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Post by Isaiah on Jul 22, 2018 19:42:52 GMT -5
**It was one of the few times Lily had ever resorted to using intimidation as a tactic. Her wiry frame and generally small form did little to aid this ambition, a fact that Lily was duly aware of. The mouse's tail twitched nervously behind her, waiting to see Dewbelle's reaction. The grip on her pillow tightened, Lily's paws digging into the floor as she doubled down on her stance, unwilling to back down. Focus on breathing, the mousemaid told herself. Plausibly, Dewbelle would be so surprised by Lily standing up for herself that the squirrel would sheepishly hand over the book and apologize so the pair of them could continue their days peacefully. Unfortunately, that was wishful thinking.
Lily's eyes widened as she watched Dewbelle turn and strike her own aggressive stance, amplified much more than Lily's through the squirrelmaid's slightly taller figure and bushier tail.**
Yeah? ‘ow hard yous wannit back?
**This was not a position Lily had ever been in before—leastways, not as one of the aggressors instead of a dibbun watching timidly from the sidelines. Lily considered walking away right then. She entertained the idea of fleeing the dorm and finding a quiet attic corner to sob in. Briefly, she considered crumpling to the floor right then and there and wishing this whole situation away. But that would have been running away, and it would have been weak. If there was one thing Lily was tired of, it was being weak. Running away was not an option.
Sizing up her opponent with a newfound clarity, Lily brought the pillow into a reflexive defensive position in front of her chest. The squirrel was bigger, but perhaps Lily could move faster? According to all the books Lily had ever read, strategic and tactical thinking won battles. And she was smarter than Dewbelle... probably.
The book was a dangerous weapon, and the bookworm in Lily had no wish to see the spine of the tome destroyed by being chucked at the floor. An all out pillow fight would probably result in Dewbelle using the book as a weapon out of desperation. Lily's whiskers twitched. She was taking far too long, she had to come up with a plan.**
Iwantitback!
**With a squeak, Lily threw her pillow towards Dewbelle, aiming for her face and hoping to bait the squirrel into using The Incomplete History of Redwall Abbey as a shield. As soon as the pillow left her grasp, Lily dove for the comforter still lying on the floor. If she could blind Dewbelle and weigh her down, Lily might stand a chance at bringing her down.**
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Post by Celebes on Jul 25, 2018 20:56:36 GMT -5
**For a moment, Dewbelle's grandstanding seemed to have worked. Lily had clearly been surprised that her attempt at intimidation was met with resistance. Of course it had been, who did the mousemaid think she was messing with? But after her seeming initial surprise, Dewy was shocked to see that her opponent didn't then fold. She still wanted to have a go at it? Well then, Dewbelle was more than happy to-**
Iwantitback!
**Her attack had come swiftly. So swiftly that Dewy had little time to react. As she still had been holding the old book over her head, Dewbelle's elbows ended up being in position to take the brunt of the feathery force aimed at her face. Her arms were forced back painfully, straining her shoulders and causing her to drop the book. Said volume slid down her backside, stinging the bone in her tail before it thumped onto the floor. Dewbelle squeaked incoherently in annoyance and pain.
Revenge minded, Dewbelle quickly located Lily, who had inexplicably surrendered her advantageous position to dive to the floor. Her loss. Dewy started to drop down to pick up a weapon, either the discarded pillow or the dropped book, when she spied another mode of attack. The reason that her opponent had gone down for her irksome comforter. Well now, Dewy could work with that. The squirrelmaid thought she had a chance to end this romp early.
Dewy sprung back up to her paws, and quickly covered the space between herself and the crawling Lily. Her aim played out in her head. She would push Lily over and onto the blanket she was grappling for, and then roll her up in its folds like a mousemaid pastry. With her arms, legs, and tail all wrapped up inside, Lily would not be able to do anything.
Initiating her plan with a kick directed at Lily's side, she was more focused on executing her novel idea than spewing witty banter. Still, having realized that her foe was somewhat sensitive to verbal jousts, Dewy made a half-hearted attempt to keep that front open.**
Stay down, yous overgrow’d bookworm!
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Post by Isaiah on Jul 28, 2018 15:34:52 GMT -5
**Lily was horrified to find her paws lost in the fluffy blanket, the mouse unable to stop trembling with nervous energy. She was flailing now, struggling to gain the purchase she wanted and growing increasingly anxious that her plan was failing. There. Her paws found holds in the center of the blanket, and she moved to get off the floor with her newfound weapon. Unfortunately, Dewbelle was faster. In one instant Lily saw the squirrel speeding towards her, and in another Lily was prone on the ground, clutching her bruised side. Stunned, humiliated, and hurting, Lily was vaguely aware of her own comforter shifting around her, constricting her movements.
Panic was beginning to set in.**
Stay down, yous overgrow’d bookworm!
**Just before the quilt threatened to trap her completely, a burst of energy propelled Lily outwards as she burrowed through the shrinking hole around her head. Kicking wildly at the blanket behind her, the mouse skittered across the dorm, making as much space as possible between her and her opponent. The plan had been a bust. Lily was breathing heavily now, her brow scrunched as she tried to formulate another plan before Dewbelle got wise and threw a book at her. Lily was fast, yes, but even she wasn't sure she could outrun Dewbelle forever... The dorm was only so large.**
Y-yeah...? Well... I... *Lily gasped for breath, exaggerating her weakness somewhat as a desperate ploy.* At least I-I've read a book!
**With that, Lily backed up against the wall, feeling very vulnerable without pillow or blanket to defend herself. She waited. Having tried aggressive measures and failing, Lily waited to see what her opponent would do next. A reactive style of combat seemed more natural to her anyways. Forcing things seemed like just what would get her wrapped up in a comforter, defenseless.
Staying low to the ground, Lily prepared to scamper away if Dewbelle chose to charge her.**
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Post by Celebes on Jul 29, 2018 12:24:31 GMT -5
**The mummification of her opponent nearly complete, Dewbelle was startled by Lily’s sudden bid for freedom. Feeling the mousemaid about to squirm out, Dewy attempted too late to throw herself down on the comforter. But as it happened it wasn’t too late to have a flailing footpaw connect with her face, as Lily kicked the last vestiges of the blanket free. The blow landed on the bottom of Dewy’s jaw, partly cushioned by the folds of quilt that had gotten in between the foot and her face, but still painful enough that the squirrelmaid immediately had a paw up and massaging the spot. She couldn’t help but groan.**
Ow…
**Not about to get caught in the same trap she had just tried, Dewbelle scrambled to get back on her feet. It was slippery going with the quilt still on the floor, but she managed. It was only after she had regained her footing that she realized that she could have taken a bit more time getting up, for Lily was nowhere near. Rather, she was across the room, uncomfortably close to Dewy’s own unmade bunk.**
Y-yeah...? Well... I... At least I-I've read a book!
**Dewbelle started to grit her teeth at the boastful jibe, but they still hurt from the kick, which just made her more annoyed. She was stuck issuing an angry glare.**
Woodlanners don’ need books! Mother ‘members stuff foine without them!
**It hurt to talk. It was a defensive remark, too. Dewbelle would have to quickly switch the subject if she didn’t want Lily pressing it. The squirrelmaid kept her eyes fixed on her rival, and slowly approached the wall she clung to. Though Lily had picked this fight, she was certainly quick to try and escape it when it wasn’t going her way. Dewy had almost her. She’d have to make sure Lily didn’t slip away again. With Lily was unarmed, Dewbelle couldn’t let the chance to show her a thing or two go to waste by searching for her own weapon.**
Yous runs away faster den the vermin father fights!
**On framing the insult, based on a story mother had ‘membered foine, Dewbelle charged low. She feigned left, then right, as she tried to get in position to where she could dive at her opponents legs. At the very least, she might be able to grab Lily’s tail. After their last round, Dewy was certain she could triumph if this tussle took to the floor. Spotting what she thought was an opening, the squirrelmaid dived.**
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Post by Isaiah on Aug 3, 2018 15:49:16 GMT -5
Woodlanners don’ need books! Mother ‘members stuff foine without them!
**That didn't seem to be a very clever comeback to Lily. Unfortunately, the mouse found herself too out of breathe to utter a quick retort, her heart pounding in fear and excitement. Her paws scraped against the wooden wall behind her, searching for a solid defensive position to take hold of. Dewy would advance soon, and when she did Lily had to be ready to dodge out of the way, whichever way would get her out quickest. With any luck, Dewbelle would hurt herself by charging straight into the wall instead of her. Lily just had to be quick enough.
She was starting to freeze up slightly, the overthinking in anxious anticipation was locking up her muscles.**
Yous runs away faster den the vermin father fights!
**If Dewbelle hadn't begun charging right then Lily would certainly have done her best to tear apart her opponent's insult. However, the surprise of her sudden charge was enough to leave her speechless and somewhat confused. It seemed the prospect of multitasking clever jabs and focused fighting was more difficult than first thought.
As Dewbelle approached, Lily froze. She knew she should dodge to the right, or even leap onto the bunk at her right. Instead, Lily was captured by the determined glare on the squirrel's face, so much so that she nearly didn't react before Dewbelle was nearly on top of her. It was too late to dodge to one side. Instead, Lily panicked, jumping straight up and hoping to clear Dewbelle's head as she dived beneath her. Success! Lily was sure she'd made it past Dewbelle when she felt a painful tug on her tail, and all of the sudden Lily was brought forcefully back the ground with Dewbelle standing over her.
The wind knocked out of her, Lily reacted instinctively, throwing all four of her paws upwards and thrusting defensively. She needed to make space.**
Gahhh!
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Post by Celebes on Aug 8, 2018 23:01:06 GMT -5
**Dewbelle soared through the air for all of a half a second, expecting to only be stopped by her head hitting Lily's belly. Instead, the mousemaid pulled a last moment ploy, leaping clear and free of Dewy's flight path. Drat! The squirrelmaid barely had time to raise a paw to soften the impact of her body hitting the wall. Robbed of her rightful prize, Dewbelle sought to salvage the maneuver by sending her other paws out to try and grab ahold of Lily. She was rather surprised when the contingency worked.**
Gahhh!
**Panting slightly from exertion, Dewbelle turned to see her opponent on the ground. Lily had a pained look on her face, and looked like she was struggling to catch her breath. Was she choking? On what? Dewy had never seen a beast having their breath caught before, and the sight unnerved her enough that she didn't immediately try to pin the vulnerable mouse down. Was she...paralyzed? The idea of having seriously hurt Lily did send a fearful dagger into the pit of her stomach. Dewbelle would be in serious trouble if she broke Lily. Somehow Dewy doubted that the old 'she started it' argument would help.
Suddenly, Lily through her limbs in the air. Dewbelle couldn't stop a sigh of relief from escaping. Lily wasn't broken. What had her spasm been all about then? Had Dewbelle just landed a particuly good hit? Or was she just acting the part so that Dewbelle would let her guard down? Seeing as she had barely managed to touch Lily as she sailed through the air, Dewy was inclined to believe the latter.**
Stop fakin' it!
**Lily's limbs still presenting a problem, Dewbelle opted to retry her earlier blanket strategy. But if she was going to cover up Lily, she'd have to be quick. It would take too long to go scurry back over to the mousemaid's purple quilt. Dewy opted for the more local option. Hopping on the headboard of her own nearby bunk, she reached for the quilt on the bed above her own. She wasn't about to disturb her own sheets. The problem was, Dewbelle's bunkmate was one of the few dibbuns who actually put the extra effort of making their bed nicely every morning. Niceness, bordering on perfectionist. The blanket was tucked into the runners on the side of the bed, so that the top of the bunk displayed nay a wrinkle. Dewbelle had to struggle to get the blanked untucked.
Anticipating that at any moment would Lily get up and grab her tail, Dewy hurriedly threw the blanked behind her as soon as she thought it was free. She then jumped backwards off the headboard to join it.**
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Post by Isaiah on Aug 16, 2018 15:04:34 GMT -5
**Lily's eyes were squeezed shut, though even she didn't quite know why. Strange. She'd expected to impact Dewbelle's form as the squirrel leapt on top of her, but instead she found her paws punching air. Heart racing, Lily blinked her eyes open, trying to assess her situation before she felt too foolish. Dewbelle had not opted to redouble her attack after latching onto the mouse's tail, instead she stood back, looking at Lily somewhat incredulously. Lily's chest rose and fell with a rapidly increasing rhythm. The wind was knocked out of her, and now she was dangerously out of position. For her first fight ever, Lily was not doing as well as she'd hoped for.**
Stop fakin' it!
**A desperate wheeze informed Lily that she did not have the breath necessary to offer a sufficient retort. She needed to be in an advantageous position before she thought about witty one-liners anyways. A tactical, defensive strategy had panned out almost disastrously for the mouse, and Lily was beginning to wonder if she had what it took to win. Dragging herself to a crouching position, she prepared for her next move, not ready to give up yet.
Time to switch tactics. Calm and calculating had ended with the mouse on the floor. And though it went against Lily's nature, it was time to go on the aggressive, hopefully catching her opponent by surprise. For some reason, Dewbelle had turned her back on Lily now. This was a prime opportunity.
Lily launched herself towards Dewbelle, hoping to latch herself onto her back, only to find her vision suddenly obscured mid-air. Once again, Lily found herself being nearly smothered by a blanket. Lily didn't care, she threw herself towards where she last saw Dewbelle.**
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Post by Celebes on Aug 20, 2018 11:28:27 GMT -5
SQUEE!
**The shriek tore from Dewbelle's lips as she was suddenly enveloped by a blanket beast. The monster had caught her in midair, toppling her over the headboard of the lower bunk and crashing her down onto the bed. Dewy struggled to get her arms out from under her, but the combined weight of herself and Lily pressing them down into the mattress made the task impossible. The squirrelmaid squirmed to get the blanket out of her face so that she could breath, but the most she could managed was brief gasps of half-smothered air.
It was a painful position. Her body wasn't completely onto the bed, leaving her haunches hanging helplessly off the head of the bed as the wooden frame dug painfully into her tail. The more that their collective mass squirmed, the more it hurt. She would later claim that it felt like someone was trying to snip off her tail with a spoon. Though she would only claim that once.
With everything pinned except her pride, Dewy refused to go down cleanly. She had too many bumps and bruises invested in this fight already, they would be all for naught if she didn't win. She decided to solve her most immediate problem in the most violent way possible. Noting the lump that was pressing through the blanket right in front of her face, Dewbelle bit down hard on the protrusion. The move was slowed by the fabric, but her two front teeth were easily sharp enough to penetrate the thin layer.**
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Post by Isaiah on Sept 12, 2018 18:44:15 GMT -5
SQUEE!
**Lily was still blind. She was somewhat aware of her whereabouts, but the strange sensation of Dewbelle shifting and writhing on an unstable surface beneath her was confusing to say the least. The blanket had become entangled in her arms and twisting only seemed to make it worse. Dewbelle's position was clear, but Lily was blind to the environment around her, which made planning her next move much scarier. This was compounded by the suffocating darkness of the blanket, which triggered Lily's anxieties to such a degree that simple idea of pummeling downwards now that she was literally on top of Dewbelle eluded her.
After what seemed like an eternity of helpless squirming, the mouse felt a sharp pain on her nose which made Lily shriek and simultaneously wrench away from Dewbelle in shock. The blanket—still tangled about her paws—came with her, but it slipped away from her eyes, giving Lily a clear view of her opponent. Keeping her eyes trained on Dewbelle and trying not to look too out of her element, Lily shook off the blanket and put a paw to her still stinging face.
Blood. Not a lot, but there was a definite dark red smear on her fur as she withdrew her paw. Dewbelle had... bit her? It seemed dirty, quite unlike the honorable battles the class would be lucky enough to hear about in Abbey school on occasion. It seemed that unspoken agreement did not extend to dibbun spars.**
Oh... *Nose still stinging, anxiety out in full force, Lily was feeling mean.* You can't read and you fight dirty!
*Trying not to allow time for a rebuttal, Lily grabbed the nearest pillow and spun it towards Dewbelle.*
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Post by Celebes on Sept 14, 2018 16:32:53 GMT -5
**Dewbelle lay momentarily breathless on her bed, sunk unnaturally deep into the mattress as Lily got off from on top of her. She drank in fresh air unimpeded, although the chill of the rapid breathing hurt her teeth. Especially the front ones, they had been tugged at as Lily wrenched away and were feeling like they had just bit into a particularly hard nutshell. A somewhat salty taste was in her mouth, almost as if she had bit her tongue.
As the squirrelmaid brought her haunches up and shuffled her paws around to sit up, Dewbelle's right paw landed on something crinkled. It was a charcoal drawing scrawled on parchment, one that had been ticky-tacked with others to the wall beside her bed. Her bed. Her bed with her stuff. That is where they had ended up. Now here she was, with a big ugly crease defaced the face of the crude self-portrait she had proudly drawn a few days ago. Dewy had worked hard on that picture, at least nine and three-quarter minutes! That silly Lily had brought the fight to her bed, and was now getting her stuff ruined. This was getting unbearable.**
Oh... You can't read and you fight dirty!
**Dewy snapped her head back towards Lily, glowering fiercely at the moment the pillow had hit her face. Her paws shot up to try and wrest the weapon away before it cleared her whiskers. Dewbelle's claws raked through the pillowcase as it whipped by, leaving three rows of uneven tears and tiny holes as the pillow slipped from her grasp. Head buzzing, her paws instinctively remaining up to brace against a second blow, Dewy kept her eyes locked on the pillow. It didn't take a moment before she realized that the weapon was hers. Lily had just hit her with her own pillow. The case of which Dewy had just helped ruin.
Dewy leaped off her bed, tearing off her bandana so that it would stop drooping down into her eyes. She braced herself in a forward crouch, wanting quite badly to tackle Lily but at the same time wanting to make sure her pillow didn't get defaced anymore than it already was. A venomous expression, complimented with bared teeth, took over her face as she ordered fiercely,**
Stop ruinin' my 'sings...you...yous wetnosed crybabe!
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Post by Isaiah on Sept 15, 2018 13:53:43 GMT -5
Stop ruinin' my 'sings...you...yous wetnosed crybabe!
**Lily's nose continued to sting, her fur was prickling and a general sense of discomfort had crept under her skin. Never before had she felt so irritable. She was on the uncomfortable boundary of just barely sweating from physical activity, her body temperature elevated to a gross kind of warm. Lily's day was ruined, an outcome the mouse had been distinctly trying to avoid, and it was all Dewbelle's fault. Though a shadow of guilt flickered through Lily's mind, the general irritable vindictiveness flowing through her at the moment did nothing to restrain her petty remarks.**
Sings...? What are sings? I'd love to hear you SING!
**Eager to punctuate her shout, Lily grasped the pillow in both paws and sent it towards Dewbelle's face with as much force as she could muster. Releasing the pillow, Lily let out a disappointed sigh, tempted to roll her eyes for maximum pettiness. Instead, the mouse turned around, heading for her bed and completely disregarding her opponent. She wanted to be done fighting.**
Y-you should give up before you get really hurt.
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Post by Celebes on Sept 16, 2018 9:13:36 GMT -5
Sings...? What are sings? I'd love to hear you SING!
**Even as Lily was screaming at her, Dewy could see the move that she was clearly telegraphing. With what small portion of her mind that she had left that was not already devoted to vengeful thoughts, she concentrated on stepping back to avoid the swing. And yet, the squirrelmaid was unprepared for the other very real option that Lily would actually let go of the pillow and hurl it. Which Lily did. At that range, the pillow had very little choice but to come in hard and accurate, slamming into Dewbelle's face with enough force that the sides of it seemed to briefly wrap around Dewy's head. Dewbelle fell backwards, legs turning to jelly from the system shock. The back of her head glanced briefly against the runner of the top bunk, before joining the rest of the squirrelmaid's body in collapsing back onto her mattress. Lily had hit her in the face several times already, but this time had been by far the hardest.
Her ragged pillow had not stuck to her face after impact, and so the hot tears that forced themselves upon her eyes were there for all to see. Moist tracks began to trace the contour of her snout and she rubbed bitterly at her jammed nose. She refused to sob, but despite that determination Dewy's young age and hurt disposition required an occasional snivel. She was ashamed of herself for looking so vulnerable.
Y-you should give up before you get really hurt.
**With blurry vision, Dewbelle stared menacingly at the back of the retreating mousemaid. Lily was not about to get off that easily. Despite, or perhaps due to, the pain in her face, body, and tail, the selfish squirrelmaid had only one goal. Before, the unspoken objective of this fight was for Dewy to prove her dominance over Lily, expanding to a desire to humiliate her as the insults and bruising had escalated. Now Dewy just wanted to hurt Lily. That dark thought never ran through her head explicitly, but her actions following certainly reflected it.
With considerable pain in several vital joints, Dewbelle raised herself from her bed with all the stealth of an angry hedgehog rising from a bush. The mousemaid she had once called timid was strutting away, back turned and without a weapon. Stupid move. Dewy's glare unlocked from Lily's back just long enough to spot the bowls of broth, no longer steaming, sitting on the chest nearby. In a motion made fidgety by adrenaline, the squirrelmaid grabbed the bowl nearest by and pitched it straight at Lily, getting sprayed herself as some stew slopped out. Though her accuracy would be arguable, there should have been at least enough force to cause it to douse Lily's bed in sticky soup should it miss its target, or maybe even Lily's precious books beneath. Dewbelle quickly grabbed the other wooden bowl, readying it for a follow-up as she yawped.**
Only cowa'ds gets -it IN THE BACK, STUTTERS!
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Post by Isaiah on Sept 23, 2018 15:27:40 GMT -5
**In a fearless move, Lily continued with her back turned towards Dewbelle, eyes locked on the safe haven of her bunk. She was not afraid of her dorm mate, nor of the pillow that was likely to glance off her back so Dewbelle could get one less blow. It was the perfect way to end the fight in Lily's mind. She got to look cool, and end the fight with the moral high ground. More than that though, Lily was tired. The vibrant emotions and adrenaline running through her body had expended energy rapidly, and now she felt her previously heightened senses dwindling and crashing down around her.
Lily would curl up on her bed, wrap up in her comforter, and enjoy a nice book. Dewbelle could be ignored. Really, what was the worst she could do?**
Only cowa'ds gets -it IN THE BACK, STUTTERS!
**Though tempted to turn her head and look at what Dewbelle was doing, Lily forced herself forward, keeping her eyes locked on her bed. She braced herself for the feeling of a soft pillow thumping against her back so she wasn't caught off guard. Strangely, however, that feeling never came. Dewbelle had thrown something, she'd definitely heard the squirrel grunt as she lobbed something, so why...
There was a clatter of something wooden, and then a small object hurtled past her, lightly spraying Lily's fur with warm liquid as it passed. The bowl fell just short of the bed, and Lily watched in horror as it spun underneath, upturning and spilling the bulk of its sticky contents on the floor. Immediately, Lily went into damage control mode, feeling the same panic as she did when she accidentally spilled a glass of milk on a book at breakfast. Dropping down on all paws, Lily strained her eyes against the darkness under the bed. She didn't like what she saw. Acting quickly and in sharp, anxious movements, Lily pulled the books out from underneath, not caring about how sticky or gross her fur got.
A collection of fifteen books was pulled out in frantic haste. Some of them had fared better than others, with only a chunk of vegetable or small stain obscuring their cover. But others, and some of Lily's very favorite books, had been absolutely drenched. One, a short story book Lily's mother had read aloud when she was a newborn had been the final target for the bowl, and now it was unrecognizable. Tears sprung to the mouse's eyes as she wiped away the smallest stains, and desperately shook the more damaged ones as if that would cleanse them of the mess. Lily wasn't thinking properly. This was her life, the only possessions she cared about, and Dewbelle had gone and ruined that with one poorly aimed throw.
Lily had no energy to fight. Instead, she cried in earnest, still doing her best to coax her books back to life.**
H-how... How... COULD YOU?! These are MY... I LOVE, BUT WHY! **Lily's sentences were coming out garbled and ill formed, her sobs interrupting each thought halfway through.** You... Y-You're awful.
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Post by Celebes on Sept 23, 2018 22:37:57 GMT -5
**The soup bowl slung through the air with less than ideal accuracy, and as the broth splattered the underside of the bed Dewbelle wound up for another shot. This time she would move close so that she couldn’t miss.
Then Lily was on the ground, sitting in a sticking puddle of broth and tears, blaming Dewy for ruining all that was good in her life. Dewbelle stopped prowling forward, having covered about half the length of the room. Sure, souping some of Lily’s books had been a desirable backup plan to hitting Lily directly. Soaking a couple would be revenge for Dewy’s owned crumpled drawing. How was she supposed to know Lily had THAT many books under there? Even if she suspected the mousemaid had hidden half a library, Dewbelle had presupposed that the volumes would have been stuffed up between the slat boards and the mattress, not laying on the floor. But even if she had known it would have turned out like this, Dewbelle knew that she would have probably tossed the stew anyway. She was mad, and wanted to be so.**
H-how... How... COULD YOU?! These are MY... I LOVE, BUT WHY! You... Y-You're awful.
**Dewbelle watched Lily weep. She could feel pangs of guilt playing at the sides of her conscious. Remorse. Regret. They were eating away at her angry mental shield and causing her to feel like slime. Dewy had done more than her fair share to start this fight and then she had ended it so egregiously. She had to stay riled. Anger is such a convenient emotion. When you’re mad, nothing else matters. And the very fact that Lily could just throw a fit, however justified, and make Dewbelle’s indignation melt away annoyed the squirrelmaid. What was worse, it scared her.
Dewy was so terrified to face the painful emotions that would come after the anger that she worked herself up into borderline hysteria. She grabbed ahold of the ending of Lily’s garbled sobs, and ripped out a trifling retort.**
Yeah, and you’re NOT?! Yous shoulda jus’ left ME alone! Yous jus’ sit ‘ere an’ cry and pretend that ‘elps, but it DON’T. I’m SICKA YOUS!
**The petty attempt to pin the blame on Lily for her own misfortune succeeded only briefly in firing Dewbelle up, but the sight of the mousemaid’s ruined treasures sapped away at the squirrelmaid’s zeal. Looking away didn’t help, either. The purple comforter, the torn sheets, the crumpled drawing, the ruined pillows, the spilled broth, everywhere Dewbelle looked she saw the carnage of the scuffle. She couldn’t even look at Lily’s sobbing features the same way, as she was just noticing for the first time the red gash across Lily’s otherwise snowy snout.
Dewbelle’s mind was suddenly filled with a rabid determination to escape. She had to get out of the dorm. The bowl she held, who’s purple spoon had been such a trinket of fascination just earlier that morning, was hurled at the ground in front of her, as she fled from the dorm. Dewbelle couldn’t stand the sight of the room any longer. Lily, the cut nose, ruined books, all of it signs of her own disgusting behavior. Dewbelle wanted nothing more than to throw herself over Redwall’s battlements and escape to the woodlands. She would find mother. Mother would make it all right. Mother wouldn’t have to know. But…mother would find out. Mother always seemed to. The fear of her mother’s disappointment outgrew the hope of her mother’s embrace as quick as the latter had come. Dewbelle faltered. She couldn’t take it anymore. She had to hide. The cellar and the grounds were right out. She would go to the attic. No beast would find her there. She could cry in peace.**
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Post by Isaiah on Sept 28, 2018 17:30:50 GMT -5
Yeah, and you’re NOT?! Yous shoulda jus’ left ME alone! Yous jus’ sit ‘ere an’ cry and pretend that ‘elps, but it DON’T. I’m SICKA YOUS!
**Lily was barely cognizant of Dewbelle's retort, her focus instead fixed on the soggy books blurring through welling tears. Her actions were mechanical now, wiping off whatever gunk she could with her fur, laying the tomes open-faced on her bed to dry. It felt like a medical procedure, and Lily briefly wondered if this was how an Infirmary keeper would feel with several sick patients to attend to. Lily sniffed, wiping a paw across her face. The blood had stopped flowing but her nose still stung, though it was barely a blip on the mouse's radar compared to the travesty before her.
Beginning to regain some form of rational thought and awareness, Lily finished her cleanup, laying the books out carefully with hope that time would fix all. Regardless of the final condition of the books, Lily knew a sickly smell would follow the books even after the stains had faded. The thought of it almost brought up another sob, but she choked it back down—the smell of books was her favorite part.
Dewbelle had left the room, Lily now realized. She shrugged, almost in relief. There was little energy left in her to continue fighting. The mouse used her comforter to wipe most of the soup out of her fur—she could wash the blanket later—feeling icky both inside and out. Her bed was not a viable place to rest, not with the sickbay of books taking up space, nor did the rest of the dorm seem inviting. She took a moment to change into a clean lavender blouse before leaving, attempting to raise her own spirits, if only marginally.
Before long, Lily found herself unconsciously headed towards the attic, and her favorite reading nook. Though she didn't have a book to bring with her, Lily hoped the spot would still offer some comfort. The trip was slow going, the mouse taking care not to draw attention to herself, as answering questions about her whereabouts and what she was up to wasn't something Lily was confident she could get away with in her current mental state.
Breathing ragged from both the stair climb and her previous sobbing, Lily made it to the attic without incident, the tension in her shoulders releasing as she stepped through the door.
Immediately, the tension returned as the welcoming sight inside the attic made Lily flinch. Softly, and more confused than angry Lily spoke.**
W-what... are you doing here?
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