Arrival ~open~ VIII

[Kate Miller]

Kate's eyes widened as Luke pelted Allan in the shin. He was already injured, and in all honesty, he hadn't done a lot to deserve it. They'd all kept him back, so he might have well kicked her and be done with it.

"Violence never solved anything! Has the Sheriff taught you nothing?" Kate shouted at the top of her lungs, fury in her eyes, before turning to Allan's seating self and helping Djaq with whatever it was she was doing. His ankle had to be at least twice its natural size, at least. It was massive, how he'd managed to get quite as far as he had she had no idea.

Turning and glaring over at Luke once more, she turned away, giving the medical operation her full attention. Any items that she knew her family had she would retrieve for Djaq, they could get Allan sorted. Then they could rescue Will. Well, the outlaw's could. Depending, Kate would even finished their order, or help Allan and finish their order.

(OOC - why do I always start new pages?)

[robin]

(OOC - I dunno, why do you start new pages... I talk to myself.. I might as well go schiz!)

Robin made several 'hey's and 'calm down' noises as Luke kicked his gang member. New reformed or not Allan was one of them. He always would be in his heart. He pulled Luke back and sat him on the stool that occupied the space infront of the desk.

Heart... Marian! She was still tied up outside the stable. If Guy's guards were on the hunt for outlaws, then she was no longer safe. They;d find her in an stant, if they weren't really as blind as they made out to be. They would infd her, take her to their lord nad Master, and he would kill her. Or publicly hang her, to make a show for Robin to enjoy. Get caughthimself nd be ung. End of Robin Hood. Saviour of the people.

"Luke, I need you to calm down, and I need you to do me a favour." Robin started calmly as he crouched to maintan eye contact with the boy. "Marian is tied outside the stables fdirectly across the green from here. I need to find her, untie her and bring her back here okay?"

"Please don't go after Will, and don't do anything stupid!"

[Luke Scarlett]

Allan let him go, but it was too late. Will was gone and there was nothing Luke could do. He stood idly as Kate turned and shouted at him. She'd never shouted at him before, even that time he'd accidentally knocked Will off a ladder when they were younger. He watched as she turned her back on him, helping Djaq tend to Allan, and realised he'd been pretty childish. No wonder everyone called him 'Little Lukey' he couldn't do anything without causing a fuss like a kid.

Robin was guiding him to a chair and he sat down rather abruptly. Gisbourne had taken Will... The shock hit him and he was glad to be sitting down because he didn't think his legs could have held him at this point. What was he going to do if he lost Will too?

"Luke, I need you to calm down, and I need you to do me a favour." Robin was asking him and Luke nodded as he listened to the instructions. He would do what he was told, he would prove to the outlaw that he could be trusted. Then Robin might let him help rescue Will.

"You will get him back won't you?" He questioned Robin, voice cracking as desperate hope bubbled up within him. This was Robin Hood, if he couldn't rely on him then who was left? Luke stood to leave and glanced over at Allan. "Sorry."

[marian]

Marian reached for the door latch and it clicked open, she pushed it and took afew steps in, gasping slightly as she saw Djaq tending to Allan, she scanned the room and caught sight of Robin who was standing by a window but turned and made his way towards her.

"Robin." She said matter of factly "I have something I want to say to you." She stood, looking at him for no more than 2 seconds, the anger flourished again and she found her fist heading straight for Robin's nose, knocking him to the floor with some force as he let out an "Ooof!".

"Don't you EVER do that again!" she rounded on him, wringing her hand from the pain of the impact, "Who on earth do you think you are, Robin?!"

[Luke Scarlett]

Marian's words of comfort helped to reassure Luke, but he still felt a sense of hopeless despair settling over him. He trailed her back to Kate's home, falling back only once so he could wipe his eyes discreetly on his sleeve.

By the time he'd got inside and shut the door behind him Marian was over confronting Robin. She stood for a moment and Luke could see the anger flashing in her eyes. Then she hit him. Luke let out a startled yelp as Robin crashed to the floor. If this was love then Luke wasn't sure he wanted any part of it.

"Maybe I should have left her hands tied?" He suggested cheekily, risking her wrath being turned on him.

[Anni]

Djaq looked up to see Marian hit Robin. Though she knew that Marian had every right to do that, she didn't want anyone else injured as they needed every able body to save Will. She then turned her attention back to Allan's ankle. "It is not badly sprained," she told him, her hands gentle on Allan's ankle.

"I just need to wrap it and you may need a day of rest," she said truthfully, though it pained her to think they would need to wait so long to rescue the captured outlaw. She then turned her thoughts to Luke. Could he not replace Allan? Sure Will would kill them for placing his brother in danger, but it wouldn't matter if Will was dead. Luke had lost so much that she doubted he could lose his brother as well.

[Kate Miller]

Kate let out a short laugh as her Lady hit her fiancé. He fell to the floor with a crash and a yelp of pain. It didn't matter what he'd done she would have hit him anyway.

She turned back to Luke and smiled at him, grateful for helping both Marian and Robin without much fuss. She turned back to Djaq as she mentioned Allan having to rest, "He should be able to stay here whilst you go to the Castle. As long as he behaves my father won't be any wiser. He could just be a client of mine. Which I suppose he is." She shrugged, smiling once more.

She hoped that Robin would allow Luke to go with him, even if he wasn't allowed to do anything. He'd drive her insane stuck here. He would do anything to get away and end up running anyway.

[robin]

Robin looked up as the door re-opened, and Marian came storming over, punching him like there was no tomorrow. He fell backwards, flinging out his hands to stop his fall. He landed with an ‘ooof’ before reaching his hand in pain to his face. ”What was that for! he exclaimed, as if he didn’t know!

”Robin Hood.” he answered cockily before smiling through the soft trickle of blood that ran down his face. Using his sleeve to mop it up, he stood. Squaring up to Marian.

”You know exactly why I did what I what I did! Don’t pretend otherwise!” he muttered exasperatedly, wiping at his nose with his hand once again and taking a large sniff.

Quickly he turned to Djaq as she assessed Allan, changing the subject was more like it. At Kate’s offer he smiled briefly, asking her if It really was okay, and if she didn’t mind. They needed to get in and out of the castle as quickly as possible, taking Allan would slow things down.

”We need a plan.”

[marian]

Uggh. That stupid cocky smile "Robin Hood" indeed. Marian had to do some serious self control not to thump him again, her face outraged as he defended his actions, taking delight in the blood that ran from his nose.

He was lucky he walked away when he did, becuase that last comment made her open her mouth in arguement, but when she noticed Robin walk over to an injured Allan, sense came to her and the seriousness of the situation set in. She would deal with Robin later.

"We need a plan"
Marian resisted the urge to make some sarcastic point but knew that that would just be wasting valuable time, and she as mush as anyone wanted to get Will out of that castle before Gisborne and the Sheriff did anything else to Will.

[Allan A Dale]

Allan nodded as Djaq finished wrapping his ankle tightly in the spare cloth Kate had bought out for them. He began to tug at his sleeve, a nervous gesture he'd had since he was little, though usually he hid it fairly well. A day? A day? Could they afford to wait a day? Of course they couldn't! Robin would just come up with a plan not involving him, and would Allan feel bad about being the only one unable to help? Definitely. It was his best mate in there, even if they'd only recently really reconciled.

Allan bit down on his tongue when Kate mentioned the word client. He would not voice his thoughts on that matter, no matter how funny he might find it.

You don't offend nice hosts, especially when they're sheltering you from evil former employers who are trying to kill you.

He did, however, snigger when Marian punched Robin. He couldn't blame her, and it was nice to see someone stand up to Robin once in a while. He had a feeling that things would get much more interesting, and slightly regretted not being around last time Marian was with the gang - it must have been hilarious.

"We need a plan."

Well, yeah, Allan thought to himself, rolling his eyes. That part was obvious. The only problem was, without Marian to help sneak them in, the gang really didn't have that many entrances to the castle anymore. Part of him (that damn conscience again) muttered something about it being his fault, but he ignored it for now. He could feel (more) guilty later.

Then it hit him.

"Y'know, there's a small side entrance round the back of the castle, up that dirt path from Clun?. It's a servant's entrance... Leads to the kitchens. Some of the guards use it when they've been off with some tavern girls, if you know what I mean," Allan recalled, a small smile coming to his face without his permission, and he frowned again as quickly as possible, hoping no one noticed. Still, he thought of both the kitchens and these little excursions with some fondness.
"There's always one guard on it since you showed up, but he's usually drunk 'cause the kitchen staff pile 'im with food and ale. If you had a disguise, you shouldn't have much trouble... Even less if you take 'im a flask of wine with you. He likes gifts, gets a lot of 'em to turn a blind eye, you know?"

[Luke Scarlett]

Luke sat down quietly on a stool off to one side, deciding to keep out of the way as the adults started to form a plan. It didn't mean he'd stopped worrying about Will, quite the opposite, but after the initial shock had worn off he'd realised he had been acting rashly. They couldn't afford to make mistakes by jumping in without thinking and there was little he could do to help even now, Robin and the others had much more experience at staging rescues.

Sighing a little he stared absently out of the window. Knighton square was still pretty much deserted, although a few of the other villagers had finally started to venture out of their homes now that it was apparent that Gisbourne and his men weren't coming back. He was about to turn away, and at least try to concentrate on what Allan was saying, when Luke spotted something lying in the grass clearing exactly where Will and Gisbourne had fought.

He wanted to go out and see what it was, but he wasn't sure if he could leave. Did he need to ask permission? Luke gave a shrug of frustration, everyone looked terribly serious and he didn't want to interrupt, especially if it turned out to be nothing. Looking out the window once more he made up his mind. He would sneak out, they weren't paying any attention to him now anyway and it wasn't like there was any danger involved. Even if there were still guards lurking around none of them would recognise him.

Slipping out unnoticed was a lot easier than Luke expected. With everyone crowded around Allan as he explained something about a back entrance to the castle they weren't even facing him to see him leave. He crossed the square with purposeful strides, trying to look like he knew what he was doing. He was completely thrown off guard though, by what he saw lying discarded in the slightly browning grass.

Will's axes... Luke knelt, his shadow falling across the blades as his body blocked out the fading light of the sun. His brother never went anywhere without them and the fact that they'd been left behind only served as a reminder that Will wasn't safe. He reached out, fingers curling around the handle of the larger axe. It was heavier than he expected and Luke couldn't help but twist the weapon in his hand to admire craftsmanship.

The blade was carefully sharpened and the polished handle was barely worn. Will clearly took care of them and Luke didn't blame him. He remembered all the time their father had put into making the handles, carving subtle designs into the wood. He'd also taken great care to hide the project from Will, not wanting to spoil the surprise. Of course Dan had had to get someone else to craft the blades, but he'd got the best he could find and afford.

On Will's 18th birthday he'd been presented the axes as a coming of age present. Luke remembered how, for several minutes after the gift had been revealed his brother had sat in stunned silence, studying the weapons much like he was doing now. At the time he'd grown bored and muttered; ”They're only axes.” In truth he'd been jealous that Will had received something so precious, even if it was for his birthday.

Scooping the other axe up off the ground, Luke stood. Will would want these back, he could return them when (he refused to think 'if') they rescued him. Until then he would look after them, at least Will could trust him with that. He made his way back to Kate's house more slowly, tucking his brother's weapons into his belt as he walked, and was surprised to find the weight of them at his side strangely comforting. Opening the door as quietly as possible he slid back inside with an excuse ready for if anyone should notice his return.

[Kate Miller]

Kate nodded as Allan recited his plan. If they needed a way in then there were guards everywhere. Getting in couldn't be much of a problem. "The village is most probably dripping with guards right about now. You could easily get a few guard's uniforms from them. They're incredibly stupid after all!" she laughed slightly before quickly stopping, the soft clunk of the door had distracted her. Luke had gone. She didn't raised the alarm. They hadn't made a plan yet, and if they were going to save Will, with or without Luke, they needed one. He'd come back, she was sure of it.

The outlaws that occupied her home talked some more of the plans. She made her way over to the window. She saw Luke stopped near where she'd seen Will taken. He had something within his grasp quite what she didn't know. His back was too her, at an odd angle. She heart quelled at the scene, he didn't look in the best of places mentally, right now. She dried her eyes quickly before turning back to the group.

A little while later the door opened again, and only she seemed to notice. She looked up at him, from where she had been sitting on the bed next to Allan, and smiled softly up at Luke. She had to know if he was truly okay, but with the rabble around it was difficult to think let alone act.

[robin]

Rubbing at his nose he no longer felt the dampness that Marian had been the cause of. Hearing Allan speak up about getting in to the castle unseen reminded Robin that Allan had betrayed them to be Guy's man. Of course Allan would know the castle from the inside and out. Now getting to the castle seemed easy enough getting out was whole another plan. Guy most likely had Will on lock down some where in the dungeons. Guy was probably guarding the young carpenter himself because he knew Robin and the others would try to rescue Will.

"We need a diversion once where inside" he said looking at others. "Guy knows we will come for Will as soon as we can. Keeping him occupied while were getting Will might be in are best graces" turning his head he looked over at Luke seeing that he was taking the whole situation more quietly then he was before. Deep down Robin felt horrible for letting Will get caught. For all he knew Guy was torturing Will just to get at him. After all in the end Guy had lost Marian to him. Guy was out for blood because of it and he probably didn't care who's blood it was.

[marian]

Marian had managed to calm herself enough to take note of what everyone was saying, she had an idea, but she wasn’t sure of it was a plan, Robin had said they needed a diversion after all, and she honestly thought that she would be the best one.

"Guy knows we will come for Will as we can. Keeping him occupied while were getting Will might be in are best graces." Marian thought cautiously before responding, taking care to avoid Robin’s eyes as she suggested “I need to get some things from my old chamber... I could cause some noise as I leave, Guy would come running, and I’m sure I would be distracting enough, after everything that has happened.”

Marian was aware this would be dangerous, when she presented this idea to Robin on the edge of Knighton, she didn’t really think about it, it had been a sudden whim, a desperate move to help her friends when the words had spilled from her mouth, but now it was actually forming in her head, she wondered how Guy would react, she doubted he would be expecting her of all people, probably assuming she would be kept at camp, cooking and cleaning while everyone else was out saving Will.

She made a quick list of all the things she needed from the room, the ring Robin gave her when they were trapped at the top of the tree was on top of the list, as was some old keep sakes that belonged to her mother and father that she had hidden, letters and jewellery they owned before they died, she wanted them with her, and if she could get them in the most useful way possible, that would be a bonus.

Talking to Guy was something she felt she needed to do soon anyway, she had, after all, made him an offer in the Holy Land, and she was sure if she could just get him to show her that small glimmer of humanity, and understanding there would also be a small hope that he may rethink his position and do what was right. As much as she hated him right now, she thought she could at least try.

[Allan A Dale]

Allan nodded and leaned back a little, glad he'd done something, at least, to help. And getting back out wasn't too much of a problem, really - they'd never had a problem getting out of Nottingham before (except that one time with Djaq, and he wasn't going to think about that one). He laughed at Kate's comment; indeed they were useless, they hadn't even noticed such notorious criminals coming into the village!

He was, secretly, glad he was staying here with Kate, both because she was quite pretty and nice, but also because he wasn't actually ready to go back to the castle yet. As he sat discussing the plans with the others, Kate by his side quietly listening (and that part of his brain that kept screwing him over asked if they could trust her, and he told it to shut up), he had this creeping sensation pull itself upon him - almost making him feel like he was drowning, washing along a rapid river, unable to grab anything, unable to stop himself from hurtling downwards - and it terrified him. Just the thought of it. Imagine what he'd be like actually going there.*

But he would have. For Will. For any of them.

Idly he noticed Luke joining the group and wondered where he'd gone - had he been hiding in the corner? Either way, he'd hoped he'd been listening - it seemed like they could do with some ideas and fresh faces usually meant fresh ideas. Besides, he wasn't entirely sure Robin would go for Marian's little plan without at least sending some backup with her, if not going himself.

"You'd have to make a lot of noise," Allan pointed out, "to drag him away from the dungeons. 'Cause that's where he'll be." Occasionally, he found himself wondering if Guy loved the idea of Marian, or Marian herself, but dismissed it. That wasn't the point, at the moment. It was whether or not Guy wanted to kill her.

He sighed and smacked his head against the wall behind him, ignoring the slight pain. He'd leave the rest of the thinking to Robin, he wasn't any good at the actual plan part, just the sneaking in, and sneaking around. He was ever so slightly proud that he could now say he knew his way around the castle better than most people. But it wasn't any help. They knew where they had to go, it was the getting there, the getting back... Because it was entirely possible, by the time they got to Will, that he wouldn't be walking out of there.

"How 'bout a bag for getting Will out? Like he's dead or something. Not that he will be," he added hastily, glancing at Luke. "Just pretending, you know? You probably wouldn't be stopped..."


*(OOC: And that's exactly how I feel whenever I get on a coach, so don't laugh. ^_^)