Hats in high places

It was nicer to be outside, Chase thought as he picked his way nimbly into a tree just outside the Crown. After the moving paintings had finally stopped, he had felt dazed and listless. There was only one good cure for such things and that was a spell in the royal top. Unfortunately there was no royal top anywhere around - bloody bad luck, being stuck ashore - but a tall tree would do well enough instead.

This was far enough, he decided, after a glance down at the ground below. Pity the tree really wasn't all that tall. Shrugging, Chase settled himself against the trunk and fished around in his jacket pockets. He had brought his cherished pink frilly hat with him, as well as his sewing kit and a jumbled assortment of ribbons. There was no point in being completely idle while he sat in the tree's higher reaches, after all...

It felt rather cold outside, though given it had been all too warm where he'd fallen asleep by the fire. He was lucky that he hadn't moved then. An inch closer and he might've been rolling around , screaming and in excruciating pain. Rubbing his hands together he gazed about. The weather was well enough. Had it been raining, he'd not have even the tip of his nose peeking out the door.

With a yawn and a stretch he walked forward, adjusting the coat he'd borrowed from the wardrobe. It was big but it was also warm and that certainly counted more than the fact it dragged on the floor. He hadn't yet noticed the Tar on the tree, but happened, as luck has it, to stop right by the one, placing the palm of his hand to it, as he leaned a slight bit against it's trunk. He observed the foot prints that he noticed on the floor and wondered how come that they lead nowhere at all.

There was a midshipman idling at the base of the tree. Chase leaned out into open space a little and grinned. The boy had no idea there was anyone above him. It was too perfect. He tucked away the sewing kit and tugged the frilly hat firmly around the top of his tarred hat, then dangled a short strip of ribbon from his fingers.

One, two... three. Chase let the green ribbon go and watched it flutter lazily down between the branches to the ground. As soon as it had left his grip, he tucked himself as small he could on the wide tree limb, the better to not be see if the middie looked skyward.

De Guarde observed a plump , black feathered bird as it flew from one of the far branches of the tree to the left of him and then made a dive across the space that separated it from the branch of the closer tree. It hopped from one part of the branch to the other then, shaking it's head. Just as it lowered its head to draw its beak across one of the long tail feathers something far stranger entered the boy's vision.

He blinked at the green piece of cloth that fell lazily, swaying a bit, and snaking through the air, on its way down. "Huh?" He looked higher , where it had come from. From where he stood, he couldn't yet see Chase. This, seeing no man but a ribbon so elegantly landing on the floor, confused the boy.

He walked up to it, knelt by its side and picked it up, turning it over. A nice piece of fabric, lovely colour too. He looked up again. No, ... maybe the wind had brought it from somewhere. He scowled. Really, giving it more thought than it deserved, wasn't right, that!

Chase very nearly giggled. The middie hadn't spotted him. Good. He fished out another bit of ribbon, this one red, and dangled it for a moment before letting it fall.

Green was followed by red, but there was no source of ribbons up in the tree. Not unless there was something he could not see. Mathew scowled and took a few steps from the tree and tried to take a better look, while holding both ribbons in hand. The red one had made him jump earlier, landing right on top of his head and unfolding itself over his forehead. He grumbled when he saw it wasn't a snake that came to attack him but rather another bit of ribbon.

"Show yourself!" He demanded and made a move to walk about the tree in hopes that a different angle might reveal the culprit.

The middie was thinking now, packing around the tree with his face turned upwards, trying to spot where the ribbons were coming from. Chase didn't move, trying his best to keep from sputtering into laughter.

It really was too perfect.

Mathew squinted his eyes grumbling. Was he imagining it. Was there a source of ribbons somewhere close to him and the wind just happened to have it flow towards him from such a high altitude, or was there someone there?

From his point, he couldn't make out anyone exactly but if he went and climbed he could atleast make sure. "'m warnin' you!" And if he was talking to a tree? He already felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment for quite a fool he would make himself be that way! He looked at the first branch. Not as easy to try climb this than it was to go up a mast. He had to jump to catch a hold of the first branch really and then pull himself higher.

Oh damn. The boy was climbing the tree. Chase looked around hopefully for another tree that was close enough to clamber across to. There was nothing within easy distance.

Ah well. Shrugging, Chase dug out his sewing kit again and resumed his interrupted work. It was fun while it'd lasted.

It would've been fun to be able to climb the tree as well, but unlike the fine ropes that aided the man up the mast, the tree just had a fine dry branch, which, when weight was put upon it had snapped. With a pained yelp, the middie in question landed back on the ground, holding the said branch still in hand and cursing fairly enough for a Jack Tar.

"Ow.. " wa said later as the rump was rubbed. He reached to form a ball of snow (er, is there any, if not, it's mudd!) and chugged it angrily at the tree, as high as he could, thinking it deserving of that since kicking it would be rather unwise even if he was rather upset.

"What are you doing?" Jenny Ross asked the boy.

He turned around and from sitting on the floor and looking miserable he was quickly back on his feet and dusting at his coat and at his bum and looking as though he meant to sit there anyway and not that the white on his back and the back of his head was from the fall. "Auh...." He looked at the girl, startled. "... Sittin'." He said abruptly and glanced up at the tree. "....seein'.....seein' where these came from." He held the ribbons up with a scowl. "Did you loose them?"

She took the ribbons from his hand and examined them. "No, they're not mine," she answered, handing them back. She glanced up at the tree and eyed him with skeptical amusement. "If you found them on the ground, someone probably just dropped them there. Looks like they're yours now."

Chase looked down again. The middie had a companion now. Biting his lip to keep from giggling, he paused in his sewing to let another bit of ribbon drop.

They were going to figure it out soon enough, he knew, but for the moment, it was funny again.

"See! " He was certain the girl did not lie, how else would she still be there and the ribbon be seen floating down from the sky. Except, it couldn't be from the sky either, as rain never took a form of the ribbon. "..That's odd. But it's there. Another...if one's making a fool of us... or me." He scowled and looked at Jenny. ".. You've seen it didn't you? The ribbon come from up there. Just as I did!

"What?" Jenny looked up at the sky and then back at the boy. "What do you mean?"

"The ribbon. You did see it fall!... From the sky.. n' I did not imagine it, ma'am. Correct?" The lad scowled, picking the next ribbon from the floor again. His rump still hurt from where he landed on it, after falling from the tree. The damn dry branch.

She looked at him quizzically and at the new ribbon in his hand. "No, I didn't see it fall... Are you sure you didn't just drop it yourself?"

Now was the time to keep hold of his remaining ribbons. Chase allowed himself a brief chuckle and went back to work, though he couldn't resist the occasional glance down at the pair below. Would they ever figure it out?

"There! Did you hear it? That's a chuckle, for certain. An' it ain't coming from you missus!" He looked up at the tree." There must be someone there!" He couldn't be sure, for the chuckle was yet so faint and so short lived that he could've imagined the wind doing so too.

"I'm full sure I don't walk around carrying such ribbons. Or any ribbons infact." He added with a scowl. "Now I'll prove it to you miss." And have to climb the damn tree again? He scowled at the prospect but looked about to see what could help him better. "That's m final warning, whoever's up there." He called, hoping dearly that he was not mistaken. What a fool he'd make himself infront of the lass otherwise. "Come down, or I'll come fetchin' you !"

Jenny looked up at the tree and happened to catch sight of the seaman. She was surprised, but then her face broke out into a smile. "Why, it's only a magpie up there, chattering away to his mates. He probably wanted the ribbons to build a nest."

".. Then why did you look so surprised not a mere moment ago? Were a magpie not.... something you'd have felt quite unfazed by?" He arched his brow and moved alongside to where Jenny was standing to see if from her point he could spot the darned creature.

And he did at last." Hey, Chase!" He yelled at the man. "Get ye'self down here!" And then he looked at the Jenny." ..Some magpie."

They'd finally spotted him. And they wanted him to come down? Chase leaned out over the limb he was perched on and grinned.

"What's the use in comin' down?" He asked cheerfully. "It's plenny nice up here!"

"Oh, jus' fer me to be able to smack you for thinking I was imagining ribbons flying about of their own!" He called back, crossing his hands over his chest." You can climb right back, after I'm done. Won't stop ye fer a moment more!"

He looked at the ribbons and grinned. "...That.. and.. would you not like these back, or can I pick'em!"

Jenny snatched the ribbons from his hand. "Or they might look quite fetching on a bonnet for me," she said, bunching them up in her hair.