The tavern is empty, still rather early for the regulars to come in. Back in the far corner sits Snow, Aiden resting on her lap, sneezing quietly. The kit has a candied nut in his paw, which he's currently nibbling on with happy squeaks. Snow watches him quietly, slumped down in her chair, looking very tired and sleepy.

With a little bounce in his step, showing he's in a fairly good mood, Darklett walks into the tavern, his eyes shooting straight to Snowflower, his face turning up in a cheeky grin. "My, my, the tavern again, Snowflower? Don't tell me you're turning into a drunk!"

Snowflower blinks, glancing up at the bouncy hare, ears folding. "No, I'm not turning into a drunk. If I were a drunk, I'd have some sort of alcohol infront of me. And its far to early to be so chipper you know." Snow mumbles, stifling a yawn behind her paw. Aiden stares at the buck curiously, shrinking back into his mother's arms, holding his sweet close.

Darklett frowns, sticking his tongue out at Snowflower. "Well foo to you, too then. Just joking... It's nothing bad to be in a good mood every once in a long, long while." His eyes move down to Aiden, who seems to be cowering away from him. Awwwwww. He also gets a tongue-stick.

( Aiden is just protecting his candied nut, so the kit sticks his own tongue out at Dark before he stuffs the nut into his mouth, cheeks puffing out. Snow glances at her kit, smiling faintly, stifling yet another yawn. "I know it isn't. I..just didn't get much sleep, so I'm not very cheerful yet. Oh, I saw Korit last night." )

Darklett chuckles at Aiden, his ears folding over to the front and his eyes rolling up, his tongue sticking out and touching his nose at the dibbun, before returning to Snowflower, his paw turning up to lightly tap his forehead. "Oh, I knew I was forgetting to tell you something! Korit's here in Halyard. Of course, you know that now."

( Aiden gives Dark a puzzled look, while munching away on his nut. "Yes, that I do. He said he was going to stay around for awhile." Snow replies, starting to bouncing Aiden on her knee. )

"Good, it's good to see him again, isn't it?" Darklett smiles, finally sitting down at the table, at a chair a quarter of the way around the table from Snowflower. "I was actually surprised at how happy I was to see him."

Snowflower nods, bouncing the giggling kit. "Yes it is. It'd had been a long time since I had last run into him. And you should be happy to see him. You were friends at one point you know."

Darklett nods. "Yeah, I know, we were. I'm just a little shocked that after everything, I'm still glad to see him. Just odd, is all. When had you seen him last? I can't even remember."

Snowflower hrms, chewing her lip in thought. "Umm..before I was married maybe or maybe after. Or it might have been after I lost the first kit. I think it was then..." Aiden continues to stare up at Dark, hugging his tail as he's bounced. Finally, he points a stubby finger towards the buck, grinning. "Bunneh!"

"Wow." Darklett nods, drumming his paws on the table slightly a few times. "That was a long time, then. Heh, I can't remember for the life of..." His ears perk as he looks down at Aiden. "...scuse me?"

"Bunneh!" Aiden squeaks happily, grinning up at Dark, looking quite proud of himself. "Aiden, Dark's a /hare/ not a bunny." Snow says, trying to hold back her own giggling, kissing her son's head. "Yes, it was a long time ago. But, its nice to see him again."

Darklett glares at the kit, smirking. "Cheeky little..." He clears his throat, shaking his head and looking back at Snowflower. "Yes, yes, it is. Maybe he'll stick around if you do."

"Bunnehbunnehbunneh.." Aiden squeaks with each bounce, ignoring his mum and the hare. Snow nods, giggling some at the kit's antics. "Aye, maybe he will. Though he never really did stick around much at the abbey."

Darklett continues to eye Aiden, squinting at the repetition of bunneh. "No, he didn't. Maybe you could talk him into it, though. Keep him out of danger, and all that."

( Aiden continues to say bunneh until Snow gives him another candied nut, which he quickly stuffs in his mouth to munch on. "I'll try, but I don't know what I'd say to make him stay here." Snow sighs, nose crinkling up as she sneezes, sniffling some after. )

Darklett only stops glaring at Aiden once he stops saying bunneh. Then, he looks completely at Snowflower. "I don't know, just say that you would like him to stay... Mm, bless you," he says, frowning at her sneeze.

Snowflower sniffles, sneezing again as she places Aiden on the tabletop. "Thanks. And I'll talk to him about it next time I see it." Being free of his mum's grasp, Aiden crawls over to sit infront of Dark. "Bunneh!" he squeaks, smiling up at the buck cutely.

Darklett winces as Snowflower sneezes again. "Bless you... You're not sick now, too, are you?" He frowns, tilting his head speculatively at the squirrelmaid, about to comment again, until Aiden spouts that off again. Glare.

"Bunneh!" Aiden squeaks again, sliding off the table and into Dark's lap, where he then climbs up to sit on the hare's shoulder shoulder. "Bunneh." "Aiden, he's not a bunny, and don't climb on him." Snow mumbles, sneezing yet again. "I don't think I'm sick, but I've been sneezing all night. So I might be. And sorry about the bunny thing. He did that to Keiran too when he saw him."

Darklett frowns, watching the squirrel as he slides off the table and into his lap. "...Hare, Aiden. Hare." Oh, great, he's on his shoulder now. "...No, hare... Hare. Not bunny."

( Aiden blinks, peering at Dark with a slight confused look. "hawe?" Aiden tries the word, crinkling up his nose in thought. Snow watches the two for a moment, before slipping off to the bar, going off to order some hot cider. )

Darklett nods. "Yes, hare. Good, Aiden! I'm a -hare.- Keiran is a -hare.-" He says the word hare slowly, for learning purposes.

( Aiden grins, poking the hare's cheek. "Hawe." "Aiden, don't poke. Its not nice." Snow murmurs, walking back over with a hot cider, and an ale for Dark which she sets infront of him. Snow retakes her sit, sipping her cider slowly. )

Darklett twitches at the poke, not sure what to make of it. "Yeah, hare. You got it right, Aiden." Okay, kid, good job. "Thanks Snow." He takes the cider, and sips at it.

"Your welcome. I see you got Aiden to say hare." Snow sips some more of her own cider, sneezes stopped for now. Aiden grins, giving Dar's cheek another poke. "/Aiden/, I said no poking. Apologize to Dark." "Sowwy 'awk." Aiden mumbles quietly, crawling back down to sit in the hare's lap, out of his mother's sight. Hmph.

Darklett nods to Snow. "Yeah, I think he's taken a liking to me..." Poke. Grr. "Aww. Apology accepted, little tyke." He is glad when the dibbun slips down to his lap, though.

( Aiden pouts, paws wrapped around his tail, staying quiet in Dark's lap. "He probably has. He like your brother and Duncan alot. I'm just glad he's adjusting to everything." Snow tilts her head, frowning some at the pouting kit, sipping some more cider. )

Darklett shrugs, looking down at the kit with a pitying frown. "Well, he's probably too young to know any better. Good thing, too." He takes a gulp of his ale, sighing after he swallows. "Why hares, though?" He chuckles. "Seems a little odd to be attached to hares, of all types."

Snowflower nods, eyes on the kit still, who's still in pouting mode. "Yea. Probably would have been harder if he was older." Snow doesn't answer the next question, staring into her mug, tail flicking.

Darklett hmms? "Snow?"

Snowflower was in midsip, eyes glancing up as she lowers her mug. "I was just thinking on something is all."

Darklett nods. "...Okay." Darklett gulps from his ale again, letting it linger in his mouth before he swallows. Mmm, just about as tasty as this delightfully awkward silence. "...On what?"

"The past..." Snow murmurs, slumping down in her chair again, wrapping her arms about her waist. "Lot of things have changed." Oh, and the fluffball is asleep in Dark's lap.

Darklett hmms. "Yeah, I'll agree with that. Change isn't bad, though. Keeps things from getting boring, I think." He idly pets the squirrel kit in his lap, almost without knowing he's even doing it.

Snowflower nods, glancing over at the sleeping kit with a smile. "I know, but its just alot to get use to is all. Having to find a new home and everything. Again."

Darklett sighs. "Yeah. Hopefully Halyard will work out for you, though. You seem to like it so far, and so does Aiden."

Snowflower nods. "It is a nice place." Snow stifles another yawn, setting her mug on the table, rubbing at her eyes. And, Aiden snoozes away.

Darklett gulps at his ale again, looking down at Aiden with a smile. "Plus, you'll have other beasts around, so you won't be living by yourself, like you were."

Snowflower continues to rub at her eyes, trying to stay awake. "Yea, which will be nice. I didn't really like being on my own. Especially with a kit."

Darklett nods. "I didn't like the idea of you living in the middle of nowhere, anyway. It's dangerous, being that close to the dirt road."

Snowflower blinks, just slightly surprised at his words. Hrm. "We didn't really get much trouble from the road. Though there was a slaver or bandit or something there for a good part of the summer."

Darklett raises his eyebrows. "...But it could have happened. Halyard's a village, you'll get almost no trouble here, ever, I bet."

Snowflower sighs, stifling another yawn. "I didn't say it couldn't have. We did have one problem from the road... But Halyard is probably safer since the long patrol isn't that far off."

Darklett nods. "Well, that and it's a village, not just a house all by itself. There'll be more beasts around."

Snowflower says, "Yea. It'll be good, and Aiden will be kept safer here than at the old house. Do the hares visit Halyard often?""

Darklett shakes his head. "Unless there's something I don't know about. This is the first time I've ever been here."

Snowflower nods, glancing at the sleeping Aiden. "Oh. Hrm. Would you maybe mind watching him for just an hour? I could really use some sleep..."

Darklett smiles. "I guess I don't really have much of a choice unless I wake him up, do I?" He chuckles, petting the kit softly. "Yeah, I'll do it. You go sleep."

Snowflower says, "Thanks. I really appreciate it. I haven't had a good sleep in forever." Yawning again, Snow stands, walking over to give Dark's cheek a small kiss. "Thanks again Dark. I'll be back soon I promise." And out she goes."