11.22.08 - Green Eyed Monster (aka Infirmary Hilarity)

Location: Redwall Infirmary

Characters Involved: Harper, Sivaine, Tameus, Lark, Taye, and others.

Bottlebrush is asleep in a chair, though it is hard to tell with that green eye always open. He seems to be mumbling..or singing..in his sleep, "Yo, ho, haul together, hoist the colors high. Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die.." Sounds like a sea chanty..

Sivaine is propped up, a few beds down from the door, looking.. well, exceedingly bored, and half-asleep. Ardice is dozing in a chair by the bedside, curled into a little lump, making little 'zhwee' noises that are slowly chipping away at her sister's sanity, so the sound of something _else_ is a welcome distraction. Sivaine raises a brow, and tries tilting her head back to get a glimpse of the piratical songster. "Mmh."

Bottlebrush takes a breath and starts singing that verse again, as if it is the only part he knows, or perhaps remembers. His voice is soft and he stays slumped, showing is is well and truely asleep.

..well, this is going to get annoying in five or six repetitions. Sivaine decides to nip things in the bud, and clears her throat. "..Bottle?"

Bottlebrush jumps and pitches forwards to hit that ground with a thump, "YIP! Wha? Huh?" He blinks and looks around in surprise, rubbing his good eye, "What happened?"

Sivaine relaxes back. Good call. "You woke up." Then she winces; Lark's horrible painkillers are wearing off. "Over here?"

Demmer makes his way in from the door. His black eyes scan the beds and come to a rest on Sivaine. A light smile comes to his face. Beats a frown, atleast.

Bottlebrush gets to his feet and erfs, "I fell out of my chair." He spots the wince and hurries over, "How are you feeling today, Siv?" Still rather sleepy from his sudden wake-up call, he tries to sit in a closer chair..the one Ardice is curled up in.

Demmer blinks at Bottlebrush. "Fell out of your chair? You fallin' asleep today?"

"Nrk," Sivaine mutters, and tries to concentrate for a moment on shallow breathing that doesn't disturb her ribs -too-- "Wrnphlgh!" goes Ardice, struggling. Siv stares for a moment, and holds back a laugh, which turns into another wince. "Ow. Ow."

My, isn't Siv the popular one. It's seldom that Layne forces herself to come to the infirmary, and even rarer for her to provide catering, yet here she is, bustling in with a tray from the kitchen. It pays to have friends on the kitchen staff. Friends who can bring a steaming pot of raspberry tea under the furling cloth of a cozy. Nestled around the teapot are ginger biscuits, a slice of tonight's hazelnut pie, and a bowl of potato dumplings in fennel gravy. Compared to the sharp smells of medicinal herbs, quite refreshing. She looks somewhat baffled at the prospect of presenting this bounty to Sivaine -personally-, having counted on her still being unconscious and enabling Layne to leave the tray here somewhat anonymously.

Bottlebrush yips and leaps back to his paws, eye wide. He looks behind hismelf and meeps, "Sorry, Ardice!" The fox smoothes out his robe and hurries off to get some hot water. He comes scooting back, pouring the water into a cup mixed with fresh herbs for Siv, "Here! Drink this and you can laugh ina few minutes, Siv." He looks back at Ardice, as if expecting a swift kick at any moment for using her as a chair cushon.

Demmer says, "I think I need to learn not to leave the Abbey."

Demmer says, "Did you succeed... Sivaine?"

Sivaine blinkblinkblinks. Besieged! On all sides! "Um." She eyes Bottlebrush's tea suspiciously. "This ihhk- is Lark's.. stuff?" Layne gets a much more interested look - the mousemaid tries to sit up a bit to see just what's on the menu. "Erm." Pause. "No. Sort of. ..Is that pie?" Ardice mumbles something, shifts position, and a moment later starts going 'zhwee' again.

Bottlebrush blinkblinks at Ardice and chuckles softly, shaking his head. He looks back to Siv and smiles, "Yes and no. The same herbs but I added a spoonfull of honey to take off the bitter taste." He grins, "Just because it is good for ya, does not mean it has to taste bad." He then looks to Demmer and nods, "Heyo, Demmer."

Demmer says, "Hey, BB. Sorry, left to Mossflow without yah again."

"It is, in fact, pie," confirms Layne, at the same time looking at Bottlebrush as if challenging him to say Siv's on a diet of nettle stew and leek broth. Ardice's snoring gets a twitch of whisker that borders on a smirk. If only someone would hurry up and invent photography. The tray makes crockery rattles and clatters as she gently sets it down on the side table, closer to Siv's eye level.

"Goes against every- ow. Thing I learned," Sivaine mutters. Someone - Ardice, probably - has undone her ponytail, and her headfur is spread out behind her on the pillow, neatly brushed. "I'll go giggly," she adds, as if this were a capital offense tantamount to miming.

Bottlebrush blinks at Layne and makes no such comment. He knows good food helps healing. He continues to hold the cup and chuckles, "I know how to mix teas, Siv. You will be perfectly fine, if slightly numb. Like when you stay out in the cold a wee bit too long. A beast could pinch you and you would not blink but you will still be you." He smirks lightly, "The not-giggly Sivaine."

Bottlebrush then looks to Demmer, "It's okay, Demmer. I was helping out in here..and apparently napping."

Demmer chuckles at the tea. "Just take your medicine, Siv..." He laughs softly.

Muscles on one side of Sivaine's face twitch in a barely suppressed grimace as she leans over to inspect the tray, putting her weight on her right elbow to do so. "This looks -much- better," she comments happily, whiskers twitching at the rising scents. She glances back at Bottlebrush. "I went to sleep and mumbled nonsense."

Bottlebrush nods, "But it was more powerful then, to help you rest and recover. I di dnot mix enough to knock you out today, Siv. That's only for evenings so you can sleep."

"I -don't- giggle," Sivaine adds. "Stop smirk- ow. Smirking." There's a pause here as she considers her situation - in bed, headfur down, with one arm out of commission, she's at a bit of a disadvantage. "..okay. Before the pie gets cold." Beside her, the horrible whistling continues unrelenting.

Demmer asks, "So, when is she going to be back to work, BB?"

"I think if someone pinches Siv they risk getting a knife in the eye," says Layne, the feathered tick of the bed rustling as she sits down on the side of the mattress next to Siv's. "You did mumble nonsense. And I wrote every word of it down, and now it's circulating among the abbey children. They particularly liked the bit about the flying toads made of beans." She's likely to be kidding, with a delivery as bland as that. The cozy comes off the teapot and Layne starts pouring out raspberry tea to wash down the herbal draught.

Bottlebrush arches a brow at Demmer, "Not for a few months, at least.." He then eyes Ardice and puts the tea down so he can turn her head gently and help straighten out her airways. Should lessen or stop the whistling..

Demmer tries to frown, but can't escape a smaile, "She don't look like she'd bout of work more than a week , maybe two. You sure about that?"

"Bottle," Sivaine starts too late; Ardice wrinkles her nose and unfolds an arm, swatting indiscriminately at the fox, mumbling, "G'way 'ncle Fen." "..she hits," the older sibling warns. "Lentils." Presumably this is to Layne. The bedridden mousemaid's eyes do a circuit of her visitors - this is starting to feel awfully.. well, familial, in ways, so she focuses on the meal. "When'll you let me _walk._"

Bottlebrush acks and meeps before reaching in and trying to tweak one of Ardices ears gently with a chuckle, "Naw! It's uncle Bottle." He grins, turning away and trying to tickle the mouses nose with his fluffy tail while he points to the herbal tea, "Once you show you can behave and drink your tea, Siv."

Demmer smiles at the two.

Layne sits corrected. Lentils it is. The raspberry tea gently spins in the drinking bowl, held just outside Siv's reach until she's had her medicine. Layne looks from nice tea to medicine tea. Nice tea, medicine tea. Her bangs sway. "Drink the medicine, Siv, or you'll never see your pie and dumplings again."

Demmer says, "Well, get her fixed up, BB. Mayhaps I can give Ardice something to do while you're lawyed up here... But for now, I have some place to be. Take care all."

Bottlebrush smiles and nods to Demmer, "Be well, Demmer. Come and visit again soon!" He grins.

Demmer places a paw on the okay shoulder of Siavine. "Anything you need, just let me know..."

The tweak gets an elbow that, and the tail-tickle, unfolds into an erratic right hook. "St'ppot S'v."

Sivaine would huff a sigh if it wouldn't mean moving her ribcage. "All right. Give." She lowers herself back onto her pillows with glacial speed and extends her good paw for the cup of hated drink. She's only had it once, true, but she can hate things quickly.

Bottlebrush whoofs as the hook catches him under the ribs since he was facing away. The fox sits down on the floor and blinkblinks, wheezing out, "..She..hits.." He gestures to the drink and sucks in a breath, "WHoo..Someone give it to..her..?"

Sivaine blinks. "Mm? Bye. Thanks." Words are being rationed. Her eyes follow the otter as he departs, then return to the fox. "Told you." A ghost of a smirk plays on her muzzle.

Layne watches Ardice swing, one eyebrow perking. "So. Everyb'dy in your family -is- dangerous. Ardice just does it in her sleep." Mental note, wake Ardice with cold water from a distance.

Bottlebrush huffs slightly and gets up, inching away from Ardice, "Mice are dangerous.." He takes the cup of still-steaming herbal tea and offers it to Sivs good hand, "Drink up.."

"Last time she- nf. Liked a boy. Hit him with a book." Sivaine pauses to think about this, as Ardice curls back up into a little mousedumpling and starts her strings chorus again. "Was five." Her fingers close automatically around the cup, and brings it to her muzzle. Sivaine eyes the cup, steels herself, and begins drinking.

Sivaine says, "..doesn't taste like evil."

It is not near as bitter as last night. BB seems to have put a good amount of hiney in to take teh edge off without going too far and making the drink cloying or sickly sweet.

"..more like petty crime," Sivaine decides after a few more tastings. She flicks an ear in lieu of a shrug, and finishes it off.

Layne decides to let sleeping mice lie. As Siv drains the last of the draught, her paw goes out, moving the bowl of raspberry tea into reach for Siv to take. No sweeteners in this cup, though there's more than enough sugar in the pie.

Bottlebrush chuckles warmly and shakes his head in amusement, "Story of my life, that is, Siv."

Layne's ears move forward a touch. "Your life is petty crime? Should we lock up the flatware?"

Sivaine doesn't take the undrugged tea right away - she waits until she fels the numbness start to spread through her body. There we go. Then she takes the tea with a garetful nod to Layne, not bothering to sniff it before she takes the first sip. "..f'r a pirate king, you know healing well," she points out, observing the fox out of the corner of her eye.

Sivaine says, "Bottle. What happened to your finger?"

Sunrose arrives from the Infirmary, looking a little weary. She has three wooden bowls tucked into the crook of her arm, each appearing to be half full with pastes.

Bottlebrush flashes Layne a grin, "Oh yes! I might hide it in the bunk room!" He then blinks at Siv and winces when she calls him a pirate king before looking down at his paws, "Hmm? Oh! Last night, when I set your arm, you gave me a nip. It's rather common when setting broken bones for the beast to want to bite someone or something."

Layne is already shifting the tray of food to her lap, ready to offer it over when Siv says the word. Mmm, tasty, tasty pie. See the pie, Siv? The pie is calling to you. The pie wants to be your friend. From inside your stomach. Make the pie happy, Siv. Fulfill the pie.

Sunrose's nostrils flare - brow arching, "Something smells good .. and in the recovery room? What a miracle!"

Sivaine has the grace to look guilty. "Sorry. Didn't break skin?" The mousemaid blinks at Sunrose's voice. More people. She's dimly aware of this, but the pie is filling her vision. She starts to reach for it - with her bad arm. "Argh."

Bottlebrush flashes Siv a grin, glad no one is asking about her 'pirate king' comment to him, "Naw. Just bruised it, Siv. You passed out mid-bite."

Layne has the good grace to look no more than slightly smug as Sunrose comments. With a reception like this, she might manage to steel herself into bringing kitchen takeout here more often. Er... though that would require more of her friends be grievously injured, and she doesn't want that. Layne's smirk dissolves into a scowl. "You don't move that arm. Or else. I don't even have to make a threat-- the arm will see to that itself." She makes sure the tray is within reach of the not-multiple-fracture-and-deep-tissue-damage arm.

Sivaine makes a face, mid-sip, and sets the tea down on the tray. "..I _swooned?_" She eyes Layne. "No spoon-feeding," she warns. Pause. "Er. It _is_ nice of you, though. Pie. Things." Sniff. "Fennel gravy?"

Bottlebrush chuckles, "No, passed out from pain. Swooning is fainting from emotion." He moves to sit in a chair Ardice is /not/ in.

Tameus has now acquired a stuffed animal. It's a rather floppy, badly-stuffed rabbit-thing with one eye, which he holds by the ear while heading into the recovery room. The kid pauses and then beelines toward Sivaine.

Layne eyerolls. "Trust me, you're the -last- person I'd mother, and I'm the -last- person likely to be mothering. Yes, fennel gravy. The potato dumplings were naked without it; an offense to the eye."

Sunrose pauses a moment, seemingly waiting for a slight break of the three's conversation to interject. "I worked on a paste, for numbing .. I wasn't sure how many were injured .. We still have plenty of lambs ear, yes?"

"Glad we know the difference." Sivaine's questing paw finds the ginger biscuit plate and dips one in the tea. After the first bite she sets it down and goes for the dumplings - she's much hungrier than she first thought. She blinks. "How's Taye?" This is to.. well, one of them. Whoever knows. Tameus gets a curious look; Siv curls her good arm around her bowl to steady and possibly protect it. Her dumplings. Yes.

Bottlebrush hmms? "Taye? He is fine. A number of stitches on his face but he is otherwise fit as a fiddle and bouncier than a cricket!" He smiles.

The curious look is returned, and Tameus answers as he .. climbs up. Onto the foot of Sivaine's bed. "Taye's okay. Had t' tell him t' not touch 'is face." He offers out the toy rabbit to the injured mouse. "I got y' this to make y' better."

Layne, sadly, has only a rudimentary awareness of who Taye is. She winces at Bottle's choice of simile, though. "Uf. Crickets. Cake. I need a cake." Her face presses into her paw. Right.

Lark still has a packet of small round objects in her paw as she sticks her head in the door, peering around to see who's there. At the large grouping of beasts around Sivaine's bed, she pulls back, glancing back into the hall, then shrugs and enters the room, making for her friend. From behind Layne she murmurs, "And I need to get them swords, but I was a little worried they'd wreak havoc while catching your crickets."

Sunrose clears her throat, pinkening in the ears slightly as she sees the others intensely occupied with their conversation - so being it, she approaches one of the work benches and begins to lay out the bowls.

A dumpling pauses en route to Siv's mouth. "Cake?" In it pops; she closes her eyes briefly and chews, looking pleased.. and then faintly surprised. "You did?" she asks Tameus. The spoon goes back in the bowl; now comfortably numb, she leans forward to reach out and take the stuffed toy's paw in her own. "This is yours." It's a statement, half-wondering.

Sivaine glances briefly to Lark. ".._swords?_ Wait. For the _Hewitts?_"

"The /abbot's/ crickets," Layne automatically corrects. She's in this scheme under protest and with awareness of looming disaster.

Bottlebrush looks towards SUnrose and blinks, "I'm sorry! Err..Yes! Everything is fine insofar as I know but.." He shrugs, "I am not an official Abbey Healer, just a silly fox with good knowledge of healing, I am."

Tameus shakes his head a little, smiling as he passes the toy to Sivaine. "No s'not. I had one like 't at home but not n'more. Jus' foun' it t'day when I was lookin' f' something t' give you. Make y' better." His ears go a little to each side. "I wanted t' bring you flowers .. but .." Pause. He leans forward to tell her in a conspiratorial whisper, "'s /winter/."

Layne gives Lark a /look/ from under her eyebrows, barbed as raspberry brambles but with the same slight promise of sweetness. She knows what's in that package. The set of her mouth carries the unspoken request: 'ask, next time.'

Lark looks a little guilty when Sivaine hears her too, and shrugs, packet of sweets going behind her as she shrugs, getting it out of Layne's sight (yes, that means it's gone, never happened). "What can I say? It got them on a better track, and... well." No mention of her childhood fascination with weapons. "I'm not going to hand them real swords."

Sivaine accepts the toy awkwardly, sort of cradling it between elbow and dumpling bowl; it leans forward, nose dipping dangerously close to the gravy. "Um. Well. Thank you." You can't help but smile at this kid. Her ear twitches and swivels to catch the whisper, and then she laughs. "Really." A brief glance at the grown-ups gathered. ..well, they already heard her mumbling about flying toads and lentils. Heck with it. She surreptitiously snugs the battered plush against her side. "Soft things are better. What's your name, then, you?"

Sunrose relaxes into a more confident smile, "I'm Sunrose." she offers Bottlebrush, "An Elder at the abbey. I thank you for lending your aide."

Bottlebrush bows his head to Sunrose, grinning, "I'm Bottlebrush and I thank you for not cringing when you looked my way." He winks and straightens up, "As a dibbun, I always wanted to see Redwall and now that I am here, I want to help. Healing is what I know so it is what I do."

Layne was kidding about the toads and lentils. >.> You'd think Sivaine would have caught on to her style by now.

To Lark, Sivaine mutters out of the side of her mouth, "They could do serious structural damage to the Abbey with a _spoon._"

"He doesn' have one yet," Tameus responds. Oh wait. She was asking his name. The leveret grins, scooting in closer and sitting with his knees curled around his bent-up knees. "'m Tam. An' you're Siva-some'n. 'm sorry I didn' help y' last night. I had t' take care'a Taye an' 'Arper was takin' care'a you." Nod.

Lark laughs at Sivaine's comment, stifling it as soon as she can since she's not sure how many people heard that - sure, she's just laughing for no reason. She leans down to reply, "It's still standing after I took a whack at it, I'm sure it'll survive. Besides, I got a promise. And I won't hesitate to fight them on their own terms if they break it."

Raynen wanders into the room, and says "Hey, there's some sort of disturbance down in the great hall, I think that dibbun (what's his name...) Reuben has been making trouble in the kitchen again."

Layne quietly slips off, having dropped off her kitchen tray-- not quite as anonymous as she might have wished, but, oh well.

Zzzzz.. Zzz-"A- a- atch-!" A cot, covered with a mess of blankets, mysteriously sneezes - only then a not-so-mysterious pair of russet ears peek out, and swivel to-and-fro to find any missed daydreams. Sniffle-snuffle.

"I'd be more worried about your kneecaps," Sivaine retorts at the squirrel, and downs another dumpling. Most of her attention is on Tam, though. "So you did. Better you didn't - seems I bit him." She nods at Bottlebrush, and grins toothily. "Just Siv, Tam. Good to meet you, and.. er, you." She glances down at the toy. "Hm. He needs a name too."

Sunrose clicks her tongue, waving gently at the comment of Bottlebrush's appearance. "You are a fine fox." she states, closing one eye with a quick smile. "Perhaps we can sit by a fire soon and you can tell me the methods you know. I find it always good to drill travelers."

Bottlebrush bows his head again, this time to hide his blush, "Any time, Miss Sunrose. I love to speak with other beasts and trade knowledge on healing." The fox smiles again, "It is a quick way to pick up new tricks hat could one day save a life."

Tameus tilts his head. "Y' could name 'im Taye," he suggests, and a bright little smile blooms across his muzzle. "I can stitch up 'is face an' then he'd /really/ b' Taye!"

Sunrose exhales dramatically, "If only one might come with a method to get dibbuns to take their medicines without wailing, they'd certainly be the next coming of Martin."

Bottlebrush laughs warmly, "I wish I had a solution for that, marm. As it is, I tend to let Abbey healers work with the dibbuns whenever possible."

Lark grins over at Sunrose. "Lace a pumpkin pie with a medicine, I promise you it'll get eaten." She looks over Sivaine, then smiles. "Is there anything you need, Siv? I just came up to check on you."

The blankets shuffle about, and grow a head! Star blinks at Sivaine and Lark and Bottlebrush, and snuffles, and looks right through them. Blurry sleepy squirrel. "'m.. s-s'ry?" If confused, apologise! It'll make it all better.

Sivaine considers this. "But Taye has two eyes," she points out, then pauses. "..he does still have two eyes, right?"

Sunrose says dryly, returning the grin to Lark. "I don't know, when my children were dibbuns, I thought perhaps they'd grow up to be swindler's with the skill they could tell that Mum was trying to trick them."

Bottlebrush blinks and looks towards Lark and Siv and the group, looking puzzled. Are they speaking of him? Taye? Some other beat? Ah well, he does not dwell today. For some reason, he feels good!

Lark nods at the Sister. "That's why anyone but you gives it to them," she replies with a small bow. "Ask the cook to offer a slice of drugged pie... it'll go down like everything else."

Sivaine looks up. "I think I'm all right for now. Bottle brewed some of your tea, and Layne threatened me with pie." There's a slight smirk there, but much softer than, well, usual Siv. "Thanks Lark."

Blink. Sivaine eyes the slice of pie on her tray, then Lark, then the pie again. Hmm.

Lark tentatively pats Sivaine's shoulder. "Let me know if you do, hmm? I'll stop in every so often." She offers a polite nod in Sunrose and Bottlebrush's direction, then smiles at Tam, which widens to a grin at Sivaine. "If I wanted to drug you, I wouldn't tell you how I did it right in front of you, now, would I?"

Tameus nods. "He's got'm both. What w' need t' do's find a button an' stick 't on. An' give 'im stiches. An'. Freckles." Because Taye has freckles, right?" His muzzle comes up and around. "Who's gotta button?"

Demmer returns to the infirmary, carrying something kinda large in front of him, with a draped cloth over it. He crosses the room, offering a brief hello here and there, heading for Sivaine.

Bottlebrush looks back at Sunrose and gives her a courious look, "If I can ask..What is an Elder, exactly?"

Sivaine's ears twitch at the familiar apology. "..is that Star still in there?" she asks Bottlebrush. Lark is grumbled at good-naturedly, and the shoulder pat endured, but possibly-Taye is the attention-getter of the moment. The mousemaid looks slightly relieved at that. "Two eyes. Good. Does he have freckles? He'll need a uniform, for sure."

Sunrose idly begins to pick up scraps of left over bandaging linen, the odds and ends. At Lark's remark, she smiles again, but is momentarily distracted by Bottlebrush. "Oh I .."

Bottlebrush looks over and smiles, "I think that is Star peeking out, Siv.."

Sunrose puts a finger to her lips, "Well, an Elder is above the rank of a Sister or Brother .. but obviously beneath the Abbot .. It's usually appointed from a particular expertise .. Though I still can't imagine why anyone ever thought I was wise!"

Demmer watches, looking totally confused.

Bottlebrush ahhs softly and nods to Sunrose, "Wisdom is one of the hardest, yet most common, things for a beast to get."

Sunrose replies with some chagrin, "And hard knocks doesn't always promise it!" she turns her attention over to Demmer, "Is everything alright, sir?"

Demmer replies to Sunrose, "Oh, just a little lost in the conversation, and didn't want to butt-in."

Demmer edges his way around to the little night stand next to Sivaine's bed and commeneers it, politely making room with one paw for the sheet-covered thing in his other paw.

Bottlebrush chuckles softly and shakes his head, suddenly looking towards Siv, "You know, Siv..I have this little ditty stuck in my head since I woke up..But I don't think I should sing it here.."

"Hmm." Sivaine looks over, trying to distinguish which bit of squirrel is what, but here's Demmer. It's getting crowded again. "..I don't remember it being my nameday," she blinks. It's quite a cozy scene - she's all tucked up in bed talking to Tameus, with a bowl of dumplings on her lap and a.. battered stuffed rabbit tucked into her arm.

Tameus nods again. "Freckles an'. Uhm. I d'know what color 'is eyes are. I know he /likes/ green eyes." The kid looks around, brows furrowing at the lack of any reply to needing a button. No one's feeling helpful, huh. "'m supposed t' find 'im someone wit' brown fur'n green eyes an' an 'S' name." He taps at Siv's undamaged arm. "You're th' one what needs takin' care'a. Ask some'n for a button an' needle an' thread."

Lark is turning to leave when Star is named, which makes her spin back around and beeline for the pile of blankets. "Star? You awake in there? I haven't gotten to say hello ever since I got here."

Demmer finally sets the thing down pulling away the sheet. Pretty vegetation resembling blooming flowers (this is winter after all) occupy a vase literally made from a amall broken tree trunk. Silently, he walks back around to find a comfortable place with the rest of Sivaine's gaggle of well-wishers.

Bottlebrush starts humming the tune under his breath, a catchy little melody..

Sniffle. Star's crept up out of her blankets - a little more 'least - and blinks at the strange new squirrel. She can hardly /see/ Lark anyhow. "U-um.. h'lo?" Confused squirrel too.

Demmer smiles, "Good Evening Starlenia. Feeling any better today?"

"Brown fur, green eyes, and an 'S' name, hm?" asks Sivaine the brown-furred, blue-green-eyed mouse. Her mouth curls in an amused shape. "You have a point. Demmer, you wouldn't.. be hiding a sewing kit in that bouquet, would you?" She's starting to look a touch uncomfortable with all this attention.

Lark moves closer to the bed, voice quieting. "Star. It's Lark. I've been around for a couple weeks now." She can see that the other squirrel must be sick, or she wouldn't be burrowing like this. "Are you alright?"

Demmer shakes his head. "Nope, but there is a knife incase you need to cut your restraints and escape this prison." he replies flatly.

Bottlebrush blinks towards Demmer and chuckles, "This is hardly a prison.." He then hmms and looks around, calling out, "Ten more minutes before visiting hours are over!"

Bottlebrush chuckles and dips his head to everyone, "For now, I must sleep.." He makes his way over to a chair and settles in, "Wake me if you need anything!"

Demmer chuckles to Bottlebrush. "It becomes a prison fast... If you don't believe me, try it out sometime."

Demmer says, "Sleep well, BB."

Bottlebrush flashes Demmer a grin, "I hoep I never get injured badly but I have been hit by way too many beasts." With that, he closes his eyes..his good eye, the other is always open and always glinting sickly in the light. Anyways, he closes his closeable eye and is asleep in moments.

Tameus's mouth thins into a disappointed line, and he shakes his head. "Arright. We have t' go find buttons an' needles." Now he gives the not-mangled arm a slight tug. "C'mon, Siv. We're on a mission!"

Starlenia sneezes 'gain, and her eyes threaten to engulf the world. (When she blinks, there're typhoons in Southsward.) "L-lll.. Lark?" she whispers. "Y-you.. you're.. I-I-I.." The quantum weather squirrel stares, wide-eyed.

Demmer turns to the Lark and Sunroes and Tameus. "Please, forgive my manners. I don't think I have met either of you three. My name is Demmer. I am a guest here, doing carpentry, as well as learning healing and reading while the carpentry is a little thin for the season."

Flicktail wavies to every beast

Demmer gets no attention from Tameus, at least. The kid is preoccupied with trying to get Sivaine out of bed.

Lark slides to perch on the edge of the bed, as well as she can with all the blankets and such. "I know. It's been a while, Star." Her head turns to smile and nod at Demmer, but her body is inclined toward Starlenia. "It's nice to meet you, Demmer, I'm sorry I never asked your name in the midst of everything - my manners have been rather lacking since I left here."

Sivaine is too drugged up to feel any pain from that, but it can't be good for her limbs. "Careful there," she cautions the leveret, trying to steady her bowl of dumplings with her knees. "Hold on a moment, Tam." ..there goes the bowl. Sivaine bites down on a bad word.

Flicktail looks at Sivaine "Wonts elp?

"I, I-I.. thought.." stumbles the squirrelmaid - she's running out of words again. Rather by surprise, she creeps out of the blankets to give Lark a great big hug, and clings like a little fluffy sock just from the dryer.

Demmer says, "Take care, Siv. I'll be back to check on you later -- as if you don't have a whole host."

The same bad word Sivaine was about to say comes out of Tameus's mouth. Casually. And he climbs off the bed to retrieve the bowl and its contents, very much going with the five-second rule. He stands next to her cot, holding the dumplings out of reach. "C'mon then."

We-ell. Bottle did say she could get up and walk about once she finished her tea. Sivaine's mouth works for a moment. "I can't feel my feet," she points out, though they slide off so she's sitting on the edge of the bed anyway. "And there's pie and cookies?" Important to tank up before missions of great importance, yes?

Tameus lifts one of the dumplings out of the bowl and chews on it, eyeing Sivaine for a moment. "Y' can't jus' sit 'ere eatin' when we've got a /Taye/ to save. He needs an eye!" Munch munch.

Lark catches Star in a warm hug, not seeming to mind the clinging at all. "I'm fine. What about you? You don't look so fine..."

"What'd I say 'bout not bothering the patients?" questions a voice from behind Tameus. Harper's muzzle twitches a bit, but he's holding that mock serious face pretty well. Arms on hips!

Sivaine considers laying down the executive decision that the stuffed toy in question is not Taye, but the Colonel, and no extra eyes are needed, but, "Harper." The mousemaid looks relieved, sounds guilty. Caught in the act! Of escaping. And hugging Mr. Bun.

Sivaine asks, "You wouldn't, er, have an extra eye? I mean button."

Tameus blinks and looks up, then angles his muzzle around to look at Harper. A broad, happy smile slices across his expression. "Y' didn' say nothin' 'bout th' patients. Y' said not t' bother sleepin' beasts." And Sivaine certainly isn't sleeping, so he considers his point made.

Starlenia lets go of Lark 'ventually, and nods. "Nnn-no, 'm, 'm.. aa-aachoo!" She drags a blanket 'round her and shivers. "'m nno-not, um v-very well.." Sniffle.

Oh, bother. He did, didn't he? "I s'pose I can't get away with havin' /meant/ the patients, eh?" Harper grins, then looks past the leveret to Siv. Brow-quirk. "an extra ey-button?" He almost does it, too. "Think I could manage that." And then, without pause, "What're you doin' up?" Guilty mouse!

"No.. y' can'," Tameus tells his favorite-person-ever with a shake of his head. One of the dumplings is taken out of the bowl and offered to Harper, and his eyes slide back to focus on Sivaine. "I foun' her a doll t' make her better. We d'cided 's Taye, but that means 't needs 'nother eye." Pause. "'nless there's some one-eyed 'are y'know." Which would at least make it less work.

"Blue, for preference," Sivaine adds, glancing down at the stuffed rabbit. "..and some freckles. Er. Brown thread." She looks back up at Harper. "Being up?" she suggests hopefully. It seems others have been here - there's a crude vase full of winter greenery, a tray of pie, tea and ginger cookies, and Ardice. Still curled up in the chair beside the bed, making horrible little whistling noises. 'Zhwee. Zhwee.'

Lark frowns. "How long've you been sick, Star? Lucas told me you were sick the day I got here, and I haven't seen you awake in any of my visits." She glances over towards the bunny-repair conversation, but is more concerned with Star. "I can go wrap some hot stones to put in bed with you if you like... warm you up."

Starlenia decides /not/ to tell Lark 'bout sneaking out in the snow to watch the stars at night - even though she's prob'ly been seen outside anyhow. "Um, a.. wh-while," is all she can say. She's no sense of time, here on the inside!

"Anything else I c'n get you?" Harper jokes, amused by the specifics. He looks around at her little setup, which is arguably much nicer than most patient's! "You been cleared t'be up 'n' about?" He hasn't been in the infirm all day.

Harper looks back to Tameus, crouching down to consider the leveret at his eye level. "Well-now, that was rather nice o' you. Seems it's made 'er feel right good, to be up 'n' about." His muzzle twitches in a small smirk.

Sivaine dons her best poker-face. "I think Bottle's exact words were 'when you can behave and drink your tea,'" she answers, hitching the stuffed rabbit up; it's slipped a bit. "I did drink my tea. Am I behaving?"

Tameus's muzzle twitches as well, and a little smirk becomes apparent there as Harper asks Sivaine the question. "B'havin' ain' as nice as ev'ryone thinks," he mutters, mischief in the tone, and puts another dumpling in his mouth.

"I'm not so sure ya shouldn't still be on punishment for the last bit o' mischief you got yerself into," Harper says with an amused glance up at Sivaine. He relents, though, with a nod. "But... aye. Getting up 'n' about will be good for yer breathing with that broken rib."

Lark gives Star a concerned look, but just nods. "Would you like hot stones? Might help you warm up. Not a good season to be sick for so long, might be growing into something worse." A smile goes to Tam, but she's focused at this point - even dibbun mischief won't sway her now. "Lucas said you joined the order?"

"I'm twelve, not two," Sivaine points out, though with her oversized spare shirt, headfur down and one-eyed companion, it's.. not quite so evident. "What happened to 'good job?' Hm." The floor is eyed, like the surface of a diving pool far below.

Tameus sidesteps a little until he bumps into the side of Harper, and leans there. He finishes the last of Sivaine's dumplings and puts the bowl back on the end of the cot. "Where we gonn' get a button an' things?" he asks, still entirely focused on the task at hand.

"Only if-if-if.." Star begins to protest - but the shivers glare her into submission. "Um, yes.. p-please?" One of her ears turns ever-so-much to watch Tam, but she nods. Her habit's 'round somewhere..

"I forgot to care about the good job when some random otter walked in carrying yer bleedin' arse," is Harper's rather ungentlemanly reply! He looks briefly unsettled, and then with a small shake of his head looks back to Tameus. He rests a paw on the buck's shoulder. "Here - hop into the healer's dormitory. I've a pack in there with what ought t'do the job."

Lark smiles crookedly, recognizing a familar sentiment. She rises and heads for the hearth, where she places several of the stacked round stones closer to the fire, and removes four that were nearly in the fire with the poker. These get wrapped in cloths and carried two at a time in her tunic (holding the bottom edge away from her) over to Starlenia so she can tuck them in under the blankets, two at her feet, two along her sides.

Sivaine wrinkles her nose. "It was my arm bleeding, thank you," she replies, and perhaps spurred on by the healer's tone, edges her feet down onto the floor and stands, slow and wobbly. There. "Right." She takes a step forward, or tries to, and slowly starts to fall with a little mutter of '..bugger.'

Tameus has a talent for picking out the bad words, because he chirps, "Bleedin' arse," and grins. He leaves Harper to deal with Sivaine's toppling form, and heads into the healer's dorm to find the pack he's been directed to locate and bring back.

Ditto on the bugger. Harper has enough time to sigh in exasperation before he's catching Sivaine around the waist. Grump! "That went well."

Starlenia offers a grateful smile , and sinks into her pillow - there's little else 'less she'll rumple the blankets even more. "Th-th.. 'nk, um, you," the squirrelmaid says, softly, and sends rather a concerned look to Lark. "Um, wh-why did you.." Sniffle-snuffle. Sneeze!

"I suppose this downgrades me from 'idiot' to 'moron,'" Sivaine muffles from somewhere in the folds of Harper's cowl. Mr. Bun's, as she's come to temporarily think of the plush until it can be Taye-ified, ears droop.

Aww. Lark is trying not to look sad at Star's kinda pathetic state. "Sivaine!" comes first, though. "Get back in bed, the belladonna is numbing you. That means function, as well as pain. Same goes for most strong painkillers."

Tameus trots back in with the bag he went to go fetch. He stops a few feet in, looking at Harper - holding Sivaine - and his face reads a sort of amused version of 'get a room'. "Heh," he says, and then gives Lark an annoyed look. "Oy. Sh' hurt her arm, no reason sh' can' walk 'round." Because he's sure bedridden sucks, and must rescue Sivaine from it.

Poor Mr. Bun's, stuck in the middle of these situations. Harper catches Tam's glance and kind of randomly reddens, then gently helps Siv back onto her cot. "... I'll settle for keepin' it at idiot." It's hard to call a hurt beast a moron when they're all helpless in your arms and whatnot. Ahem. "And Tam - be nice. Let the healers do their job."

"Ss-si-sivaine!" Starlenia 'xclaims - she's only just seen the mousemaid. "Wh-at are you.. wh-why are.. w-wha-what's happened?" She must be practicing her voice for 'nother Conference of Anxious and Worried Squirrels.

"'m bein' nice. s' not nice t' make Siv stay in bed when sh' doesn' need to," the kid says pointedly. "Her legs ain' hurt. An' y' jus' /said/ 'd be good f' her breathin'." Ahh, the logic of youth.

Thank goodness for habit fabric obscuring her vision. "Evidence says otherwise," the mousemaid muffles. She looks rather grumpy about the whole being helped-back-into-bed business. "You know, it wasn't really the Patrol's fault." For a creature as, er, independent as she is, finding herself being babied on all sides is.. well. Eartips redden. "..hello, Star."

"And then she tried to, 'n' started t'go the way of the Bell Tower after an earthquake," Harper concludes for Tameus.

"Well y' shoulda been holdin' her then. Y' can' let y' boat sink jus' cause 't tips a lil'," the kid retorts. Sivaine = dingy.

Sivaine manages a weak grin for her favorite novice - the sick one. "I suppose I can tell you lots of stories now." Blink. "I'm a boat now?"

Harper's mouth opens to retort, when he suddenly realizes he's about to retort at a leveret. His teeth give a little click as he shuts it. "How isn't it their fault, exactly?" The Long Patrol, that is.

Sivaine er-hems. "Did you find buttons?" she asks Tameus, hoping to draw him off. Back to Harper. She starts to respond, pauses, and shuts her mouth. "..erm."

Sivaine says, "Technically, nobeast _asked_ me to charge it in the face."

"A-are you.." Starlenia repeats, quietly - she'd fairly rather not be heard 'tall, and it's rude to interrupt.

"And that's why yer an idiot, but that doesn't mean it's not their fault." Harp's starting to get scowly. "You shouldn't've been out there. These beasts train practically their whole lives 'n' sacrifice for this sorta thing 'n' instead they ask a-a-a /mouse/ to step in for them?" Boo.

Lark reaches out to pat Starlenia's shoulder. "Her arm's broken, but she's fine. If she stays off her feet while /drugged/, she won't /fall over/..." No, definitely not aimed at the sick squirrel.

"S'v y'r 'diot," mumbles Ardice, and shifts in her chair. Poor thing's been sleeping all day, but then again, she was up all night fretting.

Harper makes a triumphant gesture at Ardice. See? There!

Tameus dumps out the contents on the bag onto the bed. Easy way to find what he's after - including a good collection of different buttons. "'Arper, stop bein' mad at th' Lon' Patrol. They jus' wanted th' owl dead." He chirps at them to draw their attention back to the buttons. Look! See! Taye eyes!!

"Harper," Lark cautions with some surprise. "What, you're going to make all her choices for her? She's a free mouse, and quite capable of taking care of herself. They weren't going to refuse her help... they just didn't expect her to stab his eye. If you'd seen Taye's face, you'd know he was as against it as you are."

Starlenia shrinks into her cot again - only she does still watch Sivaine all worried-like. Harper and Lark and Siv have everything in paw.. don't they?

Sivaine is starting to get scowly back. Sort of. The narcotics are getting in the way of any real annoyance, annoyingly. "It would've been fine if the torch had lit, but nothing was _working,_" she retorts. "I just wanted to _do_ something, all right?" All right?

Harper "If Taye-!" Harper looks about to continue on his little tirade when his muzzle suddenly snaps shut. He breathes out a frustrated sigh through his nose. "I'll shut up." And without ceremony he sits on a stool, silent but still kind of scowly.

Tameus gets a scowly expression as well, eyes narrowed. "/'Arper/. /Siv/. Help me wit' th' buttons or I'ma go do it m'self. An' /you/ can tell Taye why he's stuck wit' only one eye."

The look Sivaine levels at Harper clearly says she'd _love_ for him to continue down that path, but there's kids present. "Mrrrgh," she grumbles, and lets her breath out in a sigh. "All right, Tam," she nods, setting the stuffed bunny near the button pile. "Any blue ones in there?"

Still. "This is why I didn't tell anyone," Sivaine mutters, barely audible. "You'd've locked me in the wine cellar."

You say, "Hey. Pay 'ttention, Siv."

Hares. Big ears. "Right, right." Sivaine props Mr. Bun up with her knee so her paw is free to sort through the pile.

More big ears. "Yeah. Yer right. I would 'ave." But Harper goes to crouch down next to Tameus, looking through his belongings all scattered about. He plucks up his small sewing kit, a Novice's best friend. There's some brown thread in there. "You pick the button, Tam."

Lark bites back a laugh at the leveret, and quickly turns back to Starlenia before she gives herself away by grinning so much. "I'm glad I got to see you. Awake, I mean. And, um..." She doesn't exactly know how to say this, so she continues stumbling through, but quieter, just between Star and her. "I guess I'm... sorry. I kinda just up an' left, middle o'tha night. Stuff... needed to deal with."

Tameus climbs up onto the bed and pokes through the buttons. "Uhhhm." Lots of black buttons, a few white buttons, lint, a random twig. This last is flicked at Harper and then the leveret snatched up a blue button, holding this up triumphantly. "Here!"

Sivaine picks up the plush, leaning forward to hold it up for size comparison. The action makes her wince and inhale through her teeth. "Tsst. Think there's a.. second one?" Nose wrinkle. She's _fine._ Mr. Bun's little stitched face stares forlornly up at Harper with its one black button eye. . >-<

Starlenia rather fidgets. Her eyelids are already beginning to droop now - too many people makes squirrel tired. u.u; She gives Lark a brave little smile though. "It-it-it.. 's all, um.. 'kay," she answers - or whispers. Different-sort-of-sniffle. "'m.. 'm... ha-happy you're.. that y-you're.." Zzzzz. Sleepyskrl.

Harper stares at Mr. Bun's, who will presumably soon be Taye. Leetle scowly face. Just a leetle one. He sorts out needle and thread, then holds out his paw for the plush. "Tam?" As for the second button, that is.

Lark smiles down at the sleeping squirrel, then leans down to gently hug her old friend. Then she silently rises, letting Star sleep. "How're you feeling, Siv?" she asks, noting the wince. "I can make a new pot of tea if you've run out."

Tameus holds up the button to Taye's face, eyeing the two of them and then nodding. "S'good," he declares, and gives the button to Harper. Actually the black button is rather larger than the blue one, but he seems to like this. "Keep th' black'n. Looks like he got punched in th' face." Which will go well with the face-stitches. True to real life.

"I think it's wearing off," Sivaine replies. At Tam's words she stifles a laugh; she steals a glance at Harper as she hands the doll over, to see what he thinks of this idea. Still hurts, though. "Ow. Yes. Honey."

Harper's muzzle is wobbling. He's fighting it - he's fighting the grin! Ahem. "Sounds fine t'me." He takes the doll, and then the button, and gets to the sewing. He positions the button just right, of course. Haha, pokin' Taye in the eye. Serves him right. He smirks. And then shakes his head at himself.

Zzzz-zzz. Starlenia turns over in her cot, vaguely mumbling. She's rather too sleepy to steal mini-Taye and carry him off to dreamland though..

Lark goes over to the teapot that's lingering on the bedside table, testing the sides for heat, then peering inside. "When did you drink it last?" she asks, picking up the whole pot and taking it over to the collection of herbs, where she starts rifling through in order to find honeysuckle. "I'll add a little flavoring straight to the pot, and give you honey in the dose." Quite a bit of honeysuckle gets ground up in a small bowl, then a tiny bit of boiling water gets added from the kettle on the hearth before she adds it to the pot.

Sivaine cants her head to the side, or starts to. Grimace. The tea is fading fast. "How about a uniform?" she ponders, watching Harper's needle work in and out of the cloth. Or.. some sort of clothes. She tries to change her position as little as she can, but her breath becomes shallower as her ribs start protesting, and she picks up a stray button for something to distract her. "A while ago. Five hours? There was sun."

Tameus leans in and watches intently as Taye's face is sewn. "After that y' gotta stitch up 'is face like what was done las' night."

Harper looks up at Siv, his needle stilling for the moment. Worry lines briefly form, but there's nothing he can do save to hope the tea brews quickly. "I think I could snatch a bit o' green fabric from a rubbish habit - s'about the same color as Patrol uniforms." He ducks his head back to sewing.

Lark nods and hastens her pace. With injuries like Sivaine's, five hours is a generous wait between doses. The teapot gets set beside the fire while she finds honey and a clean cup, pouring a dollop of honey into the bottom of the cup. She doesn't wait long for the tea to heat up at all, though... Colder tea is better than waiting for tea.

Once he's done with the eye, he cuts the thread with his teeth and obediently gets to work on the face stitching. It's considerably less lightly done than what his face received, but it's got to be a little exaggerated for a doll.

Sivaine makes a little "Mm," sound of acknowledgement, keeping her eyes focused intently on the work. Not on her arm. Not on the button she's squeezing in her fist. "Oh. Tam. Harper might-" Ow. "-know some'n like you're looking f'r. Green eyes? Thing."

Lark brings Sivaine the tea hurriedly, leaving the pot by the hearth, but a little further back so it'll stay warm, but not really hot. Going to the other side of the bed than Harper, she sets the cup in Siv's good paw, steadying it with her own. "Should taste better than last time I gave it to you."

Tameus keeps an eye on the Taye doll as it's worked on, nodding his approval. His muzzle then comes up, ears perked. "Ohh. 'Arper. Needta fin' some'n with' brown fur an' green eyes an' an 'S' names. F' Taye."

Harper's eyebrows perk at Sivaine's words, and then he glances at Tameus. And then, at the description, his eyes shift to Sivaine again, rather noting each of those characteristics in the mouse. He blinks. "... Um."

Sivaine squeezes her eyes shut, fingers twitching; they grab 'round the cup with more force than's necessary. After a moment, she inhales shallowly and lifts the vessel to her lips, downing the contents without protest. Breathe out. "Hhh. Bl'.. blasted /bird./"

Harper says, "IIII... think maybe we ought to just let Taye find someone in his own time."

Lark steals the cup when she's done with it. "There's at least one more cup in that pot. How's the arm? Or just deadweight?" She glances at Harper and tries not to crack a grin. "Well, Harper, do you know any nice lady hares with brown fur? Maybe Tam could help Taye, even if Taye doesn't end up falling in love with the pretty doe."

Sivaine opens her eyes again, and sees Harper looking at her. "What," she asks, voice rather flat.

Tameus looks a little perplexed, eyeing Harper in a curious manner. "He didn' say a doe," he tells Lark, "he jus' said some'n. An' if he didn' /want/ me helpin' he would'a said." This last is directed at Harper again.

Sivaine's fingers clench, reluctantly relinquishing the cup. "It's fine," she answers. After a bit, her paw starts to relax from its tense, claw-like shape, and the furrow in her brow disappears. "Thanks."

Harper is caught in Sev's glance. And proceeds to poke himself in the finger. "Ouch!" he yelps, and looks back at his sewing. Aheh heh heh...

Sivaine says, "Lark. How're you going to get at the.. where the claws were. With a splint on."

Tameus isn't sure what caused the slight tension in the room, but he senses it and gives a questioning noise.

Harper finishes the face stitching - and it does look quite like a Taye! He cuts off the thread, then holds up the doll for inspection. He even added the little freckle-spots. "How's it look?" he asks of Tameus, trying to distract the kiddo.

Lark nods at Sivaine, then covers a yawn. "I'm just asking. Until the splint comes off, there's not much done in there. After your bones have healed some the splint will probably come off so the healers can check your arm, and they'll give you one of birchbark that won't be quite so in the way."

This doesn't sound very good to Sivaine. "No? You don't need to.. clean, or air it, or.. something? Change the bandages even?" She glances down at her immobilized forearm doubtfully.

Tameus is already distracted from Taye Doll. He looks at Harper blankly, then to Sivaine. There's a pause, and he crawls along the bed, leaning in to get as close to the mouse's face as possible. Trying to see her eye color.

Harper's eyes just about bug out of his head at Tam's actions. He manages to actually choke on his own spit. He's talented.

It occurs to Sivaine that her vision has gone fuzzy. She looks up, directly into the leveret's eyes with her own - sharp turquoise, and a little wide at how _close_ he is. "Er. Hello Tam," she manages.

"I can' tell if they's blue 'r green," Tameus says. Which is his reason for being very close up, evidently.

Blue! They're blue, damn it! Harper sits verycalmlyandoesn'tsayanything.

"What?" Blinkblink. "My eyes. Sort of both?" Sivaine offers, not quite sure where this is going. What with the numbing effects of the tea and the pain before that, she's forgotten certain bits of the conversation. The mousemaid tilts her head to the side, and the shift edges it juuust to the side of dark sea green. Blame the lighting!

The kid's ears shoot straight up. "They /are/ green!" he says excitedly, and throws him arms around Sivaine's neck with a gleeful giggle.

That's alarming. Harper appears to be squeezing the Taye doll's neck.

Lark interferes finally, only to pull at Tam. "Easy there, you'll hurt Siv if you put your weight on her ribs or her broken arm."

Blink. Blinkblink. "Are they?" Sivaine asks rather dazedly, going to pat the kid's shoulder with her good arm. "Er.. good?" She looks rather overwhelmed and confused.

Tameus clings onto the mouse's neck. He's not /squeezing/ her, but he's not letting go either. Too excited. "I can' wait t' tell 'im!!"

"You'll have to let go if you're going to tell him," Lark points out. "Tam, you need to let go of her. Taye won't be happy if you tell him you found the beast with brown fur and green eyes, and have to admit you hurt Siv at the same time."

"Tell who? What?" Pause. "/Oh./" Thank you, Lark, for spelling it out. Sivaine's expression does a subtle change - it's still overwhelmed, but confusion's made way for awkwardness. "Er. Um." The mousemaid's eyes dart to Harper. Help.

Taye's newly sewn eye is starting to pop out a little bit. Harper blinks back at Sivaine, during a curiously good imitation of a sane beast. "So! Nice weather we're having, isn't it?"

"I think.. Tam, I _think_ I'm not the one Taye's, er, looking for," Sivaine says veery carefully. "..Harper, you're squeezing his eye out."

Oh. Harper immediately releases the doll and it drops to the cot. You kind of make it to make a little toy-squeak sound, you know? "Sorry."

Tameus leans back, his hands on Sivaine's shoulders, and gives her an amused look. "Do y', or do y' not, have .. brown fur, green eyes, an' an 'S' name?" he asks her.

Lark backs up. She's clearly not going to be of any use here. But Harper gets a look of sympathy. "Y'know, Tam, she doesn't exactly have just green eyes, they're blue and green. Do you know if there are other brown-furred, green-eyed beasts in the abbey? You might want to check first before reporting in."

Sivaine gives Harper a speculative look - or a worried one - and opens her mouth to respond to Taye. "Ah." She holds up her good paw, finger upraised to object. "Well. Yes. But so does- so do other beasts."

"Who!" the leveret giggles eagerly. "Tell m' who, an' I can go find 'm too! Then Taye can pick th' one he likes best!"

"Tammy, maybeyoushouldgetdown." Harper clears his throat, continuing at a calmer pace. "You shouldn't be climbing on injured beasts." And he looks back at Siv. Blinkyblink. Whaaaat?

Stare. "_Buh._ What? Um." Eloquence, thy name is Siv. Her ears have long passed the point of delicate pink, and are flushed to deep rose. All of them. "Fwuh." Blink. Blink. Blink. "Um." The look the mousemaid gives Harper is stricken and relieved. 'Help,' she mouths.

"Since when is it our job to find this beast, or maybe beasts? That's your job, Tam," Lark points out.

"Well, that would.. erm.. wouldn't that take all the fun out of finding them?" Sivaine asks weakly.

"S' not s'posed t' be /fun/," Tameus insists. "Jus' s'posed t' get th' job done. You're th' first one I foun', an' if none of y' know anyone else.." Kiddy Logic once again. He stares at Sivaine, then says in an intent, wide-eyed murmur, "What. 'f. You're /meant t' be/!"

"There's an, um, otter! Name o'... name o'..." Harper looks around the room, frantically. "Sage!" His eyes just happen to glance over Siv's flowers. "Brown fur, green eyes. Ought t'check into it, Tam." Serious nod.

Sivaine makes a curious little sound in her throat, best transcribed as 'ggulurgh.' "What- what- what-" Now her face is starting to redden too, at a much quicker rate. "_What?_"

Tameus swings his eyes over to Harper, and gives him a flat look. His little crescent-moon eyebrows lift. "Are y' makin' that up?" he asks, head tilted oh-so-slightly off to the side. His eyes. They're large, they're innocent, and they just /dare/ Harper to lie.

All's fair - well, you know the saying. Harper's expression is dead serious. "Nope. She was just stoppin' by the abbey t'day. I bet that was Taye's intended... S'too bad. I guess he'll just have t'go off 'n' find her."

"I- don't- think-" Sivaine squeaks out. Her eyes slide toward the door. Okay, she can't walk. But maybe she can army crawl and, um. Hide under a cot.

Oh, yeah. 'cause Harper would looove for Taye to leave. Tameus just blinks at Harper, tilting his head. Finally he nods - Harper's his friend. he'd never lie to him. So this is accepted, but doesn't draw his attention from Sivaine. "'ll find th' otter later," he says. "But, think 'bout it. Taye was real 'pset 'bout y' gettin' hurt," he tells the mouse. "Bet he was p'tectin' y' 'gainst th' owl. Bet y' would'a /died/ if 't weren' f' him."

Lark refrains from laughing at dibbun logic... it wasn't too long ago that she pulled this kind of thing on Sivaine, so it's really not her place to argue with Tam.

A muscle under Sivaine's eye twitches as she stares at Tam incredulously. "Well, yes, but.." she starts again, then just.. bows her head, eyes closed in defeat. Gaaah. "All right." Her good paw raises and drops on the leveret's shoulder. "Why don't you go.. go find the Lieutenant, and see what he says. All right? I'm sure he'll be very." Erm. "Interested."

"Well," Tam says, considering this idea, "'d take y' with me. But /some/ people," - pointed look at Lark - "think y' should stay in bed." Pause. "So! 'll jus' have t' bring 'im here!"

Lark doesn't respond to Tam's look... more than just a solid What-You-Lookin'-At stare back in his direction.

Ooookay. Harper has lot the ability to speak. He just stares, rather blankly, looking between Sivaine and Tam.

He stands up. Sits down. Stands up. Turns halfway to look at some cabinets. He... points. "Cleaning. Um." His shoulders give a little shake, like a dog dislodging an annoying fly, and he walks over to the cabinet. And stands there.

"What." Beneath her fur, Sivaine is the color of a pomegranate. "No, that's- it- ..bugger." She looks at Harper, a mute plea bubbling up from the depths of her wonderful blue (or green, at this point) eyes.

Tameus is beaming. "Y' jus' stay right 'ere!" he tells Sivaine, and pats her cheek. Then he hops off the cot and goes skipping - yes, skipping - toward the door. "I'ma get 'im!"

Wait for it... Lark is about to burst, no offense meant to Sivaine or the bebothered Harper. But if Tam i in the room, it's very rude.

Sivaine can't really do anything else. "Okay," she squeaks, defeated. "You do that." She watches him go, and then pulls the blanket over her head.

Harper is repeatedly arranging herb jars in the cabinet. Nonono, shortest to tallest. Nonono, alphabetical. Nonono, sort them by fullness!

"Sweet chickory in the ditches," the blanket groans. "I can't believe this."

Tameus comes dashing back in. Prancing, even. He skitters to a halt a few feet into the infirmary, and turns back to call into the hall, "Hurry /up/ Taye!"

The blanket-lump shrinks. "I don't suppose another cup of that tea would knock me out..?"

"And put you rather close to comatose. Sorry, Siv."

"Well. Bugger." There's a rustling; Sivaine tears the blanket off her head and looks around. "Harper!" she hisses, then looks up at Lark. "Where'd he put the.. other one?" With the black eye.

Lark reconsiders. "Well, actually... if you really can't suffer this..." One question a little louder, showy for Tam, "Are you suffering, Siv? I think we might be able to give you a small cup if you think you need it."

A certain lieutenant comes rushing into the room! His shoulders are covered in snow, he looks just about frozen solid, and he looks worried as all heck. "What? What! What's wrong? What's happened?" He literally slides to a halt in the middle of the room, looking all around for this emergency in the infirmary.

Yeah, uhm. Maybe Tam made it sound reallyreally urgent, just to make sure Taye would come. Maybe, just maybe, he used the words, 'come quick, the infirmary, it's important!' And it worked like a charm. The leveret goes to grab Taye's hand and /draaag/ him to Sivaine's bedside, then clambers up onto the cot - reaching to snatch at her blanket. "What're y' doin'!" he scolds as he does so. "He needs t' /see/ you!!"

Harper, meanwhile, just looks miserable. He makes a strangled little sound in his throat and makes an odd paws-waving, fingers-wiggling gesture and walks mutely into the healer's dormitory.

Lark, already hovering at Siv's bedside for the 'necessary' tea discussion, bats at Tam's paws. "Leave her be! What'd we tell ye about clamberin' on hurt beasts?"

"..no, no. Hide the bunny," Sivaine hisses instead, and does her best to look as, well, composed as she can. She takes one look at the Lieutenant and shuts her eyes. "..hello, Taye," she greets, not daring to open them. "Would you like to tell Tam what _other beasts_ are at the Abbey with brown fur, green eyes and names that start with 'S?'" Her voice rises slightly in volume.

Lark looks around discreetly, finally seeing the stuffed bunny where it slid off the cot after being dropped by the strangling Harper. A footpaw edges that direction, under the cot, so it's as unnoticeable as possible... to drag the bunny further under the cot while remaining as motionless as possible.

Waitwhat? Taye bliiiiinks and looks from Tameus, who he is quickly realizing /didn't/ call him for an emergency, to Sivaine. His eyes widen and he goes bright red. "What d'ya mean? What? I don't know. I don't know any beasts that look like tha'!"

Tameus turns around to stare at Taye. "/Look/ at 'er!" he demands, and points at the mouse. Jabs his finger in the air, aimed at her direction. "Brown fur! Green eyes! Sssssiv!!" Emphasis on the 'S'. "She's th' one y' wanted me t' look for! /She's th' one you're gonna MARRY an' have BABIES with/!!"

Lark has to turn away in order to not disgrace herself. Slight shaking might give her away, but other than that... no, she's not stifling laughter. Insane laughter.

Sivaine's eyes fly open. All right. After being coddled and cosseted and not even having use of her legs and now _this,_ she's had enough. "Wh- _Yes_ you bloody well do!" she rages at the hare. "It's your bloody place to tell him things instead of planting crazy ideas! Now he thinks we're some sort of-" She turns to stare at Tam. Her mouth opens. No sound comes out.

Taye looks from Tameus to Sivaine and, no offense intended to the pretty mouse, looks patently horrified. "Ican'thavebabieswith-!" But Sivaine cuts him off. "I didn't! I- it's not YER place to decide who I tell what to about things!" WHAT?!? The poor hare backs away, trying to inch towards the safety of the door. Geeze oh peeze! He'll take the blind owl over this.

Tameus stares. "/What/," he says flatly, ears pinned back. "/What/.. didn' y' tell me." His eyes are locked on Taye, and .. oh dear. His fur is starting to poof out. The little kit looks like a discolored cotton ball, or a puff of raincloud. With long ears.

"Of course you bloody well can't! *You* dissuade him from planning the wedding!" Sivaine retorts, now red with another emotion entirely. That cup on her bedside table is starting to look awfully throawable, pleasant and mellow feelings of the drugged tea be damned. "And while you're at it, tell Harper it's not your bloody fault I froze up and got this arm!"

"He certainly doesn't listen to _me,_" Siv aims at the door to the healer dorms.

Taye's eyes suddenly fall on the little hare plushy, which he can now see as he comes further away from the cots. His mouth is working, but there's no sound coming out. None at all. It's like someone has stolen his air. He suddenly blinks at the last bit, though. "But it /is/ my-" And out comes Harper, pointing in utter triumph at Taye. "HA!!!"

Tameus is the one to throw something. Fortunately, it's not a cup. A cup would hurt. What he chooses is.. a button. Hey, it's the matching blue button! And he throws it, hard, at the living-breathing hare of the same name. "/What/ aren' y' /tellin'/ me!"

Okay. "Enough, Siv." An extra partial cup of tea is sounding good, so Lark pours it and forces it in front of the mousemaid's face. "Drink. Now. You're so riled you aren't going to sleep at all." Her eyes go to Harper, and her glare could freeze a summer's day. You know better. "Taye... kindly give Tam a different directive? You three are going to be quiet, now, or Dark Forest come tomorrow, I will personally throw you all out into the snow."

Sivaine twitches, looking between the two. For the second time today swings her legs over the side of the bed, pushes herself to her feet, and totters there unsteadily, partially due to the fact that she's nearly vibrating with rage. "YOU. Don't you *DARE* think that it's your fault," she rages at Taye, steadying herself on the bedside table. "*You* asked for volunteers, but *I* chose, over and over again, every. Time. You. Asked me. If I want to bloody well die for my sister and stab owls in the eye because it's the only thing I can DO, I'm going to bloody well DO IT, and STUFF your notions of.. of whatever! And YOU-" She rounds on Harper, takes a step forward, and falls over.

Lark spills the cup of belladonna tea, but manages to catch Sivaine with only a small jostle of the splinted arm. "Down girl," she murmurs, only for Siv to hear. "Let boys be boys." No matter what, Siv is going back in that bed. "Don't make me tie you down," she adds, helping the mouse towards her previous position. "I'll do it."

Tameus squeaks and lunges. He didn't save Sivaine from toppling earlier - he must do so now! Though actually it's a good thing Lark caught her. No one wants a squished Tam. (Not usually, anyway, but right now... Hm.) He stumbles off the side of the bed, jerking back out of the lunge and sitting hard on the floor. The kit grunts and looks.. not best pleased. His scut hurts. "... jus' tell me," he mumbles.

Taye is just. Bewildered. He looks like a hare, well, caught in a snare! He's struggling, though, and he /will/ gnaw through that leg if he has to. He flinches as the button strikes off his nose. "I aren't - I mean, I'm not... /not/ tellin' you anything." or so he says to the button-thrower. "I'm /not/ going t'marry her, Tam, I'm /sorry/..." He continues to back toward the door, but goes deer-in-the-headlights at Siv's tirade. He blinkblinkblinks. He was just on sentry duty, minding his own business, and somehow this happened. Has he offended thee, oh spirits?

Well, Taye might be horrified, but it's like the sunshine's just come out for Harper. At the other buck's words, he breaks out in a stupid-happy grin. But it's short-lived, because now Siv's yelling at him and then she's falling. He takes a jerkity step forward, but Lark's already there. He looks apoplectic with apology. "Siv, I'm /sorry/!" Making her fall and whatnot.

"No, no. This is good for my breathing," Sivaine mutters for only Lark to hear, and is wrestled back into her bed with bad grace as she shouts at Taye, waving her good arm for emphasis. "Yes! Good! Thank you! Brilliant!" Then she promptly leaves him to deal with Tam, and pulls her blankets back into some semblnce of coverage. Hrmph. Harper gets a Look.

The squirrel doesn't look all that pleased with Sivaine's activity, but she can't help but stifle a smile. "Your breathing'll be just fine," she retorts at an equal low volume. Instead of joining the triangle, she makes the bed neater, straightening the sheets up around Sivaine. "Play nice with the boys. They're not as smart as we are," she offers in a whisper, finally unable to not say anything - dibbun mentality might lighten Siv's mood a little.

Sivaine turns a disgusted and baffled look on Lark. "_What_ are you _talking_ about?"

Okay, there's screaming. That means screaming's okay for him, too. Tameus isn't usually the shouting kind but he seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle, and more than anything the kid is fixated on wanting to know. Exactly. What it is Taye hasn't told him. He draws a breath - still seated on the floor, his scut throbbing - and growls at the room in general, "YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH'A PANSIES!!" Senseless insults, ahoy.

Harper sidles over towards Siv's bed, ears flattened back as he glances at Lark - oddly askance of permission. "I really am... Are you all righ'?"

Taye's attention is drawn back to Tameus with a jerk of his head. He blinks. "Buncha crazies..." he mumbles in wonderment. "Is it catchin'?" He kind of absently wipes at the front of his tunic and takes another step back, afraid that it very well may be.

"I'm fine. I'm furious, but I'm fine, and definitely not made of glass. I don't break if you touch me, Harper," Sivaine remarks darkly, managing to sort of awkwardly cross her good arm over her splint and glower.

Tameus scowls at Taye. The Lieutenant has apparently gone from Second Coolest Person to ... not so much. The kid's eyes stay on him and it is not, by any means, the smiley, sun-shiney expression he usually wears. "Tell m' why y' don' want Siv," he huffs at Taye, pushing to stand up with his ears up straight, giving little flicks and twitches. "Y' /said/ y' wanted some'n wit' brown fur, green eyes, an' an 'S' name. But y' didn' even /think/ 'bout 't. I went though all that 'ard work an' you won' even give't a /try/.."

"I /know/ tha'," Harper mumbles. He is a repentant novice. He glances at Lark then looks down at the foot of Siv's cot. After a few seconds he seems to regain some of his resolve and looks up, eyes leveling on Siv. "I guess I understand wanting t'prove yer good for something, 'n' I know maybe the Abbey's not exactly the most exciting place for you. But you have creatures who care about you, Siv. Yer sister 'n'... well." He stops short, then starts again with a shrug. "Like it or not, we're all sort of attached t'ya, now. I think we'd kind of appreciate it if you'd avoid actively tryin' to get yerself killed."

The squirrelmaid gives Harper a sigh and a little shrug, not even going to bother answering Siv... clearly too late to reach her with humor. "Siv. Consider trying to deal with this calmly, just maybe?" Snarky Lark's back, just in time to butt heads with Grumpy Siv... but she does pick up Harper's statement, and the inadvertant hole therein. "Like me, for one. You kept me from crackin' my head open several times over, mind letting me at least try to return the favor?"

Sivaine stares back fixedly, listening. "I wasn't _actively_ trying to.. oh, bugger." She shuts her eyes and pinches the bridge of her muzzle. "I was supposed to _leave_ before this happened."

Taye looks at Tam for a long moment, seeming uncertain how to proceed. His eyes shift briefly to where the others are grouped, then back to the young buck. "Tam, look. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you t'... do this. I didn't think you'd go find someone. But, look..." He continues weakly, "First off, she's a mouse. I'm a hare. Second... ya just ought t'leave it to me, mate. All righ'?"

Tameus just looks puzzled and disgruntled. His cowlicks are even more cowlicky than usual. "I tol' y' I'd find some'n," he grumps at Taye. "Why didn' y' believe me when I said 't?" His eyes narrow. "If 't was y' bein' a hare, an' her a mouse, y' would'a /said/ a /hare/ wit' brown fur an' green eyes. But that's not 't. I can tell."

"Yeah, well. You didn't." That's classic Harper, right there. Blunt and to the point.

"Fwh-" Sivaine's whiskers twitch and bristle. "I don't see why it should matter. I'm going to be _gone._ All right? I always go!"

Why didn't Taye believe him? Well... Let's be honest, now. He bites back a sigh. "Why? Because yer a leveret. Most leverets don't go 'round matchmakin' beasts, Tam." Heh. He runs a paw through his headfur. "But anyway, we were talkin' about me havin' kids, weren't we? How'm I supposed t'have kids with a mouse?" That's a fair question.

"So will I," Lark points out. "But that doesn't change the fact that Star was worried sick about me the whole time. Even when you're gone, Siv, we care. And while you're here... we aren't giving up on you, no matter how many times you yell."

Tam's mouth opens. It shuts, opens a little again, and he grunts out. "I jus' wanted t' help." He eyes Taye for a moment, hurt and suspicion in the dusky gaze, then paces a few feet in one direction - and turns, pacing back again. He's grumpy. He wants tea. The leveret takes up a cup and climbs onto the cot next to Sivaine's to pour himself some of her tea. "So who /do/ y' want? Who's got brown fur an' green eyes an' an 'S' name an' is a /hare/?" Sip sip.

Harper looks a bit beaten back by Siv's words. He cuts his eyes away and they briefly settle on Lark, though he's not really looking at her, per se. "If yer gonna go, then yer gonna go." He shrugs.

Lark is about to respond to the saddness in Harper's eyes, then she sees something dangerous. "Tam, don't! That's got medicine in it!" She's on the wrong side of the bed to do anything about the leveret without leaping over Siv, or running faster than she's able.

Sivaine can understand the grumpy-tea connection, but.. "Tam! Not that tea!" she starts, trying to make a grab for it. Yeah. Without use of her legs.

Tameus swallows as Lark suddenly shouts at him. For his own good, or something. His tongue pokes out, running along his upper lip, and his eyes drop to the cup he holds. "... oops."

Taye is about to reply to this new question, when Tam gives him an excuse not to! His jaw drops open and he crosses the room quickly, plucking the cup from the dibbun's paw. Not like he expects him to drink anymore, but there's something about what is effectively poison in the hands of a child. "How much was in that?" he questions Lark with a glance.

Lark swallows, not looking pleased. "A full cup is enough to numb a grown mouse for a little less than six hours, and probably send them straight to sleep. A couple swallows won't kill him, but he can't be left alone for the next hour, preferably two. You've seen Siv's motor control, and I'm sure you've heard her say some odd things, too. Tam could easily fall and hurt himself, or *do* something odd that he doesn't realize is different."

The kid isn't nearly as concerned as everyone else seems to be. He blinks up at Taye when the cup is snatched, and uses this opportunity to make a snatch at the older hare's arm - hand fisting on the sleeve. "'n not lettin' y' go til y' tell me," he grumps. It's about the closest to a threat as he can actually come up with. There ya go, Taye. Suffer the consequences of whatever no-good-awful-terrible thing you've done! "Tell m' who 't is."

Taye's ears twitch back. He tugs ineffectually at his sleeve, and Tam's arm follows. He's not sure whether to laugh or growl. "What makes you think there's someone?"

Tameus says, "Call 't a hunch."

Sivaine watches. Worriedly. From her bed. She can't really _do_ anything, apart from studiously not make eye contact with Taye and try to seem natural about it. So she leans forward to peer at grumpy!Harper.

"And if yer hunch is wrong?" Taye's not saying it is, but.

Tameus finds himself blinking more than is usual. He stares at Taye, blink-blinking, and scrunches up his nose before replying, "I don' think 't is."

Oh, don't you worry, Siv. Taye's going to have some grumpy words for you later. He gives her a Look. Lots of those going around, tonight.

Harper looks like he's torn between staying there and going anywhere else. In the end he opts for sitting on the empty cot beside Siv's. Silently. Boooooooo.

Lark is moving to make up a cot one beyond the one next to Siv's - she may have actually learned tact - for Tameus. "Tam, you need to lie down. You can keep talking, but lie down. Otherwise I'm going to give you a lot of nasty medicines to make sure you don't get sick from the strong medicine you just drank." In passing as she directs her words and gaze at the leveret, she unobtrusively reaches out to pat Harper's shoulder.

Tameus gets a better hold on Taye's wrist and the bend of his arm. He cinches his fingers into the shirtsleeve and goes a little dead-weight on Taye. He feels odd. Lark's words come in fuzzy to him because he's not focused there. She sounds kind of like wuuhhgggsshnrrghhhggftttbbrrst. "Tell m'," he says to Taye again.

"Well, I can't help what ya think, Tam. And some things are private. D'ya know what that means, 'private'? It means sometimes grownups don't tell dibbuns everything." And then? Tam goes dead-weighty. Taye shakes his head ever so slightly and grumbles, then scoops the leveret up to deposit him in, of all beds, the one Harper sits upon. "Let go of m'arm, Tam," he says patiently. "I've got t'get back to sentry duty."

Tameus squeezes his eyes shut, still holding onto Taye's arm. Even after he's scooped and plopped down, the kid clings on. Mollusk-like. He mutters, "I know y' lied t' me." Long pause. "I don' trust y' Taye."

When, exactly, did things get so.. sober? Somber, even. Sivaine puzzles over this, somewhere in her own slightly fuzzy mind, worrying thoughtfully at her lower lip. Her rage dissipated by concern, she watches from her peripheral vision and tries to stay unobtrusive.

Lark moves closer, paws gently trying to peel the leveret off the lieutenant. "I've got the next watch, Taye, but I'll watch him till then. He should be sound asleep, by the look of things. I don't think he's stronger than me, anyway. But someone would need to come to watch him before I'm comfortable leaving."

Harper looks up as the paw rests briefly on his shoulder. He manages a small shrug and an awkward smile that is equally brief - and hopefully unobtrusive. Ah well. Any reason to dwell? No! Sooooo, he changes the subject - for at least those not plagued by persistent dibbuns. "So I'm planning t'pursue Brotherhood." Out of the blue!

Tameus still holds on. He is a mollusk, he is a leech. He is an unhappy kit who won't let go.

Harper is quickly approaching full-on exasperation, though he's still short of irritated. Good thing. He keeps his patience. "I'm sorry, Tam." He sounds so final about it. He takes hold of Tam's paw, trying to work the cloth of his sleeve out of it.

Lark, luckily, has seen this before. Even with Tam semi-conscious, she rises to wrap a folded blanket around one of the largest grinding pins from the infirmary table, creating a quick substitute for an arm, which she returns to place next to Taye's arm, using a little more force this time to move the dibbun's attachment to the fake instead of the real. "Good for you, Harper," she comments, as if there's nothing odd going on.

Tam's fingers uncurl one at a time. He's doing it himself already when Taye reaches for his hand, and the other one darts out, clumsily, to smack the adult's away. Now Taye is completely free of the kid and Tameus crawls along the cot, away from him - toward Harper.

Sivaine runs her paw through her headfur, remaining, well, silent. She eyes her bandaged, splinted and slung arm, and runs her fingers lightly over the loose-woven cloth.

Taye doesn't know precisely what to do. All he knows is that the look he sends Sivaine's way is, um. Not full of love. "Thanks," he mutters at her before turning and making for the door. Hurting the feelings of a cute little kid was /not/ on his to-do list this evening. Bother!

"I didn't send him on a wild goose chase," Sivaine retorts, but her spleen isn't in it. Once Taye is gone, she sort of curls up into a quiet little Sivball, although it's more a matter of just pulling her knees up halfway and studying the lumps they make under the blanket. Grump.

Harper's announcement did not have the distracting effect he was going for! Boo. He scoots an arm around Tameus as Taye leaves the room. "I'll watch him after you have t'go, Lark." And then, to Siv. /Again/. "I'm thinkin' about tryin' to become a Brother." Poke-poke-prod! C'mon outta that grumpy shell.

Lark pulls back, hovering around Tam, but hoping Harper will comfort him when Taye wouldn't. Sivaine gets worried glances too, and then a hover. "He didn't make it any easier, I know, but you could just let it go. Congratulate Harper?" she prompts. "I think it's a lovely idea," she tells him, turning slightly. "Healing?"

Tameus leans into Harper for all of a few moments before suddenly, with a soft 'nnf' noise and a jerk, he pulls away from Harper, sprawls on his belly along the cot - and leans over to look underneath it for the doll. Of course, he's on the wrong cot, and his head comes up, twisting around, one ear stuck straight up. "Siv. Sivsivsivsiv. Sivwheeere's .. th'.. th'.." Inefficient gestures are made for a moment with one hand. He's waaay out of it. "Where'sth'/doll/Siv!"

Sivaine looks over, with the sullen-lidded gaze of someone who doesn't particularly feel like being cheered and resents the efforts, and says quietly, "Oh." Pause. "Well. That's good." Her voice lacks much inflection, and her ears are at half-mast. "Where is it, Lark?"

Lark drops to her knees, looking under Sivaine's bed instead of the bed Tam is lying on. "Here." Possibly a bit dustier than last seen, the Taye-doll is retrieved from beneath the cot and offered to Tam. "You did give it to Siv, Tam," she says slowly, making her words over-carefully.

Tameus stretches out along his belly, reaching. His fingers curl in a grabby-hands gesture like a toddler and he gives off a little warbling noise. It's actually a rather sad sound. He grabs up the doll from Lark, twists to roll himself over, and stumbles off the cot. The doll is held in both hands, up in front of him a little - and stared at.

Oop. Harper watches Tam's actions silently 'til the dibbun hops off the cot. He does the same, coming up behind him to kneel. He hooks an arm around the kiddo's waist... "Tammy, you gotta stay kinda still, okay buddy?" His ears are also at half-mast, what with two of his favorite folks being kind of bummed. He hugs his other paw around Tam's shoulders, though he doesn't restrict Tam's use of his arms. And to Lark, "Well, that's one thing. I've trained as a healer but I've also been acting as Recorder..." He shrugs, but he's kind of distracted by Tam.

"Recorder would be nice," Lark offers quietly, knowing Harper's mind is elsewhere. "To have someone officially recording everything is important here. It's how Redwall survives from season to season, without losing any of its heritage." Her eyes are on the dibbun, though, and she moves around to be a pace ahead of him, just in case.

Sivaine huffs a little sigh, watching this from her bed. "Um," she starts, almost hesitantly, something in her voice not quite.. Siv-ish. Well, Siv-as-prickly-pear. Then she bites her lip and stares fixedly down at her arm.

Tameus stares at the doll. He mutters something at stuffed-Taye and then it becomes audible. "j's w'n'd'a 'lp." More staring, then suddenly his arm draws back, doll in hand, and he /hurls/ it across the room.

Oof. Right in the stomach. Not particularly what the squirrel had in mind when she moved up.

Tameus grunts. He stares at the doll, makes a lunge to snatch it away from Lark, and now steps /around/ her - wobbly lil' bugger - and throws it again.

Sivaine sighs. Again. "Lark. Bring 'em here," she waves with her free paw, rather lacklusterly.

Um, Lark's closer to Tam at the moment, so Harper's ears prick at Sivaine's tentative sound thing. He glances back at her, brow raising questioningly.

Lark stoops quickly to try and catch the wobbly leveret... but lets him throw the stuffed animal this time, since it clearly means a lot. "You need to lie down," she tells him again, trying to make herself understood, but trying to pick him up either way.

"No. s' mine," the kid stays with as much conviction as the druggy-tea will allow. "'ma thr'w't 'f I.. I.. Iwan't'."

"Okay, Tam," Lark agrees. "You threw it. Now come lie down."

Tameus shakes his head. He's not in the lying-down mood. He's not in the having-people-around-him mood. The leveret shuffles further away, out of immediate reach, and puts his hands to his head. "I. I /jus'/. Jus' wan'd t' 'elp."

Right, well. "Nevermind then," Siv mumbles, barely audible. This being bedridden thing sucks, it really does. She makes a little moue of.. something, and closes her eyes. 'Tired' would be a good way to describe her right now.

Harper to the rescue! With an insular sigh, the buck walks rather simply over to Tameus and, without fanfare, picks him up. He balances him on his hip, so that the leveret will be facing in against his shoulder. Convenient for a sad hug. He speaks close to Tam's ear. "Tammy, sometimes folks say things they don't mean 'n' it doesn't mean they don't like you or that they meant t'hurt yer feelings. It just means that they said somethin' without thinkin' about it. Okay? I bet he'll apologize about it tomorrow." Because if he doesn't, Harper will beat him.

Lark nods at Harper. "I have to get out to the wall. He'll act like this for maybe another hour at the most, I'd doubt it'll be half that. The drug'll be everywhere in his system at that point, and I'd expect he'll fall asleep in no time. It's too strong for him to stay awake. He'll sleep the rest off." She looks at Siv, then at Tam. "And I have some choice things to say to Lieutenant Taye."

Harper looks back at Lark, and his own look suggests that, yeah. He's feelin' her, oh yeah. Taye's in a heap of it. "I'll keep an eye on 'im."

Tameus flexes his hands out, fingers then curling into little fists. His toes are splayed out like a stiff cat as he's lifted, head ducked, hanging in Harper's hold. "'Arper," he huffs out, staring at his toes. "s' n't .. 's.. 's.. f'lt," the leveret mumbles. "'m j's st'pd."

Lark nods at Harper, giving clear agreement with his response. "There'll be apologies made, if I have anything to say about it." And she has plenty to say! With that, she moves over towards Siv. "I'll be back in the morning, Siv, I had an idea I want to talk with you about." Another glance at Harper and Tam, then Siv, and she's disappearing down the steps into the grounds outside.

If Siv heard, nothing more than a flick of her ear in Lark's direction indicates it, before they slick back against her head again.

Aw, man. Harper's ears fall more at Tam's words. He hugs the kiddo to his shoulder, his paw cupping the back of his head. All his fathering insticts have gone to waste for too long! It is kind of sad. "It's not yer fault. Here..." He goes to pluck up the Taye doll, then turns and heads back over to his cot. Rather than putting Tam down, he sits with his back to the headboard, keeping hold of him. Comfort! He looks over at Siv, though he doesn't say anything to her for now. "Why doncha try 'n' sleep, Tammy? Shhhhh."

Sivaine's mouth is set in a tight, thin line, she she's doing her level best to ignore the outside world and block out all sounds of conversation. Her breath comes in short, controlled inhalations followed by releases so slow they're nigh imperceptible. "..damn," she whispers.

Tameus hangs like a groggy kitten in Harper's hold. His toes curl and flex and curl again, bobtail giving slight twitches. Mumblemumble. As Harper goes to sit down the leveret bends up his knees and more or less curls in the novice's lap, fingers seeking the front of his shirt and curling into it. He mutters again, quietly and in the back of his throat, "J's w'n'd t' 'lp." And his muzzle tucks against the slope between Harper's neck and shoulder, eyes shut. He's quiet for a little while, huffing in and out, then whines. "D'dy."

That little word cuts into Harper like an unintended but sharp little knife. His eyes close and he doesn't move or breathe for several long seconds. Eventually, though, his eyes open and he looks silently over at Sivaine.

A soft rustling of the sheets indicates Sivaine's changed position - she's let her head fall forward to touch her chest, eyes closed. She could almost be asleep, if not for the droop of her ears and the way her mouth moves, shaping itself around unknown words that gradually form whispers, faint little hisses of air. "..I can't -do- anything else."

Tameus is now completely asleep, nestled against Harper, clinging on him. Feel free to talk about him or each other. The kid is completely out.

Harper's leg is going to fall asleep after a while with Tam sleeping on his lap like this. Worth it. His ears straighten, then swivel towards Sivaine. He glances her way, next. "... Siv?" He heard, but. Well.

Sivaine's shoulders tense a little at the sound and her eyes blink open, creasing at the corners. Then she takes a shuddering little breath and turns her face away, holding up her good paw to hide behind.

Tameus's foot twitches.

Oh bleeding kneecap, is she leaking?!? Harper gets a very alarmed look on his face. He looks hastily away, staring wide-eyed at the wall. The only sound for the moment are Siv-sounds and sleeping Tam sounds, because Harper's not even breathing. He slooowly looks back at her. "... Siv. Siv? Please don't. I'm sorry. I am. Okay? Please?" His voice is very quiet, as if treading lightly.

Tameus's muzzle opens in a slight yawn, tongue curling. He gives a very slight shift and one hand loosens from Harper's shirt, tucking toward him. The back of his hand brushes Taye-doll and reflexively he reaches to get his fingers around it, pulling the plushie in toward him with a soft, sleepy 'rr'.

Sivaine makes no reply except to bunch her shoulders up a bit further, her good paw gripping the side of her face and tangling in her headfur, and.. hisses, not through her teeth but her throat. It's a strained, silvery sound, like some distant wind, and her shoulders give an alarming little hitch every time she inhales. Leaking might be better than this.

Oh man. When are Females Everywhere finally going to realize that the emotional going to pieces thing makes him malfunction? Veeeery gently and veeery quietly, Harper untangles himself from Tammy and lies the curled up leveret on the warm spot they've left behind, pulling a blanket over him. He moves the short distance and, hesitating only briefly, slips over to sit on the edge of her cot. He rests his paw on her shoulder. He sounds kind of broken. "Siv... please don't do that. Talk to me. Please?" He adds, desperately, "You're not an idiot. /I'm/ an idiot. Taye's an idiot. I'm an /arse/..." He's going to start naming random body parts!

One of the kit's feet gives a slight kick. He doesn't protest being set down, just hugs onto Taye-doll.

Sivaine makes a strangled little sound at the physical contact and attempts to curl herself further, almost touching her ears to her shoulders and pulling her knees in. Her good paw doesn't just grip, it claws, hanging from a hunk of headfur like dead weight. "'not." It's less a word than an exhalation, and easily missed.

It's something, at least. He continues the contact, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Please won't ya talk t'me? I didn't mean to... to..." Make her do this?

Tameus is still asleep. Yup.

Sivaine sort of.. sinks, and stays, an immobile mouse-ball, for two seconds, three seconds, five. Then, in a tired little whisper: "I'm not supposed to stay. 'Y're not supposed to -stay.-'" Tireder still: "..I want my fam'ly back."

"Who says yer not s'posed t'stay?" Harper asks in the extremities of confusion and worry. "And... you've got Ardice. She's family. Righ'?"

"'vryone. Allofit. Ev'ryone. -Nev'r- s'posed t'.. 'vry'n. 'g'way b'fore allofit.." A very long pause; dampness spreads over Siv's sleeve. "... M'm."

... Um. Harper looks momentarily at a loss. After a bit he reaches out, smoothing the back of her headfur with a paw. Shh-shh-shh. "... What happened t'you, Siv?"

This is too much. Siv's shoulders droop, her breath letting loose in a long sigh, and she rounds on the buck with defiant eyes and dripping nose. "Whad makes you thing somethig happe'ed?!" Then she makes a horrible 'sngrrk' sound and scrubs at her face with her sleeve, glare just _daring_ Harper to comment.

Harper's paw jerks back. He looks briefly shied off, but he's determined. He just looks at her. "Because m'not stupid. You act like the whole world's your own personality. A creature doesn't get like that for no reason."

Tameus's mouth opens and he gives a soft, toddler-like warble in his sleep.

Sivaine sees Harper's look and raises him a fierce, hooded glare, but it's rather ruined by her state of disarray. "Whad, d'you want a _story?_" she demands, looking about ready to tear up again.

"I'm not goin' anywhere," is Harper's rather annoying reply. He raises an eyebrow. He can sit around all day, but can she stand to /look/ at him all day?

"Y'should," Sivaine mutters, but breaks eye contact by taking another swipe at her face. "Fide." Her eyes flick to her splint; another little mutter. "Fine."

Sivaine says, "I promised. I'm not ever hiding in the bushes again."

That's /right/, his look says. He tucks one leg beneath him and listens. He doesn't interrupt - just lets her tell it in her own way.

Tameus twitches a little and mumbles in his sleep. "'rp'r. .. th' /m'ff'ns/..."

"I promised," Sivaine repeats, and falls silent. She's not in much of a state to deliver an epic saga. The mousemaid stares at her good paw, runs it over her face. "Can't do anything else."

"Not any _use_-" The word has bitterness in it. "Not if I can't do that."

Harper's head is starting to ache. He ducks his head forward, rubbing at his eyes. His thumb and forefinger press in, stars popping up in his vision. "Did somethin' happen to yer family? And you were hidin' in the bushes?"

Sivaine's mouth twitches. "What, they were all slaughtered by vermin while I watched, and I took up a weapon and a vow?" she asks, traces of sarcasm lacing in as she tries to prop herself up. "They're not -dead.- ..most of them. They're just not -here.- ..most of them." Her eyes flick to Harper and she huffs a little. "All right, you win. Story time."

Harper sighs out a harsh breath, keeping his calm by the skin of his teeth. His jaw sets and he nods. "... All right."

"My uncle," Sivaine starts. "My uncle, right? Wait. No." Her paw wavers, flops. "Fine. This is going to sound stupid." The nasty tone drops out of her voice. "Sorry. I'm sorry. ..do you really want to hear?"

"Would I be sittin' here puttin' up with yer scowlin' self if I didn't?" Harper half-grins, and shakes his head.

"..m'ff'ns," the kid mumbles again. He's usually not one for talking in his sleep - blame the tea.

"..." Sivaine eyes Harper speculatively. Somewhere in her mind a sarcastic remark is emerging from its coccoon, ready to spread its wings, but she just makes a little nod and mumbles, "Okay. I told you we wandered. I told you I had a fox for an uncle? The other one was a squirrel," she adds. "They were Mother's friends, and.." Her good paw waves, trying to pantomime her thoughts. "..a-and I promised her! I promised and that's all I can do because I'm tall and strong and I can't draw and I learned the stories because she'd never even _look_ at me otherwise sometimes and just.." She bites her lip. "I'm not any _use_ if I can't.. if I don't go stab owls."

Harper looks suddenly furious. "Whoever it was that made you feel like yer not good for anything..." He shakes his head, briefly mute with his displeasure. He doesn't really need to understand the whole story - he understands the gist and it's enough to make him furious. "You're /amazing/, Siv. You're strong 'n' you're smart 'n' you take /such/ good care of yer sister... You're. Siv. You're amazin' and it just pisses me off so much that you don't get that."

"It was my mother and she's dead, so don't you dare say anythiii.." Sivaine's expression goes through an interesting somersault mid-sentence. Starting from fiercely protective, it loses momentum and slows until it trips over itself, she blinks, and it gets up again, thoroughly confused and a touch apprehensive in the light of a dawning conclusion. "..iiiingwha."

Harper's mouth shuts with a clicking of teeth. Several seconds pass. "You. I. You." Pause. "I-" He finally loses coherence and settles on a grunt, standing up from the edge of the cot. And decides to just gloss over the whole thing and pretend she /didn't/ just look at him like he'd grown a third head. Yes. "My stepdad didn't think I was good for anything, either. But you don't see /me/ lettin' it get to me." That is /so/ a better response than kissing her.

He fails.

Denial only works if all parties involved agree to it. Sivaine eyes Harper warily as he stands, ears going on the alert. /What/ is he going to.. oh. All right then. She relaxes somewhat, folding her good arm over her bad one; a moment later, she lifts it to finger-comb the tangle it left in her headfur. "Well, no. I don't see you," she points out, making a face as she hits a snag. "It's /diff'rent./ It's- I'm not explaining this right. Ow." And another wince, entirely unrelated to tangles. "..ow."

"Why /not/ explain it ri-" Blink. "Ow?" Harper's ears droop. "Ow what?" He takes a step back towards her.

Sivaine's paw tangles in her headfur again, scrabbling for purchase. "Ow," she repeats in a tiny voice, attempting to uncurl but stopping - the posture is no good for her ribs, but moving hurts more than staying still. Her face twists up in a grimace, jaw setting. "..tea left?"

Mr. Harper sorts out a cup - mostly clean, used by Sivaine - and pours a cup of the now cold tea. But cold still equals pain relief. He forgets why he stood up in the first place and sits next to her, again, holding the cup out to her while trying to see what he can do to help her with it. He keeps his silence.

Sivaine makes a clumsy grab for the cup all of a sudden, with a wince and a gasp. "Sst," she hisses, ears laying flat back.

"Easy," Harper murmurs, then shifts, supporting the back of her neck with a paw and placing the cup to her lips. He tilts it so that she can drink, not looking directly at her but rather the cup.

Tameus grunts and hugs-a-Taye.

Sivaine isn't in a state to refuse help, nor care where it comes from - she drinks in silence, gratefully and deeply, until the liquid is gone, keeping her eyes squinched shut until she can feel the numbness start to spread once more. Then she voices her opinion. "..urgh. That's foul."

Sivaine says, "..I mean thank you. Really."

Harper helps her straighten out, setting the empty cup aside. He stays seated there, worry lines creasing his brow. He make a noise of dissent at the thanks. "No need." He briefly hesitates before adding, "Maybe you oughta rest..."

Tameus kicks one foot a little and sleepy-mumbles, "Don' be'a pansy 'Arper." ... er, no, never mind. He sleepy-mumbles about muffins again.

Physical and emotional fatigue have left Sivaine at the mercy of the painkiller; it works much faster this time, and she rests her head against her pillows, watching a spot on the ceiling with increasingly sleepy eyes. "Maybe," she murmurs, glancing to Harper once, then away. "..were you saying something?"

Harper considers, looking into Sivaine's eyes semi-searchingly. To persist, or not? In the end, he... shakes his head. "No. No, nothin' important, anyway." He reaches down, catching hold of the blanket balled up at the foot of the bed. "Why doncha lie back?"

"Oh," Sivaine mumbles, taking Harper up on his suggestion without protect. She's fading fast. Eyes closed, expression relaxed, she looks.. well, nothing like as guarded and prickly as she does when waking. "Well. ..sound'd 'portant."

Harper leans over Sivaine, bringing the blanket up over her. He tucks the blanket 'round her shoulders, smiling faintly with his head fairly close to hers. "It maybe was, but I don't 'spect you'll be awake long enough to trouble yerself." He sits up, paws resting in his lap.

Sivaine's eyes flutter open briefly, watching Harper muzzily as he goes about his actions. "Mm," she mumbles. "Well. T'll me later."

"I will," Harp promises quietly, reaching out to tuck a bit of headfur behind her ear. "Sleep."

Sivaine makes a wordless little noise in reply, before her head slowly falls to the side. She's out.

Harper sighs out through his nose, watching the sleeping Siv for a moment. Eventually he stands, looking from Siv to Tam, then back. He heads over to the door to the healer's dormitory and disappears inside.