Shealyn Goes a'Drinkin Things Get Crazy(Open)Carn&others

[Lady Saravhem]

Shealyn exited the enrollment tent intent on exploring this place that was now her new home. She went by the stables and checked out the unclaimed mounts. She did not know much about horse flesh but one animal did catch her eye. It was a well made quarter horse, the type of animal good for the light cavalry. A resplendant white mare with thick flowing mane and tail, no other color but white could be seen on her and her eyes were pink. The animal was what her uncle had once described as an albino. A great stag such as that had run the forset not far from her uncles house but her uncle never hunted the creature, he said it was to rare and special to kill.

 

Shealyn stepped toward the beautiful beast, her hand out cautiously and spoke in a soothing voice.

"Hey there beauty. What a lovely girl you are."

 

"You there," yelled the stable master, "be careful she just may take a finger off."

 

Shealyn and the horse regarded each other. The young woman's mismatched eyes meeting the pink ones of the horse and each felt the kindred spirit of the other. The horse nuzzled her soft nose against the palm of Shealyn's hand and softly whickered. The girl went forward and rubbed the mare between her eyes.

 

"Would ja look at that," said stable master, "that beastie always tries to take a plug out of somebody, and suceeds more often than not. You're the only one she's ever took a shine to."

 

"Is she being used by someone right now?", asked Shealyn.

 

"No she's all yours if you want her."

 

Happy with having accomplished the task of finding her self a horse , the girl walked about the compound and explored. Round about mid-day she came up on a small tavern, and decided to go inside to get out of the brutal sun.

 

She met other new arrivals there who looked warily at her eyes but offered to buy her drinks just the same. She drank with them and joined a game of darts, but no matter her much she drank her aim was true. This began to unnerve some of her 'companions'. Her eyes unnerving them so much, and her being a woman made them doubt she had any true skill and that something strange must be a foot. But Shealyn had spent many an evening play darts with her uncle Padrig and aunt Rhyan, and could make unbelievable throws even if she were half dead.

 

Shealyn had never drank more than the occassional ale with her supper, so after about four tankards she could feel a steady hum fill her head. It was her throw and she threw her fourth triple twenty in a row. From behind her came a long whistle and one of her opponents exclaimed, "Would ya look at that she's got the Dark One's own luck as well as his eyes."

 

Uninhibited by the tankards of ale she had knock-back, Shealyn snapped, too many years of hearing such remarks came crashing in on her. She lunged for the young man, grabbed him by his collar and put her hunting knife against his throat.

 

"I am no bloody flaming Shadow spawn, you sheep-gutted coward," Shealyn roared.

 

One of the young man's fellows tried to pull Shealyn off but she elbowed him across the bridge of the nose. The youth fell back with blood pouring down his face.

 

"You weak-bellied spawn of a spavined goat. Who are you to say such things of me you sheep-loving imbecile? What do you know of the Dark One? Have you ever seen his eyes? You'd spill your bowels if you ever come up against a Dark Friend let alone Shadow Spawn. What would you know of it? You never had to see your family hanged because you had two different colored eyes."

 

Shealyn's eyes blazed with her anger, someone needed to calm her.

[Guest Estel]

Carnhain had only been hoping to grab a mug of ale with Kedyn or one of the other officers who were off-duty. Tavern brawls were about as far from his mind as the politics of Mayene. However, upon entering the tavern and noticing a shouting match between one of his newest privates and an infantry man, a bar fight jumped to the forefront of his thoughts.

 

“Woah, woah, Shealyn what’s the…”

 

His timing was horrible. The infantryman’s punch that had been intended for Shealyn hit him square in the jaw. For a moment the world spun and it seemed the sky had come crashing down and stars filled the room. With a screamed “Blood and ashes what in the Light was that for?” he turned and, feinting a right hook, kneed the man in the groin once and then again for good measure. Good measure dropped the poor man to the ground, whimpering and clutching his crotch as if his hands were the only things keeping it attached to him.

 

Without turning, he swung his left elbow at the Shealyn’s hand which still clutched the knife. The woman knew little in the use of the weapon as her wrist was far too stiff, making it easy for Carnhain to knock the weapon to the ground. He ignored her outrage and attempt to reclaim the knife and instead grabbed her arm with the hand that wasn’t clutching his aching jaw and dragged her out of the tavern.

 

Conveniently placed directly outside the tavern door was a rain barrel, placed specifically for situations like this. Ignoring all shouts of indignation and protest, he repeatedly dunked her head in the water. She fought against him but unfortunately for her, he was a trained soldier and while no shortage of infantrywomen could knock him flat on his back in a fight, this was no infantrywoman and Shealyn stood no chance against his training.

 

He finally stopped when his arm felt as if it would fall from his shoulder. She immediately dropped to the ground when he released her, coughing and wheezing for air. Carnhain looked on dispassionately.

 

“Stand.” she complied. “Are you better?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Good.”

 

Slap!

 

“WHAT IN THE LIGHT WERE YOU THINKING?”

[Lady Saravhem]

Shealyn dropped to the ground and began to sob, but it was not all for the sobbering slap Carnhain had given her.

 

"He said I had the Dark One's eyes,she said in between her sobs. "They are dead....dead, and it's all my fault because of my light accursed eyes. I saw my uncle and my aunt hanging in that tree and I ran like some goat-spawned coward. They took me in and loved me when no one else wanted me and I ran....I should have avenged them. They were murdered by the White Cloaks because of me."

 

She broke down and all the tears she had not shed came out of her. The grief she had put off so she could concentrate on keeping herself alive crashed down on Shealyn like a tidal wave and overwhelmed her and she choked on her shame.

 

"I don't deserve to live. It should have been me hanging from that tree, not them...not them. I'm just a bloody flaming bastard cursed from the moment I was got on my mother. My Uncle Padric was a hero of the Aiel War and fought at the Battle of the Blood Snows, he didn't deserve to die like that. And Aunt Rhyane was a sweet lovin' woman, a respected healer and she deserved better. They couldn't have children so they loved and cherished me as their own, and look what it got them. "

 

She was babbling, but she did not care. The scab had been picked and now it wouldn't stop bleeding. Shealyn needed to let it bled to get all the poison out so that she might heal.

 

She looked up at Carnhain, odd colored eyes red rimmed and still flowing with tears.

 

"I'm so sorry."

 

And he couldn't tell if she was talking to him or her butchered family.

[Guest Estel]

Carnhain sighed and dropped to the ground feeling decidedly awkward. The chivalrous thing would have been to speak all sort of comforting words and perhaps wrap an arm around her shoulder. However, he was rather lacking in experience in that particular area- just as he was in any area concerning women. As such, Carnhain muttered something along the lines of “everything’ll be alright… calm down… it’s okay…” all meaningless phrases while she calmed down. Once, he even tried patting her on the back lightly before almost immediately thinking better of it and returning his arm to where it was.

 

Finally, once Shealyn had calmed down, Carnhain actually made an attempt to assuage her fears. “You’re not the only one in the Band to have gone through this sort of thing; many come to the Band to escape similar situations.” The cavalryman didn’t mention the parallels he had drawn between her history and his. “Don’t worry about it. That part of your life is behind you now; you need to move foreword. Here,” he stood and held out a hand to help her to her feet “now that you’re sober I don’t suppose another drink will hurt you. To horrible pasts and brighter futures?”

[Lady Saravhem]

"Did I tell you I found myself a horse?"

[Guest Estel]

Carnhain grinned at the woman’s obvious resistance to the bed things in her past… that and the stereotypical female mood swing he had just witnessed. “Good to hear. Care to take me to her tomorrow? I’ll give you a “professional’s” overview. Hmm… and perhaps I’ll teach you to ride her.” The cavalryman held out his hand and bowed in mock chivalry, leading her back towards the tavern. “But for tonight, the ale’s on me as long as you promise not to completely empty my wallet.”

 

ooc: hmm... I know you need a training thread, so what about if Carnhain teaches Shea to ride a horse, playing it as if it was the day after this. We can even start it before we finish this thread, and then once you've done both you'll have completed all your req's (minus your OOC/IC intro to the Band) for your promotion