(no subject)
Mocha #10. Mind Your Own Business with Hot Fudge and Whipped Cream
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1251
Word Count : 875
On to Mocha! So far it seems to be Reida's flavor.
The door swung shut, and Reida fought the urge to brace herself against it. Standing rigid, two paces into the room, where she’d let it go, she set her attention her shoes.
“Ah, Reida, dear.” The silky voice was followed by the slap of a book cover, the drop of a pen. At the scrape of the chair and the shuffle of feet, her breath caught.
She swallowed hard, pulled her gaze from her toes as she thrust out her hand. “I have your book.”
“Ah. You found it useful, I trust?” Ephram’s saccharine smile loomed nearer.
“Quite.” She held her tone and expression flat as he slipped the book from her grasp.
“Good. Good.” It disappeared into the dark folds of his robes.
“There's another I'd like to borrow.”
“Oh?”
“Letavier‘s, the work on Death forms and healing.”
“Ah, yes.” She chewed her tongue as his hand found her shoulder. “You've had your eye on that for some time now, haven't you?”
“Yes.”
“A rare one, that.” The hand squeezed and she swallowed.
“I know.”
“You know,” he drawled, the hand sliding up her neck, trailing a finger behind her ear as she fought the urge to shudder, “there are a few things in there I have been dying to try.”
It hurt to walk, every fall of her foot jarring her hips. Hurt to breathe, air burning her lungs, ribs throbbing. “Healing, my ass,” she muttered as she slumped against the wall, the book clutched against her aching chest. Her head hit the wall and the back of her collar met with raw flesh. Allowing herself only the slightest of whimpers, she pressed her unscathed back to the stone and closed her eyes.
That was how he found her. That was how he always found her.
“Reida?”
“Mmm?” she said, not bothering to open her eyes. She could picture the look of concern well enough with them closed.
Tarek sighed. “You weren't…”
“What makes you think-” She forced herself off of the wall, losing the words as a flood of pain from all directions stole her breath.
Head cocked and arms folded, Tarek caught her eyes as they fluttered open. “Reida,” he said again with such disappointment it stung nearly as badly as her ribs.
“I can take care of myself.”
He peered down his pointy, little nose at her hands. “It's just a book.”
Clutching it closer, she fixed him with her darkest scowl. “Like anything was ever 'just a book' to you?”
“I got it.” The book slid from her own thick hands to the pale, slender pair cupped before her. For a breath, their fingers touched, and she tucked her lip between her teeth.
“Splendid,” said Sethan, drawing it to his chest.
“Second chapter,” she called after him as he crossed the room. “That's the one you want. The forms in red.” She shifted her shoulders, put a hand to the back of her collar, and gave the cloth a tug away from the blistered skin beneath it.
“The hell happened to you?”
Reida hitched the back of her shirt halfway up her neck as she turned to glare at Kairn. “None of your damn business.”
Kairn edged away from the wall and reached a trembling hand for her collar, his brow furrowed and lips twisting. “But-”
“Lay off.” She swung at the hand. Ready for just such a response, Kairn’s hand ducked beneath hers, swooping back up to catch her shirt. The cloth fell away and Kairn fliched as he caught sight of the angry red it revealed.
“Master Ephram did this. You know, it's just a book. It's not worth it. How did he even-
With a twist of her shoulders, she pulled free of his grasp, “I said lay off. Or do you want a demonstration?”
That sent him backpedaling towards the door, chewing at the air, both hands splayed before him. “No! I, er…”
Reida closed in a step with a grin and put a hand to his cheek. “I should give you one anyway, you might like it.”
“Reida?” Sethan called from across the room.
She let her hand fall, shrugged back into the collar, and Kairn stumbled back into the wall before gathering himself enough to follow her.
Sethan was crouched on the floor, the book open beside him, pages laced with red, the same form beginning to take shape in chalk before him. As she sank to her knees beside him, he swept a hand over the half finished sigil with a frown.
“I thought the base was Death?” he said.
“It is.” She reached across him to snatch the book, her side pressing, for a moment, to his. She shot Kairn a grin as he settled across the circle, and he shook his head.
“Here.” She tapped the page, pointed at the floor, taking care to lay her arm across his knee to do so. “it’s faint, but it’s there.”
Sethan’s gaze flicked between the page and the floor, and with a nod, he reached over her arm to amend his work. “Ahh, you’re right, of course,” he muttered.
Reida ducked her head beneath the book to flash Kairn a grin and mouth the words “worth it.” Kairn gave a violent shudder.
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1251
Word Count : 875
On to Mocha! So far it seems to be Reida's flavor.
The door swung shut, and Reida fought the urge to brace herself against it. Standing rigid, two paces into the room, where she’d let it go, she set her attention her shoes.
“Ah, Reida, dear.” The silky voice was followed by the slap of a book cover, the drop of a pen. At the scrape of the chair and the shuffle of feet, her breath caught.
She swallowed hard, pulled her gaze from her toes as she thrust out her hand. “I have your book.”
“Ah. You found it useful, I trust?” Ephram’s saccharine smile loomed nearer.
“Quite.” She held her tone and expression flat as he slipped the book from her grasp.
“Good. Good.” It disappeared into the dark folds of his robes.
“There's another I'd like to borrow.”
“Oh?”
“Letavier‘s, the work on Death forms and healing.”
“Ah, yes.” She chewed her tongue as his hand found her shoulder. “You've had your eye on that for some time now, haven't you?”
“Yes.”
“A rare one, that.” The hand squeezed and she swallowed.
“I know.”
“You know,” he drawled, the hand sliding up her neck, trailing a finger behind her ear as she fought the urge to shudder, “there are a few things in there I have been dying to try.”
It hurt to walk, every fall of her foot jarring her hips. Hurt to breathe, air burning her lungs, ribs throbbing. “Healing, my ass,” she muttered as she slumped against the wall, the book clutched against her aching chest. Her head hit the wall and the back of her collar met with raw flesh. Allowing herself only the slightest of whimpers, she pressed her unscathed back to the stone and closed her eyes.
That was how he found her. That was how he always found her.
“Reida?”
“Mmm?” she said, not bothering to open her eyes. She could picture the look of concern well enough with them closed.
Tarek sighed. “You weren't…”
“What makes you think-” She forced herself off of the wall, losing the words as a flood of pain from all directions stole her breath.
Head cocked and arms folded, Tarek caught her eyes as they fluttered open. “Reida,” he said again with such disappointment it stung nearly as badly as her ribs.
“I can take care of myself.”
He peered down his pointy, little nose at her hands. “It's just a book.”
Clutching it closer, she fixed him with her darkest scowl. “Like anything was ever 'just a book' to you?”
“I got it.” The book slid from her own thick hands to the pale, slender pair cupped before her. For a breath, their fingers touched, and she tucked her lip between her teeth.
“Splendid,” said Sethan, drawing it to his chest.
“Second chapter,” she called after him as he crossed the room. “That's the one you want. The forms in red.” She shifted her shoulders, put a hand to the back of her collar, and gave the cloth a tug away from the blistered skin beneath it.
“The hell happened to you?”
Reida hitched the back of her shirt halfway up her neck as she turned to glare at Kairn. “None of your damn business.”
Kairn edged away from the wall and reached a trembling hand for her collar, his brow furrowed and lips twisting. “But-”
“Lay off.” She swung at the hand. Ready for just such a response, Kairn’s hand ducked beneath hers, swooping back up to catch her shirt. The cloth fell away and Kairn fliched as he caught sight of the angry red it revealed.
“Master Ephram did this. You know, it's just a book. It's not worth it. How did he even-
With a twist of her shoulders, she pulled free of his grasp, “I said lay off. Or do you want a demonstration?”
That sent him backpedaling towards the door, chewing at the air, both hands splayed before him. “No! I, er…”
Reida closed in a step with a grin and put a hand to his cheek. “I should give you one anyway, you might like it.”
“Reida?” Sethan called from across the room.
She let her hand fall, shrugged back into the collar, and Kairn stumbled back into the wall before gathering himself enough to follow her.
Sethan was crouched on the floor, the book open beside him, pages laced with red, the same form beginning to take shape in chalk before him. As she sank to her knees beside him, he swept a hand over the half finished sigil with a frown.
“I thought the base was Death?” he said.
“It is.” She reached across him to snatch the book, her side pressing, for a moment, to his. She shot Kairn a grin as he settled across the circle, and he shook his head.
“Here.” She tapped the page, pointed at the floor, taking care to lay her arm across his knee to do so. “it’s faint, but it’s there.”
Sethan’s gaze flicked between the page and the floor, and with a nod, he reached over her arm to amend his work. “Ahh, you’re right, of course,” he muttered.
Reida ducked her head beneath the book to flash Kairn a grin and mouth the words “worth it.” Kairn gave a violent shudder.