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Just became a college freshman; be on sparingly

(stoic, eh? I'll give it a shot.)

Morgan was impatient. She knew this; she also knew that very few people would have recognized that particular set of the shoulders and that particular seat on the horse as impatience. Her five years as his deputy had taught her many things about this business and this man; not least among those was interpretation of the unsaid. She kept her horse at the same pace, though - there was no need to hurry, now that he had seen her. She'd get there when she got there.

Tanith Ser was not a tall woman. She radiated an authority and a presence that often increased her stature in the eyes of the beholder, but her height was surprisingly unremarkable. What people did remember, though, was the coifed blonde hair, the ice-blue eyes, and the even, Morrundy-accented voice. A true aristocrat, this one, even if descended from a cadet house of the nobility.

Reaching the shelter of the oak, Tanith pulled back the deep hood of her cloak. It was dry here, at least, and sheltered. She guided her horse to speaking distance. "Morgan."

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>

Aspyn, Imp in tow, fought back the brambles until she was well in sight of the vague outskirts of the city, and could catch the sounds of business unobstructed by the veil of trees. There were no walls around Mortallyia, only the place where the forest ended, and not far from there the place where the market began. She hitched up her satchel, tugging on the strap over her shoulder, and whistled through her teeth at the idiot cat.

The idiot cat in question waved his tail, blinking serenely, and in one leap had settled himself on her shoulder in a flash of tortoiseshell. "Good kitty," said Aspyn, and continued on.

The patchwork of stall covers, on ascending a rise in the ground, assaulted her eyes with myriad shades and textures. Aspyn hummed absently as she descended the other side, sliding in the damp grass and gaining, for her troubles, cat claws in her shoulder. The sun made an appearance, chasing away wisps of clinging cloud and getting down to the business of drying the mud.

Aspyn tucked strands of hair out of her face in the increasing strength of the breeze, and gave a nod and a smile to a passing porter. The center of Mortallyia rose before her, echoing with the sounds of commerce and swelling with activity coaxed from inside by the sunny day. She breathed in the compilation of myriad scents, sidestepped a cart full of crates, and decided that perhaps a little wandering would not go amiss.

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Marietta stood from her corner and closed the large book. She was quite pleased with the choice and decided she needed to finish the whole text. With this in mind she flounced over towards the desk to check it out. Unfortunately for her, her previous luck had returned and no one was currently manning the desk. She stood there awkwardly for a few moments, rocking back on her heels, waiting.

The woman shrugged and decided to just bring the book back home wih her and bring it back after she had finished reading. She realized that it was not compliant with the policies, but it was the fault of the library that no one was there to assist her. Marietta pulled a bright red and gold scarf from her hair and let the curls fan out like a black mane. She used the scarf to wrap the book so that it would stay dry and be easier to carry.

The woman started towards the door. She hoped that the rain would have lessened by the time she had to cross the court yard -the only place not covered on her way back to her rooms (at least she thought). Glancing back over her shoulder she flashed a smile and waved to the other guild members she had seen on the way in.

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Heavens no. Hell Yeah.


Set 1: Nurr | Set 2: Me

Tanith kept her gaze on the tree-lined horizon, where the branches seemed to reach into the grey clouds overhead. "This is a tradition among the Guild, sir. Were there hidden garrisons, I postulate that they would be more conspicuous." She let her eyes sweep over the distant lake, as if she could pierce the drizzle and see into the buildings themselves.

"They've no cause to look for our camp, but, all the same, wandering mages might stumble upon it. We might want to move it to higher, more sheltered ground." Tanith turned back to Morgan. "What are your plans now?"

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>