"Alri...." Her word was cut off by a rather large yawn and the sudden inability to keep her eyes open. "Please....stay the...night..." She managed before she felt too incredibly tired to say anything else.

"You were being childish. That is something I have no argument for. We are going to talk more in the morning. And you, my dear, when done speaking with me, will go straight to Morohtar and apologize for your behavior." She took a long look at Holly. "I said eat the bread, not chew through it like a mouse. You won't soak up whatever spirits you consumed that way."

She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. Gods she felt old... She walked slowly over to Logan. "She'll be fine. Sicker than a dog in a few hours no doubt...But we've all been there." She stood next to him with her arms crossed, staring at Holly. "We all have certain demons we would like to try and forget every now and then, aye?" She said quietly. "Still doesn't excuse the attitude though." She added, a bit more gruffly for Holly's sake.

Lucius tugged the covers up and over Mariel. He tucked her in gently, just like his old Nan used to when he was a child. As he watched Mariel sleep, he couldn't help but wonder what path, if any, was before him now. His duty was complete and no new orders had been dealt. New orders were hard to come by these days. Trust was even harder.

Holly ate her bread obediently. Her head lowered, partly out of shame, but for the most part, holding it this way seemed to stop the room from spinning. Memories from her night swam before her eyes. She had been a spoiled brat for sure. Clearly she had alot of growing up to do. Once her bread was finished, she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.

"It sounds as though you speak from a lot of experience," Logan commented quietly. "It seems Holly has a lot of skeletons in her closet and a past that she hasn't quite healed from yet. It'll take time, but she'll soon find a way to deal with it. A way that makes even breathing seem easier." He sighed faintly. "Try not to be too harsh on her...her attitude was despicable, but it was coming from deep feelings that she has for you. Her heart is in the right place for the most of it."

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She took a deep breath, and fell into a blissfull rest even before she was able to let the rest of the air out. Her chest rose and fell with the even breathing of slumber. A blessed slumber.

Lairiel sighed. "More experience than you know." She pulled a small flask from her pouch and drank deeply. She could use it too. Her thoughts began to center around what he had said. "She cannot survive this world if she keeps that up. It will be the end of her and the end of what happiness she could have had. I pray to.the gods she learns quickly." She walked over to Holly again and covered her with a spare blanket. "Watch her for a few, please? I'm going to find Morohtar. To let him know she is alright. I will not be long." She patted his shoulder as she passed him, then paused. "And...thank you." She Murmured before walking out on her way.

Lucius wandered over to a nearby chair and sank into the comfort that it offered. His shoulders were lighter than what they had been in a long time. Perhaps this was his chance to enjoy his life, at least what remained of it. His eyes soon closed and he was lost to the night.

Logan bowed his head to Lairiel respectfully. "Do not take this the wrong way, but it was my pleasure to be of assistance to you." He stood and hovered by Holly. "I shall await your return." He smiled warmly to her, before casting his eyes over Holly. Her sleep had become unsettled quickly. He bent to lay his hand on her shoulder. "Be still dear child. Nothing can harm you here," he whispered gently.

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Mariel slept on, images of her sister and their recent guests running through her mind.

Lairiel turned and nodded her head to him in thanks. She wasn't very good with verbally speaking a thank you. She turned and made her way back outside, following the trail Morohtar had left when he went looking for Holly.

Morohtar had doubled back and went to the house he had bought for Holly and himself to share. He perched on the stoop and held his head in his hands. What a mess everything had turned out to be. Every time he tried to make Holly happy he only hurt her. "Problem is...she's just a child..." he muttered to himself. "I am trying to cage a free bird...I'm a fool." He shook his head sorrowfully. "I have to let her go. I have to let her make her own mistakes...I have no choice...Maybe one day she will come back to me..." He sighed deeply.

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Lairiel easily found him. Sitting on the porch, looking too wounded. Her heart broke a little for him. "Morohtar...." She stood a couple feet away. "I fpund Holly...she's at the Inn...sleeping off her drinking. She'll be fine." She eyed him for a moment. "Will you be alright?" She crossed her arms in front of her. "She'll learn...she has learned a valuable lesson tonight. I will be speaking with her in the morning."

"It's not me that anyone should worry about. I had no idea how troubled Holly is. Unfortunately she will only listen to her heart. I'm afraid your words might go unnoticed in the morning. I do not know what to do with her or myself. Every time I try to help I only make matters worse." He sighed faintly. "I have made my own fair share of mistakes with Holly...I wanted out too...I fear she wants out now. She is too young...she has a lot of lessons to learn. Off course I will wait. There is only one woman out there for me. I only hope she does not leave me waiting too long." He sat back against the stone step. "For a long time she has felt abandoned and has felt that the only solution is to become a ranger. It can't hurt if you are not meant to be wanted or noticed right? Unfortunately she cannot see that she is not abandoned. I am here for her...she need only ask and I will fetch whatever she needs. There is only one thing I cannot give her and that is...you."

Morohtar stood. "I cannot ask you to stay and God knows you have your reasons to leave...I just want you to know you are not abandoned either. Your sister is blinded by her pain...as are you or you would see how much Lord Logan cares for you already..." He frowned slightly. "Sorry if I am being too bold..."

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Lairiel dropped her gaze. "She will listen. She cares for you, she has only to see that you are the best thing she has had and will ever have." She knew how to talk to Holly. "As for Lord Logan...He has only just met me, and has a life of his own. I am a Ranger. An old maid. I have chosen my path in this life." She shook her head. "He deserves someone who will make him happy." She bowed slightly. "I am going back to Holly....She'll need more care tonight. I am glad to see you are willing to wait for her." With that she took her exit, her ears slightly burning. Logan, cared for her? It was Morohtar that must be blind. Logan had only first met her when she was wearing a dress and a mask. She was a Ranger, not a lady. She knew from personal experience that men never actually cared for her.

Holly tossed and turned in her sleep. Was it alcohol or just the past few days events that kept her tormented, Logan could not know. He simply sat by her and watched with anguish. Occasionally he replaced the cool flannel on her forehead, hoping that would ease her sleep. For a time it worked, but the nightmares soon returned. Everyone is so restless, Logan thought to himself. He wondered if there was something stirring. He shook his head, to take away his fatigue.

Morohtar watched as Lairiel left. "You have some lessons to learn too. Just don't let it be too late..." He murmured quietly. With a sigh, he stood and entered the house he had bought for himself and Holly.

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Lairiel entered the room silently, then touched Logan's shoulder. "Thank you. I shall watch her from here on. I apologize for keeping you awake." She pulled up another chair and glanced at Holly, her face was stiff, yet showed little to no emotion. "You should get some sleep."

Logan stifled a yawn with ease. "I don't mind staying up with her my lady. You look like you could do with some rest, if I may be so bold."

Holly convulsed in her sleep. Logan had her sitting in seconds and a bucket in her lap. She vomited violently, shaking in Logan's arms. "This is why I never touch the stuff. Might be nice going down, but its dreadful coming back up." He set the bucket back down and settled Holly back against the bed, where she tossed and turned, her nightmare barely interrupted.

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"I need no rest." she rested her booted feet up on the bed stand and lit her pipe. "It seems like you've done this before." She observed plainly, taking a deep drag off her pipe.

Logan grimaced slightly. "No it is not my first time. For a time I did this for years, day in and day out." He raised his eyes to Lairiel's. "My mother," was all he said. With a sigh he withdrew Hoy's cold press and refreshed it in the basin. He returned and ran it over her neck and chest before placing it on her forehead once more. "She'll need something quite substantial to eat in the morning. She won't want it though."

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"Ah." Was all Lairiel said as she observed him. "Oh, she'll eat. Mark my words." She herself then took a flask out and drank a long swig. "You may not touch it, but I do." She took another drag from her pipe. "Tell me. From whence do you come? You may have said so already, but I fear the evening's events have clouded my memory."

"I am from Gondor, my lady." He answered, with a bow of his head. "And where do you call home? If I may be so bold. What is it you have run from? What is it that you are trying to forget?" He glanced at her flask before returning his gaze to Holly. He could not help but wonder who the young girl was. The power she had shown was out of this world and could hold a world of trouble if not checked.

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