Arrangements VK

Calliara frowned, and gave them a deathly stare. ''I know you clean your arse with your sense of respect, Rakot, but don't tempt me to throw this bottle at you. Too tasty to waste, and your head is too hard''

Even if she was shorter than any of them, the Wolf handed them three bags. ''Here. Supplies. Meat, some bread and dry vegetables. Enough for five days if necessary, but you should hunt from time to time in any case. I don't know how long you're going to be away. There are also five or six bottles of dwarven ale, I'm not sure. I was too sleepy when I prepared them. Don't waste them foolishly''

''You are now under Drake's command, and you shall obey him as if he were Nygozy or myself. Not that you'd ever obey an elf'' Calliara rolled her eyes sarcastically. ''I don't have much else to say, excepting good luck''

The Wolf didn't wanted it, but her eyes softened a bit. ''And come back alive''

A bird call came from the tent, and the Wolf looked back. When she looked at the Trouble Twins again, her eyes were as icy as always. ''The Commander wishes to see you two. Follow me''

Now there was something she had not thought of. She blinked at the warrior then grinned and nodded, "Good point. I had not thought of that. Thank you. What would you suggest?" She asked, generally interested in his view of what to do. Nygozy had never had so many people in her care before and was looking at options on how to deal with major effects with those who worked under her.

Nygozy made a bird call to get little birds to inform Calliara that if she saw the Trouble Twins to bring them to her as well.

"Also, I need some insight into who you believe is best for what duties when I put them in charge. One of the reasons I asked for this meeting has been to set people up with their duties. Calliara my personal assistant; however, with how we are growing I require more. It looks like Calliara took great care in assembling everyone yesterday and that is wonderful but she cannot keep that up without loss of sleep. I want to bring Macha and Alistair into working with us but would like your input as to who to use to what end. I assume you have attended in warden establishments of more than ten people under that command but that is an experience I am lacking."

"I have always followed and never led, Warden-Commander," warned Griffinhart. He was not reluctant to advise, for he knew that the insights of a follower could provide perspective where a leader had none; but his words meant that he had no experience in leading others, and now would not be a good time to start earning experience.

"I will counsel you as best I can," he stated, and began with the names Nygozy most recently mentioned. "Alistair does not desire to lead; I am familiar with that desire. Let him follow someone he trusts, then. Someone that will not regard him as 'King' and coddle him; it must be someone willing to sacrifice the political power of a king for a mere killing on a nameless battlefield.

"Ostef is loyal to Rakot; Rakot is loyal to his bloodlust. Keep them together; command them." The warrior paused, adding emphasis to his next word. "Personally. The berserker needs more than killing for a cause, if he is to be little more than a berserker bearing the Griffon."

And Macha? He could not, and would not, lie. "Macha... I am not familiar with. I do not know what she is like, Commander. I do not know where she would best be."

"Followers see a lot, especially when they are men like you. You never seem like you are paying attention but you are like me in that. You see and hear all and analyze where danger lies." She nodded knowingly. His counsel would add to her decisions but not rule them.

Nygozy rubbed an index finger across her lips, considering the words and then tapped the finger against her bottom lip, "Yes. I see your points. Thank you for the counsel, Griffinhart. It is always appreciated. Now: how long has it been since you last rested? I am sure I saw you outside last night and you were out there still early this morning when I had to go out for a moment."

''Here. Supplies. Meat, some bread and dry vegetables. Enough for five days if necessary, but you should hunt from time to time in any case. I don't know how long you're going to be away. There are also five or six bottles of dwarven ale, I'm not sure. I was too sleepy when I prepared them. Don't waste them foolishly''


Rakot and Ostef took the bags from Calliara and attached them to their packs.

''You are now under Drake's command, and you shall obey him as if he were Nygozy or myself. Not that you'd ever obey an elf.....I don't have much else to say, excepting good luck....And come back alive''

"Sure thing wolf, we shall have a fine hunt and be back with stories of glory."

"And a few broken bones, and gaping wounds, just so you know we were trying really hard."

''The Commander wishes to see you two. Follow me''

Rakot sighed.

"And here I was hoping to avoid this."

The two walked into the tent. Rakot looked around to see the Commander and Griffinhart, he noded his head to both in greeting.

"You wished to speak with us, Commander?"

"How long has it been since you last rested?"

Griffinhart did not answer immediately, as he counted the passage of time. He had not slept last night; the day before he had been the vanguard; before that, he had sparred with Fremelda; and the night before that, he could not sleep.

"Two nights, one day, not including the time since the sun has risen today, Commander."

It wasn't the longest he had gone without sleep; and, truth be told, it was relatively peaceful for the equivalent of two and a half days of sleeplessness. It only felt taxing at the moment, for Griffinhart was at one of his low points; give it another couple hours - four, maybe five, by his estimates - and there would be a euphoric influx of energy for another four hours before yet another crushing low.

"I will last. I only need a task and, eventually, a moment to eat." He could not - would not - show weakness. Weakness was a thing to be conquered, lest it kill you.

Rakot and Ostef entered then, and the taller of the pair nodded at the Commander and the Griffin in greeting; Griffinhart, unsure if the nod was inclusive of him, and of how to react, hesitated for a moment - and reciprocated the movement. Common courtesy, wasn't it? He was unsure; back in Weisshaupt, he was acknowledged as much and as often as furniture or fixtures had been acknowledged. Briefly, the warrior was not sure if he preferred that to his current scenario; but that was ancillary to the matters at hand, and he pushed the thought out and away into the depths of his consciousness.

"We will be moving out day after tomorrow and I will be out and about with two guards today. Once the meetings are over I want you to go eat and take an extended sleep and take up your duties once again tonight." Nygozy ordered Griffinhart, "If I require you earlier than that I will call for you."

She gave him a slight bow of the head then turned to the Trouble Twins.

At first she did not say anything as she assessed how they looked, "Yes. Have you received any assignments yet and if so what and from whom?"

If those were his orders - so be it. "Understood, Commander." Griffinhart saluted his superior officer; she nodded her dismissal, and the warrior turned, leaving the tent. As he passed by Calliara, he stopped for a moment, relaying his current orders to Nygozy's lieutenant. "The Commander has ordered me to rest for the day. I will be at my post at the camp's edge... resting."

At least, so he hoped. He hoped he was tired enough that he would not dream; or that if he dreamed, he would not wake regardless, from the bone-soaked exhaustion.

Rakot gave the Commander a puzzled look, Ostef spoke first.

"You mean you don't know? Drake has us chasing after the ones who attacked you with magic, we are to kill them. We were just about to leave actually."

"Really? It doesn't surprise me that Drake was so quick but it does surprise me that he didn't get going with you two yesterday. That is why I asked." She smirked, "And here I wanted to have a training session with you guys after my meeting for exercise." She looked back at Kai then to them, "Which some people will object to but I'm sure you wouldn't."

A growl came from the shadows at the back of the tent. "Excersize is one thing Hero, but there are much safer people to get it with than these two. I'm sure Cal and the play-king will back me up on this one." Kai usually tried to stay out of Nygozy's way during the day and let her run things as she wanted, but he felt now he had a little more right to veto certain ideas.

He knew better than to think she would listen to him, but he had a right to at least voice his thoughts.

"Training session with the Warden Commander herself, ha? Hmm...that should be interesting, interesting enough that we may even postpone our departure. Drake told us yesterday we could take our time getting to him."

Rakot scratched his head, thinking for a second.

"Maybe some strength and endurance training, and some sparring of course. Should be fun, and don't worry I try not to break anything then I train. Its rough and there could be some bruising and bleeding noses but otherwise its safe. We all need to be ready for real combat after all, me included. Let's go to the field me and Ostef have been using. Bring your pack, we gonna put some rocks in them to weigh them down so we can do proper sprint drills."

"I am sure they will, Kai, but it will be ok. The Trouble Twins will avoid hitting my gut. Won't you guys?" She chuckled, "And I will have Jezarine come with us just in case so you don't have to panic about the baby."

Kai let out an exasperated sigh, knowing there was no way he was going to win this one. He knew excersize was good for her, but he wanted to draw the line at sparing practice. That seemed like unnecessary risk, but Nygozy was one stubborn little woman and nothing short of typing her down would stop her. Even then she'd probably just call some mice to chew through the ropes or something.

"Is there no way to talk you out of the sparring practice at least?" He asked in vain.

"Just meet us on the field in about half an hour, we'll go set everything up."

"Maker's balls and I thought I was done running drills for today."

"Stop whining, you're a warrior, let's go."

With those words Rakot left the tent, Ostef reluctantly followed, the two walked back to their training field.

"I will be there between half an hour and an hour and a half." She said to Rakot as the men were about to leave. She smirked, "If I'm later than that I will send word."

Nygozy turned her head to look at Kai, "Just wait until the others are in. I am sure this will be interesting." She went and opened the tent flap, "You can come in now. Torture. Guard."

Dice walked up to the tent and stopped as he overshadowed everyone there. He looked around spotting the Mabari, The man in armor,the small woman who just walked back into the tent and the two men walking off. He stepped up into view looking at the people. "Hello I am looking for the Commander." His voice was deep with a powerful Baritone that reached even into the tent.

Torture pounced out from under the cot and rushed over to Nygozy, going around in circles and barking happily before he rushed outside. His head went up, a forepaw in the air then he growled at the big man who asked about the tent and barked a warning.

His head turned towards the tent as no one had gone in yet and barked again.

When Griffinhart stopped close to her, Calliara looked at him calmly, listening, and when he was done talking she nodded. ''Of course, Raphael... Griffinhart. Sorry, I am not sure you'll even let me call you by your name. Thank you for guarding the Commander's tent. Please, eat something and rest'' She smiled warmly at him. She wasn't expecting him to return the smile or the kindness though.

Nygozy opened the tent's flap and Calliara nodded one last time to Griffinhart before stepping into the tent. Obviously she had heard everything, and was not pleased, and that was evident in her serious expression.

''I have reports for you, Commander. But first, and forgive me for listening, what the hell is all that about sparring with those two? Are you nuts?''

And then, Dice Matrix appeared without being called, and the Wolf frowned at him. ''Do you have any problem with following simple orders? I told you to wait by the firepit''

Dice looked at the woman staring a her with his dead eyes. "No I do not have problems following orders but right now I am under no ones command therefore you have no right to order me about period. I am a guest but I think i waited long enough for at least a summons to the tent."

Right on cue Calliara got upset and started in on her about the idea of sparring. If she had a chance to count to three then Macha and Alistair likely would have gotten in on it as well but this new person showed up and she saw a way to avoid the verbal sparring match for a few moments.

"I take it that you are the gentleman who came in with the children." It was a statement more than a question as she had not heard of any other new person being found yet today, "Whether you are a guest or not, you were given an order to wait. Why did you not do so?"

(Dice)

Dice looked down at the dwarven woman however he was not looking down on her. He nodded his head in respect to the person who had done so much for the country and all the lives involved, The tightness of the group told him something was amiss and he smirked when he realized the Commander was postponing it. His dead eyes stared at the commander sizing her up and those around her if it came to a fight. "As I said Lady Commander I am under no ones authority therefore no one here has a right to order me therefore I did not disobey a order. I was asked if I would wait and I waited until I decided a sufficient amount of time had passed. That is your answer I am sorry if you don't like it but it is the truth."

Dice stood there leaning a little his left hand balanced on the blade but his stance was of a lethal killer and if he needed to draw steel it would be out in a blink. His eyes never seemed to actually land on one person but absorbed everything around him at once.

"Civilian, warden or anyone, it matters not. If you are within my camp then the orders my officers give are to be obeyed. This is not a crop of civilian daisies." She pointed out while watching him, "The only reason you have been allowed here is due to respect and the wish to help. You will give my people the same respect by listening to them and not ignoring what they say. I would assume that Calliara requested for you to wait until after our meeting when she would recover you. How are you to know that I am not in the middle of speaking with a dignitary from another land and that we require quiet for diplomatic relations to be completed?"

Dice)

Dice turned to look at her and smiled. "If you are meeting a diplomatic person from another country warden or not I have the right to be here as a Arl but by the looks of your people you are not and are more into a matter concerning yourselves. A commander never leaves a person waiting long especially for personal matters. It would have taken a couple of minutes to meet me and know who I was and I would have decided to continue or stay under your command. This may be your camp Commander but this is still Fereldan and unless you plan to lock me into chains and force me to obey without me being under your command then not you or anyone else can order me without me agreeing to be under that command."

Dice looked at the others before turning back to Nygozy. "And so you know I came over here to wait not to barge in on anything so therefore I still would not have been interrupting your meeting if your Lieutenant if that is what you call her had not chosen to snarl at me we wouldn't be having this conversation. Are you sure she is fit to lead? She seems stressed and over her head. Now you can continue what you were doing while I wait here if you like without a problem but do not act like me walking over here was a nuisance when your only using me as a excuse to keep your people from bombarding you since they all seem ready to speak." Through the entire thing his voice had stayed calm and respectful without any sign of emotion from his words or his face.