01-15-06 2

Characters involved: Niveus & Taye.

Salamandastron: Caverns

Trying dearly to busy himself in the midst of ramped feelings of guilt, Niveus has made it somewhat of a crusade to persuade the thoroughly downtrodden Darklett back into action. Remembering the runner that has grown to be a relatively familiar face, and part of the major's contingent at the time of the battle, the young fighter finds his way into the mountain's archery range with hopes of locating the buck Taye. Scooting inside with a light step, he looks from wall to wall and offers a severe twitch of his nose.

As Niveus guessed, Taye is quite present and accounted for. Rather than practicing, he's walking along the wall where the targets are, collecting those sticking out of the targets and those sticking out of the walls. He's got quite a bundle. Niveus, at the door, isn't noticed.

Niveus clasps his eyes to the busy runner, sigh slipping in relief as he quickly pads forward to cross the chamber toward the targets. "Taye? He calls, lifting a paw up to direct attention. "Gotta moment, ol' chap?"

Taye pauses with one paw around an arrow shaft in order to look back and around. He quirks a brow and nods. "Aye, sure. What's up?"

Clearing the final steps between them, Niveus pauses several paces aside from the buck and clears his throat. "I dunnae wot is goin' on, or wot is planned--if anything--on account o' the prisoners." He says, pausing briefly to wipe the back of a paw over the sockets of his exhausted eyes. "I trust in the offisahs, but one thing is blinkin' sure, majah Darklett isn't gonnae come out o' his dormitory until doomsday."

Taye's ears dip. He ducks down, setting the bundle of arrows on the floor. When he stands back up, he squints at the other buck and nods. "... Aye, I could tell Darklett was takin' it hard. It's not s'if it was his fault, eithah. Just rotten bad luck." He glances towards the door. "Ya plannin' on trying to do somethin' about it?"

"I gotta," Niveus says, lifting his paws in a light shrug. "I dun mean to be brief with you an' wot not, but I just gotta get 'em back into ship-shape. He saw that camp, an'.. well, 'e saw the blighter who took Wimble. Gonnae need his help t'get 'er back," he trails at the thought.

Taye quickly shakes his head, waving away the partial apology. "No need t' explain... They, those vermin, they captured Miyrr in the first battle. There's nothin' I wouldn't've done t'get her back. I'll help, howevah ya need it."

Niveus dips his gaze earthward, ears drooping equally to settle in a flopped position at either side of his head. "She means the bloomin' world t'me, and she got nabbed tryin' t'stop me from gettin' lopped in two." He gushes, punctuating the sentence with a sickly 'heh.' "Darklett seems t'trust an' know you. I mean, 'e paw picked the two o' us twice now. We know it isn't his fault, but 'e don't know it."

Taye picks up the bundle of arrows again, moving towards the other end of the room and expecting that Niveus will follow. "... Aye, I noticed that." He looks curiously at the other buck, perhaps wondering what makes him and this buck so special. "I guess mayhaps if the both of us talked t'him, we might be able t' knock some sense int' him. I owe him more'n one, that's fer sure."

Niveus certainly follows, paws folding out of the way at the small of his back. "I would appreciate the bloomin' extra paw, couldn't get a word in to 'em without being shut out cold." He says, thoughtfully tapping his footpaw to the stone floor. "A lotta dauntin' tasks ahead o' us, but gettin' the majah on his paws is a step in the right direction."

Taye tosses the arrows back into one of the many barrels marked for such a purpose. He holds in a sigh, leaning on the edge of it. "So when d'ya want to try this?"

"Whenever the majah is awake," Niveus says, extending an arm to prop himself aside a target.

"Sooner the blinkin' bettah. Dunnae wot the offisahs have planned as for rescue."

Taye's brow furrows. "Me eithah. If ya ask me, I think we ought t'level 'em. Once 'n' for all." He pushes off the barrel edge, moving for the door. "T'morrah? I'll come find ya, 'n' we'll talk t'him."

"Sounds like a jolly spiff plan," Niveus agress, folding his paws over his chest before dipping a nod toward the buck. "Thanks, chap. I really flippin' appreciate it."