02.02.09 - No One Better

Location: Salamandastron Training Room

Characters Involved: Tameus, Micah

It's getting on into nighttime. Tam has spent a good few hours in here, watching hares practice, staying out of the way, but inquisitive whenever one of them stops to take a break or get a drink. His ears are stuck up, alertly, as he moves around the empty room now, gazing up at the dummies and equipment with rapt interest.

Micah, too, has been wandering. Whatever interest in his surroundings he might have, though, his is kept inward. Outwardly, he looks disinterested, his paws shoved in pockets and his head mostly down. And yet! When he slips into the training room and he finds it empty (or seemingly so) he looks around with just as much curiosity as any dibbun. He frowns thoughtfully as he moves into the room.

Tameus has circled around behind a dummy, so he's not fully in sight at first. The dummy wobbles as he pokes at it, and gives a noise of curiosity. "Hmmm."

Micah's eyes flinch wide and he jerks back at the sight of the dummy's movement in his peripheral vision. He makes a surprised little noise, a sort of frightened protest.

Tameus edges sideways out from behind the dummy when he hears another sound, hands against it, peering at the younger leveret. "Oh. Mike." His muzzle forms a smile. "Hi."

Micah's ear twitches back. His muzzle forms a grimace on sight of Tameus. "... Hi."

Tameus's smile doesn't waver. "Hi! Did y' see these 'ere things?" He gestures at the dummies. "They's called dummies. R'lly int'restin'!"

"They's just dummies," Micah shrugs. "So what?"

Tameus's head tilts. ".. oh. Well. 've ne'er seen dummies 'til t'day," he says, still smiling.

"D'you even know what they're /for/?" Micah asks.

Tameus glances up at the nearest dummy, and nods. "They's f' practicin' wit'. Y' figh' 'gainst them 'stead'a a real vermin."

Micah's nose wrinkles. "/I/ knew... just wanted t'see if you did."

Tameus's brows inch upward. "I know. I didn' say y' didn' know."

Micah says, "Then ya shoulda just said 'yes'."

Tameus's ears angle backward a little. ".. well. Okay. I will nex' time y' ask."

Micah just. Nods. "Good."

Tameus considers Micah for a moment. "Y' .. wann' go get food?"

Micah struggles briefly with the decision. Wrrrrrrrrr, that's his brain going. "... /You/ could bring food back /here/."

Tameus tilts his head. "Y' wan' me t'? 'll go get food an' we c'n eat 't 'ere." He's so /earnest/.

It is disconcerting! Micah just kind of frowns uncertainly at Tameus, but nods in the end. "Yeah. Kay."

Tameus's smile grows just a fraction. "Okay. Okay, 'll b' back," he says, and heads past Micah - slowing for a moment near the door to look back. "Don' y' /leave/, okay!" And out he goes.

Micah looks like he's considering doing /just/ that. The leveret strays towards the armory door, worrying at his lower lip. In the end he kind of just leans back against the wall by the door, hugging his knees to his chest. Chin to knee. It's kind of a forlorn image.

Tameus returns before long, with a plate of food. He seems to have entirely forgotten anything for himself, even. The other hand holds of flask of some sort of fruity, non-alcoholic beverage. He pauses in the doorway, and a smile lights up his face before he goes toward Micah, kneeling in front of him. "'ere. Didn' know what y'd wan' so's I got some'a e'erythin'!" The plate is kind of heaped.

Micah glances up when Tam's feet come into view. He studies the other silently, and then his attention shifts to the plate. And he... nods. "Thanks." His voice is kind of tiny. His left paw opens and closes, fingers flexing. "I don't need alla that. We c'n share."

Tameus sets down the flask and then the plate, and slips over to sit next to the other leveret, back to the armory door as well. "Okay. We'll share," he says with a satisfied nod, and reaches for a pasty. This is broken in half, and he offers Micah the larger chunk.

Micah takes the other chunk, kind of tentatively. He nibbles at it, whilst keeping a close eye on Tameus. "... Do you. Do you gotta new mom?"

Tameus blinks a little at the question, and shakes his head. "No. No. I mean .. kinda. S' comp'cated."

"Tell," Micah replies simply.

Tameus shrugs and picks at the flaky pastry. "Siva. Da' r'lly liked 'er bu' I .. didn' wan' 'er 'round 'im." He sounds a little guilty when he says it.

Micah asks, "Why not?"

Tameus scrunches up his nose. ".. 'cause I. I. I d'nno, okay, I jus' didn'."

Micah's brow furrows. "Did she like /him/?"

Tameus shakes his head. "No. .. no. She's gettin' married t' some'n else now."

"... Oh. Kay. Good." Munchmunchmunch.

Tameus tilts his head curiously toward Micah. "Good?"

Micah shrugs. "... Innit?"

Tameus blinks thoughtfully down at the pasty. "I .. I guess. Yeah. 'cept 'e ain' 'appy."

Micah is trying not to stare. I mean. More than he /has/ to. Munchmunchmunch. "Why not?"

Tameus shrugs again, head ducked. "I d'nno. Bu' I don' think 'e 's, s' all. I mean. I try t' make 'im 'appy..."

Micah says, "Maybe he's not /s'posed/ t'be happy."

Tameus lifts his head and gives Micah an odd look. Like he doesn't comprehend that at all. "Why .. why... wouldn' 'e be s'posed t'?"

Micah shrugs. Mutters. "I dunno."

Tameus shakes his head. ".. 'e. 'e's real good. 'e /sh'd/ be 'appy. If /anyone's/ not s'posed t' be..."

"Y'dunno. There was a whole lotta time 'fore you knew 'im." Micah frowns.

Tameus frowns back, looking gradually more troubled. "... well. Y' d'nno 'im 't all, do y'? 'e's good. No'n better."

Micah shakes his head. "You only think that 'cause yer... 'cause he's." Vague gesture.

Tameus asks, "'cause 'e's what, Mike?"

Micah's brow furrows. "You know! 'Cause he /chose/ you!"

Tameus shakes his head a little. Any interest in the pasty has vanished. "... well. Yeah. An' ... 'cause I love 'im I guess."

"So y'dunno." Micah seems satisfied. His attention for the pasty has not waned.

Tameus drops his gaze again. "... guess I don'." He sounds confused.

Micah watches Tam out of the corner of his eye. His paw opens and closes, reflexively, and his eyes shift away. "M'not hungry anymore."

Tameus sets down his part of the pasty. He hasn't even taken a bite of it. "... yeah me neither."

"... M'gonna go kay?" Micah starts to stand.

Tameus looks up at Micah as he stands, and gets a little smile, almost timid. "Y' c'd stay.."

Micah shakes his head. "... I d'wanna."

The smile fades a fraction. ".. why don' y'?"

"I jus'... /don't/, okay?" Grimace.

Tameus ducks his head a little, and nods. "Yeah. Yeah okay. 'll see y' then," he says, still smiling, ears twitched back.

Micah eyes Tam for a few more seconds and abruptly turns. He walks off, head lowered and paws curled into fists at his sides. The small buck slips out of the room without a backward glance.

And Tam watches him go, the smile tugging into a thoughtful frown. He draws up his knees, hugging around them and considering the floor for a long while.