kawa~ inspiration #112
Oct. 1st, 2006 02:58 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
annarti.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
yrae
Title~ Comfort
Author~ Annarti
Disclaimer~ All mine
Notes~ kawa~ #112. One, two, three, AWWWWWWW *^^*
...And for the perverts, he has a TOWEL around his waist the whole time =P
~ ~ ~
‘Swordie trainee’s just come in, do you want to—oh Fina, honey.’
Fina took a deep but shaky breath, sitting up straight on the stone block as her friend and colleague sat beside her and hugged her arms around her shoulders.
‘She wasn’t worth you, honey. You’re far too special for her.’
The young masseuse smiled at the comforting words, then dabbed at her eyes and sniffed again. ‘It doesn’t stop from… h-hurting though.’
Arali made a sympathetic noise and hugged her again. Fina felt a new wave to tears rising up at the gesture and buried her face in the older girl’s shoulder. For long minutes, she cried quietly with her, as Arali rubbed her back and offered words of comfort.
‘Do you want me to take this one?’ Arali finally asked when Fina finally pulled away.
Fina shook her head and wiped sore eyes with the heel of her palm. ‘No, I’ll do it. I need something to take my mind off things anyway.’ She hooked her hair behind her ear and dippered out some warm oil from the large pot over the coals.
Arali gave her an encouraging but sympathetic smile. ‘I’m here if you need me.’
‘I know.’ She took another deep breath and set a welcoming smile on her face before walking confidently out into the massage rooms.
The trainee swordsman was just lying down on the bed block and glanced up when Fina came in.
‘Sorry about the wait there,’ Fina said lightly. She was probably grinning more than she should have been, but it held back the tears.
‘Oh, not at all. I haven’t been waiting long.’ He settled himself face-down on the block with a contented sigh.
Fina set the small bowl of oil on the bed block beside him and dipped her fingers into it. She worked some of it into her hands, then scooped out some more to work into the trainee’s back and shoulders. The smooth, rhythmic motion seemed to melt the tension in her own shoulders as well as it did the trainee’s, and she could feel her breathing becoming steadier and her smile more natural. Seeing his calm, sleeping face helped, too.
Yes, she had needed this. Far better than sitting in the back room crying all afternoon.
‘What’s wrong?’
Fina blinked herself out of her thoughts. ‘I’m sorry?’
‘Your eyes were red when I came in.’ The trainee, who Fina recognised Inel, had the hint of a concerned frown on his brow, but his eyes remained closed.
‘Oh, it’s nothing,’ Fina replied, focusing on keeping her actions smooth.
‘It’s never nothing.’
Fina flicked her eyes to his face for a moment, then shook her head. It wouldn’t do to lay her problems on him. He was here to be relaxed, not to be a counsellor. ‘I’m fine now, really.’
Inel raised his eyebrows for a moment, but said nothing more. Not for a few minutes, anyway. ‘I know I shouldn’t pry, but I’ve been worried about you for a few days now.’
She could feel that lump rising in her throat again, and clenched her eyes shut against more tears. She couldn’t say anything, not without her first word breaking into sobs.
‘You don’t need to bottle it up on your own. I’m here to listen.’
‘I…’ She trailed off, not wanting to burden him even though he seemed so insistent.
Inel’s eyebrows raised in a silent prompt.
‘I… lost my partner four days ago.’
The swordie nodded as though she’d confirmed his suspicions. ‘Nenthae?’
Fina nodded, forgetting he couldn’t see her with his eyes closed. ‘She… I was with her for two years, for almost as long as I’ve been working here. She supported me right at the beginning, and now she just… she doesn’t want anything to do with me.’ She stared down through watery eyes at her hands on Inel’s back. They’d stopped moving now, except for that uncontrolled quivering they had been doing for the last four days. ‘I’m sorry,’ she mumbled, ‘I shouldn’t—’
‘No, no. Keep talking.’
The masseuse took another deep breath and smiled faintly. His voice seemed to calm her, somehow.
‘I know it sounds silly, but I first started working here to see if I could find a boyfriend.’
‘But it worked too well?’
She nodded again. ‘Nobody wanted me for me. Nenthae was always there for me when it inevitably didn’t work out, but I only ever thought of her as a friend. And then one night after work, she kissed me, and it was just… nice.’ She smiled at the memory, painful though it was now.
‘The other day though… everything just… stopped. One day, everything was the same as it has been for two years, then the next day it was suddenly, “Nope, sorry, don’t love you anymore, Fina, I’m off.” She quit working here, and I saw her yesterday evening going into a bar with a man I’ve never seen before, but I didn’t go up to her. That’s all I’ve seen of her since.’
She stopped suddenly, biting her lip self consciously. She shouldn’t be saying this much. Her eyes flicked to Inel’s face again, but she could read nothing from his closed eyes.
He didn’t say anything. She’d probably bored him to sleep by now. She cringed and closed her eyes, then forced her fingers to keep working.
‘Did she give a reason?’
An involuntary smile touched Fina’s lips, but fell once her mind had actually processed the question. ‘She said she’d just grown out of it.’
‘You can’t grow out of love,’ Inel argued calmly. ‘Fall out of loving someone, maybe, but grow out of it?’
‘No, out of loving women, she said.’ She sighed heavily, but not shakily. ‘It was a childhood phase, and now she’s grown out of it and moved onto men like everyone else.’
The swordsman’s brow was creased again, deeper this time, then he shook his head with a sigh. ‘Whatever her reason, I pity her for it. She missed out. You don’t just “grow out” of things like that overnight. You were clearly important to her, and you’ll be important to someone else again.’
Fina paused for a moment, eyebrows raised. She was partly waiting for him to say he could be that someone, as just about every male who came in here said, but somehow she couldn’t see Inel saying that.
‘It was a long time to be with her,’ the swordsman continued, ‘so it will hurt for a while longer than any of the short relationships you had at the beginning of your time here, but it isn’t the end of everything.’
His eyes slid open to look up at her, and Fina felt her heart skip a beat, then quicken to make it up. She wanted to rub the tears from her eyes, but her hands were still covered in oil.
‘You may not be the strongest person around, but you can get through it.’ He swung his legs around to sit up on the bed block and ran his fingers through hair still damp from the baths. ‘You’ve got good friends in here. Go have a girls’ night out somewhere. Get them to treat you, maybe get a massage yourself.’ He grinned, and Fina couldn’t help but grin back. ‘They’re really very good in here, you know. Especially that Fina girl.’
Fina gave a short, breathy laugh. It was barely there at all, but it was the closest she had come to a laugh in the last four days.
‘Sorry,’ Inel apologised, shaking some water drops from his hair. ‘That was cheap. It won’t happen again.’
‘I should hope not,’ Fina scolded, still smiling, hoping that the candlelight wasn’t bright enough for him to see the red in her cheeks as he’d seen the red in her eyes.
If he could, he didn’t say anything. ‘You’ll find another girl,’ he said instead. ‘Careful not to fall into anything too quickly though. Wait until you feel you’re free first.’
Fina pressed her hands together flat under her chest and dipped her head slightly. ‘Thank you,’ she said warmly. ‘I needed that.’
‘I thought you might.’ He slid off the bed block and picked up his clothes, wandering over to the table where the extra towels were kept to dry himself off.
Fina couldn’t wipe the smile from her face as she picked up her oil bowl and turned to the back room once more. She didn’t want to wipe the smile away, either.
Arali was standing in the doorway, arms folded and one shoulder resting against the door frame. She nodded back into the room, a crooked grin on her face.
‘Don’t tell the boss, please?’ Fina begged quietly. ‘I didn’t mean to say so much. I know I should have kept quiet, I just don’t—’
Arali pressed a finger against her lips to stop her stream of excuses and apologies. ‘The only way I’m telling the boss,’ she said firmly, ‘is if you don’t see that guy again. Girls’ night out tomorrow then? I’ll get some messengers to let the other girls know.’
Fali grinned appreciatively. ‘Deal.’
Author~ Annarti
Disclaimer~ All mine
Notes~ kawa~ #112. One, two, three, AWWWWWWW *^^*
...And for the perverts, he has a TOWEL around his waist the whole time =P
‘Swordie trainee’s just come in, do you want to—oh Fina, honey.’
Fina took a deep but shaky breath, sitting up straight on the stone block as her friend and colleague sat beside her and hugged her arms around her shoulders.
‘She wasn’t worth you, honey. You’re far too special for her.’
The young masseuse smiled at the comforting words, then dabbed at her eyes and sniffed again. ‘It doesn’t stop from… h-hurting though.’
Arali made a sympathetic noise and hugged her again. Fina felt a new wave to tears rising up at the gesture and buried her face in the older girl’s shoulder. For long minutes, she cried quietly with her, as Arali rubbed her back and offered words of comfort.
‘Do you want me to take this one?’ Arali finally asked when Fina finally pulled away.
Fina shook her head and wiped sore eyes with the heel of her palm. ‘No, I’ll do it. I need something to take my mind off things anyway.’ She hooked her hair behind her ear and dippered out some warm oil from the large pot over the coals.
Arali gave her an encouraging but sympathetic smile. ‘I’m here if you need me.’
‘I know.’ She took another deep breath and set a welcoming smile on her face before walking confidently out into the massage rooms.
The trainee swordsman was just lying down on the bed block and glanced up when Fina came in.
‘Sorry about the wait there,’ Fina said lightly. She was probably grinning more than she should have been, but it held back the tears.
‘Oh, not at all. I haven’t been waiting long.’ He settled himself face-down on the block with a contented sigh.
Fina set the small bowl of oil on the bed block beside him and dipped her fingers into it. She worked some of it into her hands, then scooped out some more to work into the trainee’s back and shoulders. The smooth, rhythmic motion seemed to melt the tension in her own shoulders as well as it did the trainee’s, and she could feel her breathing becoming steadier and her smile more natural. Seeing his calm, sleeping face helped, too.
Yes, she had needed this. Far better than sitting in the back room crying all afternoon.
‘What’s wrong?’
Fina blinked herself out of her thoughts. ‘I’m sorry?’
‘Your eyes were red when I came in.’ The trainee, who Fina recognised Inel, had the hint of a concerned frown on his brow, but his eyes remained closed.
‘Oh, it’s nothing,’ Fina replied, focusing on keeping her actions smooth.
‘It’s never nothing.’
Fina flicked her eyes to his face for a moment, then shook her head. It wouldn’t do to lay her problems on him. He was here to be relaxed, not to be a counsellor. ‘I’m fine now, really.’
Inel raised his eyebrows for a moment, but said nothing more. Not for a few minutes, anyway. ‘I know I shouldn’t pry, but I’ve been worried about you for a few days now.’
She could feel that lump rising in her throat again, and clenched her eyes shut against more tears. She couldn’t say anything, not without her first word breaking into sobs.
‘You don’t need to bottle it up on your own. I’m here to listen.’
‘I…’ She trailed off, not wanting to burden him even though he seemed so insistent.
Inel’s eyebrows raised in a silent prompt.
‘I… lost my partner four days ago.’
The swordie nodded as though she’d confirmed his suspicions. ‘Nenthae?’
Fina nodded, forgetting he couldn’t see her with his eyes closed. ‘She… I was with her for two years, for almost as long as I’ve been working here. She supported me right at the beginning, and now she just… she doesn’t want anything to do with me.’ She stared down through watery eyes at her hands on Inel’s back. They’d stopped moving now, except for that uncontrolled quivering they had been doing for the last four days. ‘I’m sorry,’ she mumbled, ‘I shouldn’t—’
‘No, no. Keep talking.’
The masseuse took another deep breath and smiled faintly. His voice seemed to calm her, somehow.
‘I know it sounds silly, but I first started working here to see if I could find a boyfriend.’
‘But it worked too well?’
She nodded again. ‘Nobody wanted me for me. Nenthae was always there for me when it inevitably didn’t work out, but I only ever thought of her as a friend. And then one night after work, she kissed me, and it was just… nice.’ She smiled at the memory, painful though it was now.
‘The other day though… everything just… stopped. One day, everything was the same as it has been for two years, then the next day it was suddenly, “Nope, sorry, don’t love you anymore, Fina, I’m off.” She quit working here, and I saw her yesterday evening going into a bar with a man I’ve never seen before, but I didn’t go up to her. That’s all I’ve seen of her since.’
She stopped suddenly, biting her lip self consciously. She shouldn’t be saying this much. Her eyes flicked to Inel’s face again, but she could read nothing from his closed eyes.
He didn’t say anything. She’d probably bored him to sleep by now. She cringed and closed her eyes, then forced her fingers to keep working.
‘Did she give a reason?’
An involuntary smile touched Fina’s lips, but fell once her mind had actually processed the question. ‘She said she’d just grown out of it.’
‘You can’t grow out of love,’ Inel argued calmly. ‘Fall out of loving someone, maybe, but grow out of it?’
‘No, out of loving women, she said.’ She sighed heavily, but not shakily. ‘It was a childhood phase, and now she’s grown out of it and moved onto men like everyone else.’
The swordsman’s brow was creased again, deeper this time, then he shook his head with a sigh. ‘Whatever her reason, I pity her for it. She missed out. You don’t just “grow out” of things like that overnight. You were clearly important to her, and you’ll be important to someone else again.’
Fina paused for a moment, eyebrows raised. She was partly waiting for him to say he could be that someone, as just about every male who came in here said, but somehow she couldn’t see Inel saying that.
‘It was a long time to be with her,’ the swordsman continued, ‘so it will hurt for a while longer than any of the short relationships you had at the beginning of your time here, but it isn’t the end of everything.’
His eyes slid open to look up at her, and Fina felt her heart skip a beat, then quicken to make it up. She wanted to rub the tears from her eyes, but her hands were still covered in oil.
‘You may not be the strongest person around, but you can get through it.’ He swung his legs around to sit up on the bed block and ran his fingers through hair still damp from the baths. ‘You’ve got good friends in here. Go have a girls’ night out somewhere. Get them to treat you, maybe get a massage yourself.’ He grinned, and Fina couldn’t help but grin back. ‘They’re really very good in here, you know. Especially that Fina girl.’
Fina gave a short, breathy laugh. It was barely there at all, but it was the closest she had come to a laugh in the last four days.
‘Sorry,’ Inel apologised, shaking some water drops from his hair. ‘That was cheap. It won’t happen again.’
‘I should hope not,’ Fina scolded, still smiling, hoping that the candlelight wasn’t bright enough for him to see the red in her cheeks as he’d seen the red in her eyes.
If he could, he didn’t say anything. ‘You’ll find another girl,’ he said instead. ‘Careful not to fall into anything too quickly though. Wait until you feel you’re free first.’
Fina pressed her hands together flat under her chest and dipped her head slightly. ‘Thank you,’ she said warmly. ‘I needed that.’
‘I thought you might.’ He slid off the bed block and picked up his clothes, wandering over to the table where the extra towels were kept to dry himself off.
Fina couldn’t wipe the smile from her face as she picked up her oil bowl and turned to the back room once more. She didn’t want to wipe the smile away, either.
Arali was standing in the doorway, arms folded and one shoulder resting against the door frame. She nodded back into the room, a crooked grin on her face.
‘Don’t tell the boss, please?’ Fina begged quietly. ‘I didn’t mean to say so much. I know I should have kept quiet, I just don’t—’
Arali pressed a finger against her lips to stop her stream of excuses and apologies. ‘The only way I’m telling the boss,’ she said firmly, ‘is if you don’t see that guy again. Girls’ night out tomorrow then? I’ll get some messengers to let the other girls know.’
Fali grinned appreciatively. ‘Deal.’
no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 05:37 pm (UTC)AAAWWWWW
so... he thinks no chance cos she likes girls, is that it? XD
no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 05:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 05:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 05:57 pm (UTC)This is just such a cute fic ♥ He's a good boy for letting her get that all off her chest.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 06:02 pm (UTC)And then later she asks him to get his problems off his chest and he goes ">> ...No~ I'm male. Don't have problems =P" and Fina goes "9.9" and eventually wheedles it out of him X3
no subject
Date: 2006-10-01 01:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-01 03:06 am (UTC)