05-17-06
Characters involved: Keiran, Flaxpaw, Quinten, Harper, & Torwin.
RW Abbey: Library
Keiran's head tilts now, looking towards Quinten, then Flaxpaw, then the buck again. "Scuse me! I won't 'ave y'leavin' jus' yet, sir Quinten. C'mere, an' stan' alon'side Flaxpaw." He grabs his staff and lifts himself upwards, straightening to his full height.
Can you say unfair? Flax starts to turn and glare at Quinten, then stops when Keiran speaks, and looks at him, then down at the floor with the air of a naughty dibbun.
Quinten sighs and moves over to the stand before the brother, tucking his paws inside his habbit sleeves and waiting for him to speak
Keiran clears his throat, looking over the two. It's not stern at all, but compared to his usual omnipresent cheery smile, it's fierce enough of a straight face to have an effect. "I don' know 'f y'were made t'take th'oath o'th'Order, seein' as y'won' be 'ere permanently. Bu' one o'th'lines states tha' novices o'th'Order live 'n peace an' 'armony t'gether." He pauses. "Wha' I see 'ere isn' very 'armonious. Care t'explain?"
Hm. This is what Harper's expression says from where he stands in the doorway of the library. It's impossible to tell how long he's been there, but his eyes shift from one face to another, considering the goings-on. Hm indeed. His ears perk at Keiran's words.
Flaxpaw turns a light pink, and shakes her head. "n-not really, sah. jus' a-um- misunderstandin's all...." shuffle shuffle.
Quinten doesn't shuffle, he stands still, ears perking as he hears someone behind them but he does nto look back "me and Flaxpaw had an arguement sir, thats all, we said a few things we should not have said to each other"
Keiran nods at the response he gets, thinking on both of them. "An 'as e'erythin' been r'solved? 'r are y'two still quarrelin' away?" The librarian taps his fingers on his staff where his paw rests, looking between the two novice recruits, a brow raised.
After a moment more of listening to them he starts forward, approaching them quietly. He offers a brief nod to Keiran. "Sir." His eyes shift to the two novices, though they pass quickly over Quinten. "Sorry. Am I interrupting something?"
Quinten looks at Flaxpaw adn then Harper "I do not think so sir....i said some stupid things and they both seem to hate me for it"
Keiran raises his vision to Harper, and is about to return greeting, when he hears news of the things Quinten says. "Both o'them?" He scratches the back of his head, and has a seat, motioning for the two opposite the table from him, as well as Harper, to have a seat. "'ello, sir," he offers to Harper. "Firs' off, s'there anythin' y'need in p'ticular?"
Harper's eyebrows raise at Quinten's words and he looks from Flax to Keiran as if expecting some sort of explanation from the two. "... What'd /I/ do? I just walked over." He blinks, his attention shifting quickly to Keiran. He shakes his head quickly. "Oh, no sir. I just thought I'd say hey."
Flaxpaw sighs, looking at Harper. "Quint thinks we hate him." She looks back at Keiran, and it's like the on-switch has been hit, kinda. "Well, sah.......Quint's been sayin all sorts of strange stuff an it's /not/ true, is it, Harp? an...he thinks he knows wot's right all the time, an he doesn't. an no one aksed him t'interfere anyway! an.....we-we don't hate him...." she looks at Quinten. "we don't." Then she looks back down at the floor, apparantly done now.
Quinten looks at Flaxpaw "Is it...what i said about you and the Major was true, what you said i said about Harper however, that was not true, i said you had more chance of ccatching his eye then the Majors." he snaps his jaw closed and grips his tunic sleeves tightly "your the one spreading lies and making Harper hate me." he's not happy and looks like he might start crying again.
Keiran holds out his paws as the conversation seems to get a bit out of paw for a moment. "'old on, 'old on. Le's stop assumin' thin's, an' get t'th'problem. Sir 'arper, y'obviously don' know wha's goin' on, so y'off th'hook f'now. Flax, Quint, th'main quarrel seems t'be b'tween y'two, an' we don' tolerate any excess fightin' b'tween Orderbeas's. I sugges' y'handle th'problem more 'fficiently than 'voidin' one another, bu' less loudly than snappin' at each other. Sit with each other, an' r'solve any misunderstandin's y'have /quietly./ If nobeast's shoutin', y'll get done a lot more quickly, an' e'erybeas'll reach an understandin'." He calmly instructs those before him, and... Even in what seems like an inopportune moment, he manages to surface a smirk. "Y'think y'c'n do tha'?"
Flaxpaw looks over at Quint, then at Harper, tears in her eyes. "no, sah, not really." She says quietly, looking into Keir's eyes for a moment before she turns and heads for the door. "don't think th'abbey's the place for me, sah. I-I think I'd best go...."
Quinten reaches out to take Flaxpaw's arm "Wait...Flax...please i know i've been stupid....but...what is it...you've been miserable since we got here......we came here to learn new things"
Harper's eyes widen slowly, and his jaw drops in quiet surprise. He looks from Flaxpaw to Quinten as they 'tell all' and after a few seconds lets his mouth shut with a small shake of his head. He looks slightly exasperated, but glances to Keiran and answers readily enough. "Yessir. Thanks." He shifts uncertainly from one footpaw to the other, not sure in the absence of an actual dismissal as to whether he's supposed to leave or not. And then Flax does her thing, and his eyes roll up. Oof. He turns, near-jogging after her and reaching out to catch her at the elbow. "Wait! Flax. Don't go. Quint and I'll make it up." He glances back at Quinten, askance, "Won't we, Quint? And then it'll be all right."
Quinten reaches out to take Flaxpaw's arm "Wait...Flax...please i know i've been stupid....but...what is it...you've been miserable since we got here......we came here to learn new things" he looks at Harper and nods "Aye....i...want ot sort things Harper....really i'm sorry for being a pumpkin headed fool"
Keiran watches from his seat as Flaxpaw goes to storm off, then as Harper and Quinten go to control the situation... Well, he leaves it to them. After all, he /did/ say that's what they had to do.
Flaxpaw turns her back slightly to Quint, pulling away from his paw, and looks up at Harp blinking. " 's not jus that...you heard this mornin. I'm goin. away from th'abbey an from the patrol...." loud sniffle. "I-I'm sorry, Harp. You two should make it up....sure Quint didn't mean t'open his mouth 'bout anythin...." She stands there for a sec, letting Harp keep hold of her if he wants to, though she makes a slight move to the door.
Though her efforts to 'escape' are minimal, Harper releases her almost immediately. Can't go around restraining does, now can you? He watches her as she runs for the door, for a second rooted to the spot, and only when the door shuts behind her does he jog to the door, yanking it open and looking first one way and then the other. He worries at his lower lip. "Gone."
Quinten flops into a chair and buries his head in his paws "Wot..did she mean she's leaving wot? What have idone...whats been going on" he pleads looking at Harper then Keiran
Harper takes one look at Quinten's pleading look and rolls his eyes to the ceiling, giving a shake of his head. "Nothing, mate. She didn't mean a thing. She's just bein' a doe, all right? Get a grip."
Quinten shakes his head and nods "Ok ok...sorry Harper just...i never had any contact with does or anythying asides from my sister...i'm not used to dealin with this...an i upset you right good yesterday by bieng an idiot"
Harper considers Quinten warily for a moment, then shakes his head. Again. "Look. I dunno what's with you 'n' Flax with feeling like ya gotta apologize 'n' be all emotional around me lately, but stop it. All right? Already forgot about yesterday. You should too. Fair enough?"
Quinten nods and grins "Ok then...i'll forget all about it...if you tell me wot its like to work down in the kitchens? Me normal schedule kicks in tomorrow and i've got duties down there in the morning with the other recruits."
Harper smirks in response. "Best chore ever. You'll love it, mate." He walks back over toward the other buck, reaching out to playfully shove at his shoulder. "Swear it."
Quinten eyes him "Oh really...not what Flax said...something about that otter and cauldrons"
Harper's eyebrows go up. "What? You gonna believe the words of some flighty doe over me?" He smirks again, then finally relents with a shrug and a snort. "All right, yeah, so maybe it's almost sort of kind of the worst thing ever. And that otter..." He makes a twirling gesture next to his ear and shrugs. "Just a little /too/ fussed about cleaning a bunch of pots, ya know? Something just ain't right, there."
Keiran watches the two a little distractedly, his ears folded over from Flaxpaw's moment of outburst before. Though he does return to his reading, he doesn't look as dedicated as he usually does, looking over the two younger bucks, smiling at their discussion of the scullery, but making no comment, himself. A page is flipped, and he all but buries his nose in the book, giving a small sigh and a smirk, scratching behind his ears as he scours the book for useful information.
Quinten laughs and nods "Oh i heard some tales about that otter about the abbey, he sounds like a right odd ball. Still i am looking forwards to getting down to a proper schedule all this free times been driving me mad"
Harper blinks. "Proper schedule? Ain't ya already been on one? I've up every morning fer that run, then off to classes, then off to chores, /then/ off to recruit training regular-like every day. I'm just taking a break 'fore training." His jaw drops as he realizes he may have been missing out on something. "... Wait-a-minute. /What/? You mean you /haven't/ been?"
Quinten blinks "Well no i've had my recruit schedule, been up, out on the run, then recruit training, but i've not had an actual proper schedule for my novice duties asides from my time in the library with the Brother here. Got one now, i bugged the sister about it and it starts properly tomorrow"
Harper's voice is deadpan when he replies. "... Yer kidding me." He nearly collapses into one of the chairs at the tables, dangling his arms to either side. "Unnnngh."
Quinten nods his head and chews on a whisker "Well yeah...i been on mostly free time after my chores and recruit training....was i not meant to be?"
Harper's only reply is a groan and a shifting of his posture, his arms flopping forward and onto the tabletop before him while his head thunks down, forehead first, onto its surface. "Yer /kidding/ me..."
Quinten shakes his head "No...was told i'd get my proper schedule after everyone lesft...why? What is wrong Harper?"
Harper thunks his forehead on the countertop once more, then opts to actually reply verbally. His tone is a mixture of good humor and disbelief. "Can I change my mind? Can I go back to hating you? Please?" Ungh. He sits up slowly and looks across at Quinten. "They put me on a schedule... two weeks ago, at least. Can't believe you got away without one fer so long."
One of Keiran's ears turns upward as he watches Quinten and Harper further. Hellooo. Brother, right here. He chuckles to himself, and it's audible, but he just shakes his head and goes back to reading.
Quinten chuckles "I know....i don't know how it happened either...maybe i just got missed out? I was spending alot of time with the Col..." he trails off and eyes Keiran "Whooops...yer won't like double me workload to make up for it will you?"
Aaaand... that's when he notices Keiran again. The tips of his ears blush a faint red and he stands up from where he's practically falling all over his chair. "... Yeah. No thanks." This to Quinten, of course. He scruffs at his constantly disheveled headfur and glances toward the door. "I oughta get to training."
Keiran chuckles at Quinten, shaking his head. "Nah, nah. M'not tha' kinda 'are, heh. Jus' make sure y'serve th'Abbey well while y'are." He looks up from his book. "S'not a competition t'see who c'n work th'hardes', 'r th'mos'. Th'point o'this isn' t'work agains' each other, s'to work /with/ each other."
Quinten nods and smiles "Ok brother i'll do my best, i promised the Colonel i would," he glances at Harpper and sighs "Surely it can't be time to train again"
Harper listens intently to Keiran, though he's not directly talking to him, and is about to nod when Quinten throws in his last. He raises an eyebrow, glancing uncertainly from the Brother to the recruit. He speaks out the side of his mouth. "Something tells me you need to work on yer work ethic, mate..." He shakes his head, looking amused, and makes for the door, with an "excuse me, sir" to Keiran as he goes.
Quinten ahems and looks after Harper "I guess...i've been a bit distracted by abbey life...i need to concentrate on my recruit training more.." he stands up sand stretches "Hmmm i should go afte rhim"
"'ave fun, y'two." As an addition to that first statement, Keiran looks surprised that Quinten hasn't already gone along. "...Heh, guess y'/should/ go aft'him. Don' wanna miss trainin'."
Quinten nodds to the brother and runs after Harper, he really need to get a grip on time keeping, he's slipping again and that leads to lectures and all night sessions learning to tell time.
[Later on...]
RW Abbey: Main Gate
A chill wind teases your whiskers as you stand at the main entrance into Redwall Abbey. The gates stand tall and new, having been replaced only seasons ago. The entrance arch is amazingly thick, denoting the strength and thickness of the ancient walls themselves, which, despite the upheavals of the past, and numerous cracks present in the rose colored stone, still stand tall and strong. Uncountable pawprints can be seen in the snow, leading both in and out of the Abbey
Shadows are lengthening, and you can see the sun falling over the western grasslands. The Abbey walls are a blaze of crimson in the dying light.
Are you a newcomer to Redwall? Type +skills apply rwchat to keep track of what's happening.
Exits: [Enter] the abbey, [R]ight Along [W]all, [L]eft Along [W]all, [R]oad
In her uniform once more, Flax makes her way to the gates of the abbey, pack on her back. she hesitates at the gatehouse, trying to decide if she may be able to get her blades back, then decides against trying, and starts out to the road, not looking back.
speaking of the gatehouse, the door suddenly swings open and through it Harper exits, once again in his uniform and now with a bow and quiver over his shoulder. He's no doubt off for training, but any ideas he might have had fall short when he catches sight of Flaxpaw. Oof. "... Hey."
Flaxpaw looks at Harper, then looks away. "oh..um, hey." She nods and continues out the gate, a little more slowly, but holding herself unusually straight, like she's trying to look sure of what she's doing.
Harper shoves the bow further up on his shoulder and jogs after her, slowing to a walk beside her. "Where're you going? Training?"
Flaxpaw looks over at him, ear flicking a little. "huh. no, not trainin. told you, didn't I? I'm goin. just goin." she shrugs.
Harper walks along beside her in silence for a few second, glancing back at the gate once they've passed through it. "... Why?"
Flaxpaw shrugs again, watching her footpaws turn up dust as she walks. "well, 's obvious isn't it? I'm not fit for the patrol, an I'm not an abbey-beast. that's for sure."
Harper frowns slightly, glancing to the side at the doe as they walk along. "... Flax. We're just Recruits, yet. 'Course we're not fit fer anything. If we were, they'd go 'n' promote us right up to Privates."
Flaxpaw looks back at Harper, and shakes her head. "hmmm, I guess. but... 's not just that." Shbe shoves her paws into her pockets, scowling down again. "well, you heard Jarril...er, majah, an...Quint's sayin all that he did, an well, 'course you'll believe /him/ won't you? I-" she sighs and shakes her head, going quiet.
Harper doesn't respond for a long moment, his head lowered and his ears folded back. "Jarril was... he was..." Deep breath. Come on. "He's an /idiot/ for saying what he said, Flax. If he doesn't apologize, he's an even bigger idiot." And he shakes his head. "And never mind about Quint. That's over with."
Flaxpaw looks over at Harper, and stops suddenly. "Harp? d'you mean that? about Jarril? and...Quint..yeah, that's over, I guess. You-you don't think I lied about wot he said, do you? I wouldn't, not about that...about wot he said, 'bout you.." cough and blush.
Harper dips his head in a firm nod. "Definitely mean it, Flax. Swear it." Aaaand... he nods again. "'Course I believe you." He glances to the side but pretends not to notice the blush. He offers a nudge and a grin. "Can't exactly picture you asking me those things if he hadn't. Not yer sort of thing."
Flaxpaw grins back at him, looking really relieved, and makes a motion like she may hug him, but...she gets real interestd in a tree for a sec instead. "so...guess, when you put it like that...maybe I'll stay?" She slips the pack off and winks happily. "but, only if you help me get rid of some of the supplies in here...don't fancy returnin them all to the kitchens."
Flax might be interested in that tree since there seems to be some rustling in it. In a short period of time, Torwin descends from the tree and starts to make his way through the grassland to the abbey, until he finally comes out onto the road. He spots teh two hares and gives a nod, "G'Evening."
Harper's looks a little surprised at the almost-hug move, but he doesn't jerk away. He does look a tad relieved when she looks elsewhere, though. "Yeah. Sure. I can help ya ou-" Ooh. There's a greeting. He looks around and spies the squirrel descending from the tree. Oh. "Evening, sir."
Flaxpaw looks at the squirrel as well, then down at her pack, a little nervous. "Evenin, sah. we were...uh...just-just settlin in for a picnic, right Harp? a picnic?"
Torwin smirks and says, "Really?" He pauses nearby. "You weren't runnin' away like I heard you shout an hour or two ago?"
Harper looks from Flaxpaw to Torwin and back again. He quickly shakes his head. "No sir, not running away. We sorted all that stuff out. Right, Flax?" He looks to her with a grin.
Flaxpaw grins back at Harper, and nods, then leans down to riffle through the pack for food. "Yes, all sorted out, sah. I've....reconsidered."
Torwin smiles and nods, "Good to hear. I imagine the patrol doesn't look favorably on desertion and all." He then walks over and takes a set not to far, "Now did I hear something about some food needing to be eaten?"
Flaxpaw room-pages, "hmmm...forgot to be surprise that Torwin heard that....sloppy poses are me today.".
"Desertion in any light is often frowned upon." Comes another voice, lilting down from the treetops where a golden figure sits whittling away at long wooden shafts. Arrows. Rama grins.
Harper's ears twitch and he tilts his head back, looking up into the trees. His eyes settle upon Rama with a short laugh. "What the... Do you lot just hang about in trees all day waiting for folks to come along so you can climb down like some sort of big, furry bug 'n' scare the skin off of 'em?"
Torwin glances up at the voice and smiles, "Well I haven't heard that squirrel in a while." He then looks to harper with a smirk, "Its a squirrel thing."
Flaxpaw jumps at the voice from the tree. little bit on edge, her? Then she laughs lightly when Harper does, looking up as well, then back at Torwin. "Well...both of you may as well join the picnic." she winks at Harp. "An...hadn't thought of it as desertion....." hmm.
"Dropping eaves is a pass-time of mine." The goldsquirrel states, smirking.
Torwin unshoulders his bow and sets it down on the ground before looking back up to the tree. "Its a handy hobby at times. How's it going Rama?"
Harper is shaking his head and chuckling when Flaxpaw offers her invitation and he immediately switches to a nod. "Aye, yeah. Join us, sure."
Torwin glances up at the dark sky. "Might want to postpone that picknick. Looks like a spring shower might be coming."
Flaxpaw looks up as well as a soft rumble grows in the distance, and nods. "well, yeah. um..pity about that." she looks back at Harper and smiles. "Another time. C'mon, let's get inside."
Harper looks up at the skies, then to Flaxpaw with a grin. "Aw, you go on. The rain'll cool me off fer my run. Did come out for trainin', after all." He gives a wave to the lot and turns, jogging off down the road. He waves a paw over his head. "Later!"
