Marvin
William Guiscard 
The Wider Nasaris Estate

"No you're... You're not insane. I find it quite... Reasonable", said William. Vezda was only trying to be nice, trying to familiarize herself with the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. She had a right to know but... Opening up was difficult, especially when one was unaccustomed with it. Still, he'd give it a shot.
"Well... Let's see... I like apples, I loath rain and... ", he stopped and looked at some of his scars. He honestly didn't remember how he got most of them but then his eyes found one whose origins he couldn't forget. 
"And I got this one from a slaver's whip on the Southern Sea". It was a peculiar scar, a line bordered by little circles like nail holes on wood.
"We were hired to raid a vessel carrying slaves. By another slaver, of course. They are not big on equal competition. I was the new guy, so up in the first boat goes William", he said chuckling at the memory. *Gods, I thought I was invincible*
Shaking his head, he refocused. "Once we were aboard, this scrawny fellow comes at me, flapping his whip about. I almost laughed until I felt this sharp pain on my shoulder. His whip had these lovely nails on its tip, a nice way to treat rowdy slaves, I suppose, and they passed through the tunic and into my skin. He must have felt really good about himself until I grabbed the whip and pulled him closer. He underestimated me too but I was lucky enough to walk away from it". *That's all you need some times. More luck than the man facing you*

William Guiscard 
The Wider Nasaris Estate

Vezda listened to him carefully, soaking up the information that he offered about his past.
She in turn offered her own story. A story of how she was too angry to feel a wound that could have been far worse than it actually turned out to be.
"Oh you silly thing", he commented playfully as he understood where the story was going. William followed the scar with his own hand while she explained how she competes at tournaments and jousts. A little smile formed, full of pride and respect at her cunning.
"A useful deception. It allows you to fight as well as ensuring the maximum amount of embarrassment for your opponent when he learns the truth". *Will she try... No, she mustn't. It's my responsibility*
"I hope this isn't your way of trying to convince me to fight the Lordling in my stead. I won't allow it, the bastard's mine"

William Guiscard
The Wider Nasaris Estates

"Οh is that right? Would you cheer for me or should you be impartial?", said William as he traced her scar with his hand once again. "Or maybe you'll be more subtle about your support? Perhaps a ribbon, to tie around my sword pommel? Yes, that would get the message across", he said. He toyed with the thought of letting his hand trail a little more on the inner side of her thigh but that would probably lead to more delays. Perhaps another time
William retrieved his hand and stood up carefully, not wishing to disturb Vezda, seeing that she had closed her eyes, enjoying the last few minutes of precious time away from the manor. He went around, gathering his discarded clothes one by one and dusting them off as well he as could. They wouldn't stand a chance under close scrutiny but they would have to do until he got to his rooms.
Karen
Quinn and Goodwine Wallaice
Outside Monsutes, Northern Terresol

The touch of her skin was smooth and warm against his arms as her fingertips trailed down his sides. 

"Get up, Quinn." She purred. Her deep, brown eyes looked up at her as she found his belt buckle. 

"But Lyma..." He could hardly believe his eyes, "You're a whore. There's no way that we can—" Their love was forbidden, but if it was so wrong, then why did they both want it so badly? "We could never be togeth—"

"Quinn..." Her eyes were alight and she shook her head. She rose from her knees, placing a finger over his mouth to silence him. He watched as her hands wrapped around his lapels and slowly began to strip the roughhewn shirt from over his naked shoulders. "Get up." The air was cold on his skin as he felt her pull him towards her breast. Her hands tightened against his chest as she shoved his head back against the hard floor, jostling him from his sleep.

"Get up, you fackin' idiot! Get tha fuck up!" A hand shot from his lapel and slapped him across the face. At once, the man was propped up on his palms, cheek red at stinging. Goodwine was straddling him, shaking him from his slumber. For a moment, he didn't know where he was, but as he looked around in the thick canopy, he remembered how he and Goodwine had tied themselves to the trees for the night in order to spy on the bandit his employers wanted. 

"She's just started runnin'. She left tha boy." Goodwine rasped, collapsing his spyglass and placing it inside one of the many pockets in his black trenchcoat.

He didn't know what to say to that. He was still thinking about Lyma, but as the dream faded, he turned to one side and balked at the 10 foot drop below him. He placed his hands over the other man's thighs to steady himself. 

"Fuck 'dis." Goodwine said, jumping from the tree branch and stumbling down onto the forest floor. He unsheathed his cutlass from the scabbard at his hip.

"You!" He shouted, "Boy!" Goodwine swiped the cutlass at Cleos. "Tell us where she's goin'!" 

Cleos would watch as another man clambered down from the tree, seemingly dazed, loading a crossbow. Once the bolt was in place, it was pointed at his chest. 

"Shout out 'er name!" Goodwine yelled, closing the distance between them with the point of his blade, "Shout out 'er name and tell 'er to come back and we won't 'ave to fucking kill you!" 

Out of the corner of his eye, Quinn saw the sellsword come upon them. "Son of a..." The man spun the crossbow to her, then briefly to the dog, and then back to the boy. "Does your dog track?" He shouted, but then repeated it in Soltongue, <"Is he a tracking dog?"

He pointed down the road, to where the woman was running away, "That woman is an Islander, and a murderer and a runaway. She has escaped the King's justice and she is worth a hefty price. This man has been assisting her. Will you help us?" She looked like Lyma. He thought that was interesting.
Marvin
William Guiscard
The Wider Nasaris Estate

"That'll give the Lordling something to think about. It'll mess with his head", he replied as he fastened his belt, taking one last look at his wife spread over his cloak. Under normal circumstances, by this time tomorrow they would have been preparing for their wedding feast. Instead, they were preparing for battle, the first one that they would fight together. It was almost poetic, the knight and his dame, a warrior in her own right, ready to take on their first foe. *Perhaps I should commission a bard to write a song about it, if all goes well*, he thought. 
"They'll probably be scrambling to find excuses for me. The boys are clever but your family could prove challenging even to the most loyal of retainers", replied William as he secured his dirty cloak. He placed a quick kiss on her cheek before untying Geval, mounting the stallion. She followed suit and then they were both riding hard towards the Manor.