1875-10-22: Twas a Dark and Stormy Night
Twas a Dark and Stormy Night
Summary: What happens after Elian leaves Ivo with his guards
Date: 22/10/1875
Related: After Eosphorian Gambit
NPCs: Elain's two trusted soldiers, here nicknamed Wensday and Ragnar
Players:
Ivo  

Once Elian had ridden off, the three remaining escapees from the Eosphorian assault sat in silence atop their horses for a while, each pondering just what to do with the situation they now found themselves in. A situation none of them had really been prepared for an hour or so ago. In the end it’s the woman who moves first, dismounting and declaring that the clearing they’re in is about as good a spot as any to stop and wait for the Tribune’s return. With a small stream nearby and plenty of fallen wood for a fire she’s likely right in her assessment and since no names are exchanged Ivo decides to call her Wensday while her partner gains the name Ragnar, after a pair of notorious dockside cats in Fiorello.

He’s allowed to tend to his horse once they’ve removed the saddle, and he takes his time doing so, leaving them to do all the heavy lifting with regards to setting up camp. Some might consider it petty, but he figures that if he’s their hostage then it’s up to them and he has no obligation to muck in. Once all that is done he cleans and binds the scrape caused by an arrow in the fight earlier, then settles down to what is likely to be a boring few hours. He’s heartened by the confusion that Wensday and Ragnar are trying to hide from their faces, and half wishes he could hear their whispered conversations, especially after he requests his cloak and they clearly recognise the colour and cut of it.

There’s no real conversation, just periods of awkward silence punctuated by the occasional single word question such as ‘water?’ As the first signs of the sun going down appear without sign of the Tribune returning Ragnar leaves him and Wensday alone for a while to hunt for their supper. Returning a short time later with a brace of rabbits he finds Ivo sat with his back against a tree while Wensday stands a short distance away with a crossbow aimed unwaveringly at his chest.

The tension remains through dinner, and only starts to lessen when it starts to rain. The light drizzle it starts with is merely annoying, but the torrential downpour if develops into forces them to abandon their camp and make for an abandoned barn that Ragnar had found while hunting. As there’s still been no satisfactory conclusion to the debate as to if he had simply been finding a bush to relieve himself behind earlier, or if it had been an escape attempt while Wensday’s back was turned, Ivo’s wrists are bound for the trip leaving them with less thing to worry about while handling the horses and gear. He’s released again once shelter is reached though, and the saddlebags and gear are all secured away in the hayloft.

Soaked, and with only enough dry wood to build a small fire as the thunder booms across the landscape outside, he briefly considers mentioning the bottle of Ryaltan rum in his saddlebag. Perhaps they’d get drunk? Let their guard down? But the hammering of the rain, combined with a strong desire to know just what the flaming heck Elian is playing at leads him to simply request the dry cloak the tribune had used earlier instead. Besides, that was bloody good rum, and he’s not about to waste it on an off chance.

As it’s clear that the weather will keep Elian and his answers away until at least morning Ivo decides to call it a night. Ragnar had already turned in, making it clear his guards were planning on sleeping in shifts to keep an eye on him, and with no pressing desire to break the undeniable tension with small talk he simply wraps himself up in his borrowed cloak and settles down close to the fire. Not that sleep comes easily mind, he’s got too much to think about, but he drifts off eventually with the rain still drumming on the roof above him as he dreams.

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