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Old 07-19-2008, 06:09 PM   #179
Gwathagor
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: A Rainy Night In Soho
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Gwathagor is a guest of Elrond in Rivendell.Gwathagor is a guest of Elrond in Rivendell.Gwathagor is a guest of Elrond in Rivendell.
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"Good morning, Crabannan," said Erbrand, "I hoped that you slept well?"

Crabannan stretched and flexed his sleepy muscles, and then knelt down beside the bucket of water that he kept outside his tent.

"Well enough, Erbrand. Well enough."

He splashed the still-frigid water over his face and head and, standing up, threw back his dripping black hair and shook it, running his fingers through to keep it off his face. He looked at Erbrand and smiled his peculiar half-smile. In a way, that summed up Crabannan's relationship with many in the camp, Erbrand in particular: Crabanna was pleasant enough when he chose to be, but there was always part of him withdrawn, held back, part of himself that he never comitted. A month in the camp had improved and developed his ability for friendly interaction, but he still retained his tendency to brood, a characteristic which put many off. A little thing would throw him into deep, silent thought at a moment's notice and in that state, Crabannan was easily angered. Generally, his anger was just, but rarely was it merciful.

Crabannan swept up his short sword and began to buckle it on. He would just as soon have walked away from Erbrand without further conversation, which he knew would be forced and ingenuine (as it always was), but his marginal sense of social propriety, which he had somehow retained from his upbringing in Dale (or had the friendly and open Eorlings been rubbing off on him?), made him stay a moment longer.

"Up early today, Erbrand?" Erbrand was always up early. He said it was to check his snares (Erbrand fancied himself a hunter), but Crabannan always felt that he was more interested in spending as much time as possible with the kitchen-ladies, Kara in particular, than in the day's catch. This, at least, was Crabannan's impression, which may not have been as objective and disinterested as he like to believe...

At any rate, the catch was typically slim (a tough old buck-rabbit, a miniscule grouse, etc.), but would always be brought in with great seriousness and business-like modesty, in true Erbrand fashion. Crabannan knew that Erbrand rubbed him the wrong way and though he managed to keep his feelings hidden, he could resist pretending to take Erbrand as seriously as Erbrand took himself. The result was a series of facetious jabs. And, in turn, Crabannan had always felt the polite and proper Erbrand's subtle disapproval and dislike; for what, he couldn't say.

"How is hunting these days? Are the rabbits keeping up with you? They breed quickly, of course, but...I daresay you put a great strain on the poor mothers."

As he began to walk off towards the kitchen, where he guessed Erbrand had just come from - he was ALWAYS hanging around there, behaving obsequiously towards the cooking women - he could not resist asking: "How is Kara?"

As soon as he spoke, he knew he oughtn't to have said anything.

Last edited by Gwathagor; 07-20-2008 at 04:36 PM.
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