6. We are Determined to Foment a Rebellion

[Airan]

The following post is a joint collaboration between Siobhan and Antonia St. Myra

"Hubbub."

"Sorry, wha? I was just 'ere t'ask if you were the moushe tha' burned down that... plashe. Always wanted to meet that moushe."

A vixen towered over Antonia.

"Hubbub!" The mouse said, loud enough to be heard. "Louder than a murmur but not yet a din. Was thinkin' about how loud it is. Aye, I burned down the nunnery at Blackridge and a few other places besides. Antonia St. Myra. Y'... look like y'could use a friend. Take a seat?" She pushed a chair out with her footpaw and held out a paw to shake.

The vixen sat and shook her paw. "Siobhan. Sometimes Mantis."

"Very pleased to meet you, Siobhan Sometimes Mantis!" Antonia raised her flagon, then paused. "You don't have... ah..."

"Yeah. I drank it already. Two. Should we...?"

A moment of confusion and a visit to the bar later, they sat back at the little table and bounced flagons with a chuckle.

"Very pleased t'meetchu too, Antonia St. Myra."

"Cheers!" They both draughted deep, thunked their tankards down. "So! Siobhan, sometimes Mantis! Why Mantis, and why sometimes?"

The vixen visibly hesitated; the mouse raised a brow.

She leaned in and whispered into Antonia's ear. "I kill beasts."

The mouse grinned. "Very good!" And leaned forward, and whispered in kind. "So do I."

Siobhan was immediately infected. In mock surprise she gasped. "No! Oh, how terrible! I thought all those dead beasts were just..."

"Accidents, aye! You're absolutely right of course. The Lord Haversham, who treated his daughter like some awful doll every day of her life until it was time to sell her away for marriage? It was such a shame the way he tripped and fell on my sword."

"Such a crying shame!" Siobhan found herself almost cackling, though what amount of that was down to the drink and what down to the mouse she had no idea. "Oh, th' stories I could tell! I had a friend who was treated rough by her mate. It was such a pity, the way he got himself shtabbed..."

"Right in the giblets?" The mouse was wide-eyed, making a poor pass at looking innocent.

"Act'ly, it was his kidney, but tha' woulda been fun, too."

"Ech, the kidney's technic'ly a giblet." They downed the last of their pints.

Some standing and talking and passing of coin happened, and then they were back at their little table again, but perhaps in the wrong seats? It didn't matter.

"If I c'n ask," Siobhan said. "Those things you 'ad on the table when I interrupted. What was the drawing one? I feels like I've sheen shomething like it b'fore."

"Dunno." Antonia shrugged. "Friend gave it to me. Said it was for when I needed to unnerstand, whenever that is."

"Makes it sound like it's been a while?"

"Aye. Two months, I think? Somethin' like that. I got bored after a few days, signed up for the pits."

Siobhan put down her drink and stared at the comparatively tiny mouse. "You fight in the pits?" She didn't manage to keep the disbelief out of her voice.

"Girl needs a hobby." Antonia shrugged, rucked up one of her shirt sleeves, tensed her arm. "She told me I'd find the greatest challenge of my life if I just waited here for a while. So I thought I should make sure I was strong enough when the time came."

"Same friend as gave you that card, aye?"

"Aye, that's the one." Antonia stared at the ceiling for a moment, and Siobhan fished around for questions.

"Oh! Oh, go on then - what's your Pit Name?"

Antonia stood, planted a footpaw on her chair, swayed a little as she gestured grandly. "Ladies and gentlebeasts, fighting for your very great pleasure this day, The Last Sister of Blackridge!"

Siobhan snorted into her drink, coming up with froth on her maw. "Nooo, really?"

"Absolutely." Antonia took another substantial swig. "Gots to give them something with flair! Drama! But 's got to be true too. So you'd be... well you'd be the Mantis surely, wouldn't you?"

"Sssshhhh. 'S my secret whatsit. You know. Codename."

The mouse roared with laughter. "Yer codename? So when somebeast wants a hit they comes to you an'asks f'r a... bug? 'S'what a mantis is, isn't it? Little bug thing? Ohhhhh!" Her eyes appropriately bugged out in realisation. "Because they bites the male's heads off. Ha! Excellent, very good, yes!"

The vixen started giggling and Antonia sat back down, tilting her head at the tittering beast.

"I jus'... y'know what we are, righ'?" Siobhan looked up at her and the giggles redoubled.

"Is this goin' t' be a terrible joke?" The mouse rolled her eyes and raised her tankard to her lips.

"Praying. Mantis." Siobhan's giggles grew to outright cackling, and Antonia couldn't stop herself from guffawing along. A hare with a military bearing and a locket around his neck shot them a resentful glare from the bar, then went back to nursing his drink.

"Hellgates," Antonia said. "That's ridiculous. I love it."

The fox tipped her tankard back to find that it had run dry again. She looked around for the landlady to get refills for the pair. A stocky otter caught her eye and approached the table.

"Ahoy, ladies. C'n I buy yous a drink?" He tried to wink, but failed, closing one eye, then both before giving up.

"We can pay for our own," Antonia spoke up.

"But tha' drink comes wi-"

"GO AWAY!" The girls shouted simultaneously. They looked at each other and giggled again. Both had a paw on the hilts of their weapons.

Siobhan eyed the mouse's falchion. "How d'ya use tha' thing? It's so long." Another round of laughter burst out from her mouth. "It's so... long..." She wheezed out.

Antonia drew her sword with a flourish, almost taking out the candle on the table. "It's easy. Easier than aimin' with your short un."

"Nah," the fox chimed in, brandishing her dagger. "Ya jus' gotta know where t'aim. Then it's just a small jab." She mimed stabbing somebeast in the air.

Antonia shook her head. "Not so much aimin' to do with a sword. You either poke 'em," at this she thrust the point forward, "or you slice 'em." She swung the weapon above her head.

A round of cheers, smattered with hollers for a fight, erupted from a group of beasts who had been singing bawdy shanties all evening. A shrew with red teeth and clawless gloves stood at the front of the mob, leading the cheer, flagon in the air as she laughed at the two. The hare at the bar just glared again.

The landlady came over with her paws on her wide hips. "Naow, tha's it," she addressed Antonia and Siobhan. "Ya both 'ave 'ad enough fer one night. Put th' weapons away an' get out. If I sees ya wi' 'em out in 'ere again, ya won't be welcomed back."

"Awh, Mam Grizzy, I didn't mean anythin' by it." Antonia sheathed her falchion. "I'm real sorry, Siobhan. We gotta go. No live blades in the room, 'less yer defendin' yerself."

Siobhan put away her dagger, stood, wobbled. "I'll fergive yer... if yer don't mind bein' used as a leanin' post."

They leaned on each other as they left the Crock o' Dawn. The cool summer air did nothing to wash away the alcoholic haze, but time did, and they picked their way through the town until they knew for sure that they had to part ways.