Re: 3rd August, Room and Board

[sans nom]

"Arrangement?" Charcot repeated, latching onto the word with tentative interest.

[Keiju]

A smirk came onto Bright's face. "Arrangement. Quiet-like. You don't exactly cuckold a man publicly, do you?"

[Paol Kerjean]

Not when that man was one's sergeant, at any rate, Paol thought, his brows quirking the barest bit. Bright was certainly one for playing with fire, he'd give him that.

[Keiju]

"Anyway, turns out she was only trouble. Couldn't keep her mouth shut. Wilkins never would've found out if she hadn't told him."

[sans nom]

"She told him?" Charcot exclaimed. "Did she tell him it was you?" In which case, how was Bright still here in one piece?

[Keiju]

"Aye, the whole tale. Stupid tart. Wilkins didn't half flap over it. Lucky me, bein' our captain's favourite. He had to settle for gettin' me flogged, he did, the bastard." Bright's smirk seemed to twist unpleasantly. "But I got him back for that."

[sans nom]

"Captain's favorite? You?" Charcot could not imagine Bright being anyone's favorite at all.

[Keiju]

"It's hard not bein' popular when you keep a good set of books," was Bright's smug response. Meaning, of course, keeping the books so they benefited the captain. And his purse. That arrangement had worked to benefit both of them, though. Even before the mess with Wilkins' wife.

"In the end, Wilkins got what he deserved for it, and I ain't sorry in the least," he went on. "Stupid bastard was worthless as a sergeant anyway."

[sans nom]

As much as he disliked Bright, Charcot was too curious about a good story to let it go at that. So he was forced to ask "What happened to him?"

[Keiju]

"The colonel found out about the books being off. Wilkins was caught with 'em. It ended up on his back, not mine." Bright stretched his arms out and winced at the strain in his left side. "Then I went and had a word with him after. Private like. I left him crying like a baby."

[Paol Kerjean]

"Is that when you came over to the 86e?" Paol asked, careful to keep his tone and expression neutral.

[Keiju]

The grin on his face broadened a little. Telling this story was bringing all the related memories back and Bright found that he was enjoying the reliving of it.

"Nearly. I didn't actually do my runner till the Retreat, but things were getting a bit rough around the company. Some of the lads had worked out the way things stood and weren't best pleased with any of it. I expect they'd have done for me before too long." He couldn't help a chuckle. "Still, poor old Private Wilkins. He got what was comin', he did. I'm glad I ain't him now, that's sure. 'Specially since his wife's had the kid, and it don't look a thing like Wilkins."

[sans nom]

"It's yours then? You've got a kid?" Somehow the idea of Bright being a father seemed even more impossible than being a captain's favorite. "And you've seen it?"

[Keiju]

"Lucky me, right? Little snot's brown-headed and both Wilkins and his bird ain't. I saw it only once, thank God. Left the regiment two days after. Would've gone sooner if I'd known sooner." Bright shook his head. "Who wants to be saddled with a kid, anyway?"

[sans nom]

There was another knock now, and having given this warning, the old woman immediately attempted to open the door.

[Paol Kerjean]

The door. Paol pushed away from the wall, but it was already swinging open, revealing the old woman, framed in the doorway. Their previous encounter with the girl came suddenly to mind and Paol felt his face go red again. Was she here because of the dirty water? Or because of what Bright had said? If she was going to turn them back over to the Spanish, there'd be soldiers, wouldn't there?

"Madame," he said, eyeing her with wary uncertainty.

[sans nom]

"Agua," she said, this time setting a wooden bucket on the floor with a thump. Clearly a pitcher and bowl was too genteel for men like these.

[Keiju]

Bright levered himself up enough to see what the old bat had delivered to them. "Oh, ain't that sweet. A bucket to piss in."

[Paol Kerjean]

"It's water," Paol said over his shoulder, reaching down and grasping the bucket's handle.

"Thank you," he told the old woman.

[sans nom]

She scowled and muttered at them all before turning away, pulling the door shut behind her.

[Keiju]

"Water, is it? What a treat. A half-full bucket to wash with. Damned Spanish." Bright lay back on the bed with a grunt. "They ain't worth the clothes on their backs. Dead useless, the whole lot of 'em."

[Paol Kerjean]

"D'you want it or not?" Paol responded, setting the bucket on the ground and sinking to the floor beside it. He stared at it for a moment, then shrugged one shoulder. Nothing short of immersion would get him clean at this point, but it was better than nothing, and God only knew when they'd have a chance again. Besides, those blankets the girl brought were clean, properly clean and he felt guilty just touching them.

Reaching back, he grabbed a handful of his collar and began to tug it over his head. There was no coat to worry about; that had been left behind in the barn. It was odd being without it, worse than odd, though he couldn't have said why. The rest of the shirt slipped easily up over his shoulders, revealing the ugly, swollen bruise which radiated out from his shoulder blade, and he set about extricating his right arm.

[Keiju]

"I've already cleaned what needs cleanin', really," was Bright's bored-sounding response.

[sans nom]

"I want some," Charcot said, kicking his boots off. The rags around his feet and the bandage from his eyes would serve as his towels.

[Paol Kerjean]

"Here, let me see those."

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