R'mar stood outside the Dining Hall.  D'nil and V'kat were inside.
Celeste was too.  He had seen them enter.  He had heard the angry cries
inside the building begin not long after Celeste entered.  K'wen, of
course, was nowhere near.  He would be far away tonight.

Though the weather had turned warm, he was still dressed in his heavy
leather flight jacket with its yellow-gold image of Talib embroidered on
the shoulder.  His hands were clasped firmly behind his back.  He took no
actions in response to the sounds of violence, neither to aid the attacks
nor break them up.  If surprise at what was happening or conflict over
what to do,  it could not be seen.  His expression was unreadable.

Someone broke out of the building, bleeding from a split lip.  He screamed
for the Guild of Swords.  R'mar watched him without moving or calling
attention to himself.

Then a flash of color at the door of the Dining Hall caught his eye.
Waves of surprise, concern, and even fear crashed over the formerly
expressionless face.  The color that caught his eyes was red.  Briana came
barrelling out of the Dining Hall, panting from exertion.  She spotted him
almost immediately.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" she asked, turning her guileless
eyes on him.

"No," he said curtly, almost too quickly.

"Some guy tried to hit me!" she exclaimed.  The outrage was still daw in
her voice.  "He called me 'Landborn scum!'"

"Why would he call you that?" R'mar asked distantly.  "You're not
Landborn."

"Of course I am, R'mar!" Briana said, perplexed.  "I just don't understand
what's so bad about being Landborn."

R'mar shrugged.  "Landborn are different," he said, as if he hadn't fully
heard what she'd said.  "They try to make the Warren more like where they
came from.  Warrenfolk don't like them.  They like things the way they've
always been.  You should understand that."

Briann narrowed her eyes.  "But I *am* Landborn, R'mar!"

R'mar looked at her hard.  There was something strange in his expression,
something stubborn and obstinate.  "You don't understand," he said.

"No I *don't* understand," Briana exclaimed in frustration.  "Explain to
me why it's bad that I'm Landborn."

"You're asking the wrong question," R'mar growled.  His tone of voice
ended the conversation.  Briana was caught between confusion and
frustration.

"We'd better go," R'mar said.  "The Guild of Swords will have to break
everything up now."  He lay a heavy hand on Briana's shoulder,
half-guiding and half-pushing her away from the Dining Hall.

Briana started to struggle.  "But--"

R'mar didn't give her a chance to answer.  "Don't ask," he said gruffly as
he pulled her away from the Dining Hall. 

Infuriated, Briana ripped away from his grasp.  "You can't just usher me a
ground like a child!" she cried.  

R'mar just looked at her.  "You don't understand," he said, and turned to
walk out of sight.

Respectfully Submitted,
Susan Rati

NRPG: Not much, but it addresses the tag ;).

*    Susan Rati | echo@indy.net | http://www.indy.net/~echo     *
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