Post by Ankhiale on Dec 13, 2013 21:38:04 GMT 10
Title: Talking Past Each Other
Rating: G
For: EymberFyire
Prompt: #2 - Kel/Lalasa
Summary: Kel keeps trying to flirt, but a certain someone isn’t getting the message.
Notes and Warnings: I’m kind of crap at writing romance, so I hope you like it. XD
*******
Her problem, Kel decided, was that she didn't know how to flirt.
Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone Kel could really ask about that. A proper Tortallan woman wasn't supposed to flirt - they did anyway, but Kel suspected it was something they taught special at convent, maybe on the sly. She’d certainly never learned how.
Kel had tried what she remembered of Yamani flirting, but it was clearly, like most things Yamani, far too subtle for Tortallan tastes.
Dammit, Kel thought, uncharacteristically vexed. She'd spent her formative years in the Isles and now found it impossible to communicate emotional things to Tortallans. Especially because they didn't really teach good flirting techniques to pages.
...Kel shook off the mental image of Wyldon trying to teach pages how to flirt. She really didn't need that.
Back to the problem, Keladry, she thought. One hand tapped along the edge of the table - a habit she'd picked up from Esmond, though he did it when nervous - while she looked at the slate where she'd scribbled down her ideas.
Flowers were clearly out. She'd tried camellias, carnations, and even roses, and none of them seemed to work. Clearly, flower meanings were different in Tortall - though Kel could've sworn roses still meant the same thing.
Gifts hadn't worked, though every trinket Kel had offered had been appreciated. Offers of tea had been accepted, but the underlying invitation had gone entirely unnoticed. Desperate, Kel had finally broken down and asked Yuki for help crafting a proper Yamani love poem - but even that had gone right over Lalasa's head.
A knock on the door startled Kel out of her thoughts. She opened the door to find Lalasa waiting, a vivid red dress over her arm. Lalasa curtseyed as best she could with her burden, and Kel motioned for her to come in.
Lalasa held the dress up to Kel's body. Kel, used to the routine by now, stood as properly and still as she could.
"I know you're not big on fashion, Lady Kel," Lalasa said, eyeing the dress critically, "but I was working on a new style and I just knew it would be perfect for you. And I know that it's a bold color and you dislike standing out, but crimson is in this season, and with the Yamani embroideries sweeping the shops, well..."
Lalasa pulled the dress back so Kel could see it properly.
Kel blinked. Like so many of Lalasa's dresses, it was a fusion of a Tortallan gown with a kimono, but this one was embroidered all over with a design the same color as the fabric. It was a kind of subtle embroidery Kel hadn't seen in years.
Lalasa fidgeted. Kel glanced at her, surprised.
"Do you like it?" Lalasa asked shyly. "Lady Yukimi was the one who suggested the pattern."
Kel took a closer look as Lalasa held the dress out to her. It wasn't obvious from a distance, but the dress was covered with entwined roses and camellias.
Kel looked up at Lalasa, a bubble of hope swelling in her chest. "I love it," Kel said. She smiled softly. "Would you do me the honor of staying for tea?"
Lalasa smiled in return and placed the gown gently over the back of Kel's desk chair. "I would love to, Lady Kel," she replied.
*******
Endnotes: In case you’re curious, I did actually attempt to look up the meaning of various flowers in Japan. (All my books are on the Western language of flowers tradition.) All three of the flowers Kel uses, as might be obvious, supposedly indicate love, but I have no idea how accurate my sources really were, and this kind of symbolism tends to vary wildly anyway. So.
Rating: G
For: EymberFyire
Prompt: #2 - Kel/Lalasa
Summary: Kel keeps trying to flirt, but a certain someone isn’t getting the message.
Notes and Warnings: I’m kind of crap at writing romance, so I hope you like it. XD
*******
Her problem, Kel decided, was that she didn't know how to flirt.
Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone Kel could really ask about that. A proper Tortallan woman wasn't supposed to flirt - they did anyway, but Kel suspected it was something they taught special at convent, maybe on the sly. She’d certainly never learned how.
Kel had tried what she remembered of Yamani flirting, but it was clearly, like most things Yamani, far too subtle for Tortallan tastes.
Dammit, Kel thought, uncharacteristically vexed. She'd spent her formative years in the Isles and now found it impossible to communicate emotional things to Tortallans. Especially because they didn't really teach good flirting techniques to pages.
...Kel shook off the mental image of Wyldon trying to teach pages how to flirt. She really didn't need that.
Back to the problem, Keladry, she thought. One hand tapped along the edge of the table - a habit she'd picked up from Esmond, though he did it when nervous - while she looked at the slate where she'd scribbled down her ideas.
Flowers were clearly out. She'd tried camellias, carnations, and even roses, and none of them seemed to work. Clearly, flower meanings were different in Tortall - though Kel could've sworn roses still meant the same thing.
Gifts hadn't worked, though every trinket Kel had offered had been appreciated. Offers of tea had been accepted, but the underlying invitation had gone entirely unnoticed. Desperate, Kel had finally broken down and asked Yuki for help crafting a proper Yamani love poem - but even that had gone right over Lalasa's head.
A knock on the door startled Kel out of her thoughts. She opened the door to find Lalasa waiting, a vivid red dress over her arm. Lalasa curtseyed as best she could with her burden, and Kel motioned for her to come in.
Lalasa held the dress up to Kel's body. Kel, used to the routine by now, stood as properly and still as she could.
"I know you're not big on fashion, Lady Kel," Lalasa said, eyeing the dress critically, "but I was working on a new style and I just knew it would be perfect for you. And I know that it's a bold color and you dislike standing out, but crimson is in this season, and with the Yamani embroideries sweeping the shops, well..."
Lalasa pulled the dress back so Kel could see it properly.
Kel blinked. Like so many of Lalasa's dresses, it was a fusion of a Tortallan gown with a kimono, but this one was embroidered all over with a design the same color as the fabric. It was a kind of subtle embroidery Kel hadn't seen in years.
Lalasa fidgeted. Kel glanced at her, surprised.
"Do you like it?" Lalasa asked shyly. "Lady Yukimi was the one who suggested the pattern."
Kel took a closer look as Lalasa held the dress out to her. It wasn't obvious from a distance, but the dress was covered with entwined roses and camellias.
Kel looked up at Lalasa, a bubble of hope swelling in her chest. "I love it," Kel said. She smiled softly. "Would you do me the honor of staying for tea?"
Lalasa smiled in return and placed the gown gently over the back of Kel's desk chair. "I would love to, Lady Kel," she replied.
*******
Endnotes: In case you’re curious, I did actually attempt to look up the meaning of various flowers in Japan. (All my books are on the Western language of flowers tradition.) All three of the flowers Kel uses, as might be obvious, supposedly indicate love, but I have no idea how accurate my sources really were, and this kind of symbolism tends to vary wildly anyway. So.