(514-08-02) Hide and Sneak
Summary: Cailin hides from her sister, Rickard and her have conversation about.. stuff.
Date: 08-02-514
Related: None
rickard cailin 


The Inn is large and a scattering of patrons still hang out here at this hour, though looking perhaps a little out of place is the more-put-together Burcombe brother back in the corner. Currently working on putting a tankard of ale away, next to him, between him and the wall, sits a half eaten bowl of stew and another empty tankard, like someone just got up and left. Rickard looks like he REALLY needs that ale at the moment, stopping to rub at his temples before taking a deep breath and letting it go. Currently, the young knight is in more common working clothes, a poet's blouse under a leather vest, with rough leather breeches and leather walking boots laced up his calves.

It's not a common place for Cailin to come, The Cony that is, at the moment she's being questioned by a darker headed version of herself. Hesitating just inside the door, she laughs and shakes her head in a good natured manner, "Just go tell Geralt," she encourages, motioning towards the market. "I'm thirsty and I don't want to go to the tavern." There's a nose crinkle before the younger girl runs off and Cailin faces the room at large.
With a sigh and a quick roll of her eyes, she heads for the bar area, seeking a tankard, but she passes a servant person and hails her instead, "Just an ale," she orders, then looks about for somewhere to have a seat. It's not too terribly busy, but she moves as far away from the door as possible, maybe hiding from her sister! Ducking into one of the seats, she nods at the man in the corner and presses a finger close to her lips, "Shh," she says playfully.

Rickard turns to look as the two ladies are breaking up and Cailin makes her way in, pausing his looks to lift a brow and watch her make her way in to retrieve some ale. She motions for him to shhh, and a faint touch of amusement lights up that tired look, drawing out a soft chuckle. Without a word, he guestures to the other side of the table, letting the Lady hide with her back to the corner, should she desire to take him up on his offer, "The corner seems popular this evening. I found my brother here a short while ago."

<OOC> Cailin looks sheepish and realizes my temp desc is still set.

"I have been in the corner enough that I would feel right at home there!" Cailin exclaims in an amused whisper. Rising, she moves over across from him and slips into the chair, regarding him as an ally since he had rescued her from loneliness. "You are my knight in a leather vest, come to rescue the fair maiden from the dragon otherwise known as her little sister." With a soft chuckle, she glances away from him only long enough to accept the tankard of ale and to give the appropriate coin to the server. "Why thank you!" A sigh escapes slightly parted lips, "It was a long ride over, I'm parched." As if to prove her words, she lifts it to her lips and takes a drink before exhaling softly on a delighted sigh. "It's better here than the tavern, I think. What do you think? I'm Cailin, by the way, the damsel you just rescued!"

A low, soft chuckle escapes him when she talks about rescuing her from her sister, and he murmurs in a low voice, "Oh, my dear lady, I have learned at an early age NOT to stand in the way of a determined woman. I may not be much protection other than something to hide behind." A sip is taken from his ale before he sets the tankard down and offers, "Rickard de Burcombe, recently Knighted and returned to the land to serve the Earl. The…" He glances at the empty space beside him, "My brother, should he return, is inconsolable and in a very ill tempered mood, fueled by more ale than I thought possible to drink, so I will apologize if I need to whisk him away when he returns."

Merriment is clear in her expression as Cailin regards him, "You sound much like my father when he speaks of my mother. She is as red headed as I am blonde and very bold and temperamental." The ale is replaced on the table and at the introduction, she doesn't hide her surprise. "Burcombe," echoing his manor name first. Her expression hold curiosity though, more than anything else. "Sir Rickard, it's a pleasure meeting you. I'm Lady Cailin de Steeple Langford." Offering her name and title, just to sort of explain her surprised reaction. "Though I live in Wilton, so a very near neighbor to you, I suppose?"

The mention of the Steeple Langford name draws a brow up, though there is no sudden shift in his demeanor, just a rise in curiousity, though there is still a touch of amusement when she talks about her mother being a redhead. His voice lowers a bit, "Steeple Langford? Well, I imagine we both should be hiding in the corner…if either of our families saw us sitting at the same table talking civilly and not throwing things at each other, well, you can imagine the /scandal/." He winks there and lifts his tankard to his lips to take a long drink from it. When it's set back down, he adds, "No, I don't believe Wilton is far off from us, no. Regardless, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, m'lady."

"Which brother?" Or had he more than one? Cailin didn't know of any, but she was curious as to who was drinking so much ale! Her own is considered before she takes another drink from it again. The playful smile finds its way to her expression again. "We should certainly hide, my cousin Perin…" she tries for a solemn shake of her head but laughter spills out instead. "I think he would be displeased, but none so much as my cousin the lady Signe. I think she'd be more unhappy." Which may just have her tilting her head a little defiantly even as she glances for the door once more. No sister of hers and no brother of his that she notices as of yet. "What brings you to Sarum? You mentioned consoling your brother?"

Signe. THAT name he's heard of, and he winces a bit when it's mentioned, "No, I don't imagine she would. Well, we'll hope word does not get back to her, or my own father might have problems. As for the brother…my older brother Caerwyn. He unfortunately found himself in love with a lady betrothed to another, and now he suffers the heartache that comes from it." He offers a wan smile at that, as of sympathizing, "I've come to drag him back home as best I can, before he does things that no Knight can recover from."

It was an expected reaction at her cousins name and Cailin gives a softly worded expression of sympathy. The paths had crossed at some point, apparently. His own explanation gets a curious expression, she brightens. "So you're not the eldest, the heir." How fortunate, her expression seems to read. "If you need any words of wisdom to offer him, I'm afraid I have nothing to offer him. If you need assistance though, in getting him home, I could offer myself to aid you in getting him home if he is as far into the cups as you suspect."

Slowly, he nods in agreement, "Not the Heir. I am behind him, so therefore I have an interest in making sure my brother makes it to a wedding night and manages to sire an heir of his own, or the eyes will fall on me, along with a line of suitors and a sudden lack of any time to myself." There's a faint rueful smile that goes along with that, but it's all he says to the matter. She talks about helping and he looks over at the empty space and murmurs, "Well, if I find him passed out in the privy, then its a simple matter of throwing him on his horse, and we should be fine. We will see if he resurfaces or if I have to go get him, hmm?" With that said, he turns his attention on to Cailin instead, with a more curious light, "I've only been back a month or so, so you will have to forgive me for knowing almost nothing about anyone here. I am still..catching up to court news, you could say."

"Not the heir, that's an important distinction and being a cousin, I can appreciate the pressure released from you at not being the one to provide an heir in a timely manner." Cailin gives him a conspiratorial wink. "Isn't it wonderful not being the most immediate pawn in the games our father's play?" As the door opens, allowing someone else in, she shifts her attention there and sighs a soft sound of relief. Still not her sister or her brother. "Welcome back home though, I don't much stay up as much as I should on the news of the court. I suppose there are a whole lot of marriages and betrothals."

A slow nod of agreement is given to her words, then a pause as he lifts the tankard up to drain the last from it, then set down out of the way for a wench to retrieve, "There is, of course, a danger that my father will plan on using me to strengthen ties to another house, and I will come home tonight to find out my fate has been decided in a way I would not have even imagined." He softly chuckles and considers, "Although now that I have said that, there would be an amusing twist of fate for me to come home and discover that a marriage has been arranged between our two Houses. Can you imagine the horror on some of our cousin's faces?" He actually sounds amused at that, waggling his brows at her.

It was something Cailin had not considered if her expression is any indication. There's a mixture of surprise and amusement in equal measure as well as a crooked tilt to her lips. Considering him, she takes in his appearance before laughing softly. "I could think of a worse fate," she relents, but there is still a touch of doubt. "My cousin would be livid.. which is almost reason enough." Lacing her fingers together atop the table, she tilts her head, laughter in her eyes. "And would you be so adverse to such a match?"

At her comment about how Signe being livid would make it worth it, he almost fails to stifle the laugh that threatens to escape him, shaking his head, "Well, I admit, that would have some attraction to it, certainly. I dont know that I would immediately be adverse to it…I would have to see who, and how well we got along together. Refusing an arrangement would be scandalous, but submitting to a life of hell…well. It would depend who. You? We seem to be getting along fine. But your cousin? Oh the goddesses help me…"

"Should you suddenly become betrothed to my cousin, I would watch from afar." Cailin hesitates before adding, tongue-in-cheek, "Very far.." His own reaction to the thought does bring renewed amusement. "Truthfully, I couldn't imagine the Burcombe and Steeple Langford manors uniting for anything other than a war, but should it happen, it would be funny to behold. Honestly, I'm only a cousin and it's not likely I would be matched with anyone for awhile. Currently, I am trying to gain a position at the castle in Wilton, as a huntsman, like my mother. Do you have any positions anywhere?"

He softly groans at the idea of finding himself betrothed to Signe and shakes his head, then shakes a finger at her, "And you would, wouldnt you? Oh, I'd be asking myself who precisely I angered for such a punishment, though I'm sure she would be wondering the same." With that said, he slowly shakes his head and chuckles, "As long as whoever it is is willing to give things a chance…there are worse fates than learning to love someone you do not know. Sometimes it works out wonderfully, and if it doesn't? It IS court we are talking about. A husband and wife can be busy all day and never actually run into each other."

A soft muffled curse comes from the direction of the door and catches Cailin's attention for all of a second. It wasn't her sister, but a younger kid who poked his head in looking around. He calls back to someone outside, "I think she left already, I just want to go swim in the river, it's too hot!" He doesn't linger at the entrance but scampers back out amid giggling from another unseen face. Cailin ducks a little in her seat, "That's Geyr, my sisters friend. She's put him up to it, I know it."
Still, Cailin is amused with the antics, but she holds her attention on the Burcombe instead of the threat of discovery from her sibling. "For all her severe manner, Signe is a beautiful person, I do think that she would make a lovely wife for someone, so I have to agree with you. There are worse fates and love? I suppose it wouldn't be necessary for a union, but it would be a nice bonus. Someone who can make you smile daily would be nice too, because I love to laugh." Lifting her shoulders, she gives a sheepish smile as she realizes the turn the conversation had taken.

Glances behind him when Cailin's attention drifts, smiling a little at the near miss and chuckling as he turns his attention back to her. He concedes the point with a nod of his head and a roll of his shoulders, and lowers his voice, "You're being used in someone's game. Defy them in the best way possible…be happy and work with your new mate to play your own game. After all, they got where they are by doing the very same thing. There's no reason husband and wife could not work together? As for the rest, I would be in agreement. An arranged marriage is a blank slate. What happens with it is up to you both." With that said, he slowly rises to his feet and sighs, offering to take her hand and place a kiss on her fingers, should she offer it, "I am afraid your protector has to flee, as Caerwyn has surely fallen in by now and will need rescuing (Read, the player needs to zonk). I will hope we have another chance to talk without danger, m'Lady."
GAME: Save complete.

"A blank slate, I like the idea of that." Cailin considers it and finds the idea not at all unappealing which does surprise her and makes her considerably less reluctant than she might have been before. "I should hope everyone sees things in the same manner in which you do then, should I find myself in such an arrangement." When he rises and offers his hand, she quite willingly slips hers into his, smiling at the kiss to her fingers. "It was enlightening meeting you, Sir Rickard and I do hope our paths do cross again, soon. Hopefully your brother isn't too injured from the fall."

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