The Iconic Contest

[seventeensir]

Who: seventeensir, noprevaricating, lists_to_port any/all of Robin's Merry Men, any/all Luceti residents who want to join, whether in the contest or the mingling
What: The archery contest of Robin Hood story fame!
When: September 30th, midday
Where: Luceti's fountain
Summary: Horatio The Sheriff of Nottingham is holding an archery contest to draw out his best friend enemy Archie Robin

Comments

[lists_to_port]

Observing an archery competition is generally easier to do if a) you are actually looking at it and b) you are not trying to drink yourself into a stupor.

Jack Sparrow wasn't quite close to stuporhood yet; the fair blushing maiden in him was quarreling with him about the ills of drinking too much alcohol. Therefore he was clutching the same nearly-full bottle of rum he'd arrived with.

Said maiden was also forcing his gaze onto Robin Hood. Jack had a white lace handkerchief tucked into his pocket, and the maiden was urging him to give this token to her hero. Jack would rather eat it whole than hand it over to Archie Kennedy, no matter how Robin Hood he was.

This is the condition we find our pirate in, ladies and gentlemen, on the afternoon of the tournament.

Maybe I'll take an arrow to the throat, he thought hopefully, as for the umpteenth time the fair Inner Maid Marian forced the mouth of the bottle away from his lips.

[noprevaricating]

The trouble with this particular shift was that the harder Archie Kennedy tried to avoid Jack Sparrow, Robin Hood inevitably ended up at Maid Marian's side. So he found himself staring at the daintily-dressed pirate, not five feet away, before the first bout.

"I..." Blink. Blink. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing here, but perhaps you are supposed to wish me luck or some such thing."

[lists_to_port]

"DEAR ROBIN," Jack began as he once again chased the mouth of that bottle and cursed it. Then he found himself not reaching for the white handkerchief, but for something dearer to him.

"Dearest Robin! Please accept this token what was given me by a beautiful girl of Seville and now I've got to fob it off on you because of this shift and you'd best better give it back after you've finished!"

And with that he untied a bit of lace from around his wrist and held it out for his champion.

[noprevaricating]

Archie gave an uneasy look at the bit of lace. This was getting more unsettling. He didn't like the way Jack was looking at him half the time, but he felt compelled to take not only the gift, but the hand offering it.

He did not. Instead, he clasped both hands behind his back very firmly.

"A drink of the rum first?"

[lists_to_port]

Wordlessly, Jack handed him the bottle. Marian certainly wasn't letting HIM have any of it.

[noprevaricating]

Archie took a long drink, not particularly caring that it wasn't conducive to shooting well, then handed it back and reached for the lace.

[lists_to_port]

"Here. You might consider tying it 'round your wrist, or wearing it just above your heart. Don't harm it! It's.....lots of memories."

[noprevaricating]

"I'm not wearing it above my heart," he said as he tucked it into his waistcoat. And drew it back out again, looking especially irritated. "Perhaps you should keep it."

[lists_to_port]

"NO! It's a token of my undying and pure love for you, Robin of the Hood! Just....fine. Waistcoat. Don't let it fall down your trousers."

[noprevaricating]

"Don't say things like that." Archie was blushing, and it was not the "flattered" variety of blushing, either. "Here, you can have it." He held the lace out, but would snatch it back if Jack reached for it.

[lists_to_port]

Jack reached for it and snatched his hand back probably at the same moment that Archie was snatching the lace back.

So. It was settled, then.

"Remember that I shall always love thee."

And then Jack threw up into his mouth a little.

[noprevaricating]

"I said not to say things like that." His hand tightened around the lace. "And stop looking at me."

He didn't want to glance toward Jack during the contest and see him with that stare again.

[lists_to_port]

"Trying....not.......to."

Jack did NOT want to keep continually staring at Archie. It was just one of those things that seemed to be permanently out of his control, this shift.

[noprevaricating]

"Blindfold yourself if you must." Archie thoughtlessly tucked the lace into his waistcoat and swung around to join the contest.