Spirits of the Earth

With most of the day gone, Evadne had finished her standard amount of work. Emerging from the barn, she stumbled over the hay fork she had carelessly thrown on the ground, and dropped the pile of buckets she was carrying. A muffled chuckle from behind captured her attention, and, holding on to the doorpost to avoid further accidents, Evadne looked back to see the hint of a grin on her father's face.

"Nice dad, laughing over other people's clumsiness. I'll remember that," she snapped at him, trying to keep her own amusement out of her voice. Arthur winked at her. "I'm going inside," he said while passing her in the door opening. Evadne mumbled her okay while starting to pick up the buckets. One by one, she set them in a circle with the open side up. It looked like it would rain tonight, and if the rain could fill the buckets it would save her from going up and down the well every time. After putting the hay fork in its place, Evadne checked if everything was cleaned up and then sprinted to the small, unused patch of land just north of the farm. It hadn't been raining for a couple of days, and the black soil was dry and crumbly. Evadne kicked off her boots and rolled up the thin linen pants she was wearing just above her calves. Then she dropped herself on the earth, digging both her hands and feet a couple of inches in the ground. That feels good. To Evadne, the feeling of the cool earth on her skin was an extension of her own body. It belonged to her and was part of her like her own beating heart. She pulled her feet up and carefully wiped some of the dirt away, her usually pale skin covered in an earthly tan, and softly she hummed a tune to herself. It was not something she could explain, and her father still thought she was mad, but she couldn't resist doing it. It made her feel safe, protected, strong.

Evadne closed her eyes and leaned backwards, with her hands firmly on the ground behind her, but just before she could let herself slip away in her thoughts, her moment of meditation was interrupted by a distant, yet loud and unstable noise. Evadne looked up and gazed around her.

What on earth?

"And then she said, 'Sir, but your spear is so huge!  It could take all night to polish!' Bahahahahahaha!"  The bolt of laughter came from Taladan's own mouth, as did the joke.  But he was too buzzed in the head to notice that no one else was around him.  He had his good friend with him, Elmari Sisters' Vintage, Bottle 315 and for now that was all that he needed.  He popped off the stopper and dunked a several gulps into his gullet before making a sour-face as he swallowed.  It wasn't that the wine was sour; in fact it was quite sweet but its potency made him remember why he'd never been keen on drinking like this before.  If he was going to get stupidly drunk, it was usually in the company of fellow, living, breathing, tavern-goers.  Those were the best of times.

But how this particular bottle had come into his possession, he couldn't remember. Maybe somebody didn't have any money to give him, or they thought they could bribe a song out of him.  Taladan didn't ponder too much on it before he took another sip, this time smaller.  It was a fine bottle and if he still had some sense about him, he wouldn't waste any more of it.  The beer and wine and good food all sloshed along in his belly and though wits would have told him to stay behind in the previous town and wait until his head cleared before traveling, he would have told wits to bite him.  

So the empty road that stretched out before him, pulled his heavy feet along and he stumbled all the while, almost literally being dragged.  The joke he'd muttered earlier went unresponded-to and he went on muttering to himself incoherently.  "So Taladan, let's have us a song shall we?  Yes!  But what of?"  He looked around, trying to find something in his environment which to put a tune to.  When he looked up and saw the dreary clouds ahead, he smiled stupidly and hiccupped, before taking another swig of the Elmari Vintage.

"Tell me, my darling,
Why are you miles away?
Stars have stopped sparkling,
And it has rained all day.

"I've walked the wide earth for you,
Through mountains and through greens.
I have gathered your flowers for you,
But you're nowhere to be seen.

Taladan's voice belted out and he closed his eyes as he got further into it.  His voice was an echo that was carried on the wind and traveled down the road and all around.  It was as if the air itself was singing, vibrating with melody and the words of his song.  He was too drunk to really know what he was singing, the Elmari wine had done the trick to make him believe that his feet were still touching dirt and stone.  Grass spread in his wake all the while he moved through it.  But he just kept on singing, through his head back and moving his arms in some kind of emotive pose.

"I've challenged the road
Time and again.
But with nothing to behold,
Time's at an end.

"Tell me, my darling,
Why are you miles away?
Stars have stopped sparkling
Since you've gone astray.

The words were like a drug, stringing him all the way and not even the roll of thunder could break last verse of his song.  

"The clouds are black
And will do much harm.
Life's not worth living
Sans you in my arms."

The liquor swirling in his stomach made him too impassioned and before he knew it there was a set of tears streaking down his face.  And when the song was over he sobbed slightly and sniffed loudly.  By now the rain was starting to pelt down from the sky, as if in an attempt to shut him up.  It did the trick and he didn't know he'd managed to get so far from the road during his song or really, how to find his way back.  Before he knew it, his face kissed the chalky ground and an explosion of pain coursed through his head as well as his body.  He groaned in a mild agony, trying to recognize where he was, but there was little he could do before his slumped down completely, passing out and the bottle of Elmari Sister's Vintage, Bottle 315, slipping out of his fingers.

Evadne burst through the kitchen door, slightly bewildered and rather confused. Arthur Gabor looked up with a frown on his face. He was used to see his daughter enthusiastic about things, but now she was taking it to a whole new level. Apparently she'd been running, cause she was panting, and her eyes were wide.

"Found another poor defenceless animal in the woods, love?" he asked before Evadne could utter a word, concentrating once more on the vegetables he was chopping. Evadne shook her head fiercely, though she amused herself with the similarities between the memory and reality for a moment.

"Dad, there's a body in the road," she said, still breathing rather heavily. "A dead one?" her father asked without looking up. Evadne heaved an annoyed sigh.

"I know I have a wild imagination daddy, but I'm actually serious this time. And no, he's not dead. I found him on our land, not on the road. And he's unconscious."

Her last words were silenced by a deafening roll of thunder. "He's what?" inquired Arthur calmly. "He's UNCONSCIOUS!" repeated Evadne, louder this time. Finally, her father looked up with a mildly interested look on his face. "Really? What happened to him?"

Nervously, Evadne shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "Dad, what matters now is that we get him inside! We can't very well leave him lying there in this kind of weather, can we?? He might get struck by lightning! And if he doesn't, he might die from the horrible cold he will get from being soaked and ice cold for hours."

"Alright, alright," mused Arthur, wiping his hands on a cloth before standing up. Evadne was already out of the house before he even started following. She was halfway down the grit road that meandered through the fields, looking back at him. "Come on!" she shouted through the thundering rain. The speck between the crops grew larger as she drew nearer, and she prayed to Mother Earth that his horrible alcoholic stench would have washed away by the rain. It certainly wouldn't give him her father's benefit of the doubt, what with his complete appearance and all.

She got back to the place where he had dropped on the ground, not ten feet away from her. Evadne's first instinct was to be disgusted -- she still was, but her conscience wouldn't let her leave the man rot outside. That was just inhuman. However, when she got to him again, the scent was still so strong that there was no point in trying to hide it. Loud splashes behind Evadne announced her father's arrival.

"This rain is good for the crops," he muttered, but his daughter pulled his arm. "Uhm, daddy? He might be slightly drunk." She pointed at the body, half his face covered in mud, sleeping with his mouth open, gurgling from the rain that streamed down in it most happily. Up and until that point, Arthur hadn't actually looked at the man, but now he was staring at him with a strong look of disapproval on his face.

"Eva, you don't actually expect me to drag that thing inside, right?" Evadne nodded forcefully. "Yes I do. This man is on our land, and if he dies here we will be responsible." She had saved the argument for when her father would say this, and though she saw the muscles in his jaws contracting, she knew it worked. "Grab his feet," Arthur ordered in a dark voice.

About fifteen minutes later, the drunk stranger had been stripped down to his undergarments to avoid mud in the bed (by Arthur, who was not very careful and left at least a dozen scratches on the man's skin). It was Eva's bed -- her father's way of punishing her for convincing him to bring the alcoholic inside. She would sleep on the couch tonight, and would have to wash her bedsheets tomorrow, only able to hope they wouldn't still stink of wine. With a frown on her forehead, Evadne left a pile of her father's clothes next to a washcloth and a big bowl filled with clear water. The man would not awake to a house full of happiness, that was certain. With a sigh, she left her own room to help her father make dinner.

Perhaps he'd been dreaming, yes he must have been.  While his mind and body were out for the count, there was some part of him that tried to recollect what had happened and how he'd gotten where he did.  There were five people...no, three...No.....two?  And there were voices that bickered back and forth.  One of them wanted him inside, the other didn't with strong disapproval.  Taladan didn't know exactly how long he'd been hanging around outside; it must have been hours for his head swelled and his whole body ached where he'd been bruised by his fall.

When he finally found the strength to open his eyes, his vision was blurry and he groaned slightly before taking notice that the surface beneath him was not cold, wet mud.  In fact it was a soft bed that held his weight.  He was a pretty heavy man and how someone, or someones, managed to move him was beyond his current train of thought.  He was too preoccupied with nursing his throbbing head and bleeding lip where his teeth had cut open upon impact.  "Geez," he whispered, trying to sit up.  The bed was wobbly and not all to his liking, but then, he didn't know where he was.  It certainly didn't have the look or smell of a tavern that was for sure.  Hours or even days could have crawled by for all he knew.  But a cool breeze took to his skin and he shivered, still moist from being in the rain for so long.  No clothes...no sword...no money...  Holy hell, he'd been robbed!

Taladan whirled his head in automatic circles, trying to figure out where his things were.  Not even his cloak was to be seen and his heart beat in a deathly panic.  He bolted out of bed onto unsteady legs, only to have his feet lose traction and slip, catching himself with the edge of the bed just in time to not make so much noise.  Dear gods, where was he?  Who'd found him?  And how was he going to get out?  This place was a prison wasn't it!  He would never get out of here alive!  And suddenly he felt something churl into his stomach, and his eyes were wild with paranoia.  The quick motion his body had perform on  floor had only made him nauseous and before he knew it he heaved whatever was in his stomach onto a pile on the ground.  He groaned again, hating the taste of vomit in his mouth.

He stood up, trying to steady himself by the bowl of water.  Cupping his free hand, he scooped some up and rinsed his mouth out and then wet his face, trying to get refreshed.  Taladan felt his body calm down now and he slumped down on the bed before realizing that anyone who'd found him, if they truly intended him to rot in a prison, would probably not have provided a means for him to clean up.  He smelled he realized and took time to wipe away the stench of wine the clung to him with the washcloth.  The clothes there were not his, unfortunately, but he slipped them on just the same.  The fit was well, though the fit seemed a bit tighter than he would have chosen.

There were noises of cooking outside the room, and when he thought he was ready, he opened the door, stepping through it as quietly as possible.  The rain outside the house, gave it a creepy atmosphere but he persisted nonetheless, steadying himself along the walls, trying to remain unseen all the while trying to catch a glimpse of whoever found him.   "H-hello?...  Who's there?"  He found his voice was groggy and it was almost as if his throat felt scraped.  He talked as if he were gargling something.  That, of course, could not be good for his career.

The dissatisfied expression and the occasional angry mutters of her father's did nothing to improve Evadne's mood. She clenched her jaws together during the preparation of a dinner for three instead of two, and tried to block it all out, while she worked as fast as she could. When all that was left was to mix the ingredients together in a stew, she dropped her knife on the kitchen counter and mumbled something that resembled "have to go wash" just before she hurried out of the kitchen. She truly loved her father, but she knew what he was upset about. Of course, there was the drunk thing. But the true problem was, her father was mad that this man had somehow managed to ruin the routine of the day that had no routine.

Evadne stopped in front of her bedroom door and took a deep breath. She needed to calm down, otherwise she wouldn't be able to be quiet. As silently as possible, she opened the door and peeked inside. The man was still fast asleep. She tiptoed to the cupboard and found herself some clean clothes -- pants made of dark leather skins, and a long blue blouse that accentuated her figure. Quietly, she snuck out of the room again, deciding to change and wash herself in her father's room. When she re-entered the kitchen, it smelled of food and the charcoal of the logs in the fireplace. Her father was still musing grumpily to himself, staring into the fire as he stirred the contents of the pot.

"Will you give it a rest already!?" Evadne blurted. "Your being mad is not going to help any," she added slightly more respectful. Her father opened his mouth to discipline his daughter, but just then his eye caught something right behind her.

"Hello? Who's there?" sounded an unfamiliar voice from the door opening. Evadne spun round, her loose hair swinging around her face, to find a slightly better smelling drunk in the room.

"Well well," said Arthur, and Evadne cringed as his sarcasm cut through her skin. "I see you've returned to the land of the living."

He left no room for reply as he shoved the stool he'd been sitting on backwards with a forceful kick, leaving it wobbling in place for a while. With loud noises, he took three wooden plates from a cupboard and threw two of them on the counter, while keeping one in his hand.

"I'm afraid I have no stock of the wine -- was it Elmari? -- that you obviously love so much, but you are welcome to join us for dinner if you wish. Eva, fill a plate for our guest, will you?"

Evadne's eyes were blazing as she snatched the second plate from the counter.

It was a gruff reception, but one that he faintly figured would happen.  Nobody liked to find a stranger sleeping in their house, though he had an idea that the two people he found here in the kitchen.   The room smelled delicious, like the floor itself was soaked in food.  If he didn't know any better, he might have expected to want to eat off of it.  But as far as he could taste, Elmari was not a hallucinogen.  He'd taken those before as a sort of 'experimentation' and found he'd made love to a tree.  That was not a pleasant evening for him.  Luckily, he grew out of such old habits and set his shoulders back while he observed these new 'companions' of his.

But the way the older man reacted to him—the young woman's father perhaps?—he could tell that he was not the one who's bright idea was to bring Taladan inside the house.  He didn't say anything while the older man spoke or got up to get a set of diningware from the cabinets.  Taladan watched with wary, but negligent eyes.  He seemed like the fatherly type.  He could vaguely remember his own father acting the same way a few times.

But the young woman, she seemed much more amiable and rather lovely to boot.  It was most likely her idea to take the poor drunk bard in.  He would have to remember to thank her later for that.  When Taladan finally decided to mutter some words, he found his voice still continued to protest and the vibrations of sound scrimped and scraped against the tissue of his throat.  He cleared it several times before actually saying what he wanted.

"Yes.  I've returned, good sir.  I've got the most awful headache though...  That Elmari really packs a punch.  I should have been more careful with it.  I see you've made for me a rather lovely get-well reception.  So for that I thank you.  The food smells delicious."  Taladan smirked smartly at the older man, his dry voice filled with as much sarcasm as he could muster at the moment.  He watched the young woman while she filled the plate and he took a seat as if it were made of glass.  When the food was set before him, Taladan stared at it and then the hand that let go of the plate.  "Thank you, dear," he said respectfully.

The aroma wafted back in his face and when he smelled it, the scent made him nauseous all over again.  Oh dear, it wouldn't be very guestly of him if he vomited all over their dinner table.  He didn't tell them about the mess he'd made in the room back there but he figured he would once all this dinner business was over.  

"Ahem, excuse me, I think I should probably introduce myself before I partake in anymore of your very generous hospitalities...  My name's Taladan Ewing.  I'm a traveling bard, though you probably wouldn't tell from the state of my voice right now.  I normally don't sound so...grating.  And who might my 'rescuers' be?  And, if you don't mind, how exactly...did I end up here?"

The captain had to remind himself of the fact that he was not in the army and that this was not one of his men, or otherwise he probably would have given the man a serious piece of his mind before having him whipped like a dog. The self-restraint took up more of his energy and concentration than there was room for words, and to Evadne's surprise he remained quiet. She herself was still trying to ignore that she had been called  "dear" by someone other than her father.

Evadne filled her own plate and placed it opposite her father's on the dinner table, next to where the man was sitting. An act of defiance towards her father, perhaps. After a glance at her father -- who was eating as if his life depended on it -- she walked back to the kitchen and got a couple of mugs and a big jug of water. Beer didn't seem to be a good idea right now. She was just filling the mugs as the stranger seemed to have found the appropriate time to announce his name.

"A pleasure, I'm sure, Mr Ewing," Evadne hurried to say before her father could get a word in between. She wasn't about to take the risk of him taking the opportunity to spoil any more of the atmosphere with the mood he was in. "My name is Evadne Gabor, and this is my father, Arthur. He's usually nicer than this," she added half whispered, though she knew Arthur could hear her very well. She saw him rolling his eyes and felt a muscle pull upwards at the corners of her mouth.

"The reason he is not, is because you passed out right in our fields, before my very eyes, and because I convinced him to bring you in. The weather, you see." Vaguely, she gestured at the sight through the windows, where bolts of lightning were dancing across the dark sky. Evadne lit a couple of candles to light up the room a little, and then she sat down herself, one leg beneath her on the chair, and one steady on the ground.

"I don't suppose he will expect you to get out tonight though," she said between two bites, still talking about her father. "I'm certain he will get nicer as you get soberer." She glanced at Taladan and gave him a quick smile, willing to give him a chance to be friendly. And sober.

He didn't really have much of an appetite, but far be it from him to refuse a meal in the house of his rescuers like some kind of ignorant cur.  He wasn't really sure he was going to be able to keep the meal down but as far as he was concerned, he'd rather not give an even worse first impression than the one he'd apparently pissed off this woman's father with.  If he was going to enjoy his stay here (which he planned on doing so no matter where he went), the young woman showed the best chance of providing that opportunity as far as he knew.

Taladan smiled graciously and reached for his utensil and taking a few bites himself.  He let the warmth of the meal swarm through his cold, clammy body and a shiver ran through him as a result.  One that he suppressed rather expertly.   He listened to the young woman, who introduced herself as Evadne and her father as Arthur Gabor.  Interesting, not that he'd heard of their names  before.  They'd seemed like a reclusive pair, the both of them, and it didn't surprise him that neither their faces nor names sparked any recollections.  He grinned and nodded a 'pleased to meet you' nod before taking another bite.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Gabor, for intruding on your property like I did.  I'm usually more careful about where I travel.  Trespassing isn't really something I do often.  Nor getting all that stinking drunk, except in the company of friends.  Again, I really do apologize."  He hoped that would at least smooth over some of the glass road he'd just tread upon with one Arthur Gabor.  Taladan ate gratefully again, humbly even, and voraciously.

He stopped in the middle of his meal, a little more than halfway complete, and reached for his mug, muttering a thank you and took a generous sip of water.  The sensation of new food and drink sinking down into his cold stomach made him feel more alert, even as his head spun around the room a little.  Sobering up...yes, that would be a bit of an issue wouldn't it?  Since it was apparent that Arthur didn't seem to enjoy Taladan's company as a recovering drunk, he hoped there was a faint chance that he could get to know the bard better.  Now that he thought about it, he ever traveled this way again, having a house to stop by at would be nice every now and again.  It surely would save him some tavern gold.

"That's good to know," he said at last.  "But I don't think leaving tonight is really an option.  That storm seems pretty bad.  Don't get me wrong, this is a very nice place you have here, and I don't want to be a burden longer than I have to, but I don't want to die by some stroke of lightning either."  Taladan laughed lightly and took another bite.  "This food is delicious," he said and looked at her father, looking for some sign of approval before switching his gaze to Evadne.

"Would you mind telling me what's in it Mr. Gabor?  Or am I still enduring a code of silence?" he joked lightly and took another swig of water.  "I'm sorry if I seem too presumptuous but maybe you'd like to tell me what kind of place you're running here.  A farm?  Orchard?"

The apology was received with an inaudible, grumbled word, while Arthur kept his eyes down to his plate. But he started eating a bit more slowly, and Evadne the ice was slowly melting. Her father had a weak spot for honour, and people who admitted their mistakes. It would take a while before he would start being nice to the man, but there was a good chance the sarcasm would fade from his voice. With expert precision, Evadne knew that the next thing he would be doing was replying with short, mumbled answers, making as little eye contact with the stranger as possible, followed by an occasional hint of a smile, and much later, possibly a five minute conversation in which he would use short but intelligible, clear sentences. Most likely, he would keep his opinion on drinking to himself and talk about things nobody cared about. The weather would be a good place to start, in this case. Full length correspondences would be saved for a later time, but only if Arthur deemed the man trustworthy.

Evadne smiled inwardly and shook her head mildly. She knew her father so well that some people would call it unhealthy. Then again, he was rather predictable once you got to know him. The point was that Arthur only rarely allowed such intimacy. However, a night like this did provide for an occasion to see if she and her father would want to get to know him. Whichever way you looked at it, Taladan had a point in saying that leaving tonight was out of the question. And sending him out of the door now would piss off even Evadne's father, since she had been the one to convince him to bring Taladan into their home. The captain did not do pointless things. Kicking Taladan out the door would be in that particular category.

Evadne stole a glance first at her father, and then at Taladan, when he asked Arthur about the stew they had made -- but she had nothing to worry about. When her father looked up, he studied the now more clear-faced bard without hostility in his dark eyes.

"Meat loaf," he said eventually, and louder than Evadne had expected. "Beans and some potatoes. And a different mixture of herbs every time." That seemed to be the limit to his words for now, because the captain once again focused on his emptying plate.

"We grow crops," answered Evadne instead. "Crops, wheat and barley. And we hold a small amount of cattle." From beneath her eyelashes, she gazed at Taladan. Estimating him at about 30, he was not at all bad looking. Evadne had a strong antipathy against vain noble men (though not all vain men are noble, and not all noble men are vain), so this man lived up to her taste in a certain way. But she was still ignorant of what exactly was her taste. It was not as if she was out and about, screening for a husband, like all other girls from around her age. But he had a strong jawline, and she liked dark hair. And the beard added a spicy something to his image as a bard. It was in no way inappropriate.

When Evadne realised she might be staring a bit too long, she blinked and flashed a look at her dad. Thank goodness. At least he hadn't noticed. When it came to his daughter and men, he was as protective as any father could be.

"Tell me, Master Ewing," she started, hiding behind her well-fitting mask of sarcasm and feigned interest, while she started bringing the empty plates and mugs to the kitchen, "is drinking a part of your job as a bard, or does it come naturally to you?"

Taladan stared at the master of the house, knowing he wouldn't allow a question directed at him to go unanswered.  It was rude for a host to do so just as it would be to throw a guest out in the rain.  Taladan had never experienced the meanderings of high society social expectations, but he knew as much about good manners as the next person.  It never did to be coarse but kind, never be presumptuous if it wasn't one's place, and never do or say something that would be a waste of time.   He had participated in many a social gathering to know the ups and downs of what made a good host.  And stark silence and a cold shoulder were not such things.  And just when he thought Arthur was going to continue, the man broke the silence.

Taladan smiled, both as a good guest and of the knowledge that he'd pressed the right buttons.  He blinked green eyes at his meal and nodded in understanding.  "It's wonderful, truly.  This is the best thing I've tasted in weeks to be completely honest.  Just a few days ago, I traveled from a small town called Tangerberg.  The beer was good, but not so much the food.  I sustained myself with little more than stale bread and water when I left," he said to both of them, though mostly to Evadne, as she seemed to be only one willing to listen.  He smiled at her and then went back to his meal.  It wasn't that he didn't notice she was watching him; quite the contrary in fact.  It was just that it was best to act natural than to find himself staring back.

He ate slower now, a little more comfortable among strangers.  But then again he always felt comfortable.  This girl...well, woman would be more accurate for she was hardly decked like a girl.  They were children, where she was undeniably an adult.  She had standard Adelan features with the exception of her skin, which he found kind of strange.  Like she was part Serenian or something.    But it was not something to be avoided, instead he found it rather exotic.  He didn't see to many women with her kind of skin.  He did most of his gawking in his head, as he'd already taken a sufficient amount of time to look at her.  He grinned inwardly and ate without comment for a while.  That was until she asked her most unexpected question.

It was now that he stared at her through wide eyes and in the middle of his drink.  Placing the mug down with care as he considered his answer, he sighed and kept his congenial grin.  He detected her sarcasm and it made him laugh lightly.  "It's a little of both actually.  Me being a bard, the whole idea is to entertain people right?  Well, most of my work I find at town festivals and taverns.  There patrons are generous and if they don't pay me in gold, they tend to find other useful methods.  Sometimes they feel the need to buy me drinks and who am I to refuse their kindness.

"I don't make it a habit, really.  But it helps loosen inhibitions and coinpurses.  Though I'll tell you one thing, being a bard isn't as lucrative as it used to be.  There aren't many people willing to pay for a good song unless they feel up to it.  I don't suppose you have many bards com around these parts do you?"

Arthur had been grinning widely at his daughter's haughty question, but now both he and Evadne were staring at Taladan. Evadne blinked, completely caught off guard. The goal of her question had not only been to feel more like herself again, it was also to put this man in his place as a guest here -- a drunk and unwanted one at that. And though initially he did seem surprised to hear her words, now he was chatting on as if he was talking to some good old drinking buddies of his.

The silence after Taladan's inquiry seemed to cut through the air. Moments long, Evadne's lilac eyes locked with Taladan's green ones, as she tried to assess him. Usually, she was a very good judge of character, but his reactions were not what they ought to be.

"I couldn't tell you that. I don't associate with such people," she said sharply before abruptly turning around. In the process, she knocked the set of plates off the counter, so that they landed in a small wooden container with water meant to do the dishes with, and splashed large waves of water over the stone floor. Well done, Eva, she thought while she dropped on her knees next to the container. She might as well start on the dishes. It wasn't as if she could make the floor any wetter.

"She's clumsy like that," sounded Arthur's amused voice from the other side of the kitchen isle. "Regardless, it does seem you will have to stay here for the night. You can stay in Evadne's room, since she was so insistent upon bringing you here. It's the room you woke up in," he added while he stood up. "Evadne will be sleeping in here somewhere if you need anything. You'll be alright there, won't you dear?" Arthur directed himself to his daughter.

"Yeah, I'll be alright here," Evadne echoed.

"Master Ewing, have a good night," said Arthur, greatly surprising Evadne by making a small bow for the stranger. She stared at her father until he closed the hallway door behind him, knowing that if Taladan had said anything at all it would have completely passed her by. For some reason, he seemed to have done something right to obtain her father's good graces. But she had no idea whether to like this man herself, and it frustrated her to the core. Usually she could figure people out in five seconds -- their weaknesses, strengths, and this just by listening to the way they talked and paying attention to their body language. But Taladan was a walking prototype of the paradox. Or perhaps "stumbling" was a better choice of words, in his case. Stumbling, stupid folk singer, Evadne thought defiantly while she scrubbed the remains of the dinner off the wooden plates with a hard brush. She knew it wasn't her place to be mad at him. But it was easier to be mad at him than to be frustrated with herself for not knowing.

Taladan didn't see any reason why he shouldn't be friendly with these people?  He was never one of those people that was one way around one kind of group and then a completely different man with another group.  Hypocrisy wasn't very big on his list of things to do and if it was, he had quite a bit to reassess.  Instead he smiled and sipped the rest of his water while he waited for her answer.  But she seemed distraught and he felt her piercing gaze until she spoke.  He met her eyes readily and steadily and sat back almost negligently.

He was surprised by her answer but didn't react to it in his face.  "Oh," he said with an even tone.  "That's quite unfortunate.  Or not if you don't quite care.  I'm sorry, here."  He gave her the plate before she took them to the counter then made a big mess with the water.  Drats, she really wasn't agitated wasn't she?  He didn't mean for her be so suddenly uncomfortable if that was the case.  He didn't think his answer was all the much of a big deal for him, but apparently it was and something was obviously on her mind.  He was a silent sort of observer even when he wasn't actively making a ruckus.  But he'd done what he'd initially set out to do and that was to get on the good side of this woman's father.  He seemed humored by her actions and soon Taladan couldn't help but chuckle inwardly as well.

"I see," he replied after Arthur informed him that he room he wretched in was this woman's room...well, that wouldn't be very pleasant now was it.  He'd have to help to clean it up before he left.  "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gabor.  Have a good night," he said when the man decided to turn in for the evening.  Taladan stood from his seat and crossed his hands behind his back while he watched Arthur depart from the room, not saying anything to Evadne while she did the same.  He didn't think it would be very guestly to suggest the cleaning of vomit so soon to the master of the household.  The daughter seemed the like the best recipient to deliver that news to.

When he left, Taladan quietly approached Evadne and stood to the side while he watched her do the dishes.  "I don't suppose you want me to help you clean these.  But even so, I don't think it would hurt to help."  He quietly reached for the dry wash cloth that was beside the bucket and when one dish was clean, he pulled it up without caring for either any permission or protest and silently dried it up with the cloth.  He did so as if it were some kind of contemplative task, a meditation of sorts, then smiled at her.  "You seem angry.  Did I do something?"

From the corners of her eyes, Evadne had seen Taladan approaching her, and was already preparing to say something horridly unpleasant if he would have the guts to offer his help to her. However, he seemed to sense her intentions, and took out her entire defence mechanism by a few simple words. Evadne gazed up at him from the floor, feeling horribly small suddenly, and found herself tongue-tied by his voice. Quickly, she shut her mouth and concentrated on the plate in her hand. When it was clean, Taladan reached down and took it from her, both his grip and the look in his eyes ensuring that it was no use to protest. Most uncharacteristically, Evadne found herself letting to of the plate. For a moment, she just sat there with her hands in the water, staring at Taladan's reflection in the surface of the water.

When he spoke again, he was friendly in a way that no one was friendly to her. Her father approached things either from the strict and disciplined side, or otherwise through sarcasm or by simply ignoring the possibility of being friendly. And then there was the nature of his words. Nobody ever seemed eager to notice when someone was feeling bad. Most chose to ignore it. Others unwillingly asked if something was wrong, and from their tone alone one could know that all they wanted to hear was "no", that everything was fine. Even if it wasn't. It was perhaps a small thing to others, but Evadne couldn't help noticing such things. She looked up at Taladan, and actually looked at him this time, instead of staring. Then she shrugged.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, aware of the fact that somehow the man had lowered her usually sky-high defences. She handed him the last clean dish. "I guess I am just not myself tonight."

Evadne dried the floor with a towel and threw it in the tub when she was done. She would throw the water in the yard when it wasn't raining anymore. She grinned inwardly. On the bright side: there was no doubt that the watering buckets for the cattle would be filled to the rim.

Absently the cloth went over the wooden plates.  They were scraped and scratched from constantly being scrubbed from the brush as well as with the use of utensils.  There was a story to be told in each plate, even if no one else saw it but him.  Taladan saw each plate and fork and knife that was in the tub and dried each one as if it were a child, with care and thoughtfulness.  The towel was soaked through and through when the final dish was finally dried and put away.  He just kept on stretching his face in his congenial grin then set the wash towel down, neatly folded on the counter.

Her answer was delivered soon enough.  "Don't be sorry.  Nothing to be sorry about.  I just thought that maybe it was something I caused.  Because if so I didn't mean it that's for sure."  He leaned back against the counter for a moment then looked at the tub.  "Say, you know what.  Perhaps we could use the rest of this water and what was in the bowl in your room to clean up a little mess I made in there when I woke up.  A horrid present courtesy of the Elmari wine, I'm afraid."  Taladan frowned but got up and brought the dishrag as well and headed off toward the room.

He looked up at her and tossed his head.  "I wouldn't want to leave that unpleasant mess in your room when I finally leave."  After a moment, he cocked his head to one side and peered up at her through his lashes.  "Why would you say you weren't yourself?"

While Evadne listened to Taladan's voice -- which was oddly calming to her -- she convinced herself to relax. Slowly, she exhaled and spent a moment with every single one of her muscles, to release the tension. She even managed to return his engaging grin, be it poorly, although it vanished as quickly as it came when Taladan mentioned the result of his alcohol consumption.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Evadne muttered under her breath, surprised at her own resignation. At least he doesn't leave it for me to clean up after he moves out tomorrow, she thought while she took two more towels from a shelf. One was never going to be enough. She navigated around Taladan so she could be the first to enter her room -- it was still her room, after all -- but backed out again when the stench hit her in the face.

"That is disgusting!" she gasped, not realising she had bumped in to Taladan backwards and was probably spilling more water over the floor. Quickly, she unfolded one of the towels and threw it over the pool. Then she moved to the window and opened the shutters even though it was still raining cats and dogs. Deeply, she inhaled the fresh air, and decided this window was not going to be shut until the stink was entirely gone. Only then she realised Taladan had asked her a question. She didn't look at him while she answered, but instead watched how the towel sucked up all of the yellowish liquid.

"I just can't figure you out, that's all," Evadne tried to downplay it. "You confuse me. Or something." She picked up the soaked cloth at a still dry corner, holding it between thumb and index finger before she dropped it in the wash bowl. The rain could wash it clean later; now she was only concerned with cleaning up the mess in the room.

"Are you always like this?" she asked quietly. Evadne gestured for him to come in with the water, but still avoided looking at him directly.

Physical labor, back breaking work, working until every muscle in one's body was sore to the core.  This was something Taladan was familiar with and certainly not afraid of.  Not that he enjoyed it, but such work were things that needed to be done and he wouldn't be one to shy away from simple tasks and chores that required a little labor and effort.  He'd grown up knowing such things, helping his father with his carpentry business, keeping quiet while he discussed business deals, and learned to cart large logs here and there.  Indeed it was backbreaking work, and one he learned to perform without complaint but also a type of lifestyle that Taladan declared for himself that he would never devote his life to.  If it was another's desire, so be it.  But he preferred his life on the road in comparison to such stagnancy.

He did not expect her to walk into the room with a smile and sniffing the air ravenously.  He held his breath while he went in behind her and jerked back when she bumped into him.  "Yes," he said.  "It is rather foul, isn't it.  I'm very sorry, but it happened before I could stop it...  But at least I'm helping you and not just expecting you to clean on your own."  Little did he know that he voiced her own thoughts, but he went in anyway and watched her get to work while he waited for the order to pour the water over it.

"Huh?  Is that so?  I've never thought of myself as much of a mystery.  Rather the opposite really."  He laughed, though it was a jest that only he would truly get.  He tossed the water on the mess which quickly started to dissipate and flow around in a swirling, yellow mess.  It was horrible to behold and though it wasn't that big, it was still quite potent.

"What do you mean am I always like this?  A drunk, you mean?  No, no.  I only really drink to relax and to have a good time like you said before.  Do I always make messes like these?  Nope.  Am I always so helpful for others?  Yes, if it's a kind thing to do and seeing as there is nothing else, I might as well.  It doesn't hurt nor harm a household, I always say."

Evadne smiled genuinely for the first time. She hadn't been referring to the drinking, but more to the "I have not a care in the world" attitude. And the way that every insult just seemed to miss its goal somehow. Evadne gently pulled the dishrag out of Taladan's hand, taking care not to make any skin contact, and then kneeled next to the small pool and let the horrid mixture be soaked up again by a cloth. When almost all of it was gone, she took the remaining clean cloth and wiped away what was left on the floor. She didn't expect Taladan to do that, since he had already shown his good will, and besides that she was starting to feel slightly guilty about throwing those insults his way. They had turned out to be pointless.

However, she didn't respond to what he said. She wasn't about to show him the back of her tongue (OOC: I hope this does indeed translates correctly >.<) so soon. Usually, she didn't open up to anyone until months had passed. A trait she inherited from her father, but then again, he too seemed strangely at ease when it came to Taladan. Evadne shook her head lightly. Maybe she wasn't supposed to understand this. Give him a chance, Eva, she told herself. She tended to dislike people until they proved otherwise, but this time she decided to turn it around.

When the last of the yellow goo had disappeared, Evadne stood up and threw the last cloth in the washbowl with the other two. "I'll just take these outside," she said while she slipped past Taladan. She could have easily emptied the bowl through the window, but the truth was that she wanted to be outside for a moment. She didn't bother to put on a coat, simply stepping outside in the rain. When she closed the door behind her, she inhaled deeply, her hair whipping against her face and the rain falling down on her. Not at all in a hurry, she strolled over to behind the house and emptied the bowl there, leaving it outside in the rain with the cloths still in it. They wouldn't be going anywhere.

When she stepped back in the house ten minutes later, soaking wet, Evadne felt more like herself again. There was a quiet smile on her face when she wrenched the water out of her hair and kicked out her boots. She didn't spot Taladan instantly, so she just hoped he wouldn't be undressing when she would go to get some dry clothes and a blanket from her room.

Taldan was a simple man, never doing or saying more than he felt he had to.  Sometimes it was a lot that he felt that he had to say.  And when the words started rolling from off his tongue, they didn't stop for anything.  But the rule stuck that he never used more words than he needed to.  At times, such a rule slipped and he accidentally said something that offended another, said to little that he didn't even answer what was asked.  The ups and downs of social mannerisms were still be mastered by the bard, whose social agenda was little more than just being nice to people.  To everyone, really.  He didn't see any reason in the world to be anything but.

Cleaning up vomit was not what he would consider one of the simple pleasures of life, but if he got to do things with other people, he surely wouldn't skip over the chance.  New friends and acquaintances were always welcome in his life.  Even if they did take a little time to work over.  There was, first the challenge of her father, then the woman of the house.  Just one obstacle after another and so on.  But Taladan never stepped down from a challenge if he could help it.  Not that he was some kind of super competitive bastard, but if he had mettle to prove, so be it.

Soon the vomit was all cleaned up and Taladan was left just grinning after her like some kind of fool.  But that was how he always looked and it disappeared when she did, closing the door behind her.  With nothing more to do, he looked around the room, only now remembering that he didn't know the exact location of his clothes.  He didn't care to know if they were washed or not, but he certainly was interested in their exact location.  He certainly didn't think it would be very nice to wrinkle the clothes he had borrowed by sleeping in them.  And there was no sleepwear to be seen all about the room.  Well, there was really only one solution to this late night dilemma.

He slipped out of everything, with some difficulty but not much, and set them nicely where they w ere first found when he had awaken.  He wasn't aware that Evadne had left to stand in the rain and would soon be returning to obtain some dry clothes of her own.  For all he knew, she was already out in the kitchen area sleeping.  So it was easy to understand how surprised he was to hear the door open behind him when he was already stark naked.  "Holy crap!"  He jumped around, and immediately he sat on the bed and crossed his legs, effectively trying to cover what he was sure she didn't want to just yet see.  "Err...good evening...." he said, trying to remain calm.  "Um, did you need something?"  He smiled normally, as if this was just another everyday thing.

The moment Evadne opened the door, a red hot blush rose up to her cheeks and instantly she turned around, seeking support with the door frame and covering her eyes with her free hand. "I'm sorry!" she cried out. "I didn't mean to... I mean, I wanted to... oh brother." Evadne took a deep breath, listening to the waterdrops seeping out of her clothes and falling apart on the ground while she tried to forget what she saw. "I just needed some uh... dry... stuff." Shielding her vision from Taladan with one hand, she quickly went to the cupboard and pulled out random stuff without knowing what she was doing.

Still with her back to the room, including Taladan, she closed her eyes for a moment and breathed again. "I'm sorry, I should have knocked," she said while she focused on the clothes and put back the ones she didn't need.

It was a relief to find she was a surprised to find him as he was, though he had to say her being all flustered was really amusing and he had to bite back his tongue just to keep from laughing out loud.  Chances were her father was already asleep and it wouldn't do to wake the man that allowed him to stay there.  Taladan kept his mouth shut, sucking his lips into his teeth and then abruptly reaching for those clothes again when she was turned around.  It didn't take long to slip his legs back into them though they were a little stiff now.

Throwing the shirt over his head, he quickly got up and strode over to her.  "Hey, hey, hey.  Take it easy.  Things like this happen.  Just forget it, okay."  He pat her shoulders  and kept his distance despite being all wet.  "You know what, why don't I just wait outside while you use the room.  It is yours after all.  Okay.  Just take it easy."

He strode out of the room and closed the door behind him and sighing with relief when that was all over.  Taking a seat at the table, he waited for her to get out, all the while laughing silently at the humor of the situation.

Without thinking about it, Evadne had stuffed the clothes back on the shelves and found she was hugging herself while she watched Taladan leave the room. Apparently he had seen fit to dress himself rapidly while she was turned around. She was definitely not accustomed to see naked men, and it was a mild shock to her. Of course, she knew what they looked like. She had studied, seen it in art, books, pictures etcetera. But she had to admit this was entirely different. Such impact, Evadne thought while she thoughtlessly stripped herself of her clothes and piled them up on the floor. She put on a pair of black linen pants, pleated at the knees, and donned a blouse similar to the one before, only now it was dark green. Barefooted she opened the door again, and walked in the combined living room/kitchen, tossing a blanket from her cupboard on her father's comfy chair. As soon as she laid eyes on Taladan, she felt the blush rush back up her cheeks. Just what I need, she thought cynically. Evadne dropped her wet clothes in the basket that was meant for it and then gestured behind her vaguely.

"You can go in now... I am finished. I won't uhm... disturb you again like that." She coughed quietly to hide her embarrassment.

There wasn't much for him to do out there while he waited.  But just what was he waiting for, he couldn't say.  Taladan whistled a tune quietly to himself while she changed, inspecting his hands almost as if he were some kind of prissy nobleman.  It was only a matter of time before he heard the door be thrown ajar and she appeared, coming to sit on a plush chair.  Hm...there was something about her attitude that suddenly gave him an idea.

She was still flustered obviously.  He knew what could easily remedy that.  "You know, Evadne.  You don't mind if I call you that do you?  You know, I think you need to relax...And I know just the thing.  Do you happen to have any small cups do you?  And some beer?  Perhaps an ale or a strong wine?  I know a little game we can play to help you relax.  But only if you're interested of course."

Evadne stared at him, forgetting how to breathe for a moment. SERIOUSLY?! This was the man who they carried in with great difficulty, whose vomit she had just cleaned up and who had just profusely apologized for his drunkenness. He had some serious guts in suggesting this now, and Evadne didn't know if this was positive or negative. Her father would never forgive Taladan if he found out he got drunk again on his premises, and certainly not her for drinking along. Yet something in Evadne was pushing against that limit. After all, she had just made herself a promise to give this man a chance. And her father never woke once he fell asleep. On top of that, if she played along she could at least keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't get too shitfaced. Pondering, she gazed at the windows. The storm was still raging around the house, and it probably didn't matter how much noise they made. The wind, rain and thunder were enough to mask it.

"Well... why not?" Evadne thought out loud. Still not entirely sure if what she was doing was smart, she took a large bottle of port from a kitchen cabinet and put it on the small table that was in between her own comfy chair and her father's. "Think you can work with that?" she challenged, looking straight in Taladan's eyes.

Still unsure whether or not she would be up to it, really.  It was just a matter of simple speculation and he thought he would offer his proposal on the slight off-chance that she actually would say 'yes.'  Like a complete stranger asking another complete stranger for a quick lay without any real logical motive.  Taladan was also quite aware, from the way her father had shunned him earlier, that he was really pushing the limit with such a daring proposal.  To think that he even said it as one thing, that she might actually accept was quite another.

All he could do was smile when she did however nodding.  "Well, good.  That's good."  And he got up and sat opposite where she did when she finally came back with the port.  Her dead-eye gaze was sharp and he met it as a kind of challenge.  He put a harmless hand up.  "All right there, woman, take it easy.  This is perfectly fine.  Better in fact.  Anyway, the name of the game is 'Lying Truths.'  Pretty simple.  All we do is take turns saying something about ourselves and the other has to guess whether or not if it's the truth or a lie.  Say I say something and you guess it's a lie.  If you're right, I have to take a swig.  If you're wrong you have to take a drink.  Get it?  Oh and the game's over when either the port's gone or one of us just collapses to the ground.

"Okay I'll go first.  Something easy.  My hair is naturally black.  Now you have to guess."

Hehe. At least he had taken notice of the warning in her eyes. Evadne was satisfied with his reaction to her relentless gaze and blinked contently before returning to her chair.

Lying Truths. Okay. Evadne took the blanket and wrapped it around her legs before sitting down. At least it sounds innocent enough. She flushed again when she thought about the exponentially less innocent moment in her room just now. Quickly, she banished it from her mind and focused on Taladan. He seemed pleased that she'd agreed to play. Evadne pulled her legs on the chair and grinned.

"Truth," she said. His hair seemed to rough and messy to do anything at all with it. But she had to admit, it suited him.

[OOC: I'm assuming Taladan's gonna have to take a shot, so I'm just going to continue with Evadne's question if you don't mind. I can delete the next section later if you like.]

With mixed feelings, she watched Taladan take a shot from the bottle and pushed her hand through her own hair while trying to think of something obscure about herself. There was no way she was going to make it easy for him. And besides, she was a cheap drunk, so the risk was possibly greater for her.

"I have another sister, but she's already married," Evadne tried, keeping her face as stoic as possible.

[Not a problem.  I'm fine with small assumptions like that.]

Taladan nodded.  "You're right.  And here I go taking a drink."  He dunked a bit of the drink into his mouth and swallowed it like it was water.   It felt almost refreshing even, though he would never admit it.  He gestured for her to take her turn, setting the bottle between them once more, leaving its stopper off the top.

Another sister, eh?  This one he had to think about for a while for though, he didn't know her, basically at all, he instead thought about the relationship between her and her father.  He sensed an automatic closeness between them, something that could easily be offset if she had more siblings.  He himself was an only child and was the only target of affection by his parents.

So Taladan sat back and grinned widely.  "If you had a sister, I could tell already that you would be the prettiest of the two.  But I think you're lying."

Evadne blinked. How on earth could he know she was lying? This was either a fortunate guess, or he was extremely observative. Slowly she reached for the bottle, never breaking eye-contact until the last moment. Well, here I go, she thought, reluctantly gazing at the bottle. Putting the bottle against her lips, she took a sip, making a face as she put the port back on the table and swallowed. She had never been a big fan of port, but she decided she would have to get used to the taste. This game proved more dangerous than she had first thought. If Taladan was going to keep guessing as well as this, she would be drunk in no time.

"You're right," Evadne said when the taste got less strong in her mouth. "I don't have a sister. But it's your turn now. Bring it on," she added with a grin.

He would never mean for either one of them to get roaring drunk, it only brought back the constant reminder that the woman's stern father would most likely never approve, never let Taladan back into the house again, and who knows what else to his daughter.  He didn't think it was likely that the man would beat the shit out of her, he seemed to be something more of a best friend to her from the body language he'd read between them.  He probably wouldn't have to do more than shun her a little bit for it to be punishment.  Either way, Taladan had no distinct desire to get her into trouble.

He watched her drink with curiosity and he couldn't back his laugh by how her face looked.  He kept it low to a snicker, then holding back a strained smile that conveyed his obvious amusement.  "Alright, you got heart, I can admire that. Haha."  He sat back and took some time to think of his own statement.  "My father was a carpenter all through out his life, and I would help him in his workshop when I was a child."

That was a tough one. Evadne gazed at Taladan, deep in thought. He did wear his clothes like the middle class did, so this could indicate to a craftsman father. The again, carpentry was not a profession that one would frequently drink with. But he was helpful, and did not seem afraid to get his hands dirty. And what he said was not easily made up just like that. Then again, this game was meant to design lies or truth in such a fashion that the other person would get it wrong. In conclusion, the only two clues she had were paradoxical. This would have to be a wild guess. Besides, it was a game. Don't take it too seriously, Eva! she reminded herself.

"Okay... I would say you are lying."

Hopefully, she gazed at Taladan's face, hoping he would be saying she was right.

If Taladan said he'd grown up pretty much poorer than dirt, he would not be speaking far from the truth.  It was a stretch, true, as his father made a somewhat moderate living doing what he did.  But it wasn't always enough to sustain their living.  But it was not as if he always had new clothes as a child, had a formal education, or learned to sing from the best bards.  Those things were hard to obtain and reserved only for those that could afford them.  Taladan was used to sewing patches in his clothes when his mother was too tired to do so, and accustomed to being taught his basic letters, words, and numbers in the home.   And he honestly didn't expect Evadne to really guess correctly on something as personal as that.

"Wrong!" he said bluntly, not afraid to gloat, at least a little where he'd earned it.  "My father was a carpenter and I did help him, many a time.   Sorry, but I hope you're a better guesser while drunk."

[Go ahead and do a time skip after this if you want]

So he actually came from a decent, hard-working family. Evadne had to admit she was slightly surprised by this. If you asked her, she would probably guess his parents were just like him, travelling bards or something, or perhaps they owned an inn or a tavern. She shook her head incredulously, and took another sip of the port.

One hour, quite a few wrong guesses and three quarters of the bottle's contents later, Evadne found herself grinning from ear to ear. She had no doubt that she'd drunk more than Taladan, because somehow her guesses just kept getting worse. She raised her hands in the air defensively. "All right all right... you win," she surrendered. "I can't drink anymore, honestly. My father would kill me if he found out. And he'd kill you too," she added with a chuckle, somehow finding the image of her enraged father vs a rather tipsy Taladan very amusing.

"I should put that away," she frowned at the bottle, wondering if her father would notice they'd been drinking. Evadne stood up, but almost immediately fell back into the chair, finding her legs unusually wobbly. "That's not good," she muttered, but couldn't help but laugh at herself. "Lemme try that again," she said, holding on firmly to the chair's arms while she stood up and grabbed the bottle.

The more the port was depleted, the more information Taladan was spitting out.  But it wasn't as strong as he remembered it should have been or maybe the Elmari had jacked up his tastebuds.  Another reason he threw up, possibly.  But he just hoped that it wouldn't happen again.  It wasn't that he was starting to get drunk again, but the buzz that was growing in his head did make his words slur a little and he found he was laughing quite a lot.

"Kill me, hahahaha!"  he laughed.  "He'd be very much welcome too, yes Captain, sir Captain.  Blah, blah, blah...  C'mon let me help you get up.  You seem drunker than I am.  You're very drunk, my dear."  He stood up, less wobbly than she and steadied himself beside her, helping her up where she had trouble.  "Le't save the rest for another night, hehehehe.  And then off to bed with you!  I won't have any objections!"

Evadne sent a grateful smile his way when he came to help her, and with his help the bottle of port went back to where it belonged. She made sure to put it behind some other pots and pans, so that her father wouldn't find out for a long while that someone had emptied it. While she held on to Taladan's arm, she knew she should utterly ashamed of herself for behaving like this, but she couldn't find the appropriate feeling in her.

"Bed? Yeah, that would be nice... but wasn't there a reason why I had to sleep on the chair?" Evadne wrecked her brains to remember what it was, frowning as she did. "Oh yes! I had to sleep in a chair because... " she paused a moment to steady herself on her feet "... because YOU were sleeping in my bed! Which is totally unfair if you ask me," Evadne scowled in the direction of her father's room. "I should be able to sleep in my own bed, even if you are there."

He couldn't imagine what her father could thinking if he was hearing the ruckus they were making in the room outside.  At least they didn't break anything, right?  That should account for something as well as for Taladan making sure the Captain's tipsy daughter got back into bed safely.  He wasn't the type to take advantage of poor, defenseless drunk people, such behavior had a tendency to  ruin a good time.  Even if he was a bit of a ruffian, he'd grown to respect the Captain and his household over the course of his few hour stay here.

Taladan dragged Evadne carefully to her room, navigating as wobbly as he was, but managing quite well enough.  Her words surprised him and he nodded with a yes.  "I know, I know.  But even I think as a guest, I've been gracious enough to receive all of your hospitality.  Don't you deserve to sleep in your own bed?  I think so.  Gods, my head is pounding!  Gah, okay here is the bed."  He sat her down and waited until she lied down on her own before tucking her in.  "I'll take your place over there in the chair.  I've slept in worse places."

Evadne smiled, barely able to see Taladan's face properly with the lack of both candle- and moonlight. She had never been tipsy before. When she drank anything at all, she usually stopped after one glass of something, and it was usually beer. Not the strong kind, either. Rules of etiquette didn't seem to matter anymore, because after all, who liked rules? They were a pain in the ass. Evadne's thoughts were incoherent, but her head was clear enough to realize that Taladan's plan was not an option. She gazed at him as he covered her with the blanket, realizing they smelled like him. Just before he retreated, Evadne caught hold of his hand.

"Honestly, I think my father would... would not... like me very much when I let you... sleep in the chair..." she said with some difficulty, feeling the sleep take hold of her. "You can stay, Taladan..." she mumbled, her voice trailing away. She didn't realize that she called him by his first name for the first time. She wasn't entirely asleep yet, but neither was she awake enough to think anymore.

His head was starting to spin more now and the bed looked very enticing from this angle.  For all he knew, he probably didn't even have the energy to make it to the chair in the other room.  It had been a very interesting night, both of pleasant (and awful) surprises and new people to get to know.  He was looking forward to his stay here for the next few days when his voice finally recovered.  And the rain didn't make for that bad of an excuse either.  And if they needed his help while he stayed, he didn't mind earning his keep either.

He half expected her to say what she did and didn't know exactly how to respond to something like that.  It wasn't that sex automatically clicked into his head or anything, yet there were certain assumptions to be had when a man shared a bed with a moment, especially when it wasn't his own.  Taladan grumbled and tried to slap himself awake.  Was that port a secret enchantment for sleep?  He crawled over her and lay by her feet, fully dressed and uncaring if he wrinkled them, where he collapsed into a deep, uneventful sleep.

Ever so slowly, Evadne awake from a terribly deep sleep. Unwilling to move she just lay there in the semi-darkness, until she found the spirit to open her eyes. The rain was still relentlessly beating down on the land, and occasional thunderbolts still lit up the sky. That reminded her of yesterday. Something had happened, hadn't it? And something just didn't feel right. She was in her own bed, in her own room, and everything seemed normal. Until she sat up. That was when she saw Taladan Ewing lying on the end of the bed, still fast asleep. Evadne's eyes went wide in shock. Crap!

The memories of the port and the drinking game came flooding back into her mind as she stared at the motionless figure. Her father would kill her if he found out they'd been sleeping in the same bed! And if she remembered correctly, it was Evadne herself that had invited Taladan to do so...

The girl cringed, recalling her behaviour from last night. She wasn't much of a ladylike person, but this was way, WAY beyond her normal boundaries and even further beyond the boundaries of society. Evadne swallowed. Ever so careful, she slid her legs out from beneath the blankets, and placed her feet on the cold hardwood floor. Trying to make as little noise and sudden movements as possible, she stood up from the bed and wobbled, grabbing her head while she held on to the wall. The room was spinning like crazy. She stood still for a moment, her eyes closed, until the spinning went away. Then she made her way to the cupboard.

Listening intently to Taladan's breathing, she concluded he must still be asleep and silently opened the cupboard doors. She would have to change her shirt. As swiftly as possible, she helped herself out of the blouse she'd been sleeping in and changed it for one of her working shirts, simple black linen with long sleeves. She tucked it loosely in her pants and slipped in her riding boots. Then she stashed the blouse on a shelf in the cupboard and closed the door. For a moment, she thought she heard an interruption in Taladan's steady breathing, but when she stopped and listened it was as if it had never been there. Silently, she opened the door of her own room, but immediately closed it again and leaned against the wood, trying to control her own breathing. Her father was still in the living room! It had to be early still, because he always got up at six and started work at seven. There was only one option left. Evadne moved to the side of the room, to the window, and opened it. Immediately she had to grab hold of the frames, as the wind howled against them and the rain flew inside. Without caring about waking up Taladan any longer, she climbed through the window and shut them as firmly as possible. Her father might think she had been out long before him already, this way. Avoiding detection by ducking at every window frame, Evadne made her way to the barn, already soaking wet when she got there. But she was safe. She leaned against her horse's box and exhaled. That was lucky. Now the only thing left to do was hoping Taladan wouldn't be so stupid as to betray they'd been sleeping in the same bed, however innocently they did so.

The moment his consciousness drained away from him, Taladan was instantly asleep.  But it seemed, over the years of sleeping in ditches and dirt holes and forest floors, he trained his senses to forever be alert to the surroundings abound.  Slight sounds shifted his breathing and though he wasn't disturbed by Evadne moving away from him or from her dressing, he was faintly aware that somebody was moving around in the room.  As long as they didn't touch him, he was perfectly fine.  Taladan shifted in and out of a dreamlike state, perhaps something that might be described as half-asleep.  But still images of some beautiful girls and beer and dancing and laughter all crowded around in his mind, having a good time.  He smiled unconsciously and shifted in his sleep.  A recollection of some blacksmith's daughter's marriage probably.  He'd been hired as the entertainment for the celebration and slept with one of the bridesmaids several times.  And the beer!  It flowed better than the port...  Port?  Where did that come from?  He faintly recalled something about port and a dark haired woman...  It couldn't have been the bridesmaid, she was a blond...  Hm, curious.

Then he woke up suddenly, unsure exactly what sound or shuffle made him do so.  But he burst up from his position on his belly and stretched accordingly, his head spinning.  He groaned again and decided not to move so fast as the smell of vomit reached his nostrils despite the open window.  He stared at it confusedly and moved very slowly towards it before closing it.  The sound of the slat hitting the sill made him jerk up and hold his head at the noise.  "Gah!  Oh, my head feels terrible," he moaned and took a seat at the foot of the bed.  They were all shifted about like there was another person here.

That's when it came flooding back to him.  And a sudden laugh burst from his lips.  Evadne must have took off after realizing something she didn't want to remember.  Taladan was amused and held his head as the echo of his own laughter clamored in it as if it were a cave.  "Oh dear," he said then exited the room.  He opened it carefully and tried to make it seem as if he was still half-asleep.  When he saw her father he raised his hand in greeting.  "Good um...morning, Mr. Gabor.  Do you always get up this early?"

Arthur looked up from his breakfast to see Taladan in the door opening. "Ah, Taladan," he said in greeting. He had no trouble calling the man by his first name, as he had to be at least 15 years younger than himself. "Yes, I do. Life in the countryside calls early. Actually, Evadne was already up and out when I got here." He finished the last piece of his toast and cheese, and pointed to the kitchen counter as he stood up.

"There's breakfast for you on the table. I figured I couldn't possibly send you home today, so you should stay a little longer. Perhaps you would like to go and help Evadne with the animals when you finish your breakfast? She should be in the barn."

Arthur donned his heavy raincoat and boots. "I have to go to town for some supplies. I should be back somewhere in the afternoon."

Taladan strode toward the food with a watering mouth and sat down without saying another word.  He ate voraciously and had hardly noticed that Evadne wasn't in the room.  He finished before Arthur left the room, and swallowed just in time to wave the captain goodbye.  That was a relief and now that that was over, he would put on his shoes (when he found them) and meet her in the barn.

"Goodbye, Mr. Gabor," he said before searching for his own sure to be mud-caked boots.  He found them just shortly before heading out.  The rain was a little lighter now but too heavy to leave the house for traveling long distances.  He didn't have much of a coat to protect himself but he made a mad dash for what he figured was the barn and burst through the open door soaking wet.

"Oh...." he said trying to catch his breath.  "Good morning, Evadne.  You're just as early as your father...  Um, what will we be doing today?"

The barn's atmosphere was both humid and cold, and if it had been any bigger it would have been foggy. Evadne wrapped her arms around herself for a moment, but she knew what she would have to do to get warm. Both of the horses were in need of a clean stable and fresh hay to sleep in, so that would be a good start of the day. Next to that all the animals needed feeding and watering (watering?). The last part had practically already been covered by the buckets she had left outside yesterday. They were all filled with clear rainwater.

Evadne opened Romeo's box and pulled him out  by the rope around his neck. "Come boy," she said quietly, leading him to the back of the barn where she tied him to an iron ring in the wall. He'd have to wait until she was done. She just grabbed a hay fork from the supply room when the barn door flew open and Taladan came bursting in, complete with panting and wild eyes. Evadne jumped.

"Hello," she replied, a little taken aback. The scenes from the previous night played in fast-forward on her retinas. Quickly she turned to the hay fork, doing anything to avoid an awkward silence. "You could help me cleaning out the stables," she said, grabbing another hay fork before handing it to Taladan. She got out a wheelbarrow, navigating it towards the stables. "The hay and dirt go in there," she pointed, and wasted no more time in getting to work. The longer she waited, the more she started to shiver.

The barn might have had its own earned realm of cold humidity (or was it humid coldness) but at the very least, it was dry.  The roof was well done from what Taladan observed and though he rubbed his arms vigorously to encourage heat to return to flesh, no water leaked through.  This was a hell of a lot better than running around in the rain.  Taladan didn't own any water resistant clothing other than the leather of his boots and even those could get wet inside if he didn't secure their mouths right.  The buckle did well to keep his foot from sliding around...as well as trapping it in wet stockings.

But they were dry for now and that was what really mattered.  Taladan pushed back his long hair and squeezed out what water was in it as he awaited orders.  Scratching at his beard, he nodded to her and jog-walked to take a look at one of the stables and made a horrified face in response.  "We have to clean...that?" he asked, pointed to the mess in one of the stalls.  "Very well, might as well get started while we can.  What are these horses named by the way?"  Taladan grabbed the fork and steadied the grip in his hands.  He might not have done this before, but he could learn fast.  Carpentry work couldn't be all that different from farm work if one used only their hands.  He could do this!  It wasn't like he was some kind of prissy ass bard.  Well, he was a bard, just not a prissy one.

He got to work immediately and soon warmed up from the work of his muscles against the humidity of the barn.  Not one to work silently really, Taladan grinned at her and said as if he knew her better than she knew herself, "So, did anything interesting happen while you slept?  I mean you got up pretty fast."

Evadne hid her amused grin when Taladan stared in horror at the boxes. "Yes we do," she said, trying to keep her voice neutral. Now she was in her element, on familiar terrain, knowing exactly what she was doing. He had outwitted her last night, but that wouldn't soon happen again.

"This is Romeo," she introduced her own stallion to Taladan, lovingly stroking the animal's nose. "You should approach him slowly. He doesn't like strangers very much." True enough the horse seemed rather anxious in Taladan's presence, but if he was any good with horses that would pass soon enough. Evadne also often found that horses were a good judge of character, instinctively feeling if someone had good intentions or not. Though she still had no idea what to think of Taladan, she sensed that Romeo would get along with him soon enough.

She went to the second box and slid aside the heavy, barred door. "And this is Emanuelle. Don't ask me why someone would name a horse Emanuelle, but my father likes the name. And she is his horse, so I didn't have much say in it." Evadne pulled the mare out by the rope around her neck, and tied her up to the section where the three cows housed. "Never put Romeo and Emanuelle close to each other. They don't get along very well, except for when my father and I are riding them. They're as different in personality as in appearance."

True enough, the animals were as different as they could be. Romeo was rather tall, with an ebony fur, while Emanuelle was considerably smaller with a chestnut colour. While Arthur preferred sturdy and dependable, Evadne enjoyed raw power and spirit.

After tying up her father's mare, she joined Taladan in the stables. The awkwardness was back on her side, and she worked on quietly. It took her a while to figure out where it came from. When he asked her about her quick escape, she flushed and suddenly it hit her.

It was his scent.

Evadne leaned on her hay fork a moment, baffled by the realisation. It had been so prominent last night. It was a mixture of sweat, alcohol and something else, something that she couldn't define, but it was unmistakeably masculine and she was strangely attracted by it. She swallowed, pushing the thoughts away before she answered.

"Well... I realised I would be dead if my father found out you ... well, that I let you sleep on my bed --" she purposely avoided the use of the words in my bed "-- so I figured I should get out before he could suspect anything." They finished cleaning out the box, and Evadne quickly moved to the one next to it, dying to get away from that scent for a while. She needed him to leave. She needed Taladan to go, she needed it to stop raining. But most of all, she needed Taladan to stop trying to get to know her. He was purposely breaking down the three-foot-thick wall she had been building since infancy, and as her defence crumbled away she felt herself getting smaller. She had done and said everything that drove every single sane person away, but he remained friendly and understanding. She had lost her self control last night, but he had remained friendly and understanding. She had sneaked out through the window after spending the night in the same bed, and still, he remained friendly and understanding. Evadne had completely lost the hang of it, and every minute longer he stayed near her, he confused her more.

His SCENT, for God's sake! she thought angrily, frustrated with herself.

She didn't look up when Taladan followed her into the next box. While walking to the wheelbarrow with a full hay fork, she concentrated on her balance and banned the struggle against herself out of her mind. "Did you happen to see my father?" Evadne asked him instead. "He should have been here by now."

It was nice to meet horses as they were the kind of creatures that managed to say a lot without saying anything at all.  He liked that kind of communication and made a distant wish that human beings communicated like that more often.  It sure made making friendships a bit of a challenge, and nothing said could be taken out of context because, well, there was nothing said.  Taladan offered a grin and wave to the horses, reaching out to pet Romeo's cheek firmly and without intimidation.  He heard somewhere that it wasn't wise to show any sort of trepidation around them.  Though he didn't ride often, the advice that sprang from loose lips of drunk stable hands would now be put to good use.

The horses were wary of him as he had a feeling they would be.  It was the most sensible thing to do in the face of a stranger.  Taladan kept smiling as he was introduced to the mare, a stockier chesnut that was in stark contrast to the stallion here.  "Good morning to you Emanuelle and Romeo.  It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" he said congenially just before Evadne tied them away.  Never put them together, one was her horse the other was Arthur's; Got it!

He went on working, scooping up the crud on the floor with the pitchfork one toss at a time, filling the wheelbarrow little by little.  There was a lot more than he thought there would be and the manure left behind in the stalls didn't smell so wonderful either, but he surely wasn't going to open his mouth to complain.  His hosts had given him work to do and far be it from him to be high and mighty and refuse.  After a while of course, his back protested slightly, but he grunted through it even as Evadne returned to his side, worked as well, then paused abruptly.

He just thought she had an itch or something or perhaps was considering her answer until she finally spoke.  He kept working as she did so and stopped as soon as she was done talking.  "Oh, I see now.   I'm afraid I'm going to have to thank you for that," he said.  "I didn't mean to threaten to inspire the wrath of your father.  It's a good thing you left.  But I didn't hear the door...did you go out the window?"  He didn't care whether or not she answered, he suspected as much that she did.  She seemed strangely jumpy around him, but he wouldn't bother to comment on it.  Things like that usually didn't bode well when one didn't know another very well.

When it was time to move on to the next stall, he brushed back his hair and scratched at his beard again.  "Actually, your father headed to town.  He said he needed some supplies and would be back in the afternoon.  I hope it stops raining by then, but it's good for your fields no?  Have you worked on the farm your whole life?"

Evadne closed her eyes and halted her work. When she looked up at him, there was only frustration in her eyes.

"Okay, just ... just stop asking me questions. You had your chance last night. You don't know me and you don't want to know me. I don't know how you've won my father over, but I will not be so easy to persuade, Mr Ewing."

Brusquely, she emptied another pitchfork on the wheelbarrow and threw it aside, brushing her hair out of her face.

[Edit: Sorry it's short, but I wanted to give Taladan a chance for a reaction that would not go by unnoticed. ^^]

Taladan was taken aback and stopped working.  He blinked at her a bit stupidly at first, but didn't stop grinning, it was as if he expected her to say such a thing though in truth he was completely taken by surprise.  "Whoa, hey.  Calm down.  I don't understand what the problem is.  I mean, I just thought I might as well get to know you if I'm going to be staying here for a while.  I'm just trying to be friendly.  What do you think I'm trying to do?  Break you down somehow?

"Tch no!  I'm just a nice person...  I mean, why did you convince your father to let me stay if you don't want me to talk to you?"

It would have been so much easier if he would just have stayed silent. But Evadne had to admit, that would have disappointed her. She spun around to face Taladan. "I convinced him to let you stay for two reasons, and neither of them had anything to do with feeling the urge to talk to you. One was common civility, which I apparently still possess, and the expectation you would be out by now, and two was the trouble we would get for letting you get sick and die in that field.

"And yes," she added, grinding her teeth, "by getting to know me you are breaking me down, and the worst part is, that I didn't even realise you were doing it! I am not a nice person, and I am not someone you should want to get to know. With everything I said and did, any normal person would not be smiling like you do now."

"For that I commend you," Taladan replied without missing a beat.  "Shows at least you have some kind of human decency in you.  Most people would let a bum like me just rot out there along the road.  Not that I wouldn't have minded, I've experienced worse."  Taladan kept working and tossed the last scrap into the wheelbarrow as well before sticking the points into the ground.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Evadne.  I'm not trying to be invasive.  Believe me when I say that I'd love to leave now if the weather allowed it but the truth is, I value my life a great deal.  But why are you suddenly acting like this?  What's so bad about trying to get to know you?  I don't care if you're not nice, I respect people for who they are.  There's nothing wrong with that....  Wait, you don't have many friends do you?"

You just don't get it, Evadne thought desperately. She wasn't thinking about the fact that she was a very hard person to understand, even a little bit. Taladan had not disappointed her at all, but that was just the problem, wasn't it?

His voice yanked her back to the present. You don't have many friends, do you?
The question echoed in her head. She stared at Taladan for a while, her eyes accusing him of breaking down her wall even further. Sternly, she picked up the pitchfork again and hid in a shadowy corner, working from there.

"No, I don't," she replied tonelessly.

Had he a chance to hear her thoughts through voice, his response would surely be that, no, he didn't get it.  He couldn't understand why she was so insistent on being guarded and resistant to any type of communication.  It was possible that she just wasn't used to such things, but then again most people would crave outside communication after having not done so for so long.  But maybe that was only people like him.

He said nothing as he watched her grab her fork and get back to work.  So, she was that type of woman.  He didn't continue with her but instead leaned against his fork negligently and tilted his head as he spoke.  "Well, how about we start slow?  Do you think you'd be very much against me becoming your friend?"

Holy crap! He was relentless! Evadne found herself once more staring at him, wondering what the hell was wrong with this man. Or right. He seemed to try to make up for the world's mistakes, in her eyes, and was even prepared to involve hers.

"Fine," she heard herself say to her utter surprise. Eva, what the hell are you doing?? She coughed, her cheeks red, but found herself again soon enough. She dropped her pitchfork and crossed her arms over her chest.

"But why don't you tell me first how you could possibly still be interested, and patient enough to become my friend, huh? What's the thinking? 'Cause I don't get it."

If he wouldn't have understood her thought had she heard it, there was a good chance that she wouldn't have understood his.  His reasoning for getting to know everyone without hindrance or prejudice.  Perhaps it had something to do with his being an only child, or the fact that his own father was quite finicky about the friends he had.

Taladan set a hand on his hip and used the other one to maintain balance on the pitchfork.  "Before I answer your question, answer mine.  What's so bad about getting to know you?  Are you some kind of murderer or something or secret nutjob that's got a million things to hide?"

In all honesty, Evadne could not answer that question. True, she was a nutjob. But it was not as if she had anything to hide. She considered the possibility of being afraid to get hurt. Letting someone in, trusting them, and eventually being let down by them seemed to be pretty common. But she knew that wasn't it. Pain is good, it let's you know you're alive, whatever kind of pain it is. And quite frankly, dealing with pain is easier than avoiding it.

Evadne let out an inaudible sigh. "I don't know. I just don't like people digging into my mind. But I don't doubt you'll find out once you do get to know me. I'm already a freakshow, it's not very likely to get better. Now, you answer my question."

"A mind-digger?  Is that what you think I am?"  It was then that Taladan let out an uproarious laugh that made both the horses and the cows and any other animals remaining in the barn all jump in unison.  But it wasn't an evil laugh, instead one of true humor.  Sure he was sure that wasn't what she was trying to say, but he couldn't help it.

"All right, Evadne.  Fair's fair.  Since you answered mine, I'll answer yours.  I'm a social creature by nature, all bards are.  You can't really become one of my profession without expecting to have to deal with people.  So might as well make the best of such situations.  The way I see it is, there's too much bad in the world that people could use at least one good thing in their life, even if that one good thing is little more than an honest friend.  I didn't have many friends when I was growing up, but now that I'm a man, I've come to realize that having good friends in life is not something everyone is blessed with.  So, I come to you now, with an offering of friendship in good faith."

"Oh, so your desire to get to know me comes from a general principle instead of a genuine interest in me as a person? That makes me feel a whole lot better," Evadne snapped at him before she could stop herself. She cringed when she heard her own words. Not a good way to accept an offering of friendship, Eva. "But whatever. I will attempt not to be the cause of your loss of faith in mankind."

Before Taladan could respond, she picked up the pitchfork and made her way to the exit of the stall, which, inconveniently, was blocked by Taladan's tall figure. His scent once again intruded in her nostrils, sending a set of shivers down her spine, touching something inside her.

"May I pass, please?" she added, her voice rather less cold and accusing. Suddenly she knew why she didn't want Taladan to know her. He confused her, made her feel like someone else, someone she entirely didn't know. And she was comfortable with the Evadne she had been all her life. She glanced up at his face, studying his features, wondering what it was that brought about these feelings.

Taladan laughed again, this time a soft, somber chuckle that rumbled along his throat like a bunch of barrels rolling down a rocky cobblestone street.  She really was quick to express her opinion wasn't she.  As well as to make a point that was not at all expressed.  He found that amusing, how people could so easily jump to conclusions.

It was his turn to cross his arms over his chest and he stood there like a pillar in her way with that knowing grin on his face.  He didn't move when she requested him to.  "Has it ever occurred to you that I want to be friends with people because I will always have a genuine interest in who they are?  The principle is the person, my dear.  And it will always be the person."

Without anything further to add, he turned and leaned back, gesturing for her to pass.  "Now you may.

For once, can you NOT have the last word? Evadne thought angrily. But this time she was so wise as not to spill it out instantly. Taking care not to touch him, she slipped past him through the door opening and marched towards the doors of the barn, dropping her pitchfork by the wheelbarrow as she went. Outside still were the buckets, and she brought in two. She emptied one in each stable, and then grabbed a couple of tough brooms.

"Here," she said quietly when she pushed one of them in Taladan's hands. "You're supposed to clean the floors now, if you don't mind. The dirty water goes in there." She pointed at a sort of small gutter that ran through the middle of the barn, stretching from the doors to the wall, eventually to disappear beneath the latter.

Without a further word, Evadne went to work in Romeo's stall.

He leaned his own pitchfork against the drainage wall and waited until she returned with the buckets.  Silence reigned yet again and he didn't protest it.  It was refreshing now, instead of some kind of obstruction.  After she emptied them, one for each stall, he took the broom she'd given him without another word.

He scrubbed and worked harder now, pressing his weight against the water and dumping it where she'd indicated.  If only he was aware of how his 'scent' was affecting her he might have opted to put on some kind of enchantment that would make him sweat less.  But the shirt he wore was soaked through along the neck and his arms.  And suddenly it was too hot in the barn despite the outside.  So, as he was wont to do in such situations, the shirt went abruptly over his head and off his torso.

Stubbornly keeping her mouth shut, Evadne worked hard in the stable adjacent to the one Taladan was working in. At least her attempt to keep them separated for a while had worked. And now she could finally catch her breath. Used to working hard, Evadne finished her work quickly. She stepped out of the stall and stashed the broom in the supply cupboard. Then she took the pitchfork again. She took a deep breath before checking on Taladan.

He seemed just about finished as well, but that was not what made her jaw drop. Just before coming in, she had come across some white bundle that lay on the floor, and she was pretty sure she didn't leave anything like that lying around. When she picked it up, it appeared to be a shirt. A wet shirt. And it smelled horribly familiar.

Now, she was staring at a bare-chested Taladan, not able to look away, unlike the other day when she walked in on him in her own room. She hadn't dared to look at him then, as there was much more exposed than there was now, but this didn't mean there was nothing to look at. Evadne swallowed and turned around brusquely, trying not to think about how goddamn attractive he was. Though Taladan had told her he was a carpenter's son, she never expected him to be this well-shaped. He was a bard, for heaven's sake! Bards were supposed to have lots of hair and a beer gut. A BIG beer gut. Evadne coughed, there was no doubt in her mind that her cheeks were as red as they could get.

"There's fresh hay over there," she muttered while she walked to the stall that contained only dry hay. Desperate to take her mind off the vision that was Taladan, she took a big scoop of hay on her pitchfork and made her way to Romeo's stall.

To his misfortune (or was it fortune), he wasn't paying attention to Evadne nor her surprised reaction at the fact that he had the gall to take off his shirt.  He didn't really have her thoughts or feelings into consideration when he did it.  The fact was, he was too heated up to really care if she saw him or not.  Maybe he'd go out for a jog in the rain afterwards.  That thought didn't please him too much and instead Taladan worked faster until he was complexly finished.  Then he placed the broom to the side and peeked into her stall.  "All right.  I'm right on it."

He walked to the other stall and replenished the hay as he had seen her doing.  It was a quick job and after a few trips for more bits of the hay, he was done.  He looked over in her stall and gave a quick reference to the ground.  "Hey, where's my shirt.  It was just here on the ground a few minutes ago."

Oooh, that's just funny. That's HILARIOUS, Taladan. Evadne's cynicism reached an ultimate high when he asked for his shirt, and wordlessly, she fished it out of the hay in her own stable and threw it at him with as much force as a linen shirt can be thrown. "I think you dropped this, sir," she couldn't help but add.

Without further comments, she marched past him and began filling a couple of empty buckets with food for the animals. When each had its share of oats and water, she pushed Romeo and Emanuelle back in their fresh, clean stalls and leaned against the door. It was only now that she felt how hungry she was. "Well, my friend, I thank you for your help. It was really most helpful and I appreciate it."

Evadne knew she was only able to retain her sarcasm while not looking at Taladan, so she turned around and stroked Romeo's neck while she continued. "I'm quite hungry now, so I am going to get my breakfast. Considering you didn't have to climb out the window, I assume you already had your breakfast?"

[I won't be online tonight for most of the night, I have to babysit. But I will most likely log on after I come back to answer any messages/posts, if that helps (: ]

He gave her a curious glare.  "Yes, I think I did drop it...  I didn't think it suddenly grew legs and walked away," he said with very light sarcasm.  "Thank you, you're such a dear."  He threw the shirt over his shoulder and let it hang there for a moment before he watched her finish up the task of feeding the animals.  He didn't think it would do to interfere on her moody mantra.  From what he learned, it wasn't good to interrupt any woman's moody mantra.

"You're welcome, Evadne," he said after she thanked him.   But then he stared at her with a cynical grin the one he was starting to become accustomed to wear now and chuckled with the utmost humor.  "So you did climb out the window.  I knew it.  I knew you couldn't have gone out the door.   You're more interesting than I thought you were."  He said nothing more it but just looked at her with a grin before he stalked behind her.

"Yes, I did have my breakfast.  You know, now that I think about it...  Why don't you let me make something for you?  I'm an excellent cook.  You wouldn't know it by the looks of me, but really I am.  Let me try.  What would you like for breakfast?"

For a moment, Evadne considered letting her pride speak and turning him down flat, but then she let her shoulders drop and sigh. She had done enough being angry and frustrated today, and though the frustration would probably continue she held the power to let go of the anger.

"Very well," she said tiredly. "But I want an omelet. A BIG one, with herbs and bacon and cheese." With that, she turned around and left the barn. Taking a hot bath seemed like a good idea to her too, but in all likelihood she would spend more time outside today, in the mud and the rain, so it would be better to leave it for later.

Not at all seeing the necessity to run back to the house, Evadne calmly strolled through the rain, checking if Taladan was closing the barn doors behind him. They would be better off completely locked, to avoid the wind from battering them open, but she might need to be there later. Beneath the edge of the hay-covered roof Evadne squeezed out her hair, waiting for Taladan before she opened the front door. Though it had to be somewhere around nine o'clock already, it still seemed like night-time with the black clouds covering the sky.

"I trust you won't attempt to poison me, Mr Ewing?" Evadne asked over her shoulder while the pair of them entered the house.

Taladan was happy she wasn't a bitch for half a second.  His grin turned huge on in the inside as well as the outside and he happily put his shirt back on as if in some alternate communicative world, he knew that was probably what she would tell him to do.  He was cooler anyhow and the sweat that form along his forehead was dripping down and eventually tried up.  Wiping along his skin, he pushed his sleeves up, rolling them along the way as he followed her out the barn.

"I'm going to make you the biggest omelet you've ever had in your life!" he yelled across the yard as she walked toward her house.  He closed the barn doors with some effort and locked them as if she didn't need to tell him to.   With that done he jogged to the house and trailed with her into the house.  At her next question, he offered a hearty chortle and shook his head.

"I'll do no such thing, my dear.  And please call me Taladan.  Mr. Ewing was my father's preferred form of address.  Last I checked I was not my father."

[Chortle? O_o]

Evadne shook her head in a [*hopefully correctly translated*] commiserating way while she moved towards the kitchen, where they seemed to be spending a lot of time, and gestured at some cabinets behind the kitchen counter isle, in which was a sort of oven that could be used as a cooker. "There are supplies in there. You should find everything you need. And feel free to make some for yourself while you're at it. Oh, there are logs next to the fireplace you can use in the oven."

She suspected they would have to be careful with the wood supply from now on. The rain didn't look like it would be stopping any time soon, and the logs that were outside would be damp at the very least, despite the shed they were in. They would be unfit for burning for at least a couple of days, thanks to the leaky roof.

In the mean time, Evadne went on to light some candles to create some more brightness. The windows were small, and the shutters half closed, which made the kitchen dusky. Then she grabbed a stool and went to sit on the other side of the kitchen isle, leaning on the counter with her lower arms, waiting to be impressed.

[A chortle is a kind of laugh]

She showed him where everything he would need was.  Let's see, large omelet meant lots of eggs, at least  seven...herbs meant basil maybe small pieces of celery...cheese and bacon...  Taladan didn't think she'd want the bacon in the omelet itself.  Buuuut, that would certainly make for an interesting concoction in the near future.  He rubbed his chin while he thought, listening with both ears but lost already in his mind as to how he was to make the most perfect omelet in the world.
   
He heard shuffling in the background if only faintly due to his currently being lost in thought.  He'd opened the cabinets and took out the necessary tools.  Wooden spatula, pan, large bowl and all the ingredients.  He went to work loading the oven with wooden and waited until it spat up ashes to show that it was hot enough before actually throwing the pan on top of the burner.  With seven cracks, the eggs were broken, their shells fastidiously discarded atop each other.  He began to beat the yolk, mixing it together and the motions he devised sort of sent a rhythm through him and he started to move his hips in a dancing formation.

A tune emerged from his throat in the form of a hum and he mixed in the herbs with a toss after they were cut and whipped them as well.  The pan was sizzling by now and went up in steam as the eggs went into it.  He turned the hum into a whistle, as if he were in his element now.  He grabbed the handle with the nearest rag he found.  Then in went the cheese as he folded the omelet over.  It was slightly tricky as he did so since the omelet was so large, yet he did so with such ease that as if by magic, there appeared on a wooden plate, a golden brown omelet, its edge drooping over the sides of the plate due to its size, and two strips of crispy bacon that had followed the omelet after it was removed.

He spun and served it in front of Evadne after it was done and with it appeared a fork and a knife as if from thin air.  Taladan grinned majestically and bowed.  "Would you like something to drink, madame?"

Evadne watched with rising interest at his cooking skills, taking in what he was doing, so that possibly she could try it too one day. To her own discomfort, she felt herself relax. Relaxing was not good. It meant she was easily caught off guard. And when he started moving to his own tune she couldn't help but feel grateful that he had his shirt back on again. She doubted she would have been able to take it right now.

"Thanks," she managed to get out when Taladan placed the huge egg in front of her, complete with the bacon and the necessary cutlery. "Well, it seems I got what I asked," she grinned then, recalling her demand for a BIG omelet. Realising she was still supposed to be mad at him, Evadne quickly let the grin evaporate and took the first bite. "It's very good," she said, glancing at him carefully. "Feel free to make yourself some, too," she added. Suddenly she heard the door open behind her, and she turned half round on her chair to see who it was. There were several people that were allowed to just walk in at any given time, as was usual for life on the farm.

A tan, angular face looked into the kitchen, and a smile appeared on the young man's face. "Ha, Eva!" he said jovially. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, a stark but handsome contrast with his skin. "I hoped I would catch you a moment."

Evadne waved at him, smiling, and left her egg alone for a moment. "Hi Thayer," she greeted back, watching as he carried in four large bottles of milk in a metal rack and placed them next to the kitchen counter. Thayer touched his farmer's hat for a moment in greeting to Taladan, and then turned to Evadne, leaning on the counter next to her.

"I ran into your father on the way here," he told her. "Didn't seem like he was in a very good mood." Evadne grinned. "I didn't think he would be. He'll probably be complaining about his crops dying all day. Frankly I was glad he went out this morning." She deliberately flushed out the biggest reason for that, but Thayer didn't seem to suspect anything.

"That's the benefit of a milk plant," he winked. "Cows can stay inside quite well, and production doesn't necessarily stop, either. Anyway, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come with me to the Fall Festival this weekend. It should not be cancelled if it stops raining today or tomorrow."

Evadne hardly even thought about her answer. "Yeah, sure. Should I come to you then?" Thayer stared at her quasi-shocked. "Eva, where did you leave your brain this morning?! I'm coming to pick you up, of course."

She chuckled. "Alright then. I'll see you then?" Thayer nodded and let his hand rest on her shoulder for a moment. "Yep. It's date." Quickly, he escaped from the kitchen, expecting some sort of revenge from Evadne. She grinned and shook her head, turning back to her egg.

Taladan held his hands behind his back while she was busy sampling the extremely large omelet he'd made for her.  He shook his head when told to make some for himself.  "No, I already ate, thanks.  I don't eat much in the morning anyways, so I'll be fine."  He jumped a little when the other man she'd then called Thayer came into the house.  He had the look of a farmboy, born and raised.  Taladan cocked his head inspectively.  He didn't see too many blond haired, blue-eyed Adelans, but this was a first.  He was interesting to look at, like a jester that wore too much face paint.
   
He nodded his head and offered a light rhetorical "How do you do?" before simply standing back and watching the quick display of emotions and exchange of words between the two.  When the young man finally left, Taladan couldn't help his knowing grin.   "Hmph!  He's not a gentleman that's for sure.  Doesn't even have the decency to take his hat off in the presence of a lady," he remarked subtly before turning his eyes on her.  "Hahahahahaha....  But you like him don't you?  I saw that look on your face and that faint grinning of your eyes.   Why weren't you the one to ask him to this festival?"

Evadne raised her eyebrow while chewing on a piece of bacon. "Well, you might have noticed there are other things on my mind right now. There was not really any room for a happy festival. And no, I don't like him."

She hunched over her egg, eating more quickly now. "I've known him practically my whole life. We grew up making mud pies together. And we do these things sometimes. Or we go out riding." The sound of her and Thayer together sounded absolutely ridiculous to Evadne. Of course, when she reached puberty she had seriously considered the possibility of the two of them together, because well, honestly, she felt they owed it to themselves to see if there could be more, but she never seemed to get past the point of being friendly.

"What about you then, huh? Don't you have some lovely lady waiting for you to come home somewhere?"

"I seriously doubt that you don't like him.  You gave him the eye.  And you certainly responded to him better than you did to me.  It hardly matters if you grew up together, I think you're sweet on him."  Taladan laughed and took a seat across from her.  He could understand the concept of such a thing occurring between friends.  It happened all the time and far be it from him to thrash down on it.

He sighed at her next question and leaned back in the chair.  "Hardly.  I'm not the marrying kind, really and I can't settle, what with my work and all that.  Of course, that doesn't mean I don't have a few girlfriends here and there; but they're mostly for enjoyment, they not so serious about me, nor I them.  What about you?  You ever have a boyfriend?"

Evadne frowned. That was not the kind of question she liked to answer, and neither did she take kindly to his assumptions about her and Thayer. He was way too immature for her. She had never gotten along with men her age. Cutting up the last quarter of her egg, Evadne shrugged. "If that's what you like to believe. And to answer your question; no. I have not had a boyfriend. Not that it's any of your business. I like to stay independent."

After swallowing another piece of egg, she looked up at him. "And how can you know you're not the marrying kind if you've never done it before? Maybe you just haven't found the right person to marry to."

While Taladan didn't seem to mind answering questions about himself, Evadne seemed a little more uptight about such things, as if he were prying too much.  He had had about enough of that, since if they were going to be friends, being guarded was only going to get in the way of that.  But Taladan kept his cool and leaned upon his arm that he'd propped up on the table.  "It certainly is at least partially my business, where casual conversation is concerned."

"You don't have to be married to know that it isn't for you," he chuckled.  "The point is, I'm kind of like you, independent and I'm not so much the kind to settle down.  To be honest, I'm not actively looking.  But you're probably the kind to want to eventually right?  Usually women your age are already settled with a little one on the way.  Looks like Thayer's been dragging his feet, eh?"

Evadne clenched her jaw. He really was determined to push this whole friendship thing to the limit. Somehow he had already forgotten about his promise to take it slow. Apparently his promises weren't worth very much. Without answering, she calmly finished the last of her egg. When she had put her knife and fork neatly on the plate, she looked up at him again.

"First of all," she said quietly, "you are nothing like me. Secondly, I don't plan on settling down just for the sake of settling down. I need to have a seriously good reason for that. Until then, I am perfectly content where I am. Or anywhere, really, but at least I am sure my father will not judge me for it. He has never been married either, so he has no right to judge me.

"And finally," Evadne added after a short pause, "the very last thing I would want are squealing children right now. Maybe some day in the far far future I may get the urge to be a mother, or at least that is what I understand from some women, but it would not be a rational decision. I don't think I'm really the kind of person to raise a child."

"You take this friendship thing with a vengeance don't you," Taladan said amusedly.  He reached and took her plate from her without another word and strode over to the dish basin.  He started working on scrubbing it clean and turned to look behind him.  "I didn't mean it like that, Evadne.  I meant that we were independent.  Geeze, so sensitive aren't you?  Well, that's okay.  We're all a little too defensive from time to time."

Taladan finished drying the lone plate and utensils before producing a cup from one of the cupboards after some inspecting and going back to the where the rest of the food was, then pulled out a pitcher of a liquid he suspected to be milk and poured it into the cup.  Putting it back, he returned to the table and placed the drink in front of her, bowing yet again, almost with some condescendence.

"I didn't know your father wasn't married.  He seems like a really nice guy when he wants to be.  I'm surprised frankly.  And as for you, I applaud your choice to take your life into your own hands.  I don't see that in many women these days and for that you've earned my respect.  Of course, when it comes to children, that's really a you-don't-know-until-you-try moments.  Even more than marriage.  But when the moment comes, you'll be ready I'm sure."

Evadne tilted her head a little, eyeing Taladan sharply. For once, she found it hard to believe he was not trying to lure her out of her defensive stance. She actually thought that he meant it when he said she'd earned his respect for the choices she made. Slowly, she pulled the cup of milk towards her and lifted it to her mouth to drink from it. So Taladan didn't judge her either. Or if he did it was in a good way. At least he wasn't one of those people that found the idea of a twenty year old unmarried girl perfectly horrid.

"Thank you," she said carefully. Before she had time to say more, the door swung open and a completely drenched Arthur stepped on the mat. "Dad!" Evadne exclaimed happily, glad to be finally relieved of her duty to befriend the humming bard (that sounds an awful lot like humming bird xD). Arthur winked at his daughter and hung his coat on a hook next to the door, where a small pool of water slowly started to form.

"I see the work on the farm has done you no harm, Taladan," he grinned at the guest behind the counter. "Actually, there is something I have for you. I ran into some connections in town."

Evadne looked on as her father produced a parchment envelope from his jacket pocket and handed it to Taladan. She had a hard time ripping her gaze off the paper when Arthur asked for her attention again. "How was everything in the stables? Did Taladan help you okay? You were out early, by the way."

Evadne nodded, keeping her face neutral. "Yes. The chair wasn't all that comfortable. And everything was fine. We were done in no time." Quickly, she turned her gaze back to the letter Taladan had gotten and which he was now reading.

He was glad he didn't jump this time when Arthur came bursting through the door.  It was as if he sort of half expected it.  The bard cleared his throat and welcomed the Captain home.  "Afternoon Arthur!  That was an awfully fast trip!  Glad to have you back, sir....  Oh?"  Taladan took the piece of parchment curiously in his fingers.  It was roughly rendered and he carefully opened it up before dragging his eyes carefully over the chicken scratch print.

After he was done, he smiled and shrugged negligently.  "Wonderful.  I knew work would find me, but not so quickly," he said.  "Nice man this, er," he looked at the paper, "Oh a Mr. Will Scarsly.  Looks like he heard I was coming into town and hired me for that festival coming up in the next few days though I hope I can sing by then.  With this good news, I'll be out of your hair, Mr. Gabor, in no time.  But, until then, I hope you don't mind if I stay a few more days.  The rain should let up any moment now, surely, and I'll carry my weight around here.  I'm no loafer.  I'll do extra work around to make up for it and pay you for your kindness."

Evadne stared at him, baffled at his impudence to imply he was allowed to stay longer. But what struck her more was her father's reply. "Of course, you're welcome here. I figured this would happen, and so I've arranged for a visitor's bed to arrive when it stops raining. Then perhaps we might see more of you after this." Arthur sent an encouraging grin Taladan's way, and Evadne's mouth fell open. UN-BE-LIEVABLE. With a bang, she set down the cup, spilling milk all over the kitchen counter.

"Well," she said, her blood boiling, "while you two gentlemen tell each other all about that, I am going to make myself scarce as women should when men come together. If you would please excuse me."

Without further delay, she stood up from the stool and marched out of the front door, running towards the fields without bothering to close the door properly.

Arthur watched his daughter's back as she disappeared through the curtain of rain, and arched his eyebrow. "Most interesting," he said while closing the door. He wondered if she really disliked Taladan so much, or if something in particular had happened between them. "Please forgive Eva's behaviour. I'm sure she'll feel better soon. In the mean time, how would you like to help me change her room around? We should make room for the extra bed."

With his experience in the army in which served both men and women, he saw no harm in this. Had he been raised with sisters instead of only brothers, or if only he had been a simple foot soldier instead of a captain with his own residence anywhere he went, he would certainly have thought otherwise.

When Eva suddenly slammed the cup on the table, spilling the milk in a sufficient puddle, Taladan rolled his eyes curiously over to her and was silent while she made a swift departure.  He liked how she was so easily infuriated all the time, especially when things didn't turn out the way she wanted.  It was so interesting and though Taladan was more than likely to be aloof about such behavior if it was from other people, she only made him want to know more about her.  It was a good thing he'd gotten in good with her father when he had the chance.

"You're excused!" he called out after her with a happy lilt in his voice.  Then turned his attention back to the Captain.  "All is excused, all is forgiven, sir," he nodded.  "Sure I'll help you, but just one moment."  Taladan scooped up the cup and sipped what was left of the milk from there.  "Can't have that go to waste, I think.  C'mon let's get started.  The rain doesn't look like it's going to be staying too long."

Taladan strode down the hall toward that familiar, once vomit-filled room, and allowed Arthur to enter first.  "Alright, well, I suppose you'd want the bed moved first."

Evadne didn't stop running until she had reached the last of the mud filled fields. Then she halted, planting her hands on her knees and catching her breath. With her eyes closed, she just let the rain stream down on her back, welcoming the cleansing. Slowly, still with her eyes closed, she sank through her knees and crouched on the ground, burying her hands in the liquid earth. Only then did her spirits return to normal, inch by inch. Evadne took a deep breath. She hated it when things did not turn out the way she had expected. She hated surprises of any sort. And since Taladan Ewing had been their guest, there had not been a moment without surprise. Evadne knew she was probably overreacting, she knew that Taladan wasn't a bad person at all, and yet he had a way of getting on her nerves. And she also knew she was not at all flexible, which caused the way she reacted to him. He loved life, took it as it came, not at all bothered by change. Evadne, unfortunately, was the opposite. She was not as bad as her father, with his constant need for routine and plans, but she realised that if she didn't take care, she'd become just like that.

Evadne dug her hands deeper into the earth, letting it slip through her fingers, and felt herself becoming calmer while her senses heightened. Slowly, she moved her focus from one part of her body to the other, becoming aware of its position and its contact with the earth beneath her. It was a good way of meditation. The longer she sat there, the lighter it became. Eventually it stopped raining at all, and a strip of blue sky appeared on the horizon. It was then that Evadne looked up, gazing at her surroundings with renewed energy. She stood up from her crouched position, her long black hair sticking to her face, and turned around. Looking at her house, she wondered what would have changed this time when she would go back inside. Not yet, she told herself when she considered going back. Deep inside her she knew she wasn't ready yet, that she wouldn't be able to keep her frustration under control when she would go back now. Instead, she walked back to the barn and rinsed her mud covered hands in a bucket of water before she opened the door. Time to let Romeo stretch his legs.

When Evadne came back several hours later, the sky had cleared up mostly, though there were still some rain-clouds on the horizon. The sun was at about three quarters of its daily path through the sky, and disappeared behind some puffs of white cloud occasionally. And the ride had almost dried Evadne completely. She took care of Romeo, feeling much better when she stepped back inside the living room. To her wonder, she did not find her father and Taladan there. That's weird, she thought, puzzled. She hadn't spotted them anywhere in the fields from her position on Romeo's high back either. Shrugging it off, she filled a large pot with water and hung it over the fireplace. A bath would be a good idea.

She moved towards her own room, which wasn't entirely closed. Evadne pushed open the door, and immediately her heart stood still. The lost inhabitants of the farm were found, as both of them stood with their arms crossed over their chests, looking contently at what appeared to be an entirely new room. Her large bed, which usually stood facing the door, had been placed right beneath the window and against the wall. The table with the ewer and wash cloth had been moved to a couple of inches next to the bed, also against the wall, and instead of just one set of wash equipment, there now were two ewers, two wash cloths, and two bars of soap. On the other side of the table, in the corner, stood a slightly smaller bed than her own, neatly made, and with one of the pillows of Evadne's bed. The folding screen with the wooden bath tub had been moved to the corner directly on the right of the door. The big cupboard was the only thing that hadn't moved.

"You have GOT to be --" Evadne started, feeling the rage build up from inside her. As the two men became aware of her presence, Evadne quickly turned around and leaned against both sides of the door frame with her hands, trying to get herself under control. A myriad of swearing words and insults crossed her mind, but she managed to keep them in by biting her tongue off. After a small minute, she took a deep breath and turned around again.

"If you wouldn't mind leaving the room, I would like to take a bath," Evadne said tonelessly while pushing past Taladan, to open the cupboard for some towels and clean clothes.

There were several times when Taladan wished he had powers that stemmed beyond his voice.  Though his was a gift that he never abused, being about to rearrange an entire room by hand was something that really ought to be able to be done with nothing more than a snap of one's fingers.  Maybe he would take up some kind of magical telekinesis that some people were willing to teach; he wasn't sure what school of magic that would pertain to however, so the thought of learning something he knew almost nothing about was as thrilling as trying to traverse an unknown land without so much as a map.  Forget about accuracy, even then!  And it was times of trying labor like this, of shifting objects too big for a single man to carry that he was really, really glad that he was a carpenter's son.

Even if he didn't regularly exercise, the furniture still managed to move with better ease than he'd imagined.  First to be moved was the bed, then the tables and when time came for the second, smaller bed to arrive, Taladan was already starting to perspire.  Before long, he thought, Evadne's room would be stuck with the stench of sweaty men.  In a way he felt sorry for the young woman; first there was the vomit that was a complete accident in the first place, then suddenly this.  He wondered then if on some distant world, people had a way of getting rid of unwanted smells, maybe by burning some incense or some kind of mechanical contraption with spinning blades that made air.  But such notions were completely ridiculous and would be a waste of time for anyone.   He'd better bathe the first chance he got if there wasn't anything else to do.

He stood with his hands on his hips, panting, when the entire room was finished to the final detail.  He hoped Evadne wouldn't mind too much, but then again, she seemed to get so easily upset over small things, he doubted that she wouldn't have anything to say about this later on.  Now if only he could get out of there before...

SHIT!

Taladan huffed internally and crossed his arms over his chest while he turned to her and tilted his head teasingly.  "Of course you can.  Be my guest.  This is your room too, you know," he said.  And walked away from her, nudging her shoulder as he did so, and through the door, closing it gracefully.

[OOC: I think you enjoy making Evadne go berserk even more than Taladan does. xD]

Evadne was completely flabbergasted. Frozen in place, she saw from the corner of her eyes how Taladan left the room, pushing against her shoulder as he went. The door closed behind him. Too softly, for Evadne's taste. Her father eyed her carefully from beside. "So... " he started. "Did you and Romeo have a nice ride?"

The young woman hadn't moved up to this point. But now, she turned her head with a jolt and stared at her father with so much anger in her eyes that he coughed and left the room, following Taladan. Evadne's eyes lingered on the place where her father's face had been. How can he?!

She couldn't remember the last time she had been this angry. It was possibly when she was around six years old, and Thayer had stolen her favourite wooden animal, teasing her with it for days until she almost literally exploded. This was even worse. Breathing heavily through her nose, Evadne leaned against the wall and buried her face in her hands. Her anger was so overwhelming she just didn't know what to do with it, and her mind just kept going over the same thing. She understood that Taladan would not want to be very nice to her, since she hadn't been very nice to him. She understood that he might want to get back at her for that. But he had crossed a line. And he had crossed it bigtime. He abused her father's miraculously conceived trust, and made her feel like she was the visitor instead of him. By acting this was his home, and completely winding her father around his finger that got up to the point of getting away with anything he said, and by placing the new bed -- HIS bed -- in her room without even the courtesy of asking her, he had lost any respect she had for him. Taladan was here at Evadne's mercy.

Slowly, Evadne lowered her hands and stared at the wall. She realised she had lost her one and only buoy -- her father -- and whether she liked it or not, she would be the visitor in her own house as long as Taladan stayed here.

Looking rather beat up, she opened the door again, and, with a blank expression and without taking note of the two occupants of the living room, took the big pot with hot water off the fire. Without so much as a word, she went back to her own room, closing the door behind her as softly as Taladan had done. Absently, she filled the tub with a mixture of hot and cold water, and a massive amount of lavender soap. When she was sitting in the wooden tub, stripped of all her clothes, she started thinking again. Evadne pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, leaning her chin on her knees. It was baffling how one man knew how to get to her so easily. A man she hadn't even known for a full twenty-four hours. Shivering, Evadne bit her lip, swallowing the tears of frustration in her throat. This was exactly why she never made friends.

After a good two hours in the bath tub, ignoring the knocks on the door and warnings dinner was ready, Evadne finally emerged from a cold water filled tub. Firmly, with some new found strength, she dried herself with a towel and shot in some wide, comfy pants and shirt that sometimes served as pyjamas. After brushing and drying her hair as much as possible, she slid beneath the covers of her bed, closing the curtains, and turned her face to the wall.

It had to be hours later when someone finally came in, but Evadne gave no response whatsoever and kept her eyes stubbornly shut. If you can't beat them... join them.

[Think what you like!]

Breakfast was cleared up with a scrap and clatter as the remaining dirty dishes and cup was all washed, dried and then put away.  By now, dinner was well underway and Taladan did not want to think about Evadne's more and more common silent outbursts.  She was the epitome of women.  Or at least the ones he encountered.  Some too graceful to voice their opinions when it really irked them, and others that had no bounds or decency whatsoever.  Evadne seemed to walk the threshold between the two.  He could admire a woman that spoke her mind, as well as the ones that smiled with societal constipation.  Each had their strengths in their own way.

Preparing food was something he felt he was going to be doing more and more often while he stayed here.  It wasn't that he minded, but if he was going to be doing a lot of cooking, Evadne better learn to appreciate at least that part of him.  It was not his intention to step on her toes what with her father changing her room and all, but nor was he going to let her anger torment him into sullenness.  He was a happy man!  Why shouldn't he enjoy his stay here?  He'd always been the kind to handle change with the flow of events, nothing was always the same one way or another and to try to fight it was only going to make matters worse.  If only his voice wasn't so gruff to the sound right now, a condition he was sure would pass by the time the festival arrived, he was sure he could sing to Evadne and maybe then she would lighten up!  But, of course, it would be better if she came around on her own.

Taladan soon snapped out of his thoughts at the pop and snap of cooking oil in the new cooking pan he was operating.  In it were fowl legs that her father had taken the liberty of butchering while Taladan worked the still flaming oven.  He tossed another log in there when the flames got too low.  And when the oil snapped to a finish he pulled the meat out with two rods, one poking each side, and laid it out on the plate with the rest of the finished main course.  While that had been going on, her father was busy crushing potatoes and mixing its mashed entrails into a bowl with seasons and a small bit of butter.  It didn't take long before he was done with that and onto mixing cabbage leaves with various other vegetables in another bowl. Soon the plates were all decked out on the table and meal laid out at the center, ready to be devoured.  The smells made the bard's stomach grumble and he rubbed it sympathetically.

Arthur called for his daughter to come to eat and when she appeared, all clean and in fresh clothes, Taladan's eyes gleamed and his teeth flashed.  "Oh you look really nice!" he said lightly and offered to pull a chair out for her.  "Dinner's ready, as you already know.  Let's eat," he declared before taking his own seat and grabbing a piece of the fried bird at the center.

It had been incredibly hard for Evadne, but over the past two days she had managed to keep up her mask of indifference almost flawlessly. With great discipline, she was learning to control and not to show her anger by meditation and placing her view of things outside herself, as if she was looking down on the situation, instead of processing events the moment they hit her. It was a tiresome road to walk, and at the end of both days she had been completely knocked out. A good thing too, because if she hadn't been, she would probably have refused to sleep in Taladan's presence. Her father, however, had apologised in his own, clumsy way, for bluntly placing the new bed in her room without even a moment of consideration or consultation for Evadne's ideas about that. And since Arthur Gabor hardly ever apologised, Evadne had found it hard to stay mad at him.

Now, as she was picking out her clothes for the festival tonight, she was looking forward immensely to talking to other people. People that weren't half as annoying as Taladan, not half so well-smelling, and twice as easy to reject. Hesitating, Evadne held up two different shirts. One was lavender, matching her eyes, with short sleeves, and the other was sleeveless, low cut and black. She decided on the black shirt, not feeling quite colourful enough for the purple one. Together with tight black pants and flats, she would look rather dark, which fitted her mood exactly. And it was a peasant's festival, with lots of beer if she assumed things were the same as last year, and since she was also going there on horseback there was no place to wear a dress. For which Evadne was most grateful.

She had only just dressed when Arthur knocked on the door and said dinner was ready, and about half a minute later Evadne emerged from her bedroom, pushing a hand through her damp, freshly washed hair. As expected, Taladan immediately took advantage of the occasion and complimented her on her outfit flamboyantly. Also, he pulled out a chair for her while taking the seat that had become his own.

Evadne ignored both.

Instead, she took the chair next to her father, opposite of Taladan. "Have a nice meal," she said in general, avoiding to speak to Taladan directly. She had figured that if happiness, anger and utter frustration didn't throw him off balance, something like this must. "Are you joining me tonight, father?" Evadne inquired while she put some salad on her plate. Arthur was already focused on his dinner, and Evadne had to repeat her question. "Ah," he said then. "Yes, I will. So I am afraid you will have to share your Romeo with Taladan. Emanuelle is not big enough to carry the burden to two people on her back, I'm afraid."

Evadne was determinedly avoiding any eye contact between her and the bard, so it took her a moment to realise her father had finished speaking. "Oh, no need," she answered lightly. "Thayer is coming here before we go, so I can ride with him."

Arthur mumbled something unintelligible, probably remarking on her stubbornness to do anything that involved Taladan. It wasn't as if he hadn't noticed she was up ridiculously early every morning to be able to take care of the cattle and horses before Taladan could join her. Only when he sent her one of his angry gazes she occasionally answered the bard, always addressing him with "Mr Ewing" or "sir". Arthur rolled his eyes. It was about time this madness stopped.

Taladan shrugged little more when he noticed she didn't take his offered chair, and resumed eating, deftly using his foot to slide it into the table and wiggling a brow at Evadne humorously.  The cold shoulder was always comfortable to lay on when one had a fever.  Taladan didn't, but if only she'd know what a social animal he was (if such was even an accurate description) she would know that he was used to such treatment.  It was always much easier to react to people, when one let themselves present who they were as they were.  Actions always spoke louder than words.  He knew he would find a way to get to her one way or another, all he needed was time.  And with a man like him, time was what he plenty of.

Arthur and her were busy jabbering on, so he resumed his focus on the meal and listened with one ear, which twitched and swerved like an alert animal.  He was trying to be quiet as he did so, not really intent on bring too much unnecessary attention to himself.  He never did like being watched while he ate, it was kind of like being gawked at when one undressed, except it was ten times messier and the sounds of tongue snaps and lip lickings could prove quite unnerving for the unprepared.

He'd only made it seem as if he wasn't really listening, and perked up expertly at the last second.  "That's good, Evadne," Taladan said lightly.  "Then that means, I'm free to ride Romeo then, I mean only with your permission of course.  Would that be all right?"  He didn't expect her to answer and wondered if Arthur had any wagons lying about the place and why they couldn't all use it to save time, and go together as a group.  But he didn't dare voice his opinion in the faces of his host.  He could tell Evadne was intent on keeping him a distance, not that he minded if such was her share, but that didn't mean he couldn't at least try to peek beneath that guard of hers.

Evadne once again had no intention of answering him, and before he could repeat his question she stuffed a big amount of salad in her mouth. That would at least buy her some time, perhaps the men would have decided not to press on it at all. It might not be the most gracious of solutions, but it was better than the alternative. While she chewed fervently, she saw her father throwing her a look of warning. Evadne swallowed, oppressing a sigh. It was not going to work this time. Without looking up from her plate, she chose her words carefully.

"Anything that makes you happy makes me happy, Mr Ewing," she said then, feigning sympathy. Arthur on her right side was a bomb ready to explode. This is no way to treat a guest! he thought angrily. He wasn't much for manners himself, but he had raised his daughter better than this. She might not like him, but she could still at least show the decency of being polite without an undertone of sarcasm and contempt.

He coughed loudly, wiping his hands on a napkin. "Evadne, dearest," Arthur said in the exact same voice, "why don't you go ready the horses for us, eh? After all, you're the only one already dressed. And you must have been hungry too, because your plate is almost empty. Well, at least it's one less thing to prevent you from leaving the table."

Evadne stared at her father. She had never heard him speak like this before -- at least not to her. Slowly, she pushed her chair backwards, throwing her fork on the wooden plate. "Of course," she answered quietly before placing her chair back at the table. She left the house through the front door, but instead of fully closing it, she left a tiny crack open. Silently, she moved in on the crack and peered through the small opening, listening intently.

Taladan was pretty much done now with what was left on his plate.  He didn't want to eat like a slob, but it was scarfed down rather fast compared to how much was on the plate.  A gas bubble was coming on him, but he kept his mouth shut until he felt it come out of throat in a silent burp, then he released it when he wasn't watched.  He wiped his lips clean when she finally decided to answer and nodded to her with a congenial grin.  "Thank you, ma'am," he answered back quietly.

Everyone was soon done eating when Evadne soon was dismissed and Taladan sat still while Arthur began the clean up of the dishes.  "Is she always like that around friends, Captain?"

Arthur groaned at Taladan's question. It had been almost unavoidable, but it was still not a pleasant question to answer. "Well," he started slowly, contemplating his words, "first of all, Evadne don't have many friends. Thayer's one of the very few. But him she's known since she was a little girl."

He pushed around a chicken bone on his plate, thinking about his daughter's unusual attitude. "Look, I'm not sure what is making her behave this way, and frankly I don't want to know, but if it has nothing to do with you I'm sure she's just getting used to you still. She's not the type of person to socialise with everyone that comes along."

Evadne, behind the door, also heard her father apologise profusely for her behaviour, and angrily she marched to the barn. While she worked on getting Romeo and Emanuelle ready, she wondered for the thousandth time how it could be that Taladan could get under her skin so easily. She thought about the other day, when she had first noticed his scent, and blushed unwillingly. Luckily, she had been able to avoid smelling that a lot with her escapes from the house. But there was a certain new aroma in her room now, a mixture of hers and Taladan's, though she wasn't ready to admit that at all.

Finishing saddling Romeo, Evadne sighed and leaned against his neck, winding her fingers around his manes. The horse was her best friend without a doubt. At least he never tried to annoy her. He just took her for what she was. But that was never the problem, was it? a small voice nagged inside of her. Evadne shook her head forcefully and pulled Romeo out of the stall, tying him to the ring in the wall, ready to leave. As she put a tight knot in his reins, she heard footsteps outside. Heaving a relieved sigh, she walked towards the barn doors. That had to be Thayer.

"That makes plenty of sense, I guess," said Taladan with some solemnity.  In a way she was a bit like a wary dog.  Those that didn't get much socialization were bound to be tight knit into their own little bubble and were quite territorial when it came to outsiders trying to get it.  Of course, Evadne had told these things to him in a much brasher, straightforward way.  But it seemed to have so much more resonance when it came from her father, someone who could elaborate on her in a slightly differing light.

 But the bard could only grin, the corners of his mouth turned down wryly in something that was hardly humored.  In a way it was not exactly a sad grin, but more of one came about from someone who knew that not everyone could have good friends.  He doubted Evadne would care, but now he only wanted to try harder to be her friend despite her seeming indifference toward him.  He had to try, if only for her sake.  Taladan had never made friends out of pity before, but she'd sparked a genuine interest for him that he couldn't ignore.

Then when Arthur started to apologize for her, Taladan shook his head.  "No, no, no, no, there's no need for that, Mr. Gabor," he tried to assure him.  "I completely understand, I think.  At least as much as I can.  She'll come around in her time, you don't have to apologize for her.  I think I admire her formidableness too much to want to pressure her into doing something she's not quite ready for, friendship and all."

"Can you take care of the dishes?  I think I'll go outside and help her out with the horses if she isn't finished already," Taladan said, bowing as he excused himself and headed toward the front door.  He headed out across the growing darkness of the oncoming evening.  Taladan was about to knock on the barn doors before they opened gradually.  "Oh, ahem, evening, Evadne," he said softly.

The shock of seeing Taladan's figure appear behind the barn doors instead of Thayer's was much bigger then expected. "Oh," Evadne blurted out, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She had thought that Taladan would give up his attempts to talk to her by now, but apparently the silent treatment hadn't worked. She took a step back, trying hard as hell to recapture the attitude she'd made hers for the past days, unfortunately without success.

"Uh.." she started sheepishly. Turning around obstinately, Evadne could strangle herself for the failure. She wished she hadn't stopped and listened at the door now, she wished she'd just got on with saddling the horses. Then Emanuelle would have been as good as ready now, too, and she could simply have left Taladan in the barn. In the worst case, she would just have started walking towards Thayer's home. Forcing herself to walk at a normal pace, Evadne retrieved Emanuelle's saddle and disappeared in her stall, grateful for the darkness that would hide the blush on her cheeks.

The faint light of the barn lantern cast thick shadows around the hay-covered structure.  Taladan sighed and brushed his hair back and entered further inside.  "I'm sorry for interrupting you," he said quietly with a genuine tone.  "I just wanted to see if you needed help with anything and as I can see you're already hard at work.  Would you mind if I got Romeo's saddle?"  He sauntered forth with great care, not wanting to disturb her or have her lash out at him.  And soon found where the other saddle was.

He strode over to the next stall over and found the large horse he knew to be Evadne's and began to put the saddle on him as soon as the cover was on.  Taladan wasn't an expert on horsemanship or being an ostler but he'd seen how it was done once or twice and figured if he didn't do something right, she'd show him soon.  When he pulled the clasp tight, too tightly and made Romeo grunt and snort with irritation.  "Goodness!  Sorry!  Um Evadne could you help me with this?"

Taladan's sigh had not escaped Evadne. For a moment, she was entirely still, hoping there was something in him that could feel anything else but happiness and the joy of being drunk. She said nothing when he asked if he could help her, but this time it was not with the purpose of ignoring him. She just didn't know how to go from completely ignoring to speaking neutrally again. She went on quietly with making Emanuelle ready. The mare seemed not in a mood to go out at all, as her head was hanging down a little and she refused to take notice of Evadne's silent commands, stubbornly nomming (<3) oats from her food bucket.

When Romeo snorted angrily and Taladan called for her help, Evadne left Emanuelle alone for a moment and moved to the adjacent stable, lingering in the door opening for a couple of seconds. She almost smiled when she looked on the scene. Taladan obviously wasn't used to working with horses. Evadne took a deep breath.

"Well," she said, having to get used to hearing her voice again in such a normal way in Taladan's presence, "at least it's not entirely your fault. And Romeo is mostly exaggerating." She moved towards her horse and released the clasps. She saw that the girth was twisted also, and turned it back the right way. Then she pulled on it, tightening the girth just a little bit, and pointed at Romeo's belly. "See? He's making himself bigger. Something he does often." Evadne leaned on Romeo's back with her weight, and felt the air escape from the strong body. Then she quickly pulled on the girth some more and clasped it down the way it was supposed to be done.

"All done," Evadne said, looking at Taladan directly for the first time in days.

The horse he'd been preoccupied with chuffed unpleasantly as if to say that he would surely kick him if he ever was caught standing behind him.  Taladan remembered now why he didn't stay around animals longer than he had to.  Still the good-mooded bard couldn't help but offer a sly spread of his lips, amused at the kinds of ways all creatures could react in response to the most minor of discomfort.  Then he stepped back when Evadne took over the machinations of the saddle.  He watched her expert hands, mesmerized.

When it was all done, he took a breath and his face was awed, a genuine awe.  "Wow, well done.  Making himself bigger, eh?  A lot of men do that; then they don't know what to do when it comes out that they're just a bunch of hot air.  Thanks, Evadne, that was really kind of you."  What else was there to say?  She'd been ignoring him almost his entire stay here, but that didn't mean he was going to just start being an asshole.  At least she was talking to him now.  He cleared his throat and kept smiling.  "You know, I don't say this too often, but do you realize how pretty you are?  Especially now, so up close?"

Hot air, Evadne repeated silently. If Taladan had been all hot air, they might actually have become friends. She still hadn't figure out whether she hated him or not. If she hadn't changed yet, she would have gone out in the fields and asked herself again when it was all quiet in her head, but now she'd have to wait until a better time. "You're welcome," she replied softly while stroking Romeo's nose. Taladan caught her attention again when he coughed, but what followed next hit her like a baseball bat smashing into her with 150mph.

Do you realize how pretty you are? Especially now, so up close?

Immediately, Evadne took a few steps back, away from Taladan, taking heed of the last words. "I am not pretty," she said brusquely, and turned around to finish Emanuelle's saddling. "I am just a farm girl. There's no need for me to be pretty."

Her heart was beating like crazy. She couldn't remember the last time someone had given her a compliment. Her father never said anything of the likes, but then again, he never really noticed things like that. Beauty never lasts, he used to say. Thayer might have said something about her hair once, but compliments from him were like compliments from Arthur. Completely unnatural. And on top of that, Evadne had no idea what beauty was. She didn't know what people thought of her. She might be too skinny, or too small, or too white.

Evadne took up a bridle and pushed it over Emanuelles head, forcing her to stop eating to be able to fit the bit in her mouth.

Taladan gasped lightly and didn't take his eyes away from her before she responded.  He didn't mean to make her feel uncomfortable if such was the emotion that was coming over her.  He couldn't see her face that well now that night had almost completely fallen.  But there was still that faint lantern glow that stretched out across from where the lantern hung by the open barn doors.  He breathed softly and waited with biting anticipation, what she would possibly say.

And when that answer came, he didn't expect it.

"What?  How can you say such a thing?  Maybe I'm just speaking from the sum of my experiences, and I suppose I've seen many beautiful women, but don't you think that would give me some foundation that I would at least know what I'm talking about?  Whether you need it or not, I still think you're rather beautiful, and you show the most when you least want to I think.  And whether you care to know it or not, I think your looks suit you,"  Taladan offered.  He lingered outside the mare's stall and watched her hands take the bridle deftly and practically force onto the mare's head.

Evadne remained by Emanuelle's side, tightening the clasps around the mare's head and throwing the reins over her neck. Yeah... those women of yours, Evadne thought obstinately. She had no doubt he was a merry man, like her father had been, but one day or the next he was going to be settled with a baby from a woman he hardly even recognised, too. She doubted the bard would even know how to deal with the kid.

And what he said had been a compliment he only rarely gave was probably just something she would have to believe in. It was an easy way to seduce women, using those words. Most of the time, that was all any woman would want to hear. Evadne scratched Emanuelle's neck, jealous that the mare never had to worry about such things. Then she hooked two fingers through the bridle near Emanelle's mouth and guided her outside. Just before Taladan, she paused and looked at him hesitantly for a while. Clearing her throat, she came to a decision as to what she would say.

"Well. Thank you, Taladan, for the compliment you are obviously trying to give me, but beauty means nothing to me. Nor do the people that see only that, or ugliness."

If she had wanted to say anything, she was interrupted by the sound of horse's hoofs galloping over the grit outside. Sensing that this time she couldn't be wrong about who it was, Evadne bound her father's horse to a ring in the wall.

"Tell my father the horses are ready, will you?" she said, looking back from the doorway she had been going to.

If a man was a liar, he was often bound to always lie.  If a man was honest, he was often bound to always to tell the truth.  With Taladan, it was not always a simple case of either being a liar or an honest man.  Only immature minds confined themselves to such black and white views of the world and he'd grown out of that right quick as a boy.  Taladan knew that she probably would not take what he said seriously.  All the same, however, he meant every word of it.  If he'd wanted to be known as a liar and manipulator to her from the start, he'd have lied and tried to manipulate her as soon as he saw her.

It was all up to her to mull over what he said and decide upon it.  When she responded, he merely nodded and patted the horse's shoulder then started to step toward the barn door.  "I'm glad you're comfortable to be so blunt about such a thing.  Beauty is such a relative thing, dear friend, and you'll be smart to treat it as such.  That doesn't mean that I'm not obligated to what I think of you, and I do think you are beautiful, whether you see it or not."

With that, he watched her leave and bowed as she did so.  "Anything you wish, dear."

Evadne lingered in the open door frame, hesitating. Her expression was a mix between wanting to be friendly and feeling like she should remain her distant self. But when she opened her mouth to say something, she heard Thayer's voice from outside. "Evadne! What are you waiting for?"

She peered outside, seeing Thayer's horse Wolf prance with anticipation, no doubt contaminated by his owner's enthusiasm. Evadne looked back at Taladan once more, and then ran out of the barn towards Thayer. He stretched his arm out for her and with one giant hop, she jumped up behind him on the back of the horse. "Are you ready?" Thayer asked, turning his head to see her. Evadne forced herself to smile and nod. "Yes. Let's go."

She put her arms around him to prevent falling off, and then they were gone.

Ten minutes later, Arthur emerged from the house, locking the door with a rusty old key. "Ready to go?" he asked Taladan with a half smirk, untying Emanuelle to lead her out of the barn.

Like clockwork, wasn't it?  Taladan crossed his arms over his chest just as Thayer's voice called to her and she went dashing out and he heard the sounds of a frantic horse clopping nearby.  The brief exchange of voices checking assurances and then the horse started off.  What a fascinating, distant creature she was.  And Taladan followed suit without another thought as he heard the distance of the hooves grow between them.
   
He met Arthur outside as the older man locked the house and came out with the horses.  "Aye, Captain.  I'll leave it to you leading the way however.  I'm not so familiar with this area."  Taladan leapt up onto Romeo's saddle and gripped the reins gently.  "I'll follow you.  Go when you're ready."

By the time Arthur and Taladan arrived at the centre of the town, where huge tents had been raised to protect the party goers from any possible rain, Evadne had found a couple of people she knew, whom she was talking to (or rather, they were talking to her) while she was watching Thayer making himself merry on the dance floor with a willing maiden. Evadne took a sip from the pint of beer she was holding, feeling better every time she did so. She didn't care that Thayer wasn't dancing with her, in fact, he knew very well she didn't enjoy dancing.

With the pint against her lips, she saw her father enter the tent, followed closely by Taladan. For a moment, she was wondering whether she should go to him, but her father made her reconsider by gesturing Taladan and saying something to her. Watching while they made their way through the crowd, Evadne drunk the last of her beer and excused herself to get another one.

--

"Come," said Arthur loudly, raising his voice to be audible for Taladan over the noise of the crowd and the music. "I'll introduce you to your employer." He had already spotted the man somewhere in the back of the room, contently watching the villagers enjoying themselves from a secluded spot. Arthur raised his hand towards him while he cut through the last lines of people that separated them. "Will! Over here!"

Mister Will Scarsly looked up at hearing his name and his eyes lit up when he saw Arthur. "Captain, how good you have come. Is this the man you promised me?"

Arthur nodded. "Taladan Ewing, meet Will Scarsly, the organiser of this wonderful festival."

Arriving at the festival was quick work, even with Taladan being as unaccustomed as he was to the bouncy gait of a horse.  Another reminder towards him of why he usually walked everywhere he went.   It was an interesting journey despite being uneventful and arriving there allowed him to give some consideration as to what song he would sing during the festival.  His voice had cleared up over the past few days and he promised himself that he wouldn't touch another bottle of Elmari Sister's Vintage,  Bottle 315 until the day he'd retired.

Taladan viewed the partiers, all twirling and laughing and drinking to their hearts content.  My kind of people, he thought with glee and only spotted for a second, the rather 'rude' Thayer spinning with another girl.  Hm, even he wasn't dancing with Evadne, the bard was still sure he was rather soft on the Captain's daughter, even if she didn't notice it.  Taladan gave a subtle grin, deciding on the song he would perform.

"Ah Mr. Scarsly!  It's a grand pleasure to  meet you," Taladan said, shaking his hand enthusiastically.  "What a nice even you have set up here.  Might I ask what it's in celebration for?  Or is just a kind of festival you throw for the hell of it?  Whatever the case, I'm sure I'd be happy to sing for here."

Scarsly watched the newcomer with a grin. A good strong handshake he has, and apparently he can sing as well. What a capital fellow, he thought contently. He was rightly glad to have obtained this asset for the festival.

"It is tradition to hold this festival in the beginning of the fall," he answered loudly, waving off Arthur, who had seen some connections of his that lived in town, and moved away after giving Taladan an encouraging slap on his back. Scarsly waited until he had stepped away and then pointed at the musicians near the dance floor. "You can just tell them which tune to play whenever they've finished their old one and step in. They know pretty much everything there is to know. Or if you'd rather accompany yourself with a guitar or some other instrument, feel free to borrow it from one of them."

Scarsly stole two full pints of beer from a passing tray and handed one to Taladan. "Of course you can expect compensation. All your drinks tonight are for free and and the end of the evening you will receive a small reward. Sound alright?"

Most bards were content to bring their instruments with them wherever they went.  After a time, it had become their signature thing, something that marked them.  Some villagers would view down the road and point out, remarking, "Oh there goes that Dannis Arden with that there flute of his!  And a right good fellow he be!  HEY DANNIS!"  And if the bard was humble enough or knew the sociable villager or would simply deign to do so,  he would wave back or whistle a few notes for them.  Thank the gods that Taladan was not like most bards and almost never used an instrument during his performances.  Not that he could not pluck a few good notes on a guitar or mandolin if the notion contented him, but he was noted for his vocal exultations most of all and that was his primary instrument.  Which was most helpful since he often awoke in strange places and was bound to lose an item or two; such was how he ended up here after all.

"Thank you, sir," he said, taking the pint of beer and drinking it, allowing it to lubricate his vocal cords after a few sips.  "Sounds wonderful.  As soon as the song's over I'll go and meet up with the band.  Oh, look here, that's my cue.  I'll speak to you later.  It was good to meet you Mr. Scarsly.  And you, Captain, enjoy yourself!"

With that, Taladan found his way toward the stairs upon the stage where the band was playing.  As the song had come to an end, and the dancers were switching up or taking a rest, he met with the lead guitarist and spoke a few words to him.  "I'm Taladan Ewing."

"Ah!  I knew you'd be coming.  Floor's all yours, Mr. Ewing.  Er, what shall we play?"

"How about a good upbeat classic.  Tell the Tale Tomorrow,eh?  Keep it low and don't be afraid to go on without me."  As soon as he spoke, each member nodded to one another as they murmured the song and prepared it with a start.  The drums behind him made him jump, but he kept pace and spoke to everyone gathering on the floor: "All right, my friends, gather round and remember to kick your heels up high!  No tripping and feel free to trade partners once in a while!"

The crowd howled up in anticipation as the music begin in earnest and they all started to clap their hands and he started with the first verse, feeling the rhythm of the music all through him.

"I once threw a maiden down Olsen's Well,
Deep in the heart of the Draconi swell.
She did not cry and she did not die
An old broken witch with an itch for a switch

"Her dignity I have taken with me
And an oath I have sworn not to tell
The tale of her demise between her thighs
As she was thrown down into Olsen's Well!"

Taladan's voice was somber until the beat started to pick up and the wind instruments went wild.

"But now that it's tomorrow
And I feel no more sorrow.
Oh what a wild tale I have to tell,
Though I'm sure someday,
When my breath's gone away,
And I've given my tale's tell,
I'll see her in hell.

"But until then she'll wait,
And I'll enjoy my fate.
And I'll ride the wind,
In a chorus of sins.
Wailing on high, the tale of her demise
And I'll rise and I'll fall until death's due us all!"

It was such a bawdy song, but the crowd danced to it fervently, giving great cheer every time he entered into a new verse, as if electrified more with the force of his voice than with the content of the song.  The band too played as if with new energy, as if they'd once been too tired to go on but now could play well into the morning of the next day.  Taladan relished in that energy, relished in that glow, basking in it until the final words danced from his tongue like vociferous gold.  Thus was a reminder as to why he'd become a bard at all, living for the feel as the song came to an end, when all the dancers put their last efforts into riding the waves of the melodial sea.  As the last verse reared its truly ugly head, Taladan gave a sigh and bowed deeply as the dancers came to a rest.  They clapped feverishly and he gave multiple bows after that, his eyes scanning the crowd for a familiar face, any face.  Then his eyes rested on Evadne and he smiled.

Evadne had been sitting in a large stack of hay that was dumped for precisely that occasion in the corner of the tent, when Taladan ascended the small podium and gathered all the festival goers right before him. The girl rolled her eyes and pulled her knees up, taking a large swig of the beer. The man seemed to have a talent to make people like him. Averting her eyes, Evadne swooped up the foam on the beer with a finger and put it in her mouth, wondering what else Taladan would have to offer but charm and a seemingly unyielding stubbornness to win her over.

... she couldn't say she was disappointed.

Evadne swallowed, forgetting her beer while she listened to Taladan's voice, and even though she hated dancing she felt the need to get up and join the people already dancing vigorously. She oppressed it, staring at the singer, whose unique vocals were chocolate to her ears. Impossible! Evadne thought. He already made it so hard for her to keep denying him, why would he have to gain more terrain this way?! She shouldn't let him. And yet she couldn't help but listen in fascination, relentlessly looking at the bard, who seemed to be singing straight from his heart.

When finally, the song ended, Evadne felt like a rope around her neck had just been loosened, and she was cut from the noose. The pint of beer was almost overflowing in its tilted position in Evadne's limp hand, and she straightened it before she spilled it all on her pants. Then she stood up and leaned against a large beam that kept the tent standing upright.

Then, Taladan's gaze somehow found hers, even though she was in the unlit, dark part of the tent, almost all the way in the back. A tiny shock wave went through her, and Evadne blushed when she felt herself smile.

It was like a distant call or telepathic summoning.  Taladan hadn't watched her plunk down into the shade of the tent corner.  It must have been one itchy seat, digression and temperament aside.  Taladan lounged in the roar of applause when the song was finally over and he was catching his breath.  He felt her smile and grinned wider with satisfaction.  He knew it was only a matter of time before he started to chip away at her hardy, stone exterior.  Nobody could be that rigid and expect to last that long.  He had to give her respect for her diligence however, no one ever tried to thwart him for that long.

"Thank you!  Thank you all!  You're a lovely audience all of you.  Say, why don't we switch to a softer melody, folks?  A good ole romantic ballad.  How about 'Moonlit Morning', huh?"  he said, viewing the festival goers.  They roared again and he turned took an instrument behind him, a beaten and scratched guitar that was worn with extensive use.  "Aye, this will do."  He began the opening strum, a softer, swaying strum as he began to hum the tune to himself at first, then louder as the other instruments caught up.

"I wandered in the woodland,
Until midnight.
I wandered through the streams,
With no end in sight."

Another series of strums and Taladan swayed along with it.

"Then in the blinding darkness,
The shadows all surround,
I saw the morning light come to me
Without sight nor sound.

"Your hair and eyes were brought, at last
To the glory and rising of day.
I knew not if I was worthy of all
The love that had come my way"

By now, the crowd had paired off and were turning with somber motion, heads laid upon shoulders, both the men and the women smiling or blushing or reminiscing in each other's eyes.  Others hugged each other closely, others proclaiming their affections for the first time.  It was a glorious sight and Taladan felt a warmth rush through him that made him happier than he'd felt in a long time.  As he strummed his last part, he nodded to the band to keep playing as he  jumped down into the crowd from the podium and pushed through it, the distinct urge to dance himself pushing strongly outward.  He moved deftly until he fell upon his destination.  He looked at Evadne with his signature friendly grin.  "Would you like to dance with me, Evadne?"

As Taladan set to sing a slower song, Evadne spotted her father amongst the dancing couples with an unfamiliar woman in his arms. She stared at him for a moment and caught his gaze. Arthur winked at her and gestured for her to find a partner too. Fiercely, Evadne shook her head and looked away. That would be the last thing she'd ever do. It wasn't just dancing, it was SLOW dancing, and that was somewhat of her worst nightmare.

Already making up her mind to leave, she downed the last of her beer and put aside the pint, swaying lightly on her feet. Just when she realised Taladan had stopped singing, he appeared in front of her eyes. Evadne blinked at his request, staring at the grin that was almost permanently in place. Everything inside of her screamed rejection, but when her mouth opened the opposite came out.

"Alright," Evadne blurted before she could stop herself, and instantly cringed. "That's not what I-- oh brother." She rubbed her eyes for a moment, knowing she wouldn't be able to talk herself out of this. "Fine, I'll dance with you, but I'm not good at it," she hissed at him to hide her embarrassment. She could only hope he was a slightly better dancer than her, so that she could at least pretend to be good at it.

Within simplicity of heart generally came simplicity of motive.  Devious people did devious things because their hearts were in it.  If a person wanted to prove their truest motives, then that only could be done through their actions.  Taladan's heart was usually a simple one and his only motive in life was to be happy and to live in that happiness for as long as possible.  Obviously life was not meant to be fair to anyone, but when life threw bricks at him, he'd build a brick oven.  If he could find ways to make himself happy, then why shouldn't he help bring other people out of their cracked shells to find the light in trepid moments.

Taladan laughed at Evadne's word fumble, something he found she had a bad habit of doing often while in his presence.  He couldn't blame her, she was too closed in to do anything but when approached like this as far as he could tell.  He put her arm in his and dragged her out to the dance floor.  "Don't be so uptight, friend.  It's just a dance!  Relax.  You can afford to let loose at least a little bit you know.  You don't have to be good.  Just follow me okay?"  Taladan led her through a simple sway and let himself follow the band's tune.

"See?  Not so hard then.  Just listen to the music and you'll find you're better than you think you really are.  Don't look at the other people.  See, even they aren't even looking at us.  It's just a dance, nothing but a dance."  Taladan relaxed too, even after standing for such a long time.  As long as he didn't say anything stupid, maybe she would stop being so uptight.

Evadne couldn't believe how nervous she was in the beginning. At first she couldn't figure out what it was what made her like that; could be the dancing, could be the other people around them, could be her dance partner. But he was just too close. Evadne swallowed and spent the first few minutes looking mainly at her feet, hoping she wouldn't step on his or make any other embarrassing blunder with him around. He'd probably never let her forget about it. Then his voice streamed in her ears again, and oddly she started feeling slightly more at ease. Finally, she dared to look at him instead of at her feet, and found that he was rather good a leader.

"Err... You're a good singer," Evadne said, swallowing half of her words. But she just had to break the silence. It didn't look like it was an awkward one from his side, but it was quite the opposite the other way around. Plus, if Thayer saw her like this, he'd probably not look at her for the rest of the evening. He didn't even bother asking her to dance anymore, because he knew what her answer would always be.

"And I'm sorry I'm not a very good dancer," Evadne added hastily, avoiding Taladan's gaze.

"Thanks.  But it's nothing more than a talent, really.  I don't even remember when I first started singing.  I don't know if you know this, but anybody can sing if they wanted to.  Just have to keep at it.  No such thing as being unable to sing," Taladan replied.  He knew the smooth steps to this song by heart and would let the band finish it out without him having to sing the last verse.  The crowd moved with him, along the waves that he'd already put out into the air.

A grin and nod half a second later allowed Taladan to keep his humor.  "You're worrying too much.  You should dance more often.  You're not that bad, I don't think.  You know, the more you do something the better you get at it.  Like running or riding horses.  I'm terrible at riding really, but I try.  You keep dancing, you'll be the best dancer in town.  What do you think about that?"

Evadne found herself grinning. "I highly doubt that," she replied. "I'm too clumsy for something as dancing. I do better with horse riding. Did you get along okay with Romeo?"

The horse wasn't too fond of strangers, but neither was she. And somehow, Taladan had managed to put a spell on her. It couldn't be much harder to put a spell on a horse, could it?

Arthur and his partner swayed by, and he patted Evadne's shoulder in the passing. "I'm proud of you, little girl," he said with a meaningful wink. "It's a good match."

Evadne instantly looked away from him, blushing heavily. It was almost impossible for Taladan not to hear what her father had said. Thanks dad, she thought sarcastically, wanting nothing more than to run from the festival right here and now.

If only he'd come from a sheltered life, he might be able to understand exactly why she was so closed to other people.  Taladan wanted to understand her, almost as determined as she was to shut him out.  It was only natural to be on the defensive around strangers.  He kept the conversation going naturally.  "If by get along you mean he didn't buck me off, then yes!  We got along like old veteran chaps."

Taladan did hear the words spoken by the old Captain and couldn't help a knowing smirk himself.  "We're a good match for a pair of friends, I'd say is what he really means," Taladan said quickly, trying to make up for what Arthur said though he knew she would know him better than he did and no doubt meant something deeper than friends.

He leaned in playfully and pecked her cheek quickly, laughing as he pulled away.  "No need to blush.  You're a very pretty girl, as I told you before."

The song was going to enter its closing bars soon and Taladan continued to glide along gracefully, ignoring the world outside he and his partner until he was tapped on the shoulder.  The fellow that tried to get his attention seemed to have trouble standing on his feet but he looked very irritated.  Taladan looked at him until he realized it was Thayer,  a little before a fist came flying into his peripherals, an explosion rang in his ears, and he was on the ground, holding his jaw.

Evadne mumbled something unintelligible at Taladan's failed attempt to interpret her father, knowing full well what exactly he had been meaning to say. She hated how the bard had managed to turn her father to the opposite side of his own character. Before, Arthur had never once commented on her aversion towards men and relationships, never once had he tried to steer her into that direction. And now he was encouraging her, and Taladan, instead of looking at them with a wary gaze as she had expected him to.

She blushed even more when his face came even closer for a moment, and didn't dare breathe until he was on a safer distance again. Simultaneously she realised his scent was still intoxicating. Evadne swallowed, looking away from him, awfully aware of the warm hand on her back. From the corner of her eyes she could see Thayer moving by, but she had not the concentration to focus on him. That was, until his hand landed on Taladan's shoulder. Evadne stared at him, wondering what he was doing, but in her gut she already felt this was not going to end well. And it didn't.

In absolute horror, she was forced to watch how Thayer's fist collided with Taladan's jaw, sending him staggering backwards and falling on the dusty floor.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Evadne yelled, completely flabbergasted. Before Thayer could throw himself at Taladan again, she stepped in before him and pushed him away as hard as she could, right into the crowd. "Are you out of your mind, Thayer?!"

It was a useless question, because obviously he was. Out of breath, Evadne crouched next to Taladan, shame and embarrassment written all over her face.

Thayer staggered into the three couples behind him.  They caught him and pushed him back.  The motion caused him to trip over his own feet and soon he was on the floor too, trying all too quickly to make himself stand up again.  He held himself upright, his tan face red in anger.  "You don't even know this guy, Eva!  I've known you for years and he's the one you danced with?  A total stranger!?  What the hell are you getting at, broad!"

When Taladan stood he glanced at Evadne and nodded some reassurance to her once he got the total scope of what was going on.  He shook his head and stepped back this time when Thayer lunged at him again.  For a drunk man, he had pretty good aim, he had to give him that much.  "Hold on there, man.  Can't we talk this out?"  He said, holding his hands up defensively.

"Ain't no talking to be had with the likes o' you, mister!"  Thayer snarled and threw another several punches at Taladan.  Only the last one made its mark across his face, though it had much less power in it than the very first one.  Taladan was quick to counter back, striking him squarely in the gut and watched as all the air flew out of Thayer's lungs in a violent breath.  The drunk leaned backwards and was caught by the group behind him.  He did not keep up the assault and stood by Evadne.

"There may be  nothing to be said...  But at least there's something to be done, " he said before he took hold of Evadne and pressed his mouth hard to hers in front of the jealous drunkard.  By the time he released her, the song was already over and the commotion had captured the attention of Will Scarsly who lingered nearby.

Thayer was a man gone mad. Of course, the alcohol had something to do with it, but still the fact remained that he was much more into her than Evadne had ever suspected. She always thought he liked advertising that she was his friend or something, proud to be the only man she allowed near her. And now there was another man that had more or less forced himself near her. Evadne felt rather desperate. Thayer was mad at her, not at Taladan, and she was the one he should be throwing punches at. She wasn't sure how she was ever going to make it up to the bard, even though he seemed quite able to handle himself. But then something completely unexpected happened.

Evadne felt Taladan's arm slide around her, protectively she thought at first. Then his face rapidly approached hers, and she didn't realise what he was doing until he was already doing it.

He was kissing her.

Completely baffled, Evadne had no idea what to do. But it was over as suddenly as it had began. An awful silence flew the previously cheerful crowd to its throat, and replaced the happy chattering with confused and fascinated murmuring. Thayer's face was horrified, delicately put. Evadne stared at Taladan. Then she turned on the spot and marched out of the tent. Her father tried to catch her arm in her passing, but she yanked it free and kept on walking.

Outside, it had started to rain again. Evadne was grateful for it. At least no one could see her tears this way. She couldn't even remember the last time she cried. In spite of her blurry vision, she spotted Romeo tied up with the other horses. When she reached him he pushed his nose against her shoulder, invoking even more tears. With trembling hands, she tried to untie his reins.

Within minutes, Scarsly took care of it and Thayer was swiftly apprehended under the charge of disturbing other people from having a good time.  A festive festival was anything but peaceful.  After being dragged away, the bard crossed his arms over his chest and sighed with a breathe of someone who knew that it was the only just result out of being attacked.  His face was still quite sore where he had been struck, but he had gotten to the point where he got punched often enough to know how to deal with it.  He spat a bloody wad onto the ground, the inside of his mouth had been cut by this teeth and rubbed his jaw.  It was only then did he realize that the space beside him was recently vacated.

Where did she go?  She was only there a minute ago.  He saw Arthur near them and locked eyes with the man before he nodded a silent assent.  Taladan stalked out of the large tent and followed where he figured Evadne was most likely to be.  The horses were in a ruckus due to an interruption of their nighttime meditation.  And it was there he saw her struggling with the reins of her designated mount.

He approached her with caution, pushing away his straggly hair that was disturbed from the rain.  "Evadne, I'm sorry for hitting your friend, Thayer.  I didn't want to fight him.  If you're upset about that, please understand that I was only defending myself.  Um...are you okay?"

Romeo whinnied and Evadne jumped, when Taladan approached through a curtain of rain. She tried to keep her focus on untying her horse's reins while he spoke, but failed miserably. She froze in her movements at his apology, and cringed. He thought she was upset because of THAT?! He should know her better than that by now. And apparently kissing random women came easily to him, so she would be the laughing stock of the evening. Trying for the reins one more time, she yanked them hard, but it only resulted in tightening them even further.

"No, I am NOT okay!" she snarled furiously at Taladan instead. "Do you think it's okay to kiss me whenever the hell you see fit? Do you really think that would have solved anything? Thayer out there was already seriously upset by me, and I'm not saying he didn't get what he deserved from you, but with that last move you may just cost me my only friend."

Invisible tears still streaming down her face, Evadne pushed Romeo out of the way and positioned herself squarely in front of Taladan, her arms defensively wrapped around herself. "Now TELL me why you kissed me. Was it only because you wanted to humiliate Thayer a little more? Just to make a statement?"

She never looked away from him, her eyes locked on his. "You know how I feel about these things. And you better think on your answer very hard, Taladan... it may just define the course of your stay here in town."

The anticipation of waiting for her reply was a little like standing with your face over a hot spring geyser and waiting for it to explode into your face.  And when that happened, Taladan's face was definitely got burned.  He listened to everything she had to stay, stepping back to give her some kind of distance so that she could find something to give herself her bearings again.  He kept his eyes calm and said nothing to interrupt her.

Solemnity wrapped around his visage and he sighed and looked at her directly.  "The truth is not always an easy thing to figure.  But it is if that's what you really want.  Humiliating Thayer was only a bonus from all that.  But I believe after everything he learned his lesson.  In truth, I was in the moment and it felt right to kiss you.  I like you a lot Evadne, you're fascinating to me and I want to know everything you want to share with me.  I'm not trying to be an asshole, though I'm sure I come off that way on occasion.

"I really like you, I swear to it.  I'm sorry if I hurt you, humiliated you, or made you feel so bad and upset.  You're not accustomed to it, I know and I'll find some way to make it up to you.  Could you ever forgive me?"  Taladan took an opportunity and took a step forward for now, ready to take the brunt of her anger in whatever form that was about to take.

Evadne blinked, wondering if she was dreaming. Most of his speech was pushed to the background, a muffled voice fearing its own humiliation. All she really heard clearly was the part where it felt right to kiss her and that he really liked her. Taladan Ewing likes ME?! was Evadne's baffled thought as the phrases resounded in her head. She swallowed, waiting until he was done talking before she placed her hand over his heart.

"I suppose I could forgive you," she said quietly, her cheeks reddening. Oh, it was so easy to lose herself after Taladan's confession. Evadne felt her legs were trembling, and she looked up at him. Perhaps it was his entire persona that was so easy to submit to. A tiny idea started to nestle itself in Evadne's brain, and as it got bigger the romance of the moment and her own long awaited submission started slipping away. Quickly, she stepped back, and pulled back her hand.

"Who knows to how many women you've said that," she said with a sharp edge to her voice. "And who knows how many have fallen for it. I have no intention of becoming one of them, waiting for you, hoping in vain that you'll find a little time to spend with me after you've worked your way down the list of all others."

There he was displaying his heart on his sleeve, spoke what he really felt, what he was sure she wanted from him, and then she grabbed a knife and dug it soundly into it.  He was taken aback by her last words and looked away sighing that she had a point in what she meant, even if she was pretty much wrong.  Most men were hardly serious when it came to moments like this.  All he had wanted from the very start of his arrival here was for her to stop being so cold-shouldered to him, to at least display some kind of friendly, open emotion that was not so guarded.

But he reacted coolly to her words and put his hands on his hips, laughing away his worry.  "The truth is not as many as you think.  You seem to have this illusion that because I am a bard, or even just a man, that I go around seducing women left and right.  Why would you think such a thing about me?  I've only ever been kind to you, treated you with respect, and wanted your friendship in return, or at least a kind word from you.  But you can't even seem to muster that.  I tell you the truth and you're disillusioned with it.

"Fine, you don't have to be nice to me, because I can clearly see that you'll always be closed in and unhappy because of it.  Even if you think you are happy, I get some sense that a part of you isn't.  Why do you scorn me?  How did I wrong you?  I told you I was sorry, gave you a sincerest apology for it and all you can take me for is some kind of trickster.  I'm not going to argue with you.  I'll respect your right to your opinion and thoughts, and I'll have a right to my feelings and words."

The words Taladan spoke were a little like an avalanche of boulders crashing down on Evadne. The more he said, the less she was able to actually look at him, and instead she turned to meekly pat Romeo. Why did this weigh so heavy on her shoulders?

"Okay okay, just... stop talking," she stammered, burying her face in Romeo's manes. Somehow she knew she could trust Taladan, that she should trust him. In the long years she'd known Thayer, Evadne had never let him get as close as she had the bard, and that was saying a lot. Her hands clutched at the black manes, causing the steed to huff at her irritably.

"It's just.. you said something about women earlier this week, about..."

Evadne paused, stepping away from Romeo and a little closer towards Taladan. "It doesn't even matter what it's about. I just can't grasp the idea that you might actually like me." Her violet eyes looked up in his green ones as she approached him.

"I'm sorry, alright?" she added softly. "It was brave what you did. I wouldn't want to tell me things like that either." There was a tiny twinkle in her eyes when she said that, and in a sudden burst of courage she took one more step towards him, now standing two feet away from him at the most. "And then there's this other thing [alliteration ftw O_O]... that I'm probably afraid to admit that I might be having similar feelings."

Embarrassed with herself, Evadne looked down at her feet, not sure if her trembling knees were caused by her sudden openness, or by the cold rain soaking her clothes.

Romeo was quickly becoming bored with the whole situation, quite clearly and he shifted in such a manner that he almost wanted to pull away from Evadne all the while she clung to him.  Taladan cross his arms over his chest and kept them there as he was starting to feel the coolness from the rain seep into his bones.  Tilting his head, he listened to her with open, thoughtful ears.

When she finished, stepping towards him, he let a grin slip from his lips, wry and looking pleased.  "I accept your apology.  Do you accept mine?  You know, you're a better person than you give yourself credit for.  Take things easy sometimes and you'll never know what kind of things could happen to you."

"Oh that?  Well that's a relief.  I hope you're not just saying that because I said I liked you first.  I don't want it to be a forced thing; it should never be.  Why don't we call it a truce now, huh?  Just get to know each other better and see if anything happens from there.  Even though I stayed here for the better part of a week, I don't think I've known you better than when I first met you considering you were so keen on giving me the cold shoulder.  Look, we're both cold and wet, why don't we get back to the festival.  Or at the very least, let me take you back to your house?"

You'll never know what kind of things could happen to you...
It sounded good in the way that good things could happen, and bad in the way that she hated surprises. Evadne released her breath, relieved that Taladan wasn't still mad at her. Or hurt by her. She didn't know which she feared more.

"I'm really not that good of a person," she sighed, looking at her feet again. "And you'll... you'll have to be patient with me. I will try to be... more open towards you, though I really have no idea how. But that's the least you deserve, I think."

Her cheeks were red, and frankly Evadne was surprised she even allowed it to get this far. No one ever saw vulnerability in her, not even her father. Anger, frustration, sarcasm -- that was the mask that everyone could see. Tears, pain and embarrassment were always hidden, but somehow Taladan had seen them all. In one week.

Evadne wiped the wet strands of hair out of her face and shook her head. "I don't... want to go back in there. Thayer might just see fit to rip my head off. I'll see what I can salvage tomorrow, when he's sober."

Carefully, she looked up at Taladan. "You don't have to... take me home. I know this is your kind of thing, so if you want you can just stay. I can see myself home. But if you insist, I'll go tell my father that I'm... that we're leaving."

Her nails dug in her palms. Evadne shook her head, confused by herself. She was making a wondrous mess of things.

He could do that.  Be as patient as could be.  He didn't know of anyone more patient than he; except maybe a practicing monk.  But there weren't any more of those sitting around meditating.  Bunch of stuffy religious folk, no doubt that needed to toss back a few, smoke a pipe and take a load off their shoulders.

Taladan nodded to her, putting his hand over his heart.  "I promise," he said.  "And I don't think you'll have to worry about Thayer if you decide to go back.  He got carted away by Mr. Scarsly.  I don't think he's in deep trouble or anything.  Chances are they'll let him go when he's sobered up a little more; Scarsly doesn't seem like a bastardly fellow to keep someone like him locked up for longer than necessary."

Taladan walked over to stoop by Romeo, patting the horse that nudged his hand as if searching for a treat.  He wiggled his nostrils then chuffed again.  "I'm sure they can take care of things for a while; I'll come right back anyway.  I'm sure Romeo would like the run, wouldn't you fella?  C'mon I'll tell you're father, just make sure you don't get attacked along the way."  He laughed and started to head back to the tent where Arthur was waiting.

Evadne took a deep breath and nodded, watching until Taladan moved out of view and into the tent. Finally she had room to think again. This didn't mean that she regretted giving in, but when he was close he was not just "around her" in physical form. Every time he was near she felt like she was being submerged in Lake Taladan. And she still hadn't decided whether she liked the swim.

This time, she found that untying Romeo was a lot easier than before. She had pulled on the reins way too much, and made the knot only worse, but with steady fingers it was undone in a few minutes. Soaked to the bone already, Evadne didn't bother wiping the raindrops off the saddle. She'd have to polish it when she got back, to keep it from staining.

***

Arthur was on the lookout for his daughter, slightly worried about her conversation with Taladan. Quite a risk it was that the bard had taken, but the captain's instinct had told him it would work out for the better. Taladan might be the one who could bring out the best in Evadne, instead of the worst. But of course things had to get really bad to get better. It was why he hadn't intervened in the past week's fights. He wouldn't be the one to hold his hand over Eva's head. She would have to sort it out for herself this time.

When Taladan appeared in the tent again, Arthur left his dance partner alone for a moment and marched towards the bard. "And?" he asked curtly, folding his arms across his chest.

Taladan approached Arthur straight out of a jog and put his hands up as a form of truce, whatever it was that Arthur had to say to him.  "Don't worry," he started.  "Everything is fine.  She was just a little...shaken up from the whole thing.  She yelled out me a little bit, but I think she took it all rather well after I apologized and explained everything.  I suppose also you'll want an apology too, Arthur, for me kissing your daughter and all without your...well, approval I guess would be the right word.  I'm sorry about that.

"We were just on our way back to the house, she didn't want to stay any longer and I offered to go with her.  I'll be right back though, I don't want to let Mr. Scarsly down after all the trouble he went through to give me this gig.  I tell you it's one of the best I've had in a long time, lovely crowd they all were and.... I think I've said too much already," he said, slowing down, realizing he was talking far too much.  That was a bad habit he'd have to learn to break.

[Bah, sorry for the short post!]

[Don't worry about it ;D]

Arthur nodded pensively, stroking his smoothly shaved chin. "Well, frankly," he grumbled while he studied Taladan, "I'm glad someone's pulling her out of the cocoon she's been living in. I think it's because she never really had a mother, and I wasn't really the perfect father, either."

It was probably the beer that enabled this open conversation, Arthur knew. He shook his head, trying to get back to his normal self. Anyone who knew both him and his daughter could immediately see the resemblance in their attitudes, though Evadne's was possibly stronger than Arthur's.

"You'll probably have to be patient with her," he continued, unknowingly echoing his daughter. "I trust that you'll be good to her. Don't force me to rip your head off."

He said it with a small grin around his mouth, but then he became serious again, the twinkle disappearing from his eyes, and with a face with an exemplary icy expression. "Believe me, I can."

Arthur stared at Taladan like that for a couple of seconds, but then he blinked and the fatherly over-protectiveness was gone. "Run along now. Don't keep my daughter waiting."

Just when he thought he was over the hot coals, he was dragged over them again, the stones scorching his feet.  Goodness, the Gabor family certainly had away with intimidation.  Even though Taladan was sure Arthur was undoubtedly able to take off his head, he wasn't about to test it, and he certainly didn't let it show on his visage.  He merely smiled and nodded with understanding.  "That's a good thing to know, Arthur.  I'm glad you're telling me that.  And you know what, I'm sure Evadne can do just the same if she wanted to."

Taladan sighed an okay and ran off where Evadne was waiting by the horses.  The came back quickly and found that she was already mounted upon her stallion.  He hailed her with a wave.  "You're dad said it was fine.  Let's go."  He untied Arthur's horse and saddled her as he remembered how then climbed onto her with an enthusiastic leap.  "Last one to the house is an ass's  ass!"  And with that took off with a gallop.

Evadne grinned. She was right on top of her game when it came to riding. Besides, Romeo made Emanuelle look like a Shetland pony. The mare would never outrun them. And it wasn't long until Evadne stormed past Taladan, Romeo's hoofs kicking up the dirt behind him, and she was already at the stables and off the horse when Taladan came trudging in.

"I almost lost sight of you," Evadne grinned, patting Romeo's wet neck while she watched the bard. Turning around, she removed the heavy beam that kept the barn doors from opening and led her horse in. She would have to brush him and feed him, but that would come when Taladan had left. When he approached her, she offered a watery smile.

"Uhm... thanks for riding me home. I mean! Driving-- well, taking me home. Thanks for taking me home. Ugh." Her cheeks were flushing and embarrassed, Evadne buried her face in her hands. Of course Taladan had to be the one to hear it. Who else.

Fuck this slow-assed horse!  Taladan grimaced as he finally came up on to the farm.  Evadne was right about Romeo, but then, he was probably the younger of the two anyway and clearly made to run.  He chuffed through his lips and took her up by the barn, not bothering to dismount before having to go back to the festival.  "You cheated, dammit," he said.  But it wasn't long before all he could do was laugh at the whole situation.

"You ought to think about racing that stallion of yours.  I'm sure you could make more than you do on crops in a year."  He bowed while still up on Emanuelle and steadied her.  "You don't have to be so bashful!  It was just a slip of the tongue.  I'll be off now, take care."  And he rode away.

He returned to the festival and it finished without hitch and soon it came time when Taladan felt it was time to depart from the Gabor home.  He had awakened earlier than usual and had told Arthur the news when the day of the festival was over.  "Well, Arthur, I think it's time for me to make my stay short now.  I've used up your hospitality long enough.  It was nice to have met you and I hope I can return to your village soon."  Taladan did not have a pack with him and was allowed to keep on of the guitars of the band, but whatever things he did bring with him when he was found, he already had with him.  Then an idea struck him.

[Evadne's gonna be pissed!  I mean when she hears what her father has to say]

[Lol! It'd be good to know what he's gonna say though xD I was already like "leaving... WHAT?? DON'T YOU DARE!" when you wrote that part. xD]

Evadne watched Taladan until she could no longer see him through the rain curtain and the darkness, the blush on her cheeks slowly diminishing. Feeling oddly small and insignificant, she led Romeo into the barn and took all the riding equipment off him. While she was polishing the leather artefacts, she wondered what the hell Taladan was doing to her, and how on earth he was able to do it at all.

After she had sat still for a while, she realised how cold she really was. Evadne hurried through her work and was grateful for the warmth of the dead fire that had lingered in the living room when she stepped inside. She rekindled the fire to heat water for a bath, and stripped herself of all the soaked clothes. She felt better after the hot bath, smelling like lavender, but she was still determined to be fast asleep before Taladan got back. There had been enough humiliation for one night, and if he knew she was awake he'd unmistakeably be able to confuse her enough to say something stupid again.

***

Arthur's dance partner had left after he stole a few kisses from her, but the festival was almost over anyway. He was rather surprised when Taladan came to see him and announced he'd be leaving.

"Leaving already? There's no need to, really, you're welcome in my house anytime. I hope you're not leaving because of Evadne. Did she say anything to you?" He already feared his daughter's reaction when Taladan took off just like that, especially since she was just starting to open up to him.

[Wasn't he going to suggest Evadne go along with him?]

Taladan stayed beside Arthur as he reflected back on his time in the village.  It certainly was a terrific experience and he had a feeling he would start a trend of visiting the smaller establishments and performing there.  He'd never been expected to be treated like a vocal star, for certainly there were lots of bards that made their livings on their ability to perform and bring crowds together, but it was nice to be recognized here and there, to have one's face known enough that people knew they were going to be given a great show.

He'd taken a cup of beer with him and he sipped gently, thinking of what the proper answer to that would be.  Because he was a bard, a part of that in itself required that one could never stay in one place too long.  One had to travel, gain experiences for which to incorporate into the songs that one would perform.  Life was not always about regurgitating the words that others have written, but to write new ones to melodies and bars that were yet to be heard or understood.

"You're talking nonsense, my friend.  She's a very nice person, I believe, even though she obviously doesn't think so.  I'm a bard, traveling is part of my vocation and persona.  I don't suppose you'd make her go with me though, that would be pushing things, wouldn't it?  I'm not leaving because of her, though."

Arthur rubbed his chin in thought, wondering if this was a decision he could make for Evadne. He wasn't at all used to deciding things for her, which might have been the cause of her aversion for being forced into something. Then again, there was no assurance whatsoever that Taladan would return. And if he did, she might have gotten over him, or decided she disliked him nonetheless. And she wouldn't bend anymore then. Arthur knew his daughter well enough. She was like a flower that carefully peeked out at the sun now, afraid of its warmth and light, but once the clouds filled the sky again, she would close up forever.

"Well," Arthur started, "I can think of a couple of things that would convince her to go with you. But I'm afraid she might be horribly unpleasant about that in the beginning, and you would be the one who's stuck with it. The question is if you have the patience and will to put up with it. But I would support her going with you. If she doesn't, I think she might just regret it later on."

[loved that last sentence to the first paragraph]

"Go with me?  You'd seriously consider telling her that?"  That was all Taladan said as he thought of the possible consequences for such a decision.  Evadne had a way of being more temperamental than he ever thought a woman could be, but then again her father was a military man and was more than likely bring that disciplinary attitude into his household.  He wondered what would have happened if his own father was like that.  No doubt he would have ended up the same way.  After all this consideration, he downed the rest of his beer.  "I don't imagine she would be in a speaking mood with you for quite  a while if you did such a thing.  Even with you being her father and all.

"But I think her finally seeing the world with her own eyes, going places and experiencing them for herself will open doors for her.  Maybe even make her open up a little more.  Maybe I can even teach her to sing, huh?  I'll be honored to take your daughter along with me on my travels.  You have my word that I won't abandon her in some ditch or something," he said jestingly, but one hand over his heart and extended the other for Arthur to shake to show his sincerity.

[Thanks!]

Arthur shrugged. It was probably odd for Taladan to hear that Evadne was actually quite able to be forced into something. One just had to use the right arguments, and make the right moves. And as her father, he knew exactly what her weak spots were.

"Well, yes," he replied pensively. "I realise it's not exactly normal for a pretty twenty-year-old girl to still be working on her father's land everyday. If she had lived in time she would have been married for a couple of years already. And when I send her with you, she will at least be going out there."

It was weird talking to someone who had an accurate view of his daughter. Arthur felt a little like he was looking in a mirror, talking to himself. The bard seemed to be genuinely interested in Evadne's well-being. He studied Taladan, wondering if he wasn't too old for Evadne, but then again she probably needed someone with a little experience and wisdom to his years. And patience. Loads of patience. And, comparing the two, Taladan had the flexibility and liveliness of a twenty-year-old, and Evadne had the attitude of an old hag who never found true love.

Arthur grinned and forcefully shook Taladan's hand. "I believe you. And I'm quite certain Evadne will handle herself when you do something entirely unacceptable."

He stood up and straightened his clothes. "Well, I shall be going home now... Are you staying the night at the inn, or were you planning on going back with me?"

Evadne surely was not an ordinary girl.  That made Taladan curious.  Why was it that she'd been so different?  Was it merely the fact that she did not grow up with a mother to help raise her?  Had her father's presence been detrimental to her to wish to open up to the outside world.  No doubt the mind of a child is cultivated by the hand of a parent, into the fashion that that parent sees fit.  Had Taladan been anybody else, he would have understood such a cynical and untrustworthy outlook on life.  But he was not anyone else; he was Taladan Ewing, a bard and entertainer by profession, a human being by heart.  He was not a stone, nor a suit of armor that was hollow on the inside, but the fleshbag of vulnerability.  He was simply Taladan.

Maybe there was more to Evadne than what was currently present on the surface.  Most people could be figured out like that.  Taladan for one, tried not to live with ulterior motives or have it in his mind to bury everything painful that had ever happened to him.  Did Evadne know something about her life that she'd rather have repressed, was there something that Arthur had never told her?  The relationship no doubt was close between them and they were like best friends who just so happened to be fraternal twins.  He doubted that was the literal extense of their relationship, for Arthur was far too  old to be her twin brother.  But the way feelings could be relayed to the other, and understood so clearly puzzled the bard none the wiser.

"I'm glad you understand.  But I'm a man of my word, at least of all things," he replied, taking his hand away, flexing it sorely.  Arthur's years in the military most likely was the cause of that bone-crushing grip.  Maybe Taladan should have rethought his career choice...

"I think I should go back with you.  It's the least I could do with all the help that you gave me and I think it'd be better if I'd be there when you give Evadne the...er, sudden news of her departure."

Arthur chuckled to himself. "No offence, but I think it's better if you make yourself scarce when I tell her. I have some personal things to say to her, anyway." He didn't elaborate further, but instead jerked his head in the direction of the horses and took Taladan along with him.

Half an hour later they arrived at the farmhouse. After stabling the horses, the both of them went inside. "I'll go see if she's still awake," Arthur mused, not needing to name who "she" was. Quietly, he opened the door to Evadne's room and peeked around the corner. "Eva?" he tried, frowning at the darkness. The curtains let through just a tiny bit of light, shining down on the girl in the bed, but for as far as he could tell she wasn't moving. Arthur closed the door again.

"Well," he said, turning to Taladan, "I will tell her tomorrow morning. She's up early every day, so you won't have to delay your journey much."

He took off his coat and pulled the string that held his half long, dark hair together, grey streaks and all. "I'll be turning in. Have a good rest, Taladan."

Arthur had a point.  Though as stagnant as she was, the exact nature of Evadne's reaction was never a hard one to predict.  She could easily be as put off by the news of his departure as she could be by the news that she was actually going to go along with him.  Either way, he was stuck with her for the duration of their journey together and wherever that led  him, he would have to deal with the consequences of what happened.  She had a way of not being so grumpy when the moment was right.

The captain checked in on his daughter as soon as they arrived and he waited slightly at the corner, peering over his shoulder all the while he called her name.  She didn't stir.  He gave a sigh of relief at that.  Saving the wrath of the harpy for the morrow.  He could deal with that.  And it might give him an excuse to 'make himself scarce' as Arthur had put it.

"Good night, Mr. Gabor," he said, nodding to the man and went into Eva's room as soon as he saw the man vanish into his.  He layed his things down and the instrument all under the borrowed bed and laid down to rest after taking off his shoes.  It had been a long day and as soon as he hit the pillow, he was out.  His body sunk into the mattress and he didn't even bother to remove the covers.  He would deal with the whole Evadne matter in the morning.

It was indeed early the next morning when Arthur found his daughter in the barn. From the door opening, he watched her care for his cattle, standing there for just a couple of seconds to prepare himself for her wrath. It was not like him to force her into something, but he knew he was doing the right thing. She needed to open her eyes a little more, let the good in too, and not only the bad. Besides that, the only thing that could possibly upset her more was that Taladan would leave without a word and without her. Arthur was already fearing the day he would return after doing that. Evadne would skin him alive.

"Goodmorning," Arthur started after a deep breath, and moved towards her. Evadne seemed unusually cheerful. "Hi dad," she smiled. "Did you have fun last night?"

Arthur nodded. "It's a nice diversion once a year. But I had something to talk to you about."

Evadne sensed the sincerity in his voice and left her work alone for a moment. "Yes?" she asked with a frown, wiping her hands on a ragged cloth. Arthur coughed.

"Taladan is leaving today," he said. With the look on his daughter's face he felt a stone drop in his stomach. It was quiet for the longest moment.

"What was that?" said Evadne then, her face and voice laced with disbelief. Nervously, Arthur fidgeted with the edge of his shirt. "Taladan is leaving today," he repeated, a little louder this time. Evadne gasped for air and clutched her hands around the cloth.

"You cannot be serious," she muttered through clenched teeth. Arthur took a small step back, certain that if it had been Taladan to break the news to her, he would have been turned inside out already. Now that he thought about it, it was ridiculous that he was so... hesitant about this towards her. He lifted his chin and cleared his throat.

"Evadne, you're going with him," he said with a definitive tone to his voice. The girl froze for a moment, and then sent her father a deadly look from beneath her eyebrows. "Oh really?" she said darkly. "And when did I decide this?"

"You didn't," Arthur answered. "I did. Though it was Taladan's idea, of course. He actually wanted to leave last night, but felt bad about not telling you. You need to get out of here, love. There's nothing more for you here than what has been here for the past twenty years. And there is never going to be anything else. Whatever it is that you need, you won't find it on the farm or in this town. And I am not going to let you waste your life living with your old man."

Evadne stared at her father. He never talked this much at once. But she had been falling in and out of surprises about him since Taladan was here. There was something about the bard that seemed to bring about change in people. Brusquely, she turned around and lifted the bucket of oats. "I'm not going," was all she said.

Arthur was quiet for a while. "Alright, fine," he said comfortably, watching Evadne's back relax, and he waited until she turned around. "If you can tell me in all honesty that you would rather have him leave without you, THEN you can stay."

Though Arthur had been almost certain about the way she felt about Taladan, it was still a bluff. Evadne stared at her father, unwillingly seeking for the answer. Holding her breath, she realised she already knew. "That's not fair," she gasped, feeling her world turn upside down for the hundredth time this week. Arthur suppressed a grin and hunched his shoulders. "Better go pack, darling," he said as neutral as possible. "I'll finish up around here."

Evadne felt like she was boiling inside when she marched towards the house. Of course she would find Taladan there, all smug because his plan had worked. He just seemed to love to keep her with her back against the wall. She found him in her room, probably barely awake. She didn't even try to compose herself this time. She pulled an animal skin bag from the closet and started stuffing her clothes and personal items in there.

Taladan unconsciously wiped sleep drool from his lip and scratched his beard sleepily all the while he started to awake.  His eyes were still closed when he heard a disturbance in the room, but it was not one that he would jump up immediately too.  Even if it was, he would still be less likely to react in defense to a potential house break-in than to celebrate a religious holy day.  He barely stirred as the sounds of a drawer opening and a clothes being shuffled around filled the room.

He was lying on his stomach and his back had become uncomfortably stiff.  Slowly he shifted himself to the edge of the bed, where he sat looking down and trying to recall the night before.  He knew there was a large celebration of some kind.  Lots of laughing, dancing, and his hand hurt but he didn't know from what.  He couldn't have fallen on it.  He would have remembered that.  Oh and Evadne and Arthur were there.  Right?  Too much beer...  Not enough beer.  He barely drank at all, now that he thought about it.  Didn't feel like he had to retch much at all, so obviously he was still very much sober.

When he looked up to see Evadne already packing her things, his discussion with Arthur was not something he immediately recalled.  All he could do give her a friendly greeting and pointed to what she was doing when he next spoke.  "Oh, what are you packing your clothes for, eh?  Are you going on a trip somewhere?"

[You are a cruel, cruel Lion. xD]

Evadne was quite sure that if she could explode, she would have by now. She dropped whatever she was holding and stormed towards Taladan, the only thing withholding her from hitting him right there and then being the fact that he had hit someone for her last night.

"Is this your idea of a joke?" she hissed in face. "Since you proposed the damn trip behind my back, you shouldn't be surprised I'm packing. And just for going behind my back AGAIN, I promise you I will be your worst nightmare."

She turned her back towards him and went back to packing, feeling slightly better now she had gotten that off her chest. Evadne grabbed the rest of her stuff she thought of importance and vanished from the room again with the bag over her shoulder. Luckily, she missed her father who was hiding just behind the door, and who had followed every word of the conversation. Arthur watched her as she left and cringed when the front door almost flew out of its hinges. Sighing, but secretly slightly amused, he went to see if Taladan had acquired any injuries.

"I told you she wouldn't be too happy about it," he said when he confirmed the bard was unharmed, unable to refrain from grinning now. He could only imagine how their journey together would proceed, but it was proving to be most interesting. They would have plenty of fights, really bad ones too, but they'd probably not be able to live without them anyway.

Arthur held up a smaller bag, similar to Evadne's one, and handed it to Taladan. "I thought you could use these," he said. "There are a couple of shirts in there, a pair of pants, and some food for along the way. Don't worry, I don't use those clothes anymore. They were just too small for me, but I'm guessing they'll work for you."

It would take someone with a special kind of intellect to want to stand around in the middle of a hurricane or perhaps a suicidal bravado to wish to jump inside a volcano or even just a regular idiot with a deathwish.  Taladan would never describe himself as a person with any of these things.  Of course, actions spoke louder than words and though he did not knowingly toss a line to Evadne, she took the bait nonetheless.

In an instant she was on him, scolding him though he could not recollect why. He was surely one to be lightly intimidated.  He didn't like violence.  But in this quick case of fight or flight instance, it was only his half-asleep stupor that prevented his fist from crashing into her face.  All he could do was blink with wide-eyes and mutter his reply.  "O-okay!  Fine.  I don't know what your problem is but fine!"  She was gone before he knew it.

Then Arthur appeared and what he had to say made it all come flooding back.  "Oh, that.  Right.  I didn't know she'd be that mad though.  Good gracious!" He sighed and rubbed his beard.  "Thanks for the supplies Arthur.  I usually travel lightly but this will do.  Thank you.  I suppose I'll be on my way now."  He grabbed up his things as well as the guitar and grabbed the bag.  "It was good to have met you Arthur.  We will meet again soon."  He turned and walked out the door, meeting Evadne outside.  He raised a brow to her and stepped back defensively.  "You ready to go?"

[You know what would be a cool plot twist? Evadne catches Taladan kissing some random girl after a performance on their trip. xD]

Arthur waved Taladan's gratitude away. He knew the feeling would expire about an hour after he had left the farmstead. When Evadne said she'd be someone's worst nightmare, she was usually true to her word, and more. Almost invisibly, he shook his head, and watched Taladan leave. "I don't want to see either of you again for at least a couple of weeks!" he called to his back.

Evadne in the mean time, with the bag, a bow and a quiver over her shoulder, was eating her feelings in the form of a couple of apples, and one could see by the ferocity she bit at the juicy orb that she really was not about to be lenient on either her father or the bard she was accompanying. When Taladan came outside, she looked back and forth toward him and the apple, sincerely contemplating throwing it in his face, but at the last moment she reconsidered. If she was going to be stuck with him for a couple of weeks, a broken nose wouldn't improve the view.

"The only thing I am ready for," Evadne snapped at the bard, "is that you won't be able to terrorize me in my own house anymore. And if there's no way out of this anyway, I'd rather have it now than later."

She jerked her head towards the road without taking her eyes off him. "Well, Mr Weathered Traveller. Why don't you lead the way."

Taladan crossed his arms after he threw his travel cloak around his shoulders and clipped it along his shoulder.  This was going to be tough one to get through he was now seeing though he didn't believe that Evadne could hold up her vendetta against him for longer than maybe a month or too.  Once she saw he couldn't be moved by her baseless wrath, she would probably relent.  It wasn't that he took such enjoyment from seeing her so frustrated for no apparent reason, she just seemed so eager to start a fight with him all the time.

Then again, there might be some new inspiration for a few songs from this little experience.  "My intention to get to know you was never meant to terrorize you.  I'm sorry you feel that way," he smirked and did exactly as she asked of him, taking the lead and only turning around, walking backwards to ask a question.  "Say you wouldn't mind giving me one of those apples would you?  Where we are going, there won't be many of those around.  Especially fresh ones."

Evadne almost choked on her apple when he said that his attempt to get to know her was not meant to terrorise her. "Oh really?" she asked cynically when she had managed to swallow the bite. "So all your going behind my back and conspiring with my father, more this week than I've ever been conspired against before, and GETTING AWAY WITH IT, this was never meant to force me into cooperation and therefore not at all meant to terrorise me. Am I correct?"

Hating how easily he got under her skin, Evadne threw away the core of the first apple and firmly bit in the second one, completely ignoring his request to share. "I know I'm not the nicest person in the world, but you can at least have the decency and the backbone to say stuff to my face instead of going through my father."

She got quieter for a moment, obviously struggling with the words now. "And I thought after last night you might have gained a little respect for me at least, but I see this has been pointless too."

"Weeeeell...when you put it in that light, you certainly could say that that is correct,"  Taladan smiled and just kept walking, half knowing that she probably wouldn't share anyway.  Good think Arthur was nice enough to give him something to eat.  Though he was used to going for days without eating something worthwhile, kindness was never spurned if it meant getting something good in his stomach.

"It wasn't an issue of backbone, my dear friend.  Trust me, that I have plenty of when I need it most.  But sometimes a little subversion never hurt anyone.  I didn't get where I am today because I was always Mr. Brightsmile...  Well, actually I did so nevermind.  What I mean is, you tend to take things far too personally Evadne.  It's a wonder you haven't murdered somebody by now just for saying your hair was messed up or your breath smelled or something of the kind.  Understand me?  Do you think if I asked you personally to accompany me on the road, that you would have been able to tell me straight to my face that you would have wanted to come?  That you would have even given it a second of positive thought?  I doubt you would have.  Probably would have given me the runaround.  Besides, it was not like it was my intention to use Arthur against you, Evadne.  All I did was offer if you wanted to come.  You still could have said no."

Messed up hair? Bad breath? Evadne reached for her head in frustration. "You are completely missing the point, Taladan! And I honestly couldn't care less about such superficial attempted insults. You might have noticed that the only things I could NOT appreciate were the things you did behind my back."

She tried to keep breathing while he went on defending himself. "So you think you know me now, huh? You think you can predict my reaction in every situation and never be wrong? You know what you did last night? You didn't even give me a chance to think about it, you made the decision for me. And now, now you will never know if you were right. So stop trying to make me feel like this is all my own fault, because IT IS NOT."

"We'll always be at a crossroads won't we," he commented half to himself and half to her as he heard her blabbering on in the background.  Only she could take harmless, objective examples and trample them to the ground.  But he stopped and looked at her until she caught up with him then just walked beside her.  "In truth I wish I did know you a little better.  Isn't that why we entered this friendship thing to begin with?  To get to know each other"

He pulled a piece of bread out of the bag Arthur gave him, then chewed it absently.  "I understand what you're saying, but you're missing my point.  Even if it was so short a time, the decision was still yours.  It always is.  Let me tell you a little secret about life: no one can make you do anything that you don't already wish to do yourself.  You went with me because some part of you wanted to.  And that's the plain truth, you don't want to face it.  And whether I was right or wrong doesn't matter at all; I don't care about that."

He tore a piece of the bread and offered it to her.  "And if seeing if I was right or wrong matters so much to you, then tell me now.  Would you have said yes if I asked you myself?"

Evadne could barely admit to herself that he was right in some way. When her father had asked her if she could truthfully say she did not want to go with Taladan, she couldn't do it. She wasn't much of a liar, not even about these kinds of things. And even if Arthur had said that she had to go with him, she could still have rejected, but for some reason the thought hadn't even entered her mind.

She stared at the piece of bread he offered her and then averted her gaze to his face, ignoring the outstretched hand. Evadne narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. "Well, since you just concluded that part of me wanted to go, I should think you could figure out the answer to that question yourself. And if you had ACTUALLY asked me to my face, you would have experienced it too."

Taladan paused mid-motion and knew that she was right.  "You've got a wonderful head for wit, Evadne even if it can be a little biting at times.  I like that the most about you," he said, smiling then eating the rest of the piece of bread.  He couldn't help but offer a light chuckle.  "But if you realize I only came to that conclusion because of our present situation: you're here with me now so obviously you said yes.  But if I hadn't left just yet?

"I respect you a little too much to answer any question for you anyway.  You've got a mind of your own and are pretty good about using it too.  Let's just keep walking eh?  Tell me about your favorite songs if you want and I'll sing them for you.  How bout that?"

For what was probably the thousandth time, Evadne stared at Taladan in disbelief. He respects me too much to answer any questions for me. SERIOUSLY!? But as soon as the thought passed, she felt her frustration slip away to make place for a certain resignation, the realisation that whatever she said or did would have the effect of water against rock. Which was virtually nothing, unless you counted the years and years it would take to reduce the rock to a grain of sand. But she had no intention of staying around him for years and years.

"If you hadn't left yet, you might have asked me," Evadne answered flatly while she started to walk again. "And I don't want you to sing me songs. I just want you to stop trying to be smart with me and actually start viewing me as a remotely sane, capable human being. Until you can do that... don't try and be nice to me."

Taladan put a little jump into his step for good measure.  Morose people didn't like other people being all happy and jeery around them too often.  For once he was actually trying to annoy her, though she probably wouldn't even notice.  "I'm not being smart," he said with a feigned defensive tone.  "I'm hardly smart at all.  I've just got years of experience ahead of you, okay?  Maybe if you stopped giving me, or anyone for that matter, such a hard time, you might actually have fun on this little excursion, huh?  

"Then again, I'm not really sure you're capable of having fun," he smirked at her smartly, shamelessly throwing her the bait.

Evadne opened her mouth to protest, anger turning her stomach inside out once more, but just in time she managed to jam her jaws on top of each other again. It was probably better to ignore him, though her offended ego was eager to fill her head with desperate defences against Taladan. Oh, I'M giving HIM a hard time now?! she thought, her hands turned to fists.

"You should really learn when to shut up," Evadne muttered through clenched teeth, her voice laced with anger. Before he could respond again, she continued:

"So where are we headed? I'm most eager to find a place I can hide."

"We, my most ungrateful bitterbug, are going to venture up to a very, very small town called Thensdale.  It's a nice little place where the people are nice and welcoming and the wine flows like rivers.  Not a bad place to hide too lay low if that's really what you're intending.  Parties are rather wild and can get violent pretty quickly, but it's not that bad since everyone knows each other.  It's all in good fun anyway,"  Taladan explained.

He then looked at Evadne curiously and thoughtfully touched his chin.  "But why would you need to hide?  Is someone hot on your trail?"