Anonymous Musings

[Existentially Odd]

Lieutenant Frederickson more or less snuck his way into the tavern that night.  He was big and bold most of the time but he had come here this evening, as the sun sank below the horizon, for a little anonymity.  He wanted the company, certainly, but not personally.  He was just after some distracting noise, something that wasn\'t the ramblings inside his own head for once.

He ordered a large tankard of ale and found himself a corner table, hiding himself as best he could behind a support pole, feeling that he could see most of the room but not be immediately visible to others.  That was good.  Most folk in here were farmers - though there seemed to be a pretty woman setting herself up with a violin on the raised platform that served as the stage here - and wouldn\'t be likely to recognise him in his simple tan coloured pants, brown boots and dark brown jerkin.  He looked the part of farming stock, rather than nobility or guardianship, of which he was, technically, both.

Settling down into his creaky wooden seat (he had grave fears that the wonky thing would support his considerable mass if he wriggled about too much), he folded his arms upon the table, leaning forward over his mug as he stared ruminatively into its liquid-filled depths.  The last two weeks since Lam had returned from Greece had been turbulent for him, even if he hadn\'t shown it.  There\'d been news of the engagement, a funeral and then, of all things, talk of a baby to really spur her notion of quitting the guard on.

It was all a bit much for his tired brain to handle.  He was a simple man, with standard allegiances and uncomplicated loyalty; he didn\'t have the flare for leadership that she had, yet she insisted on telling him that he would be named Captain in her stead and that she would find some other work at the palace to keep her hand in.  Palace Liaison she\'d said, though what sort of rot that was, he didn\'t have a clue.  Something to do with her going back and forth between the King and the guards; seeing him rarely, that\'s what it meant.

Frankly, Freddy wasn\'t ready to let her go completely, but she was slipping farther and farther away from him without any effort whatsoever.  Change was in the air and he didn\'t deal well with such things, hence his sitting here.  Night after night in his little townhouse, it was all he could think about; tonight he\'d decided to finish his shift, change and cross the drawbridge before it came up for the night.  The guards had ways of getting back into the city even with that thoroughfare removed, and he didn\'t have to work until the next afternoon, so out to the Broken Wheel he\'d come for some respite.

Tonight was supposed to be about forgetting his problems, not taking them with him to a new location, though.  With a sigh, he took a generous swig from his ale and looked up, intent on seeing if that pretty lady was going to play, after all, hoping desperately that she would.

[Kysis]

It had been a long day, or rather, a long two weeks to be precise.  Ryanna felt relieved, but all the same frightened.  She had cut that too close.  That day had been her last on the Gulbrand farm, Ryanna getting out of there later than she had intended.  And she had to walk back, in an uncomfortable dress, all the way to the castle in the dark, cold winter.  She had a cloak, but it did not do much.  She was dressed in the styles of Oberon women to play her part at the farm, the neckline of her dress going from one shoulder, dipping down enough to show a hint of cleavage, and then arcing slowly back up to the other shoulder.  It was tight too, showing her form.  Ryanna\'s hair was neat, even a little make-up on her eyelids, a little lipstick on her lips.  She hated it, and wanted to get it off as soon as possible, but she knew the city gates would be closed.  Damn.

Knowing the guards at the front gates would not let her in, Ryanna steered for the Broken Wheel Tavern.  They were friendly folk there, and a room did not cost too terribly much.  Ryanna had the coin on her to get not only a room, but a drink as well, if she wanted.  The girl wanted to have some victory time to herself, for getting out alive, body intact (and not defiled by that wretch Dag), and before Dag\'s benefactor arrived, probably by a thin margin.  That, and she had all the intelligence she needed to satisfy both her own wants and Magnus\' needs.  It had been a successful mission.

Opening the door, Ryanna darted in quickly, closing the door as hastily as she could with cold hands.  It was loud tonight-- well, probably was every night-- and that was good.  The Gulbrand farm was unnerving.  Taking a deep breath of the warm air, Ryanna allowed herself a sweet smile, some of her harsh facade melting off with the heat.  She had been a bitch for the last two weeks, and it had been enjoyable at first, but got old quickly.  Ryanna liked being happy and bubbly.  Being on the farm ruined that.

But now it was over, and was time to celebrate.

Ryanna let her big eyes roam over the room, looking for someone, anyone, that she might possibly know, that she could relax near rather than fearing for her own life.  If Dag\'s benefactor had come early, she would have been dead!  That thought scared her.  She was too young to die.  Poor Alia....  Ryanna swiped that thought from her mind as soon as she did behold a familiar face.  Freddy!!!  Oh my, what a chance.

Trying to keep up the dainty movements she had mastered over the past two weeks, Ryanna walked smoothly over to his table, taking a seat across from him without asking, a smile on her slightly colored lips.  "Hello, Frederickson."  That was all she would say for now, bracing for either being immediately shooed off, or berated for bothering him.  Either seemed a very real possibility.

[Existentially Odd]

The lieutenant cocked an eyebrow as an attractive young woman sat down oppsite him, a slightly baffled smile gracing his lips as he was addressed by name.  Thing was, he didn\'t recognise her, so he had no idea how she even knew him... of course, once his gaze finally shifted off her chest and met her eyes, he had a better idea of who he was facing.  His expression slipped into one of absolute shock.

"Ryanna?" he queried hollowly, flushing because he\'d looked... well... there first.  To his eternal embarrassment.

[Kysis]

It took a few moments, as Ryanna noticed, but she did not mind.  When he said her name, it made her smile creep just a little bit bigger.  Ryanna did blush a little though, noticing where this eyes went first.  Oh dear.  That was one of those side-effects of wearing such a dress, not that she minded, considering whose eyes were doing the looking.  It was pleasantly surprising to find that he did not kick her off the table immediately either.  Victory!

"Yes, Sir."  She said this with a sweet voice, sitting up straight, showing a little pride.  She was hard to miss, with her short hair and big, mischievous eyes, but in such a dress... still.  At least it had worked for her most recent business.  "I \'ope I\'m not pesterin\' you any.  I was stranded out of the city walls, and didn\'t see a familiar face about...."

Ryanna stopped herself from fidgeting, keeping as still and composed as she could.  She did not want to look like a squirrelly little girl, especially since she was all alone and quite frankly scared.  Having the big, burly guard near by comforted her greatly.  "I can leave ye be if you want me to...."

[Existentially Odd]

Frederickson blinked, sitting up a little straighter when she did, responding intuitively to her.  His lips pressed together and he spoke gruffly to her, though he couldn\'t help looking her over again and again.  She looked so different to the way she normally did, he could hardly believe it was her.  She also didn\'t look nearly as young as he\'d always thought she was, and that baffled him, too.  How damn old was she?

"Well what\'re ye\' doin\' this side of the gates in that getup for?" he growled at her, feeling out of sorts because she\'d disconcerted him so.  "You\'ll be out for the night, now," he stated - needlessly, since she\'d more or less alluded to that fact herself.  He wasn\'t very... straight of mind just then, though, and was further chagrined to realise it had nothing to do with the drink.  He\'d only had one mouthful, by Talon.

[Kysis]

"Oh, just payin\' a friend a visit."  Ryanna mused over that thought, mostly because she would never consider Dag a friend, nor would her spying trip be considered a nice visit.  Not that she would mention to Freddy what she had been doing.  The act itself was questionable, and the fact that she had forged papers was illegal.  Ryanna hardly wanted to fill the lawman in on it.  That, and she had been sworn to secrecy by Magnus, so no speaking of it from her.

"Lost track of time, sadly."

Ryanna knew she could get lodging, so it was not that big of a problem.  And as much as she hated this dress, she could deal with it for a little longer.  Freddy was worth the company anyway.  She had been nursing a crush on him for quite the while now, so why not take the opportunity to talk to him while he was willing to talk?  That sounded like a great idea, in fact.

"And what are yew doin\' out here?"

[Existentially Odd]

He merely scowled at her, looking like her question had pulled him away from what he really wanted to say - which it had.

"I have the night off and felt like being somewhere besides my own empty house, that alright with you?" he demanded, internally questioning his own sudden aggression.  He\'d never had a problem with dismissing this girl before, he didn\'t understand why, just because she was wearing a dress and looked half respectable (well, a good portion more than half, really), he should have a problem with it now.  The clothes certainly didn\'t make the person, he knew that for a fact.

"Don\'t you have a father who\'ll be wondering where you are?" he continued, since he worked with the man and knew him well enough.  It could be that George was working tonight, Freddy wasn\'t sure since he\'d let one of the other lieutenants do this week\'s roster, but he was suddenly feeling obligated to look after Ryanna, since she was the offspring of a co-worker (and that was all she was, he kept reminding himself).  "I\'ll take you back into the city with me, when I go," he stated, feeling awkward about taking her in with him - he\'d have to cover her eyes as they approached the entrance - but knowing it was the right thing to do.

He wasn\'t really ready to go back yet, but he took another long swallow from his drink, gulping the liquid down as if he was going to finish it in one go, just so he could return Ryanna to where she belonged.  Damn her, the girl always seemed more trouble than she was worth... but at least this notion helped him think of her as the little girl he generally viewed her as, rather than... well, how he\'d seen her when she\'d first sat down.  With much more potential.

[Kysis]

She could not help but give a little laugh at his growled answer, not her usual pipey giggle, but a lady\'s laugh, which she had also been working on for her time at the Gulbrand farm.  Finally, though sadly, Freddy sounded more like she remembered him.  Still, he had not sent her away, though now he was treating her like a child again.  Ryanna might look like a young man most of the time, but she wasn\'t a kid, and by Adora (she wished she had larger breasts) she would not be treated like one.

Leaning forward, Ryanna put her elbows on the table, fingers lacing together and making a little seat for her chin to rest upon.  She kept on her smile, unable to wipe it away, despite his offense.  It was just a tiny slight, so not something that would stay on her mind for long.  In fact, she had a great retort to his admonishment.

"I don\'t live wit\' my father any more.  Move out on me own.  I can handle meself, y\'know."  Ryanna licked her lips lightly to wet them, rolling them together.  It was weird, having gloss on her lips.  It felt like there was something weird on them, that she just could not get off, and it was irritating, but she knew it helped with her guise.  Wait, was Frederickson saying he would help her get into Oberon tonight?  Again, he was treating her like a little kiddie, and Ryanna could not appreciate that. "And I brought coin for a room, jus\' in case, so I\'m not out in the cold here."

[Existentially Odd]

Freddy placed his mug on the table (one good swallow short of being finished) and slid his lower lip subtly over his upper one to remove any residue from the ale.  The action was followed by a nonplussed swipe of his arm across his mouth, for he was altogether disconcerted by Ryanna\'s actions.  She could \'handle\' herself?

Was she propositioning him?  Him?  It certainly seemed so, with the very deliberate way she sat forward and watched him through those enormous eyes, licking her lips and telling him how she now lived alone and even had the coin for a room here.  It seemed a very deliberate message to be sending him and he had absolutely no idea how to deal with it.  Surely he had to be misinterpreting...?

"How old are you?" he blurted, finally asking the most prevalent question on his mind, his eyes looking more blue than grey in the lighting, the colouring obvious because they were opened so wide.  Again, he wanted to look her over, for her positioning before him seemed provocative, but he was resisting that urge and staring deliberately at her face, expecting to hear that she was fourteen and merely playing at a woman\'s games.  He could forgive her then, for this play-acting, for she was young enough not to understand what she was doing to him.

[Kysis]

That question made her eyes narrow a little, smile fading just slightly at the edges.  Again, it seemed like he was treating her like a little kid.  Was it such a bad thing to be living on her own?  With her work schedule taking up all day and her father\'s taking up the night, they were always disrupting the other\'s rest and that had not been going good at all.  She and her father were on great terms, but to prevent a souring of that, Ryanna had to move out.  Rather than taking some sudden venom out at him, Ryanna tried keeping her voice as sweet as possible.  It was nice, finally being able to talk to Freddy without him patronizing her and telling her to buzz off every few seconds.  Ryanna did not want to ruin it.

"Seven-teen."  She wanted to make the number nice and clear for him, though her smile was more forced than before.  For a moment she tuned in to the noise around them, all the clamor and chatting she had been ignoring before.  There was quite a lot going on in the tavern right now, but that did not bother her.  In fact, she was quite smitten with their conversation, even if he was frustrating her.

"Why?"  The sudden question had made her curious, though.  Freddy had never cared about her age before, or that she was even alive, so why ask now?  Was it just wondering what happened to George\'s little girl, big enough to live on her own finally?  Ryanna watched him intently, big eyes and keen ears focused entirely on him.  This was a lot more interesting than the rest of the tavern anyway.  She had caught him off-guard, both literally and figuratively, and she had full intent of taking advantage of it.

[Existentially Odd]

The lieutenant had the grace to blush, his first impulse to cry out that Ryanna had to be joking. Seventeen? She was seventeen? Well, his own mother had been married and was pregnant by that age, so Ryanna was obviously not the girl he\'d supposed her to be, after all. Still... thinking about Ryanna in his mother\'s position... just deepened his blush and had him staring into the liquid within his mug once more.
 
"No reason," he mumbled, his broad shoulders giving an embarrassed shrug. "I just... thought you were younger, I guess." Damn straight he\'d thought her younger; it was difficult now to realise that the things he\'d been thinking about her were... well, not really appropriate, considering she was still fifteen years younger than him (and a fellow guard\'s child, to boot) but they were... possible? Was that what he was searching for? He was so flummoxed, he honestly didn\'t know what to think anymore.
 
"I need another drink," he sighed, and rose to go to the bar and do just that. It didn\'t occur to him to ask her if she wanted one, as he was still adjusting his thinking to regarding her as adult enough.

[Kysis]

Ryanna\'s smile returned to its usual fullness, not at all fake now.  She batted her eyelashes a little, trying to sit as still as possible and having some trouble with it.  Despite how much she liked to be constantly moving, Ryanna forced herself to remain still.  That, and Ryanna was curious about Freddy\'s blush, though badgering him about it would probably end their conversation immediately.  Oh no, that would be terrible!  Ryanna just could not allow that!  So, she just let her smile remain as the outward indicator that she enjoyed his blush, and wanted to know more about it.  Her eyes were curious.

A comment was due that she was usually wearing men\'s baggy clothing, so her age was easily mistaken (not that her tiny breasts helped any!  Uhg!!!), but Freddy was saying something about another drink and then was gone.  How rude?!  Ryanna stood up instantly when he moved to go, but she stayed where she was, watching him with a turn of her head.  Ryanna remained hovering over her chair, blinking in confusion, mouth just slightly open.  Well, that was frustrating.

Giving an irritated sigh, Ryanna flopped back onto her chair, left air splayed comfortably on the table, right with elbow firmly planted, palm supporting her chin and the side of her face.  The fingers of her left hand awkwardly traced random designs on the table as she waited, staring with bored eyes at the nonsensical, invisible doodle she was making.  Well, hopefully he came back and had not just used the need of a drink as an excuse to get away from her.  That would hurt her ego past all recognition, and she might never show her face at the guardhouse again.  Luckily, she did not say that aloud, for it might have been incentive for him not to come back.

[Existentially Odd]

He\'d faltered when she\'d stood as well, wondering if she was going to take her leave, accompany him or simply request he get her something.  She said nothing, though - to his continued confusion - and so he walked on after a few moments of hesitation.  What the bloody hell had that been about?  Wasn\'t it a gentleman\'s place to stand politely when a lady arrived or left her seat, not the other way \'round?

Oddly, it seemed just the sort of thing Ryanna - the one he usually knew, anyway - would do, so he was able to dismiss the action fairly well from his mind by the time he got to the bar.  Once there, he skulled the remainder of the liquid in the mug he carried, then held the empty container out for a refill.

By the time the barmaid had returned with a full tankard, his more gallant brain had kicked in and he\'d realised he should make a friendly gesture towards Ryanna.  She was being far less annoying than she usually was and her appearance was... greatly more appealing, too (and it had nothing to do with the fact that he had a little alcohol in him and she\'d sat there, not five minutes ago, licking her lips and telling him how she could get a room at this inn, with big, come-hither eyes).

She deserved - if not a reward, per se - a companionable gesture and so he ordered her a warm apple cider.  He sipped at his ale while he waited for it to be handed to him, paying with a friendly smile before turning and taking the two drinks back to his former table.  She looked less than impressed about being left at the table alone and he had to dampen down a momentary flare of guilt.  Why should he feel bad?  Why worry?  She had intruded on his private time, after all; she had no right to expect anything of him.

"I hope you don\'t mind," he began bashfully, as he placed the cider before her and then slid into his own seat, opposite her.  "I took the liberty."

... of buying you a drink.

It wasn\'t stated, but it was there, in the silence that followed his odd little comment.  "Cheers," he said then, raising his mug towards her in respect, holding it aloft until she responded in kind and then taking a lot of small sips of his own beverage. Drinking gave him an excuse not to have to make conversation with her, at any rate.

[Kysis]

Though worried and bored, Ryanna jumped a little when Freddy actually returned, and with two drinks.  Was she that annoying that he needed more than one drink to drown her out?  Ryanna blinked again when a drink was placed before her, and she darted her gaze towards Freddy, grin reforming to replace that bored irritation.  He took the liberty to buy her a drink? How nice of him!  Of course, she felt bad as well, since she had money for it, and did not want to have to rely upon anyone.  Perhaps it was just her trying to prove she was an adult now.

"Thanks."  She really meant it too, lifting her mug much the same way as Freddy did. "Cheers."  With that she took a sip, savoring the flavor and the warmth.  It was great, and she appreciated it.  After walking all the way from the farm in a dress with pretty slipper-like shoes on, she was feeling a little chilly.  The warmth of the tavern\'s fire helped, but this was absolutely divine.

Just because they both had drinks now did not mean they had to be silent.  In fact, the boom of the crowd around them made it feel awkward not to be having a conversation as well.  So, Ryanna took another sip, looking down into the pretty liquid as she thought of what could possibly be said.  Ah-ha!  That was something to get them started.

"It\'s nice to be out of the city sometimes."  It was not much, but might spark something, which was all she was looking for.  It was a starting point.

[Existentially Odd]

"I suppose," he mused non-commitally, watching the stage beyond Ryanna, where the violinist was drawing passionately on her instrument, filling the noisy room with a lively tune at the moment - though it had been mournful just a few minutes ago.

The only time Freddy ever left the city was in escorting the prince on one of his training rides - or, more recently when Lam was away, leading them.  That was always an effort in suspense and direst concentration, expecting the worst just in case, so what else could he say?  His being in the tavern this night was an exception to conventional circumstances, that was for sure (and the irony of her finding him on this one night did not escape him).

He looked back at the girl and was struck again by the difference in her, having been watching another woman lost in the act of performing, her face flushed prettily and an attractive sheen of sweat glistening upon her exposed skin.  He was possibly odd like that, in the fact that he considered a woman working hard and extending herself to be beautiful.

Still, Ryanna had a pretty face, he noticed, and a rather surprising demeanour, now that she was out of boy\'s clothes and not trotting along after a patrol, annoying them with questions or advice.  It occurred to him that the \'friend\' she\'d been out of the gates visiting - and lost track of time doing so - was possibly a male and... dressed like that... well... Freddy\'s imagination provided him the rest.

"You come out here often?  To visit your friend?" he enquired, his eyebrows lifting slightly but his face remaining impassive for the most part.  It wasn\'t his place to judge, but he was a little curious as to how womanly the girl really was.  Until seeing her in  a dress, he supposed he\'d always considered her one of the sorts of women who appreciated other women, too, and decked herself out in the manner of a man to attract herself a pretty companion (there were a few such women in the guard).  Maybe she\'d been out of the city limits visiting a woman and they were swapping roles, Ryanna wearing the dress for once.

That thought had him squirming a little on his chair, the pleasurable image leaking some tingly feelings into his body - until the damn chair protested his shifting weight loudly and he was forced to still and simply wait for her answer.