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Vanilla #13. A Day at the Beach with Hot Fudge and Whipped Cream
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1248
Word Count : 755
So this is a rewrite of an old piece (pre-rats). Seems a little cheap to use this prompt on it, but there is water and there is sand, just not really your typical beach scene, but I didn't really have much else that was likely to fit.
Also, thanks to that recent butterscotch forcing me to give Sethan a birthdate, I've pinned down dates on all the Seth/Kairn whipped cream on my list.
Kairn tossed his line on the water and tucked the pole between his knees. He laid his shoulders back against the base of the willow between whose roots he sat and folded his hands behind his head. The water rippled, the garish, red lure bobbing for a moment on its surface before it stilled. Kairn heaved a lazy yawn and ventured a look at the boy beside him.
Sethan sat, legs bent and protruding at odd angles, as if he’d simply tumbled to the ground without much thought as to their placement. His own pole lay up the shore in the grass, the line still wound and the hook clean. His attention was directed instead at the earth beneath him.
“Don’t you ever stop?” said Kairn, over the wet scratching of a stick through the sand.
“And do what?” said Sethan lips twitching as he eyed Kairn‘s line. “Watch a bit of wood float around all day?”
Kairn glowered at his friend. “I’ve caught a few.”
Sethan shot out a slender hand to tip the bucket. He peered inside, one brow rising as a smile slid into place. “A few,” he said, and snatched one up.
“More than you have,” said Kairn, as the thing flopped and wriggled in Sethan’s grasp.
Sethan studied the squirming fish for a moment before swinging it against a rock. “Hey!” Kairn winced at the crunch its head made when it struck the stone. “What are you-”
The other waved a hand his way in a demand for silence. “You’ll see.” The fish landed, with an unceremonious plop, at the center of the sigil he’d been drawing.
Kairn looked from Sethan to the sigil and back with a grimmace. “You’re going to animate a fish?’ he said. “You can’t animate a fish.”
“Why not?” said Sethan, sitting back to appraise his work. “I took the standard form and transposed a few lines…” He dropped to his knees and splayed his hands along the edge of the ring.
“Why would you want to?”
Sethan shrugged. “Because I can.”
A glow raced round the sigil in the sand, and the fish leapt from the ground and righted itself on its tail. The two boys frowned at the fish as it teetered and swiftly fell to the ground, wriggling and thrashing as if it had just been caught.
“Not exactly a useful form, is it?” said Sethan. The fish continued to writhe, long after any living fish would have succumbed to lack of water.
“I’ll say.”
Both boys turned to find Kinu at the edge of the wood, arms folded stiffly across his chest and grinning.
“Maybe not,” said Kairn, “but I’d like to see you do it.” He tossed his pole to the ground to reach for the bucket. “There’s more if you want to try.”
Kinu’s smile quickly faded as a dead fish sailed his way. “Why would I want to animate a worthless fish?” He gave the limp, scaly body a kick, and it flopped over in the sand.
“It’s really not that hard,” Sethan mused, his gaze back on his sigil and the still squirming form within. “I changed this line and that.” He traced the air with a boney finger.
“And turned a perfectly good form into rubbish.” Kinu gave the fish at his feet another kick.
“You know,” Sethan turned to Kairn, completely disregarding the other, “if I added another here,” his hand slid from the top to the bottom of the sigil, “it just might work for a bird.”
“That could be useful,” said Kairn. “Would it really just take one more line?”
Sethan gave the sigil a thoughtful frown. The flailing fish had all but obliterated a good number of the lines, its swishing tail etching new marks into the sand with its violent strokes. “Worth a try,” he said.
“Are you just going to leave that thing thrashing there forever?” said Kinu.
Sethan put a hand into his cloak. “Is it bothering you?” He drew out a knife. One stroke separated the fish’s head from its body and both fell still. Sethan scooped the decapitated fish in his palm and tossed it Kinu’s way. “Here,” he said, “I suppose you’ll find something more useful to do with it.”
With an inarticulate grunt from Kinu, the fish sailed back towards them. It slammed into the pail with a wet slap that doused the remains of Sethan’s work with water and more fish. Kairn swallowed the urge to grin as Kinu stomped off into the trees.
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1248
Word Count : 755
So this is a rewrite of an old piece (pre-rats). Seems a little cheap to use this prompt on it, but there is water and there is sand, just not really your typical beach scene, but I didn't really have much else that was likely to fit.
Also, thanks to that recent butterscotch forcing me to give Sethan a birthdate, I've pinned down dates on all the Seth/Kairn whipped cream on my list.
Kairn tossed his line on the water and tucked the pole between his knees. He laid his shoulders back against the base of the willow between whose roots he sat and folded his hands behind his head. The water rippled, the garish, red lure bobbing for a moment on its surface before it stilled. Kairn heaved a lazy yawn and ventured a look at the boy beside him.
Sethan sat, legs bent and protruding at odd angles, as if he’d simply tumbled to the ground without much thought as to their placement. His own pole lay up the shore in the grass, the line still wound and the hook clean. His attention was directed instead at the earth beneath him.
“Don’t you ever stop?” said Kairn, over the wet scratching of a stick through the sand.
“And do what?” said Sethan lips twitching as he eyed Kairn‘s line. “Watch a bit of wood float around all day?”
Kairn glowered at his friend. “I’ve caught a few.”
Sethan shot out a slender hand to tip the bucket. He peered inside, one brow rising as a smile slid into place. “A few,” he said, and snatched one up.
“More than you have,” said Kairn, as the thing flopped and wriggled in Sethan’s grasp.
Sethan studied the squirming fish for a moment before swinging it against a rock. “Hey!” Kairn winced at the crunch its head made when it struck the stone. “What are you-”
The other waved a hand his way in a demand for silence. “You’ll see.” The fish landed, with an unceremonious plop, at the center of the sigil he’d been drawing.
Kairn looked from Sethan to the sigil and back with a grimmace. “You’re going to animate a fish?’ he said. “You can’t animate a fish.”
“Why not?” said Sethan, sitting back to appraise his work. “I took the standard form and transposed a few lines…” He dropped to his knees and splayed his hands along the edge of the ring.
“Why would you want to?”
Sethan shrugged. “Because I can.”
A glow raced round the sigil in the sand, and the fish leapt from the ground and righted itself on its tail. The two boys frowned at the fish as it teetered and swiftly fell to the ground, wriggling and thrashing as if it had just been caught.
“Not exactly a useful form, is it?” said Sethan. The fish continued to writhe, long after any living fish would have succumbed to lack of water.
“I’ll say.”
Both boys turned to find Kinu at the edge of the wood, arms folded stiffly across his chest and grinning.
“Maybe not,” said Kairn, “but I’d like to see you do it.” He tossed his pole to the ground to reach for the bucket. “There’s more if you want to try.”
Kinu’s smile quickly faded as a dead fish sailed his way. “Why would I want to animate a worthless fish?” He gave the limp, scaly body a kick, and it flopped over in the sand.
“It’s really not that hard,” Sethan mused, his gaze back on his sigil and the still squirming form within. “I changed this line and that.” He traced the air with a boney finger.
“And turned a perfectly good form into rubbish.” Kinu gave the fish at his feet another kick.
“You know,” Sethan turned to Kairn, completely disregarding the other, “if I added another here,” his hand slid from the top to the bottom of the sigil, “it just might work for a bird.”
“That could be useful,” said Kairn. “Would it really just take one more line?”
Sethan gave the sigil a thoughtful frown. The flailing fish had all but obliterated a good number of the lines, its swishing tail etching new marks into the sand with its violent strokes. “Worth a try,” he said.
“Are you just going to leave that thing thrashing there forever?” said Kinu.
Sethan put a hand into his cloak. “Is it bothering you?” He drew out a knife. One stroke separated the fish’s head from its body and both fell still. Sethan scooped the decapitated fish in his palm and tossed it Kinu’s way. “Here,” he said, “I suppose you’ll find something more useful to do with it.”
With an inarticulate grunt from Kinu, the fish sailed back towards them. It slammed into the pail with a wet slap that doused the remains of Sethan’s work with water and more fish. Kairn swallowed the urge to grin as Kinu stomped off into the trees.