09:09 PM

Old 67th HQ: Dining Chamber
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This is the dining chamber of the 67th. It is rather simple in design. In it, there are two large, long tables, with equally long benches lining each side. These two tables are easily enough to accommodate the number of hares living here. Along the center of the table, candles are lit, as are torches, which line the walls.
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                  Visible Exits:
[M]ain [I]ntersection    [K]itchen

CRASH! The scuttling and sliding of boots on wet stone issues from the kitchen, as well as further loud crashes, and plaintive yells that sound distinctly like good old Jabilo. Presently, a bit of water leaks out from under the kitchen door and into the dining chamber, raising a few eyebrows here and there. "Who's jolly well gotten into it -this- time..?" someone muses quietly, as something of a hush falls over the room.

A old hare, named Bramble looks at the door for a moment and shakes his head.  "Young 'un's.  Always trying ta nick food, wot."  Moving back to scraping his bread around his bowl.  "Wasn't like that in my day, wot."  Another old hare turned his head around.  "Oh sure.  I remember how y' used ta be a bally rotter ta the kitchen staff here when this place was built."  Moving his ears in a twirl, the old hare snorted.  "Oh that's just history now, doncha know.  We're on about here and now, wot."

Bobbie watches the kitchen entrance while she spoons soup into her mouth. "I don't envy 'em, whoever they are. Chef's deadly with that ladle, y'know. Y'can hear it now, 'n all." The officer leans out of her seat, trying to peer through the cracks in the doors.

Artigo looks at the kitchen door, grinning.  "Ah... memories... I remember this one time when I had just joined the good ol' Long Patrol..."  He chuckles, telling the story to a nearby hare.

The door to the kitchen is suddenly nudged open by Jabilo's shoulder, and the stricken hare backs out of the disaster area as quickly as he can, a birage of 'weapons' in paw - scones piled atop a towel - which he periodically chucks in at the cook, who is ducked behind a counter, bellowing away. "This is the last day ye'll see daylight fer some time, ye lad! Argh! Ye'll be scrubbin' vegetables from now 'til death, I tell ye!" Unfortunately, 'ye lad' is running out of ammunition, and presently the cook exits from her hiding place, charging towards him. A high yip of surprise exits Jabilo and, dropping the rest of the scones, he looks around frantically, whimpers a bit, and then throws all he has left - the towel. It lands innocently upon a stove top, and slowly begins to smoke. Not noticing this in his terror, Jabilo turns around, runs, and makes a sweeping dive beneath a table, with the cook at his heels.

Bramble looks over to the youngster and wrinkles his nose.  "I suppose I'd better go stop it before the cook really does harm him."  He slowly begins to get up but is stopped by the hare beside him.  "Leave it ta the majah's, sah."  Bramble sits down and looks at the apple pie that has been placed in front of him and nods.  "Aye, ya right."  He tucks into the dessert heartily.

Artigo wipes tears from his eyes as he laughs hysterically, watching Jabilo's epic battle with the enraged cook. The Major's eyes follow the towel as it sails through the air, and his laughter abruptly ends as smoke begins to rise.  "Oh no..."  He starts to get up as the towel goes up in flame, igniting some wooden kitchen parephernelia lying around the oven.

Bobbie casts about for a jug of water. There's none about. She trips over the end of her bench and spins about, looking anxious. "Water! Who drank all the flippin' water?! Someone find a jug.."

Bramble gets up now, his aging joints crying out in pain and winces.  "Alright!  Alright!  No need ta get all hype up!  Someone go find some water from elsewhere in the place.  Others go get some brooms so that we can try and beat the fire out, wot!"

Artigo bounds up from the table, grabbing his drink glass.  Only a little bit of water left in it... He sprints into the kitchen and tosses it on the fire, though it fails to put any flame out at all.

The bench squeaks over the floor as Bobbie jumps free, knocking it sideways. "Fat lot of good this is doin'! It's spreadin' too far." She ventures to the kitchen doorway only to start coughing, the smoke rising and leaking out. "Somebeast help me shut the doors..."

Unfortunately, a neatly folded pile of dish cloths sitting beside the wooden parephernelia go up, as well. Unfortunately, that's not all. The wooden cabinets above begin to smolder, as well. "Someone get water! We need water!" Such helpful yells from such well-meaning hares, but no one's really sure what to do. Least of all Jabilo as he exits from the other side of the table, his eyes wide and his mouth open in shock. "I.. I..." Shaking his head in disbelief that he's caused all of that, the healer hare stumbles back a few steps and into the wall, where he leans in shock.

Bobbie waves a paw at Jabilo. "Get help, or water, or anythin'!" The officer hack-coughs again and moves back from the doorway. "Is the cook still in there?" she shrieks suddenly.

Bramble grabs a ladle from a empty soup bowl and hits the table a few times.  "Alright.  Those of ya that can't fight this thing, get the leverets out now.  The majah's, arrange some of ya troops ta go search the dormitories for water.  Quickly now!"  Turning around he looks into one of the bowls on the table, seeing some soup still left in them.  "Alright, check all bowls ta see if any of ya left any soup ta bally throw on the thing."

While the Dining Hall descends into noise and chaos, smoke is starting to leak out in earnest from the kitchen, and the heat rises with it.

With a gruff little shake of her head, the cook clears her throat and eases Bobbie's worry. "Nah, marm! I'm right here. Chased the little blighter out before it started badly..."

Artigo shakes his head. "This isn' gonna work! We should just get everyone out of here now! It's getting too big to fight at all!"

Bramble nods his head.  "I agree."  Walking up to where Artigo is.  "Arrange it will ya.  Make sure the rest of the place is searched for anyone."  The old hare frowns slightly at Jabilo with a look of.  'We need to have a chat later on.'  Before turning to the others and shouts.  "Alright, leave it and get out.  Come on, move ya tails unless ya want ta be roasted."

"If we shut the kitchen off at least we could slow it down a bit," Bobbie suggests, ducking down to avoid the smoke. "Door's hotting up, though."

Bramble ponders with a mutter.  "Hope no one was in the cellars."  Looking for the cook he coughs and makes his way over to him.  "Anyone else in that area, wot?"

Still a bit in shock, but his healerly side taking over, Jabilo hurries over to Bobbie, "Marm, I'll help you close 'em. Before they get any hotter, wot." He looks vaguely terrified that she'll smack him just as soon as look at him.

Reaching down and tearing strips from his pants, Jabilo quickly wraps them around his paws, tears some more, and holds them out to Bobbie, trying to be helpful. "Wrap these 'round your paws, marm!" Coughing, he ducks his head a bit.

Artigo nods, and turns around.  "I'll go get all the hares out of their dormitories and outside." He runs out the door and into the dormitory hallway, knocking on doors and yelling instructions to evacuate.

Bobbie does as Jabilo did and protects her paws. "Okay, lad, let's try. On three, we pull, an' try to keep your face down, avoid the smoke." She gingerly takes hold on side of the door. "One, two, /three/..!"

Bramble is busy making sure that those in the room are leaving in a orderly fashion.  "Alright.  Make sure ya report ta ya surperiors."  He blinks and calls out.  "Will someone get a troop and clear out our stores if we have ta leave here!"  The old hare thinking about afterwards and frowning on letting Artigo do that at the same time.  "Maybe he remember."  Muttering to himself as he moves some more past him outside of the dining chamber.

Doing as he's told, Jabilo takes hold of the door, the cloth not protecting him from feeling the terrible warmth. On three, he pulls with all his might, though it's a bit awkward whilst crouching down. Slowly, the door begins to pull shut, and a triumphant smile lights up the hare's face. "We're doin' it!"

Grinning along too, Bobbie huffs out her agreement. It's hard to breathe this close to the smoke, and her grin soon fades. "Bit more!" The doors grind almost shut, but the flames still crackle audibly on the other side.

Bramble shouts to the other two.  "Come on, out now.  That's a order!"  He froens as the last lot of hares are leaving teh smoked filled room and stands there waiting for them.

Sweating thoroughly now, as the flames lick on the other side of the door, Jabilo helps Bobbie shut the doors with a final burst of strength, and grind shut they do, with an audible groan. Smoke still pours from beneath and above the door, and Jabilo stumbles back, coughing. "Majah! You get outta here! I'll be righ' behind ye!" His eyes slide towards the doorway - though there's not an actual door in this one - to the cellar, which also has smoke exiting from it, now. "Go on, marm!"

Bobbie skips to the side of the door, glad to be out of the billows of smoke, although the rest of the air is slowly turning blue. "Come with me, quick!" She scampers towards where the others have exited, waving a paw behind her towards Jabilo.

Bramble is waiting for the two to get to him, not going to leave until the last hares have got out themselves.  Already he had replaced a damp cloth from some little water there was and breathes through it, although he coughs now and again.  "Come on, the doors bally shut.  Out now!"

Looking after Bobbie, squinting through the smoke, Jabilo crouches down, trying to avoid the smoke and, sparing one last glance for the major and Bramble, the hare dashes not towards them but away from them, and down into the smoke of the cellar, calling over his shoulder, "Get out! I'll join ye in a minute!"

Bramble blinks and frowns.  "What in the bally..  Thick headed, moth-balled."  He looks at Bobbie and nods for her to leave as he moves towards where Jabilo has gone.  "Get out, I *cough* deal with this."  The old buck vanishing himself, muttering some un-favourable words underneath his damp cloth.

Bobbie stops stock-still. "What the /blazes/ are you two doin'?!" she shrieks down the cellar stairwell. The smoke clouds in front of her and she finally stumbles towards the exit, rubbing her eyes and scorched face.

Bramble hears Bobbie's voice and frowns.  "Trying ta save some stupid young buck's life, that's wot."  He coughs again and fumbles about in the thick smoke, unable to see much and calls out.  "Jabilo!  Where the bally well are ya?  We don't have time for this foolhardy stuff, wot!"

Covering his mouth with his forearm, his eyes stinging with the smoke, Jabilo looks around quickly, spots what he needs, and gets to work. Grabbing up a blanket and wetting it down with what water supplies there are down in the cellar, Jab grabs at the quickly warming crates set about the storage area, picking out what he considers most essential - food stuffs tossed in the blanket and as many empty canteens as he can hang - by their straps - over his limbs. Finished, tying a knot in the blanket, he throws it over his shoulder. Hearing the voice of the elder hare, Jab turns, hurrying back to the cellar steps, calling up, "Doin' what I can, that's what! I'm comin' up!" With that, he trudges up the steps, burdened by what he carries and somewhat weakened by the smoke, but he makes it up.

Bramble meets Jabilo at the stairs and for the moment, he helps him get up and outside of the dining chamber, now full of smoke.  The old hare hacks and coughs not really used to this sort of punishment and fumbles his way outside where fresh air is abode and collapses onto his knees before having a coughing fit.

Bobbie launches away from the doorway now that the room's clear. She stumbles about Bramble, bleating hoarsely. "Get up, we have to get out! Now!" Her paws fumble for his in the smoke.

Bramble coughs and splutters.  "Name's Bramble, wot!"  His voice wheezing and he frowns.  "And we're bally outside already."  He does though allow the younger doe hare to get him up and staggers away from the billowing smoke and sits down on a log lying on the ground.  "Where's that Jabilo."  Coughing the words out one by one as the old hare takes deep breaths of fresh air.

Jabilo room-pages, "Bramble meets Jabilo at the stairs and for the moment, he helps him get up and outside of the dining chamber, now full of smoke.  The old hare hacks and coughs not really used to this sort of punishment and fumbles his way outside where fresh air is abode and collapses onto his knees before having a coughing fit.".

Bobbie rubs her stinging eyes. "We're outside, so we are," she coughs. "Oh, I feel like death." The Major tries to look around, still hacking away. "Jabilo, over there, I think?" She waves a vague paw, trying to prop herself up against a wall.

Stumbling out of the 67th, smoke pouring out from inside and into the fresh, afternoon air, Jabilo staggers to his knees much like Bramble, unloading himself of the large, blanketed parcel, as well as the various canteens he'd hung over his arms. With that, he manages to crawl forward a few more feet before falling over onto his back, coughing and laughing weakly at the same time. Apparently, he's insane. Eh heh.

Bramble slowly gets up and coughs.  Staggering over in the direction that Bobbie had given him, the old hare finally spots Jabilo lying on his back and hears the faint laughter, igniting the old hares anger even more.  Stopping to look down at him, he coughs and crosses his paws across his chest.  "Ya think it's funny?"  His voice showing some anger.

The Major retches. "S'alright for you to laugh, lad." She raises her voice as the crowd of evacuees grows and becomes noisy, milling out across the vicinity. "A brave fool's no better than an old fool!"

His giggling stopping dead, Jab rolls over on his side, a hare covered in soot hacking up his own breakfast. "Ungh.." Trailing off, he rolls away from the mess and lies once again staring up at the trees, his eyes streaming tears. "Not... funny... Just... jus'..." Trailing off, he breaks out into further giggles.

Bramble frowns.  "Just a bally stupid, thick-headed, ill-responsible thing ta do, that's wot."  He looks at Bobbie for a moment and then turns his head back.  "What were ya thinking, going into the kitchen during meal time, causing mayhem.  Are ya still a leveret, laddo as ya sure are acting like one back then."  The old hare coughs, clearing more soot from his lungs and continues.  "And don't think going rushing in ta get some supplies is gonna help either.  We wouldn't be in this problem if ya had some sensible head on those shoulders of yours."  He pauses and clears his throat again.  "I am going ta make sure that they hear my report on this and I hope that they ban ya from entering another kitchen ever again.  Ya put a lot of lives in danger here, maybe put ya in the cells for a while as well, wot."  Without saying another word the old hare storms off.

Bobbie spits soot, past caring now. "You're both as bad as each other, rushing 'round like heroes. You're /soldiers/. More fool me for thinkin' you'd take things like ORDERS," she snaps.

Some other hares are talking now.  "Wish they bally well get their heads together and work out what we're gonna do, wot.  Most of us aren't even armed and they're there arguing away."  The hare in question looks up and back again.  "Going ta get dark soon as well."

Sobered sufficiently by Bramble's words, Jab pulls himself up into a kneeling position, forepaws resting on his thighs. He looks after Bramble for a moment, and turns his eyes to Bobbie, shame-faced and looking for some sort of reprieve. "I wasn't getting anythin' for m'self... from the kitchen, that is. The cook wasn't around. 'Twas for a hare in the infirmary.. Just.. jus' had a hankerin' for something other than soup, donchak now? I didn't -mean- for this t' happen, marm, I swear it.. swear it on my mother's -soul-.."

The Major rolls her eyes. "Settle down, settle down, I'm sure. No use goin' over it." Bobbie huffs and doubles back on her speech. "Looked like you were flippin' well sneakin' about the kitchen to /me/, though."

Bramble stops and holds his chest before coughing again, the chest rattling in his ribacge as he spits out black soot and mutters and barks some orders for some hares not that affected by the smoke to go in search of water with the water canteens, Jabilo had brought out, then goes to sitting down onto the floor, his back against the bark of a tree and closes his eyes for a moment.  "Ta old for this..."

"That cook doesn't listen.. She took one lookit me an' started whackin' at me with that bally ole ladle of hers.. What was I t' do, if not run..?" Trailing off, he falls into another coughing fit, spitting out what he can before stumbling up to his feet. "I need to go check on the hares brought out from the infirmary..." Traling off, he looks around hopefully. "Ya believe me, doncha? Anyhare would've done the same.." Looking around, he spies unhappy glances on most sides and wanders off, dejected.

Bobbie stands with her paws folded across her chest, watching Jabilo for a moment. She shakes her head, and, as the crowd about her becomes more rowdy, she seems to become aware of what's going on. The Major sets off to find her patrol, dragging her weary footpaws.