Sleepless

[silhouette]

Despite the fact that she had taken quite a few blows from Vasya, Rosheen hardly felt the pain as Lyv helped her to her feet again, and straight to the infirmary. In fact, she was feeling rather… giddy. “I can’t believe it!†she said, admiring the weight of the heron marked sword. She was tempted to swing it around a bit, much like the average teen dreaming of becoming a warrior. She laughed, enduring the strange looks sent her way by the trainees they passed. They didn’t know yet, but they would soon enough. Lyv shared her laughter. Soon enough. Not that she’d be there… she had every intention of getting very, very drunk that evening, and then she’d deal with the new responsibility tomorrow… afternoon, probably, depending on the state of her hangover.

 

Lyv helped her onto one of the beds, and forced her to lie down. “My head hurts.†Rosheen muttered, suddenly noticing a twinge of pain, which swiftly bloomed into something bigger than a twinge. She placed her hands on her face, groaning softly. “Did he have to hit me in the head?†she whinged, waiting for Fayth to alleviate the pain. How was she supposed to get insanely drunk if her head felt like it had been beaten on with the pommel of a sword? In fact, now that she remembered it, it did get beaten on with the pommel of a sword. She giggled again, ignoring the worried look Lyv sent her way. She’d be fine soon enough. She just needed Fayth.

 

As usual, Fayth didn’t keep her patients waiting long. Half an hour and a deep chill later, Rosheen was on her way out. “Just take care, alright?†Fayth said, looking Rosheen in the eye. The freshly promoted blademaster just grinned. “I’d rather see you postpone your party until tomorrow. Healing weakens you, you know.†Rosheen could see Lyv rolling her eyes behind Fayths back. “The better for Lyv. That means she won’t have to go bankrupt paying for my drinks tonight.†With a bounce in her step Rosheen wandered towards the gate, with Lyv at her side.

 

Moments before arriving at the Siren’s Call, Rosheen stopped in her tracks, muttering to herself. Lyv arched an eyebrow at her. “I forgot to check how Vasya is doing. I think I broke his knee.†She said. “I was going to ask him if he wanted to come.†Rosheen casually ignored the way Lyv wriggled her eyebrows at that. “Not that he would have. He’s all… Captain-like, after all. I’m sure he is going to do exactly what Fayth says.†She shook her head slightly before wandering into the inn. There was a drink with her name on it, and she didn’t want to keep it waiting.

 

~Rosheen

[Guest Celes]

The fight had been brutal and Lyv had watched it with a mixture of admiration and winces. She felt Rosheen’s pain, up to the moment when she got the upper hand on the captain. What was it with upper level staff and these two women, did they just have to push through until the captain bit the dust? In this case quite literally as Rosheen had not stopped until they were both completely done for. Lyv helped her off the bed she had gently but firmly pushed her friend in. She knew Rosheen too well to follow her to the barracks for a good night’s rest as the Yellow had ordered. They were already on their way out of the city and Lyv was actually quite glad they did.

 

She was wiping some dust and mud from her light gray shirt when Rosheen stopped in her track and muttered about looking in on Vasya. “If anything, that man will have a good night sleep and forget he ever challenged you,†Lyv said with a wink. It was so easy to bash on the man who had finally crumbled down, grabbing his knee in wordless pain. Borac had been swift about the ceremony and they had lost sight of their captain as Lyv had only had eyes for Rosheen. The Master at Arms and the other Masters could tend to the fallen hero, even though he had to fall for Rosheen to thrive, it was still hard to watch someone be beaten with that many years of training on him.

 

They entered the Sirens Call and Maggie Mae favored them with a smile, a round of drinks and news about the day’s hot plate. Rosheen waved her off, but Lyv told her they would probably have a bite later on, when the first of the booze had worked its wonder. Maggie Mae shook her head, but was a good innkeeper, more than she was a caretaker and supplied them with two large mugs. Lyv reached her hand over the table and grabbed hold of Rosheen’s. “You know girl, you did an outstanding job there today and I am damn proud of you,†she took the mug with her free hand and waited for Rosheen’s to cling against her own. “Now I won’t tear up or make some soppy speech, but I watched you today and even though I was sure you were ready, I was not sure you knew that yourself.†She took a large swig and then added, “But you proved me right,†and then laughed as the look on Rosheen’s face was priceless. She had downed the entire mug and the alcohol and Healing combined made her sway in her chair so hard, Lyv was ready to catch her when she fell off. Luckily, there was no such need, the party could begin.

 

Lyv Tylin

[Wayfarer]

Having heard that Rosheen was up for her test to become a Blademaster, Aran had found himself wondering whether or not to put on some of his better finery. If Rosheen lost, they were going to get really really drunk and he didn't want to spew on good clothing. On the otherhand, he'd need good clothes if she passed, and they'd get really really drunk. Thankfully, the news that came to the commonroom of Rosheen's victory decided for him, as well as sparked a cheer. Rosheen was part of their company, and they'd be celebrating the night with her and probably beyond.

 

Looking out the window to see Lyv and Rosheen heading to the infirmary, Aran would have shouted out except then he saw Vasya. The man needed help to walk, it appeared that Rosheen hadn't held back. She'd managed to gimp the man's leg!

 

Telling the others, new cheers rose up. It wasn't that Vasya was hated, it was just that he the day he had a kind word for someone would be the day Tarmon Gaidon was upon them. People were still joking about it as Aran left the room, he needed to get ready before he saw her, have a bath and whatnot. They'd be out celebrating till the wee hours of the morning and it was the least he could do to be presentable.

 

By the time he was done, she'd already left the infirmary, so there was only one other place to find her. The Siren's Call thankfully didn't have too many people there, and no one else had really arrived from the yards. He'd managed to get ahead of the crowd, which was a good thing because once everyone else got there, he'd have little chance to speak to her.

 

"Not bad Rosh, you gimped Vasya's leg! He was still in the infirmary when I went to see you. Must've been quite the fight." It was then he noticed the way she was holding herself and the drink she had. "And you need something to eat if you're going to drink, or you'll be out within the hour."

 

Calling over a serving wench, he looked over at Rosh and grinned. "Order what you want, call it my treat. After all, you are now Blademistress Rosheen! Gimper of Captains!"

 

 

Aran

Tower Guard

[silhouette]

With a somewhat embarrassed and apologetic grin on her face Rosheen waved ordered the special of the day. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to getting healed.†And she’d had quite a bit of experience with it too. If she had to count every single time she broke something because she fell off the high rope… But that was the price for learning to keep your balance perfectly at all times. “It was worth it.†She muttered. She raised her mug at Aran and Lyv. “Aye, here’s to me, the gimper of captains.†They might as well joke about it as long as they could. She was quite sure that Vasya would make sure he wouldn’t become known as ‘he who got gimped by the mohawked menace.’ He had a way with people who thought they could mock him. Aran Had discovered that firsthand.

 

“I’m just glad I lived through the testing.†She said, still grinning. “I honestly thought he was trying to kill me where I stood.†It had been a fierce fight, more so than she had expected. Then again… “I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way though. Imagine winning with ease… now that would have been a letdown.â€

 

She managed to finish most of her food before the Siren’s call started filling up with the people from the yards. People she’d trained with for the last ten years of her life. Well, some a little shorter of course. “Light.†She muttered, seeing one of her former trainees come in. She’d been there when he arrived at the yards, and she’d been there when he got promoted. “I’m getting old.†A hearty swig of her ale cured her of all melancholic feelings though. She had no use for those on the night of her first day as a blademaster. “I don’t feel any different…†she muttered to herself, all the while accepting the congratulations from the people she had known for most of her adult life.

[Wayfarer]

With an involuntary gasp, Vasya clenched every part of his body as a deep chill swept through it. A moment later, he laid back down on the bed as everything wobbled in his vision. Fayth had a slight smirk on her face as she stepped into his line of sight. Most likely because it was Rosheen that had injured him. He wasn't exactly well known for egalitarian attitudes when it came to women using weaponry. Not that he couldn't respect women that did, Ginae was a friend as was Mia to name two, yet he still didn't think women should use weapons. Fayth disapproved of course.

 

"You're lucky she didn't give you a thrashing Vasya."

 

"Clearly, a man who's knee is broken is just showered with good fortune." Forcing himself to sit up, his head spun and Fayth's face was far from approving. Then again, that was more to do with his words than his condition. Grimacing, he knew what words were going to come next and there was little he could do about them.

 

"Lie down, you're not going anywhere for a bit."

 

Doing so for perhaps an hour, he dozed in and out of consciousness until he felt a hand shake him gently. Looking up to see Ginae and Ralleigh looking over him, he scowled. While Ralleigh at least kept a straight face, Ginae had a little half smile on her face. Light so help him, he was going to hear it for certain.

 

"Don't even think about it."

 

"What? I was just goi-"

 

"No."

 

"You'd spoil my fun?"

 

"Yes, and you stop grinning like an idiot, you're as bad as she is."

 

"I didn't say anything!"

 

Grumbling, Vasya forced himself to sit up. While he had expected Rosheen to pass the test, he hadn't expected to get quite so damaged in the process. Healed he might be, but he was still a little woozy from it all. In fact, he had even more respect for Rosheen for having been able to tag him so. Not something he was about to admit though, especially to his two compatriots who were enjoying it all far too much as far as he was concerned.

 

Forcing himself to his feet, Vasya found his balance before he spoke. "I have little doubt she went out to celebrate, either of you know where Rosheen went?"

 

"Word is that people were going to go to the Siren's Call if she succeeded, most likely there if she went out."

 

"Thanks. Oh and you think you're funny Ginae but you aren't."

 

"Careful, take that tone with her and she'll give you a second paddling."

 

Snorting, Vasya walked as best he could with what tattered remnants of his dignity wrapped around him, all the while the pair laughing at him. Still, he would have done the same to them, but that was neither here nor there. First to the messhall, he had himself a quiet meal by himself before heading to the barracks.

 

Raiding his room for some decent clothes, Vasya was soon in the town and out the front of the Siren's call. Sighing, his jaw set stubbornly before he pushed the door open and made his way inside. Inside were for the most part Tower Guard, all of whome recognised him and made way for him as he looked for Rosheen. Not that it was difficult, she was tall to begin with and her mohawk cleared the crowd.

 

She was talking with a few people, all of whom were from his own command. Conversation paused as he stepped forward, and eyes turned on him. Staring at Rosheen for a moment, as if weighing her, Vasya spoke simply. "You fought well, congratulations Blademistress." At the last, he held out his arm to exchange a clasp.

 

 

Vasya Paranov

Captain

[silhouette]

After an hour or so, Rosheen found herself standing with a group of people she knew quite well, partially because they were in her company, and partially because they were regular drinking buddies of… well, just about anyone who likes a drink. “No, I’m telling you Marie, Rosheen totally owned the man. Gimped him, As Aran would say.†Maud stated. Rosheen grinned. “But not before he introduced the back end of his sword to my head though.†None of her Tower Guard friends had been there to see her victory, aside from Lyv, so she found herself telling about the fight over and over again. What she remembered of it, that was. It had seemed like a hard but doable fight while she was at it, pumped as she was, but the more she thought back on it, the luckier she felt about her win. She shrugged and took a swig of her ale. “At least I got to gimp the Captain.†She muttered, which brought on peals of laughter from the tower guards surrounding her.

 

Then they all fell silent. Maud and Marie were still giggling, while the male Tower Guards present were trying very hard not to laugh. With more grace than she expected to have after the healing and the ale she’d had already consumed she turned only to find herself face to face with Captain Vasya Paranov, better known as ‘he who got beaten by the Mohawked Menace.†She didn’t even try to hide the grin that spread on her face. “Captain.†She saluted, a little over the top perhaps, but according to the unwritten rules of the Tower Guard, the freshly promoted Blademaster got away with everything. A look at Vasya’s face told her that that might not be the case after all. He looked at her in a way that was almost challenging before offering his hand. Rosheen’s grin broadened just a little bit before she clasped his lower arm, accepting his congratulations. She was never one to back down from a challenge. Besides, she’d beaten him once today, she was sure she could do so again.

 

“Why thank you.†She said, bowing her head slightly, which brought peals of laughter from Maud. “So how’s the knee? Less broken, I expect?†she was still grinning at the Captain, enjoying her temporary advantage over him. She almost pitied the tower guards standing around her. They’d surely feel it if they ever brought this up in his presence again. “How about a drink to soothe the ache? You have quite a bit of catching up to do.â€

[Wayfarer]

She was cocky, Vasya would definitely say that much about her. It might be an unwritten rule that blademasters could get away with just about anything short of murder on their celebration night, but if she thought there wasn't going to be any consequences for her jabs, she was sorely mistaken. While he had intended to maybe have a drink or two at most, he had a new idea as to how he was going to spend his night.

 

He was going to drink her under the table.

 

"You might fight like a man, but I doubt you can drink like one. Come with me." Crooking a finger at her with the last; oohs, aahs and laughter came from around them. Making their way to the bar, Vasya was pretty sure she would have had only three or four drinks so far, so he ordered six mugs. Normally he would be able to handle this trick easily, it'd been something he'd used to win coin back in the day before he had become a Captain. As he was... He was going to struggle, but he'd manage, hopefully.

 

With the six mugs served, Vasya lined them up one after the other and looked at Rosheen for a moment to make sure she was watching. Nodding, he turned back to the first mug and threw it back quickly even as he took hold of the second one. Repeating the feat with the second, third and fourth, he slowed a little on the fifth but pushed through on the sixth regardless. Slamming the sixth mug down, Vasya ignored the feeling in his stomach as he stood toe to toe with her and smirked.

 

"I think its your turn to catch up now Rosheen, unless our new little blademaster is ready to tuck tail?"

 

 

Vasya Paranov

Captain

[silhouette]

Rosheen arched an eyebrow at Vasya as he posed his challenge. It was a somewhat unexpected, of not necessarily unpleasant development. With a grin Rosheen accepted his challenge, following him to the bar accompanied by the sounds of Maude laughing and Marie hooting. “Cocky bastard.†Rosheen muttered as he ordered himself a lot of ale. She was somewhat impressed when he chugged the ale… all of it… in no more than a few minutes. She gave him an appreciative smile, which broadened into a grin when he smirked at her, asking her if she was ready to back down. In a playful gesture she nudged his knee with her knee. His fault for standing that close in the first place… “And here I thought I already proved I won’t back down from a challenge. Prepare to be beaten again, Captain o’ mine.â€

 

She waved the innkeeper over, and told him to keep the ale coming. Soon enough several mugs were standing in front of them. With a challenging look on her face Rosheen emptied her first, or rather her sixth ale within moments. The seventh and eight went down just as smoothly, though she was a little displeased at seeing Vasya had no problems keeping up, and he wasn’t swaying on his feet. Not even a little. This was going to be a problem. It took quite a lot of effort to at least appear somewhat unaffected by the ale and the healing. Had it been this hot when she got in? Rosheen loosened the lace of her shirt, flapping her hand to get some air in her direction. “Hot.†She muttered when she noticed Vasya’s look. What kind of look was that supposed to be anyway? A glance backwards told her that the group of tower guards she’d been talking to earlier was no longer watching.

 

When she turned back to face Vasya again it took a while for his face to stop spinning. “Woah…†an attempt to steady herself on the bar didn’t end up quite as she expected, with her finding support on Vasya’s arm instead. “Woops.†Removing her hand seemed to take a great deal of effort though. After a moment of trying she gave up. Why should she bother anyway? It was a nice arm.

[Wayfarer]

Not having the head start that Rosheen had made it difficult, but he managed his seventh and eighth mugs in relatively quick succession. Not that his stomach agreed with him over the matter, but his stomach had handled far worse. Granted, he’d been in condition when his stomach had done so, but that was a different matter altogether. Besides, he wasn’t exactly focused on his stomach.

 

Instead, he was finding that Rosheen was being darn stubborn, despite the fact he knew she was starting to feel it. First she was unlacing her tunic, which he thought was a good idea on her part. When she made a grab for his arm, he was fairly certain it was time for her to head back to the barracks. Him too for that matter, he’d started strongly and kept it up, but he was quite certain that a couple more drinks and he’d need to be carried back.

 

“We should head back, I don’t think we’ll manage much more thanks to the healing. I can even carry you if you want.†The last he said with a bit of a grin, that would stir her if nothing else.

 

The room had finally stopped spinning. Sort of. It was still a little blurry around the edges, but at least she could see Vasya clearly now. Not that that was much of an improvement, because he grinned at her in a way that told her he knew exactly how much she was struggling with the healing and the drinks. She was too preoccupied with staying on her feet to really be bothered by it though.

 

“Carry me, huh? I bet you’d like that.†she said, wriggling her eyebrows at him. Well, Marie had whispered something about Vasya checking her out right before he congratulated her on her promotion. “Good idea though.†She said then, smiling apologetically as she let go of his arm, which cost more effort then she would have liked to admit.

 

With a couple of nods and smiles to the people still celebrating her victory, Rosheen sauntered to the door, falling back into Cat crosses the courtyard, with perhaps a little more sway in her hips than what was really necessary. She hardly noticed as she focused on the door, breathing a sigh of relief at making it out of the inn without landing on her arse. She could just imagine Vasya’s laughter if she had fallen. “You coming?†she said, grinning mischievously. “Or do I need to carry you instead?â€

 

“Carry me, huh?†Vasya gave her a playful shove forward, a little stronger than he would have done if he were sober, but she didn’t end up on her face so it wasn’t too bad. “Start walking while you still have legs to walk with, I won’t have to carry you as far when those last couple of mugs catch up with you then. You’re not going to make it you know.â€

 

There was a definite lack of grace at Rosheen’s stumble which was caused by Vasya’s shove. With effort, and a little help from the wall she stayed on her feet. Vasya was grinning at her the entire time. “You’re sounding awfully cocky for someone whose stomach is going to rebel on him within the hour.†The thought of being carried through the yards by Vasya wasn’t all that appealing though, so she started walking anyway, catching up with Vasya in a few strides. They walked side by side silently for a moment. When she was sure Vasya wouldn’t expect it, Rosheen gave him a shove, hoping to see him land on his backside.

 

Stumbling, Vasya almost tripped over his own feet but was able to save himself on a stone wall, throwing his arms up to catch himself. Hearing a snicker behind him, Vasya walked over slowly and rather than do anything straight away he simply kept walking alongside her. Not that she wasn’t watching him as obviously as he was trying to look like he was doing nothing, but she was watching his hands. They’d made it two blocks when Vasya lashed out with his right foot, knocking her left foot behind her right leg as she started to step forward with it.

 

With a yelp Rosheen stumbled over her now tangled feet, barely able to throw up her arms to break her fall as she tumbled forward. To make things worse, she could hear Vasya laughing. Getting up proved to be a bigger problem than she expected, but after a few moments she made it to her feet again. “That’s it, You’re going down mister.†She said, trying hard to glare at Vasya, but failing rather miserably. She settled for a grin instead. Vasya was clutching his sides, shaking with laughter. Still grinning, Rosheen trotted towards him, firmly planting her shoulder against his. That didn’t quite work out the way she expected. Sure, she bowled Vasya over, but her own momentum made sure that she landed right next to him on the street.

 

Laughing as hard as he was, he hadn’t been paying attention until it was too late. Well, it hadn’t been too late but it hadn’t quite occurred to him to move out of the way. He’d been a bit fixated on a certain bit of movement about her chest. Falling over, he hit the cobblestones with Rosheen beside her. Giving her a shove, he got to his feet about the same time as Rosheen and they charged at one another.

 

Grabbing each other’s hands, they pushed to and fro. With his catchup in the Siren’s Call, he found himself struggling as Rosheen gave it everything she had. Pushed slowly back to the wall behind him, he was perhaps no more than a foot from it when he stepped back and to one side, pulling Rosheen off balance. Spinning, he pushed forward again and managed to get her hands against the wall. Panting from the effort to hold her in place, Vasya managed to get the words out. “Give up… Rosh.â€

 

What started out as some merry shoving soon turned into a drunken wrestling match. Rosheen was laughing the entire time, cursing Vasya as she tried to shove him to the wall. That didn’t work out quite the way she expected. Vasya pulled some move she didn’t see coming, stealing the upper hand from her. She found herself shoved her against the wall, hands up against the wall and all that. “Never!†she said, still grinning. Unfortunately there was very little she could do without hurting Vasya a great deal, and that wouldn’t do, not while they were still getting along so well. Rosheen struggled for a bit, but Vasya kept her against the wall with ease. She let out a frustrated growl. “Ok, so what now?â€

 

“I don’t know, give in maybe?†Getting a renewed bout of thrashing in response to that, Vasya actually had to take a step back to accommodate for it. Grunting, he forced himself forwards, managing to pin her arms again but he kept moving until he was up close against her. In part to prove his point, but he found it rather nice being so close as well. She seemed to be as well because she wasn’t struggling so hard either. Coming within a couple inches of her face, she’d almost stopped altogether as he spoke. “Give in.â€

 

Struggling didn’t seem to get her anywhere any time soon. That, and she was getting rather flustered. She didn’t get pinned to a wall by people on an every day basis, after all. She found herself biting her lower lip in an effort to keep from giggling. She and Lyv had talked about it sometimes, during the late nights when they were both drunk. What to do when you were pinned down by an opponent who was stronger than you. Rosheen’s solution had been ‘just don’t get close.’ Lyv always said ‘Kiss him and then kick him in the groin’, which then resulted in a fit of giggles from both of them. It was worth a try now though. Vasya’s face was no more than two inches away from her own. Rosheen closed the distance and planted a firm kiss on his lips. She didn’t even have to look to see his eyes widen. His grip loosened slightly, which was exactly what she had hoped for. With a laugh she pulled free, giving him a firm shove.

 

One moment of distraction was all it had taken. Stumbling back, he tripped on his own heels and ended up on his arse, painfully. Not that he had much time to worry about that, Rosheen was already rushing forward to take advantage. Trying to get to his feet she landed ontop of him sitting on his stomach and trying to inch her way up to get her knees on his shoulders. Trying to push her knees back, her hands quickly locked onto his. Strange, he’d never really noticed the tattoos on the back of them before.

 

To Rosheen’s surprise, her kiss-shove move worked better than she had expected. The follow up was easy enough. The upper hand was hers again, and she wasn’t going to let it go again that easily. The next few moments were filled with her attempts to pin Vasya to the ground. It didn’t work as well as she’d hoped, with him keeping her from pinning him down with her knees, but she could keep his hands down by putting her weight on them. “Hah!†she gave Vasya a smug look. “Now look at who’s on top! You might as well give in.â€

 

Snorting, all he had to say on that subject was “never!†Struggling, he did his best to try and come up with an idea. Unfortunately, one wasn’t forthcoming, then again he wasn’t unhappy with her sitting where she was. Save for the fact it would mean she had won that was. His hands slipping from her knees, she shuffled up, trapping his hands underneath her legs as she got her knees on his shoulders. It was then that it came to him.

 

As she leaned forward to taunt him, he pulled her forward by her feet, tipping her ontop of him. Pulling her feet back and throwing his weight to the left, he managed to turn it about so she was on her back and he was ontop. Pulling her towards him, he grabbed her hands as she tried to push him away and used his knees to carry him forward, trapping her under his body. It took a bit more work but he drew level with her, even as she struggled to gain an advantage. Thinking of what she’d done to him, he dived in for the kiss with it being her turn for her eyes to widen.

 

Moments after she’d resolved not to let Vasya get back in control again, Rosheen found herself on her back again, trying to shove Vasya off. That didn’t work as well as she’d expected either, with her hands grabbed and pinned. She was about to object against the situation when Vasya decided it was time for payback. Her eyes widened when Vasya leant in and kissed her.

 

Rosheen let out a confused ‘Mrpf’ at that. Guys weren’t supposed to do that! That was a girl tactic, not a guy tactic. She stopped struggling the very moment his lips touched hers. Was this supposed to be payback? It was rather nice. Rosheen felt her eyes fall closed. Vasya’s grip on her hands loosened, which she took advantage of, not by shoving him away, but by wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Now why hadn’t she thought of this sooner? This was far better than getting knocked around.

 

Feeling her arms wrap around him as she responded, Vasya slipped his arms around her in turn, until he realised his hands were on cobblestones. Breaking it off, Vasya held himself up only a couple of inches away as he rumbled softly. “Maybe we should go back to the barracks first?†This was certainly an unexpected way for his night to be heading.

 

Rosheen blinked, giving her head a few moments to stop spinning. “Barracks? Wha… oh, barracks. Yes, definitely. Good call.†She said, grinning at Vasya. With effort they both made it to their feet. Walking took even more effort. “Damn it.†Rosheen muttered. “I think you twisted my ankle with that last move.†The look on Vasya’s face made her laugh. “I guess this means you get to carry me after allâ€

 

Letting her throw her arm over his shoulder, for a pair of drunks they managed to hold a steady pace. While he wasn’t quite sure how long it took, they made it to the inner gate. Seeing the look on the faces of the pair of guards at the gate, Vasya had a bit of triumph in his voice as he said “we had a rematch.†That was enough side on that, with the pair of guards laughing as they made their way through and onto the barracks.

 

The walk back to the barracks was only a little less eventful than the rest of the day had been. Just when things seemed to have calmed down, Vasya had to mock her in front of the guards at the inner gate. The moment they both rounded the corner, leaving the sight of the guards, Rosheen punched him in the shoulder for it. “You’re talking as if the results of the rematch are settled yet.†She said, smiling at him. Then she glanced at the barracks. “So… Do they give the Captains private rooms these days?â€

 

“If you can make it up an extra flight of stairs, I wouldn’t want to push you beyond your limit though.†Getting another punch in the shoulder for that comment, Vasya grinned as they made their way into the barracks. Luckily, anyone who was up was in their rooms or the common rooms that they avoided. Making it to the top floor, Vasya was grateful for the fact that his fellow captains didn’t seem to be around.

 

Pushing the door open to reveal a fairly spacious room compared to the ones Tower Guard’s shared, Vasya helped Rosheen in and closed the door, flicking the lock to make sure no one burst in. While he never made a habit of locking his door, he certainly didn’t want anyone disturbing them. Lowering his arm so it was around her waist, he stepped about so they were face to face with an evil smirk on him. “So, we going to settle this? I’ll understand if you’re not up to it.â€

 

Rosheen arched an eyebrow at Vasya. “Oh, I’m not worried about that at all. Are you sure you’re up for it though. You sure all that ale isn’t hitting you too hard?†With something between a laugh and a growl Vasya proved that he was quite up to the challenge. Rosheen found herself on her back on his bed within moments. Perhaps there was something to be said for the strength discipline after all.

 

 

Vasya Paranov

Captain

 

Rosheen Tahn Sakhr

Blademistress

[silhouette]

A few hours after she’d fallen asleep, Rosheen stretched, opened her eyes, and found herself in a strange room. Disconcerting as it was, it had happened before, once or twice, So Rosheen decided not to panic. Instead she stared at the far wall, trying to gather her thoughts and remember why she was where she was. Well, she did remember some things. Like how she’d defeated Vasya, and how she’d received her new sword. She remembered walking over to the Siren’s call. And there was definitely something about walking back too. She’d wrestled someone in the middle of the street? That was odd… she never wrested people in the middle of the street.

 

Slowly she got up, swinging her legs over at the side of the bed she was on, and locating her shirt. There were other things she remembered. She found herself grinning slightly. Lyv would be proud of her. Her friend was always making hints about picking up some good looking man and taking a tumble with him. If her blurry memories and her current location were anything to go by, she had succeeded. She glanced at the person whose bed she’d shared, only mildly curious about his identity. He was bald, but she couldn’t see who he was, with his face turned away from her. She shrugged, and tugged on her shirt and breeches. A glance in the mirror told her that the Mohawk had ceased being a Mohawk long ago. She brushed it backwards with her fingers. It would have to do for now.

 

She glanced around the room to see if she’d forgotten anything when she noticed something peculiar. The room looked exactly like the room she and Lyv shared at the barracks, only a little bigger and suited for one person. A strange feeling crept up on Rosheen as she walked towards the window, looking outside. A familiar view. The yards. She was definitely at the barracks. “Crap.†She muttered, glancing around her again. Where was she? Or rather, with who? Her eyes fell on another discarded shirt. A familiar discarded shirt. “Vasya?†she mouthed. It did add up. A bald man, a large room, still at the barracks… Rosheen’s memories became a little clearer now that she could put a face to the person she’d been wrestling with.

 

First wrestling, then… other activities. She smirked at the thought, despite the awkward situations this would surely cause. Lyv would definitely be proud. With one last look at Vasya she snuck out of his room. It seemed like it was well past dawn, which would work in her advantage. The floor she was on was empty, because all the other officers were already out, doing whatever it was that officers did. All she needed to do was make it down the stairs without being seen. She’d achieved more complicated things in her life.

[Wayfarer]

It was the click of the door that caused Vasya to stir, and then wish he hadn't. Some little darkfriend was in his skull trying to pound its way out with a maul, his head throbbing with every swing the little bastard took. Clutching his head, that proved to be futile, as did his attempt to suffocate himself with a pillow. The latter did manage to block out the light though, for which he was entirely thankful.

 

He wasn't sure how long it was before he managed to crawl out of bed, though his head hadn't really improved. Finding his towel proved to be far more difficult but with it wrapped around him and some soap he was off for a bath. A couple of people saw him but they didn't disturb him, Vasya with no clothes was a man who didn't want to be disturbed, and nothing about that had changed by the time he was immersed in water. Cleaning himself up did help a bit though, not much, but a little.

 

Returning to his room, small clothes were a priority and eventually he was dressed and out the door. Not many people bothered him, and the few that did see him took his bloodshot eyes as a warning. On a normal day he would give people grief, hungover he was likely to destroy someone as a sacrifice to drunken spirits to remove their curse from him.

 

The messhall was thankfully not at full capacity, so the clattering wasn't quite so bad. Taking himself to a corner, his meal was marked by little to anything solid and alot of water. It was also marked by a distinct lack of company, word had clearly spread through his company that he had woken up worse for wear. But with breakfast finished he was off to his office.

 

Nothing needed doing that couldn't wait, and Vasya decided it definitely could wait. Leaving his office, behind his and the others was a small area they used to relax from time to time. The reason this was important was the fact that Vasya had set up a hammock there sometime ago. No one had proved stupid enough to disturb him without good reason while he was sleeping there, and certainly no one had decided to prank him, they knew better than to do so.

 

Rolling into the hammock, Vasya faced away from the sun and soon passed out mercifully.

 

 

Vasya Paranov

Captain

[silhouette]

After arriving at her room without being seen, Rosheen took advantage of the absence of her roommate to get some more sleep in. Her limbs still felt as heavy as they had done after the healing. Had she felt better at all during the night? She probably had, if not she wouldn’t have ended up in Vasya’s bed. Amused by that thought she fell asleep, only to rise again two hours later, feeling much more rested, and less groggy. And free of a hangover too. Perhaps spending time with Aran had more benefits than she thought of. She’d always admired his ability to get ridiculously drunk, and still wake up without a hangover.

 

A few hours later she rose again, feeling a little guilty about wasting her day so completely. Then again, she’d just passed her blademaster test. She doubted anyone would give her any grief over it. A few minutes after waking she walked outside, dressed in her training gear, and with her Mohawk firmly back in place. She didn’t really intend to do any heaving training, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep up the appearance. Setting off in a medium paced trot, Rosheen struggled her way through her laps. After a few laps she was ready to call it a day. Her limbs, which had felt a lot better after her extra few hours of sleep were starting to feel as though they were made out of a very heave kind of jelly again.

 

With a smile on her face she joined Marie, who was standing next to the entrance to the mess hall. “Good… er… afternoon.†She said, grinning at Marie. The grin Marie returned was of a completely different kind. “Well well, look at who’s up.†Rosheen couldn’t help but grin at Marie. And blush a little. “Did you see Vasya stumbling out here?†Marie said, still grinning. She shook her head slightly, looking as though she thoroughly pitied their captain. “He looked rough. Like someone kept him up all night.†Rosheen coughed and glanced around them, making sure no one was listening. She’d never hear the end of this, if certain people found out. “Well, I don’t know about all night, but… a couple of hours at least.†Sharing a grin with the other Tower Guard again, Rosheen looked over at Vasya’s office. It looked surprisingly empty. “Oh, you don’t have to look for him there. He’s ‘resting’ somewhere.†Rosheen laughed. “Soft. I think I’ll go see if he remembers anything of last night.â€

 

Marie laughed and muttered something about bringing the poor man a drink before giving Rosheen a shove in the right direction. Realising that she had no real excuse to wake Vasya up, Rosheen swung by the infirmary and talked Fayth into giving her something against an unsettled stomach and a headache. Armed with a mixture of Flatwort tea and Andilay root, Rosheen made her way over to Vasya. The light snore that came from his hammock told her it would be a very unwise idea to wake him up. She shrugged. “Fortune favours the bold.†She muttered, before walking up to him and poking him. “Wake up, sleepyhead! Fayth wants you to drink this.â€

[Wayfarer]

Groaning, he realised with sudden clarity that he was almost awake. The reasons for this was because he could hear a voice talking, he could feel something prodding him, and his headache was returning with a vengeance. Swinging his arm about to shoo whoever it was away, that only served to speed the process up. His groan turning into a growl, he didn't know who it was because he refused to open his eyes on the off chance that he might fall asleep.

 

But he was feeling incredibly magnanimous, mainly because he didn't want to move. "Whoever you are, if this isn't important this is your one chance to run, otherwise I'm going to break every single one of your fingers, and then your feet so you have to roll to the infirmary."

 

Throwing her head back, Rosheen laughed at Vasya’s unwillingness to accept that there was no way he was going to sleep any longer. Marie had understated his condition, he looked thoroughly wrecked. Not that she could see his face of course, with him turned the other way. She gave him a shove, which sent the hammock in a slow swing. "Bark, bark. You couldn’t make your threats reality even if I helped you. Now get up and drink this, or I’ll send Fayth after you. Or Aran, depending on how malicious I feel."

 

The movement was not doing him any good, groaning as the motion made his head pound more. He was going to kill her, whoever it was, and he wasn't going to feel the slightest bit bad about it. Shifting in his hammock, he used the swing to tip the hammock sideways. Landing on his feet as his eyes snapped open, his hands were already forming fists but when he realised who it was, he decided against it, it would be bad form for him to drag her into the infirmary with broken bones considering the blademaster ceremony the day before.

 

Something was trying to tell him something, but drowned out by the throbbing that made him wonder whether his brain was his new heart, he was rather rough as he spoke. "What are you blathering about Rosh? And don't shout, i- ugh." Putting a hand to his head, Vasya almost took a step back before speaking up "explain why I'm not going to break your nose."

 

Barely suppressing a snigger, Rosheen held out the cup of flatworth tea. "I’ll just say this very slowly, because you’re obviously having some trouble understanding things. Flatwort tea with andilay root. From Fayth. Best hangover cure ever invented." And boy, did he need it. He didn’t look like he remembered anything from the previous day. Then again, he also looked like he was going to fall over. "You’re not going to break my nose, because after drinking this, you will want to kiss my feet." She was grinning now, feeling a lot better about her own grogginess as well.

 

Narrowing his eyes for a moment at Rosheen, his expression softened as he took the cup. "Thanks." Throwing it back in one go, he winced before taking the cup away from his lips. It was about at that point he realised that Rosheen wasn't there just to give him the tea, that was a peace offering. Deciding sitting down was a good idea at that point, he did so as he spoke while massaging his temple with one hand. "You didn't come just to give me the tea, what is it? Or what has someone done?"

 

While she was quite close to rolling on the ground with laughter, Rosheen kept her composure. Vasya’s expression was slightly pained, but aside from that, it was blank. He didn’t remember anything at all. She wondered briefly if that meant she’d won the ‘rematch’ too. At least she remembered something. The details were definitely a little fuzzy, but that didn’t matter. "Oh, nothing in particular. Just checking if you got through the night without hurting yourself, that’s all." She stared at the ground for a moment, trying to hide her grin.

 

Looking up at Rosheen, Vasya was clearly annoyed as he took his mind back to the previous night. "What do you mean without hurting myself? You couldn't even keep up when it came to the drinks, then we walked back. Then we ha-" It was at that point that other bits of memory started coming back to him. Blinking, he looked her up and down to match her to what he remembered, not that he had to. A mohawk wasn't by any means common, and there was only one woman he'd ever known that wore one. "Oh."

 

"Oh indeed." Rosheen said, grinning openly now. "I was going to ask you if you’d enjoyed yourself, but since you clearly have some trouble remembering things…" She turned on her heels, and started back towards the barracks. If Vasya really felt the urge to talk about the events, he would, and if not… well, either would do just fine.

 

Watching her leave, Vasya couldn't help but find himself contemplating several problems. He hadn't only managed to make a fool of himself in the streets, Creator's blessing that no one seemed to know about that, but he'd slept with one of his own soldiers, a subordinate. They were hardly spring chickens, and while he wouldn't have cared if someone else had done it he found himself wondering if it would undermine his command. At least, he tried to contemplate the problem as his head continued to pound and distract him with memories from the night before.

 

Light help him

 

 

Vasya Paranov

Captain

 

Rosheen Tahn Sakhr

Blademistress