04.20.09 - Discretion

Location: Halyard Tavern

Characters Involved: Darcy, Keita

Ahh, the tavern. Tonight, it is PACKED. There are no less than three bartends behind the bar and a couple circling the room just taking orders. And Keita is one of the circlers! She likes to keep up with her regulars - and this gives her a handy chance. She leans over someone's shoulder, depositing a couple of drinks on the table while she chats the table up. Grin grin!

Darcy is one of those behind the counter. She's grinning and energized, chatting with the crowding patrons at the counter as she takes orders and fills them, flipping bottles back and forth, performing tricks with the mugs. Quite the crowd-pleaser, is she.

A doe-pleaser too, it would seem. Keita spares a couple glances for the other doe, smirking faintly. What a ham. She shakes her head and parts from the table she's serving, winding back over to the bar. "Ya break it ya buy it," she teases the barhare with a grin.

"Yeah? Well it's your money one way or another," Darcy retorts with a grin, catching a bottle after spinning it up in the air, and pouring it into a glass. One of the Long Patrol bucks spending his free time at the tavern leans across to tuck a few coins into her apron. Tips! She clinks a little whenever she moves. "Would you /really/ be pissed if I broke something..?" This is asked with a playful smile.

"Think I'd probably get ovah it," Keita replies with a snort. She leans forward against the counter, reciting off a litany of drink orders. "... Oh, and one /beet/ juice?" she kind of asks with a shake of her head and a quirk of her brow. "... The crap folks mix drinks with."

Darcy's brows raise. "/Beet/ juice? Do we even have that?" Darcy shakes her head, turning, filling the orders and setting the different glasses on a tray for Keita to take. As she sets one down her elbow bumps a full shot glass and it tips off the edge of the counter next to Keita.

Of course it's just reflexes, but Keita grabs for the shot glass... and catches it! Score. Not so much the liquid, however. That meets a doomed end on Keita's arm and on the floor. With a little tsk sound, among the variety of 'but why is the rum gone?', Keita rights the shot glass and sets it on the counter's edge. "Needin' a refill, here." Pause. "And a towel."

Darcy smirks and grabs up the appropriate bottle to fill the small glass. "I didn't think you'd catch that," she chuckles, with a sweet little smile that suggests, /yes/, it was completely on purpose.

Tsk. Keita eyes Darcy. Tsk! "This migh' surprise you, but I've spent a little bit o' time 'round a bar. I know. 'Tis a shock." And then she holds up a finger. 'Hold that thought'. And scoops the drinks together in her paws, carrying them over to their destination, where she sets them down and spreads them out to their rightful owner. Usual tavern chatter, etc. etc., and back to the bar!

"Yeah, but you're getting /old/, K," Darcy points out, shaking her head a little, watching the older doe move away. She turns back to some others, refilling glasses mostly, a bottle in each hand. She leans across the bar toward Keita when the proprietor comes back over, and lifts one of the flasks. "Want some?"

Oh no she didn't. Keita's ears catch Darcy's parting shot as she moved over to the table. Now she leeans forward over the counter, to get closer to the other. "You don't seem t'mind how 'old' I am. Besides, you don't even /know/ m'age." Unless someone's been squealing on her!

"I have a good guess," Darcy chuckles. "I know how old /Zoe/ is - I know, how /dare/ I say her name!" Grinning, she smacks at Keita's arm. "And I know she was younger than /me/ when you were born. Sooo - twenty-three seasons? It's a guess."

"You /realize/ that Zoe's gettin' kinda senile, righ'? She must be talkin' about m'oldah /sistah/. Ya know. The one she killed? Yeah. Just ripped 'er little 'ead off. She's kinda a violent one, tha' Zoe is." Meanwhile, Keita is plotting the best way to get back at the darling Colonel. "Or, y'know! Maybe she jus' thought you were a lot oldah!" Grin grin.

Darcy leans across the bar, setting the bottles down briefly and reaching to catch either side of Keita's collar. She pulls her closer, eyes narrowed, head tilted a little curiously. "Tell me how hold you are... Please?"

"20 seasons," Keita says with a completely straight face. And then she points a finger at the doe. "And if you /tell/ anyone tha', I'll have t'kill you." Her eyes are dancing, though, and it's clear that she'd love nothing more than to pull Darcy that little bit more and kiss her. But she's behaving!

Darcy's eyes narrow. "I think you're lying." She leans a liiittle bit closer, peering at the older doe. "You wouldn't /lie/ to me, would you..?"

"I'd make m'self /youngah/ if I was lyin'," is Keita's (kind of) honest reply. She usually /would/ make herself younger than that, if not for her nosey mother.

Darcy bumps her muzzle forward to deposit a light kiss on Keita's cheek, grinning afterward. "Well unfortunately I'm going to have to say goodbye then. I like my does to be at /least/ twenty-three seasons."

"Ahh, well. Damn," Keita says with a grin that is still pleased following the grin. "Guess I'll just have t'grab the next doe that walks in outta work 'n' needin' a place t'stay," she teases.

"What, no time spent mourning?" Darcy pouts, and lets go. She backs up a step and unties her apron with a few tugs, takes this off, and hangs it up. Then she hoists herself over the bartop and heads for the stairs, blowing Keita a kiss as she goes. "Ta-ta, my dear! It's been fun!"

Leaving her post! Party foul! Keita turns, arms crossing over her chest in clear amusement as she watches her go. She sinks back onto a stool, throwing her head back with a paw to her forehead. Alas! She will be missed.

Darcy reaches the steps and glances back. She pauses. What, not chasing after her? The younger doe turns and pouts her way back to Keita, stopping in front of her, arms crossed. "You're like Harper..."

Keita brings her paws out, resting one each on Darcy's hips. "Evah considah that maybe yer just a bad liah?" she grins. Gives her a little tug forward. "I'd be sad if ya went," she admits in a quieter voice. Covered up the hubbub of the tavern.

Darcy's lips quirk into a smile and she steps closer, into that hold, resting her hands on Keita's shoulders. "I have to go /eventually/..." Also quiet.

"And I'll be sad when you go. But I'll get ovah it," Keita says with a sliver of a wry grin. And then! She shakes her head. "But! Let's not worry 'bout that 'til it comes. Aye? Aye."

Darcy's pout is still present. "You're not /supposed/ to get over it. I'm supposed to.. waltz in and waltz out and your life can never be the same again."

Keita can't help it. She laughs. It's a /kind/ laugh, though, for the younger doe's sake. Her fingers curl against the other's hips affectionately. "If we'd gone into this differently 'n' you weren't already promised t'someone else, that might've been the way it'd go. But we didn't 'n' you are." She shakes her head. "An' that's life." Tavern noises are a great cover-up for quiet conversations.

Darcy's head ducks a little, eyes partially shut, head ducked. She's smiling a small, thoughtful smile, fingers slipping into Keita's hair. "I'm not /promised/.. I'm just in love. Anyway, if I wasn't... you'd want me to stick around?"

So much for being discrete. keita's muzzle twitches. "What, like that's so hard t'believe?"

Hey, shh, no one's paying attention to them. Darcy shrugs. "No. I just.. think it'd be nice to have someone... you know. Try to hang on to me. Harp was very much 'oh okay have fun' about me leaving."

"Ya know, somehow I doubt that's how 'e /felt/," Keita replies with a light tilt of her head. Scrutinizing.

"I'm .. what? The third girl he's loved?" Darcy's eyes narrow a little more, her own expression thoughtful and far-off, not really focusing on the doe's face. "... how'm I supposed to know anything unless he says it? As it is I know there are things he /doesn't/ say." Her shoulders move in a shrug. ".. I think I'm paranoid. And I kind of think maybe he'd be better off with someone else anyway."

What to say to all that? Keita's eyebrows go up. "Some folks just aren't the expressin' type, baby doll. And if he's anything like 'is fathah, I bet Harp's tha' way." Keita shakes her head. "You're just feelin' doubtful bein' so far away. Don't get yerself worked up." She places a knuckle to Darcy's chin, lifting her head. "All righ'?"

Darcy shakes her head a little, hand cupping against Keita's. She lowers her muzzle a notch to kiss the older doe's fingertips. "I know. I know I'm silly. That's sort of what you signed up for, K."

Keita smirks faintly. "Uh huh." She ducks her head forward, then, kissing the corner of the other doe's mouth.

Ah, screw it. Darcy angles her head to kiss Keita firmly on the mouth, and sighs afterward. "I wrote to him. I sort of failed to mention... this. For obvious reasons."

Ha. Keita's muzzle curves upward at the kiss. Her arms slip a little more possessively and overtly around her. Balls to discretion! "Aye," she agrees. "Well. Like I said, I won't be tellin' him."

"We can just.. deny it. If it ever comes up," Darcy snickers, and leans into Keita, head ducked, nuzzling at her shoulder. ".. anyway. I'm not leaving anytime soon. You'll just have to put up with me for a while more."

"Think I c'n handle that," Keita replies with a little smirk. She kisses her forehead. "C'mon. Let's go t'bed. Leave these othahs t'finish up fer the night."

"But. But. No more tips?" Darcy pouts and smiles - at the same time. It's a rather pretty expression. ".. guess you're not big and strong enough to carry me up."

"The leg makes it kinda difficult. Sorry, doll." Keita grins, standing from her stool.

Darcy steps back, and tugs Keita with her as the older doe gets up. "I could try to carry /you/.."

"Well, while I'm all about a good laugh..." Keita begins with a smile.

Darcy grins, curling her arms around Keita's waist snugly, their faces close together. "... you are, aren't you? You can't weigh much more than me. Unless the pegleg is especially heavy..."

"Oh, very heavy. Mostly I'd just rathah not fall on m'arse," Keita smirks.

"I'm not /that/ weak," Darcy pouts. "I've stabbed guys before. I'm not as sweet and darling and fragile as you think." Though looking at her, it's kind of hard to believe, isn't it? She hugs her arms around Keita's waist and /lifts/. Staggers back a few steps.

Oh, the indignity. Keita sighs. So put-upon! Her paws rest on the other doe's shoulder. "Yaaaaaay, you c'n do it," she smirks. "Congratulations! You c'n carry a one-legged barhare. Now." And this is the important part. "Put 'er down."

Darcy grunts. "It's not.. /carry/.. ing! If I.. put you.. /down/!" she insists, voice strained with exertion. Darcy wobbles and sidesteps a little, keeping Keita hefted up in her hold, and starting toward the stairs.

No, no. No one's watching/ this display, no one at all. Keita is looking ceilingward in resignation, arms around Darcy's shoulders.

Darcy teeters and finally, finally, sets Keita down, rather than drop her. They're near the bottom of the steps, though. Points for that! "Oof. You're too chunky," she teases, grinning.