forum I summon thee @Young-Dusty

Started May 08, 2019 by @amber_is_in_a_loop

tune

Jessie stares back in silence, still and cautious. "Name," she orders sharply, using the military techniques she always reverted to when in strange situaitons.

Slash gave a little whuff–maybe from surprise, maybe from annoyance. "I'm Slash. You're….Jessie, I guess? I'm one of the people that saved you."

Charlotte confirmed it with a hand on Jessie’s shoulder, and the latter visibly relaxed. “Okay.” She fell back onto the rock, eyes wide open and staring up at the sky.
A pause. “How did you find me?l”

Slash straightened, looking very self-satisfied. "That was all me. I found your scent trail and tracked you down, it was easy."
Rick cleared his throat. "Well, and also we kinda knew to look for you at all because of some info I found. Hi, by the way, I'm Rick. Charlotte hired me to help out with all this."

Jessie narrowed her eyes. "All this?"
She was looking over at Charlotte, who bent her head, loose strands of hair falling in front of her face in a curtain.
"Axel has the other two." That's all that was needed. Jessie's face sobered and she curled up tighter around herself.

Rick took the hint and sat back to give them some privacy. Slash didn't, however. After a minute he shifted into human form and sat cross-legged nearby, still seeming quite curious about the younger girl. "Wait…what other two? You guys never actually told me where you were going when I joined."

(Hey! Heads up, I have to be gone until Sunday starting tomorrow :( )
Jessie trained her intense stare on Charlotte's face, searching for more information. Charlotte sucked in a breath through her teeth. "My kids, Jessie's siblings. We're rescuing them. Put simply, that's it."

(Aww! Okay, have a nice week!)
"Who are we rescuing them from?" Slash asked, still a bit puzzled.
"Guy called Axel," Rick explained to the Deorn. "Not a very friendly feller. You might be able to help us fight him, if things come to that."
Slash nodded. "Okay."
"On that note," Rick continued, "Why don't you go out and do a little scoutin' to make sure those gypsies ain't around anymore? Don't report back until you've really checked."
Slash looked happy to have something to do, and quickly trotted out of sight. Once he was gone, Rick leaned back again with a relieved sigh. It wasn't that Slash annoyed him–it just seemed impossible to think his own thoughts when the Deorn was around and in a curious mood. Besides, he really did want Jessie to have more time to absorb her situation, and for her to have some peace and quiet together with Charlotte.

(I'm back!)
"No," Jessie breathed, closed eyes cast down. "Not him again, please."
No one was sure who she was talking to.
"Are we sure Tessa and Henry are alive, Lot?" she whispered. Charlotte's shoulders caved at the nickname.
"No."

(heyyy fam, good to see ya! XD)
"Either way," Rick said softly, "If we have a chance to take care of this enemy of yours once and for all, I think we should try. He's caused you all more than enough grief, seems to me."

Charlotte was about to speak but Jessie beat her to it.
"No need to imply anything. We're going to kill him." Harsh words coming from a girl no older than 14. Charlotte reached for her hand, and Jessie gave it to her.

(It's okay! I've been pretty busy too, no worries ^^ )
Rick shrugged a shoulder. "You're talkin' to a mercenary, miss. I'm willing to do what it takes." Then he shifted into a more comfortable position and gave Jessie a smile. "But enough about that guy for now. Want some more broth, either of you?"

Jessie looks at Rick with wide eyes. Optional food? She shakes her head carefully as Charlotte accepts another round. “I don’t have to have more, right?”

"Well, we need you to keep your strength up, but naw, you don't have to eat any more if you ain't hungry." Rick took some more for himself and put a lid over the pot. "Anything else we can get you?"

“Uh… no. But thank you.” She curled up tighter, leaning on Charlotte’s knees and half lying down. Within minutes, she was sleeping soundly in Charlotte’s lap. The latter started stroking her hair, distractedly drinking out of her bowl with her free hand,

Rick was reminded of how, when he and his brothers were young, their father had taught them to fall asleep on command, anywhere, anytime. He'd gotten very good at it, but these days he preferred to drift off naturally since it made him feel less….controlled. It was probably just a mind game he was playing with himself, but it was still enough to make him wonder if Jessie had received similar training, and that thought in turn made him feel even more sorry for her.
"So how long do you think we should stay here?" he asked Charlotte quietly. "We're still on a schedule, acourse, but I'd hate to set out again before Jessie's had enough time to rest."

Charlotte looked down at the sleeping girl thoughtfully. "We can leave when she wakes up. She's sturdy, just catching up on some sleep. She'll be fine once we get moving again."
She leaned back, closing her eyes slightly and looking over at Rick.
She trusted him. It felt strange.

Rick nodded his agreement and started quietly packing everything up so they wouldn't have to wait around once Jessie woke up. Then, to pass the time, he took out his rifle and started carefully taking it apart, cleaning each and every piece of the gun before putting it back together. It wasn't often he felt safe enough to dismantle his own weapon, but with a grumpy young Deorn on watch, there seemed no better time.

Charlotte watched Rick work silently, studying the familiar movements she'd taught countless people to do. He was, in fact, doing it perfectly, and Charlotte had to suppress a smile.
Not long after he'd finished, Jessie's eyes blinked open. She sat up urgently, shaking her head. "I'm sorry!" she cried, looking over at Rick and Charlotte. "I shouldn't have slept! We can go now!"

"Huh? Oh, it's all right," Rick told her cheerfully, getting to his feet. "We were happy for the chance to rest, seein' as we had to run all morning to catch up to that caravan." he walked to the edge of the thicket and stuck his head out. "Slash? Where are you at? We're ready to hit the road again."
After a minute, Slash came trotting into view. "Finally. There's nobody around out there, so I think we're good to keep going."

Jessie blinked. He hadn't reacted…
Charlotte lay a hand on the girl's shoulder, and the message in her eyes was simple but clear: Everything is fine. She relaxed into Charlotte's grip, dusting off her tunic and ready to start walking. Charlotte shouldered her backpack and gestured for Jessie to follow her towards Rick and the Deorn.

Slash shifted back into human form as they all started walking, brushing bits of grass off his jacket. "Do you feel better now?" he asked Jessie, frowning as he found some burrs on his sleeve.

She stiffened slightly, but expertly deflected whatever fear she felt. "Yes, much. I rested while you were away. Thank you for asking." Did she sound curt? She couldn't tell.

Slash made no comment on her words. He might have been able to smell a person's mood from three miles away, but that didn't mean he was very good at reading subtle cues like the tone of someone's voice. "Kay." He momentarily zoned in on a grasshopper as it crossed his path, then got bored and kept going. "So how strong are you? You seem pretty strong, for a human kid."