Distracted Conversations

Distracted Conversations
Summary: After having returned from Wolveshire shortly prior, Lady Claire and her lady maid spot Sirs Gauvain and Jaren and invites them over for catching up.
Date: 28/10/1329
Related: Hours after, http://gameofkings.wikidot.com/preparations-for-a-journey but related to anything involving the harpies, as of late.
Players:
Claire Gauvain Jaren 

Laketown - The Blue Duck Inn
The Blue Duck Inn is where all of the real business in Laketown take place. An imposing edifice of stone and wood, the tall stone fireplace rises high above the ceiling above, decorated with the banners of the three Guilds and other prominent merchant-dynasties and local nobles that hold sway over Laketown. It is a lively if subdued place, a bard or a small instrument troupe always on hand and fine wine, rather than some cheap ale or grog, the preferred drink of the crowd. The ornate bar with a long marble top holds fine liquors and other odd bottles to satisfy the most discerning Rhaedan lord or Taniford lady, as well as accomdate the eclectic fads of Laketown proper. The staff is a full compliment of waitresses, hostesses, bartenders, and other staff constantly in motion, much like the town it inhabits.

The rooms of the Inn are at the Upstairs landing, a more intimate Common Room for the Blue Duck Inn's more distinguished guests. An ornate door leads to the world outside to Laketown.

Oct 28, 1329

After the Temple, Gauvain led the pair to the Blue Duck Inn, where he and Bethany were staying. He walks in and takes a seat at one of the common tables. He motions to a waitress and says, "Meat. Mead. For two if you please good mistress." He nods and motions for Jaren to sit. "I'll get Bethany her own room. You can bunk in with me. I think I can keep you honest." He nods to the man and leans back on the table to look around the common room.

"I could get my own room easily enough, but I'll not gainsay you either way at this point. We'll see how I feel after a day or two." Jaren replies to Gauvain, managing not to ogle the waitress as she sashays away, mostly by keeping his attention focused on his friend, "Hopefully it will pass quickly." He mutters.

Already settled at one of the tables with Janelle by her side in serious conversation, Claire may be absorbed but not enough to miss the entrance of three people that she would easily call nearly friends at this point. It would be ill-mannered to wave a hand, so she pauses once obtaining a servant's attention to murmur a request to see if the pair would be willing to join her instead.

Looking over his shoulder, Guavian says quietly, "You know… Wenches are supposed to look like that, and I doubt she'd turn away a Knight." He looks back to Jaren and shrugs a shoulder. "The Mother did say it was a cure."

When the wench comes back and informs Gauvain and Jaren of the offer, Guavain fairly snickers. He doesn't actually DO the snicker, he never has in his life. But it is a near thing. "Come friend. Nothing like sitting with Beautiful women to cure what ails a man." He stops halfway to the table. "Well…. Maybe not what ails YOU. This time. But I'm sure it is worth a try." He laughs. A booming deep throated laugh that he just can't contain. Taking a collecting breath, he sits with the ladies after a bow of greeting. "My Lady. I did not know you had returned to Laketown."

Jaren flickers a dark-eyed glance towards Gauvain that might be murderous if it wasn't undercut by a certain degree of helplessness. He sighs, much put-upon, then rises to his feet, moving across the room with Gauvain and rolling his eyes slightly at his laughter, but he bows towards Claire and Janelle, favoring the former with a smile that just -might- be a little warmer than she's used to seeing from him, "Milady. A pleasure as always." He notes before seating himself.

"It seemed better to return for some measure of shopping and replenishing my current medical supplies," Claire answers Gauvain, readjusting her seating arrangement with a scoot towards Janelle who nods politely to the knights that move to keep them company. The smile from Jaren is met still polite, if fully aware of the situation that has afflicted the dark haired of the pair. "It's good to see that the Temple has released you in good health, I suppose?"

Gauvain nods and looks to Jaren with a slight smile. "Ladies. Have no fear. The man really is in control of himself." He gives Jaren a friendly pat on his back. "So, Lady Sollinger, how was your trip to Wolvenshire?"

Jaren begins to open his mouth to respond, then Gauvain all but answers for him, and he simply clams up beyond noting, "I am returned to my senses, yes. Thank you for your concern, Lady Claire." His eyes linger on Claire a moment, before he averts them, thankfully distracted by the waitress who brings the meat and mead Gauvain ordered a minute or two ago. Or perhaps not-so-thankfully, given that he ends up getting a double-eyeful of cleavage when she leans over to place the repast on the table. He doesn't blush so furiously as he did last night, but his cheeks -do- redden just a bit at that, even if he isn't exactly hurried about averting his gaze -again-.

"Prince Samwell summoned me to talk about what happened the previous evening," Claire replies, all too aware that Jaren's attention is on her and yet manages to find something of a balance between regarding both men amicably. "And, to see how I was fairing. I should think that he might want to speak with both of you eventually. Especially in light of what happened. I could only guess," she says with a careful rise and fall of her shoulders before glancing towards the blushing knight. Not to interrupt, even with the slightest twitch of a smile at one corner of her lips. "And you are welcome, Sir Jaren. We had genuinely thought that the winged creature was going to abscond with you, leaving us to explain what and why such a thing happened."

Gauvain listens and leans back in his sheet. When the mead arrives he takes a sip and nods at the drink. Then looks to Jaren and Claire. "If I had my way, we'd have gutted the bastard there in his keep. Be done with it."

"Well, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you." Jaren notes with a droll tone, at least seeming to have a bit of a sense of humor about it, even if he pries his eyes away from Claire as he speaks it, sipping from his mead a moment before nodding to Gauvain, "Much as I might have wished it, I'm not sure we could have fought our way out of his men if they'd remained just greedy enough to realize that picking our corpses clean would be rather lucrative."

"I am thankful that you chose to stay with us." Nevermind, the entire matter of choice may or may not have been Jaren's to make. With the men involved in speaking with regards to the earlier trip, Claire may find herself well comfortable with the glass of wine which is sipped at while her maid listens with all the rapt attention of someone who really is not there. Just an extension of her mistress. "I should think that His Highness would likely have news on that sooner rather than later. Perhaps, it might be.. positive. Or they may do nothing, now that we have bodies falling from the skies."

Grunting, Gauvain takes another swallow from the mead. "To defend the home, you must defend the Hearth." He says evenly. "Brenton is a fortress that blocks an important pass from the North. If we let that so called Knight remain there, we are going to regret it." He sets the Mead down. "Mark my words."

"I'm sure the Queen is wise enough to recognize that. And to recognize that giving some of her troops an opportunity to hone their blades and their skills while maintaining her law and he security of her lands has benefits as well." Jaren replies, taking a few bites of food, a couple swallows of mead, eyes flicking to Janelle for a few moments, then studying his plate, seemingly nonchalantly. "And Laketown is neutral territory. I don't think matters here will deter her unless they grow beyond warnings."

"Matters here require knowledge of what has been going on," Claire replies in counter to Jaren's observation before moving to stand after glancing between both men, with Janelle mirroring such movements with her own rise from the chair beside her. "I dare say that anyone would be able to refuse your logic, Sir Gauvain. Though, perhaps you will excuse us for just a moment," she offers to both with a gesture towards the stairs for the woman's presence to precede her.

Standing as the women get up to leave, Gauvain bows to be courteous as they depart. Sitting down, the Knight rips a hunk of meat off with his teeth. "Sit. Eat some meat, drink some mead. That'll set yer mind right I wager." He nods as gives an elbow to Jaren ina friendly fashion. "Once done, I recommend we hit the bunks. Rest up. Meat. Mead. Rest. Nothing to make the night better." He nods as if that settles it. But he does shoo off secretly behind Jaren's back the Waitress who was twirling her hair, and sneaking up to flirt with him. He mouths the words "Later." With a nod, before he looks back to Jaren. "I think you'll be fine for the rest of the night." He gives his friend a wink, and friendly clap on the back.

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