The Undecided

[Ashleg]

The one otter that was left near Darrin grunted in disgust and coughed into his sleeve.
He seemed to be strenuously trying not to stare.
"Wonderful food, it is...although perhaps too wonderful. You really need to put that friend of yours on a leash."
With a warning glare, he pointed to a freshly-made stain on his tunic and resumed spooning soup past his snout.

--

A rat, positioned a few yards off from Rallowan and Hacklaw, gritted his teeth and spat a fish bone into his paw.
"Who says Darrin hasn't wound up there himself?"

[The Skarzs]

  Hacklaw looked at the rat with a look that could kill. "I never said we ain't goin' there, numb face, but we ain't prepared t' take a place like that right now." He filled his big chest with air and bellowed out. "Everybody up! Start walkin'!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
  "What's that soup, eh?" Darrin reached for the bowl but his paw was smacked away.
  "This 'ere's 'otroot soup, ferret. You wouldn't like it."
  Darrin shook his own spoon at the otter. "Try me!"
  The otter looked at his friend beside him, who grinned mischievously. "Sure, matey, you can 'ave some," the otter said, passing a hidden wink to his friend. He poured some of the soup into another bowl and dropped a little bit more pepper into it. "Harr, give it some flavor."
  "Thankee."
  The two Redwallers, as well as several others around him, watched excitedly as Darrin stirred the soup and lifted a spoonful his lips.
  Abbot Gerard stood up suddenly as a loud cry erupted from the table. Redwallers roared in laughter at Darrin's  plight, the ferret falling backwards off the bench, spitting out hotroot soup and grabbing anything cool nearby to quench his burning mouth. Finally, when he could breath, Darrin turned upon the otter. "Yew filthy cheatin' no-good-!"
  "Elijah, please stop this!" said the abbot.

[Ashleg]

"Give 'im more!" Twisty howled, laughing so hard he could barely control himself as he stood and sauntered around the table.
"Please...hah...somebeast should've given 'im..." the rat's gray eyes landed on the Chief while the ferret cooled his tongue.
The rat feigned innocence.
"Are ya okay, Chief?"

--

All of the vermin in Hacklaw's army began to assemble and move out, mostly without audible complaint as they knew how fickle their Chief could be when it came to it.
"Me paws 'urt," muttered the rat who had countered Hacklaw before. "Walkin' in circles..."

[Dannflower Reguba]

       Raleigh had been eating with the cooks in the kitchen after striking up a conversation on her way to breakfast that morning. She was having trouble choking down her water through a fit of giggles when she heard an all too familiar and desperate ruckus coming from the dining area, "If Truggs spiked another beasts fizz I swear I'll have 'is paws!" The squirrel was out the door with a lightly honeyed cup of green sap milk in a mere moment. Leaving the kitchen, Raleigh found herself quite dismayed with the scene before her. Rushing over, she instructed the ferret in the same moment that she forced the drink into his grip, "Darrin right? Drink slowly, and make sure that you rinse out the entire inside of your mouth thoroughly before swallowing. There should be enough in that cup to wash out twice, with an extra sip to spare." She eye-balled the bowl in question, while still making sure she was between Darrin and the suspected culprit. The bowl itself was relatively easy to identify, with no apparent owner and a rather obvious spill. She inched her way to the spicy dish, picking it up and sipping a quick mouthful off the clean side. She proceeded to give the otter in question the dirtiest look she could muster, disappointment radiated from the uncharacteristic frown she had donned.

OOC: Activity!? Yay!

[Ashleg]

Twisty yelped and stumbled off to the side when Raleigh burst in and began assisting Darrin.
Darrin...it was always Darrin with her, wasn't it?
"Alright, Chief, looks like you've got help now," he sneered under his breath, turning and whisking away from the dining hall.

"No-good good fer nothin'..."

OOC-
Yay!

[The Skarzs]

  Darrin took the cup Raleigh gave him eagerly, rinsing and swallowing the liquid until his mouth was cool. He glared at the laughing Resellers and Limpy.
  "Bloody rudderbum, yet tryin' t' kill me!"
  "No I ain't," said the otter, looking around Raleigh. "I told you you wouldn't like it."
  Darrin grimaced and picked up his platter. "Aah, forget it." With that he went to find a table with less creatures.

[Cornflower MM]

Rowan had woken up late and from there it had downhill since she couldn't find her habit cord. Rushing to Cavern Hole, she muttered to herself under her breath. "They never wake me up if I sleep late but who keeps their ungrateful tails on time? Couldn't be me now could it?" She wasn't paying attention as she went around a corner close to the Hall and almost knocked into someone else. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" Rowan cried, looking up and stifling a gasp as she saw she'd almost run into a rat. Rowan had heard that the Abbey had taken in some vermin for a few days but she'd been so busy yesterday that she hadn't had a chance to see for herself.

[Ashleg]

Twisty screamed and hopped backwards, only to realize the offender was an apologetic little squirrel.
The rat began to scowl while he adjusted his coat with his good paw.
"Don't go in there. They're all no-goods..."

He frowned.
"'Specially Darrin. Raleigh ain't never gonna fix my paw what with him around. Stop gawping!"

[Cornflower MM]

Rowan tilted her head, "What's wrong with your paw? May I take a look? I'm no Raleigh but I work in the Infirmary as well." Huh, he doesn't seem too bad, she thought to herself. A little jealous, perhaps, but this rat certainly didn't fit what she'd heard about vermin. Then again, Elijah had let them into the Abbey for some reason. Maybe they were different.

[Ashleg]

Twisty grumbled and held out his left paw but did not remove the glove.
"'Tis crippled, that's what's wrong with it. All twisted an' useless. Bah!" he turned and spat on the ground.
"Don't you go an' get my hopes up just to squash 'em again. It's not..." the rat's eyes locked with Rowan's. "...fair."
She's right about one thing; she certainly is no Raleigh, he thought bitterly.

[Cornflower MM]

OOC: You know, I was starting to feel all warm and fuzzy until that last line. Hah.

BIC: A little piece of Rowan shriveled when Twisty spat on the floor, but she looked away. "Nothing's useless. Just because something can't do what people think it should doesn't mean it's useless - It might have some other use that maybe you haven't found yet. Now, as for your hopes, I will do everything I can to help with your paw." She smiled at Twisty, "Would you like to go up to the Infirmary now?"

[Ashleg]

OOC-
Ah my. How?
IC-
"It can't do anything. That means it's useless." Twisty squinted behind him, back at the hall where everybeast was eating, and cursed quietly.
"...I'll come up'n there right now an' you'll fix me up good," said the rat distractedly, racing ahead of Rowan.
Inside him, anger brewed.

[Cornflower MM]

"Hey! Can I go get a tray to bring up to the Infirmary first?! Unlike you, I haven't eaten yet!" Rowan protested, looking towards Cavern Hole with longing eyes. Patients were important, yes, but so was food. . .

[Ashleg]

Twisty waved her off bad-temperedly.
"Fine, whate'er, go on," he sneered, "You can't fix it anyways."

[Cornflower MM]

Rowan looked at Twisty, shocked. "Now wait a moment. Just because I'm not Raleigh with her pretty face and knowledge of everything doesn't mean I can't fix it. I'm just hungry. But fine, if you're going to be like that let's go! I can't fix your paw without looking at it now can I?" She turned and started marching towards the Infirmary, tail swishing angrily. After a few paces, she looked back at Twisty, "Are you coming?"