A Tasting (Open)

[Tirry]

Tirry Stump was down in his beloved cellars. He had a large platter settled on his small table. There were four chairs surrounding the table for guests. Tirry was busy examining various barrels and firkins to see which ones were ready for a good tasting. He set several small cups set up on the platter, along with a few good wedges of cheese to cleanse the palate. He sat listening intently to the hollow thump of a small firkin of strawberry cordial. He paused for a moment, listening to what he thought were footsteps on the stairs ascending to cavern hole.

[Treble Tiderunner]

Skipper stumped down the stairs that led from Cavern Hole and the Great Hall towards the cellars. The old otter walked with a limp, and he favoured his side at times, but all in all, he had survived the war that had lasted his lifetime relatively intact.

He had heard that the young cellar hog was going to be tasting his products, and had come down to see the results of Redwall’s first year’s fruit. He reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the cellars, looking around for the occupant. “Tirry?”

[Tirry]

Tirry heard his name and turned around suddenly. He saw that the Skipper of Otters had come down to his cellars. He did not know how to react. He put his head down and remarked

"Hi Skipper. What are you doing down here?"

[Tarlish]

Tarlish had only been at the Abbey for a little less then a day and, curious creature he was, was quietly wandering around the great building and exploring it. Now his latest ventures were leading him to where he presumed to be a possible wine cellar or something of that sort.

He was wearing his black tunic right now, no robes, but he was still an odd sight with his camouflaged fur. Added to the fact he now walked silently by instinct, he had given a few god beasts quite the start by accident.

Tarlish's ears perked up at the sound to two voices rather near, he rounded the corner to find himself padding into a rather spacious cellar loaded with barrels, firkin's, and casks. In front of him where two friendly-looking creatures, a hedgehog and a otter who was quite capable looking. Taking the opportunity to introduce himself, Tarlish made his presence known with friendly cheer.

"Good day to both of you good sirs, allow me to introduce myself. "I'm Tarlish, staying at your abbey for awhile and I was wondering if one of you good fellows would be interested in showing me around this grand estate?"

[Ivyrose]

Ivy felt the need to get up and stretch her paws. Sitting around on her tail all day didn't do her much good, but she had nothing else to do. She thought that there must be some help she could offer to others, that was how she found herself in the cellars.

Dust swirled around her as she descended the stair to the cellars. Voices could be heard from where she was and she couldn't keep herself from listening. First Ivy saw Tarlsh disappearing down the stairs, now she heard him taking.
"Good day to both of you sirs," she heard him say, "let me introduce myself..."
His voice seemed to fade away to Ivy. She concentrated on the walls, every single scratch. She had a knack for these sort of things. When she was little, she would try to count the branches on a tree, or leaves on a branch. It seemed pointless to almost any other beast, but it entertained her none the less. She paused her descent down the stairs, placing a paw on the wall. Ah to be young again. It was not that she had had a great childhood, yet she longed to be free again. Free of the worries of a warrior. Free of the responsibilities of a grown creature. Free from her haunting past...
She started walking again, but when she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw the table, and the three creatures.
"Oh! I'm sorry of I'm interrupting something! Please excuse me."

[Treble Tiderunner]

"Hi Skipper. What are you doing down here?"

“I came to see the results of yer hard work.” Skipper answered, moving into the center of the room. “Havin’ a tastin’, lad?” He surveyed the spread table with appreciation, the year had been good since the defeat of Lorna’s Horde. Redwall was starting to feel like a home for many now.

"Good day to both of you good sirs, allow me to introduce myself. "I'm Tarlish, staying at your abbey for awhile and I was wondering if one of you good fellows would be interested in showing me around this grand estate?"

Skipper watched the door, not betraying any surprise as the marten came in. As leader here, he offered no sign of surprise, he hadn’t survived in woodlands and tunnels as the leader of rebel soldiers by being ignorant of his surroundings. It had saved his life many times over the long years. He shook his head slightly at a memory. Too long years.

He hadn’t met this marten when he’d entered the abbey, gone were the times when he knew everybeast around him, as beasts woodlander and vermin alike flocked to the new Camp Moss (Mosstown?) He’d heard both terms, the later more usually to refer to the town above the tunnels.

“Skipper o’ Otters, leader o’ this place.” He said in his usual brisk, blunt matter, offering a worn paw for the younger warrior to shake. “I haven’t had time to say it before, so welcome to the Abbey.”

"Oh! I'm sorry of I'm interrupting something! Please excuse me."

“No, come on in miss,” Skipp said, but turned to Tirry, “That is, if ye don’t mind, Tirry?”

((haha, Ivy makes me smile. Skipp’s the oldest person in the room, and she’s the one feeling old! ))

[Ivyrose]

((Hehe, I didn't even notice about the ages and all that )


“No, come on in miss,” Skipp said, but turned to Tirry, “That is, if ye don’t mind, Tirry?”

"Why thank you sir." Ivy replied, bobbing what she thought was at least a half decent curtsy. She glanced around the cellars, full of barrels of ails, wines, and much more. With dust dancing in the shafts of light Ivy coughed to lessen the tension.
"I am hoping that all of your days have been pleasant in this fine weather?"