Wishing Wells and Well Wishing

[Allan A Dale]

Allan shrugged and grinned in reply. "My evil plan is working?" he asked, more than announced, amused that he seemed to be scaring Kate a little (if her declaration was indeed sincere). So he was a little bit unusual, he'd never been called normal before - and this girl just seemed to bring out the weird in him, really. He blamed her. Totally and utterly.

"Not washing can be good for you!" Allan mock-grumbled, crossing his arms in protest. It was a fact - he had gotten a lot less sick than his brother when they were younger, and Allan had always believed it was because he got more dirty than his brother. That was the only thing that had made sense, anyway - Tom had always been getting ill when they were younger, whereas once they'd grown, it was Allan who got into trouble... Well, more serious trouble anyway, but the difference was he always got back out of it.

”Coming back and helping isn’t something to be ashamed of, you know!”

"I know there ain't!" he almost hissed, unable to keep a bit of annoyance out of his voice. It wasn't Kate's fault, but he didn't like to think about it - he'd betrayed the gang, then he'd left Guy in the lurch. Some friend he was turning out to be - he had screwed up royally both times. It was a wonder anyone liked him at all, especially Kate if she knew so much about his exploits. He shrugged moodily and looked back towards the forest - maybe it was time for him to leave. He wasn't enjoying himself as much as he'd thought he would. He mumbled his next words without really realising it. "It's the part where I had to come back that I'm ashamed of."

Allan cheered up a little bit as Kate shrieked. She was so easy! Had she really not been expecting that? He pouted a little as Kate hit him. "Like I'd let you come to harm wit' me around. Big soft heather cushion, me, great for landing on." To prove his point, he poked himself in the leg. Okay, not so squishy, but his brain was starting to feel a little addled. He laid his head on Kate's shoulder.

"Are you completely insane?"

"I've been told that a few times, but it's Robin who's completely insane. Rest of us? Just a little bit loopy, is all," he replied, yawning. What was her problem? The sun was out, making everything nice and warm, it was cosy, and...

And was she poking him in the arm? He lifted his head back up and scowled at her, taking the offending hand and moving it slowly back down to rest on her lap. He did, however, get the message, and shifted himself down the wall of the well a bit so he could lean against it comfortably. "Spoilsport."

[Kate Miller]

”And what would that be exactly? To get me obscenely drunk and kiss me more?” She would have smirked, if she didn’t feel herself going bright red and regretting saying it. True it had happened but it didn’t bear repeating. Especially not in such a flippant manner. She wasn’t even sure if she regretted it happening. Sure, she wouldn’t have ever done it when sober, or allowed it to happen, and if anybody ever found out either her or Allan was a dead man or woman. She opened her mouth to say something else then shut it again.

[Oh man the confusion]

”Right, that’ll be the day.” she smirked. So playing in mud and never cleaning yourself off was good for your immune system or something ridiculous like that. That’s hat he would be claiming next – yeah right.

”I know there ain’t!” Kate merely raised her hands a little, in claim of innocence. So she’d hit a sore point, quite why it was so bad she didn’t know. He had done what was right. There was no point in pushing the argument further for the sake of it. She’d learnt that before. She knew she could go one step to far some times. Like telling Allan it was his fault for her father hitting her that last time. When it hadn’t been.

Kate pouted, ”No harm with you around, duly noted.” she guessed he hadn’t actually been there the morning after when her father had gotten angry. If he had his father would had probably lain into him instead or as well as. But then she assume her father wouldn’t have come out of it so well either. ”Yeah, big and soft. Not at all bony.” she rolled her eyes slightly. He was willing to prove it – to be perfectly honest the muscle in his leg wasn’t exactly al that squishy – it was muscly.

”Just a little bit loopy? You know this is a public place right? Where my father might decide to turn up if he gets thirsty! No doubt he drunk the same amount if not more than I did last night and if he wakes up in any where near the state I did he’d be down here in a shot! Spoilsport I may be, but I hardly wish to risk gaining a few more bruises, maybe even loosing a little more blood if he sees!” she didn’t raise her voice, far from it. IT got dangerously low at one point before turning back to decided calm, then turning back to undecidedly worried.

[Allan A Dale]

Allan was a little surprised Kate would be so forward, but if she was going to play that game then so would he. "You never know," he leered, "Though if I wanted to get you drunk I'd'a have to have brought some alcohol with me, wouldn't I?" He smiled as sweetly as he could. "Did you want to get drunk and kiss me more?" he asked, sweet innocent face slipping into a bit of a crude but friendly, joking grin. He couldn't help it, it was amusing. Plus if they actually did that, while he certainly wouldn't be complaining, he knew a few people who might. Kate quite possibly one of them.

Allan ignored her dismissal of his views on washing. Women.

Okay, so maybe he shouldn't have snapped, but he was touchy, alright? Without looking at her, he mumbled and apology and picked some grass from the ground, splitting the blade with his thumbnail and twiddling it through his fingers.

Kate seemed annoyed with him. He was just messing about, and it was still early hours anyway - with the party the night before, everyone would likely be having a day off or at least a good lay in. It wasn't his fault she was up with the sun, after all, and it didn't mean everyone else would be. And he wouldn't let Kate come to any harm when he was about - what happened after he had left her, well... he couldn't exactly do anything about that except get annoyed and offer to deck whoever had hurt her. But that wasn't always appropriate.

Allan wanted to roll his eyes. Did she know anything about men, or was her dad insanely abnormal? Most men would demand their wives go fetch some water for them, or send their daughters or something, but he imagined the man wasn't going to be getting up any time soon. She was worrying for nothing, he felt. He also didn't like the insinuation that he was deliberately trying to get her into trouble. It was far too early in the morning for this and his temper was starting to get the better of him.

"Would you stop worrying?" he asked, frowning. His playfulness had evaporated now, he just couldn't handle such heavy topics so early in the morning. Bad things happened and were discussed later in the day, dammit, when he was awake and fed. "We're only talking, 's not like we're doing nothing. An' I told ya, no harm's gonna come to ya when I'm about!" It might do when he wasn't, but what could he do except kidnap her or something? "Why don't you leave? I gave ya some ideas, take up something, come up with something of your own. Ain't that bad, to leave." And she could take her sisters, too. It wasn't like anyone would try to do something about it, and there were plenty of ways to get her far away from the man.

(OOC: yay confusion! X3)

[Kate Miller]

”Oh,” she paused and suck in some air through her teeth, ”If you’re lucky,” she smiled tilting her head to the side. If she wanted to, she’d have to do it away from the prying eyes of the Scarlett’s. Away from her family and people in general. Everybody knew who he was. It didn’t take a genius – with the mud and all and the completely tattered clothing. Though at the moment he looked like a bard who had just woken up on the wrong side of the bush.

He was incredibly fidgety for somebody that was supposedly good at hiding. She laughed to herself about it, the irony of it all. Not a lot else he could do really, but still. He must have been worse when al he had to do was be silent – impossible – stay hidden, and stay still. That must have been what he viewed as hell.

”Fine! But if anything happens, I’m blaming you!” For somebody that could get incredibly grouchy, she could help but have a slight chuckle in her tone. Wouldn’t be his fault, of course it wouldn’t. But he didn’t know that.

”We weren’t doing anything last Monday either, didn’t stop the bugger.” Okay so she was worried, and not in a great mood, he head didn’t hurt all that much anymore but she was still grouchy and not in the mood for messing about where her father and her person were involved. ”And what happens when you’re not?” She had to question it. Because he wasn’t there last Tuesday when her father decided to get violent. He couldn’t be there for her all the time and Luke was nothing in match to her father.

”it’s not that easy. I move away, even if I take Sarah and Rach with me, I’ll have to pay the taxes by myself because we’ll be another household for the Sheriff to torture. And moving away from him would just put us in another area that’s worse off because they don’t have you lot to look out for them.”

Maybe joining the convent wasn’t such a bad idea. At least she wouldn’t have to personally pay taxes then. And she could at least do some good. She’d just never see anybody. And having grown up round a load of male people to not seeing any males apart from the occasional monk and friar… maybe not.

[Allan A Dale]

"I've always been lucky," Allan beamed, mentally cheering. He hadn't scared her off and she was still flirting. All right! But that was probably enough for this morning. He got up and had another drink to freshen himself up - his mouth was starting to feel as dry as the Holy Land had been, and that was never pleasant.

Allan didn't exactly find it hard to be quiet and still - it was his business to be still and silent, blend with the shadows when he could - but it was that he made up for all the stillness by being extra loud at other times. Plus he seemed to attract less attention by being a loudmouth than when he was silent and shifty - something about people being more suspicious, he supposed.

"Blame accepted," he nodded, quite prepared to take it on. It was worth it, he supposed. "But what could possibly happen?" he asked, grinning fiendishly. Too easy.

Allan dropped his head. "I dunno." He supposed that the man wouldn't try anything with someone else around - like Luke - but then again, while Luke was a decent fighter (if the rescue was anything to go by), he might not be willing to fight Kate's dad or might just not be a match. They'd only really know if it happened.

"It's not that easy." It didn't compute with Allan - yes, it was. To him, anyway. She left, the idiot couldn't do anything about it - Kate could probably even get a job in the castle, which would guarantee some sort of safety, both from the Sheriff and her dad. She didn't have to move out of Nottingham if she didn't want to, but outside of Nottingham there were areas far better off. Norwich, for example - they were looking for skilled people such as herself, too. Always a demand over there for seamstresses. She'd be fine. She could find a nice bloke or something... In the end, he just shrugged. No more talk of that today. Probably a good topic to avoid, actually. They just seemed to get stuck in a rut over it.

(OOC: Sorry short >_<)

[Kate Miller]

Kate grinned, running her tongue along the backs of her teeth, ”Have you?” So now he was the one standing up? And he had dragged her to the floor, a little put out by this she too stood. Realising that her throat was to a little dry. Running her hands down her front she straightened out her skirt, tucking her hair behind her ears and cupping her hands in the water to take a drink.

”Good,” she glared slightly at his comment, sucking in her cheeks slightly. ”You’re not that lucky,” she smirked, taking another sip from the water in her hands before dropping the rest back in the bucket, flicking the residue off of her fingers, drying her hands on the loose fabric of her skirt – setting it back in place.

”’I dunno’ hardly helps the situation does it?” she was being unfair to him, she knew that, ”Sorry.” She looked away clicking her tongue against the top of her mouth, she quickly licked her lips and turned back to him, ”It’s just a little more complicated. I know Luke’s around, but when he gets work he won’t be around all the time. Hell he may not even stay with me forever. He’ll make friends with people with less people in their houses. He won’t wanna hang around forever,” she shrugged, as much as Luke loved her family he wouldn’t stay.

Stuck in a rut, they would get into more than that over the subject. They would run round in circles, literally and metaphorically. If they felt like it they’d do a few laps of the well, have a bit of a flirt over it then move on. That’s what they appeared to do. They’d then loop round and do exactly the same thing. Each time with a different variant on the amount of each thing.

”Apart from the drunken fumbling, you have a good time last night?” She asked, a change in subject certainly wouldn’t do them any harm. It would disable argument before it started. Maybe avoiding the subject of her father and escaping the git would be best avoided. At the end of the day they’d come back to it, and repeat the above.

[Allan A Dale]

"Damn," he said, snapping his fingers in a vigourous fashion and grinning. He'd lost out on a kiss he'd never be lucky enough to actually get. Again, anyway. Sometimes he wondered if he wasn't a little bit too easy with the ladies, but he mentally shrugged it off.
Allan was Allan, people knew that by now.

"Don't worry," he shrugged. It wasn't his fault, it wasn't really his problem, what did she want him to say? He could only give his not very helpful advice, at the end of the day. He knew Luke wouldn't be around forever - he wanted to join the outlaws, after all - but he was at least a temporary help. Did she always have to be so... so... negative? It was really depressing. He was beginning to feel really low, too.

"I dunno, the drunken fumbling was one of the best parts!" he exclaimed, relieved to be off the heavier topic. "It was a bit of alright, wasn't it? Bet no one tries it again any time soon, though - Vaysey'll be right annoyed about losing his precious arrow twice in a row." And it was true - last time the man had been angry. Now he had to be enraged, for sure.

(sorry short >_>;; )

[Kate Miller]

"Don't sound too happy about it, some would think you wouldn't want it to happen again," she said with a small smile gracing her face. She wasn't about to make a reputation of herself for a girl who would just going about with any boy. She knew Allan, but she didn't know him that well. And one again back to the 'daddy issues', he would kill her if he found out about her new friend. Not only had she lied to him, telling him that he was merely passing through, but she had gone against his express wishes of no drinking and no social life of any kind. She broke the second almost ten times a day, even more after last night she could imagine.

He could say 'don't worry', but as she had said to him many times before, it was easier said than done. She couldn't leave and she wouldn't always have the protection of somebody else. Luke had to work some of the time, and not necessarily at the mill. She'd be alone with her father at some points and that could only spell trouble. Ultimate doom if he ever found out about Allan. Ultimate doom was bad.

And yes, she did always have to be so negative, well when she felt like it at least. He should try being in her position some of the time. She could have sworn the gang had it easier than the peasants did - despite what they might put across to the villagers.

She refused to reply to the comment about the drunken fumbling, not quite believing that she had actually come out with the original comment. But yes, drunken fumbling, and dancing, and singing, good god the singing, was all 'a bit of alright'.

"Robin has already gotten two silver arrows off of the man in the last two years, surely he would of learnt his lesson by now?" anybody else would have. No point hosting a competition you can not win. That would have to be Vaysey's motto, or his mantra or something. Kate for one couldn't see how he had let Sebastian give the villagers all that free food. The New Guy was bound to slip up somewhere. Like say, having a gang of outlaws in one of his peasant's houses. And having one of said outlaws be there more than he should. And be on the edge of the village with one of his peasants... Sebastian was already slipping, how long would it take for the Sheriff, or Guy (which was worse?) to notice their presence...

[Allan A Dale]

[Any idea where you want this to go dude? I’m running out of ideas]

Kate wasn’t making herself out to be that sort of girl, and if Allan had known she was thinking that he would have set her right. He could see just by looking at her – you knew the type, when you associated with them. He hoped she’d be able to sort all this stuff out with her dad, but he didn’t really know what to say to it – he didn’t really know the situation, his dad had left when they were mighty young, and his memories were always a little fuzzy anyway – the art of the lie is to convince yourself of it, and he’d done it so many times he wasn’t entirely aware of the truth of his own past anymore. Imagined images blurred with real ones, and sometimes twisted together to form hybrids. But such was his life.

He grinned – she hadn’t noted his mention. Well, she’d started it!

”You’d think,” Allan rolled his eyes, the Sheriff was a stubborn git – but he’d probably gotten the old arrow back in the form of taxes by now anyway, so the other would be on its way to his treasury soon enough. The man was greedy, insanely so – not that Allan could judge. He decided to confide something to Kate, and lowered his voice accordingly. ”But when it comes to Robin, he don’t really think right. He just loses it when the bloke’s name is mentioned these days, seriously.” Or, he assumed Vaysey was still like that – it hadn’t been that long since he was in the castle.

Allan hadn’t given much thought to the new lord of Knighton, though he had wondered if the name would change. He’d wondered that about Locksley too, but it seemed to be surviving (complete with original name) at the moment, and that was the important part.

[Kate Miller]

She noticed his grin at her avoidance, to be honest she hadn't really expected him to be all high and confident about the matter. She knew he had confidence, but to eh extent of actually coming out with it being the highlight of the evening was something different all together...

"Basically the guy knows how to play the system, but doesn't know when he himself is about to be played. Sounds like a typical male then!" she laughed slightly. Smirking at him, sometimes it could be too easy to make a slighting comment at him. But she made it easy for the comments to be returned back on her.

Kate hoped the name of the village wouldn't change, Knighton had a noble feel to it. Like they lived in a slightly better place than anywhere else. Maybe it was the Knight part of it, maybe it was because she could always then link it back to happier times in her life when Edward was in charge. She loved her village, she couldn't bare for it to be forced to change - like it had when Gisborne had burnt down the hall. The Bastard. She'd never understand that, even if Marian had left him at Locksley Church Altar.

She could sense the mood getting a little low again, so the next time she reached in for a drink on the third filling of her hands she smirked and launched the water in Allan's direction. Giving a short laugh before running to the other side of the well. She climbed up to stand on the wall, like she had the night before, though the memory of it was still a little hazy. She was beginning to remember more things though.

[Allan A Dale]

"Oi! he said, poking her shoulder. "Not all men are like that. He's just a little fixated, yeah?" Allan could understand obsession, particularly when it came to Robin versus Vaysey. He was just finding it entertaining, these days.

Allan wasn't so fussed about the village changing name - at the end of the day, it didn't really affect him and he knew that the people would carry on using the same old names, unless someone threatened to slaughter them or something. And that was just pathetic, really. Allan would probably understand the burning - it was a symbolic thing for Guy, the end of his being tricked by Marian and putting up with her piss-artist ways. Of course, he did end up eating out of her hand again, but that was beside the point.

Allan wasn't sure what happened, but he found himself slightly wet, as he had been last night. Kate seemed to enjoy trying to bathe him, or at least just seeing him wet. Well, it wasn't a lot of water but that was beside the point. Blinking and brushing some droplets out of his eyes, he watched her run to the other side of the well - as if that would give her any defence, really - and raised an eyebrow.

"Wanna play it like that, eh?" he asked, a playful warning tone in his voice. "I swear I'm gonna stick you down the well one day, you like water that much."

Kate had been really worried about being seen, and Allan had been trying to come up with a solution, but it had taken him much longer than it should have to think of something. Strolling round to her side, he settled himself beside her, leaning against the wall with his ankles crossed, and asked, "Fancy going for a walk?"

He'd get revenge for the water later.

[Kate Miller]

Yes, becasue a fixation was healthy. The Sheriff needed a new target, or you know, being ousted to the King would also work. Anything to get rid of the bastard. "Well he needs to find something else to do. It's getting boring. And you tell Robin that!" She smiled, laughing at his confusion over the water. It was sweet. She was completely forgetting the whole distancing thing she talked herself into the week before. Nobody was going to know about their friendship, so what harm was it going to do?

"Dare yah to," she laughed as she walked around the edge of the well at a speed. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea, the side was a little wet, but she'd been doing it the night before, when off her face so it couldn't be that bad really. "I love water. It's so refreshing! she laughed. She frowned when he didn't retaliate, maybe he was saving it. She stepped gracefully over the bucket, carefully not to trip over it, wobbled slightly before catching herself. She made her way in a full circle before stopping by Allan. Looming above him. Only time she'd ever loom on somebody in her life.

"Fancy going for a walk?" she smiled at him, but then frowned slightly, "I'd love to, but I really should be getting back." she slowly lowered herself and sat on the wall directly next to him. She would have reached over the bucket again but it was the other side of the well and she really couldn't be bothered, too much effort. If her father wanted water he could bloody well get it himself.

"We could go for a walk tomorrow?" she said swinging her feet slightly. Maybe she should have let him be lucky. She sure as hell wanted him to be. But she shouldn't for many peoples sakes. Mainly for her own and his. Good things came to those who wait.

[Allan A Dale]

Of course he needed to find something else to do, but Allan refrained from pointing out that as long as Vaysey fixated on Robin, he was less likely to murder random peasants and come after them for money. If he was solely determined to get Robin and his gang, then most people in the shire would be safe.

Allan wouldn’t be safe, and he wasn’t too happy about that, but most other people would be.

Allan raised an eyebrow as Kate dared him, and went to follow her round the well, except she started walking back… along the top of it. Hadn’t they had this discussion the night before? He wasn’t going to be held responsible for her death because she was being an idiot! ”Oi, get down!” he exclaimed, a little surprised by the forcefulness of his voice. ”I’m the only one who can put you down the well and I’m not gonna have you deprive me of that pleasure because you slipped and broke yer neck!” Well, that was a little bit of a recovery, not his best ever, but a recovery nonetheless. He bit back a strangled yelp and his arms darted out to steady Kate as she wobbled, but it wasn’t necessary and she righted herself. And now she was looming over him. He looked up, amused.

”You still ain’t taller than me,” he laughed, mostly because he didn’t get to say that so often. He hated being short, but it definitely had its benefits.

Well, Kate didn’t want to go for a walk, which put a bit of a downer on everything for a moment, but she suggested meeting again, so it clearly wasn’t that she was sick of him yet. Which was a good thing, because sick of him or not, he was going to carry on bugging her.

Although, how he’d slip into Knighton, and alone, he had no idea. He was already getting glares from Much, and he was spending a lot of time away with the gang – he felt the distance sorely and wished they were around more. Or that he was around them more, but he just didn’t feel welcome. What was with that, eh? Make him feel like he has a family, rob a man of his independence and give him some morals, then make it so he couldn’t leave but felt awful staying. Gits, the lot of them!

”Sounds like a plan,” he replied, grinning. ”Same time, same place?”

[Kate Miller]

She raised her eyebrows at his order, she wasn’t about to fall, she spent a lot of her childhood walking around it without falling, she wasn’t going to start doing it now. She smirked as he started defending himself, Sure. As she wobbled his reaction hadn’t been one she had expected. He shouldn’t care so much.

”So am shorty,” she laughed at him as she lowered herself down and propped herself up next to him. Hopping off the wall quite sprightly, missing his slight disappointment.

How they could meet up would be one problem they’d just have to over come, with no real way of telling the time, she’d just have to be the judge for that. Or she could leave him sitting around, he could wait.

”Yeah sure,” she smiled at him and grabbed the bucket, it was near empty. She’d jus have to be crafty about it, make a hole in it say it leaked… her father would never know. Well he might but she wasn’t about to tell him, and she got the feeling that Allan wasn’t either. Hopefully her father would never see the short outlaw ever again.

She started walking towards the path that lead back into Knighton before turning back to Allan, a sweet smile loomed on her face, ”Thank you,” she turned back around and sighed, making her way back towards the Mill. Back into hell, well at least she had some idea that she was going to see the guy again/ He wasn’t sick of her depressiveness already. She hated being that way, but until the day where her father laid off her, she wasn’t about to change. Maybe something like this in her life could help her be more repressive with those feelings. She could do that. Well she could try.

Same time, same place. She smiled to herself, maybe it was about to become a regular fixture. She looked over her shoulder and smiled once again. Maybe life wasn’t so bad after all.