(no subject)
Cotton Candy #6. Tinkering with Hot Fudge
Story : knights
Rating : G
Timeframe : 1258
Word Count : 1034
Companion piece to All Bark & No Bite from a few days ago.
“Bones?” said Shasa, and she thrust her thick lips into a pout. “I thought you were going to teach me to animate silk?”
Teeth clenched behind his smile, Sethan blinked away the twitch that threatened his eye. “Everyone starts with bones,” he said, his tone as sweet as he could manage.
Shasa sighed. “Well, if that’s the way it’s done.”
“They’re on the shelf.” He pointed over her shoulder. “Over there.”
She got to her feet and, in that ridiculously bouncy step of hers, made her way to the shelves, while Sethan shook his head and snatched up the chalk. After a quick glance between the girl and the sigil, he quietly smudged out one of her lines and drew it again in the proper place.
“This one?” Shasa called and Sethan snapped upright, chalk tucked into his palm. She offered up a board with the skeleton of a bat on it for his inspection.
Sethan shook his head. “Get the squirrel,” he said, returning to correcting her work the moment her back was turned.
“Which one is the squirrel?”
Sethan ground his teeth, then quickly reminded himself that the longer she took to find the thing, the more likely the sigil would be complete when she did. He wondered, for a moment, if it would be better to do away with the whole mess and start over. She might notice that. “Second shelf up,” he said, brushing away another misplaced line. “The one with a tail.”
“Oh,” she said. “Of course.” The last line in place, Sethan sat back while she searched the shelf indicated.
Shasa laid the board on the floor and settled herself beside him, looking expectantly between the chalk lines and the bones splayed on the wood, without so much as a hint she’d noticed the changes he’d made. “So, now I put the squirrel on the sigil?” she said, hand poised over the skull.
“Right.” He winced as she made a grab for the skull. “You have the thing in one piece. Keep it that way.”
Shasa gave the board a tilt, the tiny skeleton skittering across its surface. Sethan threw out a hand to steady hers and she froze as his fingers closed over her own. “Slowly,” he said, ignoring the color that crept into her cheeks at his touch.
The bones slid to the floor, more or less intact, and Sethan reached past Shasa to straighten those that fell out of place. “Now put your hands around the edges,” he said, tossing the board to the side.
Shasa splayed her fingers along the lines, blushing again as he leaned in to smooth them out. She tipped her head, her nose inches from his own. Lips parted, she stared at him a moment with wide, green eyes “Now what?” she said.
“Focus,” said Sethan. “On the sigil,” he added, with a nod at the floor, when her eyes refused to move.
“Oh.” She blinked. “Yes, of course. The sigil.”
“Breathe.”
Shasa scrunched her brow, eyes darting over the chalk lines and the tiny body splayed across them. Her shoulders tensed as her hands flexed against the floor. The bones lay still and she let out a sigh.
“Relax.”
With another sigh, she closed her eyes. Her shoulders fell, hands still set on the circle. Sethan cast a quick glance between Shasa and the skeleton, before he sent a jolt the squirrel’s way.
“See?”
Shasa pried open an eye to take in the creature now forcing itself to its feet. Her hands flew to her mouth, and she gave a startled gasp. “Did I?” Wide eyes followed the demon as it ambled across the floor.
“Of course,” he said, with a stiff grin.
She dropped to her hands and knees to peer at the thing as it waddled past. “It’s amazing,” she said, crawling after it. “I… did that?” She snapped back up to look him in the eye. “Do you think I could do the scarf now?”
Sethan looked from her to the wandering squirrel and back again, his grin growing even tighter. “Well,” he said. “I would say tell most people no,” her face fell, “but most people,” he trained his sight on the demon to avoid those eyes and the urge to laugh, “do not display the talent you do,” he finished, with a pat to her shoulder.
Shasa whisked the scarf from her hair with a squeal. A flick of Sethan’s hand brought the squirrel tumbling to the floor, and she snatched up the chalk and scanned the room for an empty spot. “How-”
He curled a hand over her own, slipping the chalk from her grasp. “Allow me.” Her eyes on their hands, Shasa nodded.
Sethan laid the sigil on the floor, Shasa anxiously passing the scarf between her hands as she watched. He held out a hand and she laid the silk across it. “Now, place your hands along the edge and focus, as you did before.”
She settled beside the sigil, spread her hands and touched the lines. Sethan crept behind her, hovered near, his mouth beside her ear. “Picture it,” he said. “See it fly.” She tensed. “And breathe.” The hairs rose along her neck. “Breathe into it.”
He let the magic out slowly, let it wash over her on its way to the silk. Shasa’s eyes grew wide. Her lips fell open, trembling. The silk twitched and fluttered up off the ground, and she let out a cry. “I- I can’t believe- I- I did that!”
“Most impressive,” said Sethan, as he reached past her to pluck the scarf from the air. He set the cloth back into her shaking hands with a smile.
“I can’t believe I did that!”
Sethan gave the scarf pooled in her hands a pat. “I would not go repeating this in front of others,” he said. “Not everyone can animate silk.”
Her smile wavered. “What about the squirrel?”
He lifted the hand from the cloth to her hair. “Perhaps,” he said, “it would be best if we keep all your talents between the two of us.”
She frowned at the scarf, but nodded. “Could I do it again?”
Sethan bit back a sigh. “Certainly.”
Story : knights
Rating : G
Timeframe : 1258
Word Count : 1034
Companion piece to All Bark & No Bite from a few days ago.
“Bones?” said Shasa, and she thrust her thick lips into a pout. “I thought you were going to teach me to animate silk?”
Teeth clenched behind his smile, Sethan blinked away the twitch that threatened his eye. “Everyone starts with bones,” he said, his tone as sweet as he could manage.
Shasa sighed. “Well, if that’s the way it’s done.”
“They’re on the shelf.” He pointed over her shoulder. “Over there.”
She got to her feet and, in that ridiculously bouncy step of hers, made her way to the shelves, while Sethan shook his head and snatched up the chalk. After a quick glance between the girl and the sigil, he quietly smudged out one of her lines and drew it again in the proper place.
“This one?” Shasa called and Sethan snapped upright, chalk tucked into his palm. She offered up a board with the skeleton of a bat on it for his inspection.
Sethan shook his head. “Get the squirrel,” he said, returning to correcting her work the moment her back was turned.
“Which one is the squirrel?”
Sethan ground his teeth, then quickly reminded himself that the longer she took to find the thing, the more likely the sigil would be complete when she did. He wondered, for a moment, if it would be better to do away with the whole mess and start over. She might notice that. “Second shelf up,” he said, brushing away another misplaced line. “The one with a tail.”
“Oh,” she said. “Of course.” The last line in place, Sethan sat back while she searched the shelf indicated.
Shasa laid the board on the floor and settled herself beside him, looking expectantly between the chalk lines and the bones splayed on the wood, without so much as a hint she’d noticed the changes he’d made. “So, now I put the squirrel on the sigil?” she said, hand poised over the skull.
“Right.” He winced as she made a grab for the skull. “You have the thing in one piece. Keep it that way.”
Shasa gave the board a tilt, the tiny skeleton skittering across its surface. Sethan threw out a hand to steady hers and she froze as his fingers closed over her own. “Slowly,” he said, ignoring the color that crept into her cheeks at his touch.
The bones slid to the floor, more or less intact, and Sethan reached past Shasa to straighten those that fell out of place. “Now put your hands around the edges,” he said, tossing the board to the side.
Shasa splayed her fingers along the lines, blushing again as he leaned in to smooth them out. She tipped her head, her nose inches from his own. Lips parted, she stared at him a moment with wide, green eyes “Now what?” she said.
“Focus,” said Sethan. “On the sigil,” he added, with a nod at the floor, when her eyes refused to move.
“Oh.” She blinked. “Yes, of course. The sigil.”
“Breathe.”
Shasa scrunched her brow, eyes darting over the chalk lines and the tiny body splayed across them. Her shoulders tensed as her hands flexed against the floor. The bones lay still and she let out a sigh.
“Relax.”
With another sigh, she closed her eyes. Her shoulders fell, hands still set on the circle. Sethan cast a quick glance between Shasa and the skeleton, before he sent a jolt the squirrel’s way.
“See?”
Shasa pried open an eye to take in the creature now forcing itself to its feet. Her hands flew to her mouth, and she gave a startled gasp. “Did I?” Wide eyes followed the demon as it ambled across the floor.
“Of course,” he said, with a stiff grin.
She dropped to her hands and knees to peer at the thing as it waddled past. “It’s amazing,” she said, crawling after it. “I… did that?” She snapped back up to look him in the eye. “Do you think I could do the scarf now?”
Sethan looked from her to the wandering squirrel and back again, his grin growing even tighter. “Well,” he said. “I would say tell most people no,” her face fell, “but most people,” he trained his sight on the demon to avoid those eyes and the urge to laugh, “do not display the talent you do,” he finished, with a pat to her shoulder.
Shasa whisked the scarf from her hair with a squeal. A flick of Sethan’s hand brought the squirrel tumbling to the floor, and she snatched up the chalk and scanned the room for an empty spot. “How-”
He curled a hand over her own, slipping the chalk from her grasp. “Allow me.” Her eyes on their hands, Shasa nodded.
Sethan laid the sigil on the floor, Shasa anxiously passing the scarf between her hands as she watched. He held out a hand and she laid the silk across it. “Now, place your hands along the edge and focus, as you did before.”
She settled beside the sigil, spread her hands and touched the lines. Sethan crept behind her, hovered near, his mouth beside her ear. “Picture it,” he said. “See it fly.” She tensed. “And breathe.” The hairs rose along her neck. “Breathe into it.”
He let the magic out slowly, let it wash over her on its way to the silk. Shasa’s eyes grew wide. Her lips fell open, trembling. The silk twitched and fluttered up off the ground, and she let out a cry. “I- I can’t believe- I- I did that!”
“Most impressive,” said Sethan, as he reached past her to pluck the scarf from the air. He set the cloth back into her shaking hands with a smile.
“I can’t believe I did that!”
Sethan gave the scarf pooled in her hands a pat. “I would not go repeating this in front of others,” he said. “Not everyone can animate silk.”
Her smile wavered. “What about the squirrel?”
He lifted the hand from the cloth to her hair. “Perhaps,” he said, “it would be best if we keep all your talents between the two of us.”
She frowned at the scarf, but nodded. “Could I do it again?”
Sethan bit back a sigh. “Certainly.”