Are there any buffets in Redwall? I dunno...I guess there are now!
P.S. Action is coming soon...be patient! :-)
P.P.S. Also, I must give credit to Thumper for the expression "Twitterpated"... You 'da bunnie!
III
"It's not much, but I like to call it home." Andrew then led the squirrel into Great Hall. Roken's eyes then landed on all kinds of beasts feasting and talking and walking about all under the grand tapestry of Martin the Warrior. Mice, otters, hedgehogs, moles, voles, young ones known as Dibbuns, and squirrels. One squirrel in particular caught Roken's eye. A young female... a beautiful one at that. For a few moments, he couldn't look at anything else, until an old hedgehog of a considerable stature walked up to the two with three mice dibbuns closely following him.
"Hello there, Andrew. You haven't by any chance seen these rascal's mother have you?" Andrew had to hide a large smile at the amusing sight.
"No, I can't say I have actually, Friar Jake. Why are you looking for her?"
"Well, I figured that perhaps these three would rather spend time with her than me, but I suppose not." One of the three, Henrin, walked boldly up to Roken and said,
"Who's da skwerrel?" Andrew, with a proud look on his face then replied,
"Why, this is Roken, your new uncle!"
"Hi Rokin!" He then ran off to the other two dibbuns and started shouting at them about something or other that no one could quite understand. Andrew then turned to Friar Jake.
"Umm, excuse me, but, you are the friar right?"
"Of course!"
"Well, there is a feast going on... perhaps you should go to the kitchens...?" Jake then looked horrified. With a large reddening face he then ran off shouting, "THE MUFFINS!!!" and then was quickly followed by the dibbun trio.
"That was Friar Jake... he's not quite all together... all the time." Roken was barely listening. He was looking around yet again for the female squirrel he had seen moments ago, but she was nowhere to be found.
"Buddy? You still there?" Roken then shook himself out of his daze.
"Umm... yes, I'm here." Andrew looked a little shocked.
"Okay... you need some food. C'mon, I'll lead you to a table." Andrew then started to walk through the crowd of redwallers with Roken right behind him. Then he saw her- She was standing a little bit in front of them as the were walking by. She was looking to his right, so he couldn't try to make eye contact of any kind. She was getting closer as they kept walking... closer... closer... she was right there! He could almost feel her, when suddenly Andrew made a sharp left turn, and Roken barely had time to turn along with him. He was disappointed that he couldn't pass by her, but all the same, he tried his best not to look to distracted as he sat down at a table with Andrew. He guessed that the squirrel was only about ten feet behind his own back when he sat down.
"Buddy? You okay?"
"Uh, yeah, I'm fine." Andrew still looked concerned.
"Well, what do you want to eat?" Roken hadn't thought about that for a while.
"I'm not sure... I am pretty hungry though. What kind of food do you have here?" Andrew let slip a small smile.
"Anything you want. Redwall is renowned over all of Mossflower for having the best food anybeast could ask for. Tell you what-- why don't you sit all comfy cozy over here, and I'll bring you back a whole bunch of different food. That way you can try it all out and find out what you like. Then, you or I can go back to the buffet area and get more of that, okay?"
"Sure." Roken was never a beast of many words. With that, Andrew gave a quick smile and then got up from the table and walked off leaving Roken by himself to his own thoughts.
For never being inside such a place before, he seemed to become quite used to the apparent lifestyle that redwallers shared. Everybeast seemed to get along fine, there was no arguing or fighting of any type whatsoever inside the great red building. It gave Roken a warm feeling inside just to think about it. As he looked around the room, he saw the light of the candles on the wall reflecting inside the warm abbey, casting shadows that danced all around. He smiled as his eye caught up with Andrew fairly far away, fighting for a chance to gather food and put it on a plate. Then his thought turned back to that one squirrel. Perhaps, he thought, if he was quick about it, and sly about it, he could catch another glance at her from behind his shoulder. Inch by inch he moved his head and eyes to the side, trying hard not to give away what he was doing. Breathing deep, he glanced at where she was moments before. Blast! She was gone again. Who was she?
"Whatcha lookin' at buddy?" Startled, he turned back to face Andrew with a freshly blushed face. Andrew, who had first looked slightly interested, now had a sly grin on his face. While holding at least four plates in his arms, he said,
"Oh... I get it. That's what's been bothering you all night," Roken was the picture of innocence. "Who is she?" Roken looked down at the ground, knowing it was useless to hide it.
"I don't know... but I've seen her a few times since we've entered the Abbey." Andrew then sat down at the table, and placed the plates practically overflowing with different foods on the table.
"Listen- I'm gunna go get us two more plates, and some utensils. Let me know if you see her again... I'll let you know who it is."
"Do you know everybeast here?"
"Pretty much... especially if they're attractive. I'll be back in a jiffy," Andrew got up once more and left. Before Roken set about scanning the crowd, he placed his finger into a small piece of food, and tasted it. It was so good, he almost thought about eating without a plate and abandoning his searching duties, but the female species has such power over the opposite that he went back to looking for her.
"Any luck?" Roken looked up at Andrew, who was now holding two more plates for them, along with wooden forks and knives in his paws. Roken, disappointed, shrugged.
"No, not really. She's like a ghost. There for one moment, gone the next." Andrew sat down with a small plop.
"Ah, well, that's how it is, doncha know. If you're lookin' for somebeast, you'll never find 'em. But if your not, they'll keep popping up all the time an' be real annoying like." Roken then let slip a small smile.
"I've noticed you doing that to Sister Carol quite often." Andrew laughed at the comment.
"Ha! Yeah, it's easy and fun to bug her." They both laughed some more as Andrew started heaving summer salad onto his plate. Seeing Andrew then made Roken do the same.
"Wow... this looks wonderful... What's it called?"
"Why that's Summer Salad, my young twitterpated friend." Roken looked confused.
"Twit-a-what?"
"Twitterpated. It's when a guy starts to act nuts 'cause of a gal," Roken looked slightly dejected at the comment, even though he knew it was true. Roken then started to strike up another conversation over the abbey dinner.
"So, what kind of drinks do you have here? ... Andrew?" He then noticed Andrew's eyes looking over his own head, and at something behind him. Roken looked at the table, and noticed the shadow of somebeast standing next to him. Andrew's eyes then connected with Roken's, and he gave a small nod. Roken looked behind him and was amazed at what he saw.
"Your the newcomer here, aren't you?" It was that elusive squirrel he had been trying to catch up with all night. Her voice was clear, rich, and full. At first Roken didn't know if he was extremely happy or extremely scared, but he figured he was most likely a little of both. He gulped to try to clear his throat, though it didn't do much. He was forcing words to come from his mouth instead of vomit as he spoke.
"YEah, uhm, yes I am." Roken was very much aware of his own voice cracking as he spoke. Eyes wide, and fighting a strong urge to blush, he strained himself to listen to her words, instead of his own heartbeat. He could hardly bear to look into her emerald green eyes for fear of revealing himself.
"Hi! I'm Wintergreen, the Abbess' daughter. Pleased to meet you," Her smile was unlike anything he had ever seen before. He noticed she was holding out her paw.
What am I supposed to do here again?
Shake it!
Oh! That's right.
Slowly, he lifted his own paw and grasped hers, and saw that smile again. Only this time, instead of frightening him, he felt a little better because of it.
"I'm Roken. ... Pleased to meet you, too." For a moment he just sat there in total bliss, losing himself in her eyes as his one paw caressed hers, and the other caressed a fork, full of delicious summer salad.
"I see you have a Mandolin with you," she said as their grip was released and the world seemed to fade back into the forefront of Roken's vision. "will you be playing tonight?"
"Oh, uh, I don't know--" suddenly the thought of playing in front of everybeast in the abbey's great hall along with Wintergreen seemed to grip his heart with an icy claw.
"Yes! Of course he is!" Roken's head shot over to Andrew with a look of fear on his face as Andrew continued. "Why, he's the best mandolinist to come 'round these parts in certainly a good while. In fact, he and I are going to be performing tonight together for everyone to see!" Roken slouched in his seat, dazing off into nothingness as he thought about how dreadful the next hours were going to be. "I'm going to accompany him on guitar. After supper, we are going to go up to the dormitories by ourselves and work out a few songs together, come back down, and play them!"
"Really? Wow, that'll be great!" Roken saw Wintergreen's eyes light up in happiness, and somehow couldn't resist saying what he heard himself say next.
"Yep... it should be a ball." The smile came back, and warmed his heart yet again.
"Great! Well... I'd best be off now, nice meeting you, Roken!"
"You too..." And then she was gone. Something about hearing his own name spoken by her seemed to make the sound echo in his head so loudly, it would have hurt if it wasn't so nice.
"Well buddy, as soon as you're done with that salad, we should go get ready!" Then reality came crashing back down on Roken yet again as fear filled his heart.
"Yeah... by the way, that was her, the one I kept looking for tonight." Andrew had a look of mock surprise on his face as he replied.
"Really? You could have fooled me."
* * *
Nikki was very much used to the abbey, for she had been there many times before since she was just a leveret. As the night sky reclaimed ownership over the air, the moon shone bright over Mossflower wood, providing the creatures who were out a small amount of light. Nikki walked up the stairs in great hall and knocked on the doorway leading to the dormitories. She heard music being played inside abruptly stop, and then a voice call out.
"Hallo?"
"Hallo back, wot! Is Roken in there?" She smiled as she heard a familiar voice call out to her.
"Yes he is! But he doesn't want to be disturbed by bunnies at the moment."
"Why Roken! How dare you call me such a thing? I am a HARE, and don't you forget it, or else I'll pound it in with my paw!"
"Oh come off it and come in!" With a large grin she turned the door handle and walked into the dormitory. On one bed was Andrew, sitting with a beautiful dark brown guitar resting on his lap. Across from him on another bed was Roken, holding his mandolin at the ready. Nikki smiled at the two.
"Jus' thought I'd see how you two were fairing with your little songs." Andrew looked positively indignant.
"Wha- How dare you! My bud an' I are making some serious music! Not some little sailor's ditty, I mean real art! Ain't that right, Rokey?"
"I'm not sure. Who's 'Rokey'?" Nikki guffawed.
"Well, I sure am glad you two are getting along, wot!"
"Oh, yes, we are positively ducky together, y'know?" said Andrew with a grin. "Did you hear--," Suddenly, the Abbey Bells tolled out ominously. Andrew and Nikki looked at each other in grim understanding. Worriedly, Roken looked at the two back and forth and asked,
"What... what, does-- what does that mean?" Nikki glanced warningly at Roken, and shot out of the room and down the stairs. Roken looked pleadingly at Andrew. "What is it?"
"That's the warning ring. At any moment somebeast should shout--" a cry was heard ringing through the still night air.
"Vermin spotted outside the gates!"