The Lutenist and The Stoat

Characters: Will, Amethyst, Kentar

Location: Moledeep

Moledeep: Cellar

Will is resting in the cool cellar. Amy is once again using him as her pillow as she plays 'My Rose of Old Redwall' on her lute, her stick lays near by.

Kentar has been away for most of the day today, only coming back now with a yawn. "Man, I missed this place." he mutters to himself before stopping by the door way and looking in at them. "Hey there." he smiles before moving towards a chair to sit down.

Amethyst's ears move toward Kentar's voice, "Hello again, Kentar." She starts up another song on her lute and sings along to it, There was an otter by a stream, Come ringle dum o lady, Who fell asleep and had a dream, All on the bank so shady. He dreamt the stream was made of wine, It flowed along so merry, And when he drank it tasted fine, Like plum and elderberry. And all the banks were made of cake, Come ringle ding my dearie, As nice as any cook could bake, That otter felt quite cheery. He drank and ate with right good will, Till wakened by his daughter. She said, I hope you've had your fill, Of mud and cold streamwater! Come ringle doo fol doodle day, Come wisebeast or come witty, A fool who dreams to dine that way, Must waken to self-pity." She knows very well that this is among the few songs she isn't to sing but Will's sleeping and the otter are either not here or unable to hear so she /may/ avoid punishment for it.

Kentar looks over at the two and and smiles as he sits down. "Its a nice song." he smiles, the stoat laughing a little. "You've got quite a talent for the lute." he nods.

Amethyst says, "T-thank you." She a little puzzled but doesn't mind the compliment. The stoat had seemed a little like Aikuen at their first meeting but so far he's much nicer and not tricky at all though that may be because of his different relation to Will and thus her.

Kentar grins a little. "Y-Your welcome." he smiles with a chuckle. "Don't get compliments very often?" he asks. "I can't really see why." The stoat scratches his head.

Amethyst shrugs in response and starts up another song, "I sit alone and wish that I, Could be a bird up in the sky, I'd join the breezes that do blow, Whichever way they chanced to go, For oer the waves, across the sea, I'd drift along quite happily, Or maybe out on field and fen, I'd circle round some forest glen, I envy bee and butterfly, Maybe the birds could tell me why I wipe a teardrop from my eye, I sit alone, for I can't fly."

Kentar smiles a little and sits back in his seat. The stoat tilts his head to one side as he listens to the song. "Where did you learn all these songs?" he asks. "They're mostly all really good." he nods.

Amethyst shrugs again, "Here and there. I heard them and try to get the tune down and if I don't know the words the audience usually fills them in sooner or later for me. I kept food in my mouth and I enjoy it so I keep at it."

Kentar nods. "Right. Well, your good at it. Its good to be good at something you enjoy." he smiles. "Unlike me. I enjoy swimming. But I'm no good at it."

Will twitches in his sleep a little, the talking is starting to wake him but he's fighting it.

Amethyst smiles, "Once the pond's completed you can practice unless you'd prefer to use the river."

Kentar laughs. "No no, the pond will do when its done." he chuckles. "I'm sort of scared of the river. Ever since uh...I was thrown into it." he nods.

Amethyst nods, "I was as well but I was watched and nothing much happened ... nothing that wasn't dealt with at the time anyway."

Kentar nods. "Well. You had beasts there in case you drifted off. Me? I sank to the bottom for a few moments I think, and got carried down the river and into the sea...not fun. I don't think its fun anyways, I don't remember much about it."

Amethyst says, "There was a beast watching so I didn't drift off and other things ... even though he's the one that pushed me in there in the first place."

Kentar laughs. "Who pushed you in?" he asks. "And why?"

Amethyst smirks, "There seems to a very stupid rule about not drinking here and some beast," she pokes Will rather hard with a claw, "thought I was drunk and also thought I should be punished for it and since we have no pond the river was used instead."

Kentar tilts his head. "No drinking allowed? Hrm. Must have missed that one myself." he shrugs. "Then again, I rarely drink." The stoat laughs.

Amethyst nods, "It seems that any one who drinks, becomes drunk or acts drunk is to be thrown into th pond and if there is no pond the river is to be used or was til Aik said not to go over there anymore due to the fox."

Kentar nods slowly. "Yeah. I can see why he'd say the fox..." he sighs, scratching his head and closing his eyes. "That darn fox. Done so much." he shakes his head.

Amethyst runs a paw over Will's face and across his eye patch. "I'm aware of what the fox has done," she says.

Kentar nods a bit and sighs. "Yeah. Done too much. Done...far too much." he frowns before sighing. "Can I ask you something?"

Will blinks and reaches up to rub his face and feels Amy's paw there, he smiles a little but doesn't move any as he looks around the room wondering who she's talking to.

Amethyst's ear flicks toward Will and she moves her paw, putting it over his mouth as he's done to her many times before. "What do you want to ask me?" she asks the stoat hoping he won't change his mind now that Will's awake.

Kentar looks at Will and hrms a little. "Never mind." he says with a quiet sigh. He was only going to ask because Will was asleep.

Will push Amy's paw away and gets up, "Hi, Kentar," he says yawning. He looks from the stoat to the rat-maid and back before heading out, ".. anyone hungry?" he asks on the way out, "I'm goin' t th kitchen an see what's t eat." He's not hungry but figures they or at least Amy wants him else where at the moment. He hopes this 'talk to one rat when the other isn't around' thing Aikuen started stops soon it's annoying.

Amethyst smiles, "Now what was it you wanted to ask me?"

Kentar smiles a little. "Well. I uh...Promised Will I wasn't going to go looking for that fox when I leave. But. I'm not sure if I should keep my word this time. I know your probably not the best beast to ask what I should do but...heh, your probably the only one who wouldn't miss me much." he smirks.

Amethyst hmms, she'd thought the stoat would question her like Aikuen had been lately but he's asking something entirely different instead. She thinks over how to answer the stoat and while he's right she /is/ least likely to miss him when he goes, however she /will/ miss him when he does go. She prefers his company to Aikuen's. She stares at the stoat with her blind eyes and asks, "/What/ are you asking me? Are you asking if you should keep your word or if you should go after /the fox/?

Kentar looks to the rat and then nods. It's a few moments before he realizes a nod isn't enough. "OH...yeah. That's what I'm asking.

Amethyst smirks a little, "You were trying to nod at me weren't you?" The smile fades and she states, "I know very little about the fox. I only know what I have been told and the things I've seen that he's done. I am blind as you seemed to have forgotten, if only for a moment. I do not fight. If I could see," She mumbles, "and walk better," before finishing her thoughts, "perhaps I would. Your /main/ goal, I would think, would be to find out the fate of your Garnet and /if/ she is alive /and/ you are /able/, to take her some place safe. Once that is /done/, if you still feel it is /necessary/ to risk your life in going after the fox, /I'm/ certainly not going to stop you."

Kentar chuckles a bit. "Yeah. I was...Sorry. My mind is on other things." he nods as he listens. "Right..." he sighs. "Thank you for the advice." he says, rubbing the back of his neck.

Amethyst smiles a little, "It's alright, it happens a lot." She nods at his response, "You're welcome. Now since I've been soo helpful ... /when/ you come back would you mind putting in a good word for me with Aikuen? For /some/ reason he doesn't like me."

Kentar chuckles. "Yeah. In fact, I'll put in a good word before I go." he smiles. "I don't quite get why he doesn't like you. You're nice enough."

Amethyst chuckles, "Yes I am aren't I. Though I've been told that otters are very strange beasts. Of course the same source also clams Fira is the /only/ smart otter in the world sooo he may be wrong about them being strange as well."

Kentar laughs. "Aikuen is a strange beast in general. But remember what they say about stoats." he nods. "Stupid beasts who get distracted by shiny things." he laughs. "Most of them anyways. But you know rumors, they're mostly not true."

Amethyst nods, "Perhaps but some are /based/ on facts if very loosely. I don't much care for drowning and if some call that cowardice they aren't thinking very clearly and if they thought they'd know better than to think such beasts stupid if they're the same ones /not/ drowning, traditions and niceties aside of course."

Kentar nods a little. "Yeah." he says before looking around. "Where did Will get to I wonder..." he shrugs before looking back to Amy. "So. How did you and Will meet?" he asks.

Amethyst shrugs, "Don't know ... if he's not back soon I'll go look for him and my stick will ask him," she smiles at this. "As for how we met it involved of all things otters and while on the one paw I should be grateful to Kip of dragging Will out of bed in the middle of the night to play matchmaker, Kip is possiablily the most ... well let's just say he's a jerk and things improve great once Will got him to leave. I had been in the woods /minding my own business/ and happened to walk down a path I had before and next thing I know I'm sitting in 'waterdog land' because I 'looked suspicious' I was told, though I was told by Kip so that may not be the real reason. Once they decided a blind beggar girl was not a threat to them, which took much long than it should have in my opinion, they kept me there a while long 'for my safety' or something. And since your bother wouldn't allow me to return to the woods and I wasn't going to stay with the otters, I hadn't met Aikuen or Fira yet, I allowed Will to bring me here." A few minor variations from what Will or Kip would probably say, but in it's all in the eye of the beholder and such you know.

Kentar nods a little then smiles. "Well. I'm glad Will brought you here. And I can say, now that I know you more, I'm glad you two want to get married." he smiles. "He's no fun, and your'e loads of fun. You complete him," the stoat laughs. "Seriously, I am glad," he smiles. "Good to know that of all the beasts he could have brought home, you were the one," He nods.

Amethyst shakes her head as he teases, "I wasn't aware he had other choices, I doubt he knows it either and you'd better make sure it stays that way," she waves her stick at him at the last part still smiling.

Kentar nods and chuckles. "He doesn't, as far as I know." he smiles before nodding. "I will. Even if I must kill every other rat to keep it that way." he grins.

Amethyst smirks, "You do know that if you do that many of your future nieces and nephew may not like you very much as they get older." She starts on another song, "Now you all know The bards and their songs When hours have gone by I'll close my eyes In a world far away We may meet again But now hear my song About the dawn of the night Let's sing the bards' song. Tomorrow will take us away Far from home No one will ever know our names But the bards' songs will remain. Tomorrow will take it away The fear of today It will be gone Due to our magic songs. There's only one song Left in my mind Tales of the brave ones Who lived far from here Now the bard songs are over And it's time to leave No one should ask you for the name Of the one Who tells the story. Tomorrow will take us away Far from home No one will ever know our names But the bards' songs will remain. Tomorrow all will be known And you're not alone So don't be afraid In the dark and cold 'Cause the bards' songs will remain, They all will remain. ..."

Kentar smiles and listens to the song before standing. When its over, he pats Amy on the shoulder gently. "I'll see you tomorrow. I really got to get some sleep." he smiles. "If you see Will, tell him I want to speak with him tomorrow." the stoat smiles before heading off for his room.

Amethyst nods, "Will do. Night, Kentar."

Kentar Nods. "Night Amy." he smiles before going into his room.