Post by Seek on Apr 27, 2013 4:48:51 GMT 10
Title: Gillyflowers
Rating: G
Word Count: 571
Pairing: Beka/Rosto
Round/Fight: 1C
Summary: Reversal!verse. Beka finds gillyflowers on her doorstep.
Warnings: None.
-
There are red gillyflowers on my doorstep.
I frown down at them. I’ve barely earned enough to move into Mistress Trout’s lodgings about a week ago and there are red gillyflowers on my doorstep. I scowl, and shove my hands in my pocket. “Rosto!” I yell. “Come on out, you great cabbage head. I know it’s you!”
He strides up from around the corner, whistling. “I really need to stop Aniki from telling you all these things,” he informs me. “One day, she’s going to spill all my dark, nasty secrets, and no one’s going to respect me any longer.”
I say, tartly, “It’s hard to respect a Scanran pretty boy with white hair.”
“It’s not white!” he yelps, affronted. He folds his arms across his chest and glares at me. It’s rather funny to see Rosto riled up; he sits back on his dignity and tries to salvage as much of it as he can. “I’m blond, my hair’s not white! You’re colour-blind, aren’t you, Cooper?”
“I’m not a cove,” I tell him, “Only coves can be colour-blind. What are those gillyflowers doing on my doorstep?”
He tries to give me a guileless look, like a innocent puppy. I don’t buy it. He’s a big Dog. “Well,” he says, “Since we’re going to be practically neighbours, I thought I should welcome you.”
“What?”
That strangled yelp was definitely not mine.
He gives me a strange look. “Didn’t you know?” Rosto asks, raising a pale eyebrow at me. “Nipcopper Close. Mistress Trout’s lodgings. I live here.”
I ask the gods to give me strength. I haven’t seen the other lodgers, and now I know exactly why that is the case. “And I suppose Aniki lives here?” I ask, hopefully.
He shakes his head. “Two years too late, Cooper. She moved out and in with Mattes.”
I frown. Aniki and Mattes are together? I cannot imagine anything more unlikely. He seems to read my mind, because he flashes me that annoying grin. “Don’t worry your pretty head about it, Cooper.” He stands there, hands in the pockets of his woven vest, still grinning and saying nothing.
I elbow him. “Oof! Cooper, hands off! I didn’t know you were so grabby.” I ignore that, too. I’m almost—gods bless me—used to Rosto the Piper and his quirks. And Mattes has told me enough about what to do.
“What happened?”
He shrugs. “She moved out. Just not back in here.” For a moment, I almost—almost—feel sorry for Rosto, coming home to this big empty house. Mayhap that’s why he hangs around the taverns so much, and irritates just about everyone. Only my lady Sabine doesn’t seem to find Rosto so irritating. I put that out of my mind and pick up the bundle of red gillyflowers.
“Are you going to let me in?”
I realise I’ve been standing in the doorway. “No,” I tell him.
“I brought breakfast,” he whines. He holds up a napkin of warm apple-raisin patties and they smell good. Good enough that I move to the side so he can enter. They’re not as good as Mistress Noll’s patties, but when I think about who made those, they would have tasted like sawdust in my mouth anyway.
“Well, maybe you’re of some use after all,” I say.
“You’ve got a bite, haven’t you, Cooper?” he says, pretending to be wounded. I roll my eyes at him.
“Player.”
Rating: G
Word Count: 571
Pairing: Beka/Rosto
Round/Fight: 1C
Summary: Reversal!verse. Beka finds gillyflowers on her doorstep.
Warnings: None.
-
There are red gillyflowers on my doorstep.
I frown down at them. I’ve barely earned enough to move into Mistress Trout’s lodgings about a week ago and there are red gillyflowers on my doorstep. I scowl, and shove my hands in my pocket. “Rosto!” I yell. “Come on out, you great cabbage head. I know it’s you!”
He strides up from around the corner, whistling. “I really need to stop Aniki from telling you all these things,” he informs me. “One day, she’s going to spill all my dark, nasty secrets, and no one’s going to respect me any longer.”
I say, tartly, “It’s hard to respect a Scanran pretty boy with white hair.”
“It’s not white!” he yelps, affronted. He folds his arms across his chest and glares at me. It’s rather funny to see Rosto riled up; he sits back on his dignity and tries to salvage as much of it as he can. “I’m blond, my hair’s not white! You’re colour-blind, aren’t you, Cooper?”
“I’m not a cove,” I tell him, “Only coves can be colour-blind. What are those gillyflowers doing on my doorstep?”
He tries to give me a guileless look, like a innocent puppy. I don’t buy it. He’s a big Dog. “Well,” he says, “Since we’re going to be practically neighbours, I thought I should welcome you.”
“What?”
That strangled yelp was definitely not mine.
He gives me a strange look. “Didn’t you know?” Rosto asks, raising a pale eyebrow at me. “Nipcopper Close. Mistress Trout’s lodgings. I live here.”
I ask the gods to give me strength. I haven’t seen the other lodgers, and now I know exactly why that is the case. “And I suppose Aniki lives here?” I ask, hopefully.
He shakes his head. “Two years too late, Cooper. She moved out and in with Mattes.”
I frown. Aniki and Mattes are together? I cannot imagine anything more unlikely. He seems to read my mind, because he flashes me that annoying grin. “Don’t worry your pretty head about it, Cooper.” He stands there, hands in the pockets of his woven vest, still grinning and saying nothing.
I elbow him. “Oof! Cooper, hands off! I didn’t know you were so grabby.” I ignore that, too. I’m almost—gods bless me—used to Rosto the Piper and his quirks. And Mattes has told me enough about what to do.
“What happened?”
He shrugs. “She moved out. Just not back in here.” For a moment, I almost—almost—feel sorry for Rosto, coming home to this big empty house. Mayhap that’s why he hangs around the taverns so much, and irritates just about everyone. Only my lady Sabine doesn’t seem to find Rosto so irritating. I put that out of my mind and pick up the bundle of red gillyflowers.
“Are you going to let me in?”
I realise I’ve been standing in the doorway. “No,” I tell him.
“I brought breakfast,” he whines. He holds up a napkin of warm apple-raisin patties and they smell good. Good enough that I move to the side so he can enter. They’re not as good as Mistress Noll’s patties, but when I think about who made those, they would have tasted like sawdust in my mouth anyway.
“Well, maybe you’re of some use after all,” I say.
“You’ve got a bite, haven’t you, Cooper?” he says, pretending to be wounded. I roll my eyes at him.
“Player.”