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Post by sweetmint on Jul 30, 2010 5:25:25 GMT 5
Seaford was a master of poker faces; he showed absolutely nothing outwardly as Non Malum spoke. Inwardly, he found himself quite surprised again, and increasingly edgy. So. There were vermin heading for the abbey of Redwall? Was she alone, or did she have a band somewhere, laying in wait to lay seige to the unsuspecting haven of peace in Mossflower?
Seaford suspected she was alone, or at least some kind of outcast from a larger group. No vermin would approach Salamandastron willingly without a horde at their back. He tested her, running a short claw idly along the sheath encasing his saber.
"D'ye know where y'are, er... Malum?"
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Post by Malum on Jul 30, 2010 5:30:52 GMT 5
Malum looked at him, and pondered.
"Hmmm.... I now I'm somewhere on the edge of Mossflower. At a mountain... A mountaiin on the edge of the ocean... Wait a second..." She said, staring, mouth agape. " This is the Fire Mountain! Sa...Sal...Salamandastron? Yeah, that's it!" She said, smiling. "I thought this place seemed familiar!"
Should I have tole him I knew this place? Malum thought to herself, worry edging up inside her. I could try to make it to the door, but I would probably be either killed or maimed in the process....
She tried to seem unconcerned, and started eating her salad again, chewing slowly.
"So, what's your name and how long have you lived here?"
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Post by sweetmint on Jul 30, 2010 5:40:04 GMT 5
Seaford twitched his ears at her, but otherwise didn't react. So she knew where she was, but hadn't known when she'd knocked on the door. Intriguing.
The officer watched her for a moment longer, turning things over in his mind, and over again. He responded to her question first. "Captain Seaford o' the Long Patrol," he said simply. He wasn't one to open up to anybeast, least of all a strange ferretmaid. His gaze shifted; he spoke again.
"Why were y'lookin' for the h'abbey?" he asked, voice vague, expression distant. He wasn't really looking at Malum now, but rather at a spot on the wall just above her shoulder; it was something he did when thinking hard about something.
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Post by Malum on Jul 30, 2010 5:43:05 GMT 5
"I was hoping to settle there, and live out my life in a peaceful way..." She sighed. "Even though I know how 'vermin' would be treated there..."
She looked down at herself, and was hoping he wouldn't ask about her past.
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Post by sweetmint on Jul 30, 2010 5:51:19 GMT 5
Now this was interesting. Seaford's cool gaze snapped back to Malum's face, and he gauged her actions and mannerisms carefully, thinking, thinking, always thinking.
"Y'want to.... to settle there?" he repeated, trying not to sound as shocked as he felt. A ferret? Wanted to settle with mice? A.... a ferret? It didn't quite add up. He half suspected she was lying -- he would have done so, anyway, of course -- but in some way, he almost thought she might be telling the truth. Why? He found himself voicing his thoughts.
"Why?"
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Post by Malum on Jul 30, 2010 5:56:54 GMT 5
"Well, I'm sick of wandering around, having to battle through my whole journey. I just wanna stay somewhere peaceful where I will hopefully be treated like a woodlander. Instead of just a bloodthirsty vermin..." Malum said, breaking off.
She looked at Seaford staring at her, and gave a smile.
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Post by sweetmint on Jul 30, 2010 6:09:19 GMT 5
Seaford stared back at her with the strange urge to laugh at her. He didn't believe it. A vermin, wanting to live a life of peace? At Redwall? He struggled to maintain his mask, failed, and let a small, ironic smile slip through.
"Y'don't say," he said, watching her smile, and narrowed his eyes almost imperceptibly. "h'A life h'of peace." It was the last thing he'd expected, and he was almost sure she was lying. The only vermin Seaford had met had been vermin-- murderers, baby-killers, cheaters, liars, evil, evil, evil. Watching one speak so boldly about being a creature of peace equated to lying in his mind. Still, Lady Bluebells had made it clear this ferret, this Malum, was to be treated as a guest, and Seaford didn't fancy a fight after eating so much food, anyway.
He didn't have a problem speaking frankly, though.
"h'And why should h'I berlieve ye?" he asked, expression hard.
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Post by Malum on Jul 30, 2010 6:18:37 GMT 5
She kept her face loose, and gave another smile.
"Why shouldn't you believe me? Just because I'm a ferret I can't want peace?" She asked, eyeing him carefully. "And I suppose all woodlanders just love peace, right?"
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Post by sweetmint on Jul 30, 2010 6:32:58 GMT 5
Touche.
Seaford raised his eyebrows slightly and leaned back in his chair, a little irritated. Her Ladyship just had to let a ferret in, hadn't she. Just had to. Seaford swallowed these thoughts hard, never moving his calculating gaze from Malum's face.
He continued with his frankness, unhappy at having found himself chatting with a vermin. Like they were friends or something.
A vermin.
He swallowed, this time for real, and forced his ears down and back into a non-angry position. Bad show to lose one's temper in front of the enemy.
"Malum," he ground out her name, managing to do it without any sarcasm, expression vague and forceful. "h'In my considerable h'experience, h'I 'ave found that vermin. h'Are. Vermin. Bullies, lazy, good-for-nothing, murderers, liars, bad -- just bad." He waited for her reaction, controlling his features. A peaceful ferret? It just didn't sit well.
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Post by Malum on Jul 30, 2010 6:40:47 GMT 5
Malum looked at him square in the face.
"And in my experiences I have found woodlanders to be To quick to judge, escpecially on appereances. Also, they are rude, to used to being pushed around, and over-confident about their abilities." She said smoothly.
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