True Justice

"Yes, well, I'm not exactly the mending type." She sighed. "I can sew, but I don't like to. A holey sock is the least of my concerns."

Shay watched as Terence left, then her gaze fell to a roll of twine sitting in the corner of the room. An idea sparked in her brain. Standing up slowly and painfully, she limped over, grabbed the twine, and started to separate the pieces like she'd done many times before. She started to braid, moving her fingers quickly, and smiled as a small, thin rope took shape. This would keep her useful until Terence came back.

True Justice

"Gracie doesn't know who I am. I never really knew her." Elle stood. "I will take you, but that's all I can do. I do not know where Elias is."

~~~

"You can sew? I thought only housewives knew how to sew?" Terence said, popping his head back into the room. Before Shay could say anything about it, Terence left and went down the stairs.

He went to a large bin and pulled out a white piece of fabric. It was thick and rough, but it was the best he had at the moment. Ripping a long strip off, he bounded back up the stairs.

Coming up to Shay, he said, "So you have sailor and housewife talents?" He pointed to the rope.

True Justice

Jinna thanked Elle and asked her to wait a moment before leaving. She got a picnic basket and filled it with gingerbread, fruit and water jars for the road. Then she said goodbye to John and the children. Mark raised a ruckus but Jinna finally managed to shush him and get on her way.

"I will tell you about your sister as soon as I found out anything!" Jinna told him.

"Alright, Elle, I'm ready to go."

Jinna pushed open the front door, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the unknown.

True Justice

Daia heard a whisper around the corner. Turning, she saw Aia beckoning to her.

She quickly bowed to the little girl in the cell, and hurried after Aia.

~Riella

True Justice

Elle waited patiently for Jinna, her hands clasped and her eyes lowered.

When Jinna was ready, Elle followed her out and started walked up the street. "When my parents died, my sister, Melody, continued living in the house. I lived with the Rowland's after that. The cabin never felt like home again. That's why I burned it when I got the chance..."

True Justice

Jinna nodded. "Well, I understand. I wonder how your sister died? Poor, poor Gracie!! She doesn't have a mother. Surely it would be in Gracie's best interest to live with John and me and have both a father and a mother!" She sighed and unconsciously quickened her pace. "I cannot thank you enough, Elle, for what you are doing." Suddenly Jinna stopped and looked at the girl. "It isn't right for you to have to live on a dock. Why don't you stay with us for awhile after we find Gracie? Perhaps it is time that the girl got to know her aunt."

True Justice

Shay lifted her chin. "I'm not a housewife. We've been over this." Her fingers continued to move deftly through the rope. "As for knowing how to sew... my mother taught me before she died. It comes in handy for mending my own clothes, although it's not my first choice."

"I'm far from a sailor. I taught myself to braid rope. It's what I do to calm down." She sent him a look. "Something I'll need to do a lot with you around."

She noticed the bandage in Terence's hand, but didn't say anything. Obviously, he was going to help her whether she liked it or not.

True Justice

Elle turned around to face Jinna, shaking her head. "I am quite content at the docks. The shipyard has been my home for years. I will not leave it."

She turned back around and started walking again. "I don't know how my sister died. All I know is that she is, in fact, dead..."

~~~

"If it's any consolation, I mend my own clothes, too. My mother and sisters made sure I knew how before I left home. They said without a wife, I would never survive unless I knew how. Even my youngest sister, Joanna, who was only 5 at the time, insisted that I learn. With a doting mother and 4 loving sisters, I learned quickly. Very quickly." Terence knelt in front of her again.

Pointing to the rope in her hands, he continued, "Elle usually does the rope work around here. She's become quite good, after a lot of practice." He paused to chuckle. "I can only imagine her face if she came and saw you braiding it. She'd think you were taking over her job, I'm sure...and she would not be a happy person about it."

He looked up at her as he took her foot in his hands. "This will hurt, so I apologize in advance." Terence began wrapping the strip of cloth around her ankle, keeping it tight, but not tight enough to cut off the circulation.

True Justice

"For the record, you're the one who said that only housewives sew." Shay folded her arms. "Are you sure you really mean that now? Are you sure you're not a housewife?"

"I don't mean to take over Elle's work. But since I twisted my blasted ankle, I have to do something." She continued to braid. "She'll be given the honor of braiding rope for you as soon as I can sweep again - which will hopefully be in the next few minutes." She glowered at her ankle.

Shay winced as Terence began wrapping up her ankle, briefly losing her composure. "And for the record, that hurts!" She whooshed out a breath. "But I assure you, I'm fine."

True Justice

"I can assure you, I am not a housewife." Terence chuckled, continuing to focus on her ankle.

"Elle can find something else to keep herself occupied with. Don't worry. I have a few ropes that need to be twisted together. I'll get them for you in a few minutes. I'll take care of the sweeping."

Terence winced as Shay complained. "Of course you are." He glanced at her with a smile.

True Justice

Adrian was taken aback. "I thought you were dead..." He trailed off, his mind processing the rest of the information slowly. Aeryn wasn't a traitor. She wasn't a traitor. His heart began to beat again. Then the rest of Zachary's words made sense. "You're the traitor, then!" He accused, taking a step forward. "It's your fault that she's been taken!" He had been afraid that Aeryn would turn out to be a traitor, but now his mind was beginning to fill with anger.

--------

Jean did not respond to Seranoy's goad. He was ready to fight. Whether he wanted to or not did not matter; he was not fighting for himself. "Small weapons work better in a small field." Jean answered to his captain's comment, never taking his eyes off of his face.

It was up to the captain to make the first move in the fight. Jean briefly considered that taking a stand like this was pretty stupid, but he brushed it away. It was right.

True Justice

"Not a housewife. Right." Shay smirked. "So where did you learn to bandage ankles?"

"I'm here to sweep. Since I cannot at the moment, though"--she winced--"I'll have to take Elle's job, I suppose." She stared at him. "If you're going to twist my arm about it."

True Justice

"I'm a Rowland, Miss O'Teale. Ask anyone around this town and they'll tell you how reckless and daring my family was. I've seen and experienced a fair share of bruises, cuts and black eyes." Terence wrapped the bandage around a few more times and then tied it tightly. He stood and brought his stool in front of her chair. Then he grabbed one of the sacks, folded it and placed it on the stool. "It's best to keep it elevated."

Terence lifted her foot and placed it on the cushioned stool. With a chuckle, he said, "I won't twist your arm, but Elle might if she sees you."

True Justice

"I see. So you're not only rude, but reckless as well." Shay smiled demurely. "I thought as much."

"Oh, perfect." Shay spoke dryly with a grimace. "I'm really looking forward to that."

The rope she was braiding lay in a large coil at her feet. She tied it off and cut the ends with the knife she kept in her belt. "One down."

True Justice

"Of course I am. Keeps life interesting." Terence said as he walked to the other side of the room. He reached into a wooden crate and pulled out 3 ropes. "These need to be twisted together, as tight as possible. They will be going on a ship, so they need to be done well. From what I've seen, you'll do a good job."

Terence tied the 3 ropes together at the top, leaving a loop on the end. He handed the ropes to her and said, "Hopefully, Elle's business with Jinna takes a while. I really don't feel like dealing with her right now. One woman is more than enough for me at the moment. I don't need two..."

He picked up the broom from the floor and grabbed a large bucket. "Do you have any siblings?"