Encounter with an Eccentric
Chaney was relieved to have gotten away from the ceremony and celebrations. She needed time to be alone, time to regain her composure, her confidence. She had sat now for a while under the stars, she had seen folk leaving the hall and making their ways home, either to the homestead or perhaps further away in Bree, for some mounted their horses and rode off.
A good ride down through the homesteads, and up to Halecatch Lake before heading on to Bree would do her good she thought. That’s exactly what she did do, stopping briefly to allow Bertnar to take on refreshment as she always allowed.
The short ride up to Bree proved uneventful, and as usual she would tie him to what had become ‘his’ post at the back of the Prancing Pony. She made her way up the Inn steps and through the door, as usual giving the room an ever watchful glare.
She noticed a few regulars in, Martie was joking around with someone, and there were a few dwarves in that evening as well. They were making their own merriment by the small fire in front of the counter.
She headed to the counter, removing her hood, and tossed a few coins Barliman’s way asking for a tankard of ale. As she waited she would again throw a glance out toward the room, spanning the area she could see. The patrons, as usual, were going about their own business and had no concern for Chaney.
She took her ale and rounded the corner heading for her usual spot by the large fire hearth at the far side of the room. She saw Fiontann momentarily as he passed by. He would ruffle her hair again, this time she just threw a faint smile and carried on towards her chair.
After sitting for a while, taking sips from her tankard, she noticed an older man come walking by and then head to a chair where Fiontann normally sat behind the counter.
The man would stare at her for quite some time, Chaney would simply glare back at him and raise her hood to cover her face. He decided to walk over and attempted to strike up conversation with her. However, she was in no mood for chat, especially with a man, a strange man.
At length Chaney would rise and head to the counter, leaving the man, whom had taken it upon himself to sit on the chair next to her. She again tossed Barliman a few coins and waited for the innkeeper to pour her another ale.
Whilst she waited, a woman whom she did not know arrived at the side of the counter holding a baby in her arms. She was cooing to the baby and looking with absolute love at him or her. Chaney would remember her own childhood because of this and it would bring a tear to her eye.
At length she took her tankard of ale and sat in another part of the inn over by the windows which looked out onto the fountain and staging area. The strange, old, eccentric man would again come over and attempt to strike up conversation.
He said his name was Ostergo and that he belonged to the Dawn. However, Chaney was suspicious of this, firstly because the man did not openly wear any sigils, and because he seemed to not know where he was, or indeed whom he was.
At one point she had threatened him by swiftly unsheathing her daggers and by no means pointing out that she would use them unless he left her alone. But upon saying he was a good friend of Fiontann, she hesitated for a moment before sheathing them again.
The man eventually left her alone, but not before giving Chaney something to think about. Was he a friend of Fiontann? Did Ostergo know him so well like he said he did? Was he a ‘Dawner’ like he proclaimed to be? Chaney was not sure, but she knew she had to speak to Fiontann regarding this….
