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5th Attack
[ 1: Ellie passes for a boy pretty well. But not perfectly. Which is why the Women's Council has caught her, with one holding her tight by the arm while another interrogates her - where is your father, what are you doing. There is some mercy, evidently, for her tender years, but her stubbornness and unwillingness to respond, as well as her bizarre accent, are rapidly running through what patience the two have. Rescue?
2: The rest of the time, she wanders, but stays pretty close to the agricultural displays. She particularly watches the sheep. Lambs aren't in season, but there are one or two anyway, and she eyes them. Thieves may recognize that particular look in her eye.
3: [for prearranged shenanigans] She decides to stay the night in a hotel. What could possibly go wrong? ]
2: The rest of the time, she wanders, but stays pretty close to the agricultural displays. She particularly watches the sheep. Lambs aren't in season, but there are one or two anyway, and she eyes them. Thieves may recognize that particular look in her eye.
3: [for prearranged shenanigans] She decides to stay the night in a hotel. What could possibly go wrong? ]
1
Wh-..
MULTIPLE VOICES, too hard to do actionspam, switching to prose
Ellie is stubborn; she would have her arms crossed if one wasn't being held. As it is, she's pulling on the grip, leaning away from it.
"None of your business," she snaps. "You let me go."
:3
"I am." He says, catching the tail end of the conversation.
"I'm her father. Let....let go of my daughter."
The urge to vocally put up quotation marks around 'daughter' was strong, but the Piemaker manages to resist.
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"Oh, no," she says, "not my Dad - I mean father, obviously - this is terrible, he's going to punish me a whole bunch more than you lot would, this is awful."
Exaggerated teenage tone here.
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"You listen to me," He speaks to the woman accosting Ellie, his tone holding an aristocratic overtone. "Whatever my daughter's done, I'm certain we'll sort it out at home. I'll be accompanying her home this instant. And.." He searches Digby's face for inspiration, and turns back around.
"And we thank you for your assistance in this private family matter. Ellie, come along."
And with that, the Piemaker begins to hurry the girl along before the women accosting her have any say in the matter.
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She takes Ned's arm after a moment, and dodges him sideways, weaving through tents until they're thoroughly criss-crossed away from her captors.
"Thanks," she says, "that was a tough one."
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"What happened back there? I know it's not my business but in a way it sort of is. Are you hurt?"
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It's not a big deal. Her heart is still pounding, but it's not a big deal. They didn't have big guns and they didn't think Ellie killed their friends; it wasn't so frightening.
Is what she tells herself.
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"That's it? You're a girl?" The Piemaker checks over his shoulder now to make sure they aren't being followed; they weren't.
"I don't get it."
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She is very much dressed like a boy. And more or less passes as one, too, though a round-faced one.
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"Should we. Find a place to change, then?"
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"...All right."
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"What?"
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"I'll try wearing the dresses, if they're that terrible. And at least we'll get kicked out together, if we're going to be kicked out. How much worse would they treat a man wearing a dress than a girl wearing pants? It might be helpful to know."
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"Sounds nice," she admits, finally.
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"Shall we...go find a store, then?"
2
But where would you put it?
Re: 2
We'd work summat out. Best save it till the last day though, Ellie love.
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Where - did you both - come from?
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I were looking at the fancy chickens. I want some of them ones with long tails. Let us know when you want a distraction, Ellie love.
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Anyhow, I wasn't doing anything.
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[Iris has been picking pockets and lifting random small objects off stalls all day. Best setter of examples.]
And I'm brilliant at diversions. You 'ave no idea.
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But, really, she enjoys crazy Australians enough. This is better than thinking of them as 'wardens'. ]
If I were trying to get a lamb - which I wasn't, obviously, what sort of distraction would you make?
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Oh, I improvise. Starting a fistfight or flashing me tits never fails. This might not quite be the place for that, mind. Or the dress for it; I'd need an hour's notice to unlace meself.
Just give us the word.
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[ Ellie is pretty sure she made the right choice, despite altercations with the Women's League. ]
So Iris starts a distraction, and I go in and take - let's say that one, the one with the good breeding, look, you can tell.
Is the exit strategy the same way you appeared in the first place?
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[And the diversion is on. Iris kicks it off by approaching the man in charge of the sheep with an innocent query about wool quality; she smiles and lays her hand on the man's arm, girlish and flirtatious.
In moments she has drawn him off to one side, and approximately sixty seconds after that, Iris' smoked-foghorn bellow rises effortlessly above the noise of the fairgoers.]
And just what d'you think you're doing, young man? What kind of proposition's that to put to a lady, I ask you! You!
[She turns and draws a bystander - coincidentally another stallholder, funny how that works - into the fray.]
You 'eard what 'e suggested, didn't you, young man? I ask you, should any lady stand for that? Or bend over for that?
[There you go, stealth contingent: your move.]
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Her heart is going a million ks in her chest, and she slips in towards the fence. She doesn't sneak for it, doesn't crouch or do any particular nighttime-stealth - she's more trying to look like this is something she's supposed to do. She hops the fence, in a smooth, practiced way, and the lambs bleat worriedly.
She goes for one, the small one, obviously shouldn't've been weaned yet, might die because of it. Starvation is one of the largest causes of death for sheep this age, completely irresponsible of the breeder, even though the lamb is a lovely one, delicate and white. Merino.
She makes soothing noises and lifts the lamb up, swiftly and surely, still giving off the supposed to be here impression. Don't notice me, I'm all right.
She slips back towards Door, and finally hears a shout. This spurs her into quick movement, hopping right over the fence, though she's not sure if it's about her or not. Her adrenaline screams; she has to move quick, can't risk that it's not about her at all. ]
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She moves with Ellie, keeping one hand on the other girl's shoulder in an attempt to rub off a little magic of Below, to help her be something not worthy of attention. It seems to work. No one turns towards them, anyway.
As soon as Ellie is ready, the three of them make way through the flap and into the common area of the fourth floor. Door keeps the entrance open behind her, just so she can keep an ear out for Iris if she needs help. ]
HOTEL STUFF
[At first, Arkin doesn't notice anything off about the hotel. It's when he gets to his room that something seems... off. He doesn't let the door to his room close behind him. Something is wrong. It feels familiar in the wrong ways.]
[He steps back into the hall, letting the door fall closed. He hears it lock. He tries the door again and it opens. He inspects the lock more carefully to see if it's doing what he thinks it is. You can open the door from the outside but the inside of the door... the knob isn't connected to the latch. You can go in but you can't go out.]
[He retreats back into the hall and starts trying other doors. Checking each of them.]
oh good, i was wondering how to start this
He's just gotten there and so hasn't been to his own door yet, which makes this behavior kind of curious. ]
Lose your room?
[ Being sardonic: it's what's for always. ]
no prob, bro
[He waves Nathan over. He pulls a door open so he can see the latch and both knobs.] Only works from the outside.
Something isn't right.
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A sudden stab of panic, and she reaches for the doorknob. Twists it. Nothing. She pulls a knife out of her boot, and goes to get the catch... she can almost reach it, she can almost get it open...
Her efforts might be visible by the slight shake of her door from the outside. ]