Claymore and Dagger (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"Y'know Fiona won' accept anythin'. She wouldn' even accept Rho's help findin' a job after 'er pardon. She's too stubborn t'take gifts 'r charity," he reminded his mother.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Sam, it's not charity if you give her something from the heart." Julia said as she looked at her stubborn son. "If you like her, which I'm not saying that you do, then get her something that shows her that you think about her."

 

[KieranSoares]

"If I were t'do anythin' like tha', Ma, I'd make somethin'. I wouldn' buy it. An' it'd have t'be somethin' useful 'r sentimental enough t'keep around." Sam couldn't help considering that very idea, wondering if she had her grandfather's books of poetry. Considering she probably couldn't have fit the volumes in with her usual supplies and still travel light, he didn't imagine she did have them.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Then I will leave you to it, love." Julia said softly as Sam looked like a man that seemed to have a plan in mind. "The offer stands, though. Heather adores you. She fights me every chance that she gets."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I think I'll come along, then. Jus' t'make sure you an' Heather don' get too lonely," Sam offered her a smile and kissed her cheek.

It was just about then that Rho finally returned. Sam didn't have to tease, he just had to look at his brother for Rho to shy away out of embarrassment.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Rhodan, you and I need to have a talk later." Julia scolded as she saw her son enter the keep and immediately look slightly guilty about what he had been doing. "And running off isn't going to change things. I hunted Ciaran through the woods many times before."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I jus' walked 'er home an' fell asleep while we were talkin' is all," Rho insisted, making Sam chuckle.

"What'd you do in between those two things?" He asked, making Rho roll his eyes to try to ignore his embarrassment.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Do I need to have a look at your shoulder?" Julia asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at her son.

 

[KieranSoares]

At that, Rho fled the room, making Sam actually burst out laughing, more so than he had in years. "I'm gonna tease both o' them fer all it's worth," he thought aloud once he'd gotten hold of himself.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Be prepared to get it back ten fold, Samuel." Julia said as Heather stepped into the great hall holding Brogan's hand.

"Mama, Da said he would go with us!" Heather announced, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Well, Sam has agreed to go too. It looks like we'll have a crowd." Julia announced, kissing Heather's cheek when she drew close enough.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Y'sure, lad?" Brogan asked in surprise, not used to Sam taking any more than a day off at a time from work. Seeing as he'd already taken the day before, a second day was unheard of.

"I know, I know," Sam rolled his eyes. "Always busy, always working." Brogan couldn't help a grin, clapping his son on the shoulder.

"Sure are, but now yer ours fer th'day an' y'can't escape."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Good. I can baby him like he never gives me the chance to do." Julia said with a smile as she got Heather breakfast and as soon as she was done eating, they were off to the market.

"Da? Maybe for my birthday, can I get a necklace that has pieces like Invah's scales?" Heather asked as they walked. "I liked the way that the patterns felt on my fingers."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm sure I could work out somethin' like tha'," Brogan said with a nod. He knew just the sort of craftsman he could speak to for such a project. Or, if Invah was willing, she might actually give one of her own scales as dragons did in stories as gifts to humans, usually used as shields instead of jewelry.

 

[heartofcourage]

"So, what are we looking for today, Heather?" Julia asked, trying to involve her daughter in as much as she possibly could when it came to her own shopping. "Ashelin said you needed a new cloak and slippers."

"I want a blue cloak, like the Ghis tartan." Heather insisted, remembering what the tartan looked like from when she was younger. "And slippers like Gran us to have. Mine are too loud on the floor."

 

[KieranSoares]

"We could always go t' Justin an' ask 'im t'make ya some special," Brogan offered. The Ghis preferred Justin not only because he was Ciaran's love, but because he was a master of his trade and near to the keep.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Really? Mama, can we?" Heather asked, glancing to where her mother was walking beside them.

"We can see if he has time. He has been making the uniforms for Ciaran's new recruits lately." Julia said as she saw how excited Heather was.

 

[KieranSoares]

"If 'e can't, I'm sure we could talk Telma into it," Brogan added. Sam led the way to Justin's shop, finding the dark brown wolf mending a jacket. It turned out to be Ciaran's own jacket as he stepped out carrying bolts of cloth for Justin. He liked to help around the shop in return for little favors from Justin, especially because it gave him an excuse to hang around and tease him.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Good morning, you two." Julia said, kissing both Justin and Ciaran on the cheek as Heather hung close to Brogan as she was unfamiliar with the layout of the shop. "We've come to see if you have some time to make a few things for Heather. She needs a new cloak and some new slippers."

"I want a cloak that's blue like the Ghis tartan." Heather repeated, holding her father's hand tightly. "And some soft slippers."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm sure I could manage that," Justin mused, looking to Ciaran. "If your brother will find some of that fabric for me."

"Way to put me on the spot," Ciaran said with a roll of his eyes. "I'll find some."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Can it have the tartan on the inside?" Heather asked softly, almost afraid to voice her opinion on clothing since she couldn't see the designs. "To make it pretty?"

"Is that what you really want, love?" Julia asked as Heather thought for a moment and nodded her head. "I have some tartan left over from Kitty that we could put to some good use."

 

[KieranSoares]

"What color would you like the outside to be, sweetheart?" Justin asked kindly. He'd always had a soft spot for her.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Dark blue." Heather answered. "The same color as the tartan. And can my shoes be green? Maybe like my eyes?"

Julia smiled down at Heather as she answered the questions confidently. She was childlike in her descriptions of colors, but she only remembered certain things from when she was so young. She remembered the color of her eyes, the color of her Da's tartan, the color of the sky. They were easy things to recall and remember.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I can do that, Princess," Justin assured her, an affectionate term more than title. He wrote down notes for himself on a pad of paper and shooed Ciaran away to go fetch the tartan and some more fabric. "Anything else I can do for you?" He asked the family.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Anything you need, Sam?" Julia asked her son as he stood there quietly. "Shirts? Pants? Something for a special someone?"

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam was about to scold his mother for that, but then a thought crossed his mind. "Actually... A good cloak. Somethin' hardy an' fairly rain-proof, but simple."

"I can do that. Color?

"Solid black. But maybe somethin' teal too. Like Invah's kinda teal."

"Will do."