Quinten Log 112 - 14 05 2006
RW Abbey: Library
The library is disturbingly empty of books and scrolls, and only a small fraction of the knowledge it should be able to hold is actually present and available for perusing. The beautifully crafted windows are well cleaned. Giving the library plenty of light during the daylight hours. This, combined with the room's high vaulted ceiling, causes a rather foreboding play of shadows in the corners and between shelves. The flagstones of the floor are cool and smooth, and echoes of clicks and thumps can be heard quite clearly when beasts walk among the mostly bare shelves. Brass lamps containing short, fat little white candles provide enough light for reading.
Long beams of sunlight stream in through those windows that are not covered over, giving the entire room a light and cheerful feel.
Quinten is sat in a large armchair reading from a book of abbey history turning the page every other minute
Not far off is Keiran, seated behind his usual table, scratching words out in ink in a large book. The stack has been reduced to one, and he's copying it diligently, the rest closed and neatly put to the side. From the looks of it, he's halfway through, and determined to finish before the day's up.
Quinten sets his book to one side and stands up, flicking his ears he walks towards the brother's table and picks up a pot of ink "Can i borrow this Brother? and a quill?"
Looking up from his work in the middle of a word, Keiran smiles at Quinten, and nods quickly to him. "Yeh, sure. E'erythin' y'need's righ' there." He finishes the word he was writing and looks up again. "What're y'doin'?"
Quinten takes the ink pot and quill and a sheet of parchment and moves back to his chair "just making some note ssir, about some of th ehares who have lived here in the past
Keiran opens his mouth in a quiet, "Ah," and goes back to what he was doing, looking from one book to the other, writing some things down and then repeating. "Certainly were a lot o'em."
Quinten chuckles softly "Yes sir...and a few we do not know about as well...this Hon Rosie for one, she's not listed in our books back home"
Keiran's ears flick back as he looks up, brow furrowed in a bit of confusion. "Are y'sure?" A frown creases his lips down. "Seems a li'l odd. Y'd think a notable member o'th'Lon' Patrol like tha' would be 'counted for somewhere 'n th'Salamandastron lib'ry."
Quinten shakes his head and sits back down "No...at least i've never come across it, maybe i didn't look back far enogh"
Keiran hms, looking thoughtful for a second, then shrugs, going back to his writing. "What're y'readin' 'bout 'er, anyway? 'er 'venture with th' bellmaker Joseph t'Southsward?" The studious hare smiles, looking up from his work. "S'one o'my fav'rite tales t'read, heh."
Quinten smiles and nods "Aye sir...Southsward...can scarce believe the tales in this book did it really all happen? Think that castle is still there?"
Somewhere on the muck, Inwa has disconnected.
"Yeh, s'far's I las' 'eard th'place still exists. Ne'er been there m'self," the librarian replies, drumming his knuckles on the table a few times. "Th'say th'south's dangerous, an' I don' wanna find out f'm'self 'f they're righ'."
Quinten chuckles and nods "Maybe i will go myself one day when i'm a full patrol hare...would be something to see"
Keiran grins. "Y'remin' me o'm'brother. Tell 'im an' tell 'im not t'do somethin', s'too dangerous, an' it'll only make 'im wan' t'do 't tha' much more." Shaking his head in reminiscence, he continues his writing quietly.
Quinten grins softly "Thats a long patrol hare for you Brother...we like to look at dangerous places.."
Keiran chuckles, still scribbling away in his book. "Perilous 'ares, tha's what they call ya, righ'?" He stops writing, sitting up and getting a bit of a glint in his eye. "Used t'be a bit o'a peril-seeker m'self, y'know." He winks at Quinten, setting his pen down.
Quinten chuckles "You brother? do tell did you ever climb to the sparra lofts, or journey to the top of the bell tower?"
Keiran rolls his eyes upward, leaning back in his chair casually. "Hah! Yeh, yeh, sure doesn' look like I'd b'th'type t'rouse any rabble 'r cause trouble, bu' I 'ad m'adventurous phase. An' it was all b'fore I came 'ere-- by th'time I made 't t'Redwall, I was ready t'settle down, e'en at this young age."
Quinten grins mischieviously "Maybe i can help wake it upi n you again sir, your brother is still the adventursome type after all, maybe we could find the path to the sparra loft it exists according to your own records"
Keiran's ears flick towards Quinten, and he laughs breathily, shaking his head in a slow motion back and forth. "No, m'afraid m'not able t'really 'venture much anymore. B'sides, th'Sparra lofts're only 'ccessible t'those who can either climb up there 'r fly. An' really... S'only lofts. Sparra'd prob'ly get quite angry with us 'f we disturbed 'em."
Quinten chuckles and nods "Was just a suggestion sir, we could always just wander out into the woods and see what we can learn"
The librarian goes rather quiet at this, a slow smile spreading over half of his snout. "I 'aven't been on a good 'venture in seasons 'pon seasons." Keiran leans back again, looking off with a bit of a glint in his eye... But that soon goes away, and he returns to writing. "I shouldn' though. Got m'duties 'ere, an' b'sides." A paw goes over to his walking staff, lifting it up. "M'not really /physic'ly/ able t' jus' go walkin' f'days, jus' ta go."
The door to the library is quickly torn open and Dandelion slinks through, pushing it shut behind him, managing to do it both quickly and reasonably quietly. He quickly rears up against the wall next to the door, and edges away from it a little bit, and then stands still, in quiet anticipation, eyes on the door.
Quinten nods "Well i am sure we can find something sir, Major always insists idon't spend all my time inside studying its not good for a buck"
Keiran room-pages, "This could develop into a small plot, Quinten. :P".
"I don' know, heh." Keiran shrugs, going back to his writing. "Y'c'n always grab y'friends an' go out, jus' make sure y'careful. Don' want any accidents 'appenin' so soon after y'arrival, righ'?"
After a few breathless moments, Dandelion seems content to assume he's not being followed, and relaxes, straightening his uniform, and stepping out into the library to peer curiously at the books.
Quinten smiles and nods "Yes sir i do not want any accidents either...still i think you should come out with me at some point, i bet you could show me the forest." he looks at Dande and waves a paw "Dandelion hey have you met Brother Keiran?"
Keiran's eye is caught by Dandelion, and he raises his head to greet him. "Aft'noon! Anythin' I c'n 'elp y'with t'day?" He stays attentive, though listening to Quinten. As he's introduced, he raises a paw in a brief wave, standing to give a small bow. "Pleasure t'meet ya."
Dandelion salutes Keiran. "Uh... well, there is, but I'm leaving tomorrow..." he says, looking a little glum at the prospect. He walks over to the two, after a glance over his shoulder at the door. "Are you planning an expedition?"
Quinten smiles "am just trying to convince the brother to show me about the woodlands a bit"
Keiran shrugs, ears folding and going back to writing, a big grin on his face. "Yeh, yeh. I guess I could one o'these days..." He looks up questioningly towards Dandelion, though. "Wha's that that y'needed, anyway?"
"Eh..." Dandelion starts, tugging on an ear. Well, it's only Quinten listening in, so... "Well... I know the letters an' all... An' I can write my name..." he starts. "But..."
Quinten blinks and looks at Keiran, he has an idea what Dande wants to ask...but he's too kind to his friend to say anything"
Keiran raises a brow slowly towards Dande, then nods in understanding. "Ah, I see. Y'righ', I can' really 'elp y'with tha' if y'leavin' t'morra. But m'sure there're a lot o'beasts at th'mountain who'd be willin' t'assist! I 'ighly recommend 't."
Dandelion nods. "Yea... mum was going to teach me, but there wasn't time, what with all the leverets and all."
Quinten nods to Dande "Just tell an officer they'll see to it that you learn Dande"
Keiran nods to Dandelion, a casual smile on his face. "Yeh, s'not a big problem at all. Y'know, a lot o'beasts 'ave tha' same problem. Y'jus' gotta ask f'help, an' usually, y'll fin' all kinds o'it!"
Quinten puts the inkpot he was using back on the brothers desk and nods "Aye i am sure someone can help you Dande no troubles, so you leave tomorrow then?"
Dandelion mumbles a "Thanks" and finds himself a seat, looking around. "That's a lot of books..."
Furgo walks into the library, each paw in the folds of the opposite sleeve.
Keiran goes back to his writing. "Not nearly 'nough. Back when th'big earthquake 'appened, vermin w'in brief control o'th'Abbey, an' burnt a whole lot o'th'knowledge tha' used t'be in th'empty space y'see on th'shelves now."
Quinten smiles wistfully and looksabout "Dratted vermin..so much lost"
Furgo takes an old, slightly damaged volume out of his sleeves, and places it on the bookshelf of woodland lore.
Furgo turns back fromt he shelf, and nods in the direction of everyone else.
"Yeh, s'why m'workin' on this. S'lon' overdue tha' th'Abbey gets th'shelves refilled."
Keiran shrugs, really getting into the writing now, turning one more page... He's really making progress on copying these Salamandastron books.
Quinten peers over the brothers shoulder and reads the words he is writing "Hey i recognise this un brother...tis a good book"
The door opens slowly and Flax slips into the library, looking around. She catches sight of Quinten and stops dead, steeping back towards the door.
As the door opens, Dandelion jumps out of his chair nervously, and is halfway to cover before he notices it's Flaxpaw coming through, and stops.
Furgo can't help but stifle a giggle at dandelion.
Quinten glances at Dande "what is up with you Dande old chap?" he then spots Flax paw and hesitates "Miss Flaxpaw gud day wot"
Keiran looks up to Furgo as he clears his throat, smiling to the newest addition to the Brothers. "'ello, Brother Furgo!" The hare sets his pen down for a moment. "Anythin' I c'n 'elp y'with?"
Furgo says, in a scratchy voice, yet deeper than yesterday, "Actually, yes, you see, I erm..." He produces a fairly ancient book from his habit, and then several sheafs of paper from the other. "They fell out while I was reading it, and I don't know how to bind books."
Flaxpaw nods a stiff greeting to Quint. "G'day, Quinten." then looks over to Dande smiling. "hey, Dande, how're you doin?" she heads over to him, waiting for Keiran to finish talking to Furgo.
Dandelion grins in a silly way at Quinten. "Eh, just playing hide and seek with Stefan." he says. "The winner gets to not be mauled."
Quinten shakes his head and mutters under his breath "I never will understand that dande...if someone tried to do to me what your brother does i'd have told the Major by now and to hell with being called a tattle tail."
Keiran's ears fold at the book. "Ah, I see. Well, I c'n get tha' f'ya. M'a li'l busy now, but I c'n make sure s'done by t'morra, a'right?" He smiles at Furgo, then eyes the others in the library curiously, giving an afterthought wave of greeting to Flaxpaw.
Furgo nods, and hands the book and paper to Keiran. "Thankyou, I greatly appreciate this." His voice, which as said earlier is deeper than before, has lost its scratchiness now, so the stratchiness was probably nervousness.
Dandelion chuckles. "Eh, it's just for fun. And you can't deny I get better at sneaking..."
Flaxpaw salutes Keiran with a grin when he waves, attention now focused on Dandelion. "not get mauled? sneakin? odd sort of fun."
Furgo cocks an eyebrow at dandelion.
Keiran nods quickly to Furgo. "S'not a problem at all. Whatcha readin', anyway?" He holds out his paws to take the book and missing pages, eyes going to the cover and pages to see if he can nab some subject matter.
Quinten thinks "Aye i guerss so Dande ye do get some unusual training from it...guess me and my siblings where too close, being of one mind and thought as my ma used to say, triplets are odd beasts" he nods to Flaxpaw "I hope your day goes well miss Flaxpaw"
Dandelion nods at Flaxpaw. "Playing hide and seek with Stefan. Did you see him, by chance?"
Flaxpaw returns Quinten's nod. "Yes...yours as well." She shakes her head at Dandelion. "No, can't say I did." She gives Dande a slightly suspicious look, he and Stefan seem a bit old for hide and seek....she shrugs a little, then starts drifting over to Keiran, almost as though not really intending to end up next to him exactly, and looks down at the book, real casual-like.
Quinten watches Flaxpaw's movements and snorts softly "Excuse me Dande i got to help out in the kitchens before dinner wot" he turns to the door "See you later Brother Keiran,
Furgo" he opens it and steps out side shutting it behind him with a firm click
You room-page, "ok i am off to bed see you soon :)"
End Log -
