12-08-05

Characters involved: Darklett & Keita.

Western Shore

Hm. Zoe'd probably kill him. Darklett's out on vigilante duty again, pretty much all by himself looking for vermin threats... Now that the badger's gone, the lieutenant -obviously- needs to find somebeast else to occupy that now vacant space in the back of his mind where he keeps his grudges. ;) So, trotting up over a dune, he spots the town of Halyard, getting very clear in the near distance... Slowing to a halt, he stares at the village, and thinks to himself, taking a few deep breaths, looking out to the sea at the setting sun, and... Continuing onward towards Halyard.

Darklett may want into Halyard, but there's another hare that wants out - at least temporarily. Keita is humping it down the dirt path, and she's just gotten to the portion where dirt means sand when she spies the nearing hare. Obviously Patrol, but not yet obvious as to which one. She slows, leaning forward on her crutches.

Darklett keeps trotting along, his eyes too busy scanning everywhere else to really notice Keita at first. But, his eyes do eventually wander in that direction, and... Well, knowing his luck, what other hare could possibly be leaving Halyard right when Darklett was planning on heading to that very village? Figuring it's Keita, he... slows down, but doesn't change direction at all.

Keita's eyes narrow around the edges as she realizes just which buck it is. "... Darklett." She sighs, ducking her head. "Damn bloody 'ell..." With a shake of her head she just waits, thunking her crutch ends into the sand.

Darklett slows down as he nears Keita... He spots her crutches now, and that expels all shadow of doubt. The lieutenant is now simply walking along, making sure to keep quite a few paces between himself and Keita when he stops. "Hello, Kei." He even uses a familiar name. Heh.

Keita's brow furrows, but she inclines her head. "'Llo, Darklett." Thump-thump. Smirk. "What brings the likes o' you to our humble little village?"

"I came to... Well, I guess reconcile some things." Darklett grins as best he can manage, rocking back and forth on his footpaws idly, paws folded behind his back. "Traitor was a bit harsh, wasn't it?"

"Don't know. Lil' seems to agree with you well 'nough." No, that doesn't sound bitter. Aheh. She stands up a bit straighter, squinting her eyes off towards the sea.

Darklett raises his own eyebrow, arching his back. "Oh? Realllly?" He smirks at this, then banishes it right away. "Well, even so. I mean, we can't just be mortal enemies forever, can we? Seeing as you're the daughter of the good old Colonel and stuff. Raises a few... Uh, conflicts, and all, hehe!"

Keita's ears twitch at the smirk, but they only dip back when Zoe is mention. She shifts her weight to the remaining leg, looking unamused. "Well, now. That's a curse o' the world - can't righ'ly choose who we're born by, can we? Still, don't see how or why that changes anythin' between us."

Darklett raises his paws up in a shrug. "Well, letting this just go on and on... It's just not good! We used to be buds, and all, and I hate hard feelings." He starts walking forward, looking jovial enough. "Hey, so can what's happened be what's happened, and that's that?" His voice is... Really friendly. :P

A little /too/ friendly... Dun-dun-dun! "... Right. But what's in it fer you, Darklett? What's really goin' on here?" She smirks, limping a couple of steps forward and to the side, eyeing him. "Or d'ya just miss the free ale?"

Looking quite taken aback, the lieutenant raises his paws and steps backward to match Keita's. "Hey, wait a tick, here. You think I'd go through all this trouble for some ale?" He grins goofily, then lowers his paws to his side. "The truth is, I missed the visits to Halyard, heh. Now if I want to get out of the mountain, I don't really have many places to go, and hey-- What better way to fix that than to fix an old friendship, too? Eh, you get me?"

"What's the point in a friendship if you think I'm a traitah, Dark? And don't try to say ya didn't mean it - ya did and ya still do." She stops again, facing him. She runs her fingertips through her headfur, looking upwards. "And me? Me, I think yer a fool. A fool who means well, but a fool nonetheless." THIS is why people hit her.

"Ahh, Kei, Kei, Kei..." Darklett... sits down on the sand. Yeah. "I meant every last word of it." Grinning up at the doe, she might even guess he's done talking, the pause is so long. "However!" he finally continues, "That doesn't mean we can't get along. After all, I really don't think you're going to stab -me- in the back, are you?" Headtilt.

"That depends. Plannin' on trying to murdah any o' my friends again any time soon?" Oh snap. She tried, she really did try. But it had to be said. She peers at him with thoughtfully narrowed eyes and an equally thoughtful smirk.

Darklett stands up, brushing himself off. "Murder? Keita, are we gonna have to go through this again? That badger is just gonna end up killin'--" ...

Darklett stops, and his eyes widen.

Keita limps a few more steps around him, always watching him. Fascinating, really. "So... You came here, had a little chat with me. And didn't think for one second to give me the courtesy o' mentionin' it?" She makes a clicking sound with her tongue to the roof of her mouth. "Some friend, that."

Darklett shakes his head, then shakes it again. "Wait, Keita. Did you say 'trying' to murder?" He turns to her, eyes still widened, jaw left hanging open.

Keita stops again, staring blankly at him as her lips part. Wow. "... Right, yeah. /That's/ what you should be focusin' on." Her ears flatten back against her skull, and all in all she looks displeased. "Not that it was murdah, not 'I'm sorry, Keita, for bein' a dumb idiot Patrol hare'. Nooo, you question /semantics/."

"You mean he's not dead?!" Darklett turns to Keita, where she stopped. "-Trying- to murder! -Trying!- That means we didn't kill him, did we? Where is he, Keita?!" So much for the friendly voice.

Keita's eyes widen, and she actually splutters. Shaking her head in firm disbelief, she turns around and begins limping back towards the village. "Darklett, stay away from me 'n' mine. That's... I have nothin' else to say to you. Just bloody well stay away."

Darklett is just... caught off guard. Darklett stands there and watches Keita go, his body slumped. "...I can't believe it... I can't believe it..." He repeats this to himself, just staring as Keita hobbles back to Halyard. "...I can't believe it."

Keita doesn't look back at Darklett once, her head lowered as she goes.

Created by Oklina