Chats By The Pond-Redwall Log
- A role play by the abbey pond with a chat on swimming, bees and respecting all creatures. My character Brother Leon is not ALWAYS in the infirm ***
Involved In Role Play:
Bother Leon-Mouse-Master Healer Redwall Abbey
Wyatt –Mouse-Abbey Guest
Linnea-Squirrel-Abbey Guest
Thorn-Rat-Resident Of Redwall Abbey
RW Abbey: Pond
The abbey pond is practically the place to go for relaxation. The orchards that settle onto one side of the water hole provide decent shade for the more heated months to come. Various types of wild flowers grow about the edge of the ground that lightly overhangs into the pond. The pond seemingly invites one into its cool depths, which holds its fish life and multiple species of shrimp and other water dwellers.
The sheet of ice is thining over the Abbey pond. Cracks and various small breaks in the ice cover have appeared due to the warmer weather. They offer peeks of the creatures and the water under. Discovering this, there is usually a crowd of dibbuns around with a grown up supervisor to ensure that some over enthusiastic babes do not fall in. A wooden sign has also been staked into the ground, warning the beasts of the danger in big, bold letters. "Beware. Thin ice. No one allowed into the pond because of danger until further notice." Elsewhere around the pond, plants are making a comeback, bright, verdant young chutes showing themselves to the world once again -- emerging from the tyranny of ice and snow.
Exits: [F]ire [P]it, [R]edwall [E]ntry, [P]ath by the [G]reat [H]all, [Dive] in the pond, [O]rchards
Spring! Oh boy! The newcomer mouse has skip-hopped his way to the pond, shedding down to a baggy pair of old sleeping pants as he careens towards the pond. Wyatt lets out a whoop so loud that it echoes distantly off the soft redstone walls. Without a moment of pause, the dormouse throws himself into the shallows of the pond to start splashing and throwing fistfuls of water into the air.
Bustling busily across the way between the orchards and the entry is Mirabella, carting a basket under her arm and an actual cart out in front of her. The shouts and whooping from the pond draw her attention, and before long her cheery smile sheds its radiance over the shallows as she pulls the cart up to a halt, letting the handles slack and the wheels spin down shortly. "Why, hello there," she greets happily, with a cheery wave of her free paw. "Are you enjoying the fresh Abbey water? It's just delightful this time of year, don't you think?" She blinks prettily at the other mouse.
"Huh?" Wyatt grunts and looks over his shoulder. He's sopping wet at this point, the usually bushy fur on his tail floating on the water's surface, too heavy to pick up comfortably. "Oh! Yeah, certainly," the dormouse agrees and pushes some fur hanging in his eyes away. He half grins and turns, trudging back towards the bank of the pond. Wyatt is forced to clamp his paws on the waist of the old pants to keep them from sagging down with the weight of water. "You wanna swim?"
Leon has taken a much needed break from the infirmary and has decided to walk towards the pond. As he comes closer to the pond he sees the other two beasts and waves a hello when he gets closer to them, "Hello there."
"Oh, hello Brother Healer," Mirabella greets, waving back to the older mouse with a cheery smile. Her eyes turn back towards the water to play over this unusual character splashing about in the water. "I might consider it, if the water wasn't ever so cold," she coos, wagging the tips of her fingers toward the glistening drops, "but I think I'll stay on the bank for now," is her decision, though the twinkle in her eye suggests she appreciates the offer.
"That's the /trick/," Wyatt insists as his bare feet ooze into the soft, sandy bank. "Oh, uh. Hullo, Brother!" Ahem. "You sunbathe yourself an' make your fur /so hot/ that it feels amazing to cool off!" Wyatt throws his arms wide. "You absolutely sure? You're going to blink an' winter will be back, mark my words!" And then his pants sag again and he's forced to hike them up with an embarrassed laugh. "How about you, Brother?"
Leon looks over at the pond and shrugs, "I swim sometimes. I have yet to see how cold or not cold the pond is. I was taking a break from the infirmary and decided to wander over to the pond."
"Of course, of course," Mirabella agrees, hem-hawing around while she fidgets with the end of her skirt. "I'm sure it just feels terrifically wondrous," she assures the dormouse, but her eyes say otherwise, their emeraldine glitter looking wary and dubious. "But I'm glad you enjoy it." The smile there is genuine.
"Aw," Wyatt snorts, blowing water out of his whiskers and swinging his arm nonchalantly at Mira to excuse her. "That's okay. It /is/ a little bit cold." The dormouse picks his feet up, leaving paw prints in the sand as he moves to a particularly sunny spot. "Maybe in a week or two it'll be perfect for swimming. When the nights aren't as cold, y'know?"
Leon chuckles a little, "May be a little warmer certain times of the day also." He walks over to test it with a toe and smiles "It's not too cold, least I don't think so"
"Yeah," Wyatt follows up Leon with raised eyebrows and a grin tugging at his lips. "Like after the dibbuns are done swimming, hah!" The young mouse snorts and guffaws to himself as he braces his stance for a quick shake. Water flies out from his fur leaving it bristling and spikier than usual.
Leon smiles "I mean when the sun has been out a fair amount of time. I usually swim a lot, even more so in summer time"
Wyatt can't hide the color in his ears and nose as he shrugs and picks his tunic up. "Ah, yeah, I know! I just was excited, Mister Brother. I live north of here so it seems really warm to me, y'see and..." Wyatt's thoughts trail off and he bites his tongue with a sheepish look.
Leon shrugs, “Then your more use to it than others and that’s fine. I was taught to swim by an otter friend of mine before I came to live at the abbey. He's the one that mentioned the abbey as a great place to visit. “He is quiet before adding "Though at the time I had no plans to stay, just spend a night was all"
Wyatt nods enthusiastically, trying to wrestle his tunic back on over wet fur while at the same time trying to keep his pants from falling off from the sagging weight of the pond water. "Learned from an otter? You must be /real/ good, sir. I just learned from m'pap, who didn't teach me much other than a dibbun paddle. But I'm way better now!"
Leon grins, “I am very good at swimming, it even helped me get away from a vermin once. Swimming is a good skill to know and useful also"
"Right?" Wyatt agrees as his wet, dripping head pops out of the neck hole of his tunic. The edges of the blue garment start to bleed darker as pond water is soaked out of his fur. "And it's fun, so... I think otters have a really good idea being such bloomin' good swimmers." The mouse tugs at his pants until they're halfway up his belly and tucks his tunic into them. "So who did you escape from? Some evil fox lord with a whole /horde/?"
Escaping the abbey's interior to follow a wavering band of sunlight comes Linnea, careful steps leading her to the pond, birch stick grazing the ground lightly in front of her. Her ears catch the voices of others, so that is where she gravitates. "Good afternoon," she quietly greets, settling into a nice patch of the sunshine before she adds, "... isn't the water still a b-bit cold?"
Leon shakes his head, "Some cat I think at the time, not something I would try again I just got lucky. He most likely thought be dead after 4 minutes and left, see I also can hold my breath fairly long also"
Wyatt whistles as he rubs at his cheeks and bakes in the sandy sun spot he's picked. "No foolin'? Lucky mouse!" His attention swings to Linnea. "It isn't /too/ cold. Not for a northern like myself!" Wyatt thumbs a paw on his chest to indicate himself.
Linnea unbundles a bit of cloth and needle from her kirtle, setting her paws to work. "Ooh, a-aye. I suppose I don't have the cold-hardiness of a northerner," she laments before her eyelids flutter at Leon's casual recollection of his run-in with a feline. "You must've been very lucky to escape - only four minutes did the cat wait? Thank the seasons you're still with us! And that the cat had such little patience!"
Leon smiles, "He most likely thought I drowned." I got out of the water coughing and he was a little ways off, back to me, walking away. So I waited and left the area another way."
"Well, you're smart," Wyatt insists, tapping a finger to his temple. "I can respect that, Brother." He studies Linnea for a moment and nods. "That's okay," Wyatt says with a smile. "I get /very/ hot in the summer, so there is that! Just can't handle the heat, nope."
"I suppose we ought to be grateful that the cat was not starving, then," Linnea cheekily replies. "Or else he may have found the courage to dive in, even if you had drowned, just to get a meal!" She titters and continues to work on her stitching, fingers guiding the needle in a smooth, methodical way. "Oh, neither can I," relates the squirrel to Wyatt. "I'm quick to chill, and quick to burn." She grins, shaking her head. "I do best indoors, but even so, the stones seem to be clinging to the cold today. Thanks the seasons the sun is out."
Leon replies, "Maybe, maybe not. He would of gone elsewhere is my guess. I usually make sure to stay alert when outside the abbey."
"Okay, maybe it is a touch cold. The mouse rubs down his neck and to his arms. "Well, I think a bath is in order!" he pipes up suddenly. "Aye, thank the seasons. There are some extra nice napping spots over in the garden full of sun. You'll probably find me there later!" And with that the northern dormouse picks his feet up and trots towards the abbey's main building.
Leon waves as the other mouse leaves “See you later maybe"
Linnea reaches the end of one pattern of stitching and fumbles at her front pocket, retrieving a small spindle of thread - but it's empty. "That is best," she says distractedly to Leon as she gathers her cloth, tucking it away. "I seem to have forgotten more thread," she quietly complains, shaking her head at her own forgetfulness. She uses her stick to heave herself to her feet, ears twisting to follow the sound of Wyatt's footsteps as he dashes off. She sets her stick in that direction, but turns to Leon's voice to give him a little curtsey. "I apologize, but I must be off now as well."
Thorn dashes towards the pond with a small eeep, and looks behind her as she comes to a halt almost falling into the pond. She frowns dropping to her knees, she then gets up and dusts off her pants.
Leon nods, he blinks and looks towards Thorn, "What' the rush Thorn?"
Thorn frowns "A..ummm.." She sighs "I almost fell on one of the bee hive things and upset the bees, and so a few chased me but I guess the lost interest." She pouts "They need a warning sign saying Hey Warning Bees"
Leon says, "Well be more careful next time. I can see if a novice can place some sort of sign or maybe an area of rope around the hives, I don't know how much it would help as I am sadly not an expert on bees."
Thorn sits down by the pond, "Maybe the abbey needs a bee keeper then." A thought comes to mind as she says quickly with her paws up "Not me though, bees hate me and I ..well dislike them a little. I know your supposed to try and like all creatures but it's hard sometimes"
Leon frowns and sits down as well" Well we use to have a bee keeper. As for getting along with creatures of all sorts, yes it can be hard. You can dislike them but you should still treat anyone, even a bee, with respect. You leave them alone and they leave you alone. You may of scared them perhaps." He offers a smile.
Thorn sighs, "Some don't seem to follow the whole respect others rule. I got, and still get these looks from otters and even others when they see.." She clears her throat to try and sound like various beats. "Oh she is a rat..Look at the rat ..oh my a rat is in the abbey" She frowns deeply, “Don’t even give me a chance. "
Leon nods "Well I am not sure what to say. The otters are leery of any vermin species right now. One otter in the infirm threw a mug at Flicktail and knocked him out. As for others who live here, well..they should know you live here and to respect that. Maybe show them your friendly, let them see you’re not like most rats and if need be, be careful"
Thorn smiles and goes to hug him if she is allowed, "Thanks Brother Leon."
Leon allows the hug and hugs as he returns one, "Your welcome." He stands "I should get back to the infirm. You want to come help, a couple novice were not able to help. Its nothing too hard just change some sheets, sweep the floor, take the sheets that need washing to be washed, that sort of thing." He waits on a reply.
Thorn nods "I be glad to help. I fact I will meet you there!" And she goes on ahead of the Master Healer.
Leon nods, he heads on to the infirm glad to of found someone to help tidy up.
