Commissioned from  FortunataFox

Bollo and Jase have a heart to heart on top of Redwall's walls.
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Bollo waddled up the stairs to the walls, looking for Jase. Jase was resting on the walls, enjoying a nice snack left by the skipper. He turned his attention to Bollo who approached cautiously, his face still filled with regret. Jase may have been feeling better, but he was still deeply saddened, and mostly hiding from Garfan’s sight. The mole rested down next to him and gave a loud and exhausted sigh.

“Skipper spoke to you?” Jase began, his voice weak but curious.

“Aye, luddie.”

“Ya denied it, didn’t you?” Jase felt sorry, he didn’t want to see his friend in trouble. The otter chieftain had reassured him that Bollo was just drunk, and drunk creatures say terrible things they do not mean. Bollo shook his head “Nay.” was the only word that came out. The worse had come to pass in Jase’s mind, his friend had gotten into trouble. Jase looked up to the foremole, wondering if this entire conversation would go down a terrible path. Bollo’s words still wrung in his head. My father, did he really abandon me? Why did he ever leave? Is this why Bollo always avoided Hesam?

Bollo turned to his young friend and gave a weak smile to him “Yur futher, an’ I wunt on a lung an’ perilous jurney tergethur. We facued assussins, pirutes, an’ wurlords of der worse kind. Fought we’ve did, yungsters burly knowin much of der wurld. Strung an’ braves yur ol’ pa was. Tis the cruel seasuns tis whun we saturated drifften apurt. Ya shuld nut mund me an’ me angur, luttle Jase.”

Jase still felt a twinge of sadness which soon became anger “But you said it yourself! Pa abandoned me. I didn’t think on it much before, but he abandoned me and ma, left me behind. You say he said cruel things to you. . .how can I go on knowing that? I wish I hadn’t prodded you, Bollo. I just wish I never came to know how pa really was beyond the stories and tales. Did I drive him away?”

Bollo could have lied at this point, be done with and went back to work. Yet, he knew all too well that it was a pointless thing to do. Jase was smart and wouldn't have bought the ‘Your father loved you’ bit, because Bollo never got to truly know, and it deeply disturbed him. If Jue had truly loved and cared for his son, he would have stayed with him instead of going off and risking his life for fame and glory.

“Yu didn’t. Bein wurrior of Rudwall be a difficult task it be. Evun if he luft like he did, he luft to help defund Mossfluwer. I dun’t knuw, but I’d nevur assume me frund had bad intention, an’ ya knuw me. Maybe I be thinkun I druve him away, an’ scare me Juse. It scares me stull. However I be knowin dus, ya are me frund’s soun. I dun’t wanna see ya suffur fer me quarrel wit yer father, I wunt ya to be huppy an’ smile agun.”

Jase could only give a loud sniff. Bollo responded by patting him comfortably on the back. “I knuw whut will cheer me an’ yu up. Why dun’t ya hulp me repur der abbey ruuf wit me an’ me moles.”

Building and carpentry did cheer Jase up before, and the young squirrel gave a weak smile. “Won’t mom and Garfan get angry if I do so? I’m on guard duty after all.”

“Ol’ Skupper be takun care of dat. Yung Jase, Com alung, ruuf don’t be repairen itself, yu know!” Jase followed behind Bollo happily, almost forgetting the night before. It may have opened his eyes to his mentor’s spite, opened a gash in his heart he thought would end his blissful childhood, but Bollo had somehow fixed that. Like he did many of those seasons ago when he locked himself in his room when news was brought to him his father was missing for good. The festival’s night's events flooded from him, replaced with happy thoughts of when Bollo embraced him at his worst moment, comforting him. The memories of when Bollo had given him a job to get his mind off his dejection from a missing parent, getting him interested in masonry and structure. Memories of them happily eating side by side in the Great Hall, telling him stories of his younger years in the abbey.

It was blissful, but he snapped back to reality, and followed his friend behind. Today was perhaps going to be a good day.