Usually, when it came time for the New Moon feast, Astrid would attend and only spend time in the company of the highborn.  It had been mostly a matter of having friends which were all of noble birth, and not knowing many of the commoners beyond the brief greetings she might’ve spoken in passing or a short conversation over a stall counter. This time, however, she found herself averse to the conversation of her friends, opting instead to mingle with the smallfolk. She found them to be a much happier, lively and carefree lot, not cautious about their manners; and while some of their words and actions done in drunken bliss shocked Astrid a little, they also brought her smiles and laughter.

She was in the company of a group of young people telling ridiculous tall tales about hunting trips and close encounters that the princess knew better than to believe, before someone nearby caught her eye; red curls and tall frame very recognisable. It took Astrid a good long moment to muster up the courage, but she finally did, and made her way around until she was face-to-face with the man and found that he was exactly who she’d thought him to be.

“It seems my prayers were answered, Ranger Houndstooth.”

[persevalhoundstooth]

If Astrid were to prescribe for herself, she was of the firm opinion that her first encounter with the captain of the rangers necessitated a drink or several in the aftermath. The Muse’s Checkpoint was her stop for rest, sitting down and placing her head in her hands before she would even try to ask for a drink.

The image of the raw-cut bone and heavy blood were still vivid in her mind, but it was the thought that the process was not an uncommon event which shook her the most. What else were they meant to do --sever an infected arm? Provide a mercy kill to a fatally-wounded comrade? It all served not only to shock her, but to increase her respect for the rangers. In another life, she would have sought to become one herself.

Almost like noticing it as a result of her thoughts, Astrid caught the familiar uniform of a ranger right beside her, and she turned almost immediately to face the person beside her in surprise. “You’re a ranger?”