To the 23rd! - The Long Patrol, 2/8/22

Ol'random · 2022-02-08 12:28:41 PM

Hares Involved: Mjr. Varus, Lt. Olivia, MSgt. Terrence Cadwallader

It's a rather miserably wet winter day on the Western Coast, the sky completely overcast and a light drizzle of rain, as a group of hares from the Long Patrol make their way upshore in the general direction of Halyard. Varus takes the lead, this being his first "official" assignment from the Lord Ciocan since his injury and disappearance and then reappearance several months ago. At the moment, he's still rather confused about his rank, but he just knows that he's "in charge", (or so he's been told.) Keeping pace by his side is his long-suffering wife Olivia, concern always written on her face anymore, and trailing the group past Terrence is a small gaggle of Privates who have NO IDEA why they're even here.

To be fair to the privates, Terrence isn't quite sure why he's there either - the whole idea seems rather desperate, and he has his doubts about the whole ordeal. This is not helped by the fact the wind was chilly coming in from the sea, quickly soaking through his winter clothes. Why they didn't do this sooner or perhaps later, when the weather wasn't quite literally AT ITS WORST, will probably forever remain a mystery to the master-sergeant.

Also, his ribs ached.

"Lieutenant," Terrence falls in pace next to Olivia to whisper to her, having long ago stopped adding 'retired' before her rank, "Where exactly is the base we're seeking?"

The older doe looks over at Terrence. "About a quarter-mile outside Halyard," she answers. "We'll be there before too long." She pulls her cloak tighter in an effort to keep out the cold. "I realize this weather must be aggravatin' your ribs, and I apologize."

"Ah, no, it's fine." Terrence says through gritted teeth. "It's not too bad, and I imagine once we make it the bloody place things'll improve, wot." For good measure he pops the collar of his great coat up, hoping to better protect his neck from the wind.

Varus looks back at the group, and points, as Halyard looms up on the horizon. "We'll be goin' a little northwahd o' Halyahd, wot. Quick mahch, now." Olivia nods, and a couple Privates groan. This weather is pitiful, after all. And they won't even get to relax in the tavern.

Taverns made for longer delays than shortcuts, as the old saying goes, so it was probably for the best they were avoiding the village proper. The patrol was not quite welcome there still... Terrence falls in step behind the other hares marching north. "Faster you lot get moving the faster we'll have shelter - and I heard the 23rd had ovens!"

This does a little to lift the privates' spirits, but not by much.

Varus harrumps. "Those ovens are long cold by now, Sahgeant. We last used this base... Almost..." He pauses, as his swiss-cheesed memory struggles to recall these basic facts. "Well, it was a bloody long time, wot! That's wot mattahs!"

"Yes, but that's nothing a good cleaning and some firewood can't fix, sah!" Terrence shoots back, plastering a wide grin for the sake of morale. "And I for one think getting the kitchens in order so we can actually use them tonight is a grand idea- provided we make it there in good time, eh? So come on!" He shouts to the troop at large, "Pick up the pace and quit wasting time grumbling, and we'll be well off tonight!"

Varus nods, and looks back at the younger hares. "You 'eard th' Sahgeant. Pick up yahr feet, double-time now, an' let's get outta this damnable cold weathah!"

The hares start making good time, eager to get out of the weather and the threat of icy rain as soon a possible - with Terrence keeping a nervous eye on the clouds rolling in from the sea.

The group heads into the small forest, moving along a path through the trees that is rather overgrown with disuse. "Ah, yes... This'll be a good spot t' keep an eye on Halyahd wi'out actually bein' in th' town. The entrance is just ahead..." He frowns, thinking. "We pulled outta here way back when we moved our base into Halyahd. Tha' was probably a bettah time f'r th' Patrol, wot."

Truth be told, Terrence has very little idea of when exactly Varus' is referring to, but he's learned not to press such issues. "Of course, sah!" The master-sergeant pauses, looking around at the trees. "Where did you say the entrance was? I'll take a few hares with me and scout it to make sure there aren't vermin or worse creatures waiting for us inside."

Varus stops at a rather nondescript boulder, with a tree leaning against it. "It's in there. Be careful, it may be unstable, f'r all wee bloody well know..."

"Oh, don't you worry about me being cautious, sah." Terrence murmurs as he pokes around the boulder. "Ah - there you are." He disappears for a moment or so, then pops his head out again. "KONNAH! ADDERSMITH! COME ON!" He barks before going inside once again.

Varus waits with his wife and the remaining Privates, after Terrence, Konner, and Addersmith go inside. "Remember how we met here when you were just a Sergeant, dear?" Olivia murmurs, trying to get her husband thinking about the past. "You looked so dashing in your uniform. Corporal Camilla had her eye on you, too, though. I was so damn jealous of her, I'm not goin' to lie..."

The squad of privates Terrence left outside aren't really sure what to do with themselves as the lieutenant starts talking, especially the granddaughter of 'corporal Camillia' who uses her spear as a support. She'd sink into the mud if it were possible.

"All clear!" The shout came from inside, easily recognisable as Konner's voice.

Varus nods. "I almost married 'er!" he exclaims. "Dodged an arrow there, I wagah..." But he's cut off by Konner, and never notices the poor Private who hears them casually discussing her grandmother. "Right, enough dilly-dallyin'! Into the base, aftah me!"

"Maybe I dodged an arrow, sah..." Private Sheen mutters under her breath, causing the hare next to her to snort as they move inside.

They find Terrence and the two privates pulling a broken door off its hinges, the dust heavy in the air. "Well sah," the master-sergeant says taking a small break to rest his ribs, "It's not collapsed, at the very least. Not the highest bar to pass, though."

Varus nods, and looks around, trying not to sneeze from all the dust in the air. "It was a poor choice t' abandon this strategic position," he remarks. "But at th' time th' Patrol was goin' through a stagnant period. We 'ad t' pull back t' th' Mountain. This was long seasons afore you were born, Sahgeant."

".....Yes, sah." Terrence replies after a beat, before turning to the rest of the hares. "Attenborough - you take privates Sheen and Mosswood, go through the left-paw side rooms. Burnfield, you take Harolds and Addersmith, the right side. The rest of you stay here and help clear the hall. Understood?"

"Yes, Sah," the Privates call in unison, then they break into the assigned groups. Varus, meanwhile, "I'll go check the commandahs office. It should be furthah back." Olivia isn't terribly sure what to do, so she volunteers to inspect whatever passed for an infirmary here.

"There's the mess, I think." Terrence murmurs, taking a step towards the dilapidated room. "Thank goodness it seems no beast has stepped foot here since the Patrol last left, eh?" He snorts, shaking his head. The base is empty of foes. "So, lieutenant!" He calls down the hall, "Any ideas on how to jog memories?"

"I am unsure," she admits. "This is the kind of thing that we just don't have any books to tell us what to do." She sighs. "You remember what happened when you confronted him at the mountain? That's why I specifically asked for you to come along. You've somehow got through to him. I think you remind Varus of our eldest son. You are a lot like him in many ways."

"Oh." Wonderful, he almost says, but has the tact (and respect) not to. He's read the reports about Adrain - and he knows well the rumours around the strained relationship between father and son. "That does remind me though," he says, coming back out of the mess, "Considering the sergeant's recently returned - has he ever tried to get through to the Major?"

Olivia frowns. "They've... Talked. Varus knows who he is, thankfully. But it's still not enough to get him all back the way he should be. Not nearly like that day at the mountain. I heard about that whole thing from Gregorian, by the way. Any other beast would've called you impertinent."

"Understandable," Terrence responds after a moment, "But frankly the major and captain are the only hares in the regiment who calling myself impertinent wouldn't be inappropriate, and neither have called me such, yet." He shrugs. "And the Long Patrol has many more problems than just myself, like Mjr. Varus. If this doesn't help much, we might have to look into having him retire once again, though that means we'll be out of another major - or captain, if Gregorian takes up the torch. Too few officers."

The doe offers a strained smile. "Well, this is the last thing we know that can possibly help. If you keep needlin' at him again like you did before that can get him back on track, I think. We'll see how this goes... In the meantime, I'll set myself up as the resident medic here. Once I get the infirmary cleaned out. It's got a foot of dust in there..."

"I'd say that's true for everywhere in this place, lieutenant" Terrence says flatly, "But I'll take a gander at poking at him when the cleaning's done, I think. Hopefully it'll do something, in the end."

Varus has notably not yet exited the commander's office, so after sharing a nod with Terrence's assesment, Olivia says, "Well, for now, I'll go see what he's up to. Hopefully our cook can come up with something tonight before we all starve to death..."

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#1 2022-02-08 12:28:41 PM

To the 23rd! - The Long Patrol, 2/8/22

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