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aldersprigLast week I wrote a short story (LJ Link) in response to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rix_scaedu's commission in my Giraffe Sale: More of Ceinwen & Thornburn.
This story is her continuation of that story, and then a couple lines of mine at the end of it.
Addergoole Year 9, next in order with the rest of them - Dark Corners is a good pre-read to this for context; this comes BEFORE "Say Yes," posted earlier today.
“All getting a bit much?” The young woman was older than most of the other students but seemed younger than the staff. She sounded sympathetic and she was enormously pregnant under her loose sundress. “If you’ll mind my stuff for a minute, you can tell me all about it.” She put a satchel of books on the end of the counter and slipped into a stall. A few minutes later she was back out and washing her hands. “Sorry about that, but someone’s decided they can still move around if they push my bladder out of the way. I’m Penny sh’Valerie cy’Fridmar, and you are?”
“Ceinwen,” she said cautiously. This stranger seemed nice but so had other people.
“Hi. So, you’re away from home for the first time, everything is really strange, someone’s persuaded you to say that you belong to them and it stuck. But something, perhaps something really little, has happened and it’s upset the apple cart.”
Ceinwen gaped in amazement. “How did you know that?”
“This is my fourth year here,” Penny admitted, “And I was older than most when I started. I’ve been in a good position to observe patterns. So, what happened?” She smiled encouragingly.
“Curry thinks Thorburn is going to share me when he gets bored with me.” Penny read the signs of re-emerging tears in the other girl.
“Curry is an obnoxious little twerp,” was Penny’s firm rejoinder, “A loyal friend but if you’re not his friend what you get is the obnoxious twerp. Thorburn is your Keeper?”
“Yes. He seemed then, on Saturday...”
“Hellnight,” Penny nodded, “When the monsters come out to play and the Addergoole mating rituals step up a notch. It could have been worse than Thorburn, but that won’t make you feel any better. Are you sleeping together?”
“Yes, but not-“
Penny looked as if she’d found an interesting fact. “But no sex? Cuddling?”
“Well – yes.”
“Sounds as if he’s making a real effort to do things properly.” Penny smiled encouragingly again. “If it helps, everyone I’ve known who’s been Kept says that being in physical contact with their Keeper made them feel better. I suspect he’s not going to get bored. Perhaps more to the point, from what I know of him, I can’t see him sharing his girl around.”
“You don’t think he’d do that?”
“I think Curry doesn’t have a hope.” Ceinwen gave a weak smile, then Penny went on, “But you might want to drop in and see Dr Mendosa, the school psych. She does relationship stuff and she knows heaps more than me about being Kept. It sounds like Thorburn’s trying to do the right thing by you, but he’s not going to know everything and she’s a good person for you both to get help from.”
“Okay,” Ceinwen checked her watch, “I need to go have some lunch.”
“So do I,” Penny agreed, “And we can talk about how Thorburn is going to be persuaded to get you self-defence training.”
“Self defence?” Ceinwen almost squeaked again.
“Yes, so you know where and how to hit Curry or anyone else who tries to be an obnoxious, touchy twerp. Besides,” Penny added, “You don’t want to be the girl in the fight scene where the bad guy says to the hero ‘Drop your weapon or the girl gets it’, do you?”
“No,” agreed Ceinwen, opening the door for the pregnant girl.
“So, that means lessons with Luke, Doug or Professor Fridmar,” Penny enumerated. “We just need to work out how to get Thorburn to think that’s a good idea.”
“That’ll be the tricky part,” she admitted. Spontaneously, she hugged the older girl – sideways, and carefully. “Thank you so much. I was beginning to think everyone...”
“Not everyone,” Penny shook her head. “Not even all of cy’Fridmar.”
It was the nicest thing anyone had said to her all day.
rix_scaedu's commission in my Giraffe Sale: More of Ceinwen & Thornburn.This story is her continuation of that story, and then a couple lines of mine at the end of it.
Addergoole Year 9, next in order with the rest of them - Dark Corners is a good pre-read to this for context; this comes BEFORE "Say Yes," posted earlier today.
“All getting a bit much?” The young woman was older than most of the other students but seemed younger than the staff. She sounded sympathetic and she was enormously pregnant under her loose sundress. “If you’ll mind my stuff for a minute, you can tell me all about it.” She put a satchel of books on the end of the counter and slipped into a stall. A few minutes later she was back out and washing her hands. “Sorry about that, but someone’s decided they can still move around if they push my bladder out of the way. I’m Penny sh’Valerie cy’Fridmar, and you are?”
“Ceinwen,” she said cautiously. This stranger seemed nice but so had other people.
“Hi. So, you’re away from home for the first time, everything is really strange, someone’s persuaded you to say that you belong to them and it stuck. But something, perhaps something really little, has happened and it’s upset the apple cart.”
Ceinwen gaped in amazement. “How did you know that?”
“This is my fourth year here,” Penny admitted, “And I was older than most when I started. I’ve been in a good position to observe patterns. So, what happened?” She smiled encouragingly.
“Curry thinks Thorburn is going to share me when he gets bored with me.” Penny read the signs of re-emerging tears in the other girl.
“Curry is an obnoxious little twerp,” was Penny’s firm rejoinder, “A loyal friend but if you’re not his friend what you get is the obnoxious twerp. Thorburn is your Keeper?”
“Yes. He seemed then, on Saturday...”
“Hellnight,” Penny nodded, “When the monsters come out to play and the Addergoole mating rituals step up a notch. It could have been worse than Thorburn, but that won’t make you feel any better. Are you sleeping together?”
“Yes, but not-“
Penny looked as if she’d found an interesting fact. “But no sex? Cuddling?”
“Well – yes.”
“Sounds as if he’s making a real effort to do things properly.” Penny smiled encouragingly again. “If it helps, everyone I’ve known who’s been Kept says that being in physical contact with their Keeper made them feel better. I suspect he’s not going to get bored. Perhaps more to the point, from what I know of him, I can’t see him sharing his girl around.”
“You don’t think he’d do that?”
“I think Curry doesn’t have a hope.” Ceinwen gave a weak smile, then Penny went on, “But you might want to drop in and see Dr Mendosa, the school psych. She does relationship stuff and she knows heaps more than me about being Kept. It sounds like Thorburn’s trying to do the right thing by you, but he’s not going to know everything and she’s a good person for you both to get help from.”
“Okay,” Ceinwen checked her watch, “I need to go have some lunch.”
“So do I,” Penny agreed, “And we can talk about how Thorburn is going to be persuaded to get you self-defence training.”
“Self defence?” Ceinwen almost squeaked again.
“Yes, so you know where and how to hit Curry or anyone else who tries to be an obnoxious, touchy twerp. Besides,” Penny added, “You don’t want to be the girl in the fight scene where the bad guy says to the hero ‘Drop your weapon or the girl gets it’, do you?”
“No,” agreed Ceinwen, opening the door for the pregnant girl.
“So, that means lessons with Luke, Doug or Professor Fridmar,” Penny enumerated. “We just need to work out how to get Thorburn to think that’s a good idea.”
“That’ll be the tricky part,” she admitted. Spontaneously, she hugged the older girl – sideways, and carefully. “Thank you so much. I was beginning to think everyone...”
“Not everyone,” Penny shook her head. “Not even all of cy’Fridmar.”
It was the nicest thing anyone had said to her all day.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 06:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 06:34 pm (UTC)