kawa~ inspiration #90
Mar. 11th, 2007 10:41 pm![[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~ Opportunity Knocks
Author~ Annarti
Disclaimer~ Still mine
Notes~ kawa~ inspiration #90. I've been writing a fair bit of SH proper recently, hence the lack of minifics. Solly solly X3
~ ~ ~
Mali knelt down at the narrow window and rested her forehead against the frame, eyebrows raised as she watched her tiny sliver of sky darken. The window was wide enough to let enough light in to see, but not so much that it would spoil the mood, or have anyone look in, for that matter. All she could see was the blank red wall of the building on the opposite side of the alley, and that little square of blue.
There was a flash of movement as a geya soared overhead, its head dancing on the end of its long neck as it surveyed the city below. Mali smiled, wishing to have the bird’s freedom as her own.
‘Some day,’ she whispered.
The door handle on the opposite side of the room clicked, and Mali jumped clumsily to her feet, pulling the red gauze curtain closed. She was too late though; her customer had been greeted by a clumsy little girl, not the sensuous beauty he would have expected.
She needn’t have worried though. A broad grin stretched across her face and she hitched up her long, silk skirt to bound across the room and into her client’s arms.
‘Kaen!’ She hugged him tightly, drawing in a quick breath as his strong arms wrapped protectively around her. ‘Oh, I’ve missed you so much!’
The training blade archer laughed, the sound more felt than heard in Mali’s ears. She closed her eyes and sighed again, a happy, content sound this time.
‘It’s only been two days!’ Kaen laughed, but the way he stroked her long, silky hair told her she’d been missed just as much. He rested his face down against Mali’s hair and breathed deeply, sending pleasant goosebumps up her neck and over her scalp.
‘You have a new perfume,’ he noted.
‘Mmm,’ the girl hummed. ‘Mistress gave it to us yesterday to try out. It’s supposed to be spicy and exotic.’
Kaen shook his head, his chin brushing against Mali’s hair. ‘It smells too… Kazinian. I don’t like it.’
‘Neither do I,’ Mali agreed, ‘but all my customers since have loved it.’ She tilted pulled her head back to look into those beautiful dark eyes. ‘You could tell her! You’re my best customer; tell Mistress you don’t like it and I won’t have to wear it anymore.’
The blade archer smiled, and Mali took a deep breath at the warmth the gesture held. ‘Mmmm, you’ve been training.’ She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest again.
‘I have.’ One of Kaen’s arms dropped down from her back as he reached to his hip, and Mali heard the crisp shing of steel against leather as he pulled out one of his daggers.
Mali pulled back, an eager grin on her face as she looked down to Kaen’s hand, or more accurately the shining blade he held in it. He flicked it around expertly in his fingers and offered her the hilt, sauntering over to sit on the bed once Mali had taken it.
‘When are your exams?’ she asked, holding the dagger up to run her fingers over the soft, worn leather of the hilt. The blade was nicked and scratched with use, but it still shone beautifully.
Kaen shook his head. ‘Not for a few years yet. Careful of the blade,’ he warned as Mali touched the tip with one finger.
The courtesan shrugged and sat down beside him and handed the dagger back. ‘How many do you have?’
‘Just three at the moment, and a few throwing knives.’ He frowned down at the blade and tested one edge of it with his thumb. ‘I need to sharpen this one though.’
Mali rested her head against his shoulder as he slipped the dagger back into its sheath, then closed her eyes and yawned.
Kaen stroked her hair again with one hand. They were such rough hands from training, but he always managed to be so tender and gentle with them. ‘Tough day?’ he asked softly.
‘Mmm, but I made a lot of money.’ She rested one hand on his knee. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll be okay. If the rest of the week is like this, I’ll ask Mistress for a day off and I can go and buy myself a new dress.’
The training blade archer laughed quietly, then lifted her head and rested it on his lap. Mali kicked her legs onto the bed and settled herself more comfortably. She didn’t know how long she was able to lay like that, murmuring about nothing with Kaen.
She yawned again, barely aware of Kaen’s voice rumble a question to her. She hummed a quiet noise that could have meant anything, then her head started moving as Kaen made to stand up and leave her to sleep.
Suddenly she was awake again, and she sat up straight, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. ‘Don’t go yet, please? I don’t think I can deal with anymore clients tonight.’
Kaen looked back down at her curiously. ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ he told her with a smile, then gestured towards the red coals of the fire. ‘Just throwing another log on.’
Mali smiled and drew her knees up to her chin, watching as his strong arms picked up another log and hurled it onto the coals. She yawned widely and looked up at Kaen as he walked back to the bed, but her eyes would barely stay open.
Kaen knelt down in front of her, then reached one hand up to cradle her cheek. The rough touch sent goosebumps over Mali’s arms and she scrunched the silk bed sheets in her toes.
‘Marry me.’
It took a few moments for Mali’s fatigued mind to pull words out of Kaen’s melodic rumbles, and a few moments more to decipher meaning from them. When they did though, her heart skipped a beat and her eyes opened wide. ‘What did you say?’
‘Marry me,’ the blade archer repeated, then held up one finger. ‘There is a condition though; leave this place tomorrow. I can’t stand to see what it’s doing to you. Come and live with me instead.’
Mali’s mouth dropped open, then turned into a smile broader than the one she had given him when he’d first come into the room. She dropped off the bed and threw her arms around Kaen’s neck, hot tears suddenly streaming down her cheeks. ‘Thank you, Kaen! Of course I will! Anything! Thank you so much! Oh, I love you! When’s your hrai-dani?’
Kaen was laughing as he hugged her. ‘Still another three months yet, and the full moon isn’t for three weeks after that. I was going to leave it a bit longer to ask, but I can’t stand to see you in here another day.’
Mali’s arms squeezed him tighter as she buried her face into his shoulder, babbling ‘thank you’ at him over and over again. ‘Get on the bed,’ she told him, pulling her face back and getting to her feet. ‘I’m going to give you my best tonight.’
The blade archer looked up at her and shook his head. ‘You don’t have to do that anymore, Mali. You’re free.’
Mali nodded eagerly. ‘I know, but you’re different. You’re always the one I look forward to seeing. Everyone else just comes for sex.’ She shrugged. ‘Ironically, the only one who doesn’t is the only one I ever really want inside me, and not just for his coin. Please, Kaen?’
Kaen’s head dropped and he scratched the back of it with one hand.
‘Don’t pay me, if it makes it easier. Please?’
‘Okay, for you. But I’ll still pay you. You deserve it after the day you’ve had.’
Author~ Annarti
Disclaimer~ Still mine
Notes~ kawa~ inspiration #90. I've been writing a fair bit of SH proper recently, hence the lack of minifics. Solly solly X3
Mali knelt down at the narrow window and rested her forehead against the frame, eyebrows raised as she watched her tiny sliver of sky darken. The window was wide enough to let enough light in to see, but not so much that it would spoil the mood, or have anyone look in, for that matter. All she could see was the blank red wall of the building on the opposite side of the alley, and that little square of blue.
There was a flash of movement as a geya soared overhead, its head dancing on the end of its long neck as it surveyed the city below. Mali smiled, wishing to have the bird’s freedom as her own.
‘Some day,’ she whispered.
The door handle on the opposite side of the room clicked, and Mali jumped clumsily to her feet, pulling the red gauze curtain closed. She was too late though; her customer had been greeted by a clumsy little girl, not the sensuous beauty he would have expected.
She needn’t have worried though. A broad grin stretched across her face and she hitched up her long, silk skirt to bound across the room and into her client’s arms.
‘Kaen!’ She hugged him tightly, drawing in a quick breath as his strong arms wrapped protectively around her. ‘Oh, I’ve missed you so much!’
The training blade archer laughed, the sound more felt than heard in Mali’s ears. She closed her eyes and sighed again, a happy, content sound this time.
‘It’s only been two days!’ Kaen laughed, but the way he stroked her long, silky hair told her she’d been missed just as much. He rested his face down against Mali’s hair and breathed deeply, sending pleasant goosebumps up her neck and over her scalp.
‘You have a new perfume,’ he noted.
‘Mmm,’ the girl hummed. ‘Mistress gave it to us yesterday to try out. It’s supposed to be spicy and exotic.’
Kaen shook his head, his chin brushing against Mali’s hair. ‘It smells too… Kazinian. I don’t like it.’
‘Neither do I,’ Mali agreed, ‘but all my customers since have loved it.’ She tilted pulled her head back to look into those beautiful dark eyes. ‘You could tell her! You’re my best customer; tell Mistress you don’t like it and I won’t have to wear it anymore.’
The blade archer smiled, and Mali took a deep breath at the warmth the gesture held. ‘Mmmm, you’ve been training.’ She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest again.
‘I have.’ One of Kaen’s arms dropped down from her back as he reached to his hip, and Mali heard the crisp shing of steel against leather as he pulled out one of his daggers.
Mali pulled back, an eager grin on her face as she looked down to Kaen’s hand, or more accurately the shining blade he held in it. He flicked it around expertly in his fingers and offered her the hilt, sauntering over to sit on the bed once Mali had taken it.
‘When are your exams?’ she asked, holding the dagger up to run her fingers over the soft, worn leather of the hilt. The blade was nicked and scratched with use, but it still shone beautifully.
Kaen shook his head. ‘Not for a few years yet. Careful of the blade,’ he warned as Mali touched the tip with one finger.
The courtesan shrugged and sat down beside him and handed the dagger back. ‘How many do you have?’
‘Just three at the moment, and a few throwing knives.’ He frowned down at the blade and tested one edge of it with his thumb. ‘I need to sharpen this one though.’
Mali rested her head against his shoulder as he slipped the dagger back into its sheath, then closed her eyes and yawned.
Kaen stroked her hair again with one hand. They were such rough hands from training, but he always managed to be so tender and gentle with them. ‘Tough day?’ he asked softly.
‘Mmm, but I made a lot of money.’ She rested one hand on his knee. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll be okay. If the rest of the week is like this, I’ll ask Mistress for a day off and I can go and buy myself a new dress.’
The training blade archer laughed quietly, then lifted her head and rested it on his lap. Mali kicked her legs onto the bed and settled herself more comfortably. She didn’t know how long she was able to lay like that, murmuring about nothing with Kaen.
She yawned again, barely aware of Kaen’s voice rumble a question to her. She hummed a quiet noise that could have meant anything, then her head started moving as Kaen made to stand up and leave her to sleep.
Suddenly she was awake again, and she sat up straight, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. ‘Don’t go yet, please? I don’t think I can deal with anymore clients tonight.’
Kaen looked back down at her curiously. ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ he told her with a smile, then gestured towards the red coals of the fire. ‘Just throwing another log on.’
Mali smiled and drew her knees up to her chin, watching as his strong arms picked up another log and hurled it onto the coals. She yawned widely and looked up at Kaen as he walked back to the bed, but her eyes would barely stay open.
Kaen knelt down in front of her, then reached one hand up to cradle her cheek. The rough touch sent goosebumps over Mali’s arms and she scrunched the silk bed sheets in her toes.
‘Marry me.’
It took a few moments for Mali’s fatigued mind to pull words out of Kaen’s melodic rumbles, and a few moments more to decipher meaning from them. When they did though, her heart skipped a beat and her eyes opened wide. ‘What did you say?’
‘Marry me,’ the blade archer repeated, then held up one finger. ‘There is a condition though; leave this place tomorrow. I can’t stand to see what it’s doing to you. Come and live with me instead.’
Mali’s mouth dropped open, then turned into a smile broader than the one she had given him when he’d first come into the room. She dropped off the bed and threw her arms around Kaen’s neck, hot tears suddenly streaming down her cheeks. ‘Thank you, Kaen! Of course I will! Anything! Thank you so much! Oh, I love you! When’s your hrai-dani?’
Kaen was laughing as he hugged her. ‘Still another three months yet, and the full moon isn’t for three weeks after that. I was going to leave it a bit longer to ask, but I can’t stand to see you in here another day.’
Mali’s arms squeezed him tighter as she buried her face into his shoulder, babbling ‘thank you’ at him over and over again. ‘Get on the bed,’ she told him, pulling her face back and getting to her feet. ‘I’m going to give you my best tonight.’
The blade archer looked up at her and shook his head. ‘You don’t have to do that anymore, Mali. You’re free.’
Mali nodded eagerly. ‘I know, but you’re different. You’re always the one I look forward to seeing. Everyone else just comes for sex.’ She shrugged. ‘Ironically, the only one who doesn’t is the only one I ever really want inside me, and not just for his coin. Please, Kaen?’
Kaen’s head dropped and he scratched the back of it with one hand.
‘Don’t pay me, if it makes it easier. Please?’
‘Okay, for you. But I’ll still pay you. You deserve it after the day you’ve had.’
no subject
Date: 2007-03-11 12:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-11 12:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-12 01:29 am (UTC)... *ponders Raykinian production of Pretty Woman*
no subject
Date: 2007-03-12 03:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-20 03:58 pm (UTC)I think i'm in love with these two <3
I love the way Mali speaks, I can really ... I don't know... hear her dialect <3 So different from Kaens... is that right?
♥
no subject
Date: 2007-03-20 04:07 pm (UTC)Kaen is mean, throw rocks at him XP