(no subject)
Elderberry #9. Drain Life with Hot Fudge
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1270's same night as Hilltop and Eye for an Eye
Word Count : 526
big fat spoiler if you're not terribly familiar with Sethan. I've had some trouble deciding just how much Sethan tells Kairn at this stage in things, but he does a lot of leaning on him from here on out and I'm not sure Kairn would stand for that without some semblance of honesty in return. Of course, Sethan has funny notions about what constitutes "honesty" so we'll see how much more he actually divulges.
“You’re not going anywhere until I get some answers.” Arms folded and back to the door Kairn fixed Sethan with a scowl.
Sethan looked himself over, slouched among the pillows of the room’s only bed, and laughed. “I don’t suspect I’ll be going much of anywhere soon anyway.”
“All the same.”
“Leave him be,” said Tristan with a glare of his own from the corner of the room. “He’s been through a lot tonight.”
“Right,” Kairn practically spat. “Like ripping the life out of some poor sap to pop flowers up all over a dead village. The hell were you thinking?”
Sethan shook his head and winced as the motion brought a fresh throb to his temples. Tristan lurched to his feet, but he waved him off. “Why don’t you go…“ he fumbled at the air with his hand as he searched for an excuse, “…look around outside,“ he finished lamely.
Tristan shot him a look, but shrugged his cloak back on just the same. He paused in front of Kairn, opened his mouth and thought better of it, quietly sweeping past him instead.
Kairn was still glaring at him from the door as it snapped shut, all puffed up in self-righteous anger. Sethan swallowed a laugh.
“It’s not funny,” said Kairn.
“No,” said Sethan forcing his expression to even out. “No, it’s not. Look,” he started, and then he stopped, realizing he was about to tell Kairn everything. Did Kairn really need to know everything? Did it really matter anymore? Kairn hadn’t taken his eyes off of him, but he was softening. There was concern along with the anger and he was fighting to keep from shaking. Sethan sighed. “Sometimes Cheva…intrudes, and I can’t ignore her.”
Whatever sympathy Kairn had been ready to offer faded. “You’re saying a god made you do that? She never made you do things before.” Sethan laughed and Kairn tensed again. “What?”
“You can’t even imagine the number of times she tried.” He shifted on the bed and pulled himself up a bit. A few more minutes and maybe he’d be able to stand.
Kairn looked worried now, hurt even. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“What would you have done?”
“I don’t know.” He scratched his head, shuffled his feet. “Helped you, stopped her, I…I don’t know.”
“It wasn’t your concern.”
“And now?” said Kairn. “You just killed a man over some grass- It’s still not funny."
“Now she’s getting stronger.” He put a foot on the floor, tested a bit of weight on it, and as the room began to spin, pulled it back up on the bed. “And she’s growing tired of waiting.”
“Waiting? For what?”
“For the boy.”
Kairn scowled, as he always did when Sethan called him that, but he didn’t bother correcting him. Instead he said, “So all of this, all along, whatever he’s supposed to do, has just been to appease her?” Somewhere in the back of his mind he felt her awaken. Stretching, yawning, shadowy fingers groped their way into his consciousness. Kairn cocked his head and raised a brow. “Sethan?”
Sethan blinked. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, it has.”
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1270's same night as Hilltop and Eye for an Eye
Word Count : 526
big fat spoiler if you're not terribly familiar with Sethan. I've had some trouble deciding just how much Sethan tells Kairn at this stage in things, but he does a lot of leaning on him from here on out and I'm not sure Kairn would stand for that without some semblance of honesty in return. Of course, Sethan has funny notions about what constitutes "honesty" so we'll see how much more he actually divulges.
“You’re not going anywhere until I get some answers.” Arms folded and back to the door Kairn fixed Sethan with a scowl.
Sethan looked himself over, slouched among the pillows of the room’s only bed, and laughed. “I don’t suspect I’ll be going much of anywhere soon anyway.”
“All the same.”
“Leave him be,” said Tristan with a glare of his own from the corner of the room. “He’s been through a lot tonight.”
“Right,” Kairn practically spat. “Like ripping the life out of some poor sap to pop flowers up all over a dead village. The hell were you thinking?”
Sethan shook his head and winced as the motion brought a fresh throb to his temples. Tristan lurched to his feet, but he waved him off. “Why don’t you go…“ he fumbled at the air with his hand as he searched for an excuse, “…look around outside,“ he finished lamely.
Tristan shot him a look, but shrugged his cloak back on just the same. He paused in front of Kairn, opened his mouth and thought better of it, quietly sweeping past him instead.
Kairn was still glaring at him from the door as it snapped shut, all puffed up in self-righteous anger. Sethan swallowed a laugh.
“It’s not funny,” said Kairn.
“No,” said Sethan forcing his expression to even out. “No, it’s not. Look,” he started, and then he stopped, realizing he was about to tell Kairn everything. Did Kairn really need to know everything? Did it really matter anymore? Kairn hadn’t taken his eyes off of him, but he was softening. There was concern along with the anger and he was fighting to keep from shaking. Sethan sighed. “Sometimes Cheva…intrudes, and I can’t ignore her.”
Whatever sympathy Kairn had been ready to offer faded. “You’re saying a god made you do that? She never made you do things before.” Sethan laughed and Kairn tensed again. “What?”
“You can’t even imagine the number of times she tried.” He shifted on the bed and pulled himself up a bit. A few more minutes and maybe he’d be able to stand.
Kairn looked worried now, hurt even. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“What would you have done?”
“I don’t know.” He scratched his head, shuffled his feet. “Helped you, stopped her, I…I don’t know.”
“It wasn’t your concern.”
“And now?” said Kairn. “You just killed a man over some grass- It’s still not funny."
“Now she’s getting stronger.” He put a foot on the floor, tested a bit of weight on it, and as the room began to spin, pulled it back up on the bed. “And she’s growing tired of waiting.”
“Waiting? For what?”
“For the boy.”
Kairn scowled, as he always did when Sethan called him that, but he didn’t bother correcting him. Instead he said, “So all of this, all along, whatever he’s supposed to do, has just been to appease her?” Somewhere in the back of his mind he felt her awaken. Stretching, yawning, shadowy fingers groped their way into his consciousness. Kairn cocked his head and raised a brow. “Sethan?”
Sethan blinked. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, it has.”