Page 320: Home and Family
Home and Family
Summary: A lost Veris encounters a helpful Alys, then runs away after a conversation about their homes and families.
Date: 04/Jun/2012
Related Logs: None.
Players:
Alys Veris 
Stone Walk - Tordane Tower
Set at a slight incline, the stone pathway leads up a slight rise northeast out of the town square towards the single tower of House Tordane. Grass grows thick and plush along the side though it is well maintained. Private shops and stables are located up closer to the manor with the family's private stables attached directly to the exterior wall of the small castle.
Tue Jun 05, 289

It's been a busy few days around these parts, and Veris has been caught up in it all, from helping the party back at the tower to going out tracking. The squire's sporting what can tentatively be labeled a beard, clearly graduated from the stubble stage, and although he seems washed, his clothes are still dusty and dirty. It's in this state that he walks aimlessly back and forth between an eight-foot stretch of the stone walk, squinting at various shops and mumbling to himself, looking thoroughly confused.

Alys comes down the cobbled street from her new home of the Tordane Towers. She wearing deep red and walking is on the direction of the Inn. She nearly runs into the confused Veris on the way to check on her good-cousin Cherise. "Are you lost?" She asks brushing a fiery red curl out of her face.

"I, um," Veris stammers, squinting at Alys before blinking and opening his eyes fully. "Just - a little bit," he admits, scratching his hair. "M'Lady," he adds, spotting the house sigil. He lifts up one foot and chinjuts at the sole, which is flopping off the boot and threatening to tear clean off. "I near twisted my boot in half last night, and I've been told there's a man who can fix this up easy, but I can't remember his name or… where he works." Realizing how stupid that sounds after saying it out loud, he smiles despite himself and hangs his head. "I thought, maybe, looking at the signs, y'know."

A soft smile forms on the Charlton maiden's face. "You need a repair?" She looks at his boot, "Ahh, yes. It is a bit confusing here. I do not know where I am going most of the time. But I just recently had a new pair of slippers made." she smiles. "His name I do not know, but he is two alleys down and to the right." She points down a side street. "I hope this is of some help. Pardon my rudeness, I am Alys Charlton, daughter to Lord Keegan Charlton." She inclines her head respectively.

Veris holds up his hands when she apologizes. "Oh, no, m'Lady, the rudeness is mine. It's my rudeness." Neither of those sound right, so the squire tries again. "I apologize for my, you're not - I was rude…ing." He gives a little bow, but it looks awkward to all hells with his hands still held out in front of him. "I'm Veris Kallan, squire to Ser Hardwicke, from Terrick's Roost, m'Lady." Looking at her with curiosity, and trying not to be impolite, he asks: "Are you… recently arrived here then?"

She chuckles at the squire as he fumbles with his words. "No… no.." she chuckles and waits for him to stop. "No worries Veris." Alys smiles brightly. "Yes in fact I have. I have just arrived not a fortnight ago. And have not spent that many days here either due to the tourney at the twins. "

"You were at the tournament, m'Lady?" Veris asks, a boyish grin lighting his face. "Then you seen Ser Hardwicke fight! He won second at the melee, and he would've won first, everyone says so, and it wasn't fair, I mean, I don't think it was fair, and everybody else who's spoken of it agrees it wasn't fair, he could've taken them all on if it hadn't been for - " He cuts himself short abruptly, realizing that he's rambling on excitedly like he does. "It was a magnificent tournament, m'Lady," he says. "'Course, there's been other excitement afoot lately."

"Aye, I was. But…" She chuckles and lets him tell her about how Hardwicke fought. "Oh no, go on. I wasn't at the melee." She smiles brightly, "I watched the joust and then headed home to Holyholt to spend a few days with family." Alys nods with a grim expression at his last. "I know, my good-cousin Lady Cherise was captured. Did you go with the men Veris? I was just on my way to see her, but it is a bit early yet."

"Hollyholt. That's quite the ways, m'Lady," Veris comments, sounding impressed. "You should've been at the melee, that was the best part. I was there and I could hardly believe it." A broad grin forms at the memory. "I was with the men, aye, m'Lady, though most of what I did was the tracking. Is your Lady good-cousin safe and healthy, I hope? I didn't mean to waste your time when you've got important things to do."

"That is what I have heard." Alys says of the melee. "Though, admittedly, I was just a touch homesick. I know, I had not been gone long. But this is the first time I have been away from home with out my mother or father." She blushes turning her cheeks from alabaster to a pinched pink. Alys shakes her head, "I do not rightfully know, Veris. You do not keep me from things I have not an idea if I am welcome to know." she smiles softly.

Veris blinks rapidly, trying to work out that last sentence. After a few seconds, he gives up, shaking his head in confusion and hoping it wasn't something she was expecting a response to. "Is it much different there, m'Lady?" he asks curiously. "I suppose I'm lucky that I've been at the Roost my whole life, though I've not been with my folks in some years now. You must be tending to important matters here, then?"

"It is just lovely. The fields that skirt the castle are long, and an easy ride. My mare had much exercise at Hollyholt" Alys beams a smile. "I can imagine it would be easier not spending all your youth with your parents, than spending nearly ten and eight years with them to be pushed out into society." She bristles a little at the thought. "Important matters? I suppose it could be seen as such. Though I do not know true reason that my father sent me here, I suspect he wants to find me a husband. I see the sense in that at least."

"It sounds beautiful," Veris agrees, unable to help mirroring her smile. "And I couldn't imagine being at home that long, I mean, not with my brother killed in the war and that. I had to go out and make my life. The Roost is a beautiful place too, if you've been there, m'Lady, it's just…" He tries to gesture something grandly with his hands and just ends up looking like he's having a seizure toward the sky. "All the… stuff, and it's so… yeah. And it just makes you feel…" His hands are balled into fists and brought closer in. "You know? But, I mean, here's nice too. The people seem nice enough, anyhow, and the girls, well, the girls…" That sentence gets awkwardly stopped and his eyes dart side to side. "What I mean is. Uh. So, a husband?"

"Comfortable?" Alys says trying to find the words he could not and smiles. "I do know that feeling, I suppose if you were taken from the Roost, which I have not been there no, for a long period of time that is how this feels to me." She gestures with her arms gracefully spread apart. She brings a hand of one of those outstretched arms to her mouth and stifles a laugh with a chuckle. "Yes, Veris. I should think that is his intent. Though, that is as far as I will speculate. As only my Lord-Father knows what he wishes for me."

"Comfortable, aye, but also…" Veris does another interpretive hand-dance on 'awe-inspiring'. "Well, nice Lords are… nice…?" he offers helpfully. "I'm sure you won't have any problems finding a husband, m'Lady, I mean - " It's pretty clear his next words would have been something along the lines of 'just look at you', but he catches himself in time. "There are - you might - when, when a man…" He exhales slowly and rubs his hand over his mouth. "Mnghrrnrfm," he finishes.

Alys turns her head in a clockwise motion as he speaks, half a nod half a rotation, with a confused look on her face and her brow raised high. And blushes a little whether out of knowing what he was going to say next or being out of confused. She nods and smiles. "Never you worry, I am sure my father will find me a goodly match." Is all she could bring herself to say about that, though it was encouraging nonetheless.

"Of that I'm sure, m'Lady." The words tumble out of Veris like a long-held breath. "Fathers always know what to do best. What to do, that's best. What's best to do." The words just keep tumbling over each other. "I mean, not mine, my father's a smart man but thank the Seven he wasn't born a Lord or even a Knight, but he does his best and he's an honest man. Anyway, m'Lady, I should probably get on with this boot gettin' fixed, we're heading back for the Roost soon and I wouldn't want to be stranded with only one good shoe." That was almost all said in one breath. He gives a quick bow and darts off - in the complete opposite direction of where she originally indicated.

"My thanks, and yes they do. Well usually do, but well. You know?" The lad must have worn of on the usually well spoken Alys. She shakes her head a bit and breathing for him in his last sentence, at least this time she understood him. "Very well, Veris. It was a pleasure…" She starts as he walks off, "to meet you." this gains a hearty laugh from the Charlton maiden. "What an odd squire." She shakes her head and heads off by way of the Inn.