hee
A remix of lorataprose's Communication, found here.
Crap, ey was right, maybe this wasn't the best idea. Can you blame me for wanting to show em off? Ailean's so pretty, this quiet prettiness that gets nicer and nicer all the time. I sound like an idiot I know. I just wanted to get em out of that empty room for a bit, out with people. It's early evening and the incense in the bug-pot is spicysweet, a few of the others are sprawled on the low couches, open patio with a jasmine-covered trellis. Hruko's got eir feet on the corner of the table and is leaning on Jing. Jing isn't eir name, really, but it's all we've ever called em. We're telling jokes, talking shit, the usual. Three different kinds of alcohol, crunchy things to snack on. A good time, you know?
Except Aile's not having a good time and I don't know what to do about it. They're all just like me, the other guards, and Aile likes me well enough. Why doesn't ey like them? I can see that ey doesn't. Aile's got eir feet up on the couch and is hugging eir knees and hasn't touched the food at all. I managed to catch eir gaze for a moment and ey turned pink, which was cute, but ey's avoiding eye contact now. What did I do?
Hruko's been trying to make eye contact with me though, the idiot. I'm going to catch so much hell for this. I've quite lost my head over the skinny archivist, I'm not sure ey realizes that yet. Not properly. Ey still looks so surprised sometimes when I turn up or invite em somewhere or show up at eir door with a pot of tea and a snack. But I'm sure the other guards know full well how bad I've got it and intend to make me suffer. Gah. Why did I think this was a good idea, again?
Oh right. Getting Aile to come out a little.
Someone walks up and we all stand out of habit, with Ailean belatedly scrabbling to eir feet too fast and then having to lean on my shoulder. But it's only Thearron. Thea's tall and stocky and is worth three regular guards when ey's got a spear in eir hands. We're short a chair now though, so I wave Thea into Ailean's seat and haul the archivist into my lap. I hope ey doesn't get embarrassed! Ey's so little it's more like having a cat on my lap than a person. Oop. Eir ears have gone pink and ey's wrapped eir arms around eirself. I hug em and hook my chin over eir shoulder and make sure to glare at each of the others, right at the eyes, so they know they're not allowed to embarrass Ailean. Not that Aile needs the help, ey seems able to get embarrassed enough all on eir own!
Thea's solid though, knows how things are. Ey raises both eyebrows for a minute then starts in on a joke, something about how many angels it takes to change a wagon-wheel. I shift Aile around a little and pet eir hip.
"You okay?" I say it soft, so the others won't hear. I'm not too worried though. Thea's jokes are famous and will likely be far more entertaining than watching me nuzzle Aile. Which entertains me so I don't mind that I'm missing out on the jokes. Ailean's cheeks are soft and pale, I've got to see about getting em outside once in a while. Ey uncoils enough to sling an arm round my neck. Ey leans eir forehead against mine, warmer for the blush.
"Ack," Aile says. I rub the back of eir neck.
"If you want to go, we can go sit on the roof instead," I say. Actually, having Aile all to myself doesn't sound half bad. But oh man will I get mocked tomorrow! Aile nuzzles and lets out a little sigh. "No. I'm alright, please don't cut your evening short on my account."
That one doesn't take as much translating as some, so I'm fairly quick to reply.
I firmly maintain that a little groping counts as a reply.
Aile squeaked. It was cute. And then Thea started telling a joke from further south but ey didn't translate it properly. Aile sat up and glared and went on this long diatribe (...spending too much time with Ailean, leave me alone), and told the joke properly. Something about three fish and a broken sword and a horse that knew how to whilstle. I have no idea-- I was too busy watching Ailean's throat move as ey spoke.
Ficlet, Kev POV
The thing with Candice -- one of many Things -- was that you couldn't just do something nice for her. She wouldn't accept it. So you had to be sneaky.
You also had to pay attention. She'd eat her toes before she'd show pain or fear or loneliness-- anything she considered weakness. So you had to watch her eyes -- if they were glazed or lidded or squinty, if they skin around them looked bruised or taut. Ignore the eyebrows -- she scowled as often as not. Every now and then Kev found himself wishing the mohawk would make itself useful and function as a barometer.
Didn't take much to diagnose what was wrong with her today, though. It didn't even take the red dots Kev surreptitiously put in his day planner. The bitching and snarling was barely elevated above Candacian Normal, but the coiled-in-a-tangle, no-interest-in-food, watching-cartoons was unmistakeable. Candice only watched the manly oldschool cartoons like GI Joe or Ninja Turtles, but still.
The problem with sneaky was that it didn't always work. She'd usually eat the chocolate or ice cream he stashed in the fridge without comment, but this time she hadn't touched it.
Kev propped his shoulder on the doorway and watched the light from the television move over Candice's face.
"Didja pull something at the gym yesterday, Dicky?" he said. "Might want to put something on it, or take something, so you don't have to miss weights tomorrow."
"Grarn," Candice muttered. She had a cushion packed between her knees and her chest and had buried her chin in it. There were lines on her forehead and the skin around her eyes had a pinched look to it.
"Huh," Kev said. He ambled into the kichen and came back with three ibuprofin and a cup of water, which he offered to Candice. Her head came up and she scowled at him. He scowled back.
"Uh-uh, none of that!"
Candice made no move to take the tablets. Kev just kept eye contact and waited her out. The show had flicked to ads and back before Candice swore at him and swallowed the pills dry.
"Water too, Dicky," he snapped. He'd never seen anyone sulk whilst drinking water before, but Candice managed.
He sat next to her and tucked his feet under him. On the screen Raphael bitched at Michaelangelo. Candice said, "I only took that because I can't let you go to the gym without someone to spot you."
"Ha! Figured you'd see it," Kev said, and ruffled Candice's mohawk the wrong way.
Crap, ey was right, maybe this wasn't the best idea. Can you blame me for wanting to show em off? Ailean's so pretty, this quiet prettiness that gets nicer and nicer all the time. I sound like an idiot I know. I just wanted to get em out of that empty room for a bit, out with people. It's early evening and the incense in the bug-pot is spicysweet, a few of the others are sprawled on the low couches, open patio with a jasmine-covered trellis. Hruko's got eir feet on the corner of the table and is leaning on Jing. Jing isn't eir name, really, but it's all we've ever called em. We're telling jokes, talking shit, the usual. Three different kinds of alcohol, crunchy things to snack on. A good time, you know?
Except Aile's not having a good time and I don't know what to do about it. They're all just like me, the other guards, and Aile likes me well enough. Why doesn't ey like them? I can see that ey doesn't. Aile's got eir feet up on the couch and is hugging eir knees and hasn't touched the food at all. I managed to catch eir gaze for a moment and ey turned pink, which was cute, but ey's avoiding eye contact now. What did I do?
Hruko's been trying to make eye contact with me though, the idiot. I'm going to catch so much hell for this. I've quite lost my head over the skinny archivist, I'm not sure ey realizes that yet. Not properly. Ey still looks so surprised sometimes when I turn up or invite em somewhere or show up at eir door with a pot of tea and a snack. But I'm sure the other guards know full well how bad I've got it and intend to make me suffer. Gah. Why did I think this was a good idea, again?
Oh right. Getting Aile to come out a little.
Someone walks up and we all stand out of habit, with Ailean belatedly scrabbling to eir feet too fast and then having to lean on my shoulder. But it's only Thearron. Thea's tall and stocky and is worth three regular guards when ey's got a spear in eir hands. We're short a chair now though, so I wave Thea into Ailean's seat and haul the archivist into my lap. I hope ey doesn't get embarrassed! Ey's so little it's more like having a cat on my lap than a person. Oop. Eir ears have gone pink and ey's wrapped eir arms around eirself. I hug em and hook my chin over eir shoulder and make sure to glare at each of the others, right at the eyes, so they know they're not allowed to embarrass Ailean. Not that Aile needs the help, ey seems able to get embarrassed enough all on eir own!
Thea's solid though, knows how things are. Ey raises both eyebrows for a minute then starts in on a joke, something about how many angels it takes to change a wagon-wheel. I shift Aile around a little and pet eir hip.
"You okay?" I say it soft, so the others won't hear. I'm not too worried though. Thea's jokes are famous and will likely be far more entertaining than watching me nuzzle Aile. Which entertains me so I don't mind that I'm missing out on the jokes. Ailean's cheeks are soft and pale, I've got to see about getting em outside once in a while. Ey uncoils enough to sling an arm round my neck. Ey leans eir forehead against mine, warmer for the blush.
"Ack," Aile says. I rub the back of eir neck.
"If you want to go, we can go sit on the roof instead," I say. Actually, having Aile all to myself doesn't sound half bad. But oh man will I get mocked tomorrow! Aile nuzzles and lets out a little sigh. "No. I'm alright, please don't cut your evening short on my account."
That one doesn't take as much translating as some, so I'm fairly quick to reply.
I firmly maintain that a little groping counts as a reply.
Aile squeaked. It was cute. And then Thea started telling a joke from further south but ey didn't translate it properly. Aile sat up and glared and went on this long diatribe (...spending too much time with Ailean, leave me alone), and told the joke properly. Something about three fish and a broken sword and a horse that knew how to whilstle. I have no idea-- I was too busy watching Ailean's throat move as ey spoke.
Ficlet, Kev POV
The thing with Candice -- one of many Things -- was that you couldn't just do something nice for her. She wouldn't accept it. So you had to be sneaky.
You also had to pay attention. She'd eat her toes before she'd show pain or fear or loneliness-- anything she considered weakness. So you had to watch her eyes -- if they were glazed or lidded or squinty, if they skin around them looked bruised or taut. Ignore the eyebrows -- she scowled as often as not. Every now and then Kev found himself wishing the mohawk would make itself useful and function as a barometer.
Didn't take much to diagnose what was wrong with her today, though. It didn't even take the red dots Kev surreptitiously put in his day planner. The bitching and snarling was barely elevated above Candacian Normal, but the coiled-in-a-tangle, no-interest-in-food, watching-cartoons was unmistakeable. Candice only watched the manly oldschool cartoons like GI Joe or Ninja Turtles, but still.
The problem with sneaky was that it didn't always work. She'd usually eat the chocolate or ice cream he stashed in the fridge without comment, but this time she hadn't touched it.
Kev propped his shoulder on the doorway and watched the light from the television move over Candice's face.
"Didja pull something at the gym yesterday, Dicky?" he said. "Might want to put something on it, or take something, so you don't have to miss weights tomorrow."
"Grarn," Candice muttered. She had a cushion packed between her knees and her chest and had buried her chin in it. There were lines on her forehead and the skin around her eyes had a pinched look to it.
"Huh," Kev said. He ambled into the kichen and came back with three ibuprofin and a cup of water, which he offered to Candice. Her head came up and she scowled at him. He scowled back.
"Uh-uh, none of that!"
Candice made no move to take the tablets. Kev just kept eye contact and waited her out. The show had flicked to ads and back before Candice swore at him and swallowed the pills dry.
"Water too, Dicky," he snapped. He'd never seen anyone sulk whilst drinking water before, but Candice managed.
He sat next to her and tucked his feet under him. On the screen Raphael bitched at Michaelangelo. Candice said, "I only took that because I can't let you go to the gym without someone to spot you."
"Ha! Figured you'd see it," Kev said, and ruffled Candice's mohawk the wrong way.