Flipside [ attn. Aran]

[silhouette]

The days since Aran’s confession about his past, and the beating Rosheen had given him for not telling her and Lyv about it earlier passed quietly and without incident. Rosheen tried to tell herself she liked it that way. When she woke up halfway during the day after the death of Crescent, she’d expected to see Aran out and about in the yards. When she didn’t see him then, and when the second day passed without a sight of him, she realised that he hadn’t called upon the aide of a Yellow to heal the injuries he’d received from his enemy as well as his friend. “Some friend.†She muttered. While she had felt completely in her right to beat him up at the time she was doing it, she was beginning to doubt the wisdom of her choices. Her mother always said she had a ridiculous amount of sympathy for just about everyone. She’d probably even feel sorry for the trolloc after she killed it.

 

The recent events had forced her to think on certain things that she had pushed to the very back of her mind before. One of those things involved the death of Malvolio, which she had been blamed for. She never did find out how they got that Accepted to tell the truth. The more she thought about it, the more likely it became that Aran had had a hand in that. It was in a way his specialty, after all. The more she thought of it, the more it bothered her. And as it was with all things that bothered Rosheen, it had to be solved immediately. With a sigh she rose from her comfortable spot under a tree and made her way towards the barracks.

 

To say Rosheen wasn’t exactly looking forward to seeing Aran would be taking matters lightly. “Probably hates your guts after what you did…†she muttered, scolding herself. She stood in front of his door for a moment, remembering quite well that she’d been in that exact position two days ago. After a moment of hesitation she knocked, which was almost immediately followed by a call to enter. After inhaling sharply, Rosheen opened the door, showing her face to Aran. The look of surprise on his face was almost priceless. "Should I crawl under the bed?" he asked, with a grin on his face. It would have been funny if he hadn’t looked about ready to actually do so. Rosheen shook her head. “Nah, that would be kind of pointless, don’t you think?â€

 

Rosheen walked in and closed the door behind her, looking a little uncomfortable. Not quite as uncomfortable as Aran though. “So how’s your face?†she asked after a moment of silence.

[Wayfarer]

Aran had been wondering if Rosheen would come or not. She was an elemental woman, quick to anger, and it seemed perhaps quick to guilt as well. She certainly didn't look to happy to be in the same room as him. Then again, for most people it was a bit awkward to be in the same room as someone they had beaten into the ground. "Its getting there."

 

Rosheen uttered something between a ‘hmm’ and a ‘looks painful’, staring at the rather big bruise on Aran’s face. It was starting the turn green, the way bruises did after a while. She shifted slightly, putting her back against the wall next to the door. “So…†she started, not entirely sure about how to start a conversation with Aran, not with the evidence of her anger so clearly visible.

 

“I didn’t break anything, right?â€

 

Aran looked at her for a moment, then laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes, as if clearing his head of something. "No, you didn't break anything." Looking up at her again, he pointed to the space on the bed next to him. "Sit down. You didn't come to just talk about my face."

 

Looking the part of the beaten dog, Rosheen shuffled forward, settling on the edge of the bed. “I don’t see why you didn’t get a Yellow to heal you up a bit. Fayth hardly ever asks questions about what someone did to get injured.†She said, avoiding the topic she’d wanted to discuss. One one hand she wanted to know if Aran had gotten the Accepted to talk, but on the other hand… well, if it was true it would only make her feel worse about herself. She sighed, rubbing her forehead for a moment. The situation just got worse and worse. “I was wondering… Do you remember Malvolio? And that Accepted that almost got me thrown out of the Guard and worse…â€

 

Aran narrowed his eyes "hardly ever. It might've been difficult to explain why I could barely move though." That didn't go down well with her, but there wasn't really any other way to put it. Still, there was the other matter which she brought up, which had him wondering. "I remember it."

 

Rosheen winced slightly at the comment as to why he hadn’t visited Fayth. Her first instinct was to lash out and say something about how he seemed to be perfectly capable of lying himself through something like that. She was quite sure her tongue would hurt for the effort of biting on it. She wasn’t here for that now. She’d already made her feelings towards Aran’s way of dealing with the truth clear. “I was just wondering… I never asked how Elia got the Angreal and the confession.â€

 

Aran shrugged, then winced before trying to settle into his earlier comfortable position. "Elia had the Accepted found. Luckily enough, that Accepted had a change of heart after getting over her initial panic and not only told the truth without Elia needing to prompt her, but also handed over the angreal."

 

Rosheen let out the breath she’d been holding for a moment. “Lucky me…†after a moment’s pause she glanced at Aran again. “And you didn’t have anything to do with that?â€

 

"What makes you think that?"

 

“Just wondering.†All of a sudden the wall opposite to Aran’s bed held something intensely interesting for Rosheen as she stared at it, pondering on the nature of her suspicions. It wasn’t that she wasn’t glad that the Accepted eventually talked, but… well… it complicated things, and Rosheen had never had a liking for those. “Because if you had had something to do with it, I’m just this much more of a goathead for beating you up.†She said, holding the thumb and index finger of her right hand about an inch apart from each other.

 

Aran squinted at her, then a telltale grin split his face despite how much it hurt to do so. "I don't think I heard that, could you say that again?"

 

Rosheen narrowed her eyes at Aran for a moment before returning his grin. â€Don’t push it Aran, I still think my anger was justified. I’m just not entirely sure if my manner of conveying this to you was entirely right. I might have been overreacting a little.â€

 

Aran laughed, clutching his ribs as he did so because it hurt so much. Maybe she hadn't come round after all. "Not entirely justified? You jumped your friend in his own room, after he'd nearly been killed the night before, then you proceeded to beat him near on senseless when he had no chance of defending himself. Yeah. I guess the 'manner' you decided to 'convey' your 'anger' wasn't 'entirely right'. Some might say it was a 'slight overreaction'." Sarcasm only scratched the surface of his tone.

 

Rosheen managed to look only half as sour as she felt. Again her eyes narrowed a little, but not for long, as she was quite convinced that she deserved whatever Aran decided to say about her actions. She shrugged slightly. “You’d have done the same if you were me.†She muttered.

 

Snorting, Aran lifted his head as his voice sharpened. "Look at me." She looked like she wouldn't for a moment, but she turned to meet his gaze nevertheless. "If you think you can just fritter away what you did with a mere 'you'd have done the same', you're sorely mistaken. And no, I wouldn't have done what you did."

 

"I've been lying here for the past couple of days, mulling over what has happened and why. You know what? I came up with an answer, and since you put me in my bedridden state, you can stick around and listen to it."

 

"You think I betrayed you because I wouldn't trust you by telling you who I was, or why I was here. You have this expectation that because we are friends, I'm suddenly obliged to tell you everything about me?"

 

"And you know what? It would've been nice to tell you who I was. It would have also been great if my mother hadn't been a whore, killed by a client who got carried away, and I hadn't been thrown out onto the street to take care of myself when I was six. But guess what? The wheel doesn't spin the pattern out to suit you, there are reasons why things happen."

 

"Maybe I didn't tell you so that you weren't always on the lookout for something suspicious and would have given away the fact I was still waiting for my assassin. Maybe the fact that you're a Tower Guard and therefore a highly trained killer made you far less likely to be attacked than people lost to the fire. Maybe the fact that I've lived my entire life this way meant I was better informed than you on how to deal with it."

 

"But more important than that, it was about being a real friend. Since we've known each other, can you think of one time I've ever pressed you about something you didn't want to talk about? If you can, you've got a damn sight better memory than me. My friendship wasn't conditional on you telling me everything about yourself. I just gave you my trust freely, and all I wanted was that trust in return."

 

"But thats not what happened at all. Instead I've endured you constantly trying to find out things I wasn't ready to tell you. And instead of giving me your faith like a true friend, all you could do was doubt me. Before you say it isn't true, while I've been lying here so you didn't get in trouble, something you said to me in the tavern before the fire came to me. How did it go... 'You know, for me to not trust you is one thing, but for it to be the other way around?'"

 

"Yeah, real friendship that is. Perfectly fine not to be trusted, but completely ok to expect trust in return. I've put up with your lack of trust in me ever since you first started chasing me up. I let it go, because I thought you'd eventually wake up and think 'he's my friend, if he isn't telling me something, it must be something he can't talk about, he must have a good reason'. Instead all you could think about was how I was slighting you, and its showed these past few weeks."

 

"Especially the other morning. Did you even try to understand why I did what I did, from my perspective? Or were you too damn busy thinking about how much I'd insulted you? Friends are patient with one another, where was your bloody patience then?!"

 

Blinking and taking a deep breath to calm himself, Aran spoke on in a calmer tone. "I didn't even know you when you were thrown in a cell over Malvolio, yet I listened to you when you spoke. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, and my gut told me you were telling the truth. I spoke up for you, and for what its worth I convinced that Accepted to own up."

 

"So, here's the question thats been bouncing about in my noggin ever since you decided to give me your 'justified' beating. What did I do to deserve it? Why was the trust I gave you worth so little you couldn't give me the same?"

 

 

Aran

Tower Guard

[silhouette]

For a while after Aran had spoken, and asked his question, Rosheen found herself incapable of words. It wasn’t that the words weren’t there, just that they were jumbled, racing through her mind, and not forming anything more coherent than ‘he’s right’ and ‘he’s not’. She found that her eyes were drawn to the wall again as she folded her legs underneath her, much like she would if Lyv tricked her into meditating. She lowered her eyes, staring at her hands instead of at the wall. When she finally spoke her voice was coarse. “Good question.â€

 

Aran just looked at her before settling himself back. "You're a real piece of work Rosheen. If you still thought you were right, you'd have never come here in the first place. Despite the fact I'm in this damn bed toughing it out because I know you made a mistake, and now I know for sure that you're regretting it, the best answer you can give me is 'good question'? Poor way to repay a friendship."

 

Rosheen glanced over at Aran for a moment, before letting her gaze settle on the wall again. “You know I’m not as quick with things as you are. You can jump from one story to another, and people like me… we have a hard time following it some times. You know that.†The tone of her voice was almost light as she said that. “And you also know that I can only look at things from my point of view.†She shifted slightly so that she could look at Aran again, which was harder than she expected now that her own flaws had been named so perfectly. It was one thing to realise that you were wrong, but it was something else to have it laid out before you like that. And even then, she would have to admit it to Aran as well before they were going to get anywhere.

 

“You know I’m open about things… about everything. I don’t keep secrets, Aran, for the simple reason that I don’t think there’s a secret so vile that it’s worth keeping inside. Is it so hard to understand that I find it hard to trust someone who… seems to be shrouded in secrets everywhere he goes? I understand that some people keep secrets, but not the way you do. And when you avoid every single question I ask about you and your past, it makes me wonder, what is he hiding, and why is he hiding it, and why won’t he trust me the way I trust him.â€

 

Rosheen found herself staring at her hands again, suddenly finding them very interesting as she tried to get her thoughts in line. She was failing quite miserably in that department. “So what was I supposed to think two days ago? Aran throws himself into a burning building, he must be just fine?†she wrung her hands together, hoping they’d stop trembling. “And then we see you stumbling into the grove, looking worse than we’ve ever seen you. Is it friendship to just let you walk on, without knowing if you’ll end up alright? And is it friendship to stand by and watch while you die?â€

 

“But that’s all besides the point, isn’t it?†Once again she lifted her head so that she could look at the man she’d beaten up only two days ago. “When Malvolio died… it was partially his fault, because he did something wrong… but it was also my fault, for… acting irrationally. For lashing out and doing something in anger that I wouldn’t have done if I’d been thinking. I wasn’t thinking, when I ended up here, in front of your door. I guess I expected that I’d just yell at you… I didn’t.†she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to get rid of every inch of pride that was in the way of saying what had to be said. When she opened them again they shone with unshed tears. “I was wrong. I judged you wrongly. I shouldn’t have… hurt you, and I’m sorry.â€

 

 

Ooc: is anyone else amused by the fact that Lyv is so not going to understand what the hell is going on? (oh, and be thoroughly impressed by the fact that Rosheen said she was sorry. It took me an hour to beat it out of her with a stick. *Mutters*)

[Wayfarer]

As Rosheen's last words died away, Aran stared at her in silence for a moment as he took it in. It was a big step for her to do what she did, after over a year of knowing her he knew that much. Grunting as he forced himself to sit up, he turned to her hands and reaching over quite painfully, he laid one of his own hands over them and squeezed gently. She seemed a bit unsure it all but Aran let a small smile slip. "Friends?"

 

Rosheen looked down at her hands, which were covered by Aran’s hand. Gently and deliberately she took it between her own, returning the little squeeze. “Friends.†She stated, looking at Aran for a moment before looking away again, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. “Stupid… dust. Always gets everywhere.†She inhaled deeply, calming herself a little before being able to look at Aran again. “Now will you please let me get Fayth for you?â€

 

Aran laughed "of course not. I've spent two days here, if we get Fayth now it'll all have gone to waste." He had to admit, he hadn't expected her to shed tears over it all. He was a little teary himself. "Besides, I had to go for years without a sister to heal me, its not something I'm unused to."

 

Rosheen smiled slightly at that. “I suppose you’re right. We’re all going to become a bunch of softies if we let someone heal us on every occasion.†Though it was quite convenient, especially for someone like Rosheen, who had the tendency to fall of things and break her ankles or wrists. “So is there anything else I can get for you? An extra pillow? Ale? A luscious tavern wench?â€

 

"Why? You offering?" Throwing up a hand infront of himself in defence, Aran usual grin plastered his face as he pointed to the bedstand next to him. "Want to open that up? You'll find a bottle and a few cups. Thats about the best cure I have at the moment without having to mix something myself."

 

 

Aran

Tower Guard

[silhouette]

Rosheen laughed as she got up to fetch the drinks and the cups from the bed stand. It looked as though things were back to normal, but looks could be deceiving. That, and the sound of Aran wincing didn’t exactly do much to soothe her nerves. She was pleased to see that her hands had stopped shaking as she poured both Aran and herself a cup of whatever it was that was in the bottle. Moments later they both had a cup, and the bottle was close enough for them both to reach, even if Aran didn’t look as though he was going to reach out and pour his own drinks. “You know, I’ve been wondering. You said that your mother… didn’t exactly find herself in a lot of steady relationships. How did your father figure out that you were his son?â€

 

Aran laughed before demolishing the cup in a single go. The spirits were particularly strong, but that was the sort of drink he needed. "She was a prostitute, a rather upper class one at that, there's no need to dress it up. During the time I was conceived, my father was a regular customer. During my two years where I had to take care of myself, not to mention the years before it I ran free out in Foregate, I was involved in a number of escapades. In fact, I caused a bit of trouble for the Guild while me and my fellow brothers and sisters made do. Our group was noticed, and someone mentioned that I came from the whorehouse my father frequented."

 

Rosheen took a swig of her drink, immediately regretting her action as it burned in her throat, she coughed a bit. “Stronger than I expected.†She muttered. “But that would still make it a pretty long shot, right? I mean… I’m sure your father wasn’t the only one who visited your mother around the time you were conceived. How come your father was so sure that you were his son?â€

 

Grinning, Aran held up his cup to Rosheen and wagged it side to side. "Splishy splashy". As she took the cup from him, Aran answered her question. "Sure it was a long shot, and we're not entirely sure I was his son, but I look similar enough. Besides, it was what I got up to that interested him, I guess it reminded him of himself in some ways. That and I made a handy backup if my brother was ever killed, someone to continue the family tradition. Its not as if the Sene'val bloodline is unbroken. For all I know, the Sene'val from a couple of hundred years ago where completely removed from my father, let alone myself."

 

Rosheen poured Aran another cup as she listened to him talk about his father and brother. “Your brother wasn’t of your father’s blood, right? How come he was accepted as his son? Or how come you were accepted, for that matter. I mean, there were traders out there who doubted I was the child of my father, and I look like him. I can imagine that in Cairhien, and in a guild like the one you and your father were part from things like that matter even more.†Rosheen shook her head for a moment, thinking of the way some people acted in the name of politics.

 

Aran grinned "We're crooks Rosheen. Prostitutes, thieves, murderers, con artists, dreamsellers, smugglers and more. Bloodline isn't nearly as important as recognition, which is how it should be anyway. My father picked my brother up on the way back from a piece of work he did. Parents were dead, baby was still in the looted wagon, he took on the role as the father to fool people who were following him. After that, he kept my brother and gave him his own name. He was groomed for the work since birth, so its little wonder he's always been ahead of me. Still, I was happy just to be taken into a household and have a father. For him, it was because he suspected me of being so, and because of our resemblance, and that my manner even resembled his a bit. That was enough for him."

 

“But that makes family rivalries pretty futile, right? From what I understood Crescent was unhappy to be taken into the Sene’val household, but why? It’s not like he couldn’t become as much of a brother to you as Aventari is. But maybe I’m being naïve here.†She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like that’s never happened before.†She finished her own drink with another swig, getting more comfortable with the strength of it. “Why did his family try to take over anyway? Wasn’t Cairhien big enough for two assassin families?â€

 

Aran grinned "the Harthran's were all related by blood, in fact they're the oldest family that can prove their ties down the generations. It gave them a certain traditional clout, they'd been in Cairhien for hundreds of years." Taking a sip from his cup, he continued on. "Our feud was because of an imbalance. My father was popular in the council, his ideas were successful, and he was willing things through personally. He was trusted well enough that he could decide to do anything he wanted with the Guild just about and by vote things would have gone his way. The fact he had no pretensions about having a right to lead helped as well." Throwing down the rest of his cup, Aran held it up for Rosheen to take. "The Harthran were used to occupying that role by right. When my father took it away from them, they wanted it back naturally. What wasn't anticipated was that some of the other families would side with them."

 

Rosheen used Aran’s empty cup as an excuse to give herself a moment to think. Days like these she was quite pleased with the fact that she had very little to do with politics. Handing Aran his cup she said: “But weren’t there families who sided with yours then? From the sound of things your father was quite popular, and the Harthran family wasn’t.â€

 

Aran chuckled "this wasn't something that was protracted. It all happened in a single day. We were all in different parts of town. My father was attacked by the Harthrans, and convincingly gutted. I managed to escape my assailants, and my brother convincingly gutted all of his attackers. He's especially good at what he does."

 

Taking a sip of the cup, his stomach was telling him to ease up a little so he let it sit on his lap. "We met up at one of our safehouses, and when our father didn't appear, we knew. So we went to where he was last, found the Harthran with their accomplices, and killed all of them, save Crescent. It all took place over perhaps... six hours? We aren't like aristocrats with their posing and their need to have some moral high ground. We just do it, and if you plan it right it doesn't even come down to a toss of the dice."

 

“Hmm.†Rosheen looked into her cup for a moment. “I suppose that makes sense when you’re in that kind of business. Kill or get killed and all that. How come Crescent only went after you, and not after your brother? And why did Aventari let Con leave without informing Elia of who you were, or at least who you’re affiliated with? Didn’t he put you in a difficult position by letting Con cut the ties with the guild?â€

 

"I was an easier target. Notice how I said I ran from my attackers while my brother killed them to the last man? Crescent would have killed me, and despite his threats of pinning me to a tree would have carried me off, maybe would have pickled one of my hands and sent it to my brother. Tell him if he wanted me back, he'd have to come and get me. Crescent would have tried to force my brother in to a situation that favoured Crescent. Not that it would have helped I think, but if he had a plan that was probably it."

 

"As to Elia... The guild had little use for the deal by the time Con left, there are smiths elsewhere who can both fold or cast steel of just as high quality. We don't need to know much about Tar Valon because we don't involve ourselves here much, and with time we were able to locate just as good trainers for our needs, if not with as much variety. Money talks, and is pretty persuasive too in large sums. Besides, if I wanted to, I could disappear if necessary. The only important thing was not getting picked up on, and its not something people are told to look for. If you're wearing a red coat, you'd have to have good reason to. And since I was assigned to a company by Con himself, there was no reason to doubt it. ‘Cept the name of course, but like I said, Con's doing. Probably the most upright man I've ever met, painfully so."

 

Rosheen shrugged. “I never really spent that much time with him before he left. Raced him once, while tied to a trainee. Lost, of course. Seemed like a well balanced fellow. Aside from that squirrel of course. Not that I mind squirrels all that much, but it’s pretty strange to carry one around all the time.†She emptied her cup again, wondering if the contents of it were already starting to work on her mind. “Soft…†she muttered. “But if Aventari knew Crescent was looking for you, why didn’t he have him followed or something? By the sound of it he has plenty of resources to do so.â€

 

"Its hard to follow someone trained like us, let alone do so without us knowing. Besides, that was Aventari's intuition, there was no proof for it, had to give the benefit of the doubt. If it was Crescent and he realised he was being followed, he would have gone to ground and we couldn't know when he'd appear next at all. If he wasn't the one and we had him followed, he'd wonder why we didn't trust him. At least when he wasn't followed, he felt confident enough to not go completely out of contact, so we had a rough idea where he was, better than nothing."

 

“All this trouble over a family feud of sorts.†Rosheen shook her head. “The day I understand people will be the day we get thrown into the next Age. So have you decided what you’re going to do next? Back to the guild and a life of depravity, or are you going to stay here with us defenders of the Light?†she said, grinning at Aran. Truth was that she’d rather not see her friend go now that he’d effectively eliminated the threat to his life. Not that she’d tell him, of course. There were things that could only be mentioned when she’d consumed far more alcohol than she had done so far.

 

"Well I don't know... I quite liked my life of depravity, sure it was dangerous work but the pay was alot better, plus I didn't have to walk a wall." Seeing the look on her face, Aran laughed. "On the otherhand, I won't have to watch my back here all the time now, and I have friends here. I think I might just stick around and see what happens."

Rosheen shrugged, pretending not to care either way. “I bet your brother is going to be pleased to find out Crescent is dead. And Scarlet, for that matter. He didn’t seem like the kind of man you’d want around all that often either. What’s the thing with the names anyway? Are they just to keep people from identifying you?â€

 

"The names are there for our protection mainly. When you're dealing with clients, they don't need to know your real name, but they do need to be able to refer to you. Between each other, its a good way to protect our relations. Not every assassin comes from a family of such, they don't want to visit their family to find them strung up. And yeah, he'll be happy to hear they're gone. Scarlet was bad for business, always leaving obvious marks about, always killing more than was needed. If someone pays you to kill one person, you don't poison the entire household. You know, he became what he did just for the fun of it. He was a court noble in the Cairhienin Palace."

 

“And people wonder why Cairhienin nobility has such a bad reputation…†Rosheen said. “I still can’t imagine what it must have been like. Until I came here for training I’d never even lived in a city.†She laughed for a moment. “I’d never even lived in a house before this. People aren’t as likely to kill each other out on the trade routes, no matter what rumours there are. Cities aren’t exactly good for your health.†She laughed again. “My mother will be so glad to hear that she was right all along.†She shook her head. “Did you kill a lot of people before you came here?â€

 

Taking up his cup, he finished it in one go and held it out for refill. "I wouldn't have been successful if I hadn't. Actually, thats not quite true A really good assassin kills their target, and only that target. Its not just jobs though, to hold the guild together you have to deal with competition. When my brother asked, I helped him with tasks that needed doing in addition to my own work. Its not something you should want though, when it needs doing its done, thats about it. And you? I'm betting you'd at least picked up a blade before you came to Tar Valon."

 

Rosheen grinned at the mere thought of it. “Yeah, I picked up a weapon before I came here. Keep in mind that I was around thirteen at the time though, so the most impressive thing I could do with it was not stab myself in the foot. My mother didn’t agree with it anyway. She was always going on about peace, and turning the other cheek and all that. She still blames my father for not getting the caravan out of Shienar before I was born. Says that messed me up for life.†She sniggered a bit at the memory. “I came here when I was sixteen… killed my first Darkfriend when I was seventeen, and got promoted to the Tower Guard when I was eighteen. Which is…†she stared of in the distance for a moment, before filling both Aran’s cup and her own. “… a long time ago. Time flies.†The freshly filled cup didn’t remain full for long. “I should get out more.â€

 

"Alot more." Agreeing quite easily on that point, Aran took a swig and smiled as he felt that warmness travel down his throat, even if it was a little harsh. "Six."

 

“Six of what?â€

 

"I beat you by ten. Not that he was darkfriend, least I don't think so, but yeah, six."

 

Rosheen’s eyes widened considerably. “Six?!†she exclaimed. “Light.†Shaking her head she wondered about the circumstances that could have accompanied that killing. “How does a six year old runt kill someone?†she wondered aloud.

 

Aran raised an eyebrow "You don't think a child is capable? There are children who are trained specifically to kill people simply because people don't suspect it. In my case it was an older kid who used to come around and beat on us smaller kids, especially if they had food. So a group of us got together, a few cobblestones and the like, you can imagine the rest. You missed out on some of the finer points of life on the road."

 

“I led a sheltered life.†Rosheen smiled faintly. “We always travelled with guards and the like, and we stayed on the main trade routes for the main part. There’s shelter in being with a larger group. But I suppose you know that, from your own childhood.â€

[Wayfarer]

"Pretty much, there's no such thing as a hero. You all rely on each other to survive and if you can't do that, then you all starve, or are caught. You also learn that there's no such thing as taboo. Anything goes to get from day to day, and if it means killing someone, well, you do it. Especially if its a rival, you get in first before they can move against you, no choice because if you leave them, they'll attack you when you aren't ready. Nervous life, you learn to be wary because if you don't, you're dead, different to here."

 

Rosheen leant back a bit, feeling the alcohol go straight to her head. Food would have been good after all, but of course she had felt just a tad too guilty to actually eat something. She frowned a little, peering into her half empty cup and contemplating the wisdom if setting it a side.

 

After a shrug she lifted it to her lips again, and emptied it. Rosheen was never one to back down from a challenge, and if the liquor wished to challenge her sobriety… well… She blinked, as if she suddenly remembered that she was in a room with Aran. “Sounds harsh. The only thing you have to worry about here is not getting stabbed by clumsy trainees, and not getting your arse kicked by one of the Captains. Or the Mistress of Trainees in your case. Or… ehm… other random angry people. Yeah. Don’t underestimate the danger of the yards.â€

 

She narrowed her eyes slightly before laughing. Seemed like the liquor was definitely going to win this round. “So what did you do to Ginae to make her hate your guts? Or is it just some silly borderlander thing?â€

 

Aran laughed, Ginae had to come up sooner or later it seemed. "Bit of both. She's quite the Borderlander, so she's a bit touchy when it comes to her honour and good manners. Very serious person, though I think underneath it all, buried deep, is a sense of humour. But I did dye her hair blue, light how she hated that. And I did get that trainee to smack her backside infront of the entire yard. But its because I'm entirely too improper, disgrace to the Tower Guard and all. Creator forbid we have a sense of humour and the ability to enjoy it. As opposed to being some prissy puppet that has their strings pulled by women who spend decades in a Tower."

 

Rosheen laughed. “Light, it really is a miracle that you’re still alive. I’m surprised you didn’t give Vasya a bit of a dye job while you were at it. Or Ralleigh, I’m sure Lyv would have appreciated that.†she grinned, thinking of Lyv’s dislike for her Captain. Then she shrugged slightly. “I don’t really mind Ginae. Maybe that’s because there’s too much of the Borderlands in me after all. She does really care about the fate of all the trainees.†she poked Aran’s chest with her finger. “And you, mister, are indeed a bad influence.†Still, it was Ginae’s own fault for giving him a trainee to watch over in the first place.

 

Aran winced "easy there, still sore you know. And blah, this entire place is a bad influence, I'm the best thing that happened since they learnt how to fold steel. Life would be alot more quiet without me, and its good for people to be kept on their toes. Especially the officers. Ralleigh is a git, there is no doubting that. Ginae, oh I reckon she'll come around someday. Vasya though... He seems less worried about whether people are prim and proper, as long as we do our job thats all he asks."

 

"And bah to those trainees, indeed a pox on Ginae for landing me with them. I warned her that her uppence would come if she left me with trainees, so its not like she wasn't warned in advance." His familiar grin was growing as he spoke. "She's fairly wary now, so its just a matter of the right opportunity when it comes."

 

 

Aran

Tower Guard

[silhouette]

“Some people actually appreciate the quiet more.†Rosheen said, grinning at Aran. She was quite sure that she’d be bored to death without Aran and Lyv to entertain her, and without staff to harass, but on the other hand… she could see where Ginae was coming from. The signs were all there, after all. Stuff was going to happen, and they might as well be ready for it. Speaking of which… “Awe, crap.†She muttered. “I just remembered I was supposed to help Daesmar with the Spring today.â€

 

Aran smiled, some people appreciating the quiet more indeed. If they wanted quiet, they could go become a mudfoot and muck out stables, grow cabbages or herd sheep, whatever it was they felt made for a quiet life. "Another of your students hmm? You take on anymore and you'll have a little tribe."

 

Rosheen grin widened even more. “That’s my plot on taking over the yards. One of these days…†she laughed. “I can just see them swarming over the yards now. Imagine Vasya trying to kick a few of them from his legs.†She shook her head. “There is strength in numbers after all. Too bad most of them are too lazy to avoid getting caught when they’re trying to prank someone.†She frowned slightly. “Maybe I ought to sign them over to you for a while. That ought to cure them from their naivety.†She rose from the bed, swaying slightly. “Ashes.†She muttered. “It’s a good thing Daesmar couldn’t recognise a drunken woman even if she fell on him.†She watched Aran quietly for a moment. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?" she asked.

 

Looking up at Rosheen, Aran nodded slightly "I'll be fine". There was an awkward moment after that until Aran grinned so hard it hurt. "You'd better be getting a move on though, or I might get up now and teach your trainees a few tricks. You'll never be safe then."

 

Rosheen laughed at that. “As long as you keep in mind that the first trainee who slaps my arse loses a hand. I won’t be mild on them like Ginae was.†That made her laugh even more. Calling Ginae mild was about the same as calling Vasya friendly. She wandered over to the door. “Take care.†She muttered, glancing back once more. Maybe she ought to send Lyv over later, just to check on him. She nodded to herself. He’d probably appreciate the company. But for now, Daesmar was waiting.