InsaneJournal

Current mood:	cheerful
Current music:	heather alexander-flesh against the thorn
Entry tags:	eowyn, faramir

"Perhaps we can have matching badges to warn others not to speak to us."
Who: Eowyn and Faramir
Where: Minas Tirith, The Houses of Healing
When: Current. A few days or so after the log with Amrothos.
What: Meeting of the emos! No actually, they meet and have a nice conversation.
Rating: G-PGish? Nothing bad here I don't think. Faramir uses the word "asshole" at one point. Does that count?
Notes/Status: Complete



Coming off of the herbal concoctions he had been taking was a pain in and of itself and Faramir was not exactly coping well with the sudden change yet, though weaning himself off had been fairly successful. It still brought on some problems he had not wanted to deal with that had brought him to the houses of healing seeking something for his near constant headache and, if possible, to make him sleep without the disturbing dreams.

He tried to speak around the real reason and ignore the looks of pity that he was sure he was being given by most of the healers. He did not want them now. He did not scorn it but...it hardly felt right in this instance of something he'd brought down upon himself. Eventually, he managed to be allowed to leave, or was at least turning to leave while promising Ioreth that yes, he was being careful.

Eowyn was getting ready to leave herself. The healers had finally given her their blessing. While her arm was still in a sling, she seemed to be managing a lot better in the past week and the black breath had seemed to subside. Her arm would be completely healed by the end of the month. She packed what little things she had acquired into a small pack and flung it across her back. She only took a moment to look back at the room she had spent so many months in before turning and marching out of the houses of healing, paying no mind to the healers who had kept her there. Though it wasn't only the healers that she was paying no mind to, it was also where she was walking and before she knew it she nearly ran into another man who was on his way out. Eowyn scowled and mutter a half-hearted apology.

Faramir turned to give her a bit of a tired smile. "Quite all right. I was probably in the way. I have a habit of that I'm afraid." Lot of good it had done him in the past too, wasn't it? And then he noticed the sling and blinked in recognition. He did not know much of this woman due to having been so near the shadow himself at the same time, but he did recognize a woman of Rohan when he saw one and this could be none other. "Lady Eowyn." he added, with a slight bow for her. "It would seem we all owe you a debt."

Eowyn finally took a moment to look up at the man when she heard his voice. It was full of the same sort of sorrow that she often felt and she immediately felt a kinship with him. It didn't hurt that he was quite striking. She swallowed and took a step back; not out of fear, but perhaps astonishment. Who was he? "There is no debt owed, sir..?" she asked.

Well, might as well come out with it now, Faramir thought, managing not to cringe too much as he remembered he had been so absent all this time. It was not as though he thought this woman would judge him harshly, though he reasoned that she had every right to do that actually. Still, something in her suggested she might understand after all. "Faramir." he said, offering a hand to clasp with her. "Of this City though not so much of it these past few months." he added wryly.

"Son of Denethor," Eowyn responded knowingly. Her tone was not accusatory, not angry. It was rather neither here nor there. She took Faramir's hand in her good one and shook it. "I was wondering if perhaps I would meet you here. Are they finally setting you free as well?" she asked curiously.

"A while ago." Faramir admitted, relaxing a little now at the touch of her hand. It seemed familiar somehow, comforting. "But for myself...I'm only now working on the being set free I am afraid. The shadows...they mislaid me for a time, I fear and drove me to.." he shook his head. "But today is not a time to speak of such dark things if you are being set free. Forgive me. I'm told I can be depressing to be around."

Eowyn smiled her first real smile in weeks and let out a small laugh. "They should not let us talk together, for I am told the same thing quite often. We would be far too depressing for our own good and might drown ourselves for the sorrow." She found this fairly amusing for some reason. Yesterday she may not have, but today? She was being set free and it was a good day.

Faramir had to snicker at that. "Or perhaps they should leave us only to ourselves and let the others all walk by getting along with things." he joked back with her easily. "Perhaps we can have matching badges to warn others not to speak to us."

Eowyn laughed with Faramir and fell into step beside him as she continued on her way out of the houses of healing. She would feel better the more distance between her and that place she put between them. "That's a clever idea," Eowyn said with a nod. "It should be a badge made of the deepest black, and we could wear cloaks to hide our faces from the sun that mocks us."

"Oh yes, perfect!" Faramir agreed. "Perhaps some tears as well, or wait..those could somehow mean joy so maybe not." He followed along with her, not having any particular place to head just now. After all, he was not due back at Imrahil's guest house for some time and could not handle the thought yet of returning to the Steward's House. It would come in due time, he thought, but for now, he prefered not to think about such dark things himself. "Is there somewhere I may walk you?" he asked.

"No," Eowyn shook her head. "No tears, though I am sure we can come up with something equally as sad." She fell silent then as she walked, watching their feet walk in step. She lifted her head and her attention to Faramir when he asked where she was heading. Normally she would take offense of some Gondorian trying to protect her, as she was quite capable of walking herself to the stables, but somehow she knew that was not why Faramir wanted to walk with her. "I'm heading to the stables," she said. "I am going to fetch my steed and head to the camps outside the city. I long to be with my own people."

"Which only makes sense of course." Faramir nodded at that. "I'm sure they will be pleased to see you have been set free. The houses..." he shook his head. "No place for anyone to stay for very long despite the fine work they can do there. It doesn't make me like most of it any better I'm afraid. Then I've always been slightly spoiled and ungrateful." He would see her to the stables, he decided, if that would be all right with her.

"My brother will be quite pleased," Eowyn replied with a smile as she realized she was going to be staying with her brother very soon. Her expression turned to that of confusion when she heard Faramir call himself spoiled and ungrateful. She had heard those words used for Gondorians, in fact she had used the words herself, but she found that she didn't think those things about Faramir. "Nay, I can plainly see that you are grateful for what you have. You see others who have nothing, and your heart longs for them." She wasn't usually the type that could read another human being, but it seemed to be those bleeding souls that she really felt akin with. Quite funny considering she was far from one herself.

Faramir blinked at that one. Well, he had been spending a lot of time with those people himself, lately, but that had been more because of not wanting to face others in the city with what he had become and knowing they might understand him a bit better, being harder hit by the things they always were. "Well, I'll thank you for the compliment, though we have yet to see how true it is." He knew he took after Denethor in many ways, and while he would not call Denethor either one of those things in the least...he also knew that sometimes that type of nature came off to others in that way.

"Hmmm," Eowyn considered Faramir's words and then nodded. "Yes, we shall see," but Eowyn knew that she was right about Faramir even if he didn't believe it himself. She took in a deep breath and fell silent for a moment. The city was coming along nicely. All of the rubble had been removed and most of the building almost entirely rebuilt. Aragorn was doing a good job... Aragorn. She frowned at the thought of him and quickly searched for something to change the subject with. "What happens to the Steward's family now that there is a King?" she asked, the first thing coming to mind. She mentally kicked herself for the question. The last thing (and secretly first) she wanted to talk about was Aragorn.

"A good question." Faramir had to admit that it had thrown him for a bit of a loop as well. "I have been asked to continue my services as steward while the king rules. There is so much to oversee that some tasks can be delegated to me and such. Frees him up for a bit of other work." Not that Faramir had been doing his share so much lately, but it still counted in its way, didn't it? He supposed so. "So very little will change for me actually. I never acted as an independent steward so..." He shrugged a bit. "Less of a change to get used to I should think."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Eowyn replied with a shrug. She didn't know much about Gondorian politics. Now Rohan politics on the other hand? She knew everything there was to know after years of waiting on her Uncle. They would need to leave for Rohan soon, that much was for sure. The city was nearly complete and the wedding was soon to come. After that there would be nothing to stay here for. Still, it pained her to leave those who she had become close to - Amrothos the most. "I doubt things will change much for me either, at least until my brother marries and has children of his own."

"Ah yes." Faramir agreed. "You will need a lady in Rohan for certain. And who better than one who has ever looked out for the people, to the point of fighting for them in their darkest hour?" he added, reminded, for a moment, of Lothiriel, though she had never been so brave as to ride directly into a battle herself.

A hurt expression crossed Eowyn's features. Though Eomer had forgiven her for not staying behind and truly taking care of Rohan as was asked of her, she hadn't really forgiven herself. Yes, she had done great deeds in the war, but she also abandoned her people for death and glory only one of which she found. "Yes, who else?" she responded, though half heartedly.

Faramir blinked at that, but decided it would be best not to press things further. Still, he fought the urge to eat his boot right then and there as they walked along. Mmm filthy leather. Well, it couldn't be as bad as Anborn's cooking in Ithilien, he told himself, though he realized this moment required more seriousness and sensitivity than that. "I am sorry if I have reminded you too much of anything you'd rather have left behind." he told her with a little sigh. Here, he had thought things to be going so well. Likely he'd caused a diplomatic incident for her.

Eowyn looked up at Faramir surprised that he had caught onto her sarcasm. Sometimes she didn't realize how dry her tone could be and how easily how she was feeling could be picked up on. "Nay, think nothing of it," Eowyn responded in a more cheery disposition. It was hardly something she really wanted to talk about. There was no reason to go depressing an already depressed man. "The streets on Gondor seem to shine again," she said. "Though I have never seen it before the war, it almost seems to shine."

Ah well, Faramir most likely was used to it because he often used that tone himself. It became an old friend really, after a while, even in a stranger. "It does, doesn't it?" He had to agree, looking around. "The king's done well." he had to admit to himself, though he had not QUITE wanted to before, even if he'd resolved to be polite until he knew the man better.

Eowyn wanted to snort at the word 'King' but refrained. She was still a little bitter over the whole ordeal he had put her through. "Gondor will be up and running within a few weeks and then we will be free to leave and rebuild our own homesteads."

"And well you should be able to. It has been some time, I know." Faramir himself wanted to snort a little too, but knew that it was not because of Aragorn himself, only, well the way he had come into his power made him unsure of the whole thing, and, as Amrothos had pointed out, the people did support him with very good reason. Being unsure was no reason to be an ass to someone just yet. It was better to wait and see what they did to deserve you being an ass to them and then to let loose with everything at once...all right, well probably not while they outranked you and had done such good things for your city, even if they were new to it. "I have hope too, that in time, your land will be as it ever was. Or better."

"Let us hope for better," Eowyn responded as she reached the stables and stopped to face Faramir, a small smile on her face. "Thank you for walking me," she said the words feeling foreign on her tongue. She rarely thanked anyone for anything outside of her own family... and for something like walking with her? She felt like an idiot immediately and lowered her gaze, shaking her head with shame before turning on her heel to go into the stable.

"Thank YOU for letting me." Faramir countered, "And for not letting me depress you." he added with a wink for Eowyn. And then he felt stupid himself. A WINK? Really, Faramir? A wink? What was wrong with? It was not like he wanted her to think he had gotten any IDEAS. He had simply actually enjoyed her company, which was rare with anyone these days. Shaking his head as he watched her leave, he fought to find something else to say or to call her back but...nothing actually came to mind. Drat it.