Head in the Clouds

Writers: Anika, Len
Date Posted: 23rd December 2014

Characters: Eirock, L'fael
Description: Eirock gets a surprise while touring his new quarters.
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 10, day 12 of Turn 7

Eirock

After a brief tour of his quarters, Eirock had to admit he was extremely
pleased. Things would work out very well here, he would make sure of
that. He was determined to make sure the Hold prospered mightily
under Bryvin's Lordship. Entering the bedchamber, Eirock was brought
up short by the presence by a rather scruffy looking drudge, standing
with an armload of linens looking out the window as if he'd quite
forgotten what he was doing.

"Can I help you?" he asked with a quiet, flinty edge to his voice.

His words came through to Lafael as though through a fog. The storm
clouds were gathering from the east in a curiously rolling way that
fascinated the boy. That was the one nice thing about being Hold-bound
now, he could actually enjoy the storms knowing he was now safe from
them. Vaguely he could feel the presence of a man standing behind him.
Turning his head, his eyes showing he was a million miles away, Lafael
asked, "Sir? Did you say something?"

Cocking an eyebrow at the lad's extreme in attentiveness, Eirock was
torn between laughing and reprimanding the young man. He did neither,
always finding it efficacious to tread cautiously in the beginning.
One never knew who might come in useful one day. "Yes, I was
wondering what you were doing in my quarters. Delivering linens
perhaps?"

"Linens?" Linens, what were linens? Lafael tried to first focus on the
man and what he was saying, and then down to the heavy burden in his
arms. "Ah, linens!" _That's_what he was doing here, in this man's bed
chambers. "Kelli just asked for me to bring you up fresh ones, right
off the line." And just before the rains came, he added in his head,
already eying the coming storm out of the corner of his eye.

Eirock wondered if the boy was slow, or perhaps a bit touched. "That
will be quite nice. Are you going to make up my bed then?" he
prompted not certain the drudge wouldn't just drop them somewhere and
leave.

Lafael stared at him, baffled. He_should_make the bed, shouldn't he?
But he didn't want to. But this man_was_standing here with a not
unkind look on his face and well...this_was_his job, wasn't it? "Yes
sir, I shall make the bed." Quickly he scuttled over to the side of
the bed and stared down at it. But it already had covers on it! So why
did he have to strip it and start all over again?

Being a drudge really sucked.

"I always enjoy linens fresh off the line," Eirock commented as he
watched the young man's relatively comical antics. Normally he would
have just left the drudge to his work, but he was concerned he'd
return to an unmade bed if he did. Just then Talon arrived overhead,
chittering quite excitably. The bronze had been exploring the Hold
and found a nest of tunnel snakes, which he had gleefully eradicated.
Landing on Eirock's, left shoulder he settled down to send his owner
images of his wondrous feat.

When the tiny bronze flew in, Lafael forgot completely about such
trivial things as linens. He had never seen a bronze this close
before! The linens tumbled unnoticed from his arms as his eyes grew as
large as dinner plates and his mouth formed a perfect 'O.'

Eirock watched the linens tumble with a sigh, realizing he might end
up making his own bed after all. Deciding he might as well quell the
boy's interest he said, "This is Talon. He's been out exploring the
Hold." The little bronze eyed the drudge suspiciously, his head
cocked to one side.

"Talon...you're beautiful!" Lafael dared not move, or even breathe,
lest he upset the tiny bronze. Could there be anything more wonderful
than the little fellow?

Eirock rubbed Talon's head knob, reassuring the bronze that the young
drudge was no threat and insisting he settle down and not hiss at the
enamored young man. "He's a right good companion. Carries messages
and clears an area of pests. He's not overly friendly with those he
doesn't know, but with time he grows accustomed."

"Oh, don't worry, I won't try to pet him." No, she'd made that mistake
back when he had first began working at this place. Flighty little
green flits still made him feel edgy whenever they were around. "You
just don't often see the breeding colours around here.
They_are_stunning when you do see them." Lafael was aware he was
repeating his words and clamped his mouth shut.

With a chuckle, Eirock agreed, "They can be pretty impressive. So
there aren't any queens around, huh? That will be a disappointment
for Talon here, but there are always the wild fairs. How long have
you been at the Sunstone?" Eirock was curious what the drudge might be
able to tell him of the Hold. Often times common people heard far
more interesting details than people with rank and Eirock wanted to
know how the Hold residents were responding to the change of power.

Lafael blinked, wondering which question to answer first. Well, he
hated having to say just how long he had lived here, so he went with
the first and hoped the man had forgotten he had asked the second.
"Oh, there's a few golds here. There's a high ranking lady...she has
the prettiest gold. She's all dark, almost bronze looking and_huge_!"
He held his hands out to show just how long the queen was. "She's the
prettiest one I've ever seen."

"Well, that should make Talon happy," Eirock commented. Having noticed
that the young man was easily distracted and rather flighty, he didn't
press for an answer to his second question. "I need to meet with the
understewards. You'll finish up here?" Normally this wouldn't be
posed as a question, and his tolerance might not have been so high for
a daydreaming drudge, but he was in a rather good mood. After all he
had just been appointed Steward of Sunstone Seahold.

"Yes sir." Lafael pulled a face, trying to remember what he was
supposed to do here. Ah well, once the man left, he'd probably
remember.

Last updated on the December 26th 2014

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Head in the Clouds