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Maple Walnut #21. Between a Rock and a Hard Place with Whipped Cream
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1249-50
Word Count : 629
I so wanted to take this literally. I think that's why it stuck around so long. I think I got it a little bit anyway ;)
Rune could see her when she neared the bottom of the slope, so it took a great deal of effort to tell himself he couldn’t hear her hands and feet scrambling their way up the side of the mountain. In the end, it mattered little at all what he’d thought about it up until then, because suddenly there was Tish standing over him, feet planted squarely on the ledge, hands on her hips, and sporting the largest and most garishly purple black eye he’d ever seen.
He was on his feet in an instant, fumbling for even a single word to say as she brushed off the hands he tried to lay on her shoulders. “What happened to you?” he finally managed as she pushed past him to settle in the spot he’d occupied only a moment before.
“He didn’t mean to,” she said.
Rune didn’t need any further explanation to arrive at the thought of Brody’s big, ugly fist meeting her face and he found his own clenching at his sides. He forced them loose and sank to his knees on the stone beside her. He’d hit her. He’d actually gone and punched her in the face. Not that he’d ever have put it past him, but he’d hoped- He froze, hand poised over her shoulder. If he’d hit her, that had to be the end of things. “Tish,” he said, softly, letting his arm fall across her back, “I’m sure he-”
She whirled around to face him, soft lips twisted, tears welling in her big brown eyes and he could have punched himself at the surge of elation at the thought that this had her so distraught. Surely it was over, and she’d even come to him for support, and-
“How do I hide this?” she said.
“What?” said Rune, blinking, the words so mismatched to his thoughts he wasn’t quite sure he’d heard them.
Tish dabbed at her tears with the tips of her fingers, wincing as they brushed swollen skin. “If mother sees this, she’ll kill him.”
“Well, of course she will,” he said. “I’d like a piece of him myself right now.”
She waved him away and made another pass with her hand across her uninjured eye. “He didn’t mean to.”
“Tish…” Rune let his hand fall, clenching it again behind her back, a lump rising in his throat.
“I have some face powder,” she said. “If I put it on really thick.” She grimaced, flexing her swollen face into an even uglier shape. “I hope I have enough. How long do these things look so ugly? Maybe you could help me with it and I wouldn’t use so much. I mean, it’s kind of like painting. Or maybe you have some paint.”
The lump grew thicker as he stared into those eyes and tried to swallow it. “I am not going to help you cover this.”
She pursed her lips, the well of tears growing in her eyes again. “I thought you were my friend.”
Rune put a hand to the back of his neck as if the external pressure might force down the tightness within. “I am…” he said, “but I’m not-”
Tish forced herself to her feet, glaring at him with all the violence he thought should have been directed at the boy that had hit her instead. “Who needs you?” she said. She whirled about as if to make a dramatic exit, the whole effect rather diminished as, instead, she had to pick her way through the rocks to get back to the slope.
“Tish,” said Rune, his voice thick and cracking. She continued her awkward descent, leaving him to plead with the back of her head, and he soon gave up, settling back onto the ledge with a sigh.
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1249-50
Word Count : 629
I so wanted to take this literally. I think that's why it stuck around so long. I think I got it a little bit anyway ;)
Rune could see her when she neared the bottom of the slope, so it took a great deal of effort to tell himself he couldn’t hear her hands and feet scrambling their way up the side of the mountain. In the end, it mattered little at all what he’d thought about it up until then, because suddenly there was Tish standing over him, feet planted squarely on the ledge, hands on her hips, and sporting the largest and most garishly purple black eye he’d ever seen.
He was on his feet in an instant, fumbling for even a single word to say as she brushed off the hands he tried to lay on her shoulders. “What happened to you?” he finally managed as she pushed past him to settle in the spot he’d occupied only a moment before.
“He didn’t mean to,” she said.
Rune didn’t need any further explanation to arrive at the thought of Brody’s big, ugly fist meeting her face and he found his own clenching at his sides. He forced them loose and sank to his knees on the stone beside her. He’d hit her. He’d actually gone and punched her in the face. Not that he’d ever have put it past him, but he’d hoped- He froze, hand poised over her shoulder. If he’d hit her, that had to be the end of things. “Tish,” he said, softly, letting his arm fall across her back, “I’m sure he-”
She whirled around to face him, soft lips twisted, tears welling in her big brown eyes and he could have punched himself at the surge of elation at the thought that this had her so distraught. Surely it was over, and she’d even come to him for support, and-
“How do I hide this?” she said.
“What?” said Rune, blinking, the words so mismatched to his thoughts he wasn’t quite sure he’d heard them.
Tish dabbed at her tears with the tips of her fingers, wincing as they brushed swollen skin. “If mother sees this, she’ll kill him.”
“Well, of course she will,” he said. “I’d like a piece of him myself right now.”
She waved him away and made another pass with her hand across her uninjured eye. “He didn’t mean to.”
“Tish…” Rune let his hand fall, clenching it again behind her back, a lump rising in his throat.
“I have some face powder,” she said. “If I put it on really thick.” She grimaced, flexing her swollen face into an even uglier shape. “I hope I have enough. How long do these things look so ugly? Maybe you could help me with it and I wouldn’t use so much. I mean, it’s kind of like painting. Or maybe you have some paint.”
The lump grew thicker as he stared into those eyes and tried to swallow it. “I am not going to help you cover this.”
She pursed her lips, the well of tears growing in her eyes again. “I thought you were my friend.”
Rune put a hand to the back of his neck as if the external pressure might force down the tightness within. “I am…” he said, “but I’m not-”
Tish forced herself to her feet, glaring at him with all the violence he thought should have been directed at the boy that had hit her instead. “Who needs you?” she said. She whirled about as if to make a dramatic exit, the whole effect rather diminished as, instead, she had to pick her way through the rocks to get back to the slope.
“Tish,” said Rune, his voice thick and cracking. She continued her awkward descent, leaving him to plead with the back of her head, and he soon gave up, settling back onto the ledge with a sigh.