by M C Sheridan
Lake coughed.
Quesys giggled, “So tell me, about these port lilies. Are they paid females?”
Lake clacked his tongue in his cheek. “No. Well, not all of them. Some of them are lonely or bored and some are just ladies who enjoy the company of sailors.”
Quesys cocked her head in confusion. “Why sailors? I mean… It’s not like they’re famous bards or anything. No offense.”
“Well,” said Lake, “I was told once that some ladies prefer the company of sailors because they’re well-traveled. Experienced, you know? From ‘getting around’. Plus, I think they like that we come back from our voyages with things that aren’t easily acquired in Siannodel. Stuff like silks and furs and spices. Having access to nice things never hurts a fella’s chances.”
Quesys nodded, “So then… how many port lilies do you have, Lake?”
Lake cleared his throat, “Thaaat’s a difficult question to answer.”
“I don’t see how come.” She said grinning.
Lake looked skyward, searching his mind for the appropriate words, “Weeelll, I mean if I had a steady girlfriend, obviously I wouldn’t go flower picking anymore.” he took another breath from the pipe and handed it back to Quesys.
“And?” asked Quesys as she drew a deep breath from the pipe, “what if your lady friend didn’t mind you picking flowers? What if she encouraged it? Even say… joined you for a romp in the garden sometimes?” Smoke billowed from her rounded lips as she exhaled.
Lake blinked, “Three. I have three.”
Quesys smiled as she tapped the rest of the herb from her pipe into the sea. The ashes hit the water with a sizzle, “Only three? Somehow I expected it to be more.” she rested the pipe on the ledge and skootched in closer to him.
Lake chuckled, “You’re giving me way too much credit.”
Quesys let her arm press against his, “Maybe you don’t give yourself enough. You’re quite the catch, Sunny.”
Lake grinned, “Sunny. Is that my new nickname?”
“I can call you Lakey Boy if you prefer.” she said playfully nudging him.
Lake nudged her back, “No. I like Sunny.”
Her voice lowered, “I like Sunny too.”
Quesys tilted her head upwards, looking coquettishly up at him with her violet eyes. Lake caught his breath and leaned forward. He let his eyelids close as his lips inched toward hers. A loud bang from the sky above had broken the silence of the moment, startling them both. Their eyes jumped open and their bodies jerked causing Lakes forehead to connect with her nose.
“Ow.” chuckled Quesys, rubbing the bridge of her still tender nose.
“Ow, sorry.” replied Lake with his hand on his forehead.
Quesys looked up to see colorful lights exploding above them. Miller, the fire magus, was showing off his talents by casting firework spells into the air. Blues, greens, purples, reds, golds, and silvers all twinkling and crackling in the night sky. Some bloomed like flowers and others whistled as they shot up into the heavens and crackled as the bright sparkles floated back down to earth.
Lake turned to Quesys who was still gawking at the show of crackling lights, “I figured you could write about this as well,” he said leaning in close once again. He could smell her perfume. The sweet smell of cherry blossoms and peaches wafted under his nose. The scent was soft and alluring. Trying to regain his composer he cleared his throat, “Do you like it?”
Quesys, not taking her eyes from the shimmering spectacle, replied, “I love it.”
Lake smiled, “Ol’ Rusty doesn’t know magic himself, but he does know how important the Echo is, even if it’s just used for the simple things. He understands how much the men aboard his ship give up to live this kind of life, so every once in a while he’ll do something special like this for the crew. He’ll pay Miller a little extra to put on a show. It keeps morale up and it makes the nights away from their families seem a little less lonely. He’s a good captain. I’ll never find one better. It’ll be a sad day for us all when he retires.”
“Well,” said Quesys turning to him, “you could always run your own ship, or you could come work for me when I get mine. You could be my first mate.” she turned back to the dancing lights in the sky. Her violet eyes reflecting the twinkling fire flowers.
Lake, not paying any attention to the fireworks display replied, “I’d like that. Captain Dauntless and First Mate Sunny.”
Quesys snorted, “Captain Dauntless. What a stupid name.”
“I don’t think it’s stupid. I think it’s bold. It suits you.”
She turned back to face Lake, “Well, I guess it’s settled then. When I get my own ship, you’ll be my first mate. You and I can travel the world meeting new people, eating strange foods and rolling in exotic muds.” she winked.
“Sounds like a pretty good life.” he said taking her hand and cradling it in his.
Quesys looked back up to the illuminated sky, “Sounds like the best life.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“So,” said Darcassian as he walked beside the she-elf down the seemingly endless corridor of the academy, “did my little flower finish her assignment for world history?”
“I did,” replied Quesys, “and I think the professor’s really gonna like it.”
“Glad to hear. I am sorry that I couldn’t help you this time. Believe me when I say I would have much rather been in your company this weekend.”
“Date didn’t go so well, huh?” asked Quesys.
Darcassian sighed, “Omylia—how do I put this—she’s a sweet girl but has zero propriety. Did you know that she smacks her lips when she eats? Not to mention she picked at her teeth with her fingernails in between meals.”
Quesys snorted, “So? So do I.”
Darcassian rolled his eyes with a smile, “Yes but I already know you’re a little piggy. I expect that from you, my dear.”
Quesys scrunched up her face at him, “Look who’s talking! You carry a dirty handkerchief up your sleeve.”
Darcassian gasped, “How dare you! My handkerchiefs are always clean. You’re the one who dirties them.”
Quesys looked upwards in thought. “Huh. Then I guess you carry my dirty hankies in your sleeve.” she said as she playfully tugged at his jacket cuff.
Darcassian pursed his lips. “So anyways… I spent almost the entire night trying not to stare at her while she put her fingers into her mouth. It didn’t help that she had a piece of parsley stuck in her teeth for over half the evening. When I finally said something, she didn’t even have the decency to leave the table before removing it. The whole ordeal was enough to put me off my supper.”
Quesys lifted her brow, “So, no second date then?”
Darcassian scoffed, “Certainly not.”
Quesys grinned stupidly, “Well, I kinda had a date of my own this weekend.”
Darcassian stopped in his tracks, “A date? You?” he said pointing to the she-elf.
Quesys turned with her hands on her hips. “Yes, me.” she replied with a furrowed brow. “Is that so hard to believe?”
Darcassian put up his hands defensively, “No, no. I just thought that after Nym you were… you know, gonna play the field.”
Quesys shrugged, “Well yeah, but I never said I wouldn’t date again. It was nice. He helped me with my assignment.”
“Aaahh, that’s what it was.” Darcassian nudged at her with his elbow. “I get it. A little snog for a grade. Shame on you Quesys.” He smirked devilishly.
Quesys clacked her tongue at him and continued walking ahead, “It wasn’t like that. He was sweet. He showed me around his ship too. He’s a sailor you know. Just like I wanna be.” She caught herself blushing. “His name is Lake Bladeflow.”
“Pfft. Lake Bladeflow? Oh C’mon. What kinda name is Lake Bladeflow? Did he give that name to himself? He sounds like a fire juggler in a traveling caravan. Haha.” Darcassian wiped away a nonexistent tear as he laughed.
Quesys turned, “I happen to like f
ire jugglers.” She snapped back around and continued walking ahead.
Darcassian paused. “Yes well,” he said adjusting his collar, “Anyone can juggle. I can juggle… b-but that’s beside the point.” He hurried to catch up to her.
Quesys stopped once more. She turned to Darcassian and looked up at him sweetly, “Kazzy. He’s a nice guy, okay? He’s not Nym.”
Darcassian narrowed his eyes, “You can’t know that. At least not right away.”
“Well, that’s why I’m going to get to know him, silly. I’d like it if you met him too.”
Darcassian folded his arms over his chest as he thought.
Quesys placed her hand on his arm, “It would mean a lot to me.”
Darcassian looked down at her shining violet eyes and sighed, “Well… I suppose my opinion is extremely valuable.”
Quesys smirked.
He rolled his eyes, “Oh very well.” He pulled the she-elf in close to him and hugged her tightly. “I just worry about you Flower, you know that.”
“I know.” she said with her head buried in his chest. Quesys inhaled and the familiar scent of parchment and mint leaves lifted under her nose. He never smelled of anything but. She decided years ago it must be his natural aroma and that only someone as fancy as Darcassian could emit such a pleasant scent. Quesys gave him back a quick squeeze and released herself from his embrace. She looked up at him warmly, “See after school in the courtyard? We can go for a stroll in the gardens later if you want?”
Darcassian nodded, “Of course, Flower. I look forward to it.”
Quesys smiled, “See you later then. Wish me luck on my paper.” She turned and hurried off to her classroom.
“Good luck.” he said as he waved goodbye to her. Once she was out of sight, Darcassian gave out a small huff. His shoulders slumped down and with his hands in his pockets, he turned to walk in the opposite direction.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“And that is why the Echo is so important to our world and all the creatures in it.” Quesys cleared her throat, “Ahem. Thank you.” She looked around at the classroom filled with unimpressed blinking and gave an awkward courtesy. A hand waving from the doorway caught her attention. Lake was standing outside her classroom and giving her an encouraging thumbs up.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be Mr. Bladeflow?” asked the professor with a raised voice.
Lake scratched the back of his neck, “Oh, uh sorry Professor Lang. I just—”
“—you just wanted to interrupt my class by seeing how your teenage love interest made out on her oral presentation.” interrupted the professor.
Lake blushed. A small tittering came from the students in the classroom.
Professor Lang tightened his lips, “There will be plenty of time for the two of you to converse after class. Good day, Mr. Bladeflow.” Without moving from his desk, the professor waved his hand and the door rapidly shut with a bang, almost catching Mr. Bladeflow on the nose.
Quesys flinched from the loud slamming of the door, almost tearing the paper she was holding in half. Her eyes shifted to the professor.
Professor Lang nodded. “That will be all for today,” he said sternly, “class dismissed.”
Quesys’ mouth dropped open and her hands fell at her sides. The students poured from the classroom in haste as Quesys stood in disbelief.
“That’s it!?” she asked feeling slightly irked. “No ‘good work’ or ‘well done’? Not even a ‘that was crap. Go home you ninny and rethink your non-magical-bad-oral-presentating-life?’ eh?”
The professor leaned his elbow on top of his desk and propped up the left side of his face with his fist, “First,” he said looking down at his desk of paperwork, “‘Presentating’ is not a word. Unless you wish to write another essay on proper speech, I suggest you acquire a dictionary.”
Quesys swallowed.
“Second,” he said, looking up at her without moving his head, “I asked you to do a job. That job was to write an essay and you did. Do you want me to pat you on the back each time you do what is expected of you?”
Quesys knitted her brow, “Um, no. I just thought—”
“—you thought you did a good job and you wanted confirmation of that. Am I correct?”
The she-elf contorted her face, “Yes. I guess?”
The professor leaned back in his chair. With both arms laid out on his desk, he locked his fingers together, “Did you work really hard on this project, Miss Lujor? Did you stay up all night reading books and literature about the Echo? Did you miss your riding lessons? Because by the sounds of your paper, you ended up actually enjoying your little task, did you not?”
Quesys lips twisted, “Well, I suppose it wasn’t really all that hard. I didn’t have to read any books and I still got everything done this weekend that I planned to. I even made a new friend. It was kinda fun actually.” She paused. “Is that not okay?”
Professor Lang smiled, “No, I’m glad you enjoyed it. This exercise was meant to make you see how important the Echo is. How you need to see it for its worth. Whether or not you manipulate it yourself, you must understand that it is essential in your life. Learning about magic can seem a tad boring or tedious at times, but it can also be dangerous and powerful and exciting. That being said, I will not praise you for a job well done and I will not conjure a gold star every time you complete your work. I will, however, congratulate you for learning a valuable lesson. And that lesson would be?” He paused, waiting for her response.
“To never take the Echo for granted and, even though I may not use it, it’s important to understand it and to respect those that do.”
“No!” snapped the instructor, “The lesson was to never interrupt my classroom again with your repugnant snoring. Sleep on your own time she-elf! Now get out of my class before I make you stay behind to bang erasers.”
Quesys lips turned into a thin line, “Yes, Professor Lang.” She swiftly walked out the door with a perplexed look.
The professor chuckled almost inaudibly as his eyes went back to his paperwork.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“So.” said Lake as he stood outside her classroom, “How did it go?”
Quesys shrugged, “I dunno. Good, I guess? I’m not in trouble anymore. But he called my snoring repugnant. Which is weird ‘cause I thought I only did it the one time.”
Lake squinted his eyes in confusion. After a moments pause, he bit his lip stifling a laugh, “Repugnant means offensive. You’re thinking of repetitive.”
Quesys blinked, “Oh. Oh, that’s way worse.”
“I bet it’s cute.”
“Well,” she said as she started walking, “the good news is you didn’t have to eat my paper.”
Lake put his hands in his pockets as he walked beside her, “Yeah, thank the gods. I was really taking a gamble on that one.”
“Hey!” she said playfully shoving him. “I thought I did pretty good.”
Lake chuckled as he took back his balance, “I was only teasing. I think you did great.”
She smiled back at him, “Heh, thanks.” After a few seconds of silence, she ceased walking. “Lake?” she asked in a quiet voice.
Lake stopped and turned back toward her, “Yeah? What’s the matter?”
Quesys looked up at him as she fussed with her skirt, “Would you really be okay with me working aboard Rusty’s ship this summer?” she asked. “I mean… if I decided to.”
Lake grinned, “Of course. Having a nice smelling girl around would be a welcome change to the sweaty, burly men I have to sit beside at dinner.”
She took one step closer to him, “And what of your port lilies? Wouldn’t they get a little jealous if you were sailing with another girl?”
Lake stepped even closer, stopping only a few inches from her. Her delightful perfume tickling his senses yet again, reminding him of their night under the stars and the sparkling lights. He tilted his head to the side, “I’d simply tell them, I’ve finished lily picking because I foun
d me a prize rose.”
Quesys turned beet red, “Lake—”
“—You can call me Sunny.”
Quesys chewed her lip, “Sunny. I’ve sorta learned a little something about males and their, um… appetites. I don’t want to stifle you. You don’t have to give up anyone for me.”
“I know.” he said with a smile. “That’s kinda what makes me want to all the more.”
Quesys felt her heart flutter. Relinquishing any thoughts of elven propriety, she grasped the front of Lake’s shirt and pulled him toward her, pressing her lips to his. He smelled of coconut, aloe and sweet spices. A pleasant aroma that had her breathing in deeper. A little taken aback, Lake’s eyes grew wide and he cautiously searched for a place to put his hands. After a few clumsy attempts, he rested them on the small of her back before pulling her in closer. The kiss became unexpectedly bold and Quesys questioned why he didn’t have more than a mere three lilies waiting for him at port. His skilled tongue expertly explored hers and he kissed her deeper with his surprisingly soft and very capable lips. The movement of her tongue finally matched his, further impassioning their lips’ deep embrace.
Fearing the severe gaze of a stern Professor Lang he knew to be only a few steps away, Lake was the first to pull back. “Wow.” he said breathing heavily.
“Yeah,” replied Quesys panting, “wow.”
Lake licked his still throbbing lips. “Being away from you for a whole summer… heh, that could prove difficult. I hope you decide to come with us.”
Quesys brushed back an unruly lock of hair behind her ear, “I’m thinking about it. It would be really good for me. I mean, I do gotta learn my way around a ship before I can command one of my own. That is, not without my trusty first mate of course.” she said with a wink.
With his hands still resting on her hips, he replied, “I look forward to that day, Quesys.”
“So do I. Can I see you after work some time? Maybe this weekend?”
