(no subject)
Pineapple #17. Don't Do Anything I Wouldn't Do
Story : knights & necromancers
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1275
Word Count : 1048
Lyssa was perched on the garden wall when Sham found her, sword propped against one knee and stone in hand. She lifted her head to look him over with a frown and a wrinkle of her nose. “What’re you looking all glum for?”
“Me?” said Sham, blinking and snapping straight as his thoughts raced in search of what might have given him away. “I’m not.”
Lyssa turned with a snort back to grinding a ding out of her blade.
“Really.” He gave a bit of a shrug, restricted by the depths to which his hands were sunk into his pockets.
“I’m fine.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
The stone raked a loud, uneven rhythm against the metal. Sham watched her drag it in short, swift strokes over the damaged blade, wondering when she was going to press him further. Her eyes were on the sword as she filed away and the metal smoothed out around the dent.
With a sigh, he settled beside her on the low stone wall and dipped a hand into the flowerbed to finger the leaves of a fat, red tulip. “There’s this girl…”
The grinding came to an abrupt halt, and Sham wondered if he dared look up and decided to keep his attention on the flowers. He heard the stone clack against the wall, and he cringed as Lyssa laughed and thumped him soundly on the back.
“Been waiting for this.” She ducked in front of him, trying to catch his eye, and Sham bit back a groan. “So, you’ve got your eye on someone you’ve seen in town here?”
“No.”
“Back at the palace then?” He must have made a face at that, because that lecherous grin of hers only widened.
“Serving girl or something?” He opened his mouth to protest, warmth seeping into his cheeks, but the words refused to spill. Lyssa, of course, took this for an answer. “Noble girl?” she said, with another hearty smack to his shoulders and a laugh. “Well, doesn’t that just figure!”
Blushing and sputtering, Sham ducked away from her. “I know! I know it’s stupid, and I don’t stand a chance, and just…I know!”
Lyssa shrugged and retrieved her sharpening stone. “Noble girl’s just like any other girl under those fancy skirts.” Sham’s jaw dropped at her implication, even though he reminded himself she had no clue which girl they were talking about. Lyssa stared at him for a moment before donning an utterly patronizing look and setting her stone back aside. “You…don’t know a thing about that, do you?”
“Huh?”
Her hand found its way back to his shoulder, this time very gently. “You know, your Uncle Kairn-”
“Stop!” Sham jumped to his feet, his face burning and his hands hovering about his ears. “Whatever you’re about to say about Uncle Kairn, just don’t!”
Lyssa chuckled. “Well, I was going to say he’s the sweetest man I’ve ever known and he’s done a good job raising you to be the same, even if you are a bit naïve, but since you’re so opposed…”
“I’m sorry! It’s just that I still don’t ever know what to expect from you.” He took a seat again, this time just out of her reach, and turned to regard her warily as she put the stone back to her blade. “Look, I know well enough what goes on between a man and a woman,” he said slowly. “I don’t need you to explain these things to me, and I especially don’t need you to bring Uncle Kairn into it. The time I’ve spent trying not to think about what the two of you were doing-” Lyssa choked on an ill-restrained laugh. “Oh, what’s the use?” He spun away, tucking his leg up on the wall in front of him, to glower at the tulips.
Lyssa quietly continued her polishing, while Sham poked at the flowers and fervently wished he had someone with a vague understanding of morals to confide in instead. “So,” she said, after a long moment, “this girl. She pretty?”
“Beautiful,” he said, idly running a finger over the petals of a fading, blue blossom. “Her eyes, they’re- What do you care?”
“Thought you wanted to talk about her. Take it she’s real classy too, huh?”
“More than present company, I suppose.”
Lyssa laughed. Her amusement was growing as grating as the polishing stone. “I’m telling you,” she said, “those girls with their noses in the air tumble into bed same as the rest. Sometimes even easier. You’ve got that whole kid from the streets bit going for you, little dirty, little dangerous, just have to have some confidence-”
“I wish you’d stop talking about her like that.”
“Of course, ‘cause you’re pining over this little princess ‘cause she’s your soulmate and she just doesn’t know it yet, not because you’re a normal teenage boy who’d like to have a go at her between the sheets.”
“Please! I think…I really think I’m in love with her.”
“If only she would give you the time of day, right?” Sham shot her a dirty look over his shoulder and she softened. “Sham, hon, you’ve gotta let it go.”
“Easy for you to say, what with your falling in and out of beds.”
Lyssa shrugged. “Easier that way. I mean, it’s one thing chasing noble skirts, but it’s another to think she’s going to sweep you off to the palace with her forever.”
“I don’t want easy. I want something real.” His hand skirted the rim of the blue tulip. He dipped a finger over the top of a petal and peeled it back. It really was very nearly the color of her eyes, he thought with a sigh.
“So did I, kid,” said Lyssa, with a sigh of her own and another scrape of her blade. “So did I.”
“You know what,” said Sham, letting the flower slip from his grasp. It bobbed unsteadily back into place. “Next time you think I’m looking down, maybe just…don’t mention it?”
“Well, if you don’t like what I have to say about girls, I could teach you a thing or two about beer,” her tone quickly brightened. “Hands on lesson there. Cheer you right up, I’m sure.”
Sham buried his head in his hands with a groan.
Story : knights & necromancers
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1275
Word Count : 1048
Lyssa was perched on the garden wall when Sham found her, sword propped against one knee and stone in hand. She lifted her head to look him over with a frown and a wrinkle of her nose. “What’re you looking all glum for?”
“Me?” said Sham, blinking and snapping straight as his thoughts raced in search of what might have given him away. “I’m not.”
Lyssa turned with a snort back to grinding a ding out of her blade.
“Really.” He gave a bit of a shrug, restricted by the depths to which his hands were sunk into his pockets.
“I’m fine.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
The stone raked a loud, uneven rhythm against the metal. Sham watched her drag it in short, swift strokes over the damaged blade, wondering when she was going to press him further. Her eyes were on the sword as she filed away and the metal smoothed out around the dent.
With a sigh, he settled beside her on the low stone wall and dipped a hand into the flowerbed to finger the leaves of a fat, red tulip. “There’s this girl…”
The grinding came to an abrupt halt, and Sham wondered if he dared look up and decided to keep his attention on the flowers. He heard the stone clack against the wall, and he cringed as Lyssa laughed and thumped him soundly on the back.
“Been waiting for this.” She ducked in front of him, trying to catch his eye, and Sham bit back a groan. “So, you’ve got your eye on someone you’ve seen in town here?”
“No.”
“Back at the palace then?” He must have made a face at that, because that lecherous grin of hers only widened.
“Serving girl or something?” He opened his mouth to protest, warmth seeping into his cheeks, but the words refused to spill. Lyssa, of course, took this for an answer. “Noble girl?” she said, with another hearty smack to his shoulders and a laugh. “Well, doesn’t that just figure!”
Blushing and sputtering, Sham ducked away from her. “I know! I know it’s stupid, and I don’t stand a chance, and just…I know!”
Lyssa shrugged and retrieved her sharpening stone. “Noble girl’s just like any other girl under those fancy skirts.” Sham’s jaw dropped at her implication, even though he reminded himself she had no clue which girl they were talking about. Lyssa stared at him for a moment before donning an utterly patronizing look and setting her stone back aside. “You…don’t know a thing about that, do you?”
“Huh?”
Her hand found its way back to his shoulder, this time very gently. “You know, your Uncle Kairn-”
“Stop!” Sham jumped to his feet, his face burning and his hands hovering about his ears. “Whatever you’re about to say about Uncle Kairn, just don’t!”
Lyssa chuckled. “Well, I was going to say he’s the sweetest man I’ve ever known and he’s done a good job raising you to be the same, even if you are a bit naïve, but since you’re so opposed…”
“I’m sorry! It’s just that I still don’t ever know what to expect from you.” He took a seat again, this time just out of her reach, and turned to regard her warily as she put the stone back to her blade. “Look, I know well enough what goes on between a man and a woman,” he said slowly. “I don’t need you to explain these things to me, and I especially don’t need you to bring Uncle Kairn into it. The time I’ve spent trying not to think about what the two of you were doing-” Lyssa choked on an ill-restrained laugh. “Oh, what’s the use?” He spun away, tucking his leg up on the wall in front of him, to glower at the tulips.
Lyssa quietly continued her polishing, while Sham poked at the flowers and fervently wished he had someone with a vague understanding of morals to confide in instead. “So,” she said, after a long moment, “this girl. She pretty?”
“Beautiful,” he said, idly running a finger over the petals of a fading, blue blossom. “Her eyes, they’re- What do you care?”
“Thought you wanted to talk about her. Take it she’s real classy too, huh?”
“More than present company, I suppose.”
Lyssa laughed. Her amusement was growing as grating as the polishing stone. “I’m telling you,” she said, “those girls with their noses in the air tumble into bed same as the rest. Sometimes even easier. You’ve got that whole kid from the streets bit going for you, little dirty, little dangerous, just have to have some confidence-”
“I wish you’d stop talking about her like that.”
“Of course, ‘cause you’re pining over this little princess ‘cause she’s your soulmate and she just doesn’t know it yet, not because you’re a normal teenage boy who’d like to have a go at her between the sheets.”
“Please! I think…I really think I’m in love with her.”
“If only she would give you the time of day, right?” Sham shot her a dirty look over his shoulder and she softened. “Sham, hon, you’ve gotta let it go.”
“Easy for you to say, what with your falling in and out of beds.”
Lyssa shrugged. “Easier that way. I mean, it’s one thing chasing noble skirts, but it’s another to think she’s going to sweep you off to the palace with her forever.”
“I don’t want easy. I want something real.” His hand skirted the rim of the blue tulip. He dipped a finger over the top of a petal and peeled it back. It really was very nearly the color of her eyes, he thought with a sigh.
“So did I, kid,” said Lyssa, with a sigh of her own and another scrape of her blade. “So did I.”
“You know what,” said Sham, letting the flower slip from his grasp. It bobbed unsteadily back into place. “Next time you think I’m looking down, maybe just…don’t mention it?”
“Well, if you don’t like what I have to say about girls, I could teach you a thing or two about beer,” her tone quickly brightened. “Hands on lesson there. Cheer you right up, I’m sure.”
Sham buried his head in his hands with a groan.