Patchwork Universe

Jones · Posted: 02 Mar 2004 01:08 am Post subject: Lighting the Lamps

The afternoon was shading into evening outside the inn and Juniper Jones went around the public bar lighting the lamps one by one. Jessica was giving the children their supper in the kitchen. Jareth had evidently found the infantile chatter tiring, even from his own young son. Now he was setting up the large roasting spit across the huge stone fireplace of the public bar.
"Jack said he was bringing back roast boar for dinner," he said, as Juniper passed by.
"He may well be," she said, shrugging a shoulder. But when she turned away an expression of distaste crossed her face. Glancing back at Jareth she added: "If you're going to be here anyway, perhaps you could watch the bar. I'd like to spend some time with the children before they go to bed."
"Of course," Jareth said distractedly and Juniper passed through the swinging doors into the kitchen.

After she'd left he sat back from the spit and poked the fire unnecessarily. Juniper, like him was only a member of the family by marriage, but he found her one of the hardest to relate to. All their conversations seemed to be a succession of misteps.

Crossing to a window he stared out into the golden light and wondered what had become of Jack. He ought to have been back with the boar by now.

Jones · Posted: 02 Mar 2004 02:35 pm Post subject:

The door to the stairs banged open and Jareth turned to see Jane Jones slouching into the bar. Jones' youngest daughter was nineteen years old, but in his opinion sh acted more like a brat of less than half that age. Jareth was anxiously awaiting a point when his own two-year-old son would be capable of rational conversation and judging by Jane it might be a long time.

When he'd been her age his time had been taken up with his apprenticeship, burning the candle at both ends to keep up with his books and his duties. But Jane sloped around the Public House as if it had nothing to do with her. She slept till midday in her attic room and then disappeared into the cellars until evening. She only ever leant a hand to work with an ill-grace and she resolutely disobeyed her father's edicts about how they were supposed to behave around customers.

Look at her now, for example. Her short reddish-brown hair was cropped almost to her ears in a ragged cut that made her look more like a porcupine than a young lady. Her hazel eyes were shadowed by streaks of black pencil darkening her lashes and her thick black brows were tightened in their accustomed scowl. Instead of the mob-cap and apron that her sister and sister-in-law wore, she was dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt with flounces at the wrists and lacing at the throat, an old green waistcoat of her father's, black leggings and scuffed blue suede boots. A slender rapier hung from her hip and even from here he could see the pommel of another dagger stuck into her right boot.

"What do you think you look like?" he said, shaking his head at her. "You realise you're likely to cut your toes off walking around like that."
Jane sneered at him.
"I'd look even stupider in the get-up Dad thinks I should wear." she said and went behind the bar to grab down a bottle of a strong white sprit and slosh a quantity into a clean glass. Jareth frowned in disapproval but she ignored him. "Someone in the saloon bar?" she asked, cocking her head at the sound of voices.
"A Captain Isobel arrived a while ago," he explained. "She wanted to speak to your father and Juniper thought they might be more comfortable in there."
"Anyone would be," Jane said, taking a swallow of her drink. "Once the unwahsed masses arrive you probably won't see them for dust. I don't see why the entire family has to eat here ever evening, I bet it's something just dripping with lard again."
"Jack's bringing a boar to roast," Jareth said curtly. "And he's late." He glanced back at the windows.
"Oh mercy me, whatever can have happened to him," Jane said sarcastically. "Maybe he's been eaten by a God. Come on, Jarr, you know he'll have gone to wash up or something. He's not likely to come back reeking of blood, with the way Juniper feels about meat, is he?"

Jones · Posted: 03 Mar 2004 01:34 am Post subject:

Jareth swung away and turned back to poking the fire moodily. Jane watched him in silence until the stairway door opened again and Jennifer Jones entered. She was middle aged; her clothes unassumingly plain and her greying brown hair knotted in an elaborate bun.

She took in the recalcitrant stances of her daughter and son-in-law without comment and carried her pile of accounting books to the bar. Opening the strong box, she glanced at Jane and said:
"I wih you wouldn't drink that Yrrch Lifewater. It will ruin your palate. Why don't you open one of the Amber Nektar bottles Jones brought up from the cellar today and see if its drinkable."
She had turned back to her books by the time Jane looked at her but added after a moment. "Pour me a glass too please, darling."

Jane put aside her own drink and fetched one of a stack of dusty bottles standing at the back of the bar, pouring two fingers worth of liquid into glasses.
"Who is Captain Isobel," she asked, as she brought a glass to her mother.
"I don't know much about her," Jennifer said, making notes as she counted the assortment of coins in the box. "It was her companion, the Doctor, that your father was impressed by. He said if the Doctor was typical then the Captain must be a woman of great character."
"Is that right?" Jane took a casual sip of her drink and then coughed at its unexpected strength. "Dad's found another person he thinks isn't stupid, has he? I expect he's already planning to marry me off to this Doctor."
"I hardly think so," Jennifer took a sip of her own drink and tuirned to consider her daugher. "This Doctor's a woman... and in any case, why should you think of getting married as such a bad thing. It's worked out for your brother and sister well enough, hasn't it?

Jane hesitated and while she did, the kichen doors opened and Jessica came in carrying Jebediah. Not noticing Jennifer and Jane behind the bar she came over to Jareth and said:
"I'm taking Jeb to bed now, I thought you'd like to say goodnight to him."
"Yes, of course," Jareth said and reached forward to his son.
The two-year-old reached out his hands, one holding a wooden toy horse, and cheerfully bashed his father in the face with the toy.
As Jareth flinched back, Jessica scolded and Jebediah began to wail, Jane glanced at her mother.
"Yes, indeed. Marital bliss is a marvellous thing," she said and threw the rest of her drink down her throat.

Captain Isobel DeRainault · Good Joined: 20 Jan 2004 Posts: 100 Location: HMS Justice

As the door to the Saloon Bar swung open, Captain Isobel De Rainault and her men followed Jones out into the public bar. Her expression was thoughtful but her step sure. Waving the three sailors ahead, she turned to the counter, and registering the presence of the older woman, she made the obvious assumption about the identity of the older Mrs. Jones. "Thank you for your hospitality, madam. I should like to settle my bill - I believe it was your daughter-in-law who took our order, a glass of claret and three half-pints of small beer." The Captain shifted her hat to the other arm as she reached into her pocket to remove a handful of change in expectation of the total. "I regret that we cannot stay for dinner, but duty calls."

Jones · Posted: 04 Mar 2004 12:24 am Post subject:

"Thank you, Captain," Jennifer said, taking the offered sum and adding it to the amount in the open cash box.

Over at the fireplace, Jessica hushed the wails of her child and tried to soothe the bruised feelings and face of her husband.

Jane shifted awkwardly behind the bar. The crisp military bearing of the Captain and her men, together with the dashing cut of their uniforms made her feel dishevelled in a way that her family's criticism had not. Scowling mightily she drew herself a pint of dark ale, eyeing the Captain covertly from under her lashes.

Jones himself, having followed the Captain out, rested an arm on the side of his bar. He shared a smile with his wife before glancing over the other members of his family.

"Good evening, then, Captain," Jennifer said, passing back a small silver coin by way of change, and adding with gentle civility: "Fair winds and fine sailing."

Captain Isobel DeRainault · Good Joined: 20 Jan 2004 Posts: 100 Location: HMS Justice

"Thank you, madam." A moment more, and the Captain put her hat on, gave a polite half-bow of acknowledgement to Jones and the other members of his family, and followed her men out of the public bar.

Once out of the building, they promptly turned south and headed across the field towards the edge of the property, where the boat with Hay and Rodgers should be waiting. The problem, however, was that it was nowhere to be seen.

Captain Isobel DeRainault · Good Joined: 20 Jan 2004 Posts: 100 Location: HMS Justice

Not five minutes after she had left, the Captain stepped back through the doors into the public bar, having left her men waiting outside. Walking up to the counter, she removed her hat and nodded her greeting. "I am terribly sorry to disturb you again, madam - but my ship appears to have gone missing. More than that, I should let you know that there are pirates in your local waters, Caribbean pirates from the look of them. Such being the case, I wondered if I might borrow or rent a boat from you, should you have one?" It was to her credit that she sounded quite calm, if mildly perplexed. Doubless the Justice was out there, but it might be something of a job to locate it again, and she'd have some hunting to do soon. A Captain's duty is never done.

Jones · Posted: 05 Mar 2004 01:23 am Post subject:

Jennifer blinked, as the full extent of what the Captain was saying sank in and Jane edged forward with glowing eyes as the Captain spoke the word 'pirates'.

Jones, who had been putting away the heavy ledgers of the house accounts, turned from his task with some surprise.
"Our local waters?" he said, frowning, and then his expression cleared. "Oh, I think I can guess what's going on... it's happened again. They've rearranged the world."

Before the Captain could take in the enormity of this astounding pronouncement, the doors to the kitchen opened and a young man hurriedly entered the room.

There was a clear resemblance to Jones, that made it obvious this newcomer was his son. But the young man's expression was agitated and words seemed about to burst forth from his mouth when he noticed the Captain and her officers and came to an abrupt halt.

Captain Isobel DeRainault · Good Joined: 20 Jan 2004 Posts: 100 Location: HMS Justice

Noting the young man's surprise, the Captain nodded her greeting. "If you've just noticed the pirates, lad, I've already informed your family. I expect you'll be wanting to take some preparations for defense, as I've no doubt that such rogues would like nothing more than to raid a comfortable holding such as this." Shaking her head sadly, the Captain continued. "But do excuse me, Mr. Jones, you mentioned a "rearrangement"? Am I to assume that my ship has been cast ever further adrift?" This was a problem, because she needed the ship in order to take action about the pirate sucm - even with her reputation, she could not take an entire ship with only three men. "And might you have any clue as to where I could go looking for it?"

Jones · Posted: 07 Mar 2004 02:23 pm Post subject:

"Well, Captain, I can only guess what's taken place but if you've gone looking for your ship and failed to find it, I suspect the Gods are at the bottom of it. And on of their tricks is that this world, or rather this arrangement of bits of our own worlds, changes every now and again. The world is like a jigsaw where any piece can be placed as the Gods decide. I can't guess their reasons for it but it's one of the features of this place we've come to accept."

He paused. "As to where the Justice is, it could be but a step away or on the other side of the quilt, I'm afraid."

As the Captain was taking this in, the young man who had entered earlier, coughed politely.
"Begging your pardon, ma'am, but I might have an idea about that. You see t'wasn't pirates I met on the road. It were a God. He was putting up a sign on our property, pointing east, and he said it pointed toward the place where the map was."

Captain Isobel DeRainault · Good Joined: 20 Jan 2004 Posts: 100 Location: HMS Justice

"Aha - a map, do you say? One that might lead me to my ship, perhaps. And it lies to the east of here, with a sign to point the way. Most helpful. Which I think we shall be headed off to find this map, in that case, as it seems the prudent course to take. Who knows? We might meet one of these mysterious Gods as well." Replacing her hat with a flourish, she nodded once more to Jones, his wife, and the young man - a son, no doubt. "Much obliged to you, lad, for the information. Mr. Jones, madam, my apologies for disturbing you again, but my thanks for your assistance." And with a resolute step, the Captain was out of the doors.

Pausing just outside to collect her men, and inform them of the new course of action, she proceeded to the roadside to find the sign, the map, and quite possibly, a God as well. The Captain's eyes gleamed with excitement - some direction at last.