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Post by Carrow on Apr 10, 2011 15:41:24 GMT -5
Selvis was on tenterhooks as soon as Caden began to respond to his question, but diverted his attention when he heard the Captain's orders. Almost without thinking, he came to attention and saluted, smiling. "Yes sir, Captain Fugate!," he exclaimed, throwing another of his best salutes, even though inwardly he was quite sure he wasn't exactly the most proficient creature with a sewing needle. He reckoned he'd have to be careful not to prick his paw with it. The albino marten's comment resulted in a dreamy look entering the longtail's eyes for a moment. He'd always loved playing on the beach... but it had been a shame that Briga hadn't been able to accompany him after her accident. Trelio, well, he had hardly been around at that stage. His work had swallowed him up and left him with little time for his family.
The weasel had been greatly saddened by what had happened to his parents. Sure, he'd spent as much time with his injured mother as possible, but seeing her there, not able to leave the house (she'd scarcely been able to manage any length of walking, the last time he'd seen her) had begun to take a lot out of him, and some nights he'd be in bits. With one parent unable to help herself and the other far away, 'El Independiente' had literally had to fend for himself in all things, though he hadn't minded that in the slightest. He was lifted out of his reverie by Caden beginning to speak again, but then noticed his fellow mustelid had stopped short of saying something. It was then he realised they had no sewing kits. He made as if to rise, but Caden got there first, jogging off and retrieving a pair.
When the marten returned and pawed his kit over to him. Selvis glanced at Caden with an expectant look in his eyes. He was really anticipating his companion's response, and it certainly didn't disappoint. He listened, spellbound, as his friend recounted all the adventures they'd had together, as well as some of them he hadn't been around for. His eyes and paws were concentrating on his task as he scooped up sand and put in into the empty sacks, yet his ears paid attention solely to Caden, and the marten's words set him off reminiscing too. There had been plenty of good times, some great ones, and some horrible ones he would have preferred to forget... and the latter events had almost all occurred after he'd come close to a complete meltdown in Florence. Looking back on it all now, he knew that the way he'd held himself together had been borderline miraculous.
Selvis nodded as his friend mentioned he couldn't picture any other life than being aboard ship. By now, the mustelid had filled the sack and was in the process of stitching it up. The Ferlusanian knew how Caden felt, moreso now than he ever had before, particularly because there was still a chance he would be left with nothing to go home to. He desperately wanted to visit his family again if he got the chance, but getting letters from Crittenden suited him just fine after all, and so long as he could do that, he'd be alright. He was bout about speak when Elle turned up beside the pair. He waved at her and smiled. "Hello there, Elliot. Great to see you!" He listened to her speak for a moment, then shook his head. "Oh, you were hardly interrupting. I was just about to tell Caden here a little bit about what I've enjoyed the most about my time on the ship... and I s'pose I could ask you the same question if you want. How about it? What have you enjoyed most about being on the ship so far?" Selvis was quite certain what she DIDN'T enjoy about being on it, anyway.
He returned his attention to Caden, eyebrows rising a little."Funny you should mention Florence as your favourite moment from the last year. For me, well, it was both the best and worst of times. We had a great Christmas, we exchanged presents, we had perhaps the most fun we had all year. On the flipside, for me at least, well... firstly I let you down, and secondly my, er, situation hit home. Also the fact I blew up at Spender... he deserved it, sure, but I was kind of hoping I'd be able to keep myself in check. Best of times... worst of times...," he repeated, sighing in a mixture of happiness and regret. "Enough of that, though. Despite everything I'd say that was the most enjoyable time in my first year... well, first ten months to be more exact. Well wait, hang on. It's either that or meeting all of you in Crittenden last June. Aw, now I can't decide," he quipped, eyes twinkling.
"You know, matey, you, Elliot and Carrow were collectively the real reason why I decided to join up on the Agamemnon. To be honest, if I hadn't met you three I probably would have taken my chances with another ship... ow!," he exclaimed suddenly, as the very thing he'd been hoping wouldn't happen, happened, and he pricked his paw, drawing blood. He sighed, sucking it a little. "Out of practice... where was I? Ah yes. I have to say I love it here. The company I keep is enough on its own," he told Caden. "You're right, we've done so much and learned so much about each other whilst doing it. Life as a seafaring creature is greater than I ever imagined it," he said as he resumed working, paw still smarting a little but the longtail not minding it too much.
"What are your favourite things about it? I was going to ask for just the one but I figured it'd be too hard a question to answer." The bag was now full, and Selvis put the finishing touches to the stiching, placing it down nearby. "Heh, one down." He thought of something then, and smiled. "Oh, I must say, of course you mean something to the crew. I don't honestly know how I'd be now if you hadn't given me that advice a while ago. A few creatures reached out to me then, but you did the most. In a way you rescued me, and I'm extremely grateful for that. The friendships we have can be powerful things, and you proved that, not for the first time either. Thanks again, Caden," he said gently, beginning to fill another sack.
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Carrow took the tools that were passed back to him, rather grateful to be settled now, regardless of the fact that this was one of the more curious-looking situations the rodent had found himself in, and in quite a number of years at that. He shook his head gently at Marten's comment. Even if he was sure the mustelid was only really playing with him, he wanted to assure him in any case. "I'll only be speaking from now on, sir," he responded politely, well aware he was in the presence of a creature who, despite the fact he clearly felt more comfortable around kits, was at the very least twice his age. (It was in fact three times, but Carrow remained unaware of this for now.) "I'll try not to move at all, if I can. You've got enough to deal with as it is," he commented, mischief dancing in his eyes.
Marten set off, and Carrow couldn't help but chuckle in a rather Dibbunish manner at how it felt to be in his current situation. Yet whilst he knew it was odd, he also felt comforted by it, because he recalled how Archie used to do a similar thing at certain times, back home, picking him up and draping him over her shoulder to carry him when he was too tired or weak to get by on his own... like Selvis had done a number of times already. The pine marten's voice was strangely soft and calming in his ears, too; not enough to make him drowsy but more than enough to help him settle in a bit more. He smiled at his suggestion. "Oh, sure! That's just fine by me, sir. I quite fancy a bit of a challenge, in fact. Now that I hopefully don't have to cling on for dear life, that is," he said, nonetheless keeping a gentle hold on Marten's shoulders... just in case.
Unfortunately, the older creature had guessed correctly. The idea of setting up the block and tackle was completely foreign to him, and he was slightly disappointed because of this. It wasn't his fault he had no clue how to carry out the task Ladorak had given the pair, but he was disappointed all the same. He ground his teeth in frustration, rather audibly in fact, and would have kicked out at thin air only for the fact that such rash action would have left him dangling unsteadily and at the risk of injury. As it was, the teeth-grinding sufficed, and he threw in a small sigh as well, for good measure.
However, when Marten patted his leg, the mouse felt comforted once more, and he smiled again. If there was one creature who could be calmed by soothing physical contact, it was definitely Carrow. "Marten, sir?," he asked with the air of a curious Dibbun, "who's that other marten who's gone up ahead of us, there?" He pointed up at the ascending figure of Keinruf. "D'you reckon he might be able to assist us with our task? I don't know about you but I have no clue how to do it... sorry," he apologised, genuinely regretting the fact that he couldn't be of any help.
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Post by Ladorak on Apr 10, 2011 22:04:40 GMT -5
Ocean shook his head, listening to her speak, but not believing most of it. It seemed she was in a hurry to get out of there and move off to parts unknown. He stayed silent though, listening to her talk, but found no reassurance in her words. He couldn't trust her contact because he didn't know her contact. His life was a bit more... complicated than that. And while he agreed that maybe he could impress the Captain... he simply doubted it. He hadn't exactly broken one of the Articles of War, but he had the potential to... one of the most dangerous ones of all in fact. He could no longer be trusted.
It was the end of the line for him. But what could he do? How could he recoup this? He waited for her to leave, and simply muttered "I can't... I can't do any of that..." He looked around him, feeling sweat start to break out on his pawpads, and about his body. He felt the need for it again... but had nothing on him. Instead, he felt walled in... choked off... unable to breathe.
He'd desert. It was his only recourse. He'd be killed for doing so if he was ever caught... and being on an island the chances of that were incredibly high... but he couldn't face things right now... and he most certainly couldn't face a discharge. Maybe just a break... not desert. Taking another look in the Captain's direction, he waited for him to turn his back, and then took off, running as fast as he could through the crowds, acting like he needed to get something from another boat, but simply kept on running without stopping.
He neared the edge of the crowd, and to his surprise, wasn't stopped. It was only soldiers out here, getting their weapons ready and moving off down the beach to take up defensive positions. He nearly ran into one, but skirted the redcoat last minute, whirling his tubular body around. Kicking up sand as he ran, the terrified ermine made for some rocks he could see along the beach, diving around behind them and curling up into a ball. He was hidden from view back here, and knew he had simply committed one of the unforgivable sins of seafaring.
He did the only thing he could do under the circumstances. He wept. Shudders passed through is body, causing it to convulse as he lost control and sobbed quietly into the sand.
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Ladorak clapped the lid of his watch shut. "Hmm... they should hurry. We're not necessarily behind schedule... but I don't want us to be caught here by a Rosferian sortie. We're at our weakest right here. If they conduct a sortie from the town... they'd trap us with our backs to the water. I wonder if they themselves are simply sitting up in their citadel, afraid to move. Either way, we're vulnerable here, and we need to get these guns off the beach and onto the hill."
He looked up at Marten and Carrow's progress, as well as the others who were making their way up the hillside. "Come on everyone... let's move." he said quietly. "Like clockwork here... like clockwork." He looked over at Molly, feeling her nip his ear as she asked who exactly he meant.
"Ah yes... the hidden jills on board. Well, I speak of..." but he paused here, noticing Miri had approached them, and clearly was waiting her turn to speak up. "Ahem..." he stopped, and turned to face her. "I'm afraid it will have to wait, darling." he told his fiancee quietly. "Yes, Jis Talian. What do you need?" he asked, once more clasping his paws behind his back, and regarding her from under the brim of his bicorn and behind his spectacles.
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Caden was careful, noting that Selvis pricked himself on the finger, and the marten frowned a bit when he observed that. "Do you need a bandage? You OK?" he asked, leaning over as he finished up his own bag and placed it aside. "Ahhhh looks fine. You'll stop bleeding in a minute or two." Infection was the bigger worry, but the needles weren't rusty or anything, so Selvis would most likely be fine.
He started on another bag, once more starting to scoop sand into it before he began working the needle and thread over the opening. This would be most likely saving their lives during the siege, so he wanted to make sure he did a good job and got the bag nice and thick.
"What do I enjoy most about it?" he stopped though, letting Selvis continue. He wondered what exactly the weasel was referring to in terms of advice. He furrowed his brow. He'd given lots of advice, hadn't he? Which time in particular...
But Selvis had finished speaking, so Caden simply nodded. "Uh sure Selvis. I'm not sure about specifics there, but alright. No problem. Now then... as to what I like about the job... well let's see. Camaraderie for one. We're a living, working machine in a way. A self-sustained city. I mean isn't it... something else? I like the routine. Routine is nice. It gets boring sometimes, but in reality... I don't mind that so much. I really like gun drill. Helps keep us sharp after all. Keeps us up to speed on what we should be doing in combat. Down time is nice... just relaxing wherever you can find space on the ship in your off time, and reading, playing a game, or sleeping, heheh." he chuckled here, knowing he was fully "guilty" of catching some shuteye in his leisure time.
"I'd say things like that." he looked over at Elle, the marten he had a crush on, and smiled at her, realizing that he just liked to... admire her sometimes. She wore her disguise well, but he could still tell it was her. He wanted to hear her response too, about what she liked about the job.
And of course... Florence for Selvis. That had been something of a trip for him. The marten knew that. But he would address that later... perhaps tonight before they went to sleep.
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Post by bookity101 on Apr 11, 2011 9:29:04 GMT -5
Elle listened with half an ear to what the boy's were saying barely concealing the eye roll she indulged in as Selvis mentioned the blow up in Florence. Sure he needn't have done it, but still... that was months ago. Elle wasn't a jill who liked to dwell in the past, believing instead if you didn't learn your lesson the first time through, re-hashing bad memories of what happened would not help one bit in the long run. Now reliving the good ones on the other paw, well she indulged in that little hobby nearly everyday. She smirked a little at Selvis pricking his paw. It wasn't a mean spirited thing in the least... just the older stripling looked so silly sucking on his claw like a kit...
"Selvis, do you want to fill the bags and me sew them up? After all, I do have a lot of practice with needles and well... we don't want you turning into a pincushion." She said with a smile and wink to her older friend.
Her attention was soon called to Caden as he began to describe what he liked most about the life on the ship, returning his smile before looking down again to finish sewing shut her sandbag. Reaching for another bag, she realized that there was a pause in the conversation lasting long enough for her to be able to answer Selvis' earlier question.
"And Selvis, as to what I've enjoyed the most..." She looked over shoulder at the ship, then back to the boys. "Honestly, as great as all of our adventures have been, though I think we could have done without that jaunt in Tunis..." She frowned for moment that had to have been one of the WORST days of her young life.. "But I like being on the ship because it reminds of my parents. They always talked about taking me sailing with them some day, and sometimes, when we're on night watch... Well it kinda feels like they're there with me."
She blushed lightly admitting that to them, but decided that it couldn't hurt. Besides, they had most likely noticed her habit of going to the bow and just standing, letting the sea wind wash over her. It never lasted for more than five minutes, but it was her personal indulgence. Pretending that she wasn't on a warship, but the small pleasure craft her parents had loved... Like it was before they died...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Miri looked up from fiddling with her gloves as she heard the Captain call her name. She walked a few steps closer, nodding to Molly before addressing the Captain.
"Don't mind me Captain, just waiting till non-sailors would be allowed to get up there-" She gestured towards the top of the cliffs. "-and find a place to hole up for the time being. Unless of course you could a use for an extra set of paws anywhere on the beach." She let her nose wrinkle in disgust. "Standing around doing a lot of nothing is... well boring for the lack of a better word Surely you understand Captain." Miri noticed she was still fiddling with her gloves frowning, she dropped her paws to her side. Had to quit doing that...
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Post by Carrow on Apr 11, 2011 16:13:52 GMT -5
Selvis had plenty to say about the points that Caden brought up, but first he acknowledged Elle's offer, smiling at her. His smile widened as he realised what he must have looked like to him moments earlier, sucking on his paw like a Dibbun. "That's very kind of you, Elliot" - ugh, that blasted NAME again! Just tell Carrow and end this damned charade!, he thought, inwardly frustrated- "and a very efficient arrangement it is too. I have no problem filling the sacks, and you're far more capable with those needles than I am, so sure. That's just fine by me."
The weasel had in fact been filling another sack as he had been speaking, and as he fell silent, getting his thoughts in order for his response to his pine marten friend, he passed it over to her. "Alright then, do your stuff. I'd say we'll get quite a few filled between us, and quite quickly at that." He thought of something to mention first, however, just to put his friend's mind at ease about his small injury. "Yes, Caden, I'd say I'm in no immediate danger. I might get it bandaged up later, sure, but I think the thing I need to be careful about is not doing it again - but then again Elliot's already taken care of that with his offer."
He placed a paw beneath his chin a moment stroking it in the classic thinker's pose. "You're absolutely right about the cameraderie! That's one of my favourite things too! The fact that we depend on everybeast to keep the ship going, and that it works the other way round as well, I enjoy that rather a lot. I've always been fond of co-operation like that. A floating city, eh? That's a brilliant way of putting that, Caden. Rather easy to picture as well." He chuckled softly. What an effective description that was! It had certainly helped the albino marten to make his point.
"Oh, you're a fan of the gun drill as well, are you?" His eyes sparkled. "That's almost what you might call fun, isn't it? Having a good look at how you work with other creatures and enjoying the process of it. Sure, it might be a little routine, but we need all the practice we can get if we're to stay sharp, as you put it. As for the ship routine itself, if I'm honest I think I need that in my life. You might not know it, but certain creatures definitely prefer organisation like that to anything else." In a way that doesn't raise questions about their mental well-being, he thought.
That Willard and his... obsessive need for order. The weasel had to stop himself from shuddering at the thought. "It does get boring once in a while, but we need it to keep the ship together," he told his companion in his usual gentle voice. "I enjoy the downtime too, of course. In fact, that's when I think I'm at my best: reading, or playing, or just generally having fun - and when I need to sleep, well, I tend to take those opportunities for more often than I used to."
Before Florence, he didn't add. Before I lost confidence in myself and my ability to always look on the bright side of things. It's ironic. While I've lost it, Carrow's found it, and I honestly never thought I'd see that. "I value my rest a lot more than before." Elle chimed in then, and the longtail's face creased in slight pain as the beech marten mentioned Tunis. That had been a terrible time for them all.
He had something he wanted to tell Caden about that in fact, but a certain thing she brought up made him smile again. "No need to be embarrassed. I can see perfectly why you do it. We all have creatures we can think of when times are tough: I have my parents -" even if it hurts me sometimes to think of them - "you have yours, Carrow has Archie, and Caden has Ladorak - only, of course, the Captain's on the ship," he added, smiling at Caden. "Not to mention, we all have each other... and that brings me to something I wanted to tell you, Caden, because I think you should know it anyway.
"Even though Tunis is behind us... I have to say Carrow was in bits when he woke up and found you had been taken away. He was devastated... I don't think I'd seen him quite as upset before... and I definitely haven't since. He needs you desperately, just like he needs the rest of us. Now that he's hauled himself out of that depressed state of his, I can't imagine how grateful he must be to have us here.
"Something tells me we each had significant to play in his U-turn last month, and well, I'm quite proud of us for that. We make an odd group, when you think of it: two martens, a weasel and a mouse." He chuckled again, a little more loudly this time as he resumed work. "How has work been coming along for you, Elliot?," he addressed the 'male' beech marten. He heard very little about her work, after all, and was interested to hear how she was getting on.
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Post by Ladorak on Apr 11, 2011 23:28:16 GMT -5
Caden was silent at first, because he rather liked listening to Elle's explanation of how she pictured her parents on quiet nights. Caden admittedly had never done that. But then again... the very thought of his mother made him shudder.
"Huh... yeah... I guess I wouldn't know what that's like. But at the same time... I do enjoy those quiet evenings on watch. If we ever fight a really big fleet action over several days... I mean just imagine looking out at all the lights of the enemy fleet you'd see... and your own. Would be... something else entirely I think." the albino mused, picturing it in his mind.
"Oh and... Selvis... I didn't know. I... sort of blew up at you in Florence... I know." he said, very softly. "I... was jealous of you. I thought Carrow was giving you all the attention, and that I was just the third wheel... but you telling me that... I guess we're all in this together. We all matter to each other. And I wouldn't think of you like that anymore... or myself. You're a good mate Selvis... I see that now. So thanks." he said, giving the long tailed weasel a hopeful nod.
He swiveled his big ears to listen to Elle, curious about her job. He wondered what he'd do if he wasn't an officer candidate. Maybe... Gunner's Mate? Work down in the magazine during combat. That might be... somewhat fun, if not a bit dangerous. But then again, there was no real "safe" place on the ship in combat. You just did your job... no questions asked. it was the way of things. The effective way of things.
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Ladorak gave her a smile. "Ahhh yes. Of course. I know. I'm the same way. Nothing to be done about it for the moment however. At least on my end. You can head up if you like, and set up a tent for yourself. We'll be doing the same soon, after we get the guns up. In fact... why don't you help them set up the blocks and tackle up there? It might go a bit faster." he suggested, looking up the steep sides of the hill.
"Will that suit you then Jis Talian? I'm sure that more paws would mean faster work. And we really need those guns up there, where they can't be attacked as easily." He pointed out.
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Post by spender on Apr 12, 2011 2:21:57 GMT -5
Molly stuck out her tongue at her friend, playfully, of course.
"Oh, shoo, Miri. Laddy was about to tell me something juicy!" She waved a paw towards the cliffs. "Go on; I may join you soon. I've got a lovely little plan for us to discuss."
Tittering, she lifted a booted footpaw and tried to wedge her heal over Ladorak's toes.
"I'm not budging an inch until you tell me..." She narrowed her eyes. "Although I may budge an inch or two downwards..."
"Him?" Marten glanced again, just to make sure who it was Carrow meant. "That's Jal Wright, the fellow we picked up in Tunis." He tugged at a sapling that came loose, but managed to make use of the pit it left behind. "Fancy you not knowing that! Haven't you spoken with him? He's a very... interesting character. We've had a few card games. What fascinating stories he has! Gradvarian, originally—he was in the army—but spent a while in the Imperium in their Navy as well. Now he's sided with Welkin, but..."
He had to stop for a breather; the path was getting steeper, and there was a good ten feet of straight up cliff in the way. Marten chose for edging around it to get nearer to the sloped portion.
"Quick note, Carrow. It is important... when exerting yourself... in order to maintain... a proper level of energy... not to carry... growing young mice... Or in other words..." Here, a brief laugh, "Don't do what I do!"
The path widened considerably after that, and the ground was more or less level up to the top, no more inclined than the deck of the Agamemnon in a storm, and much less risk of slipping.
"Why don't you ask him to tell you some stories later? Maybe we'll have time for one while we set up the tackles. I must admit, I'm not entirely sure how we'll do that either. I've dabbled my paws in a variety of work, but so far nothing that's presented me with this exact task. But how hard can it be? Couple of geniuses like us, what?" He glanced behind. More of the crew were following them, carrying similar items, although none of them were also burdened with a mouse. "Seems we'll have help in mere minutes anyway."
At the crest of the cliff, Keinruf sat, paws dangling over the edge. He seemed to be looking out to the ocean, but on closer inspection had his eyes closed, and was simply breathing in as deep as he could.
Marten knelt to let Carrow slip off, and then shrugged the rope and pulley off into the grass.
It was a peculiar sight, the two martens together. One tall, wide-shouldered and muscular, with sleek and fluffy fur and a proud tail to match; the other hunched, skinny, ragged, his fur paled and patchy without sheen, one ear bent forever backwards, giving him the impression of an annoyed feline, and his half-lengthed tail looking more bone than fur. It was almost a stretch to call them both pine martens, and you'd be hard-pressed to find an example of two opposite specimens of the same species. In fact, if one of them had been female, such a task might have been simply impossible.
"Dere's a gut rock ofer dere," Keinruf said, pointing.
Marten looked at Carrow, for the first time silent, and tilted his head towards the rock in question: what do you think about it, then?
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Post by bookity101 on Apr 13, 2011 12:10:51 GMT -5
Elle grimaced lightly as she reached for one of Selvis' full sandbags and began to sew it up. She had seen the small look of annoyance cross Selvis' face as he called her by her male name instead of her feminine one. Of course she could tell him that she intended to tell Carrow, just as soon as she had a chance... but there were so many other beasts on the beach that it would take her a moment to think of a suitable way to let the older stripling know with out giving herself away to every other beast...
"There's not much to tell about my job." She said before pausing to snip the thread with her teeth before moving onto the next sandbag. "Because I'm the smallest they typically send me up to check on the hanging sails to check it they need to be exchanged because of wear and tear." Elle frowned at her paw for a moment before shaking it... "Stupid cramp... And we spend a lot of time listening to Sail's crazy stories and laughing at Erich and his attempts to be silly. Poor bloke spends more time on the deck by tripping than any other beast I know." She switched the needle to her left paw before moving to ask a question of her own;
"Do either of you have any idea about sleeping arrangements when we finally get up there?"
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Post by Carrow on Apr 13, 2011 17:13:49 GMT -5
"You don't need to apologise, Caden," Selvis replied in just as soft a tone of voice. "With everything that was going on that night," he said, clearing his throat and looking over at Elle a little, "you had every right to do that. In fact, well, I probably deserved it... or at least I thought I did at the time." Selvis had thought many other things that night too, and asolutely none of them would have been expected of the one creature who up until then had almost always made an effort to be cheerful. "Third wheel? Doubtful! I'm rather certain that Carrow thinks very highly indeed of you. In fact, From what I've seen of him he thinks so much of both of us that it's hard for him to always show it, and I don't blame him. You were never the third wheel as far as we were concerned, Caden. In point of fact I've always seen you as the leader of this group."
He smiled at his albino marten companion. In Selvis's mind, he was the helping paw, Elle was the quiet but resourceful one, and Carrow was the one who wore his heart on his sleeve and the most nervous creature of their group by quite a long stretch, but who could still be brave when he required it. "And of course we're all in this together. We've all lost... or in my case, stand to lose, creatures close to us, and I think that's something that's brought us all even closer together. We can all relate to what the other's gone through, to various extens, and this is quite helpful, in my opinion. Caden, I really appreciate you telling me this. I've always tried to be a good friend to all of you, and make no mistake, if you'd come to me with a secret you'd needed to tell me, I would have kept it just as well as I did for Elliot. Oh, and lest I forget to mention it, you're a great friend to me. To all of us, and you should never forget that."
Having finished speaking, he focused his own ears on what it was his 'male' beech marten friend was telling him about her job. She made it sound quite run-of-the-mill, and since he knew Elle to be fond of honesty in all but the most extreme circumstances, the mustelid took her at her word. "You've picked up plenty of knowledge though, I'm sure - as I can in fact see from how you're pawdling the stitching up of those sandbags!" His eyes brightened a little. "You're doing quite a good job, so even though your position might not be the most interesting one in the world, even by your own admission, it's certainly proving useful." Once again, he smiled. At Elle's question, the weasel's blue eyes narrowed a little in thought, long tail swaying to and fro behind him as he ruminated on his companion's query. Eventually, he shook his head. "Haven't the foggiest, Elliot. I hope they're the sort I'd be comfortable with, as in, you, Caden, Carrow and myself near each other," he added hopefully, looking from one marten to the other. Then he thought of something he'd noticed earlier. "Elliot? You were wringing your paw just there... think i heard something about a cramp? Anything wrong?," he asked, concerned.
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"Oh, well of course I've SEEN him around, but I've had no time to even interact with him, if I even wanted to that is," the rodent responded truthfully. "That's no reflection on Jal Wright, of course, 's just... well, I'm not really very good with meeting new creatures," he admitted as, unseen by Marten, the wood mouse hung his head a little. "I never have been. If you say he's interesting, though, I'll take your word for it." He smiled a bit. "I might not really be the best with it, but it can't hurt to at least introduce myself to him, even if I'm never really going to see him otherwise. There are certain creatures I always spend time with, and you've met them. Then there are others I plan to do that with, such as you, and, well... a certain other mouse on the ship."
The field mouse coughed self-consciously, but fell silent as he realised Marten needed to concentrate to get them up the steep part of the path. He listened to his light-hearted reflection on the task he was currently engaged in. The rodent blushed a little. Comparatively, he was as light as a feather, but knew that his wight could still cause a strain on ventures such as this. "Duly noted!" He parried Marten's verbal thrust admirably. He wasn't all that good at banter, but did his best to respond. "Y'know, I could definitely pay you back for this if you wanted... well I mean, not in kind, as it were - unless I were to suddenly change into an otter or something," he quipped. "I could certainly think of other ways to repay you for this, though." He listened again, shaking his head gently. "I'm not sure I could be any use with this. Again, sorry." Carrow had a habit of apologising for his slightest shortcomings.
When the pair were finally on more level ground, and Carrow had slid off, stretching a little, he turned to the marten and smiled. "Thanks again. I reckon I owe you one for that," he told him. Then his eyes caught sight of Keinruf, and he smiled at the scruffy-looking marten too, though this time he was a little more timid. He knew absolutely nothing of this beast's character after all. His eyebrows did however rise a little when he mentioned the rock. He glanced over at Marten, following the mustelid in taking a look at what had been suggested as useful in the task they still needed to complete. He nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. I might just have thought of it myself if I'd had any clue about this sort of stuff at all," he responded, a trifle bashfully. "Thanks, Jal Wright. You might have seen me around the ship? I'm Carrow," he addressed the thin-looking creature as politely as he could manage.
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Post by Ladorak on Apr 13, 2011 23:31:00 GMT -5
"Actually, I can probably answer that." Caden chimed in. He heard Selvis's words, smiled, and nodded, closing his eyes as he took that all in. Friends... and the leader. He was seen as the group leader... by Selvis at least. That was a lot of responsibility. But one he rather found he liked. His friends looked up to him... something he never had before, except demanding respect by beating others up. Being the terror of the alleyway, so to speak.
He finished what he was saying, looking over at Elle. "We'll be setting up tents, using the canvas we brought with us from the ship. It'll be jury rigged, but still doable. I bet we'll have to share with at least one other. Hey um... Elle... iot." Caden said, very low so as not to give her away, though they were somewhat off by themselves. Caden bit his string, severing it and completing his next bag.
"Would you... want to maybe share a tent with me?" the albino asked shyly. "I could keep watch, to make sure nobody accidentally discovers you, and ensure that you're given privacy and quiet... to just... maybe be yourself a bit, and do whatever you want to do." He said, giving her a very small and nervous smile. "I mean, that way... at least you'd have someone you trusted keeping your... secret safe." that was in hushed tones again, but loud enough so she could hear.
"That is... if you want to." he said, pushing too much sand into his bag before he realized. "Ooops... guess I better pay attention." he said, chuckling nervously and dumping some out so he could sew it up. "So um... does that... sound like an... idea?" he asked, hoping she'd say yes, as he really wanted to take this time to bond with her a bit more... something he couldn't really do while on the ship, as there was never any privacy, no matter where you went. On a ship of nearly 200 feet in length, packed with around 500 crewbeasts, being alone to speak with somebody was just next to impossible. Sometimes they played games in between the cannon, but that was the best they could do.
His paws trembled as he started to thread the needle through the canvas, incredibly tense after making that suggestion. Would she say yes? Would she say no? Would she say maybe? That last might be the worst, as it would keep him in suspense and constantly on the edge of his seat... guessing. He glanced over at Selvis now, giving the weasel a once again nervous smile.
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Post by bookity101 on Apr 14, 2011 11:03:47 GMT -5
Elle smiled at Selvis;
"You did, my paws cramp up easy when I've been working awhile and I spent all day yesterday working on this huge tear in the mainsail. And I slept on it funny. It's not a big deal really, I'm used to it. Thanks for asking though Selvis." She turned back to her work, still working left pawed. Her attention turned to her fellow martin, but she didn't quite look at him as he explained the tents as she didn't wish to prick her own paw.
"Would you... want to maybe share a tent with me?"
Her eye's flew up to his, knowing he meant exactly what he said but..
"Ow!" In her surprise she had done what she tried to avoid, pricking her paw in the lapse of attention. Popping her bleeding appendage into her mouth she cast a glance at Selvis, knowing that he would have every right to tease her... Removing her paw she stuck her tongue out at the older stripling;
"I know I know... Now I'M the pincushion..." She rolled her eyes at her jest before turning back to Caden, regarding him with a careful before responding, in equally low tones.
"I would appreciate that Caden, though I think I'll need to find time to talk to Carrow alone while we are land. Goodness knows it's impossible on the ship." Elle turned back to her sowing work before realizing she was slightly round about in her answer. Without turning from her work, she said;
"That means yes, I would like to share the tent with you Caden."
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Miri rolled her eyes at her friends playful foolishness, but obediently "shoo'd" off to find something else to fill her time with, making a beeline for the golden furred blacksmith who was loading up with a block and tackle set to tackle the climb upwards.
"Jal Calone, if you've another of those-" She pointed to set hanging from his back. "-I'd be more than happy to race you."
Luxe glanced over his shoulder as his name was called out, and couldn't help but grin at the weasel Jill. It would never do to tell her that they may be a bit heavy for her to carry.
"Course we have more to be carried, here." He lifted a block and tackle set attached to a rope that he had put together for his second climb. Grinning, Miri swiftly looped the rope around and settled it comfortably. Quirking an eyewhisker in challenge, she readied herself to run to the cliff face. Returning her challenging smirk, he began counting;
"One, two- Hey!" Laughing Miri was off and beginning to scale the cliff. Being so close to a good fight had made her feel lighter than she had since she got on the ship. Plus Luxe was a such a gentlemammel she could simply say she needed the head start and he wouldn't say anything about it...
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