17th May - After Review - Cleaning out

"AH, I forgot that laddie. SOrry..." he shifted, unwilling to have caused any grief, though he didn't think he had.

"Ye sound most world- weary. THough as far as I can see, ye be as right as t'next man, when ye say that. Seems they either boss ye round upfront, or try ter, else they boss ye round all sneaky-like, thinking ye willna notice."

" No trouble." He smiled and waved a hand to show that it had truly caused none of the grief.

"Or knowing that you will not notice as well." He added with a chuckle. "Are sisters thus similar in leading you about as a pup newly born?" For Robert knew with the siblings he had, and it was perhaps interesting to know whether women had practice at home, till they unveiled their charms on their suitors.

"Och, those sisters of mine, they're worse than me own Ma at tellin' me what ter do."
Grinning he swung both feet over the ledge, slipping his hands down tot eh edge of the roof to grip, and put on a girly sort of voice, "Now, Robbie- lad. Ye willna be cooming in with them there hands of yourn all so-covered in t'mud, willye? Or with yourn boots a-sticking ter t'ground, they bein' so dirty, too.'" He dropped the voice to add,
"And once they've ye all dry inside, they send ye back out again, fer wood or eggs or summat they were meant ter be doing, or coula got me ter get afore." He said it with a grin, making it clear this was exasperation, not bitterness.

Willoughby grinned and couldn't help himself but to laugh at the lady's impersonation. He had to wipe at his eyes as at last Sinclair has returned his voice to that of a man, and shook his head with another grin plastered to his features.

"Never know what they truly want, do they.. Or atleast they don't seem to make sense to us!" He shook his head. "You've convinced me to be quite fortunate not to have a lass as a sister. It'd have been a terrible trouble if I had. Though there are.." And he grew silent quickly and waved his hand. He knew women alright, that commanded you about when your wish was to play outside no matter if it rained cats, dogs and horses. Couldn't speak of them though.

" .. ah, all women seem to be generals of their own make." He said instead with another grin.

"Oh indeed. Though at least I was spared the hovering Aunty, or the doting Grandmother. I've seen enough of them ter ken they aren't summat a young lad wants about, when all he's a tryin' ter do is....enjoy himself."
As much as he did, anyway.

"Sometimes I think they have classes or summat, ter teach them all how ter get t'most work out of their charges."

"Perhaps, though of what I gather, they do live with their mothers, so perhaps other than learning to sew they also learn the secret art of the command of men?" He didn't fancy being turned about the finger by any woman though he had seen many a man fall. Alas he also had seen men go into town solely for the entertainment and nothing more.

He shrugged a little. "We should be glad that our officers are not women.. for even when they are to stand by the man...well, you have said it yourself, sir."

"Maybe tis true- though I understand that normally, when a father and son are doing things, they learn only about what is pertinant. Mayhap a Mother talks more ter her daughter bout...managing people?"
It was an interesting idea, one he thought was probably true, to some extent. Those women were always talking to each other about something, and not always aloud, either.

"I can well imagine what'd happen if t'officers were women...t'treasury would be happy by such a short war, ter begin with."

"You suggest that they would end the war much swifter than our officers?" He looked surprised at Snclair, for he wasn't certain if he could imagine such a feat. Women would certainly have robbed the treasury slate clean though, would they not?.. Well perhaps not robbed, but they were a certain few ladies who had been certain to keep little and enjoy much of the splendour of fashion, of that he was certain.

"Indeed. If I was facing an army run by women, well...they'd have ter do half t'work only, with all their wielding of power they like so much. I'd be sending my poor men home, ter live out their days in as much peace as they could."
He shrugged, "Although, nae doubt t'ladies would also be wanting big parties and such, yer right there. Which would cost big."

"Indeed it would, though I haven't so seen it with the camp folowers. Though they might buy food sooner than the army gets to it, they aren't the great spenders that ladies may .. uh, be." He smiled and looked at the shovel.

"Or so I think they could be. " He'd near finished with the stables and began to bring fresh hay into each. It was as laborious work as the earlier, but much more gratifying for it meant he was near free.

" ..The war is not kind to the women though." He murmured, nor were some armies of men.

Rob had spent only a little time in a large city, but thought he'd remember the spending habits he had seen there for a long while yet. Seemed a lady wasn't really a lady until she had beggered her man.

"T'war....well, war ain't kind ter many, laddie. Tis why it's so important ter pick t'winning wide, some say. And others, it don't matter, they say, fer yer'll loose anyway."

"Isn't a side to pick, for a soldier. For once you have become one . .and even there your side is already decided for you. It would be an awful crime to change a side, just because you'd have seen the other as the winning. Would be called desertion as one.. n' goin' ter t' enemy as another.." He filled the first of the boxes with hay, and continued to the next.

" Dunno about winning or loosing.. isn't t' common soldier's place to think too much on it." He looked at Sinclair and shrugged. "I just hope to do my duty, and do it well."

"Tis well spoken...but fer t'ones who supply all these things, they can pick a side. And fer ye, if, God forbid, this was ter be unsuccesful. Well, it wouldna be pleasant."
Though he himself hardly thought about such things. It wasn't pleasant, to start off with, or conducive to good work.

"Yer doing yer duty well here, anyway, laddie." It was looking like there couldn't possibly be any more waste to drag out, and he supposed things had to be done in such a time consuming way for a reason.

"Hm, I do not think that even our officers can decide to whom they might bow, but do you mean those who supply us with weapons? Or the nations of whose countries we now fight in?"

He smiled and bowed his head in embarrassment to the man's words. "Atleast the horses will now be fed and pleasantly placed.." Though of course they'd delight in soiling their box just after they enter, if only because they could. That was atleast, what the lad expected.

"THose who put us ter war...well, ye ter war, anyway. And those who supply ye with weaponry and food, and horses...they are t'one's who'll be choosin' their sides.
He glanced round, unwilling to be taken for what he wasn't- afraid, or unwilling to fight. Although whole-scale war was hardly his thing, a skrimish or two, if he had to, he'd be happy to do it.

"Fer now, those horses'll be such. Until we move, or they eat."

" A war might be a rise to some, in their careers and in their fame, and..." But he was not to say more, for this was a surgeon and not in any way a fellow soldier and even amongst those men would probably not say too much.

"So forth." He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Do your horses need any tending to?" He had the time and he would probably not be scolded for doing more than his duty, only if he had slacked when he should've been cleaning. Ah, what a fine thing a good bath in the river would be.

Rob shrugged again, wishing he'd brought more food in his pocket. SIlly, really. but the birds had liked it, and it was quite comforting. Even if he did have to clean his jacket now.
"I dinna ken. They seem alright, I think. But I'll admit ter not knowing much about them, apart from which is which and feeding them. If ye aren't busy with other things...."

"I'll be glad to be of service, sir."

He had finished with one side, and was only making good progress on the other. "Are the birds still frollicking about you?" He asked with a grin and lifted his gaze to the man who would save many in the future days, or so he believed and also hoped.

"I wouldna wish ter take ye from a duty, though."
and he wouldnt' want to see the lad in trouble, either, if he could have helped it.

"No birds frolicking, sadly. They have all gone ter help their chicks, I should say. And there's no more food up here, so they aren't as enamoured with me anymore." There was one or two ruffled looking creatures still hanging about though, and he stretched out ahand to them, forgeting for a moment he was on the edge of a roof.

"We can ask once I am done here. And then if I'm given permission, I'll come." What other duty would he do, once he was finished with the horses? He didn't think there was much more, but alas it was certainly better to ask than disappear.

"Careful sir!" He called as he just happened to lift his gaze to see Sinclair leaning so precariously at the roof's edge.

Startled by the call as well, there was a short moment when he hoped it wouldn't take too long for the dung to be washed from his jacket. But a turn at the right time and he was making his way up across the roof, not down towards the ground.
"I'm fine, see?" A little shaken, to be sure, but that was of no matter. And the birds were actually hopping closer. Laughing at him, nae doubt.

"..Yes, certainly, sir." And he was certainly tempted that he should have a pile of hay spread somewhere under where Sinclair was sitting or lying atop that roof. Not to have any distrust in the man's abilities, but only to be sure and certain that they would keep their surgeon intact.

" There. Near over now." The last box waiting to be filled. "Will you come down, once it is done, or wish you to remain there for a good time longer?"

He looked about at the sparse roof, one bird on his arm now already.
Slowly he shuffled back, "I think," he eyed the sparrow with some interest...he was very scruffy. Maybe this was why he had stayed behind? Were they jusdged on their feathers by others?
"I think I'll be down soonish, ter allow ye ter put away t'ladder, if nothing else."

"What do you have there?" He only had seen something small on Sinclair's arm, though from the angle he couldn't right see what it was, or what was its state. It had to be a bird, but one that was not lured in by food? He wondered why else it had stayed.

"Nay worry about that.. though I could put it away right now." He grinned. "It would be only, a bit hard for you to get down... but I'm sure there'd be someone to come by.. in a while." It was all a joke and tease though, for he would not have left Sinclair on the roof like that.

"Tis a wee birdie, see? Just a scruffy little sparrow, I dinna ken why he be here, not with all his mates."

he eyed the drop to the ground and grinned, "Ye move that ladder, laddie, and I will be a jumping down on ye. After all, t'surgeon will mend ye later, but he canna mend himself."