No Honor among Leverets - LP 12/21/19

Ol'random · 2019-12-22 07:17:08 PM

Domminik & Blorg,
Felicity & Julia,
Gregorian & Grace,
and Terrence & Earlbuck, hares.

Up upon the western crest of the crater Terrence sits, bracing himself against the cold north wind. The young sergeant has a mostly cleared schedule for the rest of the day, and he intends to spend it away from most hares; hence taking refuge on the most battered and unfriendly part of the mountain. Looking out at the grey sea he leans back to rest his head on a rock, the spectacles he wears working well as protection from the wind.

Alas his plans may be ruined because of other hares who also seek the quiet spots to escape to. Unable to visit the catacombs for lunch lately Greg heads for the crater instead with his sandwich. He pauses by the door and closes his eyes to let the cold wind blow and ruffle his fur for a minute. It was a welcome change after a morning in the forge. It's not until he reopens his eyes and starts his way out properly towards the gardens does he spot Terrence "Sergeant? Wot has yah hidin' out here?...And should I perhaps be leavin' yah to it?"

"Freezing my eahs off is what, sah." Terrence replies, looking down from his perch. "Figured I might try to see how fah I can, well, see." There's levity to his voice as he says that, and a full answer to Greg's question doesn't come. The sergeant shifts to face the inside of the crater - and the lieutenant - more fully. When the sandwich is spotted, he raises an eyebrow. "Is it lunch time already?"

Gregorian wanders towards the edge as they're talking so he can peer down at the outside world "Hrm, so long as it's well enough tah see the blightahs comin'" he raises his sandwich "It's my lunchtime, nevahmind the rest of yah. Sometimes it's easiah tah take the meals when yah find a good spot tah stop. Wot's out there down on the shores tahday then?"

"I think I could see blightahs coming, sah," Terrence casts his gaze down to the shore, "If there were any so be seen. Like usual, there isn't - just sand, rocks, and seaweed. Oh, and the driftwood. Can't forget that." Leaning back down, he looks up at the sky. "All in all quite desolate, if I do say so myself."

Gregorian chuckles quietly "If yah can see driftwood yah'll be able tah see vermin no problem" he shifts about a bit, finding the more comfortable spots to sit "All for the best it bein' quiet like this...Though yah don't tend tah get much in the way of hordes in the wintah. A few desperate rats scroungin' for travellahs tah try and rob but no one wants tah do a siege in this weathah"

Terrence sits upright. "Indeed. Though," turning towards Gregorian, the sergeant has a more serious expression on his face. "I actually can't remembah the last time any sort of attack took place on the mountain, sah. Did something like that evah happen before my time?"

Gregorian scratches his beard as he draws his memory back "Oh sure, the whole place got taken ovah once. That was..." he squints "...Well, I was a recruit so a long time ago. We were out, down the shore on a trainin' exercise. Apparently that sort of thing must be cursed" a shake of his head and he starts eating his sandwich.

A very surprised Terrence blinks at the lieutenant. "I think I heard tell of that - but I always thought, well..." He mutters something about the passage of time, then coughs. "Anyway, I do think training exercise trips are cursed. But what about one which take place on the parade ground right at the base of this mountain, eh? Beyond a few accidents, I've nevah read or heard anything about those going too badly, wot."

Solitude can be a wonderful thing. It provides space to think, to ponder, to come to know oneself better. It can aid in mental health. It's also incredibly difficult to come by when you're living in a military base, as is proven when a 3rd hare joins the crater. Felicity's brow is furrowed as she finishes buttoning up her quilted jacket and tugs her hat down farther over her ears. She nods to the bucks, then starts checking around the various boulders and things up here.

Gregorian raises an eyebrow at Terrence's muttering "Wot? Didn't think anyone still remembahed this stuff or didn't think anyone lived that long?" he seems amused at least as he glances back at the sound of another hare appearing and vaguely waves an ear at Felicity "Anothah for the hide out?" he asks before looking back to Terrence "Problem is, yah only train at the mountain yah nevah get used tah travellin', sleepin' in tents, livin' on rations. It's not the same when yah can pop back tah the mountain at any time"

"Well, yes, and you look great for your age, sah." Terrence gives a rather cheeky smile, but it becomes more soft when Felicity appears. He waves, calling down to her, "Hello there!" he leans back, his attention mostly returning to Greg. "That's true, though I think some propah battle formation and all that can do some good- I feel the most needed thing right now is cohesion in the ranks." With a scowl, he adds, "Honestly seems most hares don't know even basic principles like staying togethah o'h not rushing in head first..."

Felicity comes over to the bucks after searching the crater thouroughly. "Oh, 'llo, thah. 'Ave y'seen Julia? She's missin' again. She wasn't in th' catacombs or th' kitchens." The obvious first places for her sister to run off to. "Whot are you 2 talkin' 'bout?" She asks after a moment of looking around some more, curiosity getting the better of her.

Gregorian snorts at Terrence "Watch yah self" he warns but with a smirk. He has to nod about the hares running in to things blindly "It's true, they do need tah know when tah stop. Doesn't help when most of yah forces wants tah be a hero" he looks back at Felicity with a small frown "Hrm. Probably off tah cause trouble somewhere. Or hidin' from consequences of causin' trouble. Well, she can't have gotten far"

Terrence's ears shoot up and he shivers in the wind. "I don't believe she's up here, but I've not been paying attention much..." He glances at Greg again, his attention now rather far from their conversation. Not strictly because of worrying about danger Julia is in, but more so what trouble she'll more than likely be the root of... "I can agree with that, sah..." The sergeant says to Greg after a moment or so, "And unfortunately the easiest way to be a hero is by getting oneself killed, and easiest way to get oneself killed is by acting stupid and tossing caution to the wind, so to say..."

Felicity nods. "Aye, I know Julia's 'ere in th' Mountain. I just 'ate it when she 'ides like this." She wrinkles her nose. "I tell m'sistah that 'eroes are th' ones who do whot's right, no mattah th'cost. 'Eroes work with othahs, an' put the needs of othah's a'ead o' their own. An' 'eroes let othah's 'ave th'spotlight because real 'eroes aren't lookin' for attention. They're just wantin' justice and kindness to rule th'world." She sits down and observes Terrence's bare ears, but instead says, "Who got themselves killed now?"

Gregorian glances around the mountain top too but no dibbuns to be seen "Well, we can look for her if yah worried. She can't have got far, the guards aren't goin' tah have let her wandah off outside" he shakes his head quickly at the question "No one died. Just a generalisation."

"I was referencing how the recruits and privates handled the toad attack," Terrence begins, quietly, "And in particualah how Dom charged away from all us...He didn't die, but, well..." A grim look spreads across his face. "If it were any hare 'sides Dom I do believe they'd be dead." He sighs. "Luckily that wasn't the case, and the toads were more interested in capturing, howevah horrible the conditions were fo'h...you and the othahs." He looks intently at Felicity, brows creased. "Yes, I can help look for Julia."

Felicity gets that look in her eyes again, like she's withdrawing from the present and putting up mental and emotional shields. This has been happening every time the toads have been mentioned. The Runner hops up, grasping at the other conversation topic. "Oh, yes, please. Could you? I know I'm prob'ly worryin' too much, but....Julia's th'only fam'ly I 'ave left. I just wanna know where she is an' that she 'asn't, like, eaten toxic paint or somethin'." Not the first time that would have happened, either.

Gregorian scoffs the remainder of his sandwich quickly and gets up, headed back towards the passage inside "Come on then. Yah know the likely places. We'll start there and work our way through"

Terrence didn't miss the way Felicity reacted hearing about the toads again. "Eh, sorry 'bout that, Lissie." the sergeant says with an apologetic look to her, but once the conversation topic is change he drops the it. Then, standing as well, he follows after the lieutenant. "Don't suppose there happens to be any majah place you know she likes hanging round that you haven't checked yet, eh?" He asks with a slight grin, not really expecting anything useful.

At that moment, down in the dark catacombs deep beneath the mountain...

A few days had passed and not much had seemingly changed really, down in the catacombs. Things were quiet on the Dom front...the large buck had largely kept to himself, not making any particular disturbances anywhere else in the mountain. He'd remained in his little alcove, apparently comfortable there with simply himself and his best friend, the toad skeleton he had dubbed Blorg...who sits against the wall across from where he crouches. The hare had been busy, however, the stone walls around him covered in little stick drawings and various random words and phrases, and it much resembles the inside of the cave he'd been living in in the marshlands. Sitting with his back to the wall, Dom stares over at Blorg, the hare's gaze blank, ears perked and listening for any sounds outside of his little area. He didn't get any visitors, and frankly, he liked it that way.

Solitude is a beautiful thing, but, as happened up in the crater, it is quickly shattered. Julia, her arms wrapped around a bag full of something lightweight, comes trotting into the catacombs. "Dommy?" she irreverently calls as she stops by the grave of her parents and older brother. "Dommy, you down heres?" She could've sworn she heard he was down here, possibly from eavsedropping while hiding from adults.

Grace waits by the door for a minute, playing lookout after they'd taken the time to sneak off and avoid the sitters. She would happily tell any dibbun that would listen exactly where Dom is. She's got a bag too and satisfied that they're not being followed she quickly ducks inside to catch up with Julia "'e was over there before...an' 'e said he'd changed 'is name" she had not told them about him being a big ball of fluff now because she'd hoped it might be catching and she would have puffed up too by now. Alas she has not and remains her usual sandy brown colour.

Dominik's solitude is indeed shattered as he hears Julia's voice. Much as when Grace had found him and approached, the buck isn't alarmed as he realizes the source of the voice. Head lifting, it turns just slightly in the direction of the entrance to his alcove, and he watches there to see who exactly had managed to sneak away and find him this time. The name being used is still a little unfamiliar to him, though he also understands that no one else was down here, so it is likely referring to him. He grunts softly in reply to the question, figuring that's really all the response that was needed. "Hrmph." His attention diverts back to Blorg. "...is more, coming down, to see..." he mutters. Ears perk as he picks up Grace's voice, and the large white buck smiles, remembering their last encounter. "Leetle vun Grace..." he rumbles.

Of course, even the best lookouts can miss something small. Trailing some distance behind the two leverets is another younger one, who only just recently began to talk. "B'ula Gwath? Issa dawk..." Earlbuck breaks his silence to call out, looking from side to side. He soon break into a run with a little shriek at a spiderweb and barrels down the catacombs towards Julia and Grace, not caring about making noise or being caught.

Julia plops her bag down and opens it, spilling streamers and ribbons all over the floor in front of her family's grave. "Dommy! Is me, Julia. We hewe t'make y'new home pweety." She ties a ribbon onto the flower vase thing on her family's grave, shushing Earlbuck. "Yousa gets us caught! Meep!" She tries to dart out of the way, straight into the mountain hare's cubby. "Eeek! Skelton!!" the leveret squeaks as she comes face to face with Blorg. At least she stops before she knocks him over.

"Shhh!" Grace quickly urges Earlbuck and moves to try and grab him before he bumps in to anything while running "Y'gots t'be quiet so the grown ups don't find us" she says before jumping as Julia starts squeaking in fear of skeletons now too "SHHH! It's just 'is friend!...An' this place is fulla skeletons so y'can't go screamin' at 'em or we'll get int' trouble" she seems perfectly at home in creepy places.

Grace's attempts are successful, and the youngest leveret of the three is lead safely to Dommy and Julia. Of course, if Earlbuck could have articulated what he felt at the moment he saw the former's home and heard the latter's intention, it may have come off as an indignant remark. However, for the time being he couldn't, so he settled with looking confusedly from the leveret guiding him, the big white hare, the other leveret in the cubby, and finally the skeleton next to her. Surprisingly, he doesn't seem the least bit scared, having never seen a bone in his short life before. "Fwiend?" He points to Blorg while ignoring Dom and he reaches out to touch the long dead toad, unperturbed by Julia's shrieks. "Fwiend?" He repeats, looking up at Dom with wide grin while poking at Blorg with a small paw.

Julia scowls deeply and pulls herself up to her full diminutive height. "I KNOWS dere bes skelatins down 'eres. Me mum an' da an' bruvver are in dat one," she points to the grave her family is resting in (that now has a ribbon on it). "I jus' wuvn't 'spectin' one wif Dommy. Why you no warn usns 'bout dat??" She stalks out past Grace and starts pulling more ribbons out to decorate her family's grave with. "An' 'tisn't my fault Early twied t'wun int'me.

Grace huffs and frowns back at Julia when she points out her family's graves "We're not talkin' about tha'" she nods at Earl "Yeah! 'e brought 'im back from the swamp" she watches the younger hare poking the toad and waits for a second to see if anything happens but shrugs when nothing does "May 'e moves when we're not lookin'" she shrugs again at Julia's question "I dunno...he was just there...'e's called Blurg!" she remembers incorrectly.

Earlbuck looks deeply offended by Julia's words, but the leveret soon loses interest when Grace starts explaining who the toad is. "B'u-g." Earlbuck tries the name out, wrestling it in his mouth. "Bu-g." He says again, plopping down next to the skeleton and looking up at its empty eyes as if it were alive. "Issa Dommy's fwiend?" He asks Blorg, awaiting patiently for the toad bones to answer.

Julia scowls. "Blurg no move! Blurg's a skelatin! Skelatins don't move 'cause dey bes dead!" She doesn't 'duh,' but it's obvious that's what she's thinking. "'E can'ts answer yous...'cause 'e's dead!" she adds grumpily. "Lissie said Dommy's sick, an' maybe dat's why 'e finks a skelatin's bettew fwiends den we are." Makes sense to her. She starts to decorate the grave of Greg's mate, being careful to not knock over the metal flowers.

Grace again pauses to see if the skeleton responds to Earlbuck but with the only response a blank stare she drops her bag at last and offers Earl some ribbons "Maybe 'e only talks t'Dom. Y'can 'elp 'im be all pretty though" Julia gets another frown "Y'don't know tha'. There's ghost stories, ghosts are dead but they move around" her ears flick at the mention of Dom being sick and she looks less sure "'e did forget 'e was a hare an' wot a classroom is..." Julie may be right but Grace isn't going to say it. She knows the grave her dad usually comes to see though and notices Julia's decorating it so she's quickly over to make sure it's alright "Y'gots t'be careful with tha'. That's dad's friend or family or somethin'"

"Dead...?" Earl begins, not quite understanding, "Like daddy...?" The morbid train of thought is soon derailed, however, as he hears Grace's theory. "Well, me gonna g'Bu-g tak. Righty, Bu-g?" He looks up again at the toad, still grinning. "No listen to them, they'w b'us' b'elous."

Sniffing, Julia lifts her nose haughtily. "De onwy ghost I bewieve in is Martin da Wawwiow of Wedwall." When Grace starts getting all nitpicky, Julia goes to shove her away. "I knows 'ow to bes nice t' a gwave. I've been visitin' mum an' da an' Davvie since I was bown!!" Actually, it's been since she was, like, 2 months old. But she wouldn't be able to remember that.

Grace huffs again when Earl mentions his dad "We're not talkin' about tha'" she repeats. She does not like to think or talk about dead family members. It's alright when it's toads or long dead hares she's never met. A little glare for Julia "Why would Martin be d'only one? Tha's just stupid" and then she gets shoved and immediately she goes to shove Julia back "Dad's been visitin' Uncle Fred since before y'was born an' I come all the time! This ain't yer family, leave it alone!"

When the two other leverets start fighting, Earlbuck starts snuffling. It seems that between both Grace and Julia's abrasiveness the leveret has had enough. "Com'on, Bu-g," He says, grabbing the skeleton's paw to drag it after him, "Let' leafe the meanieth." The tiny hare pays no heed if Blorg come crashing to the ground, intent as he is to leave the two to fight it out.

Julia goes to kick Grace in the shin. "Is not shtoopid, YOU shtoopid!!" Decorations forgotten, Julia goes to slap Grace across the face. "I was twyin' tos makes it pwetty to be NICE! Yous just a jewk! So FINE, I WON'TS make it pwetty! It'll be ugly wike you face!!" Julia doesn't mean that, she's just mad. She's also like 4 years old, so she'll be mean to get back at whoever ticked her off

"Ow!" Grace goes at the shin kick but it's the slap that really hurts and surprises her. For a second she can only stare as her lip quivers and she looks like she might cry until her face twists in to rage "Y'the jerk! Y'stupid an' y'don't even know wha' pretty is!" she yells as she launches herself at the other dibbun, trying to slap her back and grab her "Y'so stupid...so..stupid" she struggles for an insult as she keeps trying to attack "Yer parents probably died so they didn't 'ave t'live with yah!" she also doesn't mean that and is just mad. Though it's the worst thing she's ever said. She'll probably regret it when she's not caught in the moment.

In Earlbuck's mind both doe leverets have cemented themselves as the worst hares he's ever had the misfortune of meeting, and he's halfway out of the catacombs dragging the detached arm of Blorg behind him, the rest of the skeleton lying on the ground next to the fight. Of course Earbuck doesn't notice, as he never looks back, and he certainly thinks he is quite capable to drag his new found friend along behind him, so the lightness of the arm doesn't bother him. "Listen to them meanieth, B-ug. 'Ope they 'hurt eathothah..."

At that moment, Terrence pokes his head around the corner, his ears casting long shadows down the catacombs. "Oi! Greg, Felicity!" He calls behind him, entering the catacombs more fully now, "I think I found something!" Earlbuck squeaks and runs back to the fight. "GWON UP, GWON UP!"

Julia gasps, then embraces Grace, tries to bite her repeatedly, and starts cussing her out with all the curse words she's ever heard, which is almost all of the ones in English and a couple in the language of Tuscani. Terrence's appearance and Earlbuck's alarmed squeaks don't even get her attention, she's to busy trying to get even with her nemesis. At Terrence's call, Felicity comes running and enters the catacombs herself. She takes one look at the fight and curses as beautifully as her baby sister. "JULIA RACHELLE ROSINBLOOM!!!" And that's what finally makes Julia pause and look up from the fight. "Uh-oh," she whispers.

Grace is learning many new words today! She squeals as she's bitten and starts trying to kick the other dibbun until suddenly the adults are here and everything stops. She quickly scrabbles up and off of Julia but it's too late, dad's there, he's seen her fighting. Greg doesn't even need to say anything, he just has his disapproving frown and Grace freezes and shrinks a little. She's in trouble and she knows it. There's a long pause before she stomps her footpaw and points at Julia "She was messin' with Uncle Fred's grave!"

Terrence doesn't say anything nor try to stop the leveret in front of him, instead opting to follow the tiny hare who is trying to flee in a panic - after all, Earlbuck must have been calling to someone, and perhaps he's running back to them. The arm he's still dragging behind him gets a raised eyebrow or two from the sergeant, but he doesn't comment. Of course, that all changes when he gets in shot of hearing range of the fight and the words being shouted, some of them causing a slight blush on Terrence's cheeks. "That... That is quite the mouth youh sistah has there, Lissie." He says with a laugh when he gets to Dom's cubby just behind Earlbuck, who blurts out, "THEY BOF ARE BIG MEANIES TO ME AND BU-G, and, and they sta'ted figh'ing, and me b'us wan'ed a fweind and, and..." The leveret bursts into tears, sobbing loud enough to be heard in every corner of the catacombs.
For his part, Terrence casts a helpless gaze at Greg and Felicity, having no clue what to do about the hare.

Felicity has a mouth of her own, which Terrence just got an earful of. "Take care o' that little buck, would you, Terrence? Just 'old 'im an' comfort 'im," the Runner mutters, still glaring balefully at her sister. Julia bounces up and points at Grace. "She said t' make it pwetty down hewes f'r Dommy, sos I was justs twyin' t' 'elp." Felicity sweeps up here sister, trying to keep her own temper. "Julia Rachelle, I've told y'time an' time agin t'not fight, an' whot d'y'do?!" "But Gwace--" "I DON'T WANT T' 'EAR IT! 'Eroes don't act this way. Now c'mon. We're gonna go an' ye're gonna make apology notes..." She turns to the Lieutenant. "'M sorry, Greg. I 'ope she didn't 'urt y'daughter. 'Scuse me." Felicity carries her sister off upstairs, and for once in her life Julia weeps over what she's done instead of arguing. Having her big sister cuss her out may be part of it...

Gregorian's frown deepens as Grace immediately starts blaming the other doe "And yah believe that will make fightin' acceptable tah me?" he questions with calm irritation though his eyes do flick to check the grave over. Just decorated with ribbons. A little unsightly but not damaging, permanent or entirely inappropriate "I told yah not tah come down here. Instead yah come here and yah start a fight!" his voice is slowly getting louder "One which I'm sure yah had just as much as part in as Julia!" Grace tries to protest but quickly looks down at the floor silently. Greg glances at Terrence to make sure he's got the other dibbun before he goes to at least brush a few of the ribbons off the grave marker.

There's also the fact that the toad skeleton lies nearby missing one arm - which is being gently tugged away from Earlbuck by Terrence. The sergeant crouches down next to the leveret, paw still on the arm bone of the toad. "Now, lad, what's your name?"
With a sniff, the leveret replies, "Earlbuck..." He taps himself on the chest before pointing to the Blorg. "And tha's Bu-g. Dunno we'h 'e's a'm wen'. Gwath and B'ula mus' 'afe los' it..."
Terrence leans back on his feet. "I see..." He doesn't quite understand the young hare, but he does recognize the name. "You're Greenhill's leveret, right?"
"Yes..."
"I imagine you'h mothah will be missing you right about now, laddy. Come on, lets get out of this place - and leave poor Bug's arm behind, eh?" The sergeant does his best to lead the leveret out of the catacombs once the arm is place back generally were its supposed to be - Blorg's skeleton is still lying face first on the floor, however.

Gregorian sighs quietly as he looks at the grave for a moment, folding his arms and pausing...before he snorts and leaves the remaining ribbons where they arm "Yeah, well yah would" he mutters back to the stone in response to some unknown comment. He goes to grab the dibbun's bags and avoid's Dom's alcove. Wherever Dom's hiding (And who could blame him from avoiding fighting dibbuns) Greg wanted nothing to do with it while he was already in a mood. He points Grace to the door "Out. Now...And yah writin' an apology too" Grace does as she's told but it comes with a whine "Aww but that's not fair!"

Last edited by Ol'random (2019-12-22 07:18:09 PM)

BlisaMarshmellow · 2019-12-26 12:19:50 PM

This was hilarious xD

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#1 2019-12-22 07:17:08 PM

No Honor among Leverets - LP 12/21/19

#2 2019-12-26 12:19:50 PM

Re: No Honor among Leverets - LP 12/21/19

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