View source for 02.23.10 - Something Off


Location: Halyard Tavern

Characters Involved: Micah, Fiona, Tameus

Micah hasn't really left the village since they found Tameus' brass knuckles by the docks. Whether he's holding out hope or just enjoying the closeness of a place to get drunk is anyone's guess! But whatever reason he's in the tavern. It's late and the place is empty save for a couple of the regular boozers. He's sitting at the very far end of the bar, an arm hooked around a mug as he leans partway against the wall to his side.

That's something of a lie anyway. Fiona is not at all a boozer nor a regular - yet there the doe is on an escapade away from the mountain and her buck. Truthfully she could have just gone to the recreational room, but a long run found her back at Halyard.. and now sat at a circular bench where she talks openly with a few of those drunks. She's not in uniform so the blonde is basically harmless in a light dress and calf-length leggings. At the moment she is nursing on an ale which has her at the point of giggly.

Micah is past the giggly stage - he's getting on his way towards boozer more than anything. He stares off a little vaguely, his eyes resting absently on the talking drunks... and Fiona. He can't really hear what all they're saying.

Perhaps Fiona should have a prejudice against the vermin that she is chatting with. She's probably too trusting to really even think about it though. The blonde has leaned onto the table, ale set between her arms and nearly held in place by her chest. She seems to be narrating an extensive tale with regular movements of her hands close to the particular weasel she is having a conversation with.

Micah isn't particularly fond of vermin right now, alas. They are all suspect so far as he's concerned. His eyes narrow in a thoughtful fashion but then his eyes drop, as well as his head a bit. He turns his cheek, resting it on his forearm.

Poor girl. She just can't be suspicious. Until a fourth wanders over and seats himself on her other side, which only proves to trap her in place between him and the weasel now. Fiona's ears perk and she sits up, giving the rat a glance over. "Woah. Kinda in m'personal bubble." Even with a warning to her voice, she grins to smooth it over.

This late at night the kitchen isn't open, and there's one bartender on duty at best. It's not the one he was hoping to see - what a time for the pegleg to not be around her own tavern. Tam's just come in the back way, from the alley, and with no one in the kitchen he takes a glimpse into the area behind the bar. The pushes the door open partway with his shoulder, hands in his pockets, his face and body still visibly battered - and he just stands there for a moment.

Micah's ear flickers slightly when the door to the kitchen pushes open, but he takes no real notice of it. He can't see who it is, anyway, from this angle. His eyes shift back with only the vaguest of interest to Fiona's table as this other rat joins the table. He lifts his mug and takes an absent sip.

The rat isn't exactly listening to the doe though. He's shifted in closer - already two sheets to the wind himself at this point - so he thinks that if he gets cozy in the right way she might not mind. "..s'okay." The rodent slurs. "Jus'sittin'." Fiona leans sideways and eyes this vermin. "Well.. I like m'space. So. Could ye let me out?"

Tameus is about ready to retreat back into the relative seclusion of the vacant kitchen. He actually starts to withdraw, then stops. One hand comes up to press against the door, pushing it all the way open now while his eyes settle on the table occupied by Fiona and several vermin. It's one of the closer tables to the bar, at least. From where he stands, still framed by the doorway, Tam raises his voice a little toward the group. "Hey, y' damn drunk idjits, let 'er be.." His voice is hoarse.

Micah's ear flickers again... and slowly his eyes turn towards the door again. His brow furrows slightly and his grip tightens just a little bit on his mug.

Before the voice interrupts, the rat is about to say something to the doe - who completely disregards him as soon as soon as Tameus makes himself known. Fiona perks up, back straightening, as all of her attention turns for the bar. Tammy. Unmistakably. Without saying anything the blonde climbs up over the table in quick fashion, gracefully leaping across it barefoot without knocking any mugs out of place. The vermin look more than startled. "..Tam." This breathy mutter is given as she hurries across the space and behind the bar without any permission - immediately aiming to spring onto her nephew.

Tameus's ears jerk and pin back. ".. hi Fi," he grunts out, a moment before the doe flounces over and latches herself onto him. His hand comes away from the door and that one curls around her back, bringing Fiona into a hug while his muzzle shows a faint grimace of discomfort. Sore, evidently.

It's almost like Mike's not even fully there. His eyes follow Fiona as she leaps across the table and then leaps into... Tam's arms? That's not right. Tam's dead. She must be mistaken. He slowly slides off his stool, starting to move around the bar at a slow pace.

Soreness does not exist in reunion land! Fiona's been really worried about Tameus.. plus she's tipsy as of this moment. She ends up hanging off of the larger hare like an excitable monkey with her feet completely off the ground. "Tammy." The blonde is beaming right before she pushes a kiss to the side of his muzzle. "Oh, Tammy. Where've ye been?!" Her scut is fairly wagging.

Tameus's reaction is a low, gruff noise. Breath escapes his nostrils, brushing Fiona's shoulder as he holds her weight without much trouble, though that pained expression is still apparent. He's only gripping onto her with one arm. "Fi.. 'm gonn' put y' down," he grumbles.

Now Mike's come around the rest of the way and he's staring in an open sort of way, his head slightly tilted with an unreadable expression on his face.

Whimper. "Why?" Oh. Yeah. He looks.. kind of rough. Fiona looks concerned as she slides her arms from around Tameus's neck to drop back down to her feet, landing smoothly. Now the doe appears to remember where she is, glancing around to note Mike so close to them.

"Hh." That's Tam's response. He's not doing much in the way of answering questions right now. His muzzle brushes her hair slightly while his eyes are closed, arm around the doe's lower back. The other hand is still deep in the pocket of the jacket he wears. The way he's standing, back leaned into the doorframe, that side of him is facing Mike, who he hasn't taken notice of.

There's something off about the way that all looks, isn't there? The pocket isn't filling out the way it should. That same unreadable expression stays on Mike's face as he closes the remaining distance to Tam and Fiona and, very quietly, reaches out to tug Tam's arm free of the pocket. There's a tension in the line of his jaw as he does this.

Fiona isn't exactly paying attention to that pocketed hand. She has turned her gaze away from Mike to tilt it back up to Tam's face, watching him carefully with a straight, serious expression on her face. The blonde appears confused, that worry not fading easily. Both of her ears sink low and yet she says nothing - even as the yanking motion catches her focus, making her look down to Mike's hand.

With his eyes shut, Tam doesn't see it coming. He feels the tug on his sleeve and his arm tenses - his whole body does - but the responding jerk away isn't quite fast enough. There it is, out in full view. His arm ends at his wrist, and there's a glimpse of bandage within his sleeve. "What th' hell!" he snaps, before he even really sees Mike. Then he falls into tense silence, bringing that arm in protectively against his chest.

Micah sees the stump before Tam can tug it away or protect it... and maybe it kind of breaks something in the buck. Because he releases Tameus and backs away a few pieces. He just looks. Confused. Like, what kind of strange imagining is this?

Because she happens to be shorter than both bucks, Fiona gets a level eyeful of the bandaged stump like it was a show put on just for her. Suddenly she looks very pale - like someone just walked over her grave. No words pass between them. Maybe she's about to pass out.

Tameus brings his good arm away from Fiona and over that forearm as a shield, and he takes a step back as well, almost retreating over the border of kitchen and bar area. He stares at Mike's face for a moment, then his gaze snaps to Fiona's - then back to Mike's. His jaw is tight, and he doesn't speak.

Well, Mike's not going anywhere. He takes another step back, stumbles, and sits down with a shud thud on his butt. His hands placed back behind him soften his fall but jar his wrists and he winces. "Ow," he huffs out, and his eyes close.

The doe looks as if she's been stricken, watching Tameus without actually stepping back away from him. Instead she moves closer, ears pinned flat as she ducks her head almost submissively. ".. Tam. What happened?" Her fur has prickled up over her spine.

Tameus takes a few slow breaths through his nostrils. Now he's not looking at either of them, though his ears flinch at the sound of Mike's fall. ".. Mike. Mikegetup," he mutters. Something to say that doesn't require answering a question.

What does Mike do? Mike shakes his head. "Nnh," he protests. Because, no, he's quite happy where he is. The world's spinning a little bit. He stares at the ground.

Perhaps Fiona is doing better than all of them. Except that she appears bewildered. She gives a tentative step forward before Tameus ignores her completely. Her jaw tightens and she gives a glance back to Mike before eyeing her relative with both ears splaying to the sides now. Now the blonde says nothing, actually looking partially hurt as she takes a step back now. Her fur is prickled over her arms.

Tameus glimpses Fiona's face as she steps back from him, and his ears press back tightly to his skull, against his unkempt hair. "Fi, I." He doesn't get any further with the gruff mutter, and shakes his head. Still guarding one arm with the other, he moves down the bar a little, to the open space where he can step through into the main part of the tavern. Then the bandaged, handless wrist is tucked into his jacket, elbow bent and forearm to his torso, while he extends his hand down to Mike. ".. c'mon, get up."

Micah's eyes lift up to Tameus' face, glossing over the stump this time. With a small grunt he reaches up to catch his paw and tug himself up. "Who did it?" he asks. His jaw works.

Fiona says nothing as Tam steps past her to move into the main part of the tavern, all his attention reaching out to Mike after this. She looks him over with brows furrowing deeply at the dip of her nose before the blonde gives a heavier exhale. Fine. She'll leave him alone. The doe gives him another worried glance, gaze passing over the hidden stump, before she moves from behind the bar to head for the exit. The girl stops to slide her shoes back on.

"... Fi?" Tam looks after his cousin with a knit forming across his brow. At least, a deeper knit than was already there. "Y're leavin'..?" He then looks down at Mike, giving a slight tug to pull the smaller buck to his feet. It's Fiona he addresses again after a moment, though. "C'mon back here, Fi?" His tone is still gruff, and now apologetic as well.

"Who /did/ it," Mike repeats, a little more sharply. His gaze flickers to Fiona and then back to Tameus' face. He backs up a step from Tam, stumbling a little. He's a bit drunk.

The girl pauses as Tam speaks to her, attention tilting with her fingers still hooked in the back of her shoe. It slips on naturally as she sets her foot down. The buck looks as if he might have his hands full.. yet he's calling for her and Fiona can't ignore it despite the near rejection previously. She surveys Mike quietly before slowly moving towards the two other hares again. The vermin are watching them like they are an unfolding soap opera.

Tameus's eyes shift between them. His remaining hand rubs at the outline of his hidden forearm, and he's quiet again for a moment. Then finally the buck says, looking down instead of at either of them, "Got stabbed through th' hand.. an' taken in, 'cause I got beat up real bad... This rat, she was nursin' me, she.. she had t'. Would'a died otherwise," he grates out.

"So... so who stabbed ya?" Mike's brow furrows. He backs up another step and catches his paw on the back of a chair. Sway.

For her part Fiona is rather quiet, looking over Tam's face as if she is reading his expression more than she is actually listening to his words at the moment. Her tongue darts out to wet her lips lightly. Suddenly she isn't feeling very well but it only shows in the scowl across her features.

"A rat.. fought two'a them on th' dock." Tam's shoulders move up and down in a small, tense shrug. "Los' th' fight."

"... Kay," Mike mutters. And he turns, because. He has to go find any and all rats. He starts staggering towards the door, using various chairs and table edges to propel himself along.

Well, Fiona's concern switches from Tameus to Mike as he staggers towards the door. She almost seems like she is about to call out to him before her attention flickers to the one-handed buck again. ".. mayhaps we should go t'the mountain. Take him back with us?" There is a strain in her tone.

Tameus's muzzle lifts a few notches, eyes coming up to Mike again. He brings up his hand to rub at his jawline with a grimace, slightly shaking his head. At this rate he'll end up having to carry Mike, slung over his shoulder. "I was kind'a.. lookin' f' Keita," he says low, but nods, heading after Mike as the younger buck stumbles and sways his way toward the door.

What, no! No, Mike's not going back to the mountain! He waves a paw vaguely back over his head at the two when he catches what they're saying. Just as a couple other hares are entering, he pushes past to exit... and disappear out.

Yet, Keita's not here.. and drunken Mike is. That's where Fiona's attention is. Concernicus. The blonde moves after Tameus as he follows Mike towards the entrance, just picking up the end of the train out of the station.


[[Category:Jessy]]
[[Category:February_2010]]
[[Category:Long_Patrol_Salamandastron]]