28 May; Outside the Tent

Cotton felt like pounding his head against the ground. "That ain't the bloody point. The point is, you went behind Captain Vickery's back an' done summat that'll make us look... Well, you spoiled our good name to the Division when it gets out, that's what."

"Oh no," Newbury said blandly. "No, it's not bad at all. Perfectly good, in fact."

Then he lurched awkwardly forward and put a closed fist against Pye's cheek.

"Sorry. But chance was presentin' itself an' all. Wouldn't've wanted to miss it," he added as he staggered up to his feet. "I'm goin' for a walk."

Newbury's action made Cotton smile mirthlessly. "Goin' off on your own an' doin summat is one thing, but when it affects other people, you got to think about them. It's just plain selfish, else." He got to his feet. "Want comp'ny, Joe?"

He fell to the side, more out of surprise than due to the strength of the strike. Even as he straightened out, he looked more befuddled than usual. He stared at Newbury, registering that hit in his mind, feeling it on his cheek. His expression changed, and half hurt half upset he snapped quietly, barely keeping his voice down enough:"..Look who's talkin' ... Las' I remember you was no better."

He stood as well. "No better even, you n' that lass..." His hands were balled up in fists. "Wot' of Hakeswill. Wot' of yer thinkin'! That wouldn't have brought bad light to t' riflemen would it...huh?.." The further he'd gone from the tent, the better it was, even if his voice was still hissed and relatively quiet.

"He never done anythin' against the good name of the 60th," Cotton retorted. "Nor he never done anythin' to... to go behind the Captain's back, neither."

He was tempted, very sorely tempted, to give Pye another whack. Instead, he curled his lip and said, "That was thinkin', an' nothin' more. Far diff'rent from thinkin' it an' doin' it."

"I didn'... I didn' go 'hind captain's back." He snapped. It seemed the accusation actually hurt him. "You was thinkin' it .. thinkin' o' almost doin' it. Dunno wot' stopped you. Dunno.. " He would have to shut up soon. Very soon, or else he would happen to say something he might regret later.

"Well, that's how it looks," Cotton replied. "An' right now I'm thinkin' of thumpin' you a damn sight harder'n that, only I won't. Got more sense an' more control than to do it." And how would it look, milling outside an officer's tent, with a court-martial taking place inside?

"Common sense," Newbury snapped. "Common bloody sense. That's what stopped it."

This wasn't worth it. He knelt down stiffly and picked up his shako. A walk, however short, was the only smart thing to do just then.

"..Yer can right do it later.." Pye turned around. "Don't bother..." His words had been to Newbury. What should he not have bothered doing? Right, walking away from him." I'm leavin'! Call me when's n' if's I'm needed again." He jerked his thumb in the direction of the tent. "I'll be somewhere's usual.."

Jenny's blood was boiling. She would risk losing all self control if she stayed here to listen, and then she would be caught again. She stood up and strode away without turning to look back and the riflemen. She would just have to ask Maggie about the trial's outcome later.

"Don't do anythin' stupid. Either of you." Cotton had the feeling he might as well be talking to thin air. He wanted nothing more than to get back to his own fire and forget the whole thing, but someone needed to find out what the verdict and sentence of the trial was going to be.

Newbury shook his head, disgusted. "No fear of nothin' of that from me," he grumbled and turned away. He'd take a turn through the Guards' camp by himself. It was probably safest that way anyway.

"Oh, good," Cotton said, and flopped back to the ground, starting to feel a headache coming on. He hated arguments. They always made his head hurt.

Aye, good. Without another word, Newbury fitted his shako on and moved off, making his way into the darkness around the corner of the tent.

He nearly tripped over Jenny, which would have been injurious both to his knee and to her person. She had stopped to listen to the trial after all, crouched down on the far side of the tent, for the provosts themselves were now testifying. But she sprung up as soon as she realized she was about to be kicked. "Watch!" she blurted in a last minute warning, automatically keeping her voice to a whisper.

The unexpected appearance of somebody else so close startled him, such that he nearly toppled over when he tried to both stop and move aside.

"Sorry," Newbury muttered, then paused before moving along his way. "Miss," he added in an undertone. He grinned briefly at the darkness and shifted his course, deciding it may be best all around to take his walk away from the tent.

Jenny muttered a few curses back. So he had recognized her after all. But he was not going to go merrily on his way now. She dodged in back front of him as he moved away, accosting him with a vicious whisper.

"Not a word, not a word to a soul, you hear me? Or I leave the army and join the ordenenca, so help me."

"I wasn't plannin' on it," Newbury replied neutrally. What was the point?

Still she pressed her point. "I'm not appearing in that court martial."

Newbury shrugged. That had only been made obvious by her present guise. "So don't. I sure ain't gonna make you."

She stared at him in the dark, and she believed him. But now that her self-preservation was assured, she spoke in a gentler tone. "It wouldn't do anyone any favors. They'd flog me for stealing food, you see. There'd be no getting out of it after being so public. And it wouldn't help you. No need for both of us..." She trailed off to silence, then sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Can't be stealin' food that was given to you," Newbury observed mildly. "I ain't... no worries, sure. Ain't so bad, anyway."

He didn't necessarily believe that, but it sounded good.

"No," she agreed, and then changed the subject. "But what was that Pye on about? Someone needs to teach him a lesson, knock some sense into that head of his. Going on about Hakeswill?" Her voice was threatening to rise again, and she returned to a whisper. "He needs to watch his mouth."

Newbury grinned for a moment. "Already tried that. Didn't seem to work. He dunno how to keep plans for mischief as just plans, is what it is." He shrugged fractionally and added, "He needs to watch more'n just his mouth, an' all."