And A Papa
Trace, Angus, Hactor, Jazmyne, cloaked figure (Stubb spoof), Bloodclaw, Darkmane, a young hamster (Stubb spoof)
Location: The Thorn and Shadow (Collinsel)
Well, the Thorn and Shadow is definitely not a fine establishment by any means. But, suffice it to say, Trace has been getting used to it. It's better than traveling on the road like they've been doing lately, and it's certainly better to have a warm room out of the rain and food readily available. Still, as Trace heads down the stairs toward one of the little wooden tables, she can't help but wrinkle her nose and wonder why she hasn't picked up something a little less.. expensive.. to wear. Hair neatly braided as always and walking with a crisp step, Trace hesitates only to brush some dirt off one of the chairs before taking a seat. Another day, another cheap glass of ale.
Angus had all ready taken up residence at the table. His bare feet, one ankle cocked over the other, are planted on its top, permitting him to tilt his chair without the risk of tumbling--for now, at least. A slew of empty mugs freckle the wooden surface, along with a haphazardly scattered deck of cards. "Howdy, love," the monitor greets, shifting a bit in his seat. "Getcher' self a bit of rest?" He casts an expectant glance over the room. "Haven't spied none of th' others yet. Prolly still purdyin' themselves up fer a night on th' town."
Hactor shifted a bit, then woke with a sudden start in his own seat, grumbling something about how pixies had stolen his eye. He then notices the dragon and coughs a bit say, "Yes well er...scuse me.Gotta go meet a man in er..town." He then quickley hobbles out the door.
Trace probably noticed the lizard to begin with.. it's probably why she picked this table out of all the others. But when Angus speaks, she glances over as if surprised to see him there. "Oh, hello. Yes. Honestly, I'll admit that this place /is/ better than sleeping out on the road like we have been. The accomodations are lacking, but I'll certainly take this over the dirt any day." Her eyes are brighter today, less grumpy than they have been, and she's beginning to look a bit like herself again. "I'd imagine they need their beauty sleep," she remarks idly, watching with a quirked brow as the fox suddenly takes off. "So what are the plans from here? Have we got anything beyond just relaxing in town? Not that I mind that, of course." She raises a paw to flag down the bartender, deciding to splurge this morning and ordering a glass of brandy.
The floral scent of a spring wind steals into the heavy air of the tavern. Down the hall from the entrance, the creak of a closing door makes its sound dimly audible over the din of gamblers and gallivanters.
Angus pitches forward to snag his active mug from the table. Fingers loop around the sweaty handle, collecting the drink to his belly, as the lizard rocks back into his placid but precarious perch. "Always got somethin' up yer sleeve, tod." An inquisitive look follows the exiting fox, but the monitor drowns his curiosity in an ale slurp. Malcolm is notably absent, likely stowed in one of the upstairs rooms, snoozing or vandalizing. His eyes fall back to tidy little Trace, ushering a mellow smile. "From here? Eh, 'spose we kin just kick it 'til Stubb's scraggly rump returns. He's sorta' the actin' ringleader. And, aye. I ain't gonna' gripe about a few nights t'relax." He pauses to motion at the waiter. "Y'kin put hers on me," he tells the keep, thumbing at his chest. "So, love. What's yer story? Whatcha' after?" The inquiry is innocuous, bred by idle curiosity.
But before she can answer Hactor comes back in looking very pleased with himself, and it's obvious why. Apparently the tod had aquired enough money while begging to be able to buy some less ragedy threads. It isn't an all together nice looking sight, the cloak is stained, as is the tunic. Not to mention the fact it smells oddly (more or less) like whiskey. But despite all these noticble flaws Hactor looks like he just conqoured Redwall all over again as he sits next to the pair, and orders a drink.
"I'm good for it. It's really okay," Trace begins, but she doesn't protest a whole lot as Angus offers to pick up her drink. It's more a courtesy thing than anything else. Instead, her attention drifts to the tod, a little smile crossing her features. "You've certainly cleaned up.." Well, not a /lot/. But he's cleaned up from what he looked like before, and anything is really an improvement at this point. As the bartender comes back with a glass of brandy for the rat, she offers a nod of her head and then clasps it between both paws as she leans forward on the table, attention diverted back to Angus. "What am I after? Purpose, as I suppose anyone is. I would love to walk back into Ruingate during its days of glory, but I fear those days are long past." She raises the glass as if in toast, before taking a slow sip of the drink. "And so here I am. Grateful for the hospitality, as always."
Jazmyne walks into the tavern and goes to the counter to order a simple drink and pays for it with her coppers,she sits down and starts to sip her drink and looks around the room slowly as if, well, looking for someone.
Without drawing much attention to itself, a cloaked figure has insinuated itself into an ongoing game of craps at the table nearest Trace and Angus.
Angus's gaze drifts to his scaly feet, and his lips twist in a slight frown, as if abruptly struck by the guilt of improper etiquette. The lizard removes his dogs from the tabletop, easing into a somewhat more appropriate posture. A lucky move, as the sight of the reemergent tod, decked out in fancy new duds, would have surely knocked him end over end. With one hand lazily glued to his mug, Angus ogles Hactor. "Ooh la la," he chimes. "Almost look like yer ole' self again, 'Tor. Almost." But he shifts his attention back to Trace, lifting his drink as she does. "Ah, aye. Purpose. Yup. Well, ye' certainly ain't gonna' find it in, er, Ruingate these days. But there's plenty of other towns, aye?" His mind appears to wander off at that point, eyes drifting among the various patrons. They pause briefly on the young vixen.
Jazmyne looks around as she drinks, sge clears her thoat and speaks "Anyone know a fox by the name of Hactor?" Its not directed at any certain beast, just those within ear shot of her, she waits for an answer.
Bloodclaw walks into the room, the black rat looks around, giving every beast a nasty look, he walks over to the bar, and places a few coppers on the table for a flask of ale. "What're ye lookin' at?"
The vixen's question is, unfortunately, lost among the racket of the tavern. Otherwise, a certain table of ragamuffins would have, no doubt, had a thing or two to say about a fellow by the name of Hactor. Angus continues to absentmindedly survey the bar dwellers, lingering on each in turn. A brow tilts as the surly rat barks, but the monitor wags a disarming paw. "Nothin', mate. Just thought yer outfit could use a bitta' color, like m'chum here's." The hand gestures to the ousted warlord's new outfit.
Plenty of the towns for the taking, for sure. Trace offers up a nod at the lizard's words, before letting her own eyes drift over the bar. After all, there's all sorts of newcomers at this point.. the vixen and the rat. And despite the rat's outburst, Trace does happen to catch a bit of the vixen's question. But instead of answersing her outright, she reaches out to nudge the fox in the ribs. "Hey, that one over there? She's looking for you, it would seem." Her eyes and head gesture toward Jazmyne briefly, before settling back in her chair and sipping again on the brandy.
Bloodclaw waves his sword around. "Ye talk to me like that, ye lose your 'ead!...I've killed beasts for less than that, but I've got a propostion for ye's so ye stay's alive"
Jazmyne sighs as her question is drowned out and decides to just drink her ale,she glaces over at the rat and decides to not pay attention to it as its not talking to her right now, she takes a long swig of her ale and shakes her head.
"Don' think it's me who's losin' mah head, mate," the monitor chides, bringing his mug to his mouth. A blue tongue flutters at its rim. "Proposition, eh?" He shakes his head, unamused, and peers back to Trace and the nudging. "What'd ye' say, love?" he asks, and, following the rat's gaze, finds Jazmyne.
Darkmane yawns widely as he wanders downstairs and surveys the bar with a critical eye. The equine cracking his knuckles slightly before heading directly toward the bar seeking something to drink
Bloodclaw smirks. "Mock me will you eh, welll. I say, you've got guts. Anyway, thar's this mouse, he might be walking around in Mossflower, I want'em dead, there's a nice bounty for 'is 'ead. (Describes Maxtor). 100 gold dead, 500 dead, so I can kill 'im myself. 50 for any who try to defend him, if ye can prove it". He goes back to drinking. "But if not, that okay for ye, ye just missing out on all the good killin"
Oops. And Hactor's asleep. So much for nudging him. It doesn't even seem to budge the fox, as Trace just leans her elbows back on the table to lean forward and sip at her drink. "She's looking for Hactor," the rat states, nodding toward Jazmyne briefly. Trace knows well enough not to just start spouting out people that she knows, what, with all the enemies this group seems to stumble upon. Instead, she focuses her attention on the rat up at the bar, rolling her eyes lightly at his words. "And if you're so dangerous and have killed beasts over a conversation, why wouldn't you kill him yourself?" she asks, dryly. Not impressive. Though most of the hoarde types never are.
Bloodclaw growls. "Ye'll come around to it. Remember 100 dead, 500 alive, 50 for tag-alongs. If it a'int the right mouse....yer dead!"
Angus bobs his head slowly as Bloodclaw details the bounty. "Riight, pally." He throws back the last gulp of his ale. "I dunno'--th' chap sounds sorta' tough," he drones, but flashes a wry grin to Trace. "Perhaps he ain't a fan of doin' his own dirty work. Or somethin'." A hefty shoulder half-heartedly shrugs.
Jazmyne looks over at the talkative group and gets up walking over to them and coughs to clear it, "Excuse me, do any of you know a fox named Hactor, umm..sort of looking for him."
Trace just rolls her eyes again, taking a long sip of her brandy. "I don't trust that type. They're all the same. Playing up their danger level to get others to do work for them, and then disappearing from town before the money can be offered up. Not that I don't think you could crush him with a cold stare." There's a soft laugh that accompanies this, Trace reaching up to brush a lock of hair from her eyes, before her attention diverts to the vixen again. "There's a lot of foxes around this town, Miss," she speaks, calmly. "Do you mind describing him? And what do you need him for?"
Angus warily glances to the snoring old fox, then fires a somewhat hardened version of the look at Jazmyne. "Lookin' fer him?" The dragon clears his throat, fingers drumming at the tabletop. "Who's lookin' fer him?" There is a short pause; it seems the lizard decides to rephrase that question. "Who ain't lookin' fer him? That be quite a word of infamy in some parts, m'lady." He rests his elbow on the table, and his head descends to the adjacent, upturned palm.
Darkmane hands the bartender a gold coin as he gets two bottles of whiskey and puts one of them in one of his pouches for Dangeon later, A deep sigh then escaping his lips as he opens the other and takes a deep gulp before heading over to the gathered group to see just what is happening today.
Jazmyne frowns, "She only said he has bright orange fur, though maybe not as bright now...yes mother said he was near Redwall at one point, so thought look for him." she paulses and speaks again "He's umm...my..father"
A hamster dibbun strides confidently into the tavern, crosses the room, and, with difficulty, heaves himself onto a stool at the bar. "Hallo, what's this?" he squeaks, adjusting his tiny fez. "A estabwishment of dwink!" He thumps his paw on the countertop. "One dzoos, an make it snappy!" The energy of his thump nearly throws the tiny creature off his balance, and his fez tumbles from his head and goes rolling toward Angus and Trace's table.
Trace would choke on her brandy if she wasn't as poised as she currently is. Both from Jazmyne's words and the fact that a tiny hamster just walked in the room like he owns the place. Trace's eyes immediately shift to the dibbun, almost welling up with adoration at the cuteness of it all. Unable to stop herself, she picks up the fez as it rolls toward the table, scooting out of her chair and walking over to offer it back to the kid. "There you go, little one! My goodness, you're awfully little to be in here all alone." She's talking to him more like a puppy than a child, but .. it works. Somehow.
The little hamster's brow compresses into concerned furrows, and he fixes his eyes at Trace's shoulder as she draws near, avoiding eye contact. He fetches his hat from her grasp with a quick motion and mumbles a nervous 'fank you' before turning briskly back to the bar. The bartender, unmoved by his customer's youth, demands payment.
Oh my goodness. Trace wants one. Seriously, she'll feed it and brush it and walk it every day! And from her pocket, the rat flips out the coin that was probably meant to pay for her earlier drink as she nods to the hamster kid. "It's on me. Get him his juice." Or.. whatever it was he asked for. And then, so as not to scare the kid any more, Trace drops down into a crouch so she's more at the child's height. "Hi there. My name is Trace. Are you all alone? Your mummy and daddy must be close."
Jazmyne sighs and sits down at a table beside them.
The little creature seems even more comfortable with the rat's face so close to him, and he squirms on his stool, shading his face from her with a paw. "Mmph," he says, with a glance that only briefly touches Trace's. "Dunno."
Hactor sudennly sters from his half drunken stooper, and smaks his lips a bit. "Arggh me head!" he grumbbles streatching a bit. He looks around a bit, his eye falling onto the vixen. His jaw the hangs open, and he looks as if he's seen a ghost.
Well, it's not like her amazing powers reside in talking to children. But Trace really can't help the adorableness of the hamster as she shifts back just a little bit at his uncomfortable stance. "Well. Just.. drink your juice like a good boy. And don't go wandering off.." And whatever motherly advice she might give. Really, what is she supposed to say besides sitting here gushing over how adorable he is? A HAMSTER. Imagine the oddity of it all. Though Trace's attention is momentarily diverted from the plethora of cute back toward Hactor as he grumbles and then catches sight of the vixen. "That answers that question," she states to no one in particular, before flipping another coin toward the child and heading back toward the table. Two coins. !! But seriously. A hamster dibbun?? It's like a puppy.
Jazmyne looks around and notices Hactor stareing at her and glares back at him "What? Unless you know Hactor I am not intrested in speaking with you"
The hamster nods a few times and, placing a tiny paw on either side of the large, dirty mug of juice placed before him, begins to greedily quaff it. The crimson fluid dribbles down his chin and trickles onto his paws, but he is indifferent to the mess. While he indulges, his large eyes follow Jazmyne; it's less scary to watch vermin and the like from afar.
At this Hactor's amazement turnes to iritation as he replies still a tad drunk, "That be me youn' un. Don preciate yer tone either!" He then orders another ale and takes a sip, still stareing at her before continuing softly, "You look so familier." His good eye narrows, as if trying to cunjur images from the past.
Jazmyne looks surprised now as she watches him, "She didnt mention...one arm or..." She studys him and sighs, this is the first time she has seen him, unless maybe when she was less than a season old, she then speaks "Your my Father"
A quiet belch bubbles from the hamster's mouth, and he rests his head on his mug. His eyes watch with undiminished curiosity as the two foxes speak. His fez slides down on his forehead a hair.
Hactor nearly gags on his ale, a look coming across his face as if he's been slaped awake. It's all flooding back now. A beautiful vixen, a night of love and passion, then a dibbun. He sets his ale down slowly, still looking at her. Then, after a long tence moment he asks, "How-How did you foind me?" He ingnores the belching hamster, in fact he ignores the whole pub at this point!
Jazmyne folds her paws in her lap as she speaks "Well, sir..I was mainly curious as to whom my father was, so mother told me, told me some beasts told her that he was close to Redwall, but nothing on, well...losing an arm" she stops and goes on " So I went to that area, someone pointed me north and came here, thought its a town someone has ta know something, right and...guess found you"She isn't sure weather to smile so keeps the same look of calmness and just simple taling "Name is Jazmyne"
Hactor nods slowley, glanzing away fromher for a moment. He then looks back as all this information sincks in. He knew he had to have a few dibbuns running around. He /was/ a warlord afterall, but he never would have thought one would actually take the initiative to find him! The old tod isn't sure weather to be happy or not. He then shifts uncomfortably and askes, "Oh. Well er.. How is she..Yer mum?" He was so glad Stubb wasn't here to see this. The weasel would never let him live this one down!
Jazmyne frowns now and looks down "She..died, winter was..hard on her"
Hactor once again shifts uncomfortably and coughs a bit. "I'm sorry to hear tha," and he was! There was a reason the fox left when he did. The truth was Hactor was a terrible father. The thought of a child saddeling him down made him more terrafied than ever. And now he had no choice at all in the matter.
Jazmyne nods slowly, course she has no idea what thoughts are running threw his head right now, she looks back towards him not being sure what to say now, she wasn't expecting to find him and she did.
"So," he began taking another sip from his drink. "I spose you want me ta care fer ya now aye?" If there was anything Hactor wasn't good at it was acts of incredible tenderness, so he was striaight forward. Where was that drgon when you needed him? Lord knows his big mouth could keep her distracted long enough for him to slip out.
Jazmyne blinks "Umm, well I am not a dibbun, I can care for me self but I..well" she stumbles for words "I would like to get to know my father better, if allowed..maybe stay with you for a short while till" she frowns "There is one thing since mother died I am a..well" she sighs "Homeless" she finishes.
"Hactor has a waaa-aard.." Trace's voice sounds again in a quiet sing-song tone as she finally makes her way back to the table and slips down in her seat between Hactor and Angus. Her paws pick up the momentarily forgotten-brandy to take a sip. She's obviously not helping. But she can't help herself.
Hactor looks derectly at her now, on of his tattered ears drooping a bit. "Well um," he begins,fumbaling with his own words. "Cant jast eh...let you go on by yerself then. Wouldn't be civil I spose." He nods awkwardly, as if trying to convince himself that it was the right thin to do...then come Trace's teasing. His eye darts to her, a small growl escaping his throat.
Jazmyne looks over at Trace, she remembers her from the table earlier, she doesnt say anything in return and looks back to Hactor as she listens to him decide weather or not she becomes the lastest edition to the group it would seem.
Hactor finally replies with a bit of a huff, "I spose ya can join. But no codelling. Everyone pulls their own weight. Savvy?" He then drains the rest of his ale, waiting on an answer from his daughter.
The nameless young hamster ragamuffin has dozed off, his arms sprawled out on either side of the empty mug. His face, now half-concealed by the fez, is utterly placid as he draws deep breaths and lets them slowly out.
Jazmyne nods slowly "Alright I do have some coins and always ways to get more..maybe do dishes here or offfer to clean after most have left, odd jobs like that..if it doesnt get coins could get a room or some food ta share"
Hactor grunts in replie then warns, "We don tend ta stay one place fer long. So always be ready ta go." He then stand as if he himself is ready to go. But not before turning to her and saying after along moment, "You look so much loike yer mum...Good ta have ye." He then begins to swagger out the door,so she want see his good eye begin to tear up in joy and saddnes.
Jazmyne nods as she listens "Alright I will keep that in mind." she watches him go and looks around as the tavern seems to be clearing some and she stands as she walks over to the tavern owner who is pulling drinks and nods a hellp "Ello so umm...need some dishes washed or souple drinks pulled for customers?" Well she said she help some way or other and if nothing elkse its a room for the night for her to rest for the night.
