Late Night Snack

Cavern Hole

It's long after dark; supper is cleared away, the kitchens cold and dark, and the only sound is a few novices or brethren going about a few last evening duties. Cavern Hole is lit by only a few guttering candles as the Abbey slumbers, flickering down on a single robed figure awkwardly sweeping away.

A mousebabe cautiously drops down the wide steps to Cavern Hole from the Great Hall. He's soppy wet, so he makes little splashing noises as droplets fall from his fur and onto the stone steps. He sticks his head around the corning and peeks into the wide room. He spots the sweeping figure and pulls his head back quickly. After a few moments, he looks again. Reassured by the lighter robes of a novice, the dibbun hops of the last step and into the room. He begins loudly slapping wet paws on the floor as he walks towards the entrance to the kitchens. He leaves behind him a trail of moisture and grime where his tail drags the floor. But he's wrapped his tail in a long burlap sack and stuffed the sack with leaves so that his tail resembles the rudder of an otter.

The novice automatically flinches at the louder footsteps, clutching at the broom and trying to turn invisible until she spots what's making the noise -- and relaxes, somewhat, but she barely has it in her to reproach the little mouse for being up so late. A lonely "..I-I.." is all she can manage.

Tarpin freezes for a second. But then the dibbun turns around and puts his paws on his hips. "Ahoy! Ya barnicle! Don'cha know ya need t'swab th' decks proper like? I'm Branko Wavedog! Skipper of the Otters an' I say putcha back into it! Or I'll skelp ya tail, Matey! Haharr!"

At that the maid wilts like a flower under a blowtorch, stammering apologies. Whether or not his boast is actually credible, she does her best to look absolutely harmless and unthreatening.

Tarpin slaps his "rudder" against the floor disapprovingly. "Hmm. You needs some 'otroot soup t'put hairs onya chest! An' a spring in ya step! Whacha name, matey?"

"S-.. Star," comes the quiet, wary response. She straightens up a bit, still looking nervously at the ground in front of him. There still doesn't seem to be a word of reproach -- she doesn't seem to have a reproachful bone in her body.

"Hmm..." Tarpin crosses his arms in front of his chest. "Well, I tells ya what, Star... You gets us some skilly an Duff an' I won't 'ave you keelhauled, Aye?" He breaks character for just a moment, and adds hopefully, "An' some scones an' trifle too...?"

Starlenia pauses. That presents a dilemma. She nervously glances back towards Great Hall and back to the little mouse again, and reluctantly shakes her head. "Ca-can't. 'l g-get in t-.. t---trouble."

Tarpin drops his arms and huffs in frustration. "Well ya can only get inna trouble iffen somebeast finds out, silly. Common! Aren'cha hungry?"

Starlenia automatically shakes her head, without even stopping to think about it. " 'll get in t-t--trouble," she says again, with a quick look over her shoulder.

Tarpin stares at her with a brow raised for a good four seconds. "Y'know yore really bad at bein' naughty, aren'cha?" He paces back and forth a few times and slaps his tail on the ground a few more times, leaving numerous wet splotches on the floor. Finally he stops and turns towards the Squirrel again. "Lookits, howsabout I go an getta skillys and duffs, and you watch incase anybeast comes inna Great Hall? Okay?"

Starlenia gives him a look of faint confusion at that. She even manages a slight frown. "I-Isn't any." Her death-grip relaxes somewhat on the ancient, malignant broom, which promptly sheds a few more bristles onto the floor.

Tarpin shifts his weight between his footpaws and shrugs in concession. "Well there's norra any skillys an duffs, but there's always gorra be sumffin..." Tarpin scuttles over to the novice and begins pulling on her robe in the direction of the stairs. "Now jus' stand over by th' stairs an' be th' lookout, mkay?"

The novice reluctantly allows herself to be tugged along toward the kitchen steps, although she looks very nervous about it. Gulp. "'k-kay," comes the meek answer.

Tarpin lets go of the Starlenia and holds his paws up in a 'stop' gesture. "Mkay... stay right there. An' if anybeast comes, jus' tap on th' wall two times and then start sweepin' again, mkay?" Without waiting for an answer, he dashes off towards the kitchens. After a quick peek inside, he scurries in out of view. A few seconds later there is clattering followed by a muffled crash and an "Ow..." then more scratching and scurrying.

Starlenia winces at the sound, glancing this way and that before she gathers herself up and hurries up the stairs after him -- at a relatively slow pace, almost tripping over her habit.

In the Kitchens

Tarpin is standing on a countertop with his haversack at his footpaws in front of him. He's currently going through a tray of scones and dropping select pastries into the sack. He turns to see Starlina enter. "Whatcha doin? Yore supposed to be watchin!"

Starlenia stops dead in the doorway, squinting into the dimly-lit kitchens. There's an automatic apology and she lowers her head, creeping back down the stairs; the novice looks much more on-edge after the noises.

Flicktail Walks into the kitchen from the outside from the Kitchen path, closing the door as he sees the two in the kitchen

"Aaagghh!" Tarpin grabs the haversack and slings it over one shoulder. With the other paw, he pulls out his willow switch and holds it out in front of him defensively. Eyeing Flicktail closely he begins edging towards the door to Great Hall. "H'alright, Mr. Flicktail. I'm a desperate dibbun! Don't make any sudden moves..."

Flicktail looksover at the switch "Tarpin...you would do violence to me? you do not remember th times I elpped you" he walks over toward the door freely, he of course has nothing . "Wot are you doin annaways?

At the sight of the fox Star lets out a little whimper and flees down the stairs, tripping over herself in her haste to get away, to disappear into the depths of the Abbey.

Tarpin lowers his switch a bit. "I don' wanna hurcha, Mr. Flicktail, but th'elders are gonna baff me! An' they're norra gonna lemme have dinner. I've been hiding all day an' I'm starvished! I gotta feed my growin' self!"

Flicktail cocks his head "well...wot say we sit down and have some soup....that wot you have ‘s kinda dry?" he offers a paw

Tarpin frowns and hesitates a bit. But then he stuffs the switch back in his belt and takes Flicktail by the paw and hops down off the counter. "Okay, Mr. Flicktail. But jus' don't don't tell th' elders you helped me. They might skelp y'tail!"

Flicktail chuckles "Have I ever lied to you? and I do not think they would be TOO upset...." He gets some soup for the dibbun "now tell me wot's the problem ere....

"Well... It all started when I frew th' cheese at brother Benar. He's nice, but he dosn't have a good humor sense..." Tarpin shoulders the other strap of his haversack and then takes his beret off his head and holds it in his paws. He looks into it as if seeing the past. "An' he had Me'n Mirien Baffed and put to bed. Well, Mirien didn't throw the cheese... jus' me. But she was not nice to brother Benar to protect me from his er... wrath. Anyways we got baffed. Then we were in bed and snuck out. Then Mr. Oz found us sneaking. An' we told him that we was supposed to be in the kitchens cleaning as punishments. An' well..."

Flicktail nod "Aye then I was there. I used to hate Bffs too ya know" he sits beside the dibbun "You hurt my feelings ya know...you could hurt me with that switch..I would not wanna hurt YOU

Tarpin shruggs. "Sowwy. I thought you was gonna baff me."

Flicktail says, "even if Somenthing bad was gonna appen I'd not hurt a beast....but I understand bout Baffs"

Tarpin looks up at the fox, quizzically. "But yore th' warrior. You's supposed t' hurt beasts who do bad things...?"

Flicktail shakes his head "The ONLY reason I would ever hurt another beast..is to protect others.... How is yer soup?" he smiles kindly

Tarpin sniffs at the bowl. Then he dips his spoon into it and takes a sip. "Hmmm... It's nice an’ warm... Can I take some to Mirien? She's probly hiding, still. Probly awful hungry."

Flicktail says, "of course you can, thats a verra nice thing to do....but I ave been nice....how are ya gonna be nice for me?"

Tarpin frowns into his soup for a moment. "Well... we won't do mean pranks an fings on you, if you like..."

Flicktail says, "well....I wanna show you something, and..it's not a verry nice somethin, it's not a bath..but it is something kinda sad..may I?"

Tarpin looks up and gives the Fox Warrior a puzzled look. "M'kay..."

Flicktail goes out to the garden and bring back a shovel...the handle has about 40 names on the handle..he shows itto tarpin

Tarpin raises an eyebrow. "Wassat, Mr. Flicktail?"

Flicktail says, "all these names are dibbuns..they got verry sick and wentto th Dark Forrest.”

Tarpin is silent. He peers at the names carved into the handle. Then he points at one. "That... I can't read it but... I seen that one in... on a stone wiff all the stones wiff writing on'em."

Flicktail nods "yes....The dibbins were not clean enough and it made em sick....”

Tarpin's eyes get a touch wider as he looks up from the name to Flicktail. "Wotcha mean?"

Flicktail says, "well We do not give Baffs just to be mean...if your paws arn't clean when you eat, and if you get all stinky....it can make you sick...."

"Hmmmm..." Tarpin frowns pensively into the soup bowl. Finally, he stands up with the soup and twitches his nose judiciously. "Well, Mr. Flicktail, I will give that care-full considerations. I'm gonna find Mirien, now. Have a good night, sir!"

Flicktail says, "take this soup wi ya...and come back ok?"

Tarpin takes the second bowl of soup in one paw while carefully holding on to the other. Thus laden, he nods. "Okay... We'll go back to th' dormitories when things have blown over... Thanks Mr. Flicktail"

Flicktail says, "tarpin..I will always love you."

Tarpin pauses a moment, a bit shocked. "I love yous too, Mr. Flicktail...bye, now..." Turning, he disappears into the night and the abbey gardens.