Large Clearing(#28503Ro)
The clearing is on the large side, though does not immediately appear to be such because of its shape. Nestled into Bree-hill, it is long rather than wide. A small house stands at the far north end of the clearing, isolated save for the trees which offer shelter to its sides and back. Two wooden steps lead up to the house, constructed of stones much like the other human dwellings in Bree, and the front yard boasts a small garden patch. At the far south end of the clearing stands another building, which might possibly be a warehouse of sorts. The presence of an old, mostly torn down structure near the current building might indicate that an original warehouse had been destroyed, and this newer one had been built to take its place. Near the middle of the clearing, about halfway between the house and the warehouse, stands a well-established fire pit. Wood has been stacked neatly inside the pit, ready for the next person to '+light fire'.
Type: 'room help' for information about the virtual rooms located here.
Contents:
Aleswyn
Obvious exits:
Dirt Path
======================== Bree Time ===========================
Real time: Wed Nov 01 21:40:27 2006
Bree time: Dusk <19:01:21> on Trewsday of Summer - June 21,1439
Moon Phase: Full Moon
===================================================
Breelands Weather
The dusk summer air is very hot and dry around you. No moisture lingers in the air, threatening yet another dry day.
Hot.
It's still hot.
It's still too hot.
It's hot, even for night-time. Darkness has just descended over Bree, and it's time for night-time creatures to come out and play. A tiny fire has just been lit. Beside the fire sits a woman upon a log. She is bent over her knees- long stick reaching out to poke occasionally at the tiny flame. One leg is stretched out before her, uncovered mid-way to the shin, bandage wrapped about the ankle. At her side, a long staff lies hidden in the grass. The shoulders rise, the chest expands and then... she lets a quiet sigh escape into the night. Scarlet Greythorn, all alone, pondering the mysteries of.. who knows what.
So hot it is that the fire nearly finds the heat to be oppressive. The descent of the sun barely offers any relief, and while some might question the presence of a fire on such a night Aleswyn wanders slowly towards it without a question in mind. Nearing her daughter, Aleswyn bends to retrieve a stick from the ground with which she might use to poke into the flames in her typical mindless manner. "Your ankle, daughter," she begins casually, asking, "How does it fare?"
Scarlet glances up at the first sounds of someone approaching, hand moving to rest upon the staff, perhaps in a defensive manner. It relaxes, however, as she realises the identity. The leg lifts, the toes point, the woman winces, the leg lowers again. "It shall mend itself, I have no doubt of that, and at least aches not so much as the last two days..." She falls momentarily into silence, staring with furrowed brows at the fire... and then, glances up to her mother and motions another log. "Sit?"
The offer of log accepted, Aleswyn lowers herself easily, spreading the fabric of her skirt over her lap so that her legs are not overly revealed, even though the only other one present is her daughter. The stick still pokes into the fire, but this time from a sitting positiong. "I couldn't help but notice the flames and thought there might be a reason for them." Though her words are spoken as a casual comment, clearly a question is present.
"Hmmm..." This is the initial reply, Scarlet flicking her stick into the fire as there's someone else able to take over that duty now. "It's just..." A pause, and she narrows her eyes, shifts them toward the fire, glances at the gate, then back to her mother. Thinking time. "Try to read as little into my question as you can, and do not jump to conclusions." A stern warning, another pause before she continues. "If a man were to say a lie about the woman he is supposed to love... A lie that would besmirk her good name... that could call her unfaithful, even... what does that say about the man?"
Eyes stray not from the flames which dance before them, and but a small, barely noticeable nod of the head acknowledges the younger woman's words. "Aye, I shall read as little as possible," Aleswyn promises, still staring into the flames. A moment or two of silence follows the question before the mother turns her head towards the daughter. "It would depend upon the man, the woman, and the nature of the lie. Is this a matter which will require my personal attention?" Her lips seem to curve up into a faint smile at the prospect.
Scarlet too focuses most of her attention on the fire, and then glances up toward Aleswyn. A shake of her head follows. "No, it is not about you, nor me. If the man and the woman were married, and then he is asked for some gossip, not seriously, but asked regardless, and then he says that his wife leaves the house at night and does not return until late, and he knows that the listener would know it as a lie, but... something is off about him, then, something a little changed..." A frown creases her forehead and she falls again into silence.
Shifting on her log, the fire-poking stick poking without aim, Aleswyn faces her daughter. Oddly she regards Leighwyn as she speaks, answering with words that seem to make little sense to Aleswyn. "This married couple of whom you speak, Leighwyn. What are their names? How well are they known to us? It is known to you that his words are untrue, and he knows that you know this? What would be his motivation in speaking them to you then?" Clearly the puzzle perplexes her.
Scarlet lets the first hints of a smile, albeit a frustrated one, pass over her features. "Truly, my dearest mother, you ask far too many questions. At this rate my question shall go unanswered for I'll be too busy trying to answer all of yours! Now, I cannot tell you their names, for you know everybody in Bree, and it would not be fair. I am almost absolutely certain that his words were a lie. I think he would not have said it, were they truth. And thereby, I am certain he knows I know it was a lie." And then a pause, a coy smile, "That is the exact question I am asking. What it means for him to have said it at all. Perhaps it is a secret wish? I know not, I do not understand these things."
Laughing slightly at her daughter's frustrated comment. "My dearest daughter," she begins in teasing mockery of Leighwyn's words. "It is because I ask questions that I enjoy the position I hold, that I know everyone in Bree, and that I am able to use the proper methods of achieving the necessary results in most matters. If my understanding is clear?" She asks the last, though it is clearly rehtorical in nature, with a grin upon her face. "It is my responsibility to know all the comings and goings in Bree so that everything, no matter how minor they might at first seem, may be relayed appropriately." Which could only mean one thing - more specifically, one person. "Still, for me to understand why he would have said what he said about his wife I would need to know who said it."
Scarlet seems in little mood to be teased, ignoring the comments as they come. "You should not relay this to anyone... it concerns no one else... I am almost beginning to regret that I have brought it up. I am certain you are trying to guess who it is, and I will not tell you, and no amount of asking will convince me otherwise. If it was just a man, would it mean something or anything? Perhaps it even means nothing, and I am reading it too much." The woman glances toward her mother, and shrugs, struggling to her feet with the staff. "It matters not. I shall ponder it more. If you discover some answer, or even multiple answers, one of which could make sense to /me/ for knowing who he is, then tell me when I return. It is night, I must walk.." She hobbles forward, "As best I can, at least." And then, she catches the rythm and is soon limping out the gate and down the road.