In your shadow

[Elyna]

21st Zi’da 716

Elyna had stepped out of the pale warmth of the tent. For a few moments it had felt stifling, or perhaps that was the company. She felt suddenly nervous about introducing the sometimes volatile Sinith to Malcolm. What if it all ended in disaster? She summoned the nearest skyrider and bid him to fetch Sinith from Emily’s shadow; and then she waited. Hands pushed into her pockets to keep them warm. Scuffing her boot over the top of the grass, knocking on the fresh layer of frost that was spreading over the anaemic green.

She was worried about the Warden and the strain he was under. The use of his abilities was draining him, and what she wanted to do, more than anything, was demand that he stop. That he consider the future instead of wasting his efforts on a son he could not sense, not matter how long he tried. It didn’t mean the worst though, did it? Vaughn could be alive, but he could simply not want to be found. It was a simple enough trick…if Malcolm wouldn’t hope, then she realised she had to hope on his behalf.

Sinith arrived and she looked him over. Inspecting his uniform and boots for dirt. As he’d been working alongside the Skyriders, it was unfair to expect him to be spotless. The volareon saw to it that their handlers were always somewhat dusty and dishevelled. If Sinith had grown used to seeing a faint smile on her features, it had currently deserted the Captain. As he approached she stopped to him and lowered her voice. Her orders clear, but for him alone.

“Some rules, Rathaan. One; only give advice if you are asked for it. Two; deliver it without any insults.” It was then that she turned and held open the canvas for the taller man to duck inside.

“Warden,” she greeted him formally and took up her post at the edge of the tent. Hands locked behind her back once more, “this is master Rathaan. I believe you’ve both already made an acquaintance of sorts.”

[Sintih]

He wondered what the captain needed him for this time and why it was in such a hurry. He'd had to cut his conversation with the snake man short to follow her orders. The skyrider that had been sent to fetch him walked with him until Elyna was in sight and had seen him and then went back to his own duties. Sintih continued to walk towards the woman, realizing that he smelled like the cleaning product he'd been using all morning. Apart from that, Sin looked quite presentable. Nothing a noble would allow in their house but enough for a common man to overlook.

The ground crisped under his boots as he walked, the morning cold breaking under his weight. Without his weapon or tabard, Sin looked no different than a mercenary. The set of leather armor he wore, given to him by the Iron Hand, was generic enough to call attention to it by the people in the camp who didn't yet know who he was or what he'd done. He doubted Elyna's protection extended to the rise and spread of rumors around his person. At least nobody had decided yet that he was some sort of toy for her. Their obvious distance had managed to keep such rumors at bay.

"You called for me?" Did he take advantage of the fact that he was more or less not a member of the Iron Hand for now to ignore her rank? Of course he did. Did he push it further than that? Of course not. Sintih was smart enough to know that everything he'd worked for for most of his life hung in the balance here. He quietly listened to the rules Elyna gave him before pulling aside the tent canvas for him. It was one of those commander tents, providing space to more or less walk around in. He wondered why he had suddenly received an extra set of rules as he walked into the tent. It was a little low for him but nothing he couldn't handle.

Stepping through the entrance, Sin had to bow down slightly so he entered with his eyes on the floor. His empty white eyes opened in surprise as he lifted his head to come face to face with the warden. Next to him, Elyna announced his presence to the man. What was he doing here? Sin's eyes quickly scanned around the warden to see if there was anyone else in the tent before he turned his head towards Elyna, trying to read some sort of answer from her face. Was this it? Go back to Welles and wait for what we will call a victory but with roughly two thirds of our force dead? Or had this something to do with the secret that she had claimed to know about him. He still hadn't figured that one out but whatever it was he hoped she hadn't told anyone. Despite her assurance that she wouldn't tell anyone except the warden, Sin hoped she hadn't told anyone, period.

Sin's left hand moved to his belt, where his sword used to be, only to find an empty space there. Trying to mask the move, he hooked his thumb behind his belt and let his hand rest there. Would he manage a blink outside, even though he hadn't really been paying attention to the area? Really, Father? I can understand a one time joke, sure. But three in about as many trials. Isn't there anyone else in this camp you could cause some chaos for? I mean, just tell me and I'll gladly help you out if it'll get your attention off of me. He had spent quite a bit of time around the tent last night, working to set it up for the captain. Maybe that would prove enough? Sin turned his head forward again, facing the warden, trying to stretch himself out to look bigger, doing his best not to grit his teeth too much as he tried to read any warnings of imminent violence from the man.

[Malcolm]

“Thank you, captain,” Malcolm said without so much as looking at the woman. The warden finished rolling his maps up, they weren't for underlings to see, especially those who had been dismissed from the Iron Hand, or were already known for being untrustworthy on account of their race.
When he was done, he sat back and cupped the curved arms of the chair he found himself in. Malcolm looked across at the Eídisi in front of him and wondered why he had chosen that form, because no one ever suspected a gentle race of scholars to do harm, he thought to himself then. Malcolm was an observant man, and the searching hand had not gone unnoticed, nor the tightening of the other man’s cheek. How inane, Malcolm thought, this pretender absolutely reeked of disdain for him, yet Malcolm had no idea who he was. In his mind, it was such a waste of energy.
Lips were tempted into and easy smile. “You appear shocked to see me, yet your captain informs me it was your intention to seek me out. What are you doing here?” It was a very open question, here in the tent, the camp, and on the campaign.
He assumed the man understood that he was only here because of Captain Burhan, and that if he were to embarrass her now and continue to stand there as if he’d been slapped with a fish, it wouldn't be the warden Sintih would have to worry about. Malcolm yawned, though it had been far from his intention to do so, all of the late nights and early starts were catching up to him. He wondered if the man in front of him had any mind to earn his old rank, or if his only purpose in life was to scowl and hold his bowl up to his neighbours.

[Elyna]

Elyna watched the Squire squirm and glance around. Was it panic on his features? Had she made an error in judgement? Rathaan had asked her for the chance to apologise to the warden and she had now provided that opportunity. She searched his features as he met her gaze, and realised too late that she should have told him the reason for the meeting; before they stepped into the tent. Pink spots of embarrassment coloured her cheeks and she coughed, lifting a hand to cover her features for trill as she gathered her thoughts. She’d never been a fan of social functions of political maneuvering. It seemed that her inexperience had dropped them both into a difficult situation.

Malcolm thanked her, and whilst she was relieved that his tone was nothing but professional, she didn’t enjoy being treated as his underling, which she was. The woman straightened her own back and lifted her chin and watched the Warden make his judgement.

“Master Rathaan,” Elyna took a step forward to stand beside the Eidisi, she studied him intently “you had requested an audience with Warden Krome,” she reminded him. Her expression was pointed. He had specifically wanted to apologise. The words hung in the quiet of the tents. The scrolls wrapped up and set aside. She was reminded again, of just how busy the warden was as he yawned. “We won’t keep you long ser,” she informed Malcolm and turned back to him. There was more that she wanted to say, but it seemed inappropriate beside, the former squire now had his chance. The woman fixed her gaze on a spot behind Malcolm’s head, wondering just how big a mistake she had made. Dread pooled in her belly, sinking down to her boots.

[Sintih]

While Sintih didn't think much of the man from a distance, he had to admit that from up close he was impressively built, obviously experienced when it came to war. There was a certain hardness to a veteran's eyes that he could see even in those of the soldier before him, despite that fact that he seemed tired and disinterested in meeting Sin. Granted, anyone who survived a war and had seen death usually had those eyes, including the cowards and the cooks back at camp. While Malcolm and Elyna both took a turn explaining the situation to him, Sin let his eyes glance over the rolled up scrolls and the knowledge within them kept from him. He just needed a quick peek, a hint of the situation, and then this surprise would be worth it. But the warden had rolled the scrolls up to keep them from prying eyes, including Sin's.

Realizing that both of them were waiting for him to answer, Sin focused back on Malcolm, letting his hands wander to the front. As his fingers entangled, he touched the digits of his thumbs together, forming a somewhat round shape in the empty space between. With an imagined flicker, the space cracked and swirled into an imagined black void of nothingness, calmly turning and churning about between his fingers. "I didn't expect to be granted the audience so soon, Warden." Lie. Sin tossed an imagined Malcolm into his imagined void of death and destruction, quickly followed by the rising anger for having been kept waiting so long. Was it really so hard for him to spare two bits of his time four or five trials ago?

He threw some more anger into his void as he left a moment of silence before his next answer, seemingly weighing it carefully. Sin hoped the warden realized that people were usually on campaigns like these to gain experience and fame. Since you couldn't really tell with people like him, Sin decided to at least teach the man something this campaign. "Here in the Eastern Settlements, sir? Trying to gain some proper field experience. As for this audience I... euhm..." Sin cast a glance towards Elyna before turning his focus back on the warden. If she could still tell when he was lying, he hoped she would be kind enough to not voice it in front of the warden. He was just trying to save some face here. "I wanted to apologize for what happened on the training grounds. I may have gotten a bit too excited, sir. I apologize for attacking out of the blue like that, I wasn't thinking." Truth. Vague truth. Lie.

"You're probably already aware of my current arrangement, which is only thanks to Elyna... Captain Burhan, for which I am grateful." Truth. Sin tossed whatever it was that allowed Elyna to read him so easily into the void between his fingers as well. The longer he stood there, the quicker he was losing his grasp on the thin balance he was striking between his own thoughts and his prized rank which he couldn't afford to lose. "I'm helping out as best as I can, trying to make amends for what I did. It...euhm... it wasn't becoming of a future knight of Andaris." Truth, lie. Truth. Sin tossed Faith into the void as well, together with Padraig, as her face popped into his mind.

Not sure what else to say that the warden wanted to hear, Sin grew silent as he noticed his thumbs were losing color from pressing them together too hard, not that it would be easy to notice on his already pale skin. The light shaking from his hands might even have been translated as nerves or even fear, if the translator didn't know Sintih. He glanced towards Elyna once more, trying to glean some sort of sign from her that he was doing alright. In that same glance, he also looked away from the warden's smug face without making it too obvious. Just let me have a look at the maps already, you skiching fod-sack. Patience, patience for your rank.

[Malcolm]

The one way ticket home was burning a hole through the inner, breast pocket of Malcolm’s tabard. He watched Sintih, unmoved by the man and his apology, awaiting his moment to speak, to send the man back to Rynmere without any hope of ever making a name for himself in this line of work; but something stopped him. Elyna, Sintih had said before correcting himself. The warden’s gaze narrowed and he glanced in the captain’s direction. She had made a decision and stood by it, and now it was his turn to stand by her.
Malcolm filled his lungs and pushed his hair back from his face, the loose, black curls adopting the annoying habit of coming untucked from behind his ears the closer it got to the end of the day. He watched Sintih, thinking the man no better than a dog dragged in to be scolded for mauling chickens. He wasn't sorry, that much was clear, he wasn't going to take away any life lessons from this, and the way he looked back at master as if seeking a bone for his pitiful efforts, left Malcolm jaded.
How many young men had he dealt with just like this one? There were hundreds of boys back home desperate to earn a squireship who would be less than half the trouble. Malcolm wasn't in the business of giving second chances, but being a leader meant knowing when to give and take. He had enough respect for Elyna to allow her to make her own mistakes and walk the path she had chosen.
Beyond the tent, the camp was quiet with most of the knights already settled in for the night. Malcolm hadn't eaten anything yet, but then these kinds of meetings never left him feeling very hungry, in fact since his fall in the arena and the scar that had left his side mangled, he never really experienced any hunger pains at all. Food was appealing, of course, but he didn't long for it like he once had.
“You're to stay away from Faith,” he made clear, casual as ever. Malcolm didn't warn the man as to what would happen if he didn't, he wouldn't treat Sintih as a child, and he wasn't the type of commander who made threats. “If Captain Burhan is pleased with your efforts once the campaign is through, we will meet again in Andaris to discuss your return to the Iron Hand.” There was a short pause, enough for all three of them to digest the information. “Dismissed.”

[Elyna]

This was fast becoming a source of a deep and throbbing headache for the young woman. Malcolm was not pleased with her choice, and that was clear. Her gaze on Sinith, she felt her fingertips tingling and her throat grow tights as the man lied. He’d wanted to be seen sooner, did he? A flash of irritation crossed her features, which for his sake, she tried to control. It was unfair that Malcolm would read more from the skyrider Captain than any of his other deputes. She wanted Rathaan to have a fair hearing. Malcolm glanced in her direction and returned the look, impassive. She was a captain, he was a warden. She wanted this to go well.

The mingled truth and lies were hard for her to keep up with. Despite the cold weather, she felt heat rising on her neck. A steady throb started at the back of her eyes. He wanted to apologise. So he simply should, but he had intended the attack, it had been deliberate. The remorse though, the remorse was genuine. Was it?

He was working hard. He kept his head down and he worked and worked and followed dutifully. He’d been a useful additional and she’d been grateful of his presences in her camp. She offered a part smile to him, encouragement as he looked around, even if it was a tired expression.
There was nothing that she needed or wanted to say. Her decision was upheld and the woman bowed her head in respect. Hair falling in front of her features before she straightened and turned. Ushering Sinith from the tent, she didn’t draw breath until they were in the fresh air. It was then she looked skyward and sent a silent prayer to Pre. Justice, surely this was justice? The right decisions made; fair ones without prejudice. Unless it was the kind that she couldn’t see, as the Eidisi had pointed out back in Vhalar.

Her heart thumped against her chest and she looked sideways at the man beside her. “Let’s go,” she gestured back towards the skyrider camp, “tomorrow,” Elyna pushed her hands into her pockets, “before the fifth break, report to me. We’ll talk,” she lifted a hand to rub over her brow. They returned to the camp and Emily appeared to reclaim the Captains Shadow.

"Goodnight, Sinith." Grateful, and unwilling to talk at the present time, Elyna felt drained from the encounter. Exhausted from the passive use of her ability to tell truth from lie. Spots danced in front of her eyes and she was quick to crawl into her camp bed.

[Sintih]

After all that groveling and talking, all he got from the warden was some useless orders and a vague promise that he'd be allowed a secondary review of his situation once they managed to return back to Andaris. So basically, stay away from a woman he never wanted anything else to do with and a second date with a man he couldn't stand. Great effort, Sin, great effort. For a moment Sin, Elyna and Malcolm remained in silence and Sin wondered if some sort of response was expected of him. As he was about to turn back to Elyna to check if he had missed something, Malcolm spoke up. Done? This was it? Sin's gaze landed on Elyna as if he expected her to do something but all she did was wave him out the tent.

What a waste of his time. He could have spent this time cleaning more skyrider equipment or with the funny Ithecal instead and it would've been less of a waste. Outside of the tent's protection, the cold air hit Sin and he pulled his cloak close around him. It seemed that all he'd done on this campaign was shiver in the cold and clean skyrider equipment. Well, there was the satisfying feeling of his sword connecting with the warden's chest. That still counted for something. Sin had a faint smile on his lips when Elyna spoke and they headed off towards the skyrider camp. The walk was short but not silent as Elyna told him that she wanted to see him way too early in the morning.

Noticing her rubbing her forehead and the lack of energy in the woman, Sin walked with Elyna to the front of her tent, ignoring Emily for now. "Get a good night's rest. You need it." Sin remarked as the canvas in front of the tent began to fall back in place behind Elyna. He then turned to face Emily who was intently looking at him, as if he was about to sneak into a certain someone's tent and do a bunch of unknightly stuff to her. "Really, major?" Sin shook his head as he walked past her towards the airmen tent that he'd been assigned a spot in. Somewhere in the pack that belonged to him a squire tabard and a short sword with his name on it were awaiting the return of Sin's rank.

Despite wanting to go to bed early, Sin found sleep hard to come by. He kept tossing and turning while Malcolm's face remained stuck in his mind. What was so good about the man, anyway? Father, if you could maybe drop a tree or something on his head. I know there are no trees within the camp but think of the chaos that would cause. It would be a great story to tell back home, truly. Why am I even talking to you? You can't even hear me, can you? What do you care about the children you helped bring into the world and then left before they could even properly walk by themselves. I understand, don't get me wrong, children are a useless waste of time. But I could definitely use some advice right about now, truly, anything at all, just some sign that I'm not just wasting my time here.

Sleep came only much later. When darkness finally consumed everything around him, it was immediately replaced with the bright light of Uleuda. Sometimes, Sin wished he knew how to stop that from happening. He knew it was possible but nobody had taught him yet. His parents surely wouldn't, they couldn't wait to see their little boy every night. He wondered what they did when he wasn't around. Pulling the fabric of his outfit closer around him, Sin started walking towards his next class.

[Malcolm]

Malcolm watched the pair leave before taking the ticket from his pocket. He held it over one of the candles and waited for it to burn, the paper curling up as the weight was taken out of it by the flame, lifting the ink. The warden had decided that Sintih had two options, do well and have his rank reinstated, or fail. If he touched or went near Faith again, he wouldn't need the ticket, there was only one cure for an untrainable dog.
Benjamin pulled back the canvas door that led into the sleeping quarters and stood beside Malcolm’s chair, his arm folded over the top of it. He didn't say anything for a time, waiting for the warden to speak instead. Malcolm, however, was not in a talkative mood, and sat slouched in the chair, just thinking.
“He's the one that attacked you?”
“I wouldn't go that far. It was a cheap shot, I was training Kylar and Atashi.”
“Who?” Benjamin asked.
Malcolm smirked. “Why are you so cruel to the new recruits?”
“Why are you so kind?”
“You first.”
It was Benjamin’s turn to smile. “I guess you and I just have different styles of leadership. You're too soft,” he criticized, “I would have sent him home.”
“I almost did,” Malcolm admitted.
“Almost,” Benjamin echoed, “is the difference between a win and a loss.”
“You think he's a lost cause?” Malcolm inquired.
“I think he's a nobody who attacked my brother while his guard was down.”
“Elyna sees something in him.”
“She saw something in you.”
“What does that mean?” Malcolm smirked.
“That she's clearly a terrible judge of character,” Benjamin laughed.
“Watch it,” the warden warned, “or I'll send you home.”
“And then who will play lookout while you sleep?”
Malcolm smiled, “good point.” The mortalborn got to his feet and made his way to bed. He stopped in the makeshift doorway and turned about to look at Benjamin, who was currently sinking into his chair. “Were you here that whole time?”
“Yes,” the captain admitted.
“Did Ronald find you?”
“I found him.”
“Dare I ask?”
“Another finger,” Benjamin reported.
Malcolm frowned, nodded, and went to bed.

[Niv]

Elyna

Knowledge:

Meditation: Maintaining hope for yourself and others.
Detection: Carefully inspecting a companions attire.
Detection: Realizing a mistake after reading the features of another.
Etiquette: Introducing a Squire with a bad rep
Etiquette: Always make sure that people are informed when organizing a meeting.
Etiquette: Disguising your embarrassment.
Leadership: Laying down the rules for a potentially strained meeting.
Leadership: leave sensitive details for when you aren’t feeling drained.
Investigation: finding the lies in an apology

Loot:

N/A

Injuries:

N/A

Fame:

1 point for good deed for helping Sintih out

Magic:

These points can NOT be used for Domain Magic

Devotion:

1 point to Pre for the prayer

Story:

4/5

Collaboration:

5/5

Structure:

5/5

Sintih

Knowledge:

Deception: Using loopholes to ignore rank
Deception: Using sleight of hand mask the absence of a weapon.
Deception: Lying to a superior officer.
Etiquette: Preforming a proper bow to a superior
Intimidation: Looking bigger
Detection: reading another actions.
Meditation: Patience is a virtue
Malcolm: A hardend warrior
Faith: Stay away from her

Loot:

N/A

Injuries:

N/A

Fame:

N/A

Magic:

These points can NOT be used for Domain Magic

Devotion:

N/A

Story:

5/5 ( I really liked the addition of the black hole your character imagined. )

Collaboration:

5/5

Structure:

5/5

Malcom

Knowledge:

Investigation: No one would suspect a Gentle race of Scholars
Leadership: About Give and Take
Sintih: The untrainable Dog
Sintih: must stay away from Faith

Loot:

N/A

Injuries:

N/A

Fame:

+1 for general good deed (giving Sintih a second chance)

Magic:

These points can NOT be used for Domain Magic

Devotion:

N/A

Story:

4/5

Collaboration:

5/5

Structure:

5/5




Story: All very nice Although Malcolm and Elyna had an overall word count less then 1500 so I had to subtract a point
Collaboration: You played off each other well.
Structure: I couldn’t see any errors.