Roses
Jeb gave me a list of prompts the other night. This is from one of them. There is another that comes before it, but this one can be read alone. He wanted Tully and Tsugi. I did my best.
Cross-posted to my writing journal.
No one had ever given her a gift before, in person or in secret. The closest she had come had been the young temple novice who had given her a potion for luck when she left on her journey. That wasn't really a good preparation for this.
There were roses on her pillow.
She stared at the soft petals, thinking quickly. The inn (though she'd stayed in worse) was hardly expensive enough for that kind of luxury, and she didn't see roses on the other two beds, just her own. The other two weren't exactly the type to leave roses anyway. Jenivyr would just hand them to you with a grin and a saucy wink, and Lilandra... well, Tully could imagine the elf ever having any use for roses unless they were spell components. So it had to be one of the men, but who?
Whoever it was couldn't have come through the door. It led to the small "common room" where Lila and Tully had been studying since they got up. The only other way in was through the window. That immediately knocked out most of the options. Tremonti, if by some miracle he'd managed to get to the window, wouldn't be able to climb through it while holding delicate roses without breaking the stems, his head, or both. Valcorte, though he had a better chance, would have made enough noise to alert Lila's sharp elven ears. There was only one person who had a chance.
Her suspicion was confirmed when she moved closer and picked up the bundle. A lot of people would use a lovely ribbon for the binding (though how many would know to use the soft blue silk one she'd been admiring earlier that week?), but not many would have tied a silver coin in the knot of the bow.
Of course, not that many people associated love and wealth so closely, either.
"Subtle, Tsugi," she said out loud in case he was still listening or watching. With a shake of her head and a wry grin, she pulled the ribbon off and tied it in her hair (and it felt perfect resting there, just like she'd imagined), gently tucked the flowers in her pack, and went to give the silver back to its original (well, most recent) owner. He'd appreciate it more than most gifts she could think of.
She turned at the door and glanced at the window. "Subtle... and cute. Thank you." She shut the door behind her.
On the ledge just outside the window, Tsugi did a quick victory dance, grinning like a fool. It was a good day. He had lots of gold, was free of any life-threatening wounds, and the prettiest bard in the land was on her way downstairs with his gift in her hair.
He silently dropped from the ledge and went to meet her, smile still tugging at his lips. Maybe that coin he'd tossed in the bowl really had done some good.
He might even do it again.
Someday.
Maybe.
Cross-posted to my writing journal.
No one had ever given her a gift before, in person or in secret. The closest she had come had been the young temple novice who had given her a potion for luck when she left on her journey. That wasn't really a good preparation for this.
There were roses on her pillow.
She stared at the soft petals, thinking quickly. The inn (though she'd stayed in worse) was hardly expensive enough for that kind of luxury, and she didn't see roses on the other two beds, just her own. The other two weren't exactly the type to leave roses anyway. Jenivyr would just hand them to you with a grin and a saucy wink, and Lilandra... well, Tully could imagine the elf ever having any use for roses unless they were spell components. So it had to be one of the men, but who?
Whoever it was couldn't have come through the door. It led to the small "common room" where Lila and Tully had been studying since they got up. The only other way in was through the window. That immediately knocked out most of the options. Tremonti, if by some miracle he'd managed to get to the window, wouldn't be able to climb through it while holding delicate roses without breaking the stems, his head, or both. Valcorte, though he had a better chance, would have made enough noise to alert Lila's sharp elven ears. There was only one person who had a chance.
Her suspicion was confirmed when she moved closer and picked up the bundle. A lot of people would use a lovely ribbon for the binding (though how many would know to use the soft blue silk one she'd been admiring earlier that week?), but not many would have tied a silver coin in the knot of the bow.
Of course, not that many people associated love and wealth so closely, either.
"Subtle, Tsugi," she said out loud in case he was still listening or watching. With a shake of her head and a wry grin, she pulled the ribbon off and tied it in her hair (and it felt perfect resting there, just like she'd imagined), gently tucked the flowers in her pack, and went to give the silver back to its original (well, most recent) owner. He'd appreciate it more than most gifts she could think of.
She turned at the door and glanced at the window. "Subtle... and cute. Thank you." She shut the door behind her.
On the ledge just outside the window, Tsugi did a quick victory dance, grinning like a fool. It was a good day. He had lots of gold, was free of any life-threatening wounds, and the prettiest bard in the land was on her way downstairs with his gift in her hair.
He silently dropped from the ledge and went to meet her, smile still tugging at his lips. Maybe that coin he'd tossed in the bowl really had done some good.
He might even do it again.
Someday.
Maybe.