Business District
The market square to the west flows into this busy street, lined with shops and financial establishments. Night has fallen and little can be gleaned from the pale light of distant lanterns. A few men scurry about on their business, gone as quickly as they came.



The clouds that have hovered threateningly all day still crowd grey and ominous overhead, but there is no rain. Not yet. The last rays of the setting sun shaft through a thin clear ribbon at the horizon and outline houses and a few trees against the blackness of the eastern sky, and all throughout the town, people close up shop and head for home. Home and dinner. Save for a few, perhaps working late, or lingering with no comfort to hurry towards; or just bored. Standing in front of the charred and ruined shell of the Town Hall, Tathar seems to be one of these last. After a moment, she stoops and picks up a pebble, flinging it into the rubble and turning away to wander further down the street.


Another is Autumn, apparently returning from a productive day of shopping in the Market. She walks as briskly as she may, as she is quite slowed by her many well-stuffed parcels. She too pauses for just a moment in front of the charred shell before re-adjusting the weight of her packages and continuing towards home.


Saradas appears, wandfering along the street as well. He walks slowly, looking about, a small smile on his face. He glances towards the parcel loaded woman, and then spies the Town Hall, and heads towards it, looking with a large amount of curiosity at it. He does not yet notice Tathar.


From the other side of the half-ruined front wall of the Town Hall comes a sharp, distinct cry of "Ouch!" Moments later, a figure appears in the empty doorway, a little man with a grim look on his face. To the first person he sees, he squeals a command of "Stop! You there." Wilbert runs up behind the package-bearing girl. "You, ma'am, with the packages! How could you be so rude as to toss that at me?"


At a sudden cry, Tathar looks up. The first person her eyes land on is a hobbit and a scowl descends over her face. She stops in mid-step and shoves one hand into a pocket, bunching it up into a fist. Standing there, she watches Saradas with a suspicious glower, only giving Wilbert and Autumn the briefest of glances.


"Toss what?" asks the woman, obviously quite astonished that anyone could imagine her doing anything in her present state of affairs. "I haven't tossed anything, can't you see my arms are full? You should give me a hand instead of making such absurd accusations." She turns in a huff and continues to walk away.


Saradas turns from the charred building towards the young girl, and says slowly, "Now what's that look for! I haven't tried to pick your pocket. Not like I would anyway. Same thing would happen as last timem likely. Then noticing the other two talking he says lightly, "And I didn't toss anything at him, either!"


Only a hint of red creeps into little Mr. Thistlewool's cheeks as the woman speaks back to him. "Well," he mutters grudgingly. "Perhaps it wasn't you. You didn't happen to see anyone throwing stones, did you? I doubt this was a bird, for the birds have nothing against me." A quick look passes around the darkening street, landing on two others who, unlike most in the district, are halted as opposed to hurrying home.


"You made me drop my pie," Tathar says accusingly. "And you'd better not try and steal my money again." Just to be sure, she glances again at her pocket. No un-affiliated fingers are near. Wilbert's words float back towards her ...throwing stones... and she looks up guiltily and blushes.


Whistling to himself quietly, Gaunt walks through the buisness district from the marketplace, his hands are tucked neatky into his pockets and he glances about as he walks, "Tathar! Saradas! Muddle-head! how nice to see most of you" he smiles at each and then folds his arms across his chest, "I hope I am not interrupting?"


Saradas gives a glance at Tathar and says grudgingly, "And I said I was sorry! Twice, even! Your just lucky I was slower than usu..." He breaks off mid-sentence, hearing the guard, and immediatly ceases boasting. Giving his sword a quick glance, he reutrns his eyes towards Tathar and says, "Well, anyway, I said I was sorry!" He notices the look on her face and chuckles slightly, realizing she threw the pebble. Saying nothing, he instead turns, and greets the guard with a, "Hello."


As little Wilbert's sharp hearing picks up this oft-heard insult, he whirls around, suddenly ignoring the woman with the packages. He stalks over to the Breeguard, approaching the other pair, and then swiftly turns away, sidling up to Tathar and Saradas--perhaps not to say anything in particular, or even to complain, but simply to turn his back on the rude guardsman.


"Just keep your sticky fingers away from me," Tathar snaps before turning towards Gaunt with a smile that flashes whitely in the dimness of the overcast evening. "Of course not. Are you going home now? Um, hello, Mr. Thistlewool," she adds brightly. Behind there is a clatter of boots as someone else rushes by, but she doesn't turn to see who is passing.


Gaunt smiles and steps forward, he reaches out to ruffle Wilberts hair, "come on muddle head, turn around, make up a nickname for me, make you feel better" he smiles at the hobbit, "hello young hobbit, what have you been doing?" he glances at Tathar and smiles, "and hello Tathar, no i'm not headed home, just wandering around, I was hoping to find Malorie"

Wilbert eyes both the people he stands with, but despite trying to look like he is a part of their conversation, he does not speak more than a curt "Good day," to each. His attention still on the persistent guard, he tries hard to stare at a spot on the pavement and not turn around or otherwise acknowledge his presence.

< It seems, though, that this is a task not easily accomplished. His head slowly rolls to one side to look at the guard. "You won't find Miss Foxglove here, now. Denser than stone! Haven't you heard about her recent...unfortunate...adventures?"


All remnants of outrage and suspicion melt away in an instant and Tathar turns towards Wilbert with an anxious look. "Is she all right? Did she say what happened?" Her fingers, behind the thin material of the pocket, clench and then relax. "W-who was it?"


Saradas smiles lightly towards the guard, "was just wandering around..." He gives a small smile as well to Wilbert, saying, "Hello!". Tehn he turns back to Tathar and back towards Wilbert, and begins to chuckle, realizing that the young girl has no intent of admitting to hitting Wilbert. Though his attention is now distracted by the guard. He quiets, his atention fixed by the building, still interested.


Gaunt blinks and looks at Wilbert with a frown, "why? what happened to her?" he folds his arms across his chest, "is she hurt?" he shakes his head, "I should really try and 'gossip' with people occasionally, where is she?" he bites his lip and frowns, "hmm.. I haven't seen her for a while.."


Turning for a moment to finally 'resume' conversation with Tathar and her companion, Wilbert raises and eyebrow. "As if she'd tell me what happened--all I know is that she appeared on my doorstep looking to be quite a horrid mess, as if she'd gotten in a fight with a swamp and lost. Told more to a couple of strangers that I would have, that night, then wouldn't say much. And to think," he fumes. "She stayed in my house and I offered her my hospitality and then next day she was gone, run off with Blackroot again." Shaking his head, the little man sighs. "I haven't seen her since then."


Tathar looks more and more nervous as Wilbert goes on. Her eyes flicker over to Gaunt and back to Wilbert, landing on the hobbit in between. "I.. she didn't say who .." she pauses and takes a breath, "who hurt her?" A night breeze ruffles through her curls, pulling them across the worried face, to be shoved back absently by one thin brown hand.


Saradas turns from the building to listen to the chatting trio interestedly, and he quite obviously has no idea of what they are discussing. a small frown about his face, he absently messes with something in one pocket, trying to be inconspicuous in his listening. He finally says lightly, "Hurt? Who got hurt?"


Gaunt scowls slightly and absently clutches his swords hilt, "she didn't say anything?" he urges, however he relaxes at Wilberts last words, "she is off with Manfred?" he chuckles, "oh, thats alright then.. as long as she wasn't seriously hurt"


"How should I know?" snaps the man. "Everyone has been so vague in their details. 'Drunk man' this and 'Ugly man' that. I can't get a good idea of whether there were two or a dozen of these fellows from the way they're described. All these outsiders look the same to me; you must know that by now."

After a brief pause, the man adds, "No, she wasn't horribly hurt, but who am I to know? You should be glad you simply got a penny off of these men, Miss Tathar, and not a bunch of bruises."


"He was nice," Tathar protests feebly, but the worried crease between her eyebrows remains. "He gave me that rock too. It was the /other/ man who was so wicked. And I don't care what you say, he was drunk. But then..." She falls silent, her gaze dropping and her fingers idly playing with whatever she carries in the pocket of the worn faded dress.


"According to Miss Foxglove, they were both trouble. I got that much," says Wilbert. "Like I said, you shouldn't be talking to any of these strange folk. They aren't to be trusted, not even when they give you gifts of pennies or shiny r--" Quickly the man cuts off his words, and looks away. "Just don't accept what they give you, for it's not out of selflessness. It's because it will benefit them far more in the long run, mark my words."


Gaunt folds his arms across his chest and frowns at Tathar, "those were the men who gave you the penny? you never told me that" he nods at Wilbert, "was a silly thing to do.." he shrugs, "all in the past though, no matter"


Tathar droops a little as she is scolded from both sides. "That's what Mother said too," she says, almost inaudibly and then draws herself up again defensively. "He /paid/ it to me. For an apple." As if aware how foolish that sounds, she digs at the ground with one bare toe and watches it intently. "I know it was too much... and, I gave the rock back, honest, I did, Mr. Thistlewool. But he stuck it back in my pocket when I wasn't looking. He must have, how else would it have gotten there?"


Gaunt playfully goes to punch Tathar in the shoulder, "don't sound so glum" he says with a smile, "so muddle-head, how have you been? beena while since I last saw you"


Wilbert lets a disapproving look fall on the girl. "Perhaps you never put it back in the first place," he says, wrinkling his nose. "Why would you give a nice trinket like that back, in the first place, unless you were a foolish girl? I don't think you ever gave it back at all, and that's just your excuse." He crosses his arms, standing still, stoic as a statue.

"Mr Hamfist," he finally says, breaking the silence. "This is not a time for such cheer. If only you knew what kind of horrid men these were."


A light swat taps Tathar's shoulder and she looks up at Gaunt gratefully. "You don't think it was my fault, do you? That.. that Malorie got hurt?" But Wilbert's accusation brings sparks to snap in her eyes and her head flying around. "I did so! I gave it back because he was just showing it to me. I'm not a thief or a liar either!" The glare that she had given Saradas a little while earlier is nothing in comparison to the one that is now leveled on Wilbert.


Saradas grins mischieviously, as he often does, and draws from his pocket a small piece of paper, with something written upon it. The back is dabbed in something, and the young hobbit, stalks backwards, happily forgotten by the others, apparently. He then quickly prods the paper onto Wilbert's back, where it sticks. He resists laughter as he gives a glance to his work and darts back to his spot, trying to look innocent once more. He gives a glance towards the paper, which shows all glancing at the back of Wilbert the words, "Stab Me". He restrains chuckles once more and turns away from it.


Too engaged in trying to stare Tathar down, Wilbert does not seem to notice the pat on his back. "Well, perhaps you didn't steal it, but isn't it convenient that you still have such a pretty thing that was just being shown to you? Maybe for you, 'show' means 'keep'. I have met one too many children who like to see with their hands rather than their eyes!"


"Because I can't find him to give it back!" Tathar all but shouts. The words echo in the nearly empty street and a solitary man hurrying past, stops to stare in astonishment before continuing on his way. Overhead, the dark clouds boil together and then dissolve into tattered sheets of black against a blacker star-spattered sky. But the change is only momentary, for the same wind that tore them apart, shoves more and more thunderheads to lurk over Bree and fill the night sky with gloom. The girl's cheeks are fiery with indignation and she snatches the rock from her pocket and thrusts it at Wilbert. "You take it then. And /you/ can give it back to him when you see him."


"Fine," murmurs the little man, taking up the rock with less care, perhaps, than it should be given. Maybe he only does this as not to continue the scene in the otherwise-silent street, not to draw attention to them. "I'll take the rock and give it back to this man--or perhaps find someone who can. Because when they find him, this rock will be the least of his worries. Assisting in a kidnap! Indeed!" With that, he stuffs the stone into the pocket of his waistcoat. "I shan't have this for long, I expect."


Gaunt takes a step back and looks down at his feet, letting Wilbert and Tathar get on with the argument, "Malorie didn't say where she was going?" he asks Wilbert after a moment.


Saradas returns to listening to the conversation, happily glancing at Wilbert's back. Finally, after one such glance he begins to chuckle, and turns his face away from the group in an attempt to make his fit of laughter not so obvious.


Tathar turns around, ostentiously presenting her shoulder to Wilbert. Her gaze falls on Saradas in the process and she says waspishly, "What are you laughing at?"


"No, she didn't say where she was going," Wilbert grumbles to Gaunt. "It's really none of my business, but my home shouldn't be her business. Indeed. I should think Manfred Blackroot, in all his secretiveness, would know where she is, but don't expect him to say much more."

For reasons unexplained, the chuckles and giggles cause little Mr. Thistlewool to grow cross. He turns around (affording everyone a full view of the note) and stalks off into the evening darkness.


Gaunt mumbles to himself, "wonder where she is.." he says before glancing up at Tathar, "do you know anything about what happened to Malorie, as I said before, I really don't know /anything/ about whathappened.."


Saradas turns and replies slowly, trying to restrain laughter, "Ah...nothing." He notices Wilbert walking off, and laughter threathens to escape again, but he restrains himself.


Tathar follows Saradas's eyes after Wilbert and squints at the dim square of white. "What did you put on his back?" she accuses the small hobbit. Gaunt's question brings a short answer, but doesn't distract her; her gaze remains fixed on Saradas. "There was a drunk man who Malorie and the.. the man who gave me the penny were going to lock up. And he ran away and they chased him out of the gates. Then I heard that she came back a few days later all beat up and everything. And that's all. I don't know what happened to the other men, but he /was/ nice to me, he really was. Not the drunk man, the other one. But if they hurt her... " Worry creeps into her voice again as she tells the story over.


Gaunt mutters and clenches his fists, "I wonder where she went off to", he frowns at Tathar, "just because he gave you a penny does not make him nice you know" he shake shis head, "they must be pretty rough if they managed to beat up Malorie" he mumbles quietly to himself.


"I know." Tathar turns away from Saradas, crestfallen. "I do... but he showed me coin tricks and kept that other horrible man from bothering me... and the drunk fellow hit him and he was helping Malorie drag him off to jail." Her lip quivers a little. "I thought he was nice. I..I must have been wrong though."


Saradas frowns slightly, and gives Tathar an idignant look. "I didn;t put anything on his back!" he says, "And if I had, at least it wouldn't have hurt him like that rock you chucked at him earlier!" He continues his gaze for a moment, and then glances towards the Breeguard, wondering at the two's conversation, now beginning to grasp it.


Gaunt seems annoyed at the young hobbitd words, "please.. we are trying to talk about something serious, your childish pranks can be discussed at another time?", he reaches out to put a hand on Tathars shoulder, "hey, he still may be nice yet" he winks, "sounds like someones got a crush", he shrugs, "there were two men, maybe the 'bad' one hurt Malorie and the other one had nothing to do with it?"


"Well, it surely didn't get there by itself," Tathar says with only an echo of her previous snap. "And I didn't throw a rock at him, I threw it at that burned up log in there. How was I to know he'd be wandering around in there? It's dangerous." She looks up as Gaunt's hand falls on her shoulder and a bit of red creeps into her cheeks. With great dignity, she replies, "I do not. I don't even know him." In the next second, dignity is abandoned, though. "Do you really think so?"


Gaunt smiles, "like I said, he might be innocent, we'll find out sooner or later", he winks at Tathar and gives her shoulder a slight squeeze, "if I bump into him then i'll be sure to ask him if he would consider going on a date with you, i'm /sure/ you'd appreciate it" he steps back and stretches, "well, i'm going to head home, farewell" he nods to Tathar and then the hobbit, "see you soon, stay out of trouble" he turns and anders off, "if you hear anything about Malorie, come and tell me!" he calls back.


Tathar's jaw drops. "I.. you.. what... Don't you dare!" she manages at last. "I'm not going anywhere with /anyone/ and besides I'm not supposed to talk to him." This she says in direct defiance of the fact that she has already shared a breakfast with the departing guard.


Saradas gives a cold glance towards the departing guards back, and then in an uncharacteristic act, says towards Tathar, "Well..um..I'd bet it wasn't the nice one who did it." A small attempt at a kind smile is given, and he gives a glance towards back along the street, considering leaving.


"Thank you..." Tathar's voice is still absent, her attention caught on Gaunt's diminishing figure; at least until she realizes how dark it has gotten. "Oh! I have to go home! Mother will be angry with me..." And she is gone in a pounding of bare feet and a swirl of skirts.