A Long Awaited Conversation II

[Allan A Dale]

Allan wasn't quite sure how it happened, but he realised that Marian and Djaq were no longer with them. He stopped for a moment and looked round, before raising an eyebrow and addressing Will.

"I'm not bein' funny, but I think they didn't want us to go with them."

He scratched his head a bit. "Are we even going the right way?" He realised what he had said; of the outlaws, Will always knew where he was going, or he seemed to know, anyway. Allan never quite figured out if he did or was just really good at bluffing. He was a lousy liar otherwise, though.

[will]

Blinking Will looked around a little clearly seeing that both Marian and Djaq and well vanished. "Well they are women they probably wanted to talk" the brunette outlaw said looking at Allan. Looking around a little he shook his head "We went the wrong way" scratching the back of his head he let out a tiny laugh.

Will always knew where he was going. He personally thought of himself as human compass when it came to Sherwood forest. He wasn't much of a hunter when it came right down to it. Though having Allan for a best friend probably helped him. Before Allan had left he had taught Will how to track deer.

[Allan A Dale]

Allan groaned. "Well, lead on, fearless one!" he joked, bowing in an overly mocking manner and smiling. It was nice to hear Will laugh, even if only a little. He'd missed hearing joy that wasn't related to mutilation. He stood back up straight, and felt a twinge of guilt. Why was everything he thought of going back to that? Wasn't he trying to let it go? Forget it?

"I blame the clothes..." he muttered under his breath. But the thoughts wouldn't leave him. He had to say something. If just to please the little nagging voice in the back of his head that Djaq had named his conscience.

"Will? I'm sorry."

[will]

Hearing Allan say he was sorry made him look at him. "I know you are but it still doesn't change what you did" the tone of Will's voice had the hint of anger in it but it was slowly starting to from anger to I forgive you. "You should be saying sorry to Robin. He's the one that you need to gain his trust again" he said with a small shrug.

"I already forgive you the minute you helped us back in the barn" he said with a smile before putting a hand out to the older outlaw. Which reminded Will of when Allan and himself were in Nottingham waiting for Prince John's soldiers. Death was on their door step and instead of dying as enemies(though they neverreally were) they shook hands and looked past Allan's betrayal for only a moment.

[Allan A Dale]

Allan winced. Yeah, he'd been expecting that. He knew it didn't change anything, that was the point. He didn't want to change it (and he never would - the decision was the right one, at the time), but he did want to forget it. Wasn't anyone getting that without him actually saying it?

He did hate having to explain things.

"Robin?" Allan asked, surprised. He hadn't thought about it, really. He'd been hoping that saving them and admitting he'd been wrong was enough, and he'd told Robin he was sorry before anyway... Or, at least, that he loved the gang. He wondered if Will or Robin had ever told the others about the things he did for them. That hurt, a little. But no point picking at sores. "I guess you're right... Maybe if we see him later..."

Allan smiled softly, touched. Will forgave him? He knew that meant a lot, but also realised it didn't mean other things - it probably didn't mean he had his complete trust, it probably didn't mean that they could just fall back into the same old pattern. It was a jigsaw, and a piece had been changed. It didn't fit anymore.

But that didn't mean he couldn't carve a new hole, right?

Allan shook Will's hand. "You're really starting to make me wonder if you aren't a woman, you know that?" he grinned, waiting to be slapped or kicked or... something.

[will]

Rolling his eyes he gave Allan a playful shove. Not hard enough to hurt him or anything. "From what I hear you dressed up as the Nightwatchman who's the woman now?" he said with a grin as he started to walk off. Knowing at any second Allan might as well return the shove with a tackle. For second it felt like old times. Picking on one another just for laughs.

Deep down Will wished they could have their normal friendship back. In Will's eyes Allan was like the older brother he always wanted. Not that Luke wasn't a great little brother. Will just figured that Allan fit Luke's place since he had been outlawed last year.

[Allan A Dale]

Allan feigned shock for the moment Will was looking at him, then smiled. He waited for a few moments, letting Will walk a little further before he took a small run and pounced on the tall youth, grabbing him by the shoulders and dragging him to the forest floor with his momentum. He firmly placed Will in a headlock and proceeded to tickle Will just below his chin - he'd learned early on in their time in the gang that Will was sensitive there and he always used it to his advantadge in a fight. What was the point in playing fair, after all?

"Nightwatch MAN, Will. I was pretending to be a man."

He paused for a moment, grip on Will loosening.

"That sounded better in my head..."

[will]

"OI!?" the younger male screamed before dropping to the ground Allan in toe. "S--stop i-it!" Will laughed as he tried to wiggle his way out of Allan's grip. Hearing Allan ramble on a little made Will smile when Allan's grip loosened.

Taking it as a advantage he grabbed at Allan's shoulder forcing him under him. Out of breath Will shook his head "Everything sounds better in your head" look down at him for a second he cleared his throat and stood up. "Come on we better get moving" smiling he put a hand out to Allan.

[Allan A Dale]

Allan was a little startled when Will dragged him underneath him but was quickly kicking himself for letting his guard down. Will had quickly switched positions, pinning him down with the full weight of his body. He laughed; Will was right, everything did sound better in his head, but it usually sounded as good out loud too. He blew out a bit of air out to try and feebly move some mud from above his eye, to no avail, but was able to brush it away a moment later as Will abruptly got up.

What's that about? he idly wondered, slightly put out because he couldn't exact his revenge on Will without ruining the good faith he was offering.

But since when had that ever bothered him? He grinned, took Will's hand and dragged him back down to the leafy floor beside him.

"Nah," Allan replied, leaning back with his arms behind his head and crossing his legs. "I'm not in such a rush anymore. Knighton'll still be there if we rest. What's a few minutes of sitting down and talking anyway? You, my lad, need to catch me up on any gossip I've missed."

[will]

Rolling his eyes Will sat down across from him. "I'm not the one that wanted to out his clothes in such a hurry" smiling Will grabbed a twig that was across from him and started to pull away at the leaves idly. "You haven't really missed that much. Much still talks a lot, Johns pretty quiet" Will said with a shrug before tossing the twig he was fooling around with away.

"And Djaq..she's well Djaq" Will said with a pleasant smile forming on the young brunette's face. Allan knew he liked her well so did every one. He still could remember when last year when he said it out loud to everyone. But the thing was Allan also like Djaq. Will wondered if he still felt the same for the Saracen woman.

[Allan A Dale]

Allan shrugged. "This is better."

He laughed a little. "I doubt you'll ever get Much to keep quiet for too long!"

He didn't miss the fondness he heard in Will's voice as he spoke of Djaq. A part of him sighed, wondered if he shouldn't just give up on that little dream he had, where one day maybe Djaq would turn to him and smile, and kiss him on the lips, while another part of him screamed to be let out and convince Will that Djaq would never love him back, it was hopeless, and... and what? Allan had to ask himself.

He didn't know.

Deep down, though, he knew Will's feelings were stronger (maybe just a first crush, maybe his soul mate, only time would tell) and he wouldn't try to get between them if they did feel that way about each other. It would hurt, sure, but he was used to that. It was part of life.

He decided to tease Will about it.

He raised his eyebrows and brought out one of his lewd grins, the ones that always made Will blush ridiculously. "Djaq, eh? I 'eard something about someone getting a lot of honey these past few months. Did you, Will? I've always told you that you could come to me for advice on women, and that's never changed. And you'd probably need it. Have you even kissed another girl? So spill the beans! Did you or not?"

[will]

Lifting his head he got a glimpse of Allan's smile and felt his face burn slightly. "Stop talking to Much" he said keeping his face down. "He's just jealous that Robin hasn't been around lately because of Lady Marian" which was true. Robin spent more time with Marian then he had last year.

Will was personally thanking god (or Allah as Djaq would say) Robin had been gone for five years in the Holy Land just to come back with Marian hating him. Now it was like those five years didn't happen and Marian finally forgave Robin. "Oh course I've kissed a girl Allan" he said with a tiny smile which could be read was either no or yes.

[Allan A Dale]

Allan laughed at that. Once upon a time, Will had been telling him to talk to Much, and now he was telling him to keep away! He didn't think he'd ever find something quite that funny.
"Well Much isn't happy unless he's joined at the hip with Robin," Allan shrugged. "But it's what he's used to, ain't it? Gonna take him a long time to get on by himself, on his own two feet, I think..."

"I agree with him, though," he mused aloud, smiling at the thought. Much would probably die from shock. "Robin's not thinking straight. We're not going to get anything done if he acts like he did on the way home. Was he like that when she was last with you?"

Allan raised an eyebrow at Will's last comment. He didn't believe it. He wouldn't look so shy if he had any decent experience with women. He let out an exaggerated sigh, raising an arm to his forehead in a "woe is me" manner.

"A girl? A girl? You think I'm gonna let you go anywhere near Djaq with such little experience? And don't think I've forgotten that you didn't answer my question! I'm just pleased you learned something from me. I'll get back on that later, just you see!"

He got up and brushed himself off. "This is urgent business now, Will. We need to find you a willing candidate, apart from Djaq because I'm not subjecting her to bad kissers, and teach you how to kiss!"

[will]

"I've kissed more then one girl Allan" the brunette outlaw stated glaring at Allan. "I'm not you or Robin" he said with a half smile and standing up. Will wasn't much of a ladies man if that's what they were called. Truthfully there was only one girl he kissed when he was sixteen.

And it wasn't much of a kiss when he thought about it. She had kissed him and he didn't really know how to react to it. Hearing Allan mention finding some random girl to kiss made him shake his head "Let's not shall we" he said shaking his head and walking past Allan.

[Allan A Dale]

Allan felt more than a little put out. He'd hoped to get a bit more of a rise out of Will before he snapped, so there was that twinge of disappointment. On the other hand, he had found out that Will really HADN'T kissed more than one girl - seriously, worst liar EVER. He needs some practise, and I'm just the man to teach him! It's a hard life, all this teaching of worldly ways... - and that was something to pocket for the future.

He jogged a few steps to catch up with his lanky companion and then jogged a few more, turning round so he could talk to Will face to face. He walked backwards as fast as his feet would carry him, which was barely fast enough. Will must have grown a bit more, his stride must have gotten wider or else I'm getting old!

He wouldn't be deterred.

"Just one girl, one kiss, alright? I promise she'll be pretty, you know I have the finest taste! Then I won't bother you about it again. Outlaw's honour!"

Before he could get a reaction, however, he found his view of the world changing from the wonderful golds and reds and browns of a Sherwood autumn to the dank, dreary black of a giant hole, a tangle of broken pieces of wood and a solid landing. He landed on the bottom of the pit with his left leg at a peculiar angle beneath him, and he whacked his head against the side of the pit as he fell. Slightly dazed, he pushed himself to a sitting position once the world had stopped spinning and looked up, a good few feet to the concerned face of Will Scarlett.

"'m okay!" he shouted, words slurring ever so slightly, and he wondered idly when Will had found his long lost twin. He shook his head, causing the Wills to merge into one, and focused in on the pain throbbing from his ankle. Already it was slightly swollen and red, and quite painful to the touch.

"Why didn't you warn me?" he called up again, his charming and jolly mood disappated into irritation.