Another Moonlit Evening

Writers: Cymiri, Jelena
Date Posted: 2nd December 2012

Characters: Sinla, Daimhin
Description: Sinla and Daihmin run into each other again.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 11, day 13 of Turn 6

There was a decided chill to the air this particular night. Which made
the slim figure quick eyes spotted prowling seem even more out of
place, somehow, though she was decently wrapped against the weather.
He would probably have been wise to leave alone, but he had to confess
to curiosity- and sympathy- in this particular case. "Sinla? Lady? Are
you ok?"

Sinla looked back from where she was seated, looking out over the
Hold, wrapped thick in her warm coat. She hesitated for a moment, but
then slowly shook her head. "No, Daihmin, I'm not," she said, looking
away again. "But thank you for asking. It's nice to have someone
notice."

There was a hollow sound to her words in his ears that suggested her
answer had little to do with mundane things. However, the mundane
would have been simple, and better suited to a no-one guard's ears,
and so he kept his answer to it.

"If someone's troubled you, m'am, all you need do is let one of us
know. If I can help you..."

Sinla shook her head again. "No one's troubled me, except maybe
myself," she answered, some of the self-loathing she felt at her
life's choices welling up in her all of a sudden. Her husband may be a
simpleton, but she was the one that had chosen to marry him. She had
no one but herself to blame.

Way more gently, he answered

"And that's the worse kind of trouble to be in, isn't it?"

He'd had a similar feeling, and a little understanding of how she
felt- though he disliked seeing the distress in a pretty face.

"At least it means you can usually help yourself as well."

"I'm not sure I can," Sinla said with a shake of her head. She would
never, never go through the shame of a divorce. She would not do that
to her children, branding them for all their lives with the stigma of
a broken home. And if she did leave her husband, what did she have to
live on?

"Its very rare there's no options there. Sometimes we can't see them,
though. I know that well enough."

His smile was warmly self depreciating.

"I'm not terribly much, my lady...just a humble guard, but there's
benifits to that too..."

He said, very softly.

"Guards are just like the furniture, aren't they? And we've all talked
to a chair, or our childhood stuffed comforter, when things get too
much to keep inside? I've a reputation, perhaps, as a gossip if you
listen to such things- but I can tell you I've never broken a promise
to silence either and I know a lot more then I've ever spoken of..."

He finished cautiously, well aware it could be taken as a massive
overstep of his 'place' as much as it could a sincere offer.

"...if ever you honestly can't take the company of your own feelings
any more. I do have ears that are not always connected to my mouth."

Sinla regarded him closely for a moment. Part of her wanted to tell
him about the turmoil inside. About the anger, self-loathing and
regret that was eating away at her. If she could only tell _someone_.
But whatever she told him of her doubts and fears, if repeated, could
ruin her completely. "That is what I would say if I wanted to get a
good piece of gossip out of someone," she said putting on a brave
face, pretending the joke was enough to lift her spirits.

He smiled back, though it remained a soft little one that didn't buy
into the pretence she offered. "Yes, I suppose one would, wouldn't
they?"

Hard to explain to someone who *didn't* take the job as seriously as
he did- and afterall, that was most everyone up to and including at
least half his fellow guards- that for all his delight in secret
knowledge and good stories and his occasional use of the same, his
word *was* his bond. A professional tool, a bond that had brought him
information and confession where others had failed, but also a matter
of personal honor he took [probably too] seriously.

So he didn't even try.

"Its just an idle thought, m'am, nothing to worry about."

As an after thought, he added

"Would you like something warming, in this weather? Its fairly raw for
a lady, and I pray you never mention it to Zelanka, but it does do the
job."

The ever present hip flask was with him.

Sinla grinned a little. If Zelanka knew of the sheer amount of liquors
locked away in her cabinets, she would certainly disapprove as well.
Taking the flask from him, she gave him a grateful smile and took a
long swig with the ease of someone quite used to the heavier stuff.
"Good brew," she nodded as she handed him the flask back. "And how
very unladylike for me to say that."

"I am sure I didn't hear anything like that, myself." This answering
grin was cheeky, plain and simple. He *had* expected a touch more
shock then she seemed to display, but he didn't overthink her obvious
aquainance with spirits at the moment. "And certainly not from a
lady." He accepted the flask back, screwing the cap on with little
attention. He'd not drink on duty, though he was tempted tonight.
"Take care of yourself, lady. Especially prowling the night like this.
The hold is safe, but the night always can hold other people's secrets
too." Not wanting to scare her, he added in a much lighter tone and
with a little grimace suggesting personal experience. "Dark stairs to
trip down, for one." A little more seriously he added: "And should you
see anyone near the storerooms with a mind to *light* mischief, I'll
give you whatever you demand for the names." His private crusade
against the creator of that little mischief continued.

For a moment, a sickening thought crossed Sinla's mind. Maybe if she
did fall down the stairs, that would earn her a little loving
attention from her husband. But she shook the thought away as soon as
it came up. One should never think like that. "I do feel a lot safer
knowing there are capable guards around at night," she said, meeting
his eyes for a moment in honest appreciation. For whatever reason, she
liked these little chance meetings in the dead of the night. It was
just a little inappropriate and that made her feel rebellious. As if
she was in control of her own life again.

Daihmin smiled. That sounded a little less sunk in misery, though
whatever was at the heart of it remained unaddressed, of course and he
could only hope she'd find her resolution someday.

In the meantime, it didn't exactly upset *him* to keep bumping into a
pretty and smart young woman in the corridors, instead of stray
animals, drunk fools and the unending mischiefmakers. Better class of
conversation, and less smelly.

"Oh dear. What a mistaken impression! Don't you know I'm the only
competant one around here?"

He added

"and the Captain, of course."

"Now, now," Sinla grinned. "What would the other guards say if they
heard you talking like that!" She realised that collecting information
on him, might make it easier for her to tell him a few things. Because
she did want to talk to him, what he had said made sense to her. If
she wanted to talk to anyone about what was bothering, why not to a
night guard?

He snorted

"That I was being my wonderful self, of course! And then I'd have to
tell them to get their lazy backsides back on the job."

Cue grin.

"An authority that would be entirely stripped, of course, if they knew
I was standing here chatting with a pr...lady instead of looking
particularly interested in what humour the night has to spring on us
tonight. Of course, if they did know, they'd probably be busy queuing
to join us, so its best they dont."

"I will not tell them," Sinla said with a little grin of her own. The
man certainly was amusing. "Though I suppose it is quite selfish of me
to take up so much of your time. What if something horrible is
happening just around the corner and you never even notice?" Not that
terrible things usually happened here at night. The last shock the
Hold had had to deal was Alivya's death and that had been during the
bright hours of the day. Amber Hills Hold nights only held the
occasional drunkard, nothing much darker than that, for as far as she
knew.

"Don't concern yourself, my lady. There's time for a pause here and
there without endangering hold security. The guards are not quite as
simple as everyone supposes...our rotas and our routes are the subject
of at least a few of the Captain's grey hairs, I assure you."

He answered her grin

" And after all, I would be lax if I did not investigate the odd lone
figure I saw earlier. It could well have been a boyish thief - or half
of a scandalous pair!"

She got a wink too. Yes, he doubted much had been done to quiet
whatever it was worrying her, but at least she seemed happier then she
had been and that was a little victory.

"Though you are probably not wrong in that I should return to my duties. "

There was a definate tinge of sadness in that he half wished wasn't
quite so easy to hear.

"Oh yes, I very well could have been," Sinla laughed and then nodded
seriously, feeling strangely pleased to hear that he was sorry to
leave her. She couldn't really explain to herself why, but she enjoyed
his company and it was good to hear he enjoyed hers. "Well, it was
nice talking to you," she offered honestly, and after a moment's
thought, she added "I look forward to our next little chat."

Daihmin smiled cautiously

"Me too, Lady..though I'll be even more pleased of no sorrow drives
you from your bed again."

Last updated on the January 26th 2013

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Another Moonlit Evening