Seth was leaning outside the castle gates, back against the wall, plucking his lute absently, trying hard to match his voice to it and failing rather spectacularly.

But he kept going, anyway. Having failed to cheer up his adopted kinswoman and having been put sharply into a feeling of longing for his home, he'd elected to take some time to himself, doing what he always did; fail at even coming close to bardcraft.

So, he was dumped again. Jochy felt like he should be used to it by now. Him and Elaine had been as much on as they had been off, and they ever seemed to be able to settle comfortably in either of the two alternatives. Still, it was a new explanation, he had to give her that. And he supposed that he should be grateful he hadn't screwed up this time around.

He hoped.

Hell things were getting complicated. Part of him was almost grateful he would be able to leave her behind for a little.

So, he was hunting for fresh air. He had shrugged into his coat since it was cold and drizzly, stalking the castle walls to find some perch that were protected from the rain. As he approached the gate he heard a lute, and more than a lute... a very, familiar voice.

"Seth!" The voice came from above, where a dark shape detached itself from the wall to drop down next to the young man, revealing itself to be Jochy. The landing was far from as elegant as he had hoped though, his foot was still not as good as it had been. And then he looked closer at the man... "Seth?"

The youth blinked a couple times and looked up at the man before laughing a couple times, putting down his lute and jumping to his feet, grasping the other man's shoulders, "Jochy!" he exclaimed with a grin, "What a fine thing to see you again! I had not seen you here!" The youth blew a lock of hair out of his face and conjured up a little flame for light, if only to give the moonlight a little help.

"It has been so long! Ah, it is good to see you again."

"So long? It wasn't more than a few days... aaahhh" Jochy rolled his eyes to the skies, but hugged the young man anyway. Hard. "Lang missed, didn't she? How much time passed there? Eight years? Five? I swear Seth, we were trying to get you back as fast as we could, here... it's been nothing at all. No time." Damn but it was weird seeing Seth almost grown up, it was a bit like looking back into a mirror, there weren't that many years between Seth was he was now and the Seth he had met.

Except the hands. "Yer alright though? They treated you alright?"

Seth hugged back but could only laugh and say, "Stop, stop," at the barrage of questions. "One thing at a time, please, Jochy. I can only answer one thing at a time." He took a step back and chuckled some, shaking his head. "So much time and it has only been days. Ah, such a world, hm?" The youth smiled at Jochy before taking a breath. "And as I am given to understand it, it was my... my biological father, Morgan, who missed. It was seven years I was gone. I am thankful for your efforts and it seems they have borne fruit." He counted questions and comments to make off on one hand before smiling a bit.

"They treated me wonderfully, Jochy," he replied after a moment's consideration, the smile weakening some. "Better than I believe I have ever been treated." The flame went out then and the youth wiped at his face a little, looking at Jochy. "And.. and what of you? What have I missed, lo these past few days?"

"Morgan? OH hell, yeah, I can see him screwing things up. No offense, but the man's a blunt instrument. But apparently the time god didn't fancy including me this time around, so of course things would get messed up." He had a rather high opinion of himself, didn't he?

"And I can imagine that they treated yer alright. The tuatha likes kids, and the people in Cnoch na Niall ain't bad once yer get past their spiky exterior. Bloody hedgehogs the lot of them." Jochy snorted, rather amused, as if talking about some annoying friends.

"Nothing much happened here. Elaine and me broke up. Again. Let's see how long it lasts this time around... other than that... nothing major. Still the same pile of shit as before. At least Cnoch na Niall is safe now, the Hunt that chased us back... well, the good thing is that it took care of the trolls that were menacing the place. It's a bit knocked around but..." He kept looking at Seth with the strangest of smiles on his lips.

"Yes. My father seems... Well, I will say that he seems well-intentioned. Not, perhaps, well-mannered or well-versed in many of his undertakings, and he is well-intentioned," the youth shrugged a bit, "It is... strange, though. To go from no father at all to having a pair."

He shook his head some and smiled at Jochy, "Ah. I am sorry to hear that, Jochy. Mayhap we should have a drink sometime to toast such things. Lost love and the like." Looking upward at the sky, the young man smiled a little. "I had heard about the Trul from Niabheara. Nasty business. And... and the wall will be mended. Which is of far greater import than it's breaking."

He seemed happy to leave the subject of the Nialls alone for the moment. But he did look over at the man for a moment, "What?"

"It's just so weird seeing you this age when I saw you as a kid days ago. Still... was afraid yer never was gonna come back, so at least that's a plus." Jochy grinned and looked to the heavier skies. "Yeah, let's to drink. Ain't sure if the rain is coming or going, but around here I'll bet it's gonna get wetter. And I could use a drink." He led the way down towards the harbor. "So... yer must have a million questions right now.."

Seth followed after with a shrug. "Not so many as I might. I had a talk with Niabheara and think I have pieced a few things together. At least about the nature of what happened to me." He shrugged again, smiling over at Jochy. "I am glad to have returned," he lied, looking upward with a sad sort of smile as he walked beside the man. "And I am glad to see another familiar face. I was beginning to think that only Lang was still around. And I have been getting used to the place so... I think that I have, perhaps, not been so sociable as I should be."

"Sociable ain't ever really a word I'd use about you." Jochy clapped the other man on the back, and went into the tavern where he had been drinking with Curr not too long ago. "So yer know then? About the curse? Yer taking it better than I would, that's for sure..." he sat down at one of the tables in the back, it was just a small place, but it was dark, and the ceiling was low. Right then and there he really missed the 'dale, watching Seth like this brought it all back.

"So what are you having?"