Malt Challenge 1/30
Cinnamon Swirl #16. Fool's Gold with Hot Fudge, Whipped Cream, and Malt
Story : knights
Rating : PG-13-ish? for Reida's mouth
Timeframe : 1249
Word Count : 690
Malt Prompt : PfaH - Fool's Gold - Sethan's dirty laundry
Part of me wanted so badly to take that hat prompt literally... but this fit fairly well.
A pair of boots settled themselves at the edge of the sigil in the dust. Kairn followed them up to the hem of a skirt, the tail of a long, dark cloak, all the way to a round face framed by short, thick red-brown hair that looked to have been trimmed with a dull machete and a smile that might have glowed in the dark.
“Well,” said Reida, hands on her hips, “if it isn’t Berwyk’s golden child.”
Sethan didn‘t so much as look up and dragged another stroke across the form. “What do you want?” said Kairn.
Reida edged around the circle. “Whatcha got there?” she said, leaning in the space between them. “Human? Nice.”
“It is,” said Kairn. She wedged herself between them and eased herself to the ground, forcing Kairn to scoot hastily out of the way. “Hey! You mind?”
The protest met with the back of her head as Reida kept all her attention on Sethan, though his had yet to leave the ground. “I hear you’re something special. Chosen one.” There was a heavy sniff. “You don’t look so scary. You look like a girl if you ask me.”
Sethan’s eyes stayed on the dirt as he added another shape to the web before him. “And what are you?” said Kairn.
Reida continued to pay him as much notice as Sethan was giving her. “So why the lines?” she went on, leaning in over the form. “You shouldn’t need them. Maybe you’re not so golden after all.”
Kairn sat back, plucked at a tuft of prickly grass that had rooted in a dusty crack, and wondered how long this was going to carry on. “He doesn’t need them,” he said, when it was clear Sethan wasn’t going to be bothered and she wasn’t going to leave.
The girl shot Kairn a look, nose wrinkled and thick lips curled, before turning back to Sethan. “Do you talk? Or is that what he’s for?”
Sethan traced another line.
Reida leaned around him, planted a hand in an open space amidst the form, and aimed a wicked grin up from beneath Sethan’s downturned face. “You know,” she said, slowly, “I hear Berwyk took your balls to keep you from spawning little magic brats.”
Sethan barely blinked. Kairn tossed the bit of grass he‘s been rolling between his fingers into the dust. “You hear a lot of things, don’t you?” he said.
She turned that toothy grin on him. “I hear you’re his bitch.”
Kairn’s jaw fell. “I am not!”
“So what do you want?” said Sethan, and both turned to blink at him.
“Goddess or no, I hear,” she shot another pointed look at Kairn, “that you’re the only one worth any notice around here, ‘sides from Berwyk himself.” She pulled her hand from the ring and brushed the dust off on her skirt. “That is a nice human form, you know. You ever actually raise one?”
“A few times.”
Reida scrunched her nose again as she gave the marks an appraising look. “Tarek taught me the forms. Won’t ever let me use them though.”
“Berwyk will,” said Sethan, laying down another line.
“Good,” she said. “No point in knowing things you haven’t tried.”
“Too true.”
Sethan was actually talking to her now? And about animating humans? Kairn shook his head.
“What’s this?” She aimed a finger at a mass of lines just below the center.
Sethan followed the gesture, gave a slow tip of his head. “Third point,” he said. “Right about the gut. Helps it hold up longer if you’ve left the organs in.”
“Nice,” said Reida, with a hint of her earlier grin and an appreciative nod.
“Great,” said Kairn, “now there’s two of you.”
“He always like this?”
Sethan shrugged, rolling the stick he’d been writing with over in his hand. “You get used to him after a bit.”
Her grin widened again. “I take it he has his uses?”
“Not the ones you’ve heard.”
“Right.” Reida drew the word out until it was a complete mockery.
“You know,” said Kairn, shoving himself to his feet. “I think I’ll go find somewhere else to sit.”
Story : knights
Rating : PG-13-ish? for Reida's mouth
Timeframe : 1249
Word Count : 690
Malt Prompt : PfaH - Fool's Gold - Sethan's dirty laundry
Part of me wanted so badly to take that hat prompt literally... but this fit fairly well.
A pair of boots settled themselves at the edge of the sigil in the dust. Kairn followed them up to the hem of a skirt, the tail of a long, dark cloak, all the way to a round face framed by short, thick red-brown hair that looked to have been trimmed with a dull machete and a smile that might have glowed in the dark.
“Well,” said Reida, hands on her hips, “if it isn’t Berwyk’s golden child.”
Sethan didn‘t so much as look up and dragged another stroke across the form. “What do you want?” said Kairn.
Reida edged around the circle. “Whatcha got there?” she said, leaning in the space between them. “Human? Nice.”
“It is,” said Kairn. She wedged herself between them and eased herself to the ground, forcing Kairn to scoot hastily out of the way. “Hey! You mind?”
The protest met with the back of her head as Reida kept all her attention on Sethan, though his had yet to leave the ground. “I hear you’re something special. Chosen one.” There was a heavy sniff. “You don’t look so scary. You look like a girl if you ask me.”
Sethan’s eyes stayed on the dirt as he added another shape to the web before him. “And what are you?” said Kairn.
Reida continued to pay him as much notice as Sethan was giving her. “So why the lines?” she went on, leaning in over the form. “You shouldn’t need them. Maybe you’re not so golden after all.”
Kairn sat back, plucked at a tuft of prickly grass that had rooted in a dusty crack, and wondered how long this was going to carry on. “He doesn’t need them,” he said, when it was clear Sethan wasn’t going to be bothered and she wasn’t going to leave.
The girl shot Kairn a look, nose wrinkled and thick lips curled, before turning back to Sethan. “Do you talk? Or is that what he’s for?”
Sethan traced another line.
Reida leaned around him, planted a hand in an open space amidst the form, and aimed a wicked grin up from beneath Sethan’s downturned face. “You know,” she said, slowly, “I hear Berwyk took your balls to keep you from spawning little magic brats.”
Sethan barely blinked. Kairn tossed the bit of grass he‘s been rolling between his fingers into the dust. “You hear a lot of things, don’t you?” he said.
She turned that toothy grin on him. “I hear you’re his bitch.”
Kairn’s jaw fell. “I am not!”
“So what do you want?” said Sethan, and both turned to blink at him.
“Goddess or no, I hear,” she shot another pointed look at Kairn, “that you’re the only one worth any notice around here, ‘sides from Berwyk himself.” She pulled her hand from the ring and brushed the dust off on her skirt. “That is a nice human form, you know. You ever actually raise one?”
“A few times.”
Reida scrunched her nose again as she gave the marks an appraising look. “Tarek taught me the forms. Won’t ever let me use them though.”
“Berwyk will,” said Sethan, laying down another line.
“Good,” she said. “No point in knowing things you haven’t tried.”
“Too true.”
Sethan was actually talking to her now? And about animating humans? Kairn shook his head.
“What’s this?” She aimed a finger at a mass of lines just below the center.
Sethan followed the gesture, gave a slow tip of his head. “Third point,” he said. “Right about the gut. Helps it hold up longer if you’ve left the organs in.”
“Nice,” said Reida, with a hint of her earlier grin and an appreciative nod.
“Great,” said Kairn, “now there’s two of you.”
“He always like this?”
Sethan shrugged, rolling the stick he’d been writing with over in his hand. “You get used to him after a bit.”
Her grin widened again. “I take it he has his uses?”
“Not the ones you’ve heard.”
“Right.” Reida drew the word out until it was a complete mockery.
“You know,” said Kairn, shoving himself to his feet. “I think I’ll go find somewhere else to sit.”