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Post by Carrow on Nov 21, 2010 9:55:17 GMT -5
Carrow shook his head, smiling a little. "My, aren't you a perceptive marten?," he responded cheerfully. "None taken, Caden, none at all. I stayed at home more often than not when I was in Welkin. I went a few places with Archie when I was, what, five, six years old? I never left the country, though, and otherwise I didn't travel all that much." I was too scared, he didn't add. Carrow had never been able to adjust. Even when he had been with his weasel carer, he'd never felt completely safe amongst crowds.
Had it been claustrophobia? He'd never quite been sure, but it was something that he'd tried his best to ignore. The sensation of being hemmed in like that had never sat well with him, however, and there had been times when he had been just a few steps away from a panic attack. His gentle weasel guardian had been able to spot the signs, though, and she'd swiftly remedied the situation by putting some distance between the young mouse and the creatures that surrounded them.
"A change? You can say that again, matey!," he exclaimed. "For a creature like me who had hardly been anywhere to join the Agamemnon and sign up for years of travelling, that was indeed something different - but, well, you know how it is: it changed my life. If I hadn't decided I wanted to travel, I'd never have met any of you, so it's a good thing I got used to it sooner rather than later! I reckon things have definitely turned out for the better because I made that choice."
"That was quite the good decision, mousey," Selvis murmured, nodding, his long tail unintentionally gently brushing Carrow's legs. The wood mouse giggled slightly, the sensation being rather ticklish after all. The Ferlusanian weasel was right behind Caden at this point, and he had a look at the menu when his albino companion was finished. He licked his lips. "I might not know what much of this is just yet, but I'll try anything once!," he told his friends, smiling.
"I agree, there's a first time for everything. You never know, we might have stumbled upon a really nice place," Carrow said enthusiastically, hoping that their visit to this restaurant would turn out well. "I'm all for stopping here a while and seeing what we find. It'll be interesting, to say the least." Selvis stepped back so the rodent could have a look at what was on offer. He stroked his chin in a pensive gesture, wondering what sort of things he might be introduced to.
--
There were certain other Welkinites abroad in Tunis. These were ones to whom Carrow was quite familiar.. The field mouse scarcely knew of their existence, but they were aware of him. They knew all about him in fact. Even though the mouse stripling had never seen them due to his reluctance to travel, they had kept in touch with Archie whenever they'd had the opportunity. They had a rough idea of what he looked like, too: the weasel jill had sent along a portrait of her mouse charge a few years ago.
"Dad, are we going to be stopping anywhere soon?" A high-pitched voice, belonging to a fourteen-year-old mouse, registered in Eviros Sylvaticus's ears. The owner of this voice, Setiva Sylvaticus, was rather tall for her age, and there was a mile-long mischievous streak that ran through her. Her freckled features were dominated by her large green eyes, which sparkled gently as she strolled alongside her family.
The rodent ruffled those of his daughter, Setiva, smiling as he responded in his quavery tones, "Of course, dear. You're not the only one who wants to grab a bite to eat, you know. Even if we are still getting used to it, I rather liked what we had yesterday for dinner!" He chuckled, his plump figure wobbling slightly as he put a question to his son. "Artivis? Did you check on Reiva before we left this morning?"
The field mouse, who was Carrow's age, though a little shorter in stature and possessed of hazel eyes, nodded readily. "Yes, of course, Dad. She's feeling a little bit under the weather today, seems to be struggling with the weather for some reason. It's not all that different to what we get on a good day back home, but there's something about the atmosphere here that's affecting her. Shame... I'm sure she would have liked to accompany us." The trio continued on their way - headed for the very same restaurant into which Eviros's nephew, and Setiva and Artivis's cousin, was just about to enter...
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Post by bookity101 on Nov 21, 2010 23:41:51 GMT -5
Elle followed along beside Caden, her paws in her pockets as she took in the sights of the Sahara. Beasts walked around in flowing robes, most of the males were armed and all of females… well she had no idea that the beasts who walked around all covered up were the female residents of this region.
“Travelling?” her gaze centered on her friends again. She waited until Carrow finished speaking, then picked up on the question she had been asked.
“Yes, Mom and Dad had a boat and yes we did travel around a lot but…” Elle sighed and reached up and ruffled the hat on her head as she remembered all the time they had spent sailing, by far the best memories she yet in her short life.
“..After they died, we were pretty landlocked, Aunty gets seasick easy.” She shrugged. “That was the end of my traveling days…” She lapsed into silence, her memories sweeping over her, simply following her friends as they walked through the streets. She was pulled out of her revere, again, by Caden asking a question. She glanced up at the menu, glad they had menus languages she could understand, because she couldn’t make heads or tails of the squiggles on the largest one.
“It sounds good to me Caden,” She smiled a little turned to engage the group again. “I’m always up for something new.”
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Post by Ladorak on Nov 23, 2010 0:48:24 GMT -5
"I'm glad you did as well." Caden said in response to Carrow's declaration. "I mean...just to think of life aboard the ship...I love it, strange as it is for me to say. Sure you guys all have homes to go back to...but for me...the Agamemnon is home...and it's life for me too. Traveling all around...getting used to the routine...studying, training and learning...life experiences as well as the classroom environment. I love it whenever Ladorak teaches class!" the albino exclaimed, smiling widely as he sat himself down at a table.
They had school just like every beast on land did, as it was required by law to give growing striplings an education, and the ship had its own Schoolmaster, though Ladorak would sometimes act in this capacity when it came to teaching history and some of the mathematics, though history was the stoat's main thing. Literacy was required for most promotions, though wasn't in itself a requirement to be serving on board.
"I always look forward to his classes...because aside from the mornings, when I go to work out with him on the quarterdeck, I rarely get to see him." Caden explained. Having quarterdeck access at certain times of the day was one of the rare privileges of being a Volunteer Class I, though Caden couldn't wait until he was a Midshipjack, when he would have access all the time.
A server shuffled up, looking shifty and nervous but pawing them menus all the same. "Just tell what you want to order when ready..." he said in broken Common. He probably could tell they were foreigners, and was using his best Common Tongue to speak to them before he skirted their table and seemed to hobble off. That one in the sunglasses...he was an albino wasn't he? Interesting...that one would fetch a reasonably high price in the slave trade...if only they wanted to risk taking him...
Caden looked across the menu at his friends, not peering over his sunglasses as he still needed them to protect his eyes. "Do you guys like school? I mean I know we have to go and all, but it isn't that often. Every other day for a few hours if we don't have drills."
Hmm...some of these dishes were interesting. Many of them had couscous, a grain dish that originated with the indigenous inhabitants, and not the Eastern Hordes. Caden was only half paying attention to his menu though, as he was more inclined to hear his friends' responses right now.
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Post by Carrow on Nov 23, 2010 6:49:39 GMT -5
"You're not the only one here who loves life aboard the ship I'm sure," Carrow replied with a smile and a swish of his tail. "It took me a while to adjust, obviously not having grown up around anything like it, but I really do enjoy it now. I have trouble getting used to certain things, but I just knew that it would be a question of when and not if everything fell into place for me on the ship - and, well, it has. I wouldn't trade it for anything!"
"It's the travelling that appeals to me the most," Selvis chipped in, and from the look he received from his rodent companion it was clear that this was one of the mouse's absolute favourite things in all the world, aside from the friendships he had made. "I'd never have ended up in a place like this if I hadn't decided to join up. The routine isn't half bad, though. I think sometimes that it's better we have something like that," he told his friends with a small smile.
The long-tailed weasel acknowledged the server's suggestion with a barely perceptible nod of his head. Much like Caden, he was more interested in what his friends were saying than actually ordering something at this stage, though that wasn't to say he'd completely ignored the menu. He'd glanced at it, and the descriptions of a few dishes had caught his eye and made his mouth water slightly. He was famished, but he could certainly wait a little before making his decision.
"I imagine you *would* enjoy having Ladorak as your teacher," carrow commented with a soft chuckle. He'd waited for Caden to finish speaking and was now throwing in his tuppence-worth. "Anybeast would, I'm sure! He really knows what he's about, particularly his history lessons: I hadn't known all that much about that sort of thing before I started attending his classes. Relatively speaking, of course. Archie taught me what she could after she pulled me out, and she always did her best, but I think Ladorak seems to specialise in that area - all the better for us, eh?
"I must say, though, I'm actually enjoying the lessons we're getting. Obviously, in the scheme of things, they're perceived as less important, hence why we don't have them as often, but I like them nonetheless. I never thought I'd get used to attending classes with other creatures again, I have to admit... takes a lot to start again after four years of home-schooling." He shrugged. "It's a bit of a challenge for me. I was never the brightest, but I suppose I just do what I can. How about you, Selvis?," he asked his weasel companion, interested in hearing what the Ferlusanian had to say as he hadn't spoken much about this before. He listened closely, unaware that there were other mice who had just entered... and were talking amongst themselves. About him.
Selvis nodded visibly this time. "It's different to what I'd become used to, sure, but then I knew it was always going to be like that. My teachers always used to say I was one of the smartest creatures my age that they'd ever instructed, but I really didn't see where they were getting that from," he said modestly, a small smile hovering about his lips. "I was like you, Carrow, in a way; I worked to the best of my ability, and nobeast asked for any more than that. I'm enjoying the lessons, certainly, and Ladorak is one of the best teachers I've ever worked with!"
"Dad!," Setiva exclaimed softly, tugging her father's paw and pointing. She knew it was rude to point, but she couldn't help herself under these circumstances. "The mouse over there... he looks familiar somehow... there's something about his ears that looks really familiar!" Carrow liked his ears. In fact, he was of the opinion that they were his best physical feature. They'd helped him to stand out even then. "Wait a sec... that portrait we got sent a few years ago...!"
She squeaked, and was immediately hushed by Eviros. There was a twinkle evident in his eyes, which were a lighter, more dazzling green than his daughter's were. "Yes, yes, I know... the moment I saw him, I knew he was one of us... say hello to your cousin, Cerinus Apodemus...," he murmured. Silently approaching the table, the three rodents were soon quite close to their close relative. They didn't want to say anything just yet. Selvis was the first to notice the arrival of the trio. "Oh... hello," he said softly, nudging Carrow.
The wood mouse looked up, and found his gaze caught by the penetrating gaze of Setiva Sylaticus. "Hello, Cerinus...," she whispered, smiling at him. Carrow was rendered almost speechless by her. He could but stammer for a moment. Something was going on here. How could this creature know his name? They'd never even met. He evetually recovered his power of speech, though it took quite a while for him to get over his shock. However, compared to the earth-shatering tremor that would soon follow, this was a mere foreshock.
"Ce-Ce-Cerinus?," he said haltingly. Hardly anybeast called him Cerinus. Only those that had known him for most of his LIFE called him Cerinus. He felt a completely unexpected chill course up his spine. "Wait... b-but h-how do you know my n-n-name?!," he almost squeaked. Then he felt a gentle paw on his shoulder. It was an unusual sensation as he could tell it was neither that of Caden, Selvis, nor Elliot. It was an unfamiliar paw... yet somehow that contact felt right. He didn't shrug it off, instead turning around in his seat.
He found himself facing an older mouse, one with a smile on his face and twinkle in his eye that was quite reminiscent of... quite reminiscent of how Jerris had been. The memory made the mouse stripling gasp softly. "What is it, Carrow?," Eviros asked, still smiling warmly at his nephew. "We know plenty about you, see... Archie's told us everything about you since we've been in contact with her... you don't know us, and why should you? She said you were always too frightened of travelling, so you never met us before now.
"We're quite familiar with who you are, however. We... we never thought we'd ever see you. Hello... my long-lost nephew." He patted Carrow's shoulder, then broke contact, realising that if the mouse was anything like how his weasel carer had described him, this revelation would have quite the effect. Selvis had listened to the exchange, completely taken aback. Carrow had never said anything about other relatives of his... because, as the weasel now knew, he'd never been aware he'd had any.
Carrow tore his gaze from the sparkling eyes of Eviros, transferring his gaze back to Setiva... but the sight of Artivis was the final straw. The second Sylvaticus sibling was very nearly the spitting image of himself. Suddenly, he felt weak and shaken as the true impact of what they had said hit him. It was true... it was all true of course. He had no reason to doubt these three creatures. He paled visibly, slumping in his seat, almost completely overwhelmed by the revelations. He tipped forward, ready to fall off the chair and almost certainly lose consciousness... but Selvis was there for him.
He caught the wood mouse as he fell, resting him on his lap, setting him right so his eyes met those of the Ferlusanian mustelid. Carrow couldn't say anything, completely dazed and barely conscious His eyes were only slightly open. He had the full attention of his weasel friend, however, who patted his cheek a little, trying to revive him from the stupor he had fallen into. He shot a glance at the three mice, unable to keep himself from smiling. "Haha, he probably needs a bit of rest anyway," he quipped. "Pleased to meet you all. I'm Selvis, and the others can introduce themselves... though you already know Carrow, of course."
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Post by spender on Nov 23, 2010 8:12:29 GMT -5
At the mention of the Rosferian warship and the baring of Ladorak's fangs, Molly shivered. Ooh, it excited her to see him ready to pounce! And yet, disappointed her to know he was—somehow—bound to... what was it... some foreign law?
If she had her way, they would be trouncing the Rosferians right this minute. It wasn't that she hated Rosferians, not in the way Willard thought he did. It was simply a matter of them being the chosen enemy of Welkin, and therefore the chosen enemy of Ladorak, and therefore the chosen enemy of herself. Why, then, should she hold off from attacking? It was as if the magistrate had declared open buck hunting season, and then just because the buck happened to be standing in someone's yard, it was off limits. How stupid was that? The Rosferians could be eating Tunis's flowerbed if something wasn't done about it...
Molly froze a little at the suggestion of Ladorak spending the day with her. Not a horrified freeze-up, just a simple pensive one. It was nothing to worry anyone; this was Molly Serra, after all, the jill so indecisive it took her fifteen minutes to decide between tea or water for lunch. She usually ended up going with wine anyway.
"It... it would," she replied, squeezing his arm a little. "Miri and I... had plans..."
Molly again shivered, that deep excitement running through her spine and causing her tail to give a quivering spasm. The mere idea of the tomfoolery she had planned for she and Miri to get into...! Oh, there would be a reckoning in the taverns of Tunis today, and tonight as well, if she could hold up.
More than that, she'd suddenly had a vision of Ladorak joining them in their dangerous revelry. A throwback to the old times... The dingy diners and cutthroat cuisine they shared before the exchange of money helped them bond, tighter than any married couple and yet free as clouds, and just as blissful...
"Oh, but you must," she crooned now, bouncing on her footpaws a little and whirling about to stand in front of him. She grabbed his shirt collar and planted a kiss on his nose. "Miri will understand. We shan't ignore her, not at all, but you will have to join us. You'll like what we have planned, I think. There, you're all dressed!" Molly didn't look twice to see if he was for certain; she yanked him by the paw, dragging him out of his cabin. The stoat jill had the biggest grin stretched across her muzzle.
"Miri! Oh, Miri, here we are. A bit of trouble deciding what to wear..." No kidding; it had taken her a week to plan out this outfit. "But we're ready now. Ooooh, isn't it bright out. Look at all that..."
Shielding her eyes, she gazed out at the city. It certainly looked foreign enough. The more foreign things were, the easier it was to cause a ruckus. Why, half the things that were socially acceptable in the Imperium had nearly had her slapped by other females during her first year in Welkin. And those societies were close, apart from general morals and governments!
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Post by bookity101 on Nov 24, 2010 23:34:12 GMT -5
Elle was busy wading her way through the menu, trying to make sense of the many dishes in front of her, that she barely noticed the group of mice who came up beside them. That was until they began to talk to Carrow, and she saw the look of shock on the mouse’s face. She glanced up at the three mice who all looked so much like Carrow, especially that littlest one. Standing, she moved around the table, holding out a paw to them as she said;
“Hello, I’m Elliot McNamee. I’m in the same gun crew as Carrow.” She smiled a little bit, then motioned towards Carrow.
“Don’t worry about him too much; He’ll bounce back in a moment… I think.” She tapped the mouse on the shoulder, lightly of course, but maybe enough to get the little mouse to look at her.
_+_+_+_+_+_
Miri rolled her eyes at her weasel friend. She knew that it had taken Molly awhile to plan all of this, and she knew that she was going to be just following along in her wake, keeping everything from becoming to chaotic. “It’s fine Molly..” She stopped as she got a look at who Molly was nearly dragging behind her, unable to stop a smirk from forming, though she skillfully hid it underneath the broad-brimmed hat that she wore, just to keep the sun from hurting her eyes. And the brim was a good place to hide a nifty little knife that Luxe had made for her the last time he had access to a for real forge. Other than her knife hiding hat, she wore a simple green tunic and her brown satchel bag with her many little “tricks of the trade”- meaning her baton, knife set, and some other odds and ends she thought would be helpful to keep close to paw, just in case.
“Well then, let’s get off this tub…” She headed for shore, then turned and looked at the Captain. “No offence intended, Sir, but…” She wrinkled her nose a little as she gestured around her; “...not all of us were born to be seabeasts...” Miri turned and made her way down the gangplank, then waited for the happy couple, deciding to let Molly lead, as she was mostly doing this for her sake anyway....
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Post by Ladorak on Nov 25, 2010 2:17:12 GMT -5
"Ahem...well you of course are welcome to get off at any port." Ladorak said, though not in much of a cross manner, more of a matter-of-factly tone. "I'll be accompanying you today...despite you having previous plans. Hope I'm not intruding of course...but I wanted to spend some time catching up with Molly...something I haven't been able to do recently." the stoat Captain admitted.
To think...he was molting in this kind of weather! Soon he'd be full ermine it would seem. He was mostly all white, save for very dull splotches of peppery brown running down his backside. It was fading fast however, and soon would be gone. No more melanin production meant pure white fur.
"Where is your boss?' Ladorak inquired after the Right Honorable Montegu Sylver, who popped up behind them a moment later, still dressed in his rather spiffy green waistcoat, cape, trousers and hat. He had his sword/cane under his paw as well, and waved at Miri with his free paw.
"Right here!" he chimed in. "Though actually Jal Fugate...I'm thinking of trying to locate the young ones. They might need a chaperon after all, as you said these parts...and I know them by reputation, have nasty dispositions. I'll do my best to track them down...and see if I can't find another one of my quarries." the weasel muttered that last bit. Spindrick might be here...or possibly even Sveltlana...the climate suited both of them.
"So...I will see you jills and jack later." Monty said, heading off in the direction the striplings vanished.
"I suppose that's fine...I'd feel better with somebody watching them." Ladorak admitted. "I was going to ask Ocean to supervise in fact...and he might still be up for that. He seemed to be following in their wake when I last saw him." the stoat Captain commented. "At any rate...lead the way jills. It's your outing after all...though Molly...I do insist we visit the lake at some point if you wouldn't mind." the bespectacled stoat suggested.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Caden was rather shocked to see relatives of his mouse friend here. Here? Of all places? A spot nobody in their right mind would visit if they didn't have to? Or well...unless they of course worshiped the deity that these Eastern Horde fellows worshiped...but Caden somehow doubted that. So even Carrow had relatives to look forward to running into?
Caden was the only one in this group who didn't. He could never see his relatives unless they willingly sought him out...and he doubted that they would ever do that. His grandmother had been committed to a mental institute, his parents were dead, and his uncles were all dead as well, save for one...and he had visited only briefly before abandoning his nephew. All Caden had to rely on was Ladorak. Ladorak was there for him no matter what.
He gave the rodent family a polite smile, and watched as Carrow outright collapsed...straight into Selvis's lap. Just as Ladorak was always there for him, it seemed Selvis was always there for Carrow. Carrow might see Caden as his best friend...but in a way, Caden often wondered if it wasn't more Selvis who was filling that role. He couldn't help but feel that way, and that maybe he was just more of a third wheel here. Selvis always stuck by Carrow...and Caden had to admit he hadn't always done that. He was socially still getting used to all of this...but knew he couldn't take any of it for granted. Finding friends who weren't scared of how he looked was hard enough as it was...so he had to hold on to what he had.
"I'm Caden." the albino introduced himself. Selvis hadn't used his last name, and Caden had paused on his, still feeling torn between who he really was. "This was the last place I'd expect to run into people we know...much less relatives of Carrow...as he never said anything about having any...but it's still nice to meet you all the same." Caden found himself smiling at the two young mice for some reason. Carrow's uncle seemed nice, but there was really something infectious and bubbly (in a good way) about the cousins, especially the female. He nodded at the family, pink eyes taking on a warmth to them now, and hoping of course he didn't frighten the young ones off.
Caden was soon surprised to find Ocean sliding into a chair next to them however, at their table. "Pardon...thought I'd join you." the ermine murmured. He needed to take his mind off of what he'd done at the very end of their first battle last week. Ladorak had mentioned perhaps watching out for the younger striplings as well. He'd tried to follow Spender at first, but the ferret had headed off with that female...of all things!
Twiddling his claws, the ermine nodded at Carrow's family, but didn't introduce himself as of yet.
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Post by Carrow on Nov 25, 2010 16:17:14 GMT -5
Setiva stepped forward and shook Caden's paw warmly, a smile evident on her features as she locked eyes with Caden. "Delighted to meet you, Caden! I'm Setiva Sylvaticus. My dad is Eviros, and my brother goes by the name of Artivis," she said jovially. "We're rather pleased to make your acquaintance." She found herself drawn to the albino mustelid's gaze. That was unusual, she thought, that a creature like him should have pink eyes. This was not the thing that drew her to them, however: they had a perceptible warmth evident in them, and this told her that such a beast as Caden must be a very good friend to have.
Artivis, meanwhile, still hadn't said or done anything. The crippling shyness that Carrow (who was still not all that sure of his whereabouts) had displayed at times was much more evident in his cousin. He felt the kind eyes of Eviros on him, and felt courage well up within him. "Hello to you all," he said softly, smiling at Caden, Elliot and Selvis in turn. "Gun crew?," he repeated, slightly puzzled about Elliot's comment. This was not a creature overly familiar with the workings of a ship.
"That's right, gun crew," Selvis responded, winking at the particularly diminutive rodent, smiling as Carrow began to stir, aided by Ellipt's gentle patting of his shoulder. "We're all seafaring creatures. Carrow also thinks of us as very good friends. I joined the crew when they visited Crittenden several months ago." This quite impressed the young ones, whose ears twitched inquisitively as they listened to the charismatic mustelid speak. Setiva, however, found her gaze once again drawn to Caden.
She had remained by his side and was now asking him questions. "Seafaring creatures? You live and work on a ship?! Oh, how EXCITING that must be!," she exclaimed. Shy little Artivis had made his way over to Elliot, wanting Caden to have a chance to engage his older sister in coversation before he spoke up. He stuck close to the beech marten, who in turn was positioned near Selvis and Carrow. "Could you tell us a little of what it's like?," the female wood mouse asked the albino pine marten, shooting him her most winning smile. She was greatly intrigued by this creature and wanted to spend time with him whilst they were here. Eviros had pulled up a chair and was sitting down, resting a tad. The older mouse needed a little rest.
His tired state had not gone unnoticed by the long-tailed weasel, however, and Selvis shook his head slightly. "That's good, isn't it? You can at least take it easy for a short while now," he murmured. Then, his eyes brightened as a thought struck him. "Oh! Tell me, sir, how do Welkinities such as yourselves come to be in a place like this?" What exactly could have brought them here? Tunis was as corrupt as they came, so they surely would have been well advised against travelling there.
"No need for the sir, Selvis!," the mouse responded cheerfully, smiling slightly. "You can call me Eviros. As for why we're here, well, it's half because I wanted to go, and half because Artivis and Setiva were quite fascinated by the place and wanted to see it for themselves! They wanted to experience another culture, see, and even if it might have been expensive to come all this way, it's certainly turning out to be worth it so far." He was about to say more, but was forestalled by a soft groan from Carrow.
"Hush, he's coming around," Selvis whispered, smiling broadly at Carrow as the dazed creature's eyes slowly opened. "Hello again, mate," he said gently, helping him to sit up. The rodent shook his head, trying to shake off the groginess. Looking right across at Caden, he smiled just as warmly at his pine marten companion, not wanting to call over to him as he could see that the mustelid was engaged in conversation with the pretty creature who had first addressed him. She would have no trouble finding a mate in the future, from one look at her. Carrow, on the other hand, didn't see himself ever being successful in that field.
"That's it, Eviros? You wanted to experience different cultures, did you?," Selvis asked now, marvelling at the sheer coincidence of the Sylaticuses meeting their nephew here. "I see. It's certainly different here. I'm not really sure I could ever settle in a place like this. It's far too busy here even for my tastes, and it's NOVEMBER! Can you imagine what Tunis must be like in summer?"
The green eyes of the older mouse twinkled gently as he shook his head, chuckling. "Not particularly - well, aside from the fact that it'd be about three times as hot, right? We'd never be able to last in such a climate. Being from Ferlusan, as you said yourself, you'd probably have much more chance of getting by here. He glanced over at Carrow, and the mouse stripling offered him a smile. "Ah, so you ARE back with us," he said softly. "Setiva's over speaking with Caden - you saw her. Artivis is just behind you with Elliot." He allowed Carrow to look over his shoulder at Artivi, who brightened up considerably when Carrow noticed him. "And I'm Eviros. All your friends have introduced themselves to me as well! No wonder you four get along so well, eh?"
"You've met everybeast else, have you, E-Eviros?" Carrow was having a hard time deciding in what manner he should refer to the mouse as. Eviros? Uncle Eviros? He was so unsure! Everything was happening too fast! "They're all very good friends of mine, yes. If it wasn't for Caden, I probably wouldn't be here. He was the one who helped me to make up my mind to join the Agamemnon - that's our ship, of course - and then I met Selvis back in... June, was it? Oh dear." He blushed, glancing apologetically at his weasel friend. "I seem to be getting mixed up. So much has happened since then!" Selvis shook his head, the small smile on his face letting the mouse know he could be excused his slip-up. "In other words, I have rather a lot to be thankful to Caden for." He raised his voice just enough to stand a chance of being heard across the table, knowing his albino companion would appreciate the praise.
"Certainly seems like you do," his uncle murmured, smiling a little before he sensed the presence of yet another creature nearby. Turning, he spotted Ocean. "Hullo," he said warmly, offering the ermine his paw. "I'm Eviros Sylvaticus... Carrow's uncle. My striplings are Setiva, who's deep in conversation with Caden over there, and Artivis, who's trying his best to hide behind the beech marten... Elliot, I believe. He's very shy," he said, voice becoming softer as he glanced over at his son. Poor creature. He seemed a little out of his depth, even if he was still making an effort - but Carrow seemed to be floundering.
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Post by spender on Nov 26, 2010 8:56:12 GMT -5
Molly's muzzle drooped into what was quite possibly the cutest pout she'd managed in years. There was a certain chipperness to her that had been sorely lacking these last few months, and to see her try to express sorrow through her excitement was like watching a dolphin trying to eat a kippersnack through a window.
"Oaw, b'bye, Jal Sylver... honestly," she muttered, once the male weasel was out of earshot, "he's a bit shy, isn't he? And I was going to suggest a double-date! You've got to be a bit more forceful with that one, Miri, or he'll wander off a cliff one of these days. If there's one thing I've learned, it's to keep an eye on your jack..."
She squeezed Ladorak's arm again, churring happily.
"Well, if he wants to go be boring, let him. He'll find out what he's missing when we come back and tell him all about it! Heehee..."
Tugging Ladorak along, she tumbled off the gangplank, glancing back every few steps to make sure her friend was behind her.
This was honestly an unusual circumstance for Molly. She'd always had friends... acquaintances, at least. Jills she saw every day on the fish-selling route, who would sometimes join her at the Bilge in the Bucket to do a bit of winding down. But that was different. The topics of conversation, the jokes, the reasons for not wanting to leave the tavern...
Things had changed in Welkin. A stranger, she had been lost and alone until luck had landed her in the graces of Sir William Featherston. Suddenly, food and shelter wasn't her concern anymore, all being taken care of by her employer. And then, so much time on her paws... And such a large household! So many servants, so many things to occupy herself with...
But none of them had the same qualities as her friends in Bully Harbour. It had taken her a great many of her years warming up to them, only to be whisked away by Featherston's death. Now she was here, and now she was opening up again, and now she found Miri; the weasel was some undiscernible mix of the two types of jills Molly found herself rubbing shoulders with, and she found it oddly pleasant and easy to get along. Not having to hide her Bully Harbour upbringing, and yet having someone to help guide her in the ways of Welkin jills... Though they'd only been interacting for a short period, Molly felt like Miri was the best friend she'd ever had.
Apart from Ladorak, of course.
The stoat jill had merely nodded at his suggestion of the lake, unsure what to say about it. She didn't much care for lakes. There was nothing there you couldn't do more of in the ocean. Swim? Fish? Swimming was kind of boring. And Molly hated fish, fishing, and everything to do with fish that didn't involve a fork and a bit of salt. Oceans had ships. Oceans had horizons. Lakes—the kind Molly was aware of—were little more than overblown ponds. The only thing lakes were good for was gnats.
But if Ladorak wanted to see the lake, they would find time for it. First, a tavern...
It had been some minutes since leaving the docks, and still Molly couldn't identify any of the buildings as being a tavern. Restaurants, sure, but a short stop to glance through the Common Tongue menu revealed no alcoholic beverages. Where was a jill to get hammered around here?
"Well," she said bluntly, her previous excited tones now dripping with boredom, "I'm lost. You need a bloody dowsing rod in this dump..."
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Post by bookity101 on Nov 26, 2010 18:35:33 GMT -5
Elle listened to Selvis as he charmed his way into the good graces of yet another new group of friends, smiling as she did so. He never seemed to fall short on making others feel at ease. She couldn’t help but smile at the youngest one who was standing just behind her. She turned to him, telling herself that she was being nice to the little mouse, and NOT feeling a little jealous about the mouse maid who was talking to Caden…
Sitting down again at her chair, she spared a nod to Ocean then fixed her attention on the little mouse;
“Your names Artivos, right?” She glanced over at Caden, and then turned back to him. “What do you think of all this travelling?” -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Miri had pulled out a bottle of water from her knapsack, and didn’t get a chance to ask Monty if he wanted company on his search, because by the time her mouth was clear, he was gone again. Fast fellow… She took another drink from the water bottle and did a rather impressive spit take when Molly insinuated that Monty was her “Jack”. Then Molly was gone, along with the Captain so there was no way to correct her. Oh boy, this was going to be a fun day…
Miri followed the happy couple around the town, content to keep her distance and let Molly lead the way. She couldn’t help but snicker at Molly’s attempt at a joke, and then noticed a familiar snout in the crowd. Her smirk grew self-satisfied as she saw the recognition in his eyes as he ducked into an alleyway.
“Molly- I’ll be right back!” She darted off into the alley, making quick work of the distance between them, though it was interesting to have to doge around all extra beasts than she was accustomed to… and all of things that he threw into her way. Finally, she copied her move from the garden almost a year ago, and made a flying tackle off a bunch of staked crates, taking the rat out from above and landing on him and knocking the wind out of him.
“Miss me?” ~~~~
Less than five minutes had elapsed from the time she had dashed away, and the time she came back, dragging the skinny beast beside her.
“Molly, ya’know how you said we’d need a dowsing rod? Well-” She jerked the rat forwards. “-how about a rat named Lowse?*”
*Pronounced the same as dowse. **Feel free to use Lowse as you see fit, he’s just an open tool.
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