Lost and Low

[Navi]

*Navi Ragine absolutely hated stormy, cold, rainy nights. Her blithe personality preffered the pleasant sunny sort, but who was to argue with the weather.
The ottermaid had been making her way back home to Brockhall after a long personal ordeal farther up the weastern coast. Then the cursed rain began to pour. Soft at first, practicaly a mere sprinkle, but that's how they all start. The main reason for her dislike of storms was that they reminded Navi of her parents and how she hadn't even gotten to know them before the... separation.

All these emotions built upon her laden spirit like the rain on her sodden cloak. There was also the fact that she was helplessly lost in these woods and would have to sit under a tree somplace untill morning. Oh why did she not stick to the river route. At least she knew where to go from there. Navi sighed as she wiped at her face with a wet habit sleeve and slumped against an oak. There was only so much she could take and she felt unbelievably exhausted.

When she looked up, Navi thought she could make out a glimmer of light through pitch of night. Maybe sombeast over that way would know where she was; and maybe there would be some sort of shelter where she could dry herself off and get a propper rest.
-------------------

The ottermaid opened the door to the tavern. She had always liked taverns. Loud and abnoxious ones like this especialy, with lots of beasts you could sit down and talk to. Yes, socializing was one of Navi's favorite pastimes, but right now she wished that that the place was empty.
She didn't feel like drinking anything so she went to go look for an unpopulated corner. The otter tried to make herself as small and unoticable as possible. She gazed at her muddied footpaws as she walked by counters were the town residents drowned their own sorrows and squeezed by the occasional rowdy group celebrating whatever it was that they made up to celebrate just for the excuse to buy another ale.

It seemed like ages before Navi found a comfortable spot to sulk. She draped her traveling cloak over the back of a chair and scooted it in front of a fireplace to dry, then sat at a nearby table and stared at the flames across form her while sad thoughts churned in her mind. Home seemed so far away and she didn't have a clue to who these beasts were. Navi burried her chin in green habit sleeves, her eyes drooping as moral and energy were slowly slipping from her paws.*


OOC: Sheesh! What a depressing post. I am not usualy this... depressing.

[Tinsy Stormsight]

Regen was crammed into a small table in a corner..empty, since nobeast wanted to sit with him. The tall, golden-furred squirrel was in a slightly annoyed mood..it showed. Nobeast approached a broud-shouldered beast who scowled at everyone in sight, especially if said beast looked like he was someone in authority. Or that he might beat them up.
Either one.
The big squirrel had a large mug of ale in front of him..oddly enough, it was his first. Not oddly, it was completely empty. Regen sighed at the inside and wearily looked past the twenty beasts that were between him and the bar.
He didn't really want to shove through that crowd. But he did really want another drink, so he might as well..

It didn't take long for Regen to find himself shoved into the one open space in the Tavern..the area next to the fireplace..by the crowd.
Well, not the entire crowd. It was mainly one hedgehog, whom he had dodged to avoid running into..tripped over a stool..and cannoned into this chair. It had a cloak hanging off it, nicely soaked by the rain outside.
Regen growled softly and collected chair and cloak from the floor. The cloak went back on the chair, although not as neatly as before. Regen helped himself to another nearby, which appeared unoccupied, and sat in it for a moment.
As usual, he glanced around first. It was common practice in a crowded Tavern to make sure you hadn't sat in another beast's chair after you sat in it. One didn't like to get the snot punched out of them.
Nobody here except an ottermaid, sitting at the same table. Regen glanced over at her, smiled in slightly nervous manner, and asked hopefully, "Nobeast's sittin' 'ere, right?"

[Navi]

*The clattering chair had awoken Navi. She sat bolt upright in her chair and blinked at the clumsy squirrel shoveling her cloak back into place. His scowling face told the ottermaid he was having a bad evening too.
She might as well stay awake after the interuption of her nap. This squirrel might know where she was, but she was a little unsure because of his mood.
When he asked her if anybeast was sitting in the chair he had occupied she yawned and replied.*

Only you. This place has been empty for awhile, ever since I came in. I don't think anybeast would mind askin' fer mine back if'n I took their's.

*Navi couldn't help but look around in the direction of the crowd. If she had taken sombeasts' chair, and chairs about the fireplace must be highly coveted, then she better keep a warey eye out for trouble.*

I don't exacly want a fight right now, but I'd manage.

[tamar]

*Another female creature followed the ottermaid in to the tavern and out of the rain, but she left her cloak on. She'd only come in to warm herself slightly by the fire. She didn't have any money for a drink.*

*She hoped she'd be able to blend in with the crowd, not sure if they'd even want her in such a place. She pulled her hood closer around her ears as she made her way to the fire. She was equal in size to the maid who had come in ahead of her, so there was always the possibility that they'd mistake her for an otter.*

*Then there was the commotion with the gold squirrel and the chair and something caught the edge of her cloak. The hood pulled away slightly revealing the weaselmaid's features for only a second. Hurriedly she recovered herself.*

They didn't see me. *She whispered hopefully to herself. And anyway if they had it would just mean going back out into the rain. The rain wasn't so bad. She'd been wetter plenty of times aboard ship.*

[Tinsy Stormsight]

"Oh, good." Regen smiled, looking rather relieved..he hadn't been looking forward to going back through the crowd to where his seat was. And besides, he'd probably find it taken if he looked behind him.
The empty mug was still in his paw. Regen set it back on the table, rather more forcefully than required. It clattered loudly, although nobeast appeared to notice in the noise.
He glanced around anyway, to check.
Nope, nobeast. Everyone was mostly in their own universe, although he noted a beast standing by the fire, all cloaked. Not that unusual..it was suprising, the amount of beasts who dressed in heavy cloaks around here all the time. Regen had found that this usually meant they had something to hide.
He doubted whoever that was had anything interesting. Usually beasts wanted to hide that they were vermin creatures - not unusual, around here. Since Redwall Abbey wouldn't take vermin, most of the locals had come to hide behind Terralux's walls.
Some, of course, had some kind of weapon that they insisted on carrying around. Once Regen had seen a beast with an immense battle-axe, and another time one with a newfangled firearm stuck in his belt. Nobody minded. Everybeast carried a weapon around here.

Including himself, although his wasn't as impressive as the axe.
"I don' think anybeast's gonna try an' fight ye. Th' law in th' Tav'rn is that ye can't fight within five yards o' th' grounds...an' it's enforced."
He'd found that out the hard way before now.

[tamar]

*The weaselmaid actually flinched when the squirrel addressed her. She was used to comments being thrown at her along with the back of somebeast's paw. She looked around first to see if it was she that he was speaking to. Then when she was sure that he was and that he wasn't going to hurt her she spoke*

"I don' wanna fight wif nobeast" *Her accent was nondescript as she had been so many places and forced to learn so many different languages but it was dreadfully common.*

*She pulled the thin cloak tighter around her body, now wondering if the squirrel suspected that she carried the two daggers she had taken off the dead corsair. She hadn't pulled them out even in her fear because she had no idea whatsoever how to use them. She knew she'd be useless in a skirmish and it was for that reason only that she didn't want to pick a fight.*

*A barmaid brushed past her carrying a tray and her head turned to the smell of the food on it. She looked at it longingly as it was placed out on the table before the creature who had the crystals to pay for it. Lara had nothing and she couldn't remember the last time she had a decent meal.*

[Navi]

*Navi was a bit unsure of the strange cloaked figure. She had not noticed her at first, but now that she was wide awake the ottermaid cocked an eyebrow at the stranger. Being brought up in an anti-vermin environment (Redwall) she was always a bit cautious with these types.

When the stranger spoke, her voice sounded feminine, though with a strange accent she couldn't put her paws on; and any beast who says they don't want a fight could be hoping for just the opposite. It made her a bit tense, but she didn’t like to show it so she just leaned back in her chair and laughed. Navi liked laughing. Hers was and especially full kind and she liked to show it off.*

No beast's in the mood to be doing any fighting.

*Navi didn't know that though. She just hoped that this cloaked female was a woodlander and not a vermin as the ottermaid suspected. Navi's family was, for all she knew, destroyed because of vermin and their cruel ways. She didn't want to confront one right now. She felt comforted by the thought that she had at least brought a weapon to defend herself with. A stout oak boat oar was her favorite, but she had left that back at Brockhall. Just three turquoise hilted throwing knives were hidden safely in her belt. She could fight without them though, being quite capable with her own fists. If this one was going to try anything on her, she’d be ready to take it outside.

She turned back to the squirrel, trying to take her mind from aggressive thoughts. *

Ye' know where a beast can fill their canteen, mate? Preferably indoors.

[tamar]

*Lara tore her eyes away from the food when she heard the ottermaid laugh. It was a confident, full sort of laugh that made the weaselmaid smile in spite of herself. She allowed herself to relax a bit after hearing the squirrel say that fighting wasn't allowed and the otter saying that nobeast wanted to fight anyway. Lara wished for this to be true.
*For a moment she longed for the days when she was a slave. Things were easy then. She didn't have to think about what to do next. She just waited to be told. Freedom was turning out to be all the more complicated.
*She wondered if it would be safe for her to let down her hood and sit down. Her footpaws were tired in her warn out shoes and it would feel so good. She wished someone would tell her to sit or at the very least invite her.*

[Tinsy Stormsight]

"Indoors? Tha' way." Regen jerked a thumb over his shoulder, toward the milling crowd by the bar. The golden squirrel seemed to have calmed down somewhat, for what it was worth..he wasn't attempting to punch anyone, or glaring at them Rippla-style anymore.
"There's a fountain outside, o' course, but I dunno if it still works. Th' lake's overflowin', so we had t' cut the water line t' keep th' courtyard from swampin'."
"Ye prob'ly don't wanna drink outta that anyway." This was an afterthought: everybeast and their extended family was drinking from the fountain. It wasn't exactly clean anymore.
"Name's Reg'n Eale." Regen decided anything else was unimportant..chances are, these creatures had heard he was the Woodland Captain before now anyways. "Buy ye a drink?"
"You too, o' course." This was directed towards the cloaked beast with the strange accent. She..it was a female voice..sounded like a vermin to him, but that had never bothered Regen. He'd spent most of his life hanging around with various unsavory specie.

The squirrel glanced over his shoulder at the crowd, made a face, and snatched a young ferret by the sleeve as the dibbun was on his way by. There was a quick exchange of coinage, then the little ferret skittered off toward the bar.
"Any minute now. 'S easier'n getting through th' mass yerself."
Regen grinned.

[tamar]

"Yes, Sire, please" *The weaselmaid answered his offer of a drink eagerly. She wasn't sure what his rank was but she was sure it was above her own and 'Sire' seemed a safe bet to address him. She still didn't sit. If this creature was some sort of noble beast it wouldn't be proper for her to be at his table. She didn't lower her hood yet either. There was still that fear of being discovered and thrown out and she wasn't ready to take that risk before the drink he promised was in her paws.
*Of course she would have preferred food to ale but she wasn't going to be picky. She didn't think about the fact that alcohol on an empty stomach would probably make her sick.*

[Tinsy Stormsight]

It wasn't long before the little ferret came back, two mugs and a glass balanced easily on a small tray. He set it on the table and grinned cheekily at Regen.
"Yer drinks, Milord an' Captain Eale."
"Stow it. Keep th' change"
The ferret grinned again and raced off to speak to a small group of similar young beasts, pockets jingling. Clearly there had been alot of change from Regen's drink-buying.
Regen appropriated the glass and gestured to the other two beasts at the table. "They're ale..I figger that's what ye beasts would prefer."
His own smells very strong.
"And, if ye insist on a title, I'd much prefer 'Captain', Miss." The squirrel smiled, rather dryly. Clearly 'sire' is a little too high-ranked for his tastes.
"An' just Cap'tn...none o' this 'Milord' stuff. Th' young beast there is a bit of a smartmouth."

[tamar]

*Lara drew back for a moment at his admonishment. But her desire for the drink was too great to let the chastisement hold her for long. She stowed away the information for later and stepped forward, picking up the mug with both paws.*
"Thank you, Capt'n." She remembered her manors before bringing the drink to her lips and beginning to gulp it down. She hadn't had anything quite like this in weeks. Actually, she hadn't had anything at all in the last couple of days.
*She tilted back her head trying to drain the last couple of drops. As she did, the hood fell back revealing her for the vermin creature she was to all those around her. She blushed with embarrassment and with the heat of the fire and with the rush of the drink. She also had a moment of fear that she had embarrassed the Captain so she apologized as she pulled the hood back up over her ears.*
"Sorry, Capt'n." *She drew back again just beginning to feel the affects of alcohol drunk to fast on an empty stomach.*