Coan Bryland ; the ferelden noble (coan) wrote in thedas, @ 2009-12-31 12:53:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! narrative, & before 9:45, @ coan bryland |
Who: Coan Bryland
NPCs: Bice & Sorin Rowe
When: 9:37 Dragon
Where: The Pearl, Denerim
What: The uncles give the traditional Rowe coming of age 'gift'
Rating: T suggested adult situations
It seemed like his mother had been planning this event for an entire year, maybe even longer than that. Let it be said that Rois Bryland could throw a party, and she could throw it good. Coan's eighteenth birthday had just passed, and his mother had no intention of letting him come of age quietly. The celebration was full of friends, festivities, and a mother's pride. She was ecstatic to see that her son had grown into a fine young man like his father, and thought the event appropriate to pass on to him keepsakes and titles. Receiving his father's armor and sword was emotional, but learning that he'd be named heir kind of killed the mood. Not because he didn't want it, or felt he didn't deserve it, but because his newly wed older sister and her less than favorable husband were in attendance, and were very animated in their disapproval. Their presence wasn't exactly requested, but it would have been rude to ask them to leave. He knew it was a terrible thing to not want to share something so special with ones sibling, but she made it obvious that her only reason for coming was for her own personal gain, and that, by her reaction, she cared little for her family's reputation. That wasn't something Coan could tolerate, and he had no problem washing his hands of her when his mother married her off to the son of some far off Bann to get her out of their hair. Even after such a buzz kill, he wasn't allowed to be upset about it for very long. His favorite - only - uncles were in attendance, and they came with the promise of a gift any nephew would be more than happy to receive. This promise took Coan and the uncles away from Gwaren, and on the road to Denerim. The days spent on the road traveling together were a true bonding experience for the often separated family. It certainly wasn't the sort of trip he would go on with Talfryn. He was a responsible, upstanding father figure to Coan, and took him on excursions to train him and teach him 'valuable life lessons'. Bice and Sorin, older and younger brothers of his mother, respectively, weren't the types to teach morality and honor. They were about family tradition, and this was one they weren't going to let pass by. Fathers took their sons, uncles took their nephews, it was all part of growing up with Rowe blood in your veins. The older men shared with their nephew tales of their own youth. Coming of age stories and the mischievous experiences of young nobles made wonderful campfire talk. Still, as many times as he'd heard about this traditional trip to Denerim, Coan wasn't exactly sure of the outcome, and his uncles were adamant about keeping it a surprise. Whatever it was, it obviously required going to Denerim - all of the stories ended there, after all. Upon arrival, they first spent some time wandering the city. Coan had been to Denerim several times, and knew his way around most parts of the city rather well, but there were always new things to find, so every trip was a new experience. Usually, he was traveling with his mother, and when he was younger, he would be left in the care of Ser Talfryn,who made it very clear that certain parts of the city were off limits. Despite being able to wander on his own now that he was older, and being capable of taking care of himself, he continued to mind Talfryn's warnings. So when they were done being obnoxious tourists, and his uncles started to lead him toward the Pearl, he understandably got a little nervous. The Pearl, in Talfryn's definition, was a place where seedy, less than honorable people took themselves to do seedy, less than honorable things. These weren't the sort of people an honorable young man like Coan should be seen around, nor was it an establishment he should find necessary. Practically pushed into the building, the smell of smoke, booze, and Orlesian perfume overwhelmed his senses. Making a face somewhere between confusion and disgust, Coan looked over the patrons, and then looked between his uncles, who were doing their best to appear innocent. Remembering Talfryn's words, and recognizing the crowd as very seedy, he had no intention of lowering his guard, never mind that those who looked threatening were seated, otherwise occupied, and paying him no attention. As they stepped in a little further, his uncles were met with a pair of winks from a pair of decidedly exotic looking women who sashayed their way passed them. Upon inquiring about the women, Bice pushed his nephew along until the three of them came face to face with a line up of picked women and men. He was very confused, and wondered aloud why he was being shown servants, as it certainly wasn't his responsibility to hire new help for the castle. Frustrated with his naivete, Sorin told the men to leave the line up and looked to his nephew. "Now, Coan." Sorin swung an arm around his nephews shoulder and with his other, gestured to the display in front of them. "What you have before you is the tradition of Rowes. Beautiful women, all waiting for you to...unwrap this traditional gift among Rowe men. All you have to do is pick one...or," he grinned glancing to his brother, "however many you fancy for a little...companionship." "What?" The young man's tone, and the look on his face, was indignant. "You...unwrap. You can't mean." It was obvious that they did, in fact, mean what Coan hoped they hadn't. He knew how he felt. Insulted. Upset. Embarrassed. He was sure his face was bright red. He realized, then, what exactly the Pearl was, and why Talfryn worked so hard to keep him out. He didn't belong here. He was a gentleman, and respected women, and would handle this business when he got married, or, at least when he found a girl he liked that wouldn't get sent off to serve Arls far away from Gwaren. Tired of his stalling, Bice chose a buxom, red haired woman who looked to be a touch older than his nephew, and shooed the two off into a private room, and was satisfied when he heard the door lock behind them. When two hours had passed and too many drinks had been consumed by the uncles, Coan finally emerged from the room, stretching, bright eyed, smiling, and receiving applause from his gifters. Two hours wasn't a record by any means, but being as reluctant as he'd been, they figured he would have been out forty five minutes before. Giving him a hefty, whiskey inspired slap on the back, they congratulated and expressed their pride before prodding for details. He did his best to remain tight lipped, but their incessant begging finally got his mouth open. "She's a lovely woman." Grinning, they nudged elbows, and questioned further. "She's new, and from Antiva. She has a rather fascinating story, actually. Sad, really, but she's very sweet, and just needed some compa-" "Coan!" Sorin bellowed, stood, and stomped a foot, staring at his nephew in disbelief, and probably disappointment. "Son, this isn't the time for polite conversation and tea! You were supposed to-" "We did!" The young man turned bright red, rubbing his face as he cut off his uncle. "That was nice, too...really nice, actually. But there was lots of talking in between." He could tell they were glad to hear that, not just from their faces, and toasting, but from their continued conversation on his Rowe given talents in the only place it really ever counts. |