Benar - To Abandon the Warrior's Way
RW Abbey: Entry
This is a sandy area between Great Hall and the main gates of the Abbey. It obviously gets a great deal of traffic, if one is to judge by the number of pawprints going every which direction here. There is an obvious path leading to the double doors of Great Hall. In places that are not so trampled, new shoots of green grass and budding dandelions are making their presence known.
There is a bustle of activity here, and you can hear the occasional murmur of a passing conversation. The sun is high overhead, and shadows are small. All is bright.
Brother Julian, Orph and Layne are waiting outside in the snow outside the main hall for Benar to reveal what he intends to do.
Benar waits for those who are coming to arrive then asks them to wait, he walks into the gatehouse and then comes back out with a large ash wood bow. Though no quiver. He walks back towards them, holding the bow in his paws, "This has been my bow since I was old enough to make one... " he flexes it, "It has served me well, all my life as a soldier.."
Orph watches Benar, he didn't know the squirrel had been a soldier. This is getting ineresting.
Layne's got her long vest clutched closed in the front, and the other paw shoved deep into a pocket. Might not be snowing, but it's hardly spring, either. Her eyes squeeze narrowly against the cold, and with suspicion. "Wait-- y'r not planning on... to a perfectly good bow?"
Benar's long tail streams out to the left of him, he also holds up a sheathed short sword. "This too.. has been mine since my mother gave it me. I have learnt many many things in my life, I can carve wood, I can shape clay, I can care for trees, but of all the things I learnt... the one I regret the most is learning how to kill." He holds the bow at each end and looks over it at Layne. "In a few days time.. i will swear to oaths of a Redwall Novice, before the father abbot.. and I wish to put this life and the skills of a soldier behind me forever..."
Orph looks over at Layne confused.
She doesn't explain. She figures the dibbun will get it in a minute. "Still a waste of a nice bow. *sigh* Fine, symbolism away. Old life, new life, et cetera." Layne looks like she's on the verge of asking if she could have it. Then again, what the heck would she do with it?
Benar looks over at Layne then to Orph, "A bow has one purpose, to kill." He suddenly bends it, the wrong way against the curve, grunting as he exerts his body and with a horrible SNAP the ash wood bends completly the wrong way and splits, the bow breaking into two pieces.
Julian leans close to Orph, "watch and listen carefully lad, this is very important." He remebers when he first took the same oath.
"That's going to come as quite a shock during the archery contest in a couple weeks," mutters Layne. Swords can be beaten into plowshares, and bows have other uses. She's wincing as the wood splinters and there's the sound of a discordant harp-string.
Benar is stood on the path near the gatehouse, the squirrel has a recently broken bow in his paws, the /snap/ of it breaking still echoing on the air. "Maybe... but I never want to touch a bow again if I can help it. If I want to take part in a contest. I'll do climbing." he hefts the short sword. "And this.. I shall give to the abbey smith to turn into something useful." He drops it atop the pieces of the bow and stares down at them, the grey squirrel's shoulders seem to relax somewhat.
A gust of wind stirs but doesn't shift Layne's bangs, and she bites down at least two more sarcastic comments on the display. Benar's being noble and full of literary symbolism. Fine, fine. Could be worse, she supposes. "Right. You've renounced the soldierly life. Want to help with the lunch dishes now?"
Calingaladha stretches languidly as she emerges from the Great Hall, feeling quite well rested after a hot meal and a warm bed, something she hadn't had in a while. She smiles as she spots others ahead and raises a paw in greeting, dipping her head lightly. "Hello there."
Orph is quite stuned by all this. He doesn't even smile at Layne comments. It comes to him that Benar has just done something very hard for him to do. Julian stood next to the ratling, he'd seen this sort of thing before and hoped it had made an strong impression on his charge.
Benar gathers up the broken bow and the sword, then glances at Layne and nods, "Sure... why not I might as well help. but let me go dispose of these first aye?" He glances at the badger and raises his free paw, "Good day Miss." The squirrel seems in a bit of a daze, the full import of what he just done just sinking in.
Layne tries to stop him with a word. "/Benar/." Whether he turns or not, she keeps going. "Keep the bow-string. Remember your past. Don't throw all of it away."
Calingaladha smiles. "Good day to you as well, sir." she replies, and nods to Orph as well, recalling him from the night before. "Why, hello." she says, turning as well to Layne, whom she does not know.
Benar pauses at Layne's words and reaches into his belt pouch, he lifts out the coiled bow-string, looking at it and nods, "I will Miss Layne... my past happened. I can't just pretend it never did. But.." he turns back to look at her, "I can move forwards now..." his tail sways as he idly shifts from paw to paw. "But I will not forget."
Layne is... cold. And she looks it. The vest she wears has no ties, nor loops to close it. She holds it closed with one paw. "'noon," she murmurs to the badger, only slightly unnerved by the sheer cliff-like height of the beast. This is her third badger in a week. She's starting to get used to feeling shrunken. "Going inside now. We have furniture." It's an odd thing to say, but Layne's prone to that.
Orph doesn't move at first. Hearing Layne's words seems to snap him out of the daze. The mouse in green beside him turns his head at the sound of a the newcomer. "Hello, I don't believe we've been introduced yet, I'm Brother Julian," he extends a paw to Cali, "I've been assigned to look after this little one while Corbyn's away."
Benar watches Layne leave, the badger gets another look and he bows to her. "Miss... I.. will be back... in a moment." he walks off around the corner of the cloister, out of sight for now, to dispose of the items in his arms.
Calingaladha nods to the mouse and extends her paw as well to shake softly with his, careful not to jar the much smaller creature. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Brother Julian." she smiles, nodding to Benar.
Julian smiles, "We're getting quite a number of badgers around here I see." "Well, I'd best be taking his young lad back indoor before we both freeze. If you'll excuse us please," he lays a paw on Orph's shoulder to steer him toward the door.
Calingaladha smiles. "Well, as I always say, the more the merrier." she chuckles, and dips her head to Julian. "Of course."
Benar re-appears back around the side of the cloister, the Squirrel has a bounce to his step as he moves along. Suddenly he takes a small hop-skip and cartwheels down the path, landing back on his feet in a flurry of grey tail before the rat, dislodgingh Julian's paw so he can scoop him up and setting him on his shoulders. "So... mmm back inside is it Brother Julian? Miss Badger, shall we retire to the warmth?" And with that the squirrel scampers up the steps and through the doors.
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