09-12-05 1

Characters involved: Zoe_Lang & Darklett.

Salamandastron: Infirmary

Zoe_Lang is catching a late shift in the good old infirmary. Presently she is sitting at the main healer desk, spectacles resting upon her snout as she reads over the day's patient list.

We've got a walk-in. Well, kinda. It was scheduled, but not by Zoe. Darklett steps into the infirmary, hoping to find a healer in there-- And what luck! It's the good Colonel burning the night oil and taking care of the sick and injured. "Colonel?" He stops inside, his voice just below normal talking volume.

Zoe_Lang's ears perk and up she glances. Looking over the edge of her reading spectacles in order that Darklett not be one big blur, the Colonel nods. "Aye, lad?"

"Not used to you being here, it's usually somebeast else. No matter." Darklett continues to walk towards the Colonel, paws shoving into pockets as he explains himself. "The healer Buckthorn told me to come up here every once in a while to see if I needed to change my bandages or leave them off."

Zoe_Lang makes a slient 'ahhh' then nods, removing her spectacles and standing up from her chair. She walks around the desk and over to the nearest cot, where she pulls up a stool. "Take a seat, lad, 'n' let's have a look."

Darklett nods, and heads over to that same cot, having a seat. He starts taking off his uniform tunic, pulling it over his head to show the wrap-job done around his torso. The bandages look pretty clean, at least on the outside. "I hope these things have healed over finally. It's stiff walking around with these things on."

Zoe_Lang looks over the previous healer's handiwork for a few seconds before she starts unraveling them. "Well, let's jus' see what we've got, now." She glances up, "How long's it been, now?"

"Three days since the last time they were checked. Since I got the injuries?" Darklett has to think for a while. "Huh. Can't be any less than 30 or so days." He lifts his arms for an easier job unwrapping him.

Zoe_Lang nods her thanks to the arm lifting, concentrating for the moment on the bandages. The thinner the wrapping becomes, the... not dirtier they get. Zoe raises a pleased eyebrow - a good sign, apparently.

Darklett looks down at the removal of the bandages, grinning as he's not seeing any telltale red or brown spots. "So, these vermin that have been in our mountain. Who are they?"

Zoe_Lang's brow wrinkles slightly at the mention of the guests. "Ahhh, yeah. Lesperance 'n' the othahs. They're just... visitin'. From Mapleleaf."

"I had an incident with them out on the beach." Darklett twists his mouth to the side a little. "The runner Seven came and informed me, and I went out there. Apparently the ferret and a rat that wasn't with them got into a fight, and the crazy squirrel was just watching. Fishy group, if you ask me."

Zoe_Lang unwraps the final layer of bandages and sets them aside. She then turns back to study the area of his wound. In fact, it is all closed up and healing over nicely. "I think we'll just leave a light bandagin' ovah it t' keep it clean, but... just a few more days with that 'n' you'll be good, lad." She takes a fresh roll and starts wrapping him back up - only one ply thick. As she does this, she nods. "Aye, Lesperance reported the incident t' me..." She glances up briefly from her work. "He's an exile from Ruingate, y'know. Can't help but admit it makes me like 'im more." She grins and looks back down.

Darklett looks a tad bit dismayed at Zoe's remarks about a little more bandaging for just a little more time. But, he grins and bears it. "Alright. Almost through, heh..." Again, he raises his arms up, allowing the Colonel to wrap him-- But, seeing that she's really only going so thin, he brightens considerably. "An exile? Huh. Don't know too much about Ruingate, don't care to, really... All I know is that they're a little overbearing, but that's about it."

Zoe_Lang finishes, ties, and cuts off the bandage, then sits back with a nod. "Aye, well, they're a bit more than a little overbearin', but it's all the same. Veronica, the vixen, on the othah paw..." She pauses, raising a brow. "She's Merdez's sistah."

Darklett looks over the wrapjob, and is delighted to find he can bend his torso around a little. "Hm. Thanks, Colonel." He reaches over and pulls his uniform tunic back on, straightening it out and pressing it smooth against his body. "Feels much better! Merdez... He's the uh... Ruler, or whatever, right?"

Zoe_Lang's brow goes up a fraction more, and she can't help but smirk. "You may want t' brush up on yer enemies, Darklett. 'Tis always best t' know yer friends well but yer enemies bettah." She then nods. "He's their leadah, aye."

"Enemies?" Darklett looks a little confused. "What is he doing that makes him my enemy, anyway?" The naivete. :P "As it stands now, I've never even heard of anything the fox has done. Didn't even know he was a fox 'till you said his sister was."

Zoe_Lang holds up a paw, ticking off on her fingers. "Accordin' t' the ways o' Ruingate, hares 'n' squirrels - 'ell, most woodlandahs - are considahed lowah creatures than most vermin, 'n' they're treated accordin'ly." Pause, another finger. "Kevarr o' Redwall - 'n' who knows who else - was tortahed undah his 'care'." Another finger. "Despite warnings that any move against Redwall would be met with extreme displeasah, Ruingate has moved its influences int' the dirt road area." Then she shrugs, lightly. "He hasn't made any overt moves that'd warrant a response, but... he is most certainly an enemy o' the Patrol."

"...Oh." Well, Dark feels silly right now. "That's bad." And... quiet. His cheeks might even be noticeably red, if one could see such through the dark color of his fur, and of course he's not gonna make eye contact with the Colonel. "Guess I should pay more attention, 'cause I had no idea."

Zoe_Lang notes Darklett's discomfort with a small, forgiving smile. "Ruingate's a fairly new entity, so... it's undahstandable that you wouldn't know too much about 'em. Usually there'll be a record o' any report in the library, so if ya wish t' keep up on things, 'tis there fer the readin'."

Darklett nods. "I'll make sure to do that, then. Guess all that time I've been avoiding the library's coming back to haunt me, heh." He lifts a paw up to scratch the back of his head, continuing the nod slowly to himself. And then on to the nagging thought in the back of his mind. "You think they'll actually attack the abbey?"

Zoe_Lang considers Darklett's question for a moment before... shaking her head. Slowly. "We c'n only hope they don't, lad."

"But... if they do, they won't be too big a problem, would they?" Darklett bites the inside of his lip. "I mean, once we get there to confront them."

Zoe_Lang's brow wrinkles just so... but in the end she shakes her head again. "No, they wouldn't be t' much of a problem. We know Redwall far bettah than they do, 'n' we'd have othahs t' support us."

Darklett nods, looking significantly assured. "Good... Good." The lieutenant's mind wanders a little bit, then he shakes his head. "Oh, have you happened to meet a hare named Howard in the mountain before? I had a run-in with such a hare today..."

Zoe_Lang quirks a brow uncertainly. "No.... nevah did meet a Howard. What kind o' a run-in?"

Darklett hmphs. "Just having breakfast, and this hare busted in in a sour mood... Created a disturbance, shoved that rabbit Ender. Said a few nasty words to myself and a recruit named Dandelion, and when asked to cease, insisted that it was our fault for 'making it an issue.' He wasn't wearing a uniform, I assume he was either a guest, or new to the patrol, in any case, it was a less than pleasant first experience."

Zoe_Lang frowns thoughtfully, then stands up from her stool, cleaning up the mess from Darklett's bandage change. "Y'know, I don't believe I saw a Howard on the newest rostah... so mayhaps he's a guest or a hare from Halyard, eh? I'll see what I c'n find out."

Darklett stands from the cot as well, looking down to see if he can help. But uh... It's just the old bandages. So, he shoves his paws into his pockets again. "I'll be watching him, too. From the looks of him, he's up for causing a ruckus, but once he saw I was an officer, he settled down a bit."

Zoe_Lang deposits the used bandages in a trash container and then turns, nodding. "A good idea, lad. Keep me posted, eh?" She nods to him, then glances to her desk where more reading awaits.

Darklett nods, tossing out a salute. "Thanks for the bandaging, Colonel. I'll make sure you're made aware of anything else this Howard might be up to, if it's worth mentioning. I'll be training early in the morning, so I'll retire to bed now." He pauses, and adds, "Make sure you get at least a little sleep, heh." At that, he turns and walks towards the infirmary exit.

Zoe_Lang returns the salute. "Evenin', lieutenant." At the sleep comment, she grins a little but doesn't comment, just watching him go. She then returns to her desk, replacing her spectacles upon her nose and bending her head to her reading once more.