![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
RH: Appreciation
Fandom: Robin Hood (BBC)
Pairing: None
Warnings: None
Rating: G
Summary: Much left them all to fend for themselves for a while.
"What's this, Much?"
Djaq didn't say anything, but her eyes darted between Robin and Much, flickering from one to the other and back. Beside her, Will opened his mouth to say something, but she put a hand on his arm and he stopped, giving her a confused look. Much puffed up a little, folding his arms in front of him. "This," he said, "is the week you and the others get off your lazy behinds and do something for once!"
"But Much -- "
"It's only fair!"
Allan ignored Djaq's warning look. "I'm not being funny, but if it's not Much it should be Djaq, and she'll have us eating leaves or something."
He had to dodge the rapidly flung stone from her direction, but he grinned anyway. Will did his very best not to laugh either.
"What are you saying, Much?" Robin said, plainly trying to sound calm, and reasonable.
Much took a deep breath, raising his voice a little now. It wasn't only Djaq that caught his voice breaking a little as he spoke. "I'm saying, Robin, that I'm -- I'm tired of doing all the work around here! So it's your turn. All of you can take a turn. I'm done. You can -- you can catch squirrels or chickens or whatever you feel like eating, and you can cook, and you can clean up afterwards, and you can collect firewood, and you -- "
"We should share the work," Djaq said, and gave Allan a faintly accusing look. "All of us, not just Much. And not just me, either!"
"I -- I'll go and get some more firewood," Will said, after a moment of silence, and took the opportunity to vanish quickly. Djaq glanced after him, and then looked at Much again and nodded a little. And then she, too, left. Much cleared his throat.
"You can start doing work around here too, Robin. I -- I'm not a servant anymore. And if you're going to treat me like one, at least... at least show some appreciation sometimes!"
"But, Much -- "
"I'm going for a walk!"
If there had been a door to slam, Much would have slammed it. Robin watched him walk away, biting his lip. But he didn't call after him, and he didn't say anything, and Much disappeared off into the trees.
When Much had gone completely out of sight, Robin looked around at their campsite. He took in the cold embers of the fire, and the empty larder, and the things that needed to be cleaned away, and he noticed for the first time how much work Much usually did, and then he flopped down onto the ground, rested his head back against something and, very quietly, said, "Oh dear."
---
"What is this?"
"It's a kind of root," Djaq said, biting into her own with obvious relish. "And that -- that is a kind of herb. I made food today, so there's no squirrel," she smiled over at Much, who didn't respond, "but there isn't any chicken, either. It's all salad."
Allan picked through the things on his plate with equally obvious distaste. "No offence, Djaq, but how can you eat any of this?"
"You put it in your mouth and chew," she suggested.
"Special girl food," Much muttered, looking down at it.
---
"What on earth have you put in this, Will?" Robin asked, spitting out some of what was, apparently, supposed to be stew. "I know you like working with wood, but you really don't have to put it into everything!"
"It's some kind of root. Djaq suggested it," Will said, looking abashed. "I'm sorry, I'm not much of a cook."
"Clearly," John said, but he was eating it anyway. Much didn't touch any of his. He just sat and watched them, hugging his knees. And more often than not, he watched Robin.
"Tomorrow, you cook," Djaq said, grinning at Robin. "We will see if any of us can stomach that."
---
Allan's arrival back at camp was announced by a vague jingle of coins and then an undignified flop as he sat down. "I hope you've cooked up something good, Robin. I've worked up a real appetite dodging Guy's men on the way back here!"
"Or by stealing your average working man's money again?" Djaq asked, sharper eared than the others. Allan didn't look at her.
"Don't tell me there's nothing to eat."
"He couldn't find anything to shoot," Much said, and to his credit there wasn't a single note of triumph in his voice. Perhaps that was because he was hungry along with the rest of them. "Apparently it isn't as easy as it's made out to be. Who would've thought?"
"Shut up, Much," Robin said, and everyone fell silent.
---
"At least this is edible," Allan said, after first making sure that John's staff was nowhere within his reach -- just in case. "I mean, it's not rabbit food, and it's not wood, and it's not nothing."
"I miss Much's cooking," Will said, but quietly.
Much didn't say anything.
---
It wasn't quite time for dinner on the day it was Allan's turn, when Allan found Robin and nervously cleared his throat. "Ah, Robin."
"Something you want to confess?"
For a moment, Allan didn't say anything. A long, long, long moment. And then he cleared his throat. "Yes, actually, bearing in mind recent events I do have something to confess."
"Yes?"
There was a long pause. Allan looked off into the distance, shifted from foot to foot, and then finally shook his head at some internal thought. He cleared his throat again and then -- "I really can't cook."
---
"Much?"
"I'm here, mas -- Robin."
Robin sighed, moving round a few trees and finally crouching down next to Much, who was sat with his back to a tree. "Are you going to come back to camp and cook for us now, Much?"
"I thought I made it clear that -- "
"Will's taking care of collecting firewood, and Djaq seems willing enough to help, though she is insisting we eat more of her salads. Apparently it'll be better for us, or something like that. Allan is grumbling, but he seems to prefer tidying things up to the prospect of cooking. And John is hunting, though what he's going to catch, I don't quite know."
Much didn't look up. "And what are you doing?"
"I'm here on an important mission," Robin said, quietly, and he put a hand on Much's shoulder and squeezed. "I'm here to tell you that we do appreciate you."
"Really?"
Robin squeezed harder. "Yes, Much. Whether you're cooking squirrel, rat, rabbit, deer or even elk, you did a far better job of keeping our stomachs full than the rest of us put together. We need you."
"You mean that?"
Robin met Much's eyes squarely. "Yes."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Much jumped to his feet. "I've been getting hungry too, you know. The rest of you would starve without me."
"So we would," Robin said, clapping Much on the back as he straightened up too. They began to walk back in the direction of the camp together, Robin's hand still resting on Much's back.
"Master?"
"Yes?"
"What is an elk, anyway?"
Pairing: None
Warnings: None
Rating: G
Summary: Much left them all to fend for themselves for a while.
"What's this, Much?"
Djaq didn't say anything, but her eyes darted between Robin and Much, flickering from one to the other and back. Beside her, Will opened his mouth to say something, but she put a hand on his arm and he stopped, giving her a confused look. Much puffed up a little, folding his arms in front of him. "This," he said, "is the week you and the others get off your lazy behinds and do something for once!"
"But Much -- "
"It's only fair!"
Allan ignored Djaq's warning look. "I'm not being funny, but if it's not Much it should be Djaq, and she'll have us eating leaves or something."
He had to dodge the rapidly flung stone from her direction, but he grinned anyway. Will did his very best not to laugh either.
"What are you saying, Much?" Robin said, plainly trying to sound calm, and reasonable.
Much took a deep breath, raising his voice a little now. It wasn't only Djaq that caught his voice breaking a little as he spoke. "I'm saying, Robin, that I'm -- I'm tired of doing all the work around here! So it's your turn. All of you can take a turn. I'm done. You can -- you can catch squirrels or chickens or whatever you feel like eating, and you can cook, and you can clean up afterwards, and you can collect firewood, and you -- "
"We should share the work," Djaq said, and gave Allan a faintly accusing look. "All of us, not just Much. And not just me, either!"
"I -- I'll go and get some more firewood," Will said, after a moment of silence, and took the opportunity to vanish quickly. Djaq glanced after him, and then looked at Much again and nodded a little. And then she, too, left. Much cleared his throat.
"You can start doing work around here too, Robin. I -- I'm not a servant anymore. And if you're going to treat me like one, at least... at least show some appreciation sometimes!"
"But, Much -- "
"I'm going for a walk!"
If there had been a door to slam, Much would have slammed it. Robin watched him walk away, biting his lip. But he didn't call after him, and he didn't say anything, and Much disappeared off into the trees.
When Much had gone completely out of sight, Robin looked around at their campsite. He took in the cold embers of the fire, and the empty larder, and the things that needed to be cleaned away, and he noticed for the first time how much work Much usually did, and then he flopped down onto the ground, rested his head back against something and, very quietly, said, "Oh dear."
"What is this?"
"It's a kind of root," Djaq said, biting into her own with obvious relish. "And that -- that is a kind of herb. I made food today, so there's no squirrel," she smiled over at Much, who didn't respond, "but there isn't any chicken, either. It's all salad."
Allan picked through the things on his plate with equally obvious distaste. "No offence, Djaq, but how can you eat any of this?"
"You put it in your mouth and chew," she suggested.
"Special girl food," Much muttered, looking down at it.
"What on earth have you put in this, Will?" Robin asked, spitting out some of what was, apparently, supposed to be stew. "I know you like working with wood, but you really don't have to put it into everything!"
"It's some kind of root. Djaq suggested it," Will said, looking abashed. "I'm sorry, I'm not much of a cook."
"Clearly," John said, but he was eating it anyway. Much didn't touch any of his. He just sat and watched them, hugging his knees. And more often than not, he watched Robin.
"Tomorrow, you cook," Djaq said, grinning at Robin. "We will see if any of us can stomach that."
Allan's arrival back at camp was announced by a vague jingle of coins and then an undignified flop as he sat down. "I hope you've cooked up something good, Robin. I've worked up a real appetite dodging Guy's men on the way back here!"
"Or by stealing your average working man's money again?" Djaq asked, sharper eared than the others. Allan didn't look at her.
"Don't tell me there's nothing to eat."
"He couldn't find anything to shoot," Much said, and to his credit there wasn't a single note of triumph in his voice. Perhaps that was because he was hungry along with the rest of them. "Apparently it isn't as easy as it's made out to be. Who would've thought?"
"Shut up, Much," Robin said, and everyone fell silent.
"At least this is edible," Allan said, after first making sure that John's staff was nowhere within his reach -- just in case. "I mean, it's not rabbit food, and it's not wood, and it's not nothing."
"I miss Much's cooking," Will said, but quietly.
Much didn't say anything.
It wasn't quite time for dinner on the day it was Allan's turn, when Allan found Robin and nervously cleared his throat. "Ah, Robin."
"Something you want to confess?"
For a moment, Allan didn't say anything. A long, long, long moment. And then he cleared his throat. "Yes, actually, bearing in mind recent events I do have something to confess."
"Yes?"
There was a long pause. Allan looked off into the distance, shifted from foot to foot, and then finally shook his head at some internal thought. He cleared his throat again and then -- "I really can't cook."
"Much?"
"I'm here, mas -- Robin."
Robin sighed, moving round a few trees and finally crouching down next to Much, who was sat with his back to a tree. "Are you going to come back to camp and cook for us now, Much?"
"I thought I made it clear that -- "
"Will's taking care of collecting firewood, and Djaq seems willing enough to help, though she is insisting we eat more of her salads. Apparently it'll be better for us, or something like that. Allan is grumbling, but he seems to prefer tidying things up to the prospect of cooking. And John is hunting, though what he's going to catch, I don't quite know."
Much didn't look up. "And what are you doing?"
"I'm here on an important mission," Robin said, quietly, and he put a hand on Much's shoulder and squeezed. "I'm here to tell you that we do appreciate you."
"Really?"
Robin squeezed harder. "Yes, Much. Whether you're cooking squirrel, rat, rabbit, deer or even elk, you did a far better job of keeping our stomachs full than the rest of us put together. We need you."
"You mean that?"
Robin met Much's eyes squarely. "Yes."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Much jumped to his feet. "I've been getting hungry too, you know. The rest of you would starve without me."
"So we would," Robin said, clapping Much on the back as he straightened up too. They began to walk back in the direction of the camp together, Robin's hand still resting on Much's back.
"Master?"
"Yes?"
"What is an elk, anyway?"
no subject