Squire Hayseed

Castles

The sun wasn't just up over the horizon but planning its way towards the apex when Gavin strolled into the barracks. It was to the Knight-Captain that he turned to, but Larissa rushed out to meet him first. She couldn't hide her damn excitement if she tried.

"Ser," she gasped up at the stoic man.

He blinked slowly, his taciturn tongue locked in tight as he bobbed his head at the girl. "I'm looking for..." Gavin began, before Larissa trod all over his metaphorical toes.

"Your squire? I have some rather unfortunate news about her, Ser," Larissa continued to lay it on thick, her head bobbing deeper before she shot a look over at Erin. For her part, the Knight-Captain seemed to try to wash her hands of the whole situation, while Gavin glared from one to the other.

"What is it?"

"Well, Ser, it's..."

A banging broke through their less than private conversation as Hayley dashed forward from deep in the barracks, a bucket in her hands. Barely glancing over at either her Knight or Larissa, she hurled the watery contents out the open door and into the dirt. It landed with a wet plop, wobbling on the hard surface like a clear jellyfish before soaking into the compacted ground.

"Sorry," she swiped a hand along the top of her clean forehead as she placed the bucket down on the ground, "I was washing up." Hayley wrung out her short hair, cropped at miss-mashed angles so that some sections fell to her shoulders while others barely grazed her jaw.

Gavin took a beat, looking at the three different women before focusing on Larissa, "This is unfortunate news?"

Her jaw distended so wide she could have crammed an entire goose in the gap. Larissa whipped her head back to Hayley who was smiling and softly whistling a jaunty tune. "But you...you were...Knight-Captain Erin?" Fully thrown off her perch, Larissa tried to drag Erin into this, but the woman was already walking away in order to deal with some of the other squires who were still waiting on their knights.

"I'm sorry it took me so long," Hayley kept on painting it on thicker than lead powder, her cheeks burning with smugness, "I had no idea when you'd arrive."

"That's...that's all right. We should head out, our journey will take us much of the day," it was clear Gavin was lost, and knew something was up, but he didn't seem to be in the mood to call anyone out for it.

Nodding her head, Hayley fell into step behind the tall man. But before she left, she turned to Larissa and stuck her tongue out. The girl scoffed, but whatever comeback she had was lost as Hayley began her journey down the road to whatever may come next.

She hadn't gotten very far last night, barely to the little bridge before a chill crept up her legs. Despite knowing the back alleys and cutaway of the city, she felt hopelessly lost. Running had been all she knew, but for the first time she feared it wasn't enough. They'd find her. Drag her back. Make her pay. Wait. Play the part. Learn how to fight, then come back to the city and build her own little empire amongst the dregs. That was the real plan. It might take her a few months, but in the meantime she could nick some coins here and there to build up her nest egg. It was a solid plan, and 100% worth slipping in through the back window to watch Larissa damn near lay an egg.

The walk towards wherever they were heading was quiet. Gavin kept his lead, his steps measured and calm, as they passed over the King's road, under the bridge of death, and out of the city. Bloated corpses, crow-pecked with viscera dangling from broken bones greeted those who both tried to leave and enter Ostmount. Hayley scrunched her neck tight into her collar, terrified to gaze up into the eyeless faces of those who'd wronged the crown. If not for this unexpected miracle, would she have been tossed up there too?