Disrespect to a Commissioned Officer.

Characters: Darklett, Brenden, Tameus, Harper, Zeraph

Darklett steps aside as soon as he's in the hallway, so as to not block any entrance or exit. "So, you wanted to talk to me?"

Brenden comes out and closes the door behind him. He nods and steps to attention, well, as best he can with his arm in a sling. "Yes sah. It's...I...I'm...I'm very confused sah..." his voice seems only to amplify his confusion.

Darklett's head tilts. "...Confused?" The major leans against the wall with his arms crossed. "About what?"

Brenden pauses to think, "Sah....Tha fox wot took Tameus was murdahed. In cold blood. 'E couldn't even stand. Then 'is mate fell beside 'im." He breaks the position of attention to look at the floor, "She could still be alive, but I...I couldn't save 'er. She was with child." He looks back up, "'Er kit lives now, but now 'e don't 'ave a mothah 'r a fathah. She...Dahcy wouldn't 'elp me...I couldn't use mah left ahm..." and he trails off with his excuses.

"...Murdered?" Darklett's ears sway to the side. Well. That's intriguing. "Don't feel bad about not being able to save either of them. Darcy doesn't belong to the Order so I don't think she holds herself to the same..." He pauses. "...Moral standard as the actual Abbey healers do." He's caught in thought, crossing his arms. "How was it that the kidnapper wasn't able to walk? And what happened when his mate died?"

Brenden shakes his head, "I know she's not an abby 'ealah...but it wasn't right. It's what vahmin would'a done." He goes back to the position of attention, "'E was already 'alf dead. Frozen and blind. Dahcy cut the kit out befoah she died." Again he looks down, "She named 'im Alexandah." Apparently the death of the two has gotten to him. Partly because he believed that the fox shouldn't have been murdered, even though he did what he did. And that he could get no help with the fox's mate when he couldn't do it on his own.

"...He was also a kidnapper." The major barely moves, just... Thinking. "I have no pity for the tod who kidnapped and hurt Tameus. Evil beasts meet the ends they deserve. As for the mate, though... How was the mate involved in this?"

Brenden nods, "Yes sah. They do." He would let that part drop, "She came out with a sabah right as Dahcy killed 'er mate. I tackled Dahcy cause she stabbed tha fox, but I ended up savin 'er from tha sabah. Took tha blade in me back a few times. Then she dropped tha sabah and went to 'is body. Anothah beast came out, then tha vixen attacked us again and took Dahcy's blade in tha chest." He takes in a deep breath, "She wasn't right in tha 'ead. She was pregnant and 'er mate died in front of 'er...." Then he looks down again.

"...Brenden." The major is just... Slightly frowning, though it's not disapproving. Just thoughtful. "What is it you are asking of me?"

Brenden takes a long moment to think, but he finally answers, looking the major in the eye, "Sah...Ah'm not suah I'm as good as I need tah be. I want tah stay with yah patrol, but I'd like tah leave tha abby as soon as this plague is ovah." He sort of turns his head towards the door and lowers his voice alot, "Ah'm not suah 'ow I feel about Dahcy aftah this..."

"In my patrol, you're going to have to make a lot of decisions just like the one you made then." Darklett speaks softly as well. "I can't fault Darcy for defending herself from attack. If the best way she could do it was to kill the vixen, then I can't say that I wouldn't have done that same thing." The major levels his eyes on Brenden. "By putting yourself in the way of that fight, you needlessly endangered yourself. I know the vixen was with child, but in these cases you have to do the best you can, which is defend yourself and preserve the child... Which was done." He purses his lips, letting out a slight sigh. "You were at the top of your class, as you reminded me several times, so it'd be a shame to have you missing from the Patrol, but I don't think you're cut out for the field. Which I'm sure you'll agree?" He bumps himself off the wall. "I'll request you get transferred to an at-home healer position."

Brenden sighs and completely loses the position of attention, "Thats not what I was getting at sah...." He looks back up, "I was trained fah combat medicine sah. It's..." he hesitates, thinking of whether or not to push the issue. He decides to go ahead and push it, "Sah, please....don't do that. Ah'm goin crazy in this infahmary."

The lieutenant follows after Tameus as he leads him out into the hall, having given one last wave to Darcy but mostly paying attention to the spunky child that uses his arm like some sort of leash. He shuffles along to keep pace. ".. yeah. There may be a lot of us, but it's difficult to not know everyone at least in passing. We all share the same home." A glance is sent towards the private as he speaks, though he says nothing and doesn't exactly get involved either. He's not one for eavesdropping.

Out of the infirmary Tameus comes! With Zeraph in tow. As much 'in tow' as a very large buck can be by a very small one. Tam has the Lieutenant by the hand, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the big guy doesn't knock into the top of the doorway or anything. "Y' know 'm goin' t' Sal'man'stron when th' P'trol leaves 'ere."

Harper isn't one to eavesdrop, but he can't help what he hears as he comes up the stairs from the Great Hall. Heeee slows his pace, really not wanting to walk in on the middle of this particular conversation.

While the lieutenant and Tameus pass through, Major Darklett is silent. Just, you know. Waiting! As they pass, though, he continues. "Brenden, what you've told me here tonight is that when there is a vermin attacking a Redwaller, you would try to stop the Redwaller from defending herself, in the process being injured by that vermin, who probably would've killed the both of you if it was her choice. And then, after that, you would still say the Redwaller acting in self defense was in the wrong. Private Thatcher, that is a /dangerous/ way to think in a combat patrol. Any trained vermin who had more than one shot at your exposed back would've killed you without hesitation, and had a pretty good shot at Darcy, too." The major is still calm in his explanation. "I can't have you endangering other hares in my patrol, and until you're used to the reality of other beasts having to /die,/ you are not ready for the position of a combat healer, regardless of your training."

Brenden shakes his head and goes on the defensive, "Sah. Self defense isn't wrong. Dahcy did what she must. But imagine it, yah just lost yah mate. Killed in front of yah. Yah child won't 'ave 'is fathah. Kara didn't desahve tah die. Kara wasn't like tha othah vahmin. I knew 'er. I know that beasts 'ave tah die. But theah was moah to tha situation than that. It wasn't so cut and dry....sah."

Tameus quirks a quick smile at Darklett. Serious conversation? Not like he's paying a lot of attention. "'ey Dar'lett," he aims at the Major, buuut he sort of drags his feet. Still in ear-shot and all. The leveret lets go of Zeraph's hand to turn back around, head tilted, looking at Darklett and Brenden. His ears are stuck up. ".. who's K'ra?"

"Private Thatcher." Darklett almost cuts the other hare off. "Whether she deserved to die or not, she attacked Darcy and Darcy came out on top. The truth is, if you're attacked, I expect you to defend yourself any way possible. If you agree that self defense was the correct action, then I'm still unclear why we're having this conversation, Private." Darklett sighs. "...Tameus, could you please give us a moment in private? We're talking patrol business." He smiles down at the leveret.

"Well that'll be new and exciting for you." Really Zeraph is hardly paying attention to anything at the moment, including the dibbun, that is until he goes to interrupt what the two bucks are doing. That is about the point where he bends to scoop his arm around Tameus's chest and lift him easily into the air as they head for the stairs. "Let's not get involved." He states, carrying the child in a manner that has almost slung him over his shoulder - though being careful of his injured hand. That is when he sees Harper. Both ears perk. "Oh. I believe this belongs to you."

Harper can only drag his feet soooo much. Eventually he must take that final step and come into view. He clears his throat very lightly, looking 'round at them all. Aheh. Man, Darklett, have your private moments somewhere other than the main travelway of the Abbey! Harper turns a wan smile on Zeraph - and a slightly stronger one on Tameus. "Ah. I think you might be righ', there..." His eyes shift briefly to Darklett and Brenden, though. Couldn't help but overhear, and whatnot. He's not going to say a single thing, though. Nope.

Brenden is quickly reminded of his position by Darklett's tone and snaps back to attention, with his one arm still in the sling. He remains quiet for a moment, choosing his words. When he finally does speak, he is calmer and more respectful sounding towards his superior officer, "Sorreh sah. It's just...Kara did attack. Dahcy did win. But Kara didn't 'ave tah die. Alexandah didn't 'ave tah not 'ave parents." He lowers his voice some, "Sah...I know wot yah sayin. But, it's different when yah know both beasts. Friends with one and....maybe somethin moah with tha othah."

".. well. Y'r n' r'lly /in/ pr'vate, y'r righ' in th' 'all," Tam points out, looking curious. Then he's hefted! And gives a soft 'mmf' in response, smiling - and the smile immediately turns into a bright little grin when he sees Harper. "H'lo," the leveret mutters, reaching for him. "Who's K'ra?"

"Just an Abbeybeast, but she left. You won't be seein' her anymore, Tam." And Harper dares anyone with his eyes to contradict that!

Aaaand. "Why don't we goooo..." Where? Um. "Downstairs?"

"An' when y' say 'lef .. y' mean died?" Tam has been eavesdropping, yes he has. Not the ideal locale for a Private Talk, really. And the leveret is still is Zeraph's hold, so he makes grabby-hands at Harper.

Easily the kid is flipped around to face his father and one of Zeraph's arms scoops under his hindend to hold his weight better while going to hold him out to Harper. That seems to be what Tameus wants anyway, but he perhaps wouldn't be so light to a smaller buck. Oh well. The officer doesn't think about things like this. He only nods when the Redwaller offers the movement. "Yes. Let's."

Darklett nods slowly. "...I see. That does complicate things, but you'd still be expected to make a quick decision that would help our allies and not endanger them in that same kind of situation." The major turns to Harper, Tameus, Zeraph... "I think we understand each other, yes, Brenden? I will be applying for a transfer of positions, but... It's not permanent. I'm sure with your good standing you'll be able to get into another combat patrol no problem. It's just... The kind of missions my patrol is responsible for are the kind where I believe you would be doing more harm than good." Also, sorry for doing this in a hall full of people.

Oh, oh, oh, but Harper just can't /help/ it... "Even when the ally's wrong, Major?" Oh dang it! Harper shakes his head, waves a paw. "Never mind. Ignore me. Ignore, ignore, ignore... Tammy! I meant left. I said left." He takes the leveret from Zeraph with a nod of thanks, and turns around. To start down the stairs again.

Tameus crinkles his nose, arms going around the back of Harper's neck. "Well /'ey/ said sh' died. Y'r n' s'posed t' lie t' y'r kid y' know," he admonishes the Brother.

Brenden remains at the position, but somehow, he seems to droop. He pays no mind to the others, and asks in a low voice, hopefully one that only the major could hear, "Sah...she was unahmed, took tha blade and was done. No moah fight. Ovah befoah Ah could blink. She fell and was no threat. Should I still leave 'er tah die? Listen as Dahcy tells 'er tah 'urry up and die?"

Hah. Hahah. Ahgod. This will soon dissolve into an argument between the pacifists and the soldiers if it continues to go the way that Zeraph thinks it will. He relinquishes Tameus and only sends a bit of a look at Harper than admonishes him for even saying anything on the subject. The officer, however, does not go to follow the Brother as he moves down the stairs with his child.

Ohboy, this is not going to end well. Darklett's ears flick, and he turns toward Harper, the source of the interjection. "If you believe that Darcy was in the wrong, then we're either going to disagree on what's right or I'm not getting the whole story." He turns towards Brenden again, and after a moment, shakes his head. "I've never in my life requested help for a beast that would have, seconds ago, killed me, given the chance. I'm sure there are plenty of vermin out there that don't deserve to die, except for that one off-chance that they happened to attack someone who killed them in self-defense. If Kara was a stranger, it shouldn't have made any difference."

Brenden shakes his head, "But she wasn't a strangah sah. She's been livin heah foah a while. If she was a strangah I'd have done tha same, but still tried tah save tha child." He started to get excited again, so again he moves back to the semi-perfect position of attention. Head and eyes forward, right arm straight down the seam of his pants.

Harper's eyes close. He halts, then goes to set Tameus down. "Tammy, I'm going to need you to go on downstairs by yourself now, all righ'?" He gives a little encouraging nudge with his paw to Tam's back. Patpat. "I'll be along in a bit."

Tameus leans back over Harper's shoulder, ears stuck up, listening. "... 'kay," he mutters, holding onto Harper for a moment, then edging away from him. And down the stairs he goes, reluctantly, looking back over his shoulder.

"Harper.." Zeraph shifts his position more as if to block the Brother from coming back up the stairs. This would not really be much of a threatening posture, with the /exact/ way he does it, if he were not .. a wall of a buck. ".. please just stay out of it. It's Patrol business. You're not a part of that anymore." His ears tilt back ever so slightly.

"Brenden, is there a reason you called me aside like this? I appreciate that you trust me enough to speak to me on this level, but exactly what are you trying to tell me?" The major hasn't quite lost his patience, which is commendable.

"I think it's my business," Harper answers Zeraph very calmly. "I think it's my business considering that Tameus is my son and what happened to him has caused all this. I think that makes it my business. And if what has happened to me 'n' mine causes hardship to Private Thatcher, who in my personal opinion ought t'be commended and if anything /promoted/ for the work he's done here at the Abbey, then I guess I think that's my business, too." Brow quirk.

Brenden shakes his head, "Sah...I look up tah yah. I guess what I wanted was...advice on 'ow tah deal with this...or...tah tell me that Ah'm not wrong fah being confused like Ah am." He starts to break the position to go back inside the infirmary, but he catches Harper's words, which make him hesitate and lean towards the major so he knew that only he would hear, "But Ah'm told Ah'm gonna be transferred because Ah'd be a threat." Then he snaps back to attention, takes a step back, does an about face, and starts for the door to the infirmary.

"What happens to your son /is/ your business, but this is after the fact." The officer huffs with more authority in his voice, it's perhaps just something he is used to - dealing with recruits and privates. "I don't know what exactly has happened here.. but it is not your job to undermine an officer when he is handling one of his soldiers. I'd say that as a friend that should be done more privately." Now he kind of relaxes somewhat. ".. anyway, I said please." This is spoken in a lower tone than the rest of what he has just stated. For now he doesn't move out of Harper's way.

Darklett's ears flick, a little surprised at the private's behavior. He doesn't stop him from going into the infirmary, but hey. He leans against the wall again, shaking his head. "Zeraph, it's alright. There's nothin' else that needs to be said."

Tameus has, more or less predictably, gotten no more than halfway down the stairs. He hunkers against one wall, halfway out of sight. And listens. His ears are stuck up and his gaze is on the step where he's perched.

Harper gives Zeraph a look that is long and long. His muzzle twitches very faintly, his brow furrowing. "Might I remind you, Zeraph, that this is not the mountain and hear you do not have the authority to bar anyone passage?"

Harper asks, "Patrol business or not?"

Brenden stops with his paw on the door handle, hating himself for this blatant disrespect. He turns his head, sincerety in his eyes, "Sah. I do have tah thank yah though. Now I know tah keep mah thoughts and concehns tah mahself. I was just tryin' tah do what I thought was right.....sorreh."

"Brenden, passive aggression and pouting are not ways to impress your commanding officers." Darklett shoots a glance the private's way. Thought this was done. "I gave you my response. If you want me to apologize because it wasn't the one you wanted to hear, you're going to be very disappointed."

The door opens - and not because Brenden does so. Darcy is about to head out into the hall, a rather large bowl of the goldenwort infusion - pinkish, warm liquid - cradled in one arm against her chest. The other holds a ladle. The doe stops, eyebrows lifting ... and just kind of looks at the group. Huh.

If Zeraph were mean.. he could maim the Brother with little care in the world. Ah, but darn the fact that he is such a nice guy. He stands there for a moment longer and just eyes the other buck as if they are sizing each other up. For a moment there is silence and then he grunts. ".. I haven't barred your passage." This is all that he offers before taking a sidestep as if realizing that he /is/ kind of making a wall of himself.

A wall, indeed. Harper steps past the now-less-wall-like Zeraph and, well. Apparently he doesn't really want to talk to Darklett, anymore! He does spare a look for Brenden, though, and to the Private he gives a very faint nod of acknowledgement. To Darcy, "How's it goin' in there?"

Darcy's ears are up, and they kind of swivel and angle themselves like oddly shaped satellites, as if trying to get the best signal on what kind of tension the hall is filled with. "... well it's not made anyone sicker anyway. I don't think we'll know anything for sure til morning though. What...?" she gestures at the group. The obvious question is 'what have I just entered into?'

Brenden shakes his head, then turns quickly when the door is pulled from his grasp. He blinks at Darcy for a moment, then steps out of her way. Actually he ended up stepping back to where he was standing before, right in front of Darklett. "Sah...I feel that Ah'm in tha right with wantin tah save 'er..." His words come slowly, like he's thinking about what he's saying as he does, "Ah know that Ah'm not provin tah be a good troop tah yah right now," then he looks down, "That doesn't change 'ow Ah still look up tah yah. But....bloody 'ell....yah be bloody cold at times sah." He looks back up, "Not everything is as simple as yah say sah."

"Not everything is that simple, but you have to make it that simple. Your enemy's not gonna want to sit down and talk details with you." Darklett still hasn't lost his patience. Maybe he just doesn't have the energy for it. "I won't look into the transfer because... Well, you didn't give me all the details right away, and now that I know them I'm not nearly as disappointed as I was." The major just shakes his head though. "But you're lucky I'm your Major and not some other hare, because I can think of three off the top of my head that would've had you cut for insubordination alone."

Basically Zeraph just stands there like a sentinel as the Brother walks past, watching him move in the direction of the infirmary before finally relaxing enough to settle his attention onto the other officer again. Nothing is stated as he goes back and forth between the private and his friend, ears drooping only slightly while he sizes up the former. For now he doesn't move for the stairs again, even though going downstairs had seemed a good idea before this. Still he crooks an eyebrow up higher when the last statement comes from Darklett.

Brenden closes his eyes for a moment, then moves to the position of attention and salutes the major. "Thank yah sah....moah than yah know," the private says. He waits to drop the salute until either it's returned or it's apparent that it wouldn't be.

Darklett throws his paw up in a salute, just touching his index to his brow and flicking it outwards towards Brenden. "You're welcome, Private."