A hat...

[neotoma]

a bit of silliness for mini_nanowrimo

previous

Afterwards, once Turnspit managed to stop gasping, they scrubbed their faces in the stream. Iros was still giddy and annoying, but managing to pause long enough for Turnspit to actually reply to his rapid chatter.

Walking back down the stairway path resulted in some sharp whistling and much teasing. Of course, Iros just preened under the attention. Turnspit was glad that the novelty of his fair skin had mostly worn off. Not that he wasn't a target of teasing in general, because he blushed more noticeably than anyone else in the village as he was by far the palest. At least the children had stopped pinching him in curiosity.

The harvesters seemed to be calling it a day – Iros' arrival had certainly disrupted things – so Turnspit hauled on the pack-basket, collected his hat, and set off down the hill with a bubbly aughisky at his side.

"I like this," Iros said, plucking the hat from Turnspit's hands. The aughisky turned it around in his hands, examining it. Then he licked at it, his rough tongue flickering over the twined grass of the inside, "It tastes like you."

Turnspit winced, and pulled the hat back before Iros tore it apart with curiosity. He jammed it back on his head. "Don't break my hat, Iros."

"Can I break something else? Tear your shirt, maybe?"

"No. I only have one shirt!"

"Well, I gave it to you in the first place... and anyway, that's not true anymore."

"Oh?"

Iros bounced down a few steps, then turned to walk backwards down the path. "I brought guest gifts. And supplies. It's only right, with us come to overwinter so unexpectedly. A Dog and Rider could be a dreadful burden, elsewise."

Turnspit wondered what sort of things an aughisky might consider good gifts, or necessary supplies. As far as he had seen, it was all horse-bread and water for an aughisky on the move.

Comments

[hlglne.livejournal.com]

That is so sweet! This has to be one of my favorite viggies so far.

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

Thanks. What in particular do you like about it? And what sort of impression are you getting of the characters?

[hlglne.livejournal.com]

I still need much more info on aughisky nature, and whether they are invader overlords on a human world, or capture their humans and transport them to their world. The shape-shifting actually took me quite by surprise, just like it did Turnspit.

What I like is that the affection in this passage is finally seeming mutual. Before this Turnspit truly never seems sure that Iros will not get bored with him and send him back to the mines. The absence during his recovery would only have fed that.

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

The shape-shifting is *weird*. Iros didn't used to do that.

And good that Turnspit seemed uncertain. He was supposed to, but it's hard to judge how that's coming across since I just post what I wrote that day.

[murasaki99.livejournal.com]

Over-winter gifts from a faerie-horse. Hmm... Ooo, boy.

Bubbly Iros is... heh, very much fun. It occurs to me the Augisky in your world might get on with the Kerynn of mine - those are the sort-of militant unicorns in my avatars. Yeekers. :)

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

What, it's not like he's brought shrunken heads.

Uhm, I think the Kerynn are more diginified than my aughisky. My pony-boys will act like a pack of teenage boys when they get excited.