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Post by Tirael on Apr 25, 2010 20:11:21 GMT -6
"I'm doomed."
Tirael sighed hopelessly at the single rose clutched in his paw. It was the only one he could find, as all the others had wilted or were so small they weren't presentable. Not that presentability seemed to matter much; he hadn't changed or cleaned up since his conversation with the Skipper, out of fear that the burst of confidence his father had given him would subside if he waited. Now, staring at his solitary rose, he was sure it had.
Nonetheless, after taking a deep breath, he stepped into the drafty shade of the bell tower. His tentative pawsteps echoed slightly, as did his quiet "Fern?" Padding over to the stairs, he called up in a loud whisper, "Fern, are you there? I-I need to talk to you..."
Maybe she wasn't in here. Maybe she was ignoring him. Swallowing nervously, he climbed the steps toward the top of the tower.
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Apr 25, 2010 21:56:29 GMT -6
Fern was up in the tall old belltower, a pad of precious paper spread across her lap. She was running out of blank spaces on her pad, and they’d yet to be visited by a peddler selling more. So she tried her best to conserve, but it wasn’t easy. The belltower was swept neatly, the broom laid in the corner between the stairs and the wall. She’d been up here for hours, trying to sketch the abbey, what she saw outdoors.
But crumpled papers littered the floor and the sketch she was working on wasn’t of the abbey at all. A face peered out of the parchment, young, slightly scruffy. It was a kind and compassionate face, one she knew well.
"Fern?" Padding over to the stairs, he called up in a loud whisper, "Fern, are you there? I-I need to talk to you..."
She jumped off her stool, turning the sketch face down on the small table next to the window. “Tirael?” She asked, voice slightly wary and on the offensive. What did he want now? He’d been brushing her off ever since the battle, so why was he seeking her out now? She looked down the stairs but he was out of sight.
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Post by Tirael on Apr 25, 2010 22:31:11 GMT -6
“Tirael?”
Though he'd been hoping to hear her, the sudden response startled him, and his grip tightened so much that he accidentally snapped the rose stem in half. Wide-eyed with horror, he gaped at the broken peace offering for a good few moments before gently pulling off the lower half and tossing it aside. Trembling in embarrassment and anxiety, he ascended to the upper belltower, slowing as he neared the top. By the time he drew within sight of Fern, he was practically quaking, but he stopped close enough to hold out the half-stemmed, single rose.
"I-I, uh...you're...I-I'm sorry," he stammered when he realized some sort of explanation might be necessary. "I shouldn't have yelled, I was just...I thought of what might have happened if you'd gotten hurt, and..." Staring miserably at her, he added, "I-I didn't want to come home just to lose you..."
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Apr 25, 2010 22:44:07 GMT -6
Fern took the rose, slightly stunned. She lifted it to her nose, breathing in the distinctive smell. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t perfect (she couldn’t help but notice the broken stem) it was still a gift from Tirael. She lifted her head, smiling at the other young otter. “Thank you…”
"I-I, uh...you're...I-I'm sorry," he stammered when he realized some sort of explanation might be necessary. "I shouldn't have yelled, I was just...I thought of what might have happened if you'd gotten hurt, and..." Staring miserably at her, he added, "I-I didn't want to come home just to lose you..."
She came closer, putting a paw out to stop him from babbling, she knew he’d babble on all day if he was nervous. “I’m sorry too.” She said when he shut up. “I'd hate to loose ye too, an' I shouldn’t accused ye o’… o’ not carin’, an’ bein’ selfish.” She gestured with the pencil she still held. “…that is, Ah know ye love yore family verra much….”
She stopped. Now she was babbling. “Sorry.” But this time she said it with a grin. She looked for a different topic. “How’s Enon?”
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Post by Tirael on Apr 26, 2010 19:31:06 GMT -6
Tirael cut off his nervous rambling as Fern held up a paw. He stared dumbly, fairly certain she was going to politely turn him away.
“I’m sorry too.”
The healer blinked. The last thing he had expected was for her to accept the apology so readily; he had at least thought he would go through some well-deserved guilt tripping beforehand.
“I'd hate to loose ye too, an' I shouldn’t accused ye o’… o’ not carin’, an’ bein’ selfish...that is, Ah know ye love yore family verra much….”
Tirael suppressed a grin. He was amused by the way her accent had increased as of late, but somehow, now didn't seem like the time to act amused. So, he retained a solemn expression, allowing the apology he'd certainly expected he'd never hear. This day was turning out far better than he'd expected it would.
“Sorry.”
He smiled at her, glad that the uncomfortable issue was out of the way. He'd been eager to pick up where they'd left off the previous fall; of course, whether they did depended on if Fern still felt the same way about him.
“How’s Enon?”
At least Fern seemed to share Tirael's desire to move on. "Oh, she's doing alright, given the circumstances." With a knowing smirk, he added, "Brush has been attending to her nonstop since they arrived."
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Post by Enon // SoMtW on May 18, 2010 22:31:57 GMT -6
"Oh, she's doing alright, given the circumstances." With a knowing smirk, he added, "Brush has been attending to her nonstop since they arrived."
Fern giggled, imagining the stern warrior squirrel mooning over Enon, so much so that he had not left her side. It was an amusing picture, Enon wasn’t the type to ever accept help, in fact, if she weren’t so injured she’d probably never allow Brush to hover like he apparently was.
“TIRAEL!! TIRAEL!!” It was an annoyed-sounding voice, echoing inside the tower. “TIRAEL! I need yore help inna gardens, c’mon!”
Fern picked up her broom semi-guiltily, gathering up her papers and stuffing them in a pocket. “I’d better report to the kitchen, I’m supposed’t help Friar Pad t’day…”
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Post by Tirael on May 18, 2010 22:51:31 GMT -6
“TIRAEL!! TIRAEL!!”
The otter winced at the volume of the shout echoing through the belltower. What was worse, it was cutting in just as he'd patched things up with Fern; first slavery, now this. He wondered if he would ever get to spend time alone with her.
“I’d better report to the kitchen, I’m supposed’t help Friar Pad t’day…”
Tirael nodded, watching resignedly as Fern gathered her papers and left. He walked over to one of the tower's enormous upper windows, watching Fern walk across the far-below grounds.
“TIRAEL! I need yore help inna gardens, c’mon!”
He'd forgotten the reason they'd separated in the first place. The second call brought him back to reality, though, and he bolted down the belltower steps. At least, he tried to, but there were quite a few; by the end, he was slightly out of breath, and he had to pause a moment before resuming the pace down the last flight of steps and out onto the grounds.
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Post by Enon // SoMtW on May 18, 2010 23:18:58 GMT -6
The yeller had apparently given up all hope of Tir’s coming down from the tower, for he was no where to be seen. As the young otter set off towards the gardens, he ran into somebeast…large, dirty and carrying a spade.
The older otterlad, Alex, growled when he noticed it was Tirael who had run into him. He was encrusted with the thick loam of the orchard, moist after the rain. The mud had stuck and dried, creating a strange appearance.
Alecsander crossed his paws, looking down at Tirael, glowering silently. He had had little opportunity to interact with Tirael since the battle, and though he now knew the young male had meant no harm to his sister, he had seen they were not on the best of terms. It was enough for him to thoroughly dislike the healer.
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Post by Tirael on May 18, 2010 23:34:43 GMT -6
Padding into the garden, Tirael looked about in confusion for the loud creature who'd been calling. As far as he could tell, the area was deserted, and just as the possibility of it being a practical joke entered his mind, he collided with something.
Fortunately for his dignity, he remained upright, but he did stumble back several feet before regaining control. "Sorry, didn't see--" he cut off, wide-eyed as Alex straightened up. Of all the creatures to run into, why-!? The much larger otter looked like some kind of monster, with mud, twigs, and leaves plastered all over, and had he been any other creature, the healer would probably have started laughing. Instead, he froze, once again wishing Fern was an only child.
It didn't seem like anything was happening, though, so he forced himself to speak. "Uhh...somebeast was calling me...so, I should...uh...who was it?"
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Post by Enon // SoMtW on May 18, 2010 23:56:29 GMT -6
"Uhh...somebeast was calling me...so, I should...uh...who was it?"
Alecsander shrugged, searching Tirael’s face for something. After a few minutes of muddy silent glowering, he spoke.
“I honestly don’t see wot she sees in ye. Yore scrawny, flighty, an’ I really don’t see it.” Alex pulled some mud from his arm, it came with a clump of fur-- it was definitely spring shedding time. He flicked it away, claws working at the handle of the spade he still held.
“Wot d’ye want wi’ my sister, scrawny-healer-otter?” He leaned down, closer to Tirael.
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Post by Tirael on May 19, 2010 18:12:36 GMT -6
Apparently, Alex didn't know, or just didn't feel like saying. Instead, he simply stared. No, it's not really a stare, it's a glare, Tirael thought uncomfortably. However, he said nothing, simply staring back and holding his expression. If Alex didn't want to create a direct conflict, he certainly wasn't going to promote on himself by acting aggressive.
“I honestly don’t see wot she sees in ye. Yore scrawny, flighty, an’ I really don’t see it.”
Tirael had expected that sort of comment, but he didn't expect to feel quite so angry as he did about it. He loved Fern too much to be blocked from her by some obnoxious older brother of hers, and had waited too long to put up with his delays. Despite the obvious disparity in their size and combat abilities, the healer stood firmly, staring resolutely at the big delay-otter.
“Wot d’ye want wi’ my sister, scrawny-healer-otter?”
Alex leaned in close, and though he wanted very much to move back, Tirael knew what this was. At all costs, he could not act weak; that would only make things worse. He could save his fear for later. Without removing his gaze, he said, "I love her. All I want is to make her as happy as she makes me." Hmm...that sounds a little passive. "And that won't change, no matter what anybeast thinks." Including you. Especially you.
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