Any Price for Peace (D1, EM-all week, closed-ish)

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

The Marsten contingent arrive at the inn early in the morning. Lord Marsten arrives with his wife, but after a short while, rides onward to Raventree Hall.

Lady Corrine has insisted upon residing in neutral territory during the investigations, even thought it is more costly to stay at the inn than to take up Blackwood or Bracken hospitality.

[ooc: This is a place for House Marsten's members present to meet, talk, and entertain.]

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Day 2, Late Evening

Corrine calls together Ben and Kevan, in the room she shares with her husband at the Green Door Inn, to discuss the day's findings.

[Benedict Marsten]

Ben enters the room weary and somber. Crossing the room he kisses Corrine on The cheek and gives her a strong embrace. With out speaking he heads to his personal chest and begins rummaging.

[Kevan Lyras]

[Certainly will join as well, but I would like to wait until the discussion with Tyron developed a bit further, otherwise I don't know how Kevan would react at the council]

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

[Certainly will join as well, but I would like to wait until the discussion with Tyron developed a bit further, otherwise I don't know how Kevan would react at the council]

[ooc: no probs. just getting things in place.]

Ben enters the room weary and somber. Crossing the room he kisses Corrine on The cheek and gives her a strong embrace. With out speaking he heads to his personal chest and begins rummaging.

"
What are you looking for?"
Corrine asks her husband, standing a few steps behind him, watching.

[Benedict Marsten]

He pulls out a cork-stopped ceramic jug. Turning to her with a weak smile. "
Rum! It has been a that kind of day."


Moving to the cluttered table he drops into a chair. He unstoppers the jug with his teeth and takes a swallow as his free hand begins to loosen the straps on his brigandine.

"
I hope your day was more pleasant, love?"

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

She wanders over to behind his chair and gently helps him out of the brigandine.

"
Eventful would be an understatement. I went on a hunt with the Brackens, among others. Your huntress will be wearing a silver shadowcat pelt as a cloak by the end of the week. Or perhaps it would make a nice hearth rug,"
she whispers in his ear, seductively."

[Benedict Marsten]

Despite his gloomy mood he brightens at her fantastic news. The soft whispering and her innuendo redirecting that blood from his proud smile to below his belt.

He pulls her onto his lap as he tilts his head back to swallow another large draught. He lays his head upon her chest.

"
Congratulations Huntress. You bring me much needed reprieve. I love you so."
he sqeezes her tightly.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

She gladly makes herself comfortable in his lap, stroking his tousled hair.

"
I love you too, my darling,"
she responds. "
I have looked forward to seeing you all day. I got a dreadful scare during the hunt. For a few moments, I..."


She trails off.

I thought I might die.

"
You probably won't like this, but... after I killed the shadowcat, I began getting ready to gut the corpse, not realising it's mate was nearby. Lord Haig only mentioned there being one of them. Luckily, Luecian Longbow was also tracking the shadowcat, and saved me from the other one."

[Benedict Marsten]

His body tenses under her, his jaw clenching. After a few long breaths and a quick sip from the jug he replies. "
I am glad you are alright and I will have to give my thanks to Luecian."


Before she can respond he continues."
You had no one with you?"

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

She sees the change in his demeanour, and she buries her face in his hair contritely, shying from his disapproval.

"
I wandered off from the main group to hunt the shadowcat. I thought their noise would lower my chances."


She sits up a little, looking into his face. It is with this proximity that the little scratches on her skin from her scuffle can be seen. Faint, but reminders of the fact that, despite her boldness and inner strength, she is a vulnerable human like any other.

"
I'm sorry, love. I did not think enough of my safety, I know. But I am alright."

[Benedict Marsten]

His displeasure fades away. His eyes catching the damages from today. He gently cradles her hand. The features of his face soften, but his eyes still hold his concern. "
Please promise me you will be more careful. This ... place... this maelstrom we are dealing with is more dangerous than it would seem."


"
We took bandit captives this morning, Ser Jon, Nathan, and me. It was a pleasant experience compared to Blackbuckle."
His chin drops to his chest. His body slumping into the chair.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

She lightly kisses his forehead.

"
I promise I'll be more careful. Tell me about Blackbuckle."

[Benedict Marsten]

With a deep inhale he raises his head. Exhaling slowly he begins his description. "
It is disturbing and unnerving. Someone poisoned everyone. Everyone. Not just the Blackwood men being held there. The Bracken man. The smallfolk. Every last one."
Ben can not bring himself to mention the children and pregnant women.

"
I would prefer you not visit the village."
It was half request and half demand.

It is easy to tell that what he has seen has disturbed him. The same man who suffered months of torture as a young man and seen war on numerous occasions.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Corrine frowns thoughtfully;


"
I had planned on going there tomorrow. It does sound awful, but I think it's important that I see it for myself. I can probably cope with more than you think, love."

[Benedict Marsten]

"
I know your are strong and you have proven yourself to me. I have seen your tiny hands covered in the blood of your prey, seen you stand tall against your own mother, and seen you give life to our most precious gift, but there is a part of you that remains innocent and ... unspoiled. I do not wish you to lose that. That place will take that."


Ben brings her injured hand to his lips. His hand trembles slightly.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Corrine sees clearly Ben's distress, and she strokes his cheek to try and comfort him, though her eyes are contemplative.

"
If it is truly that bad, then I won't go. But I don't want it to be left uninvestigated. If it is so awful that your hands tremble to speak of it, one of the bravest men I know, then I want to see those responsible brought to justice."

[Benedict Marsten]

Taking notice of his hand he steadies them quickly. "
Finding the culprit will be difficult according to Maester Ronnel, but Nathan was there and if anyone can run a target to ground it is him. This target posts no advantage what so ever to the Blackwoods making a motive difficult to uncover."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
I know. It is seeming increasingly likely that there is a third party involved. I failed to find a trace of those who ransacked the Battle Valley septry, but I am sure it wasn't House Blackwood. And I think I've alienated and angered Ser Myles, to the point of damaging our House's relationship with the Blackwoods, but I cannot rule him out as a suspect in his brother's murder. And I want to protect Benji, and all the other innocents who have suffered because of all this, but I can't."


She inhales deeply, though there is a growing tightness in her chest. She exhales wearily, and grips Ben's hand, her eyes threatening to well up.

"
The more I search, the less I know. And I can't afford to make a wrong decision."

[Benedict Marsten]

He embraces her securely. "
The bandits we crushed this morning appeared to be the Sept attackers. Nathan has gathered information from the survivors."
(Not completed yet)

"
Leave Ser Myles to me. We will make right of what we can in this blasted trial. Benji will be watched over if we must send Kevan and Sophia back here to do so."


Tilting her chin up he plants a soft kiss on her cheek. "
Come now there must have been some bright point or good moment in the day. You did take down a storied shadowcat and earn a fine pelt as trophy."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

She wraps her arms around his broad shoulders and hugs him tightly. She manages to smile a little.

"
That was rather a high point, yes. I cannot deny it makes me feel rather proud of myself. I needed some kind of victory, I think, or at least the diversion. This task of ours is weighing heavily on me."


She kisses his cheek briefly.

"
And thank you for your reassurance. If you could smooth things over with Ser Myles, it would be helpful. He does seem genuinely upset. Perhaps I was too harsh with him. I was just so angry to find out that the assassin had inside help."


She sits up straight again in his lap, and steals a sip of his rum.

"
So, tomorrow, while you undo my mess from today, I shall have to choose a new avenue of investigation,"
she states, her tone lightening slightly. "
I have encountered Athelstan a few times since we arrived, and he learned some interesting things about the mines above Battle Valley. He invited me to join him in investigating up there. It seems there is more going on there than was initially reported."

[Benedict Marsten]

With a playful frown he steals his bottle back and draws hard from it. Then almost spits it out at her last words. Wiping his face with his sleeve he looks at her puzzled and then with a look of realization.

"
You must be joking, right?"

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

She looks back at him in confusion.

"
I wasn't joking. What's wrong? We are supposed to co-operate with the other investigators, and House Longshore seems more dedicated to neutrality than most."

[Benedict Marsten]

"
Aye, but not him."
Ben begins to seethe under his calm demeanor. Is it their past or just the unpredictable nature of Athlestan that worries him.

His rum flushed face loses its mirth. "
How many times? What exactly did he say?"


What game was that bastard playing? Did he mean to harm her? He was volatile. I thought we had parted amicably. Would he be so stupid, as to try to win her.

The thoughts swirled rapidly in his head. And once mixed with the drink left him more confused, more angry and more thirsty. He tilts the bottle back.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Corrine begins to feel uneasy, studying Ben's expression with concern. She nonetheless recounted her three encounters.

"
Well, we briefly spoke yesterday, when I first went to the inn, to arrange our stay from today onwards. He asked how I was doing, and what had been going on at Hartshorn. I told him about our achievements with the clans, and about Bethany. He offered congratulations, and reiterated his friendship with our House. He proposed mutual exchange of information regarding the investigation, and I agreed, though did not tell him anything at the time. We went our separate ways, as I had to see you before returning to Stone Hedge for the night.

Then, this morning, we met again, by chance, on the way to join the hunting party. I told him what I had found at the septry, and what I thought of it. He told me what he found at the mines. I found it very interesting, and troubling. I expressed a desire to learn more. He suggested that I go tomorrow, two heads being better than one, and better when both heads have neutrality in mind and different sets of skills. I told him I had planned to go to Blackbuckle, but would keep the offer in mind. Once we all began the hunt, I didn't speak to him again, even afterwards. I was a bit too shaken from what happened and tired to talk, to be honest.

And, most recently, when I got here, a little while before you showed up, I was having a drink downstairs, with Dunstan, Luecian, and a few others, including him. We didn't interact very much."


She tilts her head to make Ben look at her face;


"
What is wrong, Ben? Why don't you want me to go with him?"

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