Page 294: Return of the Harp
Return of the Harp
Summary: Justin returns to Stonebridge, with Tia's harp. Dania promises medical examinations and Anais is looking for her good-brother.
Date: 09/05/289
Related Logs: Bad Horse
Players:
Tiaryn Dania Justin Anais 
Town Square
Just outside the Crane's Crossing Inn
May 9, 289

Late afternoon, pushing into evening. Tia is seated on the porch of the inn, her left leg elevated, a blanket over top, light though it is, to preserve her modesty, and she has charcoal, paper and a writing board on her lap, as she takes a turn at drawing. Her fingers move over the paper and then she pauses to look around, giving the impression she's drawing what is in front of her.

Covered with dust Dania makes her way to the Crane Inn. She has already seen to her horse at the common house and has been able to find a place to sleep in the common room. Over her shoulder she carries her saddle bags. As she comes closer to the inn she sees Tiaryn and she waves and when she is closer and not in shouting distance she offers the Lady a curtsy. "Milady how are you doing?" She offers her a warm bright sunny smile.

At the approach, Tia looks up. Her guard and maid are just over a bit, keeping a watch. Tia is drawing. And apparently trying to draw what is in front of her, to judge by how she keeps looking up, then back at her charcoal drawing. The movement catches her attention, as dusty as Dania is. Oh dear. It takes Tia a moment. "Mistress Dorsey," she says, with a smile. "I'm doing well, thank you for your help the other day. I had meant to ask you if you were going to be staying in Stonebridge, but it looks like that was a no. But - you are travelling between here and somewhere?"

"Between here and the Roost, I go where I am needed." Dania tells her with another bright sunny smile. "I thought I would come over and check on your knee and you also said you wanted to talk to me." The woman's voice is bright and warm. She is now moving closer to the Lady Tiaryn as she comes onto the porch.

From the outskirts a rider approaches, alone now that he is parted company with the rest of his group. Justin is yet in maile with short bow and quiver slung over his back at an angle, his steal cap off and secured to the saddle. The hot sunny day is rapdily being replaced with towering dark clouds heralding an approaching storm though there's no telling if it will hit Stonebridge or skim slightly northwest of it as such things often do. Lightning flickers in the west among those darkening depths yet sunlight still seeps past enough to cast light even if it is beginning to give way to an errie twilight. Justin's grey sidetsteps to prance a bit when the wind picks up, blowing his mane and tail as he heads towards the inn. The rider's gaze has spotted the two women, Justin giving them a nod as he draws near, "Lady Tiaryn, I do believe I yet have something that belongs to you." Once the horse halts, Justin dismounts, "I beg your forgiveness for having ridden off with it these past days and forgotten it had been placed within my saddle bag."

Tia nods her head to Dania. "Not by yourself, I hope?" she says, sounding a bit concerned. Hey she at least takes a guard with her when she goes off wandering. Ahem. "Oh, my knee? It still hurts," she admits, with a bit of a laugh. "But I've discovered it feels better if I keep it elevated." So there. And the lightning over in the distance catches her attention briefly before Justin's arrival has her smile. "Lord Terrick, it's nice to see - okay, very nice to see you again. Thank you very much for returning that harp. It's just on loan to me, but still, it has I think saved my sanity. I am not quite sure what I would do without it." She shifts her weight as if to get up, and then winces a bit. "If you wouldn't mind bringing it over, when you have a chance?" she asks hopefully.

Dania says, "No, Lord Terrick here let me ride with them." Dania tells her. "Yes your knee, I will take a look at it." She smile as she says this. "I could have told you that." She says in a gentle but blunt manner. She looks at lord Terrick and offers him a warm smile. "Lord Terrick, how are you doing, I know it has not been long since we have seen each other.""

Justin walks up the last bit and secures his horse to a hitching post so that he may open up the saddle bags, "Of course, Lady Tiaryn," The harp itself has been wrapped in a soft cloth, an off white tunic of his own to be precise. The clean tunic is stuffed back into the saddle bag before Justin turns to bring the instrument to the injured woman seated on the porch of the inn, "You do have my sincerest apology." The harp is put into Tiaryn's own hands. There's a nod with a faint smile for Dania, "Aye, not long at all. I'm famished and seek my supper, but otherwise well. Have you perchance seen Lady Anais here at the Inn this evening?"

"Not this evening, no," Tia says slowly. "But yesterday." She flashes a bit of a grin. "Thank you, Lord Justin. I think I was starting to go crazy without it. You have perfect timing." She accepts the harp and pulls it close, closing her eyes for a moment. "I think I might be able to play something, if you are interested?" she suggests. Though then she gives Dania a look. "You certainly may examine my knee but I'm not sure this is the right spot for such a thing."

"I would not do it here, but before you are ready for bed." Dania tell her. "I have more decorum than that." She adds. "Unless it is an emergency then I do not." She pauses and looks between the two of them. Her long hair is pinned up properly. "Lord Terrick, dinner does sound good. I should wait a bit though."

Justin stands on the edge of the porch to the Inn, handing a harp back into Tiaryn's hands. He is dressed in full maile with surcoat with short bow and quiver slung at an angle across his back. His horse is loosely tied to a rail near by, yet saddled with Justin's helm tied to it and one of the saddle bags flipped open, half empty.
"I should not wish for your injury and my forgetness to compound your insanity, Lady Tiaryn," Justin quips with a glint of good humor in his pale eyes, "The question is, are you any good at playing the harp? I did not even realize it had been left in my saddle bag until I had reached the Roost." He nods to Dania to her comment about dinner, "I haven't eaten most of the day. A bit of dried meat, fruit and hard cheese hardly compares to even the stew, here."

Tia blinks at Justin, and then she chuckles. "I have been told I play reasonably well," she says, a hint of amusement in her own eyes. She frowns though at his comment about eating. "You should eat first though, I think, and listen to music after. Or see if the waitress will serve you food out here on the porch, instead of inside." Seems a reasonable thought to her at any rate. With that said, she lets her fingers trail the frame of the harp briefly, and then over the strings to test the tuning, all without looking at the instrument. "Mistress Dorsey, I will be certain to not retire without first letting you examine my knee. It is the worst of things. Even the lump at the back of my head has returned mostly to normal."

<FS3> Tiaryn rolls Musician (harp): Great Success.

"Good, I will see what we can do to help you a bit." Dania tells her. "I should let the two of you eat." Another brilliant smile at the two of them. "Well Lord Terrick eat and you should join him Milady. He is good company." She tells her with a smile.

It seems Justin isn't the only Terrick in town. Anais is also coming into the square, though from the direction of Tordane tower. She trails her usual guard and handmaid, though it seems she's changed out of mourning clothes for the time being, instead wearing a light gown of pale gold and sea blue silk, with short sleeves and a high waist, her hair twisted up off her neck. It is, after all, summer.

Justin smiles, Tiaryn not even having tried to scold him for his jesting about her sanity. There's a bit of rascal in him to be certain. Yet when he hears her fingers playing over the harp even absently as she does, Justin tilts his head a little to listen to it for a long moment before he murmurs, "A fella might forget a hungry belly a while to listen to such music. You play very well, Lady Tiaryn." Having been traveling upon the road, Justin is a bit dusty and sweat has dried in his dark hair. He steps down from the porch to go and take back up the reins of his horse, "Alas, I need to see to my horse ere I might see to my own needs." He strokes the grey's face, the gelding patient and gentle as usual. Justin no sooner than turns to start to lead his horse towards the stables when he sees Lady Anais coming their way. He stops to await her.

Dania's comments about his being good company does get Justin to slip a glance back in her direction, though he didn't comment upon it.

Tia nods to Dania. "I will eat in a few moments," she says, now lost already, because she's got a harp! The paper and charcoal - forgotten, drifts to the ground. The picture is actually a squirrel, drawn from memory, and not a bad likeness. But - Tia has the harp, and a smile crosses her face as she takes up Justin's oblique dare, and starts to play. The song swells out of the harp, seemingly effortless, a beautiful hopeful piece from long ago, that is not well known, but lyrically expressive and requiring a significant amount of skill. With that background, Tia glances over at Dania and just nods. Then to Justin, she says, "Perhaps you will return to hear more." Though given her position on the porch of the inn, she's not yet seen Anais.

"I will see to your horse Lord Terrick, just rest. Your grey and I will get along well enough." Dania tells him. Lady Anais is offered a curtsy. "Good evening Milady, that storm is coming pretty fast." Rising from her curtsy she goes to take the horses reins.

"My favorite kind," Anais grins to Dania as she draws nearer, dipping her chin in a nod to Tiaryn before turning her attention to Justin. "Justin," she greets warmly, extending a hand to the man. "It's good to see you safely arrived once more." There's a slight arch of her brow as she takes in the mail, eyes sharp for any damage to it. "I trust the ride went well?"

Justin eyes Dania as she comes forward to take his horse's reins. He hesitates, not so very long ago having been taking care of both his own horse as well as Ser Haffrey's horses himself. A man's armour, weapons and horse are keenly important tools and who's care or lack thereof could mean a man's life. Yet, his father's Maester of Horses is a woman, even if he doesn't know her. This and more might pass behind his eyes as he considers Dania's offer. Justin glances at his horse and licks his lips before he finally puts the reins into Dania's hands, "All right, and I thank you. I'll check on him later."
Anais's greeting draws his attention. Justin offers her a smile and inclines his head with respect to her, "Lady Anais, your timing is fortuatous. I received your letter and I hoped to give you reply to it in person." If not here in the street. She taking his hand is unexpected, Justin then glancing down at his dusty clothes and maile, "Aye, the ride was uneventful. I haven't washed up and changed yet, pardon."

Tia loses herself in the music, relaxing as she plays, the tension flowing out of her obvious. There is no denying that music soothes her soul. She starts to sing softly as she plays, a gentle song about the trees in the woods, tall and stately, and how they watch over the critters and such. It's a song that might well be meant for children, but she's put it to music that is complicated enough to give anyone less than a master harpist conniption fits. Her gaze flits between Dania and Justin, and then a bright smile crosses her face. "Lady Anais!" she says, delighted to see her, enough that she breaks the rhythm of her singing.

With her hands now holding the reins. Dania smiles as she looks to Lady Anais, "If you would like while they eat we could see to the storm, Lady Terrick." She tells her. In a gentle manner as she goes to lead the horse towards the stable. Slowly her and the grey make their way towards the stables.

Indeed, those towering dark clouds in the west have crept closer as they have been speaking, flickers of lightning drawing slowly closer. The evening twilight is full upon them, the sky dimming with the approach of the storm though it is some ways off, yet.

"Evening, Tia," Anais calls back to Tiaryn with a laugh. "I'm glad to see your harp made it back safely." She winks to Dania as the other woman leads the horse away, releasing Justin's hand with a brief squeeze. "Nothing to apologize for," she assures him. "Though I believe if we stay out here much longer, you'll get a bath whether you want one or not." Taking a step back, she nods toward the inn. "Perhaps you'd like to take a room and get cleaned up, and I'll meet you for a meal and to talk after?" she suggests.

Before Dania might lead his horse away, Justin steps over to remove his helm and the saddle bags. The leather bags he slings over a shoulder, the helm he loops by strap over the top tip of his bow so that it will be out of his way and easily shed with the rest of his gear once he has a room. There's no need for him to make Dania carry in his things after stabling his gelding! Justin looks to the sky towards the west, then laughs, "Yeah, either way a bath wouldn't hurt." He nods to Anais, "I'd like that. Here at the Inn or elsewhere, your choice. I won't be long." Justin's gaze returns to Dania with his gelding and then after a moment he turns to head towards the inn. There's a smile for Lady Tiaryn ere he passes through the doorway, "You do play exceptionally well, Lady Tiaryn." With that, he goes on in to get cleaned up.

It probably shows that Tia missed the music, even for such a short time. Sad that. In any event, as the song gets to an end, she hugs the harp for a moment, and then she looks over to Justin, with a hint of mischief in her eyes. "So, do you still think I can play?" she asks, since he'd commented just from her tuning up. And then at his compliment, she inclines her head. "Thank you." She glances over towards her maid and guard, and that's all it takes to have the maid scurrrying to get her paper and charcoal before it gets blown away and soaked. Jacob comes over to take the harp, and offer Tia a hand standing up. Which normally would not be a requirement, but that knee is annoying. So, to her feet she gets, wincing slightly. "If you carry the harp, Jacob, I think I can limp in," she says. Well, she did promise to eat, right? And if she doesn't do it now, she'll be playing music all night.

Dania disappears into the stables and she will be in there for a little bit as she takes care of the horse.