| Deck the Walls (with Belle and Holly) |
| Summary: | Fa la la la la, la la — okay, but seriously. During the Ironborn siege of Terrick's Roost, Belle Beckett and Ser Hollister meet. |
| Date: | 09/02/2012 (OOC date) |
| Related Logs: | I am a lazy monkey. |
| Players: |
  |
| The Walls of Four Eagles Tower, Terrick's Roost |
|---|
| Way up high. It's likely you can see your house from here. |
| First January, 289 |
It's the second day of the siege of Terrick's Roost, dawning bright and clear, providing an excellent view of the Ironborn reavers amassed outside the walls, from just outside the range of bowshot, all the way down to the town proper. With such a scene to look upon, walking the walls is a necessary exercise, but ultimately one of frustration; the back end, where the crenelations reveal a view of the coast and the sparkling sea, is a welcome relief to the eyes twice and hour. It's nearing time for the noonday meal, an unappetizing bit of iron rations in preparation for a long stand-off that is commonly choked down on the move, when Ser Hollister passes along the back walls — and hears a voice calling to him from below. And not very far below, either.
"Hsst! Hey! You!" comes the voice just on the other side of the wall. "Yes, you!"
There's a pause in the walk, which has been killing the boredom for this particularly tall knight. Whether or not his presence has earned him any names from the ironborn outside, he does know that usually when he passes they have tried a few bowshots-though luckily for him, this noon it seems none have hurtled much towards him. A boon, that is. Eyes watching the sea for a moment, before he is coming to walk back the same paces he's endured this morning-that is until there is voice hissed out at him. His foot hovers in step, as the knight remains there on the rampart, yet poised as if he just found an adder hole in a pasture. Still, he turns, looking from his left shoulder, till both hands catch stone and he is peering with his usual squint like look down the wall.
Though he can't nessecarily spot the hisser, he is looking all the same, ever careful and poised to jerk his big lunking head back, should a crossbowbolt catch him. Though likely, in the even he is looking, it would. Still, Hollister is searching for the voice down below. A small frown forming on his visage. "What?" growled out-though that is a usual response for the old bastard.
Actually, the hisser isn't difficult to spot at all. Peering over the wall about does it, for she's out there in plain sight of the gods and everyone — everyone except the Ironborn, that is. None of them are camped out back. At any rate, the hisser is a short, slender blonde woman in dress of faded blue homespun — a thing which enhances, rather than diminishes, the gold of her hair and bright blue of her eyes. She's barefoot, her hair bound up in a hasty queue, and clinging to the wall like a spider.
"Hello!" she smiles a bright, winsome smile up at him — as though there's nothing in the world amiss. "This really isn't at all what it looks like. Not Ironborn, swear to the Stranger — think I could get a hand up?" Her eyebrows perk, hopefully.
"The maiden fuck me twice!" yes, that is the appropriate answer when a young woman of blonde hair is found clinging to the back wall. Or at least for Hollister it is. There's a look given the woman, before he's peering beyond her, and no, there seems to be no other Ironborn about. A grunt and a gloved hand is extended to the woman, so that he can grasp her arm, and he, his, as his other hand is reaching to grab at the back of her dress. And with a grunt, Ser Slane is hoisting the poor girl up, like a sack of sweetcorn, and dropping her just as roughly to the rampart's smooth walkway.
Though despite this 'gentle' act of mercy from the Knight, Hollister is quick to unsheathe a long and rather sharp dagger with his sword hand as he towers over the poor woman. "What in the seven hells were-fuck. Are you doing here?" Apparently her face is not common sight to the older knight to get such a reaction. "And where are your fucking shoes?" Yes- very good questions in the beleaguered man's mind.
At least it's not dead weight. The nimble little monkey helps things along considerably once she finds a good toe-hold or two. When the blades come out, she blinks, pressing a hand to her sternum as though quite genteelly affronted. "That's hardly sporting. I'm unarmed! And female," she adds, as though that were really necessary to point out. She bites her lips, dimples deep and eyes merry as he sputters through his questions. "I was the fuck attempting to climb down the wall," she explains. "I did not wear my fucking shoes. They're bollocks for climbing. Most shoes are." A pause. "Down the wall. From INside." She nods slightly. "Which means the pointy can — " she reaches out a cautious fingertip in an attempt to nudge his knife hand back a bit " — go away."
Well, isn't that a perdicament. And so Ser Hollister blinks- and looks down to his knife, even as the woman nudges his blade- a little. There's a slight sigh, before he's drawing his arm back, and sliding the thing in place. "My apologies, ah-lady." Hollis stammers for a moment. "But it's a bloody war- and I wouldn't put it past the Ironborn to send a woman in to kill us all while we slept. Or poison what food rations we have.." as if trying to make up for the quick hostilities.. "And why is a fucking- pardons. A lady cursing like that in the first place..let alone.." And there's a look away, before he is offering his hand again-though this is in a more complacent manner. apologies and all."I'm sorry."
"Though." comes the knight's voice again. "Could you care to explain, why in the seven hells you were climbing down?" Apparently he will accept the shoe explanation, and then eyes squint in the usual tell tale scowl that forms quick up. "And who are you?" Never mind how she even got by him in the first place.
"No harm done!" declares the wall-crawler, cheerfully, flashing the old knight a brilliant smile. "And I'm not a lady. Just female. So you can curse at and around me all you wish. I liked that one about the Maiden. I may use it some time." Profane as the idea of the Maiden fucking anyone is, girl-on-girl puts a whole other spin on it which seems to amuse Mistress Decidedly-Not-a-Lady. She offers her hand in greeting. "I'm Belle. And, point of fact, they did send a woman to kill us while we slept. That nasty little case of cunt rot they called an ambassador. T'was she that spiked the gates, I'd bet my knives on it. Anyhow. Climbing down." Yes. That probably looks Bad. "I needed to know if it was possible. We're missing a lamb, you see, and I'm not sure there's any way out but down."
A smirk settles on Hollister's face and broadens into a broken grin. "Oh, then fine." a chuckle there as he is moving to lean slightly on the wall, and then glance over for a moment. "You can use it, just not near the Septons, as I've found out in my youth." a snort there, before he's coughing and spitting over the edge. A look back over and his gloved hand comes out in his usual iron like grip. "A pleasure. Ser Hollister Slane.", a grin added with his words. A faint frown for a moment. "I wouldn't know. If I didn't know Raffton Howell, I would have painted him for the bastard who spiked our gates, but." he shrugs, not finishing his words at all. "If the lady ambassador did, I hope someone fucks her death, or stabs her..I don't really care." In fact he doesn't care for Ironborn at all, but he is not lingering on any subject long as it seems he's pulled back into the conversation at hand. "The lamb's not back in the stables or just inside somewhere?" the Knight asks, before he's shoving off the wall, a few steps taken closer towards Belle, as if that would magically bring the lamb prancing out into the yard, when he does move by her and look down. "Though how you would get it over without it crying- is another thing..Tied or no, I doubt that a lamb will just let itself be abducted.." A shepherd, Holly is not.
She doesn't flinch from the iron grip, her own firm and strong for a woman — not that he'd likely feel it through the gauntlet. "A pleasure, Ser Hollister." She folds her arms and tilts her head, listening to the bit about Howell, then shakes her head firmly. "I don't know the boy at all, and I don't buy it. I wouldn't fucking blame him if he went over the wall and rejoined his kin after being beaten and spat upon all over again — but the facts are I saw the devil that spiked the gate when it happened. Blonde hair they have in common, but the saboteur fled through the front gate right after. Howell was in the keep, here, hours later to be assaulted, then disappeared. If he were the culprit, why would he have returned?" She blinks as he goes on about the lamb, peering over the wall with him, not following, until — "Oh!" she snrrks, then laughs merrily. "Not an actual lamb. I was talking about Mr. Howell. You know. Figure of speech — lost lamb."
That would count for something in Hollister's book. A woman who can hold her own is one that can last out these sort of times. A good sign for the House as well, but that isn't voiced. Instead he just offers a gallows smile. "Misstress Belle," the knight begins. "You can't buy it, because it doesn't make sense to someone who isn't pissing themselves with fear." A small explanation there, though it still doesn't make sense does it. "These people hate the Ironborn, because they reave and rape all the time. That poor bastard has the luck of being one of them, an so whatever anger they got, he'll get…I.." The knight seems about to go on before he is shaking his head. "Never mind."
"If he were?" a laugh. "I don't know, to make account for himself- though as I have said, if I didn't know him, I would place money on it." One hand moves to lazily sit on the hilt of his sword, as it hangs at his side. "Ah." a chuckle and there he looks back over to the wall as if scrutinizing the mode of escape. "I follow now- here I was thinking that we were missing something we could eat.." a laugh there. "Oh I'd say he got out from the wall…Gods I hope he didn't go over to them." a frown. "Hate to kill him."
"Ser Hollister, I know very well what people do when they're afraid — and they're tenfold worse in a pack…" She glances over the wall again, sighing. "There's nothing in the world more dangerous than a frightened, small-minded man." Belle sighs. "It makes perfect sense to me, what they did. I just happen to hate it." Shaking her head that Raffton escaped by the wall, she replies, "Like the hells, he did. If I can't climb your walls? An overgrown, gangly boy without enough sense to remove his boots wouldn't have had a prayer." She turns a critical eye toward the rooftops. "He's still in here somewhere, above or below."
"Aye they are." And there's a frown as he keeps looking on as if trying to mentally track where the boy could have gone. "Oh, that is a truth, I have known for my whole life, and probably-" the knight admits "What has kept me a live for as long as I have…" A sniff there before he's chuckling back towards Belle, cocking his head to the side, the older knight allows a snort before he is nodding. "You have fire, I'll give you that- And no." Hollister says as he moves back towards the wall, peering down. "I highly doubt he could not have gotten far without falling and breaking his fool neck.." Though given the other places he may be. "If he is there." Hollis says, without looking back. "It might be good to allow him to just be for a moment. I'm sure if the walls are assaulted he will show- but if he's hiding. There is a reason."
"I do like the way you think," Belle says, turning and levering herself to sit upon the wall between the crenelations. "It shows compassion. And I would — leave him be, that is — if I could. But the captain wants him, for one. And for another, though I don't like it, the longer he's missing, the more questions arise about where he's gone… the worse it looks. The longer he's gone, the harder it will be to return."
Hollister turns his head back as he watches the woman, content to lean on one of the crenels, as he talks. "That is a hard thing to beat out of a man- compassion that is." And so he offers a smile before he simply nods. "If you like, when I am relieved of my time on the wall, I'll check which ever you choose not too, and let him know the Captain is looking for him." A slight pause there for a moment as Hollister merely grins. "And I am sure, Captain Hardwicke, will understand why Raffton has been scarce. He's a gruff bastard, but he's not unreasonable."
"Perhaps once it's taken good root," Belle says of compassion, returning the smile. "But it's rare enough to find, in the first place." She shakes her head, reaching to place a hand on the old knight's arm. "And kindness, too. But if the worst comes and there's battle in the coming days — you should take what rest you can, now. Nothing so dramatic is otherwise expected of me that spending my free time searching is overly taxing." About Hardwicke, she grins. "Faugh. He's completely unreasonable. But," she reclaims her hand to retie her slipping queue, "he's also not without kindness and compassion. I believe he does understand, but he's not wrong that the longer the boy's missing, the worse things may become."
The Old knight merely snorts to all that. Still a smile rests easy on his visage and he nods, standing stalwart as the young woman takes his arm to come and stand. "Bollocks and cunts, my dear. It's not taxing looking for a man. There are only so many places where a man can hide before he gives himself away. I'll catch my rest to be sure, but I'll look for him. I promise." As for the word about his Captain there's a grin and a shake of his head. "Then you don't know him too well." ever defender of a fellow knight. "The part that seems unreasonable, is but something he hides behind. In fact, out of all of our knights, I'd say he's one of the most. And he's shown me nothing but, comraderie.. So there is that." a bark of a laugh before he is nodding. "Aye true enough.." A pause and Hollister squints for a moment. "Well we're agreed he has to be here. I say, give him ten more minutes if he hasn't mustered himself, then shake the bales an flush him out. Surely he will be on his feet." or if the blows were worse.. A frown.
"Perhaps he might be more reasonable if I had a penis," Belle theorizes, dryly. As for shaking Raffton out, she nods as Hollister sobers with concern. "Aye. There's that, as well. It was a pretty savage beating, to hear it told. He might need healing, and be too frightened or too proud to come out for it. So there's another imperative."
Now that brings a laugh from Hollister, enough that a passing Man at Arms gives a quick look before he is hurrying along his way. The Knight looks back over his shoulder for a moment, before he is nodding back to Belle. "I am sure." Hollis begins, "That you having a penis, would not grant him any more reason towards your person or not.." a snort and he's laughing again. "Fucking brilliant.." he finishes with a snort. A shake of his head and he's pushing off from the wall. "Then find him, before I do, because if he's wounded he'll earn a kick to his ass for not getting himself looked to." Hollister says with a slight growl, but he relents. "For his sake.." added before he clears his throat, one hand sliding to his belt to fiddle with a pouch. "I need to finish my rounds-You're alright, Miss Belle?" asked finally as a wad of red leaf is procured and then mashed into his mouth with gauntleted hand.
Belle grins, enjoying Hollister's laughter, and winks at the man-at-arms that passes. "I'll find him. Never fear." She nods, assuring the knight, "I'm right as rain." And she hops to her feet, snapping off a saucy salute. "Thank you for the rescue, Holly. Stay safe." With that, she's off. Perhaps to find her shoes.
