10-05-05

Characters involved: Lily & Keita.

Halyard Tavern: Main Room

Though business was in a dip after the whole vermin fiasco, there is still plenty for miss Lily to do. Her fur is mussed, and splotches of split ale and cooking grease line her apron. She scrambles about, wiping down the counter and tossing mugs into the sinks to be cleaned. Finally the last patron leaves, though the doe doesn't seem to move any slower. She moves out into the main area, straightening the chairs and tables and tending the fire as she goes.

Having taken on a less hands-on approach upon returning to the tavern, Keita has spent much of the past few hours on the books. Making sure everything adds up, and writing correspondence to suppliers who fell by the wayside during the Halyard takeover. However, from her office she can see through the doorway into the entryway. And so, as the last patient leaves she stands and moves across the room and into the hallway. A key comes from around her neck and the door is closed and then locked. With a small sigh, she turns and limps to the open doorway where she stops and stands, leaning against the frame. Aaaaand, she watches.

Lily glances up, but holds her breath. Lately she has been hesitant to speak to Keita, and even eye contact was slightly uncomfortable to the doe. So instead of really inducing a conversation, Lily goes about her business, prodding at the fire to liven it up again. Suddenly a spark flies up, hitting the doe square in the nose. She yelps and scrambles back, the fire prod falling and clambering to the floor. Lily's eyes water up and she snaps both paws to the hurt spot.

Keita smiles an almost imperceptible smile, her lips twitching upwards just enough to be noticeable and just slightly enough for endearing. With a small shake of her head she continues on into the room, and when she can she reaches out for Lily's paws to pull them away. "Lemme see."

Lily watches Keita from over her clamped paws, her ears dropped down around her shoulders. The doe keeps still as she is approached. "Id's fin'." She says, her voice oddly muffled by her paws. Reluctantly, at the request, she pries her paws away to show the tiniest of red spots on her pink nose. The pain was quickly ebbing away, and now all that remains is the embarrassment. "Really..." Lily insists.

Keita folds Lily's paws one over the other and then kisses the palm of one, lowering them to Lily's waist. She then examines Lily's nose, all with a delicate gentleness that the doe doesn't often show. But after all, Lily does seem so tentative just lately. "Sure ya are." She kisses her fingertips and then touches them to Lily's pink little nose.

Lily allows her paws to be lowered and folded, the doe simply remaining silent. Her eyes cross as the fingers gently touch her nose, her bottom jaw jutting forward to catch the paw into a kiss of her own. The softness is simply eaten up by Lily, and she fidgets with the frayed ends of her old patrol uniform. "Y'were in th' office quite ah lot t'day." Lily mumbles.

Keita smiles and ducks her head, rubbing at the back of her neck - stiff from all of the sitting - with a paw. Lily is regarded through lowered eyelashes. "Yeeeah, just tryin' t' catch up on the book-keepin' 'n' try t' find our way t' some suppliahs again. It's costin' a pretty coin 'r two to get a messengah to go out lookin' for 'em."

Lily bites her bottom lip, glancing behind the other in the general direction of the office. Her fingers curl up under the edge of her tunic and she nods, trying to look wise to all the goings on of the tavern. "That' much, huh?" She mumbles, avoiding Keita's eyes for a moment before locking on on them. "Y'could send me. Won' cost yah ah thin'."

Keita rolls her eyes with a grin, as if the very idea is preposterous. "I'm not lettin' you go that easy, deah-love." She shakes her head and clicks her tongue, then shrugs. "Don't worry. I always keep a little nest-egg put away fer times like this."

Lily slumps, sighing out in relief. "Oh thank th' stahs. Ah h'aint got no want t'leave this place evah ah'gain." She admits with closed eyes. The doe turns back to the fire, bending down to pick up the prod before scoot back to tend it. "Well, iffen y'sure. But don' be ah'fraid t'kick me out if Ah'm eatin' up too much money." Lily says, smirking to the tiny flames. Of course, Keita could jolly well take up that offer. Lily's smile falls at that thought.

Keita smirks. Lily's feelings are so loud that Keita can interpret them whether the other doe's back is turned or not. She reaches out to flick one of her slightly-drooping ears. "Ya don't."

Lily's ear shudders at the tickling flick. "S'good. 'Cause Ah don' mind givin' up tha' potato sack Ah sleep on..." She jokes, stroking the fire until it leaps up, finally rising and turning to Keita with a soft smile.

"Ya don't need t' sleep there, y'know." This is a gentle, probing suggestion, and it's almost casual in tone. She turns and moves a couple of steps towards the bar.

Lily scratches under her chin, looking slightly guilty. "Actually... Ah usually sneak in here an' sleep in one o' th' chairs." The doe motions to one of the stuffed chairs, still looking miserably guilty. She falls into step behind Keita. "Need some help?"

Keita frowns gently at Lily, but not because she's angry at her for sleeping in a chair. "We've got plenty o' empty beds righ' upstairs, Lil'. Not t' mention mine. Ya know yer welcome."

Lily hops on ahead of her, pulling out a barstool. "Sit, Kei. Y'shouldn't be movin' ah'round so much." She says quickly, avoiding any such talk about beds until mentioned again. "Er... well, yeah... Ah could. But Ah dunno, Kei..." Her eyes flick down to the stub of a leg. "Y'probably need y'whole bed."

Keita looks back around at Lily in time to catch the glance to her leg. Her ears dip. "Darlin', I /lost/ a leg, I didn't randomly grow a real big one." She waves a paw around, to indicate space. Apparently. "Means more room. More."

Lily glances back and forth between the dipping ears. "Well.. er... Ah..." She starts, but logic stops her cold. Her own ears snap toward and slick back, her face suddenly looking rather sheepish. "More room, Ah got it. Well... if y' don' mind, 'r nothin'."

Keita sighs as Lily's ears too begin to dip, and she shakes her head, as if to disagree with it. "'Course I don't. I mean... c'mon, Lil'. Y'know I don't." Another slight head shake as she turns to move towards the bar again, nudging in chairs as she goes.

Lily scrambles ahead of Keita. The doe turns and holds up her paws. "Kei! Please... c'mon, jus' sit down! Ah've got it, see?" Just for example, Lily pushes the chair next to her. "Don' make me pick y'up. Y'know Ah can." She warns, flexing her upper arms to back up the threat. "Ah cin take care o' th' tavern!"

Keita's lips twitch downward, and a small knot forms in her brow. She watches Lily push the chair in, but doesn't look back up. "I know you've got it, Lil'. But I need t'know I c'n do this, fer m'self. Othahwise I might s'well turn the tavern ovah t' someone bettah suited."

Lily reflects the frown in her own face. "Ah know... but why exhaust y'self wehn Ah'm ah'round. Ah promised Ah'd take care o' yah." She whimpers, going to grip Kei's shoulder. "Yah shouldn'..." Lily falls silent and sighs, hopping backwards and allowing Kei to go on about her way. "Yeah, h'okay."

Keita wrinkles her nose at Lily's distress - especially at the whimper. "Lil'..." She worries at her lower lip. "Why don't we both jus' leave the tavern fer now? I'll finish cleanin' up in the mornin' before we open." She reaches out a paw to Lily's own, fingers spread open in waiting.

Lily tilts her head slightly, her ears flopping to the side. The suggestion is taken into consideration for a moment. "Yeah, a'right. Sounds good." She agrees after a moment. Her own paw quickly goes to lace with Keita's her eyes floating up to Kei. "In th' mornin', s'good."

Keita smiles at Lily's agreement and gives a squeeze to the other doe's paw. "Aye. In the mornin'. How 'bout we head up t' my quartahs 'n' jus' relax? Then we c'n get some sleep."

Lily glances around her towards the stairs. "Sure. Yer bed is more comfy then th' chairs, 'nyways." She says with a slow smile. Even at the word sleep, Lily is forced to stifle a yawn. "Mrrf, yeah." Lily starts for the stairs, going slowly for Keita.

Keita follows slowly after Lily, smiling at the yawn and then following it up with one of her own. Steps are a slow process for her, and so she does take her time following the other doe up. Then again, from her smile she doesn't mind following this particular doe. She reaches out and gives a playful flick to her bob-tail. "C'mon, c'mon, hurry it up, there." Snerk. XD

Lily wags her bobtail and bunny-hops a few stairs up. "M'goin'!" She says with a laugh. The doe finally toddles up the stairs and disappears with the other, chatting about something or another as she goes, her tail bobbing the whole time.