fiery_ring | (no subject)

(no subject)

Breakin' teeth down in, tent one
I fought the law and the, law won
I fought the law and the, law won
I needed some satis-faction
I fought the law and the, law won
I fought the law and the, law won

Around the baby it felt so bad,
I'd had enough of Fern,
She gave me a real ton of crap
I fought the law and the, law won
I fought the law and the, law won.

She's robbed people of their, rations
She fought the law and the, law won
She fought the law and the, law won
She missed her baby and she, missed fun
She fought the law and the, law won
She fought the law and the, law won

Around the baby it felt so bad,
I'd had enough of Fern,
She gave me a real ton of crap
I fought the law and the, law won
I fought the law and the, law won.

In adjacent cells, with a typical barred door, Kate and Fern have been incarcerated. Fern has spent most of her incarceration so far sobbing loudly, but it hasn't got her any more than the bread and water Kate got.

There is one guard, who looks tired, and is sitting down the end of the corridor with a newspaper. There is a barred window in each cell, a non-lit fireplace near the guard, and a large barred window at the other end of the corridor.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Carlotta?"

Carlotta's in the fireplace?

What is going on? Kate had expected, when Carlotta said they'd get her out of this mess, that they'd come during the day and get her out lawfully. Not that she disapproves, but she's reeling trying to catch up.

And then she finally spies Tommy.

"Tommy? I thought y'went back!"

Carlotta manages to unscrew the front part of the fireplace, and slips through, trying not to leave soot everywhere.

She tiptoes to Kate's cell.

"There's a chance the circus will be driven from this village in the morning." she whispers. "Fern's put it about that we abduct children. We need to get you out in case we're... moved on."

Out of the corner of his eye, Tommy sees Carlotta slip through as quiet as a mouse, and just as the latch on the handcuff clicks securely on the guard's wrist--

--he wakes up.

"'Ey! Wha--!"

Tommy freaks out and stuffs the sandwich into the guard's mouth as he flails around in his chair, making a racket.

"Shuttup!" Tommy growls.

There's a bit of struggle -- and then a thunk -- and then everything's quiet again, because Tommy's just banged the guard's head against the wall and knocked him out.

Welp. Not the first time he's ever hit a cop.

He sprints over to where Carlotta is and flashes Kate a quick, slightly manic grin as he sorts through the keys to her cell.

"Hiya, honey."

She is giving you such a look, Tommy.

"You're bustin' me outta here?"

She presses the back of her hand to her mouth, stifling her surprised laughter. Carlotta, Tommy, and — a monkey are breaking her out of jail.

"I'm so sorry t'hear that, Carlotta. I hope your night hasn't been ruined by all this."

"The hell are you doing!?" Carlotta asks Tommy, going to check the guard is all right.

She puts the guard in the recovery position, digs out a card from her bra, and puts it in the guard's hand.

'You are now subject to the 1939 Official Secrets Act. Any attempt to investigate or report this government activity among non-government officials may be construed as treason and carries a minimum sentence of ten years imprisonment.'

"What? He wouldn't shut up!" he rasps over his shoulder as Carlotta checks on the guard.

Trying not to jangle the keys too loudly in case Fern doesn't sleep like a log, he eventually finds the one that unlocks Kate's cell door. Biting his lower lip as if willing the iron hinges not to squeak, he pulls the door open.

She keeps her eyes on him the whole time he fusses, biting back a smirk. Hands curled around the bars and her forehead resting against one, she lets the grin break loose when he finds the key that fits the lock.

"My hero."

Is that sincerity or sarcasm? It's always so hard to tell with Kate.

The quick peck he gets when she makes her way to the other side of the bars might give him a clue, however.

"You can kill someone doing that. Carlotta says. She should know, having been trained in detail how to kill people.

She peeps at Fern to make sure she's asleep, then gathers up the monkey and gestures to get out.

The statement and subsequent kiss from Kate might make Tommy smirk a little but it doesn't mean that he doesn't grow just a bit warm under his collar, and that's not just because of the adrenaline.

They start to sneak past the guard.

"I didn't bump him that hard," he mutters, and he leaves the keys where the guard can get to them (well, at least not without some effort).

She glances at the guard, slumped over in his chair.

(For a fraction of a second, she sees a red lipstick stain on his face and a gold badge on his chest.)

"How many more are there?"

She keeps close to Carlotta, though not so close as to get in the monkey's space. He's clearly a wily creature, and she wouldn't be surprised if he was carrying a concealed weapon.

He eyes her.

She pretends not to be intimidated.

"One, having a smoke outside." Carlotta says. "We must hurry not to wake Fern."

Tommy brings up the rear as they creep toward the exit.

"Should somebody distract the other guard?"

He eyes the monkey pointedly.

Kate glances between Tommy and the monkey, her lips twitching.

"Glad you two have made amends."

The monkey rolls his eyes, bounces outside, and picks up a rock. Then, with expert aim, throws it into some bins down an alleyway, before sprinting in the other direction.

"I must remember to up his pay." Carlotta says, following the monkey and waving Kate and Tommy to follow.

Tommy raises his eyebrows, thoroughly impressed. "Huh. Good arm."

He hurriedly follows Kate and Carlotta, glancing behind him to make sure the cop hasn't discovered the ruse yet.

She isn't sure whether she should be impressed or terrified.

(Part of her is hoping she won't have to spend the rest of the night in Carlotta's world, however. For fear the monkey might try to kill her in her sleep.)

"I don't reckon we have some getaway horses hitched up somewhere?"

"Nope." Carlotta says, when they're well away from the guard. "Too obvious and noisy. We just have to walk a bit."

The monkey climbs up on her shoulder.

Nobody seems to be following them, so at least there's that. Not that it means they can take their time, and they hustle through the shadows.

Tommy comes up alongside Kate and their hands brush against one another.

"I take back everything I said about the monkey, by the way."

"An' I heartily apologize for any, ah, misconduct."

The remark is directed at the monkey, who looks only slightly less judgmental than he did earlier.

She assumes the sigh he heaves is his way of accepting her apology.

Without even thinking about it, her fingers thread with Tommy's when she feels the brush of his knuckles. It's momentary, but intimate for how absent it is.

"Hey, it was Fern that started it." Carlotta says, oblivious of the monkey's earlier role in, er, hanky panky prevention.

"Well, I hope she don't continue things once she gets outta jail," he says to Carlotta.

Squeezing Kate's hand becomes an immediate reflex, even before he glances at her in the dimness.

"I ain't sure she's learned her lesson," she sighs. "An' I most certainly haven't, so if she comes 'round startin' trouble again all y'gotta do is come get me."

There's a hard set to her jaw, even as she catches Tommy looking at her from the corner of her eye. She glances up at him —

— and softens, a smile playing at her lips as her fingers run along the side of his palm.

As they reach the outskirts of the circus camp, they almost collide with a shadowy figure in the bushes...

Carlotta stops short and so does Tommy before he bumps into her (and the monkey), and he grasps Kate's hand tighter as the figure in the bushes triggers his fight-or-flight impulses (though mostly the fight).

Kate could do to have a few more flight impulses.

As it is, she protectively crosses her arm over his middle, reaching out for Carlotta with her free hand.

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout

Re: Breakout