LOREN
The name was not particularly familiar to him, but Loren nodded and held out his hand for her to shake if Phoebe so chose. He doubted she would, based off their interactions so far, but it was the polite thing to do. ”It’s nice to meet you, Phoebe. I wish it were under better circumstances.” Whether he was referring to her actions or his own he couldn’t say (most likely a combination of both), but it was definitely true. These were not the best of times.Still, her attacks kept coming, and the Launceleyn remained silent and stalwart. He’d been dealing with criticism all his life, and she was a stranger; she’d have to do a lot better than that to get under his skin. Besides, these were all refrains on admonishments he’d given himself time and time again, so it was just adding one small voice to that chorus. ”You’re right. I wasn’t here, and I don’t know.” Taking a deep breath, he considered her, his eyes sad. ”But I’d like to think I can both worry about the things I can do and the things I don’t know.” He ran a nervous hand through his hair. ”Are there any particular matters you think I should be informed about?” If she was so concerned about his ignorance, maybe she’d actually help alleviate it.
Frowning at Phoebe’s comment about the Greatwood, Loren tried to go over everything he’d learned since coming back to his senses. However no one had especially mentioned something wrong with the forest—well except for Jigano’s comment about some sick trees—that would cause someone such concern. ”Who is killing the Greatwood?” His confusion was genuine and apparent.
Apparently she was going to be difficult about this; Loren stamped down on the spark of annoyance he felt. She’d made some legitimate points (among the many illegitimate ones) and this was her domain, so he’d respect her wishes. ”I’ll go seek him out, then. If he’s not available to come in person, would a note suffice?” Although Loren didn’t know where Phoebe’s clinic was, he could probably get directions, from Ronin or someone else. Somehow, he doubted the king would want to leave his quarters for the misplaced concerns of the healer. The comment about his noble status came out of nowhere: Loren knew all the Launceleyns were nobles, at least once upon a time, but to make that baseless accusation seemed out there, even for the fiery healer. ”I spent five years as a farmer, actually.” He didn’t know why he said that besides the fact that addressing her statement directly seemed like a poor choice. Besides, even before that period he'd hardly had the pampered upbringing of his peers, what with being magically tortured and not being allowed out of the compound for fear he'd embarrass the family.
A beggar's book
outworths
a noble's blood
