Down with the Old

[wolfie]

This hadn't been easy on her in the least bit. She had found out that in one day she wasn't who she thought she was. The girl that was Chaitya of Essryn was no longer. She couldn't be now when she was really Ewara from Connlaoth. Sure she could have tried to stay tried to keep up Chaitya, but it just wasn't possible. There were too many questions about how she ended up Chaitya in the first place.

Walking had done her some good. It gave her a chance to really think through what she was doing. She wasn't just giving up a lifestyle she was choosing her birth rank over the one she had in the desert. It wasn't easy leaving what she thought was her family. While she was walking she realized how truly alone she was now. Nobody at her back nobody to make sure she was doing okay. She had no idea who her family was.

She entered the city with no money in her pockets for anything. She sighed wondering who she should pick pocket first. She was sizing up her options wondering if this was a good idea so early on. It would become easier here for her once she settle into a routine and knew the city better than the belly dancing routines her once known sisters performed.

[Ivory]

Audric squinted up into the afternoon sun a moment to calculate the hour, then turned his attention back to his clothes.  His poor, poor innocent clothes that had deserved absolutely none of the horrors they had seen today!  He fingered the tear in the arm of his shirt, sighing out loud as it ripped open a little further.  Confound it, anyway!  And his cloak hadn't fared much better!

Well, wasn't that just what he got for trusting the likes of old One-Eyed Ros?

He was so distracted with his clothes that he nearly plowed into a woman on the street.  He pivoted onto his right foot and shifted direction quickly, just barely managing to squeeze past her with only a small nudge to indicate his lack of attention.

Some might have kept walking, but Audric was a gentleman when the mood struck him.  He swung around to face the woman with an apologetic frown.  "I'm so sorry.  Are you alright, Miss?"

[wolfie]

Ewara was a little surprised by the man who had almost plowed right into her. She was about to try and move out of the way when he already took care of it. She felt him bump her though as if to get her attention.

"I'm fine you did a good job of not hitting me," she said a frown on her face. She had attention already and she hadn't been in this place five minutes. She did notice that her clothing was different than what was actually worn in this place. She expected it to be different from the place she once called home.

It only took a moment to see that this man wasn't important. If he was his clothing wouldn't be so tattered. She wondered if she should make some excuse and get away never to see him again if she was lucky. There was something about him though something that seemed out of the ordinary. So far nobody had done much more than stare at her and point or keep their eyes anywhere but her embarrassed by what she looked like moving away fast. It was the fact he took the time to talk to her at all that had her staying put.

"Who might you be?" She asked having looked him over. Whatever he did for a profession it kept him in shape. She liked that.

[Ivory]

"Ah," Audric replied with an easy grin, as though he were genuinely pleased to answer the question.  "I'm Audric Molneux."  He extended his arms outwards to either side with his palms up in a gesture of good-natured futility.  "Sorry for the appearance.  It's a disguise."  He winked conspiratorially.

"You look a little out of place."  More-so than he did.  Tattered and battered clothes aside, Audric was taller than your average Connlaothian by some margin, and although it was becoming more common in Allar to see a clean-shaven man, it was still somewhat unusual for Connlaoth in general.  "Are you new to town?"

[wolfie]

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," she said only to be polite. She never liked drawing any attention if possible. She immediately thought better than to steal from someone's pocket with his eyes on her. She wondered what he really wore. She almost asked him but thought better of it.

"A good disguise by the looks of it," she said as if it didn't matter. Usually men went in disguise if they were looking to catch something. She was wary of this man. He seemed nice enough. Something didn't add up.

"Yes, actually just got in," she said not sure what to make of this situation. She didn't know a soul here, and yet she thought it wouldn't be impossible to find out who her parents were. She had no last name to go on. Nobody to talk to. What had she been thinking?

[Ivory]

Audric chuckled at her reaction.  Well, the girl had some guts, obviously.  Good for her!  "But I didn't catch your name," he reminded her cheerfully.

"Are you hungry?" he asked curiously.  "We just happen to be standing in front of the best tavern in town."  He gestured to a place just over his shoulder called the Blue Goose.  "I think it's a roast beef sandwich day."  He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his eyes brightening at the prospect.  "Rosie spends an entire two days roasting the beef before serving it.  And there are always these glazed carrots that taste like heaven.  I guarantee you, you have never had cooking like this."  It was making him even hungrier just thinking about it!  "Come on," he said with a broad grin.  "My treat.  To make up for nearly running you over and as a sort of welcome to town.  Unless you're meeting somebody?"

[wolfie]

"You can't catch what I don't toss," she said watching him. Her stomach was churning like it did when trouble was around. She heard his invitation and knew she was hungry. She couldn't pay though and was about to decline the offer.

"Oh well if you're buying I'm in then," she said smiling. Ewara was looking forward to new experiences. She heard his other question and frowned. It was hard to be meeting someone if you didn't know anyone. She knew that, but wasn't sure if she should let him know that.

"My friend doesn't arrive until tomorrow," she said making it seem like she wasn't alone. She didn't know this man very well. Figuring it best not to show all her cards, she had lied to cover her backside. Maybe in time she could tell him, but she was just too cautious to do so then.

[Ivory]

Intriguing!

Audric smirked at her and fell into step beside her as they made their way across the street towards the Blue Goose.  "Then I suppose I shall have to make up a name for you as we walk.  Hm, you look like you might be a Gladys.  Or an Eleanor..."

Far from being daunted by her responses, he took it as something of a challenge!

"Is your friend new to town as well?"  It was a fair assumption to make...  "Rosie is a good place to start if you need any information about the town.  She inherited the tavern from her mother, so she's seen pretty much everything before."

At the door, Audric stepped to the side and held the door open invitingly to the young woman, as any gentleman might.

Inside, the tavern was spacious, and, due to the time of day, inhabited by only a few patrons and a plump, older woman behind the bar.  Most of the other patrons were men, and a good number of these wore the uniforms of the palace guard.  One of the poker players looked up as they passed with a grin.  "How'd it go, Captain?"

"About as well as could be expected," he answered with a grin and a shrug.  "That new guy of Roscoe's doesn't like me much."

"In trouble again?" the woman behind the bar demanded with her hands on her hips.  "And what stories have you been telling this poor young lady to get her to accompany you out when you're dressed like a common thug?"

Audric shot her a roguish grin even as he pulled out a chair for Ewara.  "The only stories I've told her are about your cooking, Rosie.  And you yourself told me your customers cross the continent for just a bite."

OOC: Got carried away.  I love NPC-Rosie.

[wolfie]

"There's very little I answer to, or for for that matter," she said watching him. She liked talking to him wishing this uneasiness would disappear. He seemed like all he wanted to do was help her. Since she had no home, nobody to look forward to seeing, and no place to be in particular she was in no hurry to leave his company.

Instead of answering his question she let him go on about Rosie and was glad she had learned something. This man had given her the very start she might need. If only she could ask Rosie a few questions without him listening in. She figured he would know soon enough of her lies.

Ewara wasn't used to anyone holding the door open for her let alone someone helping her get seated. She wondered what other things she would find peculiar. Time would tell on that. She listened as the 'captain' and Rosie had a conversation.

"He was regaling me with his heroic deeds of the afternoon of feeding horses and almost landing in dung face first," she said hoping the woman would laugh. Ewara had no idea what Audric had been doing all day, but that didn't matter here nor there.

"He did tell me that. He also mentioned you know people around here. If you had a name would you be able to tell what happened to their family?" She asked figuring it was best to learn now if this woman could indeed help her. She had a feeling Rosie might not know exactly what occurred to her family. She was willing to take a gamble.


OCC: No worries. I find it a delight. ;)

[Ivory]

"Hey!"  Audric protested, his face twisting into an expression of first alarm, then something near a pout at her statement.  "I didn't!"

Rosie laughed out loud, her laugh sounding natural and easy.  It was a loud laugh, but not unpleasant to the ears.  It easily drowned out Audric's protests.  "So he was telling the truth for once, was he?"

Audric made another face.

Rosie was still grinning as she listened to the question.  It was a cheerful grin, an expression that looked like Rosie always wore it.  "I just might at that!  I would at least be able to tell you if a name struck a bell!  Who are you look for, honey?"

[wolfie]

Ewara smiled glad that she made the woman laugh. Things seemed to go easier when laughter was involved. She heard the question and then the statement having missed Audric making a face.

"That all depends on the cooking, and I'm famished. I'm looking to see if anyone knows an Ewara," she said finally giving her name. It felt odd saying it again this time referencing herself. She had a feeling in time she would get used to it again. She couldn't ask for her parents she didn't have their names.

She felt a little uncomfortable in this setting just giving the name. She didn't know either of these people well. They could be out to pull the wool over her eyes, but she remembered she didn't own anything of value. It was hard to be a target if one was poor.

[Ivory]

"Ewara?"  Rosie frowned thoughtfully, eyes trained on the space just above Ewara's head as she thought deeply.  "Is that a first name?  Or a surname?"

She couldn't say it meant anything to her without some sort of context to put it into...

"Do you know what this Ewara did for a living, honey?  That might help me come up with something..."

OOC: Lame post is lame!  Also, let me know if you want it to ring any bells for her~  <3  Or, you know, you can write Rosie too!

[wolfie]

"That I don't know. It's all I have," she said thinking maybe this was a mistake. She sighed wondering if perhaps she should have just kept her mouth shut.

"She isn't old enough to have done anything for a living here," she said knowing this was the first time she had set foot in Uthlyn. She hoped they wouldn't run her out of here any time soon she was beginning to like this place.

"Ewara might have been born here," she said blushing a little. She just didn't have anything except the flag with the name on the back. There was no telling where it came from, but she wasn't about to show that to just anyone. They might ask how she came by it, and she wasn't about to share that either unless she could completely trust the person she shared it with.

OOC: It's not a lame post. I've seen lame nowhere near it. It can if you want it to. I left out information on her parents and family so that it could be filled in later. I'm pretty open as to who they were. I'm not comfortable writing NPC's others have created.

[Ivory]

OOC: Okay!  *salute!*  And, well, it's Connlaoth, so it isn't like there's a variety of job options available for men!

"Oh, it's a little girl?"  Rosie asked, recognition suddenly lighting her face.  "I have heard that name!"  She snapped her fingers dramatically.  "Now, what was that boy's name?"

After a second of thought, she whirled around.  "Tomas!  Tomas, what was the name of that boy?"

An older gentleman, probably just a few years older than Rosie, appeared from the storeroom behind the bar with an irate expression.  "What boy?"

"You remember the one!  Blonde with the blue eyes?  Always wore that dried flower in his lapel?  Ran away with the miller's girl?"

The man stared at her like she had lost her mind.  "Miller's daughter?  The one with the dark hair?  And the...?"  He made a vague gesture in the air like an hourglass.

Rosie made a sound of disgust in the back of her throat.  "You would remember that, wouldn't you?  Sariah, her name was.  And his was...ah!  Alaxis!"  She sighed in triumph and in memory.  "Sweet boy, that one.  Never meant to be a soldier.  They had a daughter, they did.  A little baby named Ewara.  They brought her in a time or two."

[wolfie]

OOC: She'll learn... lol

"Well she's not so little now," she said surprised happily about having been heard of. So her mother was the daughter of a miller. That was better than the nothing she started out with. She would have to thank Audric somehow he helped her without realizing it.

She blushed a little hearing the man show her mother's figure. One she apparently shared in some regard. Blonde and blue eyed? I must have gotten my looks from my mother then. She thought considering she didn't have either.

"Do you know what happened to Alaxis and Sariah?" She asked feeling strange saying the names. She was closer to learning about her past than she thought possible. Now the harder question - would she be able to live with knowing?

[Ivory]

"Ran off together," Tomas put in from the bar.  He leaned his elbows against the polished surface with a frown.  "Went off without telling his commanding officer and took the girl and their children with them.  They never came back here.  If they did, I would have given them a piece of my mind."

Rosie gave him a hard look.  He was an idiot!  "Don't pay any attention to Tomas.  You know how men are, dear."  She reached out to pat Ewara's hand.  "So, you're their daughter, are you?  You're absolutely lovely!  It's no wonder you caught Audric's eye!"  She frowned slightly.  "But an absolute twig!  Tomas, bring us over some soup and sandwiches!  Your meal is on the house, honey.  It's always so nice to see the children of old friends."

[wolfie]

Ewara wasn't sure she liked this Tomas. Something had caught her attention though. He had said children as in plural. It made her wonder. She wanted to do as Rosie said but couldn't help her curiosity.

"Children? They had more than one?" She asked a little taken back. If she wasn't an only child where were the other siblings? What could have happened to them in Essryn that she was the only survivor. She guessed she would never know. The pat on the hand brought her back and the rest she was surprised to hear. Rosie had guessed it alright.

"I wish I had then maybe he wouldn't have almost trampled me," she said giving him a wicked grin. She liked being trouble when she could something in her nature she couldn't help.

"Yes, I'm Ewara. There Audric, you don't need to make up a name for me now. Thank you you are wonderful and kind," she said glad she didn't have to worry about making this man she was with broke.

"Do you know if they went alone with just their family? Something happened to them when I was just a child I never knew them," she admitted hoping that Audric wasn't putting the pieces to the puzzle together. She didn't know what she would do if he did.

[Ivory]

Audric scratched his chin, looking about as sheepish as he could possibly look -- until Rosie gave him a sharp glare, and the look somehow doubled.  Still, he managed to politely butt in for just a second.  "It's a pleasure, Ewara."

Rosie looked a little more satisfied when she returned her gaze to Ewara.  "There were two.  You, of course, and then a little by named Kaylen.  You were little devils!"  She laughed softly.  "You must have been about four when they left town."  Sadly, but carefully, she said, "But Tomas is right.  Your father left without giving notice of leave.  That's not something our military takes lightly."  It was, in fact, punishable by death...  "But they were wonderful people, dear.  Some people don't have the stomach for war..."  She frowned deeply.  "I wish I could tell you more..."

[wolfie]

Ewara was tickled by how sheepish Audric was looking. She had never seen anyone look at him the way Rosie just did. Her attention then returned to Rosie completely when she learned of her sibling.

"Would they have just punished Tomas, or the whole family?" She asked suddenly getting something. She wasn't sure now if she should be there if she was in danger. If the military had caught up with her father, and she was accidentally left behind to be cared for in Essryn, that meant maybe her sibling was around here somewhere. She had hope.

"You have given me more than I could have hoped to find. Thank you, Rosie," she said glad for once that she had run into Audric. Had he not suggested this place to eat she might still be in the dark with her family. She thought of thanking him, but she wasn't sure if it would go to his head.

[Ivory]

Rosie glanced to Audric, her expression questioning.

"By law, unless they could prove something against your mother, they should have taken action only against Alaxis."  Audric's expression, though still sheepish, was also a bit grave as he spoke.  Rosie was no doubt trying to protect her, but she had a right to know...and if she had tracked them all the way here, Ewara was a tough girl.  "He would have been executed," he said softly.  Unlike Tomas, there was no sense of bitterness in his tone -- merely sympathy.  "But, not everyone -- even in the military -- is a good man."

Rosie frowned at Audric, then returned her gaze to Ewara.  "I wish I had more information for you.  And happier news.  But let me know if there's anything else I can do for you, dear.  Starting with what you want to drink, hm?  And we'll go from there."