Fic: New Horizons (5/25?)
Rachel, being the clever and resourceful girl she is, has devised a plan to provide Finn and her with breakfast. “Okay Finn, go!” Rachel dramatically stage whispers this to her loyal monkey.
Finn dangles down into the vendor’s view, grabbing a melon from the pile. When she sees him, she spins around. “Oh hell no. You put that melon right back where you got it, monkey.” She grabs the melon away from him and huffs loudly. As she is doing this, Rachel grabs a melon from the other side of the stand, and gives a giant, unsubtle wink to Finn. He pops back up to the top of the stall, where Rachel is waiting with their freshly acquired food.
“Excellent job, Finn. Your distraction techniques created the perfect diversion for me to enact the second half of our plan, and as such, here are our spoils. To us, and our good fortune. And if not that, here’s to whatever comes.” Rachel hands him half of the melon, and Finn begins eating in earnest.
She looks around the market from her perch as she thoughtfully chews on a bite of melon. Rachel’s eyes are instantly drawn to a beautiful girl who is currently being harassed by a salesman who is trying to sell her a rather large fish. Rachel can’t help but stare, and can’t help but to say a single word. “Incredible.” Finn has noticed how Rachel’s entire countenance is in complete fixation on this girl, and leaps onto her head, waving his arm in front of her face.
“Hello...hello?” Finn is worried for Rachel. He knows this look, and sighs in frustration. Rachel is still watching the girl, who is now at the vendor’s stand, where a little boy is trying to grab an apple.
“You must be so hungry!” Quinn says in pity, and hands an apple to the boy. “Here, have this.” The boy runs off, after looking at her in gratitude.
“Are you going to pay for that, Ms. Robin Hood?” The vendor looks incensed to a point of infuriation.
“I’m sorry, I don’t usually have to pay for things.” Quinn is rightfully confused; everything at the palace is given to her just due to her status as princess.
“Don’t play dumb with me, blondie. Give me some currency, ya hear? No one steals from Mercedes.” The vendor stares at her, almost daring her to think otherwise.
Quinn realizes that the woman doesn’t know she’s the princess, as she’s outside the palace walls in a plain brown cloak. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any money. I don’t usually need it.”
“Oh hell naw! You can’t expect me to believe that. You’re thieving from my cart?” The vendor has her hand on her hip, looking at her in a way that can only be called vengeful.
“I’m terribly sorry. If you’ll just let me return to the palace, I can get you money from the Sultan.” Quinn knew she was out of her place, and she felt awful.
Mercedes is enraged. “Do you know what I do to people who steal from my cart? Do you know what the penalty is?” She grabs Quinn’s hand and holds it down on the table, and grabs her sword, raising it above her.
Quinn realizes the woman is going to cut off her hand and looks at her in horror. “No, please, don’t do this!”
Mercedes begins to swing the sword downward, and at that moment, Rachel is there, stopping the woman’s hand. “Thank you ever so much, Mercedes. I’m incredibly grateful that you’ve found her.” Rachel is proud of her ability to act, and especially pleased with herself. To Quinn she says, “I’ve been looking all over for you! You’ve given me quite the fright.” She winks at Quinn and gives her a large smile.
Quinn whispers at her in confusion. “What do you think you’re doing!” Rachel grins again.
“Just play along. Use any acting skills you have, it’ll save your hand.” Rachel seems to assume Quinn can’t really act, and Quinn would be indignant, but the girl has saved her hand.
Mercedes has stopped looking so angry. “You know this girl?”
“It is my unfortunate burden, but yes. She’s my blood- my sister. She’s slightly touched in the head, you see.” Rachel circles her finger around her ear and looks amused. Quinn is shocked and appalled at this accusation to her sanity.
Mercedes leans forward and pokes her finger into Rachel’s chest. “She said she knows the Sultan.”
Rachel looks at Finn, who is shaking his head at her. “Oh! Hah. She believes my monkey is the sultan. I really don’t know what’s wrong with her.” Quinn sighs. At least no one knows who she is, and she’s still in possession of her hand. She looks towards Finn, kneels down, and begins to bow, looking up after she’s prostrated herself in front of him.
“Oh wise Sultan. How can I serve you?” Finn straightens up, as he has just been snatching coins from someone’s open purse, quickly hiding them in his vest. He begins to communicate with her, and Rachel’s pretty sure she makes out him saying that Rachel is being stupid, and she glares at him, but decides it’s better to get Quinn to safety before chastising her monkey.
“Tragic. I’m terribly sorry about all of this.” While Mercedes had been watching this interaction, Rachel had grabbed an apple off the stand. She presents it to the vendor. “Here is a recompense for your inconvenience. I hope you will consider this settled.” Rachel smiles winningly and walks over to Quinn. “Let’s get you to the doctor now, okay? Just come along. You’ve bothered this woman enough.” Quinn decides she wants to show up Rachel at her own game.
Seeing a camel nearby, she stares at it dopily. “Oh hello, doctor. How have you been?” Rachel looks at her with bemusement.
“Not that doctor, sister. There’s a specialist I think you need to see.” She turns around to Finn, whose vest is bulging with stolen goods. “Come along, oh great Sultan.” She gestures to another part of the marketplace. Finn tries to bow, and then all of the things he’s stolen fall out of his vest. Rachel sighs. Finn has never been very intelligent.
“You little thief! What is this?” Mercedes yells at the trio, who have taken off running. “Get back here! I’ll make you pay, you, you, annoying brat.” She glares at Rachel’s back, which is darting off between the crowds.