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Post by Lord Belric Blackfort on Jul 6, 2016 7:38:46 GMT
Belric entered Hoster's chambers, finally finding a moment to break free and check on the man's health. He nodded to Dacey as he entered the room, forcing a comforting smile.
"It is good to see you both alive. From what I have been told, you are lucky to be here... Even if only partially." He looked at Hoster sympathetically. Though he doubted the loss of an arm and an eye could ruin his uncle's charming personality.
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Vex
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Post by Vex on Jul 6, 2016 11:13:31 GMT
"Tha' fecker..." Laying on the bed Hoster spat, literally. The cleaning girl would take care of that later on and since he couldn't walk, there was no chance he'd accidentally step on it. With some effort Hoster managed to reproduce his earlier exploit, getting back to his sitting position. The strain and the pain helped him to relieve some of his anger and level his thoughts. "Kid..." He said much calmer now. There was something he had to do. "Back in da Pits... What ye did... Thank ye." As much as he didn't like it, Hoster had to admit, had it not been for Dacey, he'd be five feet under. The sight of the blade coming through Donnel's chest had been the most relieving he had had in recent history. Dacey didn't look, but made a mental note to remember the general area Hoster had spat in so as not to step in it on her way out. She blinked, having not expected a thanks, especially from Hoster. "Of course," she said with the hint of a smile that faded immediately when Belric paraded in. She acknowledged him with a nod, but didn't say anything.
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Boros
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Post by Boros on Jul 6, 2016 12:00:41 GMT
Hoster returned the nodded, solemnly. He acknowledged that it was hard for the Blackforts to express emotions other than through punching people in the face with a mail fist.
"Nephew..." Hoster exclaimed as Belric barged into his room. He chuckled at the 'partially' part of Belric's sentence; his moods were swinging more than a nymphomaniac couple. "Ye know, som'where me other arm is givin' ye da finger for tha' comment."
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Post by Lord Belric Blackfort on Jul 6, 2016 17:00:36 GMT
Belric laughed, thankful to hear his uncle's sense of humor had not left him. The humor did not hang in the air long however, Belric quickly diverted the conversation back towards what he had come here for. "Tell me, you two, what happened out there?" He looked form Hoster to Dacey, "Why did you attack without waiting for reinforcements? How was it that your own guard betrayed you?"
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Vex
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Post by Vex on Jul 6, 2016 19:04:13 GMT
Dacey took a deep breath, feeling a migraine coming from having to explain everything over and over, day in and day out.
"Because this was the party Hoster had assembled to hunt the bandits," she reported. "We outnumbered them and had nearly every advantage in the book. You can't honestly tell me you would have waited for reinforcements under these conditions. Willem and his two scouts happened upon us by complete chance. I don't even know what they were doing there. It was either wait there for reinforcements that at the time seemed unnecessary and risk the bandits leaving, or charge in like we would have anyway, had we not come across Willem."
"My only misdoing was not telling Hoster about what happened in the woods a month ago and I regret that now. I should have warned him and told him to bring Harrenhal guards instead of his own men, but even knowing what I knew, I didn't anticipate half of them would betray us. The bandits were lead by two of Hoster's men that abandoned us in the woods after Edmure shoved one of them in front of the bear while retreating himself. As I told Hoster earlier, I don't know whether his men would have fled the fight anyway, but I highly doubt they would've resorted to banditry. In any case, one of them used this against us in the clay pits and five of our men defected."
She stood up, looking at Belric with a slight frown. "I didn't tell you this before and for that, I apologize. Edmure did help us fight the bear in the end, and I believe Jormun and I would have been worse off if he hadn't, yet his actions raised unlawfulness in our lands. He is our brother and I was giving him the benefit of the doubt until recently, but his antics and accusations the gate have convinced me otherwise. You should know that the man you've appointed your second in command is a liar and a coward."
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Post by Lord Belric Blackfort on Jul 7, 2016 0:35:46 GMT
Belric shook his head in frustration, "My orders were not for you, they were for Hoster. I did not put you in charge, and am still wondering how the fuck that happened." Belric's eyes darted back and forth between Dacey and Hoster. "Your ignorance has caused the deaths of my men. Had you informed me of Edmure's cowardice, I would have never sent Hoster and his guards to deal with the bandits. Yet now that the damage has been done, you see fit to force the blame onto your brother when you share the weight of this failure? Can no one in this bloody family take responsibility for their actions? You are just as much at fault here as Edmure, and if I ever find out that either of you are withholding information from me again, you will be punished to the fullest extent of my will."
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Vex
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Post by Vex on Jul 7, 2016 1:19:00 GMT
Dacey, who'd to her best knowledge just admitted and apologized to making a mistake that had obviously contributed to the poor outcome of the skirmish, listened with a stony face as Belric berated her for it and basically just repeated some of what she'd said. She was quiet for a while.
"I understand," she said finally, having decided not to further waste her breath. There was more sense in talking to a brick wall. "And I accept the consequences, now. Let's hear them."
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Post by Lord Belric Blackfort on Jul 7, 2016 2:03:18 GMT
"Consequences?" Belric shouted, "You've already seen the fucking consequences! Or is my maimed captain and your sliced back not enough?" He would never have said anything, but Belric was relieved when Dacey refused to argue. She had said exactly what Belric needed to hear, accepting responsibility for the mess she had created. She had done a right side better than Edmure in that regard. However, Belric was still angry, and would not be calmed easily.
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Vex
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Post by Vex on Jul 7, 2016 2:15:36 GMT
"Consequences," she repeated slowly. Perhaps the whole debacle had caused Belric to burst a vessel in his brain. "As in... What is my punishment?"
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Post by Lord Belric Blackfort on Jul 7, 2016 3:42:31 GMT
Belric stood up straight, irritated by Dacey's attitude. "Your punishment is that you have to stay here, with your brother, while I go to Riverrun."
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Vex
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Post by Vex on Jul 7, 2016 10:06:33 GMT
"Very well," she said, deciding not to press the matter any further, though Belric's earlier warning rang a little hollow to her now. This entire incident had ended up being a shitfest from start to finish, but what bothered her was Belric's insistence of focusing solely on finding someone to blame for his two dead guards and Hoster's arm rather than acknowledging the following facts: The bandits had been eliminated. There had been a direct cause for this recent bout of desertion and unlawfulness in his lands.
She didn't really want to bring this discussion any further, but it wouldn't have been fair to the people if she'd left it unmentioned just because of her current foul disposition with her brother. "There is one other thing," she said. "May I ask that the chest of gold we retrieved from the bandits be distributed fairly among the folk, or at least be put into bettering their situation? The money was, after all, taken from them in the first place."
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Boros
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Post by Boros on Jul 7, 2016 17:48:34 GMT
Hoster shifted uneasily on his bed while the two discussed. He decided to stay silent and nod, drunk or not he knew that there were some times that you just interrupt your lord nephew and his sister amidst a heated debate... Especially if the subject was so inflamed that led this discussion to happen beside a sick man's bed.
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Post by Lord Belric Blackfort on Jul 7, 2016 19:54:15 GMT
Perhaps Dacey had no idea how much she had inconvenienced Belric. Her ignornace had led to far more than the deaths of two men. Hoster's entire guard had been leveled in a single battle, both from desertion and the slaughter in the clay pits. Belric thought of the numerous ways the bandit situation could have been handled better, but his sister seemed to think the results were worth the price. Belric disagreed, his sisters sense of justice put a foul taste in his mouth.
When she asked him to return the money to the people, he nearly spit. He had already returned a small fortune to his subjects. How did she expect him to pay for the replacement men she had let die so callously? Should he not accept taxes because the wealth once once belonged to the people?
"When did you get so fucking charitable?" He asked snidely.
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Vex
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Post by Vex on Jul 7, 2016 21:23:57 GMT
Perhaps if Belric's head hadn't been so far up his arse, he would even have realized that the elimination of Hoster's men could have very well been a good thing. They'd shown their true colours and proven to be traitors. Had it not happened now, it would have happened later. Still, if Belric wished to mourn this scum and drive a wedge between himself and his sister, so be it.
She was unimpressed by his tone, though kept her face straight. Belric was every bit the man-child Edmure was whenever he got this emotional.
"It was just a suggestion," she said, and glanced at Hoster, having not forgotten they were in his room. "If we're all done here, we should let our uncle rest."
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Post by Lord Belric Blackfort on Jul 7, 2016 21:38:31 GMT
"You are excused. I have more to say to my uncle." It was obvious in the tone of his voice that he had nothing more to discuss with his sister. Belric did not view trechary as a win, even if the traitors were no longer an issue. He saw the situation very clearly. Had Edmure not been a pussy, and had Dacey not been dishonest, the battle of the clay pits would have gone differently.
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