Silas
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Post by Silas on Jan 13, 2008 21:56:02 GMT -5
Sergei raised an eyebrow. Was that just another bout of determination from Kolia, or was it something else? From her tone he could not be sure. Sheathing his dagger, he got up off of the floor to walk over to the healer and weselmaid, edging closer as if to listen better.
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carabadgermum
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 13, 2008 22:28:57 GMT -5
Kolia had the presence of mind to put Lightning down. She looked at the Vixen in plain astonishment. If she couldn't believe the healer would go without payment she was completely beside herself with shock that she would offer herself in the hostage's place. "No you can't. You've already done so much. Why would you?" She was very aware that if Taure hadn't turned Thunder around both she and the whelp could have died. Then the thought of her own death brought to mind the fact that she didn't even know if Roask was still alive. She stood and paced worriedly around the tent, biting at a claw. "I'll leave the haremaid," she said decisively after a few minutes. It was fair: a life for a life.
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Wolfie
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Post by Wolfie on Jan 13, 2008 22:31:53 GMT -5
Taure nodded approvingly. I appreciate it. But what will you do then? You still need a hostage right? I'll go with you instead of the haremaid.
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carabadgermum
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 13, 2008 23:17:41 GMT -5
"No," she said quieter than before sounding defeated and sad. "The hostage was supposed to be somebeast important to the Redwallers, somebeast they knew and would pay to get back." She sat back down on the pallet and tried to think of what to do next. "Besides, it doesn't really matter." She touched each one of her sons in turn with a gentle paw. "I have to accept that Roask is probably dead. Not much he can do with a hostage at hellgates, is there?" She shrugged and smiled sadly at the two creatures in the tent as if she had made a joke. It was to painful a truth to take seriously.
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Wolfie
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[blue]Toboe the Timid[/blue][P:NaN]
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Post by Wolfie on Jan 14, 2008 0:22:29 GMT -5
Taure stroked Kolia's headfur softly. What is it that you're trying to get the Redwallers to pay you. We just might have it and are able to spare it.
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carabadgermum
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 14, 2008 10:52:43 GMT -5
Kolia swatted the vixen's paw away. "It's not what I wanted. It's what Roask wanted. I don't know why. We were fine before; traveling, finding who the big beast was in the territory. Then we'd offer our services; sometimes it was fighting, sometimes tracking, getting slaves or information. We'd get paid and then we were on to the next place. We never stayed in one place long, never even discussed settling down. Then he sees Redwall and he gets all strange. He starts talking about taking it, said we could live there like a king and a queen. It wouldn't matter then if everybeast knew I was his mate." Kolia was crying again. She didn't know why she was monologing like this. She would have thought she would never have given up this kind of information under pain of torture. But it didn't seem to matter now. If Roask was dead nothing mattered. She continued, "He started planning, said we'd get into the Abbey disguised as simple traders, husband and wife and Pepp as my dad. We'd get in get a hostage and then get back out and use the hostage to get the abbeybeasts to give us everything. I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to play the game but I said I would do it for Roasky." Kolia laid down snuggling next to her sons on the pallet she touched each of them tenderly marveling at how much they looked like their father. Then she went on with her story, "That's when I found out. . . Pepp told me actually. He knew before I did, that I was pregnant. I didn't know how to tell Roask. Here we were on the eve of conquest and I knew this could ruin everything." She sighed. She'd come this far she might as well tell these beasts everything. "It was my idea to use the pregnancy. It didn't make sense to leave the Abbey after we'd just gotten in. If some one could stay while Roask went to build an army, if they could open the gate for him on his return . . . I could do it. I could convince them to trust me, a poor expecting mother who's husband had to go away for a time. The gullible idiots couldn't resist that. Roask thought it was a great ruse. He didn't know the truth behind it. Or at least, I don't think he did." Kolia smiled slyly remembering her triumph, "It worked. I got in."
((could somebody else please comment before I go on?))
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Silas
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Post by Silas on Jan 14, 2008 17:11:11 GMT -5
Sergei listened to the story, his expression showing nothing (Like a poker face...?) up until that point. Then, he sighed. Now he saw who Roask was. A mercenary of sorts... Well, business like that usually got you killed by the competition, or a disgruntled employer. That was a vastly different territory for himself. He had no horde or connections to the crime lords that roamed the vermin underground like they owned it all. Fools. Not to say Roask was, however. Looking at the weaselmaid, Sergei finally commented, "I see." Seemingly out of the blue, putting a paw to his chin.
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Wolfie
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Post by Wolfie on Jan 15, 2008 17:27:40 GMT -5
Taure sat listening to the weaselmaid's story and rubbing her paw. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the young mother. She'd met several other creatures that had been in similar positions.
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carabadgermum
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 15, 2008 18:14:14 GMT -5
Kolia's smile turned into a frown as she continued barely registering the presence of her audience. "I got in but then I didn't know what to do with myself. I had to constantly be on guard so I didn't give the game away. And then they started being nice to me, bringing me fish, letting me lie in a comfortable bed. I couldn't remember what I was supposed to be doing there or why. I demanded to see Roask, fled their infirmary, ran down the stairs. I found him in the grounds. He hadn't left yet. They had fed him a good meal as well. "He asked me if I was still up to going ahead with the plan. I said I was but . . . I wanted him to ask me if I was really pregnant. I wanted him to be excited that I was having his child. I think he knew I wasn't telling him something but he didn't ask. Suddenly I was angry at him. He didn't care enough about me to make sure I was okay before he left. I told him I would go through with the plan. I would do what he thought was best. I ran back up to the infirmary and I cried." In real time all her tears were spent. "My anger whether spurred on by the pregnancy hormones or the abbey and it's creatures messing with my head, was too much for me to contain. I went to the window and saw Roask on the wall. I wanted to hurt him. He had got me this way after all and now he didn't seem to care. I still had one dagger that the abbey beasts didn't know about I pulled it out and and threw it. I saw it bury itself in Roask's shoulder and then the force of it toppled him over the other side of the wall." Kolia sat up, picked up Thunder and held him close to her for comfort. "I was told when his beasts took him back to camp he was still alive. But I haven't seen him. I don't know for sure." She started speeking more to herself now. "I need to find him. I have to know."
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Silas
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Post by Silas on Jan 18, 2008 17:15:29 GMT -5
Sergei looked upon the weaselmaid wordlessly as she completed her tale. So that's the other reason why she wants to see Roask... Granted, there was always that connection between Kolia and her mate, but this was different, slightly so. The weasel couldn't think of any more to say, anything to do. He had helped Kolia far enough, and he promised himself that he wouldn't get too involved in all of this.
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Wolfie
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Post by Wolfie on Jan 19, 2008 0:25:09 GMT -5
Taure stared unseeingly at the ground deep in thought. After a moment, she nodded decisively to herself and lifted her head. I'll help you find him then, if you want.
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carabadgermum
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 22, 2008 23:18:45 GMT -5
Kolia had gone back to chewing distractedly on a claw. She almost didn't hear what Taure had said but after a few moments she answered the vixen. "No, I can't ask you to do that. Your troupe or whatever they are, they need you. I've got along on my own this far. I'll be just fine." But Kolia hated to think how much she liked the idea of having the company, especially somebeast who knew how to care for babies.
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Silas
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Post by Silas on Jan 24, 2008 17:29:11 GMT -5
Sergei looked even more curiously at the weaselmaid. "If ye don't mind me sayin', marm, it's the middle o' winter... Where d'you think you might head, with those two?" He gestured to the twins. Of course the question was meant to evoke some second thoughts in Kolia's mind, but it was said out of curiosity as well. Sergei couldn't imagine a maid that, right after childbirth, would want to start walking and head out into the snow.
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carabadgermum
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 24, 2008 17:45:59 GMT -5
Kolia had forgotten that Sergei was there. But she remembered now and she remembered how tenderly he had held her son, and the story he had told her about his past. For a brief moment she wished (even though she hated herself for doing so) that he was the father of the twins instead of Roask. Roask who had left her with those insane woodlanders without even making sure if she was really carrying his child or not. She looked at him seriously. "I don't know," she answered honestly, "but what other choice do I have?"
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Silas
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Post by Silas on Jan 24, 2008 19:46:52 GMT -5
Sergei sighed at that fact. Unless the creatures at the tavern learned to shut up and mind their own business, there was nowhere to go for a mother of two in the dead of winter. "Hm."
Then, the weasel remembered.
"Well, uh, there's a town a few miles southeast..." he informed the weaselmaid. As far as he knew, the town was big, but the beasts there were probably a little more tolerant of strangers. Maybe Kolia could stay there...
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