En garde! [OPEN]

[Warfang]

Ike twirled his blade, moving nimbly on his large feet as he struck his rapier through a wooden dummie right where its heart would be, had it been alive. Stepping back, he gently sliding the thin sword back out, letting his paw drop to his side with the handle of the sword clenched around it tightly.

He remembered the talk of his father from other hares, how bold and witty he had been. Ike wanted to be like that, he wanted to be a hero. His father had sacrificed himself for some hare dumb enough to walk into the middle of an ambush.

He knew that if his father had been alive right now, watching him grow as a swordsman, he'd be the proudest pop on all of Salamandastron. His mother, too. The one beast who had never stopped believing him, even if he neglected her nuturing nature as a babe. He had disliked her from the way she said he shouldn't be thinking about wars and fighting at his age, but she had been the one to give him the rapier. She was the best mum he could have ever wished for.

With thoughts of his parents flitting through his mind, he danced around the seemingly empty room, striking carelessly as his mind wandered. For the time being, the young hare wasn't Ike - or at least, he didn't feel like it. He felt like another being, gliding and leaping across the Training Hall, bravely jabbing at enemy vermin like stoats, ferrets, weasels and.... searats. Especially searats.

[Stryker]

"Oh hello chap, I didn't know this particular part of the training hall was taken. Don't let me interrupt yah!"

The jovial tone of Southpaw "Bloodfire" Varilde bounced around the training hall, the light-furred, blue-eyed hare looking over at Ike with some curiosity. He was a cadet, wasn't he? Interesting. He wasn't too bad with a blade! At least in Southpaw's opinion he wasn't, though the hare's forte was admittedly a different field entirely. If Ike had been boxing or practicing any sort of paw-to-paw training, then ol' South would've had a thing or two to say about it. The eldest Varilde's skills were few, but the skills he did have, he had stretched to their absolute max. Training wasn't just a hobby, it was a lifestyle. Training until you dropped was just the way some of the Varildes chose to live their lives!

Honestly, Southpaw hadn't expected too many to be here at this time of day (It was just before lunch was going to start, and no hare worth his merit was going to arrive late. In fact, most preferred to be early! ), which explained his apparent surprise at finding Isaac Farley here. That was the hare with the father who'd been KIA, wasn't it? Interesting...

[Warfang]

"Oh hello chap, I didn't know this particular part of the training hall was taken. Don't let me interrupt yah!"

Ike stopped mid-step as he heard the voice of one of the Long Patrol member. Snapped out of his thoughts and focus, his rapier clanged carelessly on one of the dummies and dropped to the ground, the young hare lost his footing. "Aa-Aah!" he stuttered, regaining his balance and shaking his head as he picked up his sword and sheathed it.

"Oh, you're not interepting anythin'," the cadet said defiantly. His ears were drooped at the moment, folded behind his back. "What'cha doin' in the blinkin' training hall? You don't have any students with you, old buck!" he blinked in surprise. The boxing hare was already part of the Long Patrol, what more training did he need? He wasn't just a cadet like himself, either, but a bally old warrior who he was sure had flaunted his skills in battle more than once. Then again, the officer did seem to be a little bit of a boaster, 'specially when the gels were around.

He walked over to the hare, his dark, honey-golden eyes staring up into Southpaw's blue ones. Argh! If only he'd been born with a longer torso... He felt like such a midget, even next to hares that were younger than him!

[Mista P]

Crystin Varilde stomped upstairs, blue eyes blazing as she muttered dark sea curses to herself. "Bloody General...'Out you miscreant!'..O' I'll show ye the meanin' of miscreant!!..."

Crys, despite her stubbornness and wild temper, has been adapting fairly well to Salamandastron. It had been a good while after her rescue and the kidnapping, and Crys was finding life pretty good at the Mountain....most of the time anyways.

Her family had been very supportive and everyday she work on pushing her mental back further and further back, starting to remember more and more of her past. They helped her with her training (she has become a fair boxer and fairly decent with her knives), helped her learn some discipline, and helped her re-learn her reading and writing. Sure, she wasn't totally there yet, but the higher ranks saw something in Crystin and made her a Private.

However, Crystin hadn't totally transformed. She still has trouble with her foul language, has been punished more than once for insubordination, and still can't put a stopper on her temper.

All of which could have easily been viewed down in the Mess Hall...

Crystin, having had a very bad morning full of boring drills, skinning her knee in the sand, and getting yelled at by the Sargent for being late to the drills. So when the General started berating her lightly for her unruly uniform, Crys snapped. A tart to the face and a minor food fight erupted in the Mess, which was quickly subdued and Crys was sent out, banded from the Mess until she could learn 'proper protocol'.

Now as Crystin marched up the stairs, licking bit of a piece of pie off of her paw, she muttered dark curses. Oh today was not a good day...

"Oh hello chap, I didn't know this particular part of the training hall was taken. Don't let me interrupt yah!"

Hum? Crystin's ears flicked about lightly. Southpaw? What was he doing up here? Following the sound of the voice, Crystin looked in to the Training Hall where South stood chatting with another hare that Crys didn't recognize (she was absolutely horrible with names).

"Oh, you're not interepting anythin'," the cadet said defiantly. His ears were drooped at the moment, folded behind his back. "What'cha doin' in the blinkin' training hall? You don't have any students with you, old buck!"

Unable to control herself, Crystin bust out laughing as she leaned upon the door post, her uniform covered it food from the Mess. "Hahahaha! He call ye old! Hahahah! Nice one wot!"

[.:Fawn:.]

"What'cha doin' in the blinkin' training hall? You don't have any students with you, old buck!"


"Oh I just wanted to give the ol' punching bag a good one-two before I left for m'duties, say, what a minute!"
Southpaw eyed the younger hare with something akin to seriousness. "Old Buck?" Southpaw comically clutched his heart, as though the cadet had just insulted him, staggering back as though in pain. "Careful wotcha say ol' bean, calling a bolly chap 'old' is a bit impolite dontcha know?" Southpaw winked. "Unless it's okay for me to call ye a leveret, since I'm so above ye in seasons." The happy hare chuckled, his attention torn from Ike by none other than his younger sister, Crystin Varilde.

"Good afternoon, oh apple of my bloomin' eye. You haven't been causin' anymore trouble, have yeh? The Brigadier personally pulled me aside yesterday to see if I could 'control your bally temper, wot wot'!"
Southpaw didn't seem at all upset by this. He wasn't the very commanding type, by any means, and he seemed to have no problem letting Crystin be herself. Even if 'herself' was a foul-mouthed, ill-tempered haremaid who didn't give two hoots about authority.

[Warfang]

"Oh I just wanted to give the ol' punching bag a good one-two before I left for m'duties, say, what a minute!"
Southpaw eyed the younger hare with something akin to seriousness. "Old Buck?" Southpaw comically clutched his heart, as though the cadet had just insulted him, staggering back as though in pain. "Careful wotcha say ol' bean, calling a bolly chap 'old' is a bit impolite dontcha know?" Southpaw winked. "Unless it's okay for me to call ye a leveret, since I'm so above ye in seasons." The happy hare chuckled, his attention torn from Ike by none other than his younger sister, Crystin Varilde.

The young hare chuckled boyishly, his arms crossed against his narrow chest and his dark eyes brimming with amusement by the older hare's charade. "My apologies, but didnt'cha just throw in an "ole' bean", directed to none other than the one bally young hare who's standin' right before ya'?" he challenged, a single brow raised.

His attention was torn away when the head of a haremaid poked through the doorway, laughing and snorting.
"Hahahaha! He call ye old! Hahahah! Nice one, wot!"

He stared crossly at the haremaid, trying to recognize her. Ike didn't have time for haremaids most of the time, so he didn't take it to mind to remember a lot of their names. He was relieved when she was revealed to be Southpaw's sister. He then remembered her as Crystin the troublemaker! She was said to be an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed haremaid who often bit off more than she could chew, which was a complete understatement, considering they were hares of all beasts. All the young chap did was smile in return.

"Good afternoon, oh apple of my bloomin' eye. You haven't been causin' anymore trouble, have yeh? The Brigadier personally pulled me aside yesterday to see if I could 'control your bally temper, wot wot'!"

Ike listened to the exchange of words between the brother and sister hares. He could help but hold back a snort as he noticed the blotches of food covering her clothing. What a bloody waste! "So, marm, I couldn't help but notice the ole' aroma of food you brought to the room. Where did you get such sweet smellin' clothes, wot!" he joked lightly, hoping the easy-to-trigger haremaid wouldn't blow a fuse on him for poking fun.

[Mista P]

Crys smiled, her blue eyes glittering with a fiendish laughter. Southpaw being called old? Oh this was hilarious! Crys had no idea who this other hare was, but his wit was amazingly funny!

"Good afternoon, oh apple of my bloomin' eye. You haven't been causin' anymore trouble, have yeh? The Brigadier personally pulled me aside yesterday to see if I could 'control your bally temper, wot wot'!"

The smile upon Crystin's face vanished quickly as Southpaw spoke. He got talked to by the Brigadier? Because of her? Crys didn't try and cause trouble! Trouble found her! And Crys hated to see her family get in trouble because she did. Crys really didn't want to tell South what she had been doing...He'd only be disappointed in her.

Slipping inside the training hall slowly, Crys sat down on a bench near the door, her ears flopped down in shame. "I didn't mean too South...I've just had a bolly bad day wot...." Crys muttered under her breath.

"So, marm, I couldn't help but notice the ole' aroma of food you brought to the room. Where did you get such sweet smellin' clothes, wot!"

Eyes hardening, Crystin glared at the other hare as she sat upon the bench. "Watch it...chap! I ain't been havin' a good day. Now if ye don't be wantin' a pop to yer eye I'd watch yer bolly words wot!" Fists clenched, Crys tried to control her language as she snapped at the hare. Southpaw was here, she probably shouldn't be breaking out into her sea-faring curses, although she desperately wanted too. She had taken about enough that she could handle today and this hare was pushing her last buttons..

[Stryker]

Crys sat down on a bench near the door, her ears flopped down in shame. "I didn't mean too South...I've just had a bolly bad day wot...." Crys muttered under her breath.

Taken aback by her sudden shameful expression, Southpaw waggled his ears comically in an attempt to perk her up, but soon rested a paw upon her shoulder in comfort. ”Don't you bolly fret it, m'gel – we all have our less-than-spiffy days, wot? Why just the other day I—“
It was then that the young cadet Ike spoke up, choosing to comment on his younger sister's state of appearance. Of all the things Ike could've said... why that?
Mouthing the words 'stop! Don't say anythin' else!' to Ike, it was soon clear to the oldest Varilde that the damage had already been done. Temper flaring up, Crystin dished out a healthy dose of verbal lashings to the cadet before Southpaw had the good sense to intervene, darting between the two to break her line of sight.
”Steady Crys, he didn't mean t'offend you. He was just shootin' the breeze, weren't ya lad? I know you've had an awful day, Crystin. Why not blow off a little steam with a spar or two? You might feel better...” Southpaw waggled his ears enticingly, holding out a paw to pull his sister off the bench.

[Warfang]

"Watch it...chap! I ain't been havin' a good day. Now if ye don't be wantin' a pop to yer eye I'd watch yer bolly words wot!"

Ike stared at her levelly. On the insides, he was shrinking, but he wanted to show to the Long Patrol hare that he wouldn't slink off at the tongue-lashing of a haremaid. Instead, the cadet bowed, his ears wiggling as he did so.

”Steady Crys, he didn't mean t'offend you. He was just shootin' the breeze, weren't ya lad? I know you've had an awful day, Crystin. Why not blow off a little steam with a spar or two? You might feel better...”

"He's right, marm. I had no intentions of insulting you, wot, wot!" If Ike had been wearing a hat, it certainly would have been tipped.
"If you had a bad day, then take my apology and times it by double," he finished, lifting his pink nose as straightening his posture as he broke his bow. He looked at Southpaw as the elder hare suggested a spar. With whom, was his only question. Was he suggesting a spar between the two siblings, or letting the haremaid take out her anger on the cadet with the rapier who had been training before lunch?

Oh, lunch... the thought made his stomach rumble. Hopefully this would all be over soon and they could all go to the mess hall and enjoy a proper meal. Though of course, he wouldn't suggest slacking in front of a member of the Long Patrol, even if he knew that Southpaw fancied some food himself. Crys seemed to have enjoyed it a little too much, but he wouldn't dwell on that aloud.

[Mista P]

Crystin had started to smile a bit when Southpaw started talking, but when the other hare spoke up, her temper flared. She had taken enough today! And enough was enough! Crys really didn't want any more trouble, especially in front of her brother, but if that cheeky hare wanted to go, then she would be more than ready!

"....Southpaw had the good sense to intervene, darting between the two to break her line of sight. ”Steady Crys, he didn't mean t'offend you. He was just shootin' the breeze, weren't ya lad? I know you've had an awful day, Crystin. Why not blow off a little steam with a spar or two? You might feel better...” Southpaw waggled his ears enticingly, holding out a paw to pull his sister off the bench."

"He's right, marm. I had no intentions of insulting you, wot, wot! [...] If you had a bad day, then take my apology and times it by double," he finished, lifting his pink nose as straightening his posture as he broke his bow.

Crystin exhaled deeply as she took South's paw and stood. Calm ol' girl..Come on! Quit it! You can do better than that. Crys thought as she mentally berated herself. Ears still a bit down cast, Crys replied in a softer, muttered tone as she tried to force her anger away. "If ya think that's best, wot! I could use to blow off some steam...Might keep my mind from food anyways..."

((Grr. Short. Sorry 'bout that...))