09-19-05 1

Characters involved: Keita & Lily.

Salamandastron: Level One

Well, seeing as how Keita didn't exactly bring anything with her when she came to Sala, she hasn't much to leave with. She's leaning against one of the walls of the intersection with a borrowed pack at her feet, presumably with traveling necessities. Perhaps a bedroll, maybe a water canteen. She seems to be waiting.

Lily hasn't stopped moving since the old greying messenger hare had given her the word that Miss Keita was ready to head out, and would Lily be leaving with her? The poor messenger hare had found a fur brush flying at his face, as if who would dare ask such a silly question? She had made the runs, to the kitchen most importantly, and is slinking down the path with a large pack set on her back. The soft smell of freshly cooked baked goods wafts out, and three water canteens swing and sway with each step. She peers at the other under the torch light, her teeth glinting in a huge smile. "Tally ho, Kei! Off t'home we go, wot wot?"

Almost as soon as Lily comes within visual range, Keita's ears perk and she looks around, immediately breaking out in a grin. She reaches down and plucks up her pack, shifting it onto her back and then limping forward on her crutches. She continues forward until she stands before the other. She then leans forward to peck her on the cheek. "Aye, figured it was about time we got home 'n' kicked those patrol 'ares outta our tavern."

Lily turns her cheek up, gladly accepting the kiss with a wiggle of her pink nose. She re-shoulders the pack and spread her feet out wider, attempting to get a better balance. "Kick 'em righ' out. Ah do wonder if yah 'ave 'ny ale left! Ah bet not. Between th'vermin an' th' patrollahs... Ah bet there aint ah drop o' it lef' for ol' Lily." The doe grumbles, looking the other up and down. "Y'wan' me t'get tha' pack f'yah?"

Keita shifts experimentally from left to right, checking the weight of the pack on her shoulders. "Not... fer now. No doubt I'll take ya up on that before long, though." She flicks an ear, looking on towards the tunnel. Without looking back to Lily, she grins and starts for it. Homeward they go!

Lily nods, though she looks rather upset that her offer isn't taken up /now/. "Well, don' over do y'self, okay?" The doe says hesitantly, giving the long passageway a look over her shoulder before starting off, letting her feet fall into a thymic time. "T'will be good t'go home, yeah?"

Keita looks back in time to spy the rather upset look. She merely grins in response, amiably - and a little apologetically. "Yeah. It'll be great t' be home." The going part, she's not looking forward to. "Can't wait t' sleep in m'own bed."

Lily shrugs, though that might just be due to the weight of the pack. She fiddles idly with the fraying edge of her tattered uniform, the green long replaced by a sickly brown. "Oh aye. M'own bed." Of course, Lily hadn't really had time to establish her own bed, and was used to sleeping on potato sacks by the back door. "Think Halyard s'gonna return t'normal?"

Keita nods immediately. "Oh, aye. No doubt." She glances around at Lily again, then smiles. "Don't mattah, anyway. S'long as we're there. Righ'?"

Lily chuckles and hop skips a few steps, the upper weight of the pack causing her to teeter around comically. "Righto. Marm!" Lily echos, looking increasingly happy as they move out of the entrance. "G'bye, y'stink ol' mountain. This 'un's f'yah, Colonel!" Lily flaps her ears and sticks her tongue out over her shoulder.

Keita watches Lily's antics, chuckling as she continues along. The Colonel bit and the sticking out of tongue gets a bit of a smile, though it's faint. "Don' think she heard ya, but who cares, righ'?" She continues on, without looking back. Apparently nothing she cares to see, there.

Keita watches Lily's antics, chuckling as she continues along. The Colonel bit and the sticking out of tongue gets a bit of a smile, though it's faint. "Don' think she heard ya, but who cares, righ'?" She continues on, without looking back. Apparently nothing she cares to see, there.

Lily lets her eyes linger over the mountain. For a moment her mind flies back to the day her and Keita met, and before her mental level had taken a few beatings. "Er... well, yeah. Ah guess she didn't." The doe mumbles and turns, trotting loyally after Keita. "Y'sure yah ready t'leave?"

Keita's smile remains faint and she does look back this time, thoughtfully. "... Yeah. Been ready. Just couldn't 'til now. Healah said I was fit to travel, if I didn't ovah extend m'self." She then looks back around at Lily.

Lily follows and stares down at Kei's heels, her ears flopped over as she struggles with the weight on her back. "Then if y'can, we should. Our kind don' belong in tha' mountain. H'aint tha' right?" The doe stops as she notices Kei looking at her.

Keita pauses as Lily does, then with a laugh, gestures forward with the tip of one of her crutches. "Go on. Like ya say, our type don't belong in tha' mountain." She drops a wink, then sets her crutch back to the floor, limping forwarding.

Lily bobs her and slinks forward, her knees bending for a better stance. "Well, no. But then ah'gain... where do we belong?" She mutters to herself, though Kei might hear such a remark. "Ah'll carry yah... if Ah have t'. Don' over do yourself, y'hear?"

Keita stops again, at Lily's muttered words. She ignores the later comments in order to turn around on her crutches to face Lily. "Darlin', ya belong with me. And I belong with you. An' that's where we belong."

Lily stops abruptly and rolls forward on her feet before she can manage to balance herself out. She looks at Keita with ears, toes, eyes, and whiskers forward. The doe gulps and slowly leans back, averting her eyes down and shifting her weight. "Well... yeah, tha's right. Y'right, Kei."

Keita nods, firmly. "'Course I'm righ'. Now let's get on wi'it, yeah?" Turning, she continues along, quietly thoughtful for the next moment.

Lily clears her throat and chuckles, heading after her again. "Righ', righ'. Silly me, wot? Goin' home an' servin' up th' drinks t'th' ol' customers. Sounds like th' life, it does!" The doe begins to hum to herself as they move along.

Keita's ears dip in a lazy fashion and she continues limping forward. She's not even yet winded, which is perhaps a good thing. "Hope some o' the good ole customahs're back 'n' ready t' be served, y'know? And some o' the bartends. Hope they haven't gone 'n' gotten themselves new jobs or nothin'."

Lily follows slowly, her feet itching to go a bit quicker, but the doe refrains from saying anything about it. "Oh, y'don' have t'worry. Where there s'drink, there s'customahs. Am Ah righ'?" The doe giggles to herself and watches the ground, staying a few paces behind Keita at all times. "Ah'll tend. From th' mornin' t'night if Ah have t'."

"Yer righ', Lil'. Yer definitely righ'." Then, at the last, she shakes her head. "No ya won't eithah. Not goin' t' have ya wearin' yerself out like tha'. 'Sides, I c'n do a bit o' it with m'trusty crutches at m'side." She grins, taking an extra little hop.

Lily smiles for a moment, but the mention of the crutches erase any joy on her face. She opens her mouth to say something, but falls into silence. The doe watches the stub of a leg as they walk, her mouth firmly shut now.