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Post by spender on Oct 21, 2010 18:23:43 GMT -5
Spender could have licked the awkwardness out of the air, it was so thick. He felt his cheeks tingle, and didn't know why that was. His musk glands were tense...
"Oh," he said, in reply to Caden's story—he'd mostly ignored Selvis. Not on purpose, but because he really didn't know what to say to the weasel who had abandoned him last time they'd tried to play. Selvis was entirely too jolly. Was it possible the longtail had forgotten their spat?
"I can go get your book!" Willard panted, eager to be of service. Most everyone was done with breakfast, and those still eating had waved him away before he could ask if they needed help washing their dishes. "I'll be right back!" he squealed, peeling off to fetch it even without Caden's approval.
"I guess I could choose..." He opened the bag and dipped his nose into it, staring hard. Marbles, jacks, paddle-ball, chess set... "How about this? 's fun."
He dug out the paddle-ball, flipping it about so the ball dangled on its string. He gave it a few experimental pats, getting used to it again; it had been ages since he'd last tried to beat his record of five consecutive whacks (not that he knew it was five...)
The first two strikes missed, the ball flailing wildly. The third smacked straight on, stretching the string to its limits. The ball snapped back, missed the paddle, and scored a direct hit in Spender's face. The ferret seemed more surprised than hurt, despite it having almost taken his eye out. He tried another whack or two, then gave up. There was a definite tension in the air, no doubt caused by everyone in the vicinity wondering how a single paddle-ball was considered a game for two or more.
Spender tossed it back in the bag and took out the netted sack of marbles, and the one of jacks.
"I had dominoes," he said. "But my sister stole 'em an' I couldn't find them when it was time to go..."
"Oooh," Willard interrupted, catching sight of the box left in the bag. "Chess! You should play chess. That's something we can watch." He passed Caden the book, frowning distastefully at its title. Jests? A joke book? That was what Spender thought was so fun? Pah... well. He would.
"Urrrr," Spender said, moving aside the canvas to reveal the chess set more. "Umm... I s'pose... If everyone wants t'watch..." He glanced up at Caden. "D'you know how t'play?" His gaze shifted to Selvis, almost apologetically, if it were possible for Spender to be properly apologetic at all.
I'll edit in Molly in a bit!
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Post by bookity101 on Oct 21, 2010 21:44:10 GMT -5
'Elliot' smiled to 'his' friend as she returned the hug. She was so glad that he was beginning to see that he would be able to let go of every thing that had happened. Now he seemed to be returning to the happy, more jovial mouse that she knew and loved.
"Maybe you will mousey, maybe you will." Her a soft smile stayed on her face as she stood.
"I would say that we should find them." Elle glanced down at her cup. "And I think I'm going to go see if I can grab another cup of coffee.. You want one?"
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Post by Ladorak on Oct 21, 2010 21:54:22 GMT -5
Caden stood by silently, unable to protest in time to Willard racing off. Don't go through my stuff twerp...I didn't even say anything... Caden thought a bit crossly. His anger was getting the better of him on that end, but a more pressing issue was that Spender was playing by himself.
Well...time to head somewhere else. He wrinkled his snout when Spender got whacked in the face. This was stupid...why had he even offered to do this? He had nothing in common with this selfish ferret. He wanted to just leave and go off on his own...maybe try and sleep for the remaining hour or whatever it was they had.
Willard arrived back before Caden could walk away, and pawed over his book. The weasel suddenly made the suggestion that they should play chess. Caden knew how to play that...and liked the game. He always pictured it a clash between armies. But Caden also knew that Spender might hate losing...so was it better to let him win?
He blinked his pink eyes, thinking for a moment. "Yes...I know how to play." he said softly, nodding his head. "I uh...well Ladorak showed me. I've never been able to beat him in a regular game though...he's very good." the marten explained, somewhat in awe. "He's let me win a few times...but I practice every so often, and he's showed me strategies and set ups. Sure...we could play that if you want." Caden almost felt like saying he'd take white...due to his fur color.
He moved over in between two guns. "Shall we set up right here? Would be out of everyone's way...and can look out and watch the enemy get closer." he remarked, gazing out the open gun ports. The battle lanterns provided enough dull lighting for them to see by. He ran his claws over his "star", enjoying the smooth feel and the round shape. He was tactile in a way, and liked to feel different textures and shapes under his pawpads.
He sat down, ready for Spender to set up the board.
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Post by spender on Oct 21, 2010 22:23:29 GMT -5
Spender bit his lip. More than anything, he wanted someone to read that book to him. He could still remember the one about the boxing of ears, and it made him skittish just to recall how hilariously great it had been. What other treasures were written down in there? If he hadn't given the bloody thing to Caden, maybe he could have spent time learning to read it—finally, something he wanted to know! Much better than a picture book about trees.
He really missed looking at those trees, though.
He didn't want to see Caden's greasy pawprints get all over his set.
But he took it out and began setting it up anyway.
"Here," he said, "you be white, 'cos yer..." He held his tongue, remembering Molly's words, and the location she had threatened to place her dinner fork should he try anything. "An' I've got black 'cos of my mask..." he finished lamely.
Having finished setting them up, he moved his King's pawn a pace forward. Willard shook his head. "White goes first."
"Oops." Spender moved it back.
He glanced up at Caden, waiting. He hoped the pine marten wasn't too good at it. Strategies? Set ups? Spender didn't know what any of those were. He knew enough to move the pieces and if he paid attention, he could figure out how to maybe trap the King... Generally he relied on his sister to tell him when not to move a piece that might endanger his own King, or when she herself was in check.
Molly grimaced happily. Brass knuckles! Oh, it had been a while since she'd seen a good pair of those. She'd misplaced her own, and it was just maddening trying to find a good supplier in Welkin, when you were supposed to be an upstanding Mistress to someone important...
Taking the baton, Molly's paw dipped a little. It certainly looked lighter than it felt; as did all weapons, with perhaps the exception of a good pointy stick.
She gave it a few experimental swings, imagining the clonk and crunch of skulls, and zhzhzhzhped in her throat. "Oh, yes," she burbled. "You could build a house with it, too, I'm sure. I wonder if we could team up... I tackle 'em, stab 'em with a nail, you come 'round and... Hee! Hehehehe..."
Molly tried a twirl, found her paws already growing used to the strangely shaped object. "I gotta get me one of these. Thanks," she added, pawing it back.
She glanced up and hummed at the horizon and the distant ships.
"Fancy getting some breakfast? Maybe Lad—Captain Fugate will join us. What say, Captain?" she called, cupping her paws around her muzzle to get his attention. "Up for some tuck, dear?"
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Post by Ladorak on Oct 21, 2010 22:49:05 GMT -5
Hmmm...Caden rather liked the King's Indian Attack. Ladorak had showed it to him, and used it against him, and it was a pretty solid opening, and a bit easier to remember than some of the more complicated ones. He said nothing to Spender's comment about why he should take white.
He looked out the gun port, studying the dark frigates that moved out there. Yep...they were getting closer. Every minute brought them just a bit closer. He dug into his eggs, not wanting them to get cold while he waited. He let Spender set the board up, figuring it best to stay out of the ferret's way. He chewed his breakfast, watching Spender move first. What...?
But then Willard reminded Spender that that wasn't how to play, and the ferret quickly moved his piece back. Caden moved his own pawn on e forward two spaces to e4. King pawn forward. Spender's move now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As it was, Molly shouted directly into the wind, as Ladorak was standing on the starboard side, which happened to be the weather side of the ship. Molly and Miri were on the lee side, or the side the wind was blowing toward after blowing over the weather side. As it was, her voice was completely carried off, and not to Ladorak.
He thought he heard something vaguely behind him, intent though he was on watching those frigates. They seemed to not suspect he was an enemy...or perhaps they simply didn't think his vessel a threat...they would soon be mistaken.
His ears twitched, and he turned his head to look over at Molly, squinting a bit to see her in the dim night. Was she calling to him? It appeared as if she was. Pushing off from the gunwale, he strode slowly over to the two jills, the second being Jis Talien.
"Did you say something?" he asked as he drew closer, the wind at his back now. "I couldn't hear you." he motioned up to his ears and the direction of the wind.
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Post by spender on Oct 21, 2010 23:23:53 GMT -5
Spender stared, his mouth hanging open. The fur on his neck began to rise...
"Here," he said, "Y'can't do that... pawns only move one..."
"Nuh-uh," Willard interjected, before Caden could get all a-fluff. "First move they can do one or two, then it's only after that they have to move one at at a time." The weasel narrowed his eyes at Spender. "Honestly, don't you know anything about this game aside from how to set the pieces up?"
Spender seethed. He hadn't even had a chance to move yet and he wanted to snap the game shut and beat Willard over the head with it.
Come on, Molly, you stupid stoat... let me have some... I can't do this! I can't hold back if this goes on... I need not to care! I want to fight... but I don't want to lose this moment.
Gritting his teeth, he took a deep breath, and then moved his own King's pawn forward... two squares, mirroring Caden's move. Willard clucked, but said nothing. Spender's tail began to bottlebrush; the weasel noticed and took the hint, moving behind Caden and Selvis.
"Sorry..."
And then, seeing Willard cringing like that... Spender liked it. That feeling of power, of making another beast scared. But something was different. He was angry, too, that the weasel should cringe—that Willard should expect Spender to lash out. He was doing it because it was more than likely to happen, and Spender knew that. How could he take such joy in such a small gesture, and yet hate himself for it? And something else, something like ... sadness for Willard.
What was happening to him? Did he have a fever?
Molly grinned. It was a grin filled with incisors. It was not a good grin.
"Oh, yes. Jis Talian—Miri—here was just complimenting you on your, 'hem, shapely hindquarters, and I was inclined to agree... So I asked her if she would care to see it up close?" She winked, nudging the weasel jill with her elbow. "Go on, Captain, give us a twirl! Ahaha, hee—no, really, do you want to come have some breakfast with us? You're not going to make time move faster by making that face at those ships."
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Post by Ladorak on Oct 22, 2010 1:14:53 GMT -5
The Rosferian frigates were moving out of the gun port's range of sight, as they started to move towards Agamemnon's bow. Caden quickly glanced back at the board as Spender said something. Caden saw Spender trying to protest the move, only to have Willard correct him almost right away. Wow...it seemed the ferret was lacking in comprehension of the rules. Oh well...not a big deal. The weasel was helping out by reminding Spender what he could and couldn't do. Better him than me, Caden thought.
OK...so he essentially copied him. Nothing surprising there. He just wanted to move two it seemed. Alright...what to do next...how about...
Caden's white paw moved forward, and he slid his d pawn up, one space instead of two, to d3. He was going to follow the formula for the King's Indian Attack. Develop the King side and then castle with a fianchettoed Bishop. Caden knew that it wasn't an aggressive opening by any means, but it left white with a solid defense, nearly impenetrable in the opening moves, and black would need to risk pieces if it wanted to open white up. Beyond that...Caden would really just need to react to whatever Spender did after he developed his opening. Or come up with a plan of attack if Spender proved dilatory.
The albino kept silent for now, his face remaining for the most part, impassive. He was trying to simply focus on the game...and not those enemy warships he knew were lurking a few miles off ahead of them. Playing a game with Spender was blowing his mind, and he wasn't sure if it felt good or not. He felt as if he were encased in some bubble, cut off from the reality that floated outside the hull of the ship.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ladorak raised a brow, partly in disbelief at what Molly had just said. His pants couldn't be that tight fitting...could they? He was dressed in the white pants of the Post Captain, whereas the Lieutenants wore blue that matched with their jackets. Even without epaulettes, the pants distinguished him.
The molting stoat briefly turned his head, looking over his shoulder to try and glimpse his rump and tail. Hmmm...hard to tell from this angle...but maybe she was right. He felt himself flushing a bit under his fur, but relaxed when she got a bit more serious. "Breakfast?" he asked. "Down below?" he heard the last words she said...and suddenly something clicked. "Wait...a minute!"
He snapped his head back to the bow, back to the frigates. They had started off on a northwest heading, and had been off the starboard bow. Upon seeing him, the frigates had tacked, turning through the wind to an easterly heading. But why? Ladorak had assumed it had been to close the distance...but that wasn't it! It suddenly all made sense now...especially the formation they were in!
It was an incredibly sloppy line abreast. In other words, the lead ship was out in front, and to her southwest the second ship, and to that ship's southwest lay the third, and so on and so forth as they stretched diagonally down from northeast to southwest. This was due to their clumsy attempt at tacking and trying to maintain their formation at the same time, and had ended up instead strung out, in more of a line abreast than a line ahead, as they originally were. The big 40 gunner was now in the back, the hindmost ship.
"They're not trying to close the distance...they're heading for Personza...of course!" he exclaimed under his breath. They weren't yet off the coast of Sardinia...they were between Personza and Sardinia right now, and Personza was Rosferian...and would make an ideal destination for these frigates. He clicked his claws together, thinking quickly. "Lieutenant Quilliam!" the Captain shouted, and the stoat first officer was soon beside his commander.
"Sir?"
"They're heading for Personza. Alright...change of plans...instead of going for the leader...we're still heading for the Melpomene, but she's now in the back. OK...listen up. We continue to head due south as they cut across our bow. We pass behind them, and then execute a turn to larboard. We cut in behind the Melpomene, and start chasing her. Her consorts will be ahead of us, and useless, as they'll be blocking each other's line of sight. THAT is when we strike! We keep the Melpomene on our larboard bow, and gradually close distance. Instead of leading the others on a chase...we'll be the ones doing the chasing! We pick off the rearmost quarry, and go in for the kill before her allies have a chance. They'd have to wear or tack to come back at us...but they'll be too jumbled up to be much effective. Understand? Keep heading south, wait for them to cross our bows, and then, when about even with Melpomene, turn to the larboard and head east, right after her! Got it?"
"Aye sir." Quilliam said, light coming into his eyes as he understood his Captain's plans. He saluted, and moved off to the quarterdeck to inform the Quartermaster. Ladorak turned back to Molly and Miri, beaming now, the fight having returned to him. "You're right...terribly sorry darling, was busy being a hunting stoat...have to learn to think like one after all when you're outnumbered. Now...you were saying something about the time not passing any quicker by me staring them down...you're absolutely right. I'd invite you to my cabin for breakfast...but it's a bit nonexistent at the moment. Two decks down will do. Please...do lead the way." he said, having inflated himself just a tad at his newest revelation and revision of plans.
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Post by spender on Oct 22, 2010 6:53:47 GMT -5
Spender was finding himself overwhelmed by new ideas. It was his second turn now, and that fact alone banished all other thoughts from his mind. He had to move quickly, before Erin came up and tried to eat the pawns, calling them "prawns".
... oh, but wait... She wasn't here.
He glanced up, looking around. Peskers wasn't around, either. Good. He didn't trust her not to try to eat them, either.
Back to the game!
One of his favourite things to do was to get the rooks out of the corners and start wiping out the back row of whites. That required he get those pawns out of the way...
But as the game progressed, Spender kept doing the same move: moving each pawn two squares forward, from left to right, mechanically filling out row #5 with the little black ferret pieces. He ignored the moved Caden made, too caught up in the novelty of this new aspect of gameplay. He wanted to make a wall of pawns and slowly move it forward, crushing all beneath their path!
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Post by Carrow on Oct 22, 2010 12:29:49 GMT -5
"Good gracious, no," Carrow responded, trembling slightly. "I think I'm going to pass on that. I mean, I'm fond of some coffee every now and then" - whenever we could afford it back home, mostly - "but I'm not sure I'd be able to keep anything down. Still feeling really anxious about this battle, see," he admitted. His revelations may have helped take the weight off the mouse's shoulders a little, but his nervous disposition was not going away any time soon.
"I think I'll stick with you until you've got yours, though," he told the beech marten, smiling slightly. "I don't want to end up losing my bearings. I don't exactly have fantastic night vision, especially not on a night like this. So I reckon I'll tag along, even if I'm not going to eat or drink anything. You're... really good company, you know," he murmured. "I always thought you were a little quiet at times, but that's something we have in common. I'm not sure if that's shyness, but... I'm really shy. You might have notced it," he said with a self-mocking chuckle. "D'you want to lead?".
--
Selvis had indeed forgotten about what had gone on between the ferret and himself. He wasn't one to brood over things like this, particularly relatively minor disagreements like the one he'd had with Spender. So his jolly mood was, as usual, because he wasn't letting anything get him down. Not even Carrow's anxiety could trouble him. He had since come to accept that the mouse was a naturally nervous creature, so it seemed he couldn't really help it. It did still concern him though, and he thought that maybe the rodent's self-hypnosis could be directed towards his disposition. A little work certainly wouldn't go amiss.
The longtail caught his fellow mustelid's look. It seemed almost... apologetic. What was going on here?, he thought. It's not at all like Spender to show any kind of remorse over, well, anything. The ferret was offering to take Caden on in a game of chess. The weasel smiled at this. "A game of chess? That's quite a good idea. I'll make myself comfortable here and watch the display," he commented mischievously, thanking his lucky stars that he hadn't been asked to take the marten's place. Selvis had never quite gotten to grips with 'ajedrez', as the game was referred to back home. He didn't find it boring or anything of the sort, it just wasn't for him. So he sat down and joined Willard in the audience, studying the moves intently. As usual, the least weasel couldn't resist offering advice, or perhaps - and this was much more likely - picking apart the techniques on display. He soon got used to the smaller creature's interjections, though, and realised that Caden was doing rather well.
Spender's disgusting display of bullying tactics irked Selvis, however, and he moved closer to Willard, not to advise the least to keep his mouth shut, but to assure him that he wasn't in any harm. "You know you're only offering him advice. I'd be about as clueless if I were in his position. Don't worry about it, you're doing the right think, and if Spender can't pawdle suggestions like that, that's his problem," he whispered in Willard's ear.
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Post by Ladorak on Oct 22, 2010 21:17:39 GMT -5
The game moved rapidly after that point. Cadem was somewhat caught by surprise. So far, all Spender had done was move his pawns forward. A through d were all pushed forward. Spender could have attacked and taken Caden's e pawn...but Caden kept backing the piece up as he developed for King's Indian. The board was soon as follows.
Black's pawns were on row 5 from c to h. White's Knights were on d2 and f3. Pawns were on d3, e4, and g3. The Bishop was fianchettoed to g2, and Caden was on the verge of castling...but he stopped. His paw hovered over the King...but he avoided touching it for the moment. He could castle into safety...but why not take Spender's e pawn? It was unprotected. His own e pawn was defended by the d pawn, the Knight on d, and the Bishop. So he didn't have to worry about an uneven exchange occurring with Spender.
He counted it in his head...he'd come out on top if he did this...so he did. He moved his Knight on f3 and captured Spender's pawn on e5. Smiling in a humble manner, he removed the black pawn from the board, and placed it off to the side. He had to disrupt Spender's wall...but who knew how the ferret would react? Caden got the pawn for nothing after all.
He still said nothing, wanting to apologize but battling that urge. Instead, he kept his features blank for the most part, relaxing the muscles in his face so that he appeared emotionless and perhaps a bit sad, if only slightly.
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