Redwall MUCK Forum

OOC TP Ideas: http://forum.rwmuck.org/viewtopic.php?id=518
IC TP Ideas: http://forum.rwmuck.org/viewtopic.php?id=979

We have looked through the TP ideas, and now it's time to discuss which one(s) we wish to do next! 

Please remember that this topic is for the discussion of which TP we want to do next; after we decide, a new topic for hammering out the details and stuff for that TP must be created, and the link placed in a comment on this thread so we know which ones are in the works and which ones aren't.  This is not for the discussion of how to do one of the TPs listed in the links above, and those threads that I have linked above are for the listing of TP ideas only.  This is to help us as a group decide which TP we want to do next, and keep straight which TPs we have done and which are available for discussion.  I think this will help us be more organized in our TP planning, and have fewer TPs where some people are frustrated because they didn't want another "Conquer Mossflower" TP, but they had nowhere to state their opinions! D:  My hope and plan for these topics is for TPs to be more easily organized.

Discuss away!!

EDIT: Also, I had the discussion and ideas posts be each their own topics because I knew that if it was all one topic, the ideas would get lost in all the discussion responses because there would be so many of them.  We would never be able to find the ideas, and it would've been a pointless endeavour!  I mean, imagine it:  Someone would post their TP idea, and everyone would be discussing it and the other TP ideas, ad we'd get to like 5 pages, and then we'd have to be scrolling through aaaaallllll those responses, most of which would be discussion, in order to find the 1 or 2 that were TP ideas.  I figured it would probably be better to have the discussion be its own topic, and the TP ideas posts be their own topics, just to make it easier to find the ideas that have been posted.  This should help it be more organized, hopefully, and so make future TP planning easier.  And that's my sole goal.  And it'll be easier and faster to just make a new discussion topic than to sort through all the posts and copy over the TP ideas we haven't done into another new ideas-&-discussion post

SCENE:  The corner of the Salamandastron Library

CHARACTERS:  They're all hares
Isla, female.  Tarsa, female.  Hanzi, male.  Felicity, female.

LOG:
Tarsa walked into the library, still in her normal street clothing for now as she scans the room and snorts, her mood is not the best today it would seem.   

Hanzi looks up and frowns, his ears droop some as he speaks "Umm...hi there, first I did...nothing this morning" Yeah for once " Ok I did oversleep...but been studying reading and writing.."   

Tarsa looks at Hanzi and steps over "Your not the reason I am moody, first it was foxes...whom are gone now, then it was an annoying cat in the tavern at Halyard, you keep mentioning a cat...and a rat and claim you could ID them if needed. If I can get someone who is good at making a drawing, can you help them? I may of seen the same cat"   

Really, Isla has never been more miserable... But at the same time she's... Okay with that? It's misery with purpose, at least, and that feels like growth for the young recruit. The young doe shuffles into the library with a grim expression - determined to sit down and do her assigned work... But... Oh, well a distraction sounds /so/ much sweeter. "Hanzi?" She asks, poking her head around the corner. "Though' I 'eard ya voice." And then she sees Tarsa and snaps to attention, nearly dropping her scrolls. "Sah!" She squeaks, though her curiosity burns at the mention of cats, rats, and foxes. She still wears the talisman meant to ward off the evil vulpine spirits, though the threat is - allegedly - gone.   

Hanzi frowns "I...don't draw but I have a good memory"But he too is curious "You seen her? Did she have a tattoo?" He starts to ask if he can tag along next time but decides not to even ask, maybe he'll just sneak out.He nods a hello to Isla and flips over the papers he had some...letters on..like A..B..C..ect.   

Felicity enters the Library next, some books piled in her arms. Most of them are picture books and collections of short stories, although there is a thick book of Mountain history and a book on philosophy in the mix. She sets them on the desk and writes a note that she then places on top of the stack, then begins to browse through the stacks, ignoring the voices of those already in here. She's headed towards the corner where they are, anyway, so she figures she can looks for a few books she's required to read for now. She is also dressed in civvies, like the Sergeant, having a day off for some reason.   

Tarsa looks at Isla and gives a nod before her attention is on Hanzi again  "I couldn't see her shoulder but she did give a name..Melantha."
   
It would seem that Isla and Hanzi have the same homework. It's hardly uncommon for new recruits to come in unable to read and write, but it does ease the sting for her when she notices that the other recruit seems to be in the same boat. Since it seems that the conversation at paw is a more important one, the young doe quietly slips away to another table, side-stepping around Felicity as she does so. "Terribly sorry." She drops her things in an untidy pile on a table and drops to a seat with a disgruntled groan. The book stuff is the /worst/.   

Felicity's ears perk, and she turns her head so she can look at the Recruit. "Sorry? 'Bout whot? Y'were fine, didn't bothah me at all, wot." She smiles, grabbing a book from the shelf and scanning the page. "'M lookin' fohr 'istory and battle philosophy. Whot are you studyin'?" Deciding that talking to the Sergeant can wait, the Runner takes the book she grabbed and walks over to the table, snatching a philosophy book and a picture book on the way. Sitting down on the opposite side of the table from the younger haremaid, the Corporal pulls some paper and a pencil from her pocket and smoothes the paper out on the tabletop beside her books.   

Hanzi sighs "Ummm....it's stuff interesting, important..ya know stuff." He looks back at the sergeant "I can..find someone who draws maybe...and tell them about the cat, even the rat and we..I mean..someone can go after them before they like..get slaves again"
   
Tarsa shakes her head and arches an eyebrow "Why are you lookin' up that?" She shakes her head and mutters "Too late for that...already has a captive, plan to get them back...maybe I should take a torch."Yeah torches are good as she paces "Nerve of that...that feline...stupid feline...trying to make like she is a threat to the long patrol, she needs a certain hammer to her stupid face"
   
"Er - letters, mostly." Isla admits, allowing Tarsa and Hanzi to discuss their business in peace. "I dinnae know how te read, if I'm bein' 'onest." The recruit winces at the flush of anger in the conversation behind her. "Sounds serious, eh?" She mutters to Felicity, unrolling a sheet of parchment. The alphabet is written in large script with spaces beside it for her to copy the letters down. "Y'know wha' all this is about slaves an' cats?" Still whispered to Felicity.

Hanzi stands and sort of just takes a deep breath "See...no one ever LISTENS TO ME!"He echos in the whole room and most likely everyone stares at him, he taps his footpaw and crosses his arms over his chest and just stands there, then he decides to quickly leave the room before he is likely throw out anyways!   

Felicity smiles kindly. "'Tisn't any shame in not knowin' 'ow to read. Ye'll get there. An' then you'll get stuck 'avin' t'read dry, borin' 'istory books that were written by creatahs who obviously nevah read a novel in their /lives/, an' so 'ave no idea 'ow to write things interstingly." The Corporal makes a face at the history book by her paw, then glances in the Sergeant's direction. Shaking her head, she whispers back, "Not really. 'Aven't really 'eard much about this subject yet. If 'tis truly slavahs, though, I'll definitely volunteer to be on the mission to stop 'em. I /'ate/ slavahs....." The last sentence has a vehemence in it.   
Felicity watches the Recruit march out of the room, cringing slightly.
   
Tarsa glares at Hanzi, but he gets away..luckily, or unluckily as she will find him later, "Well I found someone to help chop and peel ALL the vegetables for the week" She looks at Felicity "Good..you and me will likely be in charge, Major Varus is injured and Corporal Adrian is likely getting ready to head out for a mission of his own. I also need to find Zolomon,Jacenta, Dominik, and Alpine " She shakes her head "The cat has one of our Privates and I think a couple other slaves, non hares but I am uncertain, and some strange marten with purpleish eyes works for that cat..pretty darn sure, seen the marten few days ago"   

"Oh, I know t'ain't any shame, a'course. I never met a beast wot could read 'till I went ta stay in tha' big, red Abbey. Lotsa beasts there with they noses in books, eh? All snoozin' by th'fires." She waves a paw, but at the talk of slavers, she raises an eyebrow. "Doesn' /everybeast/ 'ate slavers?" She asks, frowning, but further talk is silenced by Hanzi's outburst, and she mirrors Felicity's expression. "He says he wants nothin' more than to be in th'Patrol, but can't say 'es ever acted like it." She sighs, quite familiar with her fellow recruit's behavior by this point. "They 'ave a Patrol 'are?!" Isla blurts out, eyes going wide. "Er, sorry. Sorry." She clears her throat.
   
Felicity's lips purse into a thin line, but stays respectfully quiet. Nodding, she asks, "What would m'resposnibilities be? If it 'as anythin' t'do with slavahs, I'm more than willin' to 'elp." She smoothes her papers again and poises her pencil in her right paw over the stack. "'M afraid I've been stuck in Salamandastron with some duties, so I don't know what all's been 'appenin' out on the shores and in 'Alyard." Glancing at the remaining Recruit, she sighs. "Sounds like 'Anzi 'as 'ad some 'ard times in 'is life. Aftah m'parents and brothah died, I struggled to act like a Patrollah. Some beasts don't 'andle the difficulties of life as well as others," she adds gently, not trying to excuse the other hare's behaviour, but at least try to explain it.

Tarsa just nods, she won't say whom is captive, she turns her attention back to the Corporal for now "Your be helping me track the slavers down, and it sounds like you need to step outside a bit anyways. Your need to be good at fighting also. And likely avoid the strange marten..."  Yeah he is a bit creepier than the foxes, well maybe not "Least the foxes are gone now, one less worry around here...never seen such ugly foxes, had fellow foxes as captives but the captive foxes were taken to halyard, not sure who is helping them now..."  She shakes her head "Seen the feline...Melthan or something...claims to be the leader of the Black rose....wants to take us out she claims..yeah right...told me and some old otter to watch our back..." She gets to thinking "Hmms may need to send someone to keep an eye on that old otter, he has a cane and limps...also" She sighs as she adds "He has some...fox cub that stays with him, so no one....no one.." Oh so hard to say it, but she does "No one harm the cub, even if he is a fox"  She hates foxes, that's clear...more so now since last night's events.   

"I s'pose tha's true." Isla frowns. "Ain't nevah knew me own parents, not really. Bu' I guess I'd be a right prat too if me uncle kicked it." She sighs, bending over her work and trying hard not to eavesdrop... At least she tries really hard to look like she isn't eavesdropping. This is all terribly exciting! But, for the recruit, it is merely a promise of the excitement she works for... Except this. This is just learning to /read/ - how terrible. The recruit squints down at the parchment in front of her, clumsily and sloppily copying each letter.   

Felicity scribbles down some of the information, nodding slightly. "Nobeast 'arms the young fox who's with the old otter, gottit. D'y'know the names of the ottah and the fox, Sah?" She writes down 'Blackrose' and draws an arrow to it with an exclamation point at the other end of the arrow, with 'Talk to Z' underneath the arrow. "I c'n fight with th' short sword and my legs, and I'm learnin' 'ow to use the sabre. I can also shoot stones from my sling pretty well." That's an understatement, but she's a rather humble haremaid, usually.

Tarsa nods "And Zolomon is a skilled archer, will need that..." She looks down at Isla and sighs "Don't...over stress on lessons recruit, stress is bad..trust me it's bad" She nods again to Felicity "The otter name is Hawkeye....not sure on the cub, sorry" Yeah dibbuns are not her....fave thing "He's a....di..dibbun." Dibbuns are such...unjoys to her, she never ever, ever ...wants one in her life just see them from afar, but she would still protect one.  "I need to change and talk to his Lordship...and then I want a meeting of all in our unit..."  She then walks out quietly.

"Well tha' all sounds bally important." Isla decides with a small smile as she goes back to struggling over her letters... But... "Come t'think of it, I /do/ believe a sergeant jus' gave me a direct order not t'stress on me classes too much." She looks up to Felicity with a grin, slamming her quill back to the table. "I am goin' te take a nap, I think." Still grinning, the recruit gathers up her things and tucks her quill into her mouth. "Good day, corporal!" She dismisses, heading towards the exit with a whistle.

Felicity writes down all she the information she needs, then glances up as the Recruit heads out.  "But that doesn't mean y'can skip out...oh, fer...."  Sighing, the Corporal looks at her notes.  Whelp, there went her day of studying.  Sighing again, she stands and gathers up the books she found, then heads back to the stacks.  Grabbing a few more picture books and another book on philosophy, the haremaid sits in a chair until a librarian shows up.  Checking her books out, the Runner heads back to her room, where she does her required studies.  Ungh, these books are so boring.....

~*END*~

Thanks for reading!

SCENE: Salamandastron: Badger Lord's room

CHARACTERS:  They're all hares.
Various spoofed leverets.  Tarsa, female.  Feanor, male.  Felicity, female.

LOG:
The Salamandastron branch of the Dibbuns Against Bedtime has been quiet for quite a while.....too quiet. And then with the tragedy of the such heavy losses the Long Patrol sustained in Mossflower, the DAB had grown, and Julia Rachelle Rosinbloom, leader of the DAB and baby sister of Corporal Felicity, had decided that they needed to do something to cheer everyone up..../especially/ the Badger Lord. I mean, he lead the Long Patrol to go rescue Redwall from its latest enemy, so he must be /especially/ sad, right? That's what she thought, anyway. And so now she sneakily leads a contingent of DABer leverets into Ciocan's room, pots of paint and glue, paintbrushes, and paper streamers clutched in their paws. Julia, dolly tucked safely into her belt, looks around. "A' cwear! Nobeasties in 'ere!" They enter the room, silently closing the door behind them.   

A couple hare twins, dibbuns of course, sliped in quietly and looked around.They were among the new members of the group.   

Jacenta had just cheked on a young hare, still barely a dibbun, named Clare...(Clare) decided to follow the others "Where we at?" The young hare asked as she picked at the bandage the healer put on her knee, seemed her knee was skinned.

Scowling slightly at Clare, Julia makes an exaggerated shushing noise.  "Quiets!  If we's founded out, we's be in biiiiiig toruble!"  Passing aroung paint, brushes, glue, and streamers, the DAB Ringleader points to the walls of the Badger Lord's room.  "Da Badgew Guy bes sad, so we's gonna makes his room /pweety/ by paintin' it and puttin' up stweamers!  Wet's get to work!!"  Julia picks up a paintbrush in each paw and dips one in blue paint, one in yellow.  She calmly walks over to the wall and starts to paint what's probably supposed to be an ocean scene on it.  The other DABers do the same, the taller ones dipping their brushes in glue and attaching the streamers as high up as they can reach.  Paint splatters on the floor and the leverets.  Oh, well.  Art is supposed to be messy, right?

The two twins smile as they look at one another, it's decided dipping one's paws into the paint will make a nice design as well.The paint is likely washable so that's good, its some light green paint and paw prints are on one wall and a couple giggles are heard as well.

Clare frowns "Aren't we gonna be in so much troubles?" She was never one to really hang out with the others, usually stayed on that one bench alone or was in the library reading and not playing games.  She stays close to the doorway and doesn't touch any paints yet.

Tarsa was heading to the Badger Lord's room slowly, muttering a little as she went.  A deep breath and exhales...can't very well be in a foul mood to talk with him as he is likely in his room, right? I mean where else would he be at this time of the day?

Probably in the Forge or something, 'cause he ain't in here! A pair of female Dibbuns pulls out a jar of glitter, and another one opens a packet of confetti. They all get glue and start to apply the bits of pretty to the wall underneath the big window. About half of the walls about a third of the way up from the floor have been covered in paint. These hares work fast. One of the leverets opens the door a /tiny/ bit, peeks out, and gasps. "Dersa gwone up comin'!!" The rest of the DABers gasp in horror, dropping their supplies and looking desperately at Julia, who looks around wildly. "Uh...Uh.....hurry an' hide!!" Squeaking, the leverets dash to the few available hiding places. Julia goes to grab Clare and pull her under the bed with about 5 other leverets. "Wesa nots gets in toruble iffens we bes quiets an' hide good! Now everybeastie hush!!"

The two twins frown and manage to hind behind a chair that's in here, and they hide fairly well, but one did drop some paint, some yeah a nice yellowish green puddle of paint by a bucket is on the floor now.

Clare eeeps and is dragged to a hiding place "That hurt, you hurt me..I will so much tell on you!!!!!!"

Tarsa goes to knock on the door and then waits quietly, lucky for those young ones she isn't one to just barge inside the room.But she also isn't one to wait too long in the hallway and so opens the door and peeks inside "Sur...are you in here?"

Julia scowls darkly.  "If you tells, yous gets in toruble fors bein' in 'ere!  Now if yous don'ts wants you /taiw/ to be made inta /soup/, hush!"  The leverets, all hidden surprisingly well, fall into dead silence as the door opens.  The brushes and buckets of paint and glue and the packets of glitter and confetti are scattered across the floor.  A trail of purple footprints leads to the door, but not out into the hall.  That leveret is hiding right behind the door, hoping the Sergeant doesn't fully come inside....

The twins are silent and just stay hidden. Another couple dibbuns are close as well, and barely manage to stay quiet.

Clare just glares at Julia and shakes her head, she then frowns as she just had to get that glittery stuff up her nose, she rubs her nose and all seems well 'til....she sneezes and covers her mouth as if that will help now.She does stay motionless at least.

Tarsa frowns as she looks inside and then her eyes widen, the...mess, colorful yes but it's still a mess and it's all over, then the sneeze as she steps into the room and slowly starts to scan it for beasts who shouldn't be here.

A couple of Dibbuns stifle gasps at the sound of the sneeze.  Julia goes to clutch Clare's arm, pure horror etched onto her face.  The few Dibbuns who couldn't stuff themselves under the bed or in where the Badger Lord keeps his clothes huddle fearfully behind the door, keeping perfectly still and hoping against hope that the Sergeant doesn't think to look back there.  But will she?  One of the youngest DABers sniffles, and Julia glares at him.  Oh, he had better not start crying....

Clare frowns and just watches the Sargent, she stays quiet and manages to stop a 2nd sneeze from forming or least from escaping.

Julia glares at everyone under the bed with her (especially Clare), making silent hushing motions.  There are a few leverets sort of out in the open, but they're all hidden behind the now-open door, so are they out in the open anymore?  It's hard to say.  The leveret with the purple paint on his feet notices that what he tracked on the floor is smudging.  He's still leaving a trail, but the door is messing it up, so maybe he'll be okay?  The one Dibbun looks at the Ringleader, and covers his face with his paws, crying silently.

Clare just frowns and shakes her head "You is mean, a meaner and I am not gonna be in trouble"And she starts to slip out of hiding.She looks towards where Tarsa is and sighs softly and clears her throat.

Tarsa blinks and turns to the cough and an eye...twitches and she sees the footpaws and then starts to tap her footpaw "Wot de seasons is goin' on in here, explain to me and where is his Lordship?"

As Clare starts to sell them out, Julia tugs her ears furiously, teeth bared in silent agony.  The traitor!  Perfidious leveret!  She now has the DAB Ringleader as an enemy!  The leverets behind the door jump as one sneezes, and then the next thing anybeast knows, they are all tumbling forward, closing the door as the fall in a heap on the floor.  Seeing this, Julia flops onto the floor under the bed and throws a silent tantrum, feet kicking air and fists clenched to her temples.  The other DABers under the bed scoot as far away from her as they can without revealing their presence under the bed.

Clare backs up a little "Umm...I didnt touch anything by the way...the others did and I told them not to and they did anyways.I was in here yeah but...didnt do a thing"She has glitter on her face though.

Tarsa jumps a little as the door slams and shows the others and snorts "Why are you all in here? Wot the seasons are you doing in here? Your not supposed to go into other beasts rooms, that's not good...and aren't you to be in a class or something, or..I don't know..dibbbun things to do I am sure"

The DABers from behind the door all start to cry, except for the one with purple paint on his feet.  He looks solemnly up at the Sergeant's face and says, "We was just tryin' to make da Badger Lord's room pwetty so 'e wouldn't bes so sad anymores."  Julia peers out from under the bed, still hidden, but hoping Clare will catch her glare.  More leverets come out of hiding, making a miserable ring around the Sergeant.  Their Ringleader ducks deeper under the bed, her scowl being replaced with a wicked grin as she develops a rather dastardly idea.....

Clare just looks at the floor and then shrugs "I did class, but math boring and too easy so I left and everyone else skipping class also...shouldn't theys get into trouble as well...miss umm...Sargaent??"

Tarsa looks at the dibbuns, she is not a fan of dibbuns at all as she just snorts "You all need to leave the room"

"No, we don'ts,"  Julia states as she crawls out from under the bed, taking a blanket off with a good hard tug.  Her fur colouring is the exact same as Felicity's, proving that they're sisters, and her green eyes are sparkling maliciously.  Some of the DABers whimper, while most of the others smile.  They all know that look.  "I fink YOU bes da one who needsta go!  But since yous prob'ly won't....NOW!!"  She throws the blanket at the Sergeant, and most of the other DAB members join her, grabbing the blanket, trying to knock the adult over, and attempting to bundle her up in the now messy (and glittery) blanket!  The other leverets gasp and just stay out of the way.  But the majority are now pouncing on the Sergeant, pulling sheets off the bed and trying to add them to the blanket.  One of them even gets a pillow to hit her with!

Clare frowns and backs up to the door, this can't be good, she looks at the hallway and seems to be edging to the doorway, she is SOOOOOOO gonna tell on them!

Tarsa glares at the dibbun "You little..put that down right now or so help me you," She sidesteps but it's like a little mini horde and she gets a bit tangled up after a couple side steps and twists. turns...I mean she isn't going to kick or punch a dibbun, a deep breath and then a scream!!!!! Oh yes she is mad, like serious mad..can she make dibbuns do push-ups and sit ups? Do they want to find out?

All the Dibbuns jump in fear at the scream.  Then Julia grabs the pillow and goes to hit the Sergeant full in the face with it.  "EVEWYBEAST, RETWEAT!!"  Squeaking, all the leverets dash around madly, then fling the door open and flee down the hall, splitting up and scattering willy-nilly throughout the Mountain!  Julia is one the last to leave, and she shakes a paw at both the adult and Clare while standing in the doorway.  "We was tryina be NICE, an' dis is whats we gets?!  DIS IS WAR NOW!!!!"

Clare frowns and should go get help, but the Sargent also needs free, but also there is the fact its a high ranking officer...she runs off to find Julia's sister!

Tarsa screams and manages to get the sheet and blanket off and ...whoa her eyes glare daggers, her eye twitches and that glitter seems to make her look...ummm...well it really helps her anger sparkle!

Julia, the last remaining leveret, takes one look at the Sergeant's face and squeaks, taking off at a dead run.  Hey, maybe she has potential to be a Runner someday.  Though she should probably wait until Tarsa is no longer in the Patrol.  Felicity, meanwhile, is walking towards the Badger Lord's room, a sheaf of papers in her paws.  She only just misses her baby sister escaping her fate.  "'Ello?"  She heard a scream.  There aren't supposed to be screams up here, right?

Clare runs, trips and tumbles in front of the hare Felicity and frowns "The...young ones they...ummm...and she" She points to the running Julia... "And the Sargent is...she..." She whimpers as it's...bad.

Tarsa comes storming out of the Badger's room and looks like she could set someone on fire with her very look. All sparkly and maybe pretty if she was smiling, not even close...and a streamer is stuck to her footpaw, paint on one ear...some sort of...is that a paint brush stuck in her ear? She gets it out and drops it to the floor and  takes a deep breath and just..glares, a private Kim walks out of a room, one look at the Sargeant and whimpers as she bolts away.

The papers fall from Felicity's paws at the sight of the Sergeant, and the Corporal rushes past her, coming to a halt at the door of the room, paws clamped over her mouth.  "Bloody--"  her next word is not appropriate for a Dibbun to hear, but she says it anyway!  Turning, she looks her superior officer up and down.  "Lemme guess.  My sistah did that?  With some 'elp?"

Clare just frowns and goes to..well somewhere, hopefully not near the dibbuns, least the ringleader

Tarsa takes a deep breath "Seems...she is a ring leader of a group of very annoying, needs talking to....dibbuns. They made a mess and had the nerve to attack me with blankets, a sheet and a pillow, they all listened to the...not so sweet ring leader...did you SEE THE MESS! It's CHOAS!!!!" She likely echos through the hallways.

Felicity cringes and backs up slightly.  "Aye.....aye, sah, I did, wot!  Julia is th' leadah of the Salamandastron branch o' the Dibbuns Against Bedtime.  I.....oi vey...."  She peeks back into the room.  "Let's....um......I would suggest we get y'cleaned up.  I'll walk y'back to y'quartahs, then I'll find Lord Ciocan.....*sigh* and then m'sistah.  Good heavens..."  She will find the Badger Lord and her sister, even is the Sergeant refuses her help.  And she goes to do so right now.....although if the Sergeant wants help or to come or whatever, she'll go along with that.

Feanor happened to be in the area shortly after the Dibbuns left.  Not in time to catch them in the act, but soon enough to see the aftermath through the still-open doorway to the Badger Lord's room.  He blinks a few times. Is he dreaming?  When it becomes apparent that he's not, he stammers for a moment before turning on his heel and sprinting down the hallway, his exasperated cry of "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB!" echoing behind him...

~*END*~

Thanks for reading!   I had fun RPing this out.  I hope you had fun reading it!

SCENE:  Redwall Abbey kitchens

CHARACTERS:  Matilda, a female hedgehog.  DoraRose and LilyMoore, female mice.

LOG:
Matilda needed to relax, the last few weeks had been stressful and so she found herself in the kitchens, when an idea hit her and she decided to try her luck at making cookies, like her parents had made in fact, but usually her parents made them, she knew how or least what was in them, the cooking part may be a little hard, as well as trying to figure out how to make more than just a dozen, more like a few dozen if she was going to share.

The door opens from the Great Hall, and DoraRose enters, leading her daughter by the paw.  Spying the hedgehog, the Gatekeeper smiles.  "Oh, looks like we all had the idea to bake to help us relax."  As LilyMoore sits on a nearby stool, the older mouse peers at what the Champion is doing.  "Whatcha makin'?"

Matilda looks over and smiles "Well my parents use to make Cookies whenever I was sad, I remember how to make them and most of the ingredients is here, though I can't find walnuts but they are not always needed"

DoraRose smiles and gets the container of walnuts.  "Is there anything else that's missing?  How many were you wanting to make?"  LilyMoore smiles a tiny bit.  "Momma's /really/ good at baking and cooking.  She can follow any recipe, and she's good at making the recipe bigger or smaller so it all still works okay."  The Gatekeeper shrugs and shyly looks to the floor in honest humility, but she doesn't say anything except, "Well, when something is fun for you and you enjoy it, you practice at it until you're really skilled at it.  That's all."

Matilda smiles, she lays out a paper "It's from memory but should still work" It will likely need a little less flour or more sugar but she remembered it fairly well it looks like. "I would watch mom, dad just sort of..."She smiled "Helped eat them"

DoraRose laughs, and LilyMoore's smile widens.  "Aye, that's sometimes the way it works.  But there's no harm done.  Now, lemme see that recipe...."  She peers at it, pulling out a pencil and making a few notes here and there.  "I think that'll work better.  Now let's get cookin'."  The Bellringer looks at the recipe, then starts getting the needed utensils and measuring thingies.  The Gatekeeper reads through the whole recipe again, just to make sure she understands it.  "What were your parents like?"  Lily asks the Champion a little shyly.

Matilda is unsure of weather to speak or not, but does "Peace loving, I did learn some fighting skills but...well."She sighs as she remembers her parents."They were in their later seasons...they died peacefully in their sleep one night, holding paws. It was after their death I slowly started traveling and one day of course made my way here."

DoraRose sets out all the ingredients and utensils and sets to work measuring out the walnuts. LilyMoore starts in on the dry ingredients, working slowly as she listens and thinks. "I'm sorry about your parents. I bet that was hard, even though it was peaceful and happy." She pauses, then adds, "My Daddy was murdered. It's hard losing your parents, I know. Do you think they're all together in the Dark Forest now, waiting for us? Marek.....Marek told me a story his mom used to tell him, that all the stars are good beasts who died and are watching over us."

Matilda smiles as she gets some greensap milk and a few other things still needed, "Never heard of them referred to as stars...fireflies maybe, not as many of those around here it seems though"

DoraRose smiles.  "Oh, we have many fireflies around here, they just tend to hide in the depths of the forest.  But we usually have some in the grounds of the Abbey sometime during the Summer."  LilyMoore measures the sugar, double checking her mother's notes.  "What do the fireflies do?  I mean, in the stories you heard, Matilda."

Matilda speaks "Lighted the way for souls to find their way to the dark forest, and sometimes they were also loved ones come to visit you in times of needed or when you were sad, maybe even to share in some happiness and they brought friends along as well"

DoraRose takes over mixing all the ingredients together since she appears to have the most experience.  LilyMoore smiles, genuinely.  "That's really pretty.  I never thought of it that way.  Maybe we can find some fireflies dancing this Spring.  They look like magical fairies to me."

Matilda smiles "Maybe we can. I just hope peace lasts a long while; and it seems the abbey is ready for winter, a few things low on but not too bad from what heard, I mean it could of well be a lot worse, and I have made friends since I came here."

DoraRose gets cookie sheets and greases and flours them, then hands the other 2 spoons. "Aye, I think we're friends, Matilda. And if you ever need to talk to somebeast, or miss your parents, or something, you can always come find me." She starts scooping the cookie batter onto a sheet, showing her helpers exactly how to do it. LilyMoore is smiling, and she follows her mother's lead with the cookie batter. "I'll be your friend, Matilda. Everybeast needs friends, and if I could be Marek's friend when all the other creatures hated him, then I can certainly be your friend, too!"

Matilda watches and is soon placing lumps of carefully shaped cookie dough onto the cookie sheets "I...didn't really know Marek, he didn't seem bad to me like some seemed to say he was. It also seemed he had friends just not very many friends"

DoraRose continues to place cookie batter lumps on the cookie sheet, working more quickly than the other 2 simply because she has had more experience.  Glancing at her daughter, she answers for her, saying, "Marek did actually used to be evil.  He attacked us on multiple occasions, and even conquered us for about a season.  But he did repent, and change his ways.  He has been trying to earn the trust of the beasts in Mossflower for a number of seasons, and many never forgave him."  LilyMoore nods.  "But he was always nice to me.  I was too little to remember when he took over Redwall.  But he /was/ good and kind.  I wish he hadn't.....hadn't had to....to die for beasts to see that."

Matilda frowns but then speaks "Just remember good times, fun maybe. He would want you happy not sad. Maybe he would of make cookies who know, but what kind?"  She chuckles "Making cookies is fun, it's nice to be able to do something fun and not cause it has to be done."

DoraRose wrinkles her nose. "He was once experimenting with scones and made fish ones. I think I would've just had him watch or something." After making sure the oven was hot enough, the Warrior slips the first cookie sheet in. LilyMoore nods. "Marek told me remember the good. We danced on the way back here. That was fun." She scowls slightly. "If you're required to do it, it's no longer fun. Just my thoughts." The Gatekeeper laughs silently, nodding in agreement.

Matilda smirks "Like chores, left a window open and even though they were pretty I had yellow, red and orange leaves all in my cottage cause of it. But maybe can make chores fun like tie a spring to each footpaw to clean the floor, like slide" She chuckles "But then I slid right into a door, sore snout for a week but the floor was clean for my parents"

DoraRose leans against the counter, listening as they wait for the first 2 batches of cookies to finish baking. LilyMoore giggles. "Ow....I bet you never did /that/ again."

Matilda chuckles "No...but may of once just was more careful, as said didn't really have friends, I took care of my parents a lot"

DoraRose checks on the cookies. LilyMoore frowns slightly. "Well, you're in Redwall now, and we're legendary for being friendly! And I'll always be your friend. I promise." "I think these are done," the Gatekeeper states, pulling the cookie sheets out of the oven. And they have more cookies yet to make!

~*~

Thanks for reading! <3