Twosday prompt
Tell us about a triumph, and about a failure
Okay so well, rather than a character telling about one, it developed into a dialogue between two of my characters as they were talking at an inn or a tavern as they traveled north. There is a lot of back story behind these two but suffice to say that theirs is a complicated romance and this is just a glimpse into it. This bit also starts off in the middle of the dialogue (because that's how it wanted to be written). But It started out with Laurelei wanting to know more about Dace and asking him to tell her about his greatest triumphs and his biggest failure.
"The phrase 'win some, lose some' slips so easily to mind here. Winning and losing go hand in hand it seems. If you win at anything, that means someone always looses, even if it is the heavens themselves. Anyway, you want to know two things about me, a triumph and a failure? Well, that will cost you." He smiled just a little at her. He leaned back to survey her.
Laurelei sighed. She hated when Dace became mysterious like this. He could tease her for hours on end with just a few implied words and a shrug or two. The worst thing was, she had no other way of prying things out of him.
"Alright, what is the price?" She demanded, giving in, as she always did to her own curiosity.
Dace smiled more, which was a good thing since smiles were so rare on his otherwise usually stern face, "I'll have to think on it. Just consider it as you owing me one," he teased.
Again she sighed, rolling her eyes. She knew Dace would never ask for things beyond her abilities, but that was small comfort when he was grinning the way he was.
"Fine. Now are you going to tell me what I asked, or am I going to have to make up some wild story involving you?"
Now it was his turn to roll his eyes as he leaned forwards again. When he spoke, his voice was soft and low, "I'll tell you about a failure first and save the best for last." He winked to her, a strangely human gesture that nevertheless always endeared him to her, no matter how much she refused to admit it.
"When I was just a child, I took to life on the streets more as something to do than because I needed to live that way. I enjoyed the thrill of pickpocketing for a long time and was getting pretty good at it until the day I was caught for the first time. I was trying to steal from some fat, old noble woman walking through the lower market one day when she caught me with my hand in her overly large purse. She had her manservant strip my pants off me right then and there so that I stood half naked in the middle of the market. She then proceeded to cane me with her sun parasol which I might add was made of fine Juduko bamboo, while her manservant kept me from running off. The caning itself didn't hurt half as much as the embarrassment of being punished half naked in front of an entire square full of onlookers. I think my face was redder than my behind by the time she finished. She kept my pants too, and I had to run home half naked."
She stared at him, her mouth slightly opened, "You can't be serious!" She finally said once Dace stopped talking.
He nodded, his face as serious as ever, "Oh yes. It was nearly a month before I dared show my face in public again. It still is the most embarrassing failure of my life."
Laurelei tried to keep the grin off her face, but it managed to sneak on anyway, "Some how I have a hard time generating sympathy for you." She said chuckling.
Dace huffed putting on an air of uncharacteristic, injured self pride, "Well, that attitude makes me not want to tell you about my greatest triumph."
Struggling, Laurelei managed to hide her grin, though it was hard with Dace continuing to look so comically wounded. After what seemed an age, she finally managed to look at him without feeling like bursting into laughter.
"I'm sorry Dace," She muttered, trying to stay tight lipped lest a giggle slip out, "Please continue."
Dace grinned to her immediately dropping his act of injured pride, "That's better!"
Looking at his grinning face, caused Laurelei to break out into a large smile that dimpled her cheeks. She leaned forwards as well, a task made all the more difficult by the circular edge of the table and her own rounded belly, "So are you going to tell me or what?" she demanded, still smiling.
"Always so impatient!" Dace said looking up towards the rafters of the common room with an exaggerated sigh, "Fine. I'll tell you about my greatest triumph, that is, if you really want to know." He looked at her seriously then, quirking one sable black eyebrow up, "Do you really want to know?"
"If I have to ask one more time Dace, I can't guarantee what might happen to this mug here," She said fingering the mug of apple cider that had been sitting half empty by her elbow for some time now.
"Alright, but there really is no need to get so violent." Dace frowned, his face looking serious once more. Laurelei knew this again was yet another act. It reminded her so much of her former lover that it sent a momentary stab of pain through her heart just to think of him. Felling that now was not the time or the place to dwell on him, she pushed those thoughts away and instead focused on Dace once more.
"Well you see my biggest triumph I have to say, was... having the courage to meet you." He said it softly, catching Laurelei's brown eyes with his own deep dark blue eyes.
Expecting some tale of braggadocio, his sudden, heartfelt confession caused her to pause. She searched his face, looking for some sign that he was teasing, but found nothing. His face was open, honest and unmasked for once, allowing her to see Dace as if for the first time. She knew better than to ask if he really meant it. In fact she knew better than to doubt the honesty of his words. Her momentary pang about Tibby was replaced completely by the wash of love she felt for Dace.
Okay so well, rather than a character telling about one, it developed into a dialogue between two of my characters as they were talking at an inn or a tavern as they traveled north. There is a lot of back story behind these two but suffice to say that theirs is a complicated romance and this is just a glimpse into it. This bit also starts off in the middle of the dialogue (because that's how it wanted to be written). But It started out with Laurelei wanting to know more about Dace and asking him to tell her about his greatest triumphs and his biggest failure.
"The phrase 'win some, lose some' slips so easily to mind here. Winning and losing go hand in hand it seems. If you win at anything, that means someone always looses, even if it is the heavens themselves. Anyway, you want to know two things about me, a triumph and a failure? Well, that will cost you." He smiled just a little at her. He leaned back to survey her.
Laurelei sighed. She hated when Dace became mysterious like this. He could tease her for hours on end with just a few implied words and a shrug or two. The worst thing was, she had no other way of prying things out of him.
"Alright, what is the price?" She demanded, giving in, as she always did to her own curiosity.
Dace smiled more, which was a good thing since smiles were so rare on his otherwise usually stern face, "I'll have to think on it. Just consider it as you owing me one," he teased.
Again she sighed, rolling her eyes. She knew Dace would never ask for things beyond her abilities, but that was small comfort when he was grinning the way he was.
"Fine. Now are you going to tell me what I asked, or am I going to have to make up some wild story involving you?"
Now it was his turn to roll his eyes as he leaned forwards again. When he spoke, his voice was soft and low, "I'll tell you about a failure first and save the best for last." He winked to her, a strangely human gesture that nevertheless always endeared him to her, no matter how much she refused to admit it.
"When I was just a child, I took to life on the streets more as something to do than because I needed to live that way. I enjoyed the thrill of pickpocketing for a long time and was getting pretty good at it until the day I was caught for the first time. I was trying to steal from some fat, old noble woman walking through the lower market one day when she caught me with my hand in her overly large purse. She had her manservant strip my pants off me right then and there so that I stood half naked in the middle of the market. She then proceeded to cane me with her sun parasol which I might add was made of fine Juduko bamboo, while her manservant kept me from running off. The caning itself didn't hurt half as much as the embarrassment of being punished half naked in front of an entire square full of onlookers. I think my face was redder than my behind by the time she finished. She kept my pants too, and I had to run home half naked."
She stared at him, her mouth slightly opened, "You can't be serious!" She finally said once Dace stopped talking.
He nodded, his face as serious as ever, "Oh yes. It was nearly a month before I dared show my face in public again. It still is the most embarrassing failure of my life."
Laurelei tried to keep the grin off her face, but it managed to sneak on anyway, "Some how I have a hard time generating sympathy for you." She said chuckling.
Dace huffed putting on an air of uncharacteristic, injured self pride, "Well, that attitude makes me not want to tell you about my greatest triumph."
Struggling, Laurelei managed to hide her grin, though it was hard with Dace continuing to look so comically wounded. After what seemed an age, she finally managed to look at him without feeling like bursting into laughter.
"I'm sorry Dace," She muttered, trying to stay tight lipped lest a giggle slip out, "Please continue."
Dace grinned to her immediately dropping his act of injured pride, "That's better!"
Looking at his grinning face, caused Laurelei to break out into a large smile that dimpled her cheeks. She leaned forwards as well, a task made all the more difficult by the circular edge of the table and her own rounded belly, "So are you going to tell me or what?" she demanded, still smiling.
"Always so impatient!" Dace said looking up towards the rafters of the common room with an exaggerated sigh, "Fine. I'll tell you about my greatest triumph, that is, if you really want to know." He looked at her seriously then, quirking one sable black eyebrow up, "Do you really want to know?"
"If I have to ask one more time Dace, I can't guarantee what might happen to this mug here," She said fingering the mug of apple cider that had been sitting half empty by her elbow for some time now.
"Alright, but there really is no need to get so violent." Dace frowned, his face looking serious once more. Laurelei knew this again was yet another act. It reminded her so much of her former lover that it sent a momentary stab of pain through her heart just to think of him. Felling that now was not the time or the place to dwell on him, she pushed those thoughts away and instead focused on Dace once more.
"Well you see my biggest triumph I have to say, was... having the courage to meet you." He said it softly, catching Laurelei's brown eyes with his own deep dark blue eyes.
Expecting some tale of braggadocio, his sudden, heartfelt confession caused her to pause. She searched his face, looking for some sign that he was teasing, but found nothing. His face was open, honest and unmasked for once, allowing her to see Dace as if for the first time. She knew better than to ask if he really meant it. In fact she knew better than to doubt the honesty of his words. Her momentary pang about Tibby was replaced completely by the wash of love she felt for Dace.