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Lor is sitting at the bar with her back to the door, legs pulled up, chin resting on her knees, hunched over her drink. She appears rather ragged, hair mussed and clothes rumpled.
The front door of the inn opens allowing Cordell to slip inside. He closes it behind himself and then busies himself for a moment slapping the road dust from his clothes. Once satisfied that he is as dust-free as is possible just by slapping, he runs his fingers through his dark hair and peers around the room with his amber eyes. When his gaze lights upon Lor, he strides purposefully towards her, boots echoing hollowly on the wooden floor.
Lor twitches an ear at the thud of footsteps coming closer to her but otherwise does not stir.
Cordell stops beside Lor at the bar and bows slightly. He clears his throat as if to get her attention, then begins to speak,'I was called away rather abruptly, milady. I would like a chance to explain.. and perhaps apologize.' He glances briefly around the common room, then looks back to her, adding,'It is not something I wish to discuss in public, though..' His voice trails off, leaving it clear that the choice is hers. As he waits for her response, his weight constantly shifts from foot to foot and there is a rather obvious tenseness about him.
Lor raises her eyes to stare at the wall in front of her as Cordell speaks. Blinking rapidly, she turns and gazes at him. "I didn't think you'd come back. I, ah.." Her voice breaks, becomes low and hoarse of a sudden. "Let's go up to my room to talk." She nods, as if reassuring herself of something.
Cordell steps back slightly, left hand flipping back his cape as if by habit as he raises his right hand in an offer of assisting her down from her stool. There is a tightness around his eyes and his entire posture suggests that he is a bit out of sorts.
Lor takes the hand, stretching slightly and setting a coin on the bar. Looking about the room as if seeing it for the first time, she makes her way to the stairs, still holding his hand.
Cordell leads her up the stairs and to his room, squeezing her hand reassuringly as he fumbles in his pocket for the key. Once the door is open, it is obvious that he has not been in the room for a couple of days, as it is in spotless condition. He releases her hand and waves in the general direction of the bed and a chair next to it on the fair side of the room, then turns to close the door.
Lor looks around the room a minute before choosing to sit on the chair, turning it slightly to better face the bed. Scratching the back of her neck, her eyes flick about and don't rest on anything too long, but pointedly avoid meeting his. She hears the door click shut and clears her throat once. "So, ah, what happened?"
Cordell slips the key back into his pocket and turns back to face her. He raises his hands to run through his hair and ends up just grasping his temples and shaking his head slowly. After a long moment he finally says,'It is difficult to decide where to begin.' Lor nods, eyes finally resting on a spot on the small rug. She mumbles something like "I was worried about you" in a hoarse voice that was also kind of shocked. Rubbing her hands on her pants front, she looks up at him and in a louder voice "Did something bad happen?"
Cordell takes in a deep breath and then lets it out very slowly. Finally, he lowers his hands from his head and sits down on the edge of the bed facing Lor. He frowns slightly, yellow eyes fixed on hers. In a soft voice, barely above a whisper, he says,'I think I may very well be insane. These past couple of days I have, among other things, heard strange voices in my head and killed a man that was already dead. Last night I managed to injure myself while dreaming...' He pauses for a long moment and then finally adds in a hoarse whisper,'I hope I am insane, otherwise it was all real.'
Lor gasps, jaw dropping and eyes somewhat bulging. But she doesn't make any move to leave. If anything, she looks more interested. Blinking rapidly, she looks at his shoulder. "The thought of you killing someone just.. already dead? Are you sure it wasn't just a dream? Some horrible nightmare?" This seems to give her an idea, which she readily shares, meeting his odd yellow gaze. "What if you happened to sleepwalk? During a nightmare? Maybe you fell, and that's how you were injured?" Everything comes out as a question, but they seem answers to her.
Cordell arches an eyebrow at her, watching helplessly as the questions tumble out. After she winds down, he replies,'Am I sure it wasn't a dream? No, not at all. I am fairly certain that I did not get bite marks while falling down while sleepwalking, though. The Regent tells me that I am perfectly sane.. but she drinks perhaps even more than I do.' He shrugs helplessly and adds,'Insanity is the easier of the two answers in the long run. Of that I am certain.'
Lor licks her lips nervously, looking defeated. "Insane? I can't believe that. There's got to be some ....other... reason, one that makes sense. I mean, you don't appear to be insane now, just like you've been through the Pit of Doom and back." Frowning, she tugs on a lock of hair while pondering this puzzle. "What else did the Regent tell you? Anything useful?"
Cordell runs his fingers through his hair again, then presses the heels of his hands tightly against his temples as if his head hurts. He shakes his head slightly and says,'Useful? Well, she claims the voices are wolves.. and that the cloud of gas that escaped.. and felt like it screamed, when I broke the bracelet.. she said that was the dead King Justarius, a darkfriend most foul. Useful? Oh yes.. where the wine is kept. That was useful.'
Lor tilts her head to the left, slightly confused gaze searching his troubled face. "Wolves? Cloud of gas? What bracelet? What are you talking about?"
Cordell lowers his hands and grasps the side of the bed, almost as if he is holding onto something merely to keep his hands still. He fixes Lor with his somewhat unsteady gaze and says in a very tired voice,'When I left here the other morning, it was because these voices in my head kept urging me to, warning me that Bloodca... the Lady Regent was in danger. I rode a horse to death travelling east of the city and continued on foot. I finally found her in a clearing in the woods near her manor. Cousin Morgaine arrived about the time I did.. The Regent was grasping this ivory bracelet in her hand, kneeling on the ground and talking crazy. She told us to take the bracelet from her.. then fought against us as we did. Once I had it away from her, she demanded that I destroy it, quite hysterically... So I did.' His voice trails off at the end and he shudders violently at the memory.
Lor waits a moment, eyes wide as she is quite caught up in the story, and moves a hand towards one of his to comfort him. "What happened then?" she asks hesitantly, and in a soft, worried voice.
Cordell shivers again and adds in a small, tired voice,'I put the bracelet on a stump and chopped it in half with my sword. This odd dark mist rose from a hollow inside it, and as it dissipated.. it was almost as if I heard it scream.. but not really heard...' He shakes his head and gestures his hands in frustration,'It is hard to explain.'
Lor jumps slightly at his sudden wild gestures, then quickly recovers. "And that was the dead man you killed, uh, again? The mist?" she wonders in a confused tone. Giving a final tug to that poor lock of hair, she tucks it behind an ear and gives a small "hmm" of thought. "Have you had any more .. incidents since then?"
Cordell nods slowly,'Zerani claimed the bracelet was possessed by Justarius and that the mist and the scream were him..' He shrugs,'I do not know what I believe. Last night I had a dream with some wolves in it, and some people. They were babbling about how it is all real and that I am not insane. Then the wolf got frustrated at me for some reason* and bit me. I woke up then, with this..' He raises his left hand to show the bite marks on it.
Lor gasps and moves to examine the bitten hand, a deep frown creasing her brow. To herself she mumbles "It doesn't seem to be infected, but you never can be too sure... " Raising her concerned gaze to meet his, she wonders "Since when do dreams really do come true? How could that be?"
Cordell shrugs his shoulders and says,'They probably don't. I probably bit myself in my delirium.' He shrugs again and adds,'At least the Regent has good brandy. The three of us got gloriously drunk.. unless that was a hallucination, too.' He shakes his head sharply as if to clear it, then continues,'Then some lightblinded fool crawled out from the fireplace. Lucky we didn't kill him before Morgaine recognized him. She claimed he is her fiance.' Cordell shudders violently and mutters,'Engaged to a commone..' His voice cuts off abruptly with a sharp click as his mouth slams shut and his face blushes bright crimson. He suddenly seems very intent on studying his hands.
Cordell frowns down at his hands and says softly,'I have very little concern about who or what I am seen to spend time with.' He lets out a tired sigh and looks up, frowning slightly as he looks into her eyes. In a weary voice he says,'I spoke without thinking and I am sorry. Our House is in difficult times. If something were to happen to the Regent it is highly unlikely that a Damodred would succeed her to the Sun Throne. It is hard for me to hold my anger in check when I think of how irresponsible it is to waste a marriage that could be used to strengthen the family.'
Lor bites her tongue yet again and mumbles something about her head being full of wool. Shaking her head she lowers her gaze, ashamed. "I shouldn't have been so quick to pounce, I'm sorry. I've never really been around a noble, much less traveled with one, before I met you, but I've heard much from others. I guess I just never realized that you would still be worrying about things like that." She frowns at the lame ending, but then wonders "What do the others in your, House, think of this marriage?"
Cordell's brow furrows in thought for a long moment, and then he shrugs and says,'I am not certain. I haven't talked with the family very much of late other than the drinking incident with Zerani and Morgaine.' He shakes his head and adds,'I would assume most of them feel as I do.'
Lor chews her lower lip thoughtfully as she mulls over his situation. Suddenly, she gives a small grin. "What, if I may ask, was the, ah, young man, doing in the fireplace to begin with?"
Cordell chuckles softly,'The Regent's staff wouldn't let him in the door. Servants are smarter than people think.' He sighs softly and changes subject,'I am not sure I am safe to be around right now. In the morning I am hiring a coach to take you back to Caemlyn.. or where ever you would like to go.'
Lor looks up at him, confused. "But why, I mean, why can't I, oh, what do you mean, not safe? You were fine before, and, well, what if I don't want to leave?" She is sitting up straighter with each word, and now raises her chin rather defiantly. "Then what? I won't let you go alone, a thing like this happens and you have to need someone to talk to at the end of the day." She pauses here, a slightly worried look clouding out the defiance. "Unless, of course, I'd be ...in the way." Her eyes study him warily, yet almost fearfully.
Cordell throws up his hands and gazes skyward, muttering under his breath,'Women!' As he lowers his gaze back to her, head still shaking, he says louder,'If you want to stay.. your safety becomes your own responsibility. Although I may leave the city, myself. Put some distance between myself and the reminders for a while.' He shrugs and stands up, running his hands through his hair in a gesture that is becoming a habit. He lets out a tired sigh and looks straight into her eyes before saying,'I am fully capable of making you go back to Caemlyn. But I will leave the choice to you.'
Lor looks back into his eyes without flinching from their golden stare, not showing any signs of defiance or resistance, but her face could have been a mask for all it's calmness. Indeed, it is. "So that's it? I'm just sent back to Caemlyn while you go do whatever it is that you're doing, which sounds somewhat dangerous and like you might need some help with, and I'll just be sitting in an inn when I might possibly hear of what happens to you?" Her hands are making wild gestures by the end, though her voice stays at a reasonable level. Her hands stop in midair and quickly become folded in her lap. "Why won't you let me go with you?" she asks quietly.
Cordell sighs loudly and says,'I am not sure I can even protect myself right now, much less someone else. I will not make you leave if you do not want to, but I can in no way guarantee your safety.' He turns and walks towards the door, unclasping his cape as he goes. He hangs the cape, which has the appearance of being slept on, on a hook next to the door then turns to face her again. He shrugs and says,'Not in the morning, then. It will take more more than just one night of rest to be in a condition to travel. As soon as I feel fit, we will leave the city behind.'
Lor smiles, her eyes lighting up happily at the "we" part. Jumping up, she carefully walks around the bed to stand in front of him, smile wavering as her eyes begin to glisten. Blinking rapidly, she whispers "Thank you" and throws her arms around his neck in a tight hug, fingers curling into his shirt as if to never let him go again.
Cordell mutters softly,'Perhaps I am the sane one.' Then he wraps his arms around her, returning her hug and pulling her tightly againt him.
Lor closes her eyes as she leans her head on his shoulder, a warm glow causing her to smile. She chuckles nervously and swipes away a tear. "I was so worried, didn't know what to do." Her words are muffled by his shoulder. A snuffle. "Thought you were, well, ... " Unable to finish the thought, she just keeps her head buried.
Cordell holds her against him, stroking her hair and muttering reassuring noises mostly of the "shhh, it'll be all right" variety, but not really loud enough to make out the words. After a long several moments, he steps back, slowly disentangling himself from her and looks down into her face. Softly, he says,'I am exhausted. You may stay if you like, you've likely been in here long enough for the servants to gossip already.' He sways a bit unsteadily and then adds,'Or I can escort you back to your room...'
Lor looks down, a small grin appearing to accompany the fantastical blush now creeping up her neck, cheeks, and ears. Muttering about nosy maids, she tells you "You need rest. I can find my way pretty well, and if I get lost, well, there's one more story to add to the rest." She shrugs, one arm crossing her middle while the other reached up to tug on a lock of hair.
Cordell smiles sleepily and nods. He moves to sit on the edge of the bed and begins taking his boots off while muttering,'The maids here don't gossip as bad as in some places I have stayed, but my eyes have caused them to take more interest in my comings and goings than they used to...' His voice trails off and he leans back on the bed to rest his eyes for a moment, one boot still on. After a very brief pause, his breathing changes in a subtle way that indicates he is likely already fast asleep.
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