepare accordingly.

“I’ll be right with you!” called Krittithee as Eril appeared in the back of the kitchen. The place already smelled like a cacophony of peppers. His eyes began watering uncontrollably. No matter how used he was to the taste of those devilish peppers they used, he was never going to get used to the smell of them, the way it invaded every pore and fiber and ignited his sinuses.

“Eril! Good to see you old friend, Mayura told me this morning you’d be coming over to help with the lunch rush.” He moved impossibly fast for such a rotund man, moving with the grace of a deer across the space of the kitchen. He clapped Eril on the back and pulled him in for a hug before the Gondorian could stop him. An aura of ghost peppers followed him. When he released Eril, he was still smiling broadly. “If you don’t mind, a young lady out there needs a refill on her tea and then I think the place could use a quick sweep before you come back here, I have some onion and potatoes that have your name on them.”

Eril took a deep breath. Potatoes, potatoes, onions, and potatoes. It was going to be a long day and by the end of it he was going to smell of onion and potato. “Then I had better get started,” he finally said, putting on a brave face. He grabbed a tea pot sitting off to one side, mixed the appropriate amounts of sugar, milk, and spices to it and entered the common room. It wasn’t hard to find out which young lady Krittithee meant; she was the only one present at the moment. She had a wide spread of papers all over the table too. He recognized her, though only by her face. She’d been in several times while Eril was on a shift, but they’d never spoken before. She seemed too engrossed in her papers that it looked as though today wouldn’t be the day he learned her name but she looked up at him, half startled.

“Oh!” she shouted, turning a light shade of red. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you there.”

He smiled. “It’s alright, you looked rather engaged with your…” his voice trailed off, he couldn’t tell what it was she was doing and didn’t want to pry. “Tea?” he remembered he was holding the kettle.

“Oh!” she repeated, though with less volume and shock. “Thank you!”

As he poured, he noticed her looking at him. “Ma’am?”

“Oh no, no, I’m no ma’am, please. Call me Walpurga. That’s my name. I’ve—I’ve seen you in here before, haven’t I? You work for Krittithee’s wife. Right?”

He nodded. “Yes, for the last few months. She’s teaching herblore and medicine, sends me here when she’s got nothing better to teach me.”

“At least they keep you busy,” she said with a smile.

“Indeed that,” he nodded. “And if I don’t get back to work, I’m afraid Krittithee might find that I’m the one that needs to be scrubbed, peeled, and chopped.”

She smiled and laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t want that! Have a good… potato peeling party?” she looked utterly bemused before snorting a laugh. “Oh! I never caught your name.”

“Eril,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you Walpurga.”

[Arnyn]

Kaylin
Sixth Circle
Men Thalad Cirbann - Home

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she listened to Romeran's words. Nervous. Lived on a farm. Thought he might get lost. Intreigued, in a way, she slanted her head, trying to make sense of just how much his outward appearance seemed to lie about what was beneath. After a moment, she turned her head to look at Thûllir, and gave a side nod in Romeran's direction. "You see how much he needs this, right?"

She slapped the palm of her right hand against the kitchen cabinet behind her, next to her thigh. "Well, alright, then. No time to lose. You've been here for weeks and it's been all work and no play. City tours will have to wait, Romeran. How old are you, anyway?" Not that it mattered, but she was curious. She had always assumed young people had a knack for getting in trouble more than those society called mature, and Kaylin tended to call boring. "We'll go and visit a pub first." She shook her head in disbelief."Hopefully a rowdy one." She pushed off against the counter and whirled around to face her husband with a challenge in her eyes.

"What about you, Bregedyr? I know it's not your usual scene, but perhaps shenanigans are calling to you today?" She gave him one of the smiles she reserved for him and him alone, slowing time for a moment. "Or do you still need to make preparations for your patrol?" Her tone conveyed she would understand if it was the case, and the fact that she did verbally jab at him about it, said a lot. She knew she'd been spoiled. His move to the City from Ithilien, going on a mission together with the Rangers, then travelling together for months.

[Rillewen]

@Winddancer

Strawberry
Second Circle, a random alley way (Immediately following this)


That was a close call. Too close. Weaving through the crowd in the busy marketplace, Strawberry ducked under someone's outstretched arm and dodged around another cluster of people, moving fast through the crowd. She had to get out of sight; she felt far too exposed without anything to cover her hair. It made her stand out, she felt, and she didn't like that. Blending in was necessary to ensure she didn't get arrested. If another guard spotted her, she was sure she wouldn't get out of it so easily. She would very much prefer not to draw the attention of every guard on this circle to herself, like moths to a flame. She could only fight so many at a time, and trying to hide once they were aware of her would be far more difficult than right now. Plus it would make it nearly impossible to leave the city. The crooked one would only be able to do so much for her, and he may not even be willing to do that.

Still, whatever he wanted must be awfully important, she thought as she ducked into a narrow alley that seemed rather empty. She took a moment to catch her breath, then glanced around looking to see if there was a way out. She hadn't meant to be in the city very long. A day at most. Now she had to wait around another couple of days to find out what he wanted, and then, if she chose to agree to help him, who knows how long that would take. She sighed in frustration. Whatever it was, it better be good for her to risk so much. At least she ought to be able to hide out of sight for a while until it got dark, then she could try to get another hat to cover her hair, and she'd feel a lot better about being here, then. But for now... hopefully this alley would be safe enough to hide in, she thought as she peeked around behind a barrel, then looked up to see how difficult it might be to climb up onto the rooftops...

[Winddancer]

Lily

She stood as if frozen solid, unable to move. Barely able to process what had just happened. A sudden shove to her shoulder knocked her out of her reverie and she stumbled forward a step, eyeing up the perpetrator as they yelled "Get out of the middle of the road!"

"Rude.." she mumbled under her breath, too self conscious to yell something biting in return. Instead she stepped to the side, out of the way of those striding down the street towards the other circles. Suddenly feeling her legs turn to jelly, Lily sat herself down heavily on a step, her wrinkled hands clasped tightly in her lap. Oh poor Thea..

It was her fault! She should have been with her, or stopped her, or.. something. Tears welled in her eyes as she tried not to imagine what would happen to Thea now. There was no way Ms Irma would allow for the guards to let Thea go with a slap on the wrist. Ms Irma would make sure that Thea was put away for a long long time. She still remembered the beating poor Ingrid had received for just accidentally dyeing the wrong shirt. And then been made to pay for a new shirt which was a months worth of pay. It wouldn't matter that Ms Irma had been stealing from them first. No one would believe Thea.

Lily's hands pushed against her roiling stomach as it churned uneasily, an unfortunate side effect of having to work for someone like Ms Irma. Tenderly rubbing her stomach, Lily caught a flash of red, her stomach jolting as she realised it was hair. Thea!? Oh no! Had Thea run away from the guard??

Panic rising Lily jumped to her feet, ignoring how shaky they felt and took off after her friend. Darting and weaving between pedestrians and carts, she saw Thea duck into a small alley. "Thea!" She hissed, trying not to call out her name too loudly and draw attention to them. Entering the alley as well, she ran up to her friend and placed her hand on the young woman's shoulder in an attempt to turn her around. "Thea! Why did you run??"

[Rillewen]

@Winddancer

Strawberry
Second Circle, a random alley way

The first time the name was called, Strawberry ignored it. It was distant, hardly audible over the sound of all the people packing the market square today. It had nothing to do with her.

Then a hand rested on her shoulder as the name was called again. Given the recent events, Strawberry was rather wound up and tense. She reacted swiftly, whirling on the spot, one hand striking up to knock the hand off of her shoulder, her other hand poised for further attack if necessary. But the words froze her before she struck again. Thea?

For an instant, alarm flashed in her green eyes, followed immediately by uncertainty, then wonder. This girl knew her? She called her by a name... Thea. Was that her? Was that her real name? Did this girl know her? What was she asking about, why did she run? Run from where? Maybe... perhaps she could give her some answers. Perhaps... after all this time, she might finally be able to find out who she was, where she came from.. what happened to make her forget. "Do you.. know me?" She asked softly, with a tiny step closer to the other girl, hardly daring to hope...yet unable to help herself.

[Winddancer]

"Thea- Aaah!"

Startled by the girl smacking her hand away, Lily stumbled a few steps back, her eyes wide with concern. However they grew even wider as the girl whirled around, only to reveal it wasn't Thea at all. "You aren't Thea.." she proclaimed dumbly, raising her own hands defensively.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, I thought.. I thought you were Thea.." she finished meekly as she backed up a few more steps. How could she have been so stupid, thinking it was Thea when she had just watched her friend being led away by a guard. Of course Thea would not have run, Thea would never break the law. Well..

Again she apologised, waving her hands as an excuse. "Sorry for bothering you, I.. I gotta go." Tears welled in her eyes again as the image of her friend being led away flashed through her mind. Thea was going to be locked up for Valar knew how long and Ms Irma would be rubbing her hands gleefully as they locked the cell and threw away the key. The ledger..

Looking behind her, she started trembling. She had to get the ledger, only she and Thea knew where Ms Irma kept it. "Sorry, I need to go.. sorry for bothering you.." Though she knew that time was scarce, she found it hard to walk away, to head back to the Garrison. What if she was caught? What would become of her parents? Her younger sisters? But she could not just leave Thea to rot, right?

[Rillewen]

@Winddancer

Strawberry
Second Circle, a random alley way

"You aren't Thea.."

The words swiftly struck down any hope that had begun to rise up, just as her hand had struck the other girl's. The feeling of hope plummeting seemed almost worse than anything. The tears that welled up in the other girl's eyes seemed, to Strawberry, that they belonged in her eyes, but she fought the urge. Of course she wasn't Thea. That name didn't really seem... like her. And besides, she had yet to meet anyone who knew her, why would she now?

But something was wrong. Something had upset this other girl, and in an effort at distracting herself from her own shattered hope, Strawberry fastened her attention onto that. "It's..alright, I..really." She assured her, feeling bad for her initial reaction. Did she hurt her? Was that why she looked close to tears? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you.." She frowned, unsure if that was the problem. She kept apologizing, saying she needed to go, but something about her, how she talked maybe, nagged at Strawberry. Something was troubling her. "Wait.." She moved forward a few steps, catching up, one hand reaching out to gently touch her arm and stop her.

"What's wrong?" She frowned, concerned. "Is there anything I can do? Who's Thea?"

[Winddancer]

Lily jumped and let out a soft squeak as the unknown girl touched her arm. Already acting guilty and she hadn't even done anything yet. "Sor-sorry, it's just my friend, she's uh.. she got.."

Lily brushed a stray tear from her face with a shaky hand, looking between the girl and the bustling street on a couple of feet away. What if Ms Irma told the guards that she was Thea's friend, then what? Would Ms Irma accuse her for just being a friend? Would she think they had done it together? Dangit Thea! Why did you have to do that! Frustrated, angry and scared she began pacing back and forth. What if they were coming for her now? Would guards be waiting at her house? Would they be sent out to find her and arrest her on the streets like they had with Thea?

Both shaky hands moved to cover her mouth and nose, her eyes wildly flicking across the cobblestones as she paced a few steps forward and then turned. Ms Irma would lie, she would fabricate some story and make sure Thea was locked away for a long time. And she was next, she knew it. Her stomach suddenly liquified and she ran to the wall, one hand bracing herself against it and the other trying to hold back her flighty mousy brown hair as she violently threw up.

Coughing and hacking she struggled for her breath, forcing back the urge to continue. Trembling so hard that she could barely walk, she stumbled over to a step and fell down hard on it, her face disappearing into her hands as she began to sob. "She was the one who stole from us! And now we are going to jail!" Her words came in sobbed gulps, broken up between mouthfuls of ragged breaths. "I need the ledger, the ledger is the only way to prove we aren't lying. The only way to keep us from rotting in a dungeon."

Still holding her hands across her mouth, she looked up at the girl with terrified eyes as if just realising she was there. "I can't do it.. I am too scared.." she said through her fingers before breaking down into more sobs.

[Rillewen]

@Winddancer

Strawberry
Second Circle, a random alley way

Her eyes widened somewhat as she watched the young woman all but fall to pieces in front of her. Strawberry couldn't help staring slightly. She appeared to be about the same approximate age as Strawberry (she had no idea of her own age), this girl seemed almost like a terrified child.. dissolving into tears and shaking. When she threw up, Strawberry was further stunned. Some part of her told her she ought to do something to help, like maybe hold her hair back, but she couldn't make herself move, she was so caught off guard by it all.

Blinking a couple of times as she finally moved to sit, collapsing onto a nearby step, and then words poured out. Very little of it made sense. Strawberry moved closer and knelt nearby, trying to piece things together, but there wasn't enough information. "Wait, who stole from you?" She frowned. "Here.." Digging into her pack, she pulled out some hard tack and offered it to her, thinking it might help something. "I've got more food if you're hungry." She told her. "What's.." She began, but at that moment the girl had begun to sob harder after stating 'I can't do it, I'm too scared'.

Strawberry wasn't good with crying people. In fact, she wasn't very used to being around people at all, but much less crying ones. As far back as she could remember (which was only a couple of years) she had determinedly refused to allow anyone to see her cry, not that she didn't give in at times when she was alone, but had figured out pretty quickly it didn't do any good except maybe as a release of emotions. It made her feel weak and helpless when she cried, and so, instead, she had tried to be tough and not let herself break down like that. But she also understood that some people simply couldn't help it, or something like that. Or else, sometimes, stuff just happened and happened and you could only take so much before it felt like a crushing weight that you couldn't get out from under. And the only way some people knew to deal with that was to cry.

There was something said about jail, and a ledger, and... it sounded like a lot of terrible things happening, and this girl was scared. Strawberry knew about being scared. She frowned, tentatively reaching to pat the girl's shoulder. "It's alright, just calm down." She tried to talk reassuringly, but didn't know how successful she'd be. "What's this about a ledger? Tell me what's going on, maybe I can help." She suggested. Acquiring things was somewhat of a specialty of hers, after all... "Who stole from you, and why are you going to jail? What's happened to Thea?" that seemed to be an important part of this whole matter, but she didn't know quite where her lookalike came in. She hoped the other girl hadn't been arrested for looking like Strawberry. "Did they put Thea in the dungeon?" She wondered, hesitant to ask, but she had to know. If someone else had been mistaken for her, she felt a certain obligation to help that girl. Taking her canteen from the side of her bag, she offered that to the other girl, thinking it might help to get a drink of water. "Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?" She added, thinking it might help calm her a little to answer another simpler question that wasn't related to the other stuff.

[Romeran]

Romeran
Sixth Circle - Men Thalad Cirbann- with Kaylin and Thûllir
@Arnyn @Karis Ziranphel

A scarlet tone came across his cheeks again as he blushed at Kaylin’s remark at how much help he needed. It was true that he had been a shut in so far but he was glad that Kaylin seemed to be eager about the request rather than the alternative. That Kaylin was being so nice with Romeran made him feel more at ease. “I’m nineteen” he said in response. Most people would have guessed he was considerably older based only on his appearance but Romeran’s demeanor had already given away his youthful lack of experience. “I haven’t visited any taverns or any things of the like in the city” he said when Kaylin suggested visiting one. He had heard of The Old Guesthouse but had never actually been.

There was a tavern in Lossarnach, well there were many taverns but this particular one was near his farm, that Romeran and his young friends would visit especially when they were old enough to drink without parental guidance. He has enjoyed the atmosphere and the drinks of course. But he had known everyone in the small town, which was really simply a gathering spot for the local farmers in the area. But anywhere they would go would be considerably different from that, he suspected.

If Thûllir came as well then at least he would not be the sole focus of attention and perhaps that would let him observe and acclimatize to the situation. Romeran didn’t feel comfortable enough though to voice his concerns and instead simply looked at Thûllir hopefully. “Where are the pubs anyway?” He asked realizing that while he had heard of a handful of them, mostly overhearing other people discussing their escapades, he had no idea where any of them were located. The path down to the Pelennor was straight forward enough as was the road to the training ground and that’s more or less all the roads that Romeran had traveled with any great consistency.

[Karis Ziranphel]

Thûllir Bregedýr
Sixth Circle - Men Thalad Cirbann
Home

Thûllir grinned at Kaylin’s reaction, and leaned back again to cross his ankles in a relaxed pose as he listened to her first reluctantly agree about the pastries and then say tea was absolutely inadequate. He lifted an eyebrow and picked up his cup again in silence after shaking his head. He didn’t think she would have finished all the pastries, and it sounded like she was hinting at a pub visit. He wasn’t opposed to an occasional visit, and it had been some time since he had frequented one of the local pubs, but it wasn’t where Thûllir would have started. Granted, that was also a reason he wasn’t the one showing around visitors. It made sense to start where a large variety of people gathered in a relaxed environment. He thought about that and took a few sips as he listened to Romeran speak.

Sure enough, the youth’s words drew a decided vote for a rowdy pub visit from Kaylin rather than a tour plan, and an invitation for shenanigans. “Hmmm” He murmured in thought. There was quite a bit left to do, but he had finished all the repair work he had planned, and just had to finish organizing and loading his pack. Thûllir met Kaylin’s gaze through the steam from the cup. She wouldn’t push, but he could see she would like an evening out on the town with him before he left and could no longer accompany her. It was doable. He would finish the next day and leave the following.

Romeran had been speaking while Thûllir considered, and he looked over to see the hopeful look in the young man’s eyes. He supposed it would be a good idea to get to know the tall recruit a little better. It wouldn’t be long before they might have to trust one another in a fight, and it helped to know those beside you.

He nodded decisively and answered Romeran first. “There are several different pubs throughout the city, and it is definitely good to know which ones are where. One of my favorites is the Wayfarer’s in the fourth circle, but the Tavern of the Seven Stars, a rather more upscale establishment, is also excellent for dining and drinks. Most travelers know the Old Guesthouse on the first circle because it is close to the main gate and they don’t have to walk that far. I admit I have gone there to get a meal before coming home a time or two so that I would have the energy to make it up through the city.”

Thûllir took another sip of tea and then placed the cup on the counter before shifting to address Kaylin. “I am happy to join you. If you want to go ahead I can put away the groceries first and then join you,” he gave a nod to the sack of provisions, “or I will be just a few moments if you would like me to walk with you. I do need to get my coat and a cap if we will be gone through dusk though.” The air grew quite chill at night this high off the plain.

[Arnyn]

@Pele Alarion
@Karis Ziranphel

KIng Aragorn Elessar
Seventh Circle, Court of the Fountain

Elessar had approved Cúner Ziranphel's request to interrogate the former Lieutenant, with limited hope that she might uncover what had transpired. Yet he had approved it nonetheless - they did still need to find out the circumstance of his betrayal - the reason for Amathen's murder. The death of the man still lay heavy on Aragorn's heart. Amathen was who he had envisioned as the leader of his Rangers, after all. The man might have had his shortcomings, but so did all Men, and Aragorn included himself as much as anyone. Since Amathen had assured him that Macardil would check the boxes that he himself did not, the king had been convinced of his chosen command.

With a shake of his head and a frown upon his brow, he looked out over the City. Cúner Ziranphel had returned from the Dungeons not long after he had granted her request to visit Macardil in hopes of procuring much-needed answers. Her report had been... grave. If he had been another man, another king, maybe he would have raised an eyebrow and dismissed Macardil's claims as the ramblings of a man gone mad. However, Ziranphel was a good judge of character, or so he had been told. Moreover, he was Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and he had witnessed many things beyond the ordinary, well before he had become King Elessar of House Telcontar.

After hearing the report from the Cúner, he had given her a long look and asked her to return two hours hence. He had needed to think, and take counsel.
Upon Cúner Ziranphel's return, he had sent her back to the Dungeons along with two of his personal guards and the hand-written order to release Macardil into their custody. They were to bring the former Lieutenant to the Court of the Fountain. There was a chill in the air, but the sun shone brightly upon the White City.

Aragorn had also summoned his new Captain, Pele Alarion, to bear witness.

So Elessar now waited, and the thoughts milled through his mind as he turned to the sapling of the White Tree.

[Pele Alarion]

@Karis Ziranphel , @Arnyn

Captain Pele Alarion
Seventh Circle, Court of the Fountain

Pele had found that her responsibilities had increased which was to be expected, and yet she seemingly also found quiet joy in it all, though it usually was not clearly visible in her actions and was packed away for the moments of leisure whenever such occurred. And yet, when she had received the summons from the King, she could not help but wonder right away if she had already managed to do something amiss. Then again, perhaps there was some assignment. Since there was only one way to find out, she hastened to respond to the summons.

Having been granted access to the seventh circle, she quickly passed within, and with a quick glance around the courtyard, located the King. Approaching him in a determined step, she halted to present a crisp salute. "Captain Alarion reporting as requested, Your Grace!" With a brief look at the fountain and the small White Tree, Pele turned her attention back to Aragorn. "What is your command, my King? I did not bring any cake though..." Pele remained at attention, in case he would have an urgent order for her to go and fulfil right away, having added the last sentence quietly so that the guards would not hear.

[Karis Ziranphel]

Karis Ziranphel, Cúner
Seventh Circle, Court of the Fountain

It hadn’t taken long to leave the dungeons despite having to once again show her written orders from the King and sign that she now had custody of their prisoner, who was no longer their responsibility. Ziran had paused after stepping outside past the heavy door to let her own eyes adjust to the bright sunshine, and couldn’t help turning to see Macardil’s reaction, waiting a moment to let him take it in, with a ghost of a smile on her face. It was a huge change from the dark gloom of the tunnels, and it helped her appreciate the warmth of the sun on this cool day for herself a bit more as well.

They couldn’t pause for more than a long moment, however. “The king awaits us at the Court of the Fountain.” Her quiet explanation preceded her again leading the way up the winding way and then across the wide flat paving stones that shone white in the sun to where the new young sapling of the white tree stood in the court. Her pace was even and not hurried, but they arrived in good time, just after Captain Pele. Ziran halted and saluted crisply, and then stepped to the side so that Macardil could step up beside her. She placed her hand lightly on his shoulder to indicate that he should do so, gave it a hint of pressure, and then dropped her hand again. “Here is Macardil as you requested, my King.”

[Arnyn]

Macardil
Seventh Circle, Court of the Fountain

His eyes squinted the first few seconds, when he stepped into the light of day. He just closed them as he tilted his head up.
The sun warmed his face. The wind ruffled through his hair. He soaked it in. The rays soothed his inner turmoil, and the wind did not feel cold so much as it felt freeing. Joy welled up in his heart, and when he opened his eyes, they were wet.

Ziranphel said the King awaited them in the Seventh Circle, and Macardil followed her up the city. It was a ways to walk, and they had many spectators. Shackled and escorted as he was, Macardil was glad his appearance did not mean anything to most onlookers. The wind dried his face on the way, and whereas he had thought he would be nervous or perhaps even stressed to face the judgment of the King, by the time they approached the sapling of the White Tree, Macardil was neither.

He saw King Elessar, and Ranger Pele Alarion. When his gaze fell on the clasp on her shoulder, he re-evaluated - Captain Alarion - and almost smiled. She must have largely recovered from her ordeals, then. He remembered their private conversation at the fort well.

Ziranphel greeted the King, and then stepped aside, removing herself from standing between Elessar and Macardil. He stepped forward when Karis put a hand on his shoulder and glanced her way with a minute nod, before focusing on Aragorn. Macardil had gained a calmness, an equilibrium, which he had not expected in the face of the King, whom he had only met in person once before. He bowed his head in greeting and in respect. "My King Elessar," he spoke in a low voice, keeping his head down until he would be given leave to do otherwise.

KIng Aragorn Elessar
Seventh Circle, Court of the Fountain

He smiled at Captain Alarion when she approached. "Welcome, Captain. I have called you here to bear witness, and to give counsel where you may." A mere hint of a smile touched his eyes. "Cakes are not required, today."

After a pensive look at the tree, he focused more fully on the Captain. "Cúner Ziranphel brought to me an interesting report about your former Lieutenant." He nodded behind Pele. "She has brought him, per my request."

He nodded at Karis' salute, not in the habit of saluting himself. "Thank you, Cúner Ziranphel." At Macardil's greeting, he fell silent for a moment and then bade him: "Raise your head, Macardil, and look me in the eye!"
When the former Lieutenant did as he was ordered, Aragorn have him a long, pensive look. "Cúner Ziranphel told me of your condition. I would see for myself, if you would let me."

Macardil swallowed, and nodded. "If my King commands it of me, I will try and repeat as much as I may."

"Nay!" Aragorn said, and he took a step closer to put a hand on Macardil's shoulder, his keen grey eyes burrowing into Macardil's blues. "Words I need not from you."
Long moments passed as such, with the Citadel guards looking on with quiet curiosity, and Captain Alarion and Cúner Ziranphel exchanging a look between them.

A frown settled on Aragorn's brow, and he closed his eyes. His face grew troubled, as he seemed to be searching for something. Macardil seemed uncomfortable and a frown mastered his face in turn, until it made room for a dimly surprised expression.
The King opened his eyes again, surveying Macardil carefully. "Easy," he mumbled, keeping his hand firmly on the man's shoulder. "We are not yet done." Aragorn sighed, then, and let his hand fall away. "But let us see what I have found, so far."

He turned his head to Captain Alarion. "Captain. Cúner Ziranphel told me she did not witness Macardil's crime herself. Did you?"

[Arnyn]

@Romeran
@Karis Ziranphel


Kaylin
Sixth Circle
Men Thalad Cirbann - Home -> Garden -> street

She stretched her arm in Romeran's direction while giving Thûllir a look that said: "See? That just won't do!" as the recruit mentioned he hadn't visited any taverns of the like in Minas Tirith and then followed up by asking where the pubs were, anyway. The recruit needed this! Nineteen and not a single pub visit since his arrival!? At first, her Ranger didn't quite seem sure about her take on things, but the saw the decision having formed in his eyes when he nodded. She thought he was in, but would wait for him to actually say the words. She had learned patience from him - although she mostly just extended it to him, rather than others.

When Thûllir started on a bit of an exposition on the places they had frequented most, Kaylin didn't hide her grin. Teacher mode - engaged. "Yes," she said, thinking back on something. "You have gone there to get a meal." Her grin grew and she held back a giggle. Well, Thûllir certainly hadn't been looking for a food fight, that much was true. The memories of the rest of the night made her eyes sparkle.

When he confirmed he would be happy to join them, Kaylin raised her fists a bit into the air. Score! She eyes the bag of provisions with a little glare. Nothing but trouble, those. "Hmm. Walk with us. I will put most of this away while you get what you need."
She quickly set about the task. It didn't take her long, which was probably a good thing for Rome, since he was standing about and didn't really have anything to do. "I would invite you to sit, but you'd have to get up almost right away," she told him. Turning to him with a thoughtful look when she was done, she slanted her head and narrowed her eyes a little. "I don't think the Tavern of the Seven Stars is the right fit for us at the moment. It's a bit more upscale, and I don't feel like having to mind my manners overly much." Not that she was [badly behaved... but in her eyes, that particular tavern was always a bit more... upscale. "The Wayfarers or the Guesthouse, I would think."

By the time Thûllir walked back in, she was mostly done. "I think the Guesthouse might be a good introduction," she told her husband. "After all, there is a reason it appeals to travellers. Plus, it's in the First Circle. Would be nice to sort of... build our way up."

She clapped her hands, an easy grin on her face. "Well, looks like it's me and the boys!" Thûllir might give her some grief for that, but her amusement was worth it. "Let's go. Maybe my husband-historian can regale you with a bit of knowledge on the way. Neither of us are from Minas Tirith itself, by the way." She ushered them out of the door, into the garden. "Thûllir is from Ithilien, I am from Linhir. You said Lossarnach. Did you ever see any towns thataways, or were you rather more confined to that farm?" Beating Thûllir to the garden gate, she gave him a little grin as she held it open. Suddenly she was quite in the mood for some good fun at the Guesthouse.

She'd need to think of exactly what would qualify as good fun, this time. Perhaps no food in the air, this time. She didn't want to get banned, after all.

[Winddancer]

Lily began rocking back and forth on the step, her hands cradling her roiling stomach. She had to go get the ledger and she had to do it now, while Ms Irma was making her report. Lily let out a low moan as her stomach flipped again, absentmindedly shaking her head at the offer of food and water from the unknown girl. In her minds eye, she was already entering Ms. Irma's office, making her way to the desk and bending down to the second bottom drawer of the desk. Pulling it out, she reached under it, where the ledger was secured to the underside of the drawer. It all seemed so easy, until she imagined what it would be like if Ms. Irma would walk in on her right then and there.

More sobs spilled as she raised her hands back to her mouth, head shaking as she knew she couldn't do it. Thea was going to be locked away forever and still she couldn't work up the courage to run back to the Garrison to get it. She could not hate herself more if she tried.

"I can't.. I can't do it.." she sobbed as she buried her face in her hands. "She will kill me, she really will.." Lily sobbed uncontrollably as she tried to explain (mostly to herself) why she couldn't go.

"The ledger is the only proof Thea is innocent and I just can't do it!"

As if suddenly realising she was not alone, Lily clamped her hands over her mouth to stifle her words, fear shining in her wet eyes. "I'm sorry, I.. I need to go.. I don't want to get you into trouble, it's nothing. I.. I will handle it.."

Jumping to her feet, she fought her shaking legs as she took a couple of steps towards the mouth of the alley, one trembling hand bracing herself on the wall. However she paused after a few steps, hestitating to enter the bustling road. If she was to go to the Garrison, she would have to go left. If she were to go home, she would have to go right.

[Rillewen]

@Winddancer

Strawberry
Second Circle, a random alley way

Whatever was going on, it had the other girl so scared she didn't even seem to hear Strawberry. Frowning slightly, she tucked the bits of food back into her pack and tried to make sense of what the girl was saying. Still going on about that ledger, but what was it? She held back a sigh and tried to think of what to do. This terrible person who had the girl so frightened was apparently willing to kill over that thing, from what she said, but Strawberry wasn't able to deduce much else about the situation. Even so, that sounded bad. Very bad, and some of the words the girl spoke struck a chord with Strawberry. "The ledger is the only proof Thea is innocent and I just can't do it!" Whoever Thea was... the girl who looked enough like Strawberry for her to have mistaken her, it sounded like she'd been framed, set up.. accused of some sort of crime. Much like Strawberry.

And almost before she had quite registered those facts, the girl was taking off, apologies spilling out of her mouth as quickly as her tears. "Wait.." Strawberry was still a bit baffled, trying to understand all of this. Should she let her go? Strawberry honestly had plenty of other things to worry about, and this wasn't technically any of her business, but she'd become interested now. And it felt... important. It was too similar, she felt, to her own situation. And this girl certainly didn't appear to have the strength inside to cope with whatever she was going through. She needed some help. And who better than Strawberry? It almost seemed, in some way, as if fate had thrown them into each other's paths, perhaps for this purpose.

The girl had bolted for the streets, and soon she would be gone... Strawberry felt her hopes sink. She'd grown interested.. she wanted to help her, but the girl would soon be lost among the swarms of people filling the marketplace. Yet she hesitated, and that was all the chance Strawberry needed. Wasting no time, she launched to her feet again and stepped swiftly in front of her, blocking her way, both hands outstretched with palms facing out, in a 'stop' sort of gesture. "Wait." She repeated, determined to try and find out more, trying to inflect a little authority into her tone, hoping it would be enough to stop her and make her listen, rather than disregard her as she had so far done. Hoping she had the girl's attention, Strawberry went on, "Maybe you can't do it," Strawberry told her, growing quite serious. "But I can." She put strong emphasis on that last part, trying to make the girl understand that she was someone who could actually help her. "If you'll just tell me about it?" She added more gently. "Please, I want to help you, but I don't know what I need to do."

[Winddancer]

Her tearfilled eyes went wide in surprise as the girl stopped her. Help her? How could she possibly help her!? Lily was about to push past, about to ignore the offer for help and head home. The realisation of which way she had intended to go made her pause, her face flushing with guilt. She wanted to help Thea, she really did. But Ms. Irma..

For the first time since stopping the young girl, she took a more thorough look at her. The girls hair was the same fantastic red colour just like Thea's, but apart from that they looked nothing alike. Where Thea was more timid and shy when around elders, this girl looked like she was used to dealing with trouble. Could she help? But how would she get into the Garrison?

Lily bit her lip, body still trembling slightly, though nowhere near as much as before. What if she could sneak her in? With that hair..

Suddenly she shook her head. "No! I cannot let you get in trouble as well! Ms. Irma will have you locked away for the rest of your life if you steal that ledger! It's too dangerous!" Fresh tears began to spill as she desperately tried to come up with a plan to get it without the girl, but knew deep down there was no way she had the courage to do it on her own. Nor did she feel that getting the young girl into trouble as well was justifiable.

"Look, I am sorry I bothered you.." she said as she stepped around the girl, her head shaking apologetically as she once more made for the road.

[Romeran]

Romeran
On the way to The Old Guesthouse with Kaylin and Thûllir
@Arnyn @Karis Ziranphel

It was slightly awkward standing around as they put things away, but neither of them seemed bothered by Romeran's presence so he eased up somewhat. Most of the names of that Thûllir mentioned were familiar, namely the Guesthouse but he hadn't heard of the Tavern of the Seven stars. Romeran enjoyed cooking and was a decent cook at least according to Sergeant Pete and Duinion. It sounded expensive, though, and Romeran had only been a ranger for a short time and had come to the city practically penniless. But he made a mental note to return to the Tavern at some point, maybe even he could convince them to teach him something about fine cooking. Romeran realized he was getting distracted and hoped he hadn't missed anything or been asked any questions and he had just stood there daydreaming. Luckily that did not seem to be the case. Although perhaps there had been some sort of inside joke about a meal which had gone over Romeran's head and he didn't have the nerve to ask.

With Thûllir coming with them, Romearan felt more comfortable knowing that he wouldn't be solely responsible for participating in the conversation, especially with people he did not know very well, he worried that he might just stand there with nothing to say at all, sort of like he was doing now. But it seemed that Thûllir and Kaylin were occupied with putting their groceries away and Kaylin was discussing which place to go. Eventually Romeran decided he had been quiet for far too long and he added rather uselessly "I've heard about the Guesthouse the most" he said and then realized that perhaps he could add some more "and starting from the first circle makes sense to me" having never been to any of them he didn't feel like he had much else to add, but felt better at least having said something at all and not simply stood there mute and nervous.

As they were leaving, Kaylin mentioned that neither of them were from the city which initially surprised him but he supposed that the rangers must have come from all sorts of places. "My uncle would take us to town occasionally to sell and trade goods, mostly small ones near our farm in the middle of Lossarnach" he said, Romeran only rarely went on the trips as his uncle usually brought his own sons rather than his nephew "I went to Pelargir once as a boy" he said, it was the only other 'big' city experience he had had other than Minas Tirith. As they walked down towards The Old Guesthouse Romeran turned to Thûllir and got up the courage to ask.

"Kaylin said you were a historian? I've always been interested in history but we had only a few books in the farm, my mother taught myself and my cousins to read and the like" he said, realizing that he was most likely woefully uneducated in lore compared to the two of them. His uncle hadn't even though that learning to read and write was that important, but Romeran's mother had insisted and Romeran was glad for it.

[Rillewen]

@Winddancer

Strawberry
Second Circle, a random alley way

For a moment, it looked like her words had had an effect, that the girl was going to tell her, but then the fear returned to her eyes and she tried to flee yet again. Reaching out, Strawberry took a firm hold on the girl's arm, not roughly, but enough to prevent her flight. "I'm not afraid of Ms Irma." She had no idea who this ms Irma was, but she couldn't possibly be as dangerous as the other enemies Strawberry had managed to gain. Whoever she was, she had obviously terrified the girl to the point she could barely think straight, or so it seemed. Fear led to panic, which led to mistakes. Strawberry had her moments when she was afraid, sure, but generally she'd found it best to try and deny fear from entering her mind, so that she could think properly. Not that it always worked, but she tried.

She thought it might come as a shock to the girl to hear that there was someone who wasn't afraid of this Irma person, but it was a fact, and Strawberry wanted the girl to think about that idea.. that it was possible to not fear Irma. "Whoever she is, she doesn't frighten me. I have enemies far more powerful and dangerous than she could ever be, and I don't let them scare me, so I'm not about to let her scare me, either." While she didn't actually know for a fact that Irma wasn't that dangerous or scary, she found it very unlikely that anyone could be as dangerous as the man who was hunting her, and anyway it sounded good.

A wry smile crossed her face then. "As for trouble, I'm always in trouble of some kind. I find it everywhere I go, don't worry about that." She shrugged, trying to convey that trouble wasn't that big a deal. "I'm offering to help, if you'll let me.. I'd like to do what I can. I think you need some help, and I think I'm probably the best person for the job." She smiled at the other girl. "I'm very good at..um... getting things that're hard to get..." That seemed a good way of putting it. "So... won't you tell me what's going on?" She spoke gently with the last bit. "Tell me about this ledger, and Ms Irma. What did she do to Thea, why is she locked up?"

[Winddancer]

"Wha.." Shocked, Lily stared at the girl before her in disbelief as she was held back. Let me go, she wanted to scream, desperate to run from there and make her way home to the safety of her family. But would they be safe? If Ms Irma had any inclination that Lily was involved, she was sure Ms Irma would stop at nothing to discredit her and her entire family.

Feeling like she was going to throw up again, she raised a hand to her mouth as she listened to the girl before her, barely able to comprehend what the girl was saying. Not afraid of Ms Irma? Well likely those that did not know her wouldn't be, but surely all that did held a healthy amount of fear for the woman, even if it was just fear of being wrongfully reported to the authorities.

But maybe a stranger was what was needed. Someone who did not know how evil and coniving the woman could be, and how relentless she could be in pursuit of her own "justice". Still, it felt like throwing an innocent girl to the wolves, even if this girl said she could handle herself. But what other choice did she have? Perhaps this was finally the solution to ending the wicked woman's reign of terror on so many innocent people. Herself included.

Letting out a few ragged sobs, Lily relented and backed back into the alley and sat back down on the stairs. There was no way her legs would hold her up as she spilled her guts.

"Ms. Irma.. uh she is the head Laundress at the Garrison.." Lily began, avoiding looking at the girl and frantically wringing her hands. "She uhh.." She paused for a long moment, trying to force the words out. "She skims from everyone's pay.." The words were barely a whisper, her hands covering her mouth as soon as she had spoken them as if afraid the mere mention of them would bring down the skies.

Taking a noisy breath, she let out a ragged sigh and managed to continue. "She..she also buys poor quality and cheap soaps, that is filled with lye. Thea.. my friend, her hands.." Lily looked at her own that looked dry and raw, but nowhere near as bad as Thea's looked.

"Thea saw a ledger one day.. a second ledger. Thea knows numbers, her father taught her and she realised that the ledger was a true account of what Ms. Irma had been getting from the Garrison and what she was actually paying us. She had been stealing from us for years!" Lily covered her mouth, her scared eyes darting to the mouth of the alley afraid someone had heard her. Several minutes went by before she was able to continue, hands slowly sliding off her mouth.

"This morning Thea stole back 2 coins, just 2.. she was so hungry.. I told her not to, but she did it anyway and now she is arrested! Ms Irma will make sure she is locked away forever!" The last words came in a hurry as if she was losing her nerve, face falling into her hands as she began sobbing again.

[Rillewen]

@Winddancer

Strawberry
Second Circle, a random alley way

Several heartbeats seemed to pass as the girl stared at Strawberry as if she couldn't believe what she just heard. She probably did have a hard time with it. Strawberry feared she might rush off again, and that would really be the end of this. She doubted she could find this girl again in this busy marketplace. She waited, hoping the girl would talk. She hated to see how terrified she was, as if expecting the guards to come swooping down on her any second. She knew that feeling, and she thought that whatever had happened to cause such fear in this other girl, it ought to be amended.

At last, she moved to sit again. Relief washed over her, and she followed her. Sitting beside her, Strawberry felt a little awkward about what to do, and finally ended up lightly patting her shoulder, in an attempt to be comforting. At last, the story began to spill out, and Strawberry listened quietly, not interrupting. It crossed her mind to ask why they didn't get a different job, but then, she thought, who was she to talk? There was no option for her to even find any job, and maybe this girl and her friend couldn't, either. Her eyes glanced down to her hands along with the other girl, and noticed how they looked. Cheap soap, huh? She frowned as the girl went on, explaining about the ledger. Some sort of record, apparently, of sales and things. Strawberry felt a tiny bit of apprehension, but pushed that away. She'd told the girl she could do this, and she would find a way.

As the girl went quiet for several minutes, Strawberry still kept quiet, thinking hard. Many thoughts raced in her mind, going through what she had learned, trying to work out what she would actually do, and how. At last, the girl spoke again, and Strawberry glanced at her incredulously. "Two coins?" she repeated. "Just two coins?" Shaking her head slightly, Strawberry privately thought it would have been smarter to steal food, not a couple of coins, if she was so hungry. But then, this Thea girl was obviously not a thief, and not likely very accustomed to such a situation. Another thought crossed her mind. "She's been arrested..?" She tilted her head. "Did this...Irma, actually catch her in the act of taking the coins? Or did she just find her with them, after the fact?" She wondered, an idea sparking in her mind that would only work with the latter. She hoped it was the latter, or else there was little she could do, short of breaking Thea out of her cell. She had little doubt that it would be possible, but for the fact that she refused to put herself in that great of a risk.

[Winddancer]

Lily cringed as she was confronted by the fact that Thea had only taken 2 coins. Both she and Thea knew that Ms Irma had skimed way more off of their pay over the past two years, but Thea had been adamant not to take more, thinking that surely 2 coins would not be missed. Oh how wrong she was. They should have known that Ms Irma hoarded her ill-gotten money like the dragon she was.

Lily was still nodding to the question of Thea having been arrested, still seeing her friend being led off by the guard in her minds eye, with Ms. Irma huffing and puffing to keep up with them, when she was confronted with a more important question. "I.. I don't know what Ms. Irma knows. She wasn't there to see Thea take them though. I know that much. Thea left work though, maybe not being there is what made Ms. Irma suspicious?"

Lily returned to wringing her hands for a moment before they went to cover her mouth. "Thea did take the coins.." she mumbled between her fingers so softly the words could barely be heard. "But she was just reclaiming what was hers!" The outburst had her worried again, hands clamping over her mouth harder to hold back more words as tears filled her eyes again.

She let out a long ragged sob, fighting to regain her composure before she was able to speak again. "Thea has struggled since her father left 2 years ago. Her mother died when she was young and even though Thea refuses to believe it, everyone thinks her father is dead too. All her pay goes to paying for that stupid little room she has behind the cook's kitchen. She can't even afford to eat every night!" She sniffed in another ragged breath as she angrily wiped a tear from her cheek. "Ms Irma doesn't care. Couldn't give a rat's arse about depriving us of a full pay and how it affects us. If we complain, she beats us, if we complain again, she fires us. There are always more girls than there are jobs."

With shaky hands she straightened her skirt, hands then gripping at the threadbare fabric. "The ledger is the only way to prove that Ms Irma is the true thief! It is in her office, hidden on the underside of the drawer. I would get it, but.." Her voice faded, scared eyes unable to keep looking at the stranger next to her, instead hiding her face in her hands.

[Rillewen]

@Winddancer

Strawberry
Second Circle, a random alley way

Upon hearing that Irma was not there when Thea took the coins, Strawberry grinned. She couldn't help it. Her plan should work, and she was suddenly a little excited to carry it out, but then the other girl's next words reminded her that she maybe ought not grin so widely. She attempted to smother the grin as best she could, especially when the other girl let out another sob. Strawberry turned her head to look toward the entrance to the alley, taking a moment to suppress the grin and bat down the desire to smile. Especially after the girl started telling her about Thea's parents. The story left her frowning again, thinking about this Thea, whom she had never met, but already felt sympathy for her. The whole matter was obviously upsetting to the other girl, as it rightly should, if she was a friend. Strawberry rubbed her shoulder lightly, unsure what else to do in the way of comfort.

"Don't worry." Strawberry spoke up after a moment. "I'll get the ledger, and not only that.. I think I can get Thea out of this if it all works like I think it will. But I need to know where this office is..." She paused, frowning in thought. "You said something about the garrison, what do you mean by that? Is that... to do with the guards?" She asked, feeling a bit uneasy about that idea. The thought about the girls being beaten by this Irma person made her angry. She moved her hand away from the girl's shoulder, partly in case she might have any bruises in that spot, not wanting to cause any further harm by her attempts at comforting her. But, also partly because as she grew angry, her hand wanted to curl into a fist, and she put her hand down on the step beside her, both hands gripping the cold, stone edge of the step. Any unease that had flickered up inside now vanished, replaced by a much bigger flame. A flame of anger.

"I'm going to need something to cover my hair," She told her, knowing that she couldn't just roam around in the city with her hair showing; it would draw attention. Even if she didn't have her own reasons for not wanting to be detected, she thought it better if she kept her hair covered for now, in order for this plan to work. "And, I might need you to show me where her office is, but after that, I'll take care of everything." She had no idea how she was going to get out but she'd figure that out when she came to it. "Where is this Irma, anyway? Is she in her office right now?" It occurred to her that she might need to wait for a better time, if the woman was there already.

[Winddancer]

Lily squirmed at the idea of having to go back to Ms. Irma's office. Though unless she was going to quit her job, she knew she would have to eventually. Looking up at the stranger next to her, she raised a shaking hand to the girls hair, stroking a lock of the fiery red hair between her fingers. So much like Thea's, no wonder she had thought it was her friend.

"Maybe.." Lily bit nervously at her lip. She had an idea, but as she looked down at what the girl was wearing, she realised she would have to give it some more thought. "What if you pretend to be Thea? To get in?"

Brows creasing, Lilly chewed on her lip even more furiously as she tried to picture the girl dressed in a dress, her hair braided back like Thea had hers. They would have to make sure to hide the girls face, but that shouldn't be too hard. None of the guards really paid attention to the girls. Most did not even require the passwords, letting them through with a wave.

"I could get one of my dresses for you to wear and.." Lily paused as she suddenly realised that she was asking a stranger to endanger themselves for her and Thea's sake. "I can't ask this of you! What if we get caught? We will be locked away along with Thea! And I don't even know your name!"

Again her hands flew to her mouth as she shook her head. "This is too risky, it's too risky.. we will get caught.." she mumbled into her hands.

[Rillewen]

@Winddancer

Strawberry
Second Circle, a random alley way

"What if you pretend to be Thea? To get in?"

The suggestion caught her off guard, after watching the girl touch her hair, wondering what she was doing. Strawberry paused to think about that. If this girl had mistaken her for Thea, maybe others would to. Thinking for a moment, she considered that option. "Wasn't she arrested?" She frowned. "Wouldn't the guards know that she's supposed to be in jail?" She certainly didn't want to get arrested as Thea. "If you're sure they won't try to grab me... thinking I'm Thea..." She thought for a moment, trying to work out the risks.

The idea of wearing a dress was rather unappealing, but she had offered... in fact, practically insisted... on doing this whole thing, so she supposed she needed to accept that she might have to do something unpleasant. But just as she was about to agree to it, the other girl started to back out again, panicking about the idea of getting caught. "No, I told you, I'm not afraid. You aren't asking me to do anything, I offered, remember?" She could hardly believe how frightened this other girl was, and reached to lightly rest a hand on her shoulder again, trying to comfort her.

"And I don't even know your name!"
Strawberry couldn't help smiling that. "Don't worry, neither do I." She replied with a shrug. "And I don't know yours, either." She pointed out. "I take risks all the time, I just like to know what they are first. Usually." She grinned slightly, trying to reassure her a little, maybe make her feel a little more at ease. "I just want to help you and Thea. The more I hear about this whole thing, the more I want to help. It sounds like that Irma person needs to be taught a lesson and I've got an idea how to do it. Don't worry, it won't come back on you or Thea. If my plan works I might be able to get Thea out of this. Hopefully."

[Pele Alarion]

@Karis Ziranphel , @Arnyn
Captain Pele Alarion
Seventh Circle, Court of the Fountain

Pele allowed a quiet smile to touch her lips at the small talk of cakes, but it faded away when Aragorn proceeded to explain the reason for summoning her here.

"Ah, Macardil," she said mostly under her breath. She still often wondered what had make him do the deed when he had not shown any sign of being intent on harming the Commander before; it had been absolutely uncharacteristic. Perhaps some answers would be found here today? "I will do what I can," she said, though uncertainty lingered in her voice as she did not know what she could do about it.

It seemed that she had arrived just moments before Karis and Macardil appeared accompanied by the guards. She nodded at Karis, and then - slower - at Macardil, meeting his gaze for a moment. She had had much respect for the man throughout their mission, and yet that last act of his had shaken the foundations of it, and he had not really provided any answers on the way back.

Pulling the cloak slightly tighter around herself to capture the warmth, Pele closely watched the King's interactions with her former Lieutenant. She was curious what Karis had managed to find out from Macardil to have them all here, and yet - no matter how or what it was, she was glad that things were brought to light. Both curious and hopeful, she observed the King closely, at least as far as she could see, and watched the expressions on Macardil's face change.

"Your Grace," she responded once the King addressed her. "I was engaged in my own fight not that far away. While I did not see the very moment of the attack, I turned around at the yells to find the Lieutenant withdrawing his knife. I immediately set about aiding the Commander, but nothing could be done..." she paused and looked at Macardil thoughtfully. "I do not know how it came about. One moment we were all fighting side by side, and the next moment..." She shook her head, unable to formulate what exactly she felt and thought about this strange event.

[Arnyn]

Macardil
Seventh Circle, Court of the Fountain

When the King put a hand on his shoulder and said he needed no words from him, Macardil had no idea what to expect. Elessar’s grey eyes were sharp, invasive, and while the former Lieutenant felt something inside of him rearing up at the regard, he could not turn his own eyes away. The King’s scrutiny held him captive more than the shackles around his wrists did.

It was almost a relief, therefore, when Aragorn closed his eyes. Yet, Macardil was aware of a presence still, a search within, and he suddenly felt that if the King found what he was looking for, it would free him. No, not felt - he knew it. Something warred with Aragorn, however. Barguzlaam’s binding. Macardil clenched his jaw and a frown appeared and slowly deepened. Until… he would search for ways to describe it, later. The best he would come up with was it felt as if a knot within his gut had been untied; the first of a few. A muted sense of disbelief welled up in Macardil. What had Elessar just done? And more importantly, how? He looked upon his King with baffled eyes as the latter said they were not yet done and then addressed Pele.

He closed his eyes for a moment when he heard the King refer to his crime. It would - forever - be his. Regardless of the circumstances.

Listening to the new Captain, Macardil’s expression was pained, but he kept his silence. He had relived it so many times… one of these days it was going to be one time too many.

"...and the next our commander was taken from us, by my hands but not by my will."

The words came without hesitation. Macardil's surprise deepened. He felt… much more free, than he did before, when he was trying to explain it to Karis Ziranphel just a few hours ago. His blue eyes glanced at her for a moment, staring his wonder.
“I would never have stabbed Commander Amathen of my own volition.” The same meaning, differently put. And that, too, flowed freely.
"My King," he spoke, with no small amount of awe. "How?"

"Let us use that question for a better purpose," Aragorn said. "How was your will compromised?"

"Barguzlaam," Macardil said at once. "During our fight, he pulled me close. Spoke of what he wanted me to do for him. To..." He swallowed, and continued more slowly. "And to... deliver a sw-"

KIng Aragorn Elessar
Seventh Circle, Court of the Fountain

The King raised a hand, indication Macardil need not press himself further. He looked at Pele, Karis and the guards. "Remain here a moment. He is no threat to me. Come, Macardil."

And so it was that the King and the former Lieutenant walked together in the winter sun. The onlookers would see them approaching the ramparts, speak to one another, and would see Elessar turning towards the other man to grasp both his shoulders. When the King finally let go, Macardil lowered himself to one knee and bowed his head, his hands over his heart.

Upon their return, Aragorn dismissed Cúner Ziranphel and Macardil. "Thank you, Cúner Ziranphel, for your initiative in this matter. Macardil did not deserve the fate I had put on him." Grey eyes focused on Macardil. "You are free to go, for now. I might call upon you again - but now is not the time."

The Captain, the King asked to come with him. When they were a ways removed from the others, he spoke.

"Captain. I know now for myself that Macardil spoke no lies. There was a tight binding on his actions, and a heavy burden on his heart. The former spell, I have broken - but the latter remains, in part." The King sighed. "The man has virtue, but his honor was taken from him by this Barguzlaam. For virtue lies within, but honor is also perception: respect and admiration from your peers. And there will always be more to mistrust him after what he has done, than those who will truly believe what drove his actions. When I sentenced him upon your return from the Poros, I removed him from the Rangers, stripped his rank and imprisoned him. I have told Macardil he is once again a free man, and have no intentions of sending him back to the dungeons. But I would seek your counsel on how to handle this further, Captain Alarion."

[Pele Alarion]

Captain Pele Alarion
Seventh Circle, Court of the Fountain

When Macardil finished the sentence for her, Pele looked at him thoughtfully, considering the words. If he was indeed made to do it, the enemy somehow managing to overpower him, it would make some sense in explaining the sudden change. She thought him to be a strong man, and she could not help wonder that anyone else could have been in that position, and who knew if some of them would not have proved even more affected. Once again she nodded at him, and offered a small smile.

When the King took Macardil aside to speak, Pele looked after them for a while, and then turned to Karis, wanting to ask questions. Yet the guards were right there, and she did not want to speak of sensitive matters before them, so she shrugged lightly instead of speaking and turned to observe the two men. It might have been a habit of ensuring safety, while at the same time she knew that they were too far to offer any immediate assistance should they need it. It seemed though that there was nothing that would indicate trouble.

After the two returned, the King dismissed Karis and Macardil, while she was yet to remain. So Pele followed Aragorn, and as she listened, compassion for Macardil grew in her heart, and it seemed to her that she could relate to him at least in part.

"I would certainly not known how to deal with any spells," she admitted, looking up at the sky for a moment before turning her attention back to the King. "But I think I can very well understand that heavy burden. I think... if he were to further isolate himself now that he is free, or be shamed by others constantly, he might do something to himself."

[Winddancer]

Lily turned to look at the stranger, eyes wide with disbelief. Dared she believe her? Did she have a choice? It was either leave Thea to rot in jail with Ms. Irma's accusation keeping her there or to go with this stranger's idea, whatever it was.

"Fine.. alright.." she finally mumbled, wiping a tear away with a shaky hand. The girl was right about the guards though, with Thea arrested it was bound to have gone around to them all, and if not all had been told yet, they would soon learn of it.

"Maybe not go as Thea, you are right. But could take you in as a new employee? I don't recall them asking me any questions when I started, I doubt they will even stop us to question us at all to be honest." She could think of no reason why the guards would stop two young girls heading to work, but she wouldn't bet her life on it.

"I don't know any other way to get you in, other than giving you the password, though I do think going together will be less suspicious as they know me." The scared look in her eyes told the girl that escorting her there was likely going to be all she could do, even that pushing it past what she felt comfortable with.

"We should probably go now then.." she murmured softly, looking towards the busy street. "Before Ms. Irma returns from giving her report."

[Rillewen]

@Winddancer

Strawberry
Second Circle, a random alley way

"New empoyee, right, that sounds like a good plan." Strawberry nodded. She liked the 'no questions' bit of that. The fewer questions asked, the better. She paused, thinking about this a moment. Going to wherever this place was, it must be on another level of the city. She didn't know any of the passwords, having just hitched a ride into the city on the back of a merchant's wagon and slipped out when it stopped.. here in the second level. "I'll need to know the password, probably, either way." She mentioned, thinking of her getaway after the fact. The other girl likely wouldn't want to stick around to then smuggle her back out of that circle, and she had no desire to get stranded up there, wherever they were going. It would make it much harder to avoid detection, after all.

"Alright then, let's go," She agreed, realizing they had little time to accomplish this. It couldn't take very long at all for someone to fill out a report, right? She'd have to hurry and hope for the best. "I need something to cover my hair though," She remembered suddenly, thinking of how she could easily be captured as either herself or Thea, if the guards noticed her hair. "We uh, don't want them to think I'm Thea, after all. So I want to cover my hair completely." she added, reluctant to mention to the other girl that she was far more 'wanted' than Thea. As fearful as she'd been about even accepting her help, the girl might panic further and shun her if she learned of that little detail. "Maybe your apron? Could I use that?" she motioned to the girl's apron, thinking she might be able to wrap it around somehow.