Walking home
Halyard Village: Main Street
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The main street of Halyard is not so much a street as a rubble field. It is
as if the narrow street has crumbled in on itself, with but a few buildings
unscathed. Even Halyard's symbol of law and order, the Town Hall, has not
escaped the brunt of the storm. THe front face of the building is entirely
gone and the roof has been shorn away.
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Quinten is just arriving in Halyard, the Recorder helping to pull one of the carts transporting things from the mountain toward the tents. Not as many supplies being shipped in as right after the disaster but still a goodly supply of things to help out the town.
Darklett is overseeing a lot of what's going on, here. He's done his share of work in the town and this supervisory role could be considered a break for the major. "This the last shipment for the day from the mountain?" he asks, expecting /someone/ will answer him.
Quinten ducks out of the shaft and snags his clip board, the recorder leafs through the papers on it and looks over the carts then salutes Darklett. "This is the last lot for the day Major. Mainly new medical supplies the runners brought up from the swamps to the south. I figured it was best to ship it straight here."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Can't have enough of that stuff laying around..." Darklett scratches between his ears, a day out in the sun and heat causing some itchiness on his head. "Didn't think I'd even see you out of the mountain, Quinten. Apparently it took a natural bloody disaster for them to let you outside."
The recorder's ears flick and then droop a bit at the Major's word and he signals the privates moving the carts to carry on. "Colonel Lang's orders, she said she wants me in the mountain. Normally my trips to Halyard involve me buying papers not organising the supply shipments." The hare reaches out and rescues his tunic jacket before it rumbles off with the carts. Shrugging it back on but not buttoning it up just yet. "Anything else I can help with whilst i'm here?"
"Not unless you can tell me if you've seen my mate around," Darklett asserts with a long glance off to the side. He ends that glance with a slow shake of his head. "Can't seem to find her since the hurricane struck."
Quinten's ears stay firmly down the back of his head, "I'm afraid not sah... I mostly shuttle supplies back and forth between Salamandastron and here. One good thing about being Recorder, I have all the inventory... but surely she has to be around someplace?"
"I've been looking for her since the clouds cleared up." Darklett heaves a sigh. "For all I know, she could be washed out to sea." The major watches the patrol hares leave, rocking on his feet slowly. "I'm... Sure she'll turn up."
Quinten nods his head, "Yes sir... I hope so sir." He looks around and sighs. "Just wish I could do more but well doing what is important I guess. Making sure there are supplies." his ears twitch back up for a moment then down. "At first it was nice to be doing something, now I just... wish there was more I could do."
"Well, like what?" Darklett shrugs, looking around. "Seems like there's just that, the healing duties, and the rebuilding efforts. What else did you have in mind, anyway?"
Quinten shrugs, "Mostly that really, but i'm no healer and you know how bad I am at crafts. So it's best I just keep the healing supplies coming in."
Darklett nods. "...Guess so. I'll let you know if anything else comes up and you're around, though." Darklett pockets his paws, the patrol hares heading downshore to the mountain. "I don't exactly know what else there is to do, though. Honestly, I'm feeling pretty helpless, myself."
Quinten looks around, "We could take another look for your mate Major? Or we could head back to the mountain with the Patrol? I have to keep the record of all this updated for the Colonel."
"I wouldn't even know where to look, Quinten. I could head off one way and without knowing it put more distance between myself and her." Dark's paws run through his headfur, which he slightly tugs at. "And besides, I've kind of scanned anywhere around here. My worst fear was that she was buried under a building, but that doesn't seem to be it."
Quinten looks around and nods, "Well... no body is good news. You got lost at sea... if she is at sea she can come back. Come on sir, lets get back to the mountain."
"...Yeah." Darklett nods in agreement. "...Don't think I want to be here right now." The major walks towards the exit of the town, looking to fall into step with the recorder.
Quinten steps out head south toward the shore line, setting a brisk pace as he buttons up his tunic. "Well then shall we run? I think I need the exercise?"
"Ah, why not?" Darklett smirks. "How about more of a jog, though? I'm not exactly a young buck anymore." The major starts walking a little faster, building himself up to it.
Quinten matches speed with Darklett and grins over at him, "I'm not getting younger either. Of course i've changed a bit since the day you found me wandering on the beach."
Darklett nods, then breaks into a jog. "You're a little more mature, that's... That's for sure." He laughs, kicking up sand as the two head towards the mountain.
Quinten jogs along beside Darklett, paws beating the sand up as he bounces along. "Well I have you and the others to thank for that. Growing up in Salamandastron was what formed me. Still I do worry my training is not being put to use as well as it could be."
"I can't help but think you're dropping hints, Quinten." Darklett smirks over at the other hare. "I told you I'd try and take you out on a patrol, but then this hurricane happened, and... Well, I haven't had time."
Quinten laughs, "I know Darklett, you said I raised the idea with Zoe but she made it clear she wants me in the mountain. And the hurrican takes priority, maybe I need to hedge toward training recruits or something as well as recording stuff." He looks about and hops up and over a rock.
"I can try and convince her, you know. Just... Maybe later. Once Halyard's at least sustaining itself." Darklett simply jogs alongside, eyes on the mountain as it slowly, ever so slowly, grows in the distance.
Quinten nods, "Oh of course, not now Major... too many other things to do Halyard is going to take a long time to rebuild." He looks up at the mountain and sighs, "It always feels good to be coming back here."
"Yeah. Don't think I'll ever think of anywhere else as home." Darklett runs alongside Quinten, watching the mountain still. "But I don't blame you for wanting to be out of it more often."
Quinten grins, "Don't get me wrong, I do love my library and recording our history. But a hare's meant to run." he bounces up and jumps over a rock.
Seeming to be avoiding the rocks rather than leaping over them, the major still manages to stay about on stride. "Weren't you a fighter before your foray into keeping history?"
You say, "Yes sir, nothing to say I can't enjoyh running too. But primarily i'm an unarmed fighter for the most part. You should remember that, you got to watch me knocked about the ring enough time.""
"Mmhmm," Darklett recalls. "Don't think you should have been an unarmed fighter, seeing as you were often getting knocked around the ring like you were."
You say, "Hey I got alot better before I graduated to Private, and with the sabre as well. I'm not shabby at either now.""
"You did come into your own... I just don't know why the Colonel doesn't want you out." Darklett huffs. "It's not like you're the only literate hare in the whole of Salamandastron..."
Quinten grins and just lopes along. "Well she sent me out for six seasons to grow up, maybe she wants me at hand. I'm sure she has her reasons. It's not my place to question but to obey orders after all."
"Still... It's not fair to you. Be honest..." Darklett doesn't talk as quickly as in normal speech, given he's running while he does so. "Would you have even come back if... You knew you'd be stuck off patrol the rest of your time here?"
Quinten flicks his ears and glances at Darklett, slowing a bit and glancing side-ways. "Probably not sir, It was great being out there. Living with the other people of mossflower. Some of my best memories where out there with the GUOSIM shrews." He smiles, "I'm not unhappy though, I love my books but I love being out too... its just difficult I guess to balance the two."
Darklett slows down with Quinten, even slowing down further, himself, to a walking pace. "...I'll talk to the Colonel about getting you on a patrol. I can't guarantee it'll be exciting, but..."
Quinten smiles and slows back down, dropping back a few feet. "As I said no need to rush, we have this emergency to deal with sir. I don't need excitement after all and I can record when i get back or on the go."
Darklett nods, pocketing his paws again as they walk. "Who knows? I might get a hint to where Selene is."
Darklett turns to face Quinten. "That'd be a good enough reason, right?"
You say, "Very good reason Major, i'd be happy to help you find her. We all would be." he tilts his head, looking up at Darklett thinking of something but he doesn't say anything else for now as he walks."
And so they walk like that towards the mountain. Apparently, both keeping their thoughts to themselves. Darklett mostly glances out to the side, over the sea, pensively.
Quinten lets his ears hang down the back of his neck, he stops and looks up at the mountain. "So much history here, blood shed, war, victory and peace eons of peace it feels. It's strange, people hear the name Long Patrol and think war and glory but in reality. It's the years of peace that are the longest... the years in which those great warriors are trained. It's people like you, Rahier, Zoe... you all make us who we are. the Hares you've raised and trained.""
Stopping when Quinten does, he turns towards the mountain, too, and listens.
"...Well, we've got to make sure there's another generation after you that is here to say the same thing about hares like you, you know."
Quinten chuckles, "I can't imagine hares saying that about me. But I guess one day they have too... heh well I'm lucky. I went from Orphan to part of a huge family. But listening to me getting nostalgic now."
"Think you're gonna need to go on a patrol. Sounds like you're getting soft." Darklett grins over at the recorder with a wink.
Quinten chuckles, "Can't have me going soft, if I go soft i become a liability. three hours in the training room a day just doesn't cut it. But i'll probably drive people mad with my writing away around the fire in the evening."
"Eh. Writing's kind of ... Well, you do it to yourself, so I don't think most hares would mind." The major pulls his paws out of his pockets and starts walking towards the mountain again. "We'll have to go out eventually. Maybe head north or something..."
You say, "Mmm never been north... been south, been east. Never been north really. Or over the sea. Plenty of places i've not seen.""
"I've had enough of the sea." Darklett states this matter-of-factly.
Quinten nods his headm "You need to come by my office so I can record what happened. You've still not given me a proper accounting"
- End Log due to RL
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