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Post by spender on Apr 23, 2011 16:50:58 GMT -5
Molly was flabbergasted. She resisted the urge to push Ocean away and slap him across the face—if she was going to get sense into him, it'd have to be through words. The hard way.
"I really think he'll see the good in you," she said. "But whether or not you're a threat is up to you. Why in 'Gates wouldn't you tell him you can keep it under control? Why would you just let your situation spiral into hopelessnes without even trying? You... stupid jacks! If you're not thinking with your stomach, it's something else, and if it's not that, then I don't know what it is, because it's never your brains!"
She stared sternly down at him. What a wreck!
"There's no reason to take it out on Willard, either. That's not how crews work. He wasn't ratting you out, he was explaining to the Captain that he'd lied to an officer—and from what I gather, he'd lied to protect you. For all I know, that lie of his could be why you're here now instead of out on your ear six months ago. How long was it? And no incidents since then? Isn't that proof enough, don't you think, that you won't be a threat? I'm sure Laddy just wants to... evaluate you! Like I said, if he was going to discharge you, he would have done so before he let you join this operation. If he didn't trust you, why would he have picked you over the other two dozen crewbeasts who wanted to come?" And hopefully it wasn't because he was nervous of leaving you on the ship... Molly snickered for a second. Or maybe it was to stop you from strangling that Willard...
Sticking her tongue out playfully, she flicked his ear.
"Now... either you can come with me back to the group on your footpaws, or I'm going to sling you over my shoulder and haul you back like a sack of potatoes. You have until three. Ooooone... twooooo..."
Marten kept himself to himself for the time being, letting the striplings mingle alone for their break. He hid himself slightly behind a scraggly tree, tapping rocks together over a pawful of grass. While posessing a few ragged cigars, he had been careful to relieve himself of any matches while on the ship, and didn't feel the need to ask anybeast else if they had one now.
With the cigar lit, he leaned against the tree and closed his eyes, letting his muscles relax after that pull.
His muscles relaxed; his mind did not. When at last he could take it no longer, he moved off and waded into the shallows of the ocean, staring intently at the water. To anybeast else, it would seem he was simply watching the little fish flit about. But that hardly explained why he was grinding his cigar in his teeth and why his eyes were glimmering with moisture.
And back up on the hill, Keinruf plodded away from the group readying the cannon and other things. He hadn't helped with the lifting; he sneered to himself at the thought that the mouse was probably stronger than him by this point. It was probably true.
Everybeast was dying. The only difference, in Keinruf's opinion, was that for everyone else, it was called living, and they eventually got to the end. He never did. His end was so far behind him, his body had forgotten it hadn't actually happened, and seemed to assume that it had. Weren't wounds supposed to heal with time? It felt like he was just constantly degrading, decomposing...
Being immortal was so frustrating sometimes.
The Captain said the town wasn't far, but he couldn't see it yet. Maybe past these trees...
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Post by Ladorak on Apr 23, 2011 23:32:56 GMT -5
Caden was reminded a bit of the things he'd never be able to experience. Things like letters from home, because his current ship of service was his home. He couldn't even really write to Elle anymore, because Elle was only a few feet away from him. There was just no getting around it. Mother dead, and his uncle was such a slouch he'd never write.
For a brief moment, Caden remembered the portrait of his mother that he'd left at home, and briefly wanted to have it in his paws... but shook that off. Stupid notion. Nostalgia for a beast he could barely remember. He had no mother... at least not one that would take responsibility.
He scowled, looking off to the side, but was brought out of his reverie by seeing Carrow reading his letter. Right... best to just let the mouse do his thing. At least he had a father figure in his life now, and one that cared about him. No more dwelling on the past. He gave the letter a passing glance, but waited for Carrow to be finished.
When the mouse pawed him the paper, the albino started to sweep his eyes back and forth to read what was written. He smiled a little, though there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, if only distant. Carrow had things to head back to in time. Who knew how long it would take, but they could at least count on coming home someday.
He raised his eyes to gaze at the pajamas that came out of the parcel, and gave them an amused look. "Well... they're certainly nice, and would probably feel better than constantly sleeping in your slops... or however you sleep." He stated, just in case Carrow actually had another way of sleeping.
At Carrow's mention of his present, Caden gave a chuckle. "Heheheh, well you better buy me something material this time, because if you promise me something you don't deliver on again..." He shook his head, and gave Carrow a playful pat on the shoulder. "Ahhh it's OK. No worries. Just pulling your tail. I mean I understand, we've been busy. Not a big deal at all. I can collect the Christmas one at my leisure." he said, giving the mouse a wink. "Good to know you've gotten a good letter, and a nice present though. We'll see how my Birthday goes in a few weeks I guess. So... you wanted to show me your package?" he asked, sitting back on the rock and leaning against the cliff side a bit now.
Everything about him was relaxed, and he didn't resemble the troubled marten he had been a few moments ago.
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The grison Quarter Gunner was smiling at Selvis's curiosity. It seemed a very uptight way of asking your superior officer why he was hanging around them, so Rivers decided to put the long tailed weasel at ease. "Don't worry... you aren't in trouble or anything." said, sniffing a little through a bit of a blocked nose. "I was actually right in front of you guys on the line, though since you were looking down, it was easy to miss me."
He sat securely in the sand, yawning a little as he looked up briefly to the cliff where a lot of sailors were still working. "I just wanted to see how everyone here was getting on. A concern for some of the gun crew under my watch in combat after all. Want to get to know you all a little better as well. The only time we really see each other is during combat after all, and even then I'm hanging back deciding where to point the four guns I command. Always wanted to talk to you fellows, and well, if luck will hold, I may even be training you on the guns someday too." he informed Selvis.
"Trying to aim for Gunner's Mate, I am, though that'll probably be still a ways off. There wasn't anything I wanted to ask you." he said, chuckling now at Selvis's straight forward question. "Though I guess if you insist... how are you all getting on?" he asked again, leaning back and resting on his forepaws.
Selvis's mention of Ladorak's duty made him think of the unusual circumstances. A naval Captain leading both Army and Naval forces in a land combat. He supposed there were stranger things out there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ocean looked down at the sand. So many grains... and she was demanding why he was letting things go so out of control. Because what hope did he really have? If he were discharged, he faced humiliation in front of his friends. A career that would probably be ruined, and no home to go back to.
He glanced up at her, sighing in resignation as she threatened to carry him back. He was thinking of bolting for it, but she still had her paws on him. "Fine. FINE!" he stated, bowing his head in defeat. "I'll go back... but I'd rather just work away from people I know for now... if it's all the same to you." he shoved his paws in his pockets, and pushed forward, walking around her down the beach, but back in the direction of the landing.
"Look... I hate Willard alright? He's the reason I'm even in this mess in the first place! The Captain only SUSPECTED before Willard wrote him. And now he knows... now he knows that I'm a threat. And you want to know why I've been fine these past six months? Because we haven't fought a battle since then. I only get jumpy and... in need of certain things after combat it seems... all the flashes of the gun muzzles going off around me I guess... I don't know. I'm fine otherwise. And I'm sure it'll happen again once we open fire on the city. The only difference of course is that I can get away with it here... being on land and all." he said, rolling his eyes.
"I probably should've mentioned that earlier, but just wait. Next battle comes around... I have no idea what I'll do. Oh I could tell him I could control it sure... but can I really? What if it happens again? I couldn't control myself last time, despite how hard I tried. And Willard had to go and rat me out. That's exactly what he did. You can't call trying to protect your own tail by ratting someone else out as noble, or even something to forgive one over. That's about as noble as me telling the Captain that it was say... Caden or Carrow who dove into that match tub, when it was really ME." he said, jabbing a claw at himself.
He stopped as they started to be surrounded by faces and fur and paws again, the unloading still going on in this sector. He looked about him, as if lost, though he wasn't. "I don't know what I'm going to do. Don't really have a lot of hope now because I just don't know if I can control myself next time. At first it worked... but I gave in. Stupid urges only spring up under certain conditions... and then they get really hard to combat." he murmured, still looking about him with a stony, serious expression on his face.
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Post by Carrow on Apr 24, 2011 9:19:56 GMT -5
"I shall have to try them out tonight, I reckon," Carrow replied, smiling a little. "And yes, Caden, I can imagine that these would feel better than my slops. I usually sleep in those, so it'll be nice to change things for once. Some habits of mine haven't changed, mind... for instance, I'm still using that spiralling watch of yours as much as I ever was. I've become very used to helping myself sleep with it, even if I could probably rest without it. I've gotten into a kind of routine with it, and it's not one I can see myself breaking, at least not for a while. It's still as helpful as it ever was. Thanks again, Caden," he told his marten friend gently.
"You're right, it was a good letter. Does my heart good to hear from her again... though I feel I must admit something. I haven't, well, seen her for a year, and I have a rather strange idea about trying to meet her again so we could catch up on things a little better. I realise the chances of us ever being able to this whilst I'm on land are probably slim to none, but it's something I want so desperately I'd do absolutely anything to make it work. I'm sure you know how that feels," he murmured, sighing a little in contentment as he got a little bit more comfortable. For the first time in years, nothing seemed to be troubling the mouse at all. He was the happiest he'd could ever remember being, surrounded by great friends and simply unwinding for a while. The rodent was at peace with himself, and he noticed his companion looking quite content as well.
Life was good. He wasn't anxious or upset over anything. Sure, he was still tired, but that wasn't exactly new. Years of feeling almost permanently exhausted really did a number on a creature, but Carrow had just learned to pawdle that as best he could. "After all, I saw you when you met Elle again in Naples last year. You were absolutely thrilled to see her." It was a good thing Selvis was unable to hear his mouse companion... but Carrow didn't go too much into things even as they were. Instead, he changed the subject, smiling at Caden's playful comment, and also the reassuring pat on the shoulder. If it hadn't been one of his best friends talking like that, the mouse would probably have taken the mock disappointment at face value, but he knew that his marten friend was only, as he put it, pulling his tail.
"Yes, far too busy for anything of that sort, which is quite a shame. I don't know if I want to call that a delayed Christmas present anymore in all honesty - more like an extra birthday present." He chuckled now. "Maybe if I could fit that in around the same time, it could serve that purpose too, you never know. Ad for what I'll actually be getting you for it, I have a few things in mind. I know how much you like your books after all, but I have other ideas too. I may ask Selvis and Elliot for their input... though I do in fact know what our long-tailed companion will get you if he has the opportunity to pick it up." Now it was the turn of Carrow's playful side to show itself. He'd been discussing things with Selvis, alright, and the weasel had made what in his mouse friend's opinion was an inspired choice. "I did indeed want to show you this, and see what you thought, but also I just wanted to talk with you like this because we haven't done so in a while. What do you think of life on board the ship now?," he asked, smiling, tail curling around his footpaws as he yawned slightly, looking up at the sky, completely relaxed.
--
"Oh, I never thought that," Selvis responded honestly, rubbing the back of his neck now in a slightly sheepish manner. His eyebrows rose slightly when the grison revealed to them where he had been on the line. "Oh so THAT's where you were. Can't believe I didn't spot that, though I s'pose it can't be helped. I was concentrating rather intently on the task at paw, after all. Forgive me if I seem a little ruffled, sir. I'm just coming to terms with things... in particular something about myself I'd never had the chance to notice before this morning. It's kind of embarrassing, actually, if you look at it in a certain way... and well..." The weasel coughed nervously. "It seems it was rather visible as well."
Selvis was inwardly hoping the grison would take interest and enquire about what it was Selvis looked agitated about, so he could bring it out into the open and get it dealt with. He wouldn't even have minded if not for the fact that he'd been serving on a ship for almost ten months and then reacted in that manner the first time he got into a boat. "I should very much like to serve under you, one day, sir. You seem very friendly, from what I've seen of you, and I quite like that. I wish you the best of luck with your ambitions. Aiming for eventual Ship's Corporal myself - though I don't think you'd pin that down as my preferred choice from just looking at me," he quipped, smiling. For such a gentle creature, Selvis had a slight commanding streak in him. It had never really come out, at least not in front of his friends.
"I'm doing quite well though, thank'ee. It's been a busy morning, but an enjoyable one." He ran his paws through the sand, smiling. "I really like the fact that so many diferent creatures did their part to get that sledge up the hill. Teamwork is the best thing about all this; we may all just be cogs in a wheel, but when we all work together, the wheel turns and starts going somewhere. It's been good to be on land for a while. I'd forgotten what sand felt like under my paws, actually. It's been at least two years since I've been able to go to the beach or anything like that." He couldn't help but notice Rivers's yawn. "Tired, sir?," he enquired, smiling a little. He knew the grison wasn't the only one: a certain rodent friend of his was definitely in need of some downtime, which was why he was glad they all had some time out.
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Post by Ladorak on Apr 24, 2011 23:09:17 GMT -5
Caden gave a silent "you're welcome" to Carrow, mouthing the words as the mouse thanked him for his help. He most certainly didn't mind, and knew that that trinket must be a regular thing for him each night. He had a number of confessions to make too regarding the mouse's... talent, but he was going to keep those under wraps for now.
"Well... yeah of course I was happy to see her." Caden said when he brought up Elle. "I mean, it's always good seeing someone you haven't seen in a long time. I'm just glad I have Ladorak around constantly. As for my present... I'll be looking forward to receiving both then I guess. Can count as late Birthday if you want. No problem in all honesty. I was thinking... for your Christmas present though... maybe we could wait till the Orion. I'm a little self-conscious after all, and I'll admit that." he said, chuckling now. "That way, if someone DOES see us, well chances are I'd never see them again in a few days, heheh." he said, his eyes sparkling a bit.
"So Selvis is getting me something good you say? Too bad you can't spoil it." he said, smiling and looking down as he twirled his claw on the rock he was sitting on.
"So... I'm curious. What's this big plan of yours Carrow?" he asked, still leaning back and giving the mouse a smile. "How do you plan to see her this year?" he asked, rather interested in hearing what his rodent friend had to say, and what he had come up with.
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Rivers laughed a little at the weasel's question. "Well... yes. I'm looking forward to crawling into my tent tonight early and sleeping for a very long time. At least NOW we can get eight STRAIGHT hours of sleep, instead of four sleeping, four awake, and then four sleeping again. That's going to be a nice switch, I must admit." he said, smiling as he looked up at the cliff again.
"Thank you Seajack Frenata, for your kind wishes. Not everyday I get them after all. Good luck on your quest to become a Corporal as well. It would seem to suit you." he said, giving the weasel an honest look.
"I'm afraid I wasn't in your boat though. So what exactly has you so... 'ruffled' as you put it?" the grison Quarter Gunner asked, frowning a bit now. "You see, I wasn't in your boat, so I missed what happened this morning. What did occur?" he queried.
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Post by Carrow on Apr 26, 2011 15:39:50 GMT -5
Carrow nodded his approval of his pine marten companion's suggestion. "Oh, that sounds just fine to me. I appreciate you even making that suggestion, in fact. By the time we're away in June, well... I'll hopefully have had some opportunities to practice by then. You couldn't really be expected to know this from how much I talk about it, but I've actually never performed an induction. Not one. So if you were my first there'd be a lot more chance that something might go wrong - say my confidence in my own ability might desert me at the last minute, for instance. If I don't do anything beforepaw to make sure that doesn't happen and spoil your present, it'll be terrible for me. In a way, you've given me more time to get things right. Thanks again, matey." the rodent responded softly, smiling at his friend.
"For now, I just need to find a suitable subject... I'll get to work on that. That is of course unless you want to volunteer?," he enquired mischievously, winking at Caden. "All I know is I'll definitely have time to do something with that while we're here. Selvis has always been fascinated with that. I might ask him as well. We'll see," he murmured. "As for you being self-conscious, well, I'd honestly prefer that too. I'll admit that me trying to hypnotise somebeast would look rather odd from afar," the mouse conceded, rolling his eyes, the smile still on his face. "So I'll save that until we depart on board the Orion in a few months time, sure. Makes no difference to me so long as we can still go through with it at some stage."
The field mouse's own eyes sparkled as he heard Caden mention his weasel companion's present. "It is indeed a shame I can't say anything about it, but I think it's better I keep his choices under wraps, because well, he's narrowed it down to a number of things, and each of them will sound even better if they're presented as complete surprises. Who doesn't like being surprised like that?," he asked rhetorically, tail swishing behind him. "In hindsight I'm sure you'll thank us for doing this." He fell silent a moment as Caden brought up the rodent's idea of meeting Archie. There was something about it that felt indescribably wonderful to the mouse, but at the same time he knew quite well that it would be difficult to pull off.
"Truth be told, Caden, I haven't planned anything yet. From where I am now, I can't begin to fathom how I would manage it. The logistics would be very complex after all. For one thing, I would need to know precisely where we'd be for a number of days at a certain point this year, and I obviously don't. Maybe I shall ask to speak with the Captain and enquire as to our course over the remainder of the year, because from here it's as clear as mud. All I know for certain is that we're off participating in that fleet battle in June. Otherwise, colour me completely clueless. I'd need to know in advance... I'll work on it, though. Something else I'm sure of is that I'll do absolutely anything to see her this year... for a number of reasons. There are certain things I need to ask her, you see," he revealed.
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Selvis's blue eyes lit up as he heard Rivers mention that they'd be getting extra sleep now they were on land. "Ah, yes, of course! I'd completely forgotten about that, in all honesty. I had thought that there'd be some new arrangement now that we're here, but I didn't realise that was to be it! Eight straight hours every night for next however-so-long we're taking part in this siege? Certain creatures I know are going to be very happy with this because I don't think they've been made aware of this yet. Thanks for letting me know, sir!," he exclaimed softly, smiling. "It's felt like quite a long day so far, and I'm sure there's more to come, but I don't mind that at all. Now I'm simply looking forward to going to sleep tonight. Oooh, eight hours! I'd almost forgotten what that felt like!"
The smile remained on the longtail's face as the grison Gunner's Mate wished him good luck on his path towards becoming Corporal, though couldn't help but let his eyebrows rise a little in surprise as Rivers told him that such a position would seem to suit him. He rubbed the back of his neck with a paw in a slightly bashful manner, eyes twinkling a little. "Thank you, sir, and I shall do my best in the task. Im curious, though, why do you think that particular role would suit me? Other creatures would seem to agree, I have to admit; they've told me their reasons for thinking like that. I'd be interested in hearing what yours are though, sir. What's your opinion on it, then?," he asked curiously.
It was when the grison gave him a chance to go into what had happened to him on the boat earlier that morning, however, that the weasel blushed. He couldn't really help it, it was just that under the circumstances he was quite ashamed of what had occurred. "Well, sir, it's like this... that was my first time in a boat this morning, and I had thought that I'd be alright in it, but..." He coughed. "I wasn't. I don't know if you would call that seasickness or anything... but it's ironic that I'm so used to being on the ship at this stage, but when I'm in a boat I huddle up and try to keep my mind off the rocking and swaying... oh dear. I found it so soothing on the ship... but out there it was different. I didn't like that at all... and I'm not at all sure why," he finished, sighing a little. "It's just strange, I suppose."
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Post by spender on Apr 27, 2011 1:10:55 GMT -5
Molly could have laughed.
"You and me both, kiddo. You know... we're not so different. There's something about battle that brings out the worst in us, isn't there? And the best. When the cannons are firing and there's smoke in the air, and you can't think for the blood in your nose, or breathe without roaring..."
She gazed into the distance, tail poofing behind her. Without knowing, she was grinning, incisors peering out and tightening against her bottom lip.
"It's the Imperium in us, I think. Our ancestors were the wildest of the wild. Captain Ladorak may be descended from Badrang the Tyrant, but... Well, that's just civilization's take on one beast. If any of us true stoats became a leader, that's what they'd call us. Tyrants. Monsters." She sniffed. "We're just too beautiful for them. So here's what I'm thinking...
"When those cannons are firing, you think of something you hate. Think of Willard. Think of green beans. Think of seagull doings on your best sun hat. And whatever you do, don't lose yourself out there. Stay focused and mean. Just because you can get away with it doesn't mean you should. This is your test, your only test. You have one chance to prove that barrel was a fluke. Just one. And no matter how many handsome stoats are out there, no matter how drunk you get, no matter how much you think of putting a kipper in your jam and mustard sandwich, no matter how much it hurts not to cry when you think of him suckling on his blanket corner, you don't show it, and you prove to Ladorak—you prove to yourself—that you changed. Got it? Now excuse me... I need to see Miri about a battle axe."
Trotting away from Ocean, Molly waved both arms to catch the weasel jill's attention.
"Hallooooo!"
In the shallows, hardly anything stirred. Marten stood still, unbending as an oak—or perhaps a pine—and stared into the water. Once in a while the tip of his cigar would flake off, and the ash would drift down and cause the slightest of ripples.
Only once did he move; a violent, thrashing gesture, stomping his footpaw into the water as if kicking a fish. After this he remained still again, for a whole minute, until finally he took his cigar out and said, with an air of absolute authority, a single boisterous profanity. The word echoed somewhat across the water.
Unashamed, the pine marten sloshed his way back onto the beach and, after glancing briefly at the various groupings of striplings and other beasts, headed towards the activity surrounding the mortar to lend his help.
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Post by bookity101 on Apr 27, 2011 14:09:20 GMT -5
Elle had pulled her legs up so her chin was resting on her knee's, her eye's slightly glazed over as her thoughts turned to things not in her immediate vicinity. Peskers was still on the ship with Spender, otherwise she would have sought out her fellow jill in an effort to find out if she knew if she would be getting off the ship or not. If she did have to get off, she would have to make sure she drop a note to her every now and again because Spender most certainly would not do so. Elle watched as her friend continued talking... This guy would forever be talking to everyone he could, about anything. She smiled and rolled her eyes.... and her wondered why he ever worried about not being able to do a good job as a Corporal...
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Miri had been amusing herself by tossing her blades up in the air watching it spin, catch, repeat. Hearing her name called she caught the knife, handle first, before looking down. There was Molly, yelling and waving. Shaking her head. Waving back she called;
"You Coming Up!?"
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Post by Ladorak on Apr 27, 2011 20:15:25 GMT -5
Caden thought about that, noting of course that Carrow was quite nervous about even trying it out, because as usual, he was worried about messing up the whole process. "Well... if it makes you feel better, I'd say you're up to it." the marten said, giving the mouse a straight face.
"I uh..." he chuckled here, pausing from what he was saying as the rodent winked at him. "Well Carrow... I guess I wouldn't mind volunteering. I'm rather interested the more you talk about it. I know it sounds odd, since I'm your... intended 'target' anyway, but since it means that much to you, and you might have trouble finding volunteers, I wouldn't mind it." he said with a shrug, pushing himself off the rock that he'd been "camping" on.
"And fine... keep your secrets. I'll find out in a few weeks anyways." he said, grinning now.
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Rivers's face took on a look of concern. "How much water did you have to drink before you got into the boat?" he asked, looking up at the cliff. It seemed one of the Midshipjacks was calling for all beasts to begin heading up to the top of the hill again to start making camp. "Seems we're being summoned." He said, tapping Selvis and motioning to Caden and Carrow as well.
"Small boats leading to seasickness is it? A touch of the mal de mer as it were. Well there's a trick to that. If you're dehydrated, it'll make you sicker. It's best to down at least four cups of water if not five before you step into a small boat. Dehydration is a soldier's worst enemy, or so they say. Same goes for a sailor. It'll help you a lot, I guarantee it. Try it for yourself next time, eh?" he asked, giving the younger weasel a smile.
He was walking over to the path that led up now. "As for why I think you'll make a good Corporal, well long tailed weasels are pretty big beasts. You'd have the physical presence, that's for sure. And I've been watching you. We don't have much to do when not in combat, aside from taking care of the guns, so I've observed you shadowing the Corporals and Master at Arms. You seem cut out for the work." he gave the yellow belly furred weasel a nod.
Beside them, Caden was still chatting with Carrow. "I hear you on our destination, but that's half the fun to me. We go wherever we're ordered, and it could be anywhere, at any time. That's what makes the job exciting. We could be heading for the Western Mandates, or even the Eastern Mandates! Or back to Welkin, or who knows where?" he said, smiling as he walked along the path. His comrades had done a good job clearing the brush and boulders away, to make room for the sledges. It was a herculean task, but slowly and surely, they were getting it done.
"I'm sure even the Captain can't fully answer for you." the albino said with another chuckle. "We don't know... we just go. Though just you wait till Captain Fugate makes Admiral... then he decides where we go." this time it was the marten's turn to give the mouse a wink as they trudged upwards.
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Ocean listened to her words, and as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Maybe not about the Imperium thing. He doubted it was that. It was probably just more that his ancestors had a certain nature about them, and that was what was in him. Or his mother. His "mother".
She was right about the ancestors bit. He agreed with that. So think of something he hated? But to him, it almost seemed as if she were talking about herself there... and not him. Was she trying to convince Ladorak she'd changed? What for? He knew nothing of that. And... Ladorak was related to Badrang the Tyrant? That was news to him!
He couldn't really respond before she trotted away, and as he was still at the periphery of the landing zone, he probably could have turned and bolted down the beach, but he shoved his paws in his pockets, sighed, and regarded the hill with a resigned look. May as well head up...
Keeping his features straight, he began setting off, walking up the path on his own, keeping his paws shoved down into his pockets, as if he were out for nothing but a stroll on a nice Spring day.
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Post by spender on Apr 29, 2011 0:33:07 GMT -5
Molly retrieved her musket and bag of goodies from where she'd left them in the sand, slung them over her shoulders, barked an order at a random sailor to take the rest of her trunk up the hill, and finally glanced back up and cupped her paws around her muzzle.
"MIRI! DID YOU BRING A PICNIC BASKET?!"
Leaving her weasel friend to ponder the significance of such a random question, Molly threw herself at the cliff with such gusto that one might have thought she saw her fiance in the scraggy slopes.
She pondered: Where was Laddy? She hadn't spotted him after leading Ocean back... But it was a busy beach, and a busy hill, and a busy top-of-the-hill, for that matter. He was probably, therefore, busy.
Molly ascended and again waved at Miri.
"I forgot who was supposed to bring lunch," she said. "What a dreadfully populated area for a peaceful picnic, though, isn't it?"
She spotted the cannon, and immediately wondered if they mightn't be allowed to ride it towards the town. What was the weight of two well-shaped musteline jills compared to all that iron anyhow? The pulling crew would hardly notice a difference.
"Anyhow, I brought some of Laddy's wine in these canteens."
She patted her bag, which sloshed quietly.
"Where's the detective?"
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Post by Carrow on Apr 29, 2011 10:05:56 GMT -5
"Thanks, Caden," Carrow responded softly. "It does make me feel better. Actually, it means quite a lot to me that you've said that, because I've never properly done this before. I guess if there's one thing I need more than anything else, it's reassurance that things will go the way I'm expecting them to. I mean, I've been using self-hypnosis on and off for the last year - especially since you bought me that other watch - and it's been working very well indeed for me. Then again, I suppose I would be susceptible to it by now; Archie was fond of helping me sleep in that matter." He smiled a little at the recollection. "It's not even me putting myself down for once," he quipped, well able to poke fun at himself now that he felt his dark days were behind him, "it's just general nerves. Oh well - we have two months for me to try and overcome them, so I'll just do my best for you." That's that settled, he thought. I'm sure Caden won't mind so long as he gets his gift.
However, the pine marten's proposal came completely out of the blue and caused the mouse's eyes to widen considerably. He hadn't been expecting Caden to actually volunteer, but his suggestion was warmly received. Stretching a little, the rodent spoke again. "That's a capital idea, matey!," he exclaimed. "When you think about it, I would indeed have trouble finding others to 'try out' - as it stands I think you and Selvis are the only ones who even know about this hobby of mine - but since you're putting yourself forward I'd have no problem trying something out with you. We could give it a go as soon as possible if you want?," Carrow suggested, smiling. "I need to see what you're responsive to and what you're not - a bit more planning goes into an induction than you might think, y'know," he commented, smiling as he too stood up and began heading forward again, towards the hill.
Meanwhile, Selvis's mind was racing as he tried to recall what he'd had before they'd set off earlier that morning. "Well, sir, I have a morning routine that usually involves some coffee to help wake me up at the start of the day, though I usually have two cups of water afterwards to wash out the aftertaste." Here, he smiled. "You speak of possibly being dehydrated, but I can't really say I feel like that at the moment. I will admit I need a drink of some description, all the same." He'd stood up as soon as the Gunner's Mate had mentioned them being summoned. The weasel wasn't quite sure what they could be needed for, but since he was good at putting two and two together, he reckoned the next step involved establishing their base up top.
He could see his companions approaching and began to head for them at a steady pace, so Rivers could keep up. Their talk definitely wasn't finished, after all. "I'll keep that in mind for next time, sir, though thankfully I won't need to go back into a boat for a while yet." His pine marten and mouse friends were catching up with him at this point, but there was something the mustelid needed to address first. He had heard Rivers outline the reasons why he would make a good Corporal, and he had blushed slightly at receiving such compliments. He wasn't all that used to them, after all, and as he was still inwardly trying to regain a little more of the self-esteem he had lost, the praise caught him even more off guard. "Thank'ee, sir. I do what I can," he responded modestly, glancing back at Elle, who was keeping up but was her usual quiet self.
Carrow had noticed Rivers's beckoning paw. He merely smiled secretively at Caden's reference to his forthcoming birthday present. Between them, Carrow and Selvis had a number of different ideas up their sleeves. He felt his heart sink a little as the albino mustelid mentioned that Ladorak probably didn't fully know where they were headed this year. Damn it... bang goes my plan anyway. If I can't tell Archie where we're going because I don't know myself, it doesn't sound likely that we can meet. Outwardly, though, he merely shrugged, even if he was unable to mask slight disappointment. "Oh... he doesn't. Well, I didn't know that, so that throws a rather large spanner in the works. Well, I'll write to her about it anyway, and we can at least discuss things. I do rather enjoy all this travelling, at the same time."
"As well you should, mousey." Selvis's gentle voice sounded in the field mouse's ear. "Not too tired, are you? I noticed you were struggling a little earlier on, so that's why I'm asking." The rodent shook his head. He certainly felt a lot better for his brief rest. They started up the hill, and Selvis looked over at Caden, chuckling softly. "I've been thinking quite a bit about what I'm going to get you for your birthday - as you may or may not have heard from Carrow here," he was unable to keep from adding, "and I have it narrowed down to a few things." He had also considered the possibility of a joint present from Carrow and himself, whereby the mouse and weasel would pool their money together to buy something a little more expensive than usual for their good friend, and was definitely not going to discount that option. "So, are we setting up camp now or what?," he asked, smiling a little, tail swaying behind him in a contented manner. He was looking forward to that.
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