Reaver's Servants
The Summer Festival Adventure
Early afternoon sun shined through the foyer windows and reflected briefly off the floors. It was an indication to all that summer was about to end. The last nights of summer would give heed to a special celebration called "The End of Summer Festival", an annual festival held in Bowerstone. Traveling merchants and loads of tourists from other regions were descending upon Bowerstone Market at that very moment, setting up their booths and running last minute errands.
Opening festivities were to commence in a few hours. As with tradition, the royal family would parade about town and officially open the three day long festival along to music, dancing, eating, and of course the fireworks at the end of the night. Truly, nothing in all of Albion could be considered more romantic than finding the perfect spot and watching the fireworks over Bower Lake (it was safer to do it there than in town, but they could be seen from anywhere in Bowerstone or Millfields).
This, of course, was of no importance to Barry Hatch, who was on a mission.
Barry stood outside the closed doors, his mission clear. Much time and planning had gone into this, and he couldn't mess up now. His target was behind those doors, and he came prepared. Gordon, Rosie, Beryl, and Willa stood behind him, cheering him on but silently hoping their hours of training wouldn't be in vain. Barry straightened up his uniform and cleared his throat. Confidence practically leaked from every pore.
"This is it, Mr. Hatch; zero hour. Training time is over, this is the real deal!" shouted Willa, straightening up one of his sleeves.
Barry nodded as Beryl gave him a cup of cold water. "We've practiced for over a week for this moment, Mr. Hatch. You can do this!" said Beryl, watching Barry take a big gulp of water. Barry sat in a chair, trying to loosen himself up.
Rosie rubbed his shoulders. "Just stay calm. Everything will be alright." She said, calmly.
"Everything is ready. No going back." said Gordon, handing Barry a breath mint. "Remember: remain calm! Stay focused! Don't dilly-dally, go straight to the nitty-gritty! And remember to make eye contact. But not too much, she can smell fear like it's a load of dirty laundry!" he shouted. The servants shoved Barry towards the doorway. It opened, and they shoved him in, shutting it behind him. No escape, now. Barry swallowed hard and sighed. His target was in sight. He quickly swallowed the breath mint and took a deep breath.
No going back now, Hatch…you can do this! He thought as he approached his target. He cleared his throat. "Hello, Miss Sarah…"
"Oh, hello, Mr. Hatch!" said Miss Sarah happily, as she turned around. "If you're hungry, lunch will be ready soon. Mr. Reaver said not to make dinner, seeing as we'll all probably eat at the festival tonight." Miss Sarah went back to her task at the counter.
"Actually, Miss Sarah, that is what I came in to…umm…" Barry trembled as he tried to find the words.
"Yes, Mr. Hatch?" Miss Sarah asked, with a blush.
Swallowing hard, Barry tried to keep calm as Miss Sarah focused on making lunch. His knees went weak and he almost forgot why he was in the kitchen in the first place. Luckily, Barry remembered and continued. "Well, you know the summer festival is happening for the next few days and tonight is opening night…"
Miss Sarah smiled wide. "Yes, I love opening night." She said, turning back to face him again.
"Yes, fireworks and such, it's a lovely sight." Barry tried not to show he was nervous. Barry stared Miss Sarah up and down, and blushed softly. She stood in front of him, arms in front, as if waiting for something. Her smile was warm and welcoming, and her eyes just as much. Her face always had a smile, and it reminded him of a perfect sunny spring day, like the day he met her. While most men just said she was pretty, Barry would argue saying Miss Sarah was the most gorgeous woman in Albion. Barry swallowed hard and almost fainted. "Miss Sarah, there is actually a very good reason why I came into the kitchen. I am just having a bit of trouble finding the words." Barry rambled.
"Oh? Well, what can I do for you, Mr. Hatch?" Miss Sarah asked.
Barry blushed at all the things going through his head right now. "Well, it's not life or death…well; to me it would be….that is to say…" Barry sputtered his words, trying not to trip over himself.
Outside the kitchen doors, the other servants were listening. "I knew he'd mess this up." whispered Willa.
"Have a bit more faith in Mr. Hatch. He's nervous, and our training probably won't help him much." said Gordon, pressing his ear to the door.
"To be fair, I wouldn't really call what we made him do 'training'. All we did today was force him make-out with a pillow for a half hour, and then he sprayed him with a water gun whenever he got a wrong answer." said Beryl.
"Forcing him to make out with the pillow wasn't training; we just thought it'd be funny." Rosie chuckled lightly.
"And it was." giggled Willa.
Turning her head slightly to the left, Miss Sarah continued to smile. Barry cleared his throat and stood straight. "Miss Sarah, would you please accompany me to the opening festivities tonight?" He tried not to sound like he was blurting it out, but it sounded that way anyway. Barry felt Miss Sarah stare at him and he lowered his head. "If you don't want to, I understand, I mean, I didn't get my hopes up or anything…"
"Mr. Hatch?" Miss Sarah chirped.
"I mean, a wonderful woman such as you going anywhere with a hump like me…" Barry rambled.
"Mr. Hatch…"
"All things considered, just me asking you…"
"MR. HATCH!"
Barry looked at Miss Sarah; he had never heard her shout before. Miss Sarah giggled softly as she shushed him with her index finger over his mouth. "Mr. Hatch, please calm down." She giggled softly, taking her finger away. "I would love to go to the opening festivities with you." Miss Sarah giggled softly with a blush. Barry blushed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Oh…you…you will?" he asked, somewhat astonished.
Miss Sarah giggled softly and nodded. "Yes, I would. I was hoping you'd ask me. If not, I was going to ask you." She laughed, softly.
The two stared at each other and chuckled softly. "Well, everyone else said they'd be ready to head into town around sunset. Shall we meet in the foyer around then?" he asked.
"Of course, Mr. Hatch." Miss Sarah blushed softly as Barry backed towards the doors.
"Alright then, I'd better go make sure all the chores are done. Master Reaver said we aren't to go anywhere until all the chores are done." Barry chuckled nervously as he backed into the counter and then into the door itself. Miss Sarah waved to him as he left. Wiping his brow with his sleeve, Barry looked among the servants. He smiled a goofy smile and gave a thumb's up. The servants congratulated him as they walked with him away from the kitchen. Reaver came down the stairs at that point and looked at them curiously as they celebrated. Reaver walked toward the kitchen as the group dissipated to finish their chores. Reaver straightened his vest and cleared his throat. He looked around and picked a flower off a potted plant nearby and sniffed it.
He opened the doors to the kitchen wide, immediately getting Miss Sarah's attention. "Oh, Mr. Reaver!" she shouted, in surprise.
"Hello, Miss Sarah, I didn't startle you, did I?" Reaver asked, presenting her with the flower. Miss Sarah blushed softly, accepting the flower. "Well, I am sure you heard tonight is opening night, what with the fireworks and all that lovely stuff." Reaver waved his hands about in fake excitement. "Personally, I don't like to go alone." Reaver eyed Miss Sarah up and down.
Miss Saran tried to finish making lunch, but she could almost feel Reaver undressing her with his eyes. "Well, we're all going, Sir. You won't be alone…"
Reaver got closer to Miss Sarah, enough to pin her against the counter. "Actually, Miss Sarah, I was referring to, how do I word this…a date." said Reaver, seductively.
"Really, Mr. Reaver, I assume you could have your pick of anyone…" Miss Sarah freed herself and went to a cabinet to get out some plates.
Reaver laughed and relished in Miss Sarah's obvious attempts to thwart his efforts. "Well, as true as that statement is, I think I would rather enjoy your company tonight, Miss Sarah. The ramblings of just any random woman in town tend to get boring after a while, and I crave intelligent stimuli…of course, that's not the only stimuli I crave." Reaver growled seductively. He placed his gloved hands on her shoulders. He grinned evilly as she turned bright red.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Reaver, but I am already accompanying someone." said Miss Sarah, matter-of-factly. Reaver, not really used to rejection, just stared at Miss Sarah. Reaver hated admitting defeat, and usually he wouldn't, if the chase was interesting. The only reason he tried to get Miss Sarah to go with him was because he thought she'd be an easy target. Or, at least that's what he told himself.
Swallowing his pride, Reaver started to leave the kitchen. "Alright, Miss Sarah, if you say so. Have Hatch bring me my lunch in my office when it's done." He said, nonchalantly as he waved his hand in the air. A short cold feeling of relief shot through Miss Sarah's body.
With a skip in his step and a big, goofy smile, Barry carried the light lunch on a tray to Reaver's office. He was humming a jaunty tune as he opened the office door. "Lunch time, Master Reaver!" he practically sang his greeting and placed the tray on a nearby table to prepare it. Reaver looked up from some factory forms at Barry's little force field of sunshine that no mild insult could pierce (the other servants already tried). "Miss Sarah made cucumber sandwiches. On wheat bread, of course." Barry finished preparing the plate and placed it in front of Reaver.
"Well, Hatch, you seem to be in good spirits. Usually around the time of the Summer Festival, you're in such a depressing state of self-loathing that I can barely stand to look at you." said Reaver, as he put his paperwork away. Barry ignored Reaver's statement and hummed softly as he poured Reaver his tea. Barry placed down a few cloth napkins and went to fetch the tray. "Say, Hatch, you're pretty close to Miss Sarah, right?" asked Reaver, as he tore the crusts off his sandwich.
Barry blushed softly. "Close, sir?" he asked.
"Yes, do you know who Miss Sarah is going with to the opening festivities tonight?" Reaver took a small bite out of his sandwich.
Barry blushed and loosened his collar a bit. "Umm…yes, I do." He said softly.
"Well, don't leave me in suspense, man! Tell me!" Reaver shouted.
"...Me, Sir…" Barry hurriedly took the tray and left the office. Barry shut the door behind him softly.
Reaver wasn't angry. He put down his sandwich and started laughing. The notion of someone like Miss Sarah going anywhere with a guy like Barry Hatch tickled his funny bone. "Miss Sarah is going with Hatch to the opening festivities. I can't wait to see how he messes this up." Reaver sipped his tea and reached for the paper. He usually didn't get a chance to read the newspaper during the day, so it was certainly a welcome treat.
That evening…
"The moon looks lovely through the clouds!" shouted Willa, staring out the foyer window. Willa and Beryl were already dressed to go, and were waiting for the others. "Did you see Mr. Hatch earlier? He is so nervous about tonight, he was drinking tea by the gallon!" Willa glanced at Beryl as she continued straightening out her dress. Willa sighed softly and folded her arms. "That minty stuff can't be good for your stomach…but even Mr. Hatch isn't dumb enough to consume so much tea tonight, right?" Willa pondered.
Beryl giggled as she finally got her dress to sit perfectly. "He's just nervous…though, not that tea would help that much."
Reaver, looking as dashing as ever, came down the stairs with an unnerving confidence. "Good evening, Mr. Reaver. You look exceptionally handsome." said the two girls, bowing.
Reaver chuckled softly. "Ahh, you've been rehearsing, good work." He said, picking his cane out of the umbrella holder. "Alright, my doves, I'm sure you all know that our dear Miss Sarah is going to the festival with Mr. Hatch." He said, reaching into his coat pocket. "Gordon and I have a little bet. We're going to see how long it takes for Hatch to mess up tonight." Reaver leaned against the staircase banister and took a piece of paper out of his coat.
"Mr. Reaver, don't you have any faith in Mr. Hatch?" asked Beryl. Reaver just looked at her. Beryl sighed and reached into her pocket. "Ten gold says he messes up before the fireworks." She said, handing him a ten gold piece.
Willa reached into her pocket and pulled out a ten gold piece as well. "Ten gold says he doesn't make it to the first dance." She said, handing him her gold.
Rosie was making her way down the stairs as Reaver was writing down the bets. "You do realize all those bets are against him, right?" she asked.
"Safest bet there is." They all responded in unison.
Rosie shook her head, but still reached into her pocket. "Alright, ten gold says he somehow injures himself tonight."
In his room, Barry fixed himself up in front of the mirror. Reavie mewed softly from her place on his bed. "Well, you would have been able to come with us if you hadn't decided to use Master Reaver's desk as your personal scratching post." said Barry, as he straightened his cuffs. Reavie purred and turned her head a bit. "Nervous? Of course I'm nervous. This is Miss Sarah we're talking about! I want everything to go perfectly." Barry turned to the cat and held his arms out. "How do I look?" he asked. Reavie turned her head and mewed. "I don't look much different? Oh, what do you know, you're a cat!" Barry sighed.
As Barry started to leave, Reavie mewed anxiously. "No, I'm not sneaking you out. You're just going to have to bite the bullet on this one." He said, as he left. He made his way to the stairs and was already nervous. "I should have taken it easy on the tea." He lamented, holding his stomach. Barry made his way downstairs toward the others. He knew something was up, but decided not to dive into it. "Is Miss Sarah not ready yet?" he asked.
"Not yet, she was having trouble picking out an outfit when I went to check on her." said Rosie.
"Alright, everyone, gather round so I can give you your festival masks." said Reaver, handing out masks.
"I love this tradition!" shouted Willa, receiving her mask. Beryl had a bit of trouble putting hers on over her glasses, but soon enough got it straightened out. Rosie put hers on with no trouble. Everyone looked up as Gordon rushed down the stairs.
"She's finally ready. I just went to check on her." He said, as Reaver handed him his mask.
"I think maybe we should go on ahead." suggested Rosie, shooing everyone outside.
"Awww, but I want to see!" whined Reaver, as he and the others went outside.
"We'll meet you and Miss Sarah at the festival, Mr. Hatch. Good luck!" said Gordon, waving as they all left.
Barry waved to them and sighed. "I'm ready, Mr. Hatch." chirped a soft voice behind him. Barry turned around and smiled. Miss Sarah descended the stair case slowly. Her dress was casual, but to Barry, she made even her maid uniform look like a ball gown.
Barry blushed and watched as she descended to him. He offered his arm and she happily took it. "You look radiant tonight, Miss Sarah." He said, as they left.
Upon entering the city, everyone (even Reaver) was in awe of the festival. Everyone wearing masks, Bowerstone looked like a giant masquerade ball. Music played and children laughed as they ran by the group. "We should go on ahead." said Barry, holding onto Miss Sarah's arm.
"Why?" she asked softly.
Barry pointed to a crowd of women running their way. "IT'S REAVER! HE'S ARRIVED!" the crowd of women shouted. Barry gently pulled Miss Sarah out of the way as the stampede came galloping towards them. The others jumped out of the way just as the wave of women stopped at them. "REAVER! COME DANCE WITH US!" they shouted, tugging Reaver in all directions.
"Now, now ladies, there is plenty of Reaver to go around…" Reaver teased, as the girls ushered him away. "Don't wait up for me tonight, Hatch, I might be a bit…busy…" he growled lustfully as the girls pulled him away.
The troupe shook their heads and laughed. "Well, he'll be sore in the morning." laughed Gordon, as everyone looked around. "Alright, so here's the plan: everyone goes off and does their own thing here." said Gordon, looking amongst the troupe. "No fights this year, please." He said, pointing to Willa.
"Hey! I had every right to punch that guy last year!" Willa defended.
"The fireworks begin in about three hours. After everything is said and done, we'll all meet back at the entrance and go back to Millfields and watch the fireworks from the dock. If Mr. Reaver can still walk by then, he'll join us. Sound good?" Everyone nodded as Gordon finished. Barry and Miss Sarah waved as they walked off. "I don't know why, but something says I'm going to lose some gold tonight." Gordon mused, as everyone separated.
Everyone went in different directions, but an unspoken agreement was made between them: Keep an eye on Mr. Hatch and Miss Sarah. Rosie followed the two toward the town square, near the clock tower. "What would you like to do first, Miss Sarah?" asked Barry. Miss Sarah held his arm tightly as they walked into the town square. The lively music flowed like a river as the soft summer evening wind bounced the lanterns about.
"Oh, I haven't been dancing in years!" Miss Sarah squealed happily.
Barry smiled and bowed. "May I have this dance, Miss Sarah?" he asked.
Miss Sarah blushed and curtsied. "You may, Mr. Hatch." She said, taking his hand.
Rosie had gotten herself a sweet bun to eat as she watched the dancing commence in the town square. Her mask resting on her forehead, Rosie sighed softly, watching the crowd of people dance around as the music filled the summer evening. She giggled softly watching Barry awkwardly fumble around with Miss Sarah (though she seemed to be enjoying herself) and at Reaver being passed around like a hot potato. "He looks like he's getting dizzy." said a voice behind her bench. Rosie nodded, biting into her sweet bun. "You know, you look like you could use a dance yourself." The voice said, as its owner sat down next to Rosie.
"I don't dance much. It's fun to watch, though." Rosie nibbled on her sweet bun, finally reaching the melon flavored filling.
"You never were much of a dancer." said the voice again. "But at any given moment, you'd stuff yourself silly with melon sweet buns."
"Excuse me?" said Rosie, turning her head. She dropped her sweet bun when the man took off his mask and smiled.
"Hello, Rosie, it's good to see you again." said Ben Finn, extending his arm behind her.
"Mr. Finn! You're in town?" she asked in a shocked manner.
Benn smiled and crept closer to Rosie, who slid further down the bench. "Yep, I never miss a summer festival. Well actually, I have a job in Oakfield and I was passing through, so I decided to stay for a few days." He laughed. Rosie looked around and noticed her sweet bun was on the ground now. Rosie lamented her loss. "Come on, I'll buy you another one." Ben offered his arm to Rosie as they both stood.
Rosie refused. "I'm fine…I shouldn't eat so much sweets, anyway." She said, meandering away. Ben Finn liked a challenge, but he liked Rosie more, so the two combined would be an extra treat for him.
"How about we head over to the pub and talk over some drinks?" he asked, as he followed her.
"I don't drink, you would forget that, wouldn't you?" she retorted, pulling her mask down.
Willa and Beryl were examining a booth when Rosie walked hurriedly behind them. She didn't notice them, but they didn't take offense, as they didn't notice her until Ben passed behind them. "That's a lie, I've seen you drink those clowns under the table!" he shouted, as he passed by.
Willa and Beryl looked up and giggled. "Looks like Rosie's found her entertainment for the night." giggled Willa, as she picked up an item. "So, what did you say this does again?" she asked the vendor.
"It's a special herb that when cooked with any dish, will cause two people to fall in love." said the vendor. "If done correctly, it will be completely tasteless in the meal and make two people fall madly in love with each other. Done wrong, and it will make the dish taste foul, meaning it has failed. A failed dish has dire consequences. So, as the sign on my booth clearly says; buy at your own risk."
Willa grinned stupidly (as if she had a plan). "Sold!" she shouted happily, handing her gold to the vendor. The vendor was nice enough to wrap it up for her and give her the instructions, leaving Willa to wonder how special the herb really was.
"Why did you buy that? Do you have a crush on someone?" asked Beryl.
"No, I bought it for Mr. Hatch." said Willa, matter-of-factly.
"Why?" asked Beryl.
"Because he's Mr. Hatch! We all know he has a crush on Miss Sarah, but he'll never do anything about it. He'll keep fumbling around until it's too late and someone like Mr. Reaver wins her. Without a little help, this festival will be as far as Mr. Hatch goes with Miss Sarah." Willa held up the little package. "We'll just have to give him a leg up."
The girls passed by Barry and Miss Sarah as the dancing stopped. "Oh I haven't had that much fun dancing in years!" giggled Miss Sarah.
"Sorry I stepped on your foot a few times, I'm a bit rusty." said Barry, with a smile.
"It's quite alright, Mr. Hatch. These are old shoes, I just have an excuse to buy new ones now." Her smile was radiant and her eyes lit up brighter than any of the lanterns. The bridge over the river wasn't as teeming with festival goers as the rest of the city, which have Barry and Miss Sarah a chance to rest while glancing over the side.
"So, Miss Sarah, are you enjoying yourself so far?" asked Barry, as he took off his mask.
Miss Sarah nodded with a blush, her mask resting on her forehead. "Oh yes, I haven't had this much fun in years. It's almost as fun as watching hobbes." She smiled.
"Hobbes, Miss Sarah?" asked Barry. Miss Sarah nodded.
"Oh yes, I love studying Hobbes. They are so misunderstood, in my opinion." She said, matter-of-factly. "I believe they get such bad press. All I ever read about them in the paper is 'hobbes attack trader caravan' or 'cave of hobbes raided'; it's so horrible." Barry loved seeing Miss Sarah's eyes light up when talking about her hobbies. It made him feel better to know they shared an interest. Barry offered his arm and they were off once again.
Miss Sarah looked among the vendors and smiled wide. One booth caught Miss Sarah's attention enough to make her let go of Barry and run over to see. The vendor was selling dolls and among them was a small white cat doll holding an even smaller hobbe plushie. "Oh, how adorable!" Miss Sarah shouted.
"I see you're interested in this doll, Miss." said the vendor.
"Well, I'm more interested in the little hobbe its holding." Miss Sarah squealed happily as Barry walked over.
The vendor picked the doll off its little shelf and held it up to Miss Sarah for a closer look. "Well, this little beauty is called 'Hobbe Lover Pussycat' from the widely popular 'Hi-Hi Pussycat' doll collection. It technically hasn't been released yet, but I decided to sell a few tonight in order to get people excited about it. I suggest you buy it tonight because I'm raising the price once it hits the shelves in my store."
The vendor turned away to tend to another customer, leaving Miss Sarah to lament in agony. "Ohhh…it's so cute, but I don't know…" Miss Sarah sighed.
"You collect those things?" asked Barry, pointing to the doll.
"No, but I love Hobbes! They are so adorable! I've read almost every book the bookstore has on Hobbes, and I collect those little hobbe figurines." Miss Sarah sighed and wondered over to another vendor.
Barry made sure she wasn't looking and went up to the vendor and pointed to the doll. "I'll take it."
As Barry walked away with his gift wrapped treasure, Rosie, having finally accepted Ben as her companion for the festivities, walked up to the vendor as she put another doll in its place. Rosie's eyes lit up. "Well, it seems my 'Hobbe Lover Pussycat' doll is all the rage tonight. This is the last one I'm selling tonight, so if I were you, I'd go ahead and snatch it up!" the vendor said, happily.
Rosie excused herself and looked in her coin purse. "I shouldn't have eaten so many sweet buns." She lamented, sadly.
Ben smiled widely and walked up to the vendor just as a masked man did. "How much for the little cat doll with the hobbe?" he asked.
"Hey, I had my eye on it first!" shouted Ben.
"You don't look like the type who collects these." said the man.
Rosie walked up to the two. "Mr. Finn, it's fine…" said Rosie.
"I was about to purchase this doll for my lady friend here." said Ben, between his teeth.
"I think my daughter would appreciate it more than your lady friend, seeing as my daughter is the appropriate age for such things." said the man, calmly.
"Well, I'm sure she'd appreciate the gesture, but that doll is mine!" Ben gritted his teeth and folded his arms.
"Mr. Finn, there is no need for this…" said Rosie, softly.
The man chuckled softly. "Are you sure your lady friend wouldn't prefer a more handsome date? I mean, if you need to buy her a children's doll to make her happy, there much be something really wrong with your relationship with her." The man's laughter didn't offend Rosie, who just wanted to leave. Ben, on the other hand, had heard enough.
Ben cracked his knuckles. "That's it!" Ben pounced on the man and so began a heated fist fight between the two.
Rosie just walked away, happy to finally be alone. She rubbed her arms as the chilly air brought on the town guards to break up the brawl near the toy stand. Rosie meandered toward the carnival games as the sounds of shouting and wood breaking became distant. "Hey, Rosie, how's the festival treating you?" asked Gordon, as he walked up to Rosie.
"Well, I've somehow caused a fist fight, but other than that, pretty well." said Rosie, looking back at a group of guards separating the two fighting men.
"Two grown men fighting over a doll, can you believe that?" Gordon laughed.
Rosie shrugged and walked away with him. "How has your night been?" asked Rosie.
"Well, I won a few things from the game booths." He said, happily holding up a bag. "I won this 'grand prize' as it were at the guess your weight booth. They were way off." laughed Gordon as he took out a doll.
"Is that a Hobbe Lover Pussycat?" asked Rosie, excitedly.
"Yeah, apparently only a few are being sold tonight and the game operator bought this to use as a grand prize. You want it?" asked Gordon.
"More than anything…I mean, if you don't want it…" said Rosie, as Gordon handed her the doll. She took the doll as if being handed a gift by the gods. Gordon didn't pay attention to her fawning over it. "We should probably go find Willa and Beryl and make sure they aren't causing trouble."
Reaver, with his crowd following him, walked up to the booth with the doll. "Oh, how amusing." He said, as he pointed to the doll. "How much for that doll with the hobbe?" he asked, while getting a few weird stares from his groupies. "It's too adorable to pass up, not that I collect such things…" Reaver saved, pulling out some gold.
The man who fought Ben, now brandishing a black eye, walked up to him. "I saw it first…" he said, glaring Reaver down.
Reaver took out his gun and shot the man point blank. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of my gun shooting you in the shoulder; would you mind saying that again?"
Barry hid the little gift in his pocket, deciding he'd give it to Miss Sarah later. "That little hobbe on the doll was so cute! But I'd hate to buy something like that and only enjoy one part of it. But still…!" Miss Sarah giggled and squealed happily as they made their way to the games area. "Carnival games!" she shouted, happily. Miss Sarah ran happily toward the games with Barry trotting behind. "We used to have games like these at the circus. I can say with much confidence I helped unrig all the games when the kingdom's inspectors came." She giggled softly.
"I used to be quite good at the ring toss myself." said Barry.
"Prove it…" said Miss Sarah, with a smile.
"Is that a challenge?" he asked with a grin.
Miss Sarah nodded and placed a gold piece down. "Money where your mouth is, Mr. Hatch." She said, with her own grin. Barry placed his gold piece down and the challenge was on. Five rings each, Barry and Miss Sarah threw rings until they were out. Sadly, not one hit a target. "Again!" they shouted, laying down another gold piece each. After a few minutes of throwing rings and winning nothing, the two laughed and meandered away. "Oh, I haven't laughed that hard in years." said Miss Sarah, as she tried taking deep breaths between laughs. "That made me hungry."
Willa and Beryl watched from an alleyway corner as Barry and Miss Sarah sat at an outdoor café to eat. Beryl read the instructions on the herb. "It says here it can be cooked or drunk. In order for it to be drunk, the herb must be ground up to a fine powder and the same rules apply as if it were being cooked: It will be tasteless if done properly and foul tasting if done wrong." She read, as Willa took a rock and ground up the herb.
"Alright, now we somehow have to get it in both of their drinks." said Willa.
"What if someone sees us do it?" Beryl asked. Willa smiled and whispered into Beryl's ear.
As their drinks arrived, Barry and Miss Sarah heard commotion going on near their table. "Hey, it's Beryl!" said Miss Sarah, pointing to Beryl. Beryl bowed and stood on a crate. Doing a handstand, Beryl arched her back and swung her legs in front of her. Everyone at the café watched and cheered. Beryl lifted herself on one hand and did a split and then hopped onto the other hand. Everyone clapped, giving Willa time to sneak over to Barry and Miss Sarah's table and sneak the herb into their drinks. Beryl was standing on the crate now with her head between her legs when she saw Willa wave to her. Beryl nodded and finished off by doing a front flip off the crate and bowing. Everyone clapped and tossed gold at her as she held up a cup.
Barry and Miss Sarah went back to talking as Willa walked up to Beryl. "Well, we certainly made back to money from buying the herb." said Beryl, shaking the cup. "I think we've earned a couple of sweet buns with melon filling!" Willa and Beryl smiled as Rosie and Gordon walked up to them (carrying sweet buns, no less). "Speaking of which…"
"What are you two up to?" asked Rosie as she and Gordon joined the two girls.
"Helping out Mr. Hatch." said Willa, proudly as Gordon handed the two sweet buns.
"We bought this herb that's supposed to make two people fall in love." Beryl handed the instructions to Rosie, who examined it.
"I don't think this will work on those two." said Rosie. "Well, for one, look at them…" Rosie pointed to the two, who were blushing and laughing at each other's anecdotes. Watching as Barry "accidently" placed his hand on hers and both recoiling nervously like school children, the group chuckled softly.
"They are already in love…" Beryl swooned, placing her hand on her heart.
Rosie looked over the instructions and her eyes widened. "Umm…did you guys read these instructions all the way?" she asked. Willa and Beryl shook their heads. Rosie glared at Willa and Beryl and showed them the fine print at the bottom of the recipe. "It says here at the bottom the reason it will taste foul is because if made incorrectly, it's a poison…"
Willa started to shake nervously and looked over at the two, who were about to start eating. "I'm sure I made it right…" Willa tried to assure herself.
"Willa, no offense, but you're not the best cook." said Beryl. Willa ran screaming towards the two as they lifted their drinks in a toast. Before they could drink, Willa dove onto the table and knocked everything over. As Willa picked herself and the table up, she giggled softly as Barry glared at her. Willa offered him her unopened sweet bun package.
Having finally freed himself from the clutches of his adoring fans, a very drunk Reaver stumbled his way to a bench and sat down. He looked at his pocket watch and sighed happily. "Almost time for the fireworks." He said, happily as he regained his composure. "I should probably go find my circus rejects." He mused, as he stumbled to get up. It didn't take him long to find them, as they were heading his way out of town.
"Well, it was nice of Willa to join us…" reasoned Miss Sarah.
"She didn't have to tackle our food when it arrived. If I wanted to eat sweet buns for dinner, I can do that anytime." Barry sighed.
"Well, sweet buns are good too." giggled Miss Sarah.
"Well, my doves, did you enjoy the festival?" asked Reaver, as he weaved his way to them.
"It seems you had a great deal of fun." chuckled Gordon. Reaver laughed loudly he swung his arm around Gordon's shoulder. "Come on, Mr. Reaver, let's get you home." Gordon held up Reaver as they walked back to Millfields.
With a picnic blanket down and a few bottles of wine, the servants sat with other residents in Millfields, waiting for the fireworks to begin. "Whoooo! Pretty show!" shouted Reaver, waving his bottle of wine around.
"The fireworks haven't started yet, Mr. Reaver…" said Rosie, taking the wine bottle away.
"So, what did you do about your 'Mr. Finn problem'?" asked Gordon, as he poured Rosie some wine.
"Well, I think a night in jail will do him some good. Being a personal friend of the Queen will probably get his charges swept under the rug." Rosie answered, rolling her eyes.
"Are you at least flattered by it? I mean, yes, he did break your heart, but that was years ago. It looks like he wants to make amends." said Gordon. Rosie didn't answer; she just took a big gulp of her wine and silently asked for more.
Miss Sarah and Barry sat close together, sharing a bottle. "I had a lot of fun tonight, Mr. Hatch, thank you." Miss Sarah chirped as he poured their glasses.
"I had fun too, Miss Sarah." said Barry, as they gulped down their wine. They had their own blanket, but they weren't far from the others. "Oh, I got you something, Miss Sarah…" Barry reached into his pocket and pulled out a little gift.
Miss Sarah took the box softly and opened it, revealing the kitty doll from earlier. "Oh, Mr. Hatch, you didn't have to get me a gift. Your company tonight was a gift itself." she squealed, hugging the doll close. Barry sat closer to Miss Sarah as she set the little doll down in its respective box. "I feel so bad; I didn't get you anything while we were out tonight."
Barry took Miss Sarah's hand and kissed it. "Sarah, your smile is the only gift I could ever want or need…" Miss Sarah blushed deeply as their faces slowly came closer together. Their foreheads touched, but the blinding flash of the photo-box stopped them from going any further.
"A perfect picture!" shouted Beryl, happily as everyone joined Miss Sarah and Barry.
Reaver sat himself between the two and put his arms around each of their shoulders. "Your blanket has a better view!" he shouted, still somewhat drunk. The fireworks began illuminating the sky as every resident in Millfields oohed and awed. Beryl took pictures of the fireworks and of the servants celebrating. Barry and Miss Sarah shrugged and leaned back, happy to be amongst friends for such a wonderful occasion. Their fingers slowly made their way towards each other, and soon they were holding hands.
"Wait a second, we all bet against Mr. Hatch, but from I observed everything turned out fine for him tonight." said Willa, staring at the reflection of fireworks on the lake.
"Well, win some, lose some." said Rosie, taking the photo-box and taking a picture of Gordon.
"Well, if we all lost…than who won?" asked Beryl, reaching for her glass of wine.
Gordon pointed to Reaver. "He bet me that Mr. Hatch and Miss Sarah would have a good time and I bet against him and we all lost, apparently." He laughed, softly. "We just have no faith in Mr. Hatch." Gordon chuckled.
"Summer is over…no more short uniforms…" Reaver shouted drunkenly as he slunk down onto the blanket. Miss Sarah giggled softly and happily watched the fireworks with Barry.
When the fireworks ended, Barry escorted Miss Sarah back to the manor. "Tonight was lovely. A perfect end, if I do say so myself." Barry chuckled softly. "Lovely evening, despite the…" Barry was interrupted by Miss Sarah kissing him on the cheek. Barry just stood frozen as Miss Sarah walked inside.
Miss Sarah smiled softly and made her way into the house, with Barry still standing there with a cheesy smile on his face. "Good night, Mr. Hatch…"
With Reaver tucked in and snoring drunkenly, Barry made his way his bedroom. He sighed happily at the evenings events and started taking off his coat. As he entered the room, he felt a small furry presence follow him in. He laughed softly and closed the door. "Hello, Reavie…I hope your evening has been peaceful." He said, picking up the kitten. Reavie looked slightly ruffled and her bow looked like it had been undone in a way that looked like a bandana. "Well, you probably spent the night chasing rats around the kitchen again."
Reavie mewed softly as Barry started getting undressed for bed. He slowly dressed himself and laid down. Before sleeping, Barry reached into his side table drawer and took out his journal.
"My darling journal, I can't say in words how perfect tonight was. Nothing went wrong, which is new for me! I took Miss Sarah to the summer festival and by the gods, everything was wonderful. Even tonight's end was perfect. She kissed my cheek. I know it isn't the kiss I wanted to give her, but it's a start. Tonight went so well, I think I am going to ask her to dinner next Wednesday. This could go somewhere…"
Barry put his journal down and sighed happily. Reavie curled up next to him and mewed softly. "Budding romance? I hope so, Reavie…I hope so…"
In her room, Miss Sarah sat on the edge of her bed and sighed softly. She smiled at the doll Barry had bought her, but a sense of dread came over her. She had yet to get dressed for bed, but she was already lying down, staring at the ceiling. She reached under her mattress and pulled out her journal. It was ratty and old, and probably one of the only things she was able to save when she and the others left the circus. She reached for a pen and sighed softly.
"Tonight was wonderful. I wish I had more words to explain it. Mr. Hatch was a true gentleman; nothing went too fast or too slow, and he is so kind to me. But I must say, diary, I am somewhat apprehensive. I do feel for Mr. Hatch a great deal, but I'm not sure if I am ready for anything serious just yet. Part of me still mourns him…but I know he'd want me to move on and be happy. He may be ready for me to move on, but I'm not sure if I am myself. I don't want to lead Mr. Hatch on…what am I going to do?"
Miss Sarah closed her journal and laid back on her bed, reclining her feet. She didn't know it, but both she and Barry were thinking the same thing:
"Where does it go from here?"
N'cha! Luna Peachie here! Oh my, this one is long! In between writing this one and my other one, I think I forgot how hard it was to get back into my old writing niche.
To be honest, I find it hard to write serious stories sometimes, which is why I haven't updated my other fan-fic yet. But don't worry; I have some story lines planned out for that one. Oh! I don't want to spoil anything, but in that fic, in a later chapter, the troupe will be making a cameo! Don't worry; I know how to fit them into that story.
The next few stories will probably be quickies, as like I said, I find it exhausting to stretch out one funny idea into a long story.
Where does it go from here? I lie awake at night during each relationship I've ever had wondering that. In an upcoming chapter, I'm going to dive into Miss Sarah's misgivings about starting a new romance and why, though I have mentioned her deceased fiancé in earlier chapters. I feel I owe it to you guys to spend one chapter getting into the nitty-gritty of the servants. Oh, and before I forget, Reavie will have her own little adventure too. Not saying when, though!
Oh, and notice how Barry didn't call her "Miss" Sarah in one of those lines up there? That's important, remember that.
Next Installment: Oh, Toto, I don't think we're in Albion anymore…Time to get your nerd on, as the servants find themselves in the demented wonderland of three certain geeks.
As always, thank you all for your continued support and I always appreciate your reviews.
Tatty-bye for now, my doves!
Reaver, Barry Hatch, and Ben Finn belong to Lionhead.