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Soft Serve 22/50 - Cotton Candy #23. Experiment with Chopped Nuts
Story : knights & necromancers ( High School AU)
Timeframe : Friday
Word Count : 1476
Rating : PG - potentially squicky? involves frog dissection
Yes, I'm posting! No, I still haven't written anything in ages... I've decided to start clearing out some of my old stuff and hope that makes me feel like I've got more room to work. Sorry I haven't been around. Let me know what goodies of yours I've missed so I can do some reading!
Skipping ahead again. This is on Friday. Hopefully someday I will come back and fill in earlier stuff too.
Kairn shuffled down the hall to Biology, backpack slung over one shoulder and the egg in its cup balanced in the other hand, wrinkling his nose at the formaldehyde stench. The class was lingering in the hallway, only slowly trickling into the room.
He looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of Lyssa, but didn’t find her among the crowd. It was something of an afterthought to look for Reida, but she wasn’t there either. He took a deep gulp of what he figured was likely to be the cleanest air he’d see for the next hour, held it, and plunged into the room.
There was still no sign of Reida. A half dozen or so students hung close to the walls, giving sidelong glances to the lab tables. A few more had taken up stations around the room. Mr. Tarek, the biology teacher, was hobbling about the room, cheerfully whistling as he set the last trays with their bloated dead frogs and shiny arrays of scalpels and tools on the tables.
“Come, find a seat,” he called, gesturing to everyone along the walls and in the doorway. More than one of the more apprehensive students gave Mr. Tarek a look that said he was just as disturbing as the dead frogs.
Lyssa hadn’t needed any coaxing. She was already at a table, with her gloves on, examining the blade of a scalpel intently. Kairn found himself wondering if he had the guts to take the empty seat next to her, and just the thought made him a little queasy. So what if she’d broken up with her boyfriend. How many times had they done that in the last year? It was usually less than a week before they were all over each other again. Kairn eyed one of the empty seats at the back of the room.
Of course, that was when Rune came sweeping past him with a sour look at Lyssa that she was all too quick to return. He slapped his books down on a table on the other side of the room and folded himself up to fit on one of the dinky stools to sit and glare at the frog laid out in front of him.
Kairn decided to take that as a sign and go to Lyssa’s table before he could talk himself out of it.
“Hey.” His voice was shaking almost as badly as his hands when he set the egg down on her table. Lyssa gave the egg a look that said she was trying not to laugh. “So,” he practically squeaked. He coughed, as if that was going to hide anything and fervently willed himself not to blush, for whatever that was worth. “So, I, uh, I noticed you didn’t have a lab partner today.”
Lyssa drummed her perfect red nails on the tabletop. “Yeah, we broke up,” she said. “Again.” She shot Rune a scathing look.
“Right. I heard.” As if anyone could have missed it. “I-I was wondering if maybe you could use a new partner?”
She did laugh then, and Kairn bowed his head and pretended that putting his gloves on required a great deal of focus, sure that he must be red from ear to ear. “You’re wanting to cut up a frog with me?”
“W-well, sure, I mean, you don’t want to have to do it by yourself, right?”
She smiled, all perfect teeth and soft, painted lips, and he could see the laughter in her eyes. Even if she said no, it would be worth the trouble of convincing himself to ask, just to see that smile. Of course, that was when Wyatt decided to butt his way into the conversation.
“Hey, Lyss,” He propped one thick arm on the far side of the lab table and cocked a grin at her. “You need a partner?”
“Nah,” said Lyssa, turning that winsome smile of hers on the newcomer. “I got Ken here.”
Kairn felt his stomach clench. “Kairn,” he said meekly, but no one was even looking at him.
“Oh,” said Wyatt, pushing off from the table. “That’s cool. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow night, right?”
Lyssa snickered. “You’d better be there. You ok, Ken?” she said, finally looking his way as the bell rang and Wyatt found another partner.
“Kairn,” he corrected again, even more softly than before.
“You’re looking a little green.”
“Well, that’s, uh, better than our bloated little friend here, I suppose.”
“Yeah, well, he’s dead. Can’t be helped.” She gave the scalpel a casual twirl and thrust the blade into the dead frog’s throat.
“R-right,” said Kairn, blinking as he watched her slide the knife down the frog’s belly. “Shouldn’t we maybe be listening to the teacher before we just start cutting?” Mr. Tarek was at the front of the room, gesturing at a slide projected on the whiteboard and rattling off a string of directions. Too busy staring at Lyssa, Kairn hadn’t caught a word of the lecture yet.
Lyssa paused, hand still poised on the scalpel and the blade still buried in the frog’s gut, and raised a brow. “You read the manual, right?”
“Right.”
“Not like it’s brain surgery we’re doing here. Patient’s already dead anyway,” she added with a grin.
“R-right.” Kairn tried to laugh, but it came out a nervous titter.
It seemed that was consent in Lyssa’s eyes, because she pulled the knife from the frog and proceeded to make another incision.
“So,” she said, after a long, awkward pause in which she continued to open up the frog, and Kairn numbly stared at her hands and the knife, and Mr. Tarek babbled on about various organs. “What are you doing without a partner? Don’t you usually hang out with that one girl?” Kairn took a step back as she waved the scalpel in the air.
“Reida?”
“Yeah, Reida.” Of course she’d get her name right.
“Well, yeah, but we’re not…” The last thing he needed was for Lyssa to think he was dating Reida. “I mean it’s not like we…” He looked around the room. Where was Reida anyway? He heard her before he caught sight of her, laughing with whoever she’d found to work with. When he found her, leaning in, blade in hand, over a frog of her own, next to the gangly blond coiled and perched on his stool like he was some sort of circus animal, he wanted to groan. Instead he was dumb enough to open and say, “Hey, seems she found a new partner for today too.”
Lyssa followed his gaze to the pair, who were deeply engrossed in discussing something or other Kairn couldn’t quite make out, and grumbled a few choice phrases as she renewed her attack on the frog.
“Right,” said Kairn, wanting to smack himself. Maybe a change of subject would help. “So, uh, what’s tomorrow night?” he asked, following it up in his head with please don’t let it be a date with Wyatt.
Lyssa shrugged. She was peeling back skin now, and Kairn cringed at the display of organs and wondered why he was looking at the frog at all when he was standing this close to Lyssa. “Oh, nothing big. Just having a party.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, my parents are having one of their little… weekend things. I thought everyone knew.”
“I, uh, I’m not usually part of ‘everyone,’ I guess.”
He wasn’t even sure he was really part of this conversation. Lyssa was leaning to point at the spread of tools on the table, but her eyes were on Rune and Reida. “Hey, give me that pin, would you, Ken?”
“Yeah, sure.” He handed it over without bothering to correct her.
She continued her prodding of the dead frog for a moment, while Kairn leaned on the table not saying a word. Then, out of nowhere, she asked, “Isn’t it pathetic?”
“Huh?”
“The way they keep watching us.”
“Who?” As if he really needed to ask.
“My boyfriend and your girlfriend.”
“But I told you, we’re not-” He sighed. “And you keep watching them.”
Back to prodding the frog, Lyssa paid the remark no notice. “You got the chart?” she asked. “What are we supposed to be finding on this thing anyway?”
“Yeah, here.” Kairn pulled out the stack of worksheets and skimmed the diagram. “All the major organs. Looks like he’s coming around to check.”
“So if I started flirting with you, would she be jealous?”
“Huh?” He looked back over at Reida and Rune, who were both digging about in their frog. “I… er, we… she’s… youcanflirtwithmeanytimeyouwant.”
Lyssa looked up with a laugh. “Even if I’m covered in frog guts?”
“U-uh, sure.”
“You know you’re blushing, right?”
That only made his cheeks hotter. “I was hoping I wasn’t, but I kinda figured.”
“It’s cute.”
“Huh?”
“You should come tomorrow night.”
“I, uh, sure.”
Story : knights & necromancers ( High School AU)
Timeframe : Friday
Word Count : 1476
Rating : PG - potentially squicky? involves frog dissection
Yes, I'm posting! No, I still haven't written anything in ages... I've decided to start clearing out some of my old stuff and hope that makes me feel like I've got more room to work. Sorry I haven't been around. Let me know what goodies of yours I've missed so I can do some reading!
Skipping ahead again. This is on Friday. Hopefully someday I will come back and fill in earlier stuff too.
Kairn shuffled down the hall to Biology, backpack slung over one shoulder and the egg in its cup balanced in the other hand, wrinkling his nose at the formaldehyde stench. The class was lingering in the hallway, only slowly trickling into the room.
He looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of Lyssa, but didn’t find her among the crowd. It was something of an afterthought to look for Reida, but she wasn’t there either. He took a deep gulp of what he figured was likely to be the cleanest air he’d see for the next hour, held it, and plunged into the room.
There was still no sign of Reida. A half dozen or so students hung close to the walls, giving sidelong glances to the lab tables. A few more had taken up stations around the room. Mr. Tarek, the biology teacher, was hobbling about the room, cheerfully whistling as he set the last trays with their bloated dead frogs and shiny arrays of scalpels and tools on the tables.
“Come, find a seat,” he called, gesturing to everyone along the walls and in the doorway. More than one of the more apprehensive students gave Mr. Tarek a look that said he was just as disturbing as the dead frogs.
Lyssa hadn’t needed any coaxing. She was already at a table, with her gloves on, examining the blade of a scalpel intently. Kairn found himself wondering if he had the guts to take the empty seat next to her, and just the thought made him a little queasy. So what if she’d broken up with her boyfriend. How many times had they done that in the last year? It was usually less than a week before they were all over each other again. Kairn eyed one of the empty seats at the back of the room.
Of course, that was when Rune came sweeping past him with a sour look at Lyssa that she was all too quick to return. He slapped his books down on a table on the other side of the room and folded himself up to fit on one of the dinky stools to sit and glare at the frog laid out in front of him.
Kairn decided to take that as a sign and go to Lyssa’s table before he could talk himself out of it.
“Hey.” His voice was shaking almost as badly as his hands when he set the egg down on her table. Lyssa gave the egg a look that said she was trying not to laugh. “So,” he practically squeaked. He coughed, as if that was going to hide anything and fervently willed himself not to blush, for whatever that was worth. “So, I, uh, I noticed you didn’t have a lab partner today.”
Lyssa drummed her perfect red nails on the tabletop. “Yeah, we broke up,” she said. “Again.” She shot Rune a scathing look.
“Right. I heard.” As if anyone could have missed it. “I-I was wondering if maybe you could use a new partner?”
She did laugh then, and Kairn bowed his head and pretended that putting his gloves on required a great deal of focus, sure that he must be red from ear to ear. “You’re wanting to cut up a frog with me?”
“W-well, sure, I mean, you don’t want to have to do it by yourself, right?”
She smiled, all perfect teeth and soft, painted lips, and he could see the laughter in her eyes. Even if she said no, it would be worth the trouble of convincing himself to ask, just to see that smile. Of course, that was when Wyatt decided to butt his way into the conversation.
“Hey, Lyss,” He propped one thick arm on the far side of the lab table and cocked a grin at her. “You need a partner?”
“Nah,” said Lyssa, turning that winsome smile of hers on the newcomer. “I got Ken here.”
Kairn felt his stomach clench. “Kairn,” he said meekly, but no one was even looking at him.
“Oh,” said Wyatt, pushing off from the table. “That’s cool. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow night, right?”
Lyssa snickered. “You’d better be there. You ok, Ken?” she said, finally looking his way as the bell rang and Wyatt found another partner.
“Kairn,” he corrected again, even more softly than before.
“You’re looking a little green.”
“Well, that’s, uh, better than our bloated little friend here, I suppose.”
“Yeah, well, he’s dead. Can’t be helped.” She gave the scalpel a casual twirl and thrust the blade into the dead frog’s throat.
“R-right,” said Kairn, blinking as he watched her slide the knife down the frog’s belly. “Shouldn’t we maybe be listening to the teacher before we just start cutting?” Mr. Tarek was at the front of the room, gesturing at a slide projected on the whiteboard and rattling off a string of directions. Too busy staring at Lyssa, Kairn hadn’t caught a word of the lecture yet.
Lyssa paused, hand still poised on the scalpel and the blade still buried in the frog’s gut, and raised a brow. “You read the manual, right?”
“Right.”
“Not like it’s brain surgery we’re doing here. Patient’s already dead anyway,” she added with a grin.
“R-right.” Kairn tried to laugh, but it came out a nervous titter.
It seemed that was consent in Lyssa’s eyes, because she pulled the knife from the frog and proceeded to make another incision.
“So,” she said, after a long, awkward pause in which she continued to open up the frog, and Kairn numbly stared at her hands and the knife, and Mr. Tarek babbled on about various organs. “What are you doing without a partner? Don’t you usually hang out with that one girl?” Kairn took a step back as she waved the scalpel in the air.
“Reida?”
“Yeah, Reida.” Of course she’d get her name right.
“Well, yeah, but we’re not…” The last thing he needed was for Lyssa to think he was dating Reida. “I mean it’s not like we…” He looked around the room. Where was Reida anyway? He heard her before he caught sight of her, laughing with whoever she’d found to work with. When he found her, leaning in, blade in hand, over a frog of her own, next to the gangly blond coiled and perched on his stool like he was some sort of circus animal, he wanted to groan. Instead he was dumb enough to open and say, “Hey, seems she found a new partner for today too.”
Lyssa followed his gaze to the pair, who were deeply engrossed in discussing something or other Kairn couldn’t quite make out, and grumbled a few choice phrases as she renewed her attack on the frog.
“Right,” said Kairn, wanting to smack himself. Maybe a change of subject would help. “So, uh, what’s tomorrow night?” he asked, following it up in his head with please don’t let it be a date with Wyatt.
Lyssa shrugged. She was peeling back skin now, and Kairn cringed at the display of organs and wondered why he was looking at the frog at all when he was standing this close to Lyssa. “Oh, nothing big. Just having a party.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, my parents are having one of their little… weekend things. I thought everyone knew.”
“I, uh, I’m not usually part of ‘everyone,’ I guess.”
He wasn’t even sure he was really part of this conversation. Lyssa was leaning to point at the spread of tools on the table, but her eyes were on Rune and Reida. “Hey, give me that pin, would you, Ken?”
“Yeah, sure.” He handed it over without bothering to correct her.
She continued her prodding of the dead frog for a moment, while Kairn leaned on the table not saying a word. Then, out of nowhere, she asked, “Isn’t it pathetic?”
“Huh?”
“The way they keep watching us.”
“Who?” As if he really needed to ask.
“My boyfriend and your girlfriend.”
“But I told you, we’re not-” He sighed. “And you keep watching them.”
Back to prodding the frog, Lyssa paid the remark no notice. “You got the chart?” she asked. “What are we supposed to be finding on this thing anyway?”
“Yeah, here.” Kairn pulled out the stack of worksheets and skimmed the diagram. “All the major organs. Looks like he’s coming around to check.”
“So if I started flirting with you, would she be jealous?”
“Huh?” He looked back over at Reida and Rune, who were both digging about in their frog. “I… er, we… she’s… youcanflirtwithmeanytimeyouwant.”
Lyssa looked up with a laugh. “Even if I’m covered in frog guts?”
“U-uh, sure.”
“You know you’re blushing, right?”
That only made his cheeks hotter. “I was hoping I wasn’t, but I kinda figured.”
“It’s cute.”
“Huh?”
“You should come tomorrow night.”
“I, uh, sure.”