Two Lonely Men

Writers: Avery, Eimi
Date Posted: 30th April 2006

Characters: Ishek, Penryn
Description: Penryn and Ishek spend a little time getting to know each other
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 11, day 5 of Turn 3

For this matter, Ishek hadn't wanted to use a firelizard. He was
actually a bit nervous to ask. The friends he'd had... well, they were
back at home. Not that home was...home, any longer. He lived here now,
and Garnet Valley was home. It was more then just the place he worked.
He liked the people here- Penryn was a good man, Thalia a wonderful
lady, and Kiomo seemed a good solid man. And yet he wasn't close to
anyone here but his sister...and one didn't drink with their sister.

He'd written a letter to Penryn asking if he wanted to talk outside of
work for awhile. He'd made sure to emphasize it had nothing to do with
work, and everything with some light drinking and just getting to know
each other as people. He'd left it on his desk- he hadn't been brave
enough to ask in person. Ishek hoped Penryn would come...sometimes he
got a bit lonely. Was this a consequence of a new place, or a new rank?
Ishek hoped it was just the former.

The discussion he'd had with Penryn still weighed on his mind...what
Miralani kept mentioning, as well. Marrying himself to some young woman,
scion of another Lord, in order to gain trade advantages, to take some
of the burden off of the Hold, to present a united front of a Hold that
was growing and stabilizing. It was such a logical idea, such an
advantageous idea, and had Ishek been talking to someone else in that
situation, he would have proposed it to them. And yet that was the thing
he wanted the least in the world for himself. It wouldn't be love. Ishek
knew that. It might not even be happiness. But he knew, eventually, he'd
have to do it. That didn't mean he had to like it.

Ishek sat, staring at the unopened bottle of wine and the two glasses,
sparkling with reflective candlelight, and hoped that Penryn would come.
It would be nice to relax, unwind...and maybe stop thinking about this.

Penryn also was nervous as he walked down the hall towards the Lord
Holder's rooms. The Lord Holder and their steward often enjoyed a
friendly relationship, he knew. It was important for the two most
powerful men in the Hold to enjoy an open and honest relationship. So
far they seemed to be able to get along professionally, from the little
friendly exchanges they had it seemed they could like each other as men.
This was an important first step for them to take in a relationship
that could effect Hold politics for several turns to come. But more
than that, Penryn could use more friends.

Ishek had stood to pace, so he spotted Penryn easily. "Penryn!" he said
with a genuine smile crossing his face. He was grateful that the other
man had come. It would be nice to have someone he could talk to... it
would be nice to have a friend. Ishek wondered if Penryn had many close
friends here- he hadn't seen him with company often, he seemed to work
as well as Ishek himself did. **Maybe it is a product of rank...* he
thought. "I'm glad you came." he added aloud.

"Thank you for the invitation, sir." He knew this was a friendly
meeting, but he wouldn't assume all formalities would drop
instantaneously.

"Please, you don't need to stand on formality." Ishek said, opening the
door wide. "Come in, take a seat. Would you prefer wine, klah,
water...nothing?" he asked. "Feel free to ask for anything, I'd rather
we both be comfortable."

"Something stronger, if you have it," Penryn said with a slight smile.
If they weren't being formal after all, he might as well ask for a
_real_ drink.

"I have it." Ishek replied. "Would you like to take a look?" He had
opened the cabinet already, not knowing what Penryn was going to ask
for. "You can take your pick." He laughed lightly. "I must admit, this
is one of the things I enjoy most- along with the added challenges of
life in a major Hold, there's perks like better drinks available as
well."

"Hmmm," Penryn smiled appreciatively. "Twenty-turn old brandy. I'd say
you _do_ have the better drinks."

"They seem to have appeared here. I don't notice when it keeps
replenishing because I rarely drink on my own. I'd rather do it in
company." Ishek admitted. "Do you have a personal preference?"

"How about some Sapphire Meadow whiskey?" the steward asked as he pulled
out a dusty old bottle. "It looks like it has been aged long enough."

"Sounds fine for me." Ishek remarked. "Something new to try, at least."
He reached for the two glasses. "Have you ever been to Sapphire
Meadows?" he asked curiously.

"No," Penryn said with a shake of his head. "I haven't ventured too far
from Garnet Valley's Holdings I'm afraid. Have you?"

"I haven't either." Ishek admitted. "I'd like to travel though." he
admitted. "So if I can find some excuse to visit another Hold, I think
I'll take it."

"Well, as Lord Holder you will have plenty of chances," Penryn said with
an envious smile. "Hatchings, Conclaves, weddings, official dinners..."

"I didn't think about it that way." Ishek admitted. "So, if you haven't
traveled much, then I assume you're from around here? Or did you travel
to here and then remain?"

"I was born here," the steward said as he poured them each half a glass.
"But I never thought I'd be Steward. My ambitions were never so high."

"You were Assistant Steward before this, though." Ishek pointed out.
"Did you expect to stay there forever? Was it just that you didn't want
anything more?"

"I really am not sure," Penryn shrugged. "This was not the direction I
had expected my life to go. I actually was training to be a guard, but
I had a runner accident. Everything changed after that."

"A guard? Really?" Ishek had to admit he couldn't see Penryn as a guard,
but maybe he knew him too well in his current capacity. "If the accident
hadn't happened, where would you see yourself now?"

"Standing outside your room rather than in it," the steward smiled.

"Are you happy with the way things turned out in the end?" Ishek asked.

"I'm not sure. I don't think I'd really thought about it," Penryn said
thoughtfully. He missed the comradely, the training. But he liked
working with the holders, and with the leadership. He liked the feeling
of accomplishment at the end of each and every day. "I think I can
honestly say that I would not go back even if I could."

"It's interesting how random events can shape a life in such different
directions." Ishek remarked thoughtfully. "We might find aptitudes in
ourself we never wanted or knew we had, ones we wouldn't have found but
for the grace of chance."

"It is indeed," Penryn said with a thoughtful smile. If he hadn't have
been injured he would have been a guard rather than a steward, but more
than that, he would never have met Jaika...

Ishek took a drink and pondered things quietly for a minute. How would
_his_ life have been different? Well, he'd be in charge of a lot smaller
hold, with less hidework and probably being less alone... "Do you have
any hobbies, Penryn?" Ishek asked suddenly.

"Recently? Just work," Penryn admitted with a slight frown as he stared
down into his drink. "But I used to play cards a bit, and read a
little."

"Have I been giving you that much work, then?" Ishek asked lightly. He
was genuinely curious as to why his Steward would abandon hobbies for
work, especially if there wasn't too much. And if there was too
much...well that was his flaw, then. "Am I such a cruel taskmaster?" he
added.

"Oh no, of course not," his steward reassured him quickly. "I just..."
**... don't like going home...** "I hate leaving work unfinished."

"I understand." Ishek said. "We're alike in many ways, aren't we?
Devoted to working for the Hold, rarely taking time off for other
matters... It's part of the reason I invited you here. We both need to
relax. More then that, we need to be comfortable with each other." He
leaned back. "Without getting too much into work, were you very close
with the former Lord and his Steward? I've learned by experience and
observation that managing a Hold is easier when those involved are
friends, rather than just coworkers."

"More the Steward than the Lord Holder. I had been one of Auren's
foremen for turns, but I was actually fairly new to the post of
Assistant Steward when they died. Only three turns, actually." He knew
most Assistant Stewards had many turns more experience before assuming
their former master's role. Penryn had assumed it would be the same for
him. "But they were both very good men."

"I wouldn't have known only three turns if you hadn't told me. You're
very good at your work." Ishek complimented. "I hope we'll continue to
work together for a very long time." he confessed. "I must admit to
being glad that you were the Acting Steward when I came; you really
helped me settle in and I couldn't have done things without you." Ishek
had never tolerated alcohol well, and too much made him likely to ramble
on about random things and be overly sentimental towards people. "I
think we could get along as friends. I'd like that. Sometimes it's just
so sharding _lonely_ when you work all the time..."

"Yes," Penryn nodded. "It is." He took another long sip of his drink.
"I would like to be your friend... sir."

"Well then," Ishek said, raising his glass slightly (and a bit
unsteadily), "to friendship and working relationships and..." Unable to
think of anything else, he simply drained the rest of the drink.

Last updated on the May 3rd 2006

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Two Lonely Men