The Hobbyist and the Churl

Plans continue apace for the construction of Riverdale’s cart, despite the apparent lack of general interest. Later, there’s a confrontation in the hall.

Participants: Madison, Riverdale, Z'Fingo, Aikuen, Flicktail, Fae, and Kentar

The heavy sound of panting precedes Riverdale's entry from the stairway, and he lingers for a moment, exhausted, at the base of the stairs before proceeding into the welcome Spring cool of the Great Hall. He surveys the expanse of room with gasping eyes, then proceeds, cane tapping beside him, towards the table and sits.

Madison isn't sitting at the table. Well, not technically anyway. Being heavily pregnant has the wonderful side-effect of people tripping over themselves to help you, and so the big cushioned badger's chair has been moved from the fire to the table, and she sits in it with her footpaws up. ^.^ Madison watches, silently at first as the other squirrel draws near, before slowly offering a nod.

Riverdale struggles for a few moments longer to find his breath, then he composes himself and takes a curled document out of his cloak and puts it on the table.

Riverdale rubs his eyes with his paws as he pores over it intensely.

Madison hm's. As difficult as it is in her current state, the younger squirrel moves to nosily peek over, though she isn't the best at reading blueprints.

Riverdale ear twitches. "Oh!" He starts. "Ah... Hello, there." A look of faint irritation is quickly replaced by one of compassion as he notices the young lady's gravid state. He asks warmly, "Ah... Wh-what's your name, then, dear?" He rests a forelimb on the blueprint as he pivots to regard her.

Madison blah's a little to herself - wanted to seeee. Oh well. She does notice that the usual negative expression is replaced with a better demeanor. Heh, it almost makes being pregnant worth it! "I'm Madison." she says simply, watching for any recognition of the name.

Riverdale doesn't evince any sign that he recognizes the name, but he smiles amicably enough. Then he frowns, drawn instantly back to his own manic thoughts. "Ah... Madison..." He looks at the edge of the table, picks it with a claw. "Would you, ah... would you happen to know about another, ah, library?" He points to the one here with a sharp incline of his head, then looks back at her, eyes squinting inquisitively through his little spectacles.

Madison hm's to herself at the question. Not the question itself, but rather the manner in which it is asked, as though there is some hidden meaning she should know about. "Only... only the one here?" she tries, rather quietly. Almost cautiously.

"Ah." Riverdale bobs his head sharply. He pauses in pensive silence and turns back to the blueprint. "Brother, ah, Miles... He told me there was another one in the ah, attic." His voice gradually diminishes as he speaks, until it's barely audible. "... looked everywhere..." Appears he's forgotten his new acquaintance already.

Madison shrugs. "Don't ask me about attics. I have a hard enough time getting upstairs at the best of times." she motions toward her own cane, stood against the table.

Riverdale give an abstracted nod, but his attention is once again absorbed in more 'important' matters. Then, from nowhere: "Oh! Ah..." he struggles for a moment. "Ah... Madison. Come, dear, look at this." He slides the blueprint over so that she can have an unobstructed view of it.

Riverdale beams up at her. "What do you think?"

Madison oh's. Interesting. She peers at the blueprint for a few moments, then hrm's to herself. "A... cart of some kind?" she tries.

Riverdale nods his head eagerly and claps a paw on the table. "Yes! Yes, my dear!" He looks thrilled. "And, ah, we're... We're going to build it!" He giggles with childlike joy.

Madison hrm's again. How can she ask 'what's so special about a cart?' without seeming rude? "...It's a very special cart then?" she tries. Wait, when did she start caring about sounding rude?

The succession of faces that Riverdale displays attests to some conflict within, but it is a look of determination with which he finally addresses Madison. "Yes, my dear. It is, ah. It is very special." He takes out a bundle of small twigs from a large pocket in the side of his cloak and creates a small pile on the table.

Riverdale stacks the twigs in a rectangular shape on the blueprint, aligning them with the lines of the drawing.

Madison must be tired or something, because rather than grinning as his apparent attempt at making any old cart seem special, she is interested, tilting her head, watching as he sets out the example.

Riverdale peers over at Madison, his eyes twinkling, but seeing her nonchalant attitude, his own look falls. "D-don't you understand, dear? We're, ah, we're building it!" He doesn't understand how that could not excite a beast.

Madison even manages a tired smile. Wow, that looks odd. "Perhaps you could explain it to me in more detail? I'm terrible with blueprints. WHy the name?" She's really making an out of character effort here.

Riverdale's enthusiasm quickly returns. "Well, ah, the name? Ah, that was, ah... mouse... reddish fur... ah Kain! That was Kain's word. Squeearf." He grins. "Says it all the time." The old squirrel continues breathlessly, "And, ah, oh. Well... it's a cart. Oldbeasts like, well, like myself could, ah, use it to travel! And those among us who are, er, expecting, of course."

Madison nods, understanding. Not the name, presumably that's the noise you make if it runs over your footpaw. But the rest makes sense. "We'll need a lot of burly otters to lug it around." Heh.

Riverdale touches a twig to his mouth thoughtfully. "Ah, true. Yes. Well, ah, Aikuen has agreed to help..." He adds the piece to the model. "Any road, that's a start, right?" He looks doubtful, but his zeal fast returns. "Ah, but this is just the beginning, eh? Everybeast will want to help soon!"

Madison has left.

Riverdale rambles on, apparently not realizing that Madison has quietly taken her leave of him.

Z'Fingo yawns and stretches, holding his sides as the scars and wounds in his side stretch too... he makes his way over, seeing Madison leave, and recognizes a face from the infirmary. He nods only, and listens to the older squirrel as he keeps talking. The mouse nods and nods... is he talking to him?

"This bit goes round, ah... Like so..." Riv says, indicating the bit of the model that is meant to represent the axle. "Oh, haha, and, ah... Well, here's how we stop it..." His head moves back and forth between the twig model and the blueprint, hovering so close as to make him oblivious to Z'Fingo.

Z'Fingo looks at the strange model, not knowing what the heck it's for... his head tilts, trying to look at it from a different angle. What a strange... he never really acted like this upstairs, but then again he was in bed most of the time... er... "That's, um... vehry int'resting. Yes, indeed..." Couple coughs, nothing to worry about.

Riverdale looks up at Z'Fingo. "Ah... Oh. He-hello." He casts around. "Ah... Where'd..." He shuts up. "Hello." He seems faintly uneasy.

Z'Fingo smiles underneath his hood, "Oh, helloh... didn't know if I should be list'ning, so I just woz... er, um... wot is it, wot's it for?" He gestures with a nod at the model.

Riverdale says proudly, but simply. "It's the Squeearf." No further explanation needed!

Flicktail arrives from the Staircase.

Flicktail walks in whistling the tune "While Strolling in the park one day"

Z'Fingo's head snaps back in surprise. "Sq... isn't that the wohd.. the othah mouse..." He makes a crazy gesture with a finger to his head. Why would it be named after /him/, he wonders?

Flicktail pauses in his whistling as the Z mouse says his piece.

"Yes! Haha, yes. Kain!" Riverdale grins foolishly. "Yes, it's named for his word." He waves to Flicktail. "Maybe, ah, maybe you lads can help build it."

Flicktail blinks and circles Riverdale curiously, looking the Squirrel over

Z'Fingo isn't much into building things... he usually is good with the 'sketch' phases, the creative work. Not the grunt work. "Eh... I would, if I woz in bettah condition - I'm an ahtist, not really a buildah of any soht... I'm sohrry, wot is it foh again?" He scratches his head, leaning forward to look at the thing closer. Squinting, although nobody else can tell.

Riverdale makes a show of his exasperation, but it's clear that he doesn't mind explaining the contraption yet again. Poking a paw at the model, he begins patiently, "This, ah, this bit turns, and, ah, the cart moves. Er, cart. Yes, it's a cart, more or less." He smiles. "And we're going to build it. At the abbey."

Flicktail shakes his head after studying Roiverdale and goes to get himself a plate of walnut salad with a light rasberry vinigarette

Z'Fingo ahhhhs, nodding his head. "Might be useful foh... moving.. things?" He wonders why the abbey hasn't had one of these 'moving carts' before, but doesn't say anything about that. "Whea'uh is that mouse anyway? Kain?" He looks around, then back at Riverdale.

Riverdale gives a distracted wave of the paw, as if to communicate his apathy about Kain's current whereabouts. "Oh... ahh... He's about, I'm sure..." He rubs his chin. "You say you're an artist, ah..." He's backed himself into a corner now. What the heck is this guy's name? "Ah... lad? Well, maybe you could, ah, lend your skills to the project."

Flicktail quiently cruncheshis salid, eating it delicately, while pouring some rain water to drink

Riverdale peers at Flicktail, then, with a hint of longing, at his salad.

Flicktail looks up "wont some?"

Z'Fingo helps the squirrel out, "...Z'Fingo. I have a bunch of names, some given to me by othahs... Z'Fingo is the one I use, called by the most. And you, I know I've seen you in the infuhmary befoh... what is you'uh name? How wuh you put in that awful place?"

Aikuen is kicked in the rump, by a very irate Sister Librarian, as he is shoved from the library and onto the ground. She scoffs, "Get out of here this instant you, you... Silly Otter! Humph" She turns up her nose, and heads back into the library. The Otter, also known as Aikuen to some, waits until the sister is out of earshot, before laughing aloud. He gets up and dusts himself off and says, "Hehe... She'll come around!" He smiles at all the beasts present, before plopping in his favorite chair.

Z'Fingo turns around instinctively to see what the noise is about, and sees the otter. "Oh, helloh, Aikuen..." He chuckles a bit at the Sister's reaction, coughing into his sleeve. Hmm, bit of blood, nothing unusual for him... He looks at Riverdale, "Oh, well... I can sit through the longest of them - not a problem. Do you want to hea'uh the story, Flick?" He looks at Flicktail, looking back at Riverdale again - for some reason now it's harder to look at the fox...

Fae walks into the room and sits at the table with a mug of strawberry cordial

Flicktail says, "oi kin always spare..e abby food be fer everone" he gets up and gathers some onions, carrots, some walnuts and almonds, some iceberg lettus, some celery, some sweet red bell pepper, some beet, and some orange "and begins preparing them...with the rasberry vinagarette"

Flicktail says, "ay there Z mouse oi loikes stories"

Fae sips her cordial " stories? stories of what?"

Aikuen looks to Fae, then too Riverdale, "Yah Matey! What story?" He doesn't know story of what, or else he wouldn't ask.

Riverdale, a bit overwhelmed by the unexpected shift from comfortable stillness to commotion, occupies his attention with the model.

Fae fidgets in her chair and pulls out a small black book and reads it smiling

Flicktail waits to hear, while tossing the salad and adding LOTS of nuts and offering itto Riverdale with some Tomatoes diced up right nicely

Z'Fingo looks at Flicktail briefly again, still uncomfortable. His gaze shifts to Fae, just arrived, "Oh, the story of how Rivahdale ended up in the infuhmary. I woz taken up a few times recently, and I saw him thea'uh. Looked awful, he did..." He looks over at the squirrel, who seems to be ignoring them.

Flicktail says, "oi wants ta ear aye Oi does"

Aikuen knows the story, and understands why Riverdale doesn't want to say anything. He twiddles his claws on the table, trying to change the conversation, "Hows the project going!"

Fae takes a quill and ink bottle from a small pouch and begins writing in the black book and still smiling

Z'Fingo looks at Aikuen now, who seems to have already forgotten about the story as well. Is something scrambling their brains? He sees Riverdale still fussing with the model and gets up and goes over, "Is it something I said? I guess it can wait, but..." He looks at Aikuen, tilting his head.

Flicktail smiles to Fae not sure if Riverdale even wantsthe salad he made for teh squirrel now

Fae closes her book and looks to flicktail and smiles blushing a little and accidentally spills the ink bottle. " oh no!"

Riverdale is shaken from his trance. "Ah, oh... Haha, sorry, lads." He takes the salad and scarfs about half of it down before he says another word. "Well, Aik... I'm about ready to, ah, to get started. Just need some hardy paws now to help out." He seems not to hear Z'Fingo's question.

Flicktail reaches over with a cloth to help blot up the Ink for Fae

Fae wipes up the ink still blushing as flicktail helps her.

Flicktail tries his sweeping bow, still very awkward, again as if he were doffing a hat "M'lady" he says carefully, spraining his tongue to say it correctly

Fae curtseys "thank you sir flicky for your kindness" and holds out her paw

Flicktail takes the paw and awkwardly kisses the back of her paw

Aikuen waits until Riverdales head goes down. He shakes his head vigorously at Z"Fingo, and mouths the words, "DONT ASK!" He then points to himself. He looks to Riverdale and ask, "I'm Always ready mate! Just give me some of the Dimensions, and me a few other hardy wall guards can go out to the forest to get a sturdy oak for it"

Z'Fingo hates feeling ignored. He gets nothing from either the squirrel or the otter, and huffs, shuffling back to his seat and grumbling. He takes it much too personal, and decides he doesn't care about the stupid story anyway. He hopes whatever happened, it hurt. The mouse tries to shoo away the thought, unsuccessfully. It alarms him, even. He looks over at Fae and Flicktail, huffing again.

Fae blushes and giggles and then looks down

Flicktail looks at Z'hingo "oi tols ye oi wantedto ear e story, ye wouldn't tells it

Fae sits back down on her chair " yes please tell your story"

Riverdale looks up at the otter, slightly nonplussed. "Ah... er... dimensions, lad? Oh, you mean... the size of it?"

Z'Fingo snaps at the both of them, "It's not my stohry, it's his! Ask him! Ask him, not me! I don't have a stohry foh you!!" He stands up, shouting, "You dim-witted...! Ugh! You know wot I think?! I think you'uh not right enough in the head to think mean things about anybody! That's right! Too stupid to know when to hate somebody!" The yelling upsets his throat and lungs, and he starts hacking and gasping for air, falling to his knees. "You.... -ough... -ough... stupid..."

Flicktail blink blinks "well Z mouse, oi thinks oi likes bin at way en" he smiles and offers the mouse some rain water

Flicktail pats Fae's paw gently "oi must go wash me dibbuns M'lady...oi will see ye soon

Fae stands up suddenly " you know what i think i think that he is the nicest beast who ever lived! and i dont think hes stupid just cause he dosent think mean things about people!"

Flicktail blink blinks "be easy Fae..Z mouse be me friend....ebe gittin wells

Fae kisses flicktail on the head " good bye"

Aikuen nods his head, "Aye the Size! Just measure out a string for the Length and the width of the... What the..." He watches Z'Fingos little outrage. When he is done he just shakes his head. He tunrs back to the Squirrel, "As i was saying... Width of the cart, and how deep you want the inside to be, We cant cut the logs from that..." He winks to Flicktail, "See yah! Matey!"

Flicktail smiles and rushes out blushing in the ears even harder

Z'Fingo flips /out/ at the fox's unhurt reaction, "You...! Ugh!!!!" He pounds the ground with his fists and continues hacking, starting to shake as the coughing grows in intensity. "Unfair!! It's so--- -ough -ough unf-- --air!"

Fae offers her paw to help the poor beast up

Riverdale asks, "Well, lad... What do you think? I want it to fit a few beasts on it..."

Z'Fingo bats the vixen's paw away, "Don't y... -ough -ough ...you dare touch...." He falls back to a sitting position, sobbing now with his head between his knees, holding himself up with a paw to keep from falling over, as he's again dizzy from the outburst. "Wh... why..." He ignores the goings on between Riverdale and Aikuen.

Fae looks upset

Aikuen slams his paw unto the table He has had enough of Z'Fingo. He sneers at the mouse, "You Little Ingrate! How dare you speak to Fae, and Flicktail like that...You better be glad that im not the one doing the healing around here... Cause i know a way to make you stop Hacking up blood... Course the chance of you living after inhaling acid, is slim but i think its worth it" He gives an evil toothy grin.

Fae slaps z and stands there stunned

Riverdale is baffled at Aikuen's outburst until he raises his gaze enough to see the ongoing confrontation between Fae and Z'Fingo. Knowing his own impotence to intervene, he remains quiet.

Fae exclaims, "dont you dare touch ME!"

Z'Fingo sniffs and looks up at Aikuen, having nothing left but frustration for himself, and answers between coughing and sobbing, "Go ahead and do it... I des-s-s-suhve it. You d-d-d-don't even know me, but you want to kill me... w-w-well you should." He takes the slap without reacting, except for a fresh outburst of tears and sobs. Blood drips down from his muzzle onto the stone, mixed with tears.

Fae hugs the mouse and walks out crying

Aikuen laughs, "Well if you were like that in your past... I don't think i want to know you. And im not going to kill you, Your going to do that yourself by the way you do things. Sides i wouldn't stain my paws with your worthless blood." This is the Evil otter that Nobeast likes, not even Aikuen Himself.

Riverdale has been watching Z'Fingo through his rapid emotional oscillations, but Aikuen's sudden show of ruthless hard-heartedness makes him start. He looks up at the otter, eyes widening slightly, and his lip trembles.

Riverdale turns quickly back to the model, focusing on it with exaggerated attention, though the tremors in his paws confound any efforts at progress.

Z'Fingo goes out of his way to make the otter hate him even more, "You'uh s-son, is an abomination! He w-w-won't last a s-second against that f-f-fox. -ough -ough... I hope he comes b-back hea'uh and kills ev'ry one of us in our s-s-sleep." He puts his head back on his knees. "E-e-even the d-d-dibbuns!"

Riverdale knocks the Squeearf model off the table, and the twigs go tumbling across the floor of the hall. The old squirrel folds his arms on the table and rests his head, face down, atop them.

Aikuen jumps from his chair, which as you would already know, has fallen backwards. He clenches his good paw, "MY SON! Is not an Abomination! Just because you hate Vermin so much! Well Guess What! At my Home, Im considered a Vermin! Huh! What you think of that eh? You make me Sick..." And he proceeds to spit on the floor near the mouse then continues, "That Fox, will soon be dead, you will be dead, and i will be happy!." His temper has reached a high and the otter realizes it. He breathes deeply, and closes his eyes.

Z'Fingo starts shaking again, about ready to pass out from the stress of all the sobbing and coughing... when Aikuen spits, the mouse falls back, falls backward, the hood /almost/ coming off - saved by the monstrosity of a paw that reaches up to hold it in place. Z'Fingo just stays silent for a while, not coughing or sobbing. The ferocity of the otter surprises him, and he just lies there. He looks over at Riverdale.

Riverdale's face is red and slightly damp as he raises his head again. He says nothing--does not meet the mouse's gaze--, tucks the blueprint into his cloak, and rises from his chair. The squirrel grabs his cane and walks very slowly in the direction of the stairs, then stops to turn and face Z'Fingo, wearing a grim expression.

Aikuen reaches the number ten, and reopens his eyes. He grunts to the mouse before going back to pick up his chair and set it back to its upright position. He sits down, and grunts again. After a bit he goes to look at the Squirrels former position, but the squirrel has left. He looks to the stairs, and seeing what happens, he grunts again.

Z'Fingo gathers himself as well, awkwardly not looking at either the squirrel or otter... "I... um..." He decides there's no explanation. He alone has to answer for everything he's done. He rises to his footpaws with a grunt and a cough, and goes to his chair to get his things. He doesn't want to be close behind the squirrel, so he takes his time.

"Little mouse," says the old Riverdale, his tone subdued, his speech free of the hesitation that would normally punctuate it. "You live among peaceful beasts, here at the Abbey. You live amidst plenty, amidst joy. Where dibbuns can grow up without... without fear of..." he chokes a bit here, but presses on "the horrors of the world. Because it /is/ a horrible world. I know it. Aik knows. If you knew it, little mouse, you would know well enough not to bring the world in here." Riverdale looks down at his paws, folded across the top of his cane. He whimpers quietly, then looks up again, eyes bedewed with remembered loss.

Aikuen Gets slowly up from the chair, with the words of Riverdale still bouncing in his ear. He breathes deeply again, and heads for the entry. Before he leaves he turns to the mouse, "Sorry...for...Humph" He then leaves.

Z'Fingo stares at Riverdale, wondering if this has anything to do with his injuries, this 'horrible world' he speaks of. Seems to be, but he dares not ask again, even thought Flicktail isn't here anymore. He just nods dumbly and continues gathering his things, hoping not to bump into the squirrel again on the way up.

Riverdale remains for a moment where he stands, then covers the remaining ground to the stairs.

... Later...

Riverdale shuffles through the hall, headed for the kitchen.

Kentar was sitting in the hall, muttering to himself as he glares at the fire, the stoat not hurt, just annoyed. He looks up when he sees the squirrel. "Do need anything?" he asks, noting the trajectory was for the kitchen

Riverdale's pace slackens as he sees the stoat. "Ah, I thought you had left." His look of slight concern suggests that he isn't in the mood for pleasantries.

Kentar tilts his head some. "I did...then came back" he replies bluntly. "Do you need anything from the kitchen? I can get it for you if you'd like" he offers.

Riverdale waves a paw as politely as it is possible to do so. "No, no, lad. Thank you, though," he adds hastily. He indicates the faint stream of pre-dusk light still filtering in through the window. "Figure I might yet get some work done before, ah... before dark."

Kentar blinks a bit and nods. "alright then, I guess" he says. "What are you working on if I may ask?" the stoat asks

Riverdale is about to enter the kitchen when the question reaches him. The look of excitement darts across his face. "Ah! I'd forgotten that, ah, that not everybeast has heard." He leans on his cane and taps the side of his head a couple of times. "Well, ah. It's called the Squeearf Project. It's a... a kind of cart." He doesn't seem quite satisfied with that description, but it will have to suffice.

Kentar blinks. "Sqeearf?" he asks, the stoat laughing at the title. "What kind of cart?" he asks, tilting his head as he listens, watching the old squirrel still.

Riverdale shrugs good-naturedly. "We'll have to build it to find out, won't we? You look strong, lad. Would you like to help?"

Kentar thinks for a few moments, the stoat shrugging a bit in return. "I don't know...I've never been good at building" he replies. "Besides, I still really want to travel somewhere" he says. "But I'll think about it" He smiles some.

Riverdale frowns, distressed at the rejection, then brightens again. "But th-that's just what the Squeearf is for, lad! It's for traveling! It's... ah... it's-it's... well, it can take us anywhere we want to go!"

Kentar Hmms and shrugs again, giving a bit of a small smile. "I said I would think about it. I'm not sure if I'd even be good enough for helping" The stoat says. "I break things" he laughs, before hmming. "I'll let you know as soon as I come up with a reply, okay?" he smiles.

Riverdale nods, saying nothing, his enthusiasm clearly dampened by the stoat's noncommittal response. He raises a morose paw as he goes into the kitchen.