Lightstar Family/Adaria/Roleplay 07
Civil "Work"
Adaria quickly scanned the letter and called a halt. "Hold on boys! Let's turn back around to the Baron's estates! Ahael needs some work done to bring it up to shape again. We can move out again towards Lenamaziel once Duke Idapur catches up!"
A few soldiers groaned quietly, while one in the back muttered to his companion, "Does she expect us to capture rebels and build houses, I wonder?"
"Eh, better than marching through the snow, I say," the other fellow grinned. "Who knows, maybe Ahael's main town has some pretty wenches... Wouldn't you rather plow a field and plant some crops than walk through snow, my friend?" he winked lewdly, which elicited a loud guffaw from the first speaker.
"Hahah! Hey, that does sound better, when you put it like that..."
"Milady! A delivery for you!" called the courier, as he pulled his horse up to a stop and dismounted, a handful of yards away. Adaria turned her attention away from watching her men shovel snow off one of the main roads through Ahael and raised her delicate eyebrows considerably as the man hefted a rather large bundle from the back of his snorting horse. Then, her eye caught something curious happening behind the courier, and her mouth dropped open in shock.
"Mila--" the man began, but the girl hushed him with an upheld finger as she dashed off towards the distant scene which now held her squinted gaze. Eight heartbeats later, she reached the two soldiers, who were intent on their work and failed to notice her swift approach until it was too late. Slightly furious, Adaria huffed out petulantly, "And WHAT do you think you two are doing?!"
One man snapped up immediately from his bent-forwards position with a peculiar sound coming out from his mouth, which sounded something like a mix between a gasp and an 'eek', before he backpedaled and fell upon his arse. His companion merely turned his head and stared with wide, saucer eyes, like a boy caught stealing a piece of his neighbor's cooling apple pie from the windowsill.
"Hhuheeek!!" -thump-
"Uhh uhh..." -gulp-
The girl stood there, arms akimbo, as she tapped a dainty foot in glaring silence. Then she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, shifting her attention from one soldier, to the other, and then to the 'thing' they had both been 'work'ing on. "Well??"
The one on the ground squeaked out, "C-civil work?" -pause- "M-milady." -sheepish grin-
Adaria arched one of her eyebrows in one of those I-don't-believe-you-for-a-second-so-tell-me-the-truth-before-I-really-get-angry looks, as learned--firsthand--from her own mother many years ago.
The second soldier nodded quickly a handful of times, agreeing with the first. "Honestly!"
"Really," she said. It was not a question.
Just then, a young child cried out happily from off to the side, and little footfalls could be heard as the boy ran haphazardly towards the three people.
"Snoh-min! Snoh-min! Hehehe!"
"Bradley! Come back here right now and finish your food, young man!" a woman, presumably his mother, called out from behind him, before she shook her head and rushed to catch up.
The kid laughed as he got close to group and then bent down to gather some snow in his hand, which he quickly and deftly formed into a ball. This projectile was then thrown (presumably) at the almost-completed snowman, but due to gravity, wind resistance, intermolecular forces, electronegativity, or just bad aim, it sailed unerringly towards the face of the second soldier, who was now standing three feet away from the original, intended target.
He ducked, and the missile reached its apex, and started to descend in its vaguely parabolic arc, moving on towards Adaria, who squeaked and leaped straight up into air, while pulling both legs up close to her body. Successfully dodging the flying ball of snow, she landed to hear a SMACK! followed by a quick cry of "What the cow!" from behind. Turning to look, she suddenly snorted and tried to bite back a chuckle as she brought both hands up to cover her mouth; the man on the ground was now busy brushing snow off his face.
"Oh dear! I am soooo sorry, sir! BRADLEY, no! Back there! Eat!" the woman cried out, as she finally reached the boy, who was pointing and laughing at the poor man. She shooed him off towards the cabin, and he grudgingly obliged, looking back over his shoulder every few steps with a wide grin.
Adaria shook her head with a smile, all murderous thoughts now banished from her mind. Noticing the young lady... "Oh, milady!" ...the woman quickly curtsied. Then she flashed a warm smile at the two soldiers, one grumpy and the other amused, before turning back to Adaria. "These gentlemen are so kind to build a snowman for little Bradley. His father has been busy gathering firewood, so hasn't had time to play with him, you see. I'm so sorry about that, uhm, snowball, haha! Anyway, I better get back before he gets into more trouble!" -curtsy again- "Milady."
Adaria smiled and nodded to the woman. Then she turned to her men and sighed. "Very well, carry on boys!"
The first soldier grumbled to his friend. "Plow fields, huh? Why did I ever let you talk me into this..."
