RP:Arien petitions The Executioner

Jacklin ::A kind-eyed man pulled the knob quietly behind him, swarthy face carried doubtless burden within the folds and creases of age. His red-rimmed sight sunken and low as mud crusted boots thumped across the hallway and toward the steps of the Inn. Tattered green vest hugging his worked frame as able limbs took him down another corridor until he reached the entrance. Saluting the Innkeeper with a subtle shift of upper lip he plants sinuous arms against the favorably worn edge of the reservation counter. Running a hair through salt-and-pepper shaded follicles he indulges in a low, comfortable conversation with the female across the wood. Oddly enough, the tones that fall from the mans lips are of foreign quality. Broken speech with lengthy pauses throughout, "One day best, one day no. She be an older human so harder to build back." With feminine words returned the male nodded, turning quietly from her presence and toward the exit with a cigar dancing between lips, produced from places unknown. An eye catching both Arien and Rhocielle as the loitered in front of the Inn. Though sight was seen, his tongue did not greet them. With the gentle sea-bourne breeze came the deep inhale. The warm orange glow, small but prominent, was an odd welcome to any who might have come. Against his better judgement, Sapheul gifts the pair with a single statement, "You seem an elf-thing."

Arien had stepped out into the evening for a breath of fresh air, fairly certain that her escort and self enacted guardian would likely be on her heels. The elf had spent yet another day lingering in a quite visible manner in the foyer of the great inn, in the hopes that this time, one of the liveried officers moving to and fro would take that step and venture recognition of the elf who was so clearly waiting. Again, it had seemed her wait was in vain, and she had begun to wonder if it was all part of some test-some attempt to break her spirit before she was even granted audience, for surely the queen knew that she could not walk away. She could not risk the wrath that the action might provoke, and certainly not risk leaving Kenneth to deal alone with the further consequence of a liege insulted, as well as poisoned. Arien drew her cloak around her against the cold and lifted eyes to the setting sun. “ Another day spent in futility Rho..how much longer must we abide?” Frustration was evident in her tone, as well as resignation. The movement in the shadowed doorway of the inn did not catch her eye, but the muttered observation certainly did. She turned slowly to greet the speaker, her gaze carefully assessing. He bore no livery but he was the first being to express an interest in her identity since she had arrived. “ I am High Born.. If it is an elf you seek, an elf you have found..” Her reply was cautious, giving little away.

Rhocielle had indeed followed after the elven woman moments after he had heard the telltale click of her door opening and closing once more, announcing her departure from her room. Though he doubted Arien to be in any danger, staying at her side was far more appealing than sitting in silence within his own dormitory. A faint smirk creased the thin lips of his muzzle as he was spoken to while still being some paces away from woman. She was getting far better at feeling his presence with each passing day, it appeared. "Seems that way," the lycan uttered in his usual husky drawl, "And I do not know..." Though he was not visible to her, he rolled his shoulders in a shrug. He would stay with her as long as she would remain in the city while awaiting the queen. Afterward, that had yet to be seen. The canine ears of the black lycan were the first to take notice of the sudden voice addressing them, his eyes having been roaming elsewhere in his surroundings. They twitched atop his furry scalp towards the strange accent before his muzzle and then entire frame turned to bring forth a visual to accompany the foreign audio. The weathered face of Sapheul was met with the more youthful, if bestial, face of Rhocielle. As Arien spoke to the man, the black furred male himself remained silent, though stepping closer to the High Elf out of habit.

Jacklin ::Sapheul wiggled the brown wrap between his lips, ash and small sparks drifting toward the earth in a show of lights. Rocking back on his heels as coal eyes lifted to the dotted sky above. The candles within windows seeming to highlight the starry sky, his adams apple leaping as his spoke once more, "I knewd one of you once. Cut lumber and branch." Index and middle fingers rose to retrieve the cigar from dried lips where it currently hung lazily, "Said you come here one of these days soon." Suddenly a queer-squinted sight found itself affixed to Rhocielle. "That one be strange lookin," with even further indication, the male lifted the cigar toward Arien's male companion with a shake. Curiosity was evident on his face as well as a deeply troubled gleam in his eye. Unbeknownst to the two strangers, Sapheul was the bodyguard of Jacklin. She alone had head-hunted the man from another land to the east of Cenril. Plenty of gold he made, but a tender place he'd given the aging Queen in his heart. Replacing the cigar Sapheul turned toward the door left ajar from his earlier exit, "I ain't no reason to hurt elf so back off. Real guard shows no move of closer to his assignment. Shows the enemy what ya thinkin." Pushing the door fully open he nods to both of the travelers, "She say you come up when ya arrive. Climb them steps and enter the first on the left. Queen be looking for your arrival so go in. No need to knock, she knows it be the elf."

Arien puzzled for a moment over the accent of the male, trying to place it before she made herself pay more attention to what he was saying and not how he was saying it. His confirmation that she was indeed expected was a relief, she had begun to doubt herself and the note that she had received. She permitted herself a quiet smile at his unabashed skeptisim about Rho’s form and presence. “ I wouldn’t say strange.. he is a fine representative of his kind. A nobler creature and faithful friend I have not yet found.” She was surprised at the level of truth in the statement. When had he become friend? She quelled her curiosity about the manner in which the wolf might respond to the man’s sage advice, focusing instead upon his directions into the presence of the queen. Finally. It had begun. “ Thank you good sir. I shall endeavor not to tire her out with my presence.” A quick glance back to Rho would ensure that he was of the right frame of mind to be ushered into the presence of a queen with cause to be aggrieved, and then she would turn on her heel toward the great carved doorway with a final respectful bow Sapheul’s way. A few minutes of meandering walk along the path determined by the male’s directions, would end with the elf’s quiet entry into the small, clean room where the Lady abode. Arien paused just inside the doorway, standing in silence a moment before evidencing a respectful, if shallow bow. It would not do to -entirely- cede the queen the upper hand. “ Your Highness..” Her greeting would ripple into the quiet of the room, announcing her arrival. Arien made sure that her position allowed for Rho to enter behind her with a similar minimization of disruption to the sick room’s atmosphere.

Rhocielle narrowed his eyes faintly in kind to the comment directed at his wolfish appearance, even going so far as to cant his head much as animal would when confronted with someone strange for the first time. With the tilt, a furry ear flopped over in similar direction. His nostrils flared to odd aromas emanating. Mixtures of scents that perhaps told of all of the guardian's travels and encounters. Whatever the reason, they too were a peculiar aspect of the man before him and elven woman. The grey orbs set on his muzzle widened almost unnoticeably from Arien's statement regarding their aquaintanceship. It would seem that it had now become more. Taking heed of the elder's advice silently of not giving more information than necessary, he did not betray a glance back to the female at mention of their friendship, and only nodded slowly to Sapheul. When Arien took to walk past him towards the door, he dipped his head to her in an affirmative response to her silent inquiry, along with a faint smile for her earlier statement. His twin digigrade legs kept to a similar pace set by both invidividuals before him as the foremost lead the pair to the queen's quarters. Stepping inside after Arien, he shifted to the left of her but still behind her smaller frame. As she bowed before royalty, he mimicked the bowing gesture as best he could with an appropriate angle of his muzzle, though with his own culture further seeping through; ears laxed against his scalp and his black bushy tail ceased waggging behind him, "Your Highness..." Unlike the softer feminine tone that echoed before his own greeting, his was much more deep and gravely but not without clear sincerity for the queen.

Jacklin sat silently buried beneath a stack of blankets in a quaint looking bed. A room hardly fit for royalty, but Jacklin was never one for the frills or benefits of what her job entailed. A basin of water sat untouched on the bedside table while a few pieces of scribbled parchment clung to the corner. The Queen herself was hardly noticeable if not for the bedraggled chestnut hair and gentle rise and fall of an armored bosom. Though she was aged, the pallid visage of Jacklin looked quite worse for wear. For one with so many titles, so many badges earned for her years of warring and leading, one could only label this female as a shell of former glory. Lips were cracked and stained with a blood that had been obviously wiped away several times with no avail. Her entire face was flushed and pale. Shiny beads of sweat coated her brow and took no notice to the swipe of a hand or wetting of cloth. They continued to bubble to the surface. Rivets of the clear fluid drifted down the sides of her brow until falling from her chin onto the blanket below. From physical standpoint alone, the only item still true to the human were those eyes. Clear and cobalt they held regard on no particular object in the room, but gleamed with the keenness they always did. Oddly enough, at her side was the spear. The Executioners only weapon of choice. While some children slept with their favorite dolls or animals, Jacklin rested with her weapon. With the opening of door came the flicking of attention toward the pair of new arrival. One was familiar, the other a stranger. Nonetheless, a gentle dip of chestnut-crown was given and a wheezing voice emerged, "I'd rise for the Lieutenant, but I'm afraid you've caught me at a rather grave time." Coughing suddenly into a closed fist she waves the two with a spare hand toward the chairs facing her bed. Recovering, Jacklin returns with another phrase, "You could kill me in this instant and I couldn't do a thing to stop you. A fitting end and a prize above others, yes? Remove another evil from the lands." Damp brow lifted easily as eyes focused on Rhocielle instead of Arien, "I assume you come to work this out. For proof." A thin limb smoothed the sheets on her legs idly. And for a moment, silence wrapped the room again. Cobalt optics squinted before retreating back to the High Elf and her companion, "Is this proof enough, Arien?"

Arien moved quietly into the room, crossing to the chairs indicated by the queen and slipping into one of the same. Emerald gaze drifted over the frail and weakened form before her and concern shadowed the face of the elf. She did not like to bear witness to suffering, and clearly the queen had been perilously close to death. It was her first meeting with the human and a surprise. Much was now explained; she had been unaware of the queen’s advanced years and of the increased susceptibility to toxins that that factor might induce. She observed the woman in thoughtful quietude a brief moment before venturing a response. “ I am sorry to impose upon you at such a time. Were it not for the urgency of action required I would have been quite satisfied to wait until you were fully restored, but there are some matters best dealt with sooner rather than later..yes?” The elf ventured a somber smile, drawing her sword from its sheath and allowing it to rest upon the flat of its blade in her palm before laying it to rest upon the linens of the bed within grasp of the royal. “ Despite what you may be inclined to think, I do not wish you dead your highness, and there are manifestations of ‘evil’ of far greater concern to me and mine than any shadow that you might cast upon the lands.” She sat back within her seat, an almost unreadable expression on her face. Now was not the time to enter a debate justifying her course or cause. “ I have not, in fact, come for poof..for I am not so unwise as to question the word and honor of a queen. I take it for fact that you have been poisoned. As such, I have come only to determine whether Kenneth’s actions could be justified, or qualified..and if not, to determine what course of discipline might be agreed upon between us to avoid an escalation of these events into a result that neither of us might have the time or inclination to endure. And so, I must ask, your highness, in your opinion as a warrior, did Kenneth have a recourse other than poison to defend himself in the course of your encounter? ” Emerald gaze met cobalt, and asked without words, if the queen could declare herself innocent to a fault in the incident that had occurred. Should the answer be yes, the elf would be honor bound to accept it.

Rhocielle would have believed that a Healer of Awne's abilities be able to grant the queen a more healthy visage following her stay at the Healer's House. With the almost deathly pale woman bedridden, he wondered why they had needed to travel to Cenril when surely the secluded home in Kelay would have been just as well. More to his silent and invisible confusion was how the queen even survived the trip to the inn in her state. The presence of the spear was not lost on the black lycan. Wary of the hand that wielded the weapon, he put little into account as far as how the queen looked, and more into who the queen was. All of his thoughts of wonderment were cast aside when he himself was looked up by the cobalt gaze of the queen. The granite hues of his own eyes met hers briefly and there was glance of uncertainty to his wolfish face. Proof? Proof of what? Rather than interrupt their conversation, he remained silent and followed in the steps of the elf. Taking the adjacent chair offered, he once more practiced a similar gesture of courtesy as Arien had done with her blade. The bow and quiver almost always present on his shoulder were unslung and replaced over the back of his seat. The time it would take him to somehow retrieve the weapons and draw an arrow were akin to the vulnerability of the elven sword now in reach of the queen. The stark canine features of the black lycan would be far more difficult to read, as most of his kin were usually in a rage while appearing as he did. This lycan, perhaps to Jacklin's surprise, sported a calm and stolid expression as his paw like hands rested idly upon the arm rests.

Jacklin drew a blind hand behind her and clasped fingers around a glass of water. While there were full bottles of whiskey gathering dust behind the basin, Jacklin was simply too weary to even indulge in her favorite drink. Instead the spring water had to do. Eyeing the sword resting on the sheets she faltered, the ghost of a smile kneading her lips before vanishing just as swift as it had appeared. Taking a deep drain of the warm water she cleared her throat, coughing a few times before tilting the glass back to withdraw the remaining liquid. Sighing contentedly as the glass was replaced the warrior turned an eye back to Arien with still-wheezed vocals, "I am many things, Arien. But you may cut my tongue out if you find me a liar." Resting back against the pillows stacked against the headboard her eyes still resting on the High Elf, "I do not like your group. I'd like nothing more than to sail all of them out on a ship and bomb the bottom." Though weak she still held a stern tongue. Not as aggressive, nor confident as her usual speech, but still enough to captivate the listener. Briefly her eyes found those of granite, Rhocielle's face was reviewed with mild interest. Or perhaps the illness-induced glaze her visage currently breathed. Returning to Arien she spoke slowly and calmly. "But I assure you it was not I who is at fault. I initiated the attack to divert focus from the main target. I understand the man who attacked me is named Kenneth. Well, Kenneth is of youth. He is young and agile. This, beyond all else, puts him as a target. You are no stranger to fighting, Arien. If you did not know, I am no alien to it either. My entire life is about fighting." Fingers gentle trace the neck of her spear as if to assure herself that, after all of this, she would return to such a life. "He was closest. Surely such a man beneath your banner would be wise and competent enough to fight? In that case, his actions against me are not justified. A true warrior does not react in that manner. I used a spear and he took the easy way out. Using toxin to escape rather than engage in civil fighting. Kenneth took the cowards path," jaw bulged as the shade of ire seemed to paint her sweat-covered visage, "You are in charge of them, Arien. What do you teach these young fighters? To abuse their skill and flee at the first sight of danger? This is what I do not understand. But, as I mentioned, I initiated the attack. Kenneth is the individual who completed the task."

In the stillness of the room, for a moment, all that was heard was the raged breathing of the queen as the elf listened to her tale unfold, and then the soft exhalation of breath as Arien released a quiet sigh. With slow movement, designed not to startle the infirm queen, the elf rose to her feet and wandered slowly over to the open window, pausing to look down into the street with unseeing eyes, her hands clasped loosely behind her back. A moment’s thought and she turned to face the queen on the bed. “It is as I feared then. From the moment I heard of the incident, the details gave me pause. He is youthful, and a born lycan. My judgment as a warrior dictated that in hand to hand combat, his strength alone should have eventually given him the upper hand. No slight intended to your evident skill my Lady..” She drifted closer to the bedside once more. “ I assure you, it is not our way to take the cowards way out. I have expressed my disappointment to Kenneth about his conduct in this matter and internal discipline will be applied of a quite significant measure. The question remains, however, what price might you demand for the slight to your honor? I plea only one act of clemency; that his life might be spared. Ken is aware that any other sentence below that is a possibility.” The elf stood still and somber at the queen’s bedside. Truly, the fate of the lycan was now out of her own hands.

Rhocielle seemed as still as the stone that was comparable to the coloring of his irises. Only those windows to his soul flitted back and forth between the two females in their vocal exchange. Listening to the queen's own account, it merely conicided with what the elf and the black lycan with her had heard. Nothing on his part was spoken throughout, as it neither his place to speak between them, nor even any stake of his present. His ears were refrained from lowering in melancholy at listening to the elven woman, empathizing silently with the entirely possible outcome for the other lycan male. Remaining in his seat, all the high elf's companion could do for her cause was watch her as they both awaited the queen's judgment.

Jacklin eyes Arien as she moves from her chair, toward the window which allows a thin layer of moonlight to coat the various objects placed in the room. As the High Elf turns from her reposed figure Jacklin takes the moment to pull the linen sheet upwards in an attempt to rid herself of the overwhelming mixture of sweat-saliva that coats her paled visage and lips alike. Throat was cleared confidently as the Lieutenant turns back from her sentry at the overlook. Certainly time in bed had allowed the elder to think on this subject. Without a doubt, Jacklin had plotted her vengeance. One she fully intended to perform. If nothing else, Jacklin always got the last action. An elder in mind perhaps, but never in body. Thus, this bed was more of a prison than a simple chamber of rest. A queen away from her land. A warrior away from her weapons and training ground. Not being able to flex her body and practice her skills was just nearly death. Worse than most torture methods she had endured. With these heavy thoughts, Jacklin affixed cobalt optics on the face of Arien with a steady nod, "As soon as I am up from this bed...I -wanted- to kill him. Rip him from limb to limb. It would have been pure joy. But, now I realize something more. As this bed has been to me, my choice for his punishment will be for him. Torture. I wish for Kenneth to be lowered in rank within your guild. Severely lowered. Placed on probation as well. Then, for the finale, that pathetic man will owe me a favor. Not the city of Larket, nor the Queen, but Jacklin. He will own Jacklin Erristyn a favor. What say you?"

Arien had, by the time of the queen’s utterance returned to the bedside of the frail female. A leader, a strategist in her own right, the elf met the gaze of the woman directly for a moment before she retook her seat, her mind examining all the implications of the stipulations put forth by the warrior. When she spoke, her voice was a rippling murmur. “Upon the stripping of his rank and privilege to that of basic soldier, I am in agreement. It is a consequence that will be felt, and deeply. Of all my officers, he has probably been with me the longest, and has been quite challenged to progress in rank to the office he currently holds. Such a punishment will certainly give him pause to consider the implications of his actions before acting with rash judgment again.” The elf leaned back in her seat, continuing, “ I am also willing to establish a probationary period in which he shall be subject to further discipline, including expulsion from the order for the commission of any irresponsible acts that might endanger the security of the clan in such a manner again.” A slender, pale finger tapped idly against the arm of the chair as her gaze continued to rest upon the queen, a thoughtful expression upon her face, before she continued, her tone carefully absent of hostility or disrespect. “ I must however, ask if you will reconsider the final stipulation, for surely, as a strategist in your own right, you must admit that it would be folly for me to willingly permit one who is bound to grant the request of another-of one openly disdainful of our cause and operations- to remain within my number. It is a security risk that could not easily be overlooked without some honorable commitment on your part that you would not seek to use this, favor, against The Order at some point in the future..” Arien kept her gaze locked upon the older female tuning her every instinct to attempt to read of the other’s intent. She would not put it past the wily female to seek some advantage from the situation. She would do the same in her position.

Rhocielle rolled his tongue against the roof palette of his closed maws, readying to click audibly against canine tooth as he listened to the queen's final portion of her offer. A favor would be required, she had stated. Though he had no care for the fate of the other lycan, it was not lost on him the always present danger of a favor that had no limits to its heights, or depths. No sound, however, erupted from the silent black lycan. It was a natural habit of his, akin to the more human tsking, but that was not made either. He had enough sense in his wolfen mind that such a disruption risked the chance of destroying everything the High Elf had done since meeting the queen. The broad canine tongue remained still as his eyes trailed from the queen, once she had finished speaking, back to Arien. In the elven woman's emerald orbs and figure, he sought not only her vocal response to the queen but her nonverbal reaction as well, however subtle or well she would conceal them. Agreement to the demotion as well as the probationary period were not a surprise, and readily expected of her as she had confided in him that she was prepared to punish her soon-to-be former officer in a similar fashion. Disagreement to the last condition also came as no surprise, and though opinions within him continued to rage on within, Arien's lycan companion held fast his thoughts, and his tongue.

Jacklin shakes her head. But attention flicked from the face of Arien then, irises widening to take in the visceral visage of the other. The companion to the High Elf. Maw fell lax as the fought to retrieve the proper words swimming around her fevered brain. Finally, from a lengthy pause, Jacklin hits on the correct lingo with a blink. "That male is some sort of guardian, yes? I finally got one of those. I'm sure you met him downstairs, swarthy and strangely-spoken. Until I ascended the throne I had no guard. I -was- the guard for others, Arien. The safety for figures of power and the general who trained up armies. Now I'm the thing to be guarded." With this she indicates the garbed Lycan with a delicate lift of chin, "Your role is more important than that of the leaders. Did you know that? A warden is more important than even a King or Queen's role within a town. Even a Lieutenant pales in the face of a guardian." With speech toward the still-stranger completed Jacklin adjusted her eyes back to Arien. "I will not bend on this, Arien. You had my words that he will not die, and that will not falter even with this later ruling. Do you not think me lenient? Perhaps you do not know me well, or at all, but I am not one to back down on words of actions. Never will I be less stern than I should be. In fact...I'm often harsher. Kenneth will owe me one favor. After what he did to me?" With these words, Jacklin gestures against at her glossy face and heaps of bedding covering her frail form, "I am here, Airen. Away from my town and people I care for. The cowardly attack of your officer has cost me something dear. Not my health, but my freedom. I have to have a guard now. And it is just...pathetic." With a sigh the queen tilts her head at the able bodied female and her companion, "I will not bend again."

Arien remained seated, deep in thought as the words of the elder flowed over and around her, directed towards Rhocielle. She almost smiled at the assumption of the woman that the wolf was her guard. How ironic. Rho was not even her kinsman, certainly not her guard though he had taken it upon himself to function in such a capacity. She was not entirely sure why he had even traveled to Cenril with her and remained for the duration. The wolf’s reasons were peculiarly his own and she found herself disinclined to think too deeply at the moment about what they might be. The words of the queen did stir to life the idea that she could make his assumed guardianship official however-she had of late found herself in need of a guardsman, one having fallen in the line of duty. But these were thoughts for another time, the hurdle of an obstinate elder looming before her. She was wise enough to see and understand that the queen would not be moved; this would mean that the security of her clan would now reside in her own hands. The queen’s triumph would be complete-for not only would she have stripped Kenneth of his rank, she would have managed to strip him of the one thing he had had guaranteed secure, Arien’s trust in his loyalty. The lycan would perpetually be under surveillance until the elf was assured his favor had been granted without harm to her kin, and she would not be beyond expelling him from the clan if she had cause to suspect that his presence was a danger. A sigh slipped past her lips. “ Very well Jacklin..you shall have your favor..” Her emerald gaze cooled slightly- she was not comfortable in the acceptance of defeat. She bit upon her tongue, the warning she wanted to issue the queen burning upon her lips. She had no cause to seek to harm the queen or her interests, but if Jacklin found cause to use the lycan to harm his own kin there was no knowing how the winds of change might stir. She would not speak the words. Too much would be risked if affront was caused- but surely the elder knew what the outcomes of such a course might be. “ Will that be all?”

Rhocielle allowed himself the slightest measure of a recess from his stony expression when he was suddenly addressed directly by the weary queen; a brief blink of the granite orbs above his muzzle. No word was given as a response to the queen, only a slow nod that he was intently listening to her. Though he was neither the High Elf's guardian nor even a member of her clan, more lately than not he was inadvertently behaving as such and more. Would he could have spoken to Arien at the queen's refusal to step down regarding the possibly ominous favor, to allow the High Elf to voice her concerns to him without the risk of words being construed as opposed to the queen's will. An ever constant battle of ceding and gaining ground, the meeting of diplomats and royalty. He was only a lycan, without claim to nobility outside of his own tribe, but not without wisdom of his own for his few centuries of life. In his own silent and thoughtful gaze towards his elven companion, he heard Arien's response. Much would he have to voice to her when they would be granted leave of the queen, all of which he did not expect her to listen, but he would still have his say in private. Having the notion that their audience was being drawn to a close, he awaited for the queen to answer before attempting to rise from his station.

Jacklin simply nods. There was nothing more to be hashed over, their words had entwined long enough and the weight of lengthy vocals had begun to wear on Jacklin. Once propped up on the pillows she now had slid down further beneath the covers. Wan lids drew heavy with each blink, but yet Jacklin was never one to mistake face. Fighting even now to maintain a formal guise in the face of one she still assumed uncharted territory. "That is all. We've nothing more to discuss now. I got what I wanted and you walk away with a live subject." Perhaps it was best Jacklin had been too ill to raise her voice. Too ill to fight and verbally spar with Arien. It was, no doubt, something Jacklin enjoyed quite a bit. Trying to wear her victim down with words before spear was relinquished from its hold. But these days there was more riding on her shoulders. No longer did she have to worry about a single person. Now it was a town. Nevertheless, she did not doubt that with rest she would return to her former self. Eyes remained on Arien for a moment longer before slowly closing, "You're not as foolish as they say, Arien. Pleasure to meet you and enjoy your evening." Releasing a slight yawn the Queen falls silent once more, meeting done and over.

Arien allowed the shadow of a smile to brush her lips, her chin dipping slightly in acknowledgement of what she was certain would pass for a complement in the queen’s book. A slender arm reached out slowly towards the sword that still lay at rest at the woman’s side and it was retrieved and slid into its sheath on one smooth motion even as the elf rose to her feet. “ The pleasure was mine your highness, and you -are- as astute as you were reputed to be-much to my disadvantage, perhaps. I like not being on the end of such aptitude.” The wry murmur was followed by a subtle nod Rho’s way, inviting him to rise with her. “ May the gods see their way to your speedy restoration. I bid you good eve .” Sketching a final bow the elf would retreat from the bedside, pausing for Rho’s escort before making her way to the exit of the room and once again along the winding path to the main foyer of the Inn.

Rhocielle stood up in graceful fluid motion at Arien's request, another subtle and subconscious gesture of his inherent guardianship of her. He went on to further mimic the previous pleasantries afterward. His muzzle dipped low in a respectful bow to the bedridden woman, speaking quietly as he had done at the beginning of the audience, "Good eve, highness." Returning to his normal stature, he collected his bow and quiver silently before following his presumed ward once more; the door closed with soft click and the sounds faded with the pair of departing footfalls.