Post by allymarty on Feb 22, 2010 18:11:29 GMT 10
Title: Normal
Rating: G
Length: 615
Competitor: Joren
Round/Fight: 1/E
Summary: What if Joren had tried to pay off Kel to entice her to quit?
Ka-chink! The sound of the heavily-laden purse of gold coins landing on Kel's desk startled her. She scowled as she glanced up from her mathematics homework and saw that the person who had thrown the purse was her former nemesis, Joren of Stone Mountain.
"What is the meaning of this, Squire Joren?" Kel calmly demanded.
Joren stared down at her. His cool, blue eyes assessed the depths of her hazel eyes. "It's almost Midwinter and it's past time for you to leave," he finally said. "Enough is enough. You've proved your point, Mindelan; you've been a squire for several months now and you've had a few adventures. Be a good girl, take this money and go home."
"I don't understand," she said, deliberately acting obtuse. "My knight-master has not dismissed me from his service and I'm certain that you have no authority over me, so I ask you again: What is the meaning of this?" And she nodded toward the leather pouch.
Picking up the purse, Joren hefted it into the air a few times and smiled tightly. "A year's worth of living expenses - my living expenses, to be exact - is in this purse. That's probably three times what your parents can afford to give you as an allowance. Mithros knows, my sisters certainly manage to buy enough gowns and other frippery with this same amount of money. You would do well to accept it as a token of my ... admiration."
Kel made a rude noise and said mockingly, "Admiration? Since when have you admired anything I've ever done?"
"Stop being so difficult!" Joren angrily slammed the purse on the table. "Mithros, Kel! Why can't you ever do what a normal female would do?"
"Tell me, Joren, what is it that you think a normal female would do in this situation?" She kept her tone of voice flat and even - to match the blank Yamani mask of her face.
Now he narrowed his eyes at her and spoke through his clenched teeth, "A normal female would take this pay-off money and return to her home. A normal female would attend the convent school, then marry and have children and live a normal lady's life. In fact, a normal female wouldn't have attempted this folly of yours in the first place. A normal female wouldn't ... fight me at every turn."
"Despite the fact that we're not even permitted to fight against each other anymore, Joren," Kel never broke eye contact with Joren as she stood up and stiffened her spine. "Perhaps ... I'm more ... normal than you think I am."
"Not hardly!" His tone of voice was dripping with sarcasm. "You wouldn't recognize normalcy if it slapped you in the face.
Grabbing him by the front of his tunic, Kel pulled Joren to her and kissed him squarely on his lips. She had meant for the kiss to be light and fun - like the ones she and Cleon stole in the dark corners and shadowy places of the palace. Instead, the kiss quickly intensified to the point where she almost lost her balance and had to push away from Joren to end it. She hated the fact that he was smiling afterward, but then she slapped his beautiful face to drive home her point.
"There," Kel said, struggling to catch her breath and regain her composure, "Is that normal enough for you, Joren? Did you recognize it?" Then she snatched up the money-purse and threw it out into the hallway. Joren did not look back at her as he stalked away from her room.
Therefore, Kel did not see the smile which had returned to his reddened face.
Rating: G
Length: 615
Competitor: Joren
Round/Fight: 1/E
Summary: What if Joren had tried to pay off Kel to entice her to quit?
Ka-chink! The sound of the heavily-laden purse of gold coins landing on Kel's desk startled her. She scowled as she glanced up from her mathematics homework and saw that the person who had thrown the purse was her former nemesis, Joren of Stone Mountain.
"What is the meaning of this, Squire Joren?" Kel calmly demanded.
Joren stared down at her. His cool, blue eyes assessed the depths of her hazel eyes. "It's almost Midwinter and it's past time for you to leave," he finally said. "Enough is enough. You've proved your point, Mindelan; you've been a squire for several months now and you've had a few adventures. Be a good girl, take this money and go home."
"I don't understand," she said, deliberately acting obtuse. "My knight-master has not dismissed me from his service and I'm certain that you have no authority over me, so I ask you again: What is the meaning of this?" And she nodded toward the leather pouch.
Picking up the purse, Joren hefted it into the air a few times and smiled tightly. "A year's worth of living expenses - my living expenses, to be exact - is in this purse. That's probably three times what your parents can afford to give you as an allowance. Mithros knows, my sisters certainly manage to buy enough gowns and other frippery with this same amount of money. You would do well to accept it as a token of my ... admiration."
Kel made a rude noise and said mockingly, "Admiration? Since when have you admired anything I've ever done?"
"Stop being so difficult!" Joren angrily slammed the purse on the table. "Mithros, Kel! Why can't you ever do what a normal female would do?"
"Tell me, Joren, what is it that you think a normal female would do in this situation?" She kept her tone of voice flat and even - to match the blank Yamani mask of her face.
Now he narrowed his eyes at her and spoke through his clenched teeth, "A normal female would take this pay-off money and return to her home. A normal female would attend the convent school, then marry and have children and live a normal lady's life. In fact, a normal female wouldn't have attempted this folly of yours in the first place. A normal female wouldn't ... fight me at every turn."
"Despite the fact that we're not even permitted to fight against each other anymore, Joren," Kel never broke eye contact with Joren as she stood up and stiffened her spine. "Perhaps ... I'm more ... normal than you think I am."
"Not hardly!" His tone of voice was dripping with sarcasm. "You wouldn't recognize normalcy if it slapped you in the face.
Grabbing him by the front of his tunic, Kel pulled Joren to her and kissed him squarely on his lips. She had meant for the kiss to be light and fun - like the ones she and Cleon stole in the dark corners and shadowy places of the palace. Instead, the kiss quickly intensified to the point where she almost lost her balance and had to push away from Joren to end it. She hated the fact that he was smiling afterward, but then she slapped his beautiful face to drive home her point.
"There," Kel said, struggling to catch her breath and regain her composure, "Is that normal enough for you, Joren? Did you recognize it?" Then she snatched up the money-purse and threw it out into the hallway. Joren did not look back at her as he stalked away from her room.
Therefore, Kel did not see the smile which had returned to his reddened face.