The Sleepy Otters Inn
Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine.
Written for: 10_themes
Title: The Sleepy Otters Inn (Parts 1-10, complete)
Pairing: Cain/Glitch
Word Count: 4,000
Rating: PG
Prompt Table:
Here
Summary: Every job they did for the queen found them coming home by the same road.
THE SLEEPY OTTERS INN
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Part One: Cain and Glitch In Winter
lll\forest/lllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
1. two rooms, two beds
They were still nearly four hours ride from the palace when their tired horses clomped out of the forest and into Suttonville. It had been a good trip, Cain considered, he and Glitch had accomplished all the queen had sent them out to do, and no injuries or insurrections incurred in the process.
But now the shadows were crossing over the cobblestone streets, and they couldn't help but notice the inviting country inn standing prominently in the lane. A carved sign swinging out from the second floor proclaimed it to be "The Sleepy Otters Inn", and the artwork portrayed two of the namesake animals bobbing on their backs in a river with half closed eyes.
"Do you think we ought to stop here for the night?" Cain asked.
"Yes, I think we otter."
Cain couldn't help laughing along with Glitch, indeed, they laughed so hard Cain had to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye. Perhaps it was an indication of just how exhausted they both were, but they were still chortling over the pun as they handed the reins of their horses over to a bemused stable hand, and headed for the front door.
A tavern girl brought them two mugs of a warm beverage, though she remarked with good humor that they looked like they'd already been in the grog - Glitch was still giggling sporadically and it was taking all of Cain's self-control to maintain his usual even expression.
Eventually they shared a simple peasant's dinner of a crimp-edged pot pie and a wedge of good Brinswick cheddar. Then they bought two room keys for the upper floor from the merry proprietress running the desk - a large woman with an upsweep of ringlets and a bright smile who introduced herself as Gracious May. They trudged up the stairs, matched key numbers to doors, and bade each other a good night.
lll\shop/llllllllllllllllllll
2. one room, two beds
"But even with all that, I still think it turned out all right. Don't you think?" Glitch asked. "Cain?"
Cain was stirred from his thoughts of the last million spans it felt like they'd traversed. He rewound and replayed the last bit of Glitch's monologue in his head. "Yeah, it turned out all right," he agreed. He supposed that even though they'd been shot at four times the trip could still be considered a success since none of the bullets had actually found their mark. Maybe the queen was secretly trying to kill them.
"I think we should stop at that nice inn again, it's been a long trip," Glitch mused aloud. "I could use another one of those little pies with the chicken and the yellow sauce."
Cain was in no mood to argue, and besides, the earliest winds of winter were kicking up and he had torn a hole in his coat. The idea of a chicken pie and maybe even finishing the trip tomorrow was too tempting to refute.
Gracious May greeted them cheerfully, remembering both their names and waving them to a table. "You boys staying the night?"
Glitch looked hopeful, Cain nodded. No point making the last leg of the trip in the dark.
Marisette the serving girl brought over a single key with their dinners. "May's just got one room free tonight, but it's got two beds."
Cain nodded absently, more interested in food than sleeping arrangements. He and Glitch had shared a hundred campsites, two beds would hardly be a problem.
Halfway through his meal, Cain put his hand on his back and stretched as best he could in his chair, trying to twist out a kink.
"You look like could use a hot bath," Glitch observed.
Cain did not like discussing such things in the common room, as if the mention of it might cause overhearing diners to get mental pictures.
Glitch chuckled, reading his expression. "Everybody takes a bath, Cain."
"Be that as it may, Glitch, I think I'll pass on soaking in a bathroom that serves eight rooms."
"I'll stand outside the door and guard your virtue," he offered with a laugh.
Cain felt his face heat, but he found himself laughing, too. Glitch always seemed able to do that to him somehow.
When Cain woke in the morning, he found Glitch sitting crosslegged on his bed by the window, stitching up the hole in his coat.
"Since when do you sew?" he asked, thinking of all the holes Glitch's clothes had been sporting when they'd met.
"Gracious May showed me how," he said proudly, holding up the coat to show Cain the little white zigzaggy line holding the rip closed. "Well," he amended, upon this closer inspection, "I suppose you could drop it off at the tailor shop on the way home."
Somehow, Cain never quite got around to having it fixed.
lll\home/lllllllllllllllllllll
3. one room, one double bed, one sleeps on floor (Cain)
"Cain, don't be ridiculous, the queen is NOT trying to kill us," Glitch exclaimed, rolling his gaze skyward. "Granted, these haven't been the easiest of assignments, but those are what you get when you're the top team in the O.Z."
"All I know is if I have to mediate one more feud I'm going to get testy."
"Peace is just around the corner, Cain, along with Spring, I feel it."
All Cain felt was a North wind trying to push snow down his collar. "It's not even Second Solstice yet."
"Ah, but look how pretty the Sleepy Otter is."
Cain had to admit that the establishment, which was beginning to feel as welcome to them as a second home, was resplendent with seasonal decorations. Berry garlands swagged from window to window, and a wreath of apples and painted walnuts hung over the door. It was another sign of prosperity returning to the realm, and it gladdened his heart.
The regulars were in a jovial mood, there was much singing and warmth, despite the cold outside, and Cain had relaxed considerably over his dinner, when Gracious May showed up. She apologized profusely for the lack of accommodations, informing him that not only would he and Glitch be sharing a room this time, but a bed. "That's all right," Cain said, after she left. "I'll take the floor."
"You don't have to," Glitch began, but Cain forestalled further discussion with a tilt of his hand.
"I insist."
After dessert, Cain went out to the stables for one more check on his horse, who had been favoring a leg slightly. When he got back inside, he found Glitch and an elderly gentleman seated at a table, each holding a fan of playing cards. They were surrounded by bowls of chips, mugs of grog, and several spectators, and were clearly deep in competition.
They surveyed each other suspiciously over the tops of the cards.
The old man squinted. "Gimme all your twos," he drawled.
Glitch arched one eyebrow, and replied in deadly earnest," Go fish."
lll\beach/lllllllllllllllllll
4. one room, one double bed, shared
Though Cain wouldn't have recommended it, apparently it WAS possible to steer a horse with both hands tucked under one's armpits. At least Glitch was still in the saddle, despite being hunched over against the gale.
"It's freezing!" Glitch complained bitterly. "Why do we never get assignments that send us to the beach?"
"What happened to all that optimism from the last trip?"
"I think it's in my brain frozen to some other part of my brain. I can't find my sense of humor either."
"We can thaw out at the Otter," Cain promised. "Just a little further."
It was almost impossible to tell one building from another under the blanket of snow that covered Suttonville. But a familiar sign creaked in the wind, and a lantern behind the front shutters lit their way.
Once they'd dismounted, Cain took the reins of Glitch's mare and pressed him in the direction of the inn's door. "Go order us something hot!" he instructed.
Glitch made no more than a token protest before handing over the responsibility of the animals lock, stock, and barrel. By the time Cain got inside, Marisette was setting steaming bowls of soup at their usual table.
There were few patrons on this night, though old Humbert was at his usual booth, and he and Glitch spent several hours playing for matchsticks and cracker packets, before Cain finally called it a night, much to the relief of Marisette and May.
Away from the fireplace in the greatroom, Glitch was soon shivering again, as Cain set their packs to the side in the tiny room.
"Cain! I'm cold! I'm going to DIE!"
"You're not going to freeze to death in an inn. Get in bed."
Glitch climbed in without taking off a single stitch of clothing, but failed to look any happier. He sat there watching Cain divest himself of hat and gun and belt and shoes, in the same precise order he always did. "Don't sleep on the floor this time, Cain, please? Let's double up on blankets and share body heat," he suggested.
"I don't think that will be necessary..."
"Oh, come on! Don't be so stingy with your amplitude! I'm thinner than you are!" He held open his coat to prove his point.
Cain didn't have the heart to object further, Glitch was skinny, and it was cold, and it would be just like him to freeze to death in an inn just to teach him a lesson. He climbed into the other side of the bed, adding the second blanket to the top of the first.
Glitch smiled, snuggled down into this newfound comfort, and closed his eyes.
lll\hospital/lllllllllllllllllll
5. one room, one single bed, shared
It was their last mission together, at least as Cain and Glitch, and Cain's heart was heavy. Glitch's surgery was scheduled for five days from tomorrow, in the restored Central City Medical Unit, and all the best minds in the O.Z. and a few from the Otherside were scheduled to arrive: surgeons, alchemists, healers, Viewers, mages, good witches, medicos, and doctors of all stripes and philosophies.
He had arranged with Gracious May in advance, so they would be given the same room they'd had as last time. It was comfortingly familiar, although the bed seemed to have been replaced with a slightly narrower one for some reason, but he didn't mind. As he and Glitch curled into it, he hoped his presence would give Glitch some sense of security.
"You never got your coat fixed," Glitch observed, reaching out to where Cain's coat hung over a chair. His fingers grazed the erratic repair from weeks earlier, white thread over gray.
"I've grown accustomed to it," Cain said. "It looks like something attempted by a drunken spider."
Glitch chortled. "Well, it was stitched with love."
They were silent a long time after that, after that casual and yet monumental dropping of "The L Word" into the conversation. Finally, Cain cleared his throat. "You know, Glitch, if it wasn't for the fact that ...I don't think we should... we should complicate things... get too involved...right before, you know...."
"You can say it. Before they plunk my brain back in and I turn into somebody else. Stiffy stuffy Ambrose man."
"I'm sure you weren't stiff or stuffy," he prevaricated quickly. Then, in response to Glitch's reproachful look, added, "We'll just have to wait and see how it goes."
Glitch looked so sad and disappointed that Cain tried to cheer him with a promise.
"When you're all well, we can start a .. a new chapter, OK?"
"At least give me a kiss for luck," Glitch requested. "Give me something pleasant to think about when they're putting me under anaesthesia at the hospital."
Tears prickled Cain's eyes, and he gave a nod of assent.
He leaned down, and pressed his lips to Glitch's.
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Part Two: Cain and Ambrose in Summer
lll\hotel/llllllllllllllllllllllllll
6. two rooms, two beds
"Are you sure you want to stop here?" Ambrose asked doubtfully, eyeballing the building skeptically. "The palace isn't much further up the road."
"The horses are tired," Cain said. "And I could use a cooked meal."
Ambrose dabbed at a bead of sweat forming across his brow. "I don't know how you can want hot food in weather like this, but I wouldn't turn down some chilled wine."
Marisette was going by with a laden tray, and she greeted them with a cheerful smile. "Oh, Glitch, Humbert will be glad you're here, he's been waiting to win his matchsticks back from you!"
"I beg your pardon?" Ambrose asked, drawing back from her. "Do I know you?"
She looked sympathetically over at Cain. "Oh, he's having another glitch, isn't he? I'll get you two some grog."
"I'm not having a... a.... thing." Ambrose contested hotly, but she was gone.
Eventually, Cain was forced to explain the difference in his companion, and all the regulars were told about the surgery, and there was much remarking on wasn't it amazing what science could do these days and how glad they all were for Ambrose to get that dreadful zipper out of his head, but Cain could tell they were all rather uncertain about the change. Finally dinner was brought, and everyone backed off and left them to eat in peace.
Ambrose stared down at the plate for some moments before picking up his fork and jabbing cautiously at the food.
"I know it's not the Grand Emerald Hotel but you didn't turn your nose up at it last time you were here."
"In the first place, I don't remember the last time I was here, and secondly, I am not 'turning my nose up' at anything, thank you. I was merely showing a healthy interest in the quality of my food."
"There's nothing wrong with the food, Ambrose," he snapped, and then he immediately sagged in his chair and sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. Do you want me to order you something else?"
Ambrose sniffed the cube of meat on his fork. "No, thank you. This should suffice."
lll\library/lllllllllllllllllllll
7 . one room, two beds
Gracious May was busy at the switchboard when they dashed in, minutes ahead of yet another summer storm, but she gave them a flushed smile and a minute of her time.
"Sorry, boys, you'll have to share a room, we're booked tighter than the Queen's Library tonight with all this rain!"
"That's fine, May, long as the roof don't leak."
She snorted with mock indignation at the very idea, handing Cain a single key and waving them towards the stairs.
Ambrose looked cautiously over his shoulder as he opened the door. "Looks like we're going to be roommates," he said.
"Looks like."
They got into their respective beds without much talk, and Cain turned out the lantern and waited for sleep to come, listening to the rain pounding above.
The third time Ambrose shifted about, Cain could refrain no longer. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"The sheets are scratchy. I know, I know, you're going to make a remark about how they're not washed in lavender detergent like the ones at the palace. "
"I didn't say anything."
"But you were thinking it."
Cain sat up. "Ambrose. This hasn't been easy for me, or the rest of your friends, but I know it's nothing compared to what you've been through. I'm not criticizing you for wanting things the way you want them. Or the way you used to want them. Or how you might want them in the future. OK? Please don't think that I am."
"Well, thank you. I appreciate that."
"Would you like to trade blankets? This one might be more comfortable."
"No, thank you. I'm good."
"Then try to get some sleep, all right?"
"Cain, that's about as helpful as telling someone to stop worrying or quit smoking. I shall at least endeavor to suffer my insomnia more quietly."
Cain took pity on him. "Would you like to play a round of cards?"
"Do you know how to play Thricettes?" Ambrose asked, with some hopeful interest.
"No. Do you know how to play Eight Stag?"
"No."
"Well. I'll see you in the morning, then, Ambrose."
"Good-night, Cain."
lll\work/lllllllllllllllllllllll
8. one room, one bed, one sleeps on floor (Ambrose)
"We got one room left, it's a single, and we're out of cots."
"May..."
"Cain, I'm willing to give you a discount. I'm sorry, boys, it's the best I've got."
Five minutes later they were regarding the situation shoulder to shoulder from the doorway of Room 5.
"I'll take the floor," Ambrose offered, with great dignity.
"You're not sleeping on the floor," Cain began firmly.
"Yes, I absolutely am..."
"No, you're absolutely not!"
"You're not going to stop me!"
"Then we're BOTH sleeping on the floor!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
They stared down at the patch of blondwood floor between the bed and the door.
"There's only room on the floor for one person," Ambrose pointed out.
"If I have to chuck the mattress out the window to make room, I will."
"Why? Why are you so stubborn? Why do you feel the need to win this particular argument so badly?"
Cain was quiet a moment, then admitted the truth. "Because I would feel guilty sleeping on the bed while you were down there in the dust bunnies."
"Don't you think I would feel just as guilty? I'm not some delicate hothouse flower, you know."
"No, of course not."
"I can pull my weight on a trip, I can do my share of the work, and I can hold my own in a fight!"
"Yes, you definitely can."
"So don't treat me like a child."
"All right. Suit yourself. Take the floor."
"Thank you." Ambrose rolled his blanket out with great dignity, dropped the spare pillow down against the baseboards, and settled himself upon it.
Cain had just laid down on the bed when he heard Ambrose sneeze. Before Cain could say anything about it, Ambrose said, "Shut up."
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9. one room, one bed, together
Gracious May had just opened her mouth, when Cain held out his hand. "Just give me the key, May, we'll work it out."
Together, he and Ambrose tromped up the stairs.
No one wanted a repeat of the earlier argument. By mutual accord they simply each took a side of the bed, not looking at each other as they removed their outer accoutrements.
Eventually they laid down shoulder to shoulder, and stared up at the ceiling.
One hand brushed another accidentally.
"Sorry."
"No problem."
The second time it happened, Ambrose smiled. "You know, there are three provinces, two townships, and a city, in which we'd be legally married by morning," he said lightly.
Cain chuckled, cautiously. He turned his head to look at Ambrose, and saw a quirkly little smile of amusement on his face that reminded Cain rather forcefully of Glitch.
"You're starting to remember things, aren't you?" he asked quietly.
"Like the obscure bylaws on common unions?"
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah, I do. And yes, I am."
Hope soared in Cain's heart. He tried to tell it not to get too excited. "Like what? What are you remembering?"
"Oh, odd things, here and there. Like the time I had to rescue the queen's canary from a lilac bush, after he got out of the conservatory."
"Oh," Cain said, trying not to sound too disappointed. "Well, it's early yet. These things take time." He didn't know which of them he was trying to comfort more. "I mean, probably. Not that I'm an Alchemist or anything."
"No," Ambrose agreed. "But you're a good friend, and I appreciate the encouragement."
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10. one room, one single bed, together
Cain reached up to help Ambrose off his horse. For the last couple of spans, Ambrose had been complaining of feeling dizzy and tired, and Cain had been vastly relieved to see the Otter finally come into view. At first he'd thought they'd just traveled too far too quickly, packed in too many jobs for one trip, but now he was suspecting it was something more. They'd last been at a primary school in Ettwick, presenting a hefty donation from the queen, and Cain was afraid Ambrose might have picked up a cold being around all those children.
"Really don't feel very tall. I mean, well at all," Ambrose informed him groggily, as his feet found the cobblestones. His knees buckled almost immediately.
Cain pulled Ambrose's arm over his shoulders and half carried the man into the great-room of the Sleepy Otter . "Send for a doctor!" he called urgently to Gracious May.
Old Humbert stood up in the corner. "That'd be me, sonny," he said. "I'm retired now, but I'm not too blind to spot a case of Speckle Fever." He limped over, picked up Ambrose's dangling free hand and showed Cain a spattering of faint orange spots developing on the inside of the pale wrist.
"Speckles?" Cain repeated incredulously, as he coaxed Ambrose up the stairs with half the population of the Otter clambering up behind them in concern. "How is that possible? Everybody gets that when they're little and then they're immune."
"Not everybody. Did he grow up somewhere real isolated?"
Cain realized he didn't know, he'd never thought to ask. But regardless of where Ambrose had grown up, Cain could just picture him holed up somewhere by himself reading instead of playing with the other kids and picking up their germs.
"He's going to be OK, though, right? I mean, he just got his brain back in not too long ago, this can't be good for it." He eased Ambrose onto the narrow length of the single bed and began pulling off his shoes. "Maybe I should send for an Alchemist. Or a Viewer. Or...."
Humbert patted him kindly on the shoulder. "Speckles aren't dangerous, lad. Fever'll probably break some time tonight and you can be on your way day after tomorrow." The old man limped for the door.
"But!" Cain protested. "Isn't there some sort of pill?"
"For what? His fever or your nerves?"
Cain ignored the quip. "There must be something we can do!"
"There is. We wait. Patiently. I'll have Miss May send up some ice water for him to drink when he wakes up. Until then, you can put some on a handkerchief, and apply it to your forehead." Humbert chuckled as he pulled the door shut.
It was nearly dusk by the time Ambrose woke up. Cain roused himself from the chair he'd been sitting in.
"I'm cold," Ambrose informed him plaintively.
"It's ninety degrees outside," Cain said.
"Don't care. Feel cold. Hold me. Like you did last time."
"You remember that?"
"Why shouldn't I? I was there."
Cain nudged off his shoes, and laid down behind Ambrose, wrapping his arms around him so he wouldn't tumble off the narrow bed.
In the morning the sheets were soaked with the sweat of a fever broken and gone, and Ambrose turned in his arms to stare up at him.
"Cain?" he asked weakly. "I guess it's a little late to be asking now, but have you had Speckle Fever already?"
"I have. When I was eight, like most normal people," he teased.
"So it'd be safe to kiss you good-morning?"
"Safe? To kiss me?"
"Is there an echo in here? You did say that when the day came I was all well we could start a new chapter. I'm all well."
"And you think we ought to start now, do you?" Cain asked.
Ambrose smiled. "Yes, I think we otter." He wheezed at their old joke, and Cain released his relief and joy in a burst of laughter.
"You're a loon, Ambrose," he said fondly, and leaned down to kiss him tenderly on the mouth.
"But that's why you love me, right?"
"One of several reasons, yeah."
"Why else?"
"Do you want breakfast, or do you want me to lay here all day and flatter you?"
"I'll take the flattery."
"OK. Well, you're vain."
"Stop it."
"You're bossy."
"Wyatt..."
"You're beautiful."
"That's better."
"And you're mine."
Written for: 10_themes
Title: The Sleepy Otters Inn (Parts 1-10, complete)
Pairing: Cain/Glitch
Word Count: 4,000
Rating: PG
Prompt Table:
Here
Summary: Every job they did for the queen found them coming home by the same road.
THE SLEEPY OTTERS INN
lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
Part One: Cain and Glitch In Winter
lll\forest/lllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
1. two rooms, two beds
They were still nearly four hours ride from the palace when their tired horses clomped out of the forest and into Suttonville. It had been a good trip, Cain considered, he and Glitch had accomplished all the queen had sent them out to do, and no injuries or insurrections incurred in the process.
But now the shadows were crossing over the cobblestone streets, and they couldn't help but notice the inviting country inn standing prominently in the lane. A carved sign swinging out from the second floor proclaimed it to be "The Sleepy Otters Inn", and the artwork portrayed two of the namesake animals bobbing on their backs in a river with half closed eyes.
"Do you think we ought to stop here for the night?" Cain asked.
"Yes, I think we otter."
Cain couldn't help laughing along with Glitch, indeed, they laughed so hard Cain had to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye. Perhaps it was an indication of just how exhausted they both were, but they were still chortling over the pun as they handed the reins of their horses over to a bemused stable hand, and headed for the front door.
A tavern girl brought them two mugs of a warm beverage, though she remarked with good humor that they looked like they'd already been in the grog - Glitch was still giggling sporadically and it was taking all of Cain's self-control to maintain his usual even expression.
Eventually they shared a simple peasant's dinner of a crimp-edged pot pie and a wedge of good Brinswick cheddar. Then they bought two room keys for the upper floor from the merry proprietress running the desk - a large woman with an upsweep of ringlets and a bright smile who introduced herself as Gracious May. They trudged up the stairs, matched key numbers to doors, and bade each other a good night.
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2. one room, two beds
"But even with all that, I still think it turned out all right. Don't you think?" Glitch asked. "Cain?"
Cain was stirred from his thoughts of the last million spans it felt like they'd traversed. He rewound and replayed the last bit of Glitch's monologue in his head. "Yeah, it turned out all right," he agreed. He supposed that even though they'd been shot at four times the trip could still be considered a success since none of the bullets had actually found their mark. Maybe the queen was secretly trying to kill them.
"I think we should stop at that nice inn again, it's been a long trip," Glitch mused aloud. "I could use another one of those little pies with the chicken and the yellow sauce."
Cain was in no mood to argue, and besides, the earliest winds of winter were kicking up and he had torn a hole in his coat. The idea of a chicken pie and maybe even finishing the trip tomorrow was too tempting to refute.
Gracious May greeted them cheerfully, remembering both their names and waving them to a table. "You boys staying the night?"
Glitch looked hopeful, Cain nodded. No point making the last leg of the trip in the dark.
Marisette the serving girl brought over a single key with their dinners. "May's just got one room free tonight, but it's got two beds."
Cain nodded absently, more interested in food than sleeping arrangements. He and Glitch had shared a hundred campsites, two beds would hardly be a problem.
Halfway through his meal, Cain put his hand on his back and stretched as best he could in his chair, trying to twist out a kink.
"You look like could use a hot bath," Glitch observed.
Cain did not like discussing such things in the common room, as if the mention of it might cause overhearing diners to get mental pictures.
Glitch chuckled, reading his expression. "Everybody takes a bath, Cain."
"Be that as it may, Glitch, I think I'll pass on soaking in a bathroom that serves eight rooms."
"I'll stand outside the door and guard your virtue," he offered with a laugh.
Cain felt his face heat, but he found himself laughing, too. Glitch always seemed able to do that to him somehow.
When Cain woke in the morning, he found Glitch sitting crosslegged on his bed by the window, stitching up the hole in his coat.
"Since when do you sew?" he asked, thinking of all the holes Glitch's clothes had been sporting when they'd met.
"Gracious May showed me how," he said proudly, holding up the coat to show Cain the little white zigzaggy line holding the rip closed. "Well," he amended, upon this closer inspection, "I suppose you could drop it off at the tailor shop on the way home."
Somehow, Cain never quite got around to having it fixed.
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3. one room, one double bed, one sleeps on floor (Cain)
"Cain, don't be ridiculous, the queen is NOT trying to kill us," Glitch exclaimed, rolling his gaze skyward. "Granted, these haven't been the easiest of assignments, but those are what you get when you're the top team in the O.Z."
"All I know is if I have to mediate one more feud I'm going to get testy."
"Peace is just around the corner, Cain, along with Spring, I feel it."
All Cain felt was a North wind trying to push snow down his collar. "It's not even Second Solstice yet."
"Ah, but look how pretty the Sleepy Otter is."
Cain had to admit that the establishment, which was beginning to feel as welcome to them as a second home, was resplendent with seasonal decorations. Berry garlands swagged from window to window, and a wreath of apples and painted walnuts hung over the door. It was another sign of prosperity returning to the realm, and it gladdened his heart.
The regulars were in a jovial mood, there was much singing and warmth, despite the cold outside, and Cain had relaxed considerably over his dinner, when Gracious May showed up. She apologized profusely for the lack of accommodations, informing him that not only would he and Glitch be sharing a room this time, but a bed. "That's all right," Cain said, after she left. "I'll take the floor."
"You don't have to," Glitch began, but Cain forestalled further discussion with a tilt of his hand.
"I insist."
After dessert, Cain went out to the stables for one more check on his horse, who had been favoring a leg slightly. When he got back inside, he found Glitch and an elderly gentleman seated at a table, each holding a fan of playing cards. They were surrounded by bowls of chips, mugs of grog, and several spectators, and were clearly deep in competition.
They surveyed each other suspiciously over the tops of the cards.
The old man squinted. "Gimme all your twos," he drawled.
Glitch arched one eyebrow, and replied in deadly earnest," Go fish."
lll\beach/lllllllllllllllllll
4. one room, one double bed, shared
Though Cain wouldn't have recommended it, apparently it WAS possible to steer a horse with both hands tucked under one's armpits. At least Glitch was still in the saddle, despite being hunched over against the gale.
"It's freezing!" Glitch complained bitterly. "Why do we never get assignments that send us to the beach?"
"What happened to all that optimism from the last trip?"
"I think it's in my brain frozen to some other part of my brain. I can't find my sense of humor either."
"We can thaw out at the Otter," Cain promised. "Just a little further."
It was almost impossible to tell one building from another under the blanket of snow that covered Suttonville. But a familiar sign creaked in the wind, and a lantern behind the front shutters lit their way.
Once they'd dismounted, Cain took the reins of Glitch's mare and pressed him in the direction of the inn's door. "Go order us something hot!" he instructed.
Glitch made no more than a token protest before handing over the responsibility of the animals lock, stock, and barrel. By the time Cain got inside, Marisette was setting steaming bowls of soup at their usual table.
There were few patrons on this night, though old Humbert was at his usual booth, and he and Glitch spent several hours playing for matchsticks and cracker packets, before Cain finally called it a night, much to the relief of Marisette and May.
Away from the fireplace in the greatroom, Glitch was soon shivering again, as Cain set their packs to the side in the tiny room.
"Cain! I'm cold! I'm going to DIE!"
"You're not going to freeze to death in an inn. Get in bed."
Glitch climbed in without taking off a single stitch of clothing, but failed to look any happier. He sat there watching Cain divest himself of hat and gun and belt and shoes, in the same precise order he always did. "Don't sleep on the floor this time, Cain, please? Let's double up on blankets and share body heat," he suggested.
"I don't think that will be necessary..."
"Oh, come on! Don't be so stingy with your amplitude! I'm thinner than you are!" He held open his coat to prove his point.
Cain didn't have the heart to object further, Glitch was skinny, and it was cold, and it would be just like him to freeze to death in an inn just to teach him a lesson. He climbed into the other side of the bed, adding the second blanket to the top of the first.
Glitch smiled, snuggled down into this newfound comfort, and closed his eyes.
lll\hospital/lllllllllllllllllll
5. one room, one single bed, shared
It was their last mission together, at least as Cain and Glitch, and Cain's heart was heavy. Glitch's surgery was scheduled for five days from tomorrow, in the restored Central City Medical Unit, and all the best minds in the O.Z. and a few from the Otherside were scheduled to arrive: surgeons, alchemists, healers, Viewers, mages, good witches, medicos, and doctors of all stripes and philosophies.
He had arranged with Gracious May in advance, so they would be given the same room they'd had as last time. It was comfortingly familiar, although the bed seemed to have been replaced with a slightly narrower one for some reason, but he didn't mind. As he and Glitch curled into it, he hoped his presence would give Glitch some sense of security.
"You never got your coat fixed," Glitch observed, reaching out to where Cain's coat hung over a chair. His fingers grazed the erratic repair from weeks earlier, white thread over gray.
"I've grown accustomed to it," Cain said. "It looks like something attempted by a drunken spider."
Glitch chortled. "Well, it was stitched with love."
They were silent a long time after that, after that casual and yet monumental dropping of "The L Word" into the conversation. Finally, Cain cleared his throat. "You know, Glitch, if it wasn't for the fact that ...I don't think we should... we should complicate things... get too involved...right before, you know...."
"You can say it. Before they plunk my brain back in and I turn into somebody else. Stiffy stuffy Ambrose man."
"I'm sure you weren't stiff or stuffy," he prevaricated quickly. Then, in response to Glitch's reproachful look, added, "We'll just have to wait and see how it goes."
Glitch looked so sad and disappointed that Cain tried to cheer him with a promise.
"When you're all well, we can start a .. a new chapter, OK?"
"At least give me a kiss for luck," Glitch requested. "Give me something pleasant to think about when they're putting me under anaesthesia at the hospital."
Tears prickled Cain's eyes, and he gave a nod of assent.
He leaned down, and pressed his lips to Glitch's.
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
Part Two: Cain and Ambrose in Summer
lll\hotel/llllllllllllllllllllllllll
6. two rooms, two beds
"Are you sure you want to stop here?" Ambrose asked doubtfully, eyeballing the building skeptically. "The palace isn't much further up the road."
"The horses are tired," Cain said. "And I could use a cooked meal."
Ambrose dabbed at a bead of sweat forming across his brow. "I don't know how you can want hot food in weather like this, but I wouldn't turn down some chilled wine."
Marisette was going by with a laden tray, and she greeted them with a cheerful smile. "Oh, Glitch, Humbert will be glad you're here, he's been waiting to win his matchsticks back from you!"
"I beg your pardon?" Ambrose asked, drawing back from her. "Do I know you?"
She looked sympathetically over at Cain. "Oh, he's having another glitch, isn't he? I'll get you two some grog."
"I'm not having a... a.... thing." Ambrose contested hotly, but she was gone.
Eventually, Cain was forced to explain the difference in his companion, and all the regulars were told about the surgery, and there was much remarking on wasn't it amazing what science could do these days and how glad they all were for Ambrose to get that dreadful zipper out of his head, but Cain could tell they were all rather uncertain about the change. Finally dinner was brought, and everyone backed off and left them to eat in peace.
Ambrose stared down at the plate for some moments before picking up his fork and jabbing cautiously at the food.
"I know it's not the Grand Emerald Hotel but you didn't turn your nose up at it last time you were here."
"In the first place, I don't remember the last time I was here, and secondly, I am not 'turning my nose up' at anything, thank you. I was merely showing a healthy interest in the quality of my food."
"There's nothing wrong with the food, Ambrose," he snapped, and then he immediately sagged in his chair and sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. Do you want me to order you something else?"
Ambrose sniffed the cube of meat on his fork. "No, thank you. This should suffice."
lll\library/lllllllllllllllllllll
7 . one room, two beds
Gracious May was busy at the switchboard when they dashed in, minutes ahead of yet another summer storm, but she gave them a flushed smile and a minute of her time.
"Sorry, boys, you'll have to share a room, we're booked tighter than the Queen's Library tonight with all this rain!"
"That's fine, May, long as the roof don't leak."
She snorted with mock indignation at the very idea, handing Cain a single key and waving them towards the stairs.
Ambrose looked cautiously over his shoulder as he opened the door. "Looks like we're going to be roommates," he said.
"Looks like."
They got into their respective beds without much talk, and Cain turned out the lantern and waited for sleep to come, listening to the rain pounding above.
The third time Ambrose shifted about, Cain could refrain no longer. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"The sheets are scratchy. I know, I know, you're going to make a remark about how they're not washed in lavender detergent like the ones at the palace. "
"I didn't say anything."
"But you were thinking it."
Cain sat up. "Ambrose. This hasn't been easy for me, or the rest of your friends, but I know it's nothing compared to what you've been through. I'm not criticizing you for wanting things the way you want them. Or the way you used to want them. Or how you might want them in the future. OK? Please don't think that I am."
"Well, thank you. I appreciate that."
"Would you like to trade blankets? This one might be more comfortable."
"No, thank you. I'm good."
"Then try to get some sleep, all right?"
"Cain, that's about as helpful as telling someone to stop worrying or quit smoking. I shall at least endeavor to suffer my insomnia more quietly."
Cain took pity on him. "Would you like to play a round of cards?"
"Do you know how to play Thricettes?" Ambrose asked, with some hopeful interest.
"No. Do you know how to play Eight Stag?"
"No."
"Well. I'll see you in the morning, then, Ambrose."
"Good-night, Cain."
lll\work/lllllllllllllllllllllll
8. one room, one bed, one sleeps on floor (Ambrose)
"We got one room left, it's a single, and we're out of cots."
"May..."
"Cain, I'm willing to give you a discount. I'm sorry, boys, it's the best I've got."
Five minutes later they were regarding the situation shoulder to shoulder from the doorway of Room 5.
"I'll take the floor," Ambrose offered, with great dignity.
"You're not sleeping on the floor," Cain began firmly.
"Yes, I absolutely am..."
"No, you're absolutely not!"
"You're not going to stop me!"
"Then we're BOTH sleeping on the floor!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
They stared down at the patch of blondwood floor between the bed and the door.
"There's only room on the floor for one person," Ambrose pointed out.
"If I have to chuck the mattress out the window to make room, I will."
"Why? Why are you so stubborn? Why do you feel the need to win this particular argument so badly?"
Cain was quiet a moment, then admitted the truth. "Because I would feel guilty sleeping on the bed while you were down there in the dust bunnies."
"Don't you think I would feel just as guilty? I'm not some delicate hothouse flower, you know."
"No, of course not."
"I can pull my weight on a trip, I can do my share of the work, and I can hold my own in a fight!"
"Yes, you definitely can."
"So don't treat me like a child."
"All right. Suit yourself. Take the floor."
"Thank you." Ambrose rolled his blanket out with great dignity, dropped the spare pillow down against the baseboards, and settled himself upon it.
Cain had just laid down on the bed when he heard Ambrose sneeze. Before Cain could say anything about it, Ambrose said, "Shut up."
lll\city/lllllllllllllllllllll
9. one room, one bed, together
Gracious May had just opened her mouth, when Cain held out his hand. "Just give me the key, May, we'll work it out."
Together, he and Ambrose tromped up the stairs.
No one wanted a repeat of the earlier argument. By mutual accord they simply each took a side of the bed, not looking at each other as they removed their outer accoutrements.
Eventually they laid down shoulder to shoulder, and stared up at the ceiling.
One hand brushed another accidentally.
"Sorry."
"No problem."
The second time it happened, Ambrose smiled. "You know, there are three provinces, two townships, and a city, in which we'd be legally married by morning," he said lightly.
Cain chuckled, cautiously. He turned his head to look at Ambrose, and saw a quirkly little smile of amusement on his face that reminded Cain rather forcefully of Glitch.
"You're starting to remember things, aren't you?" he asked quietly.
"Like the obscure bylaws on common unions?"
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah, I do. And yes, I am."
Hope soared in Cain's heart. He tried to tell it not to get too excited. "Like what? What are you remembering?"
"Oh, odd things, here and there. Like the time I had to rescue the queen's canary from a lilac bush, after he got out of the conservatory."
"Oh," Cain said, trying not to sound too disappointed. "Well, it's early yet. These things take time." He didn't know which of them he was trying to comfort more. "I mean, probably. Not that I'm an Alchemist or anything."
"No," Ambrose agreed. "But you're a good friend, and I appreciate the encouragement."
lll\school/llllllllllllllllllllll
10. one room, one single bed, together
Cain reached up to help Ambrose off his horse. For the last couple of spans, Ambrose had been complaining of feeling dizzy and tired, and Cain had been vastly relieved to see the Otter finally come into view. At first he'd thought they'd just traveled too far too quickly, packed in too many jobs for one trip, but now he was suspecting it was something more. They'd last been at a primary school in Ettwick, presenting a hefty donation from the queen, and Cain was afraid Ambrose might have picked up a cold being around all those children.
"Really don't feel very tall. I mean, well at all," Ambrose informed him groggily, as his feet found the cobblestones. His knees buckled almost immediately.
Cain pulled Ambrose's arm over his shoulders and half carried the man into the great-room of the Sleepy Otter . "Send for a doctor!" he called urgently to Gracious May.
Old Humbert stood up in the corner. "That'd be me, sonny," he said. "I'm retired now, but I'm not too blind to spot a case of Speckle Fever." He limped over, picked up Ambrose's dangling free hand and showed Cain a spattering of faint orange spots developing on the inside of the pale wrist.
"Speckles?" Cain repeated incredulously, as he coaxed Ambrose up the stairs with half the population of the Otter clambering up behind them in concern. "How is that possible? Everybody gets that when they're little and then they're immune."
"Not everybody. Did he grow up somewhere real isolated?"
Cain realized he didn't know, he'd never thought to ask. But regardless of where Ambrose had grown up, Cain could just picture him holed up somewhere by himself reading instead of playing with the other kids and picking up their germs.
"He's going to be OK, though, right? I mean, he just got his brain back in not too long ago, this can't be good for it." He eased Ambrose onto the narrow length of the single bed and began pulling off his shoes. "Maybe I should send for an Alchemist. Or a Viewer. Or...."
Humbert patted him kindly on the shoulder. "Speckles aren't dangerous, lad. Fever'll probably break some time tonight and you can be on your way day after tomorrow." The old man limped for the door.
"But!" Cain protested. "Isn't there some sort of pill?"
"For what? His fever or your nerves?"
Cain ignored the quip. "There must be something we can do!"
"There is. We wait. Patiently. I'll have Miss May send up some ice water for him to drink when he wakes up. Until then, you can put some on a handkerchief, and apply it to your forehead." Humbert chuckled as he pulled the door shut.
It was nearly dusk by the time Ambrose woke up. Cain roused himself from the chair he'd been sitting in.
"I'm cold," Ambrose informed him plaintively.
"It's ninety degrees outside," Cain said.
"Don't care. Feel cold. Hold me. Like you did last time."
"You remember that?"
"Why shouldn't I? I was there."
Cain nudged off his shoes, and laid down behind Ambrose, wrapping his arms around him so he wouldn't tumble off the narrow bed.
In the morning the sheets were soaked with the sweat of a fever broken and gone, and Ambrose turned in his arms to stare up at him.
"Cain?" he asked weakly. "I guess it's a little late to be asking now, but have you had Speckle Fever already?"
"I have. When I was eight, like most normal people," he teased.
"So it'd be safe to kiss you good-morning?"
"Safe? To kiss me?"
"Is there an echo in here? You did say that when the day came I was all well we could start a new chapter. I'm all well."
"And you think we ought to start now, do you?" Cain asked.
Ambrose smiled. "Yes, I think we otter." He wheezed at their old joke, and Cain released his relief and joy in a burst of laughter.
"You're a loon, Ambrose," he said fondly, and leaned down to kiss him tenderly on the mouth.
"But that's why you love me, right?"
"One of several reasons, yeah."
"Why else?"
"Do you want breakfast, or do you want me to lay here all day and flatter you?"
"I'll take the flattery."
"OK. Well, you're vain."
"Stop it."
"You're bossy."
"Wyatt..."
"You're beautiful."
"That's better."
"And you're mine."