Goddard buries his face in her hair and neck and she giggles. Gath ignores them until she lets out a yelp.
"I don't know what sort of stuff you're into, but you can't bite me! Not that hard anyway! Am I bleeding?!"
Gath stands and hurriedly drags Goddard to his feet. "Looks like it's time for us to go my lord."
"I'm not done...I have...so much time..."
"Of course you do, let's go."
Two swaggers down the stairs, looking more smug than ever, and waves to the three women calling and blowing kisses to him from the top. Seeing Gath and Goddard leave the cubbyhole, he spreads his arms and cries out.
ReplyDelete"Sheik! This is a fine place! You may choose all our whorehouses in the Empire!"
***
Aara stares up at him, willing her hands to stillness. "You could only give me what I want," she argues. "Not who."
"He makes you unhappy."
"He makes me blissful."
Aaron tilts his head and frowns. "Not from what I've seen."
"He loves me."
"Enough to love only you?"
Her face goes hard. "That's not fair. You don't know anything."
"I know you want me as much as I want you."
She unwraps the cloak from around her and shoves it at him. "You don't know anything," she repeats, stalking away.
"I know! I'm good at this!" Goddard almost falls as he tries to look behind him at Two with Gath pushing him along. "But my retainer is no fun," he frowns. "Look at him...kicking me out..."
ReplyDelete"You'll thank me later," Gath huffs.
Two follows, almost as drunk. "Where is my lady?" he asks, looking around. "Is she taking advantage of some fussy bucket?"
ReplyDelete***
"Don't go," Aaron pleads, following her. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning- this has been my going away party. What if I never see you again?"
"Then you'll know that gypsy women lie."
Goddard looks at Two as if he had grown another head. "What the hell is that?"
ReplyDelete"I'm too drunk for this," Gath mumbles as he tries to herd Goddard and Two back to the university.
"She was pouting," he slurs. "Needed a little attention from somebody since you haven't taken her to task. So I told her to find herself a man to fuss over her." He looks around behind Gath, nearly tripping them all. "So did she? Is she with him now? Are we coming back for her?"
ReplyDelete***
"Stop following me."
"I'm not following you. I'm seeing you to your lodgings."
"I don't need an escort. I'm perfectly capable of minding myself."
Goddard shoves Two. "You have no idea about anything that goes on between us! You keep your mouth shut. And I don't care who she's with as long as it isn't you! You're...you're..." he gives Gath a pleading look.
ReplyDelete"Disgusting?"
"Yes yes!"
Two shoves him back, laughing like it's a game. "I know what's not going on between you!"
ReplyDelete***
"I don't doubt. A woman like you doesn't need anything...except maybe some tenderness."
She pauses, her hands curled into fists. "You don't know anything about me."
"I know about people. I study them. I knew at a glance you were the woman I was told about. That you're desperate for attention and tenderness."
Aara closes her eyes. "Even if I took if from you, it wouldn't be a real solution. So go away," she demands, stomping away.
"It's a lot more than what will ever happen between you!" Goddard throws a punch.
ReplyDeleteTwo growls when Goddard's punch gets his eye. "Damn it! Finally!" He throws his own punch.
ReplyDelete***
"Where are you going? This isn't the way to the abbey."
"I'm going back to find my friends."
"Why? So he can ignore you?" he asks, grabbing her elbow.
Aara swings around and punches his jaw. "Do not touch me."
Two's punch lands a hit right on his nose. A thin line of blood trickles down. "I never used to have one of these anyway!" he snarls and tries to tackle him to the ground.
ReplyDeleteGath takes a few steps back and contemplates if he should let them kill each other or if he should break up their fight.
"According to her, it's not the only thing you haven't got!"
ReplyDelete***
Aaron cradles his jaw, then wiggles it a bit. "You have quite a punch."
"I liked you," she says accusingly. "I might have slept with you tonight. All you had to do was kiss me, romance me a little, and not mention him. I'd've gone to you as easily as a lamb to slaughter, and he wouldn't have minded in the least."
"You're lying!" Goddard claws at his face.
ReplyDeleteTwo catches his wrists and holds them away, panting. "Then show her," he says. "Court her a little, give her another one of your damn flowers, quit telling her things and show her."
ReplyDelete***
Aaron watches her walk away, quickly engulfed in the fog. It seems gypsy women do lie...
"That's enough." Gath grabs Goddard by the back of his robes and pulls him away from Two. In one smooth movement, he catches Goddard's head under his arm.
ReplyDelete"Let me go," Goddard growls. "I'll bite you!"
"Do it and I'll rip your little teeth out."
Aara approaches the brothel in time to hear Goddard and Gath. "What's going on?" she asks, coming out of the mist. "Goddard! Have you been fighting again?"
ReplyDeleteHe points a finger at Two, still trapped under Gath's arm. "He started it! I'll cut his tongue out and use it in a potion!"
ReplyDeleteShe grabs his finger and forces his hand down. "You most certainly will not," she tells him. She rounds on Two. "What happened?"
ReplyDeleteHe shrugs, rubbing his swelling eye. "I asked if you ran off with someone, and if we were coming back for you. I thought you were in one of the rooms. Then he swung at me," he says, pointing to his eye. "So I swung back."
"No! It wasn't something that simple! You said something about me and Aara!"
ReplyDeleteShe narrows her eyes at the both of them. "Rafiq..."
ReplyDeleteHe shrugs, giving her winning smile before wincing and covering his eye. "Technically I said something not about you and him," he explains. "I told them what I told you about you needing a little attention and some fuss made over you, since he hasn't laid a hand on you in gods know when."
"What?"
"I wouldn't have cared if he left it at the first part, but he had to keep going. He's jealous."
ReplyDelete"Shall I drag him away?" Gath asks Aara.
"No I'm not! You're the one who starts swinging every time the thought of her being with someone else comes out!"
ReplyDelete"Thank you, but that's unnecessary." Aara opens and closes her fists a few times, taking deep, even breaths. "How embarrassing," she says quietly, "to know that something to intimate and should be kept between two people is commonly discussed on the doorstep of a whorehouse. I'm ashamed of both of you." She turns on her heel and starts walking in the direction of the abbey.
Gath drags Goddard with him. "Come along my lord. Bed time or at least time to sober up."
ReplyDeleteTwo pouts and follows, his shoulders slumping until he remembers the night he's had. With a grin, he cheers up and starts to swagger again.
ReplyDelete"He is indeed...something else," Gath whispers in eltharin.
ReplyDelete"I can't see!"
Aara calmly walks ahead of them, back straight and stiff. I'm just going to learn this lesson, she tells herself. The next time I'm propositioned, I'm just going to take whoever it is up on it.
ReplyDelete"Hey Sheik," Two says merrily, moving up alongside Goddard. "That was some whorehouse."
Gath reaches over with his free hand and with minimal twisting, traps Two under his other arm. "Did you think I was going to let you just harass my lord in such a manner?"
ReplyDelete"Hey! Hey that was a compliment!" he says, struggling against Gath. "I mean it! Who doesn't like drink, women, and a decent fight? I'm pretty happy with events! Lemmego!"
ReplyDelete"I could stifle you both with a good squeeze if I wanted to," he mumbles, looking straight ahead.
ReplyDeleteWith a sigh of resignation, Two gives up his struggle and shuffles along. "We are a little embarrassing, aren't we, Sheik?" he mumbles. "She's pretty mad..."
ReplyDelete"Don't talk to me!" Goddard snaps.
ReplyDelete"All right, then. Hey Four!" he shouts. "Come back here!"
ReplyDelete"Don't talk to her either!"
ReplyDelete"Don't tell me what to do! You're not my lady! Four! Hey Four!"
ReplyDelete"If she tells me to snap your neck, I will. Without hesitation."
ReplyDeleteGoddard laughs.
"I will only hesitate but a moment to snap yours my lord."
Goddard goes silent and sighs.
Aara spins around and crosses her arms, tapping her foot while they approach. "What do you want?" she demands.
ReplyDeleteLooking almost apologetic, Two looks up at her. "I'm sorry." He frowns, cocking his head and shuffling forward, pulling Gath and Goddard with him while he looks at her. "Hey, who'd you punch?"
Gath lets them both go but grabs onto Goddard's elbow.
ReplyDelete"I won't do anything," Goddard says trying to keep his balance. "Just please make the world stop spinning."
Aara doesn't say anything but glares at them. Two straightens up and grabs her hand, turning it this way and that. "Whoever it was, you got them good. Look at that," he says, tugging on her to show Goddard and Gath. "She hit so hard it split the skin."
ReplyDelete"I know she can hit hard," Goddard snorts. "And she can hit whoever she wants. I'm sure they deserved it."
ReplyDeleteTwo looks up at her sharply. "Was some guy harassing you? You just show him to me, I'll pummel him into-"
ReplyDelete"I'm going to punch you if you don't stop," she interrupts. "Do you even know why I'm mad?"
Two looks sheepishly at Goddard and then back to her. "Because I hit your Sheik?"
"And?"
"I'm a bad retainer?"
"One hundred percent that last one," Goddard snickers.
ReplyDelete"Shut up, yours is hardly better." She looks back at Two. "And?"
ReplyDeleteHe shuffles his feet. "Because I'm not supposed to talk about something everyone knows? Awww, come on Four, I sleep practically at your feet every night! It's common knowledge that you and he-" He bites his tongue. "Because I'm the worst retainer ever."
She nods and spins back around to start walking. "Who do you think she hit?" he whispers.
"I won't tell you who I think it may be just to watch you squirm," Goddard grins.
ReplyDeleteHe shrugs. "She'll tell me. She won't stay mad long."
ReplyDeleteGoddard crosses his arms. "That's no fun. I want her to hate you forever."
ReplyDeleteHe grins. "And I want her to fall out of love with you. Guess nobody gets what they want."
ReplyDeleteGoddard stares daggers into Two and then quickly looks up at Gath. "That's starting to hurt."
ReplyDelete"I'm trying to keep you from killing him in front of all these people."
He grins and goes to catch up with Aara, throwing an arm around her. "Are you still mad?"
ReplyDelete"Yes."
"To be fair, you knew me before you agreed to bring me along."
"I thought you could at least keep your mouth shut. You're as rude as Gath. I'm ashamed of you."
"Awww, come on. Forgive me..."
"No."
"That's not fair. I'd forgive you anything."
She looks up at him blankly. "And yet I've done nothing to forgive."
Goddard gingerly touches his nose. "Is it broken? It had better not be broken."
ReplyDelete"I'll snap is back into place when we get back."
Goddard covers his nose with a hand. "You wouldn't..."
"I would."
Two shakes her gently. "You can't be mad forever."
ReplyDelete"I can try."
He stumbles a bit and uses her to regain his balance. "So who was it? The fuss maker?"
She smiles softly. "His name was Aaron."
Two throws his hands in the air and lets out a war cry.
The elves tense up then glare at Two.
ReplyDelete"I hate him," Goddard mumbles.
Aara laughs, and he pulls her close in a one armed hug. "Do you feel better?" he asks.
ReplyDeleteShe shrugs. "Oh, I don't know. I think Goddard got a little jealous. He can read mudras."
"What? Where is he? Did the Sheik run him off?"
"I did, actually..."
"Four...did you punch the man who made you feel better?"
"Maybe one day she'll get tired of him and let you kill him...no...ask you to kill him."
ReplyDeleteGoddard laughs. "I doubt."
She grins. "Only once, on the jaw."
ReplyDelete"Four!"
"He deserved it!"
Two looks down at her sternly and wags a finger at her. "That was very rude of you."
"It isn't rude! If he deserved it, he deserved it!" Goddard yells, unable to get close enough to possibly knock him over for such a comment.
ReplyDelete"Hey! You stay back there and be quiet!"
ReplyDelete"Make me!"
ReplyDelete"Shut up!" Aara snaps. "You two are enough to drive me insane! Can't you just get along for a little while, instead of constantly bickering like children?"
ReplyDelete"Let me rip his tongue out and we'll be fine! I'll make it fast. He won;t ever bother either of us ever again!"
ReplyDeleteAara sighs and shrugs off Two's arm. "Just stop," she mutters, wrapping her arms around herself.
ReplyDelete"I messed up huh?" Goddard whispers to Gath.
ReplyDelete"Yes."
Two walks close to her but doesn't touch her. "He made you smile, though?" he asks softly. "That's good."
ReplyDeleteShe nods. "Yes, he made me smile."
"Will you tell me later?"
She shrugs. "Can you act like a grown up till later?"
He chuckles. "I can try."
"I'm not surprised she punched him," Goddard mumbles. "He was asking for it from the very start. Maybe he'll leave her alone."
ReplyDeleteAara shivers. "This fog is cold," she mutters.
ReplyDeleteTwo pulls off his long jacket and drapes it over her. "We'll be there soon."
Wrapping it close, she looks up at him. "You have a warm cloak? It's going to get much colder."
Two nods and tucks her under his arm, kissing the top of her head. "I'm fine, Four."
"Look at him...thinking that's going to do anything...that...worm..."
ReplyDeleteAara tries to hide her smile. "You're still in trouble."
ReplyDelete"Don't worry, you'll forgive me."
"You're sleeping on the couch in the main room."
"So...forgiveness tomorrow?"
"Did that just work?! How!? No...come on Aara, punch his face off!"
ReplyDeleteAara looks over her shoulder. "Effort counts."
ReplyDelete"I made an effort," Two teases, sticking his tongue out.
"Make that the floor, not the couch."
"Damn it, Four!"
"With no pillow."
"You missed your opportunity to remove his tongue my lord," Gath snickers.
ReplyDeleteWhen they reach the abbey, Aara gestures for Two to go up to their suite. "Go on," I'm not ready for bed."
ReplyDeleteHis brow furrows. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Just restless. I'll be up soon."
"Heading back out?" Goddard asks Aara. "Need a good body guard?"
ReplyDeleteShe holds a hand out to him with a small smile. "Only if you promise to be a particularly impressive hero," she stipulates.
ReplyDeleteGoddard takes her hand with a smile. "I promise to try my best."
ReplyDelete"Your history of heroism makes me give you pretty good odds."
ReplyDeleteHe tucks her arm under his. "Where would you like to go? Just a walk? Drinks? Food?" Goddard leans in close. "No more of that other stuff," he chuckles before giving her a peck on the cheek.
ReplyDeleteShe smiles and leans into him. "A walk, I think. Unless you're hungry?"
ReplyDelete"Starving! But let's walk first. Then I can drink and eat until I'm so full and so drunk, I pass out and maybe sleep."
ReplyDeleteShe laughs. "You're always starving." They walk a little before she speaks again. "I won't do it, you know," she tells him. "Take his name. I can't."
ReplyDeleteGoddard's mood changes and his gaze moves to the ground. "I know. Were you around when I had a bit of a...moment? I didn't mean any of it."
ReplyDelete"No. I didn't feel like I belonged there. Not for that." She stands on her toes and kisses his shoulder. "I didn't mean to make you sad, nuur'eni. I just wanted you to hear it from me."
ReplyDelete"You already told me you wouldn't and I knew that. I just...forgot." He pauses for a moment. "Why would you think you didn't belong?"
ReplyDelete"You know why."
ReplyDeleteHe kisses the top of her head and wraps his arms around her, hugging her. "I'm pretty sure you belong right here," he chuckles.
ReplyDeleteShe buries her face against him, reveling in the moment. "In spite of size difference, we're a good fit."
ReplyDeleteHe holds her tightly. "With a lot of glue and twine, yes, we fit."
ReplyDeleteShe looks up and taps his nose. "Not so much glue and twine. I'd say..." She grins. "I'd say magic."
ReplyDelete"Merciful Morr!" he quickly covers his nose with his hand. "You know Two punched my right?"
ReplyDelete"What? He did?" She covers her mouth, trying not to laugh. "I'm sorry!"
ReplyDeleteGoddard removes his hand and smiles. "Will you always believe you've hurt my nose?" he laughs.
ReplyDelete"Goddard!" She hits his chest lightly. "That's not funny!"
ReplyDelete"Yes it is. And I'm sure it will continue to be."
ReplyDeleteShe sticks out her bottom lip dramatically. "One day I'm going to get you back."
ReplyDelete"I look forward to it."
ReplyDelete"It'll be good. You're going to be terrified. And I will laugh manically."
ReplyDelete"Ooooh I really can't wait now. Especially for that laugh. I'm not sure you'd have it in you."
ReplyDeleteShe pinches his side. "Oh, I have it. And now you have to wait, knowing I'm plotting."
ReplyDelete"We'll see," he laughs. "And no fair. I can't even poke you back. Might end up stabbing you."
ReplyDelete"Not my fault you've let them go," she teases with a shrug.
ReplyDelete"You know I can't help it. Can't be a monster without claws."
ReplyDelete"Oh yes, the terrifying cuddlebug rears its head," she giggles. "Are you sure you aren't a flower? Even roses have thorns."
ReplyDelete"Lecai..." he says softly and smiles, one of the most genuine smiles she's seen in a while.
ReplyDeleteThe look on his face makes her heart thud, and she smiles back. That smile. He hasn't smiled like that in a long time. "Yes?"
ReplyDelete"Even when you're trying to pick on me, you say the most perfect things," he chuckles, gently kissing her on the lips.
ReplyDeleteShe sighs, pulling him closer, certain he can hear the way her heart races for him.
ReplyDelete"I'm sorry I don't give you the attention you need," he says softly.
ReplyDeleteShe breaks eye contact. "You don't have to apologize."
ReplyDelete"Yes I do. It hurts you. Worse than all the bites and scratches. I don't know why you say the wonderful things you say. Why you feel the way you do about me. You must see something I don't, just like how I can see the winds."
ReplyDeleteShe shrugs. "The bites and scratches don't hurt. I hardly notice them." She looks up at him and lets out a soft laugh. "I must be as crazy as you, then. Because I see so much that's worthy of my feelings." She squeezes him tight for a moment, then reluctantly steps out of his embrace. "Come on, let's go find something to eat. It's getting late."
ReplyDeleteGoddard nods and wraps an arm around Aara, holding her close as they walk. "I would rather have your ability to see the good in things than what I saw in the moon earlier." He sighs and fights the urge to look up at the sky.
ReplyDelete"It's something the Mashi Al'Maut are taught by our teachers. Otherwise we'd be a little too free with our skills. What happened with the moon? I was far more interested in getting out of that cage."
ReplyDelete"That 'dress' was just a little ridiculous," he chuckles. "But one of the moons, Moorslieb, is made of warp stone. I looked up at the Eclipse, thinking I was going to see something beautiful but it was the opposite. It was terrifying. It was as if I looked into a portal to the Wastes."
ReplyDelete"That does sound awful. I'm sorry it wasn't what you expected."
ReplyDelete"I'm not sure why I even thought I'd see something good in that," he shrugs.
ReplyDelete"Oh I've got to work on a painting too. It'll be an interesting comparison," Goddard says thoughtfully. "The way a human sees the winds is very different than how an elf sees them. At least temporarily."
"A painting? Of the winds? That will be interesting. Will it take long?"
ReplyDelete"It shouldn't take too long. Did you see the one she had? The human was chained down and trapped. It was very strange. I understood perfectly that feeling, but that isn't how I usually see everything."
ReplyDeleteShe shakes her head. "Two and I were pretty focused on keeping me upright."
ReplyDelete"Hopefully he made himself useful when it came to that. He's pretty useless."
ReplyDelete"He is not useless, just wretched at keeping his mouth shut." She frowns. "He shouldn't have said all that earlie about my needing attention. That was none of his business."
ReplyDeleteGoddard shrugs. "If you need it you need it. That'd be like being hungry but not telling anyone," he chuckles.
ReplyDeleteShe grins. "Haven't you noticed that I don't ask for much? It's not really my way..."
ReplyDelete"Well you should! You know, you should ask Two for foot rubs, and make him clean everything and bring you food while you rest in bed. Give him a work out."
ReplyDeleteShe laughs. "Oh he would hate that! But do would I. I'd like to see Gath giving you a foot rub."
ReplyDelete"Gath would agree to it and then use the opportunity to cut my foot off. I'm not sure I'd trust him with any of the things I suggested you do with Two," he laughs and then after a pause says, "Alright I would but I probably shouldn't."
ReplyDelete"Is it hard to trust them?" she asks. "It is for me. Rafiq wants so badly for me to confide in him. And I'm not sure I'd ever really trust Gath," she laughs.
ReplyDelete"I trust Gath more than I trust Two. But I only trust him when it comes to me. I wouldn't trust him to not stab someone else...where is he by the way?" He looks around. "Not stabbing someone I hope," he sighs and shakes his head.
ReplyDelete"Gath is kin, it makes sense for you to trust him. It's the same with Two and me- I know him better than my own brother."
ReplyDelete"True. The thing is, I shouldn't trust my kin. Not that branch on the family tree anyway."
ReplyDelete"But it's different, I know. Easier to trust an elf before a human." She grins. "And I've noticed that you like to do things you probably shouldn't."
ReplyDelete"Yes wait no!" He takes a deep breath. "Humans are more likely to react badly to me," he laughs.
ReplyDeleteHe raises a brow. "What things have I done that I shouldn't? I'm always careful."
Her grin widens. "Just things."
ReplyDelete"What you think I shouldn't do and what I think I shouldn't do may be two different things."
ReplyDeleteShe laughs. "Probably. I'm sure you could be more careful than you are. But I'm also sure you could say the same of me."
ReplyDelete"I don't think you should hang around Two," he laughs. "But you're smart. You can handle all your shoulds and shouldn'ts."
ReplyDelete"Your opinion of him is awfully low," she snickers. "Especially since his opinion of you is so high."
ReplyDeleteGoddard laughs loudly. "I'm sorry. two thinks highly of me? Are we talking about the same Two?"
ReplyDeleteShe nods. "He likes you very much in general. Not so much where I am concerned."
ReplyDelete"I would have never guessed that. And he's just jealous."
ReplyDelete"Protective," she corrects. "He tried courting me once, not long after Ustadh died. It didn't work then, either."
ReplyDelete"And you see that as protective?" He clears his throat. "Oh Aara turned me down but fell for some elf. Why? I'm going to keep trying while I insult this elf who's better than me without trying," he says mocking Two's voice.
ReplyDeleteShe laughs, clutching her stomach. "Oh no, it wasn't like that," she explains through giggles. "I was eighteen and full of ideas of dying like a hero while protecting my prince. Daydreams had already nearly gotten me killed, so I wasn't interested." She wraps her arm tightly around Goddard's waist. "You changed that. If anything, he's jealous of what you stand for, and not necessarily you."
ReplyDelete"I don't mind that he's jealous of me in any form. I think it's funny and I can use it against him."
ReplyDeleteShe looks away slyly. "You...ah...seemed pretty jealous yourself. Earlier. With Aaron around." She glances up at his profile as they walk. "But couldn't have been. You never get jealous."
ReplyDelete"I-I wasn't jealous! I just didn't trust him with his lies! Did you see Gath? Even he didn't like him and Gath sees you in a completely different way than I see you."
ReplyDelete"Gath doesn't like anyone. And your not liking him didn't have anything to do whether or not he lied," she teased. "Two says you get jealous at the mere thought of another man fussing over me. And Gath said something similar."
ReplyDelete"Gath doesn't like me?" Goddard says sadly before his ears snap up. "I am not!" he huffs. "Anyone can fuss over you! And you can do whatever you want! I just don't trust sneaky liars like Aaron. And I don't like Two because he's trying to make you just his! Or something like that..."
ReplyDeleteShe raises a brow at his outburst. "And what's wrong with belonging to just one person? There's not enough of me to belong to much more," she jokes.
ReplyDelete"Nothing is wrong with that! It's just that...I mean...do you want to love Two instead of me? At least give me warning or let me know now."
ReplyDeleteShe stops walking and grabs the collar of his robes. "I only want to love you. Insane, sad, funny, attractive you." She pulls his face down to kiss him. "I only want to belong to you. And for a part of you to belong to me. Get that through your adorable skull, will you?" She laughs and hugs him tightly. "This relationship is what I want."
ReplyDeleteGoddard smiles. "Then...I guess Two can try all he wants. I'll just grin, knowing what I know."
ReplyDeleteShe narrows one eye at him, curious about why he isn't arguing with her over it. He always argues over it, she thinks. "Good. He's probably just trying to get your attention, anyway. I know for a fact he's jealous of our reputations," she adds smugly.
ReplyDeleteGoddard rubs his hands together. "That's good to know. I'll be sure to rub that in his face more often."
ReplyDelete"Be gentle with him," she laughs. "I don't want any more fighting between you."
ReplyDelete"I can't guarantee anything." He grabs his nose and gently bends it. "He makes it too easy to want to knock his teeth out. Then I could make a whole set of jewelry."
ReplyDelete"He had that one replaced," she tells him. "It's gold, with his name carved into it."
ReplyDeleteAn almost evil grin creeps across his face. "I know what I'm going for next time."
ReplyDeleteAara pinches his arm. "You will not. No more fighting, or else I'm dumping both of you in a hole and going to Kislev to be Katarina's chamber maid."
ReplyDelete"You'd never do that!" he gasps. "It's so cold and Katarina is the coldest icicle I've ever seen and I've seen many icicles."
ReplyDelete"I would. She's already promised me a room with my own heat source," she informs him. "So no fighting." She looks up at him sweetly, opening her eyes wide. "You can handle that, can't you, nuur'eni? Being the better man?"
ReplyDeleteGoddard grits his teeth. "I will at least...try. However, I feel I will still be the better man anyway."
ReplyDeleteShe gives him a brilliant smile and raises his hand to kiss his knuckles. "I'd hate for you to bruise your knuckles pulverizing him. And since I'm not paying him, he can only afford so many gold teeth."
ReplyDelete"I suppose I could break his nose instead? A finger? Multiple fingers? I might be able to use his ear in a potion..."
ReplyDelete"Goddard!"
ReplyDelete"What!? This isn't anything new. Have you seen what's on this belt? It could be useful."
ReplyDelete"Nothing of Two's goes onto that belt unless he willingly gives it to you," she demands. "Or...or I won't kiss you ever," she threatens emptily.
ReplyDeleteHe grins and gently runs a claw along her jaw and under her chin. "I don't believe you."
ReplyDeleteShe forces her face to be expressionless, but it's hard. "I mean it."
ReplyDelete"All you'll have left are humans with their funny, not amazing kisses."
ReplyDeleteThis time she smirks up at him. "I can teach them. I myself have been a great student with lots of study."
ReplyDelete"It won't be the same. And you'll come and try to steal kisses from me."
ReplyDelete"I do not steal kisses," she argues. "I ask for them."
ReplyDelete"You don't have to ask for any from me."
ReplyDelete"You can be a little greedy with them."
ReplyDelete"Should we make this a game? Should I keep them from you?" he laughs. "You'll never be able to reach up to get them." Goddard stands straight and seems to be taller than he was before.
ReplyDeleteShe grins and jumps up, wrapping her legs around his waist and his arms around his shoulders, pinning his to his sides. Nose to nose, she giggles. "I may not reach, but I can climb," she tells him, rubbing her nose against his.
ReplyDelete"Aara! There's people around! Somewhere!" he whispers, trying not to laugh. "You'd do this in public?"
ReplyDeleteShe plants little kisses along his jaw, giggling. "I just did."
ReplyDeleteHe slowly moves in to kiss her lips before he turns away quickly with a laugh.
ReplyDeleteAghast, she nips the tip of his nose. "You wretch," she says lovingly.
ReplyDelete"This is fun," he chuckles. "But, may I have my arms back?"
ReplyDelete"What will you do with them?"
ReplyDelete"Nothing," he grins.
ReplyDeleteShe shrugs and shifts her arms to wrap around his neck, freeing his shoulders and arms. "Fair enough, I guess," she laughs.
ReplyDeleteHe bites his lip. "This isn't what I meant. You're just making things worse."
ReplyDeleteEyes wide, she gives him an innocent look. "You did ask for your arms back, and I gave them to you."
ReplyDelete"You were supposed to climb down. Aren't we supposed to be eating? Should we skip food? Are you trying to tell me you don't want to eat?"
ReplyDeleteShe nuzzles his neck, laughing softly. "Goddard...am I making you nervous?"
ReplyDelete"You want the truth?"
ReplyDeleteShe pulls back, frowning. "Yes."
ReplyDeleteHe laughs. "Don't look so upset. But yes...yes you are...Merciful Morr..."
ReplyDeleteShe smiles. "Don't you mean Sigmar's Sausage?"
ReplyDelete"That doesn't help," he chuckles. "I need Morr to end this torture you keep putting me through."
ReplyDeleteLaughing, she climbs down, taking her time. "It's about time I started torturing you," she teases. "Sometimes I think you're simply out to drive me mad."
ReplyDelete"You always torture me," he says, sounding relieved when she climbs down. "I'm not as strong as you are when it comes to that."
ReplyDeleteShe laughs. "You think I'm strong? After four years a look still makes me weak in the knees, Goddard. It's all I can do to not pull you into a dark corner or closet most days."
ReplyDelete"You'd have to catch me pretty drunk to drag me into a closet like that," he chuckles and then stops suddenly. "Is that what I do?"
ReplyDeleteShe nods. "Yes, just not to me."
ReplyDelete"I'd never do that to you."
ReplyDeleteShe scowls up at him. "Why in seven hells not?" she demands. "Do I always have to have a properly set scene?"
ReplyDeleteHe looks at her surprised then laughs. "Aara, I did that so women wouldn't see..." he lowers his voice, "you know...I don't have to hide from you."
ReplyDelete"I know, but sometimes I just want the fun of it."
ReplyDelete"I'll remember that," he grins slyly. "This has been such an enlightening night!"
ReplyDelete