03:18 PM

Salamandastron: Dining Chamber
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Salamandastron *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
This is the dining chamber for the mountain of Salamandastron.  It is a
veritable cavern, the necessity of feeding so many hares making the room
so big.  Dominating the room is a huge banquet table made of solid oak.
Nobeast knows how such a venerable object came to be here, but its
presence is undeniable.  Smaller tables skirt the outside of the room,
each sitting near a large torch burning brightly in its sconce.  The chair
at the head of the table is different from the plain maple chairs that
occupy the rest of the room - it belongs to the Badger Lord.  The massive
object is graced with a carving of the very mountain it is in, with the
sun setting over the sea.
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                  Visible Exits:
[M]ain [H]all                         [K]itchens
[Out]

Looking a bit tired, the major has been up all of the night having one bath after another since his fur looks a very pale purple colour now.  Looking about, he nods to several hares who are giving him a nod as they move past or congratulating on the success of the mission.  When the time comes when he is free to concertrate on his master piece, a sandwich that he is experimenting on, putting a bit of cheese there, some lettuce here...

Taye has been up much the night, as well. First, serving in the only capacity he was allowed, by tending to the returned captives and the battle wounded, and second, through an inability to sleep. He finally managed to fall fitfully asleep only to be woken by the morning dormitory call an hour later. This was approximately an hour ago. When he stumbles bleary-eyed into the dining chamber, he is washed and clean while still managing to look dead on his feet. He doesn't look at the table where he sits, and inadvertently sits across and diagonal from Jarril. He rests his arms, one on top of the other, on the table top. His head goes down.

Jarril blinks as he misplaces a tomato slice and picks it up with his claws with a bit of disgust in his eyes as he looks at it.  Slipping it into his mouth for punishment, the slice now not good enough to be on his masterpiece of a sandwich he coughs.  "Long night?"

Taye starts, his shoulders giving a small but groggy jerk. It takes him a moment to recognize the voice, but when he does he finally forces himself up. He salutes, then nods his head. "Yessah."

Jarril nods as he carefully puts another slice on the sandwich now, before adding something else as he remains quiet.  "So how goes?"  The hare places the top slice of bread on top and looks at it carefully.

"Good, sah. But I was told that.. that Majah Darklett, Niveus, 'n' Wimble didn't return with the othahs. Have you had word o' them, sah?" He is looking back down at this point, poking a claw-tip at a knot in the table's wood.

Jarril shakes his head.  "No, they were supposed ta come back with us but they went off.  Don't know what happened but I don't think if they're caught they be easily taken out of that camp again.  Daclon will be spitting blood t'day no doubt.  So no word at all..."  He lifts up the sandwich and bites into it, chewing slowly he swallows.  "I suppose they're okay though."

Taye's claw stops its stapping, and his fingers curl inward, his paw resting on the table top. "I hope so, sah..." He looks up, then, noting but mentioning the faint dye to the major's fur. "Are you a'right, sah?"

Jarril sighs.  "Nothing for ya ta worry about."  He takes a bite into his sandwich and looks about.  "Oh fine.  That thing ya said in here a while back that it would be easier if I had retired.  Well that spread, anything spreads about if spoken in this room."  He shakes his head slowly.  "Ya think I worked this hard for the likes of some thinking I am not up ta the job anymore."  He frowns.  "Ya think it though ya wouldn't admit it.  Perhaps one day I give all those doubters in here their wish."  He gives a fake smile.  "Anyways, it's not ya problem anymore."

Taye's ears dip, dip, and finally drop, the tips brushing his shoulders. His lips are parted in open surprise, and after a moment he sits back, though he continues to stare at the table. His words are kept low. "... Sah. Believe me when I say that havin' to disappoint ya - 'n' I know I have - was one o' the hardest things I've evah done. T'hurt ya was nevah my intention. Nevah." He slowly shakes his head, his eyes going a bit squinty about the edges. "You've been like a second fathah t'me. I wish you could undahstand."

Jarril nods.  "I do in a way, but understand it from my point of view."  He lowers the sandwich down and looks at Taye.  "First I hear rumours, I even said that ya wouldn't do that.  Then the rumours got bigger and I overheard someone else from another patrol mention it.  I ain't disappointed in the decision."  He goes quiet.  "I was disappointed in the way that everyone seemed ta know about it before I did."

Taye's eyes flash up, then, and where there wasn't before, there is now a sense of disappointment in those eyes. "You're going t'blame me for words that anothah beast spread, sah?" He shakes his head, then, standing. "And, forgive me, sah, but don't lie. You /are/ disappointed in the decision. It's obvious in the way ya've treated me since. I've said what I can, t' make ya undahstand, but m'not sorry for doin' it. If you think I waited too long t'come t'ya, it was only because I didn't want t'see the look yer givin' me righ' now."

Jarril sighs at Taye.  "Sit down."  He picks at his sandwich slightly and mutters.  "Well, fine then, explain ta me again so I can understand the situation.  That or we can just go our separate ways."

Taye looks on the edge of rebelling, of turning and walking out of the room, leave or no leave. But in the end his better senses win out, and he sits with a sigh, lying his paws, palm flat, on the table. He looks from one to the other, thinking. "I don't like blood, sah. That's why m' not a healah like m' da. Maybe you knew that." He shrugs - doesn't matter. "Anyway. I get queazy at the sight o' it. It's not s'bad as it used t' be - I think that first battle cured me, mostly. But really, I guess it's pretty ridiculous that 'm in the patrol at all. I feel sick fer days aftah fightin'." He shrugs, makes a futile gesture with a paw.

"But... there's somethin' about this place, sah... maybe /it's/ a sickness, too." He pauses, and nods. "I think it is. It makes ya want the fightin', even when ya hate it. And I owe this place a lot, sah, 'n' I owe those vermin a lot o' pain, 'n' I guess... I guess maybe I want t'be where I c'n do the most damage. Darklett's patrol is usually righ' at the front o' that fight. That's where I want t'be." He doesn't even /try/ to get into the rest of it - he'd be talking all day.

Jarril nods his head. "I understand, I think.  Ya get more action with a fightah majah than a runnah."

Taye's lips twitch in the slightest of frowns, seeming unsatisfied somehow with this assessment. He merely shrugs, looking uncertain. "I don't know, sah. I guess."

Jarril blinks and shakes his head.  "Look, it's hard for me right now but think of this.  I didn't have ta sign that form, I could've dug my feet in on the matter but I didn't.  I may not like it but that doesn't mean I don't like ya, just been busy as of late.  It happens, ya have ya patrol ta stick ta now, I have mine.  Don't worry about it, this old hare will get used ta it eventually, but that's my problem not ya.  Ya done nothing wrong."

Taye hehs, though it is without humor. "If m'patrol comes back, anyway." He nods, though. "Thank you, sah. I appreciate your listenin' to me."

Jarril does frown on that one.  "Aye, well I am sure they had a good excuse for not coming back."  The hare goes back to his eating again.

Once Jarril returns to his eating, Taye stands once more. "I'm to report t'the infirmary, sah." He offers the major a salute and a nod, waiting to be excused.

Jarril nods slowly, but stops.  "I am sorry Taye for the way I acted, not really a fathery figure am I?"

"Well, sah, I doubt they told you when promotin' ya to majah that you'd be inheritin' a bunch o' little pains like m'self as children." He gifts Jarril with a smile, though it's not the shy, reverent smile of the recruit he used to be. "But you do well 'nough, sah. Well 'nough."

Jarril grins.  "Actually, ya weren't a problem, not like some of the recruits I can speak of."  The major thinks about Quinten and shakes his head.  "Some still oversleep.  Mind ya, got two runnahs that are going ta pass the test easily.  Already big demand from several patrols for them as well."

Taye thinks of Quinten too, actually, at mention of troublesome recruits. He, however, thinks of him with rueful sympathy. He takes a step back from the table. "If you need any help with the recruits, I'll gladly offah my time, sah."

Jarril grins.  "Heh and have ya teach them a thing or two ta make my time harder.  Hmmm, I'll think about it but I don't think ya majah would give permission."  Looking down he goes quiet.  "But put in a request anyways if and when he gets back."  He looks up and gives his usual nod that he's finished.

"I'm sure Darklett wouldn't have a problem, sah." At the nod, however, he too goes quiet, grinning just a bit. Glad to be on speaking terms with the major again, no doubt. With a final salute, he back-steps a few steps, nods, and turns. "G'day, sah!"

Jarril nods.  "Until next time."  He blinks as he looks down at his sandwich that has been robbed by one of his young recruits.  "Now hey, who said ya can have my bally sandwich!"  The young hare who's just burped replied.  "Well ya were talking, not eating so I took it ya didn't want it."