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Post by jakeplatt on Jan 27, 2008 17:15:38 GMT
Jake walked towards Knighton, hands thrust into his pockets and dragging his feet slightly on the dry earth. His head was still spinning from the events three days previously. He wasn’t entirely sure what’d happened, even though hardly any time had passed, it seemed so surreal. It was almost as if he'd suddenly been thrown into someone else’s life, just for that one day, and he didn't really know what to think.
So he was going to see Kate. They'd known each other years, ever since their fathers had started doing business together. Jake could remember it perfectly, he'd been to shy to do anything and had spent most of the time hiding behind is fathers legs, until Kate had come and spoken to him. Ever since then they'd been firm friends. Kate was probably the only person Jake really felt himself around, apart from Emma. He could tell her anything.
Knighton square was bustling with every day activity as Jake walked arrived, with people out talking to friends or getting on with their daily tasks. He didn’t know any of the people he saw well enough to talk to, so headed straight for Kate's house, smiling politely at those he passed.
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Post by Luke Scarlett on Jan 27, 2008 19:15:24 GMT
Luke kicked despondently at a small stone nestled in the dirt. He was leaning against the side of the Miller's house brooding and he scuffed at the rock until he worked it loose and it skittered across the ground out of reach. It was so unfair! He was bored and he had nothing to do. It wasn't his fault he didn't have a job yet, he'd only been back in Nottingham for four days.
Pushing himself away from the wall he decided to take a walk around the square and try to kill some time. Kate had banned him from the house until she'd finished sewing a particularly difficult hem or something. Not that Luke had been listening, he'd been too busy protesting loudly while she pushed him out the door. What did she expect him to do? It wasn't like he could go help her dad work the mill, and nobody in Knighton was hiring at the moment. Especially not a peasant lad with no skills.
He sighed loudly and kicked out at the stone as he passed it, watching idly as it bounced across the dirt and hit a woman in the leg. She looked up annoyed and Luke spun on his heal, hurrying in the other direction, he wasn't in the mood to be told off twice in the same day. A boy, well more of a man really, passed him, his dark hair catching Luke's attention. Luke was sure he recognised him, it was so hard to remember, he'd been gone for a over a year and people changed.
He stopped and turned again, following the man back through the square. He seemed to be heading for Kate's house. Was it Jack? No wait, Jake. But he hadn't had stubble when Luke left, he looked so old now, worn down by life.
"Jake!" Luke called out after him. He didn't really know why he was doing it; the two of them had barely spoken to each other before he left for Scarborough, their only connection was Kate. Maybe it was for the company, boredom could drive a person to do strange things. Besides if he was heading to Kate's then she was busy and if he wasn't allowed to disturb her nobody was.
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Post by jakeplatt on Jan 27, 2008 22:48:57 GMT
"Huh?" Jake spun round and he heard his name called out. He looked across the square, not seeing anyone he recognized. Had he imagined it? He was almost certain none of these people knew his name, so how could anyone be calling him? He shrugged and was about to turn back and continue on his way when he noticed a dark haired boy just a few meters back, leaning against the wall of the Millers house. The gentle mid-afternoon sun was hitting the overhanging thatched roof and was casing a shadow where the boy stood, which had kept Jake from immediately noticing him.
After a moment’s pause, Jake walked slowly back the way he’d come, towards the place where the boy was standing. He didn't recognize him at first, but when he got a little closer the face he saw seemed somewhat familiar. He frowned, wracking his brains. Where had he seen this guy before? He guessed it must have been here, in Knighton, but he couldn’t seem to remember where. Then it came to him. He was a friend of Kate’s. Well, Jake assumed he was a friend of Kate’s. Maybe he was a relative. Either way, it was definitely the Miller household he'd seen him in.
"Um, Hello" He said when he got close enough to make conversation "Sorry, I cant seem to remember your name." He felt slightly guilty about it, a fact which served to make him feel even more awkward than he would have. God, he really wasn’t good at meeting new people.
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Post by Luke Scarlett on Jan 28, 2008 21:01:43 GMT
Jake turned slowly to face him and walked towards him. Well that answered the niggling doubt about whether the person he'd been shouting after was actually somebody he knew. Of course it could just be a coincidence that the man was called Jake, but Luke doubted it. It didn't take long for Jake to reach him and he grinned a greeting although the smile faltered slightly when the dark-haired man admitted he couldn't remember Luke's name. It was so unfair, they always remembered Will, but never his little forgettable brother. He may as well have been a piece of furniture.
"Luke Scarlett." He said, thrusting out a hand to shake, his voice amiable. They might as well treat things like they'd just met, he really didn't know much about Jake except his name. There was a moment of doubt when Luke wondered if he should have supplied his surname. His brother was a well known outlaw after all Jake might not be trustworthy. He was eased by the fact that he was a friend of Kate's, and anyone who Kate was friendly with probably wasn't allied with the Sheriff, but Will would still tell him to be more careful. No wonder he'd been refused entrance to the gang...
"If you're here to see Katey she's busy with a dress, she should be done soon though." He said helpfully. He hoped Jake would hang around an chat for a while, otherwise he didn't know what he would do to deal with the boredom.
(OOC: Sorry it's so short -_-)
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Post by jakeplatt on Jan 28, 2008 22:21:31 GMT
Jake took the hand held out to him before he'd clocked the name. Scarlet? As in, Will Scarlet? The outlaw? He felt a momentary twinge of excitement - finally, this could be it! Was Luke an outlaw too? Well, he was related to one, that was a start! He held his tongue, though, and bit his lip. He hadn’t failed to notice the look of hurt on the boy’s when he's said he couldn't remember his name and had felt another pang of guilt. Perhaps mention of a famous brother wasn’t the best of plans. Plus, he was supposed to be avoiding all attempts at heroism.
"Ah, Luke, I remember now." He said as he released the now shaken hand from his grasp. He did have some faint recollection of the name, Kate must have mentioned it, or one of her family. "I'm Jake Platt" He added, before realising Luke had called him by his name already "But, uh, you knew that." Great, he had begun to stumble over his words before the conversation had even gone anywhere. Thankfully, Luke started talking about Kate before Jake could make any more mistakes.
He glanced over at the Millers doorway. He really did want to see Kate, but if she was busy, he wouldn’t want to disturb her. She always let him finish his poetry before she spoke to him. Plus, he didn’t fancy an encounter with her scary father. Last time he hadn’t been able to look at bodkins for a week.
“So you’re a friend of Kate’s?” He asked, turning back to Luke. He almost blushed after saying it. Was he being impertinent? The question had just seemed to happen without any conscious thought process. Perhaps he wasn’t so bad at this social interaction lark.
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Post by Luke Scarlett on Jan 30, 2008 0:27:36 GMT
Luke's smile returned in full force when Jake said he remembered, he'd probably been over reacting anyway, it wasn't like he expected every person he'd ever met to remember his name, that would be foolish. It was just with his own brother doing everything he could to get Luke sent back to Scarborough and Kate throwing him out of the house earlier he was feeling a little rejected. Which was pathetic really.
Platt, so that was his surname. Luke gave a little nod and suppressed an amiable chuckle. Was Jake just absent minded or awkward? Either way he was good company, not that Luke could really judge from the few words they'd exchanged, but he seemed friendly enough. Now that the handshake was over he shoved his hands in his pockets and followed Jake's gaze in the direction of Kate's house. He really was here to visit her then.
"Yes I know Katey. We're old friends of the family." By we he meant Will as well, he hadn't entirely missed the momentary look of excitement on Jake's face at the mention of his surname. "Well, I'm not sure we're on the best of terms with her father." He said sheepishly. He didn't know if Jake knew the story of the theft of the bags of flour and he didn't want to bore him with it if he had.
"And you're her friend too?" Luke asked, as much as admitting he didn't know Jake that well either.
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Post by jakeplatt on Jan 30, 2008 18:57:54 GMT
Jake couldn't help but grin as he heard Jake call Kate Katey for a second time. Until now, he'd only heard her referred to as that by her family, it seemed odd to him that Luke should do so, but somehow endearing. He himself had never called her Katey, even though they were good friends, and she had urged him to several times. He'd never wanted to seem overly familiar, as much as for Kate as for her father. Jake would rather avoid incurring his wrath as far as he could, especially after last time…
He laughed out loud when Luke said almost the exact same thing. "Nor am I!" He replied, still laughing slightly, then added "On the best of terms with him, that is." He didn't want Luke to misunderstand him. "Well, I'm actually sure what kind of terms I'm on with him" he said after pausing to think for a moment "And I'm not sure I want to find out." He'd meant the last part as a joke, but wasn't sure it came across quite as he'd wanted it to.
He shuffled his feet awkwardly, and looked down at the scuff marks they made in the earth. His head flicked back up, though, when Luke asked him about being friends with Kate "Yeah, I've known her since I was little, she used to come over to our farm." Jake smiled at the memory, he and Kate had spent hours playing in the fields surrounding Nettlestone when they were younger. The memory of how carefree life had been then could always cheer him up, though it threw life today into a bitter light.
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Post by Luke Scarlett on Jan 30, 2008 21:58:38 GMT
"I know!" Luke agreed as Jake began to talk about Kate's father. He'd thought it was foolish, not to mention childish, to still be scared of him a whole year after the incident, but now he wasn't so sure. He was certainly put at ease by Jake's admission that he didn't want to know where he stood with the man. "He can be pretty intimidating." He said, leaning in conspiratorially and lowering his voice as if Peter could hear them even from this distance away.
Luke wondered how both of them could have been friends with Kate for so long an not know each other better than they did. He supposed it had something to do with never going with the miller family to Jake's farm, because really what reason would the Scarlett boys have to go with them? And when you were kids you played with anyone who was around, that didn't mean you formed a lifelong bond or friendship with them. Still, he regretted not paying more attention when he was younger. So much of his life had revolved around his family and now he only had his brother left.
"You have a farm?" Luke asked, interest suddenly sparking in him. Maybe he could ask for a job... But no, he didn't want to be so rude and forward with somebody he barely knew. It wasn't fair for him to shove his problems finding work onto Jake and it wasn't like it was up to him to hire farmhands, that duty probably fell to his father. Still he couldn't resist at least inquiring about farm life. And he couldn't think of anything else to talk about without sounding stupid. So... what are your interests? and Lovely weather we're having. Were two phrases that were very much out of the question.
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Post by jakeplatt on Jan 31, 2008 18:33:33 GMT
Jake founded himself smiling more and more as the conversation between him and Luke got going. The boy seemed so easy to talk to, it was almost as if they had known each other for years, rather than being the mere acquaintances that they were. Jake tried to think of an occasion when they had spoken to one another. Having both been friend with Kate, they must have, but he couldn’t recall anything. There seemed something vaguely familiar about the way Luke leaned in to talk about Mr Miller, as if some dastardly plot was afoot. Perhaps it was the passion of youth he saw so often in Emma. He smiled even more at that, though life was gradually wearing away at the same enthusiasm he had once had just as much of.
Jake was slightly taken aback by the eagerness with which Luke asked about the farm, he was amazed anyone could be so interested in farming “Yeah, farm boy through and through, me” He replied, raising his shoulders slightly and sticking his hand into his pockets. He blushed slightly when he realised what he’d said. It sounded a lot more churlish than he had meant it to.
[Sorry, 's a really short post ^^;;]
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Post by Luke Scarlett on Jan 31, 2008 22:52:48 GMT
"Farm boy." Luke laughed; loving that Jake could poke fun at himself. "My dad was a carpenter. So's my brother." And an outlaw. He added silently to himself, sobering slightly. "I never really got into the family trade myself. I'm not so good with wood." He tried to keep his tone light and carefree but he couldn't prevent the slight bitterness that crept in. It wasn't fair that Will had all the talent and the feeling was doubled by the fact that their father was gone and it was their only link to him.
He looked at the ground, not wanting to lower the mood with his grim expression, and didn’t look up again until his expression had lightened. ”Never really got into any trade to be honest.” Luke admitted, painfully aware that he was bother prattling for no reason and probably ruining his chances of ever getting a job on Jake’s farm. It wasn’t a good idea to tell a potential employer (or employer’s son at any rate) that you had no skills. ”I did odd jobs when I was living with my Auntie Annie in Scarborough though.” He winced slightly, colour rising in his cheeks. He was making a fool of himself, Jake probably wasn’t interested anyway so why couldn’t he just stop talking!
(OOC - OMG sooo short, but filled with angst and insecurity!)
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Post by jakeplatt on Jan 31, 2008 23:37:27 GMT
Jake felt a stab of insecurity as Luke laughed at him, suddenly worried that he was making a fool of himself. He was beginning to enjoy Luke’s company, and certainly didn’t want to look a fool. He chided himself - He shouldn't be so paranoid, Luke probably didn’t realise the comment had a double edge for Jake. He probably wasn't troubled by such self-doubt. Resisting the urge to sigh, Jake smiled gently back at Luke, amazed that he hadn't had to force it, as he found himself doing so often these days.
When Luke mentioned his family, Jake felt another pang of emotion, though entirely different this time "My dad was a carpenter." Past tense. Did that mean Luke's father was- was- gone, too? Jake wasn't sure how to react, until the boy mentioned that he hadn’t followed in his fathers footsteps. There was a slight bitterness in his tone that Jake responded to almost instinctively "Being in the family trade isn't always that great." he said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone "My dad was a farmer, too." He added, smiling sadly to himself. He wondered if Luke was as perceptive with grammar as he was.
But any grim thoughts were wiped from his mind as Luke started talking about his career history. Jake couldn’t help but grin at that, it sounded like something he himself would say, and he'd probably get just as embarrassed as Luke seemed to be. That thought grounded him. Maybe he shouldn’t be grinning, he wouldn’t like that if he were in Luke’s situation. Then again, maybe it was everyone else’s natural reflex to grin, so he shouldn’t be offended if people did it to him. Confused from second guessing himself, his next comment flew out of his mouth without even bothering to detour past his brain "I'm sure you'll find your place in the world at some point. You might even end up with me." Jake stalled momentarily, mortified "Farming, that is."
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Post by Luke Scarlett on Feb 2, 2008 1:58:56 GMT
Luke's heart gave a little flutter of excitement. He couldn't be making that much of a mess of the conversation yet if Jake was practically offering him a job. After all that would mean spending more time together and so the dark haired man standing before him couldn't be finding him entirely annoying. He beamed at Jake, rocking forwards onto his toes and back again to try an expend some of his nervous energy. If he wasn't careful he would do something embarrassing like hug Jake in thanks and Luke didn't think he would be able to recover from that.
"Really?" He asked, realising that the hopeful expression on his face was probably making him look more than a little desperate. "I've been looking for work and it would be nice to start out with a friend. Or a friend of a friend at any rate!" He gave a small bout of uncertain laughter realising he was babbling incoherently.
"What I mean to say is; you could sort something like that out with your father?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth exactly what Jake had said to him clicked in his mind. The way Jake's words had mirrored his own, his tone and expression filled with the same pain that Luke felt every time he thought about his father. The colour drained from Luke's face and all the excitement that had been bubbling over evaporated. How could he be so insensitive? Jake would probably never want to talk to him again.
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Post by jakeplatt on Feb 2, 2008 3:41:13 GMT
Jake had to bite his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing at the way Luke responded to him, despite mortification. Somehow, he seemed to overcome his embarrassment within a matter of seconds. It was quite unsettling, but the next moment he was too busy straining not to laugh to care. Luke seemed so enthusiastic about work on a farm, and so eager to find out more that Jake almost felt sorry for him. He'd be in for a nasty shock when- if he began working on one. Still, there was something sweet about the boy’s apparent excitement at the possibility of a job which, come to think of it, Jake hadn’t exactly offered. He had to bite down harder on his lip at that - the words could have been his own. But if it’d been him speaking, he’d probably have back-tracked several times, social paranoia kicking in to make sure he didn’t put his foot in it.
At that moment, Jakes bottom jaw slipped involuntarily. his teeth broke the skin of his lip and a metallic taste reached his tongue. Luke had asked after his dad. It shouldn’t have affected him like that, he’d been expecting some comment after the way he’d tried to reassure Luke about family trades, but the way it had asked, as if it was natural for his father to sort out affairs on the farm. Well, he supposed it was, for anyone else’s father, but not his. It hadn’t been for two years.
“Don’t worry, I don’t need to ask my father, you can have the job” He replied, smiling as best he could, and unable to look Luke in the eye. He was going to leave it at that, but something compelled him to go on “He’s dead. My father. He died two years ago in the Holy Land. It’s just me and my sister now.” He kept his eyes averted after that, not wanting to see Luke’s reaction. Their conversation had been so upbeat and normal, now he’d defiantly given it a shove in entirely the wrong direction. Usually he would have been fazed by that, panicked, but after a moment he managed to pull himself back together, or found himself pulled back together, at least. “We’d be glad of the help.” He said, bringing his eyes to meet Luke’s, and this time a sincere smile graced his lips, though it held sadness in it. Almost immediately he flicked his eyes away again, and lifted his hand to rub his thumb across his wounded lip. He really needed to stop injuring himself in polite company.
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Post by Luke Scarlett on Feb 3, 2008 1:25:08 GMT
"I- I'm sorry." Luke stammered, crossing his arms in a defensive gesture. He wanted the ground to swallow him up, it would be easier than dealing with the hurt look on Jake's face. He was so careless, he always managed to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. No wonder Will didn't want him around. He looked at the floor, at the people bustling about their business in the square, at the mill, anything to avoid meeting Jakes eyes. He was being a coward again, he had to face up to his mistakes, show Jake that he hadn't meant to hurt him on purpose.
He looked up when Jake spoke, wincing as his voice was straining to be normal, the falsely steady tone only making Luke feel worse. He hated it when people mentioned his parents and he barely spoke about them, even to Will, so he could imagine what it was like for Jake to be explaining it to a practical stranger. He couldn't believe Jake still willing to offer him a job even though Luke had been so callous. "Thank you." He mumbled quietly, managing a small smile of appreciation.
"Just me and my sister now." Was their mother gone too? Luke's eyes flicked to Jake's face startled but he had his gaze elsewhere. He uncrossed his arms, wanting to lay a comforting hand on Jake's shoulder, but then changed his mind and shoved his hands into his pockets instead. Jake probably didn't want him trying to help, considering it was his fault the painful subject had been dragged to the surface in the first place.
"Your mother... She's-" He stumbled over the words trying to think of the right way to ask. "Is she?" The colour rose in Luke's cheeks as he realised what a mess he was making of the conversation. He was trying not to upset Jake further, but in doing so he just sounded like a bumbling idiot. Why did he want to know anyway, it was clearly an uncomfortable topic for the both of them so why this sudden surge of morbid curiosity? Maybe it was because he'd never spoken to anyone, except Will, who knew what it was like... The wrench he felt every day because his parents were gone.
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Post by jakeplatt on Feb 4, 2008 17:53:03 GMT
Despite Luke’s innocent intentions, Jake’s heart couldn’t help but contort in pain as he asked about his mother. It was his own fault, he was the one who had mentioned it, but he hadn't been able to stop himself. For reasons that were hidden from him, it'd felt the right thing to do. He’d known it’d do this to the conversation, but he still said it, and he was cursing himself already. Just as he’d started thinking he could cope with social interaction he’d had to open his mouth and say something stupid.
“Yeah.” he managed, after a moment. He folded his arms across his chest, mirroring the pose Luke had been in moment earlier. It was a defensive stance, he realised that, but he felt the need to guard his heart from any further attacks. He felt his eyes well up with tears, despite his best attempts to blink them back. He turned away from Luke, not wanting him to see. “Yeah, yeah she is.” He brushed the tears angrily away and sniffed as quietly as he could. He felt so ridiculous, this was the second time in a matter of a few days that he’d started crying in front of a stranger. He licked at his lip, it was sill bleeding freely into his mouth. Great, and he’d wounded himself too. Sighing, he turned back to face Luke.
“It’s okay, you don’t need to be sorry.” He smiled, but he realised it couldn’t seems sincere “It wasn’t your fault, and there’s nothing that can be done about it now” he half shrugged in resignation. It still hurt, but he tired not to think about it.
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