--The battered man in the black leathers slumps down beside a tree outside Hlint. The sky is a reddish purple from dusk trying to turn into night.--
Jaren sighs as he sits and starts to rummage through his backpack for something to eat. "What a night, at least it was profitable." His thoughts turn to his small fortune he has in the bank. He makes a mental note to thank Gloin and Bru in some appropriate manner.
After a few minutes he finds what he's looking for and pulls out a hunk of dried meat. Jaren looks at it closely, decides he doesn't care what it came from, tears off a small piece and begins to eat slowly. This was the first food he'd been able to afford in about a week, and despite tasting like rotten leather, he still enjoyed the feeling of something in his stomach.
It was definately a profitable night as far as money went, but like Daren always used to say, nothing for nothing. He had happend to chance across Kira and Celgar together inside of town. His ideas of boating out to Rialra to escape from them got blown out of the water almost as quickly as they were formed. Seeing them both together stung quite a bit, not as much as it used to, but still, hurt is hurt, and emotional pain is can be as bad as a sword to the stomach. So Jaren paid that cost and reluctantly found himself drawn again into their odd little family. At least he got to see the Great Library, and all the books within made it worth it.
For a brief time, Jaren's thoughts turn to his own family. His face darkens as the image of his father appears in his mind, but a immediately clears when the image changes to his mother and young Jaral. He thinks about taking some of his fortune out of the bank back to the farm but quickly dismisses it. He knew he couldn't face his father. Maybe someday, but not now...best not to take too much at once.
A rueful smile appears across his worn face as he thinks about his older brother Daren. Jaren wonders if he's still alive, maybe he's possibly back home on the farm. "Highly doubtful...probably not even a farm for him to come back to." Jaren mumbles around a mouthful of food. He sighs...family, friends, friends and family...he hadn't glad to be rid of one, and almost yearning to lose the other. Only once had he cried since Jaral had left him, taking off to begin her training as a Ranger. Only once had he cried after realizing he was truly alone as a boy of 14. He hadn't cried after that night with Kira, but gods, it would almost be a relief. It would be such a weight off his heart to just pick up and leave them both.
But he made a promise to her, and promises from Jaren Valhaikor were never broken. Thinking of Kira and promises brought up the image of her in her wedding dress to his mind. Just as quickly he dashed it away. He was past that, she was just a distraction anymore. And as the fortune teller also told him that night, distractions were the road to ruin.
He thought back to his conversation with Celgar in the great library. They had discussed the war, and Blood. Celgar said that many have tried to kill him, none have succeeded. "I'm too stubborn to die." Celgar had said once. Jeran replied "I'm just too stubborn to stay dead."
'Better watch out...cause I'm a war machine' comes through Jeran's head. Dog is with him now all the time, even when he isn't physically there. Dog's voice sounds like a demon screaming in Jeran's head, but he doesn't find the sound totally unpleasant.
Jeran grins so coldly that it would give someone a chill on a hot summer night. Not quite yet, but soon...Dog is absolutley right again. Tenacity is Jeran's speciality.
The sky is totally dark now and he conjures up his magical light and starts to rummage through his backpack again. He pulls out some pages he managed to steal from the Great Library and starts to study them, a frown of concentration on his face.
'Can you feel it...comin' in the air tonight' from Dog. Jeran grins coldly again.
"Most definately." he says quietly into the night.
