04.13.09 - I'll Come Back

Location: Redwall Great Hall, Ramparts

Characters Involved: Harper, Darcy

It's early evening and Darcy is tucked up in a cozy fireside chair. Another one is near her with books and papers and her bag. The doe has dozed off with a book on the arm of the chair, and her cheek on the book, legs curled up and bangs ruffled in her face.

And Harper walks into the Great Hall! He looks particularly well groomed this evening and seems to be looking for someone... Ah! There. Darcy receives a smile and he walks over to her. He is wearing his habit, of course. He leans on the arm of the chair, ducking his head down to kiss her forehead. "Darce."

Darcy's brows furrow slightly and then her eyes blink open, vision a little blurred initially. Her head lifts. "Hey."

"'Llo," Harper greets with a small smile. He reaches his paw down to her, "C'mere."

Darcy's eyes squinch shut as she uncurls herself. Her hand catches his and her legs slide off the chair, free hand rubbing at her muzzle. She yawns. "Face feels funny..."

"Your... /face/ feels funny?" Harper asks with a quirk of his brow. His arms come around her. He /was/ going to kiss her, but if her face feels funny...

".. I fell asleep. On a book." One eye is mostly shut and she gives Harper a crooked little smile. "It's kind of numb. Is it dinnertime?"

Harper shakes his head. "You slept through, love. Which... is kind of impressive, actually." He smiles slightly, and /now/ he kisses her. Just on the corner of her lips. "I've got something I want t'show you. D'you have a moment?"

The kiss is returned with a little sleepy nuzzle. Darcy's muzzle tilts up to look at her mate. "Does it require me walking? 'cause I'm not sure I'm capable." She grin.

"I could carry you?" Harper asks with a little smile.

"Oh, well if you're /offering/.."

And Harper scoops her up! "I think I was." He smiles, leading her towards the door which leads outside. It is still light out - just before dusk.

Darcy curls her arms around the buck' shoulders loosely, head to shoulder. "Mm. Is it a present?" Groggy voice.

"It's... you'll see." He grins. He's walking across the grounds. "So - how've you been? Haven't gotten to spend much time with you lately.."

"... well I lost the bet." Darcy smirks a little. "Sooo I owe Bradge a pie. And I was thinking about something, love.." Her fingers play with the collar of his habit.

Harper is leading them in the /general/ direction of the bell tower, though they aren't close to it yet. "Oh yeah? Sorry t'hear that, love. And what about?"

"I think we should take another trip," Darcy mutters.

Harper's pace slows. His eyebrows shoot up. "... Why?"

The doe's head tilts a little. "I don't know.. I want to /go/ somewhere."

"Well... Darce, I /can't/. I have responsibilities here, that I'm /just/ getting back into..."

Darcy's face tilts up to his, smiling with a little tilt of her head. "... doesn't it. You know. Bother you? That you're stuck /here/? You can't just get up and leave whenever you want?"

Harper considers this question quietly for a moment. He's kind of walking /really/ slowly, now. "... You know, not really. It's not as if I can't take trips or visit family. It's just I can't do that three seasons out of four. Perhaps in a few more seasons here, I'll make another trip. And I do get to travel a bit in the area."

"Yeah but.. I mean. Except for /you/..." Darcy's eyes are mostly shut. "What I want isn't here, you know? .. sometimes it's kind of like. I'm still not free at all, you know?"

... Huh. Harper finally comes to a stop. "What are you saying, Darce? That you want to leave?"

".. no. Yes? I want to..." Darcy worries her lip. "I don't know. It's silly. I /want/ to be perfectly amazingly happy just with you, you know? But I want to... go somewhere else for a while, I guess."

Hm. Harper... feels kind of silly holding her, now. He slowly sets her down, keeping his arms around her waist once he's done so. "Well... you know, if it's something you feel like you have to do... then I support that."

Darcy cants her head up to look at him, brow a little furrowed. "You won't come with me?"

Harper... worries at his lower lip. ".... I can't, Darcy."

There's silence for a little while. It drags out. Then Darcy murmurs, "You're okay with it though? I mean, I'll come /back/... I just feel cooped up here."

Harper's eyes squint slightly around the edges. He smiles. It's forced. "... Of course I'm okay with it. Darce... I love you and I want you to be happy."

Darcy sighs out a slow breath. She curls her arms around his waist and rests her cheek against his chest.

His arms hug a little more around her, the underside of his muzzle resting atop her head. "I love you," he murmurs. While she cant't see his expression, he looks troubled. And sad. He looks towards the Bell Tower and gives the slightest of headshakes.

Darcy's muzzle lifts to nudge at the underside of his. "What were you going to show me..?"

"... Mm? Oh! Just... some new herbs that came into the infirmary. Thought you'd like to see them, is all!" And he catches her paw, starting forward again and in the general direction of the infirmary. "I saved you some dinner, too."

"I'm not all that hungry." Darcy mumbles, eyes shut, just holding onto him.

"... Ah. Well. If you want, go ahead back to the Great Hall? The herbs aren't important," Harper says with a small smile.

"We can just.. stay out here a while? It's a nice night." Dary's hand finds his, fingers lacing.

Harper nods. "Okay. Sure. Just let me run inside real quick. I'll get us something to drink? And be right back."

"Mm. Okay. I'll be on the wall." Darcy tugs free of Harper's hold.

And Harper turns to head inside. With his back turned, he looks. A /little/ crestfallen. He heads for the lower dormitory building and ducks inside.

And Darcy wanders toward the stairs, climbing up them and to the ramparts.

Once Harper is inside, he heads directly to the room that he and Darcy share. As soon as he's inside, he rucks off his habit. Underneath it he is wearing a rather familiar-looking outfit. Of course, it is not /the/ outfit, but it is the same concept. Trousers, shirt, and a vest. He starts working the buttons of the vest off and it comes as he heads towards their bed. The nice shirt comes next as he kneels in front of the chest at the base of the bed. He opens it and, folding them, places them gently inside, under a number of other times. And then he reaches in his pants pocket. Out comes a little wooden box. He opens it and looks down at the simple ring cushioned inside. He... worries at his lower lip, his shoulders heaving in a quiet sigh. And then he closes the box and slips it to the very bottom of the trunk. He closes it and just kneels there for a moment, staring at the opposite wall. Several moments have passed before he stands and turns, heading for the door and putting his habit back on before exiting the room. Back down the hallway and outside to find Darcy again.

Darcy has chosen to perch on the walltop, legs dangling, looking down. She turns her muzzle toward the steps and gives the buck a quick little grin when he comes toward her. "Maybe Salamandastron again?"

Harper smiles slightly. "... You could say hi to my family for me. All of them, that is." He's trying! He's such a good mate, isn't he? "And you'd get to see the ocean."

"Without you," Darcy mutters. Her gaze moves along him. "Thought you were getting drinks?"

Oops. "They chased me out of the kitchen," he explains.

"Mm. Probably a good thing - they knew you'd give me some." Darcy grins at him, and pats the rampart next to her. "Do half of them even know about me?"

"Half of them? My family, you mean?" Harper asks.

"Yeah. Your mom? ... /Tam/?" Darcy cringes a little.

"Mum knows. I was planning on telling Tam when we arrived. But I'll write to him," Harper explains.

"Think he'll hate me?" Darcy asks quietly.

"No, I don't think he'll hate you," Harper answers. "He's growing older all the time. And we've had some time apart, time for him to get used to life without me there all the time. It won't be as much of a shock, I don't think."

"Heh. Probably good he wasn't around," Darcy mutters ruefully. "Or he'd never have let this happen.."

Ha. "Well, that would've been up to what we let him get away with, really."

"Hey.. I love you, mister," Darcy murmurs after a brief silence. "I'll come back."

Harper turns to Darcy, slipping his arms around her waist. He looks down at the slighter doe. "I know you will."

"And.. you can't go after anyone else. Mouse, doe.. now a squirrel? No. Not allowed." Darcy grins, leaning into him.

Harper shakes his head, grown a bit serious. "... I won't. I promise."

A slow breath escapes Darcy. Her eyes go upward. "Hey.. the shooting star? What was the wish you made?"

"I mean.. did it come true?"

"... It did," Harper says with a faint smile.

"What was it?" the doe asks in a murmur.

"I wished that they'd be serving cinnamon apple scones for dinner," Harper says with a slight of his head. "And they were."

Darcy snorts. "/That's/ why you kissed me. ... was that it? Really?" She sounds a little disappointed, smirking at him.

Harper leans forward and kisses her forehead. "You mated yourself to a simple creature, love."

Darcy's brow furrows, and she chirps at him. "Guess I'll tell you mine after it happens. /If/ it happens. Mine was not so simple."

"You never even told me you made a wish," is Harper's answer.

"It was /my/ idea to wish at all. Of course I made one," Darcy chuckles.

"Aha," and he smiles. "Let's go on inside? It's getting dark."

"So? .. maybe we'll get lucky," Darcy says, eyes shutting. "Maybe we'll see another."

Harper's not feeling particularly lucky. "Ah, well. Mayhaps we will."

"I got a letter back from Zoe," Darcy says now, leaning in to the buck, fingers brushing his sleeve. "Yesterday."

Oho. Is she the one he owes a thanks of stinky cheese to? "Oh yeah? What'd she say?"

"That she's upset that we were captured near Salamandastron.. and she told me about being a slave, when she was young." Darcy quiets, glances at him. "... and, hoping I'll visit."

Yep. She's getting a delivery of very stinky cheese from one Harper Recorder. "Well... you should. I know you wanted to, soooo."

"I mean.. Harp. I will regret it my /whole/ life if I miss my chance to see her again," Darcy says quietly.

He looks down at her, his expression very serious. He touches his paw to her cheek and ducks his head to kiss the corner of her mouth. "Go, Darce. I want you to. You don't have to convince me. It's okay."

Darcy slowly exhales. "But I want you to know /why/. It has /nothing/ to do with you. And there's nothing wrong with.. /us/."

"I know that," he says with a faint smile. "Sometimes there are things you just /have/ to do... and this is one of those things for you. I get it, love. It's okay."

"I'll be back," Darcy whispers, tucking her muzzle against Harper's shoulder. "I guess I'll leave.. tomorrow. Day after maybe?"

Harper hugs her close, looking over her head again. "Okay," is his quiet answer.

"You'll be okay," Darcy murmurs. "You /will/ be okay, right?"

Harper actually manages a laugh. He shakes his head at her. "You and Tameus... I /can/ take care of myself, you know. I'll be fine. I'll... miss you, but I'll be fine."

"Yeah, but.. who's going to douse you in snowmelt if I'm not around?" Darcy quips.

"I will just had to be distressingly dry until you return," is Harper's amused answer.

"Very distressingly so," Darcy says wryly. "Hey.. if you're going to send letters, you can send them tonight? There's a runner heading toward Salamandastron, I was going to have him take a letter to Zoe to me but... I couldn't even finish it. I just wanted to /go/."

"I'll do that. One to Tameus and one to mum to let her know you're coming... Did they say how much longer they'll be here tonight?"

"You should have time, he was talking like he might not leave til morning," Darcy says, looking out toward the dark trees. "Anyway, he'll get there at least a few days before me. Plenty of time for the kid to dig spiked holes at the entrance or something.

"Ha. Yeha, right. Just watch yourself," Harper half-jokes.

"Go on, get scribbling while you have time," Darcy says with an affectionate little nip at the corner of his jaw. "I'll see you inside after?"

"Yeah. Yeah, okay." He kisses her forehead and then turns, walking towards the steps leading down. He glances back. "Later," he promises. And down he goes.

Darcy smiles after him, eyes half shut. She stays where she is for a little longer, then heads inside as well.