Logs

The stone houses are reasonably quiet this warm, summer morning. The drizzle has stopped for a while, causing the air to be humid and sticky- not particularly pleasent weather in most respects, but at least it's stopped raining.
Megan Tasselberry is up, but appears she's made it no further than her front door this morning, and now sits by the road eating at a very sticky looking bun- just watching the people pass by on their own buisness. Every now and then, however, she glances up the road expectantly- perhaps she's waiting for someone..
Andrick comes up the street from the centre of Bree, looking thoughtfully at the ground as he comes. He doesn't so much as notice anyone else on the street, and is evidently very absorbed in his thoughts. He kicks a stone in the street out of the way, and watches it roll along, standing still for a moment, just outside Megan's house.
Megan, from her position on the wall outside her house, watches as Andrick comes along and looks as though she's going to call out to him, but- noticing how absorbed in thought he appears, she says nothing but watches curiously, the half-finished bun poised between her fingers. Now, as he comes to stop, she tilts her head slightly to the side- an amused smile pulling at the corners of her lips.. "Good morning, Mr Thatcher..."
Andrick shakes his head quickly, coming back to the real world. "Mornin'." He says, then turns to Megan, and says, "Miss Megan. I trust yer feelin' up to yer usual chirpy self today?" He slowly begins to meander towards the girl, keeping his attention on her.
Megan shrugs, then- at his request, sighs lightly, letting her eyes slide shut briefly. She takes a deep breath, then opens her eyes again- a cheerful smile on her freckled face- the mask in place. "I suppose I could be. Any reason why?" (I lost this pose so had to make up a new one)
"Well Miss," Andrick says, breathing in deeply, "I s'pose yer could say as I'm a touch sullen, on account of a strange thing what 'appened last night. I ain't told no-one else yet, an' I don't mean to jus' yet, else we'll 'ave folk all up an' down Bree an' beyond yappin' away about it. Any'ow, yer promise yer won't go blabbin' to other folk round town?"
Megan's cheery demeanour falls slightly as he speaks, and she sinks into an expression something between thoughtfulness and concern. She glances up along the road once quickly- as if checking to make sure no one's coming, and then nods her head quickly to him. "Of course I won't!"
Andrick nods, and looks at the door behind Megan, and says, "Mind if we nip inside? I don't want no-one over'earin', if yer follow. See, it's not somethin' I want folk to know about jus' yet, so I want ta keep it as 'ush-'ush as possible, 'ence my wantin' to go inside."
Megan's eyes slide to the door, and she nods again. "I was just waiting for my brothers.. they're meant to be coming home soon, but we'll hear them when they get here.." With that, she slides off the wall and brushes herself off, though her eyes shine with a curiosity to know exactly what the big secret is as she makes for the door and steps inside.
Andrick follows Megan, and looks around the front room, nodding slowly. He makes a point to push the door to as he comes in. He says, visibly more relaxed, "Well Miss, we're sink or swim now, we are. There ain't no turnin' back for me. I ain't workin' at the inn no more. I dunno why, I jus' got a message from Mr. Butterbur, sayin' as 'e din't want me workin' fer 'im no more. Maybe 'e found out about all me activities, as it were, an' maybe not. At any rate, I ain't a employee of 'is any more."
As Megan enters the house, she moves so as to sit on the first few stars- looking up at the man with a look of concern. "But- weren't you going to stop working there anyway?" Megan says, a look of puzzlement on her face.. "And stop calling me Miss.. and what d'you think he'd do- if he has found out?" It seems her mind is working faster than she's able to properly formulate questions, as it looks like she has a thousand more questions in her head but is unsure whether to ask them, perhaps unsure of what the problem /is/ exactly, except for being out of work and the posibility of being uncovered...
Andrick shakes his head, "Aye, I were plannin' on leavin', on'y, I s'pose I was plannin' more on leavin' on me own time, not bein' left out on the street as it were." He smiles a little, and says, "What would yer 'ave me call yer...Miss?" He winks, and quickly says, "Sorry, any'ow, I dunno what 'e'll do. 'opefully 'e'll be content now that I ain't in 'is employ no more. I jus' 'ope 'e don't want more out o' me.
Megan shifts forward on the step, her head tilted to the side and she gives a gentle nod of understanding. "If you've got no where to stay you're welcome to come here for a bit- the twins are staying for a few weeks though, so it'll be a full house.." her voice sounds genuine, though she's still not revealing her true self, it may appear true enough.. "You know what to call me! I don't think you've ever called me just Miss before- it sounds strange... and if he hasn't done anything so far- called Breeguards or told everyone then I don't think he intends to do much more.. " she almost looks as though she's about to say 'I hope..' but apparently stops herself, giving him a reassuring smile.
Andrick says, "It ain't a question of where to stay. I've got me 'ouse up the street a bit, an' I own that fair 'n' square, so that ain't a problem. The problem's goin' to be 'ow I'm to put food on me table 'til I get another income. That's why I reckon you an' I need to decide what it is we're goin' to do an' get on an' do it pretty quick." He smiles, quite amiably, and says, "I'll call yer Meg, then, if that's all well with yer. I dunno, I s'pose even I'm a touch flustered on this. Sorry 'bout that, Meg. I 'ope 'e don't do owt, else I'm pretty well finished."
"Oh..." and she bites her lip- looking worried incase she had offended him by suggesting he didn't have a house.. "Have you had any ideas? I've been trying to think of some, but it always turns out too mundane.. and Meg is fine.." she glances across to the kitchen as he meantions being flustered.. "Do you want to have a seat? Have something to eat? The twins should be coming home soon- maybe they'll have a suggestion for you.."
Andrick makes himself quite at home, sitting down on a low chair, and says, "I wouldn't say no, I ain't 'ad a bite since last night, an' me stomach's bin growlin' away to itself. I'm reckonin' we need to jus' get somethin' up an' runnin' straight off, an' we can think about...euh...diversifyin' later on, if yer follow. We could try out yer sweet-shop idea, or somethin' on similar lines, an' then make it more int'restin' later on."
Megan slides herself off the stairs and ducks into the kitchen, busying herself for several moments- sorting through cupboards and pots on the stove, before turning to him- "Well- what would you like? The Twins have been eating like there's no tomorrow- maybe my cooking is better than my ma's... D'you feel like something sweet, or something savoury?" she thinks for a moment.. "We could make the sweets and sell them in a little stand- which would save us having to get a shop.." now as she turns back to poke at the contents of a few pots, she says absently (though, sounding completely serious:) "I suppose we could always poison the sweets- that could make it a bit more interesting.."
Andrick says, "I could go fer either, whatever yer want, though I'm parched, if yer've owt other'n water to drink? I could jus' go fer some cider or somethin', if yer've any." He sits back, and thinks for a moment, before saying, "I s'pose we could. I reckon we'd want a shop before long though." He bursts out laughing at the suggestion, apparently taking it with no seriousness whatsoever, and says, "Aye, an' kill of the 'ole town til us two's the on'y ones left in Bree." He shakes his head, and says, "'Ow 'bout we set up a proper trade, like carpentry or somethin', on'y somethin' no-one else in town's though o' yet?"
Megan pulls open a cupboard and pulls out a small bottle of cider, putting it on the table in front of him. "That's Jacob's last, so we won't tell him- just say we didn't know anything about it.. he'll know I'm lying, but there's nothing he can do about it.." she leans against the bench, watching him carefully.. "We could poison some and not others, so it's the luck of the draw- we could give the poisoned ones to people we don't like- Malorie for example.. and th' ones that haven't been poisoned to people we do like!" she reaches into a basket and pulls out a red apple, taking a bite- and raising an eyebrow at his suggestion. "Me? Doing carpentry?"
Andrick grins, and takes the bottle, uncorking it and sniffing at the contents. He nods, seemingly impressed, then says, "Well, we'll 'ave to find some way of gettin' at Miss Foxglove, 'owever we go about it. An' I weren't suggestin' we did carpentry exactly, jus' that we thought o' somethin' no-one else in town's doin'. We could try an' grow an orchard or somethin' on the Bree'ill, fer example. 'Ow's that idea?" He sits on the edge of his seat, apparently pleased with his new inspiration.
Megan gives a nod in agreement about getting to Malorie. "Perhaps we should sell her to the Dunlending before they leave and they can take her back with them..." she takes another bite into the apple, and tilts her head at the suggestion.. "Wouldn't people find the orchid at the top of the hill? And steal the fruit?"
At that moment, there is a bustle of noise at the front door as it is thrown open and in stumble two figures- both almost identical to look at except for a slight difference in height and facial expression- the taller of the two has a more serious look about him, though his eyes are alight with the same shine Megan's often carry... the shorter appears to have that rebellious, mischevious look about him, and seems to be exploding with energy.. "Oh no..." Megan mutters as they tumble into the kitchen area...
Andrick nods, and says, "I s'pose, if we really wanted to make it 'appen, we could get some dogs, or we could 'ire a couple o' big lads to make sure no-one gets in what oughtn'ta get in. I reckon it's a fine idea, 'ow about yerself?" He looks up at the two newcomers, and looks at Megan a little nervously, as he quickly stands, "These the twins then?" He says.
"I'll tell you what- if we wanted to get someone to walk to Combe every now and then, I reckon Miss. Ivyleaf would let us grow some trees- she's got an ample big property as it is and she's a fairly good friend of mine... With some fine tuning, this could work... " she looks up as the twins enter, but doesn't move from her seat. "Morning Megs!" she shorter of the two says, bounding over to ruffle her hair and then begin to raid the food cupboards.. The other stands in the doorway- seemingly surveying the situation. "Yes, these are the twins- this is Jacob.." and she motions to the taller one, who nods his head to Andrick, "And Adrian.." now motioning to the shorter.. They look remarkably like Megan- the same wild hair, freckles along their cheeks and it wouldn't be hard to guess they were siblings meeting them for the first time..
Andrick nods, "Ivyleaf, nah, can't say as I know 'er personally, though it'd be if nowt else, a good start on the road as it were, so long as she's willin'. D'yer reckon she's the sort as we could trust? I mean, could we let 'er in on the 'ole affair?" He visibly relaxes after the introductions, and sits back down, allowing his tongue freedom once more. "Because, if yer ask me, I reckon another'n'd 'elp us no end. 'Specially if she's got a bit o' land we could borrow."
Apparently the twins have already begun to understand what the whole conversation is about and so sit themselves down- watching curiously. "Yes- Llyna Ivyleaf, from Combe- I mean, these two could even bring us deliveries from there.." she motions to the twins.. "She's trustworthy! Too nice for her own good sometimes- she'd think it a great adventure to help out in a sceme!" Adrian says, and Jacob nods in affirmation. "Beside that- she has the best apples in all Bree- must be good growing soil.. All she's got is a few big apple trees and paddocks.." Jacob comments, his voice retaining a smooth, thoughtful quality about it.. "In the meantime you could start taking apples from her coolstores and passing them off as your own if you wanted..."
Andrick nods, "I reckon our next step needs to be to go round 'er place then, see what she 'as to say on the matter. Yer know 'er, I don't. D'yer reckon we should try to look legit to 'er? Or'd she be trustworthy enough to play along with us properly? What d'yer think? Yer say she's paddocks?" Andrick turns to Jacob, "She keeps 'orses? That could come in 'andy, if we played it right."
Megan nods in agreement, as do the twins. "I suppose we should try to look "legit" enough to begin with, see what she has to say, let her get to know us a bit matter and then tell her I suppose..." Megan replies, with a shrug, and Adrian pipes up: "What exactly are you doin' that isn't legit? I mean- all I've heard is that you're goin' to go plant some trees on her place an' possibly steal her apples..." And now it's Jacob's turn to reply with a gentle shake of his head: "No horses. She has a few sheep as I remember... It used to be her parent's farm, then they left.. There's just her and her dog, and the sheep there.."
Andrick says, "Jus' 'er an' 'er sheep," and chuckles to himself, "Well," he says now, to Adrian, "Nowt much really I s'pose, I reckon we jus' take advantage of a few more situations than most folk'd think right, though, it's their loss." He smirks, then says to Jacob, "Sheep? Does she get the wool off've'm? Or are they jus' fer mutton?" He then turns to Megan, "When d'yer reckon we ought to go an' see 'er?"
"Ah.. I see.." Adrian replies, though apparently it hasn't cleared up much for him, he gives Andrick a smile and turns around to begin raiding the food cupboard again. "Well she doesn't eat them, I know that much- she's had them for a long time- I suppose she gets their wool, after all, one day they have wool, the next day they won't.. " Jacob looks long at Andrick then to Megan- apparently some message passing between the siblings, then he stands up, moving into the other room until his footsteps can be heard going upstairs. "I don't mind when- it doesn't really matter to me. I suppose it would be easiest to go when the twins are going home, but I don't know if you want to wait that long.."
"Well Meg," Andrick says, stretching, "I don't mind 'ow long it takes at all. I've still got enough tucked away to live off've, jus' so long as Mr. Butterbur don't come round askin' fer all 'is money back, so, I s'pose we can wait. When are they goin' back?" He leans back into his chair, and becomes reflective. "What sorta fruit d'yer reckon we oughta grow? Apples is good, but it'd be nice to stretch out a litte, things like pears, an' maybe elderberries an' the likes, maybe we could think about makin' some wines? I reckon we could get quite good grapes if we 'ad the position right."
A brief smile registers on Megan's lips as he calls her Meg. "I don't think he'd be able to come asking for his money back after you worked for it all... And the twins are heading back after Tigerlily's birthday party, most likely..." She nods to his suggestions- eyes lighting up at the idea of wine- "Now, there's an idea- is there any wine makers in Bree? Maybe also we could grow berries- I know how to make fruit pies, and my ma used to be a baker..."
Andrick nods, and grins, saying, "I reckon we've 'it the nail on the 'ead fer this idea. So we'll see Miss Ivyleaf, see if we can convince 'er to let us some of 'er land. On'y trouble is, where are we goin' to get grapes from in the first place? Mr. Butterbur gets most of 'is wines from the Shire, so I s'pose we could try an' get some good grapes from round there. I've 'eard they've really fat ones in the Southfarthin', though I don't know first-'and o' course."
Megan smiles widely too. "I doubt Llyna will mind- she'll like the extra company we bring.. And if she doesn't agree we can offer her some tiny amount of money and tell her it's a percentage of the profit... I'm sure there's some kind of transport between Bree and the Shire isn't there? If Mr. Butterbur is getting wine from there then there must be some delivery system. I have a few friends in the Shire who would help us out if we needed it..." and she falls into thought for a moment more, before saying jokingly: "I could smuggle myself aboard the Shire wagon before they leave!"
Andrick nods, and says, "Seems like a good plan. Thing is though, I ain't too keen on the idea o' buyin' grapes off've some Little'un, when we could just as easy go over there ourselfs an' pick 'em straight off the trees. What d'yer think o' that? We could offer to go back with the 'obbits as a kind of escort, or somethin' similar, an' then find our way to the vineyards, eh?"
Megan shrugs; apparently indifferent to the idea of buying grapes off hobbits. "I don't know how accepting the hobbits would be of our being escorts. I've already snapped at a few of them, and they'll figure out soon enough that you don't like them... But their wagon doesn't leave for some time yet, which is long enough for us to decide on what we're going to do.." and now, Adrian- who has been silent for some time pipes up; "You could always smuggle yourselves on board, but you'd have to wait until the last minute to do it, and stay in hiding until you were too far away for them to be able to take you back... I've done it before- not to the Shire, obviously.."
Andrick nods, and says, "Well, I reckon maybe it'd not be a specially good idea any'ow. We don't want a load of 'obbits after me as well as Butterbur. Maybe we could buy some off've'm." He then gets up, and meanders to the window, looking out of it. "'Ow far d'yer reckon it is to the Shire?" He then starts, noticing the failing light, and says, "Well, I s'pose I'd best be off 'ome!" He says, and turns around again, heading for the door.
"Well think of something.." Megan says, her voice cool and calm; reassuring. "I don't know- I've never been out of Bree.." something in her voice speaks of a longing for a grand adventure, and something of rebellion that suggests she might have a plan she's not telling him about... Megan stands as he makes his way to the door, following quietly behind him. "Well- it was good to see you, Andrick.. I hope everything goes alright.. If you're in trouble you can come hide out here if you ever need to..."