Harold
Tobias Westbrook
Asairde Outskirts

Vanessa was quiet until they got to the stables, and he raised a brow at her question. "Of course." He confirmed, taking the time to unsaddle the mare once more. He hung it from the hook just inside the stable for easy access tomorrow, and started to remove the bridle and reins. "My father is a man of the gods, he'd see a woman wandering this far out as good fortune for grandchildren or something." He was joking, but it wouldn't surprise him if Tredor _did_ think that was why Vanessa had ended up in their lands and not just because of a missing map. 

He finished with the mare, settling a blanket over her frame, and picked up the pitch that leaned by the pile of hay stored in the corners. The stable he'd put her in was recently emptied, so he set to work filling it, nodding his head to the trough and bucket. "Use that to fill her own, it should hold two."
James
Vanessa Ward
Asairde Outskirts 

If she had been drinking or eating, Vanessa would have definitely choked to his reply. Finding a partner was far from what she planned for her future, hoping to gain more coin to settle without having to rely on a man to do so for her. To distract herself from such thoughts, Vanessa did as Tobias said and went for the bucket he indicated to. It didn't take long for her to fill the trough as Tobias worked on the stable so once she was finished, Vanessa walked towards her mare and cupped the bottom of its snout so she could keep the horse facing towards her. This allowed her to examine the exhaustion the mare suffered and decided she had made the right choice. "You're such a strong girl, Mona. Make sure you get a good nights rest." 

She cared for her Mare, finding herself growing a bond after she left her home with her. They had gone through quite a struggle together, travelling from north of Witherlands to the outskirts of Asairde. She was proud in a way of Mona, especially since she had the strength to push forward when they had been caught by a snow storm.
Harold
Tobias Westbrook 
Asairde Outskirts

When they finished, he waited for her to finish sending the mare off, and lead her towards the house. He was hoping to get in, get her tucked into a spare bedroom, and go unnoticed for the rest of the evening, but no sooner did they cross the threshold into the home did he hear his sister. 

"Toby, I was wondering when you'd get back." She called, turning her attention from the seamstress who had caught her. She was examining a piece of heavy cloth beneath a sconce on the wall, and approved it for the drapes that would replace the ones that had been sun-soaked and lost their color over the years. Taedra tilted her head to the side, looking towards the woman with him. 

"You brought home a friend?" She said simply, looking to Tobias with pointed eyes.

Tobias returned the look, and dipped his head a bit. "I did, and she's _very_ tired. I'm escorting her to a guest chamber now, unless there's a reason you need me?" He trailed the question off, and underneath their words there was a mutual understanding. A moment passed and Taedra shook her head, tossing her golden curls. 

"No, brother. Not at the moment. I'll see you both at dinner." Taedra said, taking a few steps backwards. Tobias didn't move, holding his breath. Taedra backed out of the hall, turning quickly, and the moment she turned the corner her footfalls turned from a quickened pace to a full out sprint as she ran to find Thierou or their father to tell him of the news. 

"Shit."
James
Vanessa Ward
Asairde Outskirts

Vanessa watched the interaction between the two, understanding why he was worried about her meeting his sister. When Taedra left Tobias and herself, she cocked a brow towards him as he cursed. "Your sister is quite energetic." 

She had hoped to keep herself locked away in the room for the night so she could sleep undisturbed. Vanessa was quite exhausted still from travelling and the thought of having to eat with Tobias's family was the last thing she wanted. However, she was a guest and her mother taught her better than to complain and if food was offered, it was disrespectful to not eat. 

Inhaling deeply, she felt her chest rise as she calmed herself after overthinking the possible outcome of dinner. She knew a conversation was most likely inevitable, hopefully Taedra wouldn't take that as a chance to bombard her with questions. However besides the deep breath, Vanessa refused to allow her nervousness to show. "So I'm guessing we are having dinner with your family. Should I be worried?"
Harold
Tobias Westbrook
Westbrook Home

Tobias shook his head, and jutted his chin forward, indicating she needed to move and to keep up with him. "No, I'll tell them you were tired and wanted to go to bed. I'll bring you something if you want it." He said simply, Taedra was no doubt bouncing in her heels to tell someone he'd brought a stranger into the home, but he wasn't going to let Vanessa be overwhelmed. He guided her up the stairs, towards the guest quarters. There were three bedrooms made up for guests, and he picked the one furthest from the stairs. 

"You can stay here for the night." He said simply. The room wasn't to any standard of royalty, but it had a decently sized bed, vanity, and private bathing room so she wouldn't be disturbed during the night. "I'll find a change of clothes for you so you don't have to worry about talking to anyone." He lingered, his hand on the door. "We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning, ya?"
James
Vanessa Ward
Asairde Outskirts

She felt relieved when Tobias explained she wouldn't have to eat with his family and offered to give them an excuse for her absence. She kept up with his steps as they made their way towards the Guest bedroom, taking in the view around her. It was a well decorated home and she felt envious as she compared it to her own. 

She stepped into the guest room, studying the large room in front of her until her eyes landed on a bed. A glimmer of happiness could be seen as she raced towards the opposite of the room and threw herself onto the bed with a satisfied moan. It was like a slice of heaven compared to sleeping outside. Vanessa twisted her body so she was now facing the ceiling with her arms spread before turning her head to face Tobias, forgetting he was there for a minute. "That's kind of you and yes, the sooner the better. Thankyou for this."