[IC] A Long Walk (Aisling and Bloonewb)

[Aisling]

Noreene looked at the girl and spoke quietly.
"What are you doing here? What ever the reason you came for, you might as well go home. You won't find anything here and our parents are not in any kind of a sociable mood at the moment."

[bloonewb]

"Home? I don't really have much of one. Hey, can I come in?" she asked, worrying that one of the older ones would turn their head at any second.

[Aisling]

"I guess so..... it is only Caroline and me. I don't know when Betsy and Olivia will be back. Just stand by the door. I don't want to get into any trouble like out older sisters are in. What did you want?" noreene asked.

[bloonewb]

"You did say you traveled often? I'm interested in traveling. I've never been 1 mile away from this little town, and I keep hearing from travelers how big and interesting the world is," Jacquelyn responded. She had this gut feeling that the people of the village were beginning to catch on to her little "magical pocket lightening" trick.

[Aisling]

"Yes, we do travel around a lot. Any gypsy would do that. I honestly can't tell you if you would be welcome to travel with us. You will have to as Father and he is not very happy at the moment. Caroline and I will have this wagon to ourselves after Olivia and Bessie get married." Noreene spoke.
"Honestly, why do you want to come with us when there are other caravans that are doing much better than we are. We are losing members every month. That in itself spells D-Y-I-N-G of our caravan."

Noreene studied Jacquelyn closely for something was not quite right about her.

[bloonewb]

"You'd be surprised at the number of people that come to town. You're the first in the year. Maybe even the first in 5," commented Jacquelyn as she hops into the wagon and sits down on the wooden bottom. The thick canvas used as covering would hide her temporarily. "C'mon, please? For a friend? I'm very good at hiding, I swear," she says with a wily grin.

[Aisling]

"No. Father would turn you out for sure. And when the other two come back, they would do so out of spite. Do be good and wait for Father to bring the other two back. Then we will talk about you joining the caravan. He might even adopt you or have someone else adopt you, depending on his moods. No lying, cheating or any dishonesty is allowed in the caravan or you will be sold to another caravan. It has happened four times this year. Two were families." Noreene spoke firmly.

"Noreene, I say no. Because she stole from Bessie. I saw Bessie point to her when Micheal pulled her to Mother. " Caroline spoke softly as she looked at Jacquelyn.

"That is up to Father. She might have to work it off if she did steal from Bessie. So let's not say any more on the subject for Father is getting ready to come."" Noreene commented.

[bloonewb]

"What? I did no such thing!" Jacquelyn said to Caroline, frowning. Lying and Stealing go hand in hand, like milk and cookies, or light and shadow. Therefore, Jacquelyn was pretty good at both. However, what confused her was the rules against lying and cheating in the caravan. Even in a small town like hers, reputation and gossip were rather abound. Didn't the wandering nomads have quite a reputation for such acts? She thought of voicing the opinion, but decided against it.

[Aisling]

"We need to be able to trust each other. We have a higher morals than others which is why there are certain rules in our caravan." Noreene explained.

"That is most certainly correct. Please remove yourself from this wagon. Remember Olivia and Bessie, you do not leave this wagon unescorted. That includes you Noreene and Caroline." Sean spoke firmly as his mustache wriggled in irritation. His eyes took in every detail as he looked around the wagon.
"Olivia and Bessie will have a double wedding in two days done. Bessie will keep this wagon and Stephan will be her husband. Olivia will have your mother's and my wagon. Markus will live with her.
There will be two new wagons built. One for your mother and I, the other one will house you girls. Noreene, you are a good drawer and may design the wagon. Include a chamber chair in the back corner. Now get to bed all of you. Except you girly. Follow me to the head wagon. I'll be back soon to put out the light."

"Now is your chance! Go and follow him!" Noreene hissed at Jacquelyn.

[bloonewb]

"Alright, I'm going," sighed Jacquelyn as she hopped out of the wagon to go follow the caravan master. "It might be worth noting that I am completely unable to dance," she said as she caught up to him.

[Aisling]

"Humph.... I'll put you in class if I deem you to be worthy enough to be part of the Caravan. Tell me the truth, girly, what kind of a life do you live right now? Do you steal from your friends and family? Any lying? Do you flirt with the males? Can you read? Do math? Have any skills in anything?" Sean asked as he opened the door.
"In with you now. Bridget has The Eye. She will see through any lies."

[bloonewb]

Jacquelyn walks in through the door, and briefly wonders about what idea the man must have had late in the night that inspired him to install a door on a wagon. Inside, there was a woman (Bridget, she remembered). Jacquelyn supposes she was supposed to speak to her.

[Aisling]

"Come and stand in front of me, child. Now tell me of your parents and where you live. Anything else that you want me to know or not know." Bridget spoke as she rocked and knitted.

Sean leaned against the doorway as he listened carefully. Between Bridget and himself, they will need to decide what to do about this child. He felt that perhaps this was the child who spoke a riddle that Bessie did not know then paid a price for not knowing.

[bloonewb]

"Well, parents? I can't exactly tell you about them, because I would first have to know them. Where I live? In that village right there," she says as she points to the town. "I don't have a house to go to at the end of the night, unlike the other kids. Therefore, I can only say with certainty that I live in that village."

[Aisling]

"How do you survive then, child. You must be doing something for you are not too undernourished." Bridget kept knitting nonstop.

[bloonewb]

"Well, the people are nice enough. The storeowners, at least. The soup maker usually allows me a bowl a day." Jacquelyn responded. "I also run errands for a bit of coin to buy from the less altruistic ones." People always want mail delivered to their girlfriends who are angry at them by a young innocent looking girl, as if somehow it makes their 'I'm sorries' more valid.

[Aisling]

"Child, have you ever stolen anything, lied to people or hurt anyone? Answer truthfully for I shall know if you lie." Bridget spoke severely.

Noreene got her paper and pencil out to sketch out a new wagon. She talked with Caroline as to what needs to be placed inside it. She would do two of them.

[bloonewb]

"Of course I lied. Everybody lies. I have never met anyone in my entire life who's been truthful their entire life, not even the King's Crusaders," Jacquelyn responded. "If by hurt you mean fight and kill, no. I've done none of that."

[Aisling]

Bridget frowned but at least she got the truth out of her. For that shows promise.

"I do not allow lying among my children. If you wish to stay, you be honest to everyone in this caravan. The last time I told a lie, my father took a belt, laid me across his knee and then walloped me tender. That is what you would be getting from Sean. Be aware that I will be keeping my eye on you.

I expect that you will need some clothing as well......" Bridget got up and walked over to a bench where she pulled out a box of female clothing. Then one of under garments and one of gowns.

"Try this gown on for size. You be turning your head, husband." Bridget commanded as she handed a long pink gown to Jacquelyn. She then got another box out to place clothing in.

"What would be your name, girl?" she asked as she busied herself.

[bloonewb]

Jacquelyn was genuinely afraid now. She could lie about her name, but what if the older woman knew? She didn't believe in magick. It was just something in stories meant to scare little children perpetuated by these wandering tribes. And she suspected that walloping isn't going to be particularly nice. "Jacquelyn," she finally responded. "And I heard from one of the village adults my father's surname was Faeyoon."