SQUIRE PHILLIP DIALOGUE 1
"Hold there!"
CHAPTER 1 - FIRSTCHAPTER 1 - SECONDSomeone was calling.
Recognizing the lilt of the young voice, Owyn turned and looked back down the road. A young squire that he had met at a party in Yabon was trudging behind them, a pack full of scrolls slung over his shoulder. The squire waved congenially and Owyn echoed the motion.
"What do you think you're doing?! We are trying to remain unnoticed! Damn," Locklear muttered under his breath. "Try to behave as normally as possible. Since you know him, you handle him, Owyn. And remember Gorath's name is..."
"Thorgath," Owyn finished, irritated. "I'm not a child you know."
Locklear whispered. "That remains to be seen."
OWYN: I didn't expect to see you again quite so soon. I would have thought you all the way to LaMut by now.
PHILLIP: Would have been if the Duchess hadn't insisted in introducing me to all of her daughters. Amelia was the prettiest I believe, though I think Katherine took quite a liking to you.
OWYN: Katherine took a liking to everyone at the party. She's as fickle as her mother. She'll likely marry a conDoin if she can find one not tied in the marital knot.
PHILLIP: True enough. Say, I thought you said you were from Tiburn. Why are you taking this route home? Kind of a long way around isn't it?
OWYN: Well yes, but I had to meet up with my...uncle Locklear here. And my other friend here is an elf, Thorgath. They decided that it would be nice for me to take a tour with them down to Kro..."
LOCKLEAR: Hawk's Hollow.
OWYN: ...down to Hawk's Hollow. I hear it's lovely at this time of year. What are you up to?
PHILLIP: I'm looking to cash in a reward actually. When I was on my way up to Yabon last month, I found a chest in this area but I couldn't pick the lock on the thing. I figured it wasn't meant to be and I left off. Thing is, all through the Duchess' party I couldn't help but think about it. I had chest on the brain. I don't really care what's in it, but I have to pick that lock.
Owyn raised a finger to his lips.
Sensing that someone or something was nearby, he used the agreed upon sign that caution was called for. They steeled themselves for combat, their nerves wound tight like springs... Abruptly, a figure emerged into the open before them.
OWYN: Squire Phillip!
PHILLIP: Owyn?... What a...uh, surprise.
NEAREST TOWNS
OWYN: I'm afraid my senses of direction and distance are a bit off right now. We all had a bit to drink last night and we're still trying to shake off the effects. Which way is the nearest place we could get cleaned up?
SQUIRE PHILLIP: It must have been quite a bender if you're that confused! Head straight south along the main road and that will take you on into LaMut. If you're looking for good food, the Blue Wheel is a solid wager, though I warn you their Tsurani food can be a bit spicy.
EMPTY HOUSES
OWYN: Was anything left behind in any of the abandoned houses you saw?
SQUIRE PHILLIP: Nothing of real value. Bits of food in a few cupboards, an occasional gold piece kicked beneath the foundation of the house. Lost items mainly. The majority of the places I visited had those unpickable locks -- what are they called -- Webber locks, yes. They had the Webber locks installed and so I wasn't able to get inside.
LOST ITEMS
OWYN: I'm not certain, but I think I may have mislaid a very valuable belonging of mine.
SQUIRE PHILLIP: I shouldn't worry about it. Depending on where you lost it, the chances are good it will still be there.
HANDS (if Hawk's Hollow)
OWYN: This is going to sound lunatic, but would you mind letting me see your hands?
SQUIRE PHILLIP: My hands? Okay...Why?
OWYN: Just humor me. A man we spoke to in Hawk's Hollow said that we should look for a man who had a sign on his hands. He said that the man had very important scrolls in his pack and that we should listen to him... Your hands look fine to me.
SQUIRE PHILLIP: Scrolls? It sounds like the man you spoke to might have gone round the bend.
GRAIN (if Dala)
OWYN: I don't suppose you would know where we could pick up a bag of raw grain?
SQUIRE PHILLIP: Why on earth would you want any? You can't eat it, you know, or at least not without doing disgusting things to it. Please don't tell me you're developing a taste for pottage.
OWYN: No, nothing so horrible as that. The priests of Dala have had more of the deserving poor this season than they can handle and need grain for the miller. We thought we would lend a hand.
SQUIRE PHILLIP: Sounds worthy to me. You might try Hailey Betencourt who lives south of Highcastle Cross. I've done business with him on father's behalf before. He might be willing to work an exchange.
CHAPTER 2 - FIRSTCHAPTER 2 - SECONDThe crevasse was occupied.
Standing away from a clutch of bushes, Squire Phillip impaled them with an flush faced glare while he refastened the cinches of his pants. Deciding that his dignity was not irretrievably beyond repair, he politely tucked in the tail of his shirt while he addressed Owyn.
PHILLIP: Not that I'm displeased to see you, Owyn, but you picked an odd moment to show up.
OWYN: Sorry about that. I didn't recognize you from behind and when we saw you duck into this cubhole here we became suspicious. We've had a few problems with bandits on the roads.
PHILLIP: I've narrowly avoided some myself. Fortunately they didn't pay much attention to me. I don't think father would have been too pleased if I'd ended up ransomed.
OWYN: Did you ever find that chest you were looking for?
PHILLIP: A bit of a disappointment. Soon as I had the lid up, I found it was empty. I should have expected that someone else would get there before me. Likely our bandit friends plundered it.
They were not alone.
Owyn's pulse quickened as he saw the lone figure approach; but when it became apparent they were not being attacked, he relaxed a bit, squinted slightly in an attempt to see who was about to join them.
PHILLIP: Hello again. What's on your mind?
HIGHCASTLE
OWYN: Should uncle and I head on to the east, we might stop by Highcastle for a while and see the sights.
SQUIRE PHILLIP: Not much to look at. It's a typical border town and the only thing of interest there is the castle itself. I understand that Prince Arutha paid for some of the newer fortifications there after the Riftwar, but all in all I wasn't much impressed with it. However, I have to admit they had a nice armory there. They keep some of the prettiest swords I've ever seen in stock.
CHAPTER 3/6 - FIRSTCHAPTER 3/6 - SECONDThey were not alone.
Owyn's pulse quickened as he saw the lone figure approach; but when it became apparent they were not being attacked, he relaxed a bit, squinted slightly in an attempt to see who was about to join them.
PHILLIP: Are you sure you aren't following me around, Owyn? We seem to be bumping into one another fairly frequently.
OWYN: If seeing each other more than once a year can be called frequently. I guess that wedding party in Yabon turned the both of us into nomads.
PHILLIP: I've about had my fill of it. If travel broadens the mind then I dare say my skull should be the size of a haywain by now. I'll be glad to get back home again and lay in my own bed for a time.
OWYN: Why are you in the eastern part of the Kingdom? I thought you lived in LaMut.
PHILLIP: On occasion, when my father will allow it, I sleep in LaMut, but I seem to spend most of my time running the Kingdom roads on family business. By my estimation, he must have his fingers in more pies than there are bakers in all of Midkemia! A trader has many things to keep track of and only so many sons to help him...
OWYN: Why doesn't he just hire a runner to do it for him?
PHILLIP: It's been suggested, most emphatically by those of us unfortunate enough to have been born to him, but he likes to quote a Quegian saying about marriage: Why pay for what you can get for free? Not to paint a poor picture of him though - he's just very practical about his money.
They were not alone.
Owyn's pulse quickened as he saw the lone figure approach; but when it became apparent they were not being attacked, he relaxed a bit, squinted slightly in an attempt to see who was about to join them.
PHILLIP: Care to take me up on a foot race, Owyn? I'd beat you in the quarter mile with the legs I've developed!
NOTHING TO ASK
OWYN: Actually, I...well...no. When I first saw you, it occurred to me to ask you something, but whatever it was has utterly slipped my mind at the moment. Will it bother you if I come and ask you about it later? We have a few things we need to be attending to elsewhere.
SQUIRE PHILLIP: Go on then. I have a few things to do myself...
OWYN: You are most gracious. Thanks and farewell.