IC - Tanners Arms 4

[Heleen_mk]

Heleen returns the smile and then continues to eat.  She is clearly distracted and not up to her usually level of taunts, teasing and sarcasm!

[Gerrant]

Finding very familer ground in having such meals in silence, he simply pulls his plate back and eats slowly.

Lost in thought and day dreams of other times he glances back at Heleen occasionaly, looking at the woman that had come to fll such an aching gap in his life. But always a tinge of sadness because, yet again, something was troubling one he cared for - and he could think of nothing to do or say that would help.

He finishes his food, and washes it down with the beer he had got from the bar. Then he leans back in his chair and waits while Helen eats, letting her pick her time & words. Besides, it is a nice day and pleasent enough for the time of year - might as well enjoy it beforethe autum sets in.

He hums softly, recalling other days of peace, long long ago.

[Heleen_mk]

The next few days in the Tanner's arms are strangely quiet.  Heleen has moments of being her usual abrut rude and sarcastic self but also she spends periods alone in her room with the door shut.   She does not shut Gerrant out but somehow manages to steer conversations away from anything serious, managing to find some task that has to be done or someone else who needs to be spoken to.  The inn itself is mainly fill of locals each evening and Heleen seems to relax with them.  The occasional stranger at first causing Heleen to go oddly quiet again until they prove themselves to be friendly.  Heleen drinks heavily each evening and usually ends up dragging Gerrant of to bed, there love making being either rough or playful but never really intimate or relaxed.  Each morning Heleen is somehow awake before Gerrant and has usually washed and started brushing out the main room and started on breakfast before anyone else stirs.

On the day of the meeting/meal she is awake very early and is quiet all day.  When she does speak she is snappy and defensive.  Having arranged already for Lita to work that evening she disappears to have a hot bath and meal in her room informing all she has a bad head and does not want to be disturbed.  The regulars raise eyebrows but nobody actually comments before she goes to her room.

[Gerrant]

Gerrant found himself in a strange half-life of being with the woman he dearly wished to be with, and yet held at such a distance he had trouble describing even to himself the nature of the relationship. Heleen’s drinking was more controlled, but it was rapidly spiralling towards alcoholic in its nature. Though she would throw back a large amount every night; it hardly affected her ability to function. When they retired to the bedroom, whosever’s came to hand 1st, it was almost as if she was simply seeking a different manner to take her attention away from matters that where bothering her. The fact she made such a point of rising while he was asleep, and that she made very sure he was too tired to stay awake even when he tried.

Though he tried to seek that problem out the conversation was deflected or stopped by work needing to be done. If he tried when they lay in bed, she would either plead tiredness and roll away to sleep or initiate a new bout. Thus as the days pass he found himself becoming increasingly miserable, nothing seemed to get through to her and the fact he was unable to was eating at the little hope he had for the two of them.  He found himself longing for the cold emptiness of the castle; at least it was devoid of life as opposed to being surrounded by people that did not communicate.

By the day of the dinner he was finding himself wondering how he was to slip out – the last few days having set a pattern that seemed to be almost a routine. This was solved by the announcement of a headache; while offering sympathy, which was barely acknowledged, Gerrant actually felt relief as this meant she would be locked in her room when he left – and a little bit of him wanted that to be a point to be made.

Later he passes by her room; he moves to knock – then withdraws his hand. He shuts his own door softly and locks it firmly. Then he places each of the weapons at his disposal on the bed, and adds anything else that seemed out of place for an official dinner.

Then he cleans up as he can and makes sure he has changed as far as he can to be an official Vale-Lord. Looking in the old mirror in the room he muses on the increasing grey at the temples, the slightly worn nature of the parts of his clothing that is not magical, and at the bracers.  Then he takes out the scroll and prepares to read the teleport glyphs.

[Gerrant]

Arrival back at the Tanners arms was something of a relief; the bracers had become very itchy every time he had been even close to the host of the party.

Gerrant had worries about the host motives, but as a guest he felt that it was better to leave, than to break a condition of invitation; not to mention the terrible bad manners of attacking ones host.

He had much to ponder and having arrived back in his room he cleared his bed and unlatched his door to go and take a walk in the cool night air. His head felt fuzzy from the alcohol, and the heat of the house had left him feeling vaguely unwell.

He stopped off at the pump to soak his head and wash out the smoke from the candles & pipes; as he bushed the water out of his face he looked up at the sky, the air clear of cloud so the canopy above was a vast array of sparkling stars.

*Book* Gerrant frowned, something drifted back in to his head, something Heleen had said *I saw it in the book*; Damn the woman, she had seen something that he hadn’t thought to have looked at. The Library in the castle might have answers.

He turns back to the door and returns to the main bar area frowning as he tried to recall exactly what had been said.

[Gerrant]

The bar-room was cool, the fire damped down, but there was still enough heat to brew coffee in the old blackened kettle.

Spooning in a strength of brew, that in most circumstances result in tar, Gerrant settled in the fireside chair and looked at the dying fire, though he had kicked it up for the kettle it would soon need more coals.

He was tired though, so he just sat back and as he stared into the flames and glowing heart of the fire he waited for the kettle to heat-up.

[Heleen_mk]

While Gerrant had been making coffee Heleen had been joyfully getting changed into her more usual garb, whistling as she did. She almost skips down the stairs and seeing Gerrant with a coffee she decides to grab one.  She pauses briefly to consider a pint but then decides that she does not actually need one and makes her way to Gerrant with her coffee mug.

[Gerrant]

The sound of Heleen whistling happily brings a soft smile to his face, the crow’s feet around his eyes betraying the signs of age. He grabs a cloth and gets the now hot kettle of the fire plate and pours her a full mug of the thick black coffee, the aroma feels the air.

He holds her hand to steady the mug as he pours; and finds himself meeting her eyes, the face now relaxed and happy that the trouble of the world have lifted from her shoulders. He jerks back to reality as she speaks

“You going to put some honey in this, it smells like its strong enough to wake the dead?”

Blushing he gestures to the fireside seat and looks away; its not really the expression you expect from a grown man, he looks like a guilty child.

“I will get it, sit” as he walks back to the kitchen he looks over his shoulder “anything else?”

[Heleen_mk]

Maybe a slice of bread and honey but then I think it is time to look at that book of yours again.  I want to know about your women!

[Gerrant]

Gerrant nods at the request for food, but his eyebrows raise at the request for the book.

"My 'women'? What would you want to know?"

He whistles for T'Mere, and tapping his ring amd pointed at his room "Holen Sie das Buch von meinem Zimmer herbei"

[Gerrant]

Gerrant disappears back intot he ktchen and while he is working T'Mere comes back down and brings the book to Heleen.

[Heleen_mk]

Heleen has now spent many sessions going through Gerrant's book - sometimes with him and sometimes on her own.  The inn has been quiet but still a steady trade has kept Heleen occupied.  On this particular morning she is restless and wonders what she will do today - perhaps some interesting customers will arrive  or maybe another read or maybe a little entertainment with Gerrant but whatever the day has install for her she desides to start with some sword practise in the back yard.  She starts by getting her sword and giving it an especially good clean - it fair sparkles!