On the Second Level
Salamandastron: Level Two
- -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Salamandastron *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
You are in a medium-sized circular 'room' from which several passages
branch off. Each passage fades off around a twisting corner, winding
around in the bowels of the mountain. One passage, however, hardly more
than a short, straight hall, ends abruptly with a large wooden door - the
forge room.
- -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Visible Exits:
[Up] to the Third Level [Down] to the First Level
[L]eaders' [C]orridor [M]eeting [R]oom
[T]raining [R]oom [Forge] Room
[Lib]rary [C]orridor
With:
[DYN] Taye
[DYN] Sephora
[DYN] Dagda
- THIS ROOM IS BROADCASTING **
Taye has been in the infirmary for just about a week, now, and he probably ought to be there for another.. week or two! But anyone will get stir crazy in that place, and so the recovering buck has ventured forth! He has a jacket shrugged over his shoulders, his torso shirtless but mostly covered in bandages. His left arm's still in its sling. He's moving down the stairs slowly to the second level, taking his good time. He's hungry... and he is /going/ to the dining chamber, dang it!
Sephora is just leaving the training room, in her usual not-at-all-uniform workout attire: wifebeater, knee-length loose trousers. Her fingers push through her hair, smoothing the curls before trying to fasten them into a small ponytail, which doesn't go so well. Halfway done, with unruly fly-aways around her face, she spies Taye. "Hey," she calls to him with a laugh, "you're supposed t' be bedridden!"
Just emerging from the library is Dagda, slipping a book into his satchel. The hare looks up at the call of 'Hey,' shifting the case protectively behind him, and casts a look from Taye to Sephora then back again. After a moment, he says, chidingly, "With good reason, looks like."
Lin steps out from behind Sephora, unwrapping tape from her paws. Seems she's not the only doe to be working out this evening, even if their training was unrelated. She almost bumps into Seph when she stops, but can't help but peek over her shoulder as she begins to speak. To her brother! Ah look, he's being all naughty and getting out of bed.
"Amazin' how I'm /not/, though, eh?" Taye has paused, with a quiet mutter at being 'caught', and offers this as his retort as he then continues at his slow pace down the stairs. He peers down at the three healers with a faint grimace. "I was hungry," he explains. "What?"
Sephora glances back over her shoulder at Lin, who she saw earlier training as well. "Bad luck, running int' us healer-folk," she directs at Taye, while twisting and tugging at the escaped bits of hair to try to get them under control. "All we need's your dad t' show up, then 'd really be a party. ... you coulda at least brought a cane. Gonna fall over without one."
Dagda casually slides his satchel back to his side, left paw idly resting atop the cover. The buck's eyes vacate for a moment, then focus again, and he steps quietly to Taye's assistance, proffering a prop. "Well, come on then. 'Magine you think you're off to the mess hall, eh?"
Feels like he's being mobbed, doesn't it? Lin refrains from dogpiling on Taye with the other two healers, but stands behind and between Seph and Dagda. "You'd think between m'dad and I we could keep him in one place," she says, amused. "But I think he can have a bite to eat. We can take him to the SI to rest afterward." It's just across the hall, after all.
Mobbed is right. Taye gives the other lieutenant a long-suffering look. "My legs're fine," he points out. And they are! He taps one against the ground, demonstrating. See? Fine! But he grudgingly accepts the assistance from Dagda, resting his paw on his shoulder. To Lin, of course, he makes a face. A big brother face. "Thanks s'much for your permission, Linny."
Sephora is not dogpiling! Well. Only verbally. She grins back at Taye and waves off his sulky look with a motion of her hand. "Fine. But 've got my money on you at /least/ stumblin'."
Taye snorts softly at Dagda's whisper, starting to move again at an inching pace. Stupid ouchy ribs. "Yeah, well. If I stumble m'gonna make sure I fall righ' on you, Seph."
Lin breaks into a grin at that big-brother face. A little sister face! "You need my permission. You might have the fancy belt but I got healer's orders." Mwah, the power.
"An' I'll admonish you with your full name, step-mama style," Seph threatens with a bit of a laugh in her tone. She glances between the two. "... well, hey now, I jus' so happen t' have th' fancy belt /an'/ healer's orders."
"... Dag, if you kill them for me, I'll give you m'first born," Taye mutters darkly. Looking between the two womens.
"... if you ever have one," Seph mutters playfully.
"... Why are you all standing around in the middle of a transit passageway?" Tyree asks, coming through stiffly and stopping when he sees the crowd. Hares are wasting space and being inefficient. This is most worrisome. He stops in front of them all, paws behind his back. "I'm sure there's some kind of work to be done. Somewhere."
Dagda's mouth quirks to one side. "Hm." The buck gives the appearance of musing. "Depends on..." Then there's Tyree. "Evenin', sah." He gives a rather-floppy left-pawed salute, as his right shoulder is occupied. "Just assisting this here buck on a therapeutical expedition to gather sustenance and rejuvenational sundries. 'Tis a highly intensive an' demandin' operation, and as it's m' first time, these senior healers 'ave aquiesced to assist me by providin' their expert supervision. Sah."
"Because I'm bein' accosted," Taye replies with a /scowl/ at Sephora. And then he goes silent at Dagda's explanation. Uhhhh yeah. That.
Sephora blinks once at Dagda, then bursts into a short-lived, grinning laugh. "... 're you f' real? Really? Oh quit scowlin', Taye. You're in th' grin-an'-bear-it phase of recovery."
Lin grins as Tyree appears, giving him the usual friendly wave. "We're transitting, Ty, don't worry." At a shuffle, because they only move as fast as Taye. "You gotta regrow all those bits of you the beast found tastiest," she recalls.
"Mm-mm, Taye flesh?" Seph mutters, brows up and expression still mirthful.
"Taye," Tyree says with a firm nod. "Good to see you're walking again, even if it is with assistance." He glances at Dagda and raises his eyebrow. "Stop that," he says tersely. "I'm not a captain or anythin'. Yet, anyway." He looks over the procession and nods again. This is most certainly an effective and laudable use of one's time, though he doubts three whole healers are needed. Maybe they only need like 1.75 healers. He begins to shuffle next to them. "How are things coming, as far as the healing goes?"
"How about you grin and I'll bear it, eh?" Heee... only looks more exasperated by the joining of Tyree to their little parade. Now he gets to be probed with properly worded questions! "The healin' is... oh, bloody hell," he trails off to a mutter. He lifts his remaining good paw from Dagda's shoulder to gesture for someone /else/ to answer him. They've reached the steps downward, now, and he sinks down to the first.
( One of Dagda's brows droop. "Uh. Was meant to be amusin', sah." As they begin the steps, Dag gets slightly ahead of Taye to provide better support, and to catch him, should the need arise. )
"Amusement requires a sense o' humah," Taye replies to Dagda while he works his way slowly down the steps with the other buck's help. He /does/ overbalance a little, with a small, sharp sound of pain, but he catches himself on Dag's shoulder.
Sephora watches the overbalancing with a slight grimace of sympathy. "... reckon 'll be nice, an' not say somethin' like toldja-so," she directs at the buck, then glances over Lin's way. "Hey, you."
Amusing? What? What is this weird word? Tyree passes it off as something the other young bucks use. Like 'cool.' "Injuries are generally like that," Tyree agrees with Taye, nodding solemnly. Not that he'd know, he's only had cuts and stuff. Nothing life threatening. "I *have* a sense of humor, you know. It's just rather selective.
"Careful, Ty, y'might end up with another black eye," she says, still sounding amused. Lin's head swivels at the hail and spies its source, Seph, who she wanders to and nudges with her elbow. "Hey. How's the kid?"
"Rather defective, sounds like, t'me." Dagda steadies the other buck, tension centering around his eyes as he looks towards Taye. "Careful, now."
( Seph just gets another look from Taye and then... oh, Tyree. If only he wasn't a gimp right now, Lin might be declared a psychic. They're nearly to the bottom of the steps now! Yes. )
Sephora is just tucking her hands into her pockets, and she responds by elbowing Lin back. "Heh, Dei. Think she's turnin' int' a daddy's girl already, likes Rah holdin' her more'n me. How's..?" She doesn't finish the sentence, but makes a gesture. Who knows what she's indicating, really.
Tyree continues along with the males, either unaware or not caring that Taye is a few seconds away from decking him. He's trying to be social, like Rahier suggested. Talk to people. That doesn't mean he's *good* at it. "You are doing very well, all things considered," he tells Taye, staying level, just in case there's some kind of catastrophe and he has to stop them all tumbling down the stairs. "I'm just sorry we weren't there to help."
Being close to the bottom of the steps means that the group as a whole nearly runs into Fiona as she turns the corner to start up the stairs herself. One doe against a flock. The odds are good here. She pauses short, though, both ears jerking up stiffly as she takes them in - and her eyes stop on Taye, who appears to be teetering into another buck. ".. did I miss a party invitation?"
"It's weird having a little sister," she says, quietly, talking mostly just to Seph. Even though she is /as old/ as Seph. Lin probably won't ever be able to think of her as step-mom. Anyway. "Oh, uhm, she's fine." Her eyes turn to the group and back to Seph and she shrugs.
Taye's ears dip back and he forces out a sigh that borders on frustration. "All things considahed? All thing considahed includin' the fact that I'm essentially a /one-armed/ arch-" er. But Fiona's words penetrate and he falls silent, his eyes falling to the doe. He takes a deep breath. "Hey, love." Now that they're at the bottom of the steps, he drops the support of Dag's shoulder and walks slowly towards her.
Sephora's ears lay back at Taye's words to Tyree, and she closes her eyes for a moment, looking a bit.. pained. The comment makes her rub at her own upper arm with the opposite hand for a moment, then she chuffs at Lin with a smile. "'s good t' hear, hon. Anyway, you an' Taye'll probably end up more in th' role of.. aunt an' uncle, kinda?"
Oh, fine, Dagda sees how it is. The healer fades back to the sidelines, his mission accomplished.
The blonde isn't responded too. Oh well, Taye is her main focus anyway. Fiona gives him a scrutinizing eye, especially as he puts his support behind him to make his way over alone. She's not sure if that's just a show of manliness or not. "Ye look wobbly." Yeah, that's about it. Only Sephora's words take her attention away to give her a curious look before tilting her head at the injured lieutenant again, backing up from the bottom step to give the others room.
"Better that than bein' dead. You still have an arm ta' learn somethin' else with," Tyree says, implacable. There's probably a point where talking becomes plain tactless, but he's a bit too blunt for that. He does step back when Fiona arrives, displaying just the tiniest bit of surprise via widened eyes at how affectionately Taye greets her. He leans on the wall opposite Dagda, turning on him next. "You?" he asks with a flick of his ears, and realizes how incomplete that was, blinking and shaking his head. "Um... /how are/ you?"
"Me?" Dagda echoes. "Why, thank y' for askin'. 'M doin' quite well. Y'self? Y' seem to be havin' a spiffin' time of it, or is this normal for y'?" With the tone and face Dag's adopted, seriousness is a real possibility. There's concern in those eyes.
When he reaches Fiona, Taye's arm slips around her waist and his forehead ducks to hers. He huffs out a quiet sigh. "I feel wobbly," he mutters just loud enough for her to hear. "I'm hungry. They decided t'help."
".. it's normal," Seph comments quietly to Dagda, and gives Tyree a light smile. Then she turns toward Taye and his new hare-cane. Now in doe form! The lieutenant tips her muzzle a little to the side with a grin, and then steps forward. "Th' mystical voices 're tellin' me... your name starts with F."
"Mmm. Missions, incomplete. Hare missin'. Micah takin' it hard. I'm havin' a *spiffin'* time," Tyree answers, and glances at Seph. "Normal would mean I wouldn't be here talking, I'd find somethin' ta' occupy my mind. As things stand I am discomfited."
On her part, Fiona is welcoming of the closeness. That affection Tyree is wide-eyed about. She tilts her chin up to bump her forehead against Taye's with green gaze resting with concern on his features. She chuffs lovingly, hands going to cup against her mate's elbows as she smiles almost reassuringly now. ".. then I guess we oughta eat then?" Her bangs ruffle across the top of Taye's muzzle as the girl sinks from her tip-toed position and tilts her attention to Sephora. "Yes." A friendly grin of greeting is offered. "Fiona." She pauses as she takes in the other doe and then nods. "'M sorry but I don' know ye." Her expression has turned apologetic.
Dagda's lips form an 'O' as Seph speaks to him, then turns his attention back to Tyree. "Oldest child in your family, are you? Or perhaps an only child?" From the corner of his eye, the buck takes note of the interactions across the way.
Before Seph can answer Fiona, Taye pipes up with a faintly amused smile. "She's my mum, can'tcha see the family resemblance?" He finds one of Fiona's paws with his good'un and gives it a squeeze. "She's da's mate. Sephora. /Also/ a healah, like everyone else in m'family." What an unfortunate lot for the blood-wary buck.
"/Really/? Damn, 'm good," Seph says to Fiona with a grin of her own, her tone light and joking. She slips her hands back in her pockets with a shake of her head. She nods toward Taye at what she says. "Like he said. Been hearin' 'bout you now'n then, glad t' finally meet you!"
"W... what?" Tyree asks Dagda, flabbergasted. "How did you know?" He hasn't told him to his knowledge. "Uh... that I'm an oldest."
"Ah." Fiona grins more widely as her attention turns from Taye to the brunette doe. One hand goes out to link her fingers with the buck's, returning the affectionate squeeze while leaning into the officer a little bit more. "Well it's nice t'meet ye too. An' nice t'hear Taye's been talkin' about me?" These words come with a chuckling breath.
Lin moves up beside Taye, looking between him and Fiona. "So," she asks, looking to her brother. "This's th'new girlfriend, huh?" The new.. something friend, shall we say. "I'm Lin." She offers a paw to the doe.
"All bad things," Taye teases Fiona with a grin flashed to Sephora. It's clear to see that the doe's presence alone is enough to perk him up. Tensions eased, etc.
"Oh, aye. Awful, horrible things," Seph says with a slight roll of her eyes, then glances at Lin with a grin when the other doe joins their family-esque group. "So I heard somethin' like, th' two of you knew each other a while back, 'r what?"
Taye glances between Lin and Seph, now, smirking slightly at the interrogation. "This is Fiona," he introduces the doe to his sister. "Fiona, this is m'sistah Lin." Aaaaand. "No. Her brothah 'n' I... we were best mates since I was a recruit."
Dagda gives a light shrug, eyes closing in a way both demure and manly. "It's just somethin' I c'n tell. 'M usually right; sometimes, not."
Like a stimulant! Fiona is offered by prescription only though. She pushes her hair out of her face as she has to turn in the opposite direction to take in Lin. Her free hand stretches out to take the offered one. "Nice t'meet ye as well." She once more leans into Taye, bumping her forehead to his shoulder. "Anyway its not his faul'.. 'm awful. Truly. No' sure how he puts up with me." She smirks and quiets, letting him explain the situation to Sephora instead.
"Well, you were," Tyree says with a nod to Dagda. "What's your interest in it? It tell you anythin' interesting?"
Dagda shrugs, pushing off from the wall and heading for the dining chamber. "Nothin' you don't know already."
Tyree stares after Dagda as he leaves, pushing off the wall, but... standing. Staring, wondering what he was supposed to mean like that. He doesn't think it sounded very friendly.
"Aha," is Seph's response to Taye's explanation, head slightly canted to one side. Like maybe she's trying to figure out who that was. "Guess that makes you another one with th' long patrol in th' family, then. Me, 've lost track of how far it goes back in m' line."
Lin's paw wraps in Fiona's and she gives it a warm shake. "'M sure he never mentioned me before this. He gets a bit jealous sometimes, y'know?" She gives Fi a little grin.
Taye roooolls his eyes. At Lin. "Oh, shut it. S'no need t'mention you. Anyone who looks at ya knows yer da's kid. She'd just go, 'Ah, look! Anothah sibling!' How many s'he got, now?"
Shalia strolls out rather lazily from the dorm, supposedly oversleeping her usual end-of-the-week nap, two paws rubbing her eyes. Ears twitching at the sound of the conversation, she soon discovers a group of hares probably talking - well, it's not clear from the distance, they're not shouting - and changes her course formerly intended to the Training Room.
Tyree turns back to the others, crossing his arms, and basically not doing what you might expect him to do, like... talk. He just observes, quietly, standing a few feet away. Until Shalia comes along. "We are still blocking the halls," he remarks to nobody in particular.
"Four," Seph supplies with a mild look at Taye, her lips curved in a casual smile. "Four that /I/ know of, anyway." Her ears twitch, and for a moment she looks a bit ill at ease, shifting her weight from one foot to another.
".. well. Four /total/," Seph specifies.
Fiona has quieted herself, glancing back and forth between the family members as if just taking it all in with a thoughtful squint. "Well I don' really have a long line.. jus' Seven." She mentions to Sephora but trailing off as she takes in how she shifts uncomfortably. "Are ye okay?"
Tyree looks over his shoulder at the rest, wondering about an earlier comment about kids in the Patrol. He's the only kid in his family in the Patrol right now. "Far as I can remember f'r me," he adds to the conversation. "/Only/ me, right now."
Lin would elbow Taye, but she only ends up poking him on the cheek, seeing as he's so hurt and everything. "You're da's kid too," she says, with finality. Pff, adoption. She gives her older brother a grin. "There's a coupla them, sure."
As she walks into a certain distance of them, Shalia hears Tyree's words - for a fleeting moment she stops, wondering where she heard that voice before. "Not really trying to pass through..." She mumbles in a small voice, hesitating on whether to join them or not. Sure, there's like...one familiar face in the group, and one that didn't even have a long enough conversation with her.
His cheek is a fairly neutral spot. He glances at Seph at the unsettled look, but leaves Fiona to tend to that... because he's now grinning at Lin, again. "'Course I am, 'n' I've got the distinction of bein' /chosen/ unlike the rest o' you." He pokes her back, right on the forehead. Poke. His head turns to Tyree. "My fathah, Ewan, was patrol. I haven't a clue any furthah back than that."
Sephora brings a hand up to rub at the side of her face for a moment, then gives Fiona a grin that might appear a bit wan, if she's paying close enough attention. "'m fine, no worries," she replies lowly, her ears angled backward.
"So was mine," is Ty's reply to Taye. "Sounds like neither of us have 'em around anymore, though." He finally turns around to face them all again. A short glance towards Seph. "Ears like that belie your words," he comments, but says nothing else. He does make a point, though, of waggling his own ears, which are almost always perfectly straight up, like the rest of him.
Sephora shoots an amused look at Tyree. "Oh, yeah, 'm obviously blowin' smoke, 'cause I don' keep 'em vertical. What's with it, mate, tryin' t' make yourself look taller?"
Ok. Seems like the topic is about families and Long Patrol. The latter she can join anytime, the former, unfortunately not. Now seriously pondering on whether to just head back to the Training Room or not, she slowly leans on to a wall, nibbling her lower lip and eyes fixed on the group.
Even if it appears that way to Fiona, she doesn't pry further. It's not exactly her business - especially since the doe has just now met the other. She nods her acceptance, smiling instead to Seph as her attention returns to the two siblings. It is when her gaze turns away that Shalia catches her focus for a second. The blonde smiles a greeting to the other doe. "Ah, hello." The runner hadn't noticed her before.
Lin had her back to Shalia, but turns when Fiona hails her. The return poke in the forehead is forgiven, FOR NOW. The healerdoe grins at Shalia, and beckons her over with a wave of her paw. "Hey!"
Tyree turns back to Shalia and inclines his head politely. "Were we in your way?" is his very, very first concern.
"Somethin' like that," Tyree adds, though he doesn't look or sound half as amused as Sephora when he looks at her. "But, in my experience, straight and kempt ears are a sign of orderliness in bearing and disposition. That is why I keep them straight. So everyone knows how 'spiffin' things are going with me."
"Which, clearly they are, given your muttering a little while ago," Seph responds with a grin. While Taye and Fiona .. wander off? .. the doe steps toward Lin to snag her by the arm and pull her close enough to lean on.
Lin laughs. "You can practically see the airquotes when he says spiffin'." But, suddenly, Aralyn is grabbed to Seph's side, though she does this without complaint. "Hey," she says, though, putting an arm around her dad's girlfriend, "You okay?"
Sephora drapes an arm across the other doe's shoulders, leaning into her with a grin and a little casual sway. "'m fine," she says again with a partial shrug, only one shoulder moving. "Been better, but I reckon lately we all have, righ'?"
"Well. As far as things *personally* with me are going, then yes. They are spiffin'. No injuries, no real problems to speak of, life is fine. But everythin' else seems to be something of a cause for alarm." He crosses his arms again.
"Well that's the patrol," she says, grinning. "Always some crisis or another." Take Taye, getting half-eaten a mere week ago. "But I dunno, I think I'm doin' pretty well lately." Seph knows all about how well she's been doing.. Lin glows a little at the thought.
"You /have/, huh?" Seph mutters, moving one hand up to give Lin's ear a tug. They get along more like sisters than how they really are related, now. "You'n me better grab a drink 'r somethin' soon, you need t' tell me all th' lil' details I don't know yet..." She glances at Tyree. "You're well on your way t' makin' spinnin' a fad-word, mate. Anyway, stayin' out of trouble isn' quite up t' par with th' word choice."
Tyree shakes his head. "I use the word facetiously," he replies to Seph, spreading his arms. "Things around here are obviously not quite so remarkable as ta' fit the connotations of such an exclamation. But they could be much worse. We could be besieged and on our last week of rations, or somethin'. I prefer the smaller, more manageable disasters." He glances at Lin. "I know *you've* been doin' well. Good ta' know some of us stay sunny side up. Though, I'd expect that from you." It *sounds* kinda like a compliment, anyway.
Sephora lifts her brows at Tyree. Maybe she's amused by the complimenting. From /him/? "Patroller killer on th' loose 'round the shores, an' Tameus missin' or dead? Those aren' 'smaller' by anythin' but literal size."
"Thus, smaller." Tyree nods with conviction. "I'd rather one hare missin' an' one killer on the loose than an army of both, aye? It's a case of simple logistics."
Well she'll take any compliment, even a kinda-compliment. "Thanks," she says, grin now small and casual. "I'll take a slow day over a disaster, thanks," she says, and gives Seph a squeeze. "If you wanna catch that drink I'm going upstairs. Otherwise, another time?"
"'s where I was gonna head, actually. Drink, then Deidra's gonna need me again. Source of sustenance, an' all," Seph responds with a small laugh.
Tyree looks back and forth, up and down the hallways. "... May I... join?" he asks in a very small, unsure voice. "I have... nothin' else goin' on, after all." For once... he is stuck on an idea of what to do. If they say no he'll go do some monotonous activity like sort books or take inventory. Either that or go beat himself up training.
Lin smiles for Seph. "Alright, let's go then." But the smile turns in.. turn, to Tyree. "Sure, Ty, you're always welcome. Race you guys, eh?" She gives Seph a pat on her belly before turning and walking towards the stairs, to go up.
Sephora snorts, and gives Lin a small push against her hip, playfully. Then she follows with long strides, heading up quickly as well.
Tyree, with great verve and vigor... calmly brings up the rear.
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