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"Won't know til you try," Jackie answered. She was starting to get hungry, and it was common knowledge amongst the group that a hungry Jackie was bad news. "Shoot."
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Spike nodded excitedly, drew back her bowstring slowly, and let fly one last arrow. It buried itself in the pigeon's back, killing it, and and she cheered. "Ma, look! Geno's gunna be able to eat today!" she stood up and did a little victory dance, excited to finally be allowed out of the tree. "Aren't you prouda me?"Old Age of War stuff here:
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"That's my little soldier," Jackie said as she scruffled Spike's head. She made her way to where her rope hung, and went down first. At the bottom, she yanked the rope out once Spike was also back down and clear of the knife plummeting from the tree. Jackie grabbed the bird's carcass and returned to the fireplace with the others to finish skinning the birds. The third was especially plump, and she held it up for Spike to see. "He's a fat one!" She added it to the spit over the fire to cook. "That one's yours. You earned it." She hoped that would be enough to excite Spike to do keep doing breakfast duty on other days.Comment
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Geno was relieved to see Jackie climb up the tree with more arrows. He couldn't help but laugh as Spike celebrated her last kill with a small dance and a big smile on her face. The sight made him think of Dogma, a street urchin who he'd met during his time in Castle Town. Comparing them now Geno realized that there were a lot amount of similarities between Spike and his old friend. Silently, he sent a prayer to the heavens wishing for the boy's safety and health.
For the briefest moment, a memory of someone else crossed his mind. Long, curly blonde hair, and soft, warm pale skin. A pair of lips that were accustomed to being used for show. The last words he'd said to Geno, the last thing his mind wandered to just before he went to sleep--
Suddenly he was back in reality. Jackie and Spike had come down from the tree, and breakfast was being cooked. Geno rubbed his eyes as if he'd just woken up, then looked to Spike.
"Nicely done, Spikester," Geno complimented the girl. "Thank you for feeding me on this fine morning."Comment
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"My name's not Spikester!" she laughed, punching Geno lightly in the arm. "But you're welcome, those birds were really hard to hit!" she plopped down next to the fire and watched her mother prepare breakfast, her stomach growling. "How long 'til they're ready?" she asked, trying to make herself drool cartoonishly. "I'm starvin'!"Old Age of War stuff here:
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"Just a minute!" Jackie replied annoyedly. "You're not starvin', you would be in trouble if you were. That's why I teach you to hunt, so you won't starve." She was upset that Spike used the term "starvin'" so lightly, since she often tried to make sure the kid was fed. Jackie was the only one who knew what it meant to starve, or so she thought. The first bird was now fully cooked, and she picked it up with her bare hands even though it was extremely hot and handed it to Geno. Her hands were scarred enough that she didn't feel the heat to a painful degree. Unfortunately for Spike, the big bird was last to be put on the fire, so it would be last to be fully cooked. When Jackie's bird looked well done how she liked it, she picked it up and took a bite out of its steaming breast. "Almost done."Comment
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Geno's eyes widened as he saw Jackie take the first freshly cooked bird right off the fire and tossed it to him. Taking advantage of his quick reflexes, he twisted the lower half of his body to the left and dodged his food. It flopped lamely onto the ground next to him, around the position his right thigh would've been if he hadn't moved.
"Hey, watch it!" Geno exclaimed as he returned to his original sitting posture in his new spot. "Just because you can't feel the heat doesn't mean I also can't!"
He extended a finger to poke his food to check its temperature, and found it still too hot to pick up. Out of boredom he began to look around the surrounding area and soon after, the nearby road caught his attention. Currently he could see two caravans: one group on the eastern end of the road, almost out of the Scablands, and another group closer to the western end, coming in the direction of the bandit trio.
"Merchants out and about today," Geno remarked, still watching the caravans.Comment
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Spike stared at the fire, eagerly waiting for her bird to finish cooking. She only perked up when Geno spoke up about caravans. "Huh," she said, her mind torn from breakfast for a moment. "Where d'ya think they're goin?" she asked, standing up and walking to stand next to Geno. "Is there a party somewhere?" she said, starting to get excited despite the fact there was no way she would have been invited.Last edited by amaterasu; 12-21-2020, 07:11 PM.Old Age of War stuff here:
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"Kinda seems it," Jackie said. "Quite a bit more traffic than usual. Maybe some kinda market party?" She tried to find the word for a large gathering of salesmen, but her vocabulary wasn't big enough. But she had been keeping her eye on the passing caravans all morning, and was sure that something of the sort was taking place. They all seemed to be heading towards Castle Town, rather than turning to the road to their south. "Something in Castle Town, I'd reckon."
Spike's big bird was finished cooking, so Jackie took it off the fire. She was much more considerate to her dear Spike than Geno, so rather than throwing the steaming bird at her, she dropped it on the ground in front of the girl. "Eat up, kid."Comment
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"Castle Town". Two words, and suddenly Geno's mind was somewhere else.
The most recent injury would be the man's last. Geno knelt over him, having seen him in a sorry state many times, but never like this. The bleeding from his wounds could be stopped, but Geno wasn't going to do it. "You won't see him again, G," the man said. "There's no way. Not a ch--!" He went into a coughing fit, blood flying out from his mouth. He took some deep breaths, then kept going. "Not a damned chance. You won't be able to set foot in Castle Town again."
Suddenly Geno wasn't there anymore. Now he stood in a doorway, facing a different, younger man, holding his hands. He was crying profusely, but he wanted to say something, and Geno would wait for it until they both turned to dust if necessary. Geno, too, wanted to say something, but he was afraid he couldn't open his mouth without crying. For what felt like an eternity, Geno's gaze did not falter or stray even slightly as watched the young man, realizing this might be the last time the two of them would see each other.
Finally, he managed to gain a semblance of his composure, and spoke.
"I promise...not matter how long this ends up being...I will always love you. So, please, please remember, while you're out there...there's someone who's waiting for you in Castle Town."
The memory faded, and soon Geno came back to reality. His expression began to switch but he prevented it, not wanting to get questions from his companions. His mind raced for a distraction, and quickly found it in the most recent topic of discussion.
"You know, if there IS something big going on, one of these groups might be a nice pick," He commented. "Also could mean they're watching their stuff more closely, though."Last edited by Z64; 09-01-2020, 10:47 PM.Comment
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Spike spoke around a mouthful of pigeon, thinking aloud. "Maybe we can follow the slowest one! I can pretend to be lost, or to be hurt, and you guys can grab their stuff!" she grinned at Jackie. "Waddya think, ma?" she asked, taking another big bite of her breakfast. "I think it's a good idea."Old Age of War stuff here:
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By now, Jackie had served both of the others their share of bird, and she was aggressively shoving meat down her throat as if her life depended on it. "Yeah, something like that," she said in a way that suggested she already had a plan. A slew of violent options scrolled through her head, and she just had to choose whichever was most efficient. Spike always made good bait, though Jackie saw more potential for the child than simply being a lure.Comment
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Geno pondered the idea put forth. It was an old trick but there wasn't anything wrong with revisiting the classics. However, the context was also important.
"Look, I know it's not really our style, but we probably need to be a little more cautious than we are during our usual gigs," Geno said, making sure to look directly at Jackie towards the latter half of his sentence. "Not only do they probably have their guard up going through this area, but there's probably some good reason there are more of them today compared to other days."
After he finished speaking, Geno touched the cooked bird meat that still sat on the ground next to him to assess its temperature. It was still pretty hot, but it was getting to the point where he might be able to actually hold it soon. He blew on it a few times, then began looking around to see what he could use as a plate. He was used to eating things off the ground, but he tried to avoid putting something back on the ground after he started eating it.
"Not that I doubt our Spike's charms, of course. But who knows what kind of mood these people might get into if they happen to catch us in the act."Comment
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With the cooking finished, Jackie hurriedly put the fire out with her foot, not showing any sign of pain as she stomped directly on the flame. This sent some embers and sparks flying out in all directions with no regard for where they landed.
The incoming caravan was getting closer but still distant, and she hoped her camp smoke was far off enough to remain unnoticed. She could just make out the contents of the caravan now. Three wagons, all full of cargo judging by their sluggish pace, with a handful of merchants riding them as well as walking along. Two Ritos were flying around overhead with the bravado of soldiers, a security detail. Geno was right, the smart ass. They would need to be extra careful, especially if they wanted to take it all, which Jackie always did. The lost little girl trick wasn't going to be enough, but Spike's enthusiasm warmed even Jackie's icicle heart. There was always a part for the young one to play.
"We need to get those Ritos out of the air," Jackie said, then looked at Spike. "Ready to shoot some more birds, kid?"Comment
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Spike grinned wickedly. "Am I!?" she dropped the food she had in her hands and stood up as quick as she could, wiping her hands off on her pants and grabbing her bow off the ground. They were, of course, much too far away for her to reliably hit anybody, let alone damage them, that wouldn't curb her enthusiasm. "Geno, can you hold me up so I can aim better?" She asked, knowing Jackie would advise she gain higher ground but not looking forward to scrambling up another tree.Old Age of War stuff here:
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