12.04.08 - Never Let You Forget

Location: Redwall Great Hall

Characters Involved: Darklett, Harper, Tameus, Sivaine, Zade, Ruddtail, Gwen

Darklett is looking awfully bulky today... Well, he hasn't been putting on any weight, but rather that he's got his uniform pulled on over the thick bandaging around his wounds. Ahh, finally out, whether they want him to be or not. He's /starving,/ and currently helping himself to a healthy portion of breads, cheeses, and what look like a variety of preserves spread out on a tray that balances across the arms of a big comfy chair by the fire.

After the, er, 'incident'. Harper finds his way down the stairs to the Great Hall. He a carries a few sheafs of paper under an arm and his writing implements. He has made his way over and is in the process of sitting by the fire when he spies Darklett. He pauses, then nods. "'Llo," he greets.

Tameus creeps down after Harper. A blanket is wrapped around him, dragging, and he holds his doll. The leveret is keeping nearby the novice but not approaching him - so he sits on the bottom step, huddled a little and watching the two adult bucks.

"Mm? Oh, hey, Harper." Darklett raises his paw, flicking his wrist to the side in a quick wave. "How's your afternoon so far?" Cheery major. He munches, chewing and lifting up his tray, offering it over to the novice. "Anything?" The Major manages to ask around his own mouthful of food.

Harper is kind of watching Darklett closely. "Fine. Oh, fine. And no - m'good. Are you, though?" Stinky little healers.

"Oh, yeah. I got down here, didn't I?" Ear-sway. He can be cheeky right back to the stinky healer. The major brings the tray back across his lap, crossing his legs beneath it, tearing off a chunk of bread from the half-baguette he appears to be in the process of eliminating. "I was kind of being lenient on staying up there this long... Since, you know, I'm a guest and all. It's nothin' you should take as an insult; your infirmary's great."

Tameus creeps in closer. The blanket drags, drags, and then he holds Taye-doll in one hand while reaching up to take something from the tray. Whatever his fingers come into contact with first.

"Smrnf," Sivaine mutters, eyes closed. Being carried indoors. Again. Well, outdoor conversation with the lack of a proper cloak will do that to you. "I _told_ you, I don't want you. Way things are going, you prob'ly prefer men 'nyway."

"So long as you don't start bleedin' on the floor, I don't care." Harper smirks, faintly, and is about to say something else when Sivaine's voice catches his attention. He looks up. Blink-blink.

Darklett grins. "Well, you don't have to worry about that. I can barely move with these bandages on." He chuckles, and turns to face the entryway when Sivaine and Zade enter. Oh jeeze. He eyes Harper briefly.

Zade smirks broadly. "Arright, girly, /that/ is beside th' point," he snickers. "Y' like me. Y' said it. I will /never/ let y' forget."

Blink. Blink. Well, _that's_ enough to snap her out of near-frostbite. "YOU WHAT?" Sivaine glares up at Zade like an offended hawk.

Browlift. "I.. will never let y' forget it..?" Zade repeats.

Whatever Harper's thinking, he doesn't show it on his face. Without a word, he turns his attention back to Darklett. Blink-blink. "So. The Long Patrol. How is. It? Them? You all? Er."

"YOU! Like men! And you.." So much for apologizing. "Gaaaaagh! Put me down, I'll walk myself!"

Tameus glances up, sees Zade, and gives a slight jerk. He knocks into the tray. Hope there was no hot tea on it.

Zade stares at her - then just starts .. laughing. His head tosses back and he cackles toward the ceiling, the shakes it. The mouse is set down but he keeps one arm looped around her. "What I /meant/ is, whether 'r not I like men has /nothin'/ t' do with it."

"You kissed me and you don't even like _FEMALES?_ I'd punch you if I didn't think my fist would get lost in your fat head!" Sivaine wobbles there a moment, fuming - very much fuming.

Okay then. Darklett straightens back forward and throws that torn-piece of bread in his mouth, speaking around it. "We're doin' arright. It's been mostly quiet for us, at least when it comes to /lots/ of vermin in one place." And there goes the tray. He shoots out his paw to try and catch it, but... Hey, extending that injured arm kinda hurts! He tries really hard not to wince, but, well. He does. At least the only thing that fell off the tray was a few cheeses. He glances over to see none other than Tameus. "...Oh. I didn't even see ya there, Tam."

But, the major can't help but overhear what's going on /behind/ him, which... What? He looks backwards, resting the tray on the arms of the chair again. Blinkblink.

"Well y' sure know how t' make somethin' public," Zade mutters dryly. He's grinning.

Tameus grunts as a cheese bounces off the top of his muzzle. He ditches the blanket and climbs up onto Darklett's lap, peering toward Zade and Sivaine from this better vantage.

Aheh. Harper's doing an admirable job ignoring the goings-on behind them. "I imagine a few more casualties for a visit to the abbey then you'd expect, though. Heh." His eyes settle upon Tameus, next. "Oh. Hi, Tammy."

"Y-" Sivaine stops dead in her tracks, and a creative epithet dies on her lips. Sloooooowly, she turns her head and.. oh. Well. Tam, Darklett and Harper. Just the people she was looking for, just.. not right now. "..ngh." It's the strangled squeak of dignity escaping.

Ruddtail comes in from outside, taking off his huge coat and setting aside, just leaving on his normal attire. Coats can be so warm indoors. The otter glances about the room and quickly heads for the fire before taking one of the big empty arm Chairs and sitting down. "Afternoon all" he greets.

The novice, Harper, nods to Ruddtail. "'Llo, there. How's the weather?" Cool as a cucumber!

Sivaine mutters, "..I _hate_ this place."

Tameus glances at Harper. "Hi." He leans into Darklett's chest.

"...A /few/ more. I was due for a good injury, anyway." Darklett seems to be... Aiding Harper ignore all... All that, back there. Yeah. "Afternoon," he greets the otter right back with a nod before turning back to Harper. "It keeps things exciting."

Ruddtail looks up and shrugs. "Ah, colder than ever, snowing hard too" he replies to harper before looking to the warm fire. mmmm...fiiiiirrre

Zade is trying very hard not to laugh. His shoulders hitch a little and he bites at his lower lip, grinning, a low stifled chuckle coming out. "... you'll be arright," is all he says to the mouse, and pats her shoulder. There there.

"Aye? Looked like we were in fer a bad storm... Wonder how much we'll get." Ho-hum, Harper doesn't hear a thing. Lalalala. To Darklett: "I prefer never t'be due fer an injury, good or not."

"Stfrdt-! _You._" Sivaine stops short of jabbing Zade in the chest. When in doubt, get angry, and ride high on that red column of rage. "We're settled now, right? You're not going to go storming off into Mossflower or bite my head off?"

Ruddtail looks at the mouse and the otter before chuckling at the way Sivaine looks. He then nods back to Harper. "Indeed...though I wish it would Rain, more than snow..hate snow"

"I reserve th' right t' bite your head off whenever y' start acting like an arse," Zade says smugly. He nudges at Sivaine, aiming her toward the hares. "Ohoho, look who it is." This is just funny now.

Darklett chuckles. "It builds character, y'know?" Darklett pats at his side, his worst injury from that little skirmish. "Really? I think Rain's the worst. Snow's... Not so bad if you can stay warm." He conversationally munches on some cheese after that particular quip, his eyes just curiously glancing over to Zade and Sivaine.

Tameus reaches up, finds something to tug on. Darklett's ear. "What's goin' on?"

"I'd go for sunshine, anytime..." Harper just kind of mutters. It's getting harder to ignore them as they get /closer/. Bother.

Sivaine refuses to be nudged. She is a solid block of ire. "/I saw,/" she drawls in her driest tones, a vocal antarctic desert. "Yes. Good. Fine. I'll assume that's a 'yes.' Have fun laughing, you've earned it. I'm going to warm up." Shouldering her blanket-shawls, she storms toward the fireplace. Hi.

Ruddtail nods. "Aye, but Rain is better..." he smirks with a chuckle.

"Ow." Darklett leans with the ear tug, closing the eye on that side of his head. "What's goin' on? Oh, I'm just having lunch outside the infirmary for the first time in the last few days. Want anything?" Of course, he has no idea the little buck even took anything already.

".. I /mean/," Tam mutters, "what's goin' on with.. them." Point.

And Zade follows. He wanders toward the collection at the fireplace, finally fixing his tartan to drape across his chest. "How y' all doin'?" Grinning, casual.

Oh hi. Harper looks at Siv with a carefully neutral expression, and nods. "What's so great about rain?" And this is the new pair's introduction to their fascinating weather conversation. He turns his attention to Ruddtail. Blink-blink.

Sivaine mutters something only a bat could make out, but it sounds very much like '_Why._'

Ruddtail watches Sivaine and Zade as they Come towards the growing crowd at the fire. He just gives a quiet greeting nod to both before yawning before looking back to harper. "I'm an otter...all forms of water is good" he laughs

Ha. "Fair 'nough," is Harper's reply.

Tameus eyes Sivaine and Zade with growing fretfulness as they come forward. He's wary of them both for very specific reasons, and this prompts him to clamber off of Darklett's lap and onto Harper's - hunching against his chest protectively.

"Oooh. I don't know," Darklett whispers back to Tam, clearing his throat. "Afternoon, you two." Nod, wave. Yep.

Oof! Harper's legs come together just before Tameus clambers onto his lap and he cushions Tameus' clambering by half-lifting him up. "Hi," he greets.

Sivaine eyes the conversation, uncerimoniously bundling herself into a spare chair. Are we acting like nothing happened? She can act like nothing happened. Yes. The mousemaid closes her eyes, clears her throat, and does a wonderful impression of being calm. Just the.. vibrating with rage, but maybe that's residual shivers. "Major. Afternoon." Pause. "I think you've met Zade."

Ruddtail is bored so starts to stare...he first stares at Harper..Then at Darklett...then Zade...Still Zade...then the fire again. He seems to have lost his tongue so.

"Ah, not formally," The major responds to the mouse, looking up at the big otter. "Major Darklett Fletchpaw. Nice meeting you," and he tries not to give Zade any odd looks.

All the staring! "So - what was your name again?" Harper's looking at Ruddtail.

Zade gives a questioning noise to Ruddtail as he's... stared at. "... Siv. Darlin'," he drawls at her. About to say something, maybe, but he just snorts a low chuckle and flicks his gaze to Darklett. Harper he's met already, yes he has. "Aye, I know of y'," he says to the Major. "Taye's commandin' officer." Nod.

Tameus leans into Harper's chest. His eyes are down. He watches a cricket crawl up onto the tray of food.

Ruddtail looks over. "Hm?" he ohs. "Ruddtail...but Rudd is what everybeast tends to call me..." he replies to harper before..stare...Stare at zade..then stare at fire..then stare at floor...all the staring.

"That'd be me," Darklett confirms. All of a sudden everyone's crowding the fire, it seems. "Glad my reputation precedes me, I guess." He's being facetious, of course.

"Wonderful. I'm sure we'll all get along swimmingly," Sivaine says primly, with her best schoolmarm face on. Then a muscle under her eye twitches. Sigh. "I am _not_ 'darling,' and certainly not yours," she growls in tones of low menace, then continues on conversationally to Darklett, gesturing with her good arm. "Zade was a part of the plan to lure the owl out. He traps things for a living."

"Oh, good. Thanks for the help, then." Darklett gives another nod to Zade.

".. hunt. Hunt things for a livin'," Zade corrects. He nods at the Major. This isn't awkward, no it's not.

Tameus says, "'Arper."

Harper ruffles Tam's headfur. "Hey Tammy, you all right?" Murmur. And then Tammy speaks up. Hm. "Yeah?"

Tameus mumbles, "Let's g' s'where else."

Ruddtail glances over to harper...a habit! ooohhh..."er...By any chance, have you seen Novice Sinway lately?" he asks the buck in the habit...perhaps he knows all...meh, mebbeh not.

"Right. He traps things for fun," Sivaine corrects. Steam is rising off her blankets, but we'll put that down to rapid drying.

"Ah," Darklett nods. "Don't know how many hunters're in this area, and..." He's interrupted by Sivaine. "Uh... huh." What. "Like what things?"

One brow quirks up at Sivaine. Nothing stated back. "Ach, y' know.. birds. Owls, hawks, eagles. Snakes, lizards. Big game."

There's a bit of a bustle in the breezeway, and then Gwen emerges, carrying a large basket full of clean white bedsheets, and with a towel tied over her head as a shawl, probably to keep dirt out of her fur. She sets the basket down heavily and wipes her brow. "Whew."

"Well, we do all see each other fairly regularly. Haven't spoken t'him specifically, though. Why?" He has glanced up briefly from Tameus to say this. He looks back down. "What was that, Tam?"

"I wann' go. Somewhere. Else," Tam says firmly.

"Huh." Darklett thinks on this for a second. Well, it takes all types. He shrugs. "Eh, bet it at least keeps you occupied." Attention goes from the otter to the two other hares, briefly. Half-frown.

It's hard to be incandescently angry for an extended period of time, and as Siv starts to run out of lighter elements at her core, she cools and shrinks into her chair. Only then does she remember or dare to look Harper's way, and looks away again. "Tea," she mutters, pushes herself up, and shedding blankets, disappears into the kitchen. Gwen is swept past with a brief grunt of acknowledgement.

Ruddtail sighs. "because I haven't seen him since the start of summer and I'm starting to get really worried" He sighs, hanging his head and looking down.

Zade has his eyes a little narrowed on Darklett for a moment - expression thoughtful. "'s what I love," he says with a nod. "One o' them, anyway."

"Hm. Well, if I see him I'll let him know yer lookin' for him, Ruddtail. How d'ya know him?" Harper ducks his head to Tameus, again. "In a coupla minutes, Tam... Just have to talk to Ruddtail, here." When he looks back up, he spies Sivaine walking off. Blargh.

Tameus exhales a huff and his nose twitches. He waits.

Ruddtail hms. "Well...um..We were..err..." for the first time ever, he's not actually sure how to reply to a question. "We were supposed to be getting married sometime during the Fall but..." he pauses...Well, Sinway would be ticked if he knew Rudd told someone. Oohh well. He's not here.

Harper's eyebrows go up. Uh. "Oh," is all he says. "Well, like I said. I'll let him know." He starts to stand, though his eyes are drawn towards the kitchen. "Where you would like to go, Tam?"

Ruddtail nods. "thanks..." is all he replies with before letting off a loud sigh and glaring into the fire. "where are you..." he says to himself super quietly.

Gwen picks up her basket again and begins to walk across the floor, happily ignoring anyone who might get in her way (since she can't see them).

"Eh, you know what we do isn't even that different." Darklett shrugs, glancing back up towards Zade. "I mean, the motivation's a bit different, but."

"I figure there's on'y so many motivations t' kill somethin'," Zade responds with a shrug. "Yours is jus'.. more noble."

Tameus asks, "Ou'side?"

"Heh." Darklett shrugs. "Even that depends on who you ask." Oh yes. It depends.

Harper nods. "Okay. Sure." He looks around at the grouping, nodding. "'Scuse us." He slips through the chairs, nodding here and there. Zade doesn't get a nod! Hum.

Zade smirks a little. "Well who should I ask, then? Figure most people would say killin' t' protect beasts is more noble than killin' f' sport."

Ruddtail looks up, slowly jumping into the Conversation. "Err...It really depends on how you do it really" he says, trying to take his mind off Sinway.

Gwen bumps into something unseen, and backs away a little, balancing the basket.

Tameus holds on and is carried, scut giving a few twitches. He seems to relax once they're moving away from the rest of the group. "We're gonn' make a snow 'are," he says.

Harper gives one final glance towards the kitchen, then nods. "Sounds like a good idea t'me!" And he carries Tameus out.

"Yeah, /most/ is key there." Though, Darklett thinks. "...But for the most part the ones who think what the Patrol does is no better are the ones who finally get caught murderin'. They get all indignant." Hmph.

"Well, they're not th' ones I should be askin', then," Zade chuckles. Now he nods at the hare's apparent injuries. "So who beat y' up?"

Gwen turns this way and that with her basket to try to see what's in her way, bumping Darklett with the basket in the process. "D'you mind?" she asks, only a little irritably.

Tameus is carried, yay. "This time I haft' make one that looks like Dar'lett," he says, nodding and starting to smile now.

Ruddtail quietly stands and moves to head for the stairs. "have a good day Everybeast" he says

"Heh. A bunch of common robbers." Darklett rolls his eyes. "About thirteen of them. I was just takin' a new fighter and a recruit to help look for..." He glances as Tameus gets carried away. "Er, somebeast that went missing. Didn't see their fight goin' so well so they decided to go four on one with me."

"Hm," the otter responds, "missin' out in this weather, no one's gonna last long. An' that's what.. four t' one odds? Th' vermin were obviously daft t' try it."

Harper doesn't bother to ask why everyone else gets a hare replica before him! Humph. XD He grins, pausing briefly to bend forward, ducking Tameus downward swiftly, before up! And he's righted again. Kids /need/ to be given "rides", sometimes. "And out we go." They duck outside.