The Golden Perch Inn

[Flame of Udûn]

Arandon was somewhat uncertain of how to act he was rarely in the company of women and the fact she was a ranger made him even more uncertain.
'Greetings Aeron, my travels go neither well nor ill for I have no specific purpose at this time.'

Arandon paused carefully examining the Ranger, he could tell from her eyes and the smoothness of her skin that she was no more than 30.
'But what brings you here to the edges of the Shire for surely there can be no need of a ranger here.'

[xMellrynxMaidenx]

"I could ask the same of you, master ranger." She gave him a small smile, turning a little on the barstool to face him better.

"Curiosity; no matter what I think of it, it is ever unsatiable."

It would be the death of her one day, no doubt. Aeron was an adventurer and yearned to see the rest of the world one day, if she could. Averting her eyes back to his face, Aeron became rather interested in finding out what had brought him here as well. She knew, however, if she had inquired the reason as to why he was in the Shire, he would never fully give her the reason; or would probably ignore the question all together. She would have done the same had her reason been more urgent.

[Flame of Udûn]

'If you wish not to answer a simple question then please say so and do not play games. I have little to tell, I was summoned from my previous mission away in darker lands than these and given a task that was to take precedence. Yet of this task I am to tell no-one, and I am afraid therefore that on this subject your curiosity must go unsated.'

Presuming the previous matter of conversation closed he decided to move past the trifling question of why she was there (for he knew that guard on the shire was being increased though he had not been informed of Rangers being sent within its borders save himself). Instead he resolved todiscover how it was a woman had come to be a ranger for though not unheard of it was exceedingly rare.

'Let us perhaps talk of things not so shrouded in secrecy (although I shall admit that there is little i do not keep secret) and turn to a subject of which I am greatly interested how does a young women of the Dunedain end up becoming a ranger? You must have had great reason to join as well as great skill with weapons to have chosen such a path.'

[Folwren]

Dick pretended not to listen to the two rangers' conversation while he puttered about behind the counter. He frowned a little at first, for the conversation was not going quite as well as he hoped. But then when Arandon asked Aeron how she came to be a ranger, a contented look returned to Dick’s face. Not only would he be interested in hearing the response, he also knew that it was a good starter for conversation, provided that she answered it straightforward.

Yet it was not to be. Before Aeron even had a chance to open her mouth to either answer or refuse to give a proper reply, the door burst open and a blast of cold air flowed into the room. Dick looked up, and any cheerful words of welcome and teasing remonstrance for letting the cold in died on his lips. The figure in the doorway made no movement to shut the door, and did not look at all apologetic for the cold he was allowing to rush in unchecked.

“Shut the door, will you?” Dick shouted finally. “What d’ye mean letting in the cold air and letting the warm air out? Do you mean to freeze us all? Make up your mind and come in or stay out.”

“Not a very welcoming reception,” the man grumbled, reaching for the door and shutting it with a bang. “I’d almost think you didn’t want my business.”

Dick looked at the man’s sour expression as he clumped over to the bar. He knew this type. This was a brawling type, and he didn’t like that type at all. “Maybe I don’t want your business.”

The man smirked a crookedly and leaned his elbow down on the counter. He let a coin clatter onto the counter top. “Give me a pot of beer, innkeeper, and make it fast.”

Dick frowned, but obeyed nonetheless. The newcomer turned to look at his neighbors. His eyes flicked past Arandon and settled on Aeron. “Well,” he said, the insolent smile spreading. “If it isn’t a female ranger. I’ll be danged. Caught any villains this last month?” He laughed. Dick set the mug of ale down before him sharply to demonstrate his disapproval, and the man turned to grasp it. “Or have you ever, I should say,” he added half under his breath and brought the flagon to his lips.

[Flame of Udûn]

Arandon saw this stranger enter and despised him from the first moment his eyes laid upon him, he knew all to well this sort and though in a busier place he may have been able to avoid him here he had no such chance. It was obvious from the manner of the hobbit that his distaste for the man was great also.

The man looked past him and spoke, his words bore not the respect that was certainly due to one of the Dunedain and the scorn with which he put upon her sex he could not allow, he spoke calmly but with anger coursing through his veins and seeping through in his words.
'I shall not allow you to speak thus least of all to one who is a protector of you and your kin in Bree for with the people in the north you would be harried by orcs and much else besides I don't doubt. You speak in scorn of someone you and I know not, and why do you do this, simply because she is female?' He could not contain his anger any longer and leaned over the man shouting down at him. 'And yet I say to you that she had shown more bravery and honour by the age of 5 than you will show in your lifetime, the post of a Ranger is not a birthright it must be earned and any with sense will never to actively seek their anger. If your only words are those of poison then hold your tongue else I may see fit to remove it.'

Arandon knew there would likely be a retribution for this and yet he cared not, he had faced many a more terrible foe during his last few years he calmed himself and turned away from the man.

'Now where were we?' he said to Aeron with a smile creeping to the corners of his mouth as he baited the man who had so rudely interrupted them almost hoping he would strike and give him some chance to release an anger that had been with him for many years now.

[xMellrynxMaidenx]

Aeron had pulled her cloak around her tighter when the cold air whipped past her. She had watched the dangerous looking man enter into the once warm and cozy Inn, being none to polite to the hobbit innkeeper when ordering his pot of beer. His presence chilled her bones, causing a sour look to cross the once content and warm features of her face. She attempted to keep her focus on the male Dunadan, but found that the newcomer had unsettled her nerves greatly. She brushed off the man's unnecessary comment, and did her best to ignore him. The elder ranger had given the man quite the tongue lashing, and she hoped that it would not cause any unnecessary altercation to arise in the small Inn.

"When mother was with child, my father had hoped for a son, but instead he received me; a daughter." She paused for a moment, glancing down at her near empty mug, debating on whether or not to ask for a refill. Deciding against it, she continued with her tale,"I wanted to give my father the son he never had, which is why I became a ranger. There is no greater reason other than wanting to make my father, and my people, proud."

Her grey eyes shifted to gaze out of her peripheral vision, silently wondering if the cantankerous newcomer had any more snide remarks hidden up his sleeve.

[Folwren]

The reaction of the ranger was admirable. “I will not allow you to speak thus – lease of all to one who is a protector of you and your kin in Bree.” How did he know where he was from? “For with the people in the north, you would have been harried by orcs and much else besides, I don’t doubt.” Ha! Extremely unlikely. Possibly they would deem it necessary to save the innocent people of the north from characters like him, but nobody needed to protect Ibin Grasserby. “You speak in scorn of someone you and I know not, and why do you do this? Simply because she is female? And yet I say to you that she has shown more bravery and honor by the age of five than you will show in your lifetime.” Ibin’s lip curved in a sneer, but the ranger ignored it. “The post of a Ranger is not a birthright, it must be earned and any with sense will never actively seek their anger. If your only words are those of poison, then hold your tongue, else I may see fit to remove it.”

A threat, by gum! Ibin reached under his coat and grasped his knife hilt, but then released it. No, there could be some fun here, and it wouldn’t do to kill anybody. Not when there were two of them, anyhow. He didn’t count the hobbits. He would hold his tongue and his patience for now and see if this ranger actually backed up his high and mighty words with deeds.

But instead of seeing if his challenge were answered, the ranger turned his back on Ibin and returned his attention to the woman. Ibin’s eyes stretched with disbelief. He was actually going to leave it at that? Expect Ibin to let it rest, did he?

“Now where were we?” the ranger asked the woman.

Ibin looked at her. Surely she wouldn’t answer. Surely she would know there was a fight brewing, and would seek to escape it, like most women would.

But she did. She provided them with a sad tale of mother and father wanting a boy and getting a girl instead. “I wanted to give my father the son he never had, which is why I became a ranger. There is no greater reason other than wanting to make my father, and my people, proud."

“Ha!” Ibin scoffed from behind Arandon. “I imagine he would have been prouder if his daughter had stayed in her place in the kitchen, rather than shaming him by taking the position of a man. I would have you know that most men don’t respect women who go traipsing about the countryside, endangering their honor and their reputation by pretending to be other than they really are.”