Harper's Tale - Sunday, October 14, 2001,

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Tavern Talking

Maverin moves with meaningful pace in from the Great Hall.

Rilna is sitting at a table in the back, a plate of meatrolls at one elbow, a glass of juice at the other, and a large stack of hides in front of her, being scrawled on busily. She appears intent, but oddly relaxed, as if the large spring that is the Stablemistress has lost just a little of it's tension.

Nunya the Passing Kleptomaniac drudge slinks into the room, and peers over Rilna's shoulder. Not like she can read, but anyhow.

Maverin enters the room at a steady pace with a young man with the knot of a Baker Apprentice trying his hardest to keep up and looking more like the old mutt who is still following Mavz's heels including the mop of wild fur. Upon noticing Rilna's presence, Maverin pauses the Baker Apprentice and sends him off to do some other chore before walking up quietly behind Rilna and moving a hand towards her shoulder. "Good to see you're staying out of the Stables for a few candlemarks," teases Mavz as he gives the drudge a look to send her off to read over someone else's shoulder rather than his and Backdraft's Stablemistress.

Rilna glances around, and, seeing no-one around besides them but the drudge, smiles, and reaches up a hand to hold the one on her shoulder. "And good morning to yourself as well..." she teases back. "No, no, too many nosy folks around the stables this fine day. So just doing some paperwork that I can do later... Sit and have a snack with me?"

Nunya can take a hint, and slinks off towards the shadows of the walls, smirking. This should make for interesting gossip.

Maverin smiles and squeezes her shoulder lightly before he settles down in a chair, pulling it close to her. "I'm no good at paperwork," Mavz admits in his usual laid-back and low tone, "I'll pick out the stock but sit me down and about all I'll make sense of is the place the beast came from and his name."

Rilna chuckles. "Apparently I have a talent for administrivia, or some such nonsense, since that seems to be the main additional responsibility that came with this job... Runner Handler always had just as much physical work." But the hides and the things they contain seem none to interesting to her at the moment as she takes another glance around, looking for gossipy-type people, before drawing her chair a little closer to Maverin's. "Did you manage to get the blankets back yet?" she inquires. "Or do we need to take another trip to the waterfall?" An unreadable sort of smile.

Nunya bites on her hand to keep from smirking. Blankets, eh?

Maverin smirks, his eyes gleaming in the mischievious actions of the night before as no one around the Hold would know about them. All sneaky 'n' stuff. "Sorry, I did pick the things up this morning. You were already gone when I got back with the things so I left them on a chair," he explains. His fingers slowly and idly trace a ring that was formed into the wood of the table from a drink that had sat there too long. "Although I might not've gotten everything. We should go check." Equally unreadable smile settles on his lips.

The unreadable smiling continues. Although her 'partner in crime' could probably read quite a lot into Rilna's expression. "We should at that." she agrees, innocuously enough. "Wouldn't want to have anything missed." Evidence must be concealed, right. And then a nod, and a low murmur, accompanied by another smile.

You overhear Rilna mutter, "Aye, ... ... ... where ... ... ... to this ... ... woke up ... ... cold." to Maverin.

While Maverin's responce is hidden under mutters to the Stablemistress, his expression does go a hint more serious than the strong life he'd held only moments ago. Unlike Rilna, he doesn't seem to be as careful about anyone else seeing them together and even opens his palm to take her hand while murmuring.

Maverin mutters "Sorry, I wasn't sure how this morning would roll off so I went to get the blanket and things at the waterfall. But you're ok with what happened?" to you.

You overhear Maverin mutter, "Sorry, I wasn't ... ... ... morning ... roll ... so ... went ... get the ... ... ... at the ... ... ... ... with ... happened?" to Rilna.

Rilna gives a grins that's /very/ readable, and with a final glance around, decides that the movement in the shadows was a trick of the light, and takes Maverin's hand in a firm clasp, before leaning over and murmuring something in his ear.

You overhear Rilna mutter, "Perfectly ... with ... ... ... dear man. ... ... ... ... ... started ... ... I ... going to ask the same ... ... ..." to Maverin.

Maverin smiles up at her and then his attention is drawn to their hands and he shifts his to fold his fingers between hers, interlocking them. He glances around to be sure the subject won't be overheard or atleast hopefully not overheard (but you know those drudges), "What're we going to do about this then? I wouldn't exactly want this to end nor do I suspect it's about to...?"

Rilna smiles, and squeezes her fingers slightly against Mavs'. "Your lack of suspicion is well founded." she intones, a little arch as she attempts to keep a heavy topic light, at least in the frail realm of words. Green eyes will attest to the seriousness of her, belieing the tone, although it shifts again into something less jocular. "Well, I suppose this means you won't be returning to Crom for a while..." she muses. "There's certainly enough room in my quarters... Although." A furrowed look. "I'm not quite sure how to break it to the folks here. But I'm definitely willing to make this work, somehow." The Terror of the Stables might have a little harder time keeping order if people are sniggering over her personal life. Although they already are, so... "I feel like... a part of myself has come back to me, one that I didn't know I was missing."

Maverin rubs the back of her thumb with his. "No need to break it to them, let them figure it out on their own, Ril-dear," he chuckles and gives a glance to the old mutt who's found himself a suitable resting place under a nearby chair where he could keep an eye on his humanpet. "I might have to go back to Crom for a short while to get the new stock over there..." He studies Rilna with a slight hint of worriness. "And you're alright with all this?

Rilna gives a smile with her heart showing in her eyes. There are some questions that can't quite be answered with words. And to Thread with anyone watching. Leaning towards him, she frees on hand to tilt his head towards her, before giving him a kiss, full and deep and hiding nothing. Pulling back a moment later, but with her face still close to him, she inquires softly. "What do /you/, think, sir?"

Maverin does a poor job of hiding a smile, soft dimples making a short appearance in his cheeks. He delivers a small, gentle but affectionate kiss after a short pause between her question and his reply. "Maybe I'll have to sneak you out of the Hold to take you on the trip back to Crom. It could prove interesting," he comments with a wry smile and laughs lightly to himself, "Plus, the boys would want to see the beauty Keroon snatched from us so long ago."

Rilna gives a wink, and reaches out a forefinger to lightly tap the tip of his nose. "Interesting indeed... Although I think we'd no doubt be paying precious little attention to the beasts..." A smile and a sigh. "I'd follow in a heartbeat if I could, and you know it. But as the only trainer we have at the moment, I can't leave the beasts over-long... You know, even if you weren't so cute, I think I'd have to have you stay just to have another hand around the stables." she teases.

Maverin flushes a very slight hue of pink and laughs lightly. "After spending all this time with you it's going... it's going to be hard leaving, you know?" His smile slowly fades into a humour only held to keep from appearing bored or uncomfortable near Rilna. He squeezes her hand lightly and lifts it to his lips, setting a gentle kiss on her wrist. "But let's not think about me having to leave until it's necessary that I leave, hmm?"

Rilna smiles, and tightens her grasp on his hand briefly. "An excellent plan, I think..." she agrees, finally forgetting to glance around beforehand. Although the way the two of them are closeted, it would take someone very slow to miss the significance. "So, have you been down to the seashore yet? I think we ought to take a ride at some point... Backdraft needs to learn to tolerate someone else sharing me." Stallions, little kids... same thing.