Iris Kentbury groaned as she stretched her stiff muscles. It had been a week since she and the other women had been captured and set free, and she and Jaq suddenly found themselves with a lot less free time. They had been given sentry duty with two of Robin's men, and those men were also helping them with fighting. Will was teaching Iris what he knew of daggers and the quarterstaff. Little John worked with Jaq to get her up to speed on the quarterstaff. Iris had just finished her workout with the staff, and she groaned again when she pulled and already achy muscle.
On the other side of the clearing, Jaq wasn't faring much better. The only difference was, Jaq had no qualms about vocalizing her feelings. "Why do I have to learn this?" she whined, pouting up at Little John. The large man was suddenly struck by the image of Jaq in a dress and long hair, but quickly shook it from his mind, knowing that the young man in fronmt of him would be insulted and possibly hurt by his thoughts. It wasn't that he thought of Jaq as being feminine, he told himself. He just seems more like the women in appearance and build. John shrugged to himself and returned his attention on the lithe redhead in front of him, smiling as Jaq blew a strand of hair out of her face while she went through her quarterstaff drills, still complaining loudly.
"You have to have a close-range weapon," Little John told the other 'man', not for the first time.
"I have a close range weapon," Jaq insisted, giving Little John a 'Duh' look. "they're called daggers. See, when someone gets too close to me, I swing my arm in an arch like this, and they get this shiny new hole in their side, stomach, back, whatever. Trust me on this, it works."
"Yes, I know that would work, but what if they're too close for throwing, but too far for slashing?"
"I move forward a bit." John found himself graced with another 'Duh' look. "Look, why don't you go over there," pointing at the other side of the camp, "and make goo-goo eyes at Iris. I'm sure she won't mind. In fact, she may like it. Go on. You know you want to," Jaq coaxed.
"Be that as it may, I will not force myself on a lady, especially when she is in the middle of a workout."
"Come on! It's not forcing yourself if you only want to talk!"
"But she may not even want to talk," John pointed out.
Across the clearing, Iris and Will both looked up as Jaq screamed a loud 'Argh! I give up!' before throwing her arms in the air and storming away from the large man she had been training with.
"Is Jaq alright?" Will asked softly. Then he seemed to stop. Why am I worried about him? I mean, it's not like I like Jaq. He's a great fighter, but he just… Am I?
But Will's worried musings were broken off by Iris' light laughter. "He's fine. He was probably trying to have a conversation with Little John that involved manners."
"Does he not believe in manners?"
"That's not it, it's just… Men here are very polite, and much more respectful towards women than where we live. Jaq was probably telling John to talk to a woman, and John was being himself. Jaq doesn't have the patience to stay out an argument, especially if he's losing."
"What about you?" Will asked.
"What about me?"
"Would you have stormed off if you heard something that you did not like?"
"Probably not. I would at least wait to see if the comment or whatever it is could be explained. Why? Do you have something on your mind?"
"I just… I'm sorry. It is not worth saying."
"If you're worrying over it like then, then it is worth it. C'mon, tell me. I promise I won't laugh."
"I know this will sound, as you and Jaq put it, 'crazy', but I cannot help it."
"It's okay."
"I have been thinking about Jaq as I did…"
"A girl?" Iris prompted after a second or two of silence.
"Yes. No! Not quite. I feel more protective of women. I mean, I do feel protective of him, but this is just like I have found someone to be comfortable with… Someone I don't feel the need to pretend for. But I can't understand why…"
"Don't worry about it too much. I'm sure you'll understand your feeling s a little better soon."
"So am I…"
"An evil, dirty person? No. There are things about Jaq that only your subconscious seems to realize. Just let it go for a little longer, and you'll understand better."
oxoxo
"So when are you going to come clean to the rest of the camp?"
"Probably about the same time you jump around camp naked screaming that you're in love with Little John."
"Is that what it would take?"
"So far, that's the only thing I can think of."
"You wanna see me naked that badly?" Iris joked.
"Oh yes. How could I resist you?" Jaq joked back in a monotone.
"It's still a wonder," Iris responded airily. "But seriously, you need to tell the others soon, especially if you have any hope of winning Will over."
"Now why would I want to win Scarlet over?"
"Because you like him."
"I do not!"
"Yes, you do! You like him, and you're scared of getting in a relationship with him, so you're letting him think you're a guy."
"Thank you Iris Freud. Tell me, when did you get your degree in psychology?"
"I don't need a degree, and that tone really isn't needed."
"Sorry. Okay, so say I am hiding my gender because I'm afraid to like him. Why would I be afraid of that, and what good would it do me to admit I'm a girl?"
"I have no idea why you would be afraid of liking him. Maybe you've spent so much time around guys that you feel like one of them. And the good that it would do is that you would be able to tell him the truth, and you guys might actually get a happily ever after."
"And what if we get a happily never after, instead?"
"Let's deal with that when the time comes. So will you tell?"
"Yes. I'll come out of the closet within the next week." Iris raised her eyebrow at her friend.
"What? You have to admit that anyone walking in on this conversation could assume that."
"Jaq…"
"Sorry. I just… Why do I have to have a crush on him? Life was so much easier when I only crushed on movie stars I had no chance of ever meeting!"
"Because this is life."
"And life is only easy when you're dead," Jaq finished. The girls smiled at each other, grabbed the clean clothes, and headed back to camp. Neither of them noticed the hooded man sitting in the tree above them.
oxoxoxoxo
A/N: And we're ending it there because my back's beginning to hurt and I have one more chapter to write before I let myself quit for the night. Please review and let me know what you think. After the weirdness of this chapter, I'm willing to admit that Tortilla chips and Lemon Girl Scout cookies make a strange mix for me…
And to my (only) favorite reviewer: cowgirlnm-1. Thanks so much for the review! No, you can't have a hint. The reason? I haven't fully figured it out myself yet... It kinda comes as I write it... I mean, I never saw that conversation between Iris and Jaq happeing, but it did... weirdness... Please keep reviewing; you're what's keeping me going!
