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| Errand Boy; Every chore must be done by someone | |
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| Topic Started: May 23 2008, 12:56 AM (290 Views) | |
| Orion Fulcry | May 23 2008, 12:56 AM Post #1 |
Level One Writer
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"Need any help?" From where he stood next to a large stack of blank parchment, Orion glanced at the mouse staring questioningly at him, and shook his head. "No. Just need to take these to the north tower. I can handle it." He doubted he could, really, but he hardly knew this mouse, and didn't fancy a walk all the way to the north tower with him. Still, the mouse didn't move. "Are you sure?" Orion hesitated for a moment. Maybe he really should..."Yeah. I'm sure." Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "thanks." "No problem." The mouse shrugged and continued on his way. Mentally kicking himself, Orion crouched down and slid his fingertips beneath the pile of paper. Exhaling, he stood to his feet, grunted form the exertion, and readjusted his grip. The large stack of perilously-balanced parchment on the floor had turned into a large stack of perilously-balanced parchment in his arms. To make matters worse, the stack rose above Orion's head, obscuring much of his vision. Sighing, he padded towards the doorway, ran smack into the wall, cursed his fortune, thanked his fortune, sidestepped, and finally made it out of the storage room. Staggering under the weight of his burden, the squirrel lurched down the hallway, using the wall as a guide. Finally, he rounded a corner - after bumping into the opposite wall - and nearly toppled down the stairs. Regaining his footing, he groaned aloud. Why, oh why, did the papers have to be on the fourth floor? Shifting the papers in his arms, he began descending the steps, taking care to not lean too far forward nor too far back. And in much the same fashion did he descend the stairs to the second level. By this time, his arms were beginning to develop an ache. Gritting his teeth, Orion quickened his pace. Aside from a few stumbles here and there, things were going splendidly. That is, until he drew near to the doorway of the training room. View obstructed as it was, he had no idea another guardsbeast was just on their way out of the small room... |
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Lieutenant Orion Fulcry (((  )))Life + Universe + Everything = 42 Alt: Amos Charp | |
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| Jelal Waveskimmer | May 24 2008, 11:12 AM Post #2 |
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Level Two Poster
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"Ach! On my affidavit, I'm never trainin' with a quarterstaff in that waste o' space again..." Jelal Waveskimmer was the creature that exited the cramped and admittedly cluttered training area, having thought that here he would be able to train in private, beyond the scrutiny of officers and other soldiers who might want to try their paw at putting him on his tail. Still new, he had not wanted the dubious honor of being shown up by the fort's younger troops, all trained soldiers who had spent their lives drilling. Jelal was by no means old, now. His fur was still well groomed and had the vigorous sheen of sanguine health, and his rudder tail hung thick behind him. The river otter was wearing a plaid kilt of black, blue, and yellow along with his uniform, loose and well suited for the acrobatics that all sparring practice entailed. Tired but lively eyes turned to the right as he came into the hall, frustrated with having knocked over a few leaning spears with his staff, but otherwise satisfied with his heavy breathing and fatigued muscles. He saw a giant pile of paper attempting to assault him. Those happy eyes widened in sudden shock, consternation and vague terror as he windmilled his arms and gasped loudly, which really just made things worse for him and Orion, as they were on the brink of colliding anyway and simply flailing around wasn't- Flump. It was a rather anti-climactic noise given the terrible mess it caused. Orion stumbled into Jelal, who with paws akimbo smacked the pile of parchments, or at least the top half of them, out of the squirrel's grasp and into the air, causing much confusion. Their footpaws got tangled painfully as Jelal attempted to backpedal, and the end result was an otter with a throbbing sore on the back of his head after it smacked into the stone floor, a red squirrel somewhere to his side and lying on his rudder, along with clouds of parchment and dust motes floating lazily, almost contentedly, to the floor, underscoring the catastrophe. Fortunately there was no other beast in the immediate vicinity who could go running and tell one of their commanders or just start pointing and laughing. Jelal groaned as he sat up, and found his snout suddenly covered by one of the floating parchments. Ignoring Orion for the moment, he snatched it off and held it arm's length, attempting to decipher what cryptic message he had "intercepted." It was blank. "Well at least t'wasn't important," he drawled as he gave a tug on his rudder to free it from under Orion. "Great seasons, my 'ead 'urts..." OOC: Sorry about the slight auto there, I just thought it'd be humorously appropriate! |
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| Orion Fulcry | May 25 2008, 02:08 AM Post #3 |
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Level One Writer
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((Not a problem. I was actually hoping whoever posted would do something like that. :D)) Flump! For one breathtaking moment, everything froze into dazzling clarity. Orion could feel every single piece of paper as they pressed firmly against his fur and then away, flying into the air like so many dry leaves in a passing gale. He saw the surprised face of Jelal, the otter's arms lending even more energy to the parchment. And then, things returned to normal. Orion's attempts at stopping himself were pointless. Whatever papers were still in his arms escaped after their fellows as he collided with the otter. Footpaws refused to listen to orders not to carouse with Jelal's, and Orion went tumbling forward. Paws instinctively shot out to catch himself, but weren't quick enough. Instead, it was his elbows that found the floor, taking the full force of Orion's fall and smacking as loudly as Jelal's head. Orion's eyes teared and widened in pain and he curled into a protective ball, cradling his bruised elbows against his chest. The pain wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't been so unexpected. Breathing through clenched teeth, it wasn't until Orion felt something pulled out from underneath him that he realized he had been on the otter's tail. "Well at least t'wasn't important. Great seasons, my 'ead 'urts..." Own bushy tail twitching spasmodically, Orion uncurled slowly and looked at the otter with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. He had never seen him before, and figured he was something of a new arrival. Muttering something under his breath - and still clutching his elbows - the squirrel rolled to a sitting position and stared forlornly at the paper-covered floor. Great. Just great. |
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Lieutenant Orion Fulcry ((( )))Life + Universe + Everything = 42 Alt: Amos Charp | |
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| Jelal Waveskimmer | May 28 2008, 05:07 PM Post #4 |
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Level Two Poster
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Despite the wracking, seething pain that was pounding at the back of his skull like so many tree rats with mallets, Jelal was not one to be down for the count for very long. Trying to get his spryness back he stood up and gathered a few of the papers. Well, seemed they were all blank! Jelal, no stranger to the importance of parchment, immediately began to feel guilt creep up on him, starting at the end of his tail and working its way up. He glanced down at the squirrel at his footpaws, who looked quite sullen about the whole mess. Cursed narrow hallways and stone ramparts... wasn't there a way for military fortresses to be practical and comfortable at the same time? Or was it some kind of unspoken rule that soldiers were at their best when they were knocking each other around in the halls? He almost regretted signing up for tower work. "Oooh..." Jelal groaned guiltily, arranging the parchment he had gathered into a pile. He grinned to lighten the mood. "I thought you squirrels were supposed to be good at balance, eh?" It was a somewhat lame joke for the occasion, so Jelal kept helping swiping up parchments and gathering them in his arms. He swished his tail to get a cramp out of it from when it had fallen, inadvertently splattering more fallen papers around and nearly swiping Orion in the head with it. Turned away as he was he didn't even notice his second gaffe, still apologizing for the first one. "Ahh... sorry about that mate, but y'see, corridors 'r so narrow 'ere, tis like an exercise in ambush tactics when you round a corner... ahem.." He held out his free paw towards the squirrel, both to greet him and help him off the dusty floor, wincing at the way he cradled his elbows. He'd have to apologize for that too. "M'name's Jelal Wavesimmer. Call me Jelal, if it please you, sir." |
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| Orion Fulcry | Jun 2 2008, 01:19 AM Post #5 |
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Level One Writer
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By the time Jelal was beginning to collect parchment, Orion had recovered himself enough to do the same - or at least attempt to. He extended one arm in an attempt to reach for a piece of paper and immediately had to stifle a groan. Pain lanced through his arm, and he quickly retracted it back to his chest. The ache was quick becoming a throbbing ache, and he could just tell that he would be feeling that one tomorrow. "I thought you squirrels were supposed to be good at balance, eh?" Despite the jovial tone of the otter, Orion didn't laugh. Instead, he glared at Jelal and immediately tried to change it to a more-friendly expression. What really happened is that he ended up looking expressionless. Not that it really mattered as the otter had already turned away. Shaking his head exasperatedly, Orion again attempted to begin gathering up his scattered burden. As it was, his ducking down to swipe at several papers was the only thing that saved his face from having an intimate moment with Jelal's tail. Luckily for Jelal, Orion didn't notice this, either. "Ahh... sorry about that mate, but y'see, corridors 'r so narrow 'ere, tis like an exercise in ambush tactics when you round a corner... ahem.." Well, that, at least, was a sensible statement. The Keep's hallways were quite narrow. "They certainly aren't as open as the treetops," Orion agreed, then paused. Did he just say that out loud? "M'name's Jelal Wavesimmer. Call me Jelal, if it please you, sir." Orion gingerly took the proffered paw and winced as he was hauled to his feet, the few papers he had collected slipping back to the floor. "Hello, Jelal," he nodded. It took him a moment to realize more of a response was expected. "Oh, I'm Orion Fulcry. Uh, Orion will do me just fine." The squirrel paused awkwardly and glanced around, taking notice of the doorway to the training room. Well, that's a bit surprising. Not many guards use the indoors training room... "So, Jelal, what brings you to the training room on such a nice day?" For a nice day it was - beautiful even; Orion could tell by the warm rays of sunlight that shone through the windows. |
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Lieutenant Orion Fulcry ((( )))Life + Universe + Everything = 42 Alt: Amos Charp | |
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| Jelal Waveskimmer | Jun 10 2008, 12:36 AM Post #6 |
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Level Two Poster
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"Who, me?" Jelal asked innocently as Orion came on the topic of his being there. It was an honest question he supposed, and it was a very, very nice day outside. Of course many beasts were not out to enjoy it except to stand guard duty at the walls; frolic and fun were not two of a military fort's favorite activities! He held the papers to his chest as he considered his answer. No excuse seemed to make it as far as the back of his throat before dying out. The truth of it was, he had been nervous to really show his face in front of the others so soon after his arrival. He had only just got here, and while his entrance had been impressive enough, he did not think he was truly cut out for this kind of life. But he had nowhere else to go, nobeast else to turn to. So he was determined to throw himself into this new existence with a will, and see where it took him. But he wasn't going to say any of that out loud. He was supposed to be a stoic soldier after all. "Well... I wasn't about to embarrass myself," he offered. "To be sure, most of the creatures I've seen 'ere r' experienced fightin' beasts! Had to make sure I was up to snuff before I went an' got my rudder smacked around by 'em!" He grinned to make the whole illusion complete. It was partially true after all, he had no interest in getting publicly humiliated by veterans who had been training their whole lives, compared to the "casual" fighting that Jelal had done throughout his own seasons. "An' it's a pleasure to meetcha, sir Fulcry, but if you don't mind my sayin' so, it doesn't seem like you were headin' out for a picnic yourself," he remarked, gesturing to the papers that remained in a disorganized clump on the floor. "Were these to be for letters, or maps? I'm good with maps." OOC: Eep! Sorry for taking so long. >.> |
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| Orion Fulcry | Jun 17 2008, 12:58 AM Post #7 |
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Level One Writer
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((I'll forgive you only if you do the same. XD)) "Well... I wasn't about to embarrass myself," he offered. "To be sure, most of the creatures I've seen 'ere r' experienced fightin' beasts! Had to make sure I was up to snuff before I went an' got my rudder smacked around by 'em!" Orion nodded his head and rubbed his aching elbows thoughtfully. It did make a certain sort of sense. At least, it probably would have been what Orion did if the training room hadn't been so crowded when he arrived - it being winter and all. An empty, cold tower was much preferable to a hot, sweaty, musky, crowded, tiny, stuffy training room where you could hardly turn around without running into another beast. "An' it's a pleasure to meetcha, sir Fulcry, but if you don't mind my sayin' so, it doesn't seem like you were headin' out for a picnic yourself." Orion glanced down at the parchment that was doing a swell job of creating a crinkly carpet. He briefly wondered if such a trend would ever catch on. But that was neither here nor there. Returning to the matter at hand, Orion spoke. "Ah." How very perceptive of you. "Yes...no. No, I wasn't going for a picnic." "Were these to be for letters, or maps? I'm good with maps." The question gave Orion reason to pause. What were these papers intended for? Certainly not to cover the stone floors of the North Tower. "I...I don't think they, uh, really have a set purpose," he began slowly, crouching down to begin shoveling a small section into a rough pile. "We were just low on our paper supply, so Commander Russet asked me to get some more." He glanced around again at the masses of paper, expression a bit rueful. "She didn't actually tell me how much to bring...Maybe I overdid it." |
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Lieutenant Orion Fulcry ((( )))Life + Universe + Everything = 42 Alt: Amos Charp | |
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| Jelal Waveskimmer | Jul 14 2008, 11:30 AM Post #8 |
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Level Two Poster
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OOC: Let me apologize first, I insist.  Vacation and school preparation got me down and unable to make good posts. I really am sorry.BIC: Whoever heard of paper that was never put to purpose? Having come from the less "affluent" parts of Mossflower society, Jelal was certain that paper of any kind, parchment, scrolls, bark, was extremely important! He did suppose that it was a good thing the fort was looking after their paper stores, but putting them in the paws of a squirrel who didn't seem to appreciate the enormity of his task didn't sit well with him. He obviously needed help. This coming from the otter who had caused the wreck in the first place. "Well," he began again. Now more calm than he had been, the task of gathering these papers into a coherent pile again was much easier, as he remained on his knees and shuffled the papers about much like Orion was doing, being careful not to swing his tail all over the place and cause a restart of the entire incident. "Well, if these are bein' delivered on a commander's orders, we best not keep 'er waitin', aye?" he said a thin smile. No, ticking off a commander on his first few days would not have been the best first impression to make. At last, the papers were in a bit of a more orderly pile than they had been, but now the burden was split equally between the squirrel and the otter. The otter looked rather comical, as his pile was still rather disorganized, and he kept having to shift his arms around to keep a good grip on it all. “Erf... I don't think you can ever 'ave enough paper, mate! It's all very important, you know. What if you need a message an' your only courier is mute? Then you're in trouble! Let’s get goin’, then,” he said with a cheerful smile as they started down the hall. “Er, you know the way better’n I do, so you best lead the way. Heh, seems I arrived at the fort during a bit of a downtime, eh?” |
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| Orion Fulcry | Jul 31 2008, 03:26 PM Post #9 |
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Level One Writer
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((Apologies accepted.  Now me!))"Yes, well, it has been a bit slow inside the fort, being Spring and all." Orion readjusted his grip on his stack of paper, marveling at how much lighter it was. Then, he seemed to realize that perhaps his statement didn't exactly clarify things. "Uh, that is to say, most people are outside enjoying the weather - and stuff." Setting off down the hall again, Orion took the lead. The going was much easier now that he could see where he was going. The dishevelment of the papers in his arms was only a mild irritation. And thus, the descent down the last case of stairs and out into the open air proved entirely uneventful. Orion was glad of that. Now, strolling through the grass towards the North Tower, chin pressed firmly against the top layer of parchment to keep the warm breeze wafting about from claiming any papers, he slowed a bit to allow Jelal to walk beside him. "So..." his grey eyes moved to look at the otter. "How's your head?" |
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Lieutenant Orion Fulcry ((( )))Life + Universe + Everything = 42 Alt: Amos Charp | |
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| Jelal Waveskimmer | Aug 5 2008, 11:26 AM Post #10 |
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Level Two Poster
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"Ahh, it's fine. We otters are a mite more experienced 'n most when it comes to bein' thickheaded," Jelal answered with a grin. Evidently all he needed was some fresh air and something to distract him to lose any bad temper he might have gotten from his earlier bump. And really, what was there to be worried about? He had a job, he had somebeast to talk to while doing it, and he was helping to keep a place in nice running order. Even if there didn't seem to be any point in this literal paper pushing. Jelal however didn't seem to mind that there wasn't much going on. No, he was still new, and the drudgery of running back and forth in a relatively small space had yet to impress himself upon him. And he had news that he was going to be joining the South Tower officially soon, so there was opportunity aplenty to get his lungs working and his legs pumping properly. It just wasn't good to be cooped up for too long, not for any species. Eventually it wore on the mind. "It is a very good day to enjoy the weather," he commented. "Myself I like a bit of a fresh rain every now and then. But, of course, up 'ere, y'know, the North? Rains get to be freezin'. Once almost had m'poor rudder near freeze solid when I was caught in a nasty rainstorm! Nice to have some cover my 'ead." He hefted the papers and shifted them in his arms, carrying them handily under one arm instead of two. "How long 'ave you been makin' this fort your place of habitation?" |
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