Scout & Bowen Meet as Children [Gypsy]

[Head Moderator]

Tesarik One: The Hollander Brothel was a fine establishment that was hidden

behind the exterior of a manor home, and as such it only had 'calling hours'

at certain times and days of the week. Scout had learned from a young age

that it was best

Tesarik One: if she spent as many of those hours outside of the house which

proved fairly easy since the house was located on a fine piece of land, and

Ms Hollander had given her plenty of tutors in everything from languages,

swordplay, archery,

Tesarik One: hunting, and various other outdoor activities that she always

had something to do. She was out back at the moment, in a small clearing.

Anyone coming around the back of the house would not see her right off, but

they certainly could

Tesarik One: hear her. Even as a child she enjoyed being very loud when she

was playing, and fighting. She'd learned to use flourishes young! "Ahhhh-ha!

I've got you now!" There was the sound of bushes being moved about, and then

the whack of

Tesarik One: wood upon wood. Crack, crack! "Don't you worry, Lord Strongoak!

This kitty got moves!" Another whacking sound, and thudding of boots on the

trampled ground. "Got ya now, fiend!" What was making all that racket? A

young teen girl,

Tesarik One: dressed in baggy trousers, a longsleeved white shirt with a

wide belt around her small waist, and her long dark hair braided down her

back. She had a very large wooden sword in her hand, damn thing was almost as

big as her, and she

Tesarik One: was wielding it with apparent ease as she fought the nearby

fiends...... bushes and trees, and overhanging limbs.

psionic wanderer: Marco had also learned the calling hours of the brothel,

due to his father's proclivities! He observed enough to know what times his

dad was regularly 'engaged', but this was the first time it'd happened when

they were out having a

psionic wanderer: walk! He'd just sorta been left outside to his own

devices. He could simply walk home, of course, but he'd rather not have to

answer any awkward questions about what happened to his father, not to

mention he felt the need to make

psionic wanderer: sure his dad got home in one piece. Not that he could do

much about it other than get assaulted too, if it came to that. He sighed

after standing out front for a moment, then decided to wander a bit.

Specifically, he wandered around

psionic wanderer: back! It wasn't long at all before he heard that racket

coming from back there, so he got more curious, but a bit cautious. He looked

like money! All fancily dressed in reds and yellows, blonde hair a bit long

and pulled back in a

psionic wanderer: small pony tail. He was perhaps a few years older than the

girl he found, but she certainly looked like she'd be better in a fight. He

wasn't quite sure how to approach the situation, so for now, he watched, jaw

dropped a little.

psionic wanderer: Girls, in his experience, did not engage in such

unladylike behavior!

Tesarik One: She made a final strike against the foul fiend bush, and then

raised her sword in triumph, spinning around after that to march over to the

big oak. "My dear Lord Strongoak, I've vanquished the foes. What is that?"

She tilted her

Tesarik One: head, then gave a loud sigh and then wrapped her arms around

the tree trunk. "Why of COURSE i'll marry you! I'll protect you till the day

I die, my love! Mmmmmmmmsmacksmackmmmmm." She was smooching the trunk of the

tree, all weird,

Tesarik One: moving her head side to side as she smacked. She had no idea

she had been found out, all the while making out with that damn oak tree! One

hand on the bark, the other held her big old sword in her hand still even if

it was stuck

Tesarik One: partway into the ground it was just so big.

psionic wanderer: It really was just a bizarre situation he'd found himself

in now, wasn't it? He stared a bit longer when she started kissing the tree.

What the hell was she, some sort of crazy druid? He'd never seen a druid

practicing with a huge

psionic wanderer: sword before, so he figured that wasn't the case. Maybe

she was just crazy. The fact that she kept going was what finally got him to

break his silence, however. "What the devil is going on here?" Said more to

himself than her, but

psionic wanderer: she'd almost certainly hear it just the same!

Tesarik One: As soon as he spoke, she pulled away with wide hazel eyes and

stared over at him with mouth agape. Slowly, she brought her wooden blade up

and pointed it at him, a glimmer of chaotic wildness in her eyes for a

moment. She began to

Tesarik One: move towards him, tilting her head as she looked him over from

head to toe. He was older than her, from a wealthy family it seemed, and way

out of his comfort zone. "What do we have here? Have you come to learn the

wiles and ways of

Tesarik One: a woman? You walked too far, the door's there." She pointed

with her sword to the big manor house. She stopped right in front of him,

staring him right in the eyes as her sword dropped to her side again. She

leaned in, free hand

Tesarik One: brushing his cute little ponytail to one side as she whispered

into his ear, "Come to Hollander House to become a man today? I suppose that

means we can't be friends, since I'm but a girl, and you're soon to be a

man."

psionic wanderer: He blinked when she brought the blade up and pointed it at

him, and immediately raised his hands around shoulder-level, palms towards

her, eyes widened and a bit terrified as he took a step back. "N-no, I..my

father..." He cringed

psionic wanderer: when she moved in closer and froze, squeezing his eyes

shut when she leaned in. And then she just played with his hair and

whispered! He opened one eye hesitantly, then the other and shook his head.

"No, that's not...I was just..."

psionic wanderer: Terrified is what he was! Poor guy. He ain't never had any

conflict in his life, it seemed.

Tesarik One: "What a fruit you are, can't even finish a sentence. Never been

around a girl before? You were just what? Your father what? That's not what?"

She stepped back, grinning, and poked him in the tummy with the tip of her

weapon. Not

Tesarik One: hard of course. "Definitely need to be made a man. You should

go ask for Miss Clara, she'd make a man of you." She poked him again, this

time in the hip, and snickered. "You sure are pretty, if we walked down the

street bet they'd

Tesarik One: think you were the girl and I was the boy. Hey, you wanna see

something really neat?"

psionic wanderer: "Frightened." He took a deep breath and then finally

regained some of his composure. He still looked nervous as hell, but he

wasn't trembling at least! "My father's in there, I stayed outside. When I

heard noise, I came to

psionic wanderer: investigate, and I just...never had anyone waving such a

large stick at me before." He swallowed, then winced at the poke. Both pokes,

for that matter. He stared for a moment, not realizing she'd asked him

something for a bit. "Um..

psionic wanderer: okay."

Tesarik One: "Ahh. You do know what your father's doing in there don't you?"

She smirked, and pointed at the house. "You know he's not just having a

'business meeting', right? He's in there getting the fuck of his life. You

aren't so fancy you

Tesarik One: don't know what fuck means are you? Ms Hollander doesn't like

when I say it, but I hear it all the time, so I don't know why I can't just

say it." She shrugged, and then turned and headed further into the copse of

trees. "Ok, follow

Tesarik One: me!" She took off running, that lycan blood making her run very

swiftly, but he'd be able to follow.

psionic wanderer: "..yes, I know what he's doing in there." He scowled a

little. "And Ms. Hollander is right, ladies shouldn't talk like that." Of

course as far as he was concerned, nobody should. He frowned a bit more. He

didn't like what his father

psionic wanderer: came here for, and at times was tempted to tell his mother

about it, but for all he knew she probably knew anyway and didn't do anything

about it. And then she took off running! He glanced back the way he'd came,

as if to make sure

psionic wanderer: his dad wasn't there watching him, then took off after

her.

Tesarik One: "Oooooh, pretty face, and pretty mouth too huh? Don't say

naughty words do you?" She got in before she took off running. She stopped

when they were deep enough in the woods where the house could barely be seen

through the trees. She

Tesarik One: turned, not even out of breath, and grinned. "You ever climbed

a tree before?"

psionic wanderer: "Of course not, it's not proper." He huffed a bit, but

then he was jogging after her! Had to stop talking so he wouldn't have to

stop and catch his breath. And once they got to where she stopped, he was

breathing a bit heavily. He

psionic wanderer: wasn't in the best physical condition, even if he looked

nice! He looked at the tree warily, then nodded. "O-of course! Who hasn't?"

Tesarik One: "Good! Fancy boy, follow me." She walked to the other side of

the huge oak, where boards had been haphazardly nailed into the trunk. A

ladder of sorts, and she reached up and pulled herself up, and climbed into

the canopy of leaves

Tesarik One: then there was a thump. There was, rather high up, a treehouse

of sorts. She'd built the thing herself so it wasn't fancy in the slightest

but it had a floor, walls, and half a roof. "Come on up!"

psionic wanderer: He followed her around the tree and let out a little sigh

of relief at the sight of the boards nailed in. That he could actually

manage, as he wasn't entirely feeble. Climbing the tree without any sort of

assistance would have been

psionic wanderer: another story though! He started climbing after she did,

already off the ground when she told him to come on up! His clothes would no

doubt get all dirty in the process, but oh well. He had plenty of ammunition

if his dad tried to

psionic wanderer: say anything about it! Soon enough, he made it up to that

treehouse, and immediately flopped down on the floor to recover from the

exertion.

Tesarik One: She was sitting cross legged when he got up there, and tossed

him a waterskin when he sat down. She leaned against the wall, her sword

pushed aside for now. Stray strands of hair that had come loose from her

braid while running were

Tesarik One: pushed out of her face as she stared over at him. "So, what's

your name, unless you want me to just keep calling you fancy boy. I'm Scout."

psionic wanderer: He caught the waterskin, showing that at least his

reflexes weren't awful, and took a good long drink from it, sitting up

against one of the walls. He handed it back to her after his drink. "Thank

you...my name is Marco..and I would

psionic wanderer: prefer that to fancy boy, yes. It's a pleasure to meet

you, Scout."

Tesarik One: "It's a pleasure to meet you?" She snorted a little, then just

smiled over at him. She really hadn't been around boys near her age much!

"Marco huh? You live here in town or you traveling through?" She needed to

know if she was

Tesarik One: potential friend material! If he was just passing through, like

so many, it wasn't even worth it.

psionic wanderer: He smiled back, though looked a bit wounded by her snort!

He nodded when she confirmed his name, then puffed up a bit when she asked if

he lived here. "My family is one of the most wealthy in town, I've lived here

all my life. My

psionic wanderer: father frequents the brothel here, though this is the

first time he's done so while anyone else was with him. I wasn't sure what to

do, so I was just doing a bit of walking around the building."

Tesarik One: "Oooh well aren't you a little wibbly snibb snob..." She

smirked, and then mocked him, "My family is one of the most wealthy in town."

Rolling her eyes, she crawled over and plucked the waterskin from his hands

and had a drink

Tesarik One: herself, as she sat beside him now. She leaned over, nudging

against his arm, as she spoke, "Money isn't everything you know. I got fancy

clothes too, and pretty jewels, and leather shined boots, and I eat off

plates so delicate if

Tesarik One: you sneeze on them they'll break.... but that isn't what you

are, that's just extra." Just then, there was the sound of something

animal-like outside the treehouse. She nudged him gently, grinning, "Ooooh,

momma's back." She moved

Tesarik One: forward, crawling on all fours with a very felinesque feel to

it, over to a little flap of old material over a window. She looked back at

him and put a finger to her lips. "Shh." then crooked her finger for him to

come with her.

Tesarik One: slowly and quietly she moved the material, and there outside

the window was a nest of bluebirds, the mother feeding the babies a worm.

psionic wanderer: "Well it's the truth. Should I have lied about it?" He

narrowed his eyes a little, and thought about what she said. He was lost in

his thoughts when he heard that animal noise and jumped a bit, and then she

was nudging and grinning

psionic wanderer: and he almost felt the need to panic again! He watched her

crawl over to that flap, then calmed himself down to be more quiet and moved

over next to her to peek out the window. And then he smiled when he saw what

it was! Nothing to

psionic wanderer: be scared of at all.

Tesarik One: She smiled as she watched the little birds, and the momma

feeding them, as she held the flap away just enough they could both peek out.

Then she dropped the flap and rolled to her rear again in a sit. "No, you

shouldn't have lied

Tesarik One: about it, but I'm sure there's far more interesting things

about you I'd like to know. I don't give a rat's ass how wealthy you are,

sorry. But, say, if you once snuck into your daddy's liquor cabinet, stole a

bottle of whiskey and

Tesarik One: drank it all, now that would be interesting! Or, if you know

how to speak say....elvish or draconic.... of if you knew how to disarm

someone with a sword with your bare hands. Now that's interesting!"

psionic wanderer: "Hmm." He thought about that some more too, sitting

against the wall again and trying to come up with something interesting about

himself. "I can...speak Bryonish. And I can tell you just about every member

of every noble family in

psionic wanderer: the area, but I never snuck any whiskey or anything like

that. I wouldn't even know how to disarm someone with a sword if I had a

sword myself." He frowned. "I suppose you won't find me very interesting.

You've even done more

psionic wanderer: kissing than I have, and that's just since I saw you."

Tesarik One: "I can speak Bryonish too," she said in Bryonish with a grin.

"I'm learning Draconic too." She shrugged when he said he was not

interesting, and then laughed though her cheeks blushed as he spoke of her

kissing the tree. "Ummm. How

Tesarik One: about you forget you saw me smooching with an oak tree? And, I

bet you are very interesting, we just need to pull the interesting out of

you. Maybe I'll teach you how to use a sword! If... well if you wanna be

friends?" She bit her

Tesarik One: bottom lip and stared over at him with a little flutter of

dark, thick lashes. Then she grinned oh so wickedly, and nudged him, "Ms

Hollander and the ladies have a big master plan to marry me off to some fancy

noble, they wanna make

Tesarik One: me fit in, so maybe you can help me be more....lady like... and

I'll help you be more... i dunno, fun!"

psionic wanderer: He smiled when she spoke in Bryonish! He liked it a bit

better than Common, himself, but even here not everyone spoke it. He couldn't

help but snicker a bit at her blushing. "I don't know that I can ever forget

that, I've never seen

psionic wanderer: such a lucky tree." He almost paled a bit when she

mentioned teaching him to use a sword. "I don't know about learning

swordplay, but I would like ot be your friend." He really didn't have enough

friends, himself! Part of the

psionic wanderer: downside of being so sheltered, but...only son of a noble

family tended to cause that! He got a bit nervous when she grinned, then

blinked, staring at her a moment. "They want to marry you off to a noble, hm?

I suppose I could try

psionic wanderer: and help, but you don't seem the type that would enjoy

that plan much."

Tesarik One: "That's why they've made me take all sorts of lessons on

etiquette, and fucking dancing...oh sorry." She pressed her hand ot her lips,

though she was grinning. "And languages and stuff." She shrugged, then stared

at him for a moment

Tesarik One: because of something he said, lucky tree. But, when he said

he'd be her friend, she about nearly glowed as she smiled, and even reached

over to give him a big old hug. "Well, maybe you'll rub off on me. I've still

got a few good

Tesarik One: years left... apparently in a couple years I won't be allowed

to run free like a vagabond as they call it, I'll have to be a lady or no one

will want me." She shrugged. "Do you play any instruments? I can play the

harpsichord."

psionic wanderer: He stiffened up when she gave him that hug, but he

returned it after a while, even forgetting he was about to scold her about

her language! When she released him he smiled to her and nodded. "Maybe so.

And it's probably best that

psionic wanderer: you stop running free, they seem to be intelligent people.

If you don't make yourself presentable enough that someone would want to

marry you, you'll just wind up middle aged and a spinster! With no children,

even." He shuddered at

psionic wanderer: that very thought.

Tesarik One: "I want to be a swordmaster when I grow up, not some stuffy

nobleman's wife." She paused, "No offense." She bit her lip though at the

mean words he said, though she didn't think he was trying to be mean, it

still stung her to the

Tesarik One: core! She just stayed quiet then, and leaned back against the

wall of the treehouse, fiddling with a piece of wood that looked half

whittled, taking the shape of a bird on a tree branch. She stared down at it,

thinking about what he

Tesarik One: was saying, the ladies hadn't been that blunt with her....that

she'd be alone her whole life if she didn't make herself presentable. She

slid her eyes upwards, peering at him through her lashes, and still remained

quiet.

psionic wanderer: "A lady swordmaster, hm? I don't know that I've ever heard

of such a thing. The stories I've read are all about men." Poor poor Marco.

He furrowed his brow a little, thinking on that, then looked over to her

after a moment and

psionic wanderer: frowned. He could tell that he'd hurt her feelings! He

reached out and gave her a little pat on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't

mean to be so blunt about it all. I guess I'm not very..good at talking to

people. Girls, especially,

psionic wanderer: you're really the first I've talked to this much. I don't

mean to be hurtful, but you should look towards the future." Nod.

Tesarik One: "I just wish someone could like me just like I am, without

having to be something different." Her voice was soft, and she eyed him when

he patted her shoulder. "Look towards the future huh? You're just a stuck up

fancy boy, you

Tesarik One: think just because you have money, you can make everyone around

you into something they aren't. Yes Lord Marco, no Lord Marco, of course my

lord I'll do exactly what you want." she said in as prissy a voice as she

could muster, then

Tesarik One: she moved for the opening in the floor and began crawling down

the ladder.

psionic wanderer: He furrowed his brow again, and well..he wasn't going to

stay in her little treehouse without her! He sighed, and followed after her,

climbing down carefully, and when he hit the ground, assuming she didn't run

off, well..he'd talk!

psionic wanderer: After a second to catch his breath, anyway. "You're right,

I am just a stuck up fancy boy, but I don't try and make people into things.

I just know that from what I've seen about high society, which I'll wager is

a lot more than you

psionic wanderer: have, they're not wrong. And I promise you that I'll like

you no matter what, however you turn out, because that's what friends do,

right? And we are friends now, aren't we?"

Tesarik One: She slid down the tree trunk and sat at the base of the tree,

grabbing a long piece of grass to chew on. She glanced up at him when he came

down after her, and listened to him, then gave a smile when he finished.

"Promise? I promise

Tesarik One: the same. I'll like you even if you are a little spoiled rich

fancy boy." She grinned, then shrugged. "Problem is, the ladies have an idea

of what they think will make me a good life, and I don't feel the same. But

they're good to

Tesarik One: me, and they take care of me and love me, so I let them make

their plans... if I talk about my swordmaster idea they tsk at me and tell me

I'll be much happier draped in jewels, living in a fine big house, with a

handsome lord. I

Tesarik One: just don't believe them. But, that's that." She pushed up

again, and glanced around. "Whatcha wanna do?"

psionic wanderer: He sat down next to her while they talked, and nodded. He

did indeed promise! And he stayed quiet when she spoke. It seemed baffling to

him that someone wouldn't be happy being rich and comfortable, and it showed

in his face, but he

psionic wanderer: nodded again after she finished, standing up as well.

"Well whatever happens, I do hope you wind up happy. And..I dunno. What do

people usually do around here? I'd probably just be reading if I were at

home. And how long is my

psionic wanderer: father going to be, anyway?" He mostly mumbled that last

bit to himself, since he was a bit surprised there hadn't been a search party

sent out yet already!

Tesarik One: "I'll be happy. Because you make your happiness. And I'll make

mine. Even if I end up sleeping under the stars every night, wearing rags."

She reached out and took his hand in her own and began heading back to the

house. "I dunno,

Tesarik One: depends really. But, we can go back to the house, the cook'll

give us some cold lemonade and might even have some snacks. That way you'll

be there when your father is uh... done." She squeezed his hand and kept on

walking, unless he

Tesarik One: stopped her, until they reached the back of the manor.

psionic wanderer: He tilted his head and thought on that some. He had faith

now that she'd be happy, at least! He smiled, then nodded when she said going

back to the house. "Mm, lemonade sounds good." He walked right along with

her, hand in hand, and

psionic wanderer: smiled a little at the squeeze, giving one right back. He

wouldn't stop, because lemonade and snacks sounded like a delight. It'd also

be...interesting, since he'd never been in the building before! Hopefully he

didn't do something

psionic wanderer: to embarrass himself.

Tesarik One: She let his hand go, and opened up the back door into the

kitchen. There were a few servants bustling about, and the cook was busy

making dinner. "Hi, me and my friend would like a snack." The cook smiled

over at Scout, eyed Marco,

Tesarik One: and brought a plate of frosted cookies over to them, and poured

two glasses of icy lemonade for them. Scout pulled two stools up to the table

and sat on one, grabbing one of the cookies and taking a bite. She spoke with

her mouth

Tesarik One: half full, "Oh, we wanna know if Marco's dad is done with...

er... done, yeah." She turned to him and smiled. "What's your dad's name,

Marco?"

psionic wanderer: He looked to the servants and the cook with slightly

widened eyes, but kitchens are another place he hadn't spent much time! He

offered a polite bow of his head when he was eyed, then moved over to that

table and sat down. "Thank

psionic wanderer: you." Said before he had a sip of lemonade and eyed a

cookie. He winced a little when Scout talked with her mouth all full. "Lord

Cavendish. And if you want lessons, as we discussed, a good first step would

be not to talk with food

psionic wanderer: in your mouth." Nod. And then he had a bite of cookie!

Tesarik One: "Pretty ain't he?" She boasted a little bit as she reached over

and playfully tugged on his hair. When one of the servants heard the name,

she ducked out to find out what Lord Cavendish was doing. She turned and

stared at him when

Tesarik One: he told her not to talk with food in her mouth, then very

slowly and deliberately chewed the piece of cookie in her mouth nice and

well, then grinned and talked, "Marco Cavendish, ain't that a fancy name if I

ever heard one. I like

Tesarik One: it though." She sipped her lemonade. "I was going to go out in

the sailboat tomorrow, Marco, will you come over?"

psionic wanderer: Well he did blush a bit at that. It was one thing for her

to call him pretty but when she told other people he was that felt odd! He

stared right back, then smiled when she went back to chewing and nodded.

"Very good." He took

psionic wanderer: another bite of his cookie, and then blinked, speaking.

After he swallowed his cookie bit, of course! "Um. I don't know if I can, I

can't really..go out on my own. Father would get angry and mother would

worry. I'll see what I can

psionic wanderer: do though."

Tesarik One: She frowned. "How often does your dad come here?" She chewed on

another piece of cookie, feeling sad thinking he might not get to come see

her much. Then she bounced in her seat a little. "I got an idea! How about,

after they go to

Tesarik One: bed, you sneak out and we'll have a midnight sail! Or, we could

spend the night in the treehouse. Cook'll pack us all sorts of food and drink

and we can talk all night long and eat and spend the night out in the woods."



psionic wanderer: He frowned a little as well, at that question. He really

didn't like how often his dad came here, but on the other hand, it'd give him

more chances to see her! Perhaps there was a bright side. "Usually about once

a week, unless he's

psionic wanderer: going off to other places I'm not aware of." He blinked

then when she bounced and had another sip of his lemonade. "Hm. I could try,

but I'm not very sneaky, and we have servants and guards. I'd probably get

caught." He thought

psionic wanderer: about it a bit longer, then nodded. "I'll try though."

Tesarik One: She reached over and clasped one of his hands with both of

hers, holding it nice and tight, and smiled so very sweetly at him. the

ladies had been teaching her some feminine wiles too, she just didn't choose

to use them all that

Tesarik One: often, plus she wasn't all that good at it - yet. She did stare

into his eyes, blinking her lashes, smiling and clasping his hand to her

chest though. "It would really mean a lot to me. I'll meet you at the kissin'

tree. Hour after

Tesarik One: night falls, ok?" She brushed his hand gently with her thumb,

and then dropped his hand and spun around, going for her lemonade again. "If

you can't.... you can't. I'll see you next time your dad comes."

psionic wanderer: Well that got his heart rate up! She might not be very

good with her feminine wiles, but she was certainly good enough to use them

on him! He blushed a bit once againw hen she clasped his hand to her chest,

and he nodded after a

psionic wanderer: moment. "Alright. I'll do everything I can to be there."

But would he make it? Who knows!

Tesarik One: She caught that blush, oh she liked that a lot. She winked at

him and gave him a little side nudge. "It'll be worth the effort, it'll be

fun! Can you swim?" She finished her lemonade and the last bite of her

cookie, and sucked on

Tesarik One: the ends of her fingers that had gotten frosting on them with

that last bite as she glanced over at him.

psionic wanderer: He finished off his cookie before she asked if he could

swim, then nodded a little. "I won't win any races, but yes I do know how to

swim. One of the few things I can do well enough, I suppose. Physical things,

I mean." He stared a

psionic wanderer: moment when she sucked on her frosted fingers, and then

finished off his own lemonade, only squirming a little!

Tesarik One: About that time, Ms Hollander, the older lady that ran the

brothel, came into the kitchen. She paused as she saw Scout and Marco, then

smiled. "Young Lord Cavendish, your father is waiting for you in the parlor.

Scout, your music

Tesarik One: tutor will be here shortly, go get yourself cleaned up. And,

wear a dress." She stepped out, waiting to show Marco where the parlor was,

and Scout grinned and leaned over, giving a little peck of a kiss to his

cheek before running

Tesarik One: off and upstairs. She stopped at the stairs, when he was being

shown to the room, and mouthed towards him, "Don't forget!"

psionic wanderer: He frowned a little. His father did not like being kept

waiting, so he stood up quickly and brushed off some of the tree debris that

was still hanging on his clothing, and then stepped out quickly. He turned

red once again at the

psionic wanderer: peck on the cheek, then hurried over to his father, who

didn't even wait until they got out the door before tearing into his son

about where he was and what he was doing and who was that girl and etc, etc.

Tesarik One: --------------------------------------

Tesarik One: ---------------------------------------

Tesarik One: So! A month or so had passed, it was the beginning of summer.

Scout had talked Marco into sneaking out at least once a week, sometimes

more! Plus, they always were together when he came with his dad, doing all

sorts of things.

Tesarik One: They'd sailed on the lake, played various games up in the tree

house, did a bit of swimming, maybe even some exploring of some abandoned

houses in the woods around the manor. She'd tried to talk him into letting

her teach him some

Tesarik One: sword stuff, but it didn't seem he was interested! If he rode

horses, they'd have done horse riding as well! The cook and servants, and

even Ms Hollander had gotten to know him and treated him very kindly. He'd

probably heard some

Tesarik One: naughty stuff here and there too, because while the house was

large, sometimes the ladies - or the men - were noisy as they went by closed

doors! So, today, Scout knew was a day that Lord Cavendish usually came to

the house so she

Tesarik One: was out by the kissing tree, so she'd called it, waiting for

him to show up!

psionic wanderer: Interestingly enough, he actually got a bit better at

sneaking through the practice he had! He'd also learned a thing or two about

misdirection. Not things that were terribly useful in his daily life, but it

did help him sneak over

psionic wanderer: to visit Scout. Today though, he didn't have to sneak. He

went out on a walk with his father, who of course went to the house after

having some words with Marco. By the time he got back to the kissing tree, he

didn't look terribly

psionic wanderer: pleased, but he did manage a faint smile when he saw his

friend, and moved on over. "Hello. What do you have planned for us today?"

Tesarik One: She bounced a little on her heels when she saw him, but stopped

immediately when she saw the look on his face. "What's wrong?" That was the

first thing to deal with. "What happened?" She moved forward, reaching out

for one of his

Tesarik One: hands to give it a squeeze as she smiled. "We're going to go

hunting. That's not something we've done yet and this is a perfect time to do

it. But first... why the unhappy face? I like it when you give me big real

smiles, you're so

Tesarik One: handsome when you do." She was trying to soothe him, though she

wasn't lying.

psionic wanderer: He gave her hand a squeeze right back, and tried to smile

but he just didn't have it in him! "My father told me that the next time I

come with him, he expects me to get myself a woman, instead of spending time

with you. He's only

psionic wanderer: letting me this time because he knows I'll just sneak off

and do it anyway, but he wants to put a stop to it." He frowned. "He said

it's either that or there will be consequences, but didn't say what they

might be."

Tesarik One: That brought a frown and a shake of her head. "Damnit!" She

didn't even bother to apologize for cussing, then she sighed. "We'll figure

something out. Let's just have fun today. He can't stop us from spending time

together, he

Tesarik One: would have to lock you up and never let you out and I doubt

he'd do that to you." She grinned, and tugged his hand, "Come on, I wanna

show you something." She moved through the trees towards the clearing and

there were two sets of

Tesarik One: longbows and quivers with arrows. She picked up one quiver and

bow and handed it to him, then picked up the other for herself, quiver going

over a shoulder. "Ok, you know how to shoot a bow right?"

psionic wanderer: He didn't even call her on the cussing either! He felt

like it as well, though she still never would've heard him so much as say a

damn! He nodded though. "Well, I don't know about that. He might." He

shrugged. "But yes, let's just

psionic wanderer: have fun today, we can deal with that later." It hadn't

occurred to him that she'd want himk to hunt instead of just hang out with

her while she did the hunting! He followed along with her though and blanched

a bit when he saw the

psionic wanderer: pair of bows. "...mother doesn't let me have weapons, even

for practice, so no. I've never even held one."

Tesarik One: She scowled, no weapons? Then she grinned and handed it to him

anyway. "Ok, quick lesson. It's easy! Just takes practice. See you get an

arrow, put it here..." she showed him, then pulled the bowstring back aiming

the arrow point

Tesarik One: towards a tree. "Pull it back to your cheek, aim, let it go.

Simple right?" She released the arrow and it thunked into the tree trunk.

"Try it. And, if you can't get it.... then I'll do the shooting and you can

just help me stalk

Tesarik One: the prey." She grinned.

psionic wanderer: He took the bow and eyed it a bit, then took an arrow out

of one of the quivers. He looked to the tree, jumping a bit at that thunk,

but he'd try it! He put the arrow on the string, then tried to mimic what she

was doing. He pulled

psionic wanderer: back, but found it a good bit harder than he thought it'd

be to draw back to his cheek, so he didn't quite get that far before he

started straining..and then he released, the arrow just sorta..hitting to the

side of the tree and

psionic wanderer: not going very far past it either. "OW!" The bowstring, of

course, had snapped against his wrist, and he dropped the bow to rub at it

and do the little 'that hurt' dance.

Tesarik One: She interjected as he prepped for his shot! "I'll give you a

smooch if you hit it!" She smiled at his attempt, and shook her head. "No

kiss." Another arrow was pulled from her quiver, and soon she was shooting

the tree again with

Tesarik One: her own arrow. "Just need practice. And, perhaps a little bit

more strength so you can pull it back further. Come on though!" She began to

run, leaping over bushes and creeks, and darting about like she truly was a

wild animal. That

Tesarik One: lycan blood in her didn't do tons of good for her, but it did

help her movement. She was very graceful as she moved. She slowed down, when

she caught sight of a rabbit, and dropped to a knee behind a tree.

psionic wanderer: Well goodness, he would've probably missed anyway just

from surprise at the offer of a smooch! He looked at the bow and wrinkled his

nose a bit, not seeing how he'd ever get strong enough to draw it. Or aim it

properly. Ha! Anyway!

psionic wanderer: He followed her, keeping the bow and arrows in case she

needed spares, rubbing a little at his wrist and wincing. He could already

feel the welt through his sleeve! He'd certainly have to hide that one from

his parents.

psionic wanderer: And he stopped when she did of course!

Tesarik One: They got the rabbit, which she'd bring to the cook. It was

probably about time to head back anyway, so with the rabbit strung over a

shoulder she headed back to the house. But suddenly she paused and turned

towards him, dropping the

Tesarik One: rabbit and reaching out to cup his cheeks with her hands. "I've

got it, Marco! The perfect plan. So, your dad says you have to have a lady

when you come.... all the ladies are my friends. They raised me. You'll take

Clara, she'll

Tesarik One: tell your dad that you're in good hands, head up the stairs

with you, and the last thing your dad sees is you going off with Clara. I'll

be waiting for you in her room, and we can uhhh make some noises and roll

around on the bed so

Tesarik One: that they think something's going on, but it'll just be us.

Clara will hide in one of the other rooms till the time's up. Your dad won't

be the wiser and then we can get back to having fun."

Tesarik One: Aww his poor wrist, she saw him rubbing it and reached for it,

bringing it to her lips for a gentle little kiss the booboo sorta kiss.

"Yes?"

psionic wanderer: If she rolled up the sleeve to kiss she would see a nasty

welt! He might not have sent that arrow very far but he still drew back far

enough that it had been almost hard enough to break the skin! Well, that's

why archers wore a

psionic wanderer: bracer, ha! He thought about her plan, then nodded and

grinned. "That sounds like a great plan, I like it!"

Tesarik One: "Yay!" And, to the house they went, with their plans all made

to fool his father the next time he came!