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Pear #14. Time & Tide
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1272-3
Word Count : 446
So this is really loose, but I wasn't sure what to do with this one, so I took it really figuratively. Some things you can't change - time and tide...and Lyssa's hormones...
“Lyssa!”
The hand shoved up her blouse went still. The man she was tangled up with, she’d forgotten his name, gave her a puzzled look. “That your kid?”
“Sort of.” She cast a glace behind her to find Shamino a few paces away, arms folded and glaring at the pair of them.
The man’s look grew more perplexed. “Sort of?”
“Look,” she said, disengaging his hand. “It’s been lovely, really, but I think I’ll be going now.”
“But-”
It took a moment to separate limb from limb, but then she slid from her stool without another word and stalked over to Shamino, leaving her date staring, dumbfounded, at her back.
“I thought I told you to stay upstairs,” she said, grabbing Sham by the arm.
“You also said you’d bring dinner,” he said, still scowling, though the rest of him loosened up enough to keep pace beside her. “I’m starving.”
“Oh. Right. I did, didn’t I?” This being responsible business was proving rather difficult. “Let’s do something about that.”
There were two bowls of stew steaming on the counter and a still glowering Shamino perched on the stool beside her. Lyssa cocked her head to look him over and, around a mouthful, asked, “What’s gotten into you?”
Not looking up, Shamino prodded stew he’d yet to take so much as a bite of. “You were kissing that man.”
“Yeah.” She stabbed another bit of meat with her fork. “And?”
He looked up then, those pale eyes burning and his small lip quivering. “Uncle Kairn never kissed other women.”
Lyssa sighed. She turned back to her bowl, tore the meat from the fork with her teeth and went fishing for another piece. “Yeah, well, I’m not Kairn, am I?”
“You’re awful.”
“Sham, sometimes grown-ups have needs,” she said, digging about in the gravy. “And I’m sure that Kairn-” She dropped the fork with another sigh. “Look, you’ll understand when you’re grown-”
“I don’t want to understand.” He was scowling into his untouched dinner again.
“Sham…”
“You used to tell Uncle Kairn all the time that you loved him.”
She couldn‘t help another sigh. “I do, Sham. It‘s just-
“You’re a liar.” He shoved the bowl to the back of the counter and jumped down off his stool. “I’m going back to the room.”
“You haven’t touched your food.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Lyssa watched as he stalked out of the common room, followed his progress up the stairs, and slumped against the bar as he rounded the corner at the landing and left her sight.
She gave the barkeep a wave and he shuffled over, bottle of cheap gin already in hand. “Double,” she muttered, tapping her glass.
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1272-3
Word Count : 446
So this is really loose, but I wasn't sure what to do with this one, so I took it really figuratively. Some things you can't change - time and tide...and Lyssa's hormones...
“Lyssa!”
The hand shoved up her blouse went still. The man she was tangled up with, she’d forgotten his name, gave her a puzzled look. “That your kid?”
“Sort of.” She cast a glace behind her to find Shamino a few paces away, arms folded and glaring at the pair of them.
The man’s look grew more perplexed. “Sort of?”
“Look,” she said, disengaging his hand. “It’s been lovely, really, but I think I’ll be going now.”
“But-”
It took a moment to separate limb from limb, but then she slid from her stool without another word and stalked over to Shamino, leaving her date staring, dumbfounded, at her back.
“I thought I told you to stay upstairs,” she said, grabbing Sham by the arm.
“You also said you’d bring dinner,” he said, still scowling, though the rest of him loosened up enough to keep pace beside her. “I’m starving.”
“Oh. Right. I did, didn’t I?” This being responsible business was proving rather difficult. “Let’s do something about that.”
There were two bowls of stew steaming on the counter and a still glowering Shamino perched on the stool beside her. Lyssa cocked her head to look him over and, around a mouthful, asked, “What’s gotten into you?”
Not looking up, Shamino prodded stew he’d yet to take so much as a bite of. “You were kissing that man.”
“Yeah.” She stabbed another bit of meat with her fork. “And?”
He looked up then, those pale eyes burning and his small lip quivering. “Uncle Kairn never kissed other women.”
Lyssa sighed. She turned back to her bowl, tore the meat from the fork with her teeth and went fishing for another piece. “Yeah, well, I’m not Kairn, am I?”
“You’re awful.”
“Sham, sometimes grown-ups have needs,” she said, digging about in the gravy. “And I’m sure that Kairn-” She dropped the fork with another sigh. “Look, you’ll understand when you’re grown-”
“I don’t want to understand.” He was scowling into his untouched dinner again.
“Sham…”
“You used to tell Uncle Kairn all the time that you loved him.”
She couldn‘t help another sigh. “I do, Sham. It‘s just-
“You’re a liar.” He shoved the bowl to the back of the counter and jumped down off his stool. “I’m going back to the room.”
“You haven’t touched your food.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Lyssa watched as he stalked out of the common room, followed his progress up the stairs, and slumped against the bar as he rounded the corner at the landing and left her sight.
She gave the barkeep a wave and he shuffled over, bottle of cheap gin already in hand. “Double,” she muttered, tapping her glass.