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Post by bookity101 on Nov 18, 2010 0:01:20 GMT -5
Elle ate her soup in small bites, taking time between bites to study her friends. Selvis was in his element, talking with Edgar about why he was in the Welkin Navy. Carrow was relaxing nicely as the time they spent together progressed, and he seemed to be pleased with the soup that Jane had ordered made with him in mind. And Caden… Caden seemed… Uncomfortable? Elle put her spoon down, leaning over and spoke to him.
“So tell me, what’s it like sailing all the time?” She propped her chin on one paw, finished with her soup, well at least as much as she wanted of it… veggies weren’t her favorite food in the world, and she had finished all the meat chunks and had had what she wanted of the broth.
“Elliot said that he’s up in the rigging a lot, besides all the sewing he has to do in the sail room.” A smile appeared on her features; as if she couldn’t believe that a boy would choose to spend all his time sewing.
“What do you do on the ship?”
Janey smiled as she watched Carrow eat. This first course had been planned with the young mouse in mind. The hostess enjoyed watching everyone as they settled into the meal, though it looked as though the next course would be enjoyed more than the first by the majority of those present. She waved a paw to signal Abaco, Edgar’s pawservant, to bring the next course.
“So tell me mousey, how do you like life on the.. what was the name of the ship again?”
Edgar finished his soup, and laid aside the bowl waiting for the next course as he too had found it lacking in meat. He quirked a brow at the fact that the weasel had intended to join the Welkin navy in the first place, but that wasn’t a bad thing in the end of it, it did provide a welcome secret keeper for Elle so he wouldn’t put too much energy into thinking about why the weasel did what he did.
“Indeed, you seem ready for what’s to come, and I admire your… loyalty to your friends.” He raised his glass to the weasel so his meaning couldn’t be mistaken. He noticed that Jane had signaled for the next course, and smiled slightly. And why shouldn’t he, it was his favorite meal after all. Soon, steaming plates of roast turkey, garlic bread, and a pile of pasta smothered in a red meat sauce was placed in front of every beast, as well as the old dishes cleared away. As the three conversations continued around the table.
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Post by Carrow on Nov 18, 2010 6:30:04 GMT -5
Carrow ate steadily, for even though he was absolutely starving he didn't want to end up giving himself indigestion of any sort. He had always preferred eating at a more leisurely pace anyway. He listnened to Janey speak, swallowing a mouthful of the soup before licking his lips again and smiling.
The rodent was rather fond of Janey's affectionate tendancies. Being referred to as 'mousey' was something comforting, and this, combined with the pleasant atmosphere and presence of his friends, was helping him to relax a little more with each passing moment. He was silently thankful to her for trying to lull him into a less nervous state.
He heard her question, but decided to deal with the remnants of his soup before responding to it. Having long since eaten the chicken, he drained the bowl, holding it in both paws as he tipped the liquid portion into his mouth, swallowing when he could. When finished, he placed the empty bowl back down to the table.
Wiping his mouth with a paw, he used the smaller napkins provided to clean his paws. He had very much enjoyed that first course. "I'm not surprised you can't recall the name of the ship!," he responded mischievously, chuckling a little. "It's a bit of a mouthful at the best of times. It's the Agamemnon. Ay-ga-memm-nonn," he repeated, stressing each syllable.
"Some of us call it the Eggs'n'Bacon, though. It's easier to say, so it's sort of become the pret name for the ship. Life aboard the vessel is very enjoyable... better than what I left behind in Welkin anyway, that's for sure," he murmured, looking pointedly at Elliot for a moment before returning his gaze to Janey.
He brought his brown eyes to rest on hers. Eye contact was reassuring for him too, as Selvis and Elliot had discovered. "I quite enjoy the routine actually, now that I've settled into it. I'm studying for the eventual position of Quartermaster - and yes, I don't look like the kind of beast you imagine to be the ideal choice for that, I know!"
Selvis smiled. If Carrow needed to be self-deprecating it was better that he did it as gently as he could, rather than the self-laceration he could induldge in from time to time. What he said was true, though: rodents weren't often considered ideal Quartermaster material, but Carrow was rather determined. The weasel caught Edgar raising his glass to him, and he played along, returning the gesture. "To friendship," he said softly, taking a sip of wine and smiling.
As soon as the second course was brought to the table, Selvis began working on it, figuring he would dispatch his turkey first, before polishing off the pasta and salvaging whatever garlic bread he could. He knew *that* wouldn't be hanging around for too long. He glanced over at his rodent companion, wondering how much he'd be able to get through. The mouse's appetite could be rather unpredictable after all.
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Post by Ladorak on Nov 18, 2010 23:37:05 GMT -5
Caden snapped his head over to look at Elle, caught by surprise as she talked to him. "Oh! Sailing?" he asked, noticing her resting her chin on a paw. "Well..." he paused, looking down at the main course and finding himself quite pleased at the pasta. He loved pasta...especially with meat on it. It was one of his favorite dishes.
"I've rather grown fond of it. It's my new home in all honesty." he said. "I have no home to go back to in Welkin...nothing really, as Ladorak was who I was living with...and if he's at sea...I'd need to be with him. I had nothing back home...nothing except...well you." he said, feeling his throat close up, and he nervously looked away, shoveling his spaghetti into his mouth, blushing furiously under his white fur.
"Um...what do I do? I work in the rigging, though not as much at sail making as your brother does...he's training for that after all. More of his specialty. I also work the gun crew in combat, though we haven't had any battles yet. I'm studying to be an officer, a Lieutenant, so I'm reading and studying hard in my spare time. It's a lot to remember." He admitted, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "I'll need to make Midshipjack first...in about two more years or so...two years...the way time has been going...I'm sure it'll seem like the blink of an eye." the albino admitted, pushing some more spaghetti into his mouth.
"Though to be honest..." he lowered his voice here. "I haven't...well I'm sure Elliot's told you...at least I think you mentioned he did...but I haven't been having the best of times the past month or so. Just had some...things happen." he said, not going into much detail. "As I'm sure Elliot's mentioned." he finished, looking back down at his meal and starting to work on the turkey, though it was clear he had an affinity for the pasta.
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Post by bookity101 on Nov 29, 2010 11:11:53 GMT -5
Elle smiled in thanks at the jill that cleared her bowl and placed the next course. Unknown to her that it was also Caden’s favorite she dug in with relish, well as much as table manners would allow. She listened to what Caden had to say, nodding along, but then was suddenly glad that he looked away from her after his explanation of who he was missing from Welkin. Her face was nearly as flushed as his, and her mouth went suddenly dry. Reaching for her glass she couldn’t help but zone out a little bit as he described what he did... she knew that all ready as she saw him every day, sometimes she would even quiz him after he put his book down for too long.
She looked up from her plate as he mentioned her other name. Biting her lip, she looked at him again.
“He’s mentioned that you were having some troubles. He wasn’t too explicit about anything.” She smiled and reached over to place her paw on his. “But I understand Caden, it’s alright.” She looked down at her plate again, twirling her fork and taking another bite.
“Do you think you’ll be ready to fight when the time comes?”
Janey was pleased that Carrow seemed to be settling down well, and he seemed more comfortable in his skin than he had when they entered. Taking a sip of her wine, she smiled down at the mouse and admitted to herself that she had no earthly idea of what a Quartermaster did…
“Oh is that so, and why do you want to be Quartermaster if most everyone believes you wouldn’t be able to do it?” She leaned forward a little, whispering as if she didn’t want to others to hear.
“Not that I’m one of them, dear mouse, I believe that you can do anything you set your mind to.” She smiled and with a slight wink, straightened in her seat to continue eating.
Edgar dug enthusiastically into his plate of pasta and meat, choosing to get some REAL food in him before he continued talking. After a minute of silence on his part, he looked over at the weasel. He seemed to be the patient sort, but he didn’t wish to try that patience.
“So tell me Selvis, what is that you do on the Agamemnon?” He kept his eyes on Selvis as he felt a paw slip into his, a small smile appearing. He squeezed his mates paw slightly, knowing that this was an unconscious gesture on her part, almost as much as it was on his.
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Post by Ladorak on Nov 29, 2010 13:50:28 GMT -5
Caden felt Elle's paw on his, and his world froze for just a moment. She didn't go into specifics. Did she really not know? Did she think he was a wimp for not having exacted revenge of any kind on Spender? She offered no opinion whatsoever, only that she understood, but just what she understood Caden wasn't sure.
He would have to hope she did understand and that it was in fact alright. She asked him about fighting next, and he shrugged, twirling his own spaghetti around his fork like she was doing, trying not to slurp it in as he was prone to do. "Eh...of course I will. I've been in fights ever since I was little...it won't be anything new to me. I'd get into lots of fights with the kits in my neighborhood...was raised to hone my skills and be the toughest kit on the block...not that I agree with my upbringing...it's just how I was."
He ate some more of the meal, working on everything that was laid out before him. "I'm not worried in all honesty...the only thing I would be worried about is losing my friends...as I realize it could happen to any of us. But yeah...I'll be ready." he stated, gazing down into his spaghetti, the coiled "worms" of his pasta looking quite appetizing and inviting. He kept eating, silencing himself as he did so. He really had so many things to say to her...yet found he couldn't speak a single one of them.
So quiet he remained, focusing on his meal, and listening to see if she would say anything more.
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Post by Carrow on Dec 1, 2010 5:34:51 GMT -5
Carrow smiled bashfully, unable to keep from lowering his gaze, averting his eyes from Janey's just a little as he responded to her query. "Well, it just sounded like something I wanted to do. I wanted to take on something challenging for once." His voice softened considerably when he next spoke, preferring to talk to the female beech marten than attend to his food at this particular moment. "I felt more confident about that than I did about almost anything before.
"I don't know if you've noticed," he quipped, "but I'm not exactly the most self-assured of creatures. I went for Quartermaster because I wanted to take a risk for once in my life. It wasn't really something I did - y'know, take risks...," he murmured. "I was always rather set in my ways back home, I suppose you could say, though I did get a little assistance with that." He looked at Janey again, and his eyes told her: Ask me about that if you want; I'd love to tell you. It's by far the most interesting thing about me.
"It's not that nobeast believes it's something I can do, it's just, well, the irony is there, staring me right in the face. I mean, a mouse, steering a ship the size of the Agamemnon? I don't blame you if you're struggling to wrap your tail around that notion. There are times I shake my head in disbelief at what I've chosen - not that I think I've made a mistake or anything, just seems as though it's an odd career choice for a creature like me," he admitted, blushing slightly.
Janey's encouragement caught him by surprise, and even though he tried to mask it, it still showed on his face, and his round eyes grew even larger in response to her comment. "Y-you do?," he stammered slightly. "I-I mean, r-really? I'm still not used to being told that. I mean, Caden, Selvis and Elliot have encouraged me rather a lot, but..." He sighed. He had to say it. "...but three years of being told you're not good enough, coupled with another four of feeling c... completely worthless... that d... doesn't go away quickly enough..."
Selvis, meanwhile, was greatly enjoying his main course. They didn't have food quite like this on board the ship, even though it was rather nice in its own way. Local cuisine of this particular variety was something else, though. The silence that momentarily existed between Edgar and the longtail was so comfortable a creature could have slept in it. He had no problem with there being breaks so the older albino marten, who was clearly famished, could satisfy his appetite.
Edgar had the weasel stripling figured out though, it seemed. He could certainly tell that Selvis wasn't in any great hurry to do much of anything. Just now he had settled into his chair and was feeling a little drowsy after the day. This was something that didn't happen all that often to him, but he was doing his utmost to shake it off. He didn't have trouble with that like Carrow did - though he knew the rodent's sleeping issues had become less distressing for him thanks to Caden's rather wonderful gift.
"What do I do, hmm," he said softly, holding Edgar's gaze, enjoying the feeling of being able to look straight into another creature's eyes for long enough without making them feel drowsy. Carrow was the only one he regularly tried that with, and his eyes had something akin to a hypnotic effect on the mouse. Edgar, however, could hold the longtail's gaze exceptionally well. "Whatever I can to help, I suppose! But more specifically I'm in training to be a Ship's Corporal. I like the training. It's quite intense at times, but still very enjoyable."
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Post by bookity101 on Dec 2, 2010 23:51:24 GMT -5
Elle watched Caden as he continued to eat, secretly proud that he seemed ready to fight when the time came. More so than she thought she would ever be…
“That’s wonderful Caden, well not the bullying part, but that you’re not to terribly scared about the fighting…” Elle quieted for a moment then decided to continue. “…I know I would be.” Absentmindedly twirling what was left her pasta up onto the fork then into her, pausing to think about what to ask next. She knew everything about the ship, spending too much time with Willard would do that to a beast, and she knew all about what Caden wanted to do… but she didn’t know… hmm.
Elle looked up from her plate, locking her eyes on Caden as she said;
“Well, I know what Elliot thinks of the sea, I can guess what Cer thinks, and I’ll ask Selvis later, so tell me… what do think of life at sea? What’s the best part of it?” Elle began to chew on her lip, hoping that she hadn’t asked something that he wouldn’t want to answer… ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Janey also kept her eyes on the young mouse as he responded, her paw still loosely grasping her husbands. It was a habit she found herself in most any company, and the fact that she was a southpaw helped in this little habit of theirs. Her curiosity peaked when Carrow’s eyes nearly begged her to ask about what helped him along. And for once, she didn’t really know what to say to the young mouse… but knew what her goodbyes would be like when the Captain did come for the younglings.
“Well, let’s not dwell on the past tonight, tell me, what is this assistance that you spoke of?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Ship’s Corporal?” Edgar couldn’t help but feel a little surprised at that revelation. The lad sitting before him didn’t seem to be the type of like enforcing anything, but then again, he had only known him for a short while. “That’s quite a lot of responsibility.” Edgar looked over the younger beast again, taking in what he knew about him and applying it to what he saw. Though he decided to hold of judgment on what he saw till he learned some more.
“So what made you want to pursue that course Selvis?” Edgar took another small sip of wine, but kept eye contact with the younger beast. At least he had a strong gaze that would help. Edgar barely kept his mouth from twisting into a smile, and couldn’t stop his whiskers from twitching a little. Here he went again, always wanting to categorize everyone, though he was rarely wrong when it came down to it.
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Post by Carrow on Dec 3, 2010 10:44:09 GMT -5
Despite what he'd just told Janey, Carrow was still able to manage a smile as thoughts of Archie popped into his mind. It had been her that had helped him. In a lot more ways than simply coaxing him out of his shell... but he didn't need to think about that right now. Such thoughts brought up those painful reminders of why he had needed such help in the first place, and if the young rodent was honest with himself, that was just a little more than he could bear at the moment.
So it was with thoughts of his wonderful jill weasel guardian in his head that he responded to her question. "Well, I've been looked after by a local weasel by the name of Archie for a few years. She moved in with us to help around the house after my father died... and then when my mother followed suit a few months later she decided to take me with her and moved back home. She had only ever been a few moments away from us, so I didn't need to adjust all that much, at least getting used to a new home."
Archie had moved him because she knew that the mouse wouldn't have been able to pawdle living at home in the wake of losing both his parents. Carrow sighed a little, absent-mindedly picking at his food as a large chunk of his appetite deserted him. The food was good, of course, but he found he didn't have the stomach for it when discussing things like these. "She was very good with looking after a creature like me. Our neighbours heard about what happened and helped where they could, but if it wasn't for her I don't think I'd be here to tell the tale."
A slight yet involuntary shiver passed through Carrow. He didn't like to think about how close he'd been to committing suicide while he'd been recovering after he was pulled out of school. "She helped to keep me calm and relaxed whenever she could. I was prone to panic attacks back then, but I hadn't realised that Archie had been nurturing a rather unusual talent of hers - something I'm quite sure she'll go into business with one day. She's a hypnotist, and very good at it too.
"Whenever she thought I needed it, she'd put me under - mostly to send me to sleep as I... well, I suffer from periodic insomnia," he admitted. "It helped in the long run, because every so often I'd have these long stretches of sleepless nights, and if it hadn't been for her I'd have completely broken down. She only hypnotised me when I was at my lowest. Other times she'd put me in our cradle and sing me to sleep." He smiled now at the recollection. "She was rather good at lullabies, if I recall. In all, I have so much to be thankful to her for." He resumed eating, wondering what the female beech marten's response to all this would be.
"You're right, Edgar," Selvis replied with a small smile, "it is quite a lot to pawdle, but I think I'm up for the challenge. Having the ability to break up fights and things like that - I like having that sort of power. Enforcing rules... well, I mean, not through violence or anything, as that's something I don't really advocate. I only ever resort to that kind of thing when I have to, and thankfully it hasn't been too often, as I don't like using such methods.
"I'm generally a pacifist, though obviously not a strict one. Carrow is, though: he wouldn't hurt another creature no matter what. He doesn't have it in him. I admire his ability to stick to his principles like that, I'll have you know. I, on the other paw, have been told I can be pretty fearsome when the mood takes me!" He bared his teeth at Edgar for a moment, then burst out laughing, dealing with some more of his food before a lightning bolt of curiosity struck him.
Raising his eyebrows and keeping his eyes on the companionable elder beech marten, he spoke, his voice softer as he switched from boisterous Selvis to inquisitive Selvis. He was definitely intrigued by this creature. "With all this talk of occupations, I can't help but wonder, what is it you do in life, Edgar? I'd love to know!"
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Post by Ladorak on Dec 5, 2010 21:44:20 GMT -5
Caden found his eyes briefly meeting Elle's, and he worked on finishing up his spaghetti, loving the mouth watering taste of the pasta. He could never eat enough pasta. It was one thing he missed about being on land...but he knew Ladorak would get it for him whenever they did dock.
"I like...I like the fact that I'm traveling...and learning...and growing up. I get to be with Ladorak in his job, and what a job it is! We get to travel and fight and learn. I really...hated where I came from...my family and my past. I literally had nothing for me back there. I wanted a new life...and I think I got it. I get to live in a community and help others as best I can. Just things like that...I'm not sure I could say if there's one thing above all others that I like best." the albino admitted with a shrug.
He felt like Elle was looking for something more specific there, and maybe she was, but maybe she wasn't. "I'm...sorry again I didn't write." he stated apologetically, lowering his eyes again. It hadn't been the best of his moments, withdrawing into himself after his wrist was broken, that was for sure.
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Post by bookity101 on Dec 24, 2010 23:44:59 GMT -5
Elle slurped the last bit of her noodles into her mouth as Caden spoke. She kept her eye's on her friends, wondering when her little secret would come out and she would be able to completely honest with all of them. She grimaced a little as that thought crossed her mind, it might take years for that to happen. She realized she had made a face just as Caden was apologizing for not writing, again. "Oh Caden," Her face instantly was filled with a kind smile as she extended a paw to cover Caden's. "It's all right silly, stop feeling bad about that already." She leaned back as the servant removed her now empty plate so it could be replaced with the dessert plate. "Like I said, Elliot-" She paused for only a moment, biting her lip at that statement. "- explained everything to me, everything." Her smile became dimmed a little, sympathy, sadness, and understanding coloring her gaze as she willed Caden to stop, for him to know that there was nothing to be sorry about, or even sad about. After all, she had been by his side the whole time... Janey smiled kindly at the young mouse as she signaled for the next course. "I think I would like this Archie you speak of Carrow." She did see that the mouse seemed to lose his appetite when they spoke of his past, so she decided to move the conversation on to a safer topic. "Tell me about day to day life on the ship Carrow, what's it like living on a ship all the day long?" Edgar laughed along with Selvis, chortling a little into his cup as he took another sip of his drink. The lad had a sense of humor that was lacking in many of the albino martin's associates. "My occupation?" Edgar leaned back as the servant placed his dessert before him. He smiled a bit to himself, chocolate cake, with a frosting so thick it almost could be called fudge, artfully topped with a strawberry cut in half. To one side of the cake was a small scoop of vanilla flavored ice cream, and the other was a small pile of berries. Not meat, but still very good in the male matins eyes. "I work as a supplier for the Welkinite Navy." A contented smile appeared on the elder beast's face. "More often than not that means a load of arguing about prices and loads more paperwork." "But you love it, don't you dear." Edgar glanced over at his wife, her eyes had never left her young dinner companions, and yet she was commenting on his conversation. He shook his head, it never failed to amaze him at how his mate was able to keep up with more than one conversation at a time. "I enjoy the bartering over prices, the paper work... that could be skipped." "Not that your going to." He rolled his eyes in mock annoyance at his young cousin-in-law. "Am I the only one in the room who cannot carry on a conversation, and listen to the other ones at the same time." Both females turned simultaneously to smile and nod at him before turning back to their private conversations. Edgar threw up both paws in mock a pout. "Do you see this Selvis?" He shook his head as he began to eat his cake. "I lose every time with these two." While everything he said was in a forlorn tone, it was obvious to everyone that he really enjoyed the friendly teasing around him. Shaking off his false pout, he turned twinkling eyes to Selvis again. "And that is how I spend my day. Haggling with various beasts about prices, delivery, and quantity. Deal with the dreaded growing paperwork pile that sprouts on my desk and never seems to leave. And, after a long day, I come home to play checkers or chess." Edgar took another bite of his cake, glad that his wife had chosen a personal favorite of his. "Do you play chess or checkers, Selvis?" ((Yeah, I know. Its been almost a month since I worked on this thread. I'm sorry. Life got hectic and I figured Saharan was more important. But its a live again ))
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