The person who owned the store, an elderly man with a bear large enough to hide a dinnerplate in, came off much more talkative than comfortable. "Good evening ma'am, you be travellin' from far aweh?" Irish, too.
I Need an Action RP
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Coraline sat in the alley next to a store. She couldn't buy what she had been sent to retrieve for the family, so she sat there, dreading going home.
Annalise gave a quiet smile. "Not too far." It was clipped, and she did her best to hide any traces of an accent.
"Lovely coat," the old man complimented, giving her change. "Not a very good day to shop,"
The smile became a little more forced. "Thank you." She lifted the small bag and headed for the door, keeping her wet cloak around her.
The man waved her goodbye.
Annalise slipped back out into the pouring rain and the streets, keeping her head down and trying to avoid the worst of the mud.
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Coraline shivered. Still, it was better then home.
"Hey," August called out to Annalise from his porch, "Hello? Ma'am?"
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Coraline sighed. Perhaps it was time to go home. She stood up and moved onto the street.
Annalise froze at the voice. She turned to look slowly, her heart beginning to race. "Y-yes?" The stutter was almost unnoticeable.
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She moved down the street, her head down. She accidentally bumped into Annalise.
"Sorry," She mumbled.
"Come out of the rain," He encouraged, "I have an umbrella, let me walk you home," the soldier offered. Intentionally, he was trying to mend any of the broken relationships between colonists and the mother country. Many of his peers had stolen, fought, damaged colonial homes and families, without realizing the larger cost.
Annalise jumped away from the girl. "Oh, no I wasn't looking where I was going." She apologized quickly before turning to the man on the porch. "That's… really not necessary." She answered.
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Coraline walked a few feet away, then turned to watch.
August watched the woman pass, then back to Annalise. "Well, can I at least give it to you?"
She hesitated again. "I… Suppose." She took cautious steps toward the house, subtly keeping her head bent so the hood would shade her face.
"Here, if it makes you feel comfortable, stay on the porch. I'll be right back," August reassured with a kind smile. Most redcoats weren't this catering, and it could easily arouse suspicion.
She cautiously came up to the edge of the porch, keeping the folds of the cloak around her and did her best to stay in the shadows it made. "Thank you." His british accent was clear, and she felt odd about talking directly to an enemy like this.
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Coraline tilted her head. What an embarrassing situation.
The man disappeared into the home for a brief while, and returned with a visibly worn umbrella.
She gave a hesitant, awkward smile. Memories of countless etiquette lessons filled her mind.
He handed it over, "Pardon, if there's any tears. The mice might have got it."
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Coraline continued to watch. Perhaps the man could help her…
Annalise gave a slow nod, a faint smile shining in her eyes. "My thanks." She opened it and moved it over her head.
He nodded a little. "Godspeed," August wished her.
Annalise nodded her thanks as she slipped back down the road, planning to return the umbrella the next day. The girl was still there, and she gave a hesitant smile to her.
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Coraline smiled back, then turned to address the man.
"Excuse me, sir, but could you please help me with something?"
Augustus blinked at Coraline. Unexpected, but welcomed, he supposed. "I suppose so,"
Annalise blinked to look back at the two once, before slipping around a corner and ducking through a few mysterious alleys before finally making it to an abandoned cellar accessible to the road. She knocked a combination on the trapdoor, waited for it to open, and climbed down the rickety ladder.