Chapter 2
The first part of the journey was very enjoyable for John. The sun was high in the sky, and Sunset was moving the Brahmin along ground, steering around potholes and bushes that dotted the Wasteland. Mercy kept his eyes peeled on the surroundings, even though John would be able to see any threat from miles around, due to the flat terrain that covered this area, and made it so ideal for farming. Dignity and Justice attempted to keep their eyes on the horizon, as Mercy had instructed them before they set off; however, they always ended up becoming distracted, either by talking to one another, or another member of the party. Justice walked up to John, who was lounging at the front of the caravan, bobbing along next to Sunset. Veracity was strolling with Dignity, and Shroud had decided to sit on the other side of Sunset, so she could enjoy the day. John thought he saw her catching glimpses at Mercy, but his mind was too preoccupied thinking about what they would find when they got to the hunting outpost. Mercy had said they weren't friendly towards townsfolk, so he was wondering what sort of reception they would receive. However, Justice tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and asked to have a word. John hopped down from the front of the caravan and walked with Justice.
"Naïve does not describe that boy"
John was confused for a few moments, before the realisation dawned on him.
"Dignity is most definitely not confused Justice"
"Not him, you idiot, Valour"
"What about him"
"He likes Sunset"
"Well, I mean he is allowed Justice. She's not the most attractive gecko in the pack, but she is a healthy young girl."
"Yeah, but he doesn't know anything. And I mean bloody anything. He refuses to talk to her, and asked me if brandishing his pistol would impress her."
"He has a fucking pistol! What is he doing with it?"
"His father gave it him, but that isn't the problem…"
"Yes it is a problem. That boy has his head in the fucking clouds, and he has a lethal weapon on him at all times."
"I told him I doubted whether it would impress her. Unfortunately, he has also been talking to Dignity, who has told him ideas to the contrary."
"If he pulls a gun on Sunset, she is going to freak"
"It might be worth you having a word with him. The gun is only a minor problem; he has no idea how to talk to women."
"And I do?"
"Well, I mean with your brother and everything."
"What are you trying to say Justice?"
"Calm down John, I am just saying he had, you know, a way with the ladies."
John knew that he had become angry, and it wasn't Justice's fault. He would have to deal with the gun though.
"Okay, don't; worry about it Justice, I'll go and have a word."
John walked round to where Valour was sitting at the back of the caravan, with his legs dangling down out of the entrance. John lifted himself up with a grunt, and sat next to him. It was strange to think of Valour as so young, he was only a few seasons younger than John himself, however, he had so little knowledge of life, that there might as well have been a dozens seasons between them.
"How you doing Valour?"
"I'm not too bad John, just thinking, that's all."
"Sure, sure, about that gun…" Valour turned on John, a look of hurt on his face.
"Don't take it from me John, my father gave it me. He said to only use it if I really had to, and to let Mercy teach me how to use it. Please don't take it John."
"Its okay, I won't take it. Just make sure you keep it to yourself okay? At least until you know how to use it properly. And promise me you won't brandish it on anyone, unless they are trying to hurt you. You promise?"
"I promise John, I promise."
"Excellent. Now, about Sunset…" Valour's eyes brightened and the hurt look disappeared.
"She is very nice John. Pretty girl. But I don't think she likes me very much"
"That's just because she doesn't know you Valour, go and have a quick 5 minutes conversation with her. Talk about the weather, or whatever you want. Talk about the journey. We are going to meet hunters, tribals, ask her about that. When you have run out of things to say, don't hang around, tell her you are going to check on Justice, or Dignity, or even me, and that you will talk to her later. That will probably work"
"Thank you John, I will do that."
"One more thing"
"Yes John?"
"I am going to arrange some shooting practice tonight with Mercy. Using the rifles though, not your pistol. Do you want to join in?"
"Erm.. maybe, I will think about it."
"Okay Valour. Speak to you later"
"Speak to you soon John"
"And Valour?"
"Yes John?"
"Good luck"
Valour's face split into a grin, and he bounded round to the front of the caravan.
"Hey Justice!" John shouted, and the big lad jogged form where he was standing at the front of caravan.
"What's up?"
"I think I have sorted it. I am going to ask Mercy for some rifle training tonight. You in?"
"Sounds good. You asked Dignity?"
"I haven't even asked Mercy yet. Valour is up for it though."
"O Dear…"
"He is about to attempt to chat up Sunset, go and make sure he doesn't make a fool of himself"
"Yes Boss!" Justice saluted, and then ran to the front of the caravan.
John chuckled and slid off his seat at the rear of the caravan, searching for Dignity. Unfortunately, he was still engrossed with Veracity, and he didn't feel like interrupting. Instead, he made his way over to Mercy. The man turned to face him, a look of mild irritation streaming across his face.
"What do you want John?"
"What's up with you?"
"All of you are amateurs. The youngest guy in the watch could patrol better than Justice or Dignity."
"All right, calm down. I have come to ask about that actually."
"What?"
"Rifle training, tonight? Teach us a few things once we have set up camp?"
"Us?"
"Me Justice, Valour, and Dignity, if I can drag him away from Veracity."
"That fairy isn't going anywhere near a gun"
"Which one?"
"Valour…"
"That's the problem; he father has given him a pistol, so I think he needs firearms discipline."
"Take away the pistol John."
"No, he really wants to keep it."
"Then I'll take it"
"Calm down Mercy. He has promised not to use it."
Mercy looked like he was about to rise to become angry, and John took a step back. Fortunately, Mercy slumped his shoulders.
"Okay, bring him along tonight; let it be on your head though John"
"Fine"
Not wanting to antagonise the seasoned guard and longer, John retreated back to his position at the front of the caravan, where Valour had just finished talking to Sunset. Justice had a huge grin on his face, and Sunset was blushing. Valour seemed to be walking off, sulking no doubt. Perhaps his first time could have gone more smoothly. However, in the interest of trying to keep everyone together, he decided to leave it alone.
"I have just spoken to Mercy, he thinks rifle training would be a good idea."
The question was directed at Justice, but Sunset spoke.
"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!"
"Erm… I don't think you were invited" Justice smirked.
"I can come! Can't I John?"
John didn't like the idea of Sunset coming to any harm. However, he was sure Mercy was a good teacher, and he wouldn't let anything undue happen to any of them.
"Yeah. Sure, go ahead Sunset, we'll see you tonight." He was trying hard, but he couldn't resist the temptation. "How did things go between you and Valour. I saw you talking."
Sunset's face instantly turned crimson. Justice had to try so hard to repress a laugh that he fell off the caravan's seat and onto the floor. Mercy glanced over, clearly unimpressed by the event.
"He is very sweet. He asked if I wanted to talk to him tonight. Something about hunting tribals in the rain? Said he had to check on Justice, who was sitting next to me, and then jumped off the caravan, falling flat on his face, and then sulked off. He wasn't particularly comfortable, and he jumbled a lot of words. He is pretty cute though."
By now, Justice was in full fledged hysterics, unable to control himself. John did find the situation funny, but thought better than to laugh at the boy's misfortune. Sunset did seem to find Valour endearing, so John thought better than to mock him.
"You have to give him points for trying."
"I guess so. I will speak to him tonight, see if he can compose himself better. Can you… can you talk to him for me John? Calm him down so he doesn't make a fool of himself?"
John found the situation strange. He was used to being a go between for his brother, but he had never been asked for advice of both sides. "I'll do my best Sunset; I am just going to talk to Dignity. I'll speak to you later"
John laid a hand on her shoulder, shot a look at Justice, and then slid off the front of the caravan. Justice emitted a small giggle, then fell silent, scanning the horizon again, as Mercy had attempted to show them. John rounded the back of the caravan, saw Valour sitting in the same position he had found him in the last time they had spoke, but decided it would be better to leave him for a while, rather than interrupt his train of thoughts. Instead he gave him a thumbs up, declaring he would speak to him later. Valour nodded, and carried on feeling sorry for himself.
"Am I interrupting anything guys?"
Dignity and Veracity were still talking together, one hand clasping the rifle, the other hooked in between the girl's. Dignity looked up.
"As a matter of fact John…"
"Sorry, a word perhaps?"
"Sure. I'll be right back Vee." They already had pet names. John shook his head slightly. She nodded her assent, and Dignity walked towards John.
"What can I do for you Boss?"
"Shooting practice. Tonight, with Mercy. You interested? I have managed to garner up support from Justice and Valour. Even Sunset says she will have a go."
"Okay, I am up for that. What is with Valour, he looks like he has been smacked in the face by a rotten gecko pelt."
"He is just sulking, it's a long story. Pretty funny one though. I'll tell you later."
"Fantastic, I could use a bit of comedy. Speak to you later."
Dignity left John, returning to stand close to Veracity. It was still too early for John to return to talk to Valour, but the Sun was beginning to wane in the sky. They would be stopping to make camp soon, so he decided he would talk to him then. He decided he would check in on Shroud, then probably call it a day, and have a sleep inside the caravan. The events of the past few days had taken their toll on him, and he hadn't slept particularly well. He needed to catch up on sleep, so he could be in a better position to sort out the mess that Valour had made with Sunset.
"How you doing youngster?" John called out into the caravan. It had been some time since he had seen Shroud, and she had not been making much sound inside the caravan.
"Hardly anything, until you woke me up"
"Sorry Shroud, just thought I would have a chat"
"Hmm, what is on your mind?"
"How would you rate our inventory?"
"Most of it is crap. We will be lucky to sell half of it for anything more than enough food and water to get us to the next village. I doubt we will be returning half as prosperous as you made the town believe this morning." John realised that his speech had only been made that morning, and yet it felt days since he had stood before the crowd.
"I am sure we can manage. Which bits are valuable, and which are scrap?"
"Those coins you got should be worth quite a bit. If you are willing to part with them?"
"Yeah sure" John felt no connection to the random bits of metal the townsfolk had driven into his hands.
"Okay then, the knives will fetch a pretty penny as well. Like I said this morning, the Brahmin hides will be worth quite a bit, if we can find the right tanner who will want to use them. We will want to unload the pelts as fast as we can John, if we don't, they will soon begin to rot, and then they will become worthless. The cushions and rugs are okay for accessories, but I doubt we will make much from them. The gecko lets, same again, they won't attract any serious trade, but we may be able to gain a few bits and pieces from them. You may want to think about trying to obtain some of the local currency, people are always more comfortable dealing in their own money, than bartering for products."
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. And what should I be looking to trade for?"
"I can help you with that one" Mercy had lifted himself into the caravan, without John noticing. He had been so busy trying to remember what was valuable and what wasn't, and he had lost all sense of his surroundings.
"There is one thing that will always hold value in the wasteland boy" John wished he would stop calling him that, he was getting used to chief or boss. "That's weapons. Not spears, or knives or any of the other crap the tribals are going to want to exchange, unless it looks real fine, don't accept any of that. Firearms, pistols are good, but what you really want to concentrate on are rifles and shotguns."
"Okay. How much are they worth?"
"You really want the full story boy? I have to be getting back to patrolling, but when we get to the outpost, providing there is anybody there, I will look over the guns, tell you how much we should give for each one."
"Thanks Mercy"
"Not a problem, shooting tonight?"
"Hell yeah!" Mercy shook his head, glanced at Shroud, and then ducked out of the back of the caravan.
"Is there anything that isn't phalocentric that I should be on the look out for?"
Shroud giggled. "The man does like his guns; I would first look for supplies. It doesn't matter how many rifles we have, if we can't eat, we die. Then look for jewellery. Women from Drainage used to go crazy for tribal jewellery. Something about their earthy essence. Art is good as well, but only if you know what to look for, which I seriously doubt you do. If you have got stuff to spare, and you are thinking about presents, Veracity would love something like that."
Business concluded, John thought he might as well indulge himself a little bit.
"And what would you like as a present Veracity?"
"I'm not sure; people haven't bought me presents in a long time." Veracity blushed and John sniggered.
"O get away with you, and stop teasing an old woman!" she kicked him out of the back of, and he staggered to the front, barely holding in his laughter.
The Sun was already well into its descent by the time John had settled himself into the front seat beside Sunset.
"We should make camp soon John, it will be dark in no time."
"Okay, get Mercy to tell you where to set up, I am going to sleep for a while, wake me if you need anything."
"Okay, sleep tight"
John rested his head back, and let the pressures of the day seep from him. Quicker than he thought, his body relaxed, and he went limp.
"Get up, stop being a lazy Geck" Mercy shoved him, and he fell off the seat onto the floor. The camp was in the procession of being set up. A canvas tent had been erected, and another was in the process of going up. There was a fire crackling in the centre between the two tents. Sunset was putting tying the Brahmin to a tree. Dignity and Veracity were inside the tent that was being put up. The almost obligatory giggling was emanating from the tent, and Justice was shaking his head as he smacked in the pegs with a crude wooden hammer. Valour was feeding the fire with Shroud, and they were talking in hushed, conspiratorial tones. Stretching a few of his muscles, and receiving some satisfying cracks for his troubles, John made of towards the tent, where Justice was attempting to raise the sides of the tent, whilst Dignity and Veracity were playing inside., after he had shot Mercy an angry glare.
"For the love of all Lunar and Stellar, will you two please stop messing about?" The curse caught John unaware, and the two fell silent inside the tent. Mercy barked a laugh from behind him. Justice's face turned a slight crimson.
"You want some help my friend?" John asked
"Erm…yeah sure, thanks John. I didn't wake you did I? We weren't going to, thinking you had had an eventful enough day already." John found this perplexing, but kept the feeling to himself whilst he put up the tent. Dignity and Veracity sulked out of the tent and made their way towards the campfire to sit with Valour.
"Them two have only known each other for a day, tops. What the hell are they both doing prattling around like 10 season kids?" Justice was obviously exasperated.
"Shroud seems to know more than she is letting on. They might have known each other from before we set off, you don't know Dignity's life story" Again, Mercy had sneaked up on him, and began beating the last remaining peg into the floor.
"I don't mind. They seem to be having a good time, and it isn't affecting anybody else in the group, so I don't mind."
"Yeah, me neither" Justice flung the hammer down on the floor. "I am going to help with the cooking"
"Why is he so touchy?"
"You have a thing or two to learn yet boy. He is missing his sweetheart already, Summer is her name I think? He is getting a constant reminder every time he sees those two. That is my theory anyway."
"Okay. That's a point, Justice said they weren't going to wake me. How come you did?"
"Because I am a miserable old git."
"Probably true, but I doubt that was the reason you woke me." Mercy snorted.
"Leadership boy. These guys are going to be looking to you for direction in the seasons to come. How do you want to look to them? A hard worker who gets stuck in? A man of higher thinking, who assesses situations and then creates solutions to them? A manager, who can organise a team to obtain their maximum potential? Or a bum who sleeps whilst those around him work? Your no longer just making choices for yourself John, the choices you make will affect those around you think about that. Food is almost ready."
After such a revelatory piece of information, Mercy shrugged to himself and made towards the campfire. John was left slightly bemused. He waited a few moments, to make sure everyone was in the little huddle that was being created around the fire. Once he was satisfied, he made his way over and took the proffered bowl of Gecko meat from Shroud.
The conversation around the campfire centred on practical issues. Who would stand guard, how the firearm training would take place, and who would do camp chores. After Veracity proclaimed her wish to all of the chores, because she didn't think she was contributing enough to the mission, it took a stern look from Mercy before John interrupted the flow of affirmations coming from everyone. When he had made the case that even if Veracity wanted to do a heavy share of the chores, everyone should at least attempt to do some chore, this idea met with more approval, and Mercy had nodded his assent at him. They agreed on 2 man guards throughout the night, changing periodically, according to the moon's position. The firearms training would be done without ammunition, because Mercy didn't think they had any to spare. He would take one group tonight: Veracity, Justice and Sunset, and then the next day he would teach John Shroud and Dignity. He said he would show Valour how to use his pistol whilst they were travelling. John thought that it was just an excuse for Mercy to be able to give his full attention to Valour, whom he thought would need the most assistance, but Valour seemed happy to be the problem child, if it meant he got to spend more time training with Mercy.
Even though he was tired, his little nap in the late afternoon had stopped him from collapsing outright. Therefore, whilst those that weren't receiving training went straight to bed, Dignity looked downcast that he wouldn't be training with Veracity, and John couldn't help but think the decision had been deliberate. However, Shroud looked happy to sip to the female tent, and bid John farewell with a customary placement of her fingers on his chest. He ruffled Dignity's hair before he went to bed, remarking he hoped he wouldn't get too cold. It earned him a punch on the arm, but he thought it was worth it. He saw Dignity smile before he set off for the male tent.
John made his way towards the area they had designated for the firing range. He saw the assembled 'soldiers' playing with the hunting rifles. They had not bullets in them, but they could still be cocked, aimed, fired and reloaded. They would never be marksmen, so there was no need, at this stage, to fiddle with the sights. These guns were for short to medium range, and so all they needed to know how to do was shoot fast, not shoot accurately.
He watched them fumble with the breech mechanism, trying to get the right motion for pulling the slider back. Because each time the gun was cocked, the spent round from the previous fire flew out of the weapon, they had to ensure that their fingers were well clear of the breech mechanisms front, as they pulled the slider back. This took a very delicate set of movements, which were difficult to learn. Justice, with his big hands, was finding it difficult to get the dexterity in his fingers to pull the slider back, without getting the imaginary bullet sipping into his fingers and tearing skin off of them. Unsurprisingly, given her time tying reigns around Brahmin and stitching braids out of leather and thread, Sunset was quite adept at pulling the slider back, whilst getting her fingers out of the way.
John's mind retreated to the hours he had spent practising the same manoeuvre, and he walked back to the tent with a wry grin. Obviously, without ammunition, the accuracy of the shots was impossible to test, but at least they would know how to fire when that next stage in their training came about. As he walked back to the tent, he cursed himself for not speaking with Sunset about Valour, but he vowed he would endeavour to do so as early as possible tomorrow. He should probably have a proper talk with Veracity as well. He snuggled into bed, his roll mat lying next to the happily snoring Valour. Mercy's loud commands still ringing in his ears, mixing with the memories of his past, and he slept.
He awoke with a start, floundering within his blankets, attempting to get his hands free. There was a figure above him, grappling with his arms to try and get hold of him. John resisted, but the strength of the person above him was immense. His mind was still numb from exhaustion and sleep deprivation, but it didn't stop him wriggling free of his assailant and rolling away from him. He managed to get one hand free and raised it into a fist before he finally realised that it was Justice who was stood in front of him.
"Are you going to make that much of a racket every time it is your turn for guard duty?"
"You're a funny guy, you could have just tapped me on the shoulder, instead of trying to maul the life out of me."
"I tried; you sleep like you have been battered round the head by an iron club. Mercy said piss on you but I have to sleep there, and I don't defecate where I sleep, as a general rule."
"Whatever, who else is on watch?"
"Valour"
"Fantastic…"
John got up and stumbled out of the tent, grabbing the rifle that Justice proffered to him. Valour was already up and walking about. John contemplated talking to him, but his mind was still fuzzy, so he simply nodded to him and began to walk around the camp, as Mercy had shown them. Slowly, in alternate circles, John and Valour patrolled, scanning the wasteland for signs of movement. Once or twice, he saw large shapes, the size of badgers, but with hard exoskeletons, scuttling around the perimeter of the camp, but none ventured to close. However, they did give an eerie atmosphere to the camp, and Valour was visibly spooked whenever they came close.
It was not long before John could feel his eyes drooping. Valour had taken to walking with his eyes barely open, simply going through the motions of guarding the camp, as opposed to actually doing any observing of his surroundings. Mercy had said that this was the worse thing that a guard could do, because it gave any attackers the possibility of entering a camp by incapacitating a guard without any alarm being raised. If a person got to this state, it was better to get them to sleep, and wake somebody else up, than risk a possible infiltration by enemy forces.
John grasped Valour by the arm, managing to walk right up to him without so much of a flicker of recognition across his face.
"Rest Valour, you're no good to man nor beast in that state."
"Your probably right John, I'll go and get Dignity"
Valour stumbled towards the tent where Dignity was sleeping, far away from Veracity, much to John's amusement. As he watched Valour go, he perceived a slight shift in the background noise of the Wasteland. He spun around and raised the rifle to his shoulder. Before him stood a man, naked save for a piece of loincloth around is midriff. His arms and legs were covered in muscle, he was more heavyset even than Justice. His hair was jet black, and John couldn't make out his eye sin the predawn gloom. The shoulder of the man's right arm was completely covered in tattoos, long spirals that went from the top of his neck, down to the middle part of his bicep. There was no colour to the tattoo, just layers of black spirals that intersected each other. The man wore a feather in his hair, from some type of bird, and the plume of the feather was bright, even though the sky was still dark. It was long, almost the size of John's forearm, and seemed to be held in place, even though there was a slight wind in the air that would have surely knocked it out if it wasn't somehow adhered into place. However, what John took note of most was the large spear, easily towering above even John, tipped by a barb of metal, sharpened to a point at the end. It rested easily in the man's right hand, but it seemed poise to be thrown at a moment's notice. In his left hand, the man held a knife, longer than any John had ever seen.
The man took a step towards John, raising his spear, so it pointed, as if it was an extension of his forearm, straight at John. His other arm dropped heavily to his side, as if he was grasping some great weight. The man was about to speak, but the air was rented in two, by a sound like the one that accompanied a line of night-sun. John flinched visibly, but the other man reacted quicker. He dropped into a crouch and sprinted away from the encampment, rolling and scarpering in a seemingly random pattern to evade whatever had spooked him. John turned, and everything became much clearer.
Dignity was struggling to reload his rifle. The shot had gone painfully wide, that much was obvious, and Dignity had managed to jam the rifle by attempting to cock it back at the wrong angle. He was on one knee, attempting to unjam the gun by forcing the breech mechanism backwards, in an attempt to clear where the bullet had stuck inside the rifling of the gun.
"Stop Dignity" John yelled, and Dignity dropped the gun and looked up in haste, his eyes wide, fear etched in every single feature of his face.
"I…I thought he was going to hurt you"
"I suspect he could have hurt me without you knowing about it, if that was his intention" John sighed, Dignity had acted in haste, that much was true, but his intentions were good, so John could not be angry with him. He turned to face the darkness.
"We meant you no harm, this was a misunderstanding. Please, let us talk" John didn't expect a reply, and he was not disappointed. The oppressive silence of the Wasteland had stifled even the background humming and cracking that usually accompanied John's senses whenever he was in the countryside.
He swore, and spent the rest of the shift in silence, stalking around the camp, trying to hide his mood. Dignity was obviously ashamed of his actions, and John didn't need to make him feel any worse. When dawn began to rise, and Sunset arose to see to the Brahmin, Jon walked over to Dignity, who had been poignantly avoiding him for his whole shift. The shot had brought the camp to life. First, Mercy had scrambled out of his tent and dived onto the floor into a firing position. Next, Justice arrived, standing stock straight, making a huge target of himself and waving his gun around, as if he was attempting to swat bugs. Veracity screamed and ran for the cover where the Brahmin had been sleeping. Shroud popped her head out of her tent, but didn't bother to get up, knowing the situation would be resolved with or without her intervening. Sunset and Valour didn't even stir, both lost in the prospective dreams.
"Don't worry about it my friend, we all make mistakes"
"Our first encounter with foreign peoples, and I shot at them. They are going to think us savages"
"They will follow us; they probably already know where we are heading. Mercy thinks we may well arrive by day's end, so we will meet them there"
"And if they are not as friendly this time?"
"Then we will deal with that if and when we have to."
"Okay John, I'll go and make breakfast with Sunset. I'll speak to you later?"
"Sure Dignity, anytime"
The campfire was soon lit, and preparations to begin another day's travel began. Dignity remained silent throughout the rest of the day, only infrequently chatting with Veracity, before going back to scouring the wasteland, as if attempting to make up for the folly of the night before. John approached Mercy on the subject.
"What should I do?"
"It's probably for the best John. He will be more serious from now on, now that he knows that he may have cost us the expedition. There is nothing you can do about it now; I would concentrate on how you are going to make amends when we finally meet our friends"
"They can see us?"
"I am not sure, I think I can see them sometimes, hiding in the brush and undergrowth, but I can't be certain, and I don't want to spook them any further. I have told Justice, Valour and Dignity to not shout if they spot any of the people, simply to take note, and quietly pass it on later. None of them have come up with anything yet"
"Okay, well hopefully they will see our true intentions. We will still get there before nightfall?"
"We are moving even faster than yesterday, I have no doubt that we will get there before nightfall."
John moved off, to go and talk to Sunset on the front of the caravan. She saw him coming.
"I was expecting you to talk to me last night; I was getting worried when you didn't show."
"Hilarious Sunset, I didn't have time, what with you learning to shoot like a maniac, and Dignity shooting at our potential a
llies." Sunset giggled.
"So now you come to talk. About Valour I presume?"
"Absolutely. I haven't talked to him yet, I wanted to discuss it with you first."
"I thought we talked yesterday."
"I know, but I have been thinking. Do you actually like him, because I can get him to back off, if that would be easier for you?"
"He is a good companion, and I can see him being a loyal friend. Perhaps something more? But if he is going to keep salivating in front of me, instead of actually talking, then I am not sure that I can deal with that."
"Okay, if that is the way you feel, I will go and talk to the lad. How old are you Sunset?"
"62 seasons"
"Wow, your older than you look. You know he is closer to 70?"
"That doesn't bother me. You look older than you are. You are what, only about 75/76?"
"Yes."
"Well you look about 85."
"A compliment? By the moon Sunset, I am honoured"
Sunset giggled again and pushed him off of his seat. For the 3rd time in two days, he landed with a thump. It seemed his preferred method of leaving the caravan was at high speed, without a soft landing. He brushed himself off and went to look for Valour.
He needn't have looked far; the boy was talking with Shroud, Moon-forbid what ideas she was implanting in his head.
"Hey Valour, fancy a chat?" He poked his head around from the back of the caravan.
"Sure thing, I am just talking to Shroud" His head flashed back into the caravan and he heard some muttering. "You can come up and join us if you want"
John walked to the opening behind the caravan and hoisted himself up, leaving his rifle on the edge.
"What are you guys talking about?"
"Consoling" Valour said, quite nonchalantly.
John almost choked. "What are you teaching him Shroud?"
"Nothing that a man of his age shouldn't already know."
"She is quite a good teacher John."
"I should certainly hope not."
"I could teach you a thing or two lad."
"Don't even go there Shroud."
"It would be interesting to know what you think about it John" Valour's eyes spoke of a mischievousness that he had not seen before. It unnerved John.
"What I know about consoling will stay between me and whichever fine lady I decide to share it with."
"Okay John, we'll talk later" Shroud giggled to herself, and Valour almost fell out of the back of the caravan laughing. John was unsure whether he liked this new flirtatious Shroud.
"Shroud, what I could tell you about consoling would blow your brains. You wouldn't be able to contain yourself. Half of the Wasteland would hear your moans."
"I am slightly more experienced than you might think John."
"I hope I never have the pleasure of finding out."
Shroud threw a mock pout at him, and kicked him out of the back of the caravan. Valour followed him.
"You wanted to talk to me John?"
"Yes. Its about Sunset."
"Moon Above! She hates me doesn't she?" His moan was like a gecko with a broken tail.
"Will you keep it down. I think she does like you, she said you two could be 'More than friends' but you have to stop ogling her when you talk, and actually attempt to form sentences."
"I try, but my mind just draws a blank whenever I try and think of things to say. I told her I had to talk to Justice last time, and then jumped off the caravan, realising that he was sat next to her. I felt a fool."
"I had heard about that one."
"I'll try"
"You need to come up with a plan prior to speaking to her"
"I know, I know."
"Go and practice, tonight we'll talk more. And Valour?"
"Yes John?"
"Don't talk to her again before we have practiced"
"Thanks John."
Feeling satisfied with his paternal nature, he went in search of Veracity. They were making good progress, and John thought he could see some type of tower structure in the far distance, but he wasn't sure if it was real, or just a part of his imagination. Dignity had spoken with Veracity for some time, but he had gone back to patrolling round the caravan.
"Hi Veracity"
"O hello John. By the way, I know this is kind of late notice, but I am really glad you let me tag along."
"Yes, you do seem to be enjoying yourself"
"Well, I was, but Dignity has gone all serious. I have heard Justice saying he almost shot someone last night, what actually happened."
"I don't think there was any chance of him hitting the guy. I was probably in more danger, and I was 50 spans out of the way."
"So he did almost shoot someone?"
"Yes, there was a man there, he raised his spear at me. However, I don't think he was going to throw it. It might have been some type of greeting."
"He put us in danger?"
"Not exactly, it just might make our greetings a little frosty when we get to the hunting outpost."
"Okay"
"Anyway, that wasn't what I came to talk about. How come you wanted to leave Drainage so badly?"
"It just didn't feel right there."
"Nothing going on between you and Dignity then?" Veracity eyes turned a little icier, and she gazed at John.
"Who have you been talking to? Mercy, I didn't think he knew?"
"Just call it intuition. However, that is not an answer to my question"
"…Yes, we did know each other. But with me being, you know, who I am, and his father being a high up in the esteem of the town, I could never be with him in public. This gives us a chance to be together" John didn't think Dignity's father was particularly high ranking, but he didn't argue the issue.
"Fair enough, its good to know these things." Veracity bristled.
"Well, it's a private affair, not for the noses of other people." John raised his hands in mock surrender.
"Okay, okay, you got me, I'll stay out." She relaxed, and a slight smile ushered from her face.
"Thanks John. I am really grateful for you letting me come."
"Don't worry about it. Just make yourself useful when we get to this hunting outpost." By now, the shimmering image had coalesced into a definite structure. He could see wisps of smoke rising from the outpost as well.
"I will boss, I promise" She curtsied, giggled to herself, and then ran to talk with Dignity. John smiled and hoisted himself up next to Sunset at the front of the caravan.
"Job done, next time he speaks he'll charm the garments right of your back."
"If he does, I hope he is ready for me to charm the teeth from his mouth."
"Feisty. I like that in a woman." Sunset put her fist next to his jaw, and gently knocked his mouth to the side.
"I'm a one man woman John, don't tempt, or you might incur Valour's wrath." This time, John giggled, and rested his head against the back of the caravan, closing his eyes.
"Boy! A word." Mercy's bark roused John from his light slumber.
"What in Mooncry does he want?"
"Better you than me John" Sunset saluted languidly at him, and then refocused on the Brahmin in front of her.
"Boy!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming."
John jumped down from the caravan and sauntered towards Mercy.
"What's the problem, I was resting quite peacefully."
"We'll be there soon, are we walking right in, or do you want to camp until they send somebody for us?" John hadn't even thought how they would approach the outpost.
"It probably wouldn't look good if we had just shot at their guys, and then marched right into their camp. We'll stay where we are, let them come to us. Get Justice and Dignity to hide behind the caravan with weapons in case anything goes horribly wrong, me and you will stand to the front, unarmed. Valour and Sunset can sit on the caravan; give Valour a rifle so we don't look totally toothless. Shroud can stand with us. That would probably look the best."
"Good, a fine plan boy."
"Please stop calling me that
"When you have earned a new name, then I'll stop calling it you."
"Thanks Mercy"
The rest of the journey was taken in relative quiet. Mercy talked Valour through his pistol, showing him to how to look down the sight, how to clean it and how to load it. Valour seemed to be quite adept with it, his fingers fitting easy into the manoeuvres required to keep the gun serviceable and accurate. However, when Mercy brought in Veracity to practice the rifle with Valour, he was hopeless. He actually cut his finger on the breech mechanism. Whilst Shroud made quick work of cocking the gun, firing and then miming a reload, Valour couldn't get his head around the fact that you had to move his hand out of the way, before he slid the breech back into place.
John and Mercy agreed I was probably best for Sunset to have the rifle, and for Valour to pretend to be in control of the Brahmin. When they got within a small distance of the outpost, the bottom of the hill, well within view of the outpost, but hopefully not in any threatening position, they stopped. John feared they would be kept waiting whilst the tribals deliberated on how they would deal with the intruders. However, they were not kept waiting for long, and before the Sun had set in the sky, a contingent of tribals had appeared.