Quinten Log 121 - 04 06 2006
RW Abbey: Entry
The flat, open area between Great Hall and the main gates of the Abbey has been kept neatly cleared of the snow which otherwise piles up in drifts about the walls of the ancient building, and the steps leading up both to Great Hall and the ramparts have been painstakingly freed of ice, to avoid sprained spaws that might otherwise slip. Pathways through the snow have also been made for the more well traveled routes of Redwall, most especially to the open grounds and the pond. The gatehouse roof is bristling with icicles. It's quite cold, and your breath is visible in front of your face.
There is a bustle of activity here, and you can hear the occasional murmur of a passing conversation. The sun is high overhead, and shadows are small. All is bright.
Jondalar enters the gates with Flaxpaw and glances around, amazed at the sheer beauty and solidity of the Abbey's architecture. "By my stripes.. Never have I seen such a building possessing such finesse and beauty.. I'll have to paint it someday."
Quinten is stood just inside the doorway of the gate house, his arms loaded with scrolls and his habbit covered in dust. He peers at the Badger and Flaxpaw. "Flaxpaw where have you been all night?"
Flaxpaw looks over to Quint, then at the badger. "Um....forest. nevermind that. We may have trouble comin, Quint, think we best get these gates closed...an get this badger to th'infirmary. He's hurt, had some trouble with ver--- with some beasts outside." Shifty tone, shifty look there.
Quinten frowns and sighs moving down the steps he sets the scrolls in a satchel and moves towards the gates. The bucks right paw is bandaged and there is something different about thhe way he moves, a light in his eyes that was not there before. "You may have vanished for weeks on end Flaxpaw but no need to order me about ok." He places his good paw on the gate and starts to push it closed.
Harper for whatever reason been up on the ramparts and it is from these that he descends. He is back in his novice habit, his paws folded one over the other inside its long sleeves. His eyes scan the entry curiously, taking in the various creatures present. His eyes skip quickly to Flaxpaw and settle there for a few seconds before moving on to first Quinten and then the unfamiliar badger. His brow quirks.
Jondalar blinks and glances about, starting to get exceedingly uncomfortable, what with the spearhead in his abdomen. "Could somebeast kindly direct my to the Infirmary, or any place where there is something than numbs the skin? I rather need this chunk of metal removed from my gullet.."
Flaxpaw flicks an ear at Quint's comment. "just shut the bnlastede gates, alright? Unless you /want/ this place invaded? Not that it'd be that much of a shame if it did." She starts to move again, nodding to the badger. "Sorry, sah..this way." Then and only then does she look in the right direction to see Harp. Guilty look, eyes dropping briefly before she looks back and calls to him "Harp! C'mere, he's hurt...."
Quinten has managed to shut the gate using his good paw, seeming to be avoiding his bandaged paw compltely, he begins to struggle with the bar tryin to lift it up to slot it in place. He then spots Harper and smiles, "Harper....where have you been as well? Can you help me bar this?"
Harper's eyes shift back to Flaxpaw at the call and then back to Quinten at /his/ call. His ears flick back and he holds up a paw to Flax, as if to request just one minute, then jogs over to Quinten. He quickly helps him heft the bar, letting it drop into place when it's correctly positioned. He flashes a quick grin at Quinten. "Aw. Just out 'n' about." He drops a wink to the other buck then turns, jogging after Flaxpaw and the badger. He comes up beside Jond, going to slip an arm under his to give him some extra support. "Here, sir, let's get you to the infirmary." He indicates with a nod of his head. "It's just this way."
Quinten sighs and leands back against the gate looking at the other two recruits, "Fine be secretive, not like i worried or anything." He moves to pick up his satchel of Scrolls and slings it over his shoulder. "As these two seem to have you in hand sir, i really should get these items back to the Brother, welcome to Redwall." He bows to
Jondalar and then frowns at the other two, "I'll see you too later i guess.." The buck then walks off hurriedly back into the abbey building adn the library
RW Abbey: Late Rose Garden
The Rose garden offers solitude and peace from every-day life of the abbey. A feeling of tranquility is presented through the roses and the open area that seems to flow over everything around.
Winter and muffling snowfall has taken the place of colorful, but ephemeral, sheltering the brittle vines and thorns with a thick, seemingly impenatrable blanket of white snow. It falls from the limbs as ice begins to form on the vines, dripping downwards in beautiful icicles. The vines make a circle about an open area of snow with only a break in the vines to allow one back out again.
The Garden of the Late Rose is quiet as usual, the rose bushes are almost ready to bloom, tightly furled buds ready to open any day now. Quinten is kneeling down next to a flower bed, spreading fertilizer around the plants, he's been dragged out of the library to go get some fresh air and learn a new skill. He's attacking the fertilizer like its a horde of vermin, only using the one paw, his left one held against his chest to keep the bandages clean.
Flaxpaw starts into the garden, then stops when she sees Quint. Not real into company right now...at least not /Redwall/ company, aside from a certain buck.
Well. That /certain/ buck just so happens to be in the rose garden, as well. He appears from another area with a sack of fertilizer slung over his shoulder, the sleeves of his habit rolled up clumsily to his shoulders. He's whistling softly to himself, apparently in good spirits on this day of summer.
Quinten has not seen Flaxpaw as his back is to her, he does however see Harper and the buck receives a glower and then a forwn from Quinten. He then shifts to spreading more fertilizer around the base of a rose bush he missed, muttering under is breath about something before falling quiet.
Flaxpaw spots Harp and heads towards him, ear twitching at Quint's mutter as she passes. Her look is a little hesitant as she approaches, but...a grin spreads across her muzzle. "Hey, Harp!"
Huh-what? Harp's whistling stops short and he gives Quinten an odd look, wondering at the glare. He stops by his side, dropping the sack of fertilizer down beside him. His ears perk as Flaxpaw approaches and he turns, offering the doe a return grin and a nod. "Flax. Hey. How're you?"
Quinten sighs and slices the sack open with his trowel and attempts to scoop some out so he can carry on spreading it about the roses. His ears perk at the sound of Flax's voice and he glances at Harper then around to look at the doe. "Hello." He mutters and gets back to work shifting so he can spread it out with just one paw.
Flaxpaw shrugs a little. "I'm alright...for bein here. Hey, Quint. Wot happened to your paw?" She carries on her course to Harp, stopping with her shoulder /almost/ touching his.
In the light of the afternoon, with the open ground grasses shining green underpaw, Jakk seems to have far too much energy. The recruit comes running across the lawn as fast as he can, then turns without warning, skidding the opposite direction. Finally, he leaps and kicks into a tree, bowling across the grasses. Seems the tree won.
Harper doesn't shift away from Flaxpaw's closeness, only glancing briefly to the side at her. He too turns his attention to Quinten's paw, giving it a look. "What's that? Scullery accident?"
Quinten looks at Flaxpaw and touches his bandaged paw against his chest, "Nothing, just some bats in Brockhall is all." He looks at Harper and Flaxpaw, at how they are standing and shakes his head. "Wot happened to you two? you both just vanished without a word an then re-appear like nothings happened." He glances out of the garden entrance and frowns at the young recruit rolling across the grasses.
Flaxpaw looks up at Harp, a grin on her muzzle when Quint asks about their disappearing. "Well...just went for a long-ish stroll with mister Darkmane, saw some stuff. right, Harp?" Her attention goes to Jakk, worried for a moment, then laughing as she sees he's not hurt himself, looking back up at Harper, shaking her head in amusement, but not commenting.
It is then that Jakk realizes that there are beasts watching him. The recruit flattens himself against the lawn, then both ears perk up high, swiveling around in the air. Finally the young hare gets up to hurry over to the garden, going an impromptu cartwheel as he does. He lands in the entrance with a big grin on his face.
"Bats in Brockhall? Guess we oughta be asking /you/ what you've been up to." Harp smirks, then, and shrugs, glancing to the side at Flax. "... And it's like Flax says. Darkmane was kind enough to take us on a trip. Was fun. How was yer... trip, I guess?"
Quinten grunts and looks at Flaxpaw "Oh how nice, a little stroll through the woods all la-de-da i'm sure. Swanning off without a thought to those of us who might worry." He stands up and glowers at Jakk as he cartwheels in, shrugging his habit straight. "Oh you know the usual Harper," He turns so he's not looking at them and they cannot see his face, his ears falling down his back, "I had to kill some beasts, save the Brother, find the Bell Tower plans, fight off mad bats....oh did i mention i had to slay some rats?" He's shaking slightly and goes to move off past Jakk.
Flaxpaw has gone over to Jakk, grinning as he lands his cartwheel, and reaching out to ruffle his ears. She stops, paw not quite at Jakk, however when she hears Quint's tone, scowl crossing her muzzle. She doesn't turn back, just drops the paw, brow creasing in confusion.
Harper's eyebrows go up, his eyes shifting between Quinten and Jakk, the latter given a slightly odd look. "Well. Sorry, Quint. But don't blame Flaxpaw. She had /permission/ to go. All you had to do was ask the lieutenant. But I guess you were too busy going off yerself to... slay some rats, I guess." He gives a short shake of his head and shrugs, watching Quint go off for a moment before he hunkers down, starting on the fertilizing job that the other has left unfinished.
Jakk pauses at this, ears flattening back as he gets glared at. That seems to be all that he notices, for the rest of the tirade is not even stated about. With a glance sent up to Flaxpaw, he then feels Quinten try to push past him. Erf. "Dangit, Quin. Lighten up." He looks unhappy. "No wonder some beasts have a problem with you." He goes to turn and maybe leave before he is shoved or glared at even more.
Quinten freezes and raises his paws and then lays his good one on Jakk's head for a moment, "Sorry Jakk....just...not used to killing things ok." He takes his paw off of Jakk's head and shakes his own head. "I wasn't even aware beasts had problems with me." He glances back at Flaxpaw and Harper, "Sorry was just worried....i needed someone to talk to and no one was here." He stands and stares at Harper doing his job with the rose bushes and moves back. "Here let me finish that."
Flaxpaw's maternal complex goes into over-drive. She steps over to Jakk, an ear flicking at Quint. "sorry we didn't check it with you... huh, Redwaller." She leans into Jakk, back now to Quint. "come back to the garden, Jakk, c'mere, there's somethin you should see over there." She points to a corner, and turns to go there, giving Harp an 'ohhhh, boy' look.
Harper looks up from the work and blinks at Quinten. He shakes his head and, rather than standing, shifts to the side slightly to make room for Quinten to join him. "It'll go faster with the both of us." He glances toward Flax.
Jakk ducks his head in a fear response when Quint lays his paw on his head, giving him a look, but it is seeming to clear up a little. "It's fine.." He mumbles in response, however Flax's maternal sympathy gets him to head towards her to be lead away from the entrance of the garden. However, his hyper and happy mood is over with.
Quinten kneels down next to Harper and nods, picking up a small gardening fork and using it to mix the fertilizer in with the dryer dirt already there. "Sure good idea Harper." He says in a quiet voice not meeting the other bucks eyes, "Sorry Harper.....an i'm not a Redwaller just because she's a.." He trails off and doesn't finish the sentance about Flaxpaw, glancing over at Her and Jakk before getting back to work.
Harper's eyebrows go up. "Just 'cause she's a what?" He stands for a second, starting to drag the open sack of fertilizer back and forth in rows so that a fairly even amount is spread across the area that they are working on.
Flaxpaw looks slightly guilty when Harp calls Quint over, but not in the mood to be good. She instaed leads Jakk off, slightly defiant look going to Harp before she turns to the younger buck. "Over here, dear, look." She stops at a rose bush, just hopefully poping color out of a bud, and points it out, lowering her voice as she does. "Don't let him bother you, Jakk...he's just like that. Always preachy an serious."
Jakk glances over his shoulder with brows furrowed, then both ears and all his attention turn to the rose bud when it is pointed out to him. Finally he smirks a little about her advice to him. "Aight. Thanks Flax."
Quinten shakes his head ears flicking from side to side, "Ahhh don't mind me Harper, just been a bit out of sorts since me and Brother Keiran got back." He uses the fork to really mix the fertilizer into the ground as Harper pours it out. He glances at Flaxpaw and then towards Harper, "Though why does she hate me these days Harper? Its more then just be being off today, everytime is ee her lately she is scathing towards me."
Harper smirks slightly and shakes her head. "... Dunno what /yer/ talkin' about, mate. Yer the one's been scathing every time you've seen her." He snorts softly, catching hold of a spade to mix the fertilizer in with the dirt.
Flaxpaw nods to Jakk, ears pinned back to try to catch what's going on with Quint and Harp, but not really able to make anything out in the conversation. The rest of her behavior, however is studied indifferance to the other two, her eyes fix on Jakk, smiling. "An how're you farin with that otter, hmm? I suppose I'll be stuck back in that scullery soon myself."
Quinten sighs and lowers his ears, he turns his attention back to the job at hand falling silent now. "I've been trying not to Harper....i thought we'd sorted all this out, Just keep seeing her at bad times....things haven't been good for me the last couple of days and I really wanted to speak to someone is all." He looks back down at his work and leans back smoothing out the fertilizer and working slowly.
Jakk smirks up at Flaxpaw. "Haven' seen him since." Gives her a mischievous grin after this statement with a wink. "Maybe he'll find me.. later on." One glance is sent towards the older bucks.
Harper considers Quinten out of the corner of his eye, giving a small bob of his head. "... Well. We're here not. Right? So talk sometime instead of glaring, yeah? Fer now let's just finish this 'n' get inside." He redoubles his efforts, his movements drawing him further and further from the other.
Quinten nods and falls silent, bending down to the actual task at hand, he murmurs softly after a few moments, "Ok Harp...thanks, i'll try..." He then bends over to carry on working and getting this finished so he can get back inside.
End Log -
