Tirael
Initiate
Infirmary Keeper
The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit.
Posts: 112
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Post by Tirael on Nov 13, 2008 21:27:42 GMT -5
Gulls called along the shore of the great Western Sea. Standing firm as it had for countless seasons, Salamandastron rose above the shore, a silent sentinel against waves and vermin.
Tirael had to stop for a moment just to take in the sheer size of the mountain. Shaking his head in amazement, he trudged down the sand until he reached the main gates. He was welcomed in by a sentry, who routinely asked him his name and business. He explained as the hare guided him to the infirmary. Once they arrived, the hare left him. "Well here it is. Give m' regards to Rosey, wot?" With a wink, the sentry went back to his post. Taking a deep breath, Tirael knocked on the door.
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Grath
Triumvate 
Posts: 429
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Post by Grath on Nov 13, 2008 21:37:59 GMT -5
[[Rosie's a NCP in this thread, and Enon isn't.^^ ]]
"Don' let her catch ye calling her Rosey, old chap." Enon winked at the sentry, who stopped in his path and gulped. The infirmary sister was legendary for her stubbornness and bad temper.
"I'd b-better get back to the g-gate!" He stammered and bolted away.
Enon smiled wryly and strode up to Tirael, looking the young otter up and down. She flicked her tail slightly, an unconscious gesture. "Here to see Roseleaf, huh? Ye don' seem to be sick o' injured, so why're ye here, wot?" Her voice was a soft combination of her faint northern accent and the hare-speech she had the habit of after living in the mountain for seven years.
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Tirael
Initiate
Infirmary Keeper
The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit.
Posts: 112
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Post by Tirael on Nov 13, 2008 21:48:32 GMT -5
Tirael wasn't sure what the squirrel thought of him; he had never been good at interpreting tones of voice. Trying to ignore his confusion, he replied as best he could. "Uh, well, I uh..." The words he had mentally rehearsed on the long walk to Salamandastron vanished in the blink of an eye; the directness of Enon's question had caught him off guard.
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Grath
Triumvate
Posts: 429
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Post by Grath on Nov 13, 2008 22:08:43 GMT -5
"Uh, well, I uh..."
Enon nodded decisively, as if this had made perfect sense to her. "Rosie has that--" She squeaked when the door flew open. Not the sound you'd expect to hear from the warrior squirrel.
"Er, that is, she's a great healer, wot? We all love 'er." Roseleaf appraised her visitors, uncertain as to why they were at her door.
"Yes?" She directed the question to Tirael, the only one she did not recognize.
[[Enon's a squirrel, dearie. ^^ ]]
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Tirael
Initiate
Infirmary Keeper
The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit.
Posts: 112
|
Post by Tirael on Nov 13, 2008 22:30:48 GMT -5
[[Whoops, sorry Enon. Shoulda checked that... :I]]
The simple, one-word question was enough for Tirael to regain his conversational footing. Blinking hard to leave behind his confusion, he managed to speak. He realized he had never spoken his practiced introduction out loud; at the moment, it sounded too weirdly formal to use. Without it to fall back on, he struggled to make something up.
"Uh, hi, I'm Tirael. I'm from Redwall, I work at the infirmary there, and we all thought, well, that is, the Redwallers and I, thought it might be a good idea for me to, uh, umm...learn from you?"
Well, that went well, he thought bitterly.
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Grath
Triumvate
Posts: 429
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Post by Grath on Nov 13, 2008 22:49:23 GMT -5
"Uh, hi, I'm Tirael. I'm from Redwall, I work at the infirmary there, and we all thought, well, that is, the Redwallers and I, thought it might be a good idea for me to, uh, umm...learn from you?"
Tirael seemed to be having some difficulty getting the words out, and Roseleaf felt sympathetic. "Come in, Tirael. How old are you?"
She led the way inside, leaving the door open. Enon followed along, perching on a bed and watching the otter and hare interact. The infirmary was relatively empty, with a few soldiers sent back from the campaign against WARR sleeping on beds.
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Tirael
Initiate
Infirmary Keeper
The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit.
Posts: 112
|
Post by Tirael on Nov 13, 2008 23:23:04 GMT -5
"Come in, Tirael. How old are you?"
The relief the otter felt could have been seen from space. He relaxed quite a bit; he didn't look tense anymore, his shoulders dropped a little, and he wasn't radiating embarrassment. "Thank you." He walked in with her, exploring the room with his eyes as he spoke. "Oh, and I'm sixteen." Though the infirmary was far from crowded, he was still a little surprised by the number of soldiers there. He had never been in Redwall's infirmary during any great crisis or battle; in fact, he had never treated more than six creatures at a time.
He went to the window, marveling at how high they were. "Wow," he breathed to no one in particular.
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Grath
Triumvate
Posts: 429
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Post by Grath on Nov 13, 2008 23:36:32 GMT -5
"Thank you." He walked in with her, exploring the room with his eyes as he spoke. "Oh, and I'm sixteen."
Roseleaf moved to the side of one of the hares, replacing a damp cloth on her forehead with a cooler. "What is the best treatment for fever?" She asked, moving from hare to hare, checking under bandages and replacing poultices.
Enon had snitched a candied chestnut kept for young hares and was nibbling on it.
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Tirael
Initiate
Infirmary Keeper
The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit.
Posts: 112
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Post by Tirael on Nov 13, 2008 23:50:58 GMT -5
Tirael stifled a laugh at Enon, disguising it as clearing his throat. Concentrating for a moment, he allowed all the journals and books he had read to flow through his mind.
"A fever? Make sure the patient isn't too hot or cold, and make sure they don't exert themselves. If they're hot, give them elderflower and yarrow. If they have chills, give them ginger root and a good herbal tea to warm up. Oh, and if they're hot, dip a strip of cloth in cool water and put it on their forehead. Make sure they eat enough so they keep up their strength, and make sure they drink plenty of water." Tirael ended rather abrubtly, and stood silently awaiting appraisal.
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Grath
Triumvate
Posts: 429
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Post by Grath on Nov 14, 2008 0:17:40 GMT -5
Enon fixed Tirael with a glare that made Roseleaf thwarted seem mild, and nibbled another chestunt.
"A fever? Make sure the patient isn't too hot or cold, and make sure they don't exert themselves. If they're hot, give them elderflower and yarrow. If they have chills, give them ginger root and a good herbal tea to warm up. Oh, and if they're hot, dip a strip of cloth in cool water and put it on their forehead. Make sure they eat enough so they keep up their strength, and make sure they drink plenty of water."
"Very good." Roseleaf nodded, then motioned Tir to accompany her, all the while firing off questions and barely waiting for the answers. Finally, they came to a young hare pale under his fur, sweating and tight-lipped from pain. Roseleaf murmured comfortingly as she administered a draught for pain.
"He got a spear through his belly and an arrow to his shoulder." Roseleaf faced Tir and spoke softly when the patient was asleep. "If you want to learn under me, you will have to come with me to a war. Trevv here will die. It is a small miracle he made it all this way. Are you sure you do not want to go back to the safety of your Abbey?"
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Tirael
Initiate
Infirmary Keeper
The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit.
Posts: 112
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Post by Tirael on Nov 14, 2008 0:30:40 GMT -5
The sudden darkness in Roseleaf's voice shook Tirael. He looked at the mortally wounded hare, and his eyes clouded over; in his mind, he could hear the screams, the evil laughter, the din of combat that he couldn't remember the source of. His heart filled with pain, he faced Roseleaf, a strange light showing in his dark blue eyes. His voice had a low, restrained fury, and carried more force than it ever had in his life.
"I'm not running away."
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Grath
Triumvate
Posts: 429
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Post by Grath on Nov 14, 2008 10:49:47 GMT -5
"I'm not running away."
“Good.” Roseleaf smiled and stood moving away from the bedside. “You have a few hours before we leave, rest and get whatever supplies you—Enon!” She bounded over and snatched the third nut from her paw. “Those are for the young ones!” She scolded. Paws on hips, she studied the black squirrel. “Is there a reason you came up here?”
“Hey!” Enon protested. “Yeah, actually I got sent up here to see iff’n ye needed anything before we left.” She snatched the nut back from Roseleaf and crunched it down in moments. “Cap’n Aidan says Sarge wants t’ go back t’ the flippin’ war, wot! I don’t think ‘e approves.” Enon disagreed with the captain, she was a firm believer in fighting until you couldn’t fight any more, and continuing even then.
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Tirael
Initiate
Infirmary Keeper
The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit.
Posts: 112
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Post by Tirael on Nov 14, 2008 20:12:56 GMT -5
His strange mood had subsided, and Tirael was back to his normal self. He had to stifle another laugh at the hare and the squirrel, turning his head and putting his paw over his mouth as though he were deep in thought. He reflected over what he would need; it wasn't much. Obviously food and medicine, his cloak, and a few other various items. Arranging them into a mental list, he asked Roseleaf one more question.
"When I've got everything, where should I meet you?"
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Grath
Triumvate
Posts: 429
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Post by Grath on Nov 14, 2008 22:06:35 GMT -5
"When I've got everything, where should I meet you?"
Roseleaf turned to face the otter. "Aidan wants everyone going at the front gates." She swung back on Enon, who was munching the remains of the nut Roseleaf had confisticated. She opened her mouth to lecture but Enon was speaking again.
“Cap’n Aidan says Sarge wants t’ go back t’ the flippin’ war, wot! I don’t think ‘e approves.”
"Oh, he doesn't, does he?" Roseleaf had a set look to her face and a spark in her eye as she headed down to the lower levels. "We'll see about that, wot."
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Tirael
Initiate
Infirmary Keeper
The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit.
Posts: 112
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Post by Tirael on Nov 14, 2008 22:10:12 GMT -5
"Aidan wants everyone going at the front gates."
Tirael nodded, and walked out of the infirmary. As he walked down the hall, he overheard the exchange between Roseleaf and Enon. It had little meaning to him; he had never heard of either of the two creatures they were talking about. Shrugging, he went off to get what he needed.
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