The Sprinting Mare

[Envin]

It was a sunny afternoon in Rohan that fateful day, the day upon which our tale began. Outside in the city the noise of lambs bleating and birds singing could be heard, and the hustle and the bustle of the day's activity as well. Farmers came to market with their goods, the hawkers walked the streets with their wares, and children ran and laughed and played.

Inside The Sprinting Mare, a simple tavern, there was hustle and bustle as well, but mainly on the part of the good innkeeper and his staff. In the common room, life was leisurely. Patrons relaxed and drank, sat and talked, and laughed and smiled. A group of yeomen sat at a table near the wall, sharing stories of hunting and whatnot. A party of city guards took their luncheon and grumbled about the hardships of army life. And at a large table near the center of the room, the holy warrior named Envin drank in the sounds about him and enjoyed the simple, pleasant day. A mug of ale sat in front of him and he had a platter of bacon and apples and cheese hard by, and he ate and was content. He had wandered the lands of Middle-earth for many a year, and this day found him in Rohan, glancing about him with a questioning eye, wondering what adventure would approach him this sunny afternoon.



{OOC: I'm going to play a new character as my main, now that we're doing new RP. I'll keep Nuru as an alt. I'll make the changes to my avatar/sig/name sometime soon.}

[vanya]

The door opened and rays of light fell right through the entry and the front part of the inn into the common room. A fragrance of flowers was driven with a slight wind into the air and a young woman clad in a blue cloak slipped on light feet's in. Her dark hair was bound up on her small head and opened the view on a slim graceful neck. The guests were suddenly aware of her appearance and she smiled shyly, throwing a quick glance into the common room. Somebody who really looked sharp at her had seen the green gloom in her eyes, but the guys turned back to their drinks and dared only to watch her beauty hidden from the side.

The woman smiled broader, ordered a drink and choose a place a little bit in the corner, were she could overview the entire place. She noticed the warrior in the middle of the room and fixed her eyes on him.

[Idrial]

Idrial knotted half of her hair back behind her head as she made her way down the street. The heat of the day had not yet become unbareable, so she left it that way, and continued to chat on with a friend. As they neared the entrance to The Sprinting Mare, the maiden laughed and waved fairwell, watching her aquaintance head off down the street. The thick brown folds of her dress swirled about her feet as she quickly ascended the steps and slipped in through the door, leaving the cheerful afternoon outside.

It took a moment for her dark brown eyes to adjust to the change in lighting, and Idrial paused near the entrance until they had done so. As usual, the Common Room was teeming with people, all of them enjoying what this new day had to offer. She weaved her way through the crowd, dodging drinks and trays of food as she laughed and nodded greetings to the few people whom she knew. It wasn't long before she made it near to her usual table, only to find it occupied by a man she'd never seen before. Quickly, she averted her gaze and continued to walk on as if the place had not been her destination.

Idrial smiled at a few other patrons before stealing a quick glance back over her shoulder. She was sure she'd never seen him within the walls of The Sprinting Mare before. And the proud look about him suggested that he was more than mere common folk. Returning her attention forward, Idrial slid into a table of lesser importance near the edge of the room. She quickly ordered herself a drink as a waiter passed her by before allowing herself to scan over the room once more.

[Envin]

The fellow known as Envin glanced again at the brown-eyed woman, as he had when first she had entered the room, and as he had again as she paused at his table. Her eyes darted about the common area, nearly as though they wished to catch his, though not to be seen in the catching. Envin grinned to himself, and stretched. He signed for the innkeeper to send his boy over, and when the lad arrived, Envin told off the little fellow to bring the lady a bottle of the inn's finest white wine.

[Idrial]

Absentmindedly, Idrial drummed her nails on the wooden tabletop. A dark strand of hair fell before her face but she quickly swept it back into place. She lowered her dark eyes to focus on the grain in the wood as she thought over the events of the day. Only as the shadow of a person fell over her, was she startled from her reverie. The maiden lifted her gaze to find a thin lad standing near her table uncomfortably. Idrial allowed a gentle smile to grace her lips as she nodded a greeting.

The lad returned the gesture and set a slender bottle on the table before disappearing into the crowd without a word. Idrial's brow furrowed a bit in confusion as she lifted the container and spun it about slowly in her hand. She knew what the glass contained, but where had it come from? She certainly hadn't ordered something so fine, nor could she afford it. Idrial looked up quickly and scanned the room in attempt to locate the lad. He was gone. She set the bottle down and slid it a bit away. Idrial would return it on her way out and correct the mistake. A soft laugh escaped her lips, and she shook her head as she came to the conclusion that her waiter had been very hard of hearing.

[Envin]

Envin chuckled to himself as the lady set down the bottle of wine upon the table. He was correct in assuming that she did not know of the flask's origin. He bethought himself that this lady, though apparently purturbed that he had taken her usual place, was at this juncture not willing to take thought for that and bring together the pieces in the mystery. Perhaps there was aught else that occupied her thoughts, things which simple gestures, such as sending wine to a lady's table, would not be able to break through.

He decided on a more direct approach. He hefted his great mace lightly in his arm, and took his platter and mug with the other, and, his multitude of plate armor clinking heavily, took the distance to the maiden's table in a few short strides, and stood across the table from her. Altogether his appearance was extraordinary.

"Why, m'lady," began he, "I begin to think my gift of wine spurned." He smiled, and glanced at the chair in front of him and then at the lady, almost with a question in his eye. "I must beg most humbly your forgiveness for the outright theft of your table. For that, there can be no escaping of punishment, and I must give myself over to you for judgement." He smiled again, broader, but with a twinkle in his eyes.

[Idrial]

As a second shadow fell over her table, Idrial lifted her gaze expecting to find her former waiter. When she was instead greeted by the heavily clad man who'd occupied her table, her eyebrows rose in surprise. The maiden parted her lips as if to speak, but instead closed them as the man began. She caught his glance toward the chair across the table, but she said nothing of it for the time being.

Idrial rested her chin on her fist as he carried out the rest of his speech, and the smallest of smirks dared to play upon her lips. "Please," she said with a wave of her free hand toward the empty chair, "do sit down." She waited until he had done so before tilting her head curiously, causing her silky hair to spill over one shoulder.

A bit of color rose to Idrial's cheeks at the fact that he had taken notice of her presence when she'd paused at his table. She had hoped the action would slip by unheeded. After all, what difference did it make where she sat in such a lively establishment as this? Deep brown eyes studied him for a moment before she lowered her gaze to the table. "Such a gift is not neccessary for occupying a table that is open to anyone," she began. "Though I thank you for your consideration." Then her soft laugh filled the air as she added, "And I can think of no punishment suited for such an offense. You have my forgiveness, and I suppose you get by this time." She smiled and lowered her eyes once more to where her hands rested on the table as she awaited his response.

[Envin]

"Well, then!" said the man, smiling as he took the chair, dropping his mace with a thud onto the floor and setting his great helm down beside it. "Why such a magnanimous act of forgiveness has not been seen in these many years." He appeared to give thought to the matter, much like a child does when resolving a complicated equation in his schoolhouse mathematics, but Envin's eyes twinkled all the while. "Ah-ha! Would you care to join me in a glass of wine, fair lady? Your face indeed is one of great preoccupation, and you shoud give thought to simple relaxation every now and again, and good company and good talk. 'tWill not be difficult for you to find either, nay, for thy preoccupied face is nonetheless one of the most beautiful in the city." He smiled at her again and pulled out the cork of the bottle with hardly any effort, and poured them each a glass. He raised his glass and gave the woman before him a questioning look, wondering if she would do the same.

[vanya]

Gaurwyn watched the scene interested. Obviously this two became quite keen of each other. She scanned the inn for other interesting people, but the persons she desired to meet weren't around yet. She sipped a bit of her drink and turned her glance back to the interesting couple, listening to the words in silence. Suddenly a drunken lad was standing right before her and yelled: "I am looking for you!"

Gaurwyn looked at him in disgust and shook her head. "I rather don't think so. You must been mistaken." "NO!" he shouted and his face went red in excitement. "I am not mistaken, you are the one I would like to take with me!" He gabbed for her arm, quite tipsy as he was. Gaurwyn backed off to escape his grasp and jumped to her feet. The chair fell down to the ground and the man was laughing loud. "Let me alone, fool, I am not what you think I am. Go home and leave me in peace!" she warned him in a calm voice, but he didn't listen and tried to grab her again.

[Idrial]

A soft laugh escaped Idrial's lips and a bit of color rose to her cheeks at his compliment. She nodded her head in thanks as he slid a glass of wine her way. Daintily, she lifted it and tilted it toward him with a grin. "To good company," was all the maiden said before bringing the cool glass to her lips. Just as Idrial lowered it to the table, there came a crash from behind. Her brown eyes flickered to her tablemate before she glanced over her shoulder.

Idrial's smooth brow became furrowed with light crease as she looked over the scene. As she returned a worried gaze forward, she lowered her head. The smallest of grins made its way to her lips as she spoke softly, "Now you see why a lady in these parts must always be on her guard." This was Idrial's excuse for her preoccupation. She no longer feared for the woman behind them, however, for there were so many sober men within the establishment that no doubt one would come to her rescue. Idrial lifted her eyes and watched from beneath thick lashes to see if man across the table would be the one to do so.

[Envin]

"And to good talk," Envin replied with a smile, and drank his wine slowly, as one who is accustomed to such things, rolling the fruit of the vine his mouth, tasting its quality. He shrugged with his eyes, not too impressed but not too displeased, either. When the crash came, he did not turn his head, nay, he did not even cock an eye toward the corner where the beset woman and her assailant were. Rather, he remarked quietly to Idrial that "these parts are dissappointing indeed, and not what they once were, if such things must you fear. Let us see if its skill has improved any." Without standing, he punched his fist high into the air, and the man behind him, even in the act of swinging a fist toward the woman, froze with his head bent over, swaying. Envin had stunned him with some spell or other. Envin slowly rose, drained the remainder of his wine, set the glass carefully upon the table, and picked up his great mace. He calmly walked over to the man he had stunned, and just as the fellow began to awake, he gripped the mace right behind its head and popped the fellow, not too softly, but not hard enough to fell him, in the back of the head with a short, chopping motion. The man fell to the floor in a heap. Envin turned back to Idrial. "Apparently not."

[vanya]

Gaurwyn saw the drunken man falling right in the moment she was tempted to draw her knife. It would have been very inconvenient to kill this guy in an Inn and draw the attention of everybody toward her skills rather than to her appearance. She left the guy where he was and went to her "rescuer".

"Thank you for the aid," she said softly, casting down her eyes. "I am sorry for the disturbance of your talk."

[Envin]

Envin turned from his table at hearing her voice, and bowed slightly. "'tWas merely a trifle, m'lady. A pity it is that women such as yourselves are subjected to such things," he continued, nodding at Gaurwyn and Idrial. "Perhaps, if my new companion would have no objections, you would care to share our table?" His eyes asked Idrial the question, even as he began to pull out a chair for Gaurwyn.

[vanya]

Gaurwyn smiled at him and looked over to the woman. "I am not sure if my lady agrees, but actually I would like to have a bit company. So if you don't mind." She didn't await an answer and took quickly the offered chair with a friendly nodding toward the man. "I am Gaurwyn, nice to meet you." she said polite and made herself comfortable.

[Envin]

"The pleasure is mine, Lady Gaurwyn," replied Envin, looking at her with innocent eyes. With an effort of will he kept his voice steady and the corner of his mouth did not quiver. He betrayed no signs of excitement, but calmly and with a smile he poured Gaurwyn a glass of wine. "I am a traveler passing through these parts on a journey to Enedwaith, and my name is of no importance. Indeed, I had only just sat down at this table, and have yet to learn the name of our pretty, brown-eyed companion. But, Lady Gaurwyn, live around here, do you? Or are you a fellow traveler, as am I?"