Challenge 05:
Title: Correspondence
Game: FE7, post-game
Word count: 1200
Characters: Kent and Sain
Warnings: I've been watching Dickens and other BBC mini-drama productions lately. I'm sure it shows in my writing.
Author´s note: This is actually the first "half" of an idea. I /intend/ to finish it, and I should have already liked to, but I think this carries well enough on its own for the prompt.
The sign was old and worn, slivers having been torn from the side of it through many a year of suffering snow and storm. The painted image--a fox with a javelin in its mouth-- was faded and ruined, and the name of the establishment had long been carried down the road on perhaps a journey of self-enlightement inspired by the torrent that yanked it so hard as to only leave a solitary chain dangling in its place below the fox's placard. Frowning, Kent turned his gaze from the sign to the door. It fared hardly better in constructive quality. He touched it once but withdrew his hand, dusting thumb and forefinger together with an expression of disdain. He resolved himself however and pressed forward, departing from the gentle chill of the night air and into the raucous noise that poured out as if from an upturned jar. He spared a moment to wrinkle his nose and cover it briefly with a gloved hand.
Sighting his companion in the back corner (of course) nursing a sloppy mug, Kent strode through the maze of patrons and their chairs, silently sucking in his gut and squeezing through one obstinate pair that refused to acknowledge his existence and allow him passage. When he finally made it close, he put his hand to the man's shoulder and leaned close so that he speak through the noise. "I find that drinking spirits does as much to raise one's own as does throwing a brick and expecting it to fly."
"My boon companion!" Sain's eyes widened when he lay them upon Kent's familiar, if somewhat unfriendly, expression. "So good of you to join me! Please, " he hobbled his stool over a few steps and patted the one next to him, "join me."
"Time and time you ask me and yet at each my answer has remained the same."
"Many of the others compare your company to that of tying stones to one's ankles or wearing a full suit of armor and attempting to swim, did you know?" Sain took a sip from his mug, his eyebrows lifting with the question.
"I know that I possess a letter from a particular lady and that I am not so sure I ought to give it over to a drunkard and a boor." Procuring the document from a back pocket, he tapped it on his lower lip, letting his gaze slide to the corner of his eyes while he pretended to look in another direction.
Eyes widening, Sain pushed on the counter and reached for the letter, only to watch it flit out of reach and vanish into the pocket from whence it came. He licked his lips, "Where did you get such a thing?"
"Perhaps if a certain subcommander were at the castle more frequently than he is absent, he would be familiar with the delivery of letters." Kent cocked an eyebrow.
Sain became sheepish, tucking his head down with an embarrassed grin. There was a pause before he conceded, "Well, I am not away so frequently as all that, you have to admit."
Kent nodded once. "Regardless, I am not so sure the lady whose hands carefully scripted out this correspondence would be pleased to know you have chosen to spend so much time in such company." He gestured to the room. Sain opened his mouth to interject but was cut off, "However, if my suspicions are correct, it is perhaps because of this letter, or rather, it's delayed arrival for which you have spent time in here tonight." A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "You are forgiven for that much, but, I insist upon different venue at which I might hand this over.
Sain rose instantly, fishing in his pocket for loose coins and barely taking the time to count out the right amount before depositing them on the counter, bidding farewell to the maiden behind it, and shepherding his startled friend through the maze of patrons and out the door. He extended a shaking hand, an eager grin pushing his cheeks up.
Removing the letter from his pocket, Kent relinquished possession of it to Sain with an arid, "Had I known you would react so promptly, I might have been inclined to withhold this from you to extract some errands or tasks out of you."
Sain's mouth fell open for several seconds before a cascade of words tumbled out." Kent? Have I heard my friend speak in such an underhanded way? That mine faultess companion might stoop to such a--" His teeth snapped shut--dangerously missing his wagging tongue--with a light smack to the back of his head.
"That's enough of that. My faults are numerous enough, though I might clarify that the tasks would have pertained to your own responsibilities."
"Responsibilities you have fabricated for yourself and everyone around you. Not everyone has something to prove." Sain's mouth quirked into a wry grin as he lifted the letter to his lips, taking a deep breath as if the scent of the lady scribe might linger in the parchment through all the turmoil it must have endured to reach him.
Kent's hand fisted gently at his side, "The hour is late and, regardless your further intentions, both of us have things to attend not so late in the morning. I expect you to be conscious, at least, and capable of thinking without amassing a quantity of drool in your lip. Good night, Sain." He nodded and aimed himself to the hilly path that led to Castle Caelin.
Behind him, he heard a shout. "I don't find you to be a truss of stones or a suit of armor, Kent."
His lip twitch and he let himself smile without turning, "I know, Sain."
Sain's pitch rose, a twinge of impishness in it, "I might have something to offer by way of suggestion, though."
Turning to look past his shoulder, Kent saw Sain waving his letter in the air. He shifted his weight, not expecting much by way of inspiration, but willing to hear his friend's words.
"Remember, mine boon companion, love is not a single profession to be given once and then forgotten, but a relentless passion to be rekindled with every opportunity." He tapped his letter in his palm, "I think there is someone you ought to be visiting tonight. Do yourself a favor and see to her, I'm sure she'd love your company."
"Yes, I..."A memory of a rainy day, an earnest need to speak, and a warm palm caught gently in his hand fluttered through his mind and past his eyes. "Your advice is sound. I believe I'll do as you suggest. Thank you."
"Glad to hear it." Sain bowed his head once, "Good night, Kent," and broke the seal on his letter, before realizing he lacked the proper amount of light to read by. Upset at this realization, he refolded the letter and tucked it--and the seal-- safely into a pocket before scurrying off into the night.
Kent rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he headed back up the road to the castle. He had a decent walk ahead of him and he had greetings and words to rehearse.
Game: FE7, post-game
Word count: 1200
Characters: Kent and Sain
Warnings: I've been watching Dickens and other BBC mini-drama productions lately. I'm sure it shows in my writing.
Author´s note: This is actually the first "half" of an idea. I /intend/ to finish it, and I should have already liked to, but I think this carries well enough on its own for the prompt.
The sign was old and worn, slivers having been torn from the side of it through many a year of suffering snow and storm. The painted image--a fox with a javelin in its mouth-- was faded and ruined, and the name of the establishment had long been carried down the road on perhaps a journey of self-enlightement inspired by the torrent that yanked it so hard as to only leave a solitary chain dangling in its place below the fox's placard. Frowning, Kent turned his gaze from the sign to the door. It fared hardly better in constructive quality. He touched it once but withdrew his hand, dusting thumb and forefinger together with an expression of disdain. He resolved himself however and pressed forward, departing from the gentle chill of the night air and into the raucous noise that poured out as if from an upturned jar. He spared a moment to wrinkle his nose and cover it briefly with a gloved hand.
Sighting his companion in the back corner (of course) nursing a sloppy mug, Kent strode through the maze of patrons and their chairs, silently sucking in his gut and squeezing through one obstinate pair that refused to acknowledge his existence and allow him passage. When he finally made it close, he put his hand to the man's shoulder and leaned close so that he speak through the noise. "I find that drinking spirits does as much to raise one's own as does throwing a brick and expecting it to fly."
"My boon companion!" Sain's eyes widened when he lay them upon Kent's familiar, if somewhat unfriendly, expression. "So good of you to join me! Please, " he hobbled his stool over a few steps and patted the one next to him, "join me."
"Time and time you ask me and yet at each my answer has remained the same."
"Many of the others compare your company to that of tying stones to one's ankles or wearing a full suit of armor and attempting to swim, did you know?" Sain took a sip from his mug, his eyebrows lifting with the question.
"I know that I possess a letter from a particular lady and that I am not so sure I ought to give it over to a drunkard and a boor." Procuring the document from a back pocket, he tapped it on his lower lip, letting his gaze slide to the corner of his eyes while he pretended to look in another direction.
Eyes widening, Sain pushed on the counter and reached for the letter, only to watch it flit out of reach and vanish into the pocket from whence it came. He licked his lips, "Where did you get such a thing?"
"Perhaps if a certain subcommander were at the castle more frequently than he is absent, he would be familiar with the delivery of letters." Kent cocked an eyebrow.
Sain became sheepish, tucking his head down with an embarrassed grin. There was a pause before he conceded, "Well, I am not away so frequently as all that, you have to admit."
Kent nodded once. "Regardless, I am not so sure the lady whose hands carefully scripted out this correspondence would be pleased to know you have chosen to spend so much time in such company." He gestured to the room. Sain opened his mouth to interject but was cut off, "However, if my suspicions are correct, it is perhaps because of this letter, or rather, it's delayed arrival for which you have spent time in here tonight." A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "You are forgiven for that much, but, I insist upon different venue at which I might hand this over.
Sain rose instantly, fishing in his pocket for loose coins and barely taking the time to count out the right amount before depositing them on the counter, bidding farewell to the maiden behind it, and shepherding his startled friend through the maze of patrons and out the door. He extended a shaking hand, an eager grin pushing his cheeks up.
Removing the letter from his pocket, Kent relinquished possession of it to Sain with an arid, "Had I known you would react so promptly, I might have been inclined to withhold this from you to extract some errands or tasks out of you."
Sain's mouth fell open for several seconds before a cascade of words tumbled out." Kent? Have I heard my friend speak in such an underhanded way? That mine faultess companion might stoop to such a--" His teeth snapped shut--dangerously missing his wagging tongue--with a light smack to the back of his head.
"That's enough of that. My faults are numerous enough, though I might clarify that the tasks would have pertained to your own responsibilities."
"Responsibilities you have fabricated for yourself and everyone around you. Not everyone has something to prove." Sain's mouth quirked into a wry grin as he lifted the letter to his lips, taking a deep breath as if the scent of the lady scribe might linger in the parchment through all the turmoil it must have endured to reach him.
Kent's hand fisted gently at his side, "The hour is late and, regardless your further intentions, both of us have things to attend not so late in the morning. I expect you to be conscious, at least, and capable of thinking without amassing a quantity of drool in your lip. Good night, Sain." He nodded and aimed himself to the hilly path that led to Castle Caelin.
Behind him, he heard a shout. "I don't find you to be a truss of stones or a suit of armor, Kent."
His lip twitch and he let himself smile without turning, "I know, Sain."
Sain's pitch rose, a twinge of impishness in it, "I might have something to offer by way of suggestion, though."
Turning to look past his shoulder, Kent saw Sain waving his letter in the air. He shifted his weight, not expecting much by way of inspiration, but willing to hear his friend's words.
"Remember, mine boon companion, love is not a single profession to be given once and then forgotten, but a relentless passion to be rekindled with every opportunity." He tapped his letter in his palm, "I think there is someone you ought to be visiting tonight. Do yourself a favor and see to her, I'm sure she'd love your company."
"Yes, I..."A memory of a rainy day, an earnest need to speak, and a warm palm caught gently in his hand fluttered through his mind and past his eyes. "Your advice is sound. I believe I'll do as you suggest. Thank you."
"Glad to hear it." Sain bowed his head once, "Good night, Kent," and broke the seal on his letter, before realizing he lacked the proper amount of light to read by. Upset at this realization, he refolded the letter and tucked it--and the seal-- safely into a pocket before scurrying off into the night.
Kent rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he headed back up the road to the castle. He had a decent walk ahead of him and he had greetings and words to rehearse.