Re: Chapter 1: Shadows of Herrod - Part 2
Lady Jacqueline ponders a moment as Larlben Sr. discourages the title of 'sir' before his name. She carefully ponders what he says about the inn and inwardly feels off about how immediately trusting she was of Marcus at their first encounter; he never did share the same mission as they-- only aided a way to get through it. [Private to DM Ryan: And we failed our mission... Life certainly only ever seemed a way through situations, rather than being able to enjoy the thrill of adventure along the way. Survival. Instinct. Dodging dangers and achieving a common goal.]She mindlessly grabs a pastry from on the dish and bites timidly into it.
At the direct address of her name, her eyes come back into the room and widen. The sudden question, in shock, makes her swallow hard and she begins to cough.[Private to DM Ryan: In her moment of coughing, Lady Jacqueline's mind reels back to back before the streets, back to where her rooms were warm, and her food plentiful, and her hands fair and dainty, and her hair beautifully combed into curls that rested on her shoulders. Her mother sang beautiful songs that brought her comfort and soothed her, or helped her feel more encouraged, should she be sick with a fever. Songs, that is, forgotten for a time. Her room would tilt at times with gravity and sink back down from a wave-- or at least, one of her rooms. She recalls a stone home vaguely, remembering sitting next to a fireplace, braiding her own hair... but not much farther back beyond before they moved towards the city. It seemed a blur between living in the city and going on the ship, learning about the stars with navigation and maps for the sea.] Lady Jacqueline takes a deep breath and covers her mouth quickly with a napkin, blinking furiously to keep from tearing up at the itch in the back of her throat. Silly crumbs.[Private to DM Ryan: But more memories seep. Lady Jacqueline recalls other times where she had been taken overboard during that massive storm. She almost felt like she was wiggling cargo that the man who'd grabbed her had handled before, and his steely grip would not free her with any protest or movement. Resigned to tears and screaming, she blurred her eyes with her small palms and buried her face into the man's large side, not caring who he was... simply feeling safe. When she awoke from terrible dreams to loud men barking orders at each other, she remembers being carried in the man's large arm, just waiting for that moment when-- out of his notice and unprepared for her movement, she escaped and fled towards the city, dodging yells with a smile on her face. She pretended that she was friends with the wealthy young ones in the city and turned down an alley where they each knew to gather for some kind of game while their parents were shopping in the city.] Her face turned a little red from the fury of her coughs, and when they finally died down, she regained her composure to open her mouth to begin to speak. Alas, and cut off by Adwonus yet again, she pauses and allows him to finish his sentences first.
"Why is it you always manage to pop in right when we're trying to be civilized people, 'Trapper' Adwonus?" she bites the words as though she didn't want them to taint her teeth. She rolls her eyes. [Private to DM Ryan: Her mind continues in the memories, as though they beckoned to be opened-- begged to be opened like a book. The boys, at the end of the day, had parents to retreat to. One boy, in particular, crawled back into the space where they played and pulled out a crate that had an opening on one side and a blanket nestled within it. She tilts her head and asks, 'What, do you sleep outside, boy?' Feeling a little resentful the boy retorted, 'Well, where are your parents, miss? You seem too fancy to be out here in that,' he gestured to her silk and embroidered child's gown. She glanced down at her dress and shrugged off the earlier part of the day with a shudder. 'Actually... I.. ran away...' She bites her lip. The boy brightens up and pulls up another crate. 'Well, you can sleep in this one. Master's always lookin' for new recruits.' Jackie's brow furrows at the thought of a master over her. She was so used to being in that position...] After a pause, she looks at Larlben matter-of-factly. "I grew up in the city." She pursed her lips, looking at her plate with a half-eaten biscuit on it.[Private to DM Ryan: Jackie wakes up the next day, the boy gone somewhere. She looks in his crate and finds a small pouch of coins. Not knowing any better, she tenderly picks it up and places it in her bodice before sneaking away into the city. New boys and girls filled the side streets, but the boy couldn't be found anywhere. Well I guess he doesn't want his gold back... A girl, not too far ahead of her waves and beckons her over. Two girls appeared from under a man's large coat, sharing biscuits with each other. They each break off a portion and willingly share with Jackie. Out of the corner a boy runs up and steals a piece before running off and laughing with it. The girls scream and the man standing there (presumably their father) takes one look at Jackie and pushes his girls forward to go back home. Swallowing hard, Jackie walks up to a clothing store. 'Excuse me... I'd like to sell my dress for street clothes.'] She folds her arms and glares into the empty space. "It was a hard life for a while, but... I managed with a few friends." [Private to DM Ryan: Jackie blinks back a few tears. A few nights alone and disguised as a street girl with her hair becoming a little knotted from the wild... and she deeply yearned for home. Not being able to hold back the pain from the loss for much longer, she wails and cries out, 'Mommy...!' over and over, until the fit disappears from the smell of food gingerly tapping on her nose. Thankfully she was in an ally where there were no windows to hear or see her crying. But she finds herself getting up and following her nose, despite the night activities. She walks up to a rather large stoney house and peers up at a window where those two girls were laughing and playing. One of the girls, by lucky chance sees poor Jackie and gasps, running up to the window. 'Little girl!' she whispers harshly. 'Why are you dressed like that? Are you poor?' Tears threatened her eyes, and Jackie nodded with pain written in her face. 'Well... Can you take a cake home? Freshly made. Dad hates when we get into trouble, and...' She glances over her shoulder, her quiet sister placing a shush-finger up to her lips. 'You can have it. We like getting his attention that way.' Jackie humbly, feebly reaches forward to the girls. And soon, a meat pie is dropped down into her hands, putting blisters where she catches it. Coins, then, are dropped on her head and land in the new mess in her hands. 'You may want to go across town to the Inn, there. They will employ you, if you tell them Laufleins sent you.' Jackie nods and swiftly eats the pie, pocketing the gold coins they dropped.]
[Private to DM Ryan: It had been several days, and no one seemed to receive anything about Laufleins, whatever that meant. But at least she was getting rather skillful at pocketing coins that dropped on the ground. She didn't feel right stealing from people she didn't know. Those girls, however, were something. Something she couldn't just forget. Were they trying to laugh more at her state? She sighs deeply, rubbing her hands carefully together from the blisters. A stout man grabs her shoulder and squints into her very face, nose-to-nose. 'Laufleins?' he barks. 'Ever heard of Larlbens? Is that who you meant?' Jackie's eyes cast downward. The man pauses for a long time and walks away, dropping a rather large pouch in her hands before he leaves. 'Come to the Yvette-and-Hyde Inn. We'll keep you warm. You're not meant to be in the streets.' Jackie stands, appalled. This stash had enough gold for her dress back, and a few meals. Her stomach growled in protest, and Jackie goes on her way toward a stand.]