Zocalo and the Porch - Thorns of Steel TP

The evening is nice, clear and warm for the time of the year. There's a lantern hung outside the door of the bakery, and there's a stoat sitting there on the step with a big wooden sign. He's singing as he paints various ads and things that he's got in store as well as prices to hang outside the door, but what he is singing is completely unknown, in some...complicated foreign language.

Zocalo storms in, figuratively of course, from the entrance part of town. He's got a lantern in one paw and a frustrated look on his face. As he passes the tavern there are various discouraging shouts which he speeds past and ignores but slows down as he gets closer to the carpenter's shop. Finally, he stops, takes a deep, calming breath and is about to go up the stairs into the shop he calls home when he hears Christopher's singing from the store opposite. Holding the lantern up so that he can see better, Z peers into the darkness, trying to locate the source of the noise.

Christopher keeps going, not realizing there's anyone nearby. He pauses in his painting, reaching down to the lantern, which brings the light to his face as he does a quick spell-check on his advertising board. The stoat nods to himself before he glances up and spots the otter off in the short distance. "Oh! Hey!"

Bjorn has arrived.

"Evenin', Christopher." Zocalo calls back half-heartedly, glances at the carpenter's shop and then heads across the street to join the stoat on the porch. His lantern bobs as he walks and the otter stops in front of the porch, sets his lantern down and leans against one of the posts that support the roof, paws in his pockets. "How're things?"

Christopher watches the otter come over, smiling a bit as he puts the paint bucket away to the side slowly, the stoat laying the brush across the opening. "Going great actually. Baked all night the night before last, all yesterday, and all today. Filled the bakery completely. Well the shop spot anyway." he laughs. "Now I have a sign too." he grins. "What about you? How are things with you?"

Zocalo shrugs and rolls his eyes. "Just had a run-in with that hare, Oakenpaw. You met him yet?" Zocalo brushes a few stray leaves and twigs off of the bakery's porch. "Asked him what was going on with the ravens and the attacks. He was...less than helpful." He brushes his right paw over his head and smoothes his head fur down.

Christopher tilts his head a little bit. "Oh, yes. Him and...erm, Willow? Is that her name? Were in my shop the day before." he nods his head. "They were...well, odd. I thought it was just me living with just my nephew for too long but...I guess not." he rubs the back of his neck a little bit and chuckles. "Glad to know being a hermit for so long hasn't made my judgment sour." he grins.

The warm glow of a lantern illuminates the area around the approaching wildcat, the firelight glinting off of the chainmail he wears. His head turns to look at the two beasts sitting on the porch of the bakery. He pauses, glances around the drak maketplace once, and alters his course, walking until he is a few feet away from them, not on the porch yet, but within easy conversational distance. He gives them each a nod of greeting. "Good eve." he says, his voice low.

Safana has arrived.

Safana walks slowly into the market place and looks around the shops, she places at the beasts in the roadside before looking once more at the shops.She brushes headfur from her eyes as she stops.

Zocalo quickly recognizes Bjorn and nods a greeting in return. "Evening, Bjorn." He glances back and forth between Chris and the wildcat, contemplating whether or not he should introduce them and decides not to. Instead, he responds to Christopher with a quick grin. "All I have to say about the matter is that, if there /is/ a war going on, there needs to be a better effort to make beasts aware."

Christopher laughs a little bit and then nods. "I'm sure." he smirks a little bit before glancing towards the wildcart, nodding his head, waving a paw up, the two sitting at the door to the bakery. He glances to the other cat and tilts his head a little before giving a polite wave in return. "I just hope we don't get anymore of this war...I didn't come here to help fight." he laughs.

Bjorn glances back over his shoulder at Safana, giving a quick wave that he lets suffice to greet her and Christopher both. He steps up onto the porch and sets his lantern down on the floor. He crosses his arms and glances at the two, "Hell, i'm helping to fight an' I don't know what's going on." he mutters, picking up on the topic of their conversation.

Safana has been listening, "I know some of whats going on around Mossflower, from what heard and what seen a bit of." She walks closer to them.

Zocalo turns an interested face onto Safana, the one beast in the conversation he doesn't recognize. "Yeh? Is it true that there is a horde of crows attacking Redwall? And that they've occupied the dirt road between here and there?" With a quick motion, Z hops up and sits down on the bakery porch, his tail and paws dangling over the side.

Christopher shrugs his shoulders a bit. "I've heard that. I've heard that they're trying to defend the roads between Redwall and here for travel should it be needed." he nods. The stoat tilts his head a little. "But yeah, I've heard that the crows keep going back there. But what are they to do? Its hard to kill something that can fly." he frowns.

Bjorn shrugs his shoulders, "Everyting can be killed." he states simply, in response to Christopher. "I've not been told to do anyting yet by Scioto. Not sure when he plans to do something." he says, sounding a little troubled by the cheiftain's inaction.

Safana nods "Yes crows and Ravens are all over the dirt road and in the woods, and I think we have yet to find the base, need to fins it to attack it right?"

Zocalo doesn't know anything about tactics. He shrugs. "See, now, Oakenpaw told me he knows where the base is. 'An area where the fiend's base is' were his exact words. He also mentioned GUOSIM and Long Patrol. Who's in charge of this?" Zocalo leans backwards, propped up on his arms, tail swinging freely back and forth.

Christopher shrugs a bit. "I don't know about either. My...family wouldn't get on with the Patrol so well. Being stoats and all." he chuckles a bit before thinking, glancing to the ground in thought. "But I...well, I didn't even know the GUOSIM still existed honestly."

Safana says, "No one knows where the base is, just a possible idea where it may be, a scout was looking into finding out more info""

Bjorn lowers his head, looking at the ground, "Tis is all wrong, ya?" he mutters, speaking up louder, "I'm under te command of Scioto, heard noting about the Long Patrol of Guosim.." he sighs. "tis isn't how yew fight a war. We need to know what we're dealing wit, what our assets are..." he trails off, figuring they don't much care about his tactical ramblings.

"Yep." Zocalo lets the word drag out slightly, and then hang in the air. "If it isn't safe to travel out there on the road then no one is going to be able to leave Farravale. There are beasts here who /cannot/ fight and now they're stuck with no way to evacuate them." He's getting worked up again and abruptly stops talking.

Safana frowns, "I will be back or ...well finding someone then will return, or rather them." She heads off to the north.

Safana has left.

Christopher reaches out to pat Z's shoulder lightly. "Well, I've mentioned my nephew to Scioto once...if anybody needs to leave and needs protection, well...Thane is as good as anyone I know." he chuckles. "If you need to leave sometime and one a travel partner, let him know." he grins.

Scioto has arrived.

Scioto walks into the market square, slight muttering and his ears back as he walks into the square silent, sword at side and chainmail.He stops when he when he gets to the group and nods"Greetings."

Bjorn looks over at Scioto, giving him a respectful nod and a "Sir." he figures that since he's technically serving the cheiftain, he might as well adress him as a superior.

Zocalo doesn't seem too impressed by the chieftain's entrance. He has respect issues. "Evenin', Scioto. The cat send you over here?" He doesn't know Safana's name. And, again, respect issues. "Seems we've got a war going on, hm?"

Christopher glances up at the other feline. He then hums a little bit to himself and glances towards Z slowly. "Calm down, calm down. The war is out there, not in here. Don't let it get to you." he chuckles, smiling.

Scioto nods "Yes a war I know all too well about, and one I want to end soon, but I need to find an exact location of where I need to go and where to send beasts. I have more guards around my village for protection of the village."

Bjorn mutters something just within the cat's hearing. "Why don't yew ask that fool hare Oakenpaw, he seems ta tink he knows everting, ja?" he rolls his eyes, but adopts a more serious tone. "Aye. Tell me where i'm needed, an' i'll be tere."

Zocalo heeds the baker's advice and keeps his mouth closed, glancing back and forth between Bjorn and Scioto. Finally, he can't take it any longer and just blurts out, "Look, I just want to know why no one was told! Yes, okay, we saw the affect the lizards had when they attacked but that was weeks ago and it's mostly fixed now. Why didn't anyone say anything about the ravens?" Deep breath. "Oakenpaw said something about there being town meetings to discuss but we never heard about them. I want to help but I don't know what there is to do."

Scioto says, "Oakenpaw doesn't know where the base is, he stays in the village all the time and thinks he knows because he heard the POSSIBLE general location has been found, trust me if I knew where it was I would gather any help I had and go there and free my daughter and the two other captives Vladmir Stormfeather has.I know the abbey has found some shrews and a small group of passing Long Patrol hares but its not alot of the hares, most are at the Mt. of course and would never get here in time, too far away and not thinking I want bunch of hares around anyways." He stops, "Hasnt really been a town meeting, the hare may of thought there was...not a bad idea really, there was a small meeting of guards though, just guards.""

Scioto says, "The ravens and crows were mentioned, so far they have mainly been near Redwall, closest seen them here was a group of 4 by the bridge and 3 of them were killed, may be others but Vladmir seems more intrested in Redwall as he tried to capture the abbot and would have if it wasnt for a novice knocking the abbot out of the way and getting captured them selfs by the raven."

Christopher watches the otter quietly, sighing a little to himself. Secretly he agrees with him, but he'd never show it. He didn't come here to fight a war. He's listening carefully before he glances towards Scioto. "Honestly, I think Oakenpaw just doesn't have much of a clue." he shrugs. "Only met him once, but I think that was enough. I can't picture what he could do in the war effort." he shrugs.

Safana has arrived.

Bjorn takes in all the information the Scioto is throwing at him, taking a few seconds to mull it over. "I zee." He nods. "Just tell me when we're ready to make our move, ja?" the wildcat repostions his sheild on his shoulders.

Safana walks back into the area and leans on a street post.

Scioto nods "I will let you know when the attck will take place, A scout is too find out more info soon, I hope, but as I told another...no ambush yet, and not alone, one went alone and was later found dead by the road south of here."

Zocalo rolls his eyes but keeps his opinion about the hare to himself. "So what needs to happen next? If the focus is on Redwall and not on us, are we going to go down there and help them out? What's our part in this?" Honestly, it's a bit relieving to know his village isn't the focus of this attack and his posture relaxes.

Safana speaks up" You letting me help ya fight? I can fight too and don't say I cant."

Scioto glaces at Safana but answers the others first, "The vilage is still on alert and if anyone in the village is more in danger....it's probally me." He glaces at Safana, "And maybe you, but I do not think Vladmir knows who you are...that I know of."

Bjorn shifts uncomfortably, glancing at Safana. "And who is she, exactly?" he questions, paw on his swordhilt in a habit. "Shoult we be doing someting?"

Safana stands up and walks over closer, "I am his sister..younger sister,well by 2-3 minutes anyways, been out on de sea till recently, got here shortly after all this stuff started, well least the tempary takeover of the village."

Scioto waits letting Safana tell who she is, he can wait to say more on whats going on soon.

Zocalo coughs a little and plays with the handle of the lantern he'd been carrying around. It makes metallic noises as he lifts it up and lets it fall again. "Good thing you got here when you did, hm?" He watches Scioto's face. He knows about the chieftain's family being killed. A sister wouldn't be all that bad to have around in that sort of situation.

Bjorn just nods in understanding. There's not really that much he thinks he can or should say, so he just kinda stands there, shifting his weight from footpaw to footpaw and tapping his sword hilt periodically.

Safana stays off to the side but still listens as she does want to help in any plans and any fight.

Scioto clears his throat, "I await for a exact location of the base, which I hope is found soon, then any gathered fighters will go and attack, carefully and after a well worked out plan, we will need archers to fight the birds, thats one thing very much needed."

Zocalo gives up and hops off the porch, trailing his lantern after him. "Well, thank you for your help Scioto. It's nice to know what's going on here. Let me know if I can do anything. Whatever it is. Don't leave us out of this." He nods to Safana, "Ma'am." Then, with a quick wave to Christopher and Bjorn, he starts heading home to the carpenter's shop. He makes the porch and stands in the open doorway briefly in order to call out, "Oh..and someone might just want to straighten Oakenpaw out before something bad happens..." Then he's gone, the door banging closed behind him.