The Rocky Bits, Saturday Morning

[glacial_queen]

"I hate you," Karla sulked, nevertheless holding her stick up in the guard position. "Hate hate hate hatedy hate."

"Now, now, witchling," Lucivar said, a large grin splitting his face, "but sweet talk isn't going to get you out of sparring practice."

It was early, long before breakfast or showers or even coffee. Not that it was possible to tell that from Lucivar's demeanor. He was disgustingly bright-eyed and energetic, twirling his sticks as he prowled around, keeping an eye out for holes in her defenses. It was Lucivar's rule: whenever he and Karla were in the same place, sparring practice had to occur.

Before breakfast. Because no one wanted to dance around in that if someone got poked too hard in the belly.

"How much longer are we doing this?" Karla whined asked calmly and reasonably.

"Until I say you're done," Lucivar replied, swinging his stick towards her legs. "There's all that muscle you need to rebuild after all. Interested in talking about what happened instead?"

Karla blocked his swing and kept her mouth in a grim line. And maybe hoped for other people to show up to foist Lucivar off onto them.

[Open for everyone, participants and spectators alike.]

Comments

[life_inshadow]

"Ohhhhhhh." Tara said, biting her lip and cursing her own stupidity. "Sorry. I wasn't -- trying to make an announcement. I just figured Karla said it already and --"

She wrapped her arms around herself, cold to the bones. "I won't say it again."

[sadist-son.livejournal.com]

"I appreciate that."

The chill only left the air slightly. But slightly was probably enough, with Tersa patting his arm and making that verbal dance around the outskirts of his killing edge. This female meant no harm.

He would tell himself that a few more times.

"As Tersa said. It's a secret."

[life_inshadow]

Tara still didn't quite understand the sudden cold fury -- she'd only repeated something Karla had said rather loudly in front of the entire company anyhow -- but she was putting it down to yet another way Karla's world was not a place in which she wanted to spend a great deal of time. Besides, it had been a dumb question; she deserved what she got.

"I understand, and I apologize for offending you," Tara said, then pushed her manners a bit further. "Sir."

No, she wasn't going to come anywhere near making eye contact again. The chill might have diminished a bit, but it had been enough to make Tara vanish into her shell for quite some time.

[sadist-son.livejournal.com]

And now this girl was apologizing, pulling away and practically turning herself inside-out in an attempt to pull her outermost self in, and cold fury was slowly being replaced by a vague realization as to just how young she was. Daemon didn't feel ashamed for his actions, no. He had every right to his anger. And there was something about small little mousey females that tended to leave him with a bad taste in his mouth. But he didn't want to intimidate her further, if only for that reason.

"Apology accepted, then." Even that statement fell from his lips smoothly, while he raised his chin just enough to indicate acknowledgement. "Your ways... are not ours. You asked because you didn't understand."

He could accept that much as well. Even if he did put on the pinchy shoes that morning.

[life_inshadow]

Tara shook her head, gaze still to the side. "No. And now I know not to bother you with d-d-dumb questions. I ... hope you have a good visit."

That was safe, right?

[twisted-weaver.livejournal.com]

"You learned the wrong lesson," Tersa said, regarding Tara closely. "Routing a growly Prince towards service is the clearest path to safety." Only Tersa would call Daemon teetering on the edge of the killing field 'growly.' "The question was not dumb. You do not understand. A dumb question is still safe, because it is something he must answer. He was angered because you should not know he is an eensy weensy. But it is not your fault you know."

She reached up to pet Daemon's hair, then got distracted by the sparkle of the sun on her fingers. "But you are apologizing for asking for his service. And now his feelings are hurt."

[life_inshadow]

Anger flared up in Tara's gut, quick and hot and sharp, and she tried to think of something more tactful to say than I don't ask people who frighten me for help. It wasn't unique to Daemon; the situation had to be dire before she did much of anything besides play possum in front of Emma or Arthur, and she had the feeling Daemon could have swatted either of them like gnats.

"I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings," she said, looking for a way out of the conversation that would leave Tersa feeling like she'd said something of some use. "Promise."

[sadist-son.livejournal.com]

Tersa was getting a queer little sideways glance at that. 'Hurt feelings' was probably not how he would have explained his annoyance at the girl's meek apologies, but her words were still true enough, for all that they bit into his pride.

"I am... not particularly pleased that anybody knows. But there was no true harm in asking." Thanks to the witchling and her big mouth. "As I said, our ways are not yours. You cannot hope to understand unless you seek to learn."

And the last wisp of cold drifted away on the breeze. He still looked less than pleased, but at least he was no longer homicidal.

"No harm was truly done."

To Daemon.

[life_inshadow]

"No." Tara said, uneasily, as she glanced over at the formerly frozen ground. "Um. Except ... you might have killed a leaf or two, but it's fall anyhow."

She bit her tongue before she could go further down that particular path.

"I won't spread it around, if I visit Karla again."

[sadist-son.livejournal.com]

"Your discretion in that regard is greatly appreciated," Daemon replied, lowering his head just slightly in something that could have been a bow, were he speaking with a member of the Blood. Mostly, it was just a polite gesture for the sake of being polite.

"Thank you."