Jamarach's Menagerie
Dandelions
Jaffy and Ishbel bounded into the house, leaving the small cottage door thrown wide, letting in the warm stench of summertime in London. Giggling, their faces were alight with the innocent smiles of children, betraying their attempts to look mature in adult clothing.
"What are you two doing! Get out! The pair of you! Covered in dirt! Filth! I just spent all day sweeping and cleaning this shack, and what do I get? The pair of you no good louses traipsing in here like pigs!" Ishbel's mother was after them with her broom held like a bat, swatting at them as they ducked and dodged her attempted to beat them out of the house.
"Ow, mom! That's Jaffy not Tim! Don't beat him!" the girl gasped.
"Oh, Jaffy! You mind as well be my second son, you're here often enough." Mrs. Linver's scowl didn't budge from her face, but she did put down the broom and settled with a whack around both their heads before yanking her daughters hand out infront of her.
"Just what have you got on your hands young lady? That better not be..." Ishbel's hand were covered in a sticky white goop. Glancing over, Mrs. Linver noticed that Jaffy was trying subtly to rub his own on his trousers, leaving behind streaks of white.
"Nothing, just gunk. Jaffy and I were fooling around out in the old pit." Ishbel glared up at her mother, her face defiant with her chin sticking out.
"If you behave like this you will never be a proper lady! How will you ever find a husband acting like a tramp!" Her mother slapped Ishbel's wrists and aimed another at her face.
Ishbel dodged backwards just in time, almost falling onto Jaffy who stabled her by grabbing her shoulders, not letting go until she lunged at her mother.
"If you want me to be a proper lady then you shouldn't make me dance infront of those old men at the bar!" Spit flew out of her mouth and her eyed suddenly filled with tears. Luckily, Jaffy was still behind her and she blinked rapidly to stop from crying. She was not going to cry infront of her mother.
"Well if you weren't so useless you could have a better job. Or go ahead and be a servant girl, you'll soon find out how chaste their jobs are!" Mrs. Linver then turned her gaze to Jaffy. "And you! You should be ashamed. Taking advantage of a girl like that! You better do the right thing and marry her one day!"
His face going red, Jaffy tried to form a full sentence. "What... I didn't do anything... why would I have to marry her? - I mean, Ishbel, you're great. - But I think we'd both like some choice. We were just playing around how does that make her not a proper lady?" Jaffy looked at Ishbel, now looking more like a little boy than a teenager.
"Don't act all innocent with me!" Mrs. Linver stood up straight and huffed. "Get out of my house. Now. Both of you. I don't want to see my disgraceful daughter or you-"
"Mom! Mom! Shut up! We were just playing in the field, we were picking wild flowers. The dandelions have sticky white stuff in them. That's all. Geeze!" Ishbel stormed past her mother to her little bedroom and slammed the door. Mrs. Linver watched her exit then turned back to Jaffy.
"Well, you better go. And take that as a warning, if you ever do anything to Ishbel!" With that she pushed him out the door and slammed it in his face.