((OOC: Combo post with Evyrless and Drajhan))

The first watch passed rather uneventfully, and the dragonborn woke up the great cat whose snoring was enough to keep Drajhan awake during his watch with little other effort. Before retiring himself, Draj decided that this seemed an opportune time to make up for an earlier misunderstanding. Draj sidled up towards the wood elf and plopped down nearby, clearing his throat in preparation for words that rarely were uttered. “Madam, I believe I owe you an apology,” he said softly.

The voice rung through the last drifting vestiges of Evyrless’s slumbering trance. Her back visibly tensed at the interruption before giving way with a long meditative sigh. Looking over to him with a blank, chillingly emotionless stare, she says, “But what must a Baron apologize for?”

“In truth, not much,” Draj replied. “But I seem to have misjudged your station earlier during our... let’s just call it an unpleasant altercation. You had slapped me, and I spoke harshly. I did not realize you were devoted to the Raven Queen as I am. In my defense... you had slapped me.” Drajhan shrugged as if this were an occurrence that happened with some frequency. “But I should have considered before I reacted. This, combined with the healing you gave us earlier, puts me squarely in your debt. And so, I apologize.”

“Trust me when I say this… sir,” she hisses the final word, “That won’t be the last time I’ll have to strike you.” Her gaze runs cold toward Draj before turning aside to view the site before them. Noticing the cat standing vigil before the camp, Evyr stood from her perch. Eyes forward rather than meeting the drake’s again, she said, “Apology accepted,” before stepping forward off the hut onto the grass below.  

“I suppose another apology is in order,” Draj called after her before getting to his feet. “I was unaware that we had met previously, or have seemed to have forgotten.” He followed Evyr off the roof, somewhat less gracefully than the elf, but thankfully he landed on his feet. “Oof... anyways, it seems I somehow did not remember your face, as that is the only reason I can see why you would believe I would be someone you should strike multiple times. It must have been quite a foul relationship indeed.” Drajhan dusted off the grass from his trousers before looking back at Evyr. “If for some reason we have not met, I would request you take the time to get to know your companions before making such a brash decision. It is difficult to take back a blow that has been struck.”

“I will be precisely as brash as I must be.” Evyrless swiftly turned on her heel to meet Draj’s gaze. Her stance shifted, becoming less composed. Her face contorted into a snarl. “Where I come from, there are more sniveling, pompous, arrogant dignitaries than I could dare to count. And to think that I would meet one that would feign allegiance to my Queen. You’re lucky that I only intend on striking you with my hand.”

“I have also met my fair share of pompous dignitaries,” Drajhan replied. “And I have butted heads with several. Be assured that I have no intentions on forcing you to do what I say. That is a good way for a leader to become headless.” He smiled sweetly at Evyr, flashing a very toothy grin. “In addition, you may rest assured that my allegiance to the Raven Queen is as devout as any other allegiance I may have. I may not live up to all of the expectations that a member of the clergy may have, but I certainly shall do my best, and shall listen if you believe my worship requires a modicum of correction.” 

Draj withdrew his blade slightly from his sheath, highlighting the jewel embedded in the center of the guard. “See this jewel? This is a symbol of a Hexblade, one of the Raven Queen’s many servants. It is from this Hexblade that I draw all of my strength and magic. My servitude to the Queen is sealed with an unbreakable Pact. Please remember this when you next question my loyalties.”

The almost forcibly reserved nature of Evyrless sunk back into her as she retracted her confrontational posture. She didn’t seem either impressed or convinced at the bejeweled metal, but it gave her reason to stay her frustrations for now. “We shall see,” she said. Turning away once more, she marched to her watch for the night. 

“That is all I ask, milady,” Drajhan replied quietly as Evyrless walked away. This time, he declined to follow, instead returning to where he had made his bed for the evening. Perhaps “friends” was too strong a word for their new relationship, but both now understood they were on the same team. In the dragonborn’s eyes, that showed some progress.

[hider=Roll]Perception: [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/2136]25[/url][/hider]