"Thank you for coming, Padre," Brinya murmurs as Marikel steps in beside her at the head of the line. "I appreciate it. The sooner we get the children to safety, the sooner you can get to the front lines where you're needed. All right, children; let's march!"
One of the children spots Skyreaver circling and points. "Miz Kelver, is that an orc bird? Shouldn't someone shoot it?"
Grinning as he awaits to move out, Dorn's eyes go wide and his smile instantly vanishes at the child's question. "NO! What are ya daft, ya wee bugger?! That's no orc bird, that's my bird! Well, I don't so much as own 'im as he is me friend. He's really his own bird ta tell ya the truth." He nods as a matter of fact. "Anyway, just be ready for your marchin' and no more of your dumb questions about killin' me bird, okay? There's a good lad," he says with a chuckle as he playfully musses up the boy's hair.
As though to cement further distraction he prattles away in his native language...
"mchwa kwenda kuandamana wawili wawili, heko, heko
mchwa kwenda kuandamana wawili wawili, heko, heko
mchwa kwenda kuandamana wawili wawili,
kidogo moja ataacha kufunga kiatu chake
Na wao wote kwenda kuandamana chini ya ardhi
Ili kupata nje ya mvua"
The dwarf listens in on the gnome as he sings and does a slight bounce from side to side in rhythm to the tune. "The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah, the ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah, the ants go marching... That's a great tune, lad! Of course, now you'll have me singin' it all day. Well that's just great! Thanks for nothin', me friend," he says, obviously in feigned annoyance as he returns to mumbling the tune under his breath and bouncing ever so slightly as they walk.
"Thank you for coming, Padre," Brinya murmurs as Marikel steps in beside her at the head of the line. "I appreciate it. The sooner we get the children to safety, the sooner you can get to the front lines where you're needed. All right, children; let's march!"
Marikel looks about at his companions as they take up position and gives a nod.
"Of course Miss Kelver. The safety of the children must come first. There's no point protecting Trunau if we don't protect its future residents."Marikel glances over his shoulder at the future residents before returning his attention to Brinya.
"Besides, I'm sure we'll have plenty of time before the invaders get here. Assuming the Chief Defender and her retinue have left any invaders for the rest of us."
He forces a smile, then falls silent.
Smiling back at Dorn, Vhailor pipes up "Glad you like it... thought about some of the Infernal nursery rhymes but they don't have the same pep... too much stricture and meter."
The children march, the youngest ones swinging their linked arms with excitement, failing to grasp the soberness of the occasion, the older ones doing their best to affect boredom or, at least, stoic bravery. As they near the Longhouse, the road grows busier with Patrol members coming and going on the run and last-minute supplies being brought in. As they pass the Commons, a pair of boys about ten years old suddenly make a coordinated dash between two buildings back toward the Inner Gates.
The boys rush down the alley, which is blocked at the far end by a makeshift barricade of stacked crates and barrels. Dropping his partner's hand, one boy takes the lead in scrambling up and over the stack, dropping out of sight on the other side.
Alicia can see the other boy hesitating at the blocked end of the alley when a baker carrying a large tray of fresh-baked bread toward the Longhouse steps between her and the entrance to the alley.
Alicia curses loudly at the runaway boys and chases after them. "Get back here, you stupid brats!" She gestures and attempts to grab the baker's attention as she moves, succeeding at stopping him in his tracks as he wonders what is going on and why the scowling blonde girl is waving at him.
Alicia dodges the befuddled baker and goes haring down the alley after the fugitives.
Seeing Ali in pursuit, the visible boy hastens to scramble up the stack of crates himself; however, his haste makes him reckless. He seizes hold of a crate that isn't lodged firmly in the barricade and slides back down to street level.
Brinya looks pleadingly up at Marikel. The baker, confused and somewhat put out by Alicia's ruse, takes a moment to resettle the tray of bread in his grip and begins carefully to inch toward the Longhouse once more, still an unknowing obstacle between the fleeing boys and those responsible for ushering them to safety.
Round 1:
Knowing that even the boy's short legs would likely outpace his own... well... that and his complete inability to climb or bustle and hustle, Vhailor invokes a different plan. Sidling over to where he has a good view of the boy who failed the climb he invokes "Cum procul dubio mente tua faciam" gesturing with his free hand...
...before imploring "Grab him, quick" and turning his attention back upon the other children.
Marikel rolls his eyes at Alicia's shout but nods when he sees Brinya's look.
He is off after the boys in a trice, clanking loudly in his armour behind them. His brow furrows as he bears down on the encumbered baker blocking his path.
Marikel approaches the entrance to the alley, trying to judge the baker's speed and direction to dodge the burdened man, but at the last moment, the baker pauses to readjust his grip on the tray to keep the bread from sliding. Marikel slides to a stop, just managing to avoid bumping into the man and knocking his bread to the ground.
Crossing his arms, Dorn chuckles at the sight of the boys taking off in fun, until the seriousness of the matter becomes quite obvious. He immediately wipes the grin from his face and decides to put on a more serious tone if he values avoiding getting yelled at. "Um... Yeah! Come back here... um... ya brats! That's right! What the lass said! Brats!" he yells, nodding firmly. "That's a good word, I like that word: 'Brats'," he chuckles. "The lass really cracks me up," he mumbles, smiling, as he then prepares himself for the chase.
The dwarf casts a spell to enhance his speed.
Vhailor casts a cantrip at the boy in the alley, but the adrenaline coursing through the child's body bolsters his will and energy.
The girl with the chip on her shoulder chases after the boy who is farther ahead, content to let her companions corral the slower boy. She easily clears the barricade ahead of her and moves ahead to cut the faster nuisance off.
Marikel tries again to get past the baker.
Trusting the the others will grab the slower boy, Ali gets a running start and lightly leaps most of the way up the barricade, then jumps down into the street beyond. Her sudden appearance startles the Patrol members and other citizens occupied with boarding up windows and carrying supplies to the Longhouse. The second boy is still crouched at the foot of the barricade, having been unable to gauge a gap in which to cross the road unnoticed. He stares, gape-mouthed, at the girl who is now waiting on the other side of the street for him.
The second boy, a little unsure but determined to catch up to his friend, makes a second attempt at scaling the barricade and successfully drops down into the crowded street beside him.
Marikel finally dodges the baker just in time to see his quarry disappear over the top of the stack of crates and barrels.
"REAVER! Dewch o hyd i'r bachgen!" he yells at the bird in the sky, pointing in the direction he went as he himself heads that way.
The baker, having just recovered from giving Marikel a parting glare, is startled to turn back around to Dorn's pointing finger; he pauses to look in the direction the dwarf is indicating while shouting in his strange language, and Dorn takes the opportunity to dash past and join Marikel at the foot of the barricade.
Vhailor finds himself the lone chaperone still attending the derailed train of schoolchildren, as the other members of the party have disappeared down the alley after the two fugitives.
Seeing the rest of his party disappear into the chase, Vhailor turns to regard the remainder of the schoolchildren. Frowning he half-promises "Don't be silly now... stay put or Carb will get upset.." his feline companion baring teeth and hissing nonspecifically as a post-script.
Skyreaver flaps over to the next street and circles uncertainly.
Vhailor and Carbonel attempt to keep the rest of the schoolchildren in line until their fellows are returned.
Alicia sees one of the boys tense up for a dash across the street, but he has to beat a hasty retreat as a group of Patrol members come unexpectedly around the corner. She is standing at the edge of a deep pothole which is brimful with a muddy puddle after the recent rains.
Surveying the queue, including some nervous small children who look on the brink of tears, Brinya makes a command decision. "All right, children, we're moving on to the Longhouse. The Padre and his friends will be along with Jack and Braddox shortly; there's no reason their bad behavior should delay the rest of us."
With several backward glances and excited whisperings as to their classmates' likely fate, the double-column of schoolchildren begins to advance once more.
The Padre in question grabs onto the stack on crates and attempts to haul himself over the barricade after the vanished boy.
Alicia leaps nimbly over the puddle and waits in the street for the boys to run her way.
One of the two boys takes a cautious look in both directions and plucks up his courage to cross. He has taken three or four quick steps into the road when a group of Patrol members comes around the corner almost on top of him, leading a pair of skittish farm horses toward the stables. He dashes back into the mouth of the alley before they notice him.
Marikel cautiously finds toeholds and, despite the bulk of his armor, manages to drop down with a heavy clank between the two startled boys.
Vhailor settles in step with the small ones, keeping a somewhat distractedly stern look on his face.
Dorn heads toward the stack of crates and attempts to make his way over.
Dorn easily follows the priest over the barricade.
Brinya and Vhailor lead the rest of the children toward the Longhouse.
With a dwarf on one side and a priest on the other, one of the boys makes a last desperate attempt to dash across the street unnoticed but is once again forced to retreat.
One of the horses being taken to the stables is spooked by the crowd and the cobblestones under its hooves. It nickers and rears, just as Alicia is heading back toward the truants.
Alicia ducks and weaves under the horse's hooves adroitly, and continues doubling back on the two runaways.
Alicia deftly dodges the spooked horse and joins Mariel and Dorn at the mouth of the alley.
The other boy finally seizes his chance, taking advantage of the lull in foot traffic caused by the panicking horse, and dashes into the street.
Marikel darts at the slower boy, attempting to grab him before he follows his friend.
Marikel firmly grips the remaining boy by the shoulder before he can follow his companion.
Seeing Marikel contain one of the children, Dorn heads after the other one. Noticing a bystander in his path, "Get out of me way! Comin' through!" he warns, pushing past the slow reacting citizen.
While the dwarf shoves his way through the crowd, the boy in Marikel's grasp slumps. "Aw, heck, mister preacher-man, I just want to defend Trunau like my big sister."
Hissing in exasperation as the other boy darts past her, Alicia turns on her heel and dodges her way through the crowd in pursuit.
The truant boy almost runs beneath the hooves of the spooked horse. "Uh, whoa, there, Bessie! Good horse!" he attempts, but the horse is having none of it. The boy stumbles backward to avoid being kicked or trampled.
Reaching out to nab the miscreant...
...Dorn just manages to get a hold of him. "Alright ya wee bugger, play time is up. You've had your fun. Let's just hope they don't beat ya senseless for it," he says with a wink, grinning.
Skyreaver lands on a nearby building and screeches. Dorn looks the roc's way and shakes his head, sighing. "I know where he is now, ya blasted bird! Thanks for all yer help, by the way! I couldn't have done it without ya!" he says facetiously. The fairly good sized bird screeches again in response. Dorn drops his shoulder in annoyance, "I was bein' sarcastic! Bah."
The boy stumbles back directly into the dwarf's firm grasp.
While the dwarf shoves his way through the crowd, the boy in Marikel's grasp slumps. "Aw, heck, mister preacher-man, I just want to defend Trunau like my big sister."
Marikel holds the boy in his iron grasp. Seeing Dorn and Alicia corner the other boy, Marikel begins to drag his captive to the longhouse. "Your big sister will fight better knowing you are safe in the longhouse. If I can catch you, an invader can. Then they'd kill you. And your sister would be shattered if she saved Trunau and lost her idiot little brother. You've shown you'd be a useless soldier. A true soldier follows orders. If the soldier guarding your sister's back decides to run off and help someone else instead of your sister, she'll die. You don't want soldiers like that. Trunau doesn't want soldiers like that. To be a real soldier... .. ."
Vhailor tries to maintain his serious scowl, though it weakens and fades after a few short seconds. Whilst awaiting the returning child grapplers, he mulls a few idle thoughts "...wonder what the orcs are afraid of..."
Alicia's perpetual scowl deepens as she follows along after Dorn and his charge, ready to spring into action in case the nuisance decides to make another break for it.
Whilst awaiting the returning child grapplers, he mulls a few idle thoughts "...wonder what the orcs are afraid of..."
"They're afraid of us, mister!" one of the small boys answers energetically. "Trunau! Live free or die!"
Several of the children answer his whoop, though the older ones do so only half-heartedly, being more aware of the real dangers of the situation.
As the queue arrives at the Longhouse, the Patrolman at the door gives Brinya a welcoming nod. "Been waiting for you, ma'am. We've got a room set aside for the young ones, right at the end of the hall." The straggling column comes to a brief halt as he points the schoolmarm in the right direction down the hall.
Brinya stands at the open door as the children file into the room. "You're a friend of Rodrick's, aren't you?" she asks Vhailor, drawing him aside for a moment. "I was wondering ... if you're going to be outside on the front lines...." She fumbles a moment with something in her pack and brings out a hopeknife wrapped in a cloth. "I have the one Kerst gave me. This is the one I gave him. He should be out there, fighting.... Would you take it? Doesn't seem right that it not be used in the defense of the town." She holds it out to him.
It is only shortly afterward that the other three members of the party turn up, a watchful escort around the pair of runaways. The boy who has been submitted to Marikel's continuous lecture is ducking his head sullenly and looks relieved at the prospect of getting away from the remonstrative priest. Having received directions from the man at the door, Marikel, Dorn, and Alicia frogmarch the truants down the hall to rejoin their classmates and see Brinya and Vhailor still standing at the door.
"Miss Kelver."
Marikel nods politely.
"Sorry we took so long. Are you... is everything else all right?"
Behind Marikel, Alicia's brows furrow momentarily. Excusing herself, she slips past Brinya and into the Longhouse, where she quietly chats with Ruby.
"Miss Kelver."
Marikel nods politely.
"Sorry we took so long. Are you... is everything else all right?"
"Thank you so much, Padre. Yes, we're fine." She turns her attention to the pair of recalcitrant boys, her expression growing stern. "You boys should be ashamed of yourselves, running off like that. You took valuable time from adults who could have been preparing to defend your homes and families instead of chasing after you. I hope you appreciate how badly you've behaved."
"Yes'm," the boys drawl unenthusiastically, staring at their feet.
"I'm going to have to tell your families about this when the battle is over," she tells them firmly, "and let us hope that the circumstances are such that they'll face some sort of punishment," she concludes in a quieter voice, with a sad and knowing look at the party.