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* Adam unlocks the door and announces, "Hall's Open!" * Adam returns to behind the bar, pulling out an old leather apron and putting it on before getting a towel and beginning to polish the bar. There is a bandage tied around the knuckles of his left hand. * Jaret wanders in the hall. He grimaces momentarily at the sight of the blackened blades over the hearth, and proceeds to the bar. "Good evening, Adam. A goblet of Arabellan Red, if you please." * S'ayad'i strolls in, dulcimer in hand, and heads for the bar. <Adam> Certainly Jaret, ::picks a glass and bottle from the rack and pours the wine for Jaret:: <S'ayad'i> ::nodding to Adam:: Good evening. An ale, if you would, please. ::She pulls herself up onto a stool and sits cross-legged.:: <Adam> Good evening S'ayad'i. Will you be brightening us with song, or looking for a cool drink after sharing your gift with others? <S'ayad'i> ::smiling at Jaret:: A pleasant even' to you, too. <S'ayad'i> Oh, I'm sung out for now. Perhaps a bit later. Adam picks up a mug and fills it with ale, then places it in front of S'ayad'i. * Jaret stares at the blades over the hearth and broods some more, breaking his gaze to half-heartedly sip his wine. <Adam> Is something the matter Jaret? <Jaret> ::to Adam:: Just thinking about what happened. ::nods toward the swords:: It's been bothering me, ever since that night. * Adam: What did happen? I noticed the swords where gone, and now they're back. Obviously something dreadful happened to them in between, but that's about all I know. * Jaret shakes his head and glances at Adam's bandages. "Cut yourself on a rough edge in the kitchen, or something more mysterious?" <S'ayad'i> ::sighs softly:: It bothers me, too, but... ::shrugs:: Somehow, it just doesn't seem finished, yet. <Jaret> I'm not sure I can adequately explain it. Sealgair came back to aid Moon Dancer in some way, somehow. He transported us...somewhere, and did... something. And after it all, those ruined blades were all that were left. * Adam looks at his hand and chuckles, "Oh, I stumbled across a young lady having a disagreement with a couple of dandies about how she'd like to spend her evening. One of them thought he was fast enough with his sabre. <S'ayad'i> ::softly:: Once brighter than the light at noon...::with the air of quoting something:: <S'ayad'i> ::glancing at Adam:: Good for you, sir. Does your wound need attending to? <Jaret> It's not that, S'ayad'i. Not at all. ::sighs and sets his glass on the counter:: When everything was happening, fast and furious, with the wild lights all about us, and Sealgair screaming and fading away, I did nothing. Nothing. I just sat here and watched, bedazzled and bewildered. And a man who did nothing but help me passed away in front of me. <Adam> No, a minor scratch. I just doesn't feel like risking getting the beverages in it. <S'ayad'i> ::to Adam:: Well, with some of the strange brews in this place, I can't blame you. <Adam> Was there anything you could have done Jaret? <Jaret> ::to Adam:: I don't know. But more to the point I didn't even try. I didn't even ask if there was anything I could have done, when that was exactly what I *should* have been doing. I should have got up and howled the question to him, over the madness that was wailing all about us. But I didn't. <S'ayad'i> ::to Jaret:: And what might you have done? I count myself fairly skilled in the mystical arts, and yet what transpired that night was far - Far! - in advance of my skills or even knowledge. Small wonder that we were transfixed as lesser beings before a god... <Jaret> ::quietly, rolling a finger around the rim of the goblet:: I think I've lost my edge. <S'ayad'i> ::frowning:: Edge? You mean, your fighting edge? Don't be absurd, Jaret. <Adam> If this incident was as spectacular as S'ayad'i describes it isn't fair to judge yourself by it. <Adam> Of course, if you are doubting yourself then you need to find a suitable challenge to truly test yourself by. * Jaret shakes his head again. "No, not my fighting edge. With a sword in my hand, I could take all comers without a concern. It's my heart I'm finding lacking. I'd like to think that even up to a few years ago, I'd have leapt into the teeth of such chaos without a second thought. This time, I never even had a first thought. <Adam> Maybe you've traded the edge of youthful eagerness for that of patient experience? <S'ayad'i> You were taken by surprise, Jaret. It happens to the best of us. <Jaret> That's the difficulty, Adam. I should have acted without preparation, without forethought, and tried to help. I can't seek out a test when the flaw that has me in doubt is that of reacting in the right way, as I should have. Surprise or no, I should have tried to lend aid. And I didn't. <S'ayad'i> Would it have been better for you to have been lost in that maelstrom than to be alive to regret your hesitation? <Adam> Jaret, you've seen enough of the world to know that those who leap blindly into difficulties usually meet unfortunate ends. If even now you are unable, even to describe what happened, how could you have possibly been of assistance. Most likely you would have jeopardized your life, and risked ruining whatever your friend was attempting. <Jaret> Possibly. ::a small quirk appears around the corners of his mouth:: Death before dishonor isn't only for paladins, you know. <Adam> Wouldn't it have brought you dishonor if by attempting to give aid where you knew nothing you caused your friends work to fail? <Jaret> I admit I don't even know *if* I could have been of assistance or otherwise. What disturbs me is that judgment never crossed my mind at all. I simply sat and watched, completely passive, completely docile. <S'ayad'i> ::frowning in concentration:: Jaret... That could have been Sealgair. <S'ayad'i> If what I remember of his abilities holds true, he was a fair mind-bender. It's possible that he... held us from acting so we couldn't disturb his working. * Jaret furrows his eyebrows, opens his mouth to say something, but closes it. He thinks for a moment, "Possibly, S'ayad'i. But I worry that it overlying that is the possibility of a convenient truth. I can't accept it immediately, but neither can I deny it. <S'ayad'i> Yes. It's something you'll have to work out for yourself, of course. But you know that, should you need us, your friends will always be at your side - or your back ::with a small smile:: <Jaret> ::smiles:: I'm grateful to know that I have friends who will always 'be there' for me. I just hope I can easily return the offer in kind. <S'ayad'i> I'll keep that in mind. * Jaret sips some more of his wine. * Adam starts polishing the mugs, causing several of them to go into giggling fits as he tickles them. * Jaret mentally backtracks through the earlier part of the conversation and sits up a little straighter. "Adam, could you describe the scoundrels you sparred with earlier? I'd like to ensure they aren't among my students." <S'ayad'i> ::curiously:: What will you do to them if they *are* your students? <Jaret> Report them to the city Watch, of course. And drill the Gentlemen's Code into any confederates of theirs who weren't involved in this indignity. <Adam> One was about six feet and most people would have described him as beefy, though he still looked like a runt to me. Short dark hair, kind of a childish face. The other was shorter and thinner. Definitely in better shape. He's the one who got me. Also dark haired. He wore a red scarf on his head like you see on some of the sailors at the wharves. <Adam> If he's one of your students you'll probably be able to identify him from the shiner I gave him. <Jaret> I'll keep an eye out for that "shiner", by which I take to mean you blackened his eye, if my recollection of such argot is correct. <Adam> That would be right. * Jaret sighs heavily. "I hope I am correct, and these blackguards are no students of mine. Still, I should be wary." * S'ayad'i yawns widely. * S'ayad'i: My goodness, I suppose that last set took more out of me than I thought. I think I'll head home... Jaret, I hope you feel better soon. * S'ayad'i hops off the stool, grabs her dulcimer by its neck, and heads out. <Adam> Good night S'ayad'i. * Adam stares off into space for a moment, "I'm hungry. You want anything Jaret?" <Jaret> No, thank you. I have been of slight appetite lately. <Adam> This town doesn't have some law saying that a teach is responsible for his students does it? <Jaret> Please feel free to have some repast yourself, Adam. It would not be fit for you to starve away on my account. <Jaret> The town doesn't have any such law that I'm aware of. I have a personal belief in the matter, but that's hardly an issue for the jurists. * Adam heads back towards the kitchen, "A teacher should teach when it's appropriate to use the skills, but only on a few occasions have I seen situations were the teacher could truly be held responsible for what use the students ultimately did make of the skills." * Adam returns a few moments later with a plate of cheese and bread in one hand, a vase with a rose in it and a letter attached to its side in the other, and an apple in his mouth. <Jaret> Part of what I teach is the Gentlemen's Code, a set of honorable rules that each student is supposed to hold himself to. They all agree to it when I take them on. * Adam sets the plate and the vase down on the counter in front of Jaret, then removes the apple from his mouth. * Jaret glances at the vase. "Good Adam, I mean no offense, but please tell me this is from someone else?" <Adam> That makes sense. You'll have to tell me what this Gentlemen's Code entails. By the way, I found this in the kitchen, it's addressed to you. * Jaret picks up the envelope attached to the vase, opens it, and reads the note inside. * Adam chuckles and the sound fills the Hall with mirth." That makes two of us who are thankful. The handwriting seems feminine enough. * Jaret reads the note and smiles. To himself, he says, "My departure was hardly measured and mannered, either." ::to Adam:: "Do you have a quill and parchment I could use?" <Adam> I believe so. ::Adam rummages under the bar for a moment.:: Back in a sec. ::Adam disappears into the office, returning shortly with paper, quill, and ink pot.:: * Jaret purses his lips and starts scripting a response. * Jaret finishes writing and folds the parchment into thirds after blowing on it to dry the ink. "Adam, could you see that Michelle gets this the next time she's in?" <Adam> Certainly. Pulls a more crumbled piece of paper and the stub of a pencil out from beneath the bar, writes Michelle's name on the paper, loosely wraps it around Jaret's message and places it back under the bar, "The other barkeeps will actually notice it there." * Jaret finishes his glass of wine, stands up, and picks up the vase & rose. "I'll see you some other evening, Adam. I had best be going." <Adam> Good evening Jaret. I hope you're feeling better about your friend soon. <Jaret> "Me, too, Adam. Me, too." ::Jaret walks out of the Hall. * Adam puts the plate of cheese back in the kitchen, then returning to the bar picks up Jaret's letter and reads its contents. "Well let's hope she has better luck than I had." * Adam dims the lamps, then leaves, locking the door behind him. |
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