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"John!" she cried, throwing her head back.
"John!" she cried, throwing her head back.
Finally, he ate the last bite.
"You are a devastatingly long eater."
"You know I like to tease." John chortled lovingly.
"I'm aware," she replied, her smile returning as she collected his plate and whisked it off to the kitchen for washing.
John stood up, peering outside through the massive arching windows.
Jane returned shortly. "Shall we be off?" she asked before following his gaze. "Oh, it's so beautiful…" she murmured.
"I suppose," John accepted her challenge.
Cruz sighed shortly, "If I wasn't in love, Louis, I would refute that and you know it," a sorrow tainted his croaking voice. Oh, April. He missed her, everything of her, and the warmth she radiated most particularly. The thought of her made his eyes gloss over and his expression go blank—all consuming thought, no room for anything else.
Louis reached for his friend as best he could, understanding illuminating his dull eyes. “I have Marius. But if I’m to die here, t will be for you. Tell me about your love— tell me about this girl.”
"April," Cruz breathed her name. "That's her name," he coughed sparsely. The cold made his throat chapped, made his tonsils taste like blood. "She's German. Strongest woman I know…"
Louis braced his back against the chilling wind. “April.. Tell me more.”
"She's… I don't know," Cruz smiled joyfully. "I'm no poet.." He rasped, curling his toes and feeling a jolt of pain in response. "She's just unfathomable, I guess."
"I suppose," John accepted her challenge.
"Shall we be off then?" A sudden thought smacked her. "I can't…" she whispered.
"What?" John replied immediately, reaching to hold her out of abrupt anxiety.
She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "John, I'm going to be having a baby, I can't be drinking."
"Right," he exhaled slowly.
"Another time?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
"In nine momths," he laughed quietly.
"She's… I don't know," Cruz smiled joyfully. "I'm no poet.." He rasped, curling his toes and feeling a jolt of pain in response. "She's just unfathomable, I guess."
His heart was warmed— the only source of heat in the bitter cold. “You’ll get back to her..”
"I suppose," Cruz peered up at the sky, then down to the ground where his body had melted through the layer of snow that had fallen overnight. Then back up, to the figure of a redcoat heading their way— an older man, with the general insignia glittering over his chest. Two ensign soldiers trailed behind.
"In nine momths," he laughed quietly.
"I won't forget that rain check," she retorted with a laugh.
"Sure," he purred.
"What would you like to do?" she asked lightly.
"Do you know how to paint?"
Louis’s expression closed over, becoming blank and emotionless. He sat perfectly still, waiting for the redcoat to come.
The General grunted a little every time he exhaled. He smelled strongly of tobacco. "August, hn, take the Spaniard. You, take the frenchman." He gestured to the two soldiers, and they bent down to untie the two men—though they were unhinged from the pole now, their hands remained strung together. They hoisted the both of them up.
"Ohh, I can't feel my arse, General, reckon I could find one in a camp full of 'em," Cruz commented with dripping sarcasm, the soldier bracing Cruz spat on him.
The General gave Cruz an unimpressed look of disgust.
Louis was unmoving when the stranger hefted him to his feet, but he cane to life as they passed the General, hacking up a large wad of phlegm and spitting t out onto the leader’s boot.
The General elicited an unnerving lack of response. The two were dragged to a nearby tent just flanking the pole-dotted clearing, out of the wind and snow. The soldiers shoved them down onto to the frozen dirt. At least there was no snow. They left, and stationed themselves just outside. The General stared down at the two rebels at his feet.
"Gentlemen."
Louis made no response, once again a lifeless marionette.
Cruz shuffled and sat up, much more aggressive than his french friend, despite his frozen body.
"Tell me." The General cleared his throat, which looked like the neck of an overfed turkey. "When's General Washington planing to reclaim New York?"
"When I get off yer mum." Cruz replied.
( you can always count on cruz to make a your mom joke 200 years before its a thing… 😹)
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