Andrew Eregard arrives in town far later than he had planned to and incredibly angry as a result. He takes it out on his companion as they lug a heavy crate of his ship's cargo down the gangplank. "I should've just left you, you know. You're a damn fool. And I'm twice the fool for having put up with you. A whole day late! We've missed half the ordeal!"

"Sir--" the boy began to protest. Or apologize. Which would never be known.

"Say one more word and I swear I'll deck you. I don't want to hear it."

The pair lower the crate onto the dock and Andrew cups his hands around his mouth, shouting up to the sturdy silhouette of a man on deck. "I'm going to settle! Take care of this, aye?" He waits for an affirmative and, after one last glare at the boy, turns and makes his way into the city. In spite of everything, he can't help but be happy to see it lively again. He favored other ports, but coming here always filled him with a sweet nostalgia. Had some good memories here, he did.

He ventures deeper into the city, looking over the stalls and the wares they sell with the quick, cool appraisal of a fellow merchant. He takes note of the bank, a place he's likely to frequent, and browses the thin crowds for familiar faces. It'd been a long while since he'd seen any of his Lindbur contacts, and he wasn't betting he'd find them easy after so long.

"Here's to hoping though, right?" he mutters. The words are barely out of his mouth when the tall, lean figure of Aevin Harnell cuts across his field of vision. He stops in his tracks.

"Hells," he breathes.

Aevin doesn't pride herself on her intelligence. She knows she isn't smart, not in the ways most people would define the term; her life had bred in her an animal cunning, built on reflex and intuition... nothing of a refined intellect, of superior reasoning or higher speech. She doesn't know much about anything what isn't right in front of her, but when her squinting through the sunlight reveals, sure enough, none other than Andrew Eregard staring blatantly, she knows very well what he must be feeling. Knows very well indeed.

She decides to rub it in.

"Ey!" she calls, her own voice pushing pins and needles into her brain. She hides a grimace with a grin and approaches him with arms extended in welcome. Hell, she wraps them around him and squeezes tight. "Been ages! How ya been? How's tha boys?" She leaves her hands on his shoulders, leaning her weight on him as she stands back and peers toward the docks. "'Ssume yer here on business, eh?"

Andrew swallows hard as Aevin pulls away, averting his wide eyes from her with a faint grimace that speaks to the storm of downright terror raging through him. His brain trips over itself trying to answer her questions, trying to find something to say that wouldn't sound stupid, but all that comes out is a faint gurgle of shock, surprise and a touch of despair.

"Ye-yeah," he finally manages, forgetting himself and staring at her once more. Gods be damned, she was prettier than he remembered... little more beat-up-looking... ruffled 'round the edges... weathered... but then he supposed the years since their affair hadn't been all kind to him, either, and he wasn't the one that had run off to join the band of rogues. Even when she'd been honest, Andrew reflected, Aevin had always had a knack for getting into trouble.

He'd always liked that about her. His heart withered a bit. It also got angry. Aevin had ruined his life, she had! Well, she wouldn't get the better of him this time, no sir. His sudden rage gave him the strength and courage to speak, and he knew just what to say.

"Are you going to ask after Johnmar or do I have to remind you?"

Aevin returns her attention to him with a small frown. She bites her lip, momentarily at a loss for words if not quite flustered. She'd done her best to forget about the lad, and most of the time she'd succeeded rather nicely. But how best to respond? Wouldn't do her any good to get caught back up in these things right now, what with everything else going on. Shouldn'ta come over an' talked to 'im, she thinks as she plasters a big, wily grin across her face.

"Nah, you ain't gotta remind me. I'm sure 'e's makin' a nice livin' fer himself."

Andrew's lips thin to a hard white line as his eyes fill with a blue fire. "He nearly died. Would've been gone, just like that, hadn't there been a cleric on hand. And you'd never have known, never even have cared by the looks of things." He crosses his arms and widens his stance, surging with a righteous fire as he confronts her.

Aevin doesn't quite flinch, doesn't quite cower, but the uneasy smile on her face sits below eyes filled with a sudden fear. Oh but she's about to get it good! And for the first time in who knows how long she feels like she might just deserve it. She'd known right well even before she left that it would mean disaster for Andrew, but she'd felt disaster creeping up on her own life when she thought about staying. So she'd left. And she hadn't looked back, no, Aevin never looked back. But she almost felt bad now.

Well. Too late for that. Had other things going on now, no need to start looking back now. She clapped Andrew on the shoulder and brushed past him, heading for the docks in the hopes of hitching a ride to somewhere more exciting. Oh she was aching for a good fight now. For the sweat and exertion and exhausted delirium that followed a long day in the heat of a good brawl. And the drunken stupor she'd celebrate victory with. Couldn't forget about that.

Wasn't like her not to have the last word, though. She just couldn't think of anything to say.

Andrew runs a hand through his thick blonde hair as he casts his eyes skyward in exasperation. He's tempted to hurl further words at her retreating back, but he curbs his violent emotions with a sigh. He'd damn well keep his dignity. And his head. Now.... He looks around, at a loss and... well, at a loss.

Women. Aevin hadn't been the first in his life, but she'd been an important one - well, obviously. Hadn't taken to once since, not really, since the cleric had gone her way over a year ago. Not much time for 'em anyway, right? He sighed again. His eyes caught on the inn Aevin had come storming out of and he started for it. His boys'd be there soon enough, and he didn't see why he didn't deserve a head start.

Aevin's headed down the docks, wondering what to do with herself, when she's struck by just how much she misses sailing. Well, it'd struck her before, stayed with her like the steady ache of somethin' lost (since it was), but it'd not really bothered her too much. All that trouble to get into inland, and all that. But Andrew had started it all for her, and damn if she didn't still love him for it.

She decides to hop a ship to Fenris and see about that job offer.

Andrew contemplates having a few solitary drinks before the day's business is done, but finds himself wandering through the city instead. Aevin had never really been far from his thoughts, what with having been raising her son and all, and the cleric woman had been more than a blessing during those months she'd sailed with him. She'd pulled his thoughts away from his heartache, mending his spirit almost as she'd mended his boy's leg that snow-shrouded day. He wondered where she'd gotten to. Things really hadn't been the same since she'd gone, and now that encounter with Aevin....

Andrew needed a break. He coulda done with a nice, available girl in his life, too, but a break would stand in well enough.

He'd never been too much in the way of impulsive, but he found himself thinking of a nice, quiet walk through the woods and a warm bed in Galehaven. Before long he'd set to board a ship to Rholian, without a word to any of the people that depended on him.