12.28.08 - More Than Anything

Location: Redwall Cavern Hole, Infirmary

Characters Involved: Harper, Tameus, Bradge, Flicktail, Kolya

Flicktail is in a pouncy mood..stalking around Cavern hole

Kolya just keeps reading, quietly thinking to himself about The past few hours..weird day

Harper at some point exited! He finds his way back into the cavern hole, this time to get away from the hubbub in the Great Hall during dining hour. He carries a plate and mug of steaming tea, which he sets on one of the smaller tables. Sit!

Kolya looks up. "Evening" he greets Harper with a nod and a small smile.

Flicktail comes up JUST about to pounce Harper when he see;s the foods and hasto put on the brakes "awwwwwww!

And Tam arrives to get the party started. Well, he would get the party started, but he can hardly stand upright. The leveret is so bundled in blankets it's a wonder he was even able to move.

Harper's ears twitch. He glances around at Flicktail, "C'n I help you, Flick?" he inquires. The bundle of blankies has yet to be noticed.

Kolya spots the moving thing of blankets and eyes it weirdly. "Shouldn't you stay in the infirmary for once?" he asks. Sure he knows! He's a novice...his job to be nosy and spy..okay, he was on his shift in the infirmary..And He knows, lots about the abbey, and those who are sick..muahhahahahahahaa!

Flicktail looks disappointed "nay Oi were jst gonna Pounce ye but oi can't wi all em dishes

Tameus blinks blearily at Kolya as he's addressed. "'m on'y 'ere f' a lil'," he mumbles, voice scratchy. He leans into the doorframe.

Kolya looks at the Leveret. "You are..." he frowns some. "And your lucky i'm no healer. Or you'd be strapped down to a bed" He smirks, going back to his book

Harper looks a fraction /more/ surprised, if that's possible. "You shouldn't pounce folks, Flicktail. It's not very nice. You could hurt someone." And it's then that he hears a certain Tameus. He zeroes in on the dibbun, brow knitting in a small frown. "Tammy! What're you doin' up?"

Flicktail says, "oh Oi doesn't urts anyone, sides Oi feel all Pouncy....."

Tameus furrows his brows back at Harper, ears tucked back. "'m sorry. Wan'ed t' fin' y'. Y' been gone 'll day."

Harper gives Flicktail a Look. "Then... why don't you make a snowman? And pounce /it/. But I don't want t'hear of you pouncin' anyone made o' flesh 'n' bone, understood?" And to Tammy, "I've only been gone a coupla hours, Tammy... You were sleepin' while I was there earlier."

Tameus tucks his muzzle down while he coughs, not answering until they taper off - which isn't immediate. He cracks his eyes open to look at Harper. "'t doesn' count if 'm sleepin'.."

Flicktail blink blinks "ye shouldn't be talkin so ta Beasts ere Young Arper..oiyt doesn't urt no ones....but Oi guess if ye be a abby beast....

Harper is torn between the two! "Some beasts don't take well to being pounced or touched, Flicky. It's better for you /and/ for them if you don't." The Brother then stands up, leaving his tray behind to go scoop up Tameus. "Well, I wasn't very well going t'wake you when you're sick 'n' need your rest, kiddo." He returns to the table, seeming resigned to the fact that Tam's going to be down here for a bit. At least he'll sit and rest!

Flicktail shrugs "Beasts need ta play more at fixes evrthing" he smiles

Tameus doesn't look eager to move, though. The doorframe at least keeps him upright. Being lifted is welcomed, though the uppermost blanket slips askance. "Well I wan' y' wi' me, da'. I don' like .. feel'n .. like this."

Harper rests his paw atop Tam's head, a sort of stationary ruffle! He's being extra gentle with the kiddo. "I know ya don't, Tammy. You just have t'take it easy 'n' take yer herbs 'n' you'll be feelin' better in no time."

Flicktail asks, "wot be wron wi e dibbun Harper Hare?"

"'m sick'a takin' 't easy," the leveret mutters. "... th' herbs don' tas' good either."

Harper answers Flicktail first. "Tammy's got a bad cold... but he'll be better soon enough." As for Tam, well... He smiles. "Aye. I know. I hate bein' sick, s'well. But you'll be well /sooner/ if you just grin 'n' bear it."

"Can' grin," Tameus mumbles, leaning into his dad's chest. "Can' bear 't. Bradge shoul'a le' m' sink."

Flicktail says, "well Oi think Oi will gose eif there be any uards wot wants ta practice pouncin"

Harper seats himself and Tam, resting the dibbun on his knee. He hooks his arms around him, drawing him against his chest for warmth. "Did ya know, I was sick once for a whole half a season? I didn't leave m'room for most of it, I was so sick."

Tameus glances up at Harper's face and shakes his head. "'affa seas'n? 'm not gonn' b' sick /that/ lon', 'm I?"

Harper shakes his head, smiling slightly. "No, lad. No where near it! But I know what it's like t'be goin' stircrazy with the sickness 'n' just t'be feelin' awful. But you've just got t'get through it 'n' you'll be better."

"I ne'er wann' b' sick 'gain," the little buck mumbles to the older one, nose twitching a little. "I won' let m'self. S' n' fair, I wann'.. play inna snow an'.. an' give y' y'r presen' an' stuff."

Harper's faint smile remains. He gives Tameus an encouraging little hug. "Before you know it this'll be a distant memory, kiddo. You'll see."

Tameus snuffles unhappily. "Don' a beas' die if they's sick f' too lon'?"

Harper hms. "It depends, Tam, on what ya have. Some beasts do... some don't. They just go on bein' sickly. Some folks just aren't s'... strong as others, ya know?"

Tameus looks faint worried at this. "'m not s' stron' either."

Harper looks surprised by that. He smiles, shakes his head. "This is a different kind o' strong. You're one of the toughest kids I know, Tammy. You're gonna be /fine/."

Tameus's muzzle twitches. "One'a?"

"You're righ' up there," he assures with a grin. Snug! "So what's the first thing you're gonna do when you're well?"

"Give y' y'r presen'," Tam mumbles, nosing into the corner of Harper's jaw. ".. then. Uhm. Talk t' Nath'n, 'e didn' finish tellin' me 'bout Siv. ... no, /no/, firs' y'r gonn' show me 'ow t' use th' /sling/."

Harper laughs, then nods. "Aye. I think I c'n do that. I /definitely/ can do that." He nods again.

Tameus cracks a slight smile, then tensed up and starts to cough - bringing his hand up in front of his muzzle as he does so.

Harper hms, "On that note... I think we should head back upstairs, kiddo."

Tameus cringes as they end and whines quietly. He gives a tiny nod. "Y' pr'mise?"

"What, about the sling? 'Course I do," Harper replies. He stands, carrying him for the door.

Tameus huffs as he's carried, hands lightly fisted in Harper's habit. "An' y' pr'mise 'm gonn' get better?"

Harper grins. Nods. "So long as you c'n promise not t'take any more dunks in the Abbey Pond."

Tameus mutters, "N' til sprin'?"

Harper nods. "Aye. That's righ'."

Tameus says, "I pr'mise."

Harper grins, shifting Tam up in his arms a bit. "/Good/. Then I promise."

Tameus's arms slide from the blanket-bundle to hook around the back of Harper's neck. "... da'. 're y' not kissin' Siv n'more?" he asks carefully.

Harper considers the question a moment and in the end settles on a shrug. "Not righ' now, anyway. We'll see."

Tameus crinkles his muzzle a little. "'s 't cause'a me?"

Harper shakes his head. "No, Tam, it's not 'cause o' you." Not that he didn't try hard enough, ha.

Tameus coughs a little and manages to look sheepish. ".. well I didn' wan' y' kissin' 'er," he admits. "But. ... I don' wan' y' sad either."

"Well, no, I know ya didn't. And that's somethin' we should talk about, because you need t'believe me when I tell you that nothin' 'n' no one else could change /us/, but we'll leave it for now. Okay?" Harper has paused in the doorway, one paw on the door to push it open.

Maybe this would be a good time for that talk. Tameus has no energy to really protest much or even get upset. He just nods. "... yeah. 'kay. .. but. 're y' sad?"

"And you probably don't get this yet, but a buck needs t'have someone. T'make 'em whole." Pause. "Well, /you/ do that. But there's a little tiny part o' everyone that can't be filled up by their kids 'n' has t'be filled up by someone else, 'n' you can't help but be sad if that part o' you's empty, Tammy." In answer to his question.

"So's .. y' 're sad," Tam murmurs. He looks perplexed. "... what 'bout th' las' some'n? Th' doe?"

Harper smiles slightly, but it's a very sad little smile. "I've been sad every day since I lost 'er, Tammy. Sometimes there's just one really special beast in yer life 'n' if you lose 'er no one c'n /quite/ replace 'er."

"But .. kids don' work that way," Tam muses quietly. "Y' 'ad kids an' now 'm 'ere t' r'place 'um." He exhales and coughs a little. "... di' sh' die?"

Harper shakes his head. "Nope, kid's don't. I'm sad about not seein' 'em, but they'll always be my kids." They don't have a choice, harhar! He shakes his head. "... No, she didn't. She just decided she didn't want t'be with me anymore."

And now he asks that weighted question. "Why?"

"/That/ is a question for another day..." Harper concludes with a soft chuckle.

Tameus's ears perk with curiosity when this is .. evaded? Avoided? "T'morrow?"

"I'll let you know when it's time," is Harper's answer. And he pushes the door open and leads them out.

"When's 't gonn' be time?" the leveret asks after a brief snuffle-cough into his dad's shoulder.

Harper chuckles. "I'm not sure. But I'll let you know s'soon as I do, Tammy. I promise."

".. y' /will/ tell me, righ'? Y'r not jus' sayin' it? Like 'ow some 'dults say, 'when y'r ol'er'?" Tam smiles a little.

They have mounted the stairs, nearing the infirmary, now. "It's definitely a talk that I'd rather save for when you're older, but I promise you that I will tell you when I think yer ready t' hear it 'n' understand."

"I c'n un'erstan' now," Tam mumbles as he's carried in. He's acting more alert, if still sickly. "Pr'mise I c'n. I un'erstan' lots'a thin's, y' know."

The odd-job chores of a first order novice have Bradge seeing all around the Abbey on a daily basis. He's changing sheets on cots right now, a big linen bag strung over his shoulders as he puts fresh, new sheets on the cots, replacing the old ones that supposedly fill the aforementioned bag.

"I know you c'n understand a lot now, Tammy, but there are some things that I'd rather you not /have/ t'understand yet." Yes. Harper leads Tam over to an empty cot, setting him down upon it while he turns to sort out some fresh tea with the proper herbs to heal what ails him! Bradge isn't immediately noticed, as if often the case with first level novices. When he does, he hms. "Bradge?"

Tameus settles and tugs the blankets around him. He sits leaning into the headboard of the cot, watching Harper while looking thoughtful. "An' 'f y' ne'er do? 'm 'llowed t' be mad 't y' 'f y' ne'er tell me, righ'?"

Nn? Bradge swings quickly, throwing himself off-balance for just a moment with the extra weight added to his back. Swaying to one side to counterbalance, he straightens himself up and smiles cheerfully at the Brother that requests his attention. "Yessir?" Also, he smiles and nods a greeting at Tameus before returning full attention to Harper.

Harper nods. "Righ'." He is sorting out proper measurements of herbs as he observes Bradge. "I need t'thank you. Seems you pulled Tammy here outta the pond the other night."

Tameus looks at Bradge now and smiles tiredly. "'e was playin' in th' snow wit' me. An' we wen' out onna ice."

"...Oh! Right, yessir." Bradge fidgets, toeing at the ground. "It weren't nothin'. Er, reckon it may 'ave been my own fault he fell into the pond, though."

"Y' know Siv fell 'n too," Tam tells Harper.

Harper nods. "I expected it might've been, Bradge, but I wanted t'give you a chance t'tell me yourself. What d'you suppose we ought t'do about that?"

Tameus looks confused. He coughs. "'ow's 't 'is faul', da'?"

"It's alright, Tam." Bradge smiles kindly at the leveret and turns toward the brother again. "I didn't mean no harm or nothin'. We were jes' playin' outside an' he agreed to go inside after a li'l bit if'n we went out to the pond, an' stuff." The otter novice's smile is apologetic and contrite. "If'n you wanna put me on kitchen duty an' stuff or... Or like... Moppin' an' cleanin' an' stuff for a while, I understand."

Man, was Harper /ever/ that cherubic? No. No... he was not. "A part of bein' a Novice is knowing when you have t'be responsible 'n' when bein' responsible means bein' the bad guy. Do ya know what I mean? You don't have to bargain. Trust me, I remember, the dibbuns hardly think they have t'listen to Novices, but if they won't, find someone who they /will/ listen to. All right?"

"Da'. Da'. Y' don' haft' punish 'im," Tam says with growing anxiousness in his tone. "'e didn' do anythin'.."

Bradge nods slowly as the Brother speaks, staying quiet, face losing its smile and going serious, showing comprehension. "I understan'. Yessir." The otter novice nods almost to the point of bowing, finally creasing his muzzle up in a smile once again. "No, it's alright, Tam. I didn't do nothin', an' that's why I was wrong. I should've done somethin', see?"

Tameus pushes his blankets off and edges to the end of his cot. "But /'m/ th' one that wan'ed t' go t' th' /pon'/.."

Harper finishes the tea, which he then approaches Tameus with. He sits on the edge of the cot, which he pats. "Sit, Tam. You're righ', and that's why we had a talk about that. Do you remember? But Bradge has the right of it, too. He's a smart lad." And here he gives Bradge a look of approval, and perchance no punishment is forthcoming after all.

As contrite as he is, Bradge isn't about to /remind/ Harper that a punishment may be in order. So he walks around one cot to sit on another nearby Tameus. "I 'ope he didn't get sick an' stuff 'cause of me...?"

"Yeah but. But." Tam frowns at Bradge, his expression apologetic, but sits as he's told to. He leans into Harper. ".. but." His voice is mumbled, and nothing comes after the 'but'. It's just unspecified protest.

Harper shakes is head. "He was already sick... Just shouldn't have been out in the first place," he explains.

"Okay," Bradge says, sounding relieved. But he reaches over to patpat at Tameus's shoulder. "It's alright," he repeats. Look! Not really in trouble at all! Stop complaining. "I 'ope ya feel better."

"But," Tam mumbles, then quiets. His ears are back, and as he leans into Harper he starts to shiver.

The shiver reminds Harper of the tea, which he holds to Tam's muzzle. "Honey this time," he promises.

Tameus uses one hand against the tea, lightly, but doesn't try to hold it himself. He takes a sip.

Bradge stands up and sidles past Harper and Tameus, having nothing more to say for now. "Do ya need 'elp with anythin', 'arper?"

Harper shakes his head, "No... I think that's it, for now. Thanks for bein' honest, Bradge." He waves with his free paw, encouraging Tam to take another sip with the other.

Tameus sips a few more times and then turns his muzzle aside to allow himself to cough. He flinches and rubs at his muzzle. "Y' don' .. think 'm a bad kid, do y', da'?" he asks now, wearing an expression of concentrated thought.

Sidle, sidle. Bradge continues to make his way to the exit, almost stopping, but just minding his own business with a frown at Tameus's question.

Harper is surprised into a little glance down at the leveret. He keeps his quiet a moment. "... Tam, I think you're a /great/ kid. That doesn't mean you can't do bad /things/ sometimes, though. No one's perfect. I do bad things sometimes, too. It's how you /feel/ about the bad things that makes the difference, though. If yer sorry for doin' it 'n' try to do better the next time, that's what matters."

"Y' don' do bad things," Tam disagrees.

Harper suddenly laughs, a happy and amused sound. "I do bad things all the /time/, Tam... It's just harder to tell with adults. It's not obvious things, like not eatin' everything you're supposed to for supper, or not doin' your chores. It's just harder t'tell, s'all."

Tameus tilts his head a little. "What, then?"

Harper hms, smiling slightly. "Well... like sometimes I get impatient with some of the Novices. And sometimes I put off doin' work that I know I need t'get done, just because I don't feel like it. Sometimes I'm just plain not nice or good enough." He shrugs.

".. y'r good 'nough," the leveret disagrees, eyes narrowed a little. "Y'r .. 'Arper. Y'r th' bes', th' ver' ver' bes'."

Harper chuckles, very gently ruffling the dibbun's headfur. "S'nice that you think so, Tam. Here, have another sip." And he holds the cup to his lips again.

Tameus shakes his head at the offer of tea. "I /know/ 't. Y' don' believe m'? 'm a /kid/ 'Arper, I /know/ thin's."

Harper grins, shaking his head. "Have a sip and /then/ I'll believe you." Dad logic. XD

Tameus leans his head to take a quick sip, before it occurs to him that the two are unrelated. In fact, it doesn't seem to occur to him. "There, see. 'm righ'."

Harper isn't going to question it! He merely nods. "You are. I believe ya." He grins, kissing the top of Tam's head.

"Good, y' better," the leveret states, rather vehemently. He noses into Harper's arm, silent for a moment, then mutters out a scratchy outward breath, "I love y', da'."

Harper hugs an arm around Tam, gently rubbing his arm. "Love you too, kiddo. More'n anything." He lets the silence spin out a moment, then grins. "But now... bedtime for you. C'mon, - bundle up." And he nods to the head of the bed, where all the blankets have ended up in a pile.

"Mo--" Tam quickly tries to insert, but Harper beats him to it. He smiles and looks at the older hare like Harper is his whole world. ".. more'n anythin'," he mumbles, and nuzzles his father, before crawling toward the head of the bed.

Harper follows after Tam with a grin, pulling the blankets up to Tam's chin once he's lying down. Snug as a bug in a rug! "Night, Tammy. Sleep tight."

Tameus curls up on his side, the blankets around him and eyes shut. "Y'r gonn' stay wit' me 'gain?" he asks, and yawns.

Harper nods. "I'm gonna," he agrees. "Now shhhhh... Sleep."

"Y'r th' one talkin'," Tam points out, and then hushes. He reaches to hold onto Harper's sleeve, pulling the buck's hand toward him, hugging onto it like he would his doll. Very soon he's asleep.

And that leaves Harper... hangin' on. XD He situates himself against the wall and closes his eyes... and soon enough, he too is asleep.