Tasting
Issa mentioned to me the possibility of a vignette about a character's sensory exploration, and I just couldn't help but steal it. The result is strange and confusing and I am not kind enough to change that. Leave your continuity at the door.
"You know you're supposed to remember things with smell." Green eyes staring.
[She lifts her fingers then there's a man there, and he bows by her breasts. Yes, miss? Can't hear her voice; he nods. Of course.] "It's like it tastes, I mean, how am I supposed to know if you taste it the same?" Take the slice she holds out, my fingers brush hers covered in dust. Tangy, yeah? "Yeah, I guess. It's got that 'thing' to it, but when you smell it's kind of dry?" [Hate these damn whites, Reyce, don't you? Step aside before he can nudge me out, don't answer. It never bothers him. This one tastes like grass, or is that just me?] "If for once you could, just, go down." My hand on her thigh, pushing it away. Pale but not smooth, maybe it's my hand but I can feel her skin. "I mean, what does it look like?" What am I supposed to say? [She stiffens when he comes near, I can see her shoulders tense. Can see his fall and pretend not to. Blithely, Have you tried this one? Recommended to me with red sauce, grilled seafood, really anything charred. I'd set fire to my own runner. Drags it in front of me.] "Ugh, it's awful. I hate this smell." The grass when you walk on it squelches with mud. He snuffs and snorts at it while he jogs. Seems to like it. "No shit he likes it, but it's gross. You know that damp feeling on your skin? And your shirt's sticking to you? That's how it smells, damp and heavy but really nothing, it's just in your nose." [Words for this kind of thing, been hearing them for turns. Upfront, assertive, fills the mouth. Red, heavy, wet, all it means. It swishes at the bottom of the bowl, can still taste it. What do you think?] She puts her knee up and the bed sinks down, the other knee up and it evens. Her breasts swing but she doesn't like me staring, grabs my jaw and hauls me- "What the fuck!" Head throbs, shut my eyes and mouth and turn away. "I mean seriously, what the fuck?" Hands smack my shoulders, shoving me back, I hit the wall again. Can taste the sour on my lips and curl them back. I hit the wall again. "You are! You are afraid to kiss me! Can you see it on my tongue, Reyce? Mleeah! H'ee i'h?" [It's okay. Can read the same thing in the look she turns on him, how she tilts her shoulders and screws up her mouth. It's okay. Hits me before I see it, whack in the stomach makes me cough. Oh, brother. His idea of a joke. Absolutely wasted on you. Hey, Cailer! He's away but his yell rings next to me, and she turns to look. I'm caught, staring at her. Raise my chin. She twists her face up. Turns away.] "That what you smell is what you're supposed to remember, right?" Lying on her back, her arm lifted up the wall. She looks at me. Bites her lip when she smiles. "Give you something to remember me by."
"You know you're supposed to remember things with smell." Green eyes staring.
[She lifts her fingers then there's a man there, and he bows by her breasts. Yes, miss? Can't hear her voice; he nods. Of course.] "It's like it tastes, I mean, how am I supposed to know if you taste it the same?" Take the slice she holds out, my fingers brush hers covered in dust. Tangy, yeah? "Yeah, I guess. It's got that 'thing' to it, but when you smell it's kind of dry?" [Hate these damn whites, Reyce, don't you? Step aside before he can nudge me out, don't answer. It never bothers him. This one tastes like grass, or is that just me?] "If for once you could, just, go down." My hand on her thigh, pushing it away. Pale but not smooth, maybe it's my hand but I can feel her skin. "I mean, what does it look like?" What am I supposed to say? [She stiffens when he comes near, I can see her shoulders tense. Can see his fall and pretend not to. Blithely, Have you tried this one? Recommended to me with red sauce, grilled seafood, really anything charred. I'd set fire to my own runner. Drags it in front of me.] "Ugh, it's awful. I hate this smell." The grass when you walk on it squelches with mud. He snuffs and snorts at it while he jogs. Seems to like it. "No shit he likes it, but it's gross. You know that damp feeling on your skin? And your shirt's sticking to you? That's how it smells, damp and heavy but really nothing, it's just in your nose." [Words for this kind of thing, been hearing them for turns. Upfront, assertive, fills the mouth. Red, heavy, wet, all it means. It swishes at the bottom of the bowl, can still taste it. What do you think?] She puts her knee up and the bed sinks down, the other knee up and it evens. Her breasts swing but she doesn't like me staring, grabs my jaw and hauls me- "What the fuck!" Head throbs, shut my eyes and mouth and turn away. "I mean seriously, what the fuck?" Hands smack my shoulders, shoving me back, I hit the wall again. Can taste the sour on my lips and curl them back. I hit the wall again. "You are! You are afraid to kiss me! Can you see it on my tongue, Reyce? Mleeah! H'ee i'h?" [It's okay. Can read the same thing in the look she turns on him, how she tilts her shoulders and screws up her mouth. It's okay. Hits me before I see it, whack in the stomach makes me cough. Oh, brother. His idea of a joke. Absolutely wasted on you. Hey, Cailer! He's away but his yell rings next to me, and she turns to look. I'm caught, staring at her. Raise my chin. She twists her face up. Turns away.] "That what you smell is what you're supposed to remember, right?" Lying on her back, her arm lifted up the wall. She looks at me. Bites her lip when she smiles. "Give you something to remember me by."