True Justice

Shay lifted her hands to cover her ears, then slowly lowered them again as he started singing, a look of surprise on her face. The song he was singing was one of her favorites, and she started to sing along. When the song was finished, she smiled.

"It's a crime to lie to your employee, Mr. Rowland." Shay lowered her voice in an imitation of Terence. "I was expecting you to sound like a dying chicken. And you don't." She folded her arms. "So I guess we're even."

True Justice

Terence laughed as he stood. He dragged a small empty crate over to the wheel. "Well, I guess we are."

Returning to his carving, he said, "I'm surprised that you know that song...and even more surprised that you sang along..."

True Justice

"I'm not sure why you're so surprised. I am human, after all." Shay's attitude turned sour once again. "I do tend to like songs, and if I like them, I tend to sing along."

True Justice

"Not surprised in a bad way..." Terence shook his head. "It was a pleasant surprise. It's a rare occasion when I hear a soft, sweet voice sing with my own. My sisters sing with me, but it usually ends in a fit of giggles when I sing the wrong words. And they never sing sailing songs..."

True Justice

Jinna accepted the locket and stared at it, her tears dripping onto it after a while. When Elle pointed to the house, Jinna made herself look up at it. She found a smile slipping across her face. Gracie was here. I am getting closer...! She followed Elle towards it. When Elle mentioned Walter, a pain shot through Jinna's heart and she gasped. So much misery! It seemed that everywhere she looked, Jinna saw people hurting who had lost a friend, a family member, a loved one. She knew that it would be alright, but it still hurt for the moment...

"I am sorry, Elle. Trula, I am." was all that she could say. She continued walking, the grass tickling the backs of her calves as she went.

True Justice

"There is nothing to be sorry about..." Elle said, as she continued walking toward the house.

When she got close, she whistled to a young woman hanging laundry out on a line.

The woman looked up, her brown hair blowing in the wind. "Elle, what are you doing here?"

"Showing Mrs. Longham where to catch the best frogs." Elle said, not wanting to go into details. Jinna was quite a few paces behind, so she knew she wouldn't here.

"Where you and Walter went then?" She asked.

Elle nodded, a frown present. "Yes."

"Oh, very well." The brunette waved to Jinna. "Cecily Rowland, ma'am. A friend of Elle's. I'm sure you'll find the river refreshing." Turning back to Elle, she said, "Millie and I will be taking lunch to Terence as soon as I finish here. You are welcome to eat here with mother, Audrey and Joanna, or you can join us at the shipyard." She smiled.

"I'm not hungry." Elle said, walking toward the forest.

Cecily frowned. She looked at Jinna. "I apologize for Elle's rudeness. We've never been able to teach her manners..."

True Justice

Shay wasn't sure how to respond. "Oh. Well, I'm glad I could give you that satisfaction." She shifted positions in her chair, grimacing. "I'm not used to sitting this much." She clasped her hands in her lap. "Well, was that singing entertaining enough, or shall it be necessary for me to stand on my head and eat an apple?" She paused. "Also, when can I sweep?" she asked impulsively.

True Justice

Terence sighed. He stood, went over to her and held out his hand. "If you insist on trying to do it, so be it. If you feel any pain or discomfort, I want you to sit down immediately. Understand?"

True Justice

When Cecily spoke of the river, Jinna nodded and smiled. "I hope I can find what I'm looking for. It is so very important to me!" She took it for granted that Cecily knew why they were going to the river; after all, Elle had come up first and had spoken to her. When she spoke of Elle's manners, Jinna waved it away with her hand. She knew that Elle was sad and lonely, that she had a poor life, and although Jinna thought that that was no excuse for rudeness, she felt much pity for the girl and did not mind her ways too much anymore. She continued to follow Elle and waved at Cecily as they passed her. As soon as they had passed her, however, Jinna's gaze was fixed on the woods ahead, her pathway to the river- her pathway to Gracie.

True Justice

Shay stood up eagerly, but winced almost immediately. She had moved too fast, causing pain to slice through her foot. Shay continued a bit more carefully, then hobbled over to the broom in the corner, keeping the weight mostly off her twisted ankle. She bit her lip as the dull throbbing continued. "Thank you, Mr. Rowland," she said matter-of-factly, nodding in his direction. "I'll have it swept before the day is over."

The pain faded, and as long as she kept her weight off it and didn't move too quickly, the pain in her ankle lessened. She swept efficiently, and soon she had a small, neat pile of wood shavings in the center of the floor. "So how do you know Riley?" she asked in an effort to keep her mind off her ankle.

True Justice

Cecily smiled, though she was a bit confused. She shrugged as she watched them walk away. She hung up the last item in her basket and then skipped toward the house. Opening the back door, she called, "Millie, I'm finished. We can go now."

Millie, a pretty woman with long blonde hair, descended the stairs gracefully. "I'm finished, too." She picked up the basket of food that waited by the door and linked her arm with her sister's. "Let us go."

~~~

Elle led Jinna toward the forest. She turned and said, "There are many roots. Be careful where you step."

~~~

"Or you can not take my offered hand. That's alright too." Terence returned to the crate and sat down. He watched her carefully. He knew she was too stubborn to do anything other than sweep, so he shook his head with chuckle and said, "Have you always been this stubborn?"

True Justice

Zachary retreated a few steps, seeing the rising temper and the fierceness in the mans eyes. He didn't want to fight him....he couldn't. He had no weapon, and it was clear he might get wounded if he stood his ground any longer. With a breath, he turned on his heal and fled into the garden, not looking back, not checking to see if Adrian was following.

He found his horse, impatiently standing behind a tree and mounted her, jabbing his heals into her sides, making her take off in a immediate gallop. After he was away from the home, he reigned in his animal and looked back upon the manor. "I'm sorry Aeryn...." he whispered, then rode away once again.

~~~~

The Captain was taken aback by the barrage of blows which Jean unleashed upon him. He hadn't expected this young whipper-snapper, to be able to handle his knives that well. He was pressed back down the hall, trying his best to keep Jean at bay. His larger short sword as almost no match.

True Justice

"You seem desperate for me to take your hand, Mr. Rowland." Shay looked up from her sweeping. "Thank you for your offer, but I think I've got it." She frowned. "Have I always been this stubborn? I don't know. I was about to ask you the same thing."

True Justice

Jinna nodded. "I will make my feet go slow, even though my heart is racing to get there." Jinna slowed down and followed Elle with careful steps. The forest was a place that she had never been before; not this one, anyone. It reminded her of the forest near her childhood home, where she had lived before she had married John. Lifting up her skirt slightly to step over a root, Jinna began humming to calm herself. She was almost there: almost to Gracie.

But you don't know that you will find her...

True Justice

Terence nodded. "Yes, I have, unfortunately for other people. I believe it can be a good trait to have, sometimes." He reached over and grabbed a different carving knife. His stomach growled and he remembered that he hadn't had any lunch yet. No doubt his sisters would arrive soon. He expected to hear Millie's lilting laughter and Cecily's conniving snicker any minute now. "Are you hungry?"

~~~

Elle glanced at Jinna as she started humming. Shaking her head, she looked back in front of her and stepped over a log. "Why do you think you will find Gracie?"