17th May - After Review - Cleaning out

"You're taking him then? Perhaps his parents have been lost to the cat, 'specially if he looks too scruffy and thin. "

He took a step back:" Oy, don't you think of it, sir! I may have been made for many things, but surely not to be a doctor's cushion for landing."

He hadn't thought of that. Bu tthere were no now birds about, and he was looking at him with a beady little eye.
"we-ell. I'll not chase him off, and see if he wants to come, mebbe."

like the bird, he cocked his own head to one side, "I think ye'll make a very good landing. Though just this once, so ye can see t'horses, I'll use t'lader, instead." and he stood up and moved twards it, slowly, the sparrow clenching it's claws and looking amused at this slower, though more restful, way of moving.

"..Is that your professional opinion sir, or only one of interest to test." He grinned though and stood beside the ladder to keep it in place even as the doctor would descend it.

" Perhaps you have found yourself your bird. And that one, a source of certain food. Not quite sure, which is the one benefiting most." He chuckled subtly.

"Oh, I'd have ter test it." He bent his legs, threatening to jump, before instead turnign and lowering himself down the ladder, one arm stuck out oddly to balance the bird.

"I think he's onter a good thing, laddie. Though if ye show a lot of interest in him, ye can keep him..." The little thing hopped along towards his shoulder now, clearly making a choice between the more settled life of living in a wagon. Rob shrugged, "Or mebbe I've just been adopted."

"Ah.." He shook his head when he saw Sinclair at last begin climbing down. "What shall you name it though.. or should in such an adoption the bird name you?" He mused as he watched the little bird. It was an adorable thing, though as scruffy as the riflemen.

"I'd keep him, sure thing, but I doubt he'd fancy riding on a horse, when he's given a first class commodity in your wagon."

"I think..." the little thing hopped to his shoulder proper, now, and pecked his ear with force, though drew no blood, "I think mebbe I'll wait till I see if he stays, and then I'll have ter call him summat. BUt he'll nae doubt be callin me things too."

For now there was only a soft sort of chirping, but he could easily see it changing to a grumpy squawk as soon as something didn't go his way.
"Who said anything about first class, then?" Though truth be told it would be, the best food, clean water, freedom to roam about, provided there weren't dropping everywhere....

"First class it is, sir.. though there might be days that the moaning of the wounded may disturb it. " He grinned at the bird. "Ah, already pecking you into place. Not a moment lost on him.. or is it her? Do you know?"

He looked at the little creature but the scruffyness obscured some of its identity.

He shrugged again, carefully. That beak could do some damage. "I'd say, from t'way he's behaving, it's more likely ter be a she." he admitted ruefully.
I may well find out ternight, if it don't fly off."

He- or she- was quite nice, in a scruffy, scrawny sort of way. Sparrows weren't known for their voices, but he thought he could probably deal with it, unless there was too much noise. And of course it would give the sick something to laugh at.
"It it starts ter complain too much, I'll have ter set it loose again." he threatened, reaching up to poke it gently.

"I do believe that if it were to feel at home, as often as you may try to set it free, it will just find another way to enter your wagon, sneak in and pretend she or he was meant to be there all along." It was an endearing little thing, and far too trusting. But in this trust it has chosen the right man, unless Robert did mean to make a dish out of the bird after all?

He watched the bird react to Sinclair's careful prodding, but not fly away as many of the others would have. Perhaps she, if it was indeed a she, has taken a great liking to the man already. A match made in heaven atleast for one!

"THat's true. I had a dog like that, once. He'd come round ter be patched up...and he never left. T'poor bairns who used ter have 'im, I felt such a cruel, horrible adult, at that." Of course they'd come to an agreement, and all that, but it still didn't help him stop feeling he'd stolen their dog.

"ANyhow. How finished are ye, laddie? Tis lookin much more like a home for them horses of yourn, if I may say so."

"A..." He finished with the last of the boxes in which the horses could be kept and nodded. "There it is. All cleaned, all replaced." He stretched his arms a little and rested a hand to his back. It was a streneous job, but it was also over. "Shall we not see, whether I am permitted to continue my work with your own animals?" He grinned. "And .. I hope my horse shan't go after you as that dog did!"

Rob had to chuckle at that, too, "So do I. Else I'll end up with a whole managerie trailin round after me, and nowt a moment ter meself."

THe little sparrow had discovered that his hair was liable to come out, some of it, if pulled. Apparently this was a great game. "Yer a silly wee bairn, ye are. I'll have me work cut out fer me, that I can tell." He tried to turn his head to squint at it, resulting only in loosing hair which had been firmly attached. "Go on, leave it alone, ye."
Frustratedly he tried to push it out of the way of such a questing beak.

"He'll.. or she maybe, will make a nest of your hair yet. Be careful that you don't wake up one day and find eggs neatly laid up there." Timothy laughed most bemused at the antics of the little bird. A fine little thing it was too!

"Come sir, if you will." He motioned for the doctor, that he could follow him if he so choose.

"If it's a she, there'll be a nest, or nests, all over the place." he said it with a grumble, but a smile as well. It would be amusing to have the little creature to watch.
"And I reckon they'll all be lined with t'surgeons hair, too." He had to make a face as she -or he?- attempted to clean out his ear. that received a push along his shoulder, further away from such a persuit.

"Of course. Let's continue."

"Well, prepare then to be bald, sir. For this bird looks intent to begin as soon as she is able. And I reckon she won't be satisfied with a measly little nest." He grinned. Poor surgeon, adopting a bird might be more than good nature.

"Mebbe I could give her me wig, and she could ahve that fer herself." He'd enver seen the point, though if he let this bird pull out all his hair maybe he would.

"Nae doubt if ye had anything ter do with it, it'd be a nest so large ye could raise all t'birds in t'area in it. Just so ye could laugh at me, hmm?"
He found the whole idea more than mildly amusing, especially now t'bird was looking about tiself, instead of attempting surgery of it's new hotelier.

"Oh, I would.. indeed I would." He thought it quite amusing and the image it portrayed, my, he would possibly come to see the surgeon every day just to see the progress of the bird, and see of its success.

"Would have more birds then, wouldn't you? Might even share one or two, with a Hussar. Though mind, she would not nest neither atop or in my busby, nor hair."

"I think she might take exception to that rule." he commented drily, resolutely picking the bird- which had again begun delving into his hair- up and keeping it on his hand as they walked along.

"I wonder if t'stories of Pirates with parrots on their shoulders are true. If so, tis a wonder they have any hair left, with those stronger beaks..."
they were ehading back now, a slightly different, more direct route than the one he had taken out here.

"Oh for a pirate there's some of the things missing on you sir, for one. .a ship itself." He chuckled and shook his head. " but of hair.. do some pictures not show them lacking some of it already?"

He looked at the bird who would probably find a way to peck at Sinclair's hair again, just when he would pay less attention to it.

"M Sure I could find a ship womewhere." He grumbled, "But mebbe not a peg- leg. though I have one stashed away, I willna be needing it, I hope."

He htought over what he knew about pirates- not much, "It's hard ter see, I think, with all them hats they wear. mebbe they are missing it."
The delightful little creature had turned, hung it's tail over his hand and done a dropping, before turning back to him (pleased as eh was it had missed him completely) and chirped, fluttering back to his shoulder.

Timothy blinked at the bird, for it fluffed up, dropped a load and looked all pleased with itself. "...Well..., I'd suggest that you teach it not to ..er.. relieve itself inside your wagon, or on unsuspecting officers, and if you have a kind heart, not on common soldiers either." Else hell would be to pay. He considered himself lucky for what happened with Waldegrave and Bella. He regretted that it happened, but what was, was. And he was damned lucky he had gone without much more than having to wipe those boots clean and so the coat.

"Oh I dinna knoiw. could be quite funny...all that gold sparkly dulled."
there was probably a point there, and he did make a note of it.
"Could probably convince it ter go only in one spot, or summat, stop this incessant danger ter me clothes."

ANd he'd be constantly cleaning his instruments, and floor, and papers, if it went all round the wagon. It could get messy.

"Gold sparkly dulled might be of fun, but not if you were to hear them complain in the.. eh.. loudest of manners." Timothy grinned, meaning no ill words of the officers, nor anything but amusement to the two.

"If you are able to teach her that, I'll wonder if you could do too a few tricks. To have time go quicker for those inside the wagon. It might convince them to bring some food for the bird, which willl leave you from needing to feed it!"

"Oh they do tend ter complain alittle, I'm with ye there, laddie."
or a lot, depnding on what he might be doing with them. even a smiple bandage could mean he wasin for a twenty minute discourse on their own importance.

"A few tricks. like what? coming when called, or flying a certain pattern? I could possibly try. Though I don't know if it'd be possible."

"Such things perhaps, or having them sing at a man's ear, whatever they can even sing, perhaps hop about and look most adorable, to melt a man's heart and have him take pity of the poor 'starving' bird, .. " He looked on ahead and they were nearly there.

The building that they stopped infront of was large, and spacious and as the youth walked forward he nodded to the two men by the door. "We've found ourselves.. a good station." He commented with a grin.