Mistakes

[Tracy]

The day had not really been going Ripley's way. She'd heard about the picnic going on outdoors that afternoon, but she wasn't terribly interested in attending. The haremaid didn't care much for being around so many others at the same time, especially all those leverets, loud and talkative and incoherent bunch that they were. She was, however, interested in going outside to enjoy the weather. A lot of her peers were out on the shore and that usually meant some kind of game would be started up, and she loved competitions.

After dressing down in more casual clothing, she snooped around in the dining hall and the training hall, looking for a certain young corporal with whom she'd been associating herself lately. Daikon, the corporal, called it "courting" but Ripley had vocally and publicly denounced that phrasing on a number of occasions. It sounded entirely too serious and the sense of commitment it invoked made her feel closed in. Still, she enjoyed his company well enough, and intended on finding him now to join her outside.

Ripley was about to give up and just go out on her own, when she randomly encountered Daikon in a quiet, otherwise empty hallway. Well, empty except for the young female officer he was with. And they looked awful cozy. Ripley stood there and crossed her arms, watching them right until Daikon finally noticed her. Rolling her eyes, she turned and left. Daikon called after and tried to follow her, but Ripley wasn't really in the mood to deal with this, plus she needed a little time to prepare some really scathing remarks for him. It took very little effort to give the corporal the slip as she made her way outside.

Making her way out to where the picnickers were outside, it seemed most of them were finishing up eating their lunches. There were large bowls of fruit that had been laid out, and Ripley managed to scrounge up a couple strawberries, her favorite, but there was little else to be had. Also, she heard some of the others talking about a recent game of capture the flag; so she'd missed that too! Now she couldn't really decide what she regretted more: missing the game or her pathetic excuse for a relationship. They were pretty even in her book, and she couldn't decide if that said something about how much she liked competitions, or how little she cared for her relationship.

Not wanting to ruin anyone's picnic just now - she'd publicly humiliate Daikon later on her own terms - she took her pawful of fruit and walked off toward the tideline, then wandered slowly north along the beach.

[Rocky]

((Mind if I join? ;D ))

Despite the festivities that were taking place outside of the long extinct volcano many came to know and love, as well as hate, as Salamandastron, Gildor Inglorian was not interested in doing anything but helping train a certain young hare he'd become accustomed to teaching. The large, heavily scarred soldier was teaching the young 17 year old Private a thing about un armed combat. "Now.. Ye can move in quickly and feint left or right and dodge the sword then bring a quick fist crashing down on his or her elbow, collapsing the arm and weakening her grip, typically making the sword fall from the loose grip. From here you can either take the sword or, short and simple, start beatin' on the whelp's face."

The young private just stood there, eyebrows narrowed in concentration as he was trying his hardest to visualize this taking place. "Uh.. Sir, may I see a demonstration? Or can you show me what do? I.. I kinda need a visual." Gildor grinned, "Why of course, m'boy. Here, hold your sword." The private did as was instructed, and swung slowly towards Gil. Gil slowly feinted right, brought his hand up, curled his fingers into a fist, and slowly brought it down upon the inexperienced hares elbow. "'Now drop the sword." Gil said, and the hare immediately did as instructed. Gildor now set his elbow on a new flight path, straight for the young hare's nose. Slowing down, so not to hurt the hare, Gil said, "Do ye understand?" "A little..." Came to the response.

Gil sighed, and waved his hand, "You did good for today.. Go take a break. Join in the festivities outside." The young hare brightened up immediately then charged outside, clearly happy he was allowed to leave his private lesson early. Gil grinned slighty, picking up the young hare's fallen sword, finding amusement in the fact that it was left behind. He set it against the wall carefully, making a mental note to tell its owner where it was. Washing his face from the sweat on his brow, neck, and body, Gildor Inglorian suddenly changed his mind. No one but him seemed to be in the mountain stronghold, so why should he be in there? Besides.. Maybe he could talk to some other officers about war. Nobody enjoyed being alone in an enormous place, and Gil was no exception to that.

Finding his way to the doorway leading outside, Gil walked out into the sun, squinting as his eye slowly adjusted to the sudden burst of bright light. Warm sand covered his feet, only to be moved somewhere else on the beach as his footsteps carried him towards the place of merriment and joy. He was practically at the picnic when he noticed a particular female hare walking away from the picnic, a not-so-cheerful look imprinted on her young, delicate features. Just looking at her, Gil wished he was young again, with nothing on his mind but following the soldier in front of him as he marched off to a war, or simple practice. Now, as a lieutenant, he was looked up to, and looked at to lead troops, not follow them. It was a position he filled rather well, and he was shocked to be alive after countless life or death situations. His black fur gleamed in the bright sunlight, showing clearly his many scars that marred his rather handsome features. A paw wiped an itch from his forehead, tracing slowly over the scar above and below his left eye, rubbing the worn leather eyepatch that covered his blinded, milky white eye.

Following the hare to the shoreline, Gil called out, "Not into the festivities, young missie?" A few more steps and he was next to her, realizing the hare he had addressed was Ripley. A fine young hare, he thought, with much potential to do great things.

((OOC: Sorry its not my best >.< Muse is still outta me, and Im still recovering from the death of a loved one.))

[Eastpaw]

Eastpaw had bolted down several plates of food in competition with Southpaw. His older brother won, no surprise, though East was as always determined to try and beat him. Somehow in the ensuing chaos he lost track of South and the rest of his family. He found himself in a pensive mood, wanting to get away from the chaos and think. Being alone was something he was rarely experiencing lately, with his family so recently reunited. He smiled as he caught a glimpse of Crys and Nico in the crowd, they looked as though they were enjoying themselves.

Grabbing some fruit and a roll, he headed north towards Salamandastron.

"Not into the festivities, young missie?"

Some time later, Eastpaw was sitting above the tideline, watching a young female hare walk in his direction. He recognized her easily, Ripley, another one of the Gallopers. He’d exchanged circuits with her a time or two. Suddenly she was joined by Lieutenant Gildor, easily recognizable by his size, fur color and eye patch. East waved when they looked up and caught sight of him, but returned to watching the waves lap the shore.

[Tracy]

Ripley continued to eat a strawberry, utterly ignoring the lieutenant's comment toward her. Maybe if she just pretended not to hear him, he would leave her alone. It was not really personal, Ripley didn't like talking to most creatures, especially superior officers, and definitely not now. However, the older hare didn't seem to take the hint and was now walking alongside her at the tideline. She turned and shot him a jaundiced and impatient glance. The scout did everything in her power to avoid officers, and they usually tried to avoid her as well. So what was the problem here, did he forget who she was? Was she throwing out some sort of misguided vibes that she wanted to be spoken to? She'd left the picnickers for a reason.

Even in the best of moods, there was a good chance Ripley would avoid large crowds. The haremaid had her social bouts, but they were few and far between. She cherished her solitude and independence. There was only a small circle of friends the hare genuinely enjoyed being with, and after her little discovery inside, her circle had just grown even smaller. It was a cruel joke, she thought, that she could take so very long to trust someone, and they still betray her.

So she stared at the lieutenant beside her, sizing him up for what she could only assume was an ulterior motive; there was just no other reason for him to be speaking to her. Biting back a sigh of annoyance, she answered him. "No, I am not interested in the festivities," she said a clipped voice, which was about as polite an answer he could hope to get out of her, especially now.

Having finished off her few strawberries, she looked down at her paws. Her white fur was stained by the red berry juice. A moment later she saw Eastpaw sitting just ahead of them. She quickly stooped to rinse her paws off in the shallow water. The haremaid put on a front, pretending she didn't care about her appearance, but that was absolutely untrue. There was a reason she kept up her slender physique, and wore clothing that showed it. And there was a reason her snowy white fur was always immaculately clean. Perhaps she didn't particularly care what others thought of her personality, but she guiltily cared what others thought about her looks. Ripley was pretty, but she worked hard to maintain it.

"Hey East," Ripley greeted in a tone far more friendly than the one she'd just used for the lieutenant. She looked back at the picnickers, which included some of the other Varildes. "Not like you t'miss out on this kind of thing."

[Rorgus]

Southpaw was competing again! He and his twin brother Eastpaw were seeing who could bolt down the most food. And of course Southpaw won again. He always had a determination for winning contests. He finished with three empty plates beside him. He got up and decided to go for a short stroll. Seeing East, Ripley and Lieutenant Gildor Inglorian. He watched Ripley and East and figured they might want to be alone. He strolled over to them and said to the Lieutenant.

"Hello Sir, would you like to have a duel? Sabers only?" He winked at East, they both knew he was no good with a saber but South was just trying to get Gildor away. South was sure he would get beaten to a crust but hey no harm in trying. He was best at paw-to-paw combat. He went up to the Mountain to get a saber. When he got back he made a ring in the sand where they would be dueling. He stood in the circle and waited for Gildor to enter the ring. He had had a few lessons with a saber but he wasn't very good with one. He had also heard how good Gildor was.

[Rocky]

((OOC: I am so incredibly sorry. This post is going to be crap but Im on a real short time limit and soooo much stuff came up in real life =/))

Gildor stared up at the festivities, waiting for the reply from the young hare beside him to respond. He nodded towards another young hare, heading towards them, and as that hare came closer he recognized him as Eastpaw, one of the few twins that the mountain strongholod contained. Looking to his left as RIpley's comment shot back at him like an arrow, he let out a grin and a half hearted laugh. He's been training hares for more then 8 years now. Hes met ones with far worse attitudes then RIpley, so her tone didn't phase him at all. "Well... if you are not interested in festivities, how about some classes that teach proper manners, eh? I could see you really need them." He flashed her a grin, although his eyes showed no merriment. He treated people the same way he was treated, and he didnt intend for his insult to bother her in the slightest, he just meant to show her he really didn't care how she acted. And what better way to show that then acting in a similar fashion?

"One question.. If i was about to tell you to snap to attention in proper form, would you listen to me?"

Turning away from Ripley and Eastpaw again, he looked at yet another newcomer heading his in their direction. Gee.. seemed like there was going to be a bigger party at the shoreline then up there by the picnic, Gil thought.

Southpaw's face materialized from a dark, blurry form as he drew nearer. South seemed to have much potential, and was a fine soldier, as was his brother, Eastpaw. At least.. they had the makings of fine soldiers. South's comment gave Gildor an amused look. "Why would you like a lesson in sword fighting now when you could enjoy festivities?" He asked, but before a response could be given, the hare took off towards the mountain, returning shortly after with a saber. Gildor Inglorian was a fine soldier, very capable with a blade and un-armed combat. He didn't worry much, but he certainly wouldn't let this hare show him up. He would give 80-90% at the most, because at 100%... Gildor might lose control.

Hah.. I cant get very into this the Lieutenant thought to himself, knowing all too well what would happen: Southpaw would get hurt. Badly.

Keeping a straight face as the younger hare formed a circle, Gildor stepped in elegantly, withdrawing his own saber from its sheath. He pulled off his military jacket and tossed it outside the ring, wearing just his military pants and his green shirt. His muscles seemed to ripple as he flexed experimentally. "Still got it.." he mumbled to himself. The big hare bowed elegantly with his saber, then swished it through the air with style. "On your move, my good sir." He said towards Southpaw, a grin twitching at the corners of his lips.

[Eastpaw]

"Hello Sir, would you like to have a duel? Sabers only?"

“Sabers!” East groaned, only partly because South was no good at sabers. He’d wanted solitude. Now he had an entourage. So he smiled and put on a light tone to cover. “South! Ach, ye wee idiot, ‘e’ll trounce ye!” His northern accent could be quite comical, especially when put to contrast his younger siblings, who only had a trace, and that only from following the eldest brothers’ and their father’s example.

"Why would you like a lesson in sword fighting now when you could enjoy festivities?"

“Be’cos ‘e’s a nut.” Eastpaw answered for his twin, watching as he loped off toward the mountain, presumably for a saber. He stood from his spot in the sand, brushing sand off his tunic. He bowed politely to Ripley, replying to her earlier comment. “Perhaps not, miss, but yet here I am.”

Just then, Southpaw came tearing back to draw a circle in the sand. “Ach, this should be interesting.” Eastpaw commented, stepping back from the combat area. “’e’ll get ‘is scut trounced by th’ lieutenant. South can’t even last five minutes ‘gainst the Capt’n, an’ Gil’s almost as good.”

[Tracy]

"Well... if you are not interested in festivities, how about some classes that teach proper manners, eh? I could see you really need them."

Under normal circumstances, the young haremaid would utterly ignore the lieutenant until he gave up and left, but he had decided to bandy words with her on the wrong day. Perhaps she could level the playing field and tell the officer that she was having a bad day. But Ripley never whined and officers never cared. She turned her violet eyes on the older hare, clearly not amused. "An' mayhap you should look into classes on snappy comebacks. I could see you really need them."

Ripley was more insolent when she was younger. Now she tended to just avoid and ignore officers rather than talk back and annoy them. It was pretty easy, as a runner. She was rarely in regular lessons and never in large group training sessions. The private had had a rather hode-podge, but effective military education. Having been regularly kicked out of recruits' sessions, her lessons had been mostly one-on-one and more streamlined. It was why she had become so specifically skilled with her own weapon, but it had perhaps also encouraged her unsocial tendencies.

"One question.. If i was about to tell you to snap to attention in proper form, would you listen to me?"

Ripley didn't even look at him. It seemed with each word the lieutenant said to her, the less interested she was in his presence.

"No."

Ripley watched Eastpaw and thought he looked a lot like she felt. She had no idea why he wanted to be alone, but given his normally garrulous and social nature, the haremaid supposed some solitude was hardly much to ask. She was going to walk away, and maybe get the lieutenant to follow her way, but before she could make the break, East's twin, Southpaw popped up. Ripley was starting to feel more and more responsible for bothering East.

As South ran off to get a saber, Ripley shot East an apologetic glance. "Sorry," she said, rolling her eyes a bit. "No one here knows how to leave a beast be." She said it plenty loud enough for the Lieutenant Inglorian to hear.

When Southpaw came back and got the officer distracted with a duel, she gave a small, fleeting smile. "You should take the chance while they're distracted and run for it," she said, this time dropping her voice so only Eastpaw could hear. Although the other hare had tried to hide his annoyance, she knew the feeling far too well not to notice that he wanted to be alone.

[Sigurd]

OOC: Mind if I join?

On the nearby shore, a long, lean fellow was marching. An old tattered cloak fell over his shoulders. Seeing the acient fort, the young hare under the cloak hooted quiet loudly. "Wottup chaps!" he hollered at the mountain. "Flip Anew Fur Foot Unbrun Bobbuck is here!!!!!"

OOC: Sucky post, I know.

[Rorgus]

“Sabers! South! Ach, ye wee idiot, ‘e’ll trounce ye!”

Southpaw grinned at his twin and said imitating his brothers accent.
" Ach, weel ah just wanted to get ye a wee bit 'o' time alone. Ahl be alright East," he winked and motioned towards Ripley whispering in his ear.
" Ye can make et off to te the forest if'n ye wanted to talk a wee bit alone. Or ye could wait around here and watch meh, get butchered"

He straitened up then strolling over to the ring got inside and stood in what he thought was a "good fighting stance". Then waiting for his opponent he drew his saber taking a deep breath he tried to remember all the moves he had seen while watching other beasts fight. Not much came to him so he gave up and decided to last as long as he could and make sure his twin got away in time.

He watched as Gildor step into the circle and toss his jacket out. He saw him flex his muscle, Southpaw wasn't extremely strong just as stron as he needed to be.

"On your move, my good sir." He said towards Southpaw, a grin twitching at the corners of his lips.

He cought the grin and flashed one back.
" Alright Lieutenant." He stepped forward ducking low and swept at Gildors forepaws. He was ready to come up incase Gildor was too slash at him.