Monday, November 12, 2012
Boat boat boat boat
He grins but doesn't touch her. That may ruin his chance for future hugs.
Goddard then leans up against the door and calls out, "That's not necessary...I won't go into your room unless you...ya know...invite me in...but you can always wander into my cabin!"
He walks back over to Aara. "I don't know why she just won't tell me her true feelings," he laughs.
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Aara is back to sitting cross-legged on the ship's rail, watching the stars come out. "She probably has a hard time admitting any of her feelings to herself." She pointed to a constellation. "That is Al-'Aqrab, the scorpion. It is said that he fell in love with a bird, but when he realized he couldn't join her in the air, he grew so bitter that his tail filled with venom. His anger hardened into a stinger. But his heartache gave him his pinchers, to protect his heart." She looked over at him. "Sometimes, people are like that."
ReplyDeleteGoddard leans up against the railing and gasps as he looks up. "It all makes sense...she's a scorpion...stinging and stuff." He chuckles and keeps looking at the stars. "The one think I like about being on a ship. It's much darker and you see the stars better. Even though the weather isn't the best for star gazing, it's still really pretty."
ReplyDelete"Maybe she is." Aara shrugs. "Maybe losing her Dimitri caused her to freeze her heart so that she cannot love anymore. Or," she added with an impish glance, "she just doesn't like the way you smell."
ReplyDelete"Love...Strange how someone can push that away while some want it and cannot have it," he says quietly at the sky.
ReplyDeleteGoddard seems to come back to earth. "Oh hey! I smell perfectly fine..." he nudges Aara softly with his elbow. "But...I mean...what is a smell that you ladies like? I don't wanna smell like a flower though. Unless it's a rose. I'm ok with that."
"And there are still others who don't know how to ask for it." Leaning closer, Aara takes a sniff of him. "I like the way you smell. It's like...freshly overturned earth. Life and death in one."
ReplyDeleteGoddard nods approvingly and then laughs. "Smells never came up before with women so I never really thought about it till now."
ReplyDeleteAara arches an eyebrow. "We're on a boat with limited water for bathing, and you have never thought of a person's scent until now?"
ReplyDeleteHe thinks for a moment. "Hmm no not really...in the Amethyst college, we had everything we needed and no one ever complained."
ReplyDeleteGoddard thinks a bit more. "Or maybe they were too drunk to care what I smelled like?"
"Maybe you charmed everyone into being your slave," she laughed. Ibben, not to be ignored, climbed up between them chattering away. "Ibben, you must be jealous to interrupt me and nuur'eni so often." She kisses the creature on the top of his head. "Is that what it is?" Ibben only curls up in her arms.
ReplyDeleteGoddard looks at Aara with an eye brow raised. "Nuuurrr what now?"
ReplyDeleteAara shrugs. "It's nothing," she stammers.
ReplyDelete"Aaawww come on...you can't call...me right? You were calling me that? You can't call me some name like that and then not tell me what it means." He looks at her with almost sad puppy eyes.
ReplyDeleteAara bows her head. "I have embarassed myself already today. You wouldn't want me to do so again, would you?" She sneaks a peek at him to see if it works.
ReplyDelete"Only you can make yourself feel embarrassed," he laughs. "But I guess if I won't speak on certain things, you don't have to either no matter how curious I am..."
ReplyDelete"You are very secretive. But I will leave you to them and give you mine. Nuur'eni means 'light of my life' in Arabyan. It is an endearment we use for those people we like best."
ReplyDeleteGoddard looks at her surprised. "Really? You think that of me? And you don't just say that to all the elves?"
ReplyDeleteSettling a drowsy Ibben in her lap, Aara looks over at him. "Of course not. You, the others...this is the longest Master and I have spent with one group of people in four years. Excluding crews and the like." She fidgeted a little, nearly unsettling herself on the rail. "And I think we understand death in a similar way. It ostracizes us, I think. I like having something in common with someone," she adds with a smile he can't quite see through the veil.
ReplyDeleteGoddard quickly moves to steady her if she needs him to and then relaxes when Aara seems to be fine. "The only person who has ever said anything remotely like that to me was father. I'm honored that you see me as such."
ReplyDelete"Oh yeah does it ostracize...the robes and everything are off putting to most. What I am usually frightens everyone away." He fidgets with one of the strings of beads on his belt.
"As for secrets...some times you need to keep them or Morr will find you that much faster. But not everything is a secret." He looks at her and smiles. "So since I asked that of you, you can ask something else of me."
Aara thinks a long moment. "Tell me, nuur'eni, why do you think the gypsy grandmother gave me a pendant of Morr? It seems like a token more appropriate for you," she added, drawing it from underneath her shirt. "I know nothing of your gods."
ReplyDelete"I wonder why she gave that to you as well. And why it has a red gem."
ReplyDeleteHe pulls his black cowl up and points to the gems. "The Amethyst winds are well...amethyst. The color is purple. Why a ruby? I feel it's a bad omen. That Von Carstein fellow also had a ruby and I don't really trust him."
Aara's eyes go wide. "Do you think I should remove it?"
ReplyDelete"Do you like it? I don't think the item itself will do anything but I think what ever it stands for can't be too good. I just have no idea what it could mean," he scratches his head. "If you like it...keep it."
ReplyDeleteAara considers it a moment. "You follow Morr, so it cannot be too bad. I'll keep it tucked away I think." She turns on the railing so her back is to the ocean. "It is your turn, will you ask for another secret?"
ReplyDelete"That was your secret you wanted from me?" he chuckles. "What I follow isn't much of a secret. I walk around sort of proudly displaying what I do no matter how many bumps and bruises it gets me."
ReplyDelete"Bumps and bruises? You mean like the scars on your back?"
ReplyDelete"Oh...heh...I was surprised you didn't ask about them earlier. Since you helped me get dressed in this. I would have been lost if you didn't help me," he laughs. "I usually end up more with black eyes for my magic."
ReplyDelete"But the scars...The scars on my chest and the bigger scars on my back are from when the ship I was on as a child wrecked."
"The smaller scars on my back are...well..." Goddard's face turns a bit pink from it's usually shade of really pale. "From women..."
He quickly moves on, "The scars on my upper arms are..." He pauses and holds his hands up. He has fairly long nails. "Since mages don't do much hard work with their hands, we usually have crazy long nails...mine are more than what they seem," he puts his hands down and behind his back. "Those scars are my own doing."
"I wasn't sure I should ask," she said, drawing one his hands from behind him. She studies his nails, comparing them to hers. "So you are not whipped...that is good." She pulls at her shirt, showing him a gruesome scar snaking over her shoulder. "It is not pleasant."
ReplyDelete"Who would do such a thing?" he asks, a little angrily and shocked.
ReplyDeleteAara shrugged. "It's no matter; it was so long ago I can't remember. Before I tried to steal from Koroush. I stole a bit of bread for my mother. I was quick, but the guards were quicker." She put her collar to rights. "I was given three lashes."
ReplyDelete"For bread? Were you a child? Well...even so...child or not any amount of lashes is way overboard..."
ReplyDelete"I was a thief," she answers simply. "I am lucky. It could have been my hand."
ReplyDelete"But that's..." he crosses his arms and turns his face away from her. "The elf who raised me, isn't my birth father. I ran away as a child from cruel adults..."
ReplyDelete"The fact that someone could even think of doing such a thing to an innocent child just makes me so angry..."
He turns back to face her. "And yes...you were innocent...you stole food because you needed it and were very hungry I'm sure..."
"Don't be upset, Goddard. It wasn't long after that I fell in with Koroush, and my entire life changed. I have been blessed with a gentle master." She laid a hand on his arm and turned him back to face her. "We take our lessons and move on. You are not the cruelty that was done to you, nuur'eni, and the pain of it does not have to linger."
ReplyDelete"You seem to have made out better in your few years of human life than I have in my 70 years of elven life," he smiles. "Father was right...I am a mess..." he laughs.
ReplyDelete"But, I guess just how Koroush made your life better, Otto did the same to mine. I guess I just forget that sometimes." He sighs.
"You're a little of a mess," Aara agrees. "But you have been cloistered in a college while I have seen much of Araby, and other parts of the world." She still sees the anger and pain in him, so Aara pulls him close and hugs him a moment. "I don't have as many years as you to hold a grudge," she jokes, kissing him on the cheek. "It gets easier."
ReplyDeleteGoddard leans back a bit when she kisses him on the cheek. She caught him off guard. He doesn't completely move away however. He tries to gauge her reaction if any.
ReplyDeleteInstead of typical soft warm skin, it felt cold and hard.
Struck with the chill of his skin, she blinked a moment. It was like...marble. Aara, you're as bad as the old women and their stories. But...no, I won't ask. I'll ignore it for the moment. She merely smiles, and ducks her head again.
ReplyDeleteGoddard hugs Aara back and sighs. He doesn't say anything.
ReplyDeleteAs she hugs him, she hears his pounding heart slow down and feels that he is indeed warm and squishy like every other "person" is.
Aara controls her surprise and leans into his embrace- if for no other reason than to compose herself. He changed. Does anyone else know he can do this? But it's so nice to be hugged, Koroush doesn't hug anymore-AARA, stay on track! Maybe you've gotten some seawater, or that flavorless drink Katarina has. All waterskins look the same. Goddard is too sweet a soul to bother with your hallucinations. See? He has a heartbeat you idiot.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you still hugging her you idiot...go to your cabin and lock yourself away...before you scare the daylights out of her...
ReplyDeleteGoddard runs his fingers carefully through her hair before he backs away a little to break the hug. He kisses his own hand and puts it to her cheek softly. His nails do not hurt her but they feel as if they would be sharper than they look.
"I should probably go...I don't want to ruin this." His eyes look sad.
He turns around and walks toward his cabin.
Aara nods, understanding. "Sleep well," she says, not knowing what else to say as he walks away. She moves a snoring Ibben to a nearby barrel and returns to the rail. Taking up her cross legged position, she closes her eyes and folds her hands. Breathing deeply, she begins to meditate on the events that have occurred since she woke.
ReplyDelete--------------------------------------------------------------
ReplyDeleteGoddard steps out of his cabin and onto the deck, stretching. "Look at this...weather is still shitty."
I'm sorry Master. If I could, I would change it for you but alas...I am only just so wonderful...not...
"Ok ok hush! Sheesh no more talkin..."
Yes Master.
He heads into the galley and sits down. "Ugh...am I even hungry?"
Master! If I could serve you food I would...I would serve you a feast and then...
"I said shut your trap!" he lays his head down on the table. He looks over at the cooks who are staring at him and says, "Hey! Keep cookin...nothing to see here..." They quickly turn away.
Aara wakes in her narrow cabin bed to the sound of Ibben chattering at her. "Good morning, love," she says in Arabyan. Suddenly, she groans and covers her head with the blanket. Stupid fool. You should let Master Koroush throw you overboard.
ReplyDeleteThinking it's a game, Ibben jumps on top of her, chattering loudly and pulling at her blanket. "Alright, alright," she mutters, rising. She takes more time than necessary stretching and doing her sword exercise, making sure she performs every choreographed move with perfection and precision. After washing her face, she applies jasamine oil behind her ears and in her hair. With little else to occupy her time, Aara applies the heavy black khol liner around her eyes and secures her veil. Never have I been so grateful to hide myself.
Peeking out the door, she sees the corridor empty. I'll just beg some tea and bread from the cook and spend the day on deck. Surely I can hide well enough on a ship this size. This in mind, she enters the galley, Ibben on her shoulder.
Goddard's head is still on the table. He's making a circle with one hand and moving it around as the shadow bat moves through the "hoops". He hears someone walking into the galley and he turns his head around, flopping it back down on the table.
ReplyDeleteHis hair is in the way, but Aara can still see his eyes. He looks bored and sleepy. "Good morning," he says to her. "If you are hungry, you may have to wait just a bit. They said they are cooking for the crew first...Or maybe they just don't like me..."
'It's that second one!' can be heard from the kitchen.
"Oh haha...comedian chefs...I'll know what's going on if the food tastes funny..."
OH HO MASTER! Good looking, smart, witty...you have it all!
"I know I know..."
Aara is startled at his greeting. "Ah. Good morning, I didn't expect anyone else to be awake so soon. I don't mind a bit of a wait." Keeping Ibben close, she sits in the table a few feet from Goddard. "You don't look well, did you sleep poorly?"
ReplyDelete"Very poorly," he sits up and rubs his eyes. "If that cabin didn't have that teeny tiny window that let in that perfect sliver of sunlight right over my eyes, I'd still be sleeping. I think the sun was aiming for me...it's still so cloudy."
ReplyDelete"How did you sleep? Did your little critter let you sleep?"
"Ibben slept well," she offered. "I didn't sleep until it was nearly dawn." She frowns. "My cabin has a draft. I don't care for the chill at night."
ReplyDelete'Whaddya want crazy elf?' One of the cooks calls from the kitchen.
ReplyDelete"Food...edible food...I'll know if you try and feed me garbage," Goddard grumbles.
'We are going to make something special for you miss,' an other says to Aara.
"Don't try anything funny," Goddard narrows his eyes at the cooks.
'Sheesh...what do you think we are?'
"You actually want me to answer that question?"
Only the sounds of pots and pans can be heard from the kitchen.
Katarina rises and stretches. The night before having been quiet and peaceful. No ghosts or crew had disturbed her sleep. She smiles feeling a comfort missing the past week.
ReplyDeleteJust then, the ship lurches and so does her stomach. So much for that! she thinks to herself. Deciding to re-don her armor and leathers, she sets out to find Aara to procure more of that horrible, yet beautiful tea.
Making her way through the ship, she tips her hat at some of the crew who pass by and comes to Aara's cabin. Knocking, she finds the cabin empty. I guess she is already up and about, maybe check the dining area. Hmm... Its a little cold in her room. I wonder if she would want to trade cabins? Mine is very stuffy and too warm.
Turning, she heads to the galley.
Aara lowers her head to her knees, but smiles at the cook. "I'll take whatever you have for Goddard, thank you. And some hot water, if it isn't too much trouble?" She hands Ibben a piece of dried fruit and watched him play with it before eating it. "Goddard, I'm sorry about last night. I don't know what-" She breaks off as Katarina enters the galley.
ReplyDeleteAn unhappy looking chef plops down a fairly good looking plate of food in front of Goddard and the same, he places nicely in front of Aara along with the water.
ReplyDelete'Only cuz she asked...'
"You're too kind," Goddard grumbles.
He looks over to Katarina and says tiredly, "Good morning sunshine," and turns back to Aara.
"You don't need to apologize," he says softly.
Katarina moves to sit down next to them. She smiles warmly at the two, looking rested and cheerful. "Good morning to you too! Wow, you two look like you haven't gotten any sleep. What were both of you doing all night?"
ReplyDeleteAara thanks the cook, then produces a handful of tea filled drawstring bag filled with tea. She selects one and drips it into her water. When he whispers to her, she nods and offers him a one of the pouches. "You'll feel better," she says.
ReplyDeleteShe smiles at Katarina, offering a different pouch of tea. "Looking for this?"
"Indeed I am, Aara. Whatever is in that, it works. Thank you so much for offering it to us. I don't know how I would have survived this trip without it."
ReplyDeleteKatarina takes the offered pouch and drinks a swallow of the contents, making another wretched face. "Well, that's not lost any of its charm from last night!" she says with a giggle.
"Oh, before I forget. I stopped by your cabin first, Aara. It seemed pretty cold and drafty in there. If you'd like, mine is a little stuffy and bit too warm for my tastes. We could swap if you'd like?"
"I would appreciate that," she replies. "I could hardly sleep for the cold."
ReplyDelete"I've heard some people say that before. A doktor from the Empire once stayed in my father's house. He was adamant that the cold caused nightmares. But he was an odd skittish man, anyway.
ReplyDelete"Still, its the least I can do to help relief your discomfort as you have mine."
Goddard just listens to the two women talk as he takes the pouch. "Is this the same sea sick tea from yesterday?" he groans as he thinks about what it must taste like after he smelled it.
ReplyDeleteAara removed her veil for the meal. "It makes me stiff and causes aches, so I thank you very much."
ReplyDelete"No, Goddard. You said you slept poorly. This will keep you from being drowsy and tired all day." She sips her own slowly. "I find myself in need of it as well."
ReplyDelete"Ahh ok," he sips from it and picks at his food.
ReplyDelete"Did the ghosts bother you at all?" Goddard quietly asks Katarina, not looking up from his plate.
"No problems at all." she whispers back. "And the barricade wasn't for you either."
ReplyDeleteShe mentions that? Huh...so she doesn't try to completely forget that I exist...
ReplyDelete"That's good," Goddard smiles at Katarina.
A cook places food down for Katarina and winks at her, flashing a grin of dirty broken teeth.
Goddard sort of grumble growls at the cook and he stomps away.
'Crazy elf...'
"Again, not for YOU. I also slept with a dagger under my pillow. If there's one thing I learned in having to travel with certain groups of my dyadya's forces, be prepared for the drunken and the idiots.
ReplyDelete"Don't mention it, Aara. Like I said, its the least I can do to repay your kindness." Katarina replies picking up some of the bread from her plate.
Heh...bread...loaves...and yet I don't feel like even bringing that up and watching her probably slap me with a plate.
ReplyDeleteHe takes one more bite of food before he stands up.
"Imma be on the deck...yell if these guys bother you..."
Katarina looks around as many a sailor laughs at Goddard's comment. The cold look in her eyes quiet some. The rest stop after seeing Aara's hands.
ReplyDeleteTurning back to Aara, "What happened after I went to bed? He's acting more strangely than usual."
Aara shrugs and hands Ibben some of her food. "Don't throw it," she commands in Arabyan. Looking over at Katarina, she picks at her food. "Nothing of interest. I told him a story about one of the constellations we managed to see, and talked nonsense for a while. I think I kept him up later than he's accustomed to."
ReplyDelete"The star constellations? Really? Which ones were you talking about?" Katarina asks genuinely interested
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"Al-'Aqrab, the scorpion. There's a story about how he loved a bird, but instead of giving him wings, the gods gave him a stinger, venom, and pinchers. I didn't even tell him that in the end, the gods saw how he took his gifts and used them to survive- even though they weren't wings- he still loved the bird. So they gave him a place in the heavens, so he might always see her in flight." Aara tilts her head, thinking a moment. "It didn't seem to bother Goddard, and we talked for a good deal longer." She nibbles on her food, but finds her appetite gone. "Excuse me, Katarina, I find my appetite lacking this morning. I believe I'll try to find some sunlight and meditate. Enjoy your breakfast." She rises and calls to Ibben, who bounds up to her shoulder and begins fidgeting with the veil Aara secures across her face as she leaves.
ReplyDeleteMaster! You aren't your usual self!
ReplyDelete"What do you know of my usual self?"
I know you are much more animated especially around women Master.
"I'm tired...or something...actually I'm starting to feel a little better in that department thanks to this drink."
Ahh good Master! It saddens me to see you feeling down.
Goddard smirks. "You should shut up before I start to like you...saying all kinds of nice things..."
But Master...Isn't that a good thing?
When Aara reaches the deck, she is greeted by fresh air, but no sunlight. Seating herself on a barrel out of the way of the crew, she throws Ibben's ball, watching him run after it. When he's close, he tackles the toy, rolling with it a few feet.
ReplyDelete"Bring it to me," she says, and sighs when he takes to playing by himself. "Ibben, to me," she commands a second time, but in Arabyan. He pays more attention to her this time, and covers his face with one hand, holding out the ball dramatically with the other. She laughs, taking it from him and tossing it again. "You're so silly," she laughs when he repeats the gesture.
Goddard hears Aara talking to Ibben and watches her try and train it to fetch.
ReplyDelete"She needs a dog if she wants something to fetch..."
Go Master! Go be you!
"No way! We've already talked about this..."
Aara watches Ibben play, plaiting a piece of her hair. "You may not be what I anticipated, little friend, but you are dear to me all the same." I can think of a few other people that's true for as well. She looks around at the deck. Tannin leaned against the rail, sick as ever, Katarina was becoming warm and pleasant, and Goddard...well, he was sweet, gentle Goddard. This is truly a place I would never have imagined myself before now. I think I quite like it.
ReplyDeleteKatarina is kind of stunned by Aara. She sits there mulling it over as she's chews her food.
ReplyDeleteWas it something I said? No... both of them are acting weird. Did he... no, he wouldn't have risked yaytsa. I don't know... she's acting... guilty? Ilka would act the same way during her yezhemesyachno though.
Why do I have feeling I should just blame him for breaking her and let the wreckage settle? Why do I know I'm going to stick my nose into this and probably regret it.
This is just Ilka and the Ataman's son all over again.
Grabbing the hunk of bread, Katarina heads above deck and buttons up the the duster around her. The wind is harsh and the sea is angry. She sees dark clouds on the horizon that would threaten a blizzard if back home. She secures her hat inside her coat and sits down by Aara.
"There's just something about the atmosphere down there. Not friendly to the appetite at all."
She lowers her voice and glances in Goddard's direction.
"Aara, forgive me if I pry; if you don't want to discuss this just ask me to leave; I will go and will not mention it again. But your reaction to that story... I've seen it before. I've had it before. You care for him don't you?
"And its confusing and scary because its not what you were expecting to enter your life? It throws things to the wind and causes problems with what you knew before... its lack of control. Its painful, its... love.
"I don't know much of how you have grown up serving under Koroush, but I always had my sisters, mother, aunt, and friends to help me. If you need anything. To talk to, to cry, anything... please consider me a friend to help you with anything. We have a saying among my Sisterhood, net nichego silʹneye, chem zhenshchiny obʺyedinilisʹ. It roughly means nothing is stronger than women who are friends."
"Uh oh," Goddard sees Katarina walk over to Aara.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the matter Master?
"Nothing good comes of whispering woman glancing in my direction...and there is no where for me to hide out here..."
Then run Master! Run to your cabin! I will distract them!
"No no...if you move too fast, they know you know and then come after you with metal pots..."
Oh no Master! What are we to do then?
"Pretend nothing happened...even if they beat me, it will be for less time if I act like I don't know..."
Don't know what Master?
"See it's even better because I actually don't know what I did...I don't even have to pretend."
Oh I see Master! Smart!
Aara stares at Katarina for a moment. "I am just concerned about returning home after so long away. I have changed since we left. I am...less merciful than I was. I'm afraid they will not care for this new person I am." She looked down at her hands, moving them into a mudra of serenity. "My hands didn't have so many names then."
ReplyDeleteAara looks up at her with a smile, hands forming a reassuring mudra. "I'm fine, thank you for your concern, though. A warmer room tonight should help."
You want me to find out what they are saying Master? It could be a plot for your life!
ReplyDelete"No no it can't be that bad...can it? I mean...Katarina is part of the conversation...no no don't go...stay."
Yes Master!
"I have never been this terrified of chatty women...but I guess none of them have ever been ice witches or have had tattoos for people they have killed...I should have kept my hugs to myself..."
Katarina smiles and gives Aara a knowing glance.
ReplyDelete"We all change, Aara. Its a part of living, I guess. Even if there are those who do not care for who you are now, there are those who do."
Leaning over, she wraps an arm around Aara's shoulders and gives her a slight hug. "Anything for a friend. I'll pack my things up in a bit. With the looks of those storm clouds, you might be enjoying the warmer room a bit earlier."
"Wait...they hugged each other? What is going on..."
ReplyDeleteIt's not a plot to kill you...maybe it's a plot to break your heart!
"What? You...you shut up..."
You have a big heart Master! I have seen it. A bigger heart breaks into more pieces!
Aara looks up, studying the clouds. "Not for an hour or more. Enjoy the rain; I can feel the temperature changing the closer we get. You won't need your coat much longer. And Katarina...I have not had many friends since we left. Goddard and I are similar in many ways. You have no need to worry about my falling for his charms." She looks over at Goddard, who is standing across the deck talking to himself. "He simply needs someone to care."
ReplyDeleteGoddard nervously waves at Aara when she looks at him.
ReplyDeleteMaster! Don't give away your position!
"It's too late! They already know..."
But don't go waving a flag Master!
"I'm not waving a flag!"
You know what I mean Master!
"No I don't!"
Ibben throws the ball at Aara, demanding attention. "Alright, alright!" she says in Arabyan. "Come here, little friend." The monkey jumps into her arms, moving higher to her shoulder. Settling himself, he pulls at her head covering and begins to comb through her hair.
ReplyDelete"At least someone is in a good mood," she laughs, switching back to Reikspeil and removing her veils entirely. When Goddard waves, she smiles brightly at him and waves back. "Ow, Ibben! Too hard!"
Katarina laughs inwardly. Poor girl, you didn't fall for his charms, but something else... But that explains a little bit about the elf. Those charms make quite the suit of armor and shield. Much better than ice.
ReplyDelete"Please, call me Kasha. Its a name of endearment my friends and family use." she says with a smile. "It's appropriate for you to use it."
"I know what you mean, though. Tannin and I are just as similar. I don't think he needs someone to care, though. I'll keep that in mind about Goddard, though. He could at least use another friend to care."
Ok Master, we should retreat to your cabin!
ReplyDelete"That's probably a good idea."
Of course it is Master! It was my idea!
"What? Never mind..."
Goddard briskly walks to his cabin and softly closes the door behind him.
You should lock it Master!
"No I'll be fine now...broke line of sight," he chuckles.
That works?
A pause.
Of course it works Master.
"Well this is fine because I wasn't expecting it to rain despite the clouds. I can change. This stuff will need to be dry when we get to Araby I'm sure."
I should prepare myself for Araby too shouldn't I?
"You're a ghost...you don't need to do anything," Goddard says, getting a little tangled in all the fabric.
Master, it appears that you have to put your left foot in...
ReplyDelete"I know what I'm doing! My left foot needs to get out..."
Of course Master...
Aara nodded. "Alright, Kasha." She sees Goddard heading for the cabins in a hurry. What is he running from? "Do you think we could switch rooms now? I don't think my tea will get me through the day."
ReplyDeleteKatarina shrugs. "Whenever your ready."
ReplyDeleteAara calls to Ibben and makes quick work of gathering her things. After knocking on the captain's cabin door and informing Koroush of the switch, she settles into the new room. After thanking Katarina once again, she sits on the bed, resting her back against the wall.
ReplyDeleteKatarina thinks you're in love? It's doubtful. I'm in no place to fall in love, least of all with an elf who can't keeps his hands off every woman in sight. No, Goddard and I are similar. We're walking death, after all. She beats her head against the wall in a rhythm, willing herself to be tired.
"I should probably go...I don't want to ruin this."
What did he mean by that, anyway? He looked so sad...
Ibben chatters at her noisely, jumping around the room with his ball, stopping now and then to knock on the floor with the same rhythm she beat her head to.
Victory Master! The shirt has been conquered!
ReplyDelete"Yeah...sure..." He carefully sets up Khadath, the scythe, so he can hang the fabric to dry.
Careful Master...the bottom part will trip you if...
Goddard slips and falls on his tail bone. His eyes fill with tears and he slowly lays on the floor.
Oh Master...that looks like it hurts...
"YA THINK!?" he yells.
Aara hears a loud thump over the sound of the waves, followed by a shout. Opening the door of her cabin, she notices the only closed door. Is that Master's cabin? I can't remember! I better see if he needs help.
ReplyDeleteKnocking softly, she opens the door and peeks inside. "Mast- Goddard? Are you ok?"
Stop human! You cannot just burst in here while Master is naked!
ReplyDelete"I'm not naked!" Goddard yells from the floor.
Excuse me, Master...
Stop human! You cannot just burst in here while Master is half naked!
Aara's stunned to see him lying on the floor, tears in his eyes and shouting. Slipping into the room and closing the door, she kneels next to him. "Are you alright, nuur'eni? I heard you fall."
ReplyDeleteKatarina peers from her door as Aara enters the room. She sighs and shakes her head. "Ilka and the Ataman's son, all over again."
ReplyDeleteSlipping out the door, she checks the pouch Goddard gave her and heads to the hold. Anya could definitely use some attention. Also it should keep me from further stick my nose into the business of those two love birds.
Get back human! Back I say!
ReplyDelete"Will you shut up! She's allowed to be here...sheesh..."
Yes Master!
Goddard sits up. "I'm ok," he passes his hands over his eyes. "I was trying to change into something dry and I fell and hurt myself...I'll be fine."
He scoots back and away from Aara till he backs up into the bed. He pushes himself up and carefully sits down.
Aara sits back on her heels. He said I didn't need to apologize, but he shies away from my touch. I must have insulted him last night. "I can see as much," she says, gathering a long piece of cloth and setting it on the bed next to him. She stands, feeling awkward about being there, but deciding it must be dealt with. "I angered or insulted you last night, and I'm sorry for that. The least you could do is accept my apology and quit running away whenever I enter the same space as you."
ReplyDeleteWithout giving him a chance to answer, she leaves the room, leaving his door open but slamming her own so hard Ibben screamed at her.
"What...what no! Wait! Stupid pants!"
ReplyDeleteWith a tangled mess of fabric around his waist and legs, and no shirt, Goddard stumbles out his cabin and follows Aara. He leans against her closed door.
"I...you didn't let me...um...Aara! Don't be like...like this!"
At the far end of the hallway, Katarina pauses. Fight the urge, Kasha. Let them sort it out. Wait, did he just call her 'stupid pants'?!
ReplyDelete"There is no honor in playing a woman's game, Aara. If you will be indepedent one day, you must play by man's rules, for you live in a man's world." Master Koroush's long-ago words come back to haunt her. Aara opens the door and stares at him. "You don't even know how to properly undress," she said. "You remove the extra silks and linen before you take off the shirt, nuur'eni. Come in, I'll get you untangled."
ReplyDeleteAs she turns and takes a step back toward Goddard, Katarina sees Aara open the door and let Goddard inside.
ReplyDeleteSilenced beyond belief, she turns back around and walks into the hold.
Your first instinct was right, just stay out of it. Surely it can't end as badly as it did with Ilka... there's no way. There's no bears, no pot of boiling oil, no midnight ride after sneaking out of a camp, and most importantly no sacrificed bull. This will be fine... I hope.
"Honestly, I have never had this much trouble undressing anyone," he says confused and practically trips in through her open door.
ReplyDeleteAs Goddard trips, Aara grabbs a loose end of a length of silk and tugs. Goddard is unwound and untangled before he even hits the floor. Left only in his pants now, she almost laughs at his stunned expression. "I trust you know how to get out of those," she adds with a smirk.
ReplyDelete"Yes...and if you want I'll...WAIT! Wait wait wait...First why are you so mad at me?" He sits cross legged on the floor and looks up at her.
ReplyDelete"I already said you did not insult or anger me or anything else bad..."
She's amazed that he's almost on eye level with her- and he's sitting on the floor. "Yes, you said that, but then you got out of the galley as fast your feet would carry you, and a simple smile sent you running off the deck. And then Katarina accuses me of being in love with you and if I need to cry I can come to her. But I have no idea what she's talking about, but I haven't cried since-" Unwittingly, she switches from Reikspeil to Arabyan. "-I was whipped. But you get hurt, and when I try to help you get as far away from me as possible. So either I've done something wrong, or I'm just an idiot and should just leave you alone."
ReplyDeleteShe's been ticking her points off on her fingers, and throws a curse and a dirty look at Ibben when he begins to imitate her.
"But...I...She what?...Huh?...Let me..."
ReplyDeleteHe then looks extremely confused as she starts to speak in her language.
"I...I didn't catch that last part...but I'm sure it wasn't anything good."
He looks down and exhales sharply and inhales again. "Ok...look...plain and simple...I'm sure it was pretty obvious that I wanted to be with you and at first it was just lust but now I actually care but I can't get to close cuz I don't want you to hate me...." He speaks rather quickly, making it sometimes sound like it could possibly be one long word.
He inhales slowly and sort of holds his breath.
Maybe I should move...or look up...no stay still...you might get out of this alive...
Aara stares at him for a long, silent moment. Moving quietly, she sits next to him, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I haven't cried since the day I was whipped," she says softly after a while. "I was seven. After that, I said...well, it's unimportant." She leans her head against his shoulder. "You speak awfully quickly when you're nervous."
ReplyDeleteHe exhales before she begins to speak. He continues to look down, even when she leans against him.
ReplyDeleteI shouldn't do this...but I will...cuz I'm just that dumb...
He puts his arm around her. "You were so young...I'm sorry...and...sorry I just blurted that all out..."
Aara unconsciously leans into him. "It was too long ago to worry about. You don't become Walking Death without a few scars," she jokes, looking up at him. "You know I have to tell Koroush. I just don't know how." She looks at the floor. "It seems Katarina was right," she sighs. "At least partially."
ReplyDeleteGoddard looks at Aara with wide eyes. "Tell him what?...I didn't...I mean...oh boy...And she said what? I think my brain is going to burst..."
ReplyDeleteAara laughs. "Don't look so afraid, nuur'eni. I simply have to give him some kind of warning, let him know that we are untangling this mess, so he doesn't think anything untoward has happened. You needn't fear losing your hands." The boat begins to toss even harder as the storm began, and Aara tugs off her veil as she won't be going anywhere soon. "As for Katarina, she seems to think that you and I..." she trails off, looking at the bed and blushing. "She did not say it outright, but it was heavily implied."
ReplyDelete"Oh merciful Morr," Goddard slaps his own forehead with his other hand. "She...that...I am at such a loss for words today..."
ReplyDeleteHe pauses for a moment. "Except for one more word...it means the same as what you call me...Lecai."
"Lecai." The word feels unfamiliar to her. "It's lovely." Suddenly she remembered her earlier words. "Oh! I asked- you're in-" She covers her mouth with both hands and turning dark red. "You're half naked," she whispers. "In my room. I asked if you knew how to...Uzzaya save me," she moans.
ReplyDelete"Hmmm?" he looks at her and then looks down at himself.
ReplyDeleteThis is your conscious...STOP! RIGHT NOW! Please? PLLLEEEAAASSSE!?
"You're...ah, you're half naked, and earlier I asked if you knew how to take off your pants. And I've never..." She gives another knowing look at the bed. She reaches for the silks she left on the floor and drapes one of them artfully over his shoulder, covering most of his bare chest. "That's...no, that's not better, not really," she mutters. "But it will do."
ReplyDelete"Phew...ahh ok...I need words...I have never been this confused while alone with a woman...you are special..."
ReplyDeleteThoughts of Koroush coming at him with a sword keep popping into his mind.
Adjusting the silk, she traces on of the scars on his upper arm. Though small, they look pretty painful. "How did you do these to yourself?"
ReplyDeleteHe puts his right hand on his left shoulder and crosses his left hand to the right as if hugging himself. "When I get frustrated and angry, I'll sit like this and...yeah...I don't even realize I'm doing anything till later," he says.
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't seem bothered as he explains this to her.
She pulls his hands down from his shoulders, studying his claw-like nails. "They're very sharp," she murmurs, pressing her thumb into one and testing it's edge. "How do you keep from ripping everything to shreds?"
ReplyDelete"I either avoid touching things, which is hard to do, or I'm just really careful," he says touching her hair with his other hand.
ReplyDeleteNO! NO TOUCHY! Quit it Goddard!
She leans into him again, closing her eyes. Oh, that feels nice. They sit like that for some time, the boat rocking them side to side. Lacking sleep, it isn't long before she drifts off to sleep against his shoulder.
ReplyDelete"Aara?" Goddard whispers as he pushes some hair away from her face. "Heh...she fell asleep..."
ReplyDeleteHe carefully picks her up and carries her over to the bed and puts her down. He sighs and he lets her hair fall though his fingers then puts his forehead to hers and whispers something in elven before he goes to head out.
In the hold, Katarina slowly brushes her horse and sings a Kiselvarian lullaby softly to her. She smiles knowingly though.
ReplyDeleteGoddard gathers the damp fabric that goes with the rest in his cabin, and quietly opens the door. He drops the fabric on the floor, and backs up into the room again.
ReplyDelete"I swear to all of your gods and goddesses AND mine...this is not what it looks like..."
Koroush pauses, his face unreadable. He takes a moment to study Goddard's disheveled appearance. "Goddard, my friend, I sincerely hope that is true. Let us hope I do not find Aara in a similar state of undress."
ReplyDeleteHe steps back, giving Goddard room to exit.