Beggars Can't Be Choosers
Angus, Soclose, Stubb, Carn, Amos, Deathwatch, Malcolm
Location: Marshank: Longhouse Hallway
« Continued from Squirrel in a Squall.
"Pokin' about likes I does," the dragon chimes, offering his chum the sincerest of smiles. "Ye' should know 'bout my requisite 'alone times' by now." As the squirrel unceremoniously tumbles over the threshold, Angus steps to one side, choking on a laugh at Stubb's soggy state. "Aw, ye' look a proper mess mate," he laments, but abruptly quiets. His tongue flits. "Any o' th' others still out there?"
Soclose moves towards the doorway, the osprey sounding cheerful as he croons, "/Woah-ho-hee!/ Ahoy! Welcome back! We've got the lights lit." He moves away from the door as the rest follow through, and turns to look at Carn, "A guest? A visitor? A troublemaker? Which?"
Stubb shakes the water free from his fur as he slides past the scaly doorman. "Noice ta see you didn' falled inta a pit or somefin'. Dis place, ma'e." He shivers. "Dis place ain' roigh'."
Carn does not seemed bothered by the room, and grabs a dirty peice of cloth from a nearby shelf, trying to dry himself off as mush as he can, though it's not really working, "So, am I part o' de group now?" he asks jokingly, shaking water from his clothes.
"Like we ain't stayed at worser," Angus says to Stubb. "I sorta' dig it, mate." He palms his chin, pivoting to survey the pad. "Oh, sure. She's a fixer-upper, but," he stops musing to balk at Carn's brash inquiry, but coughs it memory and continues, "With a bitta' love, could be somethin' magical."
Soclose glances out at the wet and raining courtyard and croons to Carn, "We have room for one more. It can be you!" The osprey moves back towards the light and asks, "Where did you come from? Did you climb the wall in this weather?"
Stubb gives Angus an awkward half-hug. "Good ta see you ma'e. Where's Amos? -- An him--" Stubb says to Soclose, "--we found 'im on tha beach, spoyin'. We brought 'im 'ere." The weasel throws frequent glances over at the captive squirrel.
Carn tilts his head at the osprey, "Nay, ah've been tied to a post outside." He glances at the weasel, "Och, jus' give me ma claymore an' ah'll be on ma way. Ah twern't spyin' on tha likes o' yew."
Angus clumsily dips into the embrace, before he quickly yanks away, scratching at the back of his neck. "'Round here somewhere I 'spect," the dragon grunts, and shrugs one shoulder lazily. "Think just about alla' 'em got to sniffin' about. Th' place's got a few invitin' nooks." He finally glances at Carn. "Yew were th' one swappin' blows with Hactor, aye?"
Shuffling in from the rain, completely soaked and hissing as he shakes himself free of the water clinging to his fur he grumbles, "Aye, right here." He looks glum. "Took a wrong turn or somethin', but here ya all are now and I suppose we'll be staying long enough to get dry?" [Amos]
Carn nods firmly, "Aye, twas me. Wot of it?" he asks, attempting to cross his arms, but finds them hindered by the ropes still there, "An' can ye untie me now?"
"Tied to a post?" The osprey tilts his head up, then down looking at the squirrel closely. "/Hee!/ You're the one from the rocks! You looked bigger when you were not so wet." Soclose asks, "I did not see your friends about, are you far-travelling?"
"Good ta have you back, ma'e," Stubb smiles to Amos.
Amos grins, "Good to be back and see ya all of course!" His voice booming in the hall.
Angus smirks at the cat, who, miraculously, appears more sodden than Stubb. "Long enough t' dry off? Aye. Preferably longer." He folds his arms over his chest, slouching against a support post. "I really ain't lookin' t' slog through snow fer th' next three moons."
Carn looks back to Soclose, who seems to be the only one paying him any mind, "Aye, ah'm the one from tha rocks." He sees no use in bluffing any longer, "Ah was with a scoutin' party fer ma clan, but ma two companions were killed comin' down tha Northern cliffs." He looks down slightly, then tugs at the ropes again, "Can ye please untie meh now?! Ah told ya who ah am!"
Stubb swaggers coolly up the squirrel and holds up a paw to keep the others quiet. "Let me tawk to 'im first."
Amos shivers at the very thought of snow, grunting, "Aye, and where's that bloody son of yours by the way?" Amos looks about.
Soclose moves back a bit to make room for Stubb, "It is not very welcome welcome," the osprey croons, raising a talon up to tap his beak with a wink to the weasel. "..but your ropes are wet and my beak is not that good with wet ropes, you'll have to wait for your questions first."
Stubb frowns at Amos. No keeping this lot quiet for long. "You said you was wif some a your clan, aye?"
Angus remains slumped against the pole, but compliant, quiet.
Carn nods, "That ah did, though twas only two o' dem, and there was a rockslide comin' down tha cliffs ta get here." He sighs, "Poor Murphy, 'e was a good lad."
The woeful tale tugs Angus' lips into a subtle frown. He mumbles something to his toad gods, and appeases them with a short gesture.
"/Hee?/ How dangerous it must be to walk on a cliff, " Soclose remarks offhandedly. "Ah, so, but you still travelled? --why did you not go back? Were you not worried?"
Amos goes through his pack, to which his belongings have remained mostly dry. Pulls out a flask and takes a long draft before he looks to the others, "Anyone else need a good drink?" He grins, offering it to them.
Stubb pauses a moment, nodding. "Lost a few a moi kin. Toimes is loike that, eh?" He hunches over a bit, his paws on his thighs. "But you 'ad more. An oi fink one a dem followed us in 'ere. Dis place--" he points around them "--Somebeast is in 'ere." He peers into the shadows that hang in the corners, into the darkened doorways...
As if an extension of his holy gesture, the lizard sends forth an eager hand. It flexes its intent, but Angus sticks to his dutiful silence.
Amos releases the flask to the dragon and settles back to listen to Carn's story.
Carn gazes at the osprey, "An' go back ta ma father a failure? Nay, dat isnae tha McCullough way o' doing things." to Amos he says, "If mah paws were free ah'd take yew up on that offer." then, turning to Stubb, "Ah highly doubt that there's a McCulluogh here. the two tha came down wit' me ah buried."
Angus gulps from the flask, and, fermented fix fulfilled, he finally pipes, "In here?" The dragon cleans his mouth with the back of his arm. "'Course there is, mate. Th' sketchy whip-wieldin' cat chap, fer one. An' prolly those dames. An' Hactor's somewhere, no doubt. Dangeon." Until that point, he had counted on his fingers, but the lizard runs out before he can finish. "It's positively teemin'."
"Not to discount the foxes," Soclose croons, "Who knows how many of them are getting wet this evening." The osprey turns back to keep an eye on Carn. He asks, "Failure? If so! --what would have been success?"
Stubb glares at the noisy bird. "First fings first!" he scolds the osprey. "'Gus, it ain' loike dat. Somebeast left a note. 'Ad our names on i'." He narrows his eyes at Carn. "Oi fink someone's tryoin' ta freaten us. You sure you was alone?"
"Suit ya self," Amos says to Carn, then smirks at Angus. "Aye, and no can't forget the bloody foxes but lets try!"
Angus sighs, knitting is brow. He nurses at the flask. "Wouldn't be the first," he mutters with an wretched scowl. "An' it don't make any more sense than it ever did. I mean, c'mon. Why all the hubbub about us? Some lowly vagabond nobodies, an it's like every fortnight we gotta' new loon vying fer our blood or our children. Ain't make a lick o' bloody sense."
"/Aeeh?/" Soclose pipes in wonder at Stubb, "I have the note right here! We should make him tell us who we are...then we'll know if he wrote it." The osprey tilts his head and suggests to Carn, "Perhaps we will untie you once you tell us?"
Carn first adresses the osprey, "Well, ideally, none o' us dyin' and coming back wit' some information, would be success," he says, with a slight raise of his eyebrows. He reassures them once again, "Aye, if ah wasn't alone ah would most likely be free by now." He pauses for a second, then considers the osprey's challenge, "Well, erm, ah think his name's Gus?" he says, more of a question than a statement, with a slight nod to Angus.
Angus salutes. "Yup," he grunts, and swigs again from the rapidly diminishing flask contents.
Stubb grunts. He stands up and watches Carn with eyes intent.
Soclose nods, "Yes, yes, that was on the list." Soclose confirms, "But not how it was written, no not at all." The osprey's eyes narrow, "You will have to be try harder than that! Who am I?" He points a wing at Stubb, "Who is this? /Hee?/"
Carn attempts to scratch his head, but his paws are bound, "Och, yew're something 'far' methinks, and 'e's Stump? Or somethin' like dat." He gives a helpless shrug.
Angus sinks down along the post, crouching at its base. "Wait. So when did ye' find this 'note'? The pufftail got tied up right after he strode in here t' lick Hactor, aye? An' ye' saw 'im on the rocks 'afore that? When did he have time t' author such mysterious literature?"
Angus wags a frustrated hand. "Besides. He's obviously daft. Lookit 'im!"
Soclose recoils, the osprey giving a small strangled cry, "/Aaeh!/ Well! It is obvious to me too--you don't know anything!" Mantling his wings the osprey paces away and looks back, "--or you do not wish to be untied!" The bird settles down a few paces away and admits, "It was upstairs, in the dark, which means someone had to have light to write it with. And ink. You can't write notes without ink, even if there was light to do so."
Carn narrows his eyes at Angus and Soclose, "No' ma fault if ah don't know yer bloody names. Ah dinnae have much time ta, what wit' that stupid fox bouncin' a rock offa ma skull. Besides, 'ow would ah write it wit' mah paws tied like this?" he glances around the longhouse, "An' ah haven't even been in 'ere!"
Stubb barks at the others. "Quiet, ya fools!" He spits. "Oi'm askin tha questions! Oi never said 'e wrote tha note, ya idiots. 'E's been wif us all along, 'course 'e cou'dn' a done."
Angus nods his concession. "Aye." He puts the flask on the ground, laid on one of its broad, flat sides; the thing is haphazardly punted toward Amos. "Thank ye', Amy." A short sneer is shot to Stubb, before the dragon, warmed by drink, sinks fully to his rump. He rests his wrists on his knees, but, hands entwined, he methodically cracks each knuckle, listening to the interrogation.
Soclose preens his wing feathers and keeps an eye on Carn, but remains quiet. Didn't have questions left, anyhow!
Carn sighs, "Can yew not just untie meh? Ah dinnae see why all this questionin' is needed." He glances around again for his claymore, though it's hopeless, and he curses to himself as he realizes it must have been left out in the rain.
Stubb sighs loudly and, quite abruptly, roughly grabs Carn's wrists to cut the rope binding them. "Can' see you doin' much 'arm anyways. An i's clear enuff you ain' any woiser dan tha rest uv us about our visitor, whevvah it's your kin or no. But someone's about, an' moight as well 'ave yore paws aidin' us in rootin' 'im out."
The flask soars through the air, Amos keeps an eye on it as it lands in his paws, "Aye, my pleasure mate!" He grins, bending over to shove the flask in his pack which is on the floor. He collects it, pulls it over his shoulder and turns to eye Carn as he listens to Stubb, "So what'cha gonna do now mate?" He eyes the squirrel.
Angus rocks his head back into the post. It thuds loudly, but the dragon barely seems to notice. "I'd recommend ye' run, mate. S' bad news gettin' tangled up with th' likes of us. Ye'll end up chased, muddy, singed, starved, bloodied an' weary 'afore ye' know what hit ye'."
Carn nods gratefully, and sets about getting the blood flowing through his wrists again, "Thankee. As fer what ah'm gonna do now, ah'd like ta go get ma claymore, if yew don't mind." He pulls his already sodden kilt from around his waist and prepares to use it as shelter from the rain. He grimaces, as his fur is just beginning to dry out. He gazes at Angus, "Well, ah'm already muddy, starved, bloodied, wearied, an wet, so ah figure ah'm almost one o' ya."
Soclose stands back up, and steps closer to Carn, "No worries, you are already half way there." The osprey tilts his head and croons, "I am Echelon-Second Soclose, if you are looking for information you can always ask and if I know, I will tell."
Deathwatch steps calmly down the stairs to the hallway, finding the location to be filled with beasts. The large wildcat glances around, his yellow eyes surveying the creatures.
Amos eyes the other wildcat, "Eh, you again. Hello mate!"
Angus tilts his head to regard the recently materialized feline. "Oi. Howdy, mate. How does th' night find ye'? Drier than these fools, I should hope." He indicates the sundry, soggy beasts with another languid tip of his skull.
Carn opens the door, and slips out quickly, going out in search of his claymore before anybeast protests, "Be roigh back," he mutters.
Soclose cries out, "/Hee!/ There he goes!" The osprey moves over towards the door to stare out into the rain. "Maybe he likes getting wet better than being in here?"
Deathwatch nods a little towards the other wildcat and then to Angus, saying, "Dry, yah. Vhat is happening here?" He rests the head of the hammer on the floor, leaning against the haft as he observes the squirrel leaving the area, "I'm a little surprised nobeast has tried to stop him from leaving. You beasts certainly made a show of keeping him earlier." He taps his scourge at his hip, remembering he was the one who sliced up Carn's forearm to stop a fight.
Carn comes back in, hugging the sword in it's sheath close, as if it were his own child. He shakes rain from himself again, and then sits in a chair, setting about cleaning the leather of the sheath and then moving on the the blade, treating it lovingly against any rust. He glances up at Deathwatch, with a slight frown, but does nothing, simply cleaning his sword.
Malcolm is the next to flock into the room. The kid has pretty much been out on his own, which is really just how he likes it, but since he's bored, he makes his way into the room, right behind Carn. "What's goin' on in 'ere?" he asks, looking around for a few moments before finding a corner to be his 'perch'.
Angus's eyes roll after the scrambling squirrel. "Can't let it rust, can he now, sir?" he chirps to the bird. His attention then returns to Deathwatch. "What kin I say, mate? Our hearts be fickle." There is a grin for the wildcat, followed by a satisfied nod when Carn returns. "See? He came back. An' he even brought me my son! Howdy, Mally. Just enjoyin' the thump of the rains on the rooftops."
Soclose eyes the sword cleaning for a few moments. "Well, I suppose! The rain might do something to it," he croons, fidgeting his talons on the carpet for a nervous moment before giving his wing feathers another once over to be on the safe side.
Stubb glances at Deathwatch. "Fought 'Actor 'ad use for 'im. The ole warlord's goin' soft in the 'ead, dough. His plans change wif tha wind." He reaches out to Amos for the flask. "Now then."
Deathwatch hmms, watching the squirrel with his blade, "Sometimes a veapon is vhat defines the beast. To take care of zheir veapon is to take care of zhemselves..." he nods to the squirrel and turns to the other creatures in the longhouse, "I must say, though, zhat letting a prisoner vith obvious qualms vith your sort carry zheir veapon vith zhem is rather new to me. As for Hactor..." he nods, "I vould have to agree."
Carn finishes his tender care of the blade and replaces the claymore in its sheath, which he slings across his bare chest, letting it rest so the the hilt is within easy reach behind his right shoulder. He frowns slightly as he notices that some of the highland paint is coming off with the rain. He shrugs and leans forward to listen to the beasts talk. He raises an eyebrow at Deathwatch, "This, Hactor beast? Is 'e the one-armed fox ah fought wit'?"
Malcolm huhs a little bit when he sees Angus, his arms folding over his chest as he nods slowly. "I can see that." he replies with a bit of a quiet hum, looking around for a few moments before making his way closer to Angus, not caring so much about the others. Or Angus for that matter, but it looks better standing next to another lizard rather than a wall.
Amos shoves the flask in Stubb's paws and grins, "Sure."
"As we explained th' other night, mate--our ranks ain't exactly rigorously outlined. As long as he's not swingin' it at us, we couldn't give two shakes as t' whether he has a blade 'r not. If we disarmed every beast who attempted to dis-other-arm Hactor, we'd have no time fer our own conundrums." The dragon pauses to consider this. "Though that may not be such a bad thing." Angus smiles to Malcolm, though has little expectation of a return.
Soclose shakes his head and looks up from plucking at his wing feathers, "Indeed! I am not sure some times who we are to be watching out for. A good greeting is best, most times." The osprey croons, quickly adding, "Sometimes a rock is. Who--Who am I to say?"
Carn grins, "Well, ah got tha rock, so ah guess yew were in a bad mood, or at least that bloody fox was."
Deathwatch squints a little at the group before answering Carn's question, "I believe so." He turns to the monitor lizard and replies, "Must admit, I never thought I'd see my home full of beasts who don't know how to have a disciplined manner about zhem, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers, can zhey?"
Angus rubs idly at his snout, then permits his hand drift over his mouth and to his chin; it begins to smooth his unruly little beard. "True that, sir cat," he quips, glancing around the room, which borders on crowded at this point. "So's most've us here now. Amy, ye' seen Dang? Or those broads? I mean, this lodge ain't exactly vast. At least not wander off an' never get seen again vast."
Malcolm looks to Angus and does his best to smile. He really does. But it comes off as more of a lopsided frown than anything. But its close enough in his mind. He settles himself down on something that he can sit on and slouches.
"I have been here where the light and the heat is," Soclose croons, "Walking in the dark makes me tired. And who knows what you might bump into?"
Carn is in the process of drying off a second time, doing his best to wipe mud from his fur. He's listening but a day or so tied to a post, followed by a storm has tired him out, and his eyelids are beginning to droop.
Angus catches the well-intentioned grimace in the corner of his eye, and replies with a soft jab at Malcolm's shoulder. "Cheer up, Mally. Least we gotta' roof fer now. Ain't ye' always moanin' about bein' outdoors?" He juts a finger at the ceiling. "Lookit' it. Solid roof. No reason t' be so broody all th' time." By now, the elder dragon has resigned himself to Malcolm's perpetual state of melancholic resentment; he simply ignores it, to the best of his fatherly integrity.
Carn drifts off to a well-deserved sleep, his paw only a few inches from his claymore should anybeast awake him from his light slumber.
Deathwatch leans against the wall, arms crossed as he continues to observe this rag-tag group.
Soclose tilts his head and looks at the ceiling. "Yes, you can not tell it is raining from here," the osprey croons, "unless you open the door or go upstairs." He shuffles his feet and says pointedly, "There is no fish for dinner, but I won't be sleeping in sand, so I am happy."
Deathwatch sighs softly, his yellow eyes glancing upward before closing once more. His ears listen to the rain outside. In some ways, it is rather soothing.
"Because now we're not really doin' anythin'." Malcolm replies to Angus in a grumble, shaking his head a little bit before looking to Deathwatch. He's spent so much time away from the group since they ran into the wildcat, he has no idea who he is.
Soclose steps down to the end of the hallway and settles down on the carpet, facing the entrance. "Well, if there is nothing else happening, I am going to watch from here and then I am going to get some rest." The osprey looks about the hall, "So many doors! They will not come open in the middle of the night?"
Deathwatch opens his eyes a moment to glance at the osprey, "Don't vorry. No such thing is going to happen." His eyes catch Malcolm's gaze upon him, turning himself towards the younger monitor lizard, "Yah? Vhat's on your mind?"
"I hope t' th' toads ye' one day grow outta' this dissatisfaction, Mally. If I had half yer mouth, m' father woulda' tanned my hide and wore me as a hat." The elder lizard rises as he speaks, dusting his pants off when fully upright. "I'm goin' t' catch a bit o' rest. Don't wander too far, all right? Ain't know how close those foxes are still lurkin'." Angus bids farewell to the others in a few short nods, tips a finger against his brow, and slinks down the hall.
Malcolm completely ignores Angus, just waving indifferently at his departure before he blinks, looking towards Deathwatch. "Huh? Nuthin'." he replies, shaking that surprised look off of his face. Its not often he gets addressed of someone's freewill.
Deathwatch notices the surprised look on the younger lizard's face before it was shaken off. The wildcat would have chuckled had his mind not been reeling, trying to figure out how to help get this group to be a better, disciplined thing. But his doubt grows.
Soclose seems to take that a face value, watching as everyone moves off. The osprey stares at the doors in the hall for a bit more, listens to the rain hitting the boards upstairs, before finally tucking his head beneath one wing and falling silent.
The lizard hums a little bit and looks around at everyone before his eyes settle back on the feline. "So...who are you?" he asks, tilting his head the other way now as he ponders things.
Deathwatch raises his eyes to the younger lizard, "I am Deathvatch. I vonce vas zhe most respected varrior in my tribe. Nearly got nominated to be zhe leader, zhe king. But...lost my fight. So I returned here. To my family's original home. Marshank, not long after zhe Lord Badrang fell and zhe mad stoat Clogg passed into Hellgates."
"That's great, let me know how that goes." Malcolm unfolds his arms and pushes himself up off his seat as he heads towards the door, wanting to head outside for a bit. "Later." he says in goodbye as he vanishes outside into the rain.
Deathwatch nods to the lizard as he departs. The wildcat, neither offended nor condoning, remains where he is.
