2 pieces for me today!
Vanilla #3. Chores
Story : knights
Rating : G
Timeframe : fall 1255
Word Count : 729
I started this for a Cotten Candy prompt, but, darn it, the dishes took over...
A stack of plates balanced in her hand, Ski made her way into the kitchen. “Lyssa?” she called to the figure bent over the sink.
“Hmm?” said Lyssa, not budging in the least.
“This was your job, you realize.” The dishes met the counter with a clatter.
Eyes still on the window, Lyssa barely blinked. “Was getting to that,” she said.
“They have been sitting for half an hour.” She slipped the top plate from the stack and dipped it into the basin, scowling as her hands met frigid, soapy water. Lyssa shuffled a pace to the side to provide her room, no less transfixed on whatever was going on in the yard. “What are you even-” she followed her gaze through the glass and her frown deepened. There was Rune, bent over a rake, a pile of leaves slowly gathering at his feet. Her words died into an angry sigh.
“Nothing,” said Lyssa, snapping out of her daze to snatch the plate from Ski’s grasp.
Ski whisked another plate from the stack. “I do wish you would leave him be.”
“And what business is it of yours?” said Lyssa, the scouring rag in her grasp whipping bubbles across the surface of the water.
“This,” said Ski, returning her glare as she dunked her own plate into the basin, “is my squadron. What transpires between its members is, most definitely, my concern.” She sighed, eyes falling to the water as she picked a bit of debris from the plate with one nail. “And Rune is my friend. I do not wish to see him hurt.”
“You won’t,” said Lyssa softly. As Ski lifted her eyes, she pulled away, plate dripping over the floor as she retreated.
“Lyssa,” said Ski, snatching up the discarded dish rag to scrub at her own plate, “I have seen your idea of a relationship-”
“It’s not like that!”
The plate rattled against the bottom of the sink as Ski turned to face her sister, one brow raised in question. Lyssa was frantically buffing her plate with a dry towel, her cheeks a shade of pink Ski swore she’d thought her incapable of expressing.
“I‘ve scarcely laid a hand on him,” Lyssa said, eyes on her own hands, “I mean, it’s not as if I don’t want to, gods know I’d like to get my hands on every part of-”
“Lyssa!” said Ski, cheeks flaring.
“Oh please, as if you’re some innocent.” She looked up from her plate with a grin, and Ski flushed deeper, a stiff lump settling in her throat.
“It’s just,” she continued, eyes wandering back to the window, while Ski retreated to the sink to wait for her face to cool, “I don’t think that’s all I want.”
There was a clink of porcelain on wood, and Lyssa reached around behind her for another dish, but Ski kept her gaze on the sink. “You know,” said Lyssa, both hands diving, plate between them, into the water, “I never have any idea what to say to the man, whether I might offend him or just make him laugh. I suppose that’s nothing new, really, is it?” She laughed. “I just don’t think I ever cared before.”
“Lyssa…” Ski paused in her scrubbing of the already immaculate dish in her grasp.
“It’s funny,” said Lyssa, withdrawing her own, crumbs still glued to its surface, “but I think I could sit with him for hours and say nothing at all and be perfectly happy. And, at the same time, I think I might find more to say to him than I could ever imagine.” She brought the plate back to the water, scrubbing at it with a renewed frenzy as she shook her head. “Would you listen to me? I sound like some foolish schoolgirl.”
Lyssa set her own dish on the counter with the dry one, and pried Ski’s from her grasp to addit to the stack. “Wonder if I’ll feel the same once I do get my hand on him,” she said.
“Lyssa!” Ski scrambled, with fingers that refused to obey, to fetch another from the dirty pile.
“A little faith,” said Lyssa, snatching the new plate from her as well. “I expect I will.” She glowered as Ski reached for another. “Don’t you have better ways to spend your time than doing my chores? I’d rather enjoy my view in peace.”
Story : knights
Rating : G
Timeframe : fall 1255
Word Count : 729
I started this for a Cotten Candy prompt, but, darn it, the dishes took over...
A stack of plates balanced in her hand, Ski made her way into the kitchen. “Lyssa?” she called to the figure bent over the sink.
“Hmm?” said Lyssa, not budging in the least.
“This was your job, you realize.” The dishes met the counter with a clatter.
Eyes still on the window, Lyssa barely blinked. “Was getting to that,” she said.
“They have been sitting for half an hour.” She slipped the top plate from the stack and dipped it into the basin, scowling as her hands met frigid, soapy water. Lyssa shuffled a pace to the side to provide her room, no less transfixed on whatever was going on in the yard. “What are you even-” she followed her gaze through the glass and her frown deepened. There was Rune, bent over a rake, a pile of leaves slowly gathering at his feet. Her words died into an angry sigh.
“Nothing,” said Lyssa, snapping out of her daze to snatch the plate from Ski’s grasp.
Ski whisked another plate from the stack. “I do wish you would leave him be.”
“And what business is it of yours?” said Lyssa, the scouring rag in her grasp whipping bubbles across the surface of the water.
“This,” said Ski, returning her glare as she dunked her own plate into the basin, “is my squadron. What transpires between its members is, most definitely, my concern.” She sighed, eyes falling to the water as she picked a bit of debris from the plate with one nail. “And Rune is my friend. I do not wish to see him hurt.”
“You won’t,” said Lyssa softly. As Ski lifted her eyes, she pulled away, plate dripping over the floor as she retreated.
“Lyssa,” said Ski, snatching up the discarded dish rag to scrub at her own plate, “I have seen your idea of a relationship-”
“It’s not like that!”
The plate rattled against the bottom of the sink as Ski turned to face her sister, one brow raised in question. Lyssa was frantically buffing her plate with a dry towel, her cheeks a shade of pink Ski swore she’d thought her incapable of expressing.
“I‘ve scarcely laid a hand on him,” Lyssa said, eyes on her own hands, “I mean, it’s not as if I don’t want to, gods know I’d like to get my hands on every part of-”
“Lyssa!” said Ski, cheeks flaring.
“Oh please, as if you’re some innocent.” She looked up from her plate with a grin, and Ski flushed deeper, a stiff lump settling in her throat.
“It’s just,” she continued, eyes wandering back to the window, while Ski retreated to the sink to wait for her face to cool, “I don’t think that’s all I want.”
There was a clink of porcelain on wood, and Lyssa reached around behind her for another dish, but Ski kept her gaze on the sink. “You know,” said Lyssa, both hands diving, plate between them, into the water, “I never have any idea what to say to the man, whether I might offend him or just make him laugh. I suppose that’s nothing new, really, is it?” She laughed. “I just don’t think I ever cared before.”
“Lyssa…” Ski paused in her scrubbing of the already immaculate dish in her grasp.
“It’s funny,” said Lyssa, withdrawing her own, crumbs still glued to its surface, “but I think I could sit with him for hours and say nothing at all and be perfectly happy. And, at the same time, I think I might find more to say to him than I could ever imagine.” She brought the plate back to the water, scrubbing at it with a renewed frenzy as she shook her head. “Would you listen to me? I sound like some foolish schoolgirl.”
Lyssa set her own dish on the counter with the dry one, and pried Ski’s from her grasp to addit to the stack. “Wonder if I’ll feel the same once I do get my hand on him,” she said.
“Lyssa!” Ski scrambled, with fingers that refused to obey, to fetch another from the dirty pile.
“A little faith,” said Lyssa, snatching the new plate from her as well. “I expect I will.” She glowered as Ski reached for another. “Don’t you have better ways to spend your time than doing my chores? I’d rather enjoy my view in peace.”