The Sirrush and the Scam Artist

[kleineklementine]

"Pah! I'm not from a village!" Kaya laughed at him. Really! He acted like she was some little peasant girl who'd never been more than five miles from the place she was born. Finally regaining some more of her self confidence, Kaya informed him coolly, "I'll have you know that we travel from the borders of the Sehra Plains all the way past the Glass Desert and the Niafi Delta every year. Why do you think our homes are tents? Stupid abjad."

She huffed, taking a drink of her tea. "Just because I haven't seen your part of the world, doesn't mean I haven't seen anything of the world! That's very prejudiced of you," she said loftily. Big words from the girl who only referred to the man as either a barbarian or pig-man. "And," she added as though this really settled the matter, "I spend three months every year or so in Essryn with my dad. Which is a real city, with real civilization. Not like some northern city made up of pig barns and chicken coops and dirty taverns."

[Lion]

At that Quinlan smirked.  "Excuse me your Wileyness.  I forgot I was in the presence of such a worldly woman."  He chuckled, quickly sobering.  "But good, every step is an opportunity.  Every person a new chance to make am impression."  He made a snorting sound like a pig.  "Whoops!  Sorry that's the pig-man in me."

[kleineklementine]

[[Kleine's shortest post ever!!!]]

Kaya glared sideways at him. She was onto him. He couldn't fool her. "You're making fun of me," she said flatly, frowning at him.

[Lion]

Quinlan frowned just a tad.  "Why do you say that?" he murmured.

[kleineklementine]

[[It's not a competition!! D: ]]

"Because you are," Kaya countered, pouting a little grumpily despite herself. If she'd realized, she'd be beyond embarrassed. Though, since this man arrived, she'd basically been constantly beyond embarrassed. "I can tell."

She peered grumpily at him, clearing up the few dishes from their meal. "I think you can reach anywhere that still needs salve just fine," she said, firmly changing the subject and, at the same time, closing the new one. "You should go to sleep, abjad."

[Lion]

"Well, now that you mention it, I can't get one small spot on my lower back.  Most of the redness is healing well, thanks to you.  But, if you wouldn't mind helping, that one spot would be great," he said and turned to peer over his shoulder at the redness at the small of his back.  "Please."

[kleineklementine]

Kaya frowned. She really didn't want to touch him again! But even as much as she disliked him, she couldn't refuse a guest who was being polite. Hospitality was so ingrained in her people that even Kaya wouldn't dream of it.

"Okay," she conceded, with a very put upon sigh. Just because she had to do it didn't mean he had to think she was happy about it!

Kaya rubbed the salve onto her hands and sat behind Quinlan. Placing her hands against his back, she worked the salve into his burnt skin. Her touch was already not quite as shy as it had been, and she didn't slop it on then run away. But she didn't try to make friendly chit chat either!

[Lion]

Quinlan too was quiet, and actually didn't make any attempt to embarrass dher.  Because really this was the nicest she'd been to him in a long time.  He didn't blame her.  As far as he was concerned she'd been startlingly nice compared to what he would have done if anyone laid a hand on his sister.

But as she reached his lower back, an involuntary shiver coursed up his spine.  His muscles tensed and relaxed a little.  He frowned a little at that reaction.  He refrained from commenting on it.  "Thanks," he said instead and straightened.  And gave a small wry grin.

[kleineklementine]

Quinlan might not have said anything, but Kaya certainly noticed. Kaya froze for a moment, her heart inadvertantly fluttering for a moment to feel a man's - a grown man! - body react under her touch. She might not like him, but she was still a teenage girl. And as much as she might like to think otherwise, susceptible to all the same things any teenage girl was. Especially new things like this!

In fact, Kaya was trying so hard not to think about any of that, that she'd hardly noticed that her hands lingered on his back, still working against his skin after the salve had all been absorbed. Her eyes went a little wide realizing it, and she pulled her hands back, folding her arms against her chest as if to keep her hands behaving.

She frowned at Quinlan, looking grumpily at him. "What're you grinning about?" Or at least, she tried to look and sound grumpy. As much as he'd brought out her fiercer side, Kaya wasn't actually used to being so mean with people for so long, and now that he was behaving, her prickly outer layer was starting to crack.

[Lion]

It lingered.  He just couldn't help it.  For once a smile that didn't immediately sour since he'd been here.  "No reason.  I'm just grateful I guess.  It isn't often I give that to anybody.  But I, uh, I mean it.  You've done more than I would've done.  I'm just thanking you."

He reached for his tea, then remembering it was empty gave a soft laugh.  "All out of tea," he murmured.

[kleineklementine]

Kaya frowned doubtfully at him. But it was clear she was drawn in a little. The World's Future Best Sirrush Breeder had, truth be told, a bit of an ego. And gratitude was a bit like praise. And Kaya was something of a sucker for either.

"I guess I did save you," Kaya agreed hesitantly. "And I think I've been nicer to you than you deserved after you attacked my cousin." She said this, even though she knew that no one else in her tribe would think so at all! Tying up a guest was not standard Awali practice. "I even suffered through applying the salve to your pig skin," she said, pulling a face that crinkled up her nose.

She regarded him, still suspicious for a long moment, then gave an exasperated sigh and, against all odds, got to her feet and poured more tea for him.

[Lion]

Maybe her people wouldn't exactly agree, bit Quinlan was content to not be dead yet.  He did nearly kill her cousin and would have been perfectly content to do so.  Y'know until he got his head separated from his shoulders.    Quinlan placated his grin, just long enough when she poured him a cup of tea.  A bow of his head in thanks and he took a sip.

"You're an excellent hostess, to touch my pig skin, thank you.  What men would call up north, a real lady."  And he closed by leaning up and giving her a kiss on the cheek, sitting back down quickly, and focusing on his tea.

[kleineklementine]

What? WHAT?!

Kaya sputtered backwards, tripped over herself, and landed with a 'plop' on her butt and knocking over her own tea. She stared in open-mouthed disbelief at Quinlan as the spilt tea slowly seeped into her trousers. He had kissed her!

"You kissed me!" she stated the obvious, still staring agog at him. "What- what was- why did you- Are you trying to trick me again!?"

She finally collected herself enough, sort of, to glare suspiciously at him. That was it! He was trying to trick her! Again! Right?

[Lion]

Yes.  He slowly realized this.  He had kissed her.  Why did he kiss her?  Why would he do such a mindless action!?  He blinked at her however, as if clearly not seeing the big deal of it all.  Because, in a way, it was his way of affirming his appreciation of her hospitality, even after thanking her.

He shook his head, putting his hands up, chuckling.  "I'm not, I swear.  And I'm sure if I was you'd be able to see through it," he said.  Taking a short sip of tea to mull over his next words, he smacked his lips a little, not in any representation of what he did, but merely out of habit.  He wasn't much of a tea drinker either.

"I didn't mean nothing by it.  I...I just was uh showing my appreciation.  I wasn't...trying to fluster you.  I...apologize," he managed to get out.

[kleineklementine]

Kaya frowned at him. She tried to look suspicious, but it lacked conviction. She was too distracted... He had kissed her! Kaya had never been kissed by a man she wasn't related to!

Quinlan was wrong about one thing: he probably could trick her like that. But she, of course, denied it.

"That's right. I would see through it," she agreed readily. "I'm not making the same mistake my mother did!" As soon as she said that, she thought she probably shouldn't have. But it was a good reminder for her: Not to be too curious about the near naked man in her tent who had kissed her!

She frowned. "I suppose that's just custom where you're from."

[Lion]

"In some circles, yes," he said with a small breath, averting his gaze and observing the oven.  It was a foolish action sure, but it'd already been done, there was no reason to linger on it.  Quinlan took another sip of his tea and coughed a little.

"How did you move this thing?" he said, gesturing to the iron monstrosity.  "All  by yourself?"

[kleineklementine]

Kaya didn't answer his question. Instead she stayed where she was, watching him closely.

Finally, always the master of subtlety, she observed, "Now you look embarrassed."

[Lion]

At that Quinlan snickered, giving her a solemn headshake.  But his grin couldn't be held back.  "I hardly think there's anything really that embarrasses me," he said, quirking brows at her.  "I know if you gave me a kiss on the cheek, I wouldn't have gotten all flustered like you did."

[kleineklementine]

"Ugh!" Kaya let out an indignant noise. She hadn't gotten all flustered! Not just because some stupid abjad kissed on her on the cheek! The cheek! And now he was- he was- was he challenging her?

Kaya set her jaw. She might be inexperienced and flustered and embarrassed, but more than she suffered from any of that, she suffered from a very serious (and possibly familial) competitive streak.

"Oh yeah?" she asked. Then before she could think about what she was doing, she pounced on him - an easy feat, considering he was still bound in place - and pressed her lips against his. His lips! Not his cheek. Take that, stupid abjad!

Andpleaseohgodpleasepleaseplease let it fluster him!

[Lion]

Now that surprised him.  And Quinlan reeled back from it, certainly taken aback that she had the gall to kiss him on the lips.  But when he pushed her away, just enough to break their lip connections, it did so with a loud smack.  He relaxed, however, sipping his tea.

"You call that a kiss?  Woman, please," he said, sniffing a little.  "If you really want to fluster me, you ought to try something like this."  He then calmly put the tea cup down, grabbed her face between his bound hands and pressed his lips to hers, softly at first then with increasing pressure.  His lips worked to part hers just so, patiently instructing her mouth to move with his until they were equally parted.  He didn't add any tongue, because heavens knew she wasn't ready for that.  And only when he figured she had enough did he pull away, casually returning to sipping his tea.