Settling In I

[Allan A Dale]

Allan strolled back into the camp he'd vacated, abandoned, for so long and sighed. He stood still for a moment, streched his arms, wondered if his old clothes were still here when he remembered that, of course, he'd chucked them out in the castle.

"No good griping about it," Allan mumbled to himself. "I might need to get some new ones, though. Don't fancy running round like I'm still Guy's man... I'll be mauled!"

Allan rummaged around the camp for a bit, idly wondering where the others had gotten to (he'd been sure they were behind him but there you go - Sherwood was always a mystery!) and stole one of Much's shirts. It was just a plain one (like he'd wear that jumper!) but he knew it would still get the former manservant's back up.

Oh well, he thought. I can always get him a new one. Maybe. One day... Maybe I should think this through a bit more...

He put it back into the small (small) pile and sat down on one of the bunks, chin resting on hands.

"Now what?" he asked the forest. "I need someone to talk to! What good is it to sit round here when I don't know nothing about the camp anymore?"

The forest gave him no answer, and he sighed.

"Well I'm not making dinner."

[Anni]

While Robin and the gang were patrolling the forest, Djaq had decided to go into Knighton to get some provisions. If it wasn't for her sometimes, she thought the outlaws would starve.

Djaq wasn't gone long, though long enough for someone to enter the camp and settle in, and she noticed the men were still not back. She sighed as she lugged the food into the home Will had made.

Djaq wasn't aware that there was someone else there as she set to putting things away. Djaq, the fierce warrior who had fought beside Robin Hood was now a grocery maid. But as for cooking, she was rubbish and left that to Much.

Suddenly she felt a presence behind her, and she turned around, dagger in hand. Djaq smiled when she saw it was only Allan. "Hello," she said, her accent quite noticeable. "I didn't see you there."

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[Allan A Dale]

Allan had been lying flat on the same bunk he'd settled on when he heard the door to the camp lift up. Idly, he wondered if he ought to get up and greet his companions, but then decided against it. He was tired, they'd just got back from the Holy Land, surely he deserved some rest?

Just think about that sentence, Allan... his conscience (which sounded suspiciously like Tom, and that worried him to no end) laughed at him. Allan grumbled something about stupid voices in his head, and got up to see Djaq shoving away some food. He watched her for a moment, revelling in the knowledge that he was back, he was allowed her, being with her and the gang wasn't a dream anymore - it was reality again!

And then Djaq ruined it by spinning round and looking like she was ready to kill him. Allan wouldn't admit it, but he'd been scared to see the dagger.

"Clearly," he replied, suppressing the urge to gulp. He gestured at the remaining goods. "Need a hand? I mean I don't know where anything is anymore, if you've changed it all round, and I know Much don't like me in his kitchen, but I can still help, right?"

[marian]

Marian did not feel she was ready to make her way back to camp quite yet.
She knew she had a bit of a way to go until she could truely be at ease around Allan. And seeing as Djaq had announced she was going to Knighton to buy provisions, and Robin and the rest of the gang were patrolling the nearby area, Marian had given Robin a kiss, told him she would be quite safe, and that she would be careful, and that she was going to look for fire wood. He wasn't happy about it but as long as she stayed close to camp, she knew he knew she'd be ok.
So she set off, not really on the look out for fire wood, simply contemplating her future in the forest, and the events that had happened in the Holy Land.

[Anni]

"Yes, you can help," Djaq said, a sly grin on her face. Though they were outlaws, the men were gentlemen as well. It was quite a paradox, friendly outlaws, but they knew how and when to be scary as well. Djaq handed Allan a jar of honey.

Will and Djaq had gone for honey before the Holy Land, but they had been distracted when Guy of Gisborne was about to cut off a woman's finger. But now she had finally gotten it. Honey was good for making stale bread taste better.

"So, are you back for good?" she asked. Djaq had been hurt when she found out Allan was the spy. Especially because they had originally been led to believe that Will was the spy and Allan had not spoken up. But she still did not want Robin to kill him and she was glad he was back with them.

Allan had been one of the first to befriend her and accept her, and she appreciated that. Djaq finally finished putting things away and took an apple from what she had bought. She used her dagger to cut it open, then offered half of it to Allan.

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[Allan A Dale]

Taking the smile as a cue, he grinned back in full force. Unfortunately, this turned to a grimace the moment Djaq put the jar of honey in his hands.

"I've not been gone that long!" he complained, jokingly, but put the honey away quickly. He REALLY didn't like that stuff. He laughed a little, but quietened. Was he back for good? He thought so; he hoped so, but at this point he was terrified that Robin would come back to the camp and chuck him out on his ear again, if not worse. It wasn't like he wouldn't deserve it, but it was still an unpleasant thought.

He loved the outlaws - it was part of why he agreed to spy for Gisborne. If he could keep them out of his hair... then maybe no one would ever get hurt. But that plan failed miserably.
Of course, the money was a large part of it too. In fact, it still was. Despite leaving Guy at the coast, Allan did feel a sense of loyalty to the man - he wasn't all there in the head, Allan sometimes thought, but the man needed some friends. And he'd paid well.

But he loved the outlaws, he eventually decided. And love conquers all, right?

"Yeah," he replied softly. "I'm back."

He gratefully took the apple and bit into it, glad for something to calm his growling stomach and for such good company. "How long you had that dagger, then? Don't remember seeing it before."

[will]

Will was up before anyone even before Robin which he was kinda amazed by. But quickly remembered what they all went through in the Holy Land and suddenly understood why Robin was still asleep. Before leaving camp he had noticed that Allan was sleeping also. Even though he was now back in the gang it was still weird to see him. At least it was for Will anyways.

He still could remember the year before how himself and Allan would always work together to take out Gisborne's men just so Robin could get in to the castle. Will deep down wanted to have that again he actually missed Allan when he had left. Though he knew Allan betraying that gang was something that could never be forgiven by Robin's eyes. But now that he was back he could see that Allan really wanted to just fall back in to normal routine. Thing was it would just take longer to get use to it.

Walking back in to camp he dropped a couple logs of wood near the fire pit. Turning his head he quickly spotted both Djaq and Allan awake. Turning he made his way over to them "Morning" he said with a tiny smile that was directed more to Djaq then it was Allan.

[Anni]

"Perhaps not long, but long enough," Djaq said with a smirk. They had been on quite a few adventures since Allan had left. Marian had joined the gang, then left it, only to return again. She had realized how much she liked Will as well, though that was recent.

"Good," Djaq replied, glad Allan was back. She couldn't take another betrayal, especially because she thought of these guys as her family in some sense. She had left the Holy Lands and didn't have much to go back to and now her home was here, even if she was an outlaw as well.

"I've had this dagger for awhile, though it doesn't make sense to fight with it," she said, fiddling with the dagger before putting it back in her belt. "It is handy to keep around, though," Djaq admitted. She turned around when Will entered the camp, carrying wood. That was such a familiar scene, Will with wood and it made her smile. Her smile only widened when he smiled at her and Allan. "Good morning," she said, looking up at Will.

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[marian]

Marian was sitting by an old oak tree for a while, closing her eyes she let her head rest against the bark. How she had missed the forest. She felt the sun break through the leaves as it warmed her face. For half a second it had reminded her of the Holy Land. A place she had only heard about until recently. She knew the Gang would all be grieving the loss of Carter, a man they had made friends with, and the news that nothing would really change in England after all. Had this all been in vain? Was it ever to be over? Robin had nearly gotten himself killed, she had nearly gotten herself killed. And for what? For nothing. The king still wasn't home, the sheriff hadn't been stopped. And her and Robin weren't married. And Guy had found out her love for Robin. She dreaded a reunion but knew it had to come sooner or later...
She decided that really, sitting under a tree wasn't going to solve anything. More people had to be back by now and so there was more oportunity for discussion.
And so she made her way back to camp, realising on the way that she had no clothes with her apart from this dress, that was torn and dirty, her trunk had all been left in the Holy Land, this would have to be remedied.
Reaching the camp, she lifted the door and saw Will, Djaq and Allan talking amounst themselves, a sudden wave of awkwardness came over her and she suddenly felt very out of place and could feel herself going red.
"Hello..." she mustered. The 3 looked up "Everything alright?"

[Allan A Dale]

Allan nodded. He understood. Things weren't going to be as easy as he'd hoped, and how could they? As far as most people were concerned, he'd done a terribly bad thing and there was no way he'd just be able to fall into the same hole.

But he could try.

He gave a jaunty little wave to Will as he came back in, slightly niggled as he felt that Will was ignoring him, but that was to be expected. "Hey, mate, sleep well?"

Suddenly Marian appeared out of nowhere too, looking more bedraggled than she had done in the early hours of the morning.

"Sheesh, who dragged you through a hedge?" he said without thinking, wincing afterwards. "Er, what I meant was... want to go to Knighton, get madam some new frocks? You could use 'em, mate!"

And I want a new shirt! he whined mentally.

[marian]

Marian gave Allan such a stare. A stare she hoped would burn through him!
He had a cheek didn't he?
Instead of telling him exactly what she thought however, she walked over to the bunks and sat on the lowest one.
"Is there anything I can borrow to go to town in" she asked "Somehow I think I'd stand out in this thing."
She wanted to get it off anyway. It held nothing but bad memories for her now, that dress...

[Allan A Dale]

Allan pondered the question and looked over at Djaq, but shook his head. No, the two women were completely different shapes, let alone sizes. That left the men's clothes. And that, really, seemed a bit daft to him.
"You sure you ain't got nothing left over from your outlaw stint?" he asked, poking at a stick jutting out of the wall. He began searching for some of Marian's old clothes, pulling out the shirt he'd contemplated wearing earlier along with a pair of Much's trousers, just in case they really couldn't find anything else.
They couldn't.
"I'm afraid these are the best we could do, m'lady," he grinned, at least having the courtesy to turn around and block the rest of the (sleeping) men off so she could change in private.

[Anni]

Djaq nodded toward Marian when she came in. It was nice not being the only girl anymore, though she was considered more like one of the boys, what with her short hair and the fact that she had posed as a boy originally.

"I suppose you can borrow some of my clothes," Djaq said with a smile. Marian probably wouldn't fit in her pants as Djaq was shorter, but it would do for now. Djaq gave Allan a look when he offered Marian Much's clothes.

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[will]

Hearing Marian's voice made him break eye contact with Djaq and turn his head to look at her. "Every thing's fine" Will said with a tiny shrug though he knew why she was saying it. You could literally cut the tension with a knife. He knew it was gonna hard to gain the once loyal trust with Allan like they had. He just wished it was gonna easier then it already was.

"As well as one can sleep Allan" he said a little harsher then he wanted to. Scratching the back of his head "Where's Robin?" he said crossing his arms and looking at at three people in the camp. Robin usually didn't go far without telling them. That was unless something had come up that Robin figured he could do without help.

[Allan A Dale]

Allan winced. He hadn't meant to offend Will, and didn't understand how he had...

"Sorry, mate... An' I dunno. He was gone before I woke up. Much looks like he could sleep through a rampage of guards, though..."

Then Allan shrugged. He was expecting to get the look from Djaq sooner or later, and secretley he was thrilled. He'd missed her stern yet gentle handling of his irregular ways. Though, in this instance, he didn't see the problem. Much was certainly the most girly of the outlaws and probably wouldn't mind because it was for Marian, and therefore for Robin, and everyone knew what Much was like about Robin.

"What?" he asked, looking round at her but careful not to turn too far just in case Marian WAS changing. "They'll fit better!"