Post by The Mad Hatter on Apr 7, 2014 23:19:27 GMT -5
His eyes followed hers out to the house sitting across the way, chimney unusually quiet for this time of day. Something about the haste of his neighbors departure still sat ill with him but he couldn't put his finger on quite what. Still, he supposed the event was plausible enough and he left it at that to continue chopping the vegetables they'd collectively accumulated, throwing them into a pot and filling it with water, rummaging through their cupboards for various seasonings. A stew would do nicely, he thought. Something warm and filling to get everyone through the night.
Her next suggestion gave him pause though and he turned a wary look on her, sizing her up. A girl like Winnie wouldn't be sitting in a busy kitchen unless she absolutely had to be, her surmised. He might not have known her for long but her stint in the garden and her refusal to lay still longer than necessary led him to believe that the only reason she did not get up and assist now was due to exhausted incapability. He swiveled enough to return to his menial tasks. "...There's no urgency in your departure now. Since you're already aware she belongs here, Grace will be staying now." He hesitated, the knife making a thick sound every time it hit the board beneath it, helping to ebb the silence. "--I don't mean to be hostile or unwelcoming," he murmured but he didn't turn to face her, just kept chopping. "We simply aren't used to guests here. Never can be too careful." Trusting the wrong person could be costly. Last time, the price had been the life of someone devoid of any blame in the matter. It had been Jefferson's mistake, Jefferson's poor judgment of character.
He lit the fire beneath the pot, calling over his shoulder, "Spoons. And bowls. All we'll need. I can get them." He slipped to the drawer containing the silverware, pulling out three dim spoons and setting them on the table. He leaned back against a wall, some feet still between them. "You're welcome to come to market with me anyhow. I'll be revisiting in two days' time if we can find enough of a crop to make some coin." He patted the bag at his side. It jingled a little, but the sound was tinny and seemed to get lost in the vast space of the kitchen. His stomach ached a little as the smell of the cooking vegetables simmered out and enveloped them but he refused to touch anything edible until Grace had been served. He always allotted himself a smaller portion initially, made sure she was full, then ate until he was at least not in pain, maybe even content, and saved what he could for them to split later. Funny, how meticulous some of his daily routines could be, just to ensure that his girl made it comfortably out of and back into her bed, no real agony in-between.
He glanced out the window once when he thought he heard the clop of horse's feet in the distance but no shadows appeared as the sun continued to sink and he was used to his paranoia getting the better of him now and then. He dismissed it. "Before you go," he began, drumming the fingers of one hand on his arm, limbs always crossed over his chest as if to protect that area especially, like someone might reach into his chest and pull out something important. "I'm going to sit down and make you a map of the surrounding areas, best as I know them. I'll mark the places you can stop along the way, which inns are safest, where the food is good and reasonably priced. Never walk after sun-fall. Those that travel under the cover of darkness will most likely wish you ill. Keep to the main roads as much as you can during busy travel times. Less likely to be robbed in the presence of others. Always have one full canteen of water in your satchel in case something unexpected happens and you can't reach civilization for a day or two. And we should get you a knife, when we go into town. Doesn't have to be fancy. But you'll need something you could utilize to defend yourself if you run into trouble."
Princess Winnifred/ Freddie
Her next suggestion gave him pause though and he turned a wary look on her, sizing her up. A girl like Winnie wouldn't be sitting in a busy kitchen unless she absolutely had to be, her surmised. He might not have known her for long but her stint in the garden and her refusal to lay still longer than necessary led him to believe that the only reason she did not get up and assist now was due to exhausted incapability. He swiveled enough to return to his menial tasks. "...There's no urgency in your departure now. Since you're already aware she belongs here, Grace will be staying now." He hesitated, the knife making a thick sound every time it hit the board beneath it, helping to ebb the silence. "--I don't mean to be hostile or unwelcoming," he murmured but he didn't turn to face her, just kept chopping. "We simply aren't used to guests here. Never can be too careful." Trusting the wrong person could be costly. Last time, the price had been the life of someone devoid of any blame in the matter. It had been Jefferson's mistake, Jefferson's poor judgment of character.
He lit the fire beneath the pot, calling over his shoulder, "Spoons. And bowls. All we'll need. I can get them." He slipped to the drawer containing the silverware, pulling out three dim spoons and setting them on the table. He leaned back against a wall, some feet still between them. "You're welcome to come to market with me anyhow. I'll be revisiting in two days' time if we can find enough of a crop to make some coin." He patted the bag at his side. It jingled a little, but the sound was tinny and seemed to get lost in the vast space of the kitchen. His stomach ached a little as the smell of the cooking vegetables simmered out and enveloped them but he refused to touch anything edible until Grace had been served. He always allotted himself a smaller portion initially, made sure she was full, then ate until he was at least not in pain, maybe even content, and saved what he could for them to split later. Funny, how meticulous some of his daily routines could be, just to ensure that his girl made it comfortably out of and back into her bed, no real agony in-between.
He glanced out the window once when he thought he heard the clop of horse's feet in the distance but no shadows appeared as the sun continued to sink and he was used to his paranoia getting the better of him now and then. He dismissed it. "Before you go," he began, drumming the fingers of one hand on his arm, limbs always crossed over his chest as if to protect that area especially, like someone might reach into his chest and pull out something important. "I'm going to sit down and make you a map of the surrounding areas, best as I know them. I'll mark the places you can stop along the way, which inns are safest, where the food is good and reasonably priced. Never walk after sun-fall. Those that travel under the cover of darkness will most likely wish you ill. Keep to the main roads as much as you can during busy travel times. Less likely to be robbed in the presence of others. Always have one full canteen of water in your satchel in case something unexpected happens and you can't reach civilization for a day or two. And we should get you a knife, when we go into town. Doesn't have to be fancy. But you'll need something you could utilize to defend yourself if you run into trouble."
Princess Winnifred/ Freddie