Resist

21

When I woke, it was to the sound of voices. Will, Tucker, and Jack were already up, dousing the fire and rolling their blankets up to strap to the tops of their packs. I sat up and stretched, my own blankets falling from my shoulders. Wait, there were two? Someone had added a blanket over my own while I was sleeping. I pulled it from my shoulders and felt the material between my fingers. It was a deep red, a burgundy, the same color Jack's blanket was. I glanced to where he was packing up his bag; there was no rolled blanket attached or near him.

Folding up the quilt in my arms, I stood, carrying it to Jack. "Thank you," I said quietly as I handed it to him. I was graced with a genuine, bright smile. I was taken by surprise but the expression disappeared as soon as it had come. I almost didn't believe it had existed.

We left camp within the hour, hitching the wagon to the horse once again and heading down the path.

"I hope we get home before lunch, breakfast was the last of our food," Brody mumbled beside me as we strode along.

His worry was unneeded however. We arrived back to the hotel with our final load of supplies (it had taken two trips to bring it all from the edge of town to The Recovery since the wagon couldn't be brought into London without attracting too much attention) just in time for lunch.

Our ragged and tired group wandered into the dining hall just as those at our table who weren't on the raid were sitting down. Sicily stood and rushed to embrace James and Bower gave a friendly wave, tossing his apple to Jack who snatched it from the air and took a crunching bite. "How was it lads?" The ginger asked.

"We got a good load," Tucker told him.

"Got some...interesting items," Brody elaborated, an insinuation to his voice. Bower gave a quizzical look but didn't ask for clarification as Gavin had just walked over.

"Everyone in one piece?" He asked, eyes sweeping over the group, assessing each of us.

"Went perfectly," Tucker told him as he pulled a chair out to sit, not even having gone to get food yet. I was sitting too, needing a moment of rest for my legs.

"Good, we'll do inventory after lunch," he said, turning and heading back to his own seat.

"We'll have to get it back to our room before lunch ends," Brody began to plan immediately.

"Get what?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"The ale of course!" Brody explained. "Gavin will just give it to Eden for cleaning wounds, because of the alcohol in it, but I have bigger and better plans for that barrel."

Of course he did, maybe he was part Irish. "What will happen if Gavin finds out?"

"Simple: he won't," Will said as he settled in the seat beside me with a plate of food. "We're good at keeping things secret around here." There was a note of playful mischievousness to his voice, something he carried rather naturally.

"Well as long as you guys manage to keep it a secret, I'm happy," Tucker said, beginning to push his chair back. "Just don't get us all in trouble."

Will nodded sarcastically.

"Now I need food. Essie, you ready to get some too?" Tucker asked. I pushed back my chair to join him.

The scraping of another chair on the worn floors sounded and I glanced back to see Jack leaving the table too. He did a little half jog to catch up to us us as we made our way to the food but didn't say anything. I smiled to myself.

Will and Brody managed to get the barrel of ale back to Brody's room towards the end of lunch and they came back with some of the most mischievous grins on their faces.