08-08-05 2

Characters involved: Keita & Zeraph.

Halyard Tavern: Main Room

Swish, swish. The humble owner of this here tavern is presently sweeping the floor. Speaking of this here tavern, it looks quite a bit different than during its slave-holding days. All of the chairs are up on the tables, the candles in the lamps which line the wall have all been replaced, and if its possible, the bar actually sparkles. The shelving which usually holds various bottles of spirits are still a bit sparse - the chain of supplies has yet to be reestablished - but all in all, it looks rather shiny and new. Save for the floor. Which Keita is seeing to now, sweeping away the daily grime and mess.

The tavern door opens up, shedding daylight in upon the floor, and so illuminating the broom and the doe before many other things. Zeraph steps inside the room, closing the door behind him and the buck gazes about at the freshly cleaned bar room. The fighter smirks a little, then goes towards Keita. "Wow, nice job you've done here..Were you working while we were battling, K?" A grins and leans against one of the tables, watching her for a moment.

Keita stops and turns towards Zeraph and leans on the broom handle. She looks around the room and admires her handiwork. "Well... I didn't realize there was a battle 'til aftah. An' thanks." Cough-cough. She gives Zeraph a once-over. "Ya didn't get yerself injured any more, dija?"

Zeraph shakes his head, giving her that smirk. "Nope..but Roth did, not to make you worried or anything..It seems we both saved each other though." His whiskers twitch a little, though he keeps the crooked smile on his muzzle. "Do you need any help anyway?" The buck finally questions.

Keita doesn't look too worried for Roth, given the reassurance. However, she frowns at the thought of someone else having patched him up. She's protective of her bucky types! At the final question, she turns to survey the tavern again. "Well..." An ear is scritched. "There's not much left t' do..." She sighs softly and looks towards the kitchen. "S'pose I still have some t' do back there... what with the food left t' spoil."

Zeraph glances in every direction that the other hare does when she does. The buck finally lets his gaze settle on the kitchen. For some reason he just pauses completely for a moment, as if his mind has wandered away from his body. The fighter slowly nods, then turns his eyes back on Keita, with a light sigh. "I'm sorry about this whole thing, K."

Keita waves his apology away with a small smile and a shake of her head. "None o' this is yer fault, Raph..." She returns to a few idle brush-strokes with her broom, her ears laying back against her skull. It's hard to keep up good spirits with the battle dragging on. Keita glances up. "How's yer shouldah?"

Zeraph rolls the mentioned shoulder, with a slight wince of pain, then tries a light smile again. "Better?" It isn't much of a statement of course. "I nearly got into it with Vorth again..But the fight was called off." He shrugs a little.

Grr, argh. Keita very nearly scowls at the mention of Vorth. "That rat... I'd like t' thunk him ovah the head with a bottle 'r two." She looks down at the broom she holds and then just leans it against the nearest table.

Zeraph grins at her spirit. Yep, she's still got it. "Well, yeah...I'd like to shove something through his head now.." The buck rests his paw on his injured shoulder once more, shaking his head. "A time for everything I guess.."

Keita's lips twitch up in a wry smirk. "Yeah... you jus' make sure you leave some fer me, eh? I've got a bone t' pick with him." After all, she's two bar stools short thanks to him!

Zeraph salutes to the doe, with a nod. "Of course. If you happen to be around at the moment, I'll leave him for you." The buck goes to move back behind the bar, maybe by habit now. His ears tuck back against his head as he runs a paw over the counter.

"Good." Keita follows Zeraph behind the bar, watching his movements. "Y'know... I almost miss all the vermin. At least I had customahs, then." She grabs up a wash cloth she'd be using earlier and tosses it into the sink.

Zeraph gazes out into the main part of the tavern, as if he is seeing something that isn't there, then he begins to subconsciously mess with his wrist, as if there is still a metal cuff there. The buck smiles though, lightly and looks back at Keita. "It'll all be back to normal soon."

Keita nods somewhat, and leans forward, her elbows resting on the counter top and her chin resting in paws. Her ears flatten again. "S'pose you'll all be back t' yer mountainy life once everything's ovah, eh?" She sends a flickering glance his way. "'Course you'll be welcome t' visit any time. Tell Roth the same, yeah?"

Keita is sent a glance by the buck and he smirks at her, then nods. "Of course. And I'll be sure to come 'bug' you too..Disrupt your customers and all that good stuff.." Zeraph goes to sit down on one of the stools that is still back here. The fighter leans back a little, ears perking now.

Keita's ears twitch, and over her shoulder she glances. "Well, s'long as ya only disrupt the non-drinkin' ones." She stands back up and turns, leaning back against the counter. "So I thought you were off duty. What were ya doin' fightin' yestahday?"

Zeraph chews on his thumb a little as he watches her as she speaks, then smiles again, though he shakes his head again. "Jarril, he put me back on duty right before the fight. Great timing." The buck pulls the flask out again and drinks the rest of the water from it, before capping it off and putting it in his pocket.

Keita eyes Zeraph for a moment, then nods to his shoulder. "Ya oughtn't be on duty with that, y'know... Listen t' Keita the healah, she knows." She waggles a finger at him.

Zeraph raises a brow at her. "Hmm..Well sometimes I have to listen to my Major more than my healer, ya know." The buck swings his legs idly, leaned on the counter still. "The pain..it kind of fades away when you're fighting though..I'm surprised I didn't hurt it again."

Keita squints at him. "One'd think that if ya /expect/ t' get hurt... that ha wouldn't press yer luck." Keita shrugs lightly though, and decides not to press things. She waves a paw at him absently and turns, peering into the kitchen through the open doorway.

Zeraph looks at her curiously. Is this Keita being protective over him again? The buck laughs a little to himself, then glances into the kitchen as well, trying to see what has taken her attention so easily, ears perking in that direction. The buck remains on the stool.

"Y'know, the vermin filled up that hole of ours. Rathah nice of 'em, now I don't have t' do it..." Keita casts a look back at Zeraph.

A quick half laugh and Zeraph changes his gaze to her again. "I suppose they would have, to stop anymore of the captives getting out through it. Shame though, it was such a nice trench.."

"Aye, well... had the best 'n' the brightest workin' on it." Keita smirks and hops up onto the counter. Woo. "Guess Rothal wasn't so happy 'bout that."

Zeraph sighs. "I guess not..You know, I unchained him myself too.." He shakes his head one more time. "Several times actually." He starts to chuckle at this one.

Keita chuckles and nods, giving the room another survey. No doubt remembering it as it was during their captivity. "Yeah... well, 'least things worked out in the end, eh? His cheek's doin' great now that it's all sewn up. Think he'll make it through recovery without any problems. He's goin' t' have one hell o' a scar, though."

Zeraph nods sagely, ears tilting backward once again and sighing a little. "Yeah..Plus the new wounds..A chunk of his ear is missing, and Vorth stabbed him in the gut with a dagger." He scowls. "I jumped him right about then..Would have killed him too, if they'd not called it off."

Keita winces. "Hope they took /him/ off duty, t'least..." She doesn't look too hopeful that this is the case, however. Her legs swing back and forth as she sits, her heels hitting a wooden cabinet door. "Why'd they call it off?"

Zeraph shrugs a little about the first question. "I don't know about Roth..I don't think.." He looks off across the room. "Jarril and Daclon were fencing. They called it off when they got bored.."

Keita's eyes widen. "Are ya... /kiddin'/ me?" Her inner-Zoe starts screaming at her, and she answers the call. "That's ridiculous. What kind o' leadin's that? Ya ought t' report Jarril fer that..."

Zeraph raises a brow at her, looking confused for a moment. Finally.. "Wait..for which part?" The buck has obviously been baffled.

Keita stares at Zeraph. "Ya don't call off the fightin' 'cause yer bored... I mean, Halyard's not a /game/. It's m' life." Scowl. Well, okay, maybe part of it's that she just doesn't /like/ Jar very much.

Zeraph ohs a little and kind of shrinks away from her. "Yes, I know..Hmm..Well, I usually just follow orders. I'm sure we'll start out a battle again.." The buck glances around for a moment.

Part of her wants to leave off as he shrinks away, but at the following orders comment she snorts, and shakes her head. "That's the problem with the Patrol. Just followin' ordahs..." She hops off the counter and walks back into the kitchen.

Zeraph flinches again, then just holds his injured shoulder and gazes off elsewhere, not saying anymore. The buck sighs heavily and goes to stand, just to leave, figuring she doesn't want him there anymore.

Well, either she's just taking an unusually long time or she doesn't want him around anymore, because she doesn't reappear.