Cavorn Hole - Redwall 2/12/22

Ol'random · 2022-02-19 03:27:51 PM

A solid week late on this one. oops.

Cota, Lilymoore, mice, & John, a squirrel

Cota sighs as he exits the kitchen, he stuffs his paws into his pant pockets and mutters to himself. "Rude vole, should complain"

Carvern Hole wasn't empty - several of the order members and other beasts at the abbey were scattered at the various tables, eating breakfast (like Spruce, his snout currently in a book). Leaning against the wall near to the kitchen entrance, though, is a recent guest raises his brow as he catches the mouses' words. The squirrel's tail flicks as he tries to place the face to a name, but nothing comes up in his memory- yet. "Trouble?" He grunts.

Cota turns and blinks at the squirrel and sighs "Just... what ever novices is on duty just, rudely tells me ta leave the kitchen. I was looking for my grandfather... unless..?" He frowns "He..." He looks at the squirrel "Is he dead? Please say he isn't dead"

"Wouldnae know," John replies, aware of how unhelpful that was. "Need a wee bit more tae go off, if'n ye understand mah meaning. Nor am Ah th'best beast tae ask, Ah'm no'. Haven' been here fore seasons meself."

Cota speaks as he finds a chair and sits down. "He is the Friar or... he was when I last left" He sighs "My dad grew up here but he... well kind of went a little... well not crazy but he wanted as far from the abbey as possible when mom died. He blamed himself cause he wasn't with her at the time." He smiles a little as he adds "My grandmom is here, I saw her from a distance on the walltops but she didn't see me "

"Th'only friar Ah've ever known were a squirrel, like meself, he were." John shrugs. "Less Ah'm mistaken, yore looking fore a mouse - what did ye say yore name were, again?"

Cota says, "My name is Cota, my mother was Cynthia and she was adopted by Friar Lacota. My father ...Caleb, and no not the Caleb that seems to be here now and... is a mouse too, but then there is likely other mice named Cota somewhere in the world... who knows maybe over the great sea or something"

"Ahh. That family." The squirrel nods, understanding now. "Ol' Locota's still here, if no' in th'kitchens. Ye had th'trouble with one o'thae other dibbuns here, if Ah'm recalling rightly." John tilts his head to look at the mouse curiously, his arms crossed. "Well, yore family's still 'round here somewhere, they are."

Cota says, "Hopefully I will see one of them soon, then not really looked that hard." He shrugs "I know a couple who I was friends with is no longer here."

The squirrel nods again, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "So ye say." Pushing himself off the wall to stand upright, John looks Cota over. "Be tha' as it may, though, ye must have yore reasons. A vole were causing ye grief back in th'kitchens, did ye say?"

Cota frowns "Yeah, sort of... he didn't believe grandfather was the friar and didn't give me time ta explain it to him, he just said to get out cause the Friar dislikes beasts just sitting in the kitchen doing nuthing"

"Did ye mention th'good friar adopted yore mum?" John can't hide the small chuckle that escapes. "Daresay it's a hard tale tae swallow without tha' wee little tidbit. Frankly th'vole were more likely covering themself, considering ol'Lactota's, well," he pauses, "General continence, if'n ye understand me."

Cota looks down at the floor "I didn't mention mom, no... I was like ...a dibbun then when she died. Think vermin ambushed her on the road."

John winces. He remembers that time now. Muttering, "Suppose that's understandable, then." The squirrel exams the mouse again, thinking. "Yore father took ye with him after that, didn't he?"

Cota says, "Yes sur, to Halyard. He even had a little cafe there." He smiles now "I helped him some and the long patrol hares loved it, some still went to the main tavern in town. but the cafe got badly damaged when a storm came, and shortly after that... some vermin tried to cause trouble but it didn't come to much and the vermin left for like few seasons." He frowns "My father disappeared when there was a flood, and... and some other troubles... think he's dead, good chance he is..some who was closer to the water drowned, and I couldn't find him.. .then this siege happen and...some sort of... sea monster... so I left first chance was able""

At the mention of Halyard the squirrel suddenly seems more alert. John meets Cota's eyes or he tries to at least. "Ah didnae see his cafe while Ah were there - did ye an' he make it out afore that nasty business with th'horde came through?" The question is asked carefully and there's something to his tone that tells the squirrel may have a good idea of what the answer will be. "Ah spent th'past twa' seasons in that village, Ah did, and it were in a sore spot, it were."

Cota frowns, he does finally look up "I... made it out yeah, right before the siege happen. Some others did also and decided to just find a home elsewhere, me... well I see Redwall as home so... slowly came here"

"One might be mighty tempted tae wonder what ye were up tae all that time between now and then." John replies. "So th' want of finding thirst of yore kin brought ye here in thae end, it did?

Cota replies "Guess I wandered around for couple seasons, then the winter slowed me down but I am here now at least"

"Wandered where, Ah wonder?" John says more to himself than the mouse. "But it's probably fore th'best ye got out of Halyard when ye did. No' much better than it were, an there were - is - some trouble in thae area."

LilyMoore has been helping with the Dibbuns, and she's on her way to the kitchens, taking back a trolley full of dirty dishes from snack time. The Bellringer carefully pulls the trolley into Cavern Hole, then proceeds to push it across the room, waving cheerily at the 2 males already here. "Hello! It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" She has no idea she's looking at her own nephew.

Cota frowns "Other...trouble? Then again the place did seem rougher than like Ferravale... I like inland better than sea ports" He looks at Lilymoore and smiles "Hey... Aunt Lily... it's a cold day but still nice, always nice at Redwall Abbey"

Blinking at the sudden appearance of the bellringer and the very sudden realisation that he was at least around the same age of her mother and Cota's grandmother, John steps back from the two relatives. Hey, Cota said he was looking for his family after all!

LilyMoore, usually so graceful, literally trips, stumbles, catches herself on the rolling trolley, then stumbles a few more paces until she finally can come to a halt and bring herself upright. "Au...aunt? *Gasp* Cota?!" The mousemaid clasps a paw to her mouth, suppressing a small squeal, then rushes to her nephew. "Cota, oh my goodness!" She goes to give him a gigantic hug (because Lily is nothing if not exuberant).

Cota smiles and of course returns the hug,why would he not."Yeah, it's me... I came... home, I tried wandering for a while but, that's not for me"

"Touching reunion." John mutters to himself, the words drowned out by all the noise in Cavern Hole. The squirrel is moving away from the mice now, back to take his place once again leaning against the wall.

LilyMoore's smile is huge and bright. "I'm so happy to see you! Where did you wander to? Did you make new friends? I've missed all of you so terribly." She lets him go with obvious reluctance, but stays by his side, studying every inch of his face as if he might vanish in a puff of smoke with no warning.

Cota says, "Just upriver of the bridge, found a town, it even has a sea port... Collinstel." He shrugs "Its okay, didn't like it much so left"

John hadn't gone so far so as to be out of earshot, though. The squirrel's good ear perks up at the city name and, just after he settled against the wall, comes forward once again. "Do ye mean Collinsel, do ye?" Like the mention of Halyard before, the tone seems rather intent and urgent - not helped by the way John's eyes are watching Cota's expression. "How long ago were ye there?"

"Oh? Why didn't you like it?" LilyMoore turns to the squirrel, taken aback a little by his intensity, having missed the beginnings of their previous conversation. However, her nephew is an adult, and she respects this, and so stays quiet to listen to his answer.

Cota shrugs "Sort of boring and... I don't odd----" He backs away from John, that squirrel is suddenly very creepy right now, "uMMM....." He looks around, escape the creepy old squirrel is on his thoughts, he then says "I... bet Grandma wants to see me and even great grandma nana... bye!" He hurries off

The frown on the squirrel's face deepens into a scowl when Cota dodges the question, yet John makes no move to go after him. It's a moment or two before he casts a glance at the bellringer completely unapologetic for his intensity. "Ah shan't say more than a bad place, that Collinsel. Ah were there after th'last queen died, an' that must have been at least a season or twa' afore ye were born, Ah'd wager. Were younger than ye, come tae think o' it." Trailing off, the squirrel shakes his head as if to clear his thoughts. "Th'point being that th'place were slipping intae lawlessness back then, and most what Ah've heard since were worse. A ruin more likely than no', and th'beasts that lurk there arenae th'pleasent type." There's more, and she might be able to guess that, but he doesn't seem willing to tell what really bothers him about the place.

"Yeah, Mom's up on the wall, and Nana's in the Infirmary -- catch ya later, Cota!" LilyMoore frowns as her nephew leaves the room, then turns and listens to the squirrel as he speaks, her frown deepening. She waits a few moments for him to continue, then gently says, "That does sound terrible, and frightening. Is there anything else we should be worried about? How far away from here is this place?" She doesn't seem frightened, and Lily always wears her feelings on her sleeve, so it's unlikely she's hiding it.

"Far enough, Ah should say." John simply shrugs. "Upon thae east sea, up north aways. Least that explains where th'wee mouse went in thae seasons between Halyard and here, it does." After another moment's pause the squirrel adds, "There's little fore ye and th'rest of thae abbey t'be worried about. That city just happens t'be a matter of interest t'me."

LilyMoore cocks her eyebrow in a move that is exactly what her mother does, but shrugs. "Alright. Good to know they're probably not a threat to us. Redwall's had far too much of that in my lifetime." She stands and smiles. "I'm glad we've had some peace for a while. It's been nice, although I think Momma's getting antsy. She always does in the quiet times."

The squirrel merely grunts. He hasn't quite forgotten the few times the gatekeeper's almost killed him. "She's getting older, so it might be something tae expect." John shrugs. "Though Ah'd take a guess and say most here'd claim antsy and bored is a worthy sacrifice fore peace. But as fore threats - nae, no' yet at any rate..."

LilyMoore grabs hold of the trolley again. "Aye, she does. It just means she might go on a little 2-day trip or something here soon." She is unaware of the conflicts her mother and the squirrel have had in the past. That's probably a good thing. The Bellringer trundles the trolley to the kitchens. "I need to get back to the Dibbuns. But I'll see you at dinner! Have a good afternoon."

"Aye." John frankly avoids the Great Hall and Cavern Hole at dinner time like the plague, as he wasn't one for the crowds and conversations of the abbey beasts while he was trying to eat. But he figures just now would be a poor time to mention that. So he leans back against the wall once again.

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#1 2022-02-19 03:27:51 PM

Cavorn Hole - Redwall 2/12/22

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