Visiting Cotton

He stuck his tongue out at her. "All right, I will."

He wiped the slate clean and started writing, looking at the bit of paper every now and again.

"Forgot the plume on my shako, so I put one on yourn," he said, turning it around to show her.

She laughed again. "Is that a regulation uniform skirt? And I have to say, it looks a little like it says 'Moggie Evans.'"

"Dunno." He looked at the writing. "Does, a bit. Here, lemme change that, then."



"Better?"

"Yes, thank you. And is that my rifle?"

"Well, it's s'posed to be. Ain't so easy to draw with a slate pencil, you know, lass."

She grinned. "I know. Listen, something's going on outside. Are we coming to the town already? Will the scouts have gone ahead to look around? Do you think we'll stay at the town and camp for the night, or will we keep moving?"

"I don't know. Mebbe they'll have assigned billets already, mebbe we'll just bivouac outside. Us swaddies* are allus the last to know."

*slang - soldiers

"But you think we'll stay for at least a night? Maybe we'll have time - or I'll have time - to go to the market. I could go for you, if you like, and get things for Captain Vickery. I drive a hard bargain!"

"I think we'll stay for one night. Or if not that long, at least long enough to do some shopping." He remembered something then.

"And I got the Captain some more paper and ink... and didn't get any more sealing wax. I'm such a silly!" He looked a little abashed at the realisation.

She laughed at the expression on his face. "Yes you are. Do you want me to get it for you? Or will you come with me to do my marketing? Speaking of which..." She fumbled in her bag and pulled out a small pink-stained bundle. "I want to get some produce to sell, and these will be going off, so - do you want some?" She unwrapped the cloth which had cherries inside. They were very ripe, but not overly so. She picked one up in her hand and closed her eyes as she cradled it below her nose, breathing in the scent from where the stem joined the fruit. Then she smiled and reached out to offer it to him.

"I'd like to come with you, but it depends on me back. Can't do too much fetchin' and carryin' at the moment." His eyes widened as she offered him a cherry.

"Ain't had cherries in an age," he said, and reached to take it.

"They were for the officers. And they bought most of them, too. Those officers have to have their nice things, even on the march." She clucked her tongue and grinned at him. A moment later she was spitting cherry stones at him. "Watch out for Rifleman Moggie!"

He poked his tongue out at her. "Just 'cause I can't write too well, my girl. It was an A, even the first time."

He took another cherry, eating it slowly and savouring the sweet taste of it. "You an' me, lass, we'll be set for life. Me as batman, you as... as supplier of everythin' an officer could need or want." He grinned.

"And you to make sure the officer pays top price for it all," she laughed. "That is, if he's buying from me. But if I'm the one doing the buying, oh won't he get the best of everything! But being an officer, he will anyway."

"They allus do, lass. Though I try to save the Captain a bit o' money... but like you say, that's when he'm buyin' fr'm other sellers. Don't charge him too much, though, or he'll wonder what I'm doin' with his money." He was smiling at her as he spoke, and took another cherry.

"Oh, you know I'd give him the best bargains of all, really," she answered with an exaggerated sigh.

"I know." He wriggled round onto his side and took another cherry from the packet. Holding it by the stalk, he offered it to Maggie so she could pull it from the stalk with her teeth.

"What are you doing?" she asked giggling. "Watch your fingers. You might get bit."

"Just havin' a bit of fun, an' offerin' you a cherry." He grinned. "No hands!" he said, thinking he saw her hand start to move to take the fruit from him.

She grinned and snapped at it like a fish.

"You ain't supposed to do it that way," he said, grinning. "Never mind. Maybe you can show me how to write 'cherry', later."

She laughed, a long giggling laugh. "There's a right and a wrong way?"

"Well, I meant, not so, well, snappish, like. Never mind. It was just a silly idea, is all."

He took another cherry himself; they were among his favourite fruit and the flavour reminded him of home and Mister Compsett's cherry orchard.

"Hold on," she said, snatching the cherry from his hand and holding it by the stem. "Let's see you do it then."

"All right. Only you'll have to make sure I can get it without stretchin' too far."

(OOC - time for sleepy Riflemans' players to go to bed...)