Clearing our Thoughts 3 7 10

Location: Western Shore

Involves: Tyree, Zeraph

Solace. That's one of the things that Tyree looks for the most when he comes out to the beach. Having accomplished one of his childhood dreams of sparring with a Red Warrior, he's found himself outside, sitting on the side and carving out another little sculpture. It appears to be a hare, judging by the general shape and the large protruberances on the head. Little flakes fall to the sand and drift away on the wind. Tyree seems to be concentrating, and yet there is a laziness to his movements. Like he's not quite looking at the carving, but at something else within his own mind. The stoic hare is being introspective it seems.

Unfortunately the shore has yet to consistently be a good place for solitude and relaxation. Especially this close to the mountain it is like a highway of sorts. Zeraph's first day back has been a frustrating one and he welcomes the chill in the air, taking a deep breath while trudging over the sands. He's shoved his hands into his pockets and his chin is tilted up, face in the wind. It is only when he drops his focus that he notes the other buck. Both ears lift curiously and the officer moves in closer.

If it is a highway, at least Tyree can (sometimes) depend on hares to just move along even if he's noticed. But that, too, is not generally the case. When Zeraph walks on the hard sand, the gentle noise makes Tyree's sensitive ears perk up even straighter, and then he turns his head until he can see Zeraph out of the corner of his eye. He quickly puts down his whittling tools and stands, snapping a crisp salute. "Sah," he says calmly.

Zeraph waves a hand casually without really even lifting it, as if to brush off the salute and attention through gesture alone. "I don't remember seeing you around." The major looks him over in the half light, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "If I'm bothering you, of course, I can remedy that."

"Oh? No, sah," Tyree says stiffly. "I was just out 'ere on my own time. Didn't mean ta'... clog the scenery or nothin'," he adds with a sheepish shrug. "Just gettin' my thoughts in order. You know what I mean, sah?"

The buck's nose crinkles. "Of course." Zeraph can sense that tension in the other fighter, though, and slowly he shifts away from him to settle on the nearest rock with a grunt - movements slightly stiff. "We all need to gather our thoughts sometimes." He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Indeed." If only Zeraph knew Tyree better, he'd know that tension was his forte. "Not ta' pry, sah. But did you come out here ta' do the same as I?"

"I'm feeling a little bit like I want to rip somebeast's head off." Zeraph speaks truthfully, gruff and with a different kind of tension. "So I'd say we're both looking to settle our thoughts." He is staring out at the horizon line while taking in calming breaths through his nose.

"Mmm." Tyree's unfinished work remains at his footpaws, in the sand. He barely even glances at it, his eyes flickering between the major and the ocean. "... The Abbey fox?" he ventures, warily, lest it be /his/ head that get bitten off.

"The vermin seems like a prime candidate." Zeraph runs his tongue over his upper teeth and then he leans back to stretch his upper body purposefully, ears settling back once more. "The Abbey.. I no longer respect its judgment. But it's not necessarily that."

Tyree isn't quite sure if Zeraph wants him to keep pushing forward and making guesses, but the fact remains that he hasn't stalked off or reprimanded him, yet. So, perhaps it'd be all right, and may clear the air a bit. "I noticed you an' Major Darklett havin'... words... earlier. If it's not the fox, sah, what else might it be?" Through it all it's only his eyes and head that move. Tiny, flinching movements, a squint here, a tilt there.

Smirrrk. Zeraph seems more amused by this than he has been by anything all day, actually. His grin broadens as he gives Tyree a look, eyes narrowed and head tilting. "Seriously?" The officer makes a gruff laughing sound at the back of his throat. "Ah, if I was going to murder Dark, I'd have done it a long time ago." He shrugs while looking off to the sea again. "Just.. try doing this job for as long as I have.. then be stuck with nothing to do for a while. 'Recovering'. We'll see whose head you don't want to rip off at the end."

Tyree nods. The pressures of command thankfully have not visited him yet. He's got enough on his plate with the pressures of /being/ commanded as it is. "I imagine I'd want ta' rip off quite a few, sah. I grew up with rambunctious brothers who refused ta' respect hierarchy, an' all that. Flippin' hard job it was keepin' 'em in line."

So they both end up nodding their agreement. Zeraph seems almost lost in thought once more. "It should all settle back down. I'll get it out of my system." He smirks to Tyree. "You should try keeping several hundred recruits in line."

"Corporal punishment all around," Tyree says without skipping a beat. There's only a tiny hint of a weary, joking tone in there. What right does Tyree have to feel world-weary when he's still a private? One can only guess. "Nothin' wrong with wantin' ta' get away now an' again, sah. Perhaps you should find a few more intermediaries?"

"Oh, no. I had my share of them when I was a lieutenant." Zeraph blows this off with another casual wave of his burned hand. The recruits are dealt with accordingly nowadays. "My focus is on my patrol. /My/ hares." Another deeper breath is taken through his nose before he stands up, pushing his hands into his knees to aid in this.

"Your hares?" Tyree asks. Perhaps it's just that he's not a commander yet, but the way Zeraph uses it is slightly confusing. "What's wrong with your patrol, sah?"

"Nothing." Zer levels a serious look at Tyree. "I'd give my life for them." With that he starts upshore, limping as he does with his hands returning to his pockets. "Good night, soldier."

Tyree only tilts his head, just so, watching the major hobble away. "... An' you, sah," he mutters, though it's doubtful he's heard over the noise of the surf.