Logged on: 2004-11-06

Featuring: Audri, Cilantro

Salamandastron: Recreation Room

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Salamandastron *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

The recreation room for the army of the Longpatrol. Here soldiers come to

relax after a hard day's work and the officers come for a game of cards or

a quick drink by the fire. The room is quite large, having to deal with a

lot of hares at one time. Along one wall there is a large worktop with

some cuhsioned stools lining one side of it. On the other side of the

worktop there stand many kegs and bottles, lined so that they can be

easily opened by someone standing on the inside of the bar but well out of

reach of the rowdy hares on the other side. There are a few woollen cloths

on the bar and mats in front of each stool. The next thing nearest to the

bar are the round tables, each with 4 chairs around and a lantern in the

middle of each one. There are a couple of slightly larger oval tables with

8 seats around, obviously for larger crowds. The other end of the room is

littered with armchairs, comfortable armchairs,  each pair with a small

table in between. The armchairs are near the fire, used to heat the room

and provide extra comfort for the relaxing soldiers.

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                  Visible Exits:

[Out]

Cilantro is sitting by the fire, on the stone hearth, trying to fend off the cold, moist inner-mountain air. He appears to be lost in thought, though doesn't betray outwardly what the cause of his pensiveness may be.

Cilantro stands abruptly and takes a thin piece of firewood from the pile by the hearth and, drawing his dagger, sits down again and begins whittling the bark into the fire. He remains silent but a bit fidgety and restless.

"Come back 'ere ya little runt." Running footpaws comes from the hall, before a small black furball comes in, making her way under a chair. Then appears a light colored doe, Wendy whose right leg is bleeding. "Ya rotten blightah. I'm tellin' ya dad on ya." Humphing, the doe disappears, while the squirrel sniffles, hugging her ragdoll close.

Cilantro looks up from his whittling at the commotion and stops short when he sees the sniffling little squirrel. His contemplative expression widens into a smile, and he begins making silly faces to the little squirrel. He asks gently, "'ello there, wut's your name?"

Audri blinks, staring at the odd hare, hugging her doll close. Slowly, she makes her way out walking over to him. "Auree, and this 'unken." She holds up the doll for him to see.

Cilantro cocks his head slightly to the left and grins even more broadly. "Pleasuh t'meet ya, Awree. 'n' 'unken too, I'm sure. Name's Cilantro. Guess I'm new 'ere, jus' arrived a few days back from the south." He extends a large paw to Audri.

Noticing he's still holding the dagger in the other paw, he quickly sheathes it in the small pouch on his belt, still holding his other paw extended. He relates, "Shouldn't play with those 'round little 'uns, wot?" and winks.

Audri peers at his paw, before giving it a small shake. That done, the dibbun plops down on her bum, hugging her ragdoll close. "Nice ta meet yoo. I wiving with 'ark now." She glances at the dagger, but doesn't flinch since her dad had lots of those.

Cilantro smiles encouragingly. "Darklett, eh? That ol' rascal, 'e was one of t' first t' greet me when I got 'ere, rowdy chap, but a jolly good one it seems, wot? But don't let my ramblin' put ya off... Tell me, what brings a little 'un like you among all us hares here? Rough place for a young lady like ya, isn't it?" He winks.

Audri blinks, staring at the very talkive hare. Her ears flatten at the next question, Audri hugging her doll close. "'unken gave me ta 'ark. 'e takin care o' me. Me wikes mountain. Wots bettah than ship. They icky."

Cilantro nods emphatically. "Right y'are, they are icky." He pauses. "Same thing happen'd t' me, doncha know... They 'ave ships down where I come from too. Tha's why I'm 'ere... Revenge i'n't a jolly good thing mosta th' time, but revenge it is." He becomes increasingly serious. "Good thing you though... Good thing ya got taken in when ya did. Those ships seem t'ave somethin' 'gainst us peaceful folk, wot?"

Audri nods. "Yesh. But I was on ship fow a bit. Then they sowd me. But 'unken took me tiww he gone. Now I stay with 'ark. He vewy nice though some 'awes tawk bout 'im. That not nice."

Cilantro nods again. "Well, I'm glad t'meet ya, and glad y're 'ere... It's gettin' a bit late, but if y'ave a fav'rite game or the like, I'm willin' t'play with ya!" He stands up abruptly, noticing that his back has been getting a little too warm from his seat on the hearth, and sits down on the ground next to Audri. "Wot'dya say?"

Audri taps her nose, before whispering something to her ragdoll, leaning in to hear its reply of course. She smiles, looking back up to Cilantro. "'unken wants ta 'ear a story. Pwease."

Cilantro smiles back. "Awl right, miss, I'm not too muchofa story-teller, donchaknow, but I can jolly well try... I can tell y' th' story 'bout the ol' otter 'n' th' ottermarm who 'elped me out after I got lost 'n the woods one day..."

Audri oohs, hugging 'unken close, while leaning in with large eyes. The dibbun smiles brightly, excited by the story telling hare.

Cilantro leans against the bricks of the hearth, still seated on the ground, and begins. "Twas 'bout a season ago, not too long after that ship I was tellin' y'bout came 'n' left me t'fend fer m'self. I didn't 'ave an 'ome anymore, so I thought to m'self, I jolly best get me out somewhere t' find some other creatuhs, since m' small vittle stores were runnin' out and I was bally bored wit' talkin' t'm'self the 'ole jolly time."

"So I got m' trusty ol' green knapsack that m' mum 'ad given me when I went scoutin' with some o' the other younguns out in the village, filled it wit' a bit o' vittles, m'oilskin canteen fill'd wit' watuh, an' that 'un dagger ya saw me with b'fore. W' those three things, I set off into th' woods, along a small stream."

Audri listens intently, hugging 'unken close while whispering something. Then she goes back to staring up at him.

"I travel'd day an' night, slept only in lit'l bursts 'n' fits, all along next t' th' pleas'nt tricklin' o' that stream, till one day, twas the middle o' the night, I saw a light off in th' woods, a light from a campfire. I was ovahwhelmed w' 'appiness, these were th' first creatures I'd seen in 'bout three weeks, but I was car'ful too; I knew there were vermin 'bout in those parts."

Audri blinks, eyes widening at 'vermin'. "What ya find?" she asks quietly, wondering what happened.

"I crept up 'ind a tree 'n' 'ad a look't who it was sitt'n at that campfire. Ye' can imagine m' disappointment when I crouched there, starin' straight at a group o'  four rats, mangy furred, ugly rats. An' they stank too!"

Audri ooohs, shrinking somewhat behind her doll, her eyes showing over its head.

"So I crouch'd down lowuh, I darn sure didn't want t' be seen by these blighters, but I was a lit'l bit clumsy in those days, an' I snapped a branch 'hind me as I stepped back. Suddenly, I 'ad four mangy ratfaces starin' straight in my direction, an' they all slowly reached fo' their cutlasses. I shrank back even farthuh, 'opin' that maybe they 'adn't seen me, but they all came at me, their yellow eyes glarin' at me in th' firelight. I was sittin' on my behind, 'n' I couldn't escape without makin' an enormous noise, so I thought it'd be smarter jus' t' stay put."

"Course, it wouldn't 'ave been, if at that moment, an 'uge creature ‘and’t run into th' clearin' w' the campfire, swingin' an enormous ashwood club an' barin' down the rats. 'e swung 'is club only twice till all the rats 'ad bruises they'd be sure nevah t' forget. They ran off, squeakin' loudly."

Audri blinks, sitting up at start as he tells of the fight, whispering something to 'unken again.

"The creature 'headed for me, an', since I couldn't tell none too well who it was, I only cowered even more. 'E stopped growlin' though, and called t' me in 'is 'usky voice. 'I won't hurt you, come out of there!' 'e said t' me. I risk'd a glance and was relieved by what I saw: twas an ol' otter, a big, broad, powerful, but kindly lookin' chap, and I knew 'e 'ad sav'd eithuh m' life or a long, tirin' run through the woods in th' dark. I was sudd'nly not afraid so much, but tha' made room fo' other emotions, 'specially shame. 'Ere I was, young 'are, son o' a Long Patrol 'are, crouchin' on th' ground as soon as danger show'd itself."

Audri smiles some, scooting closer to the hare as he continues on with his tale.

"I came out anyway, though, and th' otter didn't mention anythin' 'bout my own cowardice. 'E jus' grinned, patt'd me on the back, an' offer'd t' take me an' introduce me to 'is wife and let me stay th' night there fo' a while. I nevuh found out 'ow he knew I 'ad no place t' stay, but I spent a good part o' the winter wit' 'im."

"'E taught all sorta things, bowyerin', fletchin', trackin', 'untin', all th' things I 'adn't learned as a leveret, growin' up wi' my mum alone. T' tell ya the truth, 'e was like the father I never really 'ad. But 'e was adamant that I grow up an 'are, not an otter, so he sent me off three weeks ago. I didn't want t' go, but 'e insisted. 'E said I should go to Salamandastron, I couldn't miss it, 'twas an 'uge mountain on th' shore. An' right 'e was. I jus' follow'd th' settin' sun and arrived with'n 'alf a fortnight."

"An' so I enlisted in th' Long Patrol, an', two weeks latuh, 'ere I am, sittin' by the fire, tellin' stories t' lit'l squirrels 'n' their dolls. Ah, sweet, warm fire, sweet full stomach. " Cilantro sighs and leans back even farther, watching the flickering shadow of his two ears on the far wall.

Cilantro closes his eyes, slouches back even a little more, and doses off into a contented slumber.

Audri hmms, leaning over to poke the hare curiously. Seeming asleep, the dibbun goes to climb in a chair, talking with 'unken for a long while.

Cilantro is roused by the pokes and shakes his head lightly, seeming slightly dazed. He realizes he's fallen asleep, and chuckles. "Looks like it's m' bedtime. Pro'bly yours too, wot, Awree?"

Audri shakes her head, looking up at him. "Nuhuh. Wantin' fow 'awk."

Cilantro looks at her. "'E might be in bed by this time o' night too, lis'n, I'll take ya to 'is dormitory an' we c'n see if 'es there, right-oh?"

Audri shakes her head again, hugging her doll close. "Wanna stay in 'ere. Talkin' with 'unken."

Cilantro shrugs. "You sure, miss? But I s'pose so, if ya think y' c'n find your way down to th' dormitories by y'self, I'll be 'eadin' off then." He rises and trudges toward the door, turns around, waves and calls to Audri. "G'night!"

"Night." Audri waves, before snuggling in the chair, talking with her doll.

Cilantro opens the door, walks out, and closes it gently behind him.