Darkness was falling outside and a peaceful quiet had settled over the refuge camp. The sounds of the birds settling down for the night mingled with the gentle sounds of music drifting out from the gypsies taverna.
Ivy hobbled inside and looked around, noting it seemed emptier than expected. Finding a spot over by the bar she eased herself down, leaning her crutch against the wall and looked across the room hoping to see someone she knew in order to catch up on the events of the day.
Lily stood at the bar cleaning and humming along to some tune that played. When Ivy enters she looks up and smiles.
“Nice to see ya on your feet again!”
Hearing familiar footsteps Flint, the man who’d claimed ownership of the colourful building on the gypsy principal of first come first served, returned from some business or another out the back.
He looked weary, but a smile sat on his lips for seeing Ivy back in the land of the living. Grabbing her bottle of whiskey and a pair of tumblers, he sauntered over to where she was heading and placed them on the table before pulling a seat out for her.
“How are you feeling today once wife of mine?” He said dropping into the seat next to her and pouring them both a drink from her bottle.
Ivy turned towards Lilly and smiled. “Thanks to you, and the others. I am still finding it hard to believe I made it through.”
As Flint sits down she greets him with a raised eyebrow, “Former wife of mine? I’m not sure that’s a greeting I want to keep.” She takes the whisky from him and takes a small sip. “Ahh, that is good.” She shifts, grimacing a little, “I am hurting, but that just reminds me that I am alive.”
Flint nodded and smiled in response, “I can drink to that.”
He sniffed at the liquor she’d brought with her from her long travels, the slightly oily slightly peaty smell resting in his nose before he sipped from the glass.
“Hurts less today though?”, he asked with concern in his voice. “If not we can have bandages changed and the wounds rewashed with god blessed water.”
Lily finishes wiping down the bar, pours herself a drink, and goes to sit at the table with Flint and Ivy.
“I suppose we ought to go clear up the remains of the burnt dead at some point? Even if there is no longer a queen here to impress, it’s not that pleasant to just leave the charred remains around like that.” She grins and sips from her glass, quietly watching Ivy and Flint for signs they are ok.
“I’m sorry I stopped writing Ivy. After I thought Jack dead, I lost… years to alcohol, relaxants, and whatever else anyone would give me. Sometimes I think I can remember bit and pieces of that time, but it’s never clear. Some of it can’t possibly have even been true. Then after… Well, it just seemed like this world, the gypsy world, was a dream I had of a different life. I would ask how the fight has been going, but I believe I may have seen enough of it now to know what the answer would be.”
Ivy gives Flint a tired smile, “It hurts like I was bitten by demons. But the burning has gone so hopefully the need for being bathed in holy water is less.”
Ivy shuffles aside so Lilly can sit down, shaking her head as her old friend talks. She reaches over and gives her a tight squeeze, “I understand Lilly. So many things went crazy. I often wished I could write to tell you about what was happening. Actually I did. Sometimes I just wrote you letters to get things off my chest. I told you about Papa, and about the Queen’s Bodyguard. I told you about my marriage and so many other things…” She trails off, looking at Flint for a second. “I’m just glad that I can say them to you now. That despite everything we can be friends again.” She raises her glass and clinks it against Lilly’s.
[quote=“sophmelc”]Ivy gives Flint a tired smile, “It hurts like I was bitten by demons. But the burning has gone so hopefully the need for being bathed in holy water is less.”
Ivy shuffles aside so Lilly can sit down, shaking her head as her old friend talks. She reaches over and gives her a tight squeeze, “I understand Lilly. So many things went crazy. I often wished I could write to tell you about what was happening. Actually I did. Sometimes I just wrote you letters to get things off my chest. I told you about Papa, and about the Queen’s Bodyguard. I told you about my marriage and so many other things…” She trails off, looking at Flint for a second. “I’m just glad that I can say them to you now. That despite everything we can be friends again.” She raises her glass and clinks it against Lilly’s.[/quote]
“Aye, to friendship!” Lily downs her whiskey and begins to pour another glass.
“So, I hear you got caught stealing and made to work for the Queen?” Lily grins. "Also, I suppose you ought to tell me about your Papa, seeing as I never got the letters 'n all. I think I know some of it, but I guess I never realised he was so bad. "
[quote=“Adrexia”]
“So, I hear you got caught stealing and made to work for the Queen?” Lily grins. "Also, I suppose you ought to tell me about your Papa, seeing as I never got the letters 'n all. I think I know some of it, but I guess I never realised he was so bad. "[/quote]
Ivy grins, “It was not one of my finest moments. I thought I was such a clever one, sneaking into that Army camp to steal back a book that the Elders said was stolen from us. I got the book but just as I was leaving the camp some wet behind the ears private stumbles out of the dark and sees me.” Ivy stops for a moment to wet her throat again and catch her breath, “They wasted no time in striping me of everything I had on me, and I know they would have gone further except that they seemed scared of their commander. Any way I knew I had until day break till they lined my up against a wall and shot me.” Ivy looks at Lilly to see if she still has her attention. The other gypsy seems to be waiting with some impatience to see what would happen next.
“So there I am in a tiny cell, in naught but my underthings, thinking of all the lessons I had forgotten which had allowed me to get caught. When I heard a clanking of the door being opened. I look up and who do you think I see standing there? Leonard! I hadn’t seen him since…” Ivy trails off for a second. “Well that is another story, for another time. But he looks down on me. Just looks at me before turning back to guard and saying “Give me a minute with the prisoner”. I hear the sounds of footsteps and then Leo crouches down beside me and unlocks my chains. I don’t remember what I said exactly, but I was certainly not a kind one to him. He shook his head and said to me, “It’s simple Ivy. You can spit and claw like a cat, and end up dead against a wall. Or you can use your usually formidable skills to serve the Queen and live. I’ll give you a few minutes to think it over.” then he opened the door and walked away.” Ivy stops again to make sure she still has her audience’s full attention.
“It obviously was not much of a choice, even for one as proud as I was then. So I banged on the door and told Leo he had a deal. That was the first time he saved my life. Though it would not be the last.” Ivy took another long drink and smiles at Lilly. “And the story of Papa? Well I think that is another time, it isn’t as nice a story and I still feel raw to think on it.”
Leonard walks into the taverna, a faint smile crossing his lips on seeing the three gypsies huddled together at a table. He starts towards them but stops when he hears someone clearing their throat and turns to see a bespectacled soldier waiting at attention.
“What can I do for you Corporal…?”
“It’s Ramsey sir, I’m the company clerk. Congratulations on your appointment as officer commanding.”
“Er, thank you Ramsey,” Leonard replies, shifting uncomfortably.
“There are just a few items I need your signature on sir,” Ramsey says stepping aside to reveal a pile of folders stuffed with papers on the table beyond. Leonard’s face falls.
Violet walks in, light on her feet, almost dancing, a contented smile on her face. She is humming softly to herself, looking around at the three gypsies in the corner and then at Leonard and the corporal. Picking up a broom she gets to work sweeping the floor, still humming to herself.
At the talk of Ivy and Moss’s father Mihai’s face darkened, part of him had hoped not to hear of Poppa Bogdanov again. As Ivy steered the conversation away the gypsy breathed a sigh of relief.
He stood and took another shallow sip from his glass, “Back shortly, I need to fetch some things from the back room.”
As Mihai walked across the taverna towards the bar the smile returned to his face seeing his sister Violet happily sweeping the floor.
Violet looks up at the movement and smiles back at Mihai. “Bowl of toast!” she said, by way of greeting. Pausing in her sweeping, she blinks up at him, pushing her hair off her shoulder with one hand. “How are you this day, my brother?”
“Bowl of toast to you!” he paused momentarily to consider her question.
“Today is a better day sister of mine, for a start no one has died, always a better day when no one dies.” As the Roma talked he absent mindedly began tidying colourful bottles and collecting up some of the used cups from earlier in the day.
“How about for you? How’ve you spent your day?” The look he gave her was a knowing one, as if the question was more conversation than enquiry.
Lily smiles as Ivy finishes recounting her story, and silently raises her glass.
She watches the exchange between Leonard and the soldier with a huge grin on her face.
“I know a bonfire that is in need of some paper to start it, if you are at a loss for what to do with all that.”
“Do you think those who went with the Queen will be gone long? It was nice to have so many people around.”
[quote=“Adrexia”]
“Do you think those who went with the Queen will be gone long? It was nice to have so many people around.”[/quote]
Ivy turns to look at Leonard, “The Queen is gone? Don’t tell me she listened to those fools who thought London could be retaken?”
Leonard smiles wearily at Lily, “Would that I could. Unfortunately if we want things like…,” he pauses to pick the top piece of paper off the pile and glances over it, “…food then these requisition orders need to be authorised. We couldn’t have you running out of gypsy yum now could we?”
He turns his head to include Ivy in his view, “No, Her Majesty had business in Carcassonne. Whatever business she had in demon controlled France she didn’t see fit to share with me, as is her prerogative. As for those that accompanied her, I’m sure they’ll all be back.” The look of concern on Leonard’s face speaks to the contrary.
“We still have refugees coming in, so there will be plenty of new faces around here and we have a lot of work to do to get this place better organised so it shouldn’t get dull.” He sadly regards Ivy’s wounds for a few moments before finishing, “But on the other hand maybe we’ve all had enough excitement for the time being at least.”
[quote=“tog42”]Leonard smiles wearily at Lily, “Would that I could. Unfortunately if we want things like…” he pauses to pick the top piece of paper off the pile and glances over it, “…food then these requisition orders need to be authorised. We couldn’t have you running out of gypsy yum now could we?”
He turns his head to include Ivy in his view, “No, Her Majesty had business in Carcassonne. Whatever business she had in demon controlled France she didn’t see fit to share with me, as is her prerogative. As for those that accompanied her, I’m sure they’ll all be back.” The look of concern on Leonard’s face speaks to the contrary.
“We still have refugees coming in, so there will be plenty of new faces around here and we have a lot of work to do to get this place better organised so it shouldn’t get dull.” He sadly regards Ivy’s wounds for a few moments be fore finishing, “But on the other hand maybe we’ve all had enough excitement for the time being at least.”[/quote]
“Food?” Lily thinks on this a moment. “Do you need a hand with those then?”
[quote]
“Today is a better day sister of mine, for a start no one has died, always a better day when no one dies.” As the Roma talked he absent mindedly began tidying colourful bottles and collecting up some of the used cups from earlier in the day.
“How about for you? How’ve you spent your day?” The look he gave her was a knowing one, as if the question was more conversation than enquiry.[/quote]
Violet nodded, her smile fading as she thought of all the people who had died and burned up in the last few days. She shook her head and resumed sweeping, deciding to dwell on the happier side of things. “Yes, much better day indeed.”
She looked up to meet Mihai’s knowing look with one of her own and a slightly lop sided smile. “It has been spent well enough.”
Nodding with a smile still playing on his lips, “I’m pleased for you sister”, Flint’s hand briefly touching her shoulder reassuringly.
Moving behind the makeshift bar, he raised the creaky lid of his well worn wooden travelling chest. Reaching inside he pulled out a now somewhat tatty brown paper bag, from he pulled out a small chunk of chocolate and proceeded to eat it.
Whilst waving the bag in front of his sister, offering her the delicious contents, he added casually “Missed a bit.” A teasing family smile accompanying his nod towards the corner of the room.