It Will Rain
Elisha lay on his back looking up at the canopy of trees above. He was trying to will his eyes to focus and tell him what he was looking at, but all he seemed to get from them was a greenish haze.
He closed them again and tried to take a deep breath, but could only manage a few shallow ones.
At least he'd managed to get away.
He had managed that.. right?
He was still alive so that was a good indication he had. Good. If he was away from the Mitchells then he was safe. He could close his eyes and rest...
Jay puffed his bangs out of his face as he waited on the porch for his friend to get back with dinner. Hunting was good in the area so it really shouldn't be taking him so long. At first he thought Elisha was flaking off again. He'd been doing that lately. Taking a nap in a tree instead of doing whatever he said he was going to do. The two young men had had a few fist fights over it lately, but nothing out of the ordinary and really Jay knew he'd been in the wrong too. He'd been letting the town treat his best friend like trash while they treated him like a king and Elisha was understandably pissy about it. Especially when Jay hadn't even made a move to stand up for him. But it was starting to get dark now and no one stayed out in the woods at night if they didn't have to. That was when the beasts came out to hunt. It wouldn't take much for one to sneak up on you in the dark. Grown men were known to be taken by Sarmos in this area, even one's as skilled at fighting as Elisha. Jay decided he'd waited long enough and hopped over the side of the railing, shot gun in tow. He gave a whistle for Ozzy, his pet Izola. "Sick'em boy." Ozzy liked nothing better that to attack Elisha's head, so giving him the go ahead usually made him find the skunk much faster.
It was nearing sunset by the time Jay found his friend in the woods. "Seven ‘Lisha, what did you get into?" He asked as if Elisha could answer him. "Ahh! Moons above! Get off!" He knelt down to try and brush the ants off him. Elisha was cut up pretty bad, but in the dimming forest light Jay really didn't have the time to be sitting around seeing how bad it was. He got an arm under him and around his back and hoisted him to his feet. Elisha tried to help walk out of pure instinct, that was good for Jay because the other boy was much larger. Also it let him know he wasn't hauling around a corpse. The walk home wasn't an easy one and the sun was barely hanging on to its lofty position in the sky. The moons gave off a decent amount of light but it wasn't going to be easy to get help from the town a few miles to the north. Most people would be in bed or getting ready for it and although if he'd been injured he could have gone for help it wasn't going to be as easy with Elisha. Jay stripped his friend down as soon as he got him home and chunked him into the wash tub. He was already worn out from having to carry him all this way, but he rolled up his sleeves and worked the water pump. He hoped some water would help get the ants off or something. And he'd learned from Nicole recently that keeping wounds clean was a good way to not get the rot. Ah Nicole! He was sure she'd want to help him, and she knew a lot more about the art of healing than he ever did. He'd have lost his leg in that trodder accident if it wasn't for her, and on top of that she got along with Elisha fairly well, he thought. Her father wanted to beat him for eating his Apples and generally hanging around too much, but she seemed to put up with him on occasion. Elisha was sweet on her but Jay didn't think it went both ways. "You hang on ‘Lisha, I'll be back." Jay gave him a pat on the head and went to saddle up for the ride into town.
"Put that candle out Nicole, the moons are bright enough tonight and we can't afford to waste the ones we have." LaRand fussed at his daughter as he put out her candle for her. Nicole sighed and gave her father a tired look. He was always hard on them for 'wasting resources' and such. She put down her quill feeling that studying by moonlight would be better done upstairs or outside. He was also big on them getting an education. Sometimes the two things didn't mesh well. Her little siblings cheered thinking study time was over and took off up the stairs to play when they should be sleeping. "Rosebud, Lizanna don't run on the stairs." Doty, Nicole's mother, called from her prone position at the sewing table. She was too pregnant to get out of her chair and actually chase them down. "Should I put them to bed?" Nicole asked, getting up to do just that. "See that they pick up that mess they made of their room before they tuck in." Her father instructed her as he went to help his wife to her feet. "I'm still amazed how many rocks they managed to fit into one sa-" He was cut off by a near pounding on the door. "Who could that be so late?" he frowned. Nicole went to stand with her mother while her father answered the door. "Jay?" He opened the door wider seeing it wasn't some sort of bandit or anyone out to hurt his family. "What are you doing here, sir?" He gave the teen an honorific title, as was customary for some one of their race and status to do. They even had to call the children of dogs and cats little sir and madam, but it was better than the old days. "I um... I have a sewing emergency, may I borrow Nicole?" "A.. sewing... emergency?" LaRand furrowed his brow. Jay may have been upperclass but it was still an odd request, especially after nightfall. "Yeah.. Ozzy got into my cloths and ripped all my good pants. I have a dinner to attend tomorrow with the mayor, and I have to have pants... you see. I'll pay you 20 dillins, 50 if she can stay overnight to finish." A young woman alone in a house with two young men over night... he didn't like it. Especially if the scoundrel lay about no good apple thief was going to be there. It sounded to him like the boy wanted his daughter overnight for less savory reasons than an animal getting into his wash. Did he think just because they were skunks that he could do what he pleased with them? Then again, Jay was courting the mayor's daughter. He was a good upstanding young man and a scandal like bedding his daughter would ruin a lot of his standing. And 20 dillins could run their orchard for the whole next quarter. 50... 50 was more than he'd seen in one place, He looked over to Nicole. They could use that sort of money come winter... "Elisha's out of town on a hunting trip, but his pants wouldn't fit me anyway." "It's just sewing sir? Isn't 20 a bit much for sewing?" "Well it is late, I know a young woman shouldn't be out of bed at this hour. But I'm desperate. Just one pair should be enough." He didn't want to say no and get into some sort of trouble, but he didn't want to say yes either. "An it can't wait to tomorrow early?" Nicole knew good and well that Jay and Elisha could fix there own clothing. They had surprised her with it when she first met them. Young men who could look after all their own needs. She liked that about them. "It's alright father, I don't mind. I'll get my sewing kit." LaRand still didn't like it, but the money was just to much to pass up. "Come in sir, sit a moment while she gathers her things." "Thanks." Jay wanted to hurry back, but he didn't want to seem rude. "This means a lot to me, thank you. I thought I was done for, but I remembered how beautiful the town flag Mrs. Doty made was and came straight away without thinking. Once I got here I realized how late it was and how delicate a state she is in." Jay rambled on, laying it on thick. He'd barely thought up the whole pants thing in time for the door to open. He gave LaRand his charming smile then, and knew the deal was good. Like most of the towns folk here, the skunk man was suckered in by his smile easily. It was a good thing he wasn't out to con or hurt any of them. It would have been a cakewalk. "Here, I want to give you the 20 up front." He pulled two gold pieces out of his belt pouch. "I'll send Nicole home with the other 30 if she ends up staying the night." "That is an awful lot of money sir..." He couldn't help but say again as he took the gold. "Well you do have the finest apples this side of the Shinipplin river. Maybe I could get a bushel tomorrow?" "Yes sir, you sure can." He'd paid enough for every moons loven bushel they'd produced this year. Nicole was quick to get ready despite adding a whole two layers to the dress she had, getting her shoes, and her bonnet. "I am ready when you are good sir." she didn't often call Jay sir, but her father would have bust a vein if he found out. "Are you alright riding a trodder Ma'am?" "I am good sir." Jay was having trouble keeping a straight face talking to her like this, so curt and polite when he was more used to a witty banter from the witty young woman. The thought of Elisha bleeding out in the wash basin while ants ate him helped quell his mirth though. "I hate to leave so soon but I want plenty of light on the way back, I saw a storm moving in from the west before the sun went down." "Be careful." Jay nodded to that and lead Nicole out like she was a high class lady, winning her father over even more.
Jay helped Nicole onto the back of his trodder before hopping up after her and taking off. "There's nothing wrong with your pants, is there?" Nicole asked after riding in silence for a while. "Ha yeah, didn't think that would fool you. Thanks for coming anyway." Jay laughed. "It's Elisha, I don't know what happened but he's torn up pretty badly and I couldn't think of anyone who would help him, especially at this hour." "Lucky you, you know the one thing that speaks to my pa the loudest." She sighed thinking about how she'd been sold off for the night so easily. "I mean he's really torn up." Jay decided not to banter about the money. He hadn't meant to make her feel like he was buying her or anything, just paying for the help. She went quiet, so bad he didn't feel like joking? So bad that Elisha let him go for help? "Sorry... but what do you think I can do for him?" "I don't know, but you know more about treating wounds than I do so I thought..." "I'll do what I can but I'm no healer Jay." "Sorry, I didn't even think about how you'd feel about helping. I know you and Elisha don't always get along.. I just thought..." "Oh it's not that Jay. I like Elisha, when he's not pretending to look down my blouse." She gave his back a pat.
Jay tried to describe how he'd found Elisha and what injuries he remembered seeing on the three and half mile trip from Nicole's house to his and Elisha's. The trodder made it faster but it was still too long when in a rush. Jay let Nicole off at the front door, he was going to help her down but she jumped off before he could and let herself in. He jumped of Jezzy, the trodder, and gave her a pat. He never had to put riding gear on her or fence her in. She usually just stayed around the field there house was in, eating up the grass and some times the pretty flower garden they planted. Jay had just let her trample all over the flowers in his haste, but he wouldn't realize it until morning. "Good girl, nice running." He stalled, not wanting to go in just yet. But Nicole might need help and he couldn't stall forever. When he got inside he saw Nicole, striped down to her underclothes, trying to haul Elisha out of the tub by herself. "Help me." She pleaded. "Right right sorry... You grab his legs and I'll get his should- er.. wait.. maybe I should.." "I don't have time to be squeamish about him being naked. I doubt it will scar me for life. I've seen my father bathing." She let go of his arms and went for his legs. Together they managed to get Elisha onto the floor. "So um... why did you get undressed?" He coughed and tried not to stare. She had quite the figure. "If I come home in a bloody dress I'm sure pa will just be thrilled to bursting." "Oh.. right. I didn't think of that." "Uhhuh.." she wasn't paying him anymore attention as she got to work cleaning in Elisha's wounds. Jay had to hold Elisha down because he was thrashing about in his delirium, trying to attack whatever was hurting him. "You're going to have to hold him better once I start sewing." She warned, pulling her sewing kit closer.
She was right about that. Once she started stitching him up his thrashing got a lot worse. And she needed him to be still so she closed up the wounds, instead of make them worse. Her needle was slippery with blood and she had to clean again often. Jay practically had to sit on Elisha's face to get him to be still. He hoped it would be over soon. Unfortunately it took hours to get all the worst wounds sewn up. By then Jay and Nicole were just too tired to keep it up any longer. They bathed him again and bandaged him up, using shredded bed sheets for the task. "I'll finish tomorrow." Nicole said as she sat down to rub the ache out of her hands. "You are amazing." Mika could sew alright, but she'd have fainted from the sight of the blood, or the exhaustive nature of the project, long ago. Nicole would make a good battle medic if there was a war or something. "I'll pump some water if you want to take a bath.." "It can wait to tomorrow." She was to tired to worry about bathing. Besides they'd both had been wallowing in water trying to wash Elisha off that last time, they should be good for a while. "You can take Elisha's bed, I don't think I've got the strength to move him."
"Moving him will be easier than pumping water." She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'll help you." Jay sighed, "Alright alright." "I Can sleep on your long chair, its bigger than my bed at home." "Long chair? Oh the sofa, Are you sure?" "Looks softer too." "Well if you want one Elisha can make you one too, he made that one." "He can't if we can't get him in bed to heal, now on three.. One, two, three." By now any fight Elisha had left in him was drained out and he hung limply in their grasp, making the task of getting him to his bed at least somewhat easier. Once the task was done Jay flopped down on the ground and rubbed at his shoulder. "He's way too heavy to be carrying around like a babe in a basket." "Whatever he did to end up like this, he needs to not do that again." She put a blanket that had been kicked to the bottom of the bed over him. "Yeah, I'll have to ask him when he wakes up, because as far as I know he was just going out for some supper. Ooo.. I forgot I haven't eaten.." Jay gave a huge sigh and hauled himself to his feet to go fix some food. It wouldn't have meat, but it would be better than going hungry. "If you don't mind I think I would like to lay down..." "Oh yeah, do whatever you want you don't have to ask. If you get hungry help yourself to our food stores. You're honorary family now, so the offer stays open for life." Jay meant it too, Elisha was the only family he had and she'd just gone way out of her way to save that family. "I'll get you a blanket and a pillow" "A pillow all my own? How fancy, Elisha make that too?" "And it's stuffed with Hedekuxe fluff and everything. So you know it's fancy." Jay laughed. "Elisha may have made it, but I did the flower embroidery." "Extra fancy." She laughed too, feeling giddy with exhaustion. Nicole waited until Jay had left to make his dinner to get out of her waterlogged and blood soaked undergarments. She sighed at the sight of them and was about to change into her regular cloths when Jay came back in. "Eeep!" she covered herself with the scraps of wet cloth as modestly as she could. "Here's your blanket and pi-" He stared at her a moment. If he thought she looked good in just her baggy underclothes, he thought she looked downright heavenly without them. "Uh.." "Jay!" "Huh?" He took a deep breath and smiled at her, doing his best to imagine her with clothes back on. "Here's a blanket and pillow for you." He came over and held them out for her. "Would you like to borrow some of my nightclothes?" She scooted back when he started coming her way, then snatched the blanket from him and wrapped up in it. "I don't think they would fit me." "Oh yeah not with a bust and hips like that.. maybe Elisha's." She covered up more when he mentioned her body parts and picked up the pillow, looking like she might throw it at him. Jay put his hands up and backed off. "I'll just go get Elisha's, he's not using them right now anyway." He'd heard from Elisha of what a good throwing arm she had, he didn't want to find out first hand, even if it was just a fluffy pillow. "Yeah, you best run." She sat down on the long chair and tried not to feel too self-conscious.
"You still covered? I'm coming back." Jay warned as he returned with a large shirt and a pair of breeches. "’Lisha usually sleeps nude or just in breeches so the shirt is pretty much new." He handed it over, not surprised when she snatched it. "Do I have to change in the outhouse to get privacy?" "Haha nono I'm going to fix me some food now. Sorry I wasn't expecting you to strip down. I'll be mindful of that now." Nicole sighed. "Its my fault too for forgetting you were coming back with a blanket. But I really would like to rest now so..." "Oh right, I'm going." Jay put his hands behind his head and strolled toward the kitchen. Nicole waited a bit before carefully changing into the cloths. Despite what Jay said about the shirt it still smelt like Elisha. Jay watched from around the corner. he couldn't help it. A girl naked in his house and him not looking was like some sort of crime. And he never thought a woman would look so good in men's clothing. He would have stayed longer but hunger won out and she was getting under the blankets.
Despite being exhausted and laying on possibly the softest sleeping surface of her life, it was hard for Nicole to sleep. She was worried about Elisha, that what she was able to do was too little too late. She was also worried about Jay. She wasn't sure if he might try something now that he'd seen her naked. She didn't think he was some uncontrollable animal who would attack her... but he was a young man and she'd been warned over and over and over her whole life that you never let a man see you naked unless you were married to him or bad things would happen. What happened to Elisha to get him to torn up? He had certainly been in a fight. No animal caused those kind of wounds in those patterns. Not even a Sarmos. It was certainly a knife or sword. Maybe a pitchfork too.. And he wasn't just cut up, he was beaten too. The side of his face was swollen. It was hard to sleep, but it came for her in the end.
Jay made himself go to bed after eating, avoiding the room with the sofa in it. He would be too tempted to look at Nicole and he didn't need that kind of distraction. Also the fight that would cause if she saw him and told Elisha, or, well, anyone at all. Elisha would try and beat him up, that was for sure. Anyone else he could tell she lied, but that wasn't a very nice thing to do to a friend. Jay changed his cloths and laid down, staring at the ceiling for a while. He had to do something about those swamp people... he was sure it was them that attacked Elisha. If Elisha was only hunting for dinner he wouldn't have been in their area. So either he was where he shouldn't have been or the Mitchells were on his and Elisha's side of the river. He didn't like the thought of them coming over to their side and starting shit again. Hadn't they learned their lesson last time? Apparently not. They hadn't given up, they'd only taken a break. How was he going to deal with that? Should he tell Mika to stay away awhile because coming to his place wasn't safe? Probably. At least he wouldn't have to put up with her friends for a while that way. It sucked that she always had to have at least two people with her while he was around. Maybe if he could spend some time alone with her he could get a kiss or two. Maybe have a real talk with her for once. He'd bring up the danger the Mitchells presented at dinner tomorrow. They'd already been a trouble to the town for a while, even before he and Elisha showed up. Maybe they could get several of the men together and drive them out. Though with them around Elisha didn't look so bad. He was just obnoxious and sarcastic, he never hurt anyone that didn't deserve it. It burned his bottom knowing that, although Elisha was hard to get along with at times, if he'd been a dog like Jay he wouldn't have any problems with the townspeople. He heard them describe him as not knowing his place. But really, what was his place? Why should he be submissive and bow down? Jay was raised in the same wagon as Elisha, taught the same things, and was left the same way, with the same money. No wonder he was always so pissed off. Jay knew all of this but he didn't sit and think that hard on it very often. Mainly because it was easier not to. It didn't make much sense to him, but it was easy to smile and ignore it to get what he wanted. he wanted the town to like him and sticking up for Elisha would make that harder... but not doing it made him.. what did it make him? A traitor? Probably.
Elsewhere… Goodness it was a tiring night, as soon as she got into the bedroom she went to the cushioned bench to take off her little shoes. Soon as she peeled off one of her shoes she gave her foot a rub. Ahhh….that felt so much better. Her shoes were adorable but they didn’t hold up very well to a whole lot of walking, especially around the garden. Hearing one of her friends walk in she looked up smiling, “Your feet hurting as much as mine?” “Shhh!” Mika tried to shush her friend while giggling. They’d snuck out to have a moonlight walk and the last thing she wanted was her father coming in and ruining it. “No, I took my shoes off.” She gasped at her own words and giggled. It wasn’t proper to walk outside without your shoes. Savannah gave a giggle as well, "You're so daring, hopefully you didn't leave any footprints on the stairs." “Father will think its the serving girl.” She winked. Bess dragged herself in last and sat down next to Savannah to take her own shoes off. Her shoes weren’t as pretty as Savannah’s, but they weren’t any more comfortable for it either. "Can we light a candle? Its so dark in here with the curtains drawn." “I agree, won’t do for us to be falling over everything.” Peeling off her other shoe and giving a soft noise of relief, she went over to Mika’s dresser to where the matches and candles were. “Go ahead, just keep it down.” “I bet she hopes her sweetheart will see the light in the window and come say hello.” Bess poked at Mika. “He’s better things to do than wait outside my window all night for a light.” But she sighed, wishing it would happen. “You’re so lucky.” She told her friend, probably for the tenth time now, as she lit the candle, placing it where they could get light, but it wouldn’t give away that they were still awake and not in their bed clothes. “You have the only man that is as romantic as he.” Mika smiled, it was so true. but she didn’t want her friend to feel bad. “What about Caleb? he brought you flowers that one time.” “Well yes….but I wish he’d be a little more daring, you know.” She gave a wistful sigh, “Though I guess anymore daring and father wouldn’t allow him on our front lawn.” Mika titterd at that behind her hand, picturing her father tossing Caleb out by his ear onto the street. He was a good head taller than her father so it was all the more amusing to think about. She smiled at her friend’s response to it, “I doubt that your beau would be able to handle such a public display though.” “I haven’t seen him in near a week. Oh say you’ll come with me tomorrow to pay him a visit.” She clasped her both her friends hands up in hers. “Please?” “Of course, anything to help you out Mika.” She nodded to her friend. “If it doesn’t rain.” Bess wasn’t fully over her last cold and didn’t want to make it worse by running in the rain again, bad enough she was playing outside at night. But it was so nice out! “What would I do without the two of you?”
Jay woke up a bit later than usual. He felt exhausted and sore, but that was no reason not to get started with his day. He stumbled down the stairs and into the livingroom on his way to the kitchen. He didn’t get far before something hit him in the face, knocking him off balance. He flailed a bit and was just getting his bearings when more things started hitting him. “Ooww ooww! Hey stop it! Stop!” He covered his head and cringed back out of the room. “Seven times seven what the moons was that all about!?” “You put some trouser on before coming back in here Jay or so help me Krioce…” After the way he looked at her last night she wasn’t taking any chances. She didn’t want him thinking just because he was in a higher station and a dog he could do as he pleased. She trust him, mostly, he was a friend, but she knew men to do stupid things, especially when young. And her father always told her that if a young man was to see a young woman naked he’d lose control of himself. She wasn’t sure she trusted that, but she wasn’t sure she didn’t either. She was fully clothed now, but she didn’t know if that was a lasting madness or not. “Nicole?” Oh! Oh riiiight! Last nights troubles came flooding back to him. “Trousers?” he looked down and realised he had wiggled out of his bed clothes again last night. No wonder she was throwing things at him, just waltzing in butt ass naked. With just him and ‘Lisha it was fine. He wasn’t used to this whole having a girl around business. “I’m so sorry, I completely forgot you were here.” “Just fix it before coming back in here or else I’ll scream.” “Last night you made it sound like no big deal seeing ‘Lisha.” He half teased. he wondered if she had gotten dressed yet or not.. he didn’t manage to catch a glimpse before escaping. If he’d remembered she was there he would have at least tried. “He was helpless, not waltzing by with no shame. I’m going to check on him and then I’m leaving.” “It was an accident! An honest mistake. Just calm down and stay a while, I’m going to get dressed right now.” He headed up the stairs feeling slightly grumpy that she wasn’t even interested in a peek. Sighing to himself he pulled his clothes on and shook Ozzy out of his hammock. “Come on Ozz, put on the cute so our healer don’t run off.” His pet opened one large yellow eye and looked at him for a moment before rolling over and going back to sleep. “Come on Ozz.” Jay lifted the fuzzy critter up by the scruff and stuck him on his shoulder before heading back down. He cracked open the living room door and peeked in to make sure he wasn’t going to get pummeled again. Seeing she wasn’t in there he went ahead and opened the door all the way, securing it with the door latch to keep it that way. At night they closed all the doors to keep it warm, but in the summer on days like this it was nice to have them all open to let air through. He went around opening up all the doors just to give himself something to do, afraid that if he went to check on Elisha he’d find him dead. Finally he couldn’t put it off anymore and went in to see for himself. Nicole hadn’t screamed so he was probably alive... “How’s he doing?” Nicole shrugged. “I can’t rightly say. I don’t know much beyond the basics with healing. What tore him up like that Jay? Didn’t look like an animal attack to me.. He looks like someone beat him.. here.” She pointed to the puffy part of his face. “And the wounds here reminded me of a pitchfork.” She pointed to a spot that was wrapped up. “And I think he may have been burned too, some of his fur was crispy last night.” “Like I said I dunno what happened, i’ll have to ask him when he comes to. But I’m guessing it was the swamp people.” She shuttered a that, lowering her voice to nearly a whisper. “I thought they were run off..” “Laying low is probably closer to it.” Oh that was right, the big one had attacked Nicole a while back. No wonder she didn’t mind helping Elisha and put up with him so well. He’d saved her from that giant. The damn raccoons were so brazen as to come right over the wall into her family’s orchard. She likely didn’t have good memories of that. “They’re rotten as the swamp they live in, and their leader has it out for ‘Lisha.” He didn’t add that saving her had made it worse. He’d nearly killed the big one in that fight and wounded the leader’s leg pretty badly. Course he hadn’t fared much better and ended up getting chased off by Nicole’s father, but the raccoons didn’t care about how he fared, only how he’d hurt them. She gave a nod but didn’t comment. She didn’t really want to talk about them. “You keep him clean. if he gets the rot thats it for him.” She focused on Elisha, reaching out to brush his hair from his face. “Knowing him as soon as he wakes he’s going to try causing trouble, but don’t you let him out of this bed for a while. And if his stitches pop you come get me. But in the day this time.” “Wish you could just stay here for a few days..” Jay muttered. That would make everything much easier. “You want a girl like me to stay alone in a house with two men, unchaperoned, for a week? And with one being a peeper?” She gave him a look. She was worried about Elisha but she wasn’t going to stay here and taint her good name any more than she already had. Hopefully no one would know where she’d gone or when she’d gotten there. What a story they would come up with, she flushed at the thought. “If I could leave him at the healers or your house I would. But you know well as I do no one would take him in.” Jay ran his hand through his hair. “I’m not trying anything I just worry about him. I can’t stay and look after him all day I have to get food and work the garden, trade in town.” “Charm the Mayor out of his daughter.” She added. “Shhh you’re not supposed to know about that.” “Who doesn’t?”
Mika hopped out of the cart and worked on straightening herself up and dusting herself off, wanting to be her best when she surprised Jay with her presence. ‘How do I look?” She gave her parasol a twirl and tried to look cute. “He’ll just swoon at the sight of you.” Her friend gushed after she heaved herself out as well, having some trouble with her skirt getting in the way. Bess got out last and frowned at the trampled flower garden. Her whole real reason for coming along was to look at the pretty gardens here. “I hope we don’t run into his servant..” Mika pouted, as if just thinking about it. She didn’t like him at all, he always had something rude to say. “If so don’t pay him no mind, I’m sure your bou will tell him to go somewhere else if you ask him to.” She fanned herself as she tutted. “He’s so snarky and back talky.. it just isn’t right. It isn’t natural.” Savannah nodded in agreement, “If there is only one flaw your bou has is that he’s too kindhearted towards him, he should be teaching him to be more respectful to his betters.” If the man had been a servant of another he would’ve been punished many times before this.
“Haha very funn- someone's outside.” Hay’s ears perked up. He could hear something out there.. Was it the Mitchells? Was it Nicole’s father come to get her? “Hrm? You can hear someone?” She couldn’t hear anything. “Shh.” He nodded and waited a moment. “I’m going to check it out, you stay here with ‘Lisha… just in case its a wild animal.” Jay wasn’t too worried, usually Ozzy would go nuts if a stranger was around. He made his way through the house to main entrance and opened the door. When he opened the door Mika and her friends were still chit chatting, but when they heard it open they all stopped, Savannah hid behind her friend, no need to be blocking her from her lover’s sight it was why they were here anyway. "M-mika?" What was she doing here? "What a surprise!" Jay smiled happily, hoping it was a surprise visit from an eager girlfriend and not an angry misunderstanding accusing girlfriend. How should he handle this right now? "Are you happy to see me?" She asked, giggly at how surprised he looked. "Oh yeah, you caught me off guard, lucky i didn't come out in just my pants to chop wood." Mika blushed and giggled some more, almost wishing he had. "How scandalous, to say such things to a lady." “Not as scandalous as showing up at a man’s house unannounced and barely chaperoned.” He grinned. She gasped at that, he was fisty today. “How would you ladies enjoy a picnic in the garden this morning? I’ve got some fresh berries chilling in the well.” “Its almost as if you knew we were coming.” What he couldn’t chill berries for himself? “I wasn’t expecting to see you until tonight, its a welcome surprise.” Actually it was the worst timing ever.. But he’d manage. “If you ladies would like to meet me in the back I’ll go fetch a blanket and some bread and honey.”
Jay puffed his bangs out of his face as he waited on the porch for his friend to get back with dinner. Hunting was good in the area so it really shouldn't be taking him so long. At first he thought Elisha was flaking off again. He'd been doing that lately. Taking a nap in a tree instead of doing whatever he said he was going to do. The two young men had had a few fist fights over it lately, but nothing out of the ordinary and really Jay knew he'd been in the wrong too. He'd been letting the town treat his best friend like trash while they treated him like a king and Elisha was understandably pissy about it. Especially when Jay hadn't even made a move to stand up for him. But it was starting to get dark now and no one stayed out in the woods at night if they didn't have to. That was when the beasts came out to hunt. It wouldn't take much for one to sneak up on you in the dark. Grown men were known to be taken by Sarmos in this area, even one's as skilled at fighting as Elisha. Jay decided he'd waited long enough and hopped over the side of the railing, shot gun in tow. He gave a whistle for Ozzy, his pet Izola. "Sick'em boy." Ozzy liked nothing better that to attack Elisha's head, so giving him the go ahead usually made him find the skunk much faster.
It was nearing sunset by the time Jay found his friend in the woods. "Seven ‘Lisha, what did you get into?" He asked as if Elisha could answer him. "Ahh! Moons above! Get off!" He knelt down to try and brush the ants off him. Elisha was cut up pretty bad, but in the dimming forest light Jay really didn't have the time to be sitting around seeing how bad it was. He got an arm under him and around his back and hoisted him to his feet. Elisha tried to help walk out of pure instinct, that was good for Jay because the other boy was much larger. Also it let him know he wasn't hauling around a corpse. The walk home wasn't an easy one and the sun was barely hanging on to its lofty position in the sky. The moons gave off a decent amount of light but it wasn't going to be easy to get help from the town a few miles to the north. Most people would be in bed or getting ready for it and although if he'd been injured he could have gone for help it wasn't going to be as easy with Elisha. Jay stripped his friend down as soon as he got him home and chunked him into the wash tub. He was already worn out from having to carry him all this way, but he rolled up his sleeves and worked the water pump. He hoped some water would help get the ants off or something. And he'd learned from Nicole recently that keeping wounds clean was a good way to not get the rot. Ah Nicole! He was sure she'd want to help him, and she knew a lot more about the art of healing than he ever did. He'd have lost his leg in that trodder accident if it wasn't for her, and on top of that she got along with Elisha fairly well, he thought. Her father wanted to beat him for eating his Apples and generally hanging around too much, but she seemed to put up with him on occasion. Elisha was sweet on her but Jay didn't think it went both ways. "You hang on ‘Lisha, I'll be back." Jay gave him a pat on the head and went to saddle up for the ride into town.
"Put that candle out Nicole, the moons are bright enough tonight and we can't afford to waste the ones we have." LaRand fussed at his daughter as he put out her candle for her. Nicole sighed and gave her father a tired look. He was always hard on them for 'wasting resources' and such. She put down her quill feeling that studying by moonlight would be better done upstairs or outside. He was also big on them getting an education. Sometimes the two things didn't mesh well. Her little siblings cheered thinking study time was over and took off up the stairs to play when they should be sleeping. "Rosebud, Lizanna don't run on the stairs." Doty, Nicole's mother, called from her prone position at the sewing table. She was too pregnant to get out of her chair and actually chase them down. "Should I put them to bed?" Nicole asked, getting up to do just that. "See that they pick up that mess they made of their room before they tuck in." Her father instructed her as he went to help his wife to her feet. "I'm still amazed how many rocks they managed to fit into one sa-" He was cut off by a near pounding on the door. "Who could that be so late?" he frowned. Nicole went to stand with her mother while her father answered the door. "Jay?" He opened the door wider seeing it wasn't some sort of bandit or anyone out to hurt his family. "What are you doing here, sir?" He gave the teen an honorific title, as was customary for some one of their race and status to do. They even had to call the children of dogs and cats little sir and madam, but it was better than the old days. "I um... I have a sewing emergency, may I borrow Nicole?" "A.. sewing... emergency?" LaRand furrowed his brow. Jay may have been upperclass but it was still an odd request, especially after nightfall. "Yeah.. Ozzy got into my cloths and ripped all my good pants. I have a dinner to attend tomorrow with the mayor, and I have to have pants... you see. I'll pay you 20 dillins, 50 if she can stay overnight to finish." A young woman alone in a house with two young men over night... he didn't like it. Especially if the scoundrel lay about no good apple thief was going to be there. It sounded to him like the boy wanted his daughter overnight for less savory reasons than an animal getting into his wash. Did he think just because they were skunks that he could do what he pleased with them? Then again, Jay was courting the mayor's daughter. He was a good upstanding young man and a scandal like bedding his daughter would ruin a lot of his standing. And 20 dillins could run their orchard for the whole next quarter. 50... 50 was more than he'd seen in one place, He looked over to Nicole. They could use that sort of money come winter... "Elisha's out of town on a hunting trip, but his pants wouldn't fit me anyway." "It's just sewing sir? Isn't 20 a bit much for sewing?" "Well it is late, I know a young woman shouldn't be out of bed at this hour. But I'm desperate. Just one pair should be enough." He didn't want to say no and get into some sort of trouble, but he didn't want to say yes either. "An it can't wait to tomorrow early?" Nicole knew good and well that Jay and Elisha could fix there own clothing. They had surprised her with it when she first met them. Young men who could look after all their own needs. She liked that about them. "It's alright father, I don't mind. I'll get my sewing kit." LaRand still didn't like it, but the money was just to much to pass up. "Come in sir, sit a moment while she gathers her things." "Thanks." Jay wanted to hurry back, but he didn't want to seem rude. "This means a lot to me, thank you. I thought I was done for, but I remembered how beautiful the town flag Mrs. Doty made was and came straight away without thinking. Once I got here I realized how late it was and how delicate a state she is in." Jay rambled on, laying it on thick. He'd barely thought up the whole pants thing in time for the door to open. He gave LaRand his charming smile then, and knew the deal was good. Like most of the towns folk here, the skunk man was suckered in by his smile easily. It was a good thing he wasn't out to con or hurt any of them. It would have been a cakewalk. "Here, I want to give you the 20 up front." He pulled two gold pieces out of his belt pouch. "I'll send Nicole home with the other 30 if she ends up staying the night." "That is an awful lot of money sir..." He couldn't help but say again as he took the gold. "Well you do have the finest apples this side of the Shinipplin river. Maybe I could get a bushel tomorrow?" "Yes sir, you sure can." He'd paid enough for every moons loven bushel they'd produced this year. Nicole was quick to get ready despite adding a whole two layers to the dress she had, getting her shoes, and her bonnet. "I am ready when you are good sir." she didn't often call Jay sir, but her father would have bust a vein if he found out. "Are you alright riding a trodder Ma'am?" "I am good sir." Jay was having trouble keeping a straight face talking to her like this, so curt and polite when he was more used to a witty banter from the witty young woman. The thought of Elisha bleeding out in the wash basin while ants ate him helped quell his mirth though. "I hate to leave so soon but I want plenty of light on the way back, I saw a storm moving in from the west before the sun went down." "Be careful." Jay nodded to that and lead Nicole out like she was a high class lady, winning her father over even more.
Jay helped Nicole onto the back of his trodder before hopping up after her and taking off. "There's nothing wrong with your pants, is there?" Nicole asked after riding in silence for a while. "Ha yeah, didn't think that would fool you. Thanks for coming anyway." Jay laughed. "It's Elisha, I don't know what happened but he's torn up pretty badly and I couldn't think of anyone who would help him, especially at this hour." "Lucky you, you know the one thing that speaks to my pa the loudest." She sighed thinking about how she'd been sold off for the night so easily. "I mean he's really torn up." Jay decided not to banter about the money. He hadn't meant to make her feel like he was buying her or anything, just paying for the help. She went quiet, so bad he didn't feel like joking? So bad that Elisha let him go for help? "Sorry... but what do you think I can do for him?" "I don't know, but you know more about treating wounds than I do so I thought..." "I'll do what I can but I'm no healer Jay." "Sorry, I didn't even think about how you'd feel about helping. I know you and Elisha don't always get along.. I just thought..." "Oh it's not that Jay. I like Elisha, when he's not pretending to look down my blouse." She gave his back a pat.
Jay tried to describe how he'd found Elisha and what injuries he remembered seeing on the three and half mile trip from Nicole's house to his and Elisha's. The trodder made it faster but it was still too long when in a rush. Jay let Nicole off at the front door, he was going to help her down but she jumped off before he could and let herself in. He jumped of Jezzy, the trodder, and gave her a pat. He never had to put riding gear on her or fence her in. She usually just stayed around the field there house was in, eating up the grass and some times the pretty flower garden they planted. Jay had just let her trample all over the flowers in his haste, but he wouldn't realize it until morning. "Good girl, nice running." He stalled, not wanting to go in just yet. But Nicole might need help and he couldn't stall forever. When he got inside he saw Nicole, striped down to her underclothes, trying to haul Elisha out of the tub by herself. "Help me." She pleaded. "Right right sorry... You grab his legs and I'll get his should- er.. wait.. maybe I should.." "I don't have time to be squeamish about him being naked. I doubt it will scar me for life. I've seen my father bathing." She let go of his arms and went for his legs. Together they managed to get Elisha onto the floor. "So um... why did you get undressed?" He coughed and tried not to stare. She had quite the figure. "If I come home in a bloody dress I'm sure pa will just be thrilled to bursting." "Oh.. right. I didn't think of that." "Uhhuh.." she wasn't paying him anymore attention as she got to work cleaning in Elisha's wounds. Jay had to hold Elisha down because he was thrashing about in his delirium, trying to attack whatever was hurting him. "You're going to have to hold him better once I start sewing." She warned, pulling her sewing kit closer.
She was right about that. Once she started stitching him up his thrashing got a lot worse. And she needed him to be still so she closed up the wounds, instead of make them worse. Her needle was slippery with blood and she had to clean again often. Jay practically had to sit on Elisha's face to get him to be still. He hoped it would be over soon. Unfortunately it took hours to get all the worst wounds sewn up. By then Jay and Nicole were just too tired to keep it up any longer. They bathed him again and bandaged him up, using shredded bed sheets for the task. "I'll finish tomorrow." Nicole said as she sat down to rub the ache out of her hands. "You are amazing." Mika could sew alright, but she'd have fainted from the sight of the blood, or the exhaustive nature of the project, long ago. Nicole would make a good battle medic if there was a war or something. "I'll pump some water if you want to take a bath.." "It can wait to tomorrow." She was to tired to worry about bathing. Besides they'd both had been wallowing in water trying to wash Elisha off that last time, they should be good for a while. "You can take Elisha's bed, I don't think I've got the strength to move him."
"Moving him will be easier than pumping water." She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'll help you." Jay sighed, "Alright alright." "I Can sleep on your long chair, its bigger than my bed at home." "Long chair? Oh the sofa, Are you sure?" "Looks softer too." "Well if you want one Elisha can make you one too, he made that one." "He can't if we can't get him in bed to heal, now on three.. One, two, three." By now any fight Elisha had left in him was drained out and he hung limply in their grasp, making the task of getting him to his bed at least somewhat easier. Once the task was done Jay flopped down on the ground and rubbed at his shoulder. "He's way too heavy to be carrying around like a babe in a basket." "Whatever he did to end up like this, he needs to not do that again." She put a blanket that had been kicked to the bottom of the bed over him. "Yeah, I'll have to ask him when he wakes up, because as far as I know he was just going out for some supper. Ooo.. I forgot I haven't eaten.." Jay gave a huge sigh and hauled himself to his feet to go fix some food. It wouldn't have meat, but it would be better than going hungry. "If you don't mind I think I would like to lay down..." "Oh yeah, do whatever you want you don't have to ask. If you get hungry help yourself to our food stores. You're honorary family now, so the offer stays open for life." Jay meant it too, Elisha was the only family he had and she'd just gone way out of her way to save that family. "I'll get you a blanket and a pillow" "A pillow all my own? How fancy, Elisha make that too?" "And it's stuffed with Hedekuxe fluff and everything. So you know it's fancy." Jay laughed. "Elisha may have made it, but I did the flower embroidery." "Extra fancy." She laughed too, feeling giddy with exhaustion. Nicole waited until Jay had left to make his dinner to get out of her waterlogged and blood soaked undergarments. She sighed at the sight of them and was about to change into her regular cloths when Jay came back in. "Eeep!" she covered herself with the scraps of wet cloth as modestly as she could. "Here's your blanket and pi-" He stared at her a moment. If he thought she looked good in just her baggy underclothes, he thought she looked downright heavenly without them. "Uh.." "Jay!" "Huh?" He took a deep breath and smiled at her, doing his best to imagine her with clothes back on. "Here's a blanket and pillow for you." He came over and held them out for her. "Would you like to borrow some of my nightclothes?" She scooted back when he started coming her way, then snatched the blanket from him and wrapped up in it. "I don't think they would fit me." "Oh yeah not with a bust and hips like that.. maybe Elisha's." She covered up more when he mentioned her body parts and picked up the pillow, looking like she might throw it at him. Jay put his hands up and backed off. "I'll just go get Elisha's, he's not using them right now anyway." He'd heard from Elisha of what a good throwing arm she had, he didn't want to find out first hand, even if it was just a fluffy pillow. "Yeah, you best run." She sat down on the long chair and tried not to feel too self-conscious.
"You still covered? I'm coming back." Jay warned as he returned with a large shirt and a pair of breeches. "’Lisha usually sleeps nude or just in breeches so the shirt is pretty much new." He handed it over, not surprised when she snatched it. "Do I have to change in the outhouse to get privacy?" "Haha nono I'm going to fix me some food now. Sorry I wasn't expecting you to strip down. I'll be mindful of that now." Nicole sighed. "Its my fault too for forgetting you were coming back with a blanket. But I really would like to rest now so..." "Oh right, I'm going." Jay put his hands behind his head and strolled toward the kitchen. Nicole waited a bit before carefully changing into the cloths. Despite what Jay said about the shirt it still smelt like Elisha. Jay watched from around the corner. he couldn't help it. A girl naked in his house and him not looking was like some sort of crime. And he never thought a woman would look so good in men's clothing. He would have stayed longer but hunger won out and she was getting under the blankets.
Despite being exhausted and laying on possibly the softest sleeping surface of her life, it was hard for Nicole to sleep. She was worried about Elisha, that what she was able to do was too little too late. She was also worried about Jay. She wasn't sure if he might try something now that he'd seen her naked. She didn't think he was some uncontrollable animal who would attack her... but he was a young man and she'd been warned over and over and over her whole life that you never let a man see you naked unless you were married to him or bad things would happen. What happened to Elisha to get him to torn up? He had certainly been in a fight. No animal caused those kind of wounds in those patterns. Not even a Sarmos. It was certainly a knife or sword. Maybe a pitchfork too.. And he wasn't just cut up, he was beaten too. The side of his face was swollen. It was hard to sleep, but it came for her in the end.
Jay made himself go to bed after eating, avoiding the room with the sofa in it. He would be too tempted to look at Nicole and he didn't need that kind of distraction. Also the fight that would cause if she saw him and told Elisha, or, well, anyone at all. Elisha would try and beat him up, that was for sure. Anyone else he could tell she lied, but that wasn't a very nice thing to do to a friend. Jay changed his cloths and laid down, staring at the ceiling for a while. He had to do something about those swamp people... he was sure it was them that attacked Elisha. If Elisha was only hunting for dinner he wouldn't have been in their area. So either he was where he shouldn't have been or the Mitchells were on his and Elisha's side of the river. He didn't like the thought of them coming over to their side and starting shit again. Hadn't they learned their lesson last time? Apparently not. They hadn't given up, they'd only taken a break. How was he going to deal with that? Should he tell Mika to stay away awhile because coming to his place wasn't safe? Probably. At least he wouldn't have to put up with her friends for a while that way. It sucked that she always had to have at least two people with her while he was around. Maybe if he could spend some time alone with her he could get a kiss or two. Maybe have a real talk with her for once. He'd bring up the danger the Mitchells presented at dinner tomorrow. They'd already been a trouble to the town for a while, even before he and Elisha showed up. Maybe they could get several of the men together and drive them out. Though with them around Elisha didn't look so bad. He was just obnoxious and sarcastic, he never hurt anyone that didn't deserve it. It burned his bottom knowing that, although Elisha was hard to get along with at times, if he'd been a dog like Jay he wouldn't have any problems with the townspeople. He heard them describe him as not knowing his place. But really, what was his place? Why should he be submissive and bow down? Jay was raised in the same wagon as Elisha, taught the same things, and was left the same way, with the same money. No wonder he was always so pissed off. Jay knew all of this but he didn't sit and think that hard on it very often. Mainly because it was easier not to. It didn't make much sense to him, but it was easy to smile and ignore it to get what he wanted. he wanted the town to like him and sticking up for Elisha would make that harder... but not doing it made him.. what did it make him? A traitor? Probably.
Elsewhere… Goodness it was a tiring night, as soon as she got into the bedroom she went to the cushioned bench to take off her little shoes. Soon as she peeled off one of her shoes she gave her foot a rub. Ahhh….that felt so much better. Her shoes were adorable but they didn’t hold up very well to a whole lot of walking, especially around the garden. Hearing one of her friends walk in she looked up smiling, “Your feet hurting as much as mine?” “Shhh!” Mika tried to shush her friend while giggling. They’d snuck out to have a moonlight walk and the last thing she wanted was her father coming in and ruining it. “No, I took my shoes off.” She gasped at her own words and giggled. It wasn’t proper to walk outside without your shoes. Savannah gave a giggle as well, "You're so daring, hopefully you didn't leave any footprints on the stairs." “Father will think its the serving girl.” She winked. Bess dragged herself in last and sat down next to Savannah to take her own shoes off. Her shoes weren’t as pretty as Savannah’s, but they weren’t any more comfortable for it either. "Can we light a candle? Its so dark in here with the curtains drawn." “I agree, won’t do for us to be falling over everything.” Peeling off her other shoe and giving a soft noise of relief, she went over to Mika’s dresser to where the matches and candles were. “Go ahead, just keep it down.” “I bet she hopes her sweetheart will see the light in the window and come say hello.” Bess poked at Mika. “He’s better things to do than wait outside my window all night for a light.” But she sighed, wishing it would happen. “You’re so lucky.” She told her friend, probably for the tenth time now, as she lit the candle, placing it where they could get light, but it wouldn’t give away that they were still awake and not in their bed clothes. “You have the only man that is as romantic as he.” Mika smiled, it was so true. but she didn’t want her friend to feel bad. “What about Caleb? he brought you flowers that one time.” “Well yes….but I wish he’d be a little more daring, you know.” She gave a wistful sigh, “Though I guess anymore daring and father wouldn’t allow him on our front lawn.” Mika titterd at that behind her hand, picturing her father tossing Caleb out by his ear onto the street. He was a good head taller than her father so it was all the more amusing to think about. She smiled at her friend’s response to it, “I doubt that your beau would be able to handle such a public display though.” “I haven’t seen him in near a week. Oh say you’ll come with me tomorrow to pay him a visit.” She clasped her both her friends hands up in hers. “Please?” “Of course, anything to help you out Mika.” She nodded to her friend. “If it doesn’t rain.” Bess wasn’t fully over her last cold and didn’t want to make it worse by running in the rain again, bad enough she was playing outside at night. But it was so nice out! “What would I do without the two of you?”
Jay woke up a bit later than usual. He felt exhausted and sore, but that was no reason not to get started with his day. He stumbled down the stairs and into the livingroom on his way to the kitchen. He didn’t get far before something hit him in the face, knocking him off balance. He flailed a bit and was just getting his bearings when more things started hitting him. “Ooww ooww! Hey stop it! Stop!” He covered his head and cringed back out of the room. “Seven times seven what the moons was that all about!?” “You put some trouser on before coming back in here Jay or so help me Krioce…” After the way he looked at her last night she wasn’t taking any chances. She didn’t want him thinking just because he was in a higher station and a dog he could do as he pleased. She trust him, mostly, he was a friend, but she knew men to do stupid things, especially when young. And her father always told her that if a young man was to see a young woman naked he’d lose control of himself. She wasn’t sure she trusted that, but she wasn’t sure she didn’t either. She was fully clothed now, but she didn’t know if that was a lasting madness or not. “Nicole?” Oh! Oh riiiight! Last nights troubles came flooding back to him. “Trousers?” he looked down and realised he had wiggled out of his bed clothes again last night. No wonder she was throwing things at him, just waltzing in butt ass naked. With just him and ‘Lisha it was fine. He wasn’t used to this whole having a girl around business. “I’m so sorry, I completely forgot you were here.” “Just fix it before coming back in here or else I’ll scream.” “Last night you made it sound like no big deal seeing ‘Lisha.” He half teased. he wondered if she had gotten dressed yet or not.. he didn’t manage to catch a glimpse before escaping. If he’d remembered she was there he would have at least tried. “He was helpless, not waltzing by with no shame. I’m going to check on him and then I’m leaving.” “It was an accident! An honest mistake. Just calm down and stay a while, I’m going to get dressed right now.” He headed up the stairs feeling slightly grumpy that she wasn’t even interested in a peek. Sighing to himself he pulled his clothes on and shook Ozzy out of his hammock. “Come on Ozz, put on the cute so our healer don’t run off.” His pet opened one large yellow eye and looked at him for a moment before rolling over and going back to sleep. “Come on Ozz.” Jay lifted the fuzzy critter up by the scruff and stuck him on his shoulder before heading back down. He cracked open the living room door and peeked in to make sure he wasn’t going to get pummeled again. Seeing she wasn’t in there he went ahead and opened the door all the way, securing it with the door latch to keep it that way. At night they closed all the doors to keep it warm, but in the summer on days like this it was nice to have them all open to let air through. He went around opening up all the doors just to give himself something to do, afraid that if he went to check on Elisha he’d find him dead. Finally he couldn’t put it off anymore and went in to see for himself. Nicole hadn’t screamed so he was probably alive... “How’s he doing?” Nicole shrugged. “I can’t rightly say. I don’t know much beyond the basics with healing. What tore him up like that Jay? Didn’t look like an animal attack to me.. He looks like someone beat him.. here.” She pointed to the puffy part of his face. “And the wounds here reminded me of a pitchfork.” She pointed to a spot that was wrapped up. “And I think he may have been burned too, some of his fur was crispy last night.” “Like I said I dunno what happened, i’ll have to ask him when he comes to. But I’m guessing it was the swamp people.” She shuttered a that, lowering her voice to nearly a whisper. “I thought they were run off..” “Laying low is probably closer to it.” Oh that was right, the big one had attacked Nicole a while back. No wonder she didn’t mind helping Elisha and put up with him so well. He’d saved her from that giant. The damn raccoons were so brazen as to come right over the wall into her family’s orchard. She likely didn’t have good memories of that. “They’re rotten as the swamp they live in, and their leader has it out for ‘Lisha.” He didn’t add that saving her had made it worse. He’d nearly killed the big one in that fight and wounded the leader’s leg pretty badly. Course he hadn’t fared much better and ended up getting chased off by Nicole’s father, but the raccoons didn’t care about how he fared, only how he’d hurt them. She gave a nod but didn’t comment. She didn’t really want to talk about them. “You keep him clean. if he gets the rot thats it for him.” She focused on Elisha, reaching out to brush his hair from his face. “Knowing him as soon as he wakes he’s going to try causing trouble, but don’t you let him out of this bed for a while. And if his stitches pop you come get me. But in the day this time.” “Wish you could just stay here for a few days..” Jay muttered. That would make everything much easier. “You want a girl like me to stay alone in a house with two men, unchaperoned, for a week? And with one being a peeper?” She gave him a look. She was worried about Elisha but she wasn’t going to stay here and taint her good name any more than she already had. Hopefully no one would know where she’d gone or when she’d gotten there. What a story they would come up with, she flushed at the thought. “If I could leave him at the healers or your house I would. But you know well as I do no one would take him in.” Jay ran his hand through his hair. “I’m not trying anything I just worry about him. I can’t stay and look after him all day I have to get food and work the garden, trade in town.” “Charm the Mayor out of his daughter.” She added. “Shhh you’re not supposed to know about that.” “Who doesn’t?”
Mika hopped out of the cart and worked on straightening herself up and dusting herself off, wanting to be her best when she surprised Jay with her presence. ‘How do I look?” She gave her parasol a twirl and tried to look cute. “He’ll just swoon at the sight of you.” Her friend gushed after she heaved herself out as well, having some trouble with her skirt getting in the way. Bess got out last and frowned at the trampled flower garden. Her whole real reason for coming along was to look at the pretty gardens here. “I hope we don’t run into his servant..” Mika pouted, as if just thinking about it. She didn’t like him at all, he always had something rude to say. “If so don’t pay him no mind, I’m sure your bou will tell him to go somewhere else if you ask him to.” She fanned herself as she tutted. “He’s so snarky and back talky.. it just isn’t right. It isn’t natural.” Savannah nodded in agreement, “If there is only one flaw your bou has is that he’s too kindhearted towards him, he should be teaching him to be more respectful to his betters.” If the man had been a servant of another he would’ve been punished many times before this.
“Haha very funn- someone's outside.” Hay’s ears perked up. He could hear something out there.. Was it the Mitchells? Was it Nicole’s father come to get her? “Hrm? You can hear someone?” She couldn’t hear anything. “Shh.” He nodded and waited a moment. “I’m going to check it out, you stay here with ‘Lisha… just in case its a wild animal.” Jay wasn’t too worried, usually Ozzy would go nuts if a stranger was around. He made his way through the house to main entrance and opened the door. When he opened the door Mika and her friends were still chit chatting, but when they heard it open they all stopped, Savannah hid behind her friend, no need to be blocking her from her lover’s sight it was why they were here anyway. "M-mika?" What was she doing here? "What a surprise!" Jay smiled happily, hoping it was a surprise visit from an eager girlfriend and not an angry misunderstanding accusing girlfriend. How should he handle this right now? "Are you happy to see me?" She asked, giggly at how surprised he looked. "Oh yeah, you caught me off guard, lucky i didn't come out in just my pants to chop wood." Mika blushed and giggled some more, almost wishing he had. "How scandalous, to say such things to a lady." “Not as scandalous as showing up at a man’s house unannounced and barely chaperoned.” He grinned. She gasped at that, he was fisty today. “How would you ladies enjoy a picnic in the garden this morning? I’ve got some fresh berries chilling in the well.” “Its almost as if you knew we were coming.” What he couldn’t chill berries for himself? “I wasn’t expecting to see you until tonight, its a welcome surprise.” Actually it was the worst timing ever.. But he’d manage. “If you ladies would like to meet me in the back I’ll go fetch a blanket and some bread and honey.”
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