07-20-05 1

Characters involved: Slain, Zoe_Lang, & Jarsune.

Salamandastron: Training Room

Slain is currently helping him self to a pair of wooden practice swords, he performs a complicated set of fast movements with the pair, it's clear that he's had quite a bit of training, his two would be escorts stand quietly near the entrance trying to keep track of his motions but it's clear that their more then a bit taken back by it.

"Ahem." The Colonel stands behind the two rather taken escorts, paws crossed over her chest whilst a boot taps on the floor. They're blocking her path. Blinkingly, they glance back and then each step to one side. "Thank ya." She steps past them and takes a look at the object of their attention - Slain. Brow-quirk. Yes, she's been informed of the monitor lizard.

Slain catches glimpse of the colonel's entrance and quickly brings his session to a close by performing a smart bow with the two wooden weapons as if it was part of the movements, directed to the haremaid "Milady."

"Colonel," she corrects. The doe looks unimpressed by the closing move but nevertheless continues on over to him. "I hear tell ya have somethin' t' say t' me."

Slain bows his head to her "Correct m- I mean, Colonel, I believe there is a connection between Ruingate and what's happening here, the only proof I have is my word, how ever, I am more then prepared to gather information from those stationed in Halyard, if you are willing to hear my plan out."

"What mattah is it t' us if the two are connected?" The Colonel looks the lizard over thoughtfully. "I undahstand ya believe it t' be a distraction fer us. If so, it's not workin'. I've already received word o' Ruingate's new activity in the Mossflowah area." Brow-quirk. "What else have ya t' offah me?"

Slain kneels down to the hare "Only my self and my blade."

Zoe_Lang gestures widely around the room, though she speaks of more than the general vicinity. "We have a whole mountain of selves 'n' blades, lad, 'n' ones we already know t' be loyal, trained in our ways."

Slain states while still kneeling "Make no mistake, my loyalties lay with Redwall first, but the fighting here is starting to affect things there."

"Ahhh, is tha' so?" Zoe crosses her arms over her chest and smirks at the lizard, finding this somewhat hard to believe. "Do tell."

Slain looks up at her "There is nothing to tell, my main concern is finding the connection between Ruingate and the Bloodthirsters and helping those of Halyard."

Jarsune has arrived.

"No - you said the fightin' here is affectin' things there. I'd like t' know how that is." Zoe's arms remained cross, and she looks rather expectantly at the monitor, waiting for a response.

Slain replies "There has been increased attacks from, less kindly beasts since the fighting here began, they be connected or they may just be happenstance, I intend to find out."

Two beasts enter the training room--the first, a hare, and one of the guards usually stationed down at the ground entrance to the mountain, is obviously escorting the second. The second, in this case, would be a female marten that looks to be a young adult, if slightly short for her age. Her eyes are narrowed, and her shoulders are slightly hunched. The guard clears his throat for a moment, trying to get Zoe's attention.

Slain glances over at Jarsune, his eyes go a bit wide when he sees her.

Zoe_Lang blinks. "... That's yer connection? More fightin'? Laddy, we have skirmishes such's this one practically every season. Shall we blame the one that coincided with the earthquake fer causin' it?" Zoe's mouth partially opens to continue, but at the clearing throat, she looks up. A finger is held up to silence, "One moment." She turns, sees the hare and the marten, and throws her arms up in disgust, turning and storming off from them all a couple of steps. "What the 'ell is this? Openin' our doors wide t ' vermin, all shapes 'n' types 'n' sizes? Bloody 'ell..." Grumble, scowl.

Jarsune scowls at Slain the moment she sees him, and the scowl only darkens as Zoe speaks. She cuts off the guard before he can reply, "--I'm Jarsune Gafgarion." Her voice is sharp, clearly annoyed, though given the looks she's passing toward Slain it's hard to tell just who she's more annoyed at.

Slain clears his throat as he stands "It's clear that you still don't under stand my concerns colonel, it's nothing as simple as blaming fighting on something else. Ruingate is up to something and what's going on here is connected to it, if you wish to have nothing to do with me or my investigation then kindly return my sword and allow me to leave this place with what dignity I have left. It's bad enough you made me wait for three days to be told no, but I do not like being led around like a fool."

Jarsune? Zoe's ears perk, and she casts a suddenly interested look over her shoulder at the marten. But then... the monitor interrupts her moment of recognition by speaking. "Apparently /you/ don't undahstand what 'one moment' means..." Growl. She returns to face Slain. Scowl. "Fer havin' t' wait fer three days, I apologize." She smirks. "If I'd been the one t' welcome ya, ya wouldn't have been invited in a'tall. I don't go in fer lone heroes tryin' t' solve their little pet mysteries." She steps back towards him, now, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Don't for a moment think I don't know what's goin' on with Ruingate. I know exactly - they're goin' against an express ordah that I gave 'em - t' stay away from Redwall 'n' the friends o' Redwall. If they need us, we will intervene." She holds up a paw, to silence him should he think to say anything. "/When/ they call fer us." And at that, she glances to Jarsune, with a brow-quirk. Her last is spoken to Slain, however. "The guards yondah will fetch yer blade 'n' escort ya t' the entrance. G'day."

Slain adds "An ottermaid followed me here, her name is Ana, please see to it that she knows what took place here." With that he heads to to leave as he does he mutters something in his native tongue, translated 'Stupid savages, sometimes I think Xin might have the right idea about them.'

Jarsune also mutters something, something to the effect of "tysh mewynt," and as Slain passes she gives him a dirty look. She does, however, scoot away from the guard, and when she looks back to Zoe her annoyed expression is quite a bit more muted.

Zoe_Lang follows Slain's exit with tired annoyance, but it's not long before her mind returns to the other 'guest'. Hm. She gives Jarsune a nod, but says nothing 'til Slain is fully exited.

Slain stops part of the way and looks back at Zoe "For the record, if I wanted to hurt any beast in here, those two weaklings you assigned to me would have been dead before they ever thought to raise a weapon, just something to think about, colonel."

Jarsune curls her upper lip and practically spits another foreign word after Slain as he exits. She adds to this a rather childish, "Stupid!" which is a little too late to actually be heard. Then she spins back around to Zoe, still scowling, but not necessarily at the doe now. "What was he doing here?"

Zoe_Lang rolls her eyes at this childish leaving statement and turns to Jarsune. At the scowl, her lips twitch upwards in the smallest of grins, slightly bitter-sweet. "His idea of helpin', I s'pose. Nevah trust a lizard."

"He's stupid," Jarsune repeats, though there's a hint of a sigh to her tone now. "He never shuts up at Redwall. And I don't know how he beat me here." She pauses to rub at the back of her neck, and finally her scowl fades into a more neutral frown that fits her muzzle as though it were her natural expression. "I'm just here for a little. I was going to stay in the village but..."

Zoe_Lang's paws tuck into her pockets and she nods, in understanding. "'Tis a bit tied up just at the moment, Halyard is." She steps towards Jarsune, looking the jill over rather curiously. "What... brings ya here?" No mention of Kev, yet.

Jarsune's answer is swift enough. "I'm looking for a ferret." And then, with only a moment's hesitation, "I'm going to kill him."

At this, Zoe sighs. "I heard about yer mothah." The mention of 'ferret' and 'kill him' doesn't really leave much for Zoe to be uncertain about. "'M sorry, Jarsune. If there's anythin' we c'n do t' help, just ask."

Jarsune's lips twitch a little. She seems to be between expressions, as if she can't quite decide on which one she wants. "...Yeah," she says finally. "...If I can find the ferret, that will be enough. Once he's dead Mother can move on, and I'll be a full adult."

"Don't be so quick t' grow up, deah... It wasn't s'long ago I held ya on m'lap." If Zoe didn't have a feeling Jarsune had inherited some of Kevarr's more tetchy qualities, she'd put a paw on her shoulder. As it is, she just smiles. "Anyway, yer welcome t' stay here s'long as ya need."

Jarsune gives an expression that might be a faint approximation of the long lost cousin of a smile in return. "It won't be that long. But thanks. Oh, and Nagia came with me, but he's not here right now."

"Nagia? Don't remembah him..." The doe shrugs, nonetheless. "Pass along a welcome t' him from me."

"He's Amethyst's father," Jarsune explains with an ear twitch. "A squirrel. He used to be a sailor a long time ago."

"Ah, I see. Well, yer both welcome t' anything we have." Hm. Well, with Jarsune here, she might as well ask. "What's the newest word on the Ruingate situation?"

Jarsune says, "They haven't come any farther south than the Black Gull. But there are still a lot of troops hanging around the tavern the last I heard, even though Merdez and his wife went back to the city."

"You'll send word if'n things change?" It's a request and a statement all at once.

Jarsune hesitates for a moment, and then nods. "I will. Or Kestrel will. Or Sunrose will."

Zoe_Lang nods, reassured. Any reason to get at Merdez. She's still bristling after that one short meeting with him. "... Good."

Jarsune falls silent for a few moments, before she looks back toward the doe and asks, in a tone that clearly states she doesn't expect an affirmative, "You haven't seen the ferret, have you?"

And predictably, Zoe shakes her head. "I haven't, though I imagine if he's anywhere in the area, he's prob'ly holed up with that bunch o' rot in Halyard."

"Do they have money?" Jarsune asks suddenly. "The beasts in Halyard? Enough to hire someone?"

Zoe_Lang frowns thoughtfully. "Likely whatevah they stole from the villagahs, but generally they're very well off. 'Tis just a small fishin' village. Enough t' hire someone, though? I'd say so."

Jarsune says, "Then he might be there. He wants money. He's been after it every single time so far. When I catch him, I'll make him eat his coins."

Zoe_Lang watches Jarsune closely. "Now... I don't know what yer plannin', but ya should know, we'll be goin' in there soon... t' take care of things. I'd recommend ya wait 'til then. Ya might be able t' take on this one ferret, but mayhaps not the whole lot of 'em."

Jarsune doesn't look happy with this, but she offers no arguments. "Alright. In the meantime, I'll look around, in case he's nearby but not in the village."

Zoe_Lang nods, having no complaints with this. "Be careful, deah. And... Farren's here, should ya want t' see her." This is thrown in as an afterthought, and then over her shoulder she glances. "I should... go make sure that lizard's good 'n' left, in the meantime."

Jarsune nods twice, then perks her ears. "Good. I hope he's gone back to the Abbey, or he's going to be a real pain in the tail."

"We c'n always hope..." Zoe doesn't look too hopeful, though. In fact, she looks as if she thinks he's sticking around. In other words, she looks displeased. "Ah well. Time'll tell." With that and a nod to Jarsune, she limps off towards the door and out, off to check on the Slain situation.