Post by Kelsey on Aug 11, 2015 20:58:09 GMT
Tension had been running high in the party since the return of Bilk. For several days the Ranger managed to go on ignoring it, despite the growing knot of anxiety in their stomach, but finally it became to much. It was very clear that Stanica and Bilk would never be able to settle their differences on their own and though the source of Stanica's hatred was not unreasonable, his response to it certainly was. Among the many jobs a ranger might have, the one the Ranger dreaded the most was acting as arbitrator in disputes. Indeed, they had studiously avoided this task for most of their career, mostly by virtue of the fact that the only conflict resolution a frozen corpse that didn't have the good sense to stay dead needed was the judicious application of fire.
Still, the Ranger had a duty and they had never shirked any other challenge presented to them, so by the time the group was almost to the outskirts of Campia Cernea they had found both their resolve and an opportunity. The sun was still high in the sky, just barely dipping into it's downward arc for the day and the party had pulled the wagon over to the side of the road to rest and water the horses. It was easy enough to find a moment when Stanica was alone to talk to him, indeed it seemed to the Ranger that Stanica was almost always alone. Perhaps that was Stanica's choice and preference, but the Ranger couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy at this isolation. Certainly Stanica rarely seemed to be happy or even just content, although Bilk's presence was certainly a contributing factor to Stanica's currently dark disposition.
That same disposition did not make the Ranger's current task any easier though and when they first approached Stanica they found themselves unable to find the words they wanted. Stanica's size and prowess in battle had never intimidated the Ranger but his anger? Oh yes, that intimidated them a great deal. Silence dragged on for far too long as the Range stared up at Stanica, eyes slightly too wide and their arms held stiff and straight at their side, almost as though they were standing at attention. They had a horrible, squirrel-ish urge to bolt and pretend that none of this had happened but they resisted it. Finally they gave up on words entirely and fell back on signs instead. A finger pointed at Stanica and then a gesture at themself, followed by a motion pressing their thumb against their fingers three times in rapid succession.
[You & Me - Talking?]
There was a sign for a question in the limited language of the rangers but the Ranger left it out, unsure if Stanica would know it. The rest of the signs were easy enough to figure out from context and the Ranger's obvious nervousness made it clear that this was a request and not a command anyway.
Still, the Ranger had a duty and they had never shirked any other challenge presented to them, so by the time the group was almost to the outskirts of Campia Cernea they had found both their resolve and an opportunity. The sun was still high in the sky, just barely dipping into it's downward arc for the day and the party had pulled the wagon over to the side of the road to rest and water the horses. It was easy enough to find a moment when Stanica was alone to talk to him, indeed it seemed to the Ranger that Stanica was almost always alone. Perhaps that was Stanica's choice and preference, but the Ranger couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy at this isolation. Certainly Stanica rarely seemed to be happy or even just content, although Bilk's presence was certainly a contributing factor to Stanica's currently dark disposition.
That same disposition did not make the Ranger's current task any easier though and when they first approached Stanica they found themselves unable to find the words they wanted. Stanica's size and prowess in battle had never intimidated the Ranger but his anger? Oh yes, that intimidated them a great deal. Silence dragged on for far too long as the Range stared up at Stanica, eyes slightly too wide and their arms held stiff and straight at their side, almost as though they were standing at attention. They had a horrible, squirrel-ish urge to bolt and pretend that none of this had happened but they resisted it. Finally they gave up on words entirely and fell back on signs instead. A finger pointed at Stanica and then a gesture at themself, followed by a motion pressing their thumb against their fingers three times in rapid succession.
[You & Me - Talking?]
There was a sign for a question in the limited language of the rangers but the Ranger left it out, unsure if Stanica would know it. The rest of the signs were easy enough to figure out from context and the Ranger's obvious nervousness made it clear that this was a request and not a command anyway.
