11:35 PM

Apple is browsing the stores and vendors trays as she wanders along the street, she's left her spear behind in the inn and is carrying a basket in one paw, waddling along stopping to talk to merchants every now and then

Jarril is minding his own business as he makes his way down the main street, paws behind his back as the hare is clearly showing signs that at the moment he doesn't wish to be disturbed..  Looking up, he see's the Tavern again and frowns before stopping and looking at something else instead to keep his mind from certain matters.

Sieve drops the paw onto his pack, and uses his free hand to sand it as he holds it down with his footpaw.

Apple is moving closer to the where the squirrel is sanding his paw, her basket is half full of various fruits and other oddments and the badger is looking alot happier then she did when she first arrived in town.

Sieve looks up, and says, "'Ello, madam."

Brom comes strolling in from the eastern square, glancing to the other beasts that wander in. He tips his hat to apple as he approaches her and says, "G'Afternoon Apple" before nodding to Sieve.

Apple turns her head and smiles at the otter nodding to him then looks back at the squirrel "Hello there youngun, pleasent day for a shop ye knoo"

Sieve nods, and grabs the wooden c-shaped paw. He screws it back in, and says, "I'm Sieve. You?"

Apple blinks as she watches him screw the paw on but refrains from looking at it and holds out her free paw "Apple Northstar, from Mapleleaf."

Brom pauses to listen quietly, watching as the squirrel screws it in again and then glances elsewhere

Sieve shakes it with the wooden paw. "Mapleleaf, eh? I've heard of that place. Last I heard some place, Rustygate, or somethin', is plannin' an attack o' some sort. Heard it from another squirrel, who came down from the area last week on his journey south.

Vansinnig nearly stumbles out of the tavern, pulling some borrowed sheet about his shoulders, squinting into the cold, sea-swept winds of salt. Breath misting, he steps out onto the light snow, frowning as pain twitches over his arms, legs, and back. Especially the back. Snarling slightly, he pulls himself over to the wall of the tavern, pulls out a bottle of whiskey, uncorks it with his teeth, and guzzles the firey liquid, before lowering and staring about at the beasts. Pregnant lady, some disabled squirrel, that one otter, and.....Wow, that hare looks awfully familiar. He heaves into the cold, not bothering to move much, hoping Jarril hadn't seen him. Just what he needs right now. A hare of Salamandastron recognizing him.

Apple freezes in place at the squirrels words, her basket hits the ground with a thud spilling its contents across the street "Ruingate....are going to attack the town..." she just stands there eyes wide in shock "No....we have to warn them do they know? We can't stand against Ruingate....the town would be flattened..." she sways on her paws looking faint

The hare from Salamandastron does meet the gaze of Vansinnig but instead of immediately going into action, Jarril just shrugs and turns to move to look at some stall instead, paws clasped behind his back.

Brom desides to go ahead and keep walking on.

Sieve says, "Don' Worry, he told another squirrel 'bout it, when he was near mapleleaf, to try and get it down the vine, 'cause he has urgint business down south, by, erm... that uh...churchy place, by redwall. He travelled by ship."

Vansinnig frowns, then grins. Well, he ain't Darklett, that's for sure. Shrugging, he grunts and stays where he is. On a bitterly cold day, however, it just doesn't work. He's not one to really start conversations with random people, though, so he simply clumps around a bit. "Ruddy cold. Blasted winter. Miss the South." He hmms into the cold, then flicks a glance at Jarril again. It dawns on him. It was the Major he had tried to kill. Ooooh, awkward. Well, since he's in the neighborhood........He moves towards the hare. "Hmmm, cold today," he grunts in a sort of greeting.

Apple nods and bends over to start picking up her items and wincing as she can't quite bend that far due to her current state "Oh...well thats good and uhm Redwall is east from here...about a season away if you walk."

Jarril twitches an ear and turns around before muttering back to Van.  "Well, it is the time of the season for the cold winds ta come from the sea."  Turning his head back again he nods to someone managing the stall and turns his head to the side slightly.  "So I heard ya on the quest ta becoming a goodbeast again?"

Sieve says, "Oh, he ain't walkin'. He's got this huge eagle, who he's friends with, to carry him."

Apple says, "Oh well thats nice" she has the basket in her paws again but looks down "Could you uhm..maybe help me pick those bits up? I can't quite bend that far""

Sieve nods, and gathers them up with his real right paw, and puts them in the basket. "If it wouldn't be too rude, who's the father?" He nods towards her belly.

Vansinnig frowns at this, then sighs. He sips from the bottle. "Goodbeast is a term a definition really." The red badger grunts again. "While we're on th' subject, I wanted ta.........apologize." It seems almost dragged from him. He quickly swigs from bottle, as if to wash the word from his mouth.

Apple smiles softly and takes the squirrels paw and places it on her stomach, he can feel the baby kick softly "His name was Ralai...he died a few weeks before i left Mapleleaf"

Sieve raises hsi eyebrows. "What was the cause?"

Jarril blinks. "What for?  War isn't a gentlebeast's game, ya had ya job and I had mine and so there isn't anything ta apologise for."  The hare pauses for a moment and looks at Van.  "Unless ya going ta mistrust a friend who believes ya can come good now by murdering someone in a place that's peaceful.  Nah, ya don't have anything ta apologise for but if it makes ya feel better then apology accepted, wot."

Apple says, "It...was...an accident friend Sieve...a tree fell on him""

Sieve says, "I'm very sorry. It must have been tragic." He /would/ know, as he;s had his own share of tragedies, the paw only one of them.

Apple nods and smiles sadly "Aye...seems my life is fraught with tragedy at the moment, Me father and home was burnt out by pirates, then the ship i escaped on sunk and i was the only survivor, then my new mate dies, and then i lost my hare companion too"

Vansinnig growls low, but it's not sure if it's directed at Jarril or not. "Bah. I've killed in peace times afore. I jus' thought it were appropriate, ya unnerstand." He guzzles at the bottle again, then sighs into the cold air. "An' war, aye...D'ya enjoy it?"

Jarril ponders for a moment and shakes his head.  "No, not really...  But it's something that has ta be done from time ta time and I have a job ta do until I decide not ta do it anymore that is."

Vansinnig snorts. "Th' way I see it, it were indeed necessary. An' I can't say I dis'gree wi' Daclon's methods, bu'...." He shrugs. "Bu' I wanted t' know.....Was Dark promoted? Zeraph dodged th' question."

Surprisingly, Jarril frowns on that name and nods his head.  "Aye, he made it ta majah rank, what good it will do however."  Picking up an apple the hare inspects it before handing over a coin and bites into it, anything to say more that he may regret.

Vansinnig grips the bottle. "Really...." He frowns. "An' ya have yer doubts, don't ya." It's not really a question. "Why were he promoted? I'm curious."

Jarril swallows and shrugs.  "Don't know, ya have ta ask Colonel Zoe that question."

Sieve shakes his head. "Aye, I've had my share of tragedies too. First my fmaily is killed by sickness, then my pet frilled lizard runs away, and then during the earthdance, and tree falls on me, a hawk rips off me paw, and I'm nearly shredded like bread by two foxes."

Vansinnig lifts a brow at that. "Who's Zoe?"

Apple smiles at Sieve and begins to walk along the street stopping at the stall next to him to buy some fabric "Ahhhh that is a sad tail my friend, i am sorry to hear that"

Jarril replies.  "The colonel that promoted him, probably ended up doing something or other ta impress the higher ups."

Sieve says, "Yes. Oh, and one thing I forgot. Recently I found that lizard that ran away, an' 'e tried to murder me."

Apple looks up at Sieve and blinks "What lizard?"

Sieve says, "The frilled pet one, that ran away."

Vansinnig rubs his snout. "Well, it ain't that important." He stares into some vendor's window, without focus. "I w's kinda curious, is all. I jus' wanted ta know what merited such...advancement."

Apple says, "Oooh right...why would it try to attack you if it was your pet?" she puts the fabric in her basket and turns back to look at the squirrel"

Jarril doesn't reply to that one at all and bites into his apple again.  Looking away the hare looks at something but returns his gaze and shrugs.

Sieve says, "It ran away, then I found it, and it tried to strangle me. Apparently it had been listening to some toads in the marshes south of salamandastron."

Apple says, "Ahhhh i know those marshes, i camped out on their fringes for three weeks before going to Mapleleaf in the summer, they are not nice""

Vansinnig sighs again, then tears his eyes away from the window. "It's cold and m' wounds 're annoyin' me. I think I'll go." He glances back at the tavern. "Perhaps we'll see each other again, hm."

Jarril nods.  "Aye and well, be careful..."  He looks at the badger now not saying anything else before returning back to looking at the stalls again.

Apple yawns and looks over at the hare and waves her paw noting his rank "Good day Major"

Jarril nods his head back.  "Good day ta ya."

Apple asks, "How are things between here and the mountain? the contryside and all that""

Sieve notes Jarril, and says, "Good day, one-eyed haremajor."

Jarril replies back.  "Well, still dangerous until either one side wins or the other whenever the final battle will come.  Then I don't know if this place would be safe when that happens, but who can tell?"  Shrugging.

Apple nods and frowns "Hmmm this is not good news Major....i can hardly return to Mapleleaf if these rumours of trouble from Ruingate are true....and i can hardly stay here if the place is threatened"

Jarril simply replies back.  "Should've gone ta the abbey then, that place usually enjoys a lot of peaceful times."

Apple shakes her head "I came here specifically to have a look at the mountain, i have an invite to have a look around from your Colonel Zoe."

Jarril blinks.  "Not thinking on moving in are ya?"

Apple chuckles and shakes her head "Oh heavens no....but what Badger doesn't dream of seeing the Mountain, i'm a scholar and a historian, the chance to have a look at the Mountain of the Long Partrol was too much of a golden oppurtunity to pass up."

Jarril nods.  "Well, have fun, but if ya excuse me I best get going myself.  Have a pleasant day."

Sieve says, "Hmmm... I have a suggestion. Go north tot he river moss, and down by boat to the dirt road, then north of the north bridge down one path you'll find sanctuary at another abbey place, wolfsbane I think it's called. They'll keep any needy beast safe. I stayed there once during my travels."

Apple says, "You too Major take care" she glances at Sieve and shakes her head "No i think not...i am here now and am not leaving until i have seen the Mountain....i will soon be too heavily pregnant to travel safely either so i'll probably remain here.""