New faces/familiar places [open; go nuts!]

[Devon Creek]

Devon threw an arms around Allan's shoulders. "Finally someone that understands me! Family isn't all it's cracked up to be," with her head against his arm, she raised her tankard. "To never seeing the bloody buggers again," she tipped her mug against his and drank happily.

When Allan looked away and drained his ale, Devon held his arm. "What happened? Something did, else you wouldn't look so guilty." She hoped he would tell her, at least something about it. It obviously bothered him enough to still cause a problem. "C'mon, you can trust me with this," she coaxed and cooed for a moment until he looked at her and said: "Anyway, more girls should have short hair. I like it." She grinned at his widely.
"Again with the complements? I like it too, though. Easier, I think. You don't think I look like a boy?" she asked, teasing him lightly. "Well," she reached across and tousled his hair, "I'd say I'm a few months from looking just like you. Scary thought, huh?"

[Allan A'Dale]

As Devon flung her arm around him he grinned. This was all getting nice and familiar. She hung on to him, too, as she asked him about the past.

He laughed and nudged her chin with his knuckle as she played with his hair, before taking a deep breath.

"Are you sure you want to know?" he asked. It was rhetorical of course, she wouldn't have posed the question otherwise.

"I was in here, rolling a few punters with this little scam I had going, and I got collared by Gisborne." He belatedly realised that Devon wasn't likely to know who he meant. "He's the Sheriff's right hand; he threw me in the dungeons, only let me out on the condition that I gave him a bit of information on Robin. And he paid me, an' all; that was a bit of a sticking point between me and Rob at the time. I thought we were giving too much away. He insisted we had plenty, but I didn't agree." He paused, collecting himself. He didn't need to tell the whole sorry tale, just the relevant bits. "So basically, Giz had made it clear that if I wanted more cash, I could sell him a bit more information. Nothing critical, you know; just maybe a few more of his messengers got through, and a few less of the Sheriff's taxes got robbed. I wasn't selling 'em right up the river. But Robin's not stupid; he set a trap and I was stupid enough to fall for it. So obviously, they booted me out. I was on my own; I'm not even from round here, didn't fancy my chances much." He fell silent again. This was the worst of it. There wasn't any way he could put it in better terms. He ran his left hand through his hair and soldiered on.

"I had no money, no place to live, nothing. Just the clothes on my back. So I went to Gisborne, offered my services. I know it sounds bad, but I figured Robin didn't want nothing more to do with me, and after living rough for as long as I had, you don't think too hard about a warm bed and three meat meals a day. I was his second for a few months. Worked up at the castle, doing his dirty work, stuff like that. But when it came down to it; when he finally had Robin cornered I lost my nerve. Broke 'em out. Luckily, they let me come back. Otherwise...I suppose I'd have moved on to the next place, started from scratch again."

That was that then, out in the open. He didn't look at her, wasn't sure if he wanted to know her reaction.

"Think I need another drink." He cocked his head at the barman and pointed to his empty tankard.

[Devon Creek]

Allan's story was an interesting one to say the least. When he finished with a sigh, she tapped his cheek with her hand.
"Listen, you did loads more than I would have. And going to work for this Gisborne guy isn't that bad. I mean, you were just trying to live, weren't you? And if that's what you had to do to survive, no one can blame you for that choice. And you came around to your mates when it mattered. I might be biased, but I'd take you back," she elbowed him lightly, taking a sip from her beer.
"But you came around, which says something, don't it? If it were me, I don't think I would have. You're an alright guy, Allan. We all do a few stupid things in our life, eh? And, like you said, the past is past. If your mates have taken you back, they should move on." It was true in her mind. If you said to someone that you had moved on, you should stick to your word.
Devon looked at all the empty tankards that surrounded her and Allan. "Well, I think that our drinking alone would cover for any non-payers in this place." Finishing her last, she looked at Allan through slightly blurry eyes.
"As great as this is, what else do you do for fun in Nottingham?"

[Allan A'Dale]

He smiled, mood lifting again, and tilted his head into her touch. It sounded odd when he considered it, but it felt better knowing she wasn't absolutely horrified by his betrayal.

With a mild shock, he realised that it was the first time he'd told his side of it and had anyone actually listen. The outlaws hadn't exactly been interested in hearing another set of excuses from him, and he wasn't about to go spreading word of his capriciousness to all and sundry. A lot of people knew part of the sordid little tale, but only he and Devon knew all of it.

At her next question, he stifled a snorting laugh. "Fun? In Nottingham? Put it this way, you have to get a little creative. Apart from the Trip and one or two even less savoury establishments, you've generally got a choice of hunting, robbing or fu-"

Allan cut himself off at the last moment. He had drunk too much. She might have been showing a bit of an interest, but there was a limit to what any woman wanted to hear from a man she barely knew. If he finished that sentence she'd likely run for the hills.

"er, fighting," he finished lamely. Nice one, Allan, his subconcious taunted him, and he felt a sudden urge to laugh.

"Still," he said brightly, trying to forget the last thirty seconds as quickly as possible, "s'a nice night. We could go for a wander, see if there's any fun to be had."

[Roe]

Roe was well onto his third tankard by this time, but it was having little of an effect. Perhaps it was the foul mood that he was in, as well as the fact that neither Isabella nor Thea was talking to him yet. Its probably in their long-term interest to stay as far away as they can, he thought. He had spent most of his time observing Allan and his new companion.

Roe thought he might be reading into it too much, but they appeared to be getting more animated .... and well ... more friendly. Then Roe's hawk-like observation skills noted the 'accidental bump', and the girl bending down to help a patron recover something, probably coinage. That brought a smile to Roe's lips .... "That's probably the oldest trick in the book. So Allan has found a kindred spirit .... another theif .... but a female .... hmmm."

As he watched them further they bore all of the signs thatr they were getting ready to leave .... together. Roe wasn't sure at all of the girl's trustworthiness, and since he had nothing better to do, he got up from his table to move toward the exit, so that it would be easier to note the direction they might be heading when they left. It only took a miniute for him, casually, to get in position. Roe looked back toward the bar to see what their progress was, and saw they were still at the bar drinking.

[Devon Creek]

Devon laughed, throwing her head back. "You're lucky. Creativity is my middle name!" But she laughed even harder at his slip up. "Oh, Allan," she mocked, laying a hand on his shoulder, "s'gonna take a lot more than that send me away. Guess I know what's on your mind," she teased, giving him a meaningful look. "Don't worry about it, I grew up with two brothers, so I know." AT this point she was just saying nonsense, but she'd blame the ale for that one.
"So, what do you say? I'm sure we could find a thing or two to get up two. Maybe even a..." she put a hand on his leg, "fight." With an absolutely sinful smile, she'd paid the barman and almost fell off her stool. With a few choice words, she managed to stand straight and face Allan.
"C'mon," she said, taunting him with a finger. She spun around messily and started for the door, passing that friend of Allan's.
"Care to join us?" she asked, planting both hands on his table. "Figure a burly chap like you knows how to have fun, eh?" Her words were light slurred and her cheeks were flushed a bright red, she she managed not to fall when she spoke to him which was somewhat of an accomplishment.

[Roe]

From his new table near the entry, Roe had a good view of everything, at least it appeared so to him. He didn't immediately recognize that it also caused him to be a bit more exposed, and therefore more vulnerable than he had been previously. He saw that, as he ad earlier supposed, they were in the process of leaving the Tripp. They bot seemed to be in high spirits .... drunk of course, especially the girl that Allan was with.

Interesting .... so he was getting an invite. How much had Allan told her he wondered. Obviously, for her to recall the information, recognize who he was again, and spit out the invite coherently meant that she was not so nearly drunk as she appeared to be. Given Roe's operational status in the castle as a leader of guards/spy, Roe through an Allan a 'is this entirely wise' look, waiting for some kind of response from Allan. Failing that, he had to accept her as a friend an ally, until proven otherwise, no matter the risk. He had to watch over allan while he was in this state, while investigating this woman's intentions, if any.

"Of course, milady, any friend of Allan's is a friend of mine, especially one who can consume so much ale, and still talk coherently. I'll do what I can to not disappoint," roe told her with a smile.

[Allan A'Dale]

As Devon fell to laughter at his verbal slip, he dissolved into a fit of irrepressible giggles himself, relieved not to have stuck his foot in it and tickled beyond words at the ridiculousness of his error. He pressed his lips together, trying his best to regain his composure.

When she put her hand on his leg and flashed her filthy smile, he returned a dirty grin of his own. "Why not? The night's still young and we've got the run of Nottingham. Let's go for it."

Devon got up and nearly fell right back down again. He tried it himself and fared only marginally better, untangling his feet to see her beckoning him towards the exit.

They passed Roe on the way, and Allan almost doubled over in laughter as Devon invited him to join them in a decidedly overfamiliar manner.

Roe gave him a bit of a look, almost as if to say 'are you sure this is a good idea?'

He laughed again, and tugged Devon's sleeve. He might have been the worse for wear, but he wasn't far enough gone to blow Roe's cover. "Sorry mate," he said loudly, "I think she reckons you're someone else." Never knew who was watching, after all.

He leaned heavily on the table, ostensibly for support, and lowered his head closer to Roe's.

"You comin'?" he asked under his breath. "We'll meet you round the corner if you want." Straightening up, he raised his voice again. "Come on, trouble," he said to Devon, stepping unsteadily towards the door, "the mysteries and delights of Nottingham await."

[Devon Creek]

Devon nabbed a nearly full bottle of something off one of the tables as she walked by and took a huge gulp of the liquid. Her face scrunched up at the taste since it was definitely stronger than the brew she'd been drinking before.
And there was nothing wrong with that.

"I most certainly am trouble," she told Allan and pointed a finger at him. When he mentioned delights, she giggled and took another big swing of hte mysterious drink. "I love delights. And mysteries. Oh! And mysterious delights!"

Throwing the door open with a flourish, she stumbled out onto the street. Mud covered the ground and there was a light mist falling, but neither of those were going to stop her. Not tonight. She threw an arm around Allan for support and stumbled away from the busy Inn.
"Want some?" she offered, pushing the bottle into his hand. "No idea what it is, but it sure ain't ale."

As drunk as they might be, their exit from the Trip wasn't a new one. The stragglers that were around the pub shot the two of them looks, sometimes disgust but most often admiration at Allan.

"Where to my inebriated friend? A dark alley, another inn, or the forest? You're the local, not me." She spread her open arm out and gestured to the city. "The night is ours, I believe."

[Allan A'Dale]

Out on the street, as the chilly air hit him, Devon passed a bottle of something or other that she'd obviously appropriated from some inattentive sod. He gripped the neck of the proffered bottle and raised it to his lips, taking a hefty swig. The liquid burned as it hit his throat; God knew what it was, or what had been done to it. He swallowed, managed not to cough, and sighed in satisfaction as the warmth spread through him.

It wasn't completely deserted around the town yet. One or two people eyed them as the pair wove their way slowly across the damp, dirt-smeared cobbles.
He helped himself to another mouthful from the bottle, doing his best to taste the stuff as little as possible, and slipped the arm closest to Devon around her waist. Enough dancing around the subject.

"Dark alley sounds good to me," he replied softly, grinning in the darkness.

[Roe]

Roe was glad to see that Allan wasn't quite that drunk .... yet, anyway. At least to the point where they would give him away. "Quite right, sir, as if a member of the castle guard would actually have a reason to be associated with like of you two .... now really. Off with the both of you." And he gave the both of them a healthy shove out the door, saying, "I would be as likely to find myself i a back-alley around the corner, now wouldn't I," as he threw a final wink in Allan's direction.

Roe took another pair of small and quick drinks, before heading to that back-alley around the corner that he had just identified, and ducking into it. "Now, Allan, who is this fine young lass you are associating with this night. Are you here to do some some special work this night, which might explain you so nearly blowing my cover. If not, what are your plans for the rest of the evening with such a fetching companion, although I can hardly see what she sees in ya," he sais with a broad smile.

[Allan A'Dale]

Well, Roe hadn't taken his time. Barely two minutes after they'd got the bum's rush off of him, here he was again.

"Hello, stranger," Allan said with a smile. His grin widened at Roe's sarcastic remark and he waved away the soldier's concerns with a slightly unsteady hand.

"May I present the most honourable Lady Devon of Clun," he replied with a grand gesture and a snort of laughter. "It's purely social tonight, my friend, and I did such a good job of not blowing your cover that Devon here didn't know there was any cover to blow." He stopped again. Not his most elegant sentence ever, but at least it made sense. "That honour's gone to you, mate. Pretty ironic, come to think of it. And as for the rest of the evening...well, nothing's set in stone. We're sort of heading where the mood takes us, if you catch my drift. The world is our oyster."

He looked down at the bottle in his hand, and offered it to Roe. "Can I offer you some of the Trip's finest? I warn you in advance, when I say finest...well, it's a barefaced lie. There's probably a small chance we'll all wake up blind tomorrow morning."

[Devon Creek]

Devon flashed a wicked grin at Allan and was about to pull him deeper into the alley when a voice made her just about fall. When she spun to see who it was, she nearly tripped over her own feet, but managed to stay upright.
"I know you," she began while taking crooked steps towards him. When Allan addressed her as the honourable Lady Devon of Clun, she snorted with laughter.
"Honourable? Hardly!" she stuck her hand out to the new man. "Devon Creek, petty thief, and blossoming con-artist. Also a farm-worker." Her brows drew together a that. "How I managed that, I'll never know."

She dived after the bottle with Allan offered it to Roe. "Hey!" she yelled, snatching it from his hand. "Ladies first." She wagged a disapproving finger at each of them then put her lips to the glass. After a long guzzle of the horrid beverage, she threw an arm around Allan's middle and regarded the other man.

"What is it with men in Nottingham? You seem to give compliments as often as you breathe. Or am I just that amazing?" She ran a hand through her hair then plopped on the ground, beckoning the men to follow her.

"You got a name?" she asked the burly one, offering him the bottle.

[Roe]

Roe was glad to see that they had taken his broad hint and had gone right to the alley that he had suggested. Either the girl was great little actress or the alcohol had had a significant effect on her. Either way she was both acting inebriated, and seemed to have developed a real attachment for Allan.

“I should think that you should no me. I don’t think it’s been 5 minutes, since we last talked. A noble we have then, eh?,” he laughed. “It doesn’t sound like you have much time for the more mannered side of the road, eh. It sounds like you are intent on building up a resume stacked up with activities on the ‘practical’ side of life.”

Roe could not help but laugh at her antics, this Devon. “It seems that you are somewhat selective in the ‘manners’ you want observed,” he chuckled. She seemed to be quite possessive of both Allan and the bottle. Roe noted that Allan didn’t seem to be fighting her possessiveness much.

“Oh, I imagine it’s a mixture of the two. Why? Don’t you fid yourself to be amazing, as in amazingly drunk? Around the castle, I’m known as Sir Rober’, but my friends just call me Roe. Even Allan here calls me Roe from time-to-time.”

[Allan A'Dale]

Allan grinned as Devon snatched the bottle from his hand and took a seat on the damp ground next to her. His beer jacket was developing well though; the cold was bothering him less and less. He leaned back on his elbows, looking up at Roe. "So what's new with you, Sir Rober'? Anything terribly dramatic or exciting up in the Castle?"

He looked over at Devon. Roe hadn't taken the offered mystery spirit, so he might as well have another turn. He gently appropriated the bottle from her outstretched hand.

"Don't mind if I do." He took a sip, then shook the vessel experimentally. They'd made a fair dent in it, but it was a big bottle; plenty still left. Taking a more substantial mouthful, he passed it back to her with a wink.