Another Day, Another Swordswoman

[Glenn]

The message had been simple and to the point. A time. A place. An offer to provide knowledge desperately sought. A request to discuss the next necessary steps. Renea had been the target. There had been a surprising amount of interesting arrivals considering the season. Given the sheer weight of forces pressing down upon the province currently, Glenn Burnie had decided that it behooved him and the people he governed if he snatched up the skills and loyalties of these skilled newcomers before they could end up manipulated and twisted against the best interests of Myrken.

Instead of his office, Renea had been sent to the multi-functional field where the Militia currently practiced. While there were some collectively owned pieces of armor and weaponry for standout (or just very large) militiamen, most were expected to supply themselves with whatever they had available. The New Myrken Army had been deeply reduced after the battle with the Ashfield (though there was some standard attrition due to the Ashfield battle and the battle against the Dragon two years ago, making 'reduction' far less difficult than it would have been otherwise.) Others had gone off to become brigands in Heath, or.. more legitimately, to join the skirmishes there. It was now a time of relative peace, after all, and the militia was counted upon to do the brunt of the work protecting Myrken.

Still, some of the militiamen had been at this for years and were pretty good at what they did, even if they were weekend (or off season) warriors at best. Burnie had been at this for years as well, and if Renea was to accept his invitation (including the small, artfully drawn map that came with it, showing her where to go), she would arrive to find him in the midst of a series of spars with one 'soldier' after the next. The de facto leader of Myrken Wood used a rapier, and a lovely one at that, with a dagger, just as nice, in his free hand. And he was quick, strikingly so. In fact, he seemed to be going out of his way to control his breathing in a way to slow himself down so that the people he was sparring with might gain some benefit from the experience.

Still, the main beneficiary of this little exercise, was very likely mean to be Renea. This was a show for her sake, both to give her some sense of what she was dealing with the Militia, and yes, with Glenn Burnie as well.

[Caile]

Renea was ever a curious woman and after the incident with Catch answers were promised, she didn't have to think twice in accepting the invitation. She was glad to have been directed to the field, she'd mentioned her desire to head the militia but between one thing and another the two had been unable to meet and her proposal had gone nowhere.

When she arrived at the field it was to find the current militia in training with none other than Glenn Burnie himself. She was amused and found herself a nearby post to lean on while she watched the man train. He was impressive as a swordsman, she'd certainly give him that, and if he hadn't been busy with affairs of governance he'd likely have made a decent militia leader himself. It was hard to tell, from the way he was sparring, whether his skills were a match to her own, and it was even possible that they surpassed her own skills, but unless they sparred themselves that would be a question that would remain unanswered.

She, as usual, wore her longsword at her hip in it's worn scabbard and despite the chill in the air she only wore a thin jacket over her usual outfit, she'd wanted to have the freedom to move but mostly just hadn't expected to be outside. Not that it would matter if she would be sparring because she'd be working up enough of a sweat to banish the chill.

[Glenn]

Rapier vs longsword wasn't exactly a fair fight. It was much more about survival and withdrawal than actual even combat. He had spent quite a bit of time partaking in such training, however, he was not a professional soldier. And while he was competent on his own, he was simply not adequately learned when it came to tactics and battles. That hadn't been his specialty of research at ANY point of his life. No, while becoming a swordsman helped shape him into who he was now (or who he had been before being taken to Underdark two years prior), he was no general.

He COULD be sparring with her now, could be dancing about her and leading her this way and that, or maybe she'd be swatting him backwards repeatedly. Either way, it wouldn't lead to productive talk, or at least one that was as productive as it needed to be. As it was, Burnie made her wait for him until the line of militiamen had finished their assaults. As he walked towards her, the once-mapmaker wiped at the back of his neck with makeshift, his conditioning such that he was sweating but hardly a mess.

"Good morning, Renea." He was a young man at the height of his physical power, and the smile on his face was energized if nothing else. "I do hope there's been no complications from what Catch did to you the other night." He'd nod back to a tent at the end of the field. "There are some chairs in there, a bottle of wine, and a light meal, if you'd follow me. I'm sure you have questions. I have answers, and after that we can see where we stand." He'd start off towards the modestly sized commander's tent at the edge of the training ground, expecting her to be shortly behind him.

[Caile]

She was perfectly happy to wait for him to finish the training. Even though he was the one who'd sent the invitation and named the time, she was well aware that he was making her wait on purpose, that this entire scene was created for her sake, but she was a patient woman, at least now that she was older she was patient, and watching the men and women she hoped to be training herself was certainly not a waste of her time.

When Glenn greeted her she nodded her own greeting in return and allowed him to lead the way towards the tent, at least it would be out of any wind that would happen along. "Certainly no complications, I haven't felt this well in years. I prefer to not have my injuries healed magically, but I'm certainly not going to go out and get them again out of spite." Though there had been a time when she would have done just that, had done just that as a matter of fact. She had been headstrong in her youth, and a lot of that was tempered now, she'd learned to leave well enough alone and fight the battles whose victories would actually make a difference. Fighting just for the sake of fighting was something she just didn't have the energy for anymore.

She sat herself in one of the offered chairs in the tent and helped herself to a glass of wine, her legs stretched out in front of her with the heel of one boot propped atop the toe of the other. She looked relaxed, but looks were often deceiving when dealing with trained soldiers and warriors. "So, I believe you offered me answers, I'd like to take you up on that."

[Glenn]

Answers. Glenn Burnie had made himself into minister of information of this thrice-damned province he lovingly called home, despite Cinnabar Calomel's misgivings on such a title. Of course, with Calomel now a recluse or worse, it was more like vizier.... regent? Regent of Myrken Wood? Did that ever not have a ring to it. Still, someone had to do the job and there was no one else even on the horizon. Most of the time that was how the young bravo (for that's what he looked like right now, sword in hand) liked it.

Still, a bit of enthusiastic participation was always welcome and this newcomer had it in droves. That didn't mean he was about to present her the keys to the castle, however. Newcomer was just another word for outsider, and the Myrken militia was made up of some of the most xenophobic elements of the province, the ones who wanted to protect their homes the most. Still, he was Glenn Burnie and if she was truly that good, there would be a way to spin it. It might just involve some self-sacrifice and heroism on her part. If she had just come here as a opportunistic carpetbagger, then things could be much harder. It all remained to be seen.

"I have a lot of answers, Renea." There was so much more life to him, out here, sword in hand. Oh, maybe when he was in the midst of one of those endless, impossible rants, he had the same glow to his eyes, but other times? in those nice suits? He wasn't like this. It had lingered even to now, as they sat in the tent. "A myriad of answers. More than a lady of action could possibly want. Ask."

[Caile]

Self-sacrifice was something Renea was willing to give in droves, she rarely passed up a chance to martyr herself though she wouldn't see it as such, she just put everyone elses needs, desires and safety before her own feeling that they were more important. As for heroism, she'd never see anything she did as being heroic, she just did the job that needed to be done without a care for her own well-being, not out of any sense of sacrifice but from a sense of apathy. She didn't have anything in her life she felt she needed to live for, though at least she no longer was trying to get herself killed on purpose.

Hopefully her desire to settle in the area would help to quell some of the discomfort at her being a foreigner. She was quite used to being the outsider, and generally the outsider in charge since she had more experience than most of those she fought with. SHe'd learned quickly how to handle the situation, and charging in telling people what to do was not the way to go about it. What she'd found worked best was to let them show her how things worked and if she felt things needed to be changed just make suggestions. Once trust was gained then it became easier to establish herself as a leader, otherwise her orders would just be ignored.

But all of that was currently besides the point, she was here for answers about something else entirely. She wanted to know what had happened at the tavern, what had happened to Catch.

"You know what answers I'm after, I want to know about Catch, what happened at the tavern and what caused him to snap as he did. I may not know him well, but I do know his state of mind changed."

[Glenn]

"First and foremost, Renea. Before we go any farther, I can see that you are a woman of many martial talents, and one who wants to make a difference. We need that here. I want you immediately working for Myrken if that is what you so desire, for the general good. You've come at a time of great need," not that there wasn't ever a time of great need in Myrken Wood. "And I would be both a fool and a terrible administrator if I did not immediately make use of you." Burnie wasn't eating anymore. He wasn't drinking. He was just looking at her seriously. Oh, if there was one thing that young Glenn knew, it was swordswomen. He knew them very, very well. As much as he failed to understand teahouse girls and noble ladies, he tended to know how the head of the Never Common Swordswoman operated, and for very good reason at that. "And the role I would like you to step into immediately is one of consultation when it comes to our militia. Reporting to me during a transition period, where I help describe the threats and the needs that we are encountering and you let me know how the militia should best grow to meet these needs. If this role plays out successfully, and I would hope this would happen over a short time because the need is greater by the day, I would then stand back and provide you with the means to accomplish the plan we've agreed to. This is a modest province and your compensation will, of course, take that into consideration, but it will be entirely fair, I assure you."

The once-mapmaker actually clapped his hands after that, because he promised answers and she asked a direct question. "Unfortunately," Burnie continued with barely a breath, "Catch's situation is complicated but I will sum up quickly. He arrived over two years ago with no memory of his past and fits of insanity and magical power. Most of the time he is innocent, kind, caring, appreciative of affection, perhaps a little immature and selfish and even cunning, but only as a child would be. Over time, we've discovered that he is a magical creature, perhaps ancient, and part of him, a very important part, was severed and currently resides, lost and buried here in Myrken Wood. The flashes of memory that come to him are often traumatic and lead to such situations as you saw. They've been getting worse despite our best attempts to contain things peacefully. He also responds negatively to other stimuli such as magical presences. We have a large file on him and are always working to make things better for him however we can, Renea. I see him as something like a ward of Myrken and I do care for him deeply. That said, he's come close to hurting people in very severe ways recently and we have to prevent that as well, you understand." So many words, and so few breaths. Glenn Burnie's most impressive talent, certainly, but there it was, all out there, both his very realistic offer to her, and enough information for her to put her experiences with Catch into context.

[Caile]

It was a rather impressive feat indeed, putting all that information out so concisely, it almost made her suspicious but that was due more to her natural lack of trust than anything Glenn had said, from what she could tell he was being completely forthcoming. Likely the suspicion had arisen because, in her experience, no one was completely forthcoming, there was always something held back. Still, it was certainly enough for her to work with, and she understood the need for the two-tierd militia offer.

She couldn't help but smirk a little though, when he explained Catch's situation. Not that she disbelieved it, only that he seemed to have left out so large an aspect of those 'negatives'. "It would seem that it's not just magic presences that cause a negative reaction, but physical violence as well." She fully believed that if Glenn and the others hadn't attacked when they did that she would have been able to calm the young man, or possibly ancient man if Burnie's theories could be true.

"I'm glad that you take his situation and his well being so seriously. I would take it rather...personally if any harm were to come to him." She had always had a special place in her heart for the lost and the strays, and if Catch was anything he was lost. She knew how that felt and she knew what it felt like for someone to have given her a place of safety and family, everyone deserved to have that. That he was dangerous she had no doubt but violence didn't necessarily solve every problem, and this was one of those problems.

"As for becoming a consultant for the miltia, I believe that is a position I would like to accept."

[Glenn]

"Excellent." Second point first. If there was going to be an intense do-gooder swordswoman around, she really ought to be part of the establishment and not off doing her own thing. It meant that Burnie wouldn't have absolute say but he simply wasn't THAT experienced in military matters and really, there didn't NEED to be shades of grey in Myrken. There were enough black and white threats for the militia to help deal with that she'd be more than busy enough.

As for Catch, Burnie just smiled slightly, shaking his head. "The magic came from violence, but the violence, our violence, was a response to his sudden attack on Councilor Treadwell." The exact details, like whether or not Giuseppe had saved her life from an attack Catch wouldn't have been able to physically stop, even if he wanted to, was beside the question. "Trust me, I've talked him down from many a dangerous situation, and I've also failed to and almost had my stomach cut off because of it. He's in a dangerous place right now and I have some of the smartest people in the province trying to figure out how to help him. You're certainly welcome to speak with them on the matter if you have further input. For now, know that I've personally supplied Catch with clothing, food, permanent shelter. His plight is personal as well, even if it increasingly clashes with my role serving the greater good."

[Caile]

Whether Catch would have been able to stop herself or not she really didn't care. In her mind it was better she get hurt, or killed, than someone else. The move wasn't really all that self-sacrificing as it seemed though, if he hadn't been able to stop herself she had gambled that the shock of hurting someone he considered a friend would have stunned him enough to shake him out of his episode. Whether it would have or not she didn't know, but she thought it had had a better chance of working than attacking him. She thought of him much as a cross between a wild animal and a young child, and both, when cornered, instinctively lashed out. They likely wouldn't ever agree on the proper approach for the madman, but if that was all they clashed on then it would still be a productive partnership.

"I am glad that he seems to have so many people that care about him." When people spoke of the greater good it always made her want to roll her eyes, she didn't believe in black and white, so maybe there was going to be more than one issue they clashed on. Ah well, if he got too annoyed with her he could always fire her, and then she'd be free to act on her own, keeping her on a tether would likely be his best option, even if they didn't always agree.

"So, I'll need to know what's going on that would require the militia's assistance, because as troublesome as he might be, I highly doubt you want them dealing with the Catch issue."