Open Post (but Galwyn and Lucan would be appreciated).

[fingersofleaf]

Work is good, and there's always something to be done on a farm, but it's good to rest sometimes, too--which is why Percy is stretched out in the sun, warm all over like a toasted tangerine. His bare toes are buried in the warm, crumbly dirt, and he's pulled off his t-shirt, too, because eeee sun, after such a long winter, and the feel of it on his

Comments

[star_in_night]

"Hello--" Elaine stops beside him, a cooling shadow.

[fingersofleaf]

Percy opens his eyes and looks at her upside down. "--Hi! How are you?"

[star_in_night]

"I'm fine. I was just coming for the laundry." She stoops to pick up his shirt, smiling at him sideways.

[fingersofleaf]

"Hey!" and he gets up quickly, with a fresh laugh. "I might need that!" Fondly teasing.

[star_in_night]

She laughs too, dropping her eyes, and hands it back. "It'll have grass stains."

[fingersofleaf]

"I know. All my stuff does," suddenly sheepish. "Thanks for doing it anyway."

[star_in_night]

"I don't mind, really." She tucks her hands together in front of her, demure. She's holding a book, a slender hardbound volume. "I like having something useful to do."

[fingersofleaf]

"It's still nice of you." He laughs again. "--What're you readin'?"

[star_in_night]

Her eyes flicker. "I found it. In the library." She hesitates a moment, and then extends it toward him: Idylls of the King.

[fingersofleaf]

He takes it and looks at it curiously. "Oh! It's about us."

[star_in_night]

Elaine nods, her cheeks pink. "It's -- that one. You remember I told you --"

[fingersofleaf]

"I remember!" Carefully he turns it over and rustles the pages--really he reads very poorly, so he can't understand much of what's written there, but he sees his name and puts a hand down on the page to catch it, turning his head to her enquiringly.