Two Steps Forward (And One Step Back...?) - LP Log

Montamillion · 2020-02-16 08:49:02 AM

Location: The Catacombs

Characters: Dominik (hare Private, LP fighter) Felicity (hare Sergeant, LP runner), Terrence (hare Sergeant, LP fighter)

Summary: Dominik had disappeared once again after the series of evens involving vermin and a slain Dibbun, and he'd been seemingly missing for a few days. Felicity decides to try and find him, with some measure of success. A discussion is had and an understanding is reached.
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Having spent some time up aboveground while in the infirmary for his injured paw, Dom had seemingly been making some good progress with his recovery...especially mentally. However, the incident in Halyard happened, which initially wasn't a bad thing since he'd likely saved Terrence's life with his actions that day, however upon the group returning some time later with the ferret, the slain badger cub and an injured Terrence, things had seemingly gone back downhill once Dom had found out what had happened. Intending to 'interrogate' the ferret in his own personal way, Dom never had gotten the chance to due to the incident that resulted in said ferret's death, and so the large hare had retreated back down to his spot in the alcove down in the catacombs to try and sort things out in his brain and figure out what he was going to do about things. Currently, he sits with his back against the wall, his eyes closed as he appears to be napping...though an ear always remains perked and listening.

Seriously? He couldn't have, I don't know, talked to somebody about it? Felicity is full of such thoughts as she makes her way down into the catacombs. What with all her extra duties training Gergorian's division in addition to her own, as well as everything else she usually has to do, she wasn't able to check on him until today. Now, carrying a lantern, the Sergeant makes her way down to the Catacombs, trying to not fume or be mad at her friend. It's not his fault he's a lunatic, she reasons. "Dom? Dom, love, y'down 'ere?"

Dominik's ear gives a twitch as he hears the familiar voice. His eyes remain closed, though he answers Felicity with a quieter-than-usual, "Yes. Is here." He is in the same spot he'd been staying during his previous time spent down in the catacombs, and despite the surroundings, the large hare seemed to find an odd sort of comfort in the tucked away space. If anything else, it was at least quiet here, and it gave him plenty of time and opportunity to think and ponder things, and let his brain settle down from all the various things going on inside it all at one time. Sometimes it was too much of him to deal with, and he just had to go -somewhere- to make sure he didn't cause any incidents.

Felicity invades his spot! With a lantern! The haremaid stands in the entrance of the alcove, looking worried to the point of grumpiness. "Dom....love, why didn't y'at least tell me where y'were goin'? Whot're y'doin' down 'ere agin?" She would be trying to make eye contact, but that's kind of hard when his eyes are closed.

Dominik is silent for a few moments, his shoulders heaving in a heavy sigh before finally, an eye peeks open to peer at Felicity. "Is...sorry. Dom had to go. Lissie vas busy vith many things, did not vant to bother her vith more things." His eye closes again, both his ears perking as he settles back against the wall in his current sitting position. "Is quiet here. Dom need quiet to...think. To calm self. To make sure no things happen again, vith Erg." The hare's eye opens again. "Vas -so- close to coming back, ven seeing ferret. So close. Vanted to squeeze his neck...til head popped off. Did not get chance to." He frowns. "Decided not to, then...vas too late, ferret is dead. Dibbun is dead, because of ferret."

Felicity's grumpiness melts as she hears her friend's explanation. Sitting on the floor, she sets the lantern by her knee and reaches out to hold his paw. "Dom....I don't /care/ 'ow much I've got goin' on. Y'm'friend. Y'important. Please, next time, if there evah is a next time..../please/ tell me, okay? Even if y' 'ave t'interrupt somethin'. Okay?" She scoots closer and goes to hold his paw with both of her own. "You chose not t'do that because y'a good creach'ah. I c'n undahstand needin' t'come down 'ere t'make sure y'don't do somethin' y'regret. That's pretty brave, too."

Dominik's other eye opens as Felicity sits near him and scoots herself closer. As she takes his paw into her own and holds it, his eyes drift downwards as he simply stares down at his paw, his expression strained and troubled, the frown still upon his muzzle. His voice is quiet, occasionally cracking as he speaks, just as strained as his face. "Who vould do such things, Lissie? Who COULD do such things? Vat kind of...of -creature-...could purposely hurt a leetle vun? Vat monster could -kill- a leetle vun?" Dom lifts his eyes to meet Felicity's, welling up with both sadness and rage as a tear slides down his cheek. "Vas not there to stop it. Should have been. Should not have come back...should have stayed vith Terrence, then he vould not have gotten hurt. Badger...still be alive. Is my fault." His head droops again, ears folding back against the back of his neck.

"'Ey, 'ey now." Felicity scoots forward and goes to hug her friend. "Dom....Dominik, 'twasn't y'fault. Could nevah be. Y' 'ad no way o' knowin'. We can't be everywheh at once. Oh, Dom....I wish y' 'ad told me this was whot y'were thinkin'. I woulda told y'soonah. Y'not at fault." She pulls back and tries to cup his face in her paws to gently force him to look her in the eyes again, to wipe the tear away with her thumb. "D'y' 'ave any /idea/ 'ow many beasts I've been patrollin' with, or tryin' t'find, only t' 'ave them die? /So many./ We can't save everybeast, an' we can't live with the weight o' past mistakes. Those we've lost....th'little badgah....they wouldn't want that. They'd want us t'move fohwahd wi' courage t' honah theih memories. Please, Dom, don't punish y'self f'r somethin' y'could do nothin' 'bout."

Dominik gives a heavy sigh, the large buck letting Felicity hug him (which was an accomplishment in itself, being that Dom generally didn't like being touched in any manner by anyone save for perhaps the leverets climbing on him.) As she pulls back and holds his face in her paws, his icy eyes meet hers again, and he simply watches her as she speaks. Nodding his head slowly, the hare replies, quietly. "Have lost many, too. Back home. Is reason vhy came here to mountain, in first place. Vas only vun left." He falls silent for a few moments, pondering something judging by the shifting of his eyes and the hardening of his voice. "He is still out there. The beast who murdered badger cub. Ferret...vas not only one. There are more, there are others who are behind this." Dom frowns. "Dom vil find. Dom vil deal vith. And not Erg...Dom." The buck shakes his head slowly. "Cub vil not have died for nothing."

Felicity shakes her head. "Actually, all 3 o' the vermin involved 'ave been killed. Read th'repohts m'self, wot!" She scoots back, not wanting to make him too uncomfortable with her touchy-feely friendliness. "An' tha's why th'Long Patrol exists, laddiebuck -- is t'stop as many o'those monstahs as we can. As a /team/. An' membahs of a team tell each othah stuff." She wags a finger in his face. "So no goin' off an' disappearin' on me agin, please, wot!" She softens and sighs, rubbing her eye, which, as always, makes her look very much like her little sister. "Sorry....not meanin' t'be 'arsh....just 'ad a /really/ bad day. Not y'fault, don't worry." Well, it was partly his fault, but she's not going to tell him that.

Dominik's expression shows his disappointment as he hears that those responsible have already been dealt with, the frown still on his muzzle. "...oh. Vell. Is...supposing is good, then. But...Dom did not get chance to get paws on anyvun responsible." He sighs. "Better varn recruits for next training sessions. Dom might be taking things out on them, vithout thinking about." The buck smirks a little. He was already well aware of the reputation he'd already built for himself as a no-nonsense and harsh instructor in the training drills he was asked to run. This more than likely would not improve things at all in that aspect. "Apologies for disappearing. Dom has...many things to sort through, still. But Lissie's help is alvays appreciated. Has helped Dom already, more than you can know." He smiles a little, his ears giving a twitch. "Do not vorry. If Dom is down here, does not mean that Erg is back. Dom simply likes places vere it is quiet." Something seems to come to him suddenly, and he blinks. "Oh! Forgot to mention. Made box for Julia, to keep her toys. Is remembering ve talked about, before? Is done."

Felicity rests her head in her paws. "If I could let y'deal wi' stupid o' Whisowsky, that'd be great....chauvinistic /cad/...." She mutters. Shaking her head, she smiles. "I'm glad y'gettin' bettah, Dom. Anythin' that 'elps, I am 'appy. I don't want y't'be ovahtaken by Erg again." She then looks up at him surprise. "Really? Already? Well, tha's just grand! Where is it?"

Dominik notes Felicity's reaction when speaking of this...Whisowsky fellow...and the large buck's smirk returns as he lifts his chin a little, giving her a look. "Hmm. Send him to vun of my sessions. Can make it seem like accident, if necessary. Dom vil straighten out, very quick. Vil promise." He gives a rumbling chuckle. "Has vays." He gives a shake of his head, "Erg is still there. Is distant, but...is still there. Can feel, at times. But Dom can hold him back, ven needing to." The buck smiles as he notes the doe's surprised expression. "Left in infirmary vhile Dom vas there. Had time to work on, so that is vat did. Is still there, if vant to give to her."

Felicity grins wickedly. "Aye, I just might. Although 'e listen's t'malebeasts wi'out question or disrespect. 'Tis only females 'e's rude to." She stands and grabs the lantern. "May'ap 'tis that way wi' many beasts, Dom. We 'ave a monstah deep inside o' us that we 'ave t'fight every day o' our lives. Maybe y'not so weihd as y'think." She offers him her paw. "Now, then. Let's go take a looksie at this box."

Dominik waves a paw in a nonchalant manner. "Matters not. Vil still make things extra harder on him, even if listens. Is least can do to make life living hell..." The buck chuckles, before he takes the offered paw and stands. He gives Felicity a nod and a smile, "Yes, vil do. Is hoping vil like, added little touches here and there to the outside, made it just for Julia." He does seem proud of this fact, judging by his expression at least. He follows the doe out of the catacombs as they head back towards the upper level.

Terrence had spent the better part of an hour wondering the mountain looking for his fellow sergeant. Now he stands by the entrance at the catacombs after a recruit had mentioned Felicity going down here, debating whether or not to go in - no matter how well Dom is doing (or were he probably is), the dark catacombs hold a bit of terror for the bespectacled hare. Finally, after a minute or so, he grits his teeth and heads down the steps feeling his way with his good paw. "Felicity?" With surprise he looks from her to Dom, blinking. "Uh. Well, I wanted to let you know I'm partially back on duty, now! And hello, Dom."

Felicity smiles wickedly. "Good. 'E really deserves it, wot!" As they round the corner, she smiles at her fellow Sergeant. "Well, 'llo, Terrence! Good t' 'ear 'bout tha', wot!" A leveret caretaker comes into the catacombs, looking nervous. "Miss Felicity? Been lookin' everywhere foh you. 'Tis fah past time f'r you t'pick up y'sister." The Runner claps a paw to her forehead. "Oh my goodness gracious! I 'ad /competely/ lost track o' th'time! Dom, I'll come get th'box latah, promise. Sorry." She goes to touch his arm, then hands him the latern and follows the caretaker out, going pat Terrence on his good shoulder as she walks by. And then the 2 does are gone.

Dominik gives Felicity a nod and a smile as she heads off to tend to her sister, and he watches her go for a moment, before his attention turns to Terrence. He looks him over briefly, before giving him a nod. "Hello, sir..." he replies to Terrence. "Is looking better. Is good. Vas nasty injury, is lucky vas not killed." He states the obvious. He sighs, after a moment. "Dom apologizes, for...not being there ven attacked. Feels as if...could have stopped, if vas there. But, Lissie says is not Dom's fault, she is saying not to blame self. Still, cannot help but do this, a little." He shrugs.

"She is right, wasn't you'h fault at all." Terrence replies once Felicity is gone. "Not at all..." With a wry grin the sergeant wiggles his right arm, still in a sling. "Daresay this gull-wing came from me trying to capture the vermin instead of just killing them. Lissie's absolutely right. If anything," he adds, with a sigh, "It's my own damn fault fo' not just having my squad rush and stab the slavah."

Dominik shakes his head. "...no. Is understanding vat vas trying to do. If vould have killed on the spot, vould not have been able to get information about other possible slaves, in other locations. Things...vent sidevays, as they alvays tend to do ven dealing vith the vermins." The buck shrugs. "Main regret for not being there to help is, having no chance to prevent badger cub from being killed." He frowns. "Is hurting Dom, very much, here." He touches a paw to the spot over his heart. "Vanted to seek out vermin who did this, but...Lissie says it vas already done. Yes?"

"Yes." Terrence nods. "The same vermin who killed the poo'h thing also did this to me." Here he gestures to his right shoulder. "He impaled himself on my sabah doing so, though, so yes. They're all dead, now. It is a pity no one got any info from that bloody prisonah, but...yes." He says, for the third time, "Things do tend to go sideways, don't they?" Trying a laugh and failing, the sergeant falls quiet for a moment.

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#1 2020-02-16 08:49:02 AM

Two Steps Forward (And One Step Back...?) - LP Log

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