Small talk, big question, p.2 or The Warrior hates this ermine!!

Redwall kitchens....

Leon walks in and finds some soup left over still from lunch and bread, he gets some water too and walks over to Marlena, "Here."

Marlena seems to like it in here, alot less beasts, she smiles at the offered lunch, "Thanks sweatheart and if it makes you feel better I may stay a couple days,no more though not use to others really."

Leon sits down, "You can get use to others again, beasts are nice here, umm..one thing the champion is a fox, but he isnt evil, he is nice and...well maybe your find out if he wanders into here, he is busy sometimes."

Marlena coughs on some soup, "A fox?!...I cant see a fox being good, I just cant, I most likely would run or hide if he came in here."

Leon blinks, "He is..." He then remembers and sighs, "Its alright, don't worry about it right now, just thought let you know in case saw him so you wouldnt be afraid of him."

Marlena quietly sips her water.

Leon looks around the kitchen, he starts to eat his own soup and sip some water, he is quiet and then speaks, "Sorry if upset you mentioning a fox being here....he is nice though, but you may or may not even see him"

Marlena drinks some more water, "Its alright, no harm done just..I don't know"

The sound of voices echoes down the hall, then a definetly femininine voice calls out a 'thank you', the door opens, and in strides an adult mouse in a green dress, brown tunic and blue apron. Her eyes are blue and her fur is brown, and she has a long, narrow scar on her left cheek...DoraRose. Upon seeing Leon, she smiles brightly, but the smile fades slightly and changes at the sight of Marlena. "Well, hello." she says to the new mousemaid. "My name is DoraRose Strongheart. May I ask your name?"

Marlena stands "I am..going to go to sleep, ok" She looks at Dorarose, "Hello.." She backs up some and decides to brave the beasts in the other room to get to a bunk room for sleep, "Excuse me..." Yes too many here to suit her.

Leon starts to say something and nods, he frowns as he knows she most likely not having a good day so far, he smiles as he sees Dorarose, "Dorarose.."

Sariel opens the door into the Kitchen, probably looking for a snack, he missed breakfast because he slept in. Seeing DoraRose and Leon, he smiles but tries to stay out of their way. He remembers what happened yesterday and figures that they want to be together. The only thing he says is "Good afternoon! and congratulations! I didn't get a chance to say it yesterday, but I'm so happy for you two."

DoraRose blushes a deep red. "Thank you." she murmers, then steps close to the other mouse. "Leon...how are you? I was worried when you fainted before I could answer you yesterday."

Leon gets up and hugs Dorarose, holding her for a while.."I am fine..odd morning but I am ok now"

Sariel is given a bowl of soup and a slice of bread when he asks the cook for some food, he goes to sit down and eat it. Still unsure of what would be polite at this point in time, so he decides not being impolite is better than risking it.

DoraRose smiles and wraps her arms around the healer mouse and stands there for a while, then whispers in his ear, "My answer is 'yes', by the way."

Leon smiles and hugs her again, "I love you...today started out a bit..badly but is ending good, and being the best day of my life, you said yes and..and earlier I found out my mother is still alive." He gives her a quick kiss and smiles again, happy..very happy. "Guess we need to talk to..Lorimis when get a chance."

Sariel perks his ears up at the mention of a mother being alive. His is too, and if he was happy about that, he's doubly happy now! He can't immagine how it must be to think that his mom is dead. After all, there was plenty of stress with just being separated. He still holds his tongue not sure of what to say... although "this soup is PHENOMINAL!!!" He thinks.

DoraRose nods and wraps her arms around Leon's neck, smiling...but, when her face is hidden, her smile fades slightly. She still hasn't told anybeast about her parents being dead...and that she found out from her brother. Putting the smile back on, she draws back and says, "This is one of the most wonderful things to happen to me in seasons...I'm so happy, so terribly, terribly happy."

Leon smiles "I like when your happy Dorarose, and we can ask Lormis when he can wed us."

Sariel is all smiles right about now. He likes it when otherbeasts are happy!

DoraRose takes Leon's paw and sits down, tugging him along with her. "I hope it can be soon...I wonder what Corinne will think of it?"

Leon smiles and goes to sit down, "Yeah will need to talk to Corinne...on couple things in fact"

If Sariel was having to hold his tongue... no more. He's now thouroughly speechless. He finishes his soup and leans back, just enjoying life. According to Flicktail, his mother should be ariving any day now, before the feast too! Maybe they can stay here forever!

DoraRose is curious about the other news, but doesn't press it. Who wants to ruin a good moment, right? She turns to the counter and dishes herself up some soup...she's suddenly really hungry.

Sariel clears a space where he's at so DoraRose has a place to sit. "You need a place to eat, ma'am?"

DoraRose jumps slightly and turns to the young squirrel, guilt rushing through her. She had forgotten all about him! "Why, yes, thank you." she glances at Leon, but he has been cornered by some Brother of the Order, so she gets up and takes her soup to sit by Sariel, snagging a nice hunk of bread and a wedge of cheese on the way. Sitting down, she flashes him her sunny smile in thanks.

"it's okay, you had a lot on your mind." says Sariel uncanilly reading DoraRose's guilt. "I'm happy for you, that must be an incredible feeling!" Sariel sneaks a refil of soup while the chef isn't looking and sits back down with DoraRose.

DoraRose chuckles a little, then slices her cheese in half, giving part of it to Sariel. "I hear your mother was found...do you mind my asking how you came to be seperated?"

Sariel smiles his thanks for the cheese "Well, we were camping on our way to... to... Ahndia called it Camp Willow, I think that's right. We were going to visit one of momma's friends there, I don't know which one. But I woke up one night and no one was there. There was a lot of pawmarks on the ground in the snow, but no beast was there. Momma told me that if we ever got separated to take my pack and start going to Redwall, said it was easier to find than the otter camp. and that we would meet here. So I came here, and met Mr. Reaper, Shandar, Ahndi, and Corinne right away. Then Mr. Flicktail sent out bats and sparrows to find my mom when he heard and they found her. He said she should be here by the feast!"

DoraRose laughs lightly. "Oh, that's wonderful! Perhaps she'll stay. Ah..." she adds, sudden curiosity and slight confusion making her frown, "Who is Reaper?"

Sariel cocks his head "You don't know him? He's the new otter here, at least that what Shandar told me." he smiles again "Apparantly, he came here to stop living violently and said he wanted to be around beasts who liked peace and working together."

DoraRose 'ahs', then begins to eat her soup, now that it's a little cooler. Furrowing her brow at a suddden thought, she gets up and gets 2 cups, then goes in search of something for the 2 of them to drink.

"Maybe you heard her talk about the 'blue otter' that's him, she played a trick on him and his facefur got blue" Sariel pauses, and then goes a whole different direction, "Hey DoraRose, are you okay? I mean I know it's the best day of your life so far, getting engaged and all. And maybe it's just that I don't know you very well but you seem to be really worried about something."

A cloaked ermine strides in, there's a lot on his mind apparently.

DoraRose comes back with 2 cups of tea and sit sdown with a smile, giving the young squirrel one of the cups. "I'm OK, thank you." She would say more, but the entering ermine is, well, let's just say not her favorite person. And does she greet him? Absolutly /not/.

However, the Seer tkaes the initiative and burns across the room until he's right in front of her. "Warrior. I would speak with thee," he says flatly, and there's an icy edge behind his voice, one of power, and arcane knowledge. (Nightbreath)

Sariel's left paw drops below the table when the ermine enters the room, seeing DoraRose's reaction. He nods at her response and in thanks for the tea but keeps silence, blending into the background. His eyes reduce to mere slits as he attempts to read Nightbreath.

Nickolas wonders in from the garden outiside paws all muddy, dipping each paw into small bowl of water set nearby wipping his paws clean on a rag set out nearby, once his paws are all clean he wonders in, some kind of pot things ballenced on the fox dibbuns back, the smell of fresh honey comb filtering into the air as Nickolas wonders over to the place where the honey is usually processed into liquid honey.

DoraRose turns to look at the ermine and smiles in a rather 'surupy' way, saying sarcastisly, "Oh, really? Well, I'd just /love/ to talk to you." rolling her eyes, she turns back to her supper....lunch...whatever.

Barely a flicker, and suddenly a black paw is on the warrior mousemaid's shoulder, not painfully tight, but firm as iron, and Nightbreath's eyes blaze dark, suggesting that the Seer's seemingly eternal patience is wearing thin swifter than the time it took his paw to move.

Sariel feels a sense of hypervigilance building in him, half a season on the road between 4 and 4.5 seasons will do that to anybeast. He feels his paw clench but he holds himself back, looking at DoraRose to see what to do

Nickolas wonders over to the table before he leaps up onto a chair then the table and run jumps over nearly missing the counter top claws holding onto the sink as his footpaws go crazy and eventually get him atop the counters, the little dibbun sitting and looking over at the honey then all around the kitchen. The cooker fox clearly thinking of something to make.

DoraRose glares up at the ermine Seer, and opens her mouth to say something just as Nickolas does his spectacular leap. She turns to look at him, watching, wanting to be able to jump to the rescue if need be. Without turning, she adresses Nightbreath, saying, "What is it you want, ermine? Why can't you just stay out of my life?" She's not going to punch him...yet.

Low, murmured words, with fury burning beneath them barely controlled. "This hostility you show to me. It is unfounded. Why do thou hate me so intensely? I have done thee no wrong, and I want /answers./"

Sariel, noticing where DoraRose looked moves in between the Nightbreath and the dibbun eyes flicking this way and that searching for something. His hypervigilance running off the charts now, all thought except of this situation gone from his mind, just like his mum taught him. His left paw drifts behind his back soon afterward, Sariel's face displays a scowl.

Nickolas emits a loud yap, and points at the apples, then to a pie pan nodding his head, clearly anouncing he thinks an apple pie is in order. His ears flick as he looks back before moving over to inspect the apple chopping, more than enough of apples for pies and his new apple chip creations. His ears flex again as he turns around knocking over some cinnamon all over the apple slices, ears wiggling as he moves over to the other side checking on the cooks fixing up a few apple pies. His eyes look over to the group sitting at the table, the dibbun sensing trouble.

DoraRose jumps at the yap emmited by the dibbun fox, but is redirected by the adult ermine. Standing, she looks him straight in the eye and says in a disturbingly even voice, "You know about my future and my past...that is reason enough to dislike and distrust you."

"And if not for me, you would have died pursuing your foe in error," the Seer hisses. "I was loyal to you. I gave you the best guidance I could. The prophecy of the Black Sword, the one that informed you of your brother's presence in the region...I /chose/ to relate it to you. I could as easily have kept you in the dark by choice. But I /didn't./" He releases 'Rose and pulls back the sleeve of his robe to reveal horrendous scars along his arm. "Seers are not meant to interfere in the course of Time and conflict. I chose to broke my own Creed so that your quest might succeed and Styrmblak would be purged from existence. I have /bled/ for you, Gild'arnor. /Bled./ Bled, so that your quest might succeed."

Sariel is full-on snarling by this point. he has no idea why he's /so/ defensive over DoraRose even though he knows she can take care of herself. "A seer huh? Well why don't you open your eyes? can't you see that you're only making things worse, ermine?" his voice dripping with disdain.

Nickolas erupts into yaps, pericing the air across the kitchen, before quieting down and looking at the three with big eyes, not looking at all pleased at all this hostile feelings being tossed about. One the cooks steps out of the kitchen quietly. The dibbun fox turns to work on a new creation, pointing at the milk and a few other ingredents,

DoraRose narrows her eyes, saying to Sariel, while looking at Nightbreath's arm, "This is probably something you should stay out of." Raising her eyes to meet the ermine's, she adds, "Why? You knew I hated you. So why did you insist on helping me?" she takes a step foreward, not a bit scared.

Flash. Flash. Nightbreath's eyes now reveal a silvery spark at the center. "I insisted because instinct told me that you /must/ conquer obstacles thrown in your path. There was a sense of destiny. I felt it to be right to help, and decided that the hatred could be sorted out later. /Now/ is later."

Sariel has had enough, he looks to DoraRose shaking his head and mouthing "sorry" to her and steps in between the two "oh what? afraid of a young squirrel? or do you just ignore everyone it doesn't suit your purposes to talk to!?" He may have developed a certain anger toward seers in his younger life. Sariel pushes his luck by leveraging his weight to bump the ermine back a few steps.

Nickolas yaps loudly again as the cook returns with a few guards in tow, two coming in from the back door one from the cavren hole, and two more by the great hall passage. The lead guard stepping up, "What is going on in here?" he asks, the cook moving back over to help Nickolas create new tasty treats.

DoraRose glances at the guards, then looks back into Nightbreath's eyes as she says, "Nothing, sorry. We were just having a friendly...chat." Oh, yeah...did I mention that she is a /horrible/ liar? It's really easy to tell. She sits back down and starts to eat her lukewarm soup...which is startlingly tasty, considering. It's probably because this is Redwall.

Sariel refuses to move, the tyke still getting in the ermine's face, not saying a word, just staring at him, snarling. He doesn't even hear the guards come in. finally he whispers to Nightbreath "Give me a reason... just give me a reason..." his every muscle tensed, so much so that the markings on his chest and back are peeking out of his shirt.

The young squirrel forces himself into...Solid rock, apparently. Nightbreath stands, legs spread slightly barely enough to be noticeable, yet he doesn't lose his ground. "Back off," a flat voice answers. "Crude violence is useless against me. I fear none. And I do /not/ fear you." 'Breath's eye blazes like an eternal star now, lightning seems to crackle forth from his iris, and suddenly his average frame seems incredibly intimidating. "Gild'arnor," he addresses Dora', "I am /on/ /your side. Understand this. I serve Light. As you do in thy own way. Do not persecute one who risked his life for you--on several occasions. We will get nowhere as hostiles." Sar' is almost disregarded entirely.

Nickolas yaps loudly causing a ruckus, slienced by the cooks as the lead guard wonders over and places a paw gently on Sar's shoulder before looking at the two, "No look here this not be the place to be fighting, all of you behave." The guard turns to wonder over to the counters where the cooks are working, and pats Nickolas head gently, "its ok buddy." the guard says, Nickolas turns and points at some ingredents and points to the bowl the cook sprinking it in and turning the white goop into a brown goop, the guard takes a small spoonfull and his eyes alight. "Bloody brilliant."

DoraRose fineshes her meal, stands, and says, "You've risked your life for me? How so?" she takes a step foreward and tries to gently move Sariel over...there, somewhere. "All I've seen is you bugging me, harrassing me, and spouting off information of my life in front of other beasts when you had no buisness to." Glancing at the guard, she smiles at his back, then turns back to look at Nightbreath again. *Smiles sarcastisly.*

"No." The young squirrel growels, he's been completely hypervigilant before, but this is something he's never experienced. Even his mind is telling him to back out but he just stands there. Headstrong? maybe... okay very, but it's well intentioned. Sariel refuses to move until DoraRose bodily picks him up and moves him back to his soup, even still a maniacal grin still hovers over his face toward the ermine. He doesn't appear to intend to back down anytime soon.

A lot more strength than anybeast'd guess is in Nightbreath, both body and mind, and he extends a robed arm and simply /brushes/ Sar aside like a cobweb. He stares down 'rose. "As you were hunting thine enemy, I stood upon these walltops and for one entire day fought, killed, bled, and nearly died so thou might succeed in your venture. Weeks before I fought in Ferravale to overthrow an invasion that /thy/ enemy sent. I never harrass-When I speak to thee at an unseemly time it is because the topic is urgent and grave-And if the information is so secretive, you should have told me. I cannot distinguish the privacy of random information from otherbeast's existences if they do not tell me. If it bothered you then thee could've told me."

DoraRose gulps. Man, why did the ermine have to use logic of all things? So, instead of speaking again, she simply shoves her dishes into his paws and leaves the kitchen, in high bad humor.