In the Bingo Hall

Abundantly Ari wanders into Bingo staring intently at a thick stack of papers with a deep frown

Rookie Dellaria looks at Ari then slowly rotates her head until she is looking at Ari upside down. SHe then smiles and says, “Ahh there's a smile!”

Abundantly Ari looks up and blinks then smiles brightly “Oh, hallo, I am Ari!”

Rookie Dellaria cocks her head to the side then says, “Hi Ari. You look funny with papers and frowning. This is a nice Bingo hall.”

Abundantly Ari stuffs the papers into her bag “I am supposed to do some filling out stuff only I don't usually organize things and there was a lot of questions.” her gaze pans the hall “It is pretty nice, big too!”

Rookie Dellaria, with her head still upside down, looks around and tell Ari, “I was looking around at other rooms before you came. Didn't check out that Cloakroom over there though. Didn't seem to have anyone behind the counter.

Abundantly Ari hmms, “Gutenberg wasn't there? Well if you like we could fix our own drinks?”

Below Stairs

calliaphone stumbles in from- somewhere. Looking bleary-eyed and dazed, and clutching an armful of papers. She blinks at them. Tries orienting them different ways up. Turns them over and looks at the back of them. Scratches her head. Then shrugs.

calliaphone looks round for Bruce, but he's not visible. Just some trays of muffins cooling on the tabletop. She steals five, puts them into her bag, grabs another for now, and then goes to sit on the back doorstep, for a ciggie.

calliaphone sits herself down comfortably in a sunbeam, takes a bite of muffin, and pats herself down for a cig. Bugger. All out? She can't be! But she is.

calliaphone scowls. Lately, she's been having the oddest luck. Some days go like clockwork, others like a stubborn two-stroke with a fouled-up fuel mix. Clearly, today is gonna be one of those days. [

calliaphone cusses, and turns out her pockets. Finding- quite a lot of fag-ends, and a packet of matches. But not even a cigarette paper to roll her own. Further cussing ensues, and then calliaphone notices the papers she'd been holding. She blinks again, and looks at them sidelong.

Well, ain't that the luck! And it's not like they're good for anything else. They've got writing and shit all over 'em, so calliaphone can't even use 'em for drawing up blueprints or anything. Still, waste not want not! She sets to work quickly, tearing the papers up into strips. And filling them with what she can harvest from her collection of fag-ends.

calliaphone soon has several servicable cigarettes. See! Her Auntie Nora was right. You make your own luck in this world. She lights up. There is some trouble with broken matches, but eventually she's got it.

calliaphone puffs contentedly, occasionally breaking off to take bites of muffin, and washing it all down with a chocomilk from her pack. And when she's done, she gets up and heads out into the backyard.

The Stable Yard

calliaphone passes through here, and heads out via the paddock, to the jungle. Things to do, cigarette-ends to scavenge for. The usual.

The Paddock

calliaphone vanishes through the back-gate, to the jungle, whistling cheerfully to herself.

In the Bingo Hall

calliaphone strolls in from the jungle, smoking a home-made cigarette (which appears to have strange patterns on the rizla), and whistling cheerfully. Seeing Ari, she launches a surprise PounceHugTackle!

Abundantly Ari is pouncehugtackled! “Whaaaaa-oomph!” she rolls a moment “Hi Callia!”

calliaphone, grinning, puffs smoke away from Ari. “h'llo Ari, lookit this!” she waggles her foot. The one without the cast. Well, that is to say, the other one without the cast, since she is cast-free.

Abundantly Ari beams “You got better!”

calliaphone nodnods, and (after releasing Ari) executes a small backflip to demonstrate. Thud. She staggers, winces. “yeh. well, mostly. i'm meant t'exercise it an stuff. But s'booooring. But how're you doing?”

Abundantly Ari grins “But you are flipping, I bet that counts! This is um” she glances over realizing she doesn't know her name and that she has fallen asleep “a girl”

calliaphone says, “oh!” and pauses to tug a blanket over the sleeping girl-with-no-name. And then she grins at Ari again. “yup, i can flip, and walk quite a ways, and i bet i can pedal my cart as well.”

Abundantly Ari nodnods “See all good, what is new with me? Um, oh I have forms”

calliaphone adds, “just so long as Sister M don't find out i lost the new crutches. She said she'd box my ears if i lost another pair, what with price of things and whatever.” she shrugs, untroubled. Finances are not her problem.

calliaphone turns her head at the word forms. “Oh, really? I did mine ages ago. Handed 'em in and everything. Want help with yours?” a fruit-scented feltpen is suddenly in her hand, cap off. She sniffs it, and reels slightly.

Abundantly Ari pulls out the crumpled sheets and looks them over, “It says stuff about being married and the castle too, even the menagerie is in here”

calliaphone lights herself another cigarette (somehow, miraculously, not setting the fumes from the pen aflame). The cigarette paper is another one of those oddly patterened ones. Is that writing on it? Something about cordian insura. Puffpuff.

calliaphone studies the papers that Ari shows her. And frowwwns. “uhh, Ari. what's this?” calliaphone turns Ari's papers over, and her frowns deepen. Something oddly familiar about all this. A vaguely worried look crosses her face. She takes another puff of her smoke.

Abundantly Ari looks it over “The first talks about the castle and um, net worth and other things like that. So, it took a ton of trees and lots and lots of stones, a bazillion ciggies. I think the value is about-” Abundantly Ari scribbles on the paper looking deep in thought “Priceless I think?” [

calliaphone says, “but- the castle? i don't unnerstand.” she's rummaging in her pockets now, trying to explain, “i seen something like this, i got given 'em, it was all a bit quick an' i din't quite follow. ”

Abundantly Ari nods “I dunno why I gotta do this cause it isn't really part of anything but I guess it is important”

calliaphone fishes a coupla handfuls of home-made cigs out of her pockets and dumps them on the table next to Ari's forms. They all have writing on them. Very similar writing to that on Ari's. “See?” she says, unravelling one to show.

calliaphone says, sheepishly, “there wuz more, but i … er, i smoked the rest.” what? it's a jungle out there! girl's gotta survive somehow.

Abundantly Ari bites her lip “Are those your Very Important Forms about stuff?”

calliaphone pales. gulps. And says in a small voice, “uhh. i mean. they're not- that is t'say, i already- they ain't really that important, are they?”

Abundantly Ari looks at her own sheets “Well they are awful official like, with all the big words. I am supposed to register everything!” she pauses “I hope it doesn't mean the menagerie has to come live here, I would miss them. What do you have left?”

calliaphone, trying to stay nonchalant (jokerbot lessons to the fore!), hastily smoothes out some of the cigarette papers, and tries piecing them together on the tabletop, using Ari's version as a guide. It's not a very complete picture. calliaphone does, however, manage to resurrect one entire sentence. In green ink. “whassat bit say?” she whispers, hoping it's the important bit, and all the rest is just, y'know, guidance on how to answer it.

Abundantly Ari peers at it, “Its a bit messy but it looks like it matches mine, bout crying and broken kneecaps if you don't fill stuff in”

calliaphone's mouth goes suddenly dry. “b-broken?” she looks down at her knees. “but i only jus'got my ankle mended.” she clutches at Ari's arm.”yours is the same? an' you say they wanna register you?“ eyes huge now.

Abundantly Ari nodnods “and all my stuff and stuff. Is Wallace a pet do you think?”

calliaphone's eyes narrow. “Wallace, uhh, he's-” she's really not sure. “But they's asking about pets'n'everything?” She looks around the hall suddenly, and lowers her voice. “Ari, what they gonna do when they got all this information?”

calliaphone adds, urgently, “an' what's they'll do to me if they find out i smoked mine? i need my knees.” panicky now, she says, “there's only one thing for it.”

Abundantly Ari shifts uncertainly, “I um, I dunno, read about it I guess? I hope they won't do stuff. I like the way stuff is”

Abundantly Ari is still writing things on her papers trying to get the answers right. Do wrong answers get you in trouble too?

calliaphone says, with further conspiratorial looks, and her best theatrical whisper. “I got no choice now. I'm an outlaw ain't i. I gotsta go On The Run.” she pauses, for a moment of nostalgia (concerning truancy officers and village policemen minus bicycles).

Abundantly Ari looks at her almost finished forms “Can me and the menagerie come too? I just gotta leave a note for Dave when we go.”

calliaphone nods vigorously. “Yesss!” she hugs her co-conspirator. “Don't hand yours in, Ari. Don't let 'em register you. We can both be outlaws, an' have a campfire and toast marshmallows and everything! And no broken knees.”

Abundantly Ari beams “That sounds like lots of fun and stars and stories”

calliaphone is getting all misty-eyed again. “s'right, an' we can cook stuff” perhaps Ari can handle that side of things, if the outlaws are to survive.”an sing songs of rebellion. i'll take Cordy! i'll take my whole cart!“ she glances at it, by the stage.

Abundantly Ari nods and turns one of the forms over to scribble a note, Dave me and Callia are on the lam, the menagerie too. I will send where we are hiding if I can, love you - Ari. She leaves it on the stack of forms she has completed “Think he will find it?”

calliaphone says, “yus, but, you better keep some of them forms back, or they'll be able to register you an' track you down.” the mechanics of this escape her, but she knows The Law Moves in Mysterious Ways, and requires expert dodging.

Abundantly Ari's eyes widen and she takes back half the stack “They can do that?!”

calliaphone says, in her best Expert Dodger voice, “there's no telling what they can do. We shouldn't wait about to find out. I got my cart here, mosta my things is already in it. You need to grab anything?”

Abundantly Ari nodnods “Not here though, just at the castle” the stack is shoved in her bag. [

calliaphone says, “alright, we'll put in there, undercover of darkness and suchlike.” she's quite the professional. Trotting over to her cart (and tripping over the hearthrug on the way), she checks her cargo. “soldering iron, chocomilks, accordion-”

calliaphone continues ticking items off, “bucket o'tools, penguin (hullo Darren), tinned pilchards, tin-opener (hullo Egbert), epoxy resin, duct tape, pianola. we're good. Hop in Ari, let's get going.”

Abundantly Ari drops her bag into the cart and looks around, thats about it of hers. “Oh!” she darts off, “right back!”

In the Upstairs Library

Abundantly Ari grabs a book off the shelf and runs off again

In the Bingo Hall

calliaphone, while she waits, scoops her “forms” back into her pockets. Gonna need all the smokes she can get, out in the wilds. Then she hops up into the driving seat of the cart.

Abundantly Ari runs back out hugging a book to her chest and scrambles into the cart “Okay!”

calliaphone says, “westward ho!” although that might be a ruse. perhaps they're going east and she's being ultra sneaky! Or perhaps she's not quite sure which way is which. She says, “maps are in there somewhere Ari, you can be the navigator.”

Abundantly Ari nods and pulls out a map pointing, “Here!”

calliaphone puts the cart into gear, and starts to pedal, peering over her shoulder to look at the ketchup blob Ari's pointing at. Slowly, they move off, ricocheting off the sofas, knocking over a standard lamp, and heading out into the jungle.

Abundantly Ari and calliaphone are away!

<note>Part the Seventh

The Index</note>