2-9-10 - Sidney, Darklett, Micah, and Jarril.

Salamandastron: Recreation Room

• -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Salamandastron *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

The recreation room for the army of the Longpatrol. Here soldiers come to

relax after a hard day's work and the officers come for a game of cards or

a quick drink by the fire. The room is quite large, having to deal with a

lot of hares at one time. Along one wall there is a large worktop with

some cuhsioned stools lining one side of it. On the other side of the

worktop there stand many kegs and bottles, lined so that they can be

easily opened by someone standing on the inside of the bar but well out of

reach of the rowdy hares on the other side. There are a few woollen cloths

on the bar and mats in front of each stool. The next thing nearest to the

bar are the round tables, each with 4 chairs around and a lantern in the

middle of each one. There are a couple of slightly larger oval tables with

8 seats around, obviously for larger crowds. The other end of the room is

littered with armchairs, comfortable armchairs, each pair with a small

table in between. The armchairs are near the fire, used to heat the room

and provide extra comfort for the relaxing soldiers.

• -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

                 Visible Exits:

[Out]

Contents: Message Board.

Sidney is enjoying a day off, or at least a portion of a day off, and lounging along one of the couches in the rec room. His boots have been kicked off, not-so-neatly on the floor, one having fallen over on it's side, and there's a mug set on his stomach, which is HORIZONTAL enough to function as a table while he has his arms folded behind his head, and his head tilted far back to consider the ceiling. Oh, lazy days.

What are the odds that Darklett has a day off? Oh, one in three? Ha. Officers, what. The major's paws are pocketed and he seems in a complacent enough mood -- he stops by the bar to place an order, putting his back to it as he waits for it to be filled, glancing around the rec room to see if he spots any hare he feels like confronting.

Actually, Micah's still on reduced duty... which, you know, for a recruit just means classes. And light training. So he has a fair bit of free time on his hands. He wanders into the rec room and heads for the bar to order a drink. His eyes scan the room, seeking out familiar faces. And, of course! He spots his dad. He grins, taking his drink when it's ready and limping a little in his path over to him. "Hey, da'. Free shift?" He drops onto an armchair opposite him. He does this... just before Darklett does! I swear.

And lastly, there's Jarril, head deep in what seems to be scratching his head on some poor spelling by young hare work that had been handed in and he frowns, correcting something again with a mutter, his mug long since been emptied. Having picked a quiet'ish corner the hare continues with work that should've been done last night.

Sidney drops his muzzle forward, nose pointed in Micah's direction as a grin develops on his face. "Don't you know it. How're classes, kiddo?" He shifts his legs to cross them at the ankle, rolling his head around on his shoulders til there's a pop. "Ahh.. Hey. Hey, Dark."

"Sid." Darklett spots Sidney just about the same time Sidney spots him. His drink arrives, and he carries it over to Sid and Micah. "Hey," he offers the both of them, finding a nearby armchair to relax into. Of course, his eyes catch Jarril over there in the corner as he's sitting. He goes long stretches without seeing the other Major; it seems his streak has been broken, though. Dang.

Fortunately as a healer recruit Jarill oughtn't be grading any of /his/ work, which doesn't keep the recruit from glancing nervously at the obviously paper-grading officer. It's instinctual. There's a slight furrow to his brow, also, and then he looks away. When Darklett approaches he offers a quick salute to the major. "Hullo, sir."

Jarril hasn't noticed any of them as with a frown, he signs another letter on a certain hare's chance of actually gaining proper rank in the patrol before placing the badly incorrect work onto the table in front of him. However a smile did come to him, he never had to do any lessons himself, without picking up another paper he leans back and closes his eyes briefly thinking of good times.

Oh, hey. Yeah. Sid moves one hand from behind his head to give his friend a belated salute as well, otherwise not moving in his lounged position. Dark won't mind! "Sure, Mikey, don't answer my question, no offense taken," he teases his kid, then starts to sit up, rubbing at the back of his head with one hand. He looks Jarril's way when the others do, then addresses Darklett. "Didn't you head over to Halyard last night?"

"Huh?" Oh! Mike glances back at Sidney with a brief flicker of his one remaining ear. "Oh. Well, I'm just doin' classes with Major Rahier, now. They're goin' great. He's a real good teacher, ya know?"

"Yeah, didn't stay though." Darklett shrugs, and that's all he offers at the moment. "Figured I'd take this opportunity to relax. Been working hard the last couple days, you know?" He stretches out his legs, pulling them in after he's settled in comfortably. And look at Jarril over there. All smirky and smug in his little corner. Psh.

Jarril wasn't the one to make friends easily and those that did get to that stage had something for life, the hare takes a deep breath, looks down at the next written assignment, spots the first mistake and frowns. Biting his lower lip he mutters. "That's it, I'm dumping this lot on hmm, who..." The thought of dumping it on that particular hare that wants a promotion after he lost his Lt. springs to mind and with an even wider smirk of enjoying that, he picks up his mug and walks over to the bar for a refill.

Sidney doesn't pursue the Halyard topic, then. His mouth opens in a yawn, and he ruffles both hands in his hair, scruffing at it and then pushing his bangs from his eyes. Okay, he's up! "He get you to babysit yet?" he asks Mike with a grin, then makes a gesture at Jarril. "Hey, major, care to join us?"

Jarril takes a look but the sight of Darklett being there. He shakes his head to the question and returns his gaze to the one back behind the bar pushing the mug towards the tender.

Micah snorts and shakes his head. "Heh, no. M'pretty sure babies don't come with instructions, sooo..." Hands off. Mike takes a sip of his drink and then looks around at Sidney when he calls Jarril over. His ear twitches back as he sinks further into his seat. He only relaxes somewhat when the offer seems to be refused.

Darklett almost punches Sidney for inviting Jarril over! But he doesn't. And besides it doesn't appear that Jarril's on his way. Ho hum. "You know, I was never really able to relax on days off as a private. I don't know how you do it; I was always managing to do /something./"

Sidney lifts his brows at Darklett. Oh. So that's why. He doesn't ask, he just gets up with a stretch, then moves toward the bar with his mug in hand. It's half-empty, so he finishes it with a few swigs and leans into the bar next to Jarril while pushing it toward the 'tender for a refill. The major gets a smile. "How's it going, mate?"

Huh. Mike watches Sid leave with... no particular inclination to join him. He sends Darklett a glance and sinks yet further into his seat. "He makes everythin' look easy." And stress free, etc. etc. The younger buck shrugs.

Jarril has slipped onto a stool as he sips his ale before noticing that someone had come up alongside him and turning his head. "Can't complain, goes okay." Moving his head back forwards again he frowns slightly but it's more or less at the reflection in the ale itself, scrutinis(US-z)ing past injuries.

"Guess he does." Darklett doesn't concern himself with Sidney /or/ Jarril right now. "So what, you're a healer recruit?" The major makes conversation, ears tilted forward, what? Jarril? Psh. Who's that?

"Rah's a good hare. I think the reason he isn't a Colonel yet is because he's just so darn good at being a healer that they don't want him caught up in all the... Administrative work of being a Colonel."

"He seems too... nice." Heh. To be a colonel. Mike shrugs a bit. "Yeah. I'm a healer recruit. Too small t'be a fighter 'n' all. Better with the books, anyway." He gives the major a look over. "Major Darklett, right?"

Oh hey. Sid failed to introduce his son and his buddy. How did that happen! He takes up his refilled drink and sits on a stool, one leg swinging a little. "Just the usual, huh, paperwork and .. booze?" he says with a chuckle, and takes a swig from his mug.

Jarril smirks somewhat. "Aye, correct, though no doubt one day ya be facing it perhaps y'self." Frowning slightly again, he rubs his eyepatch and smiles. Ah to be young once more. "So what can I do for ya?" The question sounds somewhat automative since mostly anyone below his rank usually comes to ask a favour or something than anything else.

"Heh, maybe not so much - but I've got a while to go in the patrol still, so who knows, right?" Sid takes another swallow of his drink, then tilts his head casually at Jarril's question, and laughs. "Do? Nothing, man, just being friendly - Major Jarril, right?"

Jarril nods his head again. "Aye, that's my name and rank. So what have you been told about me?" The major sipping his ale, though from time to time he looks at the parchments he's left at the table away from the bar to make sure they're not being tampered with.

Darklett nods. "Half the challenge is finding out where you fit in. Well, for most hares, anyway." The major shrugs. "Yeah, that's me. I guess my reputation precedes me," he says rather ironically, shoulders bouncing in laughter as he does so. "Who're you, then?"

"Mike," he greets. And then sits up, enough to extend his paw across to the major. "I'm Sidney's kid." Well. Adopted kid, anyway. Obvious given how old he is compared to the Private.

"Oh, /you're/ the kid." Darklett nods familiarly. "He talked to me about you." How did that conversation turn out, hm? Let's not go there! "Good, good. Glad to actually meet you, then. He's feeding you right, and everything, I hope?"

Micah's muzzle twists, wryly, but he nods. "Yeah. He takes good care'a me. He told me about you, too." Yeahp. Anyway! Um. He glances briefly towards Sid and Jarril and then back to Darklett. "You 'n' Major Jarril don't get along or somethin'?" He's smart like that - reading between the lines. It being so subtle and all.

"Jarril? Oh, me and him. It's..." Darklett calculates, briefly. "A few disagreements, is all. Over time they just kind of add up. We were never /chums,/ so to speak, but we're certainly not now, is the point." Shrug! "But hey, you really can't expect to be liked by /every/ hare in the mountain."

"Not much of anything," Sid says with a shrug. "You... lost an eye. I know that much." Grin. "/Oh/. And you're Tameus' granddad, right? He and my kid Mike over there, they're best friends." Another shrug. "... yeah, that's about it."

"Heh, yeah. Guess not." Mike knows all about that! He shrugs, though, eyes straying to the other pair again. And suddenly he hears Sidney and he like. Cringes. Ducking his shoulders. "/Da'/," he mutters under his breath.

Darklett raises a brow, smirking as he at least hears the source of Micah's cringing. He daren't turn though, lest he make... Eye contact with Jarril! "Rough, Micah, rough. Though you know, I think I remember you and Tameus hanging out before... Well I guess you /and/ him have both grown a lot since then, heh."

The mentioning of the eye, brings Jarril's mind back to one particular bad moment he had in a war just outside of the mountain and he shivers a bit. "Ah, the eye... Yeah that was a fair seasons ago now." The name of Tameus does bring a frown from the major. "Ah yes, not seen him at all today, heard he was in a fight yesterday..."

"Hey, kiddo, it comes with the 'dad' job," Sid tosses toward Mike, grinning, then turns his attention to Jarril with a lifting of his brows. "Ah yeah? I hadn't heard anything about a fight."

Micah did hear about it, though! He doesn't comment. He just keeps his focus on Darklett. "Yeah, guess so. Tam's already a private 'n' all. Hard t'believe."

"He'll be a really good hare. I knew he would be as long as he stopped getting into trouble, and..." Aahaha, what a time to bring up Tameus getting into a fight. "...Well, I can't say getting into a fight is the /worst/ thing I would have expected Tameus to do when he was a leveret."

Micah shrugs and shakes his head. "Wasn't really a fight. Some rat pickpocketed him. He had ahold of 'er 'n' she bit 'em, so he slugged 'er one t'get her t'let go."

Jarril nods his head. "Aye but I suppose he knew what he was doing and the risks he was in at the time. Heard some rat tried to pickpocket him, lost whatever he had." A lot of conversation goes on in the officers part of the mountain...

"Is that it?" Chances are he already heard about it, too, but knowing everything isn't much fun! Darklett sips at his beverage and shrugs. "That barely even /counts./ He needs to get himself in a proper fight soon." Dark laughs at this. "So wait, this means you should be up for promotion soon, right?"

"Ah, well... yeah. 'Cept I'm repeatin' a class. But Rah's helpin' me out, like I said." Mike shrugs a little, then manages a little grin that isn't as tense as he was just a second ago. "Major said he'd make me into a master healer before too long. Guess we'll see."

Sidney glances over toward Mike and Darklett. With the long ears, it's kind of hard to not hear other conversations. "Apparently I'm the only one who hadn't heard the gossip, yet," he says with a snort, and shrugs. "We're patrollers, getting in fights with vermin is what we do best..." That's said to Jarril, and then with a laugh he aims at Darklett, "You kidding? Rate Mike's going, he's gonna skip private completely and make lieutenant."

Jarril finishes his drink and gets up, it was surprising he was in the same room this long as he walks away while Sidney is busy talking to the others and picks up the paperwork and leaves the room quietly as a runner can.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Darklett calls over his shoulder Sidney. And to Mike, "If anybody can make you into one, it'd be Major Rahier. But uh. Don't tell him I'm saying any of this; his head'll just swell to epic proportions."

Micah smirks and rolls his eyes, nodding his understanding. "Not a word t'him about it, sir. Can't promise da' won't, though. He's got a big mouth." And he beeams at his dad.

"All the better for embarrassing you with," Sid says with a beaming grin back at Mike. He glances over... oop, Jarril's made his escape. Oh well. Sid steps back toward the other two, and sinks into a chair. "So hey, Dark, this one time Mike decided it'd be clever to try to stand up in my dingy..."

"Oh boy," Darklett chuckles, sipping at his ale with amusement as the back and forth between father and son begins. "Please, please... Do go on..."

Which meets with a swift kick in the knee! "Jerk," he mutters, still grinning.

"/Ow/. Hey. You may be almost grown up, but I can still chuck you into walls!" Sid reacts to the kick, his grin broad as he tries to hold back laughter. He makes an unspecific telling-a-story gesture with his hand, resuming, "So of /course/ he topples over into the water... Pretty shallow still, not real far out or anything, and he's.. what, how old were you, kiddo?"

Darklett just grins, head turning back towards Micah. Yes, yes?

Micah just grumbles and makes a face at Sid. He's not playing! Darklett gets a little bit of the face, too, just for his playing along. Bah!

"... okay, well, he was something like five seasons? Not quite?" Sid grins /right at Mike/. "And he came up to the surface, and he had this /huge/ thing of seaweed just draped over the top of his head. Mikey the Mermaid."

Darklett pfbbts, chuckling mirthfully and quite directly in the direction of Micah. "Ohohoh, Micah. Not the seadwelling hare your dad is, are you?"

Micah rooooolls his eyes. "... Yeah, I guess not. Y'know, s'not my fault. I swear 'e tipped it when I stood." Sid gets a venomous look. Boo, arr.

Sidney's grin softens to a fond smile, and he shakes his head a little. "Nah, he's almost as good as I am. Good thing, too, means he can actually do something with the thing when he inherits it, eh Mikey?" His eyes close, and he takes a long drink.

"Inherits? That thing? I thought you'd have let it wash off by now... Surely you can do better?" Darklett raises his brows, in all seriousness!

Sidney's ears angle back, eyes opening. He shrugs, glancing off to the side. "It's what I've got to pass on.."

"Well yeah, but... But you've got to get something /better/ to pass on. I mean, maybe you've fixed it up since I saw you float in on it, but... You /deserve/ better." Darklett uh oh is getting invasive.

Micah is looking between the two with arched eyebrows. After a little bit he clears his throat. "Uh no, s'okay. I like it. Me 'n' Tam like t'go out on it sometimes when da' lets us."

Sidney's muzzle turns back toward Darklett, and for a moment he just looks at the other buck. Then without saying anything he rises from his chair. He steps to the bar, leaving his mug there, and heads toward the door.

Darklett winces. Eeeesh. "...Well, /that/ was not smart of me to say." He glances towards Mike, then over the chair towards his dad. "Sid. Sid, hey, I didn't mean..."

Sidney calmly slips his hands into his pockets as he steps out of the room, into the hallway, without giving Darklett a response.

Micah looks kind of shocked. His lips part but no sound immediately comes out, but then he's twisting around in his chair to watch Sid go. It doesn't take long for his eyes to turn back to Dark. "Whatcha /say/ that for?" That's quite a tone to take with an officer! Big man, Mike.

"...I didn't know he was all that attached to it." Darklett frowns, feeling quite guilty about the whole ordeal now. "I, um. Hm." He takes a few drinks of his ale, simmering for a few moments.

"Then yer an-" Mike looks kind of pissed, but he cuts himself off with a grimace. "You better apologize sometime."

"...Yeah, I was going to." Darklett murmurs behind his mug. Well, way to spoil an afternoon, Maj.

"... Yeah. Good," Mike mutters. Kind of looking at Dark uncertainly. Just a stupid thing to say, clearly not a /bad/ guy. He shrugs and shakes his head. "He jus' loves the boat, s'all." Shrug shrug. He starts to rise. "I oughta go after him. See ya later, eh?" He offers a brief salute, nodding, and then hurrying after his father.