Bruiser [attn. Aran]

[silhouette]

By the time Rosheen and Lyv left Aran’s room after a night that had been filled with murder and confessions, Rosheen was quite sure that she would never sleep again. Thoughts were racing through her head, and it felt as though she was filled to the brim with emotions. Mostly anger though. Anger because Aran had never bothered to trust them with his secrets. A lot of anger, most of which she knew was completely irrational. Now if she’d been this angry at anyone else, Aran would have taken the time to mock her for acting like a silly wench. That thought only made her more angry, up to the point where she could feel a quiet, dangerous sort of rage bubbling to the surface. “I’m going to… run for a while.†She said, turning left where Lyv went right. She didn’t notice her friends eyes on her back, looking a little worried. In fact, Rosheen didn’t notice much of anything at that moment.

 

The run was only mildly satisfying, with her muscles still aching from before it didn’t take her long to work herself into a sweat, and into a steady ache. While she tried to reach that state where nothing mattered aside from putting one feet in front of the other she soon found that it was not to be had. The Spring was also miles away. “Bastard.†She muttered as she came to a stop, the soot on her face streaking due to her sweat. It was time to try something else. After washing up swiftly, Rosheen made her way out to the city. The Blue Boar was filled with it’s usual crowd, none of whom so much as looked up at the sight of a fuming Tower Guard. A serving girl brought Rosheen her first mug of Ale, and after finding out that Rosheen was in no mood for conversation, she brought the next few mugs without so much as a worried glance.

 

The drunken stupor that Rosheen was aiming for didn’t come swiftly. After an hour or two she found that she was still fuming, and only getting more irrational about it. The servant girl had obviously decided that tonight was not the kind of night Rosheen would want to spend in quiet oblivion, so she dawdled just long enough each time to keep Rosheen balancing on the edge of sobriety. Not a place she enjoyed being. Finally she gave up, leaving the tavern and making her way back to the barracks. Perhaps sleep would come now, with the sun no more than an hour away from rising. Yet instead of finding her way to her own room, she found herself staring at Aran’s door. She sneered at it, as if it was the cause of her restlessness and her anger. After a few moments of sneering at the door she started pacing, her mind once again wandering to the events of the previous day.

 

All this wasn’t improving her mood at all. The thought of Aran sleeping peacefully while she was up, pacing was only getting her riled up more and more. How dare he sleep while she was out there, pacing. She decided to put a stop to that, right that moment. Without a clear plan in her mind she walked up to his door once more, and pounded on it. That ought to wake him up.

[Wayfarer]

"Ugh, what"

 

Those were the first words to form on Aran's lips as a steady pounding intruded on his rest. A panic hit him for a moment as it occured to him that one of the women could have talked. But if that were the case, they wouldn't be knocking. The door would already be open and they'd be hauling him off, an experience he had become familiar with over a few occasions.

 

"Come in!"

 

Still knocking.

 

"Its open!"

 

Whoever it is had better have a good reason. Slipping slowly out of bed, his body decided to remind him he'd been a naughty boy the night before. Wincing at the stiffness, Aran wandered over to the door as he called through the door "I'm coming, settle down!" Not that the knocking stopped. Opening the door, Aran saw who it was that had woken him up and scowled.

 

"More questions? Come back in a few hours, I'm going back to bed."

 

Rolling to one side, Aran's head rang as he staggered to his feet. She just punched him! As he turned around, he found she'd shut the door and was making her way towards him. Throwing his hands up infront of himself, Aran blurted out "what th-"

 

 

Aran

Tower Guard

[silhouette]

Right before Aran opened the door, Rosheen had had no clue as to what she was doing there. More questions? No, not likely. To see if he was alright? Even less likely. Yet when he opened the door, it suddenly became perfectly clear. Pain. That was why she was there. Aran decided to make things just a little worse for himself by scowling, and looking none to pleased by the fact that she’d been the one to wake him. Well, what about the fact that his secrets had kept her up all night? The moment she realised why she was there was also the moment she punched Aran in the face. The sickening sound of her punch hitting home brought a little smile of satisfaction to her face as she walked in, and closed the door behind her.

 

“You really need to learn to hold your tongue.†She said, her voice quite calm as she advanced, not really caring to put up her own defence. Not that Aran was in any state to fight back. She threw another punch at his face, only to have it blocked half-heartedly. Not easily deterred, she aimed the next one for his abdomen. That one hit home, as Aran was just a little too slow to defend himself. The little satisfied smile reappeared as Aran doubled over, staggering back towards his bed a little. “When will you learn…†she muttered, closing in on him, slowly, almost cautiously. She twined her fingers together, forming a solid fist, which she brought down on Aran’s back with enough force to break several boards. Instead of breaking Aran in half, it sent him to the ground.

 

Rosheen walked around him, the smile gone now as she watched Aran roll up in a ball, trying to leave as little of his body exposed for her to hit. Maybe the punch to the gut had something to do with that as well though. “I’m not very happy at the moment, Aran.†She said, kicking him sharply in the lower back. “Not at all.†Another kick, just as hard. “What in the Light gave you the idea that it was smart to keep things hidden from us? And these things… Not exactly like hiding the fact that you stole candy when you were a boy, eh?†her voice was low and steady as she circled him, looking for places to kick.

[Wayfarer]

He hadn't even been able to ask what was happening before Rosheen laid into him. Managing to block the first blow, the second one had him hunched over, gasping for breath as the staggered backwards with the little strength that was left in his legs. Finding himself on the ground, he curled up in a ball while Rosheen combined her scorn with kicks to his back.

 

A lull, that was all he needed. His first instinct was to get clear, and his best bet was the bed. Stretching out despite the pain Aran latched onto the nearest bed leg and pulled himself underneath.

 

Almost.

 

A hand had snagged one of his legs. Pulling with all his might, he used his free foot to push against Rosheen's grip. The result was that the bed was slowly dragged towards Rosheen. "Get off me you bloody maniac!"

 

The world went upside down, and Aran's entire back was aflame. Slipping off the upturned bed, his attempt to get to his feet found him thrown across the room next to the other bed. Before he could try crawling under that one, a couple of kicks to the chest convinced him to desist from that idea. In fact, they convinced him to desist from anything except returning to a foetal position.

 

 

Aran

Tower Guard

[silhouette]

Aran did just about everything he could to get away from Rosheen, which only worsened his own situation. Where Rosheen had been thoroughly enraged before, the sight of him avoiding his punishment was only making it worse. When Aran finally stopped struggling Rosheen used her foot to push him on his back. She placed her foot on his chest, not really putting any pressure on it. Aran didn’t look as though he was heading anywhere, and she just wanted to make sure she had his attention.

 

“You could have killed us by keeping your secrets to yourself.†She said, her voice soft now. Aran looked more than a little miserable, especially from her viewpoint, looking down at him. “Crescent found you. Followed you here. What if he’d decided to draw you out by setting a fire to the barracks? On maybe knifing down a couple of your… friends, as they came back from a drink? I didn’t hear him coming, in the grove. You think I would have heard him coming if he’d decided to stick a dagger in my back? Or Lyv, do you think she would have heard him?â€

 

The pressure of her foot increased slightly. “What would you have done if you found the barracks in ashes, instead of the house of your friends? Thrown yourself against the door like that? Mourned the loss of good people?†The foot was removed from Aran’s chest. “You should have known that Lyv and I would have kept your secret. If you’d trusted us, we could have kept our eyes out for Crescent. Might have saved the life of your friends…†Rosheen turned, and walked out the door, closing it behind her. As she walked back to her room she ignored the questioning looks from some of the early risers among the Tower Guards. Soon enough they shrugged, and went on their daily routine. It wasn’t their business, after all.

[Wayfarer]

"Aaaah."

 

That was about the best Aran could manage as he concentrated on breathing. After a few minutes of confirming that he indeed retain the ability to remain conscious, Aran turned his head towards the bed, unable to wince because wincing hurt too much.

 

Moving, as he discovered, was not the best policy. His bruises from the night before now possessed their own bruises, his aches from the night before now ached. He was not going to be getting back into bed, he'd be bringing his bed to him instead.

 

Gritting his teeth as he reached up with the arm closer to the bed, Aran grasped the sheets of the bed that was still upright. Yanking them clear, he pulled them over his body slowly. While curling up would help his stomach, everything else hurt in turn so he kept himself straight as he could. Thinking was for another time, for now he focused on not focusing and trying to pass out.

 

 

Aran

Tower Guard

[Guest Celes]

The fact that Rosheen did not go to bed had not bothered Lyv much, she herself had been way too tired to even think about her friend’s state of mind. She would regret going out for a run soon enough and find her bed, by then Lyv was already covered by blankets and fast asleep. As she had gone through a year in a single day with morning watch duty, the time in the inn, the bar fight, the fire and the help she and Rosheen gave to putting the fire out. Then they tried to go back to the Barracks and followed Aran who ended up killing two men, they had to drag him back to the Yards as he was incapacitated by some odd powder on his face. Yes, it had been a lot and then Rosheen had not wanted to go away until Aran confessed what this was all about, Lyv had been curious but she could have waited for the next morning, simply because her body started to feel numb from fatigue.

 

Waking up the next morning far into the morning, far into her watch duty for which she was now too late but there was a note slipped under her door that the Commander had given her a different shift, she would be up that evening. Lyv let go a sigh of relief and cleaned herself up in some fresh clothes. As she saw the black stains from the fire and dirt on her shirt she thought of Aran and wondered how he was feeling. After all, where she had been an onlooker, he had been the star of the whole train of events. She walked down to his room and knocked, hearing no reply. Then knocked again, finally to open the door and find Aran lying on the floor, bruised and beaten. “What happened!†she called out and stared around, back into the hallway and then back at Aran.

 

Lyv

[Wayfarer]

Looking up at Lyv, Aran held a finger to his lips. "Shh, you'll wake people up. Come inside and shut the door, the last thing people need to see is me in this state. Make sure to latch the door as well, don't need anyone meandering on in." Owww. Aran was torn, the less he talked, the less it hurt, but even a beating couldn't completely knock out his need to talk. Then again, he'd had awhile to get used to the worst aches and pains.

 

Lyv stepped into Aran's room, the curtains were drawn and she took a few moments to adjust to the little light in the room before closing the door as he had asked. "Can I do anything to help you?" she looked him over and said, "You have not been to the Infirmary," then walked over to him and stretched out her hand, "Let me get you on the bed, Aran."

 

Looking at her hand as if it was poisoned for a moment, Aran grunted as he took it, then proceeded to make a sound between a grunt and a whimper as he was helped to his feet. The bed was alot more comfortable he decided, if a bit cold but the sheets would help, or so Aran thought as Lyv threw them over him. The pillow was certainly nice.

 

Half grinning as to fully commit was far too painful, Aran looked up at Lyv. "You know my bed's real cold..... Can you grab the sheets from the other bed?"

 

Lyv nodded and walked over to the other bed, pulled the blanket and a sheet from it and then placed them over Aran. He was pale and when she brushed the back of her hand past his cheek she could almost feel him pull back. "I'm sorry," she mumbled and quickly adjusted the blankets so he could sleep. "You're not going to tell me who did this to you, are you?"

 

"Hah. Course I am. That bed over there, we had a tussle. He's quite a fighter that bed, I don't think I've ever come off second best to a piece of furniture before, but life is about these experiences." He definitely needed to talk less, and moving to the bed was definitely a good idea, despite the fact his body was telling him he was wrong. "And thanks."

 

"Sure, you know, if Rosheen were here, she'd not put up with your way of turning life into a constant joke Aran," Lyv said and sat down on a chair next to him. "Mind if I stay for a bit?" The worried look on her face betrayed her motive for wanting to stay, whoever had done this might return to finish the job.

 

Aran chuckled despite how much it hurt, his body wasn't going to tell him when he could or couldn't laugh, and there was the irony of it all. "Company is good, I don't think I'll be leaving my room for the next couple of days. Why did you come over to begin with anyway?"

 

Gazing over the room to see what she could tell from the mess of fallen furniture and such, Lyv looked back at Aran and said, "You looked pretty beaten when we left you in your room last night, I figured I'd go check on how you were doing." She grinned and said, "It seems like somebody beat me to it though, they did not like what they saw and decided to add some color to that pretty face or yours?"

 

Trying not to laugh, Aran clutched his ribs as he suppressed it as best he could. "Truly, my face is a canvas. You're not going to believe me if I say that I swell real bad and I overturned the bed in a fit of rage are you?"

 

"Do I have a choice?" Lyv replied and then rose to find a piece of clothe which she made cold with some water from his basin. Then placing it over his head she said, "Dunno if this will do much, but I find the cold often helps to ease the pain and swelling, though a Yellow could..." she did not finish the sentence at the look Aran gave her.

 

"Definitely not. Otherwise we'd have to explain last night, and that could be... difficult. I have no desire to be strapped in their chair anytime soon." Looking up at her in silence for a moment, Aran decided to ask the question. "So, what do you think?"

 

"I think you're very talented at keeping secrets and it might get you killed one day," she sighed and settled back in the chair a bit, "I also think that if you don't seek Healing, you'll be in here for a few days," and smiled, "She must be worth alot to you," and closed her eyes. Whoever did this to Aran had good reason for it and he was hiding the person's identity, so it must be a woman. After all, Aran was not the type to admit a woman got the better of him.

 

"Heh, a few days won't hurt. Actually, it'll hurt alot, but I had to make do before I came to the Tower, so its not unusual. I don't suppose you could look in my bedstand could you? I need a cup of whatever is in there, get one for yourself as well if you're up to it."

 

"Thanks, but it's a little early for me," Lyv said as she poured a cup of something that smelled like the kind of drink she'd rather end a night with than start a day on.

 

"Thats not very sporting." He didn't want to move quickly so throwing it back in one go wasn't an option. Steely determination went a long way though to getting the cup down, even if it took a bit. Handing the cup back to Lyv, Aran nodded slightly. "Thanks... So, what do you want to talk about?"

 

Lyv pondered over his question, realizing that he was not going to tell her who beat him up and it was pointless to ask him again, she thougth of something she had asked but never gotten an answer to. "When you do get out of this bed, do you plan to leave the Yards? And the Guard? Now that all your enemies are dead?" she could not hide a glint of worry that he might say yes.

 

Shrugging wasn't an option without consequence, so Aran settled for just talking. "No idea. I didn't really think beyond this part, in part because I expected to have this done within a few months, as opposed to nearly two years. Its not too shabby around here. Sure, the pay is a pittance and I have to walk a wall at odd hours, but I get to drink alot and crack jokes at you, so I've got reasons to stay." The last he managed with a bit of a grin.

 

Grinning, Lyv nodded a little relieved and said, "We all love you too Aran," and patted his arm, then settled back in her chair and said, "You do not have to stay in these grounds, you can always join parties travelling to the Borderlands, or bond an Aes Sedai..." she winked at this last thought as there were few people who did not know how Lyv felt about truly serving an Aes Sedai as her Warder.

 

Laughing so hard, he coughed and clutched his ribs. A bit of humour was fine, but too much was a world of pain. "Yeah, thats the one, bonding. Its bad enough that you can figure out what I'm thinking from time to time, letting a woman who thinks they're something because they can make the wind stir would just be great. Creator knows, I can make the wind stir with enough beans, not all that impressive."

 

Lyv made a face at his last comment, maybe her own dislike for serving the Aes Sedai was never as bad as Aran's. For a brief moment she wondered if he may have had a run in with an Aes Sedai who could not appreciate his outspoken mind too much but she quickly dropped that idea, a Sister would not leave such marks if she did. "Ever the joker, or the jester whichever you choose Aran," then looked at him and said, "Still cold?"

 

Aran looked up and grinned "I'm flattered, but I'm a bit incapacitated at the moment, as you can see."

 

Her eyebrow shot up and Lyv had to blink a few times, then said, "Better luck next time then, hey" and shook her head, she could never tell for sure that he was joking, but for that sparkle in his eyes which said he did.

 

"Yeah, all about timing, gotta wait for the right moment to pop that sort of question." Grinning, the painful expression faded away to one of thoughtfulness. "Still, one can wait too long sometimes. I've never really thought about it, but I've spent nearly two years here, just waiting for someone to come by and have a go. Its strange to think of what I would have been getting up to if I hadn't come here. You're lucky in many ways you know that?"

 

"I'm lucky to have met you? Or lucky to have steered clear from your bedside for so long?" Lyv said, her face serious but her voice light and then she could not hold it back any longer and grinned while patting him on the head, "There there, you'll find a nice woman to call wench yet."

 

"You don't mean just one wench do you? Commitment is such a dirty word." Smiling, he turned back to what he was talking about before. "I meant lucky as in the life you have here. Sure there are dangers, but you have alot of people to guard your back. Thats not a common thing."

 

She nodded, "No it's not, but I do not think that we could be such a tight knit group if we were not under the pressure of so many dangers around us, even in our own bedroom it seems," she said and passed over the remark by saying, "I value my life here, I ran away from home a child and grew up over many years to be a warrior. I know who to thank for that, I do."

 

"It is good here... I'll be happier when I can enjoy it beyond my bed though." Looking up Lyv, he grinned as he pointed to his cup "splishy splash, I think I need another one." That stuff as the only medicine he needed.

 

 

Aran

Tower Guard

[Guest Celes]

The cup in his hand, Aran looked more and more like the half drunk they had pulled along the night before. Lyv rose from her seat and after he finished the drink, put his cup down and told him to get some sleep. “I’ll come and check up on you later, aright?†he nodded briefly and then settled in the pillow with a grimace on a his face. Lyv stayed outside the door for bit, then went outside and for the rest of the day had her eyes open for anyone who did not belong, or who was strange and new to her, nobody of that type appeared though.

 

By the end of the afternoon, Lyv found Rosheen working hard on killing a stuffed trolloc somewhere on a field way back from the main grounds. She looked over her friend for a few minutes and then said, “We do need that one for practice you know,†Rosheen looked up startled, then smiled. “Yeah, I know, but I have a mentee who can fix him right back up,†Lyv grinned and asked how Rosheen was doing.

 

“Probably a lot better than Aran is,†she added to her question and walked over to the Trollow dummy, plucking on the sides a bit here and there. “I went over to see him this morning, he was lying next to the bed, beaten up to a pulp, it did not look good, but he refused any treatment in the Infirmary,†she stopped and turned to Rosheen, “He did not want to admit who it was that had done him up, more secrets I guess,†and added, “Might go over there to night with a plate of food, he did not look ready to walk himself just yet.â€

 

Lyv