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Post by Laena Pyre on Apr 29, 2021 8:12:59 GMT 1
[This thread occurs at the Appleton Feast, relatively early, before the outhouse collides with the windmill.] Through the crowds, Laena spots her cousin strutting about the feast. Back from the war, seemingly feeling himself invulnerable. Smiling at lords and ladies, winking at the maids. It looked to her like he needed some ... perspective. Such as an older relative could provide. By, for example, demonstrating how vulnerable he is. After all, Lord Hightower was murdererd at an event like this, and the young Ser Robyn lacked even a fraction of his protections. So, she begins to stalk the young knight. Blending in to the crowd, judging his general flow of motion through the crowd, how long he tends to chat with the people he meets. While her white dress with red highlights is fairly flashy, it's perfect for blending in amongst the other ladies here. Steadily getting closer and closer, preparing to whisper into his ear before he even realises she's there. Memento Mori - Stealth (Blend In) vs Robyn's Awareness (Notice) - TN17: 5d6k3+4 16 Sigh. Unfortunately, just as she breaks from the crowd to casually sashay over to his exposed back, a lord, seemingly slightly the worse for drink already, gives off a loud braying laugh, from right behind her, attracting attention, including Robyns, meaning he turns around and sees her while she's still just outside of casual conversation distance, and she doesn't even startle him a bit. Tch. Concealing her irritation and disappointment at her failure, she takes a final, confident stride into casual conversation distance, rigid posture and head slightly tilted back to make herself seem as imposing as she can, without the availability of the props she used at their last meeting. "This, too, shall pass, Cousin." She declares in her most aristocratic voice, before taking a sip of her red wine, not explaining her comment any further. |
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Post by Robyn Redwolf on Apr 29, 2021 16:46:37 GMT 1
Robyn was enjoying himself, and while he wasnt happy to be back in a tent after spending a majority of his time in them at the Riverlands, the festivities were ample from Appleton. He was chatting with a few other guests, holding a cube of parmesan before popping it in his mouth, speaking through the chew and swallow, "I did not think it was possible to miss cheese, of all things, but after-"
He was cut off by a boisterous laugh, and in turning to look he caught Lady Laena. He turned quickly back to those he was talking to, "If you will excuse me," before turning back to her just as she was giving her warning.
A quizzical expression crossed his face but his smile remained constant as he processed what she said. He chuckled, "Well, it is nice to see you again, too, Lady Laena," Robyn gave a slight head-bow before he gestured to her hair, "You cut your hair, though, I imagine you knew as such already. And, white," he looked over her dress fully before meeting her gaze once more, "It's very flattering. Makes you look almost..." Robyn grinned, "Delicate,"
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Post by Laena Pyre on Apr 30, 2021 0:27:13 GMT 1
She nodded at his comment on her hair. "To accept stagnancy is to accept death. It was time for a change."
She stares neutrally at him for a few moments when he uses the word 'delicate', rolling her wineglass stem between finger and thumb. "Do I seem 'delicate' in your eyes, cousin?" Her carefully neutral voice giving no clue as to what answer might please her. Maybe none.
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Post by Robyn Redwolf on Apr 30, 2021 5:43:04 GMT 1
Robyn knew that Laena's presence, however altered in appearance, was more intimidating than any foe he had or would face. Thinking back on their first meeting caused chills to rattle his spine, and even without a hint of emotional response at his observation, her words were laced in threat.
She was looking for a crack in his exterior, similar to the cracks he unwillingly gave before. He wouldn't give any to her, not yet.
They weren't in her tent this time.
His grin remained, "As delicate as an oleander, cousin," his voiced remained complimentary, riding the confidence before it had a chance to buckle beneath him, "A comparison, I hope, that isn't lost on you, nor taken as anything except humble tribute from a foolish knight,"
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Post by Laena Pyre on Apr 30, 2021 6:12:39 GMT 1
"Nerium oleander." She nods slowly, twirling her wineglass slightly faster. "Technically a poison. Unpleasant, but rarely fatal. And far too bitter to be useful as such. So: unpleasant, useless, and very, very bitter. Though very pretty to look at." She adds, in a lighter tone. Throughout, she doesn't break eye contact with the young knight. "I would say the implications of that comparison are indeed not lost on me." Her emotions regarding said comparison are clearly obfuscated, her face a mask.
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Post by Robyn Redwolf on Apr 30, 2021 7:21:37 GMT 1
He didnt break eye contact, but his grin disappeared briefly, "Well... The petals are also white with hints of red, like your dress," the smile returned, "You looked deeper into the implications than I did, so those conclusions are your own. I am only half tempted to make a jest about their bitterness, but I do not wish to inadvertently insult you further."
Robyn leaned in closer, squinting slightly, "Did you intend to startle me? Before he laughed, and I caught you?"
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Post by Laena Pyre on Apr 30, 2021 9:33:25 GMT 1
"Hrm." She assesses a moment. "You seem just as vulnerable as before to leaving your words open to being twisted against you, but you are at least level-headed and insightful enough to be able to infer intended behaviour. Successfully." She does not seem at all embarassed at admitting that. "Given how relatively little time has passed since our last meeting, that is ... not bad." She takes another sip of her drink.
"However, I do not wish my failed little ruse to have the opposite effect of that I intended. Professionals would have significantly better skills in that than I, and even I was able to almost get within dagger's length of you without notice. Do not forget, the late Lord Hightower was a seasoned schemer, yet even he was caught unawares. In the current political climate, it's considered a good party if no-one dies to, from, or during the party." She gives a casual look around. "I'm currently giving this one even odds." It's unclear from her tone whether or not that was a joke. "So, do not think - do not *ever* think - that you are being 'cautious enough'."
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Post by Robyn Redwolf on Apr 30, 2021 16:34:27 GMT 1
Robyn's shoulders relaxed gently as she was no longer coming through his words. He gave another head-bow after her compliment, choosing not to draw attention to it further. While it was only a 'not bad', Robyn held his cousin's subtle praise in high regard.
He listened attentively, peering around as she did, "Another warning..." He looked back at her, "You know, I had a conversation with Wildfyre, before the war was over. He warned me of dangers present here, too. Why would we have these parties if the tension is so thick in the air?" Robyn scowled, cursing beneath his breath, "Is nowhere safe enough?"
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Post by Laena Pyre on May 1, 2021 6:55:00 GMT 1
"You would prefer to live your life entirely either on the battlefield, or huddled up in your castle? Not that even there is truly safe. It's ..." She trails off in thought, before coming at things from a new angle. "Why do you fight?" She waves a dismissive hand. "Yes, it's expected of sons and all that. And don't give me the political .. nonsense about fighting for a cause. When you don your armour, wield your sword, and put your life at risk, what are *you* - personally, specifically - hoping for at the end of it all? Respect and admiration? Power? Comfort? You have told me before as to whose hand you seek, but boil it down - would you still seek her if she were but one of the smallfolk? If she were disfigured? What traits can she lose and you still want her? Whatever is left is what you truly seek."
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Post by Robyn Redwolf on May 1, 2021 8:26:29 GMT 1
Robyn paused, reflecting on what he did in the Riverlands. All the lives he took, all the glory he earned, what was it all for? Memory of the boy with blond curls came rushing to the forefront of his mind, causing his hand to ball tightly into a fist.
"Why?" Robyn gave a half hearted smile and a shrug, "I have been asking myself that question a lot. Why did I go to war? Why did I butcher over 30 men, and feel such malice despite their screams? When I left, I intended for glory. To earn enough respect from my actions that the Reach and everyone in it, including Lady Falyse, would see that I am more than their perception. I'm not a boy; I'm not a half dornish whelp, or a squire, I am Ser Robyn Starkwood, a..." His hands squeezed tighter, "A *hero*, who would write a letter from his tent and the muse he sent it to would cherish it until he returned. But," he gestured around, "I have yet to meet with her, and I am not sure there are many here who view me as anything other than a whelp,"
"I do not think I fight for glory. Not when my life is on the line, The Taking of Warriors Seat taught me that much," Robyn shook his head as he looked back into his cousin's eyes, sincerity causing tears to well in the corners of his as his tone, once jovial, deepened and intensified, "I fight, and kill, so that I won't have to see another person I love die. I cannot sit idly by if my action could prevent their death,"
"I know that's selfish, but it's true. In tournament, I prove my skill only for the glory, I fight for the renown. But I am a knight because I refused to let another life be taken away from me. I swore to protect those I love, and any who would dare endanger them will face the full *wrath* of Redwolf,"
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Post by Laena Pyre on May 1, 2021 9:07:04 GMT 1
"Hmmm." She ponders a moment. "Firstly, unless you a far better liar than I give you credit for, take that answer, seal it up inside you, and never repeat it to anyone, except those you trust absolutely. Your mother. Your future wife, maybe. Certainly not Players like me, for then we Know how to Move you." Her voice is softer than it was before, not so chiding, but still emphatic. "Still, that you have been asking yourself that question is good. If you do not understand yourself, and your enemy does, they hold every advantage."
She leans in slightly, and lowers her voice. "Given what you have told me, ask yourself - and do not answer to me - whether that means you would let an innocent you do not love die if saving them would risk your life. And I mean a signficant risk. Because if you are not - if you are arrogant enough to believe you can save everyone - then every person in the world becomes a rope with which to puppeteer your actions ... or hang you with."
Straightening, she continues. "But to get matters back on track and answer your original question: because people need more than battlefields and death and putting their life on their line for loved ones back home. They need to be reminded *why* they do those things. Be it by spending time with family and friends, or loved ones, dance, music, wine, food, whatever is their *personal* reason for fighting, they need to be reminded of it, else they become mere brutes of the battlefield, and lose their connections to the rest of us."
She frowns slightly. "I do have one question, though. Why *Red*wolf?" Having not really paid her cousin's actions much attention, and him having deliberately concealed who knighted him when last they spoke, she could but sense there was a piece missing.
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Post by Robyn Redwolf on May 1, 2021 16:10:06 GMT 1
Robyn nodded, his lips tightening into a grin as he quickly and nonchalantly wipes the tears away from his eyes. He pushed his true feelings back once more, taking a sip from the cup he had previously been holding but hadn't drank from. Letting it wash the taste of remorse from his mouth, he smiled again, "I live for the revelry then, and hope to have many more festivals where my family can attempt to startle me,"
"Redwolf, it was something that the Blackwood soldiers chanted at me as I left the field. In the final confrontation between Bracken and Blackwood, I was on foot, protecting the center," He placed his hand on the pommel of his sword, "I built a wall of mangled corpses 30 Brakens high, and in its construction, found myself painted with their blood. It completely covered my helm, which, if you watched the jousts you would know, is specially made in the shape of a wolf," He lifted his right foot slightly, spur spinning, "I also earned these from Redtusk, and thought it was the perfect homage to Ser Roland to take the moniker they gave that reflected his own,"
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Post by Laena Pyre on May 1, 2021 19:07:10 GMT 1
Laena gives a small, enigmatic smile at his telling, with a slightly raised eyebrow when he reveals who knighted him. "That sounds like the bards' rendition of the tale." She observes wryly. After a pause, her smile briefly becomes a smirk. "Good. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, so long as it remains 'close enough' to avoid correction from others who were there. Exciting stories are repeated and become legends. And from legends, heroes are born. Making the link with a pre-established hero like Redtusk is particularly useful, so good job there.
"Once you've perfected the story, don't forget to pay some bards to spread it. Once you're a recognised hero, you likely won't have to pay, but for now, you certainly will. A heroic deed that no-one knows of might as well never have been done. And by such ways does a knight gain the name, say, 'Wildfyre', rather than 'Daeron the Grounded'."
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Post by Robyn Redwolf on May 1, 2021 23:16:18 GMT 1
Robyn matched her smirk, "I've had some practice. Stable boys and squires mostly, but they are an enthusiastic and criticizing crowd with enough alcohol. I'll be sure to give it a once over before retelling it to any bard," He chuckled as he raised his glass, "You are full of excellent advice, Lady Laena, I only hope I can remember it all and put it to good use,"
"I did have one question, since you are generously giving out advice," pausing briefly to drink, Robyn's eyes looked around to make sure no one was listening, before whispering, "Should- Should I wait for love?"
"I wrote Falyse a letter, and I hope she got it. I haven't seen her since I left, but... If she regards my affections as she did before I left, then our next meeting might not go as I wish it would."
"So, should I *wait* for love?"
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Post by Laena Pyre on May 2, 2021 18:58:21 GMT 1
The smile slowly drains from Laena's face with Robyn's question, until she's looking at him stone-faced. "Unless you are both attractive and either landed or due to inherit, the only thing 'waiting for love'" the term laced with scorn "will get you is 'older'."
She leans in, and pokes him in the chest with a finger, her voice a harsh whisper. "The rest of us, if we want something, we have to grab Life by the f- the throat, and *do not let go* until we have ripped what we want from its bloody organs. No mercy, no distractions. No. Waiting."
She straightens up a bit. "The only 'waiting' which is productive is 'strategic delays'. Sometimes, the time isn't right to do something. Sometimes you need to wait for other things to happen. Rash action can be counter-productive. But if you don't know what you're waiting for, or what you'll do when it arrives, you're just wasting time.
"'Love' is the only luxury in this world that we nobles have less of than the smallfolk. Value it accordingly. However, given who you're after, let me tell you this: forget love. Yes, entirely. Carve it from your heart until there's naught but a void there. And keep it in a box, sealed up tight. I do not know the woman well, but I can tell you: after what she's been through, she's not looking for love. She's looking for safety. And that means *power*. A strong alliance tied to a strong, political mind to help her navigate political waters she's still not ready for.
"You provide neither.
"A strong arm and a brave heart are fine qualities in a knight. But if that is all you can offer, you will have to make a choice:
"As you are, even if you manage to overcome her good judgement and win her hand, you will doom the both of you. But you would have her, for the little time you both have.
"Or, you can sacrifice your heart, and dedicate your efforts to helping her get the best husband possible. She will likely survive, and may even be happy. But it won't be with you.
"The only way for you to get the happy ending you desire is to be what she needs. House Starkwood is not ideal, but it is something. The biggest problem is with you. She started ahead of you in understanding of politics - that's just the nature of the life we ladies lead - and has had the best tutors available teaching her since the death of her family. That's a lead you'd have to close just to not be dragging her down. And she needs a *lot* of help given the dangers swirling around her.
"You will not want to hear this. I imagine it will make you rather angry. But in my eyes, that's too big of a gap to close. I'm sorry. You can fight for her hand, and destroy you both in victory. You can champion her cause, and bleed forever. Or you can cut her from your life, mourn, and maybe find a different life, however unlikely that may feel at the moment.
"But the dream you have, of the two of you together, in love? It's a lovely dream. But that is all it will ever be."
She folds her arms firmly across her chest. "Hate me all you want for saying that - that's the usual response to truth. But it *is* true. And all your love of her or hate of me will not change that one bit."
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