bedtime

[mullisbt]

Theurl was rushing down the cellars clad in a nightshirt. He was running to escape bedtime, the worst time in the world. He tried to get them to understand that he wasn't tired, but they wouldn't listen. They only wanted him to go to bed so they could stay up and stuff their faces again. He knew all about adults and their wicked ways.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and maneuvered his way between the barrels and sat crouched behind a barrel and between two firkins. He looked around and the absolute darkness started to frighten him. He grabbed his knees and put his head in between them. It's okay Theurl. They'll never catch you down here.

[Wildrun]

((Hi, Theurl. Mind if I sneak down?))

[mullisbt]

(Go ahead please)

[mullisbt]

Orfum was climbing down the stairs when he heard something sniffling behind one of his firkins. "Hoy that wouldn't be a dibbun hiding from bed now would it?" He smiled, remembering all the things he did as a dibbun.

[Wildrun]

"No, mate, 's just me," called Oaklea, a black-furred mouse who had been exploring the cellars and blending in well with the darkness. She had pretended not to notice Theurl come down, recalling the days she had so mutinously hid by the shore to escpae such horrors of bed and bath. She shrugged at Orfum and smiled at him cheerfuly, "If I see any 'iding dibbuns I'll letcha know."

[Tirael]

"I hope you will, because I'm running out of places to search." Tirael came wearily down into the cellars, too tired to remember to greet everyone properly. He looked around from the entrance in vain; Theurl wasn't making his job easy. The otter closed his eyes and sighed in exasperation. Then, his ears twitched as an idea came into his head. He's probably too smart to fall for this, but... "Theurl! I'd get over here by the light, if I were you! I've heard the big-clawed, sharp-fanged Gruzzle monster waits in dark cellars for tasty little Dibbuns!..." Looking at Orfum and Oaklea, he murmured, "I hope he comes out, or at least says something so we can tell where he is."

[mullisbt]

Theurl heard Tireal's remark about the cellar beast. He hopped up and ran over to Oaklea and grabbed her leg, hiding his face in her tunic. "Don't let him get me mister Tireal sir."

Orfum tried to hide a smile as the little dibbun came shooting out from within the cellars.

[Wildrun]

Oaklea raised an eyebrow at Tirael but said nothing. Instead, she scolwed around at the darkness and put up her paws as if for fisticuffs and told the darkened shadows in a loud, mosnster-bewaring voice, "Don't worry, Theurl mate. No blasted Gruzzle'll get any dibbuns on my watch! I eat Gruzzle's for breakfast!"

She only felt slightly embarrassed about the display--she'd had to act a lot while she was travleing and this occasion was ocnsiderably more fun.

[brookesong]

(can I join)

[Wildrun]

(Sure)

[brookesong]

Violet walked down the stairs into the cellar. She heard somebeast say something about Gruzzles just as she rounded the corner.

"What is this, a party in the cellars that I wasn't notified about?" asked the sleepy mousemaid when she saw all the people in the cellars.

"well, don't let me put a damper on it, I just want a drink."

[mullisbt]

Orfum was happy to have all these guests in his cellars. Usually noone came to visit that often. He put on a big smile and picked up the barrel he used as a table and placed it in the middle of the room. "Well friends, your more than welcome to have a party down here, but I think you may want to take the little one up to bed."

[Swing]

Oaklea looked despairingly at the barrels around her. She didn't drink anyhting with alchohal in it, so she was relieved she hadn't been offered anything yet--she wouldn't know how to refuse.

When Orfum suggested to take Theurl up to bed, she winked at the mouse secretly. "Psh, but we're hardly tired, right mate?"

[menti]

Apanie glanced around the corner of a barrel of strawberry cordial that she had been sampling. She assessed her newfound company, wondering whether she could trust them not to send her right up to bed. If not, this was her chance to stay up much later then usual. She had to squint through the dull light to identify them, but surely if they were going to let Theurl stay up, a Dibbun two seasons younger then herself, they would allow her to join in their fun.

She crept up behind the group, taking care to make as little noise as she could, a talent she had. With her hands on her hips she cleared her throat in what she thought was a very adult and disapproving way.
"What be's you doin' up so late?"

[Tirael]

"What be's you doin' up so late?"

Tirael turned, his eyebrows arched in surprise. When he saw it was Apanie (the little terror, of course she'd be down here too), he changed his expression to one just as stern as hers. "We could ask you the same question, miss." Secretly, he was pleased she was down here; things never got dull with someone like Apanie around, even if she was a little terror. In truth, little terrors generally were great fun, not that they should ever know it. Almost managing to suppress a smile, he indicated the barrel that Orfum had set out and said, "I suppose you'll be thirsty, come on then, have something to drink before it's off to bed." Looking at both Theurl and Apanie, he said, "For the both of you."

[Wildrun]

The more the merrier, in Oaklea's opinion.

"...before it's up to bed. For the both of you."

"But Tiraelllll," groaned Oaklea, opening her eyes wide and putting on her 'let-me-do-whatever-I-want' face, "I wanna stay uppp!" Then, straightening up agian, she grinned and laughed, seating herself on a smaller barrel and smiling.

"C'mon, Triael," she teased, still grinning. "Let's see how long we can all stay awake. If these two've beaten us down here anyway and managed to stay 'idden, we owe 'em the honor of stayin' up a bit late, eh?"

[mullisbt]

Theurl bowed gallantly to Oaklea. "Thank you, Miss Oaklea." He smiled to Apani, he had hoped she wouldn't have gotten caught, but it was better be caught with someone than hiding with noone. "Do we getta stay up Mista Tireal?" Theurl looked at Tireal with his lips way out and his eyes really wide.

[Tirael]

Tirael couldn't help but laugh; the expressions of everybeast around him were just priceless. Holding up a paw pleadingly, he said, "Alright, alright, you can stay up, just, ahaha, those faces, please- haha!" He was far too much of a softie to refuse them. Sitting down, his laughter subsided into a smile. Taking a beaker, he quaffed it and set it back down. Turning to everyone else, he said, "If you're going to stay up, you might as well have a drink, you know."

((Eh, not my best.))

[Swing]

Swishing her tail, Oaklea clapped her paws together and grinned. "Al'ight, little mates!" she crowed tothe Dibbunsm "W're partyin' till the sun comes up, eh?" Still smiling, she glanced about for the strawberry fizz. "'Scuse me, Orfum, sir, d'ya know where the strawberry fizz is?" She immiedately clapped a paw over her mouth at her stupid question--the hedgehog was the cellar master, of course he'd know where it was! She looked an apology at Orfum and shrugging sheepishly. "Eh...nevermind..."

[mullisbt]

Orfum laughed deeply at the mouse's embarrasment. "Of Course, I'll go broach a barrel." Orfum grabbed his bung hammer that he kept in his apron pocket and walked over to a nearby cask. He heaved it out into the middle and grabbed a serving pitcher. He knocked the bung out and the reddish liquid gushed forth into the pitcher. Once he had it filled up, Orfum quietly put the stopper back in. " Strawberry fizz all around."