Common Room: Rose and Lion Inn, Caemlyn

The common room of The Rose and Lion is a merry place. The patrons here appear happy, and sit at stout wooden tables, or at the long bar, in groups of twos or threes. There is much drinking, talking and laughing.

A few patrons remain this late at night, sipping the last mug of ale for the evening, before returning home or continuing on their travels. A few of the patrons are enjoying mugs of steaming tea, warming hands cold from the pre-winter chill. A small blaze is laid upon the stout flagstone hearth, adding warmth to the room. A stout wooden door leads back out to the busy Caemlyn Road, a smaller wooden door leads to the stables, and a well-worn staircase leads up to the private bedchambers and common sleeping areas.
Methos, Nicodemus, Jane

Nicodemus inclines his head. "Yes. I am quite well. I thank you for asking."

The door opens and closes to reveal the closeted Rennar Hune. Until more recently, she's been staying holed up in her home, refusing to come out for some reason or another. She takes a deep breath once inside, allowing herself to relax, though she still seems somewhat wary. She smiles at Juli, the waitress, almost as if to reassure the young girl when she notices a worried look in her direction. Afterwards, she moves over to a table to herself, not really looking about the room.

Jane's eyes follow the conversation, back and forth, but she doesn't indulge in a sound or a gesture of her own.

Methos sits in a chair across from Nicodemus, one leg draped casually over the arm of the chair. He glances towards the door as he notices the woman enter.

Jane sits at the same table, in a chair near Nicodemus. Her eyes brighten with fear as the well-dressed woman enters, but she settles slightly, when that woman fails to approach.

Nicodemus lets his gaze fall upon the door as it opens, announcing The Lady Hune's arrival. He studies her for several long moments, watching her move to a seat without so much as a word. He thinks for a moment to let her be, but he is who he is, and promptly decides that he will speak to her none the less. "M'Lady Hune... It has been some time. Good eve to you."

Hearing her surname, Rennar pauses and looks about. That voice is famliar, and yet for some reason it causes her to tense much like the young woman at Nico's table as she entered. Slowly, she turns around toward the voice, but does not walk toward the table. "Good evening, Gaidin." She speaks in a formal voice, eyes carefully taking in the other man just as carefully as he takes in her own appearance. She says no other words, seeming rather uncertain as to what and how to speak them.

Methos, always the one for grandness, rises to his feet, and bows deeply. "Methos, Queen's Guard at your service." He suddenly winces, and glances back at Jane, anticipating her trying to bolt again.

Jane's eyes squeeze shut, for just a moment, at that word. They open again, and she watches. No, she doesn't bolt; she might be in a cage, for all the movement she shows.

Having not expected the guard to bow before her, Rennar's eyes widen. "Please, save the pagentry for the Queen." An odd thing for her to say, and a noble she is at that. "When I come here, it is merely to relax." Noticing Jane's tension, she smiles warmly at the woman, another odd move from a noble - though Rennar has always been more compassionate toward commoners. Just then Juli walks to her side, and noticing her Rennar smiles and murmurs, "I'll have my usual, if you remember what it is. It's been so long since I've been here." She gives the young waitress an apologetic look. One might suspect she enjoyed talking to the woman who works within the Inn.

Methos retakes his seat after the innapropriate display, bringing the coin out once more, and flipping it quickly in his left hand.

THe Gaidin does things at times that perhaps seem cruel, but he has the intrest of keeping the Aes Sedai who holds his bond well informed at heart. Does this make his actions excuseable? Not at all, but at times he can not care about such things, and do his duty well. "M'Lady... This is Master Methos." He knows that the man has already introduced himself, but he does go through formalities, and besides that, he wants Rennar to focus on the young lady beside him. "And this is mistress Jane... She and I were having quite a conversation some time ago, but I think that she might fear me now when there is truly no need to."

Jane nods, a small nod, at the smile from the woman. But when Nicodemus speaks, she looks at nothing but him, and she most certainly does look frightened.

Inarin enters The Rose and Lion, looking around the common room.

"I assure you Mistress Jane that the Gaidin is harmless unless you threaten the Queen, the Throne, or her family." Rennar offers the young woman a reassuring smile as she turns her attention away from Juli - who goes to get her order. It is then that she goes to her own private table. "It was a pleasure meeting you all." She comments, taking a seat at the window table.

You sit down at Window Table.

Once again, the door to the Rose and Lion opens up and unassuming fellow in simple, commoner's clothes slips into the common room. That'd be Inarin, without any of his Whitecloak finery, or the other whitecloaks with him. He walks over to a table, having himself a seat there and settling right in almost immediately. He takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, tilting his head back.

Inarin sits down at Corner Table.

Methos sits casually slumped in a chair across from Nicodemus and Jane. He glances up as the man enters, and stiffens, recognizing him from a few days past. His eyes take on a dangerous look, which he quickly masks.

Nicodemus looks to the door once more. Seeing that it is the Lord Captain he begins to think it a shame that there isn't an artist to catch this moment in an image to be studied for all time. A Tuatha'an, A Child of the Light, A girl he suspects of many things, The Lady Rennar whom he knows many things about, and the Queen's Gaidin all sit in one room. If there was someone he could point to and call them Ta'Veren, he wouldn't think this such a momentous occassion, but as it stands...

Jane says, "Yes'm." A purely polite response, unpersuaded. The Lady doesn't understand. She turns vague, frightened eyes to the door, and watches the strange man sit. She fails to recognize the man's identity, and thus fails to dissolve into complete hysterics. She just keeps sitting there.

Rennar offers Jane another reassuring smile, "His bark is really worse than his bite. Why, I've even known him to take a child, young Emos, from House Hune under his wing." Her emerald gaze falls on Nicodemus at that, studying him intently once more. She fails to notice the new arrival, too many tables between herself and the doorway, just how she likes it. Juli returns, bringing out a steaming hot mug of tea. Rennar smiles at the young woman, "Thank you Juli." With that she pulls out a few coins, much too much for the simple drink. One might get the impression she's making up for lost time spent closeted in her home.

Juli starts to protest, "My L-...." She starts, pausing with a blush, "Rennar... please, I couldn't possibl-" She pauses once more, seeing a look upon Rennar's features, then nods with a smile, "Thank you." She pockets the coins, then walks off, not saying anything else about the matter.

Nicodemus takes up a knife that happens to be sitting in front of him, and begins to carve a wedge out of the apple in his left hand. "The Lady speaks true mistress Jane. If rumors prove true, I've even been seen taking Aislynn Sedai's own child for walks in the garden." Was this an attempt at humor? Perhaps, but the rumors are still there, and rather than deny them, he uses them to his own advantage."

Methos' eyes narrow as he stares at Inarin. He turns to Nicodemus, a grin forming on his face. "Gaidin, I was wodering if a bit later you would like to cross swords? That is, spar a bit..."

Finally, Inarin looks up and around, pulling his fingers away from the bridge of his nose, where he'd been squeezing, perhaps to ward off a headache of some kind. His gaze stops and rests on Nicodemus and Methos, but only briefly. He flags down one of the tired looking serving girls and, quietly, orders himself something or other to drink.

Jane looks toward Rennar when she speaks again, wearing a faint frown of concentration. Back to Nicodemus, she listens, blinking at the Queen's name. She mumbles, "'S different..."

Nicodemus turns his attention to the tinker. "I am affraid that you would have me at a great disadvantage unless you let me use my ashandarei to defend myself." He inclines his head to Inarin as the Lord Captain's eyes pass over his table. From the 'Child' he looks to Jane. "How so good mistress?"

"As you say, Mistress." With those words, Rennar drops the subject, and turns her attention more fully upon her tea. She fails to see all the stares and glances toward the Lord Captain's direction, not even realizing he has entered. She blows upon her tea, then takes a small sip so as not to burn her tongue.

Jane shrugs. "They're important. Hune and the Queen." Her Manners teacher would surely have something to say about mumbling now. And posture. But the doomed look has faded somewhat, and she experimentally pushes her chair back a bit, as if to rise.

Pausing at the inclined head, he offers a polite little nod in return, though it's a tired one as well. Inarin leans forward and rests his head on his hand, and has his drink handed to him. He smiles up at the serving girl and murmurs a brief 'thank you' to her.

"House Hune is hardly as important as the Queen." Rennar speaks up, perhaps in part denying the fact that she, herself, is the heir-apparent to the throne should something happen to Aislynn before a daughter is born. "Nobles are merely pawns in the fabric of Daes Dae'mar." She shrugs her shoulders, then goes back to sipping at her tea. When she turns from Jane, to her own table, her eyes brush lightly upon Inarin, but she does not seem to 'see' him as others do. To her, he is just another passing face.

Methos smiles, not wanting to further interrupt the Gaidin's conversation with the young woman. Glancing uneasily at the whitecloak in disguise, he takes a sip of wine.

Nicodemus lets his eyes slide sidewise toward the girl as she pushes back. "If you intend to leave mistress Jane, I bid you a good day." He pauses for a moment, and then as an afterthought asks her, "Do you have a place to stay here in Caemlynn?" If she answers yes, he'll undoubtably go on to ask her where.

Inarin scoots around a bit on his seat, getting a little more comfortable in it. He's looking more wakeful, however, at the same time. He cradles his drink in both hands, clasping them around it firmly. He mumbles something under his breath that is undoubtedly lost to the ears of anyone else .

Jane nods silently to Rennar, her confusion growing. She stiffens when Nicodemus looks toward her movement, but dares to stand, all the same. She doesn't, however, dare to flee without answering: "Yessir. I have a job."

Nicodemus slices another piece of the apple away from its core. "Wonderful... May I ask it of you to tell me where?"

Lie? But surely they can see through lies. Faintly, Jane answers, "Barydar. They hired me."

The young lady of Hune continues to quietly sip at her tea, paying no more than casual mind to the conversations about her. In fact, she looks almost relieved that the attention is on the other woman rather than herself, simply wanting to be left alone to relax and enjoy the evening.

Nicodemus inclines his head. "I am sure that you will do well." He had probably already guessed as he overheard a warning given her by a child earlier this day, but he follows up on his suspicions. "Perhaps some day, if you remain in their employ, you will find yourself in the presence of the Queen." Perhaps? If he has any say in the matter she will. "Light shine on you mistress Jane."

Methos nods a farewell to the standing woman, assuming she is making to leave.

Jane swallows, too overwhelmed with relief at her escape to worry over the threat, or so she hears his prediction. "Yessir. Good night, sirs, ma'am." She bobs her head to the men at her table, at the lady, looks a little wild-eyed at the strange man, and makes a rush for the door.

Rennar watches as the young woman leaves, a touch of sympathy entering her eyes. She settles her mug of tea down, then glances out the window, looking into the darkened streets of the night.

Nicodemus sets the wedge of apple on his tongue, and draws it into his mouth. As his teeth sink into the crisp morsel he thinks to himself what a fruitful evening it has been indeed.

Jane pushes through the wooden door and heads back out to the stableyard.

After Jane leaves, it is Rennar's turn to stand from her own table and start for the door. There is no pagentry in what she does, she simply goes, as any other person within the Inn would, weaving in and out of the tables as she moves to the door. In doing so, she passes by Inarin's table briefly, but still does not seem to see or recognize the man, just another face in the crowd. Feeling no need for salutations, she starts to open the door to leave.

Inarin blinks his eyes a few times, then gives his head a quick shake. "Light," he breathes, finally lifting his drink up to take a sip of it. He seems, well, tired. In fact, it's entirely possible he either got up a short time ago, or hasn't been to sleep yet.

Methos shakes his head a bit sadly as the girl rushes out. Turning to Nicodemus, he continues with a previous topic. "What say you, gaidin? I would leave your choice of weapon to you. As long as you do not thrash me senseless with it.." He smiles widely.