@toodamnloyal
Continued from here
“Navy then,” Templeton accepted the correction gracefully, testing the draw on his pipe. Satisfied, he stood up to light the pipe at the fireplace. “Whichever it is, they seem intent to stretch your neck so avoiding the British in general is likely your best decision right now.” Grabbing a spill from the jar he kept on the mantle, something in Theo’s words struck Templeton’s ears oddly. Turning toward the other man, he tilted his head. “The riots in Boston? You mean the Massacre?” His brows pulled together. That had been roughly eight years ago, and was widely considered the flashpoint for the whole sorry mess the continent was in now. He had been in his twenties then—twenty-four if his math was correct (which he slightly doubted)—and the four of them had been on the run from the British for nearly two years at that point. That was the very reason they had all agreed to stay away from Boston, or any other large city with a strong British presence. None of them were eager to be returned to their prison ship for the miserable trip to London for their court martial. The very thought of taking a sea voyage made Templeton’s stomach churn. It was bad enough at fifteen when the army booted him out to the Colonies. After finally landing on North America’s shores, haggard and borderline-emancipated, Templeton swore he would rather die then make the return voyage to England. Now, as fate would have it, if he did try to return to that blasted island, he likely would die. Better to just try his luck here, and throw his lot somewhat in with the Continentals. “If that’s the event you’re referring too, I’m surprised you were old enough then to influence anyone.” He finally stooped to poke his spill into the fire. “I was only twenty-four myself, and I doubt anyone would have been willing to listen to a word I said about it, even if I had been willing to try.” Lighting his pipe gave Templeton an opportunity to study his guest. Theo did not look too much older than himself, but looks could be deceiving. And if he had been an officer eight years earlier, he might have had the needed clout to try to sway people in one direction or the other, however unsuccessful his attempts had been. Still, it did add an interesting note to the conversation. Tucking the fact away in the back of his mind, Templeton flicked the butt of the spill into the fire, and slowly exhaled a mouthful of smoke. Theo had drifted away from the conversation, staring at the table as if the wood would produce some valuable insight that, so far, had eluded him. After a few minutes, he seemed to give up and returned his attention to his host. Templeton could not help laughing when Theo pointed out that the city was not welcoming to the British. “That’s their own fault, you know.” He pointed out. “Most of the Continental supporters fled to York with the Congress, or scattered around the countryside. When General Howe marched in, mostly all that was left were Tories and people who didn’t pick a side. Since they’ve taken over, they’ve succeeded in alienating all but their richest supporters. Hardly surprising though—somewhere between the soldiers terrorizing the local population without punishment, and the officers burning through the resources to host lavish parties and tedious stage shows, the average citizen is getting rather tired of His Majesty’s presence.” He shook his head. Though he was no supporter of the Crown, Templeton knew the situation did not need to deteriorate so quickly. If the officers had just taken more responsibility for the rank and file, or if they had put some more thought to how their entertainments would look to a tired, hungry populace, then they might still be more tolerated. Though Theo had hoped his tidbit would satisfy Templeton’s curiosity, he likely underestimated just how much the younger man had. The news that Theo grew up in the city made Templeton perk his ears. “Anyone here you should look out for then? Anyone who might remember you… for good or for ill? I know at least one of the Watch’s constables is a local man—you might do well to avoid him if you can, in case he should recognize you.”
