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Post by Bog on Feb 25, 2012 18:50:13 GMT -5
His horse's hooves plodded steadily through the mud, which had been stirred up by many horses and wagons travelling the road before them. The previous night's rain had made the road difficult but Flowers' horse was a sturdy beast. Something as trifling as a muddy road didn't trouble the animal.
For now, the dragoon sergeant was taking it easy. He carried no regimental despatches or orders today, but instead was on his way to Boston to receive any letters or messages that may be awaiting a post rider. Being as he had become one of the favoured couriers for General Washington's staff, Flowers reckoned that any mail would be held for him, or a fellow like him.
The mail could wait though. He was in no hurry to drive his horse to lameness or exhaustion in this muck, for all the beast seemed to enjoy it. Daft animal. A carved stone marker at the roadside, half-covered in splatters of mud, informed him that Boston was twenty miles distant. He'd probably arrive early tomorrow morning, unless he chose to pick up the pace.
Which he didn't, for now. It was a relief to have time to make a journey, comparatively. He rolled his shoulders beneath his dark blue cloak and felt the tickle of horsehair from his helmet's crest against the back of his neck. The sensation made him grin, briefly. It was a daft thing, his helmet, but he was inordinately proud of it.
Without warning, his horse shied, startled enough to make a half-rear before prancing to the side. The sudden movement caught Flowers by surprise and though he kept his seat, he was utterly at a loss as to what might have caused his ordinarily-steady horse to spook. It wasn't until the animal tried to pick its way clear of the mud that he realised the problem - the horse had thrown a shoe. Damn.
It would not be easy to repair that, even though he knew how. He couldn't press onward with a shoe missing either. That was a sure way to lame the horse. With a sigh, Flowers reined partway around and nudged the horse off the road, where at least he could picket the animal. That shoe would have to go back on, somehow.
"Damn," he said aloud, as he dismounted. Even off the road, there was enough soft, sodden earth that his tall boots sank slightly into the ground. At least he had been going along at a sedate pace. Small mercies...
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Post by The Author. on Feb 25, 2012 19:26:44 GMT -5
Well, that's certainly a... problem, for him. Bellatrix thought, with some trace of slight amusement. She was sitting in a tall tree by the side of the road where Flowers' horse was stuck. Well, it wasn't really stuck, Bella saw, it had only thrown a shoe. She rolled her eyes as Flowers swore, loudly. Boys were so.... Odd. Odd, and loud, except for Asher, and Soren.
Speaking of those two, where were they? It was so like them to be late though, and Bellatrix went back to watching Flowers, trying hard not to laugh. As it was, she was grinning, watching the man try to shoe his horse again, somehow. She yawned softly, and sighed.
Just that minute, a particularly annoying blue jay decided that Bellatrix was too close to his nest, and began chirping and screeching loudly.
OOC: Pretty short post.... Me, I mean.
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Post by Bog on Feb 26, 2012 7:31:01 GMT -5
The biggest obstacle to replacing this shoe was cleaning the mud off both it and the hoof. A clean and dry hoof was vital for any shoeing to be successful. Otherwise, there was a very great risk of injuring the hoof and subsequently the horse.
"Steady, fellow," Flowers muttered to the animal, having retrieved the lost shoe. A little water and some vigorous attention from a cloth would set the iron shoe to rights, but it would be more difficult when cleaning the hoof. He didn't have anything to protect his breeches either, worse luck.
Nothing for it but to forge ahead, really. Hopefully his cloak would serve well enough as an apron. Flowers uncorked his canteen and dribbled some water onto a cloth taken from his saddle bag. It was quick work indeed to clean off the shoe. Now all that remained was to clean the bare hoof, then nail the shoe back into place.
The abrupt outbreak of avian protest from nearby drew his notice and he glanced toward it, a short hammer in one hand. It was only a jay, defending his nest from a... girl? The cavalry sergeant's eyebrows drew together in bewildered curiosity.
"Well now," he said, his task temporarily forgotten.
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Post by The Author. on Feb 26, 2012 8:57:47 GMT -5
Bellatrix's eyes widened, dark circles as he noticed her, and she stood up on the branch. The jay had forgotten about her, and was now feeding the babies, chirping. " I..." She started, then mentally swore as her cat, which had been with her the whole time, leaped down onto Flowers, hissing.
She jumped out of the tree, the branch she had been sitting on not having been very high off the ground, and grabbed Irruino before any serious damage came to the top of Flowers head, mainly his hat. "Sorry. Irruino's a very bad cat about that... He's probably dropped down on ten people by now." She said, holding a small wriggly cat, trying to keep it from killing Flowers' hat. Irruino earned a small "Bad!" As he bit Bellatrix, not enough to make her bleed, but it did leave tiny kitten-teeth marks.
OOC: *Dies of post shortness* Irruino is a bad kitty.... He be messin' with your hat!
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Post by Dallas on Feb 26, 2012 23:45:29 GMT -5
-ANDREAS [/b][/size][/right] Andreas trudged through the muddy forest floor, large globs sticking to the bottom of his boots. He had been walking for a good while now, hoping that he'd come across a town soon. He had been following the road, but of course being the directionally challenged person he was he had lost it some time in the morning. It can't be to far off. He reassured himself as he walked further into the forest. It was risky to be so far from the road, but he didn't want to run into people, they could give him trouble and possibly figure out his ruse. Though he had to admit some company would be nice right about now.
Just as he had realized this he heard some sort of commotion from up ahead. It sounded like hissing, and people talking. What a strange mixture of sounds indeed. At least it meant that there were people ahead, he could hear them saying something else now. He turned towards the sound and began walking to it. A smile came to his face when he saw the trees breaking away not to far ahead. He came through and saw a man and a young girl standing in the road. The little girl had a cat, A.K.A. the spawn of hell in her arms. Oh well, he didn't have to get near the cat, though he saw it bite the little girl's finger and she scolded it. He snickered when he saw that.
It seemed as though there had been some kind of commotion, maybe the cat had attacked the man or something. He put a hand behind his head as he looked over to the man and then to the little girl, “So sorry. I was just wondering how far the next town is?” He cursed himself as he played back what he had just said. His accent still needed some work, but he wasn't sure if they could tell the difference or not. If anything he could just tell them he was a Frenchman, like he had to Abigail. Though he couldn't tell which side they were on. He'd think of something if he had to. ((yep... Andreas just doesn't like cats)) |
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Post by The Author. on Feb 27, 2012 9:02:51 GMT -5
OOC: This should be interesting then....
IC: Bellatrix looked up. She knew that accent, at least, she thought she did. He was German, she knew. She didn't say anything, afraid she'd burst into tears at the memory, or say something about him being German. She just gestured towards the stone marker thing at the side of the road. Irruino didn't like him either. He leaped out of Bellatrix's arms and landed on Andreas's head. Fortunately, he didn't try to do anything except for take a nap on Andreas's head, his tail hanging down in front of his face. Bellatrix, so annoyed that she momentarily forgot english, crossed her arms and lectured the cat. In Russian.... " Плохой кот! Irruino, получить от него! ПРЯМО СЕЙЧАС. Глупый мяч пух ..." Then she realized what she had just done... "I'm sorry about that." She said, prying the cat from his resting place on top of Andreas, while avoiding looking at either of the two. Or three, since looking at the ground, she couldn't see Irruino.
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Post by Bog on Feb 27, 2012 9:45:08 GMT -5
The sudden attack on his helmet plume caught him by surprise, but it was the girl's sudden and swift advance toward him that put Flowers on his guard. He started to bring the hammer up from where he'd been holding it at his side, but to his relief an instant later, the girl only meant to sweep the indignant cat away from his helmet.
"Thank you," the cavalry sergeant started to say, but he fell quickly silent when a man in damp, mud-coated clothes appeared from out of the trees. There was nothing immediately recognisable about the man, but the instant he spoke, Flowers' guard went up. The stranger had an accent, which made him suspect, though it was impossible for Flowers to tell if the man was friend or foe.
Then it got even stranger. The girl's cat sprang up onto the muddy man's head, in much the same manner as it had done to Flowers, with the notable exception that the girl made no attempt to rescue the poor fellow. Instead, she nattered at the creature in a language Flowers had never heard before. It was not French, he knew, which meant she could not be anything like an ally.
In the face of a such potentially dangerous situation, his best option was to address the one thing he had been able to understand. "Boston is twenty miles from here," he said, directing the response to the mud-caked man. "But the nearest village is Dedham, I'm thinkin'. Maybe five miles distant."
How could he get this shoe back on, when doing so would make him vulnerable to these two? He wasn't about to turn his back on either of them, despite that neither had done anything overt to indicate they were the enemy.
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Post by The Author. on Feb 27, 2012 16:45:13 GMT -5
Bellatrix couldn't help it-- she had to ask. "are you German?"She said to Andreas. "I recognize the accent." Although, that was only because she'd been hearing it in her dreams for the past four years or so. She had been ten when German and British soldiers killed her parents and set the house on fire. And of course, they had shot at her too. Then she had run off to America by stowing away on a ship. And then found Irruino trying not to drown in a rain barrel. Apparently, the cat had tried to pounce on a leaf, and had fallen in. She looked at him, and concluded, before he answered, that yes, he was German. "And don't lie." She added. Then she mentally hit herself, as once again, she said something smart to an adult. That had gotten her in trouble with every other adult, and she expected him to completely ignore her, like everyone else. It wouldn't matter, she was used to being ignored. It was really the only way she had survived so long in America. No on paid attention to her, except Soren, and Asher, although their attention was slowly turning to something else as she got older...
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Post by Dallas on Mar 10, 2012 22:58:20 GMT -5
((sorry I had to change the cat scene a smidge (it's not that big really). Andreas would never let a cat do something like that without him reacting in some way.)) -ANDREAS [/i][/b][/size] Andreas was helpless when the little demon flung itself at him. It didn't seem like it was going to attack, but he didn't want to give it the chance to sink it's claws in. He grabbed it by the nape of the neck and threw onto the ground. It let out a hiss, and he grimaced at it. Almost immediately he felt the urge to burst out in protest and scold the girl, but he contained himself before he yelled German and blew his cover. The girl was quick to pick the cat up, and she chided at it in some language that was definitely not English.
Russian, He thought it over for a second or two and concluded that that must have been what she had spoken. A few Russian traders had strolled through Hanover so he had been exposed to it a few times. It only made him more weary of this strange girl and man. He wasn't sure if they knew each other, but they both seemed strange, especially the girl. The man seemed like he wasn't trusting either of them at the moment. Andreas could see that he was keeping an eye on them.
He thanked the man for telling him the directions. He would have continued walking on towards the nearest city if the girl had not suddenly asked him a question, Am I German? He repeated the question in his head as he stood there frozen. If she was Russian he had expected that she would possibly recognize his slight accent. He was afraid to see if the man was staring at him now, though he felt like there were a million glares all set on him. The little girl smartly added, 'and don't lie.' She was bold, but he had no choice but to lie so he didn't even entertain the thought of telling the truth. If this man knew that he was German it didn't matter what side he was on he could turn him in. “German? No, you must be mistaken. I am French... My family and I spent a lot of time in Germany so I must have picked up part of the accent.” He smiled slightly, thinking that he had handled that quite nicely. Maybe he could change the subject and put some pressure on her. “May I ask if you are Russian? That was what you spoke just then was it not?” He still avoided looking at the man, feeling pressured by his presence. He could be British for all Andreas knew. |
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Post by The Author. on Mar 11, 2012 14:29:58 GMT -5
Bellatrix nodded. "I am." She said, now just a tiny bit distrustful of him. "Страна льда и снега, да? The land of ice and snow." She translated, so Flowers and Andreas could understand her. Then added, "Though it wasn't exactly safe either," Though for her, that was an understatement. She had been in the house when it was burning, had jumped out a window, had run all they way to the nearest city. In all, it wasn't the safest subject unless you wanted to make her angry, or cry.
She sighed, softly, and picked Irruino up from where Andreas had thrown him. "О заткнись, Irruino. Черт ..." She said, as she hissed, and tried to bite her again.
OOC: And about the cat thing, that's okay. ^ ^
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Post by Bog on Mar 14, 2012 8:37:34 GMT -5
The man professed to be French, in response to the girl's admittedly impudent demand, and Flowers felt a little more at ease. Any Frenchman in this country was by definition an ally and not one to be suspicious of. He was not yet assured of the girl, however, which meant he could turn his back on either of them.
Still, there was some comfort to be taken from the fact that, at least for the moment, both of them appeared content to ignore him. Perhaps it might be possible to clean and replace this shoe without presenting either of them an easy opportunity to attack him. Flowers stepped back half a pace and reached into his saddle to pull out a square of linen cloth, which would serve well enough to clean the mud off the shoe. A quick rinse of water from his canteen helped toward this end as well.
As he went about the business of swabbing the iron shoe clean, Flowers glanced up at the other two, wondering just how two such unusual characters had come to be in the same locale in the same moment.
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Post by The Author. on Mar 15, 2012 7:54:31 GMT -5
Irruino hissed at Flowers, but did nothing, for Bellatrix kept him tightly in her arms. Bellatrix was too busy trying to keep Irruino away from the two adults, but mostly Andreas, so he didn't kill him or something like that. She sighed, and watched the birds flying above them, listening to the songs. She paid almost no attention when Flowers decided it was safe enough to replace the shoe of his horse. Bellatrix thought this was ridiculous. She was perfectly content to live the rest of her life alone, and besides, she knew nothing except how to read in Russian, write in Russian, spy, and steal. And besides, it's not like she had a knife and was insane. She started humming softly, hoping neither could hear.
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Post by Dallas on Mar 17, 2012 21:17:47 GMT -5
-ANDREAS [/b][/right][/size] Andreas looked hatefully at the cat as the girl explained. He never understood why some people liked cats, but then again if they were happy to have something like that around the house then so be it. As long as they didn't bring them to him. Her cat seemed to be even more misbehaved then the one that his family had owned back in Germany. He tried his best to listen to what the girl was saying, but she spoke Russian again and then translated it. Although when he looked from the cat up to her it seemed as though there were some painful memories involved with her home land. He understood that and could probably relate. But he didn't. He really didn't care and it was none of his business anyway.
What did intrigue him was that the man had gone back to repairing his horses shoe even though Andreas had said he was French. Is he a colonist then? If he played his cards right then he could gather some information about the continental army. Or this man could simply be neutral and not care. There was only one way to find out. “Excuse me sir, but I wonder. Are you by chance a patriot?” He felt that it would be safe not to ask his question about the continental army just yet.
He looked back at the girl for a moment when he heard the soft sound of humming. She did seem bored, although the cat was giving her a handful. She was all alone though, and it irked something inside of him to see such a young girl without any parents around. Not only that but she seemed almost independent, as if she were sixteen or seventeen. Such a young age to be alone. His moment of remorse passed though as he tried to remain focused on the task at hand. |
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Post by Bog on Mar 18, 2012 16:45:52 GMT -5
The question made Flowers look up, as much in confusion as surprise. Was he a patriot? Certainly that was not obvious, especially to a Frenchman? Though perhaps it was understandable that he was not sure.
"I am, aye," he replied, nodding slightly. "Of the Second Dragoons."
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Post by The Author. on Mar 19, 2012 9:10:23 GMT -5
Bellatrix was only fourteen, but being alone was nothing new to her. She had been without parents for four years, it was almost normal to her. She heard Flowers say he was a patriot, though she had known before, it made her feel slightly safer. Irruino had calmed down considerably and was perfectly still. She was still humming a song her mother had taught her, the one about the mockingbird. What had happened to her parents happened so long ago that she could hardly remember it anymore. She was getting distracted, but she didn't feel the need to be so on guard. All she could remember about her parents deaths was that mother had carried her up to her room, told her to keep quiet, and shut the door, and ran back downstairs. Then were the noises she didn't understand. Her parents yelling, something that sounded like shooting, and then the crackling of a burning house. After that she had jumped --or fallen, really-- out of the window, and ran. But that was years ago. She didn't need to think about that right now. She didn't want to, either, but she didn't have much control over her memories. She always pretended her parents were sick all the time, but it still hurt. It especially hurt when she saw other children with their parents. That was when she would go to the wrecked house that she lived in, and curl up like a comma on the bed, holding a toy rabbit she had saved from the fire. She still slept with it, even though she was way too old for that. It was kind of like having her parents, but it was also nothing like it at the same time. She sighed again, and buried her face in Irruino's neck fur. It smelled musty, kind of like old books.
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