Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree

"I'll direct you to our roost." Veryl strode toward the door. Rodrick rose, following. "Did you enjoy your meal? Is there anything else you require?"

"The meal was lovely, as was the bath, thank you!" Pratik answered politely, offering a small smile. Maybe he wasn't in such a rush to get back to Ash after all. "I'll need materials to write the letter with... and then a warm bed would delightful if you have one to spare. It's been an unfortunate number of hours since I last slept."

"Certainly, certainly!" Veryl ushered him out of the study. "We have parchment and writing implements in the rookery already, so you won't want for that. We can easily set you up with a room as well. Did you ride all the way from Serpent Keep in one day?"

"Yes," Pratik answered, following along. He rubbed his eyes, suddenly realizing how grainy they were. "I set out yesterday morning, took out the officers through the night." He smiled thinly. "And now we're here."

"Then I will write to Lord Ash informing him of your arrival while you go rest," Veryl said decisively. "You've come a long way and done so much already; I can take care of the letter."

"I appreciate that." Pratik forced another smile, not really sure if he did or not. If it was well-intentioned then he supposed it was thoughtful. But, also, he didn't like the prospects of this control being taken from him. "But I think it's best if I handle this, since Lord Ash is expecting the letter to come from my hand. And my news has no doubt caused great trouble for you to attend to, as well."

In reality, Ash didn't have any idea what Pratik's handwriting looked like. But he didn't trust Veryl. And he wasn't taking any chances.

Veryl's brow furrowed, but he relented. "If you're sure, then." They reached the rookery fairly quickly. There were several desks lining the inner hallway with quill, ink, and parchment all neatly placed atop them. Above and around, ravens croaked and pecked at each other on their stands.
"We'll leave you to it," Veryl said, sighing. "Call for a maid when you've finished and she'll see you to your room."

"Thank you." He pulled out a sheet and lifted the quill, contemplating what he wanted to say after he'd been left alone.

5 pods, officers neutralized. 6th got messy, now eliminated. Reeve is warned and advised. I'll return when I have news.

He looked down at the letter, realizing he wasn't sure what Ash's communication preferences were. Pratik tended towards messages that were as vague as possible unless he coded them, and even then he only shared the truly necessary information. No point in sharing names when the intended recipient would know what you meant and, perhaps, an enemy might not.

Pratik waved down a servant. "Which of these will deliver a message to Lord Ash?"

The servant gestured to an array of ravens with green ribbons tied to their left ankles. "These five, sir. Shall I get one down for you?"

"Yes." Pratik worked on folding the message intricately -- yet another of his marks that he supposed he should tell Ash about eventually -- and then rolled it up and tied it to the raven that the servant got down for him. "Thank you."

He watched the raven take flight and watched it until it was out of his sight, then looked back at the servant, suppressing a yawn. "There's a bed somewhere for me?"

(Alrighty, I'm gonna head to bed now. Goodnight!)

"Yes, sir." The servant bowed slightly. "Please follow me." He strode out of the rookery.

(night!)

Pratik gratefully followed the servant to a small bedroom that was warm and well-furnished. He loosened his sword -- which he still wasn't sure why he'd been allowed to keep -- and wandered around the area, inspecting under the bed and the closets.

Then he pushed the dresser in front of the door and wandered over to the bed. He sat down and kicked his boots off, then took his sword the rest of the way off and set it next to him on the bed. Easily accessible, if he should need it quickly.

Then he settled back under the blankets, adjusting his various weapons so they wouldn't disturb his rest -- and yet would also be nearby if he should need them -- then closed his eyes, letting some of the tension fall from his shoulders, finally.

He hadn't been lying when he told Ash he appreciated getting a room in the barracks. It was nice to be out of the cold and off the hard ground. And, he was sure when he returned he'd be given a private room, wherever it was, so that they could lock him in like a wild animal. With any luck, it might even be a bit warmer than where he'd spent the first night.

But, if he was honest, the Reeve was much stupider, which made him more generous. And that felt nicer. Pratik always rested better when he kept his weapons with him. And now he had a proper bed with a proper fireplace, instead of a little cot shoved in the corner of a cell. And a bath, even. This was going to be the peak of luxury that he'd enjoyed in weeks.

He yawned.

Oh well.

He'd probably be back on his way to Ash's no later than tomorrow or the day after if the battle went as expected. So, the enjoyment would be fleeting. But he wasn't stupid enough to be won over by a soft bed, so he resolved to simply enjoy his current quarters as much as humanly possible before he relegated himself back to an armed watch. At least, the food had been good in both places. And that meant a lot.

He drifted off to sleep.

(Should we skip again? I don't have much to offer from Veryl; I kinda did a personality on the spot)

(If you want to! I was thinking this would be a good spot to have some more Gaius development if you want, with Sera/Sara and receiving the letter and such but I’m totally down to time skip if you don’t have anything you want to add for them!)

(I've got nothing in particular. Honestly I've taken an interest in the Tarr family, mostly because I really haven't ever roleplayed with them before.
Where would you like to skip to?)