Arcaea/Dining Hall Late 08-09/Administrative Arlian
As Arlian slipped through the hills of Arempos towards the mines of Lantzas, he experienced an...unanticipated emotion. Apprehension.
This was not his first, fifth, or twentieth, time entering an occupied territory to do his work...And the others had involved Dread Lords, rotting animated corpses, and even beings who claimed to be Gods Incarnate...Mere humans had long since lost the power to terrify him. But...He ran his hand over his heart, feeling rather than hearing the crinkle of parchment...Now he had something to live for...
The ghost of a smile slipped across his lips as he rode forward. Well...Who would have thought...But not now. He had work to do.
Sir Arlian Bedwyr (Knight of Talex)
Arlian looked out at the near-empty field next to the woodlot, on the border between one of his farms, and one of Harmony's. It was good to be back in Nocaneb...Especially since Harmony lived here...And it made this particular work considerably easier to arrange, with all his old contacts in the area. He'd helped build more structures than he could even remember after all these years, but this one had to be perfect. It was, in a way, the ultimate test of his skills...
Arlian smiled as he thought about the purpose behind this labour...And rolled up his sleeves. This he would do all himself. It wouldn't be the first time...Some of those Daimon-ravaged regions hadn't had anyone to spare from the wrecks of the fields...And it was important for his hands and his back to do this.
His smile grew. Very important...
Sir Arlian Bedwyr (Knight of Nocaneb)
Arlian was breathing heavily, as the sweat ran down his brow and chin in long rivers. The one problem with doing this all on his own was that some of these things were damn heavy...Even with pulleys and a few draft animals that he'd compromised on...They didn't have hands, precisely...Getting some of the support beams up was a royal pain in the...There! And that, thankfully, was the last of the big monsters...The building was mostly stone, but a few wooden supports were needed...
He looked across in pride at the partially completed structure. The tightly mortared stone walls were in place...Support beams up...Time for a short break, and then to start up again...Once he had the rest of it up, he'd have to start working on the rooms...He knew which room he wanted to do last so he'd have as much experience as possible, but which to do first was another question entirely...
Sir Arlian Bedwyr (Knight of Nocaneb)
As Arlian lay on a couch in the guest suite of the manor in Obtal, he lifted up the drawing he was working on, and examined it carefully, keeping his charcoal-covered fingers carefully on the blackened wooden frame holding it. His critical eyes found flaws throughout the piece, but he was mostly satisfied. He'd never been able to draw well enough to avoid all flaws, but this was as good as any, and better than some of his previous works. A smiling Harmony looked up from a meal, smiling at the viewer, and her warmth and beauty were adequately represented.
Arlian strode over to his paint set, and breathed deep before continuing. The work of the past few hours could all be for naught if he failed here...He dabbed the smallest brush, merely a single short thistle, lightly into the violet paint...carefully curving his strokes...Yes...There. The only spots of colour...Her wondrous eyes...
He carefully wrapped a hardened leather carrying case around the frame, and sealed it tightly, before stacking it with another similar case for a messenger to retrieve. He had no skill with words, and she could not read them anyway, but this...This he could do, and the peculiarity that allowed her to memorize entire plays but left her unable to read would not trouble her enjoyment of this.
He shook his head, a small smile crossing his lips. The other case contained a drawing as well, of course...Of him walking into their kitchen with a small child wrapped in his arms...And, like the other...There were two spots of colour only...The violet eyes of the girl held in Arlian's strong arms...
Sir Arlian Bedwyr (Knight of Nocaneb)
