As they enter the building, Rastellion leads Immalaine to a room off to the right and points at the bookcases. "Those there are all the paperwork for items coming up for auction right now, or sometime in the next few months. Then there are more records upstairs, the deeds on file."
She looks over at the wall of endless papers as her eyes widen. "I reckon that's a lot o' paperwork a bodies' got t' go through."
A quick, snorting laugh comes from Rastellion. "Yeah. I've been lookin' through the North Downs stuff they brought down from Trestlebridge. Seems like the same consortium that bought up my pa's farm's been buyin' up a lot of other abandoned places in the region. An' in Bree, prices for farmland are sky high!"
"Well, I reckon there's got t' be something in the papers worth lookin' into further. But," she sneezes delicately into her sleeve. "It means havin' crossed eyes fer a few days after, all that readin'."
Rastellion turns to her, getting her attention, before crossing his eyes to stare at his nose and sticking out his tongue. causing her to laugh merrily at the absurd expression.
The civil servants look up from their paperwork and scowl at the merriment. "Shhh!" admonishes the notary by the door.
With a blush, Immalaine buries her face in Rastellion's shoulder as she composes herself. "I reckon I should have a seat, while ye get t' work lookin' through all them papers."
"Oh, not all of them. B'sides, the notary's got them all recorded in one of her big ledgers out front. I can go through that, to see if anythign looks likely." He frowns. "Nothin' worth the farming, that I've found, up north yet." He goes into the next room, exchanges some low words with Bonnie, then returns with a large ledger. He finds a particular page, then starts to slowly look through it, squinting at the crabbed handwriting as he rubs at his forehead, then turns a heavy leaf and starts on the next page.
While Rastellion reads the ledger, Immalaine leans down and looks at books on the shelf, furrowing her brow at some of the titles, before tucking her legs under her, as she leans over to glance at the ledger. Full and happy, she leans back in the chair and closes her eyes for a brief moment.
With a huff of breath, he pages through the soot-stained ledger, shaking his head. "No ... no ... too far ... no.... already sold ... orcs .... no ..." He mutters occasional words as he looks through it. Reaching the end of a section, he sighs then turns through a few more pages, seeking the next.
Immalaine opens her eyes, looking over. "Nothin' t' see I take it."
"It's a real mess. This ledger's got all sorts of stuff in it from Trestlebridge... like they just marked down each deed that came in, be it for land, or a building, or even payments by crops!! I've gotta read each entry to figure out if it's even a farm, never mind one that'd suit with just me..." He trails off. "With just me workin' while pa sat around with Rastellion .. his half-leg and complained." He shuts the book suddenly. "I don't care what he says. You saw that place. I don't want t' go back up there!"
Sitting up, she reaches over, stroking Rastellion's arm to calm him. "I know ye dun want t' go back there, but if yer pa canna be convinced otherwise ..."
He brushes her hand away and stands up. "If only I could find a farm around Bree. But land's more expensive around here. Much more. You saw what the downs were like!... The sale of our farm, well, it'd hardly buy a chicken run around here." He starts to pace, frustrated.
Watching Rastellion pace, she sighs for him. "I know Rastellion, but ye canna give up hope. There's got t' be something worth lookin' into in there, something that got missed or .... or ... well, I jus' feel like ye should keep a positive mind." she reaches over to take his hand and pause his pacing.
"I could look again, I suppose. I glanced through the Breeland charters - they're a fair bit more organized here than these Trestlebridge tomes! - but the costs were just... " He trails off, shaking his head, but then sees her earnest look. He squeezes her hand. "Alright, why not? Mebbe you're right." He steps over to the notary, exchanges a few quiet words, and returns with a smaller ledger, which he starts to slowly read through, his finger moving slowly down the page from entry to entry.
Immalaine looks over as he pours over the new ledger, nodding as she watches him mouth the entries to himself. Resting her hand on his arm, she turns her head and closes her eyes again.
"Two generations ago, our farm'd've fetched this much, I bet," he mutters, then turns to the next page, then another. "It's no use," he mutters. "Most of these are too big anyway... the few that suit, cost five times what I've got. Even if I were very lucky in my own trading while Anadryt's gone.,.." He purses his lips, shakes his head, and turns to the next page. "Maybe in the ones listed as abandoned, or in escrow," he mutters. "Those might go cheaper..."
"I ne'er knew paperwork could be so much work." she said, half to herself, as she turned to look down at the book.
Rastellion chuckles, "That's why they don't call it paper play I guess..."
Giggling at his play on words, she sits back further in the chair, pausing to look out the window briefly.
"No ... no ... definitely not ..." his finger pauses halfway down a page, then move back up. He bends closer to the ledger, frowning at the sloppy handwriting. "Immalaine..." he says hesitantly... "what was your father's name?"
Her eyes crack open, and she looks over, confused by the question. "Gaellis ... " she said. "Gaellis Tattersoll."
"... and his father?..."
She pauses to think for a moment ... "Brastion Tattersoll ... but Rastellion, why all the questions about my family?"
Rastellion shakes his head. "One more ... your family's farm it was ... no, you tell me .. where was it?"
Confounded by all the questions, she stares at him. "It were ... " she furrowed her brow, as she tried to recall. "It were east o' Bree, a ways down. But Rastellion ... why?"
Rastellion points to the entry he's been studying, then reads it aloud. "The land and farm of Gaellis, son of Brastion, know as Tattersoil, having been found this year deserted, and yearly dues not having been paid, is, of this date, declared abandoned. It surviving movables are hereby commended to auction for the payment of that debt, and notice hereby given that as of this same date, two years hence, all claims to that property by any heirs - if none be forthcoming in that time - shall be made void, and the property sold, the proceeds to go to the town of Bree to aid in the expenses of Watch and foresters." He turns to look at her. "Immalaine... this is your farm!"
(Credits and love go to Rastellion, who provided the voice of the male characters in this story. *Blows kisses to Rastellion and grins widely*)
