were sultanas, they
momentarily fizzed in his mouth.
Finally
he finished and sat back, pushing the tray away and wiping his
mouth with a serviette from the stack in front of him.
Bue smiled . “Enjoy that?”Jared nodded.
“ Yes, lovely. I was
starving .”
“ Really, I wouldn’t have
guessed .” Bue replied
clapping Jared on the back.
“ Well boys,
he likes the grub. Guess he passed the first test”
The
othed boys laughed and one of them extended his hand across the
table. “I’m Bolla”
Jared
shook his hand and other boys came up to say hello. The names were
many and Jared knew he wouldn’t be able to remember them
all.
“ Stone ,”
one fat boy said, squeezing Jared’s hand in a friendly but too-hard
grip.
“ Declain ,” another said.
“ Jerean ,” said a third.
When
the introductions had stopped Jared noticed that most of the boys
had gone back to their own conversations, only the group around him
still appeared fascinated by him.
“ If you’re only staying one
night you must be being protected from something ,” a thin boy with shoulder length black hair
sitting opposite him said. “We know the Takoba brought you here.
You in trouble?”
“ Yes, but…I can’t say ,” Jared said feeling embarrassed.
The boy looked at Bue. “Nice to see a new face though,
don’t you think?”
“ I’ll
say” Bue replied, putting his arm around Jared’s shoulder. “Tell me
Jared, you any good with a bow?”
“ Like archery?” Jared said
surprised. “My father is a member of a club, I’ve had a go a few
times .”
“ No, no .” Bue said shaking his head. “Not the giant’s
toothpick, a crossbow.”
Jared paused for a second then
said , “err…no can’t say I
have.”
“ Well my friend we’ll have to
teach you .”
A bell
suddenly rang loudly and the boys stood up, picking up their trays
and cutlery. They noisily scraped their leftovers into a large bin
and put their trays into a rack near the hatch. Penny ignored them
and was busy sorting out her own area.
As Jared p assed the hatch he looked at her. “Thank you,
that was nice.”
Penny froze and looked up at
him, snorting loudly and snapped even louder . “WHAT did you just say?”
The
boys near Jared froze and looked at him and then the floor. They
began to edge away quickly, a space clearing around him until he
was on his own.
“ Err…thank you for lunch. It
was really nice ,” he
repeated, blushing slightly.
There was a pause where you
could have heard a pin drop while Penny stared at him, the deep
dish she was holding in both hands looking more like a weapon with
every passing second.
Suddenly Penny smiled and put
the dish down. “Why thank you young man. So nice to be appreciated
occasionally. So few young men your age have any manners any
more .”
The
boys around him breathed out heavily and as Jared was about to move
away Penny reached to the side of the hatch and beckoned him
towards her.
As he cautiously approached
she handed him a paper bag. “For you young man. I’m sure you’ll be
hungry after your travel here .” Jared looked in the bag. Inside were two cakes, square
with red and black icing on the top.
“ Thank you ,” Jared said smiling and Penny smiled back,
humming a little tune as she continued to clear
up.
Bue was waiting for him by the
door. “See you made friends with Penny ,” he chuckled looking back to where the hulking
figure was smiling to herself while clearing up.
“ Just being polite, don’t think
she’s used to that .” Jared
whispered following Bue’s gaze.
“ Come on, it’s sports
time ,” Bue said
enthusiastically. “You can’t miss that.”
“ I’m
not very good at sports, I prefer a game of chess”
“ Of what?” Bue said looking
puzzled then beamed broadly .
“Come on, let’s get to the range. I’m going to show you how to fire
a crossbow.”
Jared submitted to
momentarily fizzed in his mouth.
Finally
he finished and sat back, pushing the tray away and wiping his
mouth with a serviette from the stack in front of him.
Bue smiled . “Enjoy that?”Jared nodded.
“ Yes, lovely. I was
starving .”
“ Really, I wouldn’t have
guessed .” Bue replied
clapping Jared on the back.
“ Well boys,
he likes the grub. Guess he passed the first test”
The
othed boys laughed and one of them extended his hand across the
table. “I’m Bolla”
Jared
shook his hand and other boys came up to say hello. The names were
many and Jared knew he wouldn’t be able to remember them
all.
“ Stone ,”
one fat boy said, squeezing Jared’s hand in a friendly but too-hard
grip.
“ Declain ,” another said.
“ Jerean ,” said a third.
When
the introductions had stopped Jared noticed that most of the boys
had gone back to their own conversations, only the group around him
still appeared fascinated by him.
“ If you’re only staying one
night you must be being protected from something ,” a thin boy with shoulder length black hair
sitting opposite him said. “We know the Takoba brought you here.
You in trouble?”
“ Yes, but…I can’t say ,” Jared said feeling embarrassed.
The boy looked at Bue. “Nice to see a new face though,
don’t you think?”
“ I’ll
say” Bue replied, putting his arm around Jared’s shoulder. “Tell me
Jared, you any good with a bow?”
“ Like archery?” Jared said
surprised. “My father is a member of a club, I’ve had a go a few
times .”
“ No, no .” Bue said shaking his head. “Not the giant’s
toothpick, a crossbow.”
Jared paused for a second then
said , “err…no can’t say I
have.”
“ Well my friend we’ll have to
teach you .”
A bell
suddenly rang loudly and the boys stood up, picking up their trays
and cutlery. They noisily scraped their leftovers into a large bin
and put their trays into a rack near the hatch. Penny ignored them
and was busy sorting out her own area.
As Jared p assed the hatch he looked at her. “Thank you,
that was nice.”
Penny froze and looked up at
him, snorting loudly and snapped even louder . “WHAT did you just say?”
The
boys near Jared froze and looked at him and then the floor. They
began to edge away quickly, a space clearing around him until he
was on his own.
“ Err…thank you for lunch. It
was really nice ,” he
repeated, blushing slightly.
There was a pause where you
could have heard a pin drop while Penny stared at him, the deep
dish she was holding in both hands looking more like a weapon with
every passing second.
Suddenly Penny smiled and put
the dish down. “Why thank you young man. So nice to be appreciated
occasionally. So few young men your age have any manners any
more .”
The
boys around him breathed out heavily and as Jared was about to move
away Penny reached to the side of the hatch and beckoned him
towards her.
As he cautiously approached
she handed him a paper bag. “For you young man. I’m sure you’ll be
hungry after your travel here .” Jared looked in the bag. Inside were two cakes, square
with red and black icing on the top.
“ Thank you ,” Jared said smiling and Penny smiled back,
humming a little tune as she continued to clear
up.
Bue was waiting for him by the
door. “See you made friends with Penny ,” he chuckled looking back to where the hulking
figure was smiling to herself while clearing up.
“ Just being polite, don’t think
she’s used to that .” Jared
whispered following Bue’s gaze.
“ Come on, it’s sports
time ,” Bue said
enthusiastically. “You can’t miss that.”
“ I’m
not very good at sports, I prefer a game of chess”
“ Of what?” Bue said looking
puzzled then beamed broadly .
“Come on, let’s get to the range. I’m going to show you how to fire
a crossbow.”
Jared submitted to
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