09-10-06 1

Characters involved: Keita & Darklett

Halyard Tavern: Office

Leeeeeeeean, wobble-wobble. Keita is seated in her desk chair, balancing backward so far that the front legs of the chair have cleared the ground. Her leg is up on the desk and a ledger perched on her lap as she reads from it. No doubt tavern business. She'd /almost/ look like Zoe, doing this, except for the lack of spectacles and for the lazy smile playing about her muzzle. Zoe /never/ smiles while she's working.

Hmmm. Out of the mountain again. Darklett had no luck finding Keita in the tavern... So, naturally, he's not going to give up. Office it is. Knock, knock, Keita.

Hum. Knock knock? With a curious wrinkle of her brow, Keita glances up toward the door. ""C'min?" The ledger is tossed forward onto the desk and she folds her paws together behind her back, eyebrows raising as she waits for whoever it is to enter.

The door opens cautiously, and Darklett peeks in. After the initial peek, though, he steps all the way in and closes the door behind him. "Hey, Kei!" He waves to her, taking an few steps from the door. "How's it goin'?"

When she sees tbat it is Darklett, she grins and balances forward, the legs of the chair falling back to the wooden floor with a thunk. "'Ey, Darklett. S'goin'..." Hm. She cocks an eyebrow. "S'goin' good, actually. Yeah. 'Tis. Whatcha doin' here?"

"Great, great. Just had some slow time at the mountain. Gave some of the recruits an easy day today, worked hard yesterday." Dark shrugs, strolling inward comfortably. "Just thought I'd pay a visit. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Ha. Like I'm evah really doin' /actual/ work..." Keita scoffs, rolling her eyes as she starts to lean back in her chair again. Her boot is pressed against the desk's edge, leaning her back. Hoooo hum. She stares up at the ceiling, one arm dangling down over the side of the chair. Tipsy-turvy. A smirk tugs up the corner's of her lips. "How's the fam, m'man?

"

Darklett smirks, rolling his eyes. "Hah. Figured I wouldn't be." He locates a chair and helps himself, scooting it out and sitting down hard, rolling backwards against the back of the chair. "The 'fam' hasn't been kidnapped or injured yet. I... count that as a very big win."

Keita snickers and snorts, rolling her eyes. "... Dark, you have a /very/ int'restin' life." She shakes her head, lifting her head up in order to eye him with amusement. "Have I evah mentioned that? Yer possibly the most unlucky buck I've evah met."

Darklett grins, laughing quietly to himself, his arms crossing. "Heh... I'm gonna have to say I'm the most unlucky buck I've ever met, too. Though a lot of stuff makes up for it..." The arms uncross, and he leans forward a little to the desk. "I'm already convinced I'm destined for an early grave. And it'll probably be from... Falling down stairs, or something."

"Or pokin' yerself in the eye. Or somethin' equally ridiculous." She grins. "'Least we'll have somethin' t' laugh about at the funeral, righ'?" Waggling an eyebrow, Keita balances back a little bit more. She does like to live dangerously. Hum-hum-huuuuum. She's staring at the ceiling, at this point. "Humor. Best policy."

"Sure... Sure, I guess that's what I'd want friends and family doin' at my funeral." Deadpan. Eyeroll, grin. Darklett snickers at Keita. "I don't know. You'd think I'd wanna go down in battle, but I'm not entirely sure that'd be good..." He shakes his head. "Kinda wanna go out with an undefeated record, what do you think?"

Keita squints thoughtfully. "Well, m'own 'undefeated' record kinda went out the window along with m'leg, so. I s'pose one of us out t'go out that way. Sure. You c'n die in yer sleep or somethin'. Good on you." She quirks a brow, lifting her head enough to squint at the other.

Darklett looks a little wary at Keita, trying to get an instant reading on the emotion that's coming through that particular statement. "...Yeah, I guess I can die in my sleep..." Funny enough, he seems hesitant to go on past that, giving Keita another evaluating glance.

Keita's eyebrows shoot up at the sudden wariness. Well. Maybe she /was/ a little too deadpan, there. She flashes a grin. Aha. That's better. "Just kiddin'?" Eyebrow waggle.

With the grin comes a return one. Just needed to make sure and not enter that Awkward I'm Laughing And You're Not Oh How Embarrassing situation. Darklett smiles and shakes his head. "Yeah, so... Don't exactly know how I want to die. Guess I'd rather not, heh."

"Think I'd like t' die doin' somethin hilariously funny..." She trails off with a small grin, shaking her head. "Somethin' that'd make everyone really uncomfortable, 'cause they'd wanna giggle about it, but they can't, ya dig it, 'cause m'dead." She nods, looking supremely satisfied with this. And then she hms. "But enough about death, eh?"

Darklett raises his eyebrows. "Huhuh... Guess that would be fun, but I'd wanna be around to enjoy something like that. But yes. Enough about death..." He chuckles, shaking his head. "Heard from Zer?"

Well, that kicks the chuckle out of her. She sobers up, settling the chair forward again. She considers the other buck for a moment, then shakes her head. "Nah. Haven't. S'for the best. Give us both time t'forget things."

Darklett nods slowly. "...Yeah, that is definitely for the best. Just wanting to know if he's bothered you any more." A quick odd glance to Keita. "...So how about Roth? How's he doing?" Way to go, subject change.

Hono, wait a minute. Keita narrows her eyes at the other buck, speculatively. "... Okay. What is /up/ with you bein' all protective, lately? M'not some damsel in distress, 'n' Raph's /not/ some evil murderin' fiend." Brow-quirk. "... An' Roth's fine."

Hmm. Called out on it. "...Maybe I just wanna make sure you're alright," he says with a shrug. A slooow, unsure shrug. "Sure, he's not a murderer, but if he did it once, he could still do it again..."

"Do /what/ again? Kiss me? S'not like he broke m'fingahs or anythin'." Her eyes have narrowed into suspicious slits. What is uuuup with this bucky-buck? There's... /something/ nudging at the back of her mind, but. "Yer actin' like... I dunno. Yer actin' like yer more upset than /me/..."

"Well /someone's/ gotta be upset about it, Kei. If he tries again, he /could/ hurt you if you reject him." Darklett speaks relatively slowly now, almost cautiously from the sound of it. "I mean, he's done crazier with less."

"Raph wouldn't hurt me. He's /family/." Kei shakes her head, looking off-put and consternated. It's a word. Shh. "You act like he's not even yer friend. I don't get you, Dark."

Darklett's ears flick. "Kei-- He's my friend, but I've seen what he does sometimes when he's..." He stops, shaking his head. "You know, forget it. I'm obviously overstepping my boundaries." With the way he's sitting, his posture threatens to get up and leave.

Oh, bother. Kei shakes her head at Mr. Touchy, crossing her arms over her chest. "... Yer not oversteppin' anythin'. I've seen what he c'n be like. But yer not usually so concerned about /me/, s'all." She squints.. then relents with a slight smirk. "S'pose m'still adjustin'." Uh huh.

Oh, bother. Kei shakes her head at Mr. Touchy, crossing her arms over her chest. "... Yer not oversteppin' anythin'. I've seen what he c'n be like. But yer not usually so concerned about /me/, s'all." She squints.. then relents with a slight smirk. "S'pose m'still adjustin'." Uh huh.

"...Well, I feel like I owe it to you. At least." Darklett shrugs, the climate staying calm enough for him to not stand up and leave. Yet, anyway. He's just so unsure! "I'll back off, though, if you want. Just don't want you to be hurt." Shrug.

"... Well. How 'bout this? How's about we /both/ back off... 'n' go have somethin' to drink, eh?" She stands up from the chair, limping from behind the desk and toward the door. "A'right?"

"Heh. Sounds good to me," Darklett answers standing up and following her to the door. "I probably won't even be needed 'til tomorrow evening." Hey, what about that mate and son and daughter of his? Nah, he should probably drink instead of seeing to them.

Exactly. "Well. Yer welcome t' stay ovah in one o' the rooms if ya really want." This is offered as she nudges open the door and heads out.

"Well, we'll see." Darklett hehs, and steps out, closing the door behind him.