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Dean

Dean answers warily. "My Lady? I don't understand. Squire Dean is who I am. How could I not be myself?"

Daxia

Daxia stood and -- with a smile for all, a wink for Kadri, and a finger wave to Dominie -- she picked up her mug of cider and walked over to the table where Bekkah and Dean sat. She slid into the seat beside her sister, spurs jingling softly, and smiled brightly at the two of them.

"Have you gotten any rest yet, Bekkah? I suspect not, so don't fall asleep in your soup." She looked sidelong at Dean, and leaned closer to her sister, speaking more softly, but loud enough that the young Squire could just barely hear. "Squire Dean proved himself steadfast and brave in our recent battle, yet he still appears extraordinarily nervous around you." She rested her head on Bekkah's shoulder. "Who could possibly think you're anything other than the nicest, kindest, most generous person in all the lands... from here to there and back again?

"Your Squire is silly, Bekkah."

Dazi sat up straight again, a broad grin on her face. "Did you see Morning Star? He's a magnificent font of ALL knowledge, and quite handsome! Dominie said we were married, which I thought a rather odd thing, but we are partners now forever until I drop dead, which I don't intend to do any time soon, don't worry, because I remember you said you'd raise me from the dead just to scold me, so I'll try to be very very old when I drop dead. I'm having a lovely saddle made for him and you can ride Fern! I remember how much you used to like riding, and Fern is very smart and will take good care of you."

Bekkah

She sighed again at Dean's words then Dazi sat next to her and she smiled.

"He appears to be a magnificent creature. Quite amazing truly. I always knew you were destined for greatness little one."

"Not silly, but blind I think." she said in the same volume that Dazi had spoken before she turned back to Dean.

"Squire Dean, if I released you from your duties as squire would that change how you see the world? Although, I don't think you are my squire since I am hardly a knight."

Mikal

After completing his walk thru town, Mikal re-enters the inn and heads over to the table the group is sitting at after ordering some hot food.

He stops at the table, looking at Daxia with a lifted eyebrow. "New friend?" He nods towards Dominie.

Daxia can see Mikal wears a new swordbelt bound and embossed with darksteel. The hilt of his shortsword has been redone and now bears an obsidian disk set into it's pommel. The blade itself is concealed within the scabbard, but she can guess it contains the reforged darksteel sword he had made by the Jvrillian smith.

Daxia

"Ah, Dazi not great. Dazi good, get better... Morning Star help Dazi get great someday." She notes Mikal's arrival, then says quietly to Bekkah. "Yah, maybe eyesight bad."

When Mikal came over to the table she eyed his sword, and nodded. "From what I see, your smith does excellent work." Daxia glanced back at Romana, Kadri and Dominie and grinned.

"He seems to have attached himself to Romana and Kadri. Quite a character... I came over here just after he professed his love for Kadri. He tells some interesting tales..." She glanced around them. "...that our tiny band should discuss when we are afforded slightly more privacy, as the tales are a veiled warning for our diminutive friend's safety and well-being."

Dean

Dean replies stiffly "I cannot be released from what I am. I am a Squire."

Bekkah

Later she would attribute her actions to being exhausted, but the normally calm Lady of Attera just stood, through up her arms as she looked down on the squire.

"And I am a Lady of Attera, but I am still a woman. A woman who would like to be treated like a woman sometimes instead of a piece of art." she said as she lifted her skirts and stomped out of the inn.

Mikal

His lifted eyebrow goes higher as Bekkah stomps out. "Not my place to say, Squire Dean, but I think that was about as much of an invitation to go after her as this country boy has ever seen."

He shrugs and turns to Daxia, nodding. "Yes, he does. I will show it to you when next we spar. I hope to put it to good use."

He looks at Dominie and Kadri next. "Speaking of which, do we have time to do a little drinking and gambling before we next get into a desperate fight for our lives?"

Daxia

She watched her sister stomp off. She school her face to a very proper Court neutrality. She listened to Mikal's words of advice.

"Mikal, the only thing I wish more than some time for drinking and dancing and relaxing before trouble finds us again would be to spend Midwinter in Dawnview Vale. Since that is not possible, I will hope fervently for some peace."

Daxia finally turned to Squire Dean.

"Would you be willing to listen to a word or ten of advice? Mikal's advice is good... as far as it goes. Despite being rather good at lopping off heads, I do know my sister, and have some experience observing proper courtly behaviors between men and women."

Cesare

Catching Darian's general amusement with him, which he has no objection to, he does explain a little further when they are not conversing with others.

"Spending a lot of time away from towns and with only my small family to exchange conversation with a lot of the time, I have always tended to make the most of opportunities that places and people like this provide. The only difference here and now is that they seem more willing to talk to me. Previously I tended to have more luck with the younger female population.. but it is refreshing to be looked on with some favour."

He is grinning towards the end of his explantion, seemingly not too worried by either his new found status or by the lack of it previously. Life is as it is.

Darian

She chuckles more at his explanation and his desire to express it. She had known one other that had been so. She herself had never been quite so talkative, choosing instead to primarily observe.

"Town less wary. Give talk easy."

Cesare

"And so we should take advantage of that."

He grins.

"Anything you want to know?"

Dean

Squire Dean felt as if he had walked into danger greater than anything he had faced the previous night. And he didn't know what to do. His diplomatic training warned him there was danger, but he didn't know how to respond.

And he was hungry.

With a sigh, he picked up what food he could easily carry, grabbing some from Lady Bekkah's bowl and headed out the door after her.

Bekkah

He would have to ask a lad outside the inn, who would have told him that the Lady had gone towards the stables.

Daxia

She watched the Squire get up and walk off, not even acknowledging that she'd said anything. Daxia blinked. Then shrugged, stood up again and said to Mikal, "Let's go sit with Romana and Kadri. Imperials, even those related to me, are making my head hurt."

She walked back to the other table and sat down again beside Romana.

"So! Kadri and Dominie become engaged while Dazi gone? No? Good." She grinned at Kadri. "DomDominie fun, but seem like too much trouble for husband. We just keep as pet. Yah, Romana?" She shifted her eyes to Romana. "DomDomDominie good for finding giggles, yah?"

Kadri:

"Not tying myself down. Not fair to me, not fair to someone else. "

She shakes her head.

"Kadri is Kadri is Kadri. And no one is going to change that."

Then grins.

"Besides. They couldn't handle it."

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Between Morning and Noon
Attaday, The Twenty-Third Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Kadri and Romana and Daxia and Dominie and Mikal!

"Married?"

Dominie's eyes went wide, his brows raising, an for the moment he sat up, a look iof indignant horror on his face?

"Married?

"On the first date?

"I mean ... fine ... kissing, snuggling, looking dreamy eyed up at the moons, walking hand in hand ... kissing ... clandestine cuddlings beneath a warm quilt on a midwinter's eve ... and did I mention kissing ...

"But married on the first date?

"I assure you, my good ... uhm ... ah ... Knight, I may be many things, but I am NOT a hussy!"

The little man snorted at that and leaned back, into the Kadri scootched part of the chair. His head hitting wood he considered, looked up to Kadri and smiled rakishly,

"I know! i shall try the jealousy ploy!"

Wityh a turn he spun and leaned back against Romana. The much taller woman squeaked, looked down upon him, and in deference to Daxia's pronouncement patted him quite formally atop his head.

"Pets!"

Dominie wrinkled his brow,

"Now, all the Minstrels sing about the jealousy ploy, but in truth it never ever end well. So alas, my dear ..."

He looked up to Romana with sad puppy dog eyes,

"I care for you only for your softness; alas, I am being insincere ... but by admitting it you now know how sincere my incincerity is, and for the stalwart reasons of being smitten by a wild heart!"

he then looked to the newcomer, the equally stalwart Jvrillian. His eyes go wide, he looks between the companions, he looks at Mikal again, and then leans upwards, beckons Romana down and whisper whispers in her ear.

His reward is a good solid whack from the be-cloaked girl.

However ...

Romana looked immediately to Mikal.

And had to bite her lip to hold back the giggles.

Really hard.

Daxia

"True, true! DomDomDominie would find fierce Kadri very difficult.

"But Dominie!" the Dayalan protested. "I merely said engaged, not married! Who does that on the first date? Of course no one here! You would need to wait... well, considering Kadri's fierceness, I would guess at least a fullhand and another fullhand of dates."

After his whisper to Romana, Daxia looked between Dominie and Mikal... between Dominie and Romana... between Romana and Mikal, and looked at Mikal for a moment with a raised eyebrow before turning back to Romana.

"What funny? Tell Dazidazidazidazi?"

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Between Morning and Noon
Attaday, The Twenty-Third Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Kadri and Romana and Daxia and Dominie and Mikal!

Romana covered her mouth for a moment, swallowing, searching for words. Then she sweeps her hand across the table.

"See ... all brave womens here, yesyesyes?

"Dommidommi says ...

"... Mikals may be just as brave ...

"... but Mikals ugliest woman Dommidommi has ever ever seen!"

Daxia

Daxia looked between Dominie and Mikal several times, her expression growing more and more puzzled.

"But..."

She looked between Romana and Dominie, extremely perplexed.

"Mikal..."

She fixed her gaze on Dominie.

"Make no sense! Mikal man! How Mikal be ugly woman if Mikal man??"

Mikal

Arriving with Daxia he witnesses and overhears some of the latter conversations. After the whispering and explanation of giggles, he gives Dominie a hard, and serious look. He then slowly winks at him as he says, "Uglier than my companions, without a doubt, and thank Jvrill for that! But much smarter than my brothers." He taps his temple. "After all, how many mercenaries do you know who get to travel with a horde of beautiful women. Not to mention serving under one." He takes a careful step away from Daxia, chuckling.

Daxia

Daxia just raised an eyebrow at Mikal. "You sure that's far enough away? My sword is longer than yours," she said, completely deadpan.

Dean

After receiving direction from a helpful, snickering, boy, Dean carefully enters the stables..."Lady Bekkah?"

Bekkah

She was surprised to her the squire's voice and immediately thought that Dazi had probably put him up to it. She continued to fuss with the saddle. She did not look the least bit happy.

"Squire Dean, are you injured, may I be of assistance?" Her tone was formal and clipped.

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Between Morning and Noon
Attaday, The Twenty-Third Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Kadri and Romana and Daxia and Dominie and Mikal! And no Dean or Bekkah because they are in the stables. With the horses. And the stablehands ...

Dominie simply blinked. Once, twice and then reached up to the table and borrowed a drink; raising it to the Jvrillian with a smile.

"Touche! Well spoke, swordster, a wit as sharp as one's blade!"

He then too a swig of his stolen drink, pointing to Mikal and nodding to Daxia.

"He's a keeper, he is. He's fun!"

Wiping his lips with the back of his hand he considers. does it again, looking into the fine goblet he holds.

"And somebody knows their wine. I mean, really really knows their wine ..."

His words are rewarded with a rap on his head, that and a hand held to him, as if waiting, aristocratically commanding.

"Romanas!"

Is her one word command.

Turning his head upwards, the rake offered the cloaked woman suddenly big, suddenly soft, completely harmless and innocent puppy dog eyes. He lifted the wine glass back, looking down sheepishly, whispering the only two words possible, the only two words a man can speak to a woman in such as situation and still reach the end of the small, sentence (being an expert in such, having come from a village so small they could only afford full sentences on midwinters and midsummers) with blood and soul intact.

" ... yes, dear."