What's the Point?

What's the Point?

Players

- Mirabella

- Nicholas

- Caleb

RW Abbey: Western Rampart

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The rampart is most certainly the place to be if you wanted to look over Mossflower and it's glory. The walls stand high above the ground, giving one the ability to look over whatever is present and beyond. The stones are smooth from the years the abbey has stood, a few darkened stains about could account for the wars that have taken place in the peacekeeping home. Spring has arrived, and the rampart, however removed, cannot escape from her gentle touch. Winter has retreated, and Mossflower is returning to her full clory. From up here, the view is spectacular. Lucious forest greens mingle with small bursts of vibrant colors-- crimsons, lavender, light pinks. It is only tainted with splotches of brown, signaling places where the battle between spring and winter is still being fought. Beasts are also below, scurrying about in their preparations for the summer-- one could almost look and look, and still be as blind as an old beast.

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Late morning crawls towards noontime, the sun climbing high over Mossflower. It's a balmy day, by anyone's reckoning, with a bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds lazily drifting high above the forest canopy. The pleasant weather is very compatible with a walk outdoors, and so Mirabella is up on the ramparts, her left foot still wrapped tightly with linens, but the splint of a few weeks ago is lost. She walks under her own power as well, having ditched her crutches for a cane and a slower, shambling stride, but there is still an undisputable bounce to her step. The mousemaid smiles warmly as she pauses near the wallstairs, turning to gaze out at the forest, a look of rapt wonder on her pretty face.

Nicholas walks up the stairs, humming to himself, and looking around at the Abbey, seeing what there is to see. Spotting Mirabella, he smiles, glad to have some company. "Oi, 'ello! Fancy meetin' another creature 'round 'ere! It's been a bit too quiet for me likin', honestly." He chuckles, then extends a paw outward. "Me name's Nicholas, of the McInally clan. What's yer name, lass?"

"Oh!" Mirabella is pulled out of her reverie abruptly by the squirrel's greeting, turning large green eyes towards him and exhaling shortly, her paw resting on her chest. Her cane clatters to the stone walkway. "You gave me bit of a fright!" After a few pretty blinks, the mousemaid recovers, putting that paw forward to shake his. "It's terribly nice to meet you, Mister McInally," she replies, giving him a bright smile and showing off spotless white teeth. "I do apologize for my reaction, it has been awfully quiet around here since most beasts left to follow the Abbot."

Nicholas chuckles again. "Oi, sorry, I didn't mean ta startle ya." After shaking her paw, the squirrel bends down and picks up the dropped cane, holding it to her. "Followed the Abbot, eh? Where to, exactly, if ya don't mind me askin'?"

"It's quite alright," Mirabella replies, accepting the cane and smoothing out her skirt with her other paw. She turns energetically to sweep a pointed paw in the general direction of the forest. "They've gone positively everywhere!" The cane thumps gently against her wrapped foot. "I would have just loved to go along, but unfortunately I couldn't keep up."

Nicholas looks out at the forest, unable to keep himself from smiling. "Oi... 'Tis beautiful, all the trees an' life growin'." He looks at the mousemaid, and grins. "Oi...I bet I could carry ya! I'm pretty fast- if I do say so meself." He chuckles.

Caleb is walking along the wall, checking on guards and has already walked around the grounds checking on beasts. He has some water with him for those who may need some on a hot day.

"Oh, no, I could never impose like that," Mirabella responds demurely, shaking her head and dropping her chin, her tresses bouncing around her pretty head. "It's quite far and I'm not even sure where all they've gone. But it does sound like a grand adventure, though," she adds brightly, not wanting him to be put out at her refusal. Her eyes flick up and over his shoulder, catching sight of Caleb farther down the walkway. "Hello, Novice Caleb," she calls cheerily, her voice chiming out across the distance.

Nicholas chuckles again. "'Twas mostly a joke, any'ow. 'Sides, adventurin's great an' all, but, sometimes... Nothin' beats 'home." He smiles, then turns to look at Caleb. "Oi! Well, 'ello! Seems t'is place isn't as empty as I t'ought!" He leans against the wall, waiting for the mouse to reach them.

Caleb arrives and smiles "Hello, I was bring water to the beasts around the grounds, did either of you want some?" He tilts his head :And there is beasts around, they are just busy with chores"

"Of course, I was just explaining to Mister McInally that many of the normal residents are out celebrating with our new Father Abbot," Mirabella tells Caleb, giving Nicholas a knowing smile. She beams cheerfully at Caleb's offer, extending a dainty paw. "And that sounds delightful. Thank you ever so much."

Nicholas smiles at Caleb, nodding. "Oi, back where I come from, it doesn't get very 'ot. Water would be much appreciated, lad!" He nods again to Mirabella, chuckling. "An' I was just offerin' ta carry 'er to the action!"

Caleb nods and hands each a water "My father is one of the beasts that went, but my grandma is watching over the infirm for him so, all is ok"

Mirabella nods politely, gratefully accepting a gourd that splashes with water from the novice. "Yes, I'm sure they're having a positively wonderful time visiting everywhere." The mousemaid closes her eyes to imagine the scene, her face calm and peaceful, before opening them again and remembering where she is. "But it's still lovely to be here at Redwall, of course."

Nicholas accepts the water as well, taking a swig before speaking. "Oi, t'anks!" He smiled at the two. "So, can ye tell me a bit about t'e Abbey? I 'aven't been 'ere, long, an' I really just came in ta 'elp a creature who was wounded in combat, out on the road." He pauses for a moment, thinking to himself. "Oi, we never recovered t'at bag... Oh, well." He then resumed his attention towards the creatures present.

Caleb nods "Well we have a feast son, at the quarry in a few days, well beside it anyways"

Mirabella perks up at the mention of a bag. "A bag? I just /love/ bags." There doesn't seem to be any more information forthcoming about the bag, though, so she inquires herself. "What kind of bag? Was it a handbag?"

Nicholas can't help but chuckle. "'Twasn't an 'andbag. It was more o' a sack, an' filled with stolen treasures." He shakes his head. "Vermin, stealin' from other vermin, apparantly. T'ey died fer it, 'cept the one who got away." He sighs. "I wonder what should be done with it, now? I don't t'ink we can exactly return it to the vermin."

"/Treasure?/" Mira's eyes go wide at the word. "He had /treasure/ from thieves?" The stuff of legends! The mystic tales of adventure, just a stone's throw away! "Well where is it? You left a whole sack of treasure out in a ditch?!" She can scarcely believe the scandal of what she's hearing.

Nicholas raises an eyebrow at her. "Eh? Oi, 'old on a moment, lass. Ya can't just take it. It's not yers." He shakes his head. "What we should do is find who it was stolen from originally, an' give it to t'em. Otherwise, we'd be no better t'an t'ieves, ourselves!"

Mirabella is unimpressed by his logic, it seems. "So you left the whole sack lying in the ditch for anyone else to take? That's /dreadful/," she gasps, covering her mouth with one paw. She begins hobbling towards the stairs, gathering up her skirt to make the descent. "We must bring it inside where it's safe, or those vermin will take it back!"

Nicholas sighs. "Oi, it's 'idden in t'e bushes, don't worry." He follows after her, partly to oversee the collection of the sack, and partly because he's worried that she'll fall down the stairs in her rush. "Oi, I'm comin', too. We can 'old on ta it until yer Abbot comes back, an' ask 'im what 'e wants done with it."

Mirabella wobbles, but she doesn't fall down. She makes surprisingly good time down the staircase, putting her cane to good use. "This is ever so much better than crutches," she notes, shaking her head in amazement that she ever managed to survive on those. "We'll take the wall-gate," she calls over her shoulder, already undoing the latch.

Nicholas nods as he reaches her. "Alright. Well, I suppose ya know the Abbey better t'an I do, so lead on. Once we get ta the road, I'll show ya where t'e sack is, an' t'en we'll bring it back into the Abbey an' wait fer the Abbot. Sound good t'ya?"

Treasure! In truth, Mirabella is barely listening to Nicholas' words in her hurry to get the goodies inside. "Right, right, of course Mister McInally," she agrees, nodding distractedly as she pulls the small wall-gate open and slips out. "Whatever you say. Let's just get it indoors!" Her little cane moves at a quick beat, quiet in the grass as she excitedly heads out towards the side of the road, taking care not to trip over any stray holes.

Nicholas sighs, but follows her out. "Alright, follow me, now." He steps ahead of her, heading into the bushes. "It's right t'rough 'ere." He steps off the road and into the foilage, quickly spotting the sack, as well as the slain vermin. "Oi... I t'ink ya should wait 'ere, miss... T'ere's some stuff 'ere ya shouldn't see..."

Mirabella is surprisingly quick, even with the cane, and she's right behind him as he steps off the road. "Oh... oh my." She's covering her mouth again, and then her nose as well. "He's /dead?/" she asks, eyes wide with abject wonder. "And... and there it is! The /treasure!/ We did it, Mister McInally! We found it." Her delight overwhelms her revulsion, although the smell brings her paw back to her nose.

Nicholas looks at the sack, then back to her. "Alright. I want ya ta go back inside, an' I'll bring it in. Ya shouldn't 'ave ta smell death fer too long. After we get it in, I'm gonna need a shovel, an' I'm gonna go ahead an' bury 'im. Does t'at sounds alright t'ya?"

"That... that sounds alright," Mirabella agrees, nodding shortly, her paw still clapped tightly over her nose. Her eyes are drawn inextricably to the corpse of whatever and whoever brought the sack there. "Did you kill him?"

Nicholas hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. "'E stabbed the creature I was with. I did it because I 'ad to. Oi, now go. Get inside, an' I'll bring it in."

Mirabella slowly backs away, her eyes still riveted on the corpse, then glancing over at Nicholas. "Oh. Okay." She finally retreats a short distance, but then stops, waiting for the squirrel to follow.

Nicholas quickly grabs the sack, and starts dragging it towards the road. Across his face spreads a frown, as he quickly glances around him, before turning his attention back to the young mousemaid. "So, where are we gonna keep it?"

"Inside," Mirabella answers quickly, not really having thought over the specifics. "Let's take it back to the wall-gate, and then we can find a place for it." Her dainty paws fret with the hem of her skirt, anxious to be away from the corpse.

Nicholas nods, and continues dragging it towards the Abbey. "Now, remember, it isn't ours. We're just 'oldin' on ta it, until yer Abbot decides what t'do with it."

"Right, of course," Mirabella agrees, remembering the treasure now and the bright spark of adventure returning to her eyes. "What's inside? It looks terribly heavy."

Nicholas shrugs, reaching the wall-gate. "I don't really know, honestly. I never actually checked. Castus said somet'in' 'bout baubles an' stuff." He shakes his head. "Stupid t'ing ta die fer, 'e said. An' 'e was right. T'e only t'ing I'm willin' ta die fer is me 'ome, me friends, or me family."

"That's three things," Mirabella observes sweetly, holding up a trio of fingers. "And those are all wonderful things to sacrifice for, Mister McInally," she agrees, nodding sagely and shutting the little gate behind him, sending the bolt home. "I've always thought it was terribly heroic of those who die like that."

Nicholas shrugs. "Eh, well... Back where I come from, we don't 'ave much choice, otherwise." He sighs. "We were invaded, by vermin army." He scowls, remembering. "Lead by t'e Spider Queen, a dastardly vixen with a coat o' black fur."

"That's dreadful," Mira replies, hobbling along behind him, her skirt bouncing around her ankles. "Those vermin are always up to no good. Even the ones that don't want to kill everyone don't get along. Why, just the other day, while my friends were at that village out there, those nasty vermin had the nerve to rob each other! Right under the Abbot's nose!" The mousemaid's pretty face fills up with righteous indignation. "Why, it just boils me right up to even think about it! Vermin mischief not a stone's throw from the Abbot of Redwall!"

Nicholas blinks. "Robbin' each other?" He smiles. "Well, I t'ink we've just figured out who it belongs ta, lass! Did ya see which way t'ey went?"

"Well, /I/ don't know," comes Mirabella's response, shrugging her shoulders. "It was Ferravale they robbed, that mostly vermin village to the north. A beastly place, really. I don't know why the Abbot even goes there." Diatribe aside, she carries on with her story. "No one knows where they went after. They killed a guard, though, right in front of our Champion!"

Nicholas frowns. "Hmmm... Well, I guess we should definately wait fer the Abbot, before we do anyt'in' with the stuff." He looks around for a moment. "So, where might I find a shovel, 'm?"

"....That is an excellent question," Mirabella answers, stopping abruptly to think it over. "I'm really not sure." The pretty mousemaid has seldom needed a shovel, it seems. "Normally we'd just have a mole dig the hole, but I think they all went on the trip."

Nicholas chuckles. "Oi, t'at seems t'be me luck, lately. Well, I could use me paws, or even a spoon." He looks at Mira. "I suppose ya'd know where ta get some spoons, eh?"

"Probably some in that sack!" Mirabella laughs, pointing at it as she starts hobbling forward again.

Nicholas laughs as well. "Oi, yer probably right." He shrugs, then reaches into the sack. "I don't suppose anybeast'd mind a little dirt on t'eir stuff, as long as we clean it a bit." He pulls out a golden spoon, then just looks at it for a few moments before shaking his head. "Oi, ridiculous... Who in t'eir right mind would want a golden spoon? What's t'e point?"

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Groups:

• Order of Redwall