Meeting in the Office.
Finally! The recruits Sebastian had ordered from the 67th unit in Mossflower have arrived and have sorted themselves out. All he needs is for their commanding officer to report to his office. The badger had sent out his summons to said hare, waiting quietly as he fills out various forms and requisitions for equipment, and some minor alterations on the new uniform design. Which was one of the first things waiting for the hares that had made the trek to the mountain.
In all of her seasons as a Patrol hare, Gris has made a habit out of keeping a spare uniform with her whenever traveling is in order. This redeployment was no exception. Clean, pressed and kept immaculately free of dust and stray hairs, her spare uniform was just the ticket that Gris had in mind for her report, only to find that upon her arrival to the mountain that new uniforms were in order. With little spare time to tend to the red jacket in between organizing the Patrolers under her, the Major now strides down the corridor in what to her feels like a complete disgrace; wrinkles and what-not. Pausing momentarily to tug sharply on the bottom of the jacket, Gris raps her knuckles sharply against the door twice before awaiting an invitation to enter.
No stranger to the old leader's corridor, Rah comes strolling on down. He hasn't been asked to report like Gris has, and so does not march with the same purpose, though the sight of the other hare appears to cause him some light amusement. "Y'remember th'way?" he asks, of the knocking-Major. "Too much time in th'forest makes y'odd."
The large badger glances up for a moment, staring at the door. He calls out after a bit of thought. "Enter.". His gaze glances down to the various parchment forms, starting to sort them out properly, putting away his quill, and stacking forms to the side of the desk, grabbing two others from inside a drawer.
The brief pause between her knocking and the call to enter gives Gris a moment to answer the buck. "I'm afraid it's been too long since I've been to the Mountain, sir, but I can still find my way." The presence of a superior officer in the corridor causes the Major to straighten up further, a feat that would seem impossible given the usual rigidness of her posture. At the badger's call she dips her head respectfully to the Colonel before reaching for the door handle, entering the office and striding towards the desk. "Major Griselda Tavast of the 67th reporting, sir!" She says, throwing a sharp salute.
The brief pause between her knocking and the call to enter gives Gris a moment to answer the buck. "I'm afraid it's been too long since I've been to the Mountain, sir, but I can still find my way." The presence of a superior officer in the corridor causes the Major to straighten up further, a feat that would seem impossible given the usual rigidness of her posture. At the badger's call she dips her head respectfully to the Colonel before reaching for the door handle, entering the office and striding towards the desk. "Major Griselda Tavast of the 67th reporting, sir!" She says, throwing a sharp salute.
Standing up, Sebastian smiles a little bit. He does return the salute, knowing the hare's ability to stand all stiff when its not returned. "Major, Colonel." he nods, motioning to two chairs setout in front of the large desk. "I've written up your orders and new postings here." he says, offering out the top parchment to the major first. "You're going to be given your own unit, Major. Pick your hares carefully. You get four." The badger motions to the parchment. "There's a list of names there I think you should consider, but its up to you of course." he then offers out a parchment to Rahier. "As for you, Colonel, I've decided to give you a couple of options. You've been here much longer than myself, and I'm, admittedly, still fairly lost with everything. You can command your own regiment if you'd like, but I'd also like you as a personal advisor if you'd be inclined. Your choice of course. One is more of a desk job, so you'd see very little field action."
Making a mental note to answer the Colonel about hugging mice at a later date, Gris takes her respective seat. She looks over the parchment briefly before setting it in her lap, folding her hands over that while she lets her superiors hash it out. The Badger Lord's recommendations will certainly be worth consideration, but it's always good to know that she has a choice in matters.
Rahier could never say no to a chair. He sinks into it, resting his arms on the careworn wood, and then finds himself presented with a paper. "Those r' some fine options," he says, voice demure. "This one is strange," he says, looking to Gris. "Th'old one jus' stayed in th'forge all day an' made stuff. Swords, y'know. Cups, lots o' fine cups." He speaks of his previous badger lord, naturally. Grinning, he examines the paper anew.
Sebastian just chuckles at the Colonel's remark, leaning back in his comfy chair. "Really? I've been thinking of spending some time there myself...but I also figured that, why let the hares do all the boring work? Behind a desk is no place for a soldier unless they want to sit on their rear and do nothing." Seb grins. "I figure that if anyone wants to stay active in the patrol, I may as well let them and do the background stuff myself." he nods. "If you're interested in my job though, Colonel, I'll be the hare patrol officer, and you can be the big badger lord who makes sure things run smoothly while rotting in a room with books." After the badger's words, there's a knock at the door, a young hare popping his head in. "G'day sah, sorry to interrupt, but there's a messenger here for you, don'tcha know. From Halyard, bout the new uniforms..." Seb pauses and nods, standing. "Ah, excuse me, this should only take a moment." he says as he makes his way out the door.
Having no where near the level of familiarly that exists between the badger and Colonel, Gris is resigned to quietly reexamining the names listed on her parchment. With Sebastian's departure however, she does find room to respond to the older hare. "I knew little of the previous Badger Lord, sir. I've spent most of my time in the Patrol in the area of Mossflower." A short silence exists while the Major rereads her paper for the fourth or fifth time, her brow furrowing slightly before she vocalizes her thoughts. "I'll have to take time getting re-acquainted with the mountain, and these hares as well."
Rahier makes a little laugh to the big-bad-badger. "Jus' 'cause I can remember th'last Lord o' this mountain doesn't mean we haven't been without one f'jus' 'bout forever." He grins, as to say he's used to having some self-sufficiency. Well, him, and the other officers. As Seb departs, Rah is left looking to Gris, who finds her voice. "Voluntary exile?" he muses, of her posting. "Y'can excuse me f'not recognizin' you." An uncommon apology, as one hare in the mountain gets to know all the others. Likely they've met once or twice, but never spoken. "P'raps later we could go over y'list over some coffee. I could help y'pick.
True to his word, Sebastian isn't long at all. He knocks on the door for a moment before opening it, closing it once he's inside. "Colonel Sebastian Blackstripe, at you're service dontcha know, sah! Wot wot and all that." he grins at Rahier before he moves back behind his desk, settling in once more. "I apologize for that absence. The seamstress I've commissioned the new uniforms has just dropped off a new shipment. I'm afraid, Colonel, yours has not arrived yet. I hope you don't mind going around, looking prehistoric for a few more days." he jokes.
"Something of that nature, sir. I've a preferance to fighting in woodlands as opposed to open terrain, and Northern Mossflower was where I was born." A polite nod and a smile are passed to Rahier in exchange for his offer. "I appreciate your offer, sir, but I've always preferred to select my command. If it were not too much trouble though, I might ask for you opinion on the creatures that I narrow it down to." The sudden reappearance of the Badger Lord must send some sort of shock of Gris' spine, because the moment she catches sight of him she rises to full attention, not retaking her seat until he himself is seated.
Rahier attempts some semblance of straightening in his chair. It doesn't look nearly like he was struck by lightning as it does for Gris, but he manages. "I happen t'like m'uniform," he grumbles, plucking at the good old leafy-green sleeve. "Red is a bit o' a change."
"Well, unfortunately, after thinking it over, I've made the decision to improve design. The new uniforms are more military like. And colorful." Seb smiles. "Besides, they're both lighter, and easier to move around in." he nods. "Though I've noted some have complained about the lack of pockets." the badger shrugs a little bit. "But I've been running the idea of a sort of utility belt...something with pouches. But I can't come up with a design that's reasonable."
"The lighter uniforms are appreciated, sir. Although if I may, the color of the new uniforms might not be suited for scouting or laying ambushes." While the lack of dozens of pockets is regrettable, Gris opts to address what she sees as a more pressing concern. True that there might be Patrolers who would prefer bashing their shields and rattling their spears for all to hear, the Major hold with the tactic of remaining unseen for as long as possible.
"I s'pose I support anythin' that'll make me look even more dashin'," Rah says, of the proposed colorful uniforms. Not that he couldn't use something that'd make it easier to move around. Cough. The hare folds his document, and tucks it neatly into a pocket.
Sebastian hms a little and leans forward, paws together on his table. "True, that was mentioned as well. I have been thinking of that. Green doesn't generally blend in with sand, does it? And, as of right now, I'm not so sure as to where we'll be going into a greener area." he thinks though. "I, have though, been thinking of getting perhaps some...special operations or some sort type uniforms that would be more able to blend into the environment." he glances down for a moment. "As of now, I don't think its worth the expense really."
As a general rule, Gris is unaccustomed to considering expenses measured outside of headstones, but the Major doesn't see this as the proper time to be advocating the benefits of woodland suitable uniforms. So for a time she keeps her mouth shut, sitting quietly until, with a glance out the nearest window the check the progress of the evening, Gris decides that it's about time she went about her duties. "With your permission, sir, I would like to see that the recruits from the 67th are settled, and get about selecting my hares." She won't stand until given permission to leave, but the Major does fold the parchment and tuck it inside her jacket in preparation.
"Is sleepin' in th'mountain much different from sleepin' in a treehouse?" Rah muses on this, as Gris asks for her permission to leave. Speaking of. "I shouldn't take up space in y'office much longer. We'll see each other out," he suggests.
( Seb glances between both officers and then nods his head slowly, leaning back. "Yes, you are both dismissed." he smiles. "If either of you have any questions or such, feel free to seek me out here whenever you need." he says before turning, grabbing the stack of parchment he had set aside, placing them in the desk, hiding them away for another afternoon.
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