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Post by JezusBagels on Aug 7, 2010 23:45:09 GMT -5
(OOC: This takes place in Araluen fief in the year 656 in August) (Characters so far: Tam, Rick, Rayne, Fin)
The sun was setting. Decorative pinks and oranges painted the sky as shops closed and children ran home for supper.
Rayne Ackerman stood across the street from a large house, accompanied by five of the most skilled thieves of the Farm and, of course, Shivers. Even as he planned the heist in his mind, the mutt was nuzzling up against his leg. The creature's eyes near broke his heart as Rayne lifted him into a crate where he would be safe until this was over. Steeling himself, Rayne's attention returned to the luxurious estate just in time to see the owner and his wife leave through the front door and lock it behind them. Off to some swanky top-hat soirée, no doubt... he mused, sardonically.
Thirty seconds, then he motioned for his friends to move to their positions. It was a simple enough plan. Everyone hits a different room and grabs everything they can carry in their bags. In and out in a half hour, tops. Then they could feed the Farm for a few weeks at least. Steal from the rich and give to the poor, he reminded himself, over and over again. It was a good thing they were doing.
Rayne, ever the courageous leader of the pack, took the front door as the others moved around the building to other doors and windows. He darted across the cobbled road and looked around. Sure, there were plenty of people around but, par for the course, no one was paying attention to the dirty street rat breaking into somebody's house. People these days, all either ignorant or jaded. The things I could teach them...
It was a simple lock and Rayne was inside in less than a minute. He closed the door behind himself quickly, only leaving time to peek through the last little crack and make sure he hadn't been caught. Time to go to work.
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Post by Brandwyn on Aug 19, 2010 12:26:56 GMT -5
Rick Greenriver, ranger of Araluen, crouched down against a chimney top a few blocks away, scanning the streets and the rooftops. Being the ranger of Araluen fief was a full-time job these days and he seemed to have been turned into a nocturnal creature. He had spent the last four nights prowling the city and sleeping during the day. He watched the sun set and the streets grew darker. The lamplighters came around, lighting the street lamps for the night which left the rooftops in shadow.
There were reports all over the city of an increase in theft and illegal activities since the war with Gallica started. With a big share of the rangers out of the Kingdom, it opened up the way for the criminals to gain a better foothold in the cities in particular. Since the city surrounding Araluen Castle was the biggest one in the Kingdom, Rick had his hands full trying to investigate crime in the city. This left crime in the outlying areas of the fief to run rampant and Rick didn’t like that, but at the moment he couldn’t do anything about it. He was considering sending his apprentice out to a few places, but wasn’t sure if Tam was ready for that just yet. The lad was really just learning the basics of being a ranger.
He had planned to leave on his rounds for a week, taking Tam with him, but just as he was about to leave early this morning, he had gotten a directive from Crowley for him to investigate a series of break-ins of some rather well-off merchants and noblemen. There were several that had occurred over the last few months and they all seemed to have things in common. Crowley believed there was an organized gang operating in the city and tasked Rick with finding out who they were and bringing them to justice.
So, with virtually no leads, Rick waited motionless on a rooftop, his ranger cloak pulled tight around him, for a sign as to who the thieves were. He had stationed himself in a wealthy neighborhood, hoping to catch the thieves in the act. He scanned the streets and the rooftops again, moving nothing except his eyes. He doubted that he could be seen even by a person if they were sitting on the next roof and staring straight at him.
He heard a man and woman approaching below him, long before he saw them coming. When they came into site he could tell they were wealthy as well as totally oblivious to any dangers that might be around him. He made note of the direction they came from and then dismissed them as he continued to scan the streets.
A breeze kicked up and Rick smelled rain in the air. He looked up to see a dark patch of cloud moving in from the west obscuring what little moonlight had been shining through the increasing cloud cover. It was a perfect night for a little clandestine activity, he thought to himself and sharpened his senses. Perhaps he would get lucky, he mused. Then the rain started to fall, splattering gently on the rooftop and splashing back up against his soft-soled boots. He moved slightly, adjusting his cloak hood so the rain flowed down the outside instead of in through the neck hole in the front. Then he was motionless again, the rain sliding off of him as if he were a statue of a gremlin on the slate roof.
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Post by JezusBagels on Aug 30, 2010 8:06:25 GMT -5
Rayne was lifting a golden candelabra into his sack when he noticed the rain rapping on the windows outside. He was glad of the rain. It meant that people would be inside their homes and less likely to see six teenagers run out from behind a house with bags full of stolen goods. It was a good mark, too. Lots of valuable metals, and he wasn't even in in the bedroom. He was sure that these people owned jewels. The Farm would eat for a month off of this heist.
A door behind him creaked open and he spun around, half-ready to jump out the window if someone had caught him, but it was just Jacob. He'd always liked Jacob. The boy was short and stubby, but shockingly sly and he had an eye for forgeries. Jacob had been apprentice to a Jeweler, but the master had been cruel and abusive. He ran away and Rayne found him two days later, conning a baker out of a whole loaf of bread. The tale was something of a legend on the Farm. "Jeez, Jacob! We have a signal for a reason!" he half-yelled. He didn't need to pretend to be cool and composed around the other kids. It was qualities like that which helped them trust him so much.
"Sorry!" he spouted quickly, genuinely apologetic for startling Rayne.
"It's okay..." Rayne said, smiling. He walked over to Jacob and patted him on the shoulder. "Just gotta be careful when we're in people's houses. You never know what's coming." He paused while Jacob nodded emphatically and then asked, "Is everyone done?"
Jacob led Rayne into the main hallway where the other four boys awaited him. They all had full bags, but looked... He couldn't quite place the expression they all shared. Hunger? "Yeah," the short boy said. "But we found something and we weren't sure if we should take it or not."
"Really?" Rayne's mind raced, wondering what it could be. "Show me."
"This way, Scarecrow!" said another boy, Garrett. He supposed Garrett had been the one to find it and was quite proud of himself. There was nothing that really stood out about Garrett to Rayne. He was very... normal. Normal height, normal weight. He was likable but wasn't especially funny or especially friendly. He was a little of a lot of things and good at most tasks. It made him very useful to have around. Garrett led him through a door that had obviously been bashed open, judging by the broken hinges and splintered wood. He enjoyed that sight. Real damage left an impression of violence and greed. Something adults used to justify their crimes. Such evidence would lead investigators away from the possibility of children as the culprits. The pride must have showed on his face because Garrett smiled and said, "I did that."
They went down a short staircase into the basement of the house. It had a low ceiling and was being used by its residents as a wine cellar. There weren't many bottles left on the shelves, but whether that was a result of his friends or the owners' alcoholism would be discovered later. He wasn't sure which answer he wanted. He knew where they were going. There was a corner of the basement blocked off by a stone wall and one would have to go around it to see behind it. Rayne walked ahead of Garrett and stopped cold at what he saw. Five boys huddled around him, waiting for the call.
In front of Rayne was a long, golden sword; the kind of things he supposed only Kings could afford to have. It couldn't belong to whoever lived here. It would be stealing from a thief to take this sword. And Rayne was totally okay with that. He wrapped it in a bundle and tied it to his sack so he could throw them both over his shoulder without much trouble. The sword was heavy, but Rayne had carried heavier burdens hundreds of times. A quick sweep to make sure they hadn't missed anything good and the boys were out the back door, down the side alley and walking nonchalant up the street, appearing to all the world as some boys walking home in the rain with packages for their parents and masters. Rayne backtracked a little to release Shivers from his confinement and then rejoined the others.
A shiver went up his spine, and he had a hard time believing it was the rain that caused it.
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Post by Brandwyn on Sept 8, 2010 13:33:45 GMT -5
Rick heard the sound of feet and perked up a bit. It had been rather dull since the rain began with only a few people dashing down the street to get undercover. He saw a small group of boys troop down the now muddy street, seeming none too concerned about the rain.
He studied the boys for a few minutes wondering why they were out in the rain. A couple of them looked rather young to be apprentices, but they could be indentured servants or pages perhaps. They each carried a large sack that was loaded down and one of them carried another bundle that looked almost like a sword shape, though Rick couldn’t be sure.
‘Hmmm,’ he mused, ‘why would they be carrying a sword?’ He wasn’t sure it was a sword though. It could be any number of things that were long and narrow. With the way it was bundled he could not tell for sure. ‘Even if it is a sword, I suppose he could be delivering it to his master’s customer or something.’
Their faces were mostly hidden in the dark and the rain but he made note of the number and their general build and then dismissed them as they got out of his sight. He needed to stay focused on his task at hand – finding out who was robbing the rich people in this area.
Though it was a bit strange to see a group of boys out in the rain this time of night, it wasn’t all that unusual and so Rick went back to studying the buildings around him as the church tower a few blocks away tolled the hours and the night drifted on.
Strangely it didn’t appear as if the bandits were going to put in an appearance this night and Rick waited until the sun began to lighten the line on the horizon before he slipped down off the roof, stretched his cramped muscles and made his way back to his cottage on the outskirts of the city.
Once home he stripped off his soaked clothes and fell into bed, barely getting the covers pulled over him before he was asleep. His last thoughts were that he hoped Tam wouldn’t wake him up in half an hour when he got up to feed the horses.
The boys from earlier in the night were all but forgotten as he drifted off to sleep.
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Post by JezusBagels on Sept 8, 2010 15:13:19 GMT -5
Rayne and his compatriots took their time travelling back to the hideout they'd chosen for this outing. It was a small cave in the side of a hill that they Rayne supposed had been formed by a rock slide a long time ago. When they had first arrived there, a large boulder blocked the entrance and it took six boys to heave it out of the way. It had been for just this reason that Rayne had brought five other boys along with him. It would be much more difficult without even one of them.
The boys dropped their sacks and all took their places on the right side of the giant rock and pushed with all their might, slowly, the boulder began to budge, then when it had been loosened enough, it rolled the rest of the way, stopping itself on a much more secure stone to its left. They scurried into the opening like mice, hoisting their takes onto one cart and grabbing another bag from the second cart.
Rayne stood atop the first cart and said to them, "Alright, guys. Good job. We got a lot of good stuff last night. Just one more heist and then we can head back to the Farm for a good long time." He paused to allow for the hooting and cheering he knew would ensue. When his friends quieted down, he continued, "The sun's coming up. The adults' day starts soon. Everybody take a bag from Caraway and head to the market to sell the stuff." He was, of course, referring to the full sacks on the second cart, their loot from Caraway. Rayne believed that they should never sell stolen goods in their home city. There was no telling who you would run into in that kind of situation. "Be careful, and try not to waste too much of the money you get," he added, only half-joking.
With a smile and a laugh, each boy left with a bag over the shoulder and an empty coin purse. Jacob, the last to go, waved and said, "See you later, Scarecrow!"
Relocating to the small stump he used as a table, Rayne tossed Shivers the last of their meat scraps. They would have plenty of food soon enough and that dog always looked hungry. The mutt pounced on the treat and swallowed it all in a matter of seconds. He wagged his tail vehemently and Rayne patted him on the head. "Good boy, bird brain."
Rayne sat on the cave floor, Shivers' head in his lap, and unrolled a map of the city of Araluen onto his stump. He stuck a knife into four houses on the map--the four they'd hit this week. He had to pick their next target. Far enough away from the others that it wouldn't be crawling with guards, but close enough that he could trust its owners to be rich, greedy fools with a lot of nice things they don't deserve.
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Post by Firehead on Sept 9, 2010 12:03:04 GMT -5
Tam was up with the dawn as usual, to feed the horses. He was slowly getting used to being so near to the animals that he really didn't care for, but he still preferred the ground to riding. Today though, after feeding the horses, Tam scrambled onto Horse's back and sat there, doing nothing, until the horses had both finished eating. Finished, he took hold of Domingo's halter and led Rick's horse out of the stable at a walk, riding Horse.
He had just turned them out for a bit of grazing when the courier arrived with a message for Rick. "It's from the Ranger Commandant, Crowley, for the Ranger Rick Greenriver." he said, glaring down his nose at Tam. Tam let the courier's attempt at making him feel inferior pass, instead holding out his hand for the message.
The messenger refused at first, saying, "Only the Ranger is allowed to read it." Tam shrugged one shoulder, dismissing the couriers concerns. "An' I cayn't read, so we're good. Gimme th' message an' I'll make sure that he gets it."
The messenger scowled, but handed it over and promptly left stating that he had other business to attend to. Tam took the message in to Rick. Rick had gotten in late the night before, so Tam made sure he was awake by rapping loudly on the bedroom door before approaching. He didn't want to risk Rick thinking that the enemy was attacking.
"Message just arrived from Crowley for ya, Rick."
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Post by Brandwyn on Sept 9, 2010 14:27:42 GMT -5
Rick was sleeping very soundly and dreaming of a voluptuous blond barmaid when her husband rapped loudly on the inn door several times. In a strangely young voice the husband said, ‘message just arrived from Crowley for ya, Rick’. Rick couldn’t figure out why the barmaid’s husband had such a boyish voice. The man was a brute, big, hairy and not too attractive. Why did he have a message from Crowley? Something didn’t add up.
Slowly Rick realized the voice wasn’t the barmaid’s husband and that there was in fact no husband and no barmaid. He sat up groggily in disappointment, feeling the mattress next to him just to be sure as it sunk into his sleep deprived mind that the voice belonged to none other than his apprentice, Tamlin Fletcher.
“Come in.” he croaked hoarsely, his nose running a bit. ‘Great!’ he thought, ‘now I have a fever for all my trouble of sitting out in the rain all night.’ He went to run his right hand through his hair and realized he was holding his Saxe knife. He glanced quickly at Tam who was opening the door and sheathed the knife. Then he sneezed violently - three times, and groaned, dropping his head into both palms with his elbows resting on his pantaloon covered knees.
He glanced with one bleary eye toward the open window and could see the sun was well up in the sky, but not anywhere near its zenith. He figured he may have had two hours of sleep – maybe. Rubbing his face with both hands he asked. “What’s he want?” He didn’t think he could get his eyes to focus on the letter at the moment. Then he remembered that Tam couldn’t read. “That’s right; we are going to have to remedy that one of these days and get you started learning the alphabet. A ranger has to be able to read and write.” He held out one hand to take the letter.
Breaking the seal on it, he sneezed again and wiped his nose with a hunk of ragged cloth he normally used to clean his blades with. “Ugghh. I feel horrible.” Rick complained. “It rained on me all night last night. Got soaked through and then it turned cold this morning. I fear I have caught the chills.” His body shook violently in response and he pulled the covers up over his shoulders again and huddled under them as he tried to get his eyes to focus on the letter and his brain to make sense of the words. “I don’t suppose you happened to make any coffee yet this morning did you Tam?” He looked hopefully at his apprentice.
He went back to the letter and finally made out Crowley’s scrawling handwriting. He began reading it out loud, having the policy that his apprentice should know everything that he knew.
Unto Ranger Greenriver; Another robbery occurred in the Arrindale district again last night. A rather affluent merchant by the name of Homer G. Paddington left his home at dusk to attend a social gathering. Upon arriving back home several hours later in the early morning hours with his wife, he noticed that several items in his house were missing. There was damage to the lower story door and a particular item of great value was taken. He refuses to disclose what the item was, however. He arrived at the castle this morning demanding justice and the Araluen Guard was dispatched to his home to investigate.
I need you to conduct our own investigation and catalog all the items that were stolen. I suspect many of them will appear in the market square during the next few days for sale and perhaps we can then catch the culprit or culprits. In the mean-time “handle” Mr. Paddington. The Princess does not need to worry about this situation with everything else that has been thrown on her since the King was kidnapped. Mr. Paddington was most upset and seems to have a great many connections and is threatening to “take this to the top!” I am sure that you can find a way to shut him up and appease him. You have a way with people that many of the rangers lack. I am sure you can use your considerable charm to good effect in this instance.
I would advise you to keep an eye on the market square over the next several days as well as your surveillance at night, assuming you were out last night.
Take care and send in a report as soon as you find out anything.
Crowley, Ranger Commandant
P.S. Be sure to find out what that highly valuable item is that the merchant lost. He seemed to be very tight-lipped about it and that raised my suspicions.
Rick groaned again when he finished reading the letter and ran his hand through his disheveled hair again. He set the letter aside and reached for his pants lying on the floor. When he picked them up water dripped from the cuffs. He stood up and tossed them over the window sill so they were hanging half outside his bedroom window. The breeze coming in the window was a bit brisk, hinting that the end of summer was at hand and soon the cool fall weather would be moving in. He shivered again in response.
Going to the dresser he pulled out some warmer clothes and donned them quickly. He pulled out his other ranger cloak which was his heavy woolen cloak that he normally only used in the dead of winter and wrapped it around him.
Suddenly something in the letter penetrated his befuddled brain and he stepped swiftly to the bed and picked up the letter, scanning its words. “Arrindale section?” Rick muttered, then a bit louder, “but that is where I was last night and I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary!” His brow furrowed as he tried to remember every person he had seen from his rooftop perch the night before.
Listing each of them in a soft mutter that was barely audible, he remembered seeing a couple leave their home and several people scurrying inside when the rain started and then there was nothing for awhile. Then there was that group of boys delivering packages and the courier who trotted through on his horse. Several hours passed with virtually no activity and then several couples in the area returned to their homes relatively at the same time. After that it was another two hours of nothing but rain and the night birds stalking the streets looking for scraps along with an occasional alley cat and a stray dog.
No one had been on the rooftops, Rick was sure of that. No one had broken into any place as far as he had seen. How had anyone committed this crime without him seeing or hearing something?
“These guys must be professionals to have pulled this off right under my nose.” Rick mused. “Or something is seriously wrong with me.” He sneezed again, his head exploding in pain. There was definitely something wrong, but he didn’t have the excuse of a cold for last night. Last night he was feeling fine.
He went into the main room of the cottage and sat down at the table, in his favorite armchair next to the fire which he took a moment to stoke. His satchel of herbs hung on its peg next to the fireplace and he grabbed it now and rummaged through it, picking out three different herbs and sprinkling them onto a piece of thin white cheesecloth. He tied it up into a bundle and dropped it into his mug and reached for the pot of hot water he tended to keep on the stove all the time. It was nearly empty, but there was just enough to fill his mug three-fourths of the way full. He dumped it in the mug and let the herbs stew in the water for several minutes. The smell of mint and chamomile permeated the small room, helping to clear his head a little.
He looked at Tam and decided there was a job his apprentice would be especially good at. “Well, it seems Crowley has set a couple of tasks on me, and seeing as how I can’t be in two places at one time, I was wondering if you would care to go down to the market square and see if you can find anyone fencing stolen goods.” Rick took a sip of his tea and inhaled the steam rising from the mug. He was starting to wake up, but what he really wanted was some coffee - correction – lots of coffee.
“Or you can come with me to see this Padderton fellow and learn how to interview people and conduct a criminal investigation. We do need to get a list of items that were stolen so we know what to look for in the market square.” Rick left the choice up to Tam, since he wasn’t sure how comfortable Tam would be in the market square alone, given his history. Sometimes the kid was downright flighty about such things. Not that Rick could blame him. Life had to be hard when the most prominent thieves’ gang was laying claim to you and didn’t want to let you go.
By the same token, Tam likely had some connections and may be able to find out much quicker than Rick if there were any stolen goods from the merchants being sold in town. But it was up to Tam. Rick wasn’t going to force him to do anything, other than practice his ranger skills, that is. Speaking of which, this investigation was going to cut into their training time severely, but it couldn’t be helped, he supposed.
He took another sip of hot tea that was cooling a little too quickly and sighed with regret that it wasn’t a big mug of coffee instead.
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Post by JezusBagels on Sept 9, 2010 15:00:24 GMT -5
Rayne spent nearly two hours over the map of the city, searching in his memory for street level views of the houses on the map. It was tedious work and despite his best efforts, the boy eventually jumped up from his seat on the cold rock floor and walked outside. The morning sun was shining--not as beautifully as it did through the thick tree tops of the Farm, but Rayne smiled warmly at the sight. It would be a couple hours before the others returned, then they would sleep in the cave until it was time to head into the city. Plenty of time to walk around and get a better idea of what they had to avoid tonight.
With Shivers close behind, he set off through the woods towards Araluen's walls, thinking over the previous week. Four hits, excellently planned and executed. This extra night was only due to the excess space on the two carts. Rayne thought it would be dangerous, but the others wouldn't take no for an answer. "The other side of the coin, eh Shivers?" he said over his shoulder, and he swore that the dog laughed a little. Well, not really, but Rayne liked to think it.
A man on a horse flew past Rayne, knocking him to the ground. He shot up and wagged his fist at the stranger. "Watch where you're going, jerk!" Whether he ignored him or didn't hear him, the man didn't look back. Rayne almost kept walking, but then he noticed that Shivers was barking loudly and walking quickly in the direction the man on horseback had come from. Rayne ran to catch up and then jogged behind him. "Where ya going, mutt?"
After a short while, Rayne saw a small cottage and some horses through the trees near the forest's edge. Who would live by themselves all the way out here? he wondered. Shivers started running in circles around the horses, though up close they looked more like ponies. The dog kept barking. Rayne had never seen him so riled up. "Shivers!" he yelled. "Come here!" Shivers turned his head, noticing Rayne, but didn't listen to him. That dog is gonna get me in trouble. I don't need that today...
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Post by Firehead on Sept 16, 2010 10:30:11 GMT -5
“What’s he want?”
"Dunno. cayn't read, 'member?"
“That’s right; we are going to have to remedy that one of these days and get you started learning the alphabet. A ranger has to be able to read and write.” Rick held out his hand for the letter, and Tam gave it to him, then stepped back a pace to eye his mentor carefully--Rick did not look well. Tam tried hard to avoid getting sick whenever possible.
As though he were trying to prove it, Rick gave a sneeze, then croaked, “Ugghh. I feel horrible. It rained on me all night last night. Got soaked through and then it turned cold this morning. I fear I have caught the chills.”
Tam gave a wary nod of agreement.
“I don’t suppose you happened to make any coffee yet this morning did you Tam?” He looked hopefully at his apprentice.
Sorry, but I think ya need some a that tea stuff er whatever it is." And if he ain't well, by tonight, I may just move in with the horses. he added to himself, silently.
Rick unfolded the message, skimmed it, than read it aloud, for which Tam was grateful. The message was direct and to the point, and it also contained several directives for Rick. Tam wondered how Crowley thought that Rick could be in more than one place at a time, but figured that since Crowley was fairly reasonable.....
Rick moved to get out of bed, and Tam headed for the main room to start the fire and heat a pot of water. He hoped Rick wouldn't make coffee. Tam still hadn't developed a taste for the bitter stuff yet.
A little while later, when Rick appeared, Tam had the fire going, and was making breakfast. Rick immediately made himself a mug of pungent-smelling brew, and Tam noted the near-emptiness of the pot. He picked it up and started for the door, intending to fill it, but Rick spoke up, causing Tam to stop and face him. “Well, it seems Crowley has set a couple of tasks on me, and seeing as how I can’t be in two places at one time, I was wondering if you would care to go down to the market square and see if you can find anyone fencing stolen goods.”
He paused, and Tam opened his mouth to ask him if Rick even knew the amount of stolen goods that got "fenced" off on the market daily. And even if he knew exactly what goods he was looking for--which he didn't--there was a large possibility that whoever had them would alter them, or sell them off somewhere else entirely--if they were smart. But he stopped when Rick went on. “Or you can come with me to see this Padderton fellow and learn how to interview people and conduct a criminal investigation. We do need to get a list of items that were stolen so we know what to look for in the market square.”
He stopped, and Tam got the drift that Rick was letting Tam choose what he wanted to do. Giving it some thought, Tam figured that the best route to go, would be to go with Rick to see Padderton and obtain a list of what had been stolen, and then go to the market while Rick finished off the interview. Tam voiced this aloud, and was just finishing when he heard the frenzied barking of a dog, and Horse's loud, warning neigh.
he scooted to the door and opened it to see a dog barking his head off at the horses, and Horse giving clear warning that he was annoyed with the mangy mutt. Tam moved to the edge of the porch and set the pot down, picking up a rock as he straightened back up. He didn't aim on getting any closer to the dog than he had to--the mutt may have been skinny, but even skinny, half-starved dogs can be ferocious fighters.
"Shivers! Come here!"
Tam looked farther afield, and saw a tall, equally skinny youth yelling at the mutt, who clearly, wasn't going to obey just yet. Tam rethought his idea of throwing a rock at the mutt with the owner close by enough to see, and instead threw the stone so that it missed by inches instead of actually hitting the dog on the head. "Git outta here, dawg!"
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Post by JezusBagels on Sept 18, 2010 23:31:05 GMT -5
Tam rethought his idea of throwing a rock at the mutt with the owner close by enough to see, and instead threw the stone so that it missed by inches instead of actually hitting the dog on the head. "Git outta here, dawg!"
"Hey!" Rayne shouted with a scowl on his face. He made a mad dash for Shivers and picked him up in his arms. "Are you crazy?! Throwing a rock at a little dog like that! I ought'a give you a fat lip for doing something so stupid like that!" The little dog had been utterly shocked by the close call with the stone and was shaking in his arms, a tendency that earned him his namesake. Rayne walked closer to the porch to get a better look at this less-than-kind stranger. At first glance he was just a boy, probably only a little younger than Rayne. Only he seemed to stand a full two feet or so beneath Rayne. This was puzzling because most boys in their early teens were at least five feet tall. It made the boy seem like something out of a fairy tale for a brief moment. Rayne might have smiled if he wasn't so disgusted with him.
For a second, Rayne's eyes shifted to behind the little boy, trying to determine if there was anyone else in the little house. He couldn't tell, so his attention went back to the boy, brow creased, fire in his eyes, waiting for an apology... or something.
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Post by Brandwyn on Sept 23, 2010 9:58:24 GMT -5
Rick had leaned back and closed his eyes as Tam exited the cabin to fetch more water when he heard Tam raise his voice, "Git outta here, dawg!"
"Hey!" Rick heard a reply and his eyes snapped open. Before the words, "Are you crazy?! Throwing a rock at a little dog like that! I ought'a give you a fat lip for doing something so stupid like that!" were finished, Rick had his bow strung and in hand. He stepped to the door, keeping the bow with the knocked arrow hidden behind the door when he recognized that their visitor was a young lad, not much older than Tam.
Rick glanced at the horses and saw that Horse was still a bit upset, shaking his head and snorting at the dog, but Domingo was standing alert, one ear cocked toward the newcomer and his dog and the other trained on Rick, waiting for a command. “Easy Mingo,” Rick said gently, loud enough for the horse to hear him, but not so as it would alarm their guest. The buckskin relaxed and moved off a bit from the stranger, placing himself between the dog and Horse and went back to grazing. Rick noted that the horse never took his eyes off their visitor however.
“That goes for you two as well.” Rick said, perhaps a bit more sharply than would be his normal tendency. He wasn’t having a very great morning and a bit of the irritation showed in his voice at first. “I am sure my apprentice here had no intention of striking your dog, he was just trying to protect his horse, isn’t that right Tam?” Rick eyed the pair before him and noted their shabby condition and how thin they were. They both looked like street urchins to him, though he couldn’t recall seeing the dog or the boy around the city and he thought he was pretty familiar with most of the homeless in Araluen, at least by sight anyway.
“If you like, I can take a look at your dog there and make sure he is ok.” Rick nodded toward the small dog in the boy’s arms. “I was just about to make some breakfast too. You are welcome to join us if you are hungry.” Rick turned back into the house, unknocking the arrow and replaced it in the quiver hanging on its usual peg. He hung the bow above it and began rummaging around in his food stores to throw together a large breakfast for them all. Soon he had bacon cooking in one pan and eggs frying in another. He sliced up some bread he had made two days ago and smeared butter on them and set out the honey jar in the middle of the table. Every so often he grabbed a rag and held it over his mouth and nose while he sneezed violently, facing away from the food. Then he would take another swig of his tea, which was already cooling and wipe his hands off on another damp cloth before turning back to the food.
He figured he would let the two boys work out their differences, but he kept an ear cocked in their direction just in case it sounded like it was going to come to blows again. Meanwhile his brain was tickling something at the edges of his memory concerning the lad outside and Rick was trying like crazy to figure out what it was. He didn’t know the boy, he was certain of that, but there was something about him.
Finishing up the food, he dished it up on three plates and set them on the table. “Breakfast is ready, come and get it,” he called out the open door. Draining the last of his tea as he sat down, he reached for the little pot of hot water. His hand met with air and he looked down in surprise. ‘oh yeah, Tam was going to go get water.’ Rick sighed woefully and stared into the bottom of his mug as if he could produce coffee just by staring at the cup. He pulled the heavy cloak back up around himself and shivered again, his head thick with fog from lack of sleep, an abrupt awakening and a head cold. ‘It’s going to be a wonderful day.” He muttered softly into his mug. Normally he was a cheerful guy, quick witted and always looking on the bright side of things, but today he was quite the opposite and all he really wanted to do was crawl back into bed and sleep for several hours.
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Post by Firehead on Sept 24, 2010 10:33:31 GMT -5
"Hey!" Rayne shouted with a scowl on his face. He made a mad dash for Shivers and picked him up in his arms. "Are you crazy?! Throwing a rock at a little dog like that! I ought'a give you a fat lip for doing something so stupid like that!"
"Na like I hit it!" Tam snapped. "An I will if'n ya bring it any closer!" it was all he could do to hold his ground and not back up as the boy came closer, cradling the dog in his arms. He thoroughly disliked dogs.....with good reason.
Behind him, Tam heard Rick step out onto the porch. “Easy Mingo,” Rick said gently, loud enough for the horse to hear him, but not so as it would alarm their guest. The buckskin relaxed and moved off a bit from the stranger, placing himself between the dog and Horse and went back to grazing. Rick noted that the horse never took his eyes off their visitor however.
“That goes for you two as well.” Rick said, perhaps a bit more sharply than would be his normal tendency.
The sharpness in his tone made Tam glance back over his shoulder at him. Rick wasn't normally this...way. Before turning back to face the taller, and probably older, Tam noted that Rick didn't look esspecially happy either. Probably 'cause of th' cold.
Tam abruptly picked up the pot again and filled it with water from the barrel. Rick continued to talk to the stranger. “I am sure my apprentice here had no intention of striking your dog, he was just trying to protect his horse, isn’t that right Tam?”
"Som'in like that." Tam muttered, setting the pot aside, and grabbing the bucket. The barrel needed filling, so Tam went about the business of fetching water.....avoiding the boy and his dog on his way to the stream,, by giving them a wide berth. Tam just didn't put it past the other to sic the dog on him just for the fun of it...or as a sort of 'punishment'.
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Post by JezusBagels on Sept 25, 2010 22:40:33 GMT -5
"Som'in like that."
Rayne had no way of knowing that at that moment he was thinking the same thing as this rude stranger. As he and Shivers watched the boy walk away with a water bucket, he felt the little dog rumbling the way he did when he was about to pounce on a small, weaker animal. He knew, however, that a giant gash in his son's back wouldn't bode well with the giant, angry, bow-wielding woodsman that had just invited him to breakfast. He stroked Shivers's neck, calming him down, and watched the boy get smaller as he grew further away. Then his stomach rumbling reminded him of the offer he'd been presented with and took a few slow steps towards the house.
His better judgment told him that last night's heist would feed them for a couple weeks and there was no point in compromising their anonymity for a petty meal. Unfortunately, his teenage stomach told him that he hadn't eaten in almost a full day and Shivers had received the last of the food stores they had brought with them.
“Breakfast is ready, come and get it,”
The stomach won by a landslide and he bounded up the steps, stopping before travelling through the doorway and took two steps inside. He set Shivers down and the pup started wandering around the main room, sniffing at different objects in the strange, new place from whence the rock-thrower and the angry bowman emerged.
Struggling to recall the lessons in proper manors he'd received as a young boy, Rayne said, "Thank you for inviting us to eat with you. That's... very kind of you." The words put together in that order seemed almost alien to him now, and their utterance sent an odd sensation of heat and warmth cascading down his spine, but he figured he imagined that part.
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Post by Brandwyn on Sept 27, 2010 9:19:25 GMT -5
Rick watched the young man with interest as the boy entered the cabin and set the dog down. Very rarely had he ever seen a homeless child turn down a free meal, and this young man was no exception. The quickest way to gain their confidence was through their stomachs, he had determined long ago.
He gestured to a chair that had a plate in front of it laden with food and smiled invitingly. “Sorry for the rude introduction. My name is Rick and that there is my apprentice, Tam. Welcome to our humble little abode.” He tried to sound cheerful, but his smile was cut off by a sneeze that he barely managed to cover with the rag as he turned his head away from the table. It was followed by a cough and Rick groaned in misery again. He hated colds. He seemed to be getting them more often for some reason. “Scuse me, ‘fraid I caught a cold.” Rick said apologetically to the teen. “What I need is some fennel in with this mixture of herbs, but that would put me to sleep and it appears I won’t have time for that today.” Rick pulled at the bag of herbs in his empty coffee cup.
Setting the cup aside with a sigh, he picked up his fork and dug into the eggs. “Help yourself, there’s plenty.” Growing boys needed a lot of food and Rick himself seemed to still have his teenage appetite and metabolism, being tall and lean and very active. He was very fit and so far no signs of the middle aged belly that plagued so many men as they approached their 40’s.
His attention was drawn to the dog and he put down the plate of scraps of meat and eggs he had made up for the dog. The bacon grease was poured over top and should help to make the dog’s coat glossier. He tried to coax the dog closer to him so he could check on its health. Out of the corner of his eye he studied the boy.
‘What’s his name?” Rick asked, trying to coax the dog to him. “He seems a bit shy, doesn’t he? Probably been kicked around a lot on the streets I bet.” Rick held out a piece of bacon, “Come here, Boy. I won’t hurt you.”
Rick looked the dog over and didn’t see any sign of damage and although thin, the dog seemed to be in good health from what he could tell. “Just a bit hungry is all. I think he is fine.”
Rick turned his attention back to the boy. He wanted to find out more about the lad, but knew from experience that street kids clammed up and grew suspicious when questions started flying around. Usually it was best to gain their confidence and let them share their story on their terms. Rick looked thoughtful for a moment and then decided on an alternate plan.
“You look like you could use some regular meals perhaps. Would you be interested in doing some honest labor for a few coins? Nothing too strenuous or anything,” Rick added hastily. “I really wanted to run new fence down the back side of the pasture out there and the roof needs some slate replaced. If you have a couple of buddies that are interested, I could pay you all 5 coppers each and include two meals a day for as long as it takes you to complete those tasks.”
The work did need to be done, but it wasn’t anything Tam and he could not handle. The problem was he had just not had time to get to it. The roof was leaking in two spots, as evidence by the buckets sitting half full on the floor. Rick eyed one of the buckets and wondered if the water was clean enough to boil for coffee. He was going to check if Tam didn’t show up soon with fresh water.
With this new request from Crowley, the usual chores around the cabin were going to get pushed back again. During the last few months he was gone to Gallica, the cabin had suffered some storms which caused damage and there was just the usual upkeep on a home that needed to be taken care of and Rick had been neglecting. Although his personal money was depleted from paying his ‘ransom’ to the Pirate, Tony the Razor last year, he still had enough to hire someone to help with the physical labor to keep the ranger cabin in good repair.
Now the question was if the boy was interested in earning some money. Rick was still trying to figure out why the pair of them seemed familiar when he knew that he had never met them before or seen them in the city. Mostly, however, he just wanted to see if he could get the kid started on a path to earn an honest living so he wouldn’t become another bandit preying on the weak and helpless as he grew older and becoming a nuisance Rick or some other Ranger would have to deal with later on.
Rick had finished his food by now and sat back, nursing his runny nose and waited for a reply and for Tam to show up with the water so he could brew some coffee. Rick looked out the door of the cabin which was standing open still and saw the little pot sitting on the step. He stood up and walked across the room and grabbed the pot. It was comfortingly heavy. "Thanks Tam!" Rick called out as he raised the pot, looking to see where his apprentice was. "The food is ready if you are hungry."
He went back in, thinking he heard Tam down by the stream, having noted the water barrel was missing from its usual spot. He sat the pot on the fire grate and set a coffee packet in it. In a few minutes the blessed aroma of brewing coffee filled the cabin and Rick sat back with a sigh of contentment. ... Then he sneezed.
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Post by JezusBagels on Sept 27, 2010 15:32:59 GMT -5
“Help yourself, there’s plenty.”
Rayne sat quickly, seeing the delicious food set down on the table. He almost started eating right away, but then remembered himself. His put his nose closed to the plate and started sniffing. He took in the smell of the food and tried to sense any trickery put into it, like poisons and the like. Not that his nose could really detect anything if it was there, but it was something he picked up from Shivers and it seemed a sensible habit to pick up. When it felt safe and he'd been doubly enticed by the heavenly aroma that was a fresh-cooked breakfast, he commenced to shoveling it into his mouth by the handful, barely stopping to breath.
"What’s his name?”
Rayne paused in his feasting to take a deep swallow and answer, "Shivers, on account of he was in the rain when I found him--damn near froze to death out there on his own. He don't need to worry about that no more though. I keep him warm enough." Shivers took a few hesitant steps towards the bacon being held towards him, sniffed, then gobbled it up and started at the plate on the floor. He watched the large man look SHivers over while he ate, checking for wounds.
“Just a bit hungry is all. I think he is fine.”
Rayne smiled. "Thanks," he said, and went back to eating while the man talked.
“You look like you could use some regular meals perhaps. Would you be interested in doing some honest labor for a few coins? Nothing too strenuous or anything,” Rick added hastily. “I really wanted to run new fence down the back side of the pasture out there and the roof needs some slate replaced. If you have a couple of buddies that are interested, I could pay you all 5 coppers each and include two meals a day for as long as it takes you to complete those tasks.”
Rayne wiped his mouth on his shirt, having finished the meal now, and leaned back in his chair, one hand on his stomach. He genuinely smiled and said, "I appreciate the offer, sir, and I'm sorry your home is in such a state of disrepair, but my friends and I got jobs and errands of our own to tend to. Only reason me and dog is so skinny is I use up my pay on sweets and such." It was a flat-out lie, but a practiced one. Rayne had told it a hundred or more times and knew just how to add a flicker of embarrassment at the end to make it sound like the damnest truth there ever was. "Not that Shivers minds. He loves sugar."
Then he saw a flash on the man's face. A vague motion that consisted of all the muscles in his head tensing up for a second. Most people wouldn't notice it, but Rayne had seen it a million times. He called it the 'future-fear.' Somebody sees a kid on the street picking pockets and automatically thinks he'll grow up to be some kind of serial killer or something like that. Normally, Rayne would be offended by such an accusation--seeing as he never killed anybody and didn't plan on it. However, this man... 'Rick,' had given them breakfast, so he decided to be polite about it.
"Don't worry about us, sir. We ain't some conspiratorial whack job duo that's gonna burn houses and kill babies. We're just skinny."
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