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meridian_roseTitle: Curses, Coincidences, and Concoctions
Fandom: Original
'Verse/Series:Kat
Pairing/Characters: General Series
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1470
Prompt: For the 100_tales prompt "yellow"
Summary: After meeting MacBride, Kat and Honor discuss the curse. Over breakfast, Cal tells them about a wondrous drink he sampled.
Warnings: None
At last, Kat stood and excused herself, making ready to retire for the night. MacBride followed her and Honor out into the corridor.
"Your majesty, I am going out riding tomorrow, heading for the border of the kingdom. It is said the most delicious berries grow there and I would like to gather some to accompany our evening's feast. Would you care to accompany me?"
Honor put one hand possessively on Kat's arm. "Our plans for tomorrow have not been finalised."
MacBride nodded and lowered his gaze. "Of course. Moreover, I may not live to see the morrow."
Despite the circumstances, Kat bit back a laugh at his obvious attempt to guilt her into going with him. "Let me sleep on it," she said.
MacBride grinned at her. "I shall see you at breakfast, and you can tell me of your decision then." He bowed low. "Your majesty. Your grace."
Kat watched MacBride stride off down the hallway as if he owned the place, his cloak swishing about him. Honor tugged at her slightly and she began to move towards her rooms.
"Do you think he'll die?" she asked and wondered how cold-blooded she sounded.
Honor shrugged, perturbed. "We've seen the curse kill before."
"It might have been coincidence." Kat didn't believe it and the doubt showed in her voice. Few people believed that, and fewer still were willing to test the theory.
Honor stopped by one of the many torches lining the thick stone walls. "You can't feel guilty over this. He clearly knew the risk when he took your hand."
Kat nodded. Honor, bathed in the yellow glow of the flames, met her gaze and sighed. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear in a caring gesture.
"Now tell me what got you so angry in the first place."
She did so, sure to emphasise Simkins's misogyny and how violated she'd felt by his touch. Honor's hand on her arm, MacBride's grasping of her hand; neither of these had been meant to dominate or intimidate her and would never have caused her to lose control.
Honor's cheek twitched. "I should have been watching you closer." She'd accused him of not paying enough attention, but now she wasn't feeling so vulnerable, she was able to be rational.
"No. You couldn't know he was going to cross the line that way. I should have put him in his place earlier." She hadn't, mostly because she was trying to be polite and not cause a scene. She couldn't have known it would lead to the complete opposite.
Honor shook his head angrily. "No. The onus was on him to not violate your boundaries. He must have seen your distaste for him, Kat. You are more expressive than you think. I can read your moods better than most, but there's not a sighted man in all the kingdoms who cannot see when you are becoming enraged."
Yet so many of them refused to back down. For some it was pride or its cousin arrogance, for some it was the belief that they were superior and their desires more worthy than hers. Sometimes though she wondered if there was a more twisted aspect to the curse. That it made people keep going when they ought to stop, goading her until she issued a dire proclamation.
As if the curse needed to be freed sometimes.
The thought was disquieting and she tried not to dwell on it.
"Are you thinking of going riding with him tomorrow?" Honor asked, his voice softer in response to her sudden silent introspection.
"Maybe. I wish I knew more about him."
I don't know anything about him though."
"That's one of Cal's specialities." Honor began to walk along the corridor again and Kat followed him. "When we see him, we'll ask what he knows or can find out."
Or she could go riding with MacBride and see what he wanted to tell her. She didn't want to argue right now so she didn’t tell Honor that she did indeed plan to go riding with their new acquaintance.
At the door to her chambers, Riku was waiting patiently.
"I've searched the room," he said. "After there's been trouble I thought it best."
Word travelled fast. Kat nodded. "Thank you."
"Yes. I know I said we were safe here but at least for tonight, I think you ought to stand guard at the door," Honor said. "I'll find Horton and tell him to relieve you when your shift finishes."
Kat caught at Honor's sleeve. When he paused, she leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Good night."
He stroked her hair, no longer angry with her, only at the situation. "Sleep well."
He left to find Horton, and Kat bid Riku a peaceful guard shift before shutting the door behind her.
She undressed quickly and didn't bother to brush her hair at all, gratefully falling into bed. Sleep came quickly, and thankfully, she didn't dream.
***
The Tour members were already seated when Kat and Honor joined them for breakfast. MacBride was there, as well as the chancellor, the king, and a noblewoman that Kat didn't recognise. The king had almost finished his meal, for he was going out deer hunting, and apologised for his absence as he took his leave. Kat assured him she was satisfied by the spread and did not require him to be present.
Cal was staring morosely at a bowl of porridge.
"Where were you last night?" Kat asked, taking up an apple.
"There was this small tavern," he said slowly. "Very…what's the word?"
"Exclusive," Ryan supplied. He was in brighter sprits than Cal. "Not everyone was allowed in there."
Honor rolled his eyes. "But Sir Callaghan had no such problems."
"Exactly." Cal sighed. "There was this drink. It was the best thing I ever tasted. Like warm honey and summer days and yellow."
Honor frowned. "How can something taste yellow?"
"I don't know. But it did. It was delicious. Only it was a bit stronger than I thought."
Ryan smirked. "The landlady warned you that it was powerful stuff and what did you say?"
"Keep them coming," he confessed. "It was sort of a delayed reaction, and by the time I felt the effects, I'd had a few too many. I mean, I haven't got a headache, but the world seems – I don't know. Too bright. Too yellow-y." He gestured. "And off kilter."
MacBride cleared his throat. "Dragonblood," he said. "A fanciful name for a wondrous concoction. It's often used to commune with the gods, allowing a trance state to be entered quite easily."
Cal regarded him with puzzlement. "I don't exactly believe in the gods."
"Well whatever is beyond the gods, beyond the world," MacBride said. He put a bread roll on a plate, added several rashers of bacon, and poured a cup of chocolate. He added a pinch of salt to the drink and served the cup and plate to Cal. "The heartbeat of existence. There's something beyond what we see and hear and feel. Forget the porridge. This will ground you. In future, save the dragonblood for times you want to commune with the aetheric realm."
Kat made a mental note to acquire some bottles of this dragonblood. They would make for wonderful gifts – and maybe, she thought wryly, some of the more stuffy religious types might experience a revelation and find that they were not supposed to be subjugating whole classes of people.
Cal took a few sips of the drink and seemed better able to focus. "Who are you?"
"MacBride."
Cal's eyes widened. "The famed storyteller."
Well, now MacBride had made a friend, Kat thought. Giving him breakfast and knowing new stories was guaranteed to put Cal firmly on MacBride's side unless given very good cause to do otherwise.
MacBride brushed the praise aside. "I tell an occasional tale."
Tara entered and crouched down beside Kat. "Where do you need us today? Riku went on the deer hunt already, but we can catch the party up if you would like."
"No, I'm enjoying breakfast." Kat put the apple aside and poured herself some chocolate. "I'm going with MacBride to tour the boundary line in a while. Honor will no doubt come with me." If only to glare at MacBride some more.
She gestured to Ryan. "Will you come riding with us, you and Tara?"
"I'd love to." He glanced at Cal.
Cal shook his head. "I'm going to go back to sleep for a while."
"Horton, see to the other horses and then entertain yourself until I return this evening," Kat said. "The point of staying here is we can relax. Enjoy yourselves whenever you can."
A little over halfway through the Tour, after everything they'd all been through so far, they deserved some time to recharge and recover.
Fandom: Original
'Verse/Series:Kat
Pairing/Characters: General Series
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1470
Prompt: For the 100_tales prompt "yellow"
Summary: After meeting MacBride, Kat and Honor discuss the curse. Over breakfast, Cal tells them about a wondrous drink he sampled.
Warnings: None
At last, Kat stood and excused herself, making ready to retire for the night. MacBride followed her and Honor out into the corridor.
"Your majesty, I am going out riding tomorrow, heading for the border of the kingdom. It is said the most delicious berries grow there and I would like to gather some to accompany our evening's feast. Would you care to accompany me?"
Honor put one hand possessively on Kat's arm. "Our plans for tomorrow have not been finalised."
MacBride nodded and lowered his gaze. "Of course. Moreover, I may not live to see the morrow."
Despite the circumstances, Kat bit back a laugh at his obvious attempt to guilt her into going with him. "Let me sleep on it," she said.
MacBride grinned at her. "I shall see you at breakfast, and you can tell me of your decision then." He bowed low. "Your majesty. Your grace."
Kat watched MacBride stride off down the hallway as if he owned the place, his cloak swishing about him. Honor tugged at her slightly and she began to move towards her rooms.
"Do you think he'll die?" she asked and wondered how cold-blooded she sounded.
Honor shrugged, perturbed. "We've seen the curse kill before."
"It might have been coincidence." Kat didn't believe it and the doubt showed in her voice. Few people believed that, and fewer still were willing to test the theory.
Honor stopped by one of the many torches lining the thick stone walls. "You can't feel guilty over this. He clearly knew the risk when he took your hand."
Kat nodded. Honor, bathed in the yellow glow of the flames, met her gaze and sighed. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear in a caring gesture.
"Now tell me what got you so angry in the first place."
She did so, sure to emphasise Simkins's misogyny and how violated she'd felt by his touch. Honor's hand on her arm, MacBride's grasping of her hand; neither of these had been meant to dominate or intimidate her and would never have caused her to lose control.
Honor's cheek twitched. "I should have been watching you closer." She'd accused him of not paying enough attention, but now she wasn't feeling so vulnerable, she was able to be rational.
"No. You couldn't know he was going to cross the line that way. I should have put him in his place earlier." She hadn't, mostly because she was trying to be polite and not cause a scene. She couldn't have known it would lead to the complete opposite.
Honor shook his head angrily. "No. The onus was on him to not violate your boundaries. He must have seen your distaste for him, Kat. You are more expressive than you think. I can read your moods better than most, but there's not a sighted man in all the kingdoms who cannot see when you are becoming enraged."
Yet so many of them refused to back down. For some it was pride or its cousin arrogance, for some it was the belief that they were superior and their desires more worthy than hers. Sometimes though she wondered if there was a more twisted aspect to the curse. That it made people keep going when they ought to stop, goading her until she issued a dire proclamation.
As if the curse needed to be freed sometimes.
The thought was disquieting and she tried not to dwell on it.
"Are you thinking of going riding with him tomorrow?" Honor asked, his voice softer in response to her sudden silent introspection.
"Maybe. I wish I knew more about him."
I don't know anything about him though."
"That's one of Cal's specialities." Honor began to walk along the corridor again and Kat followed him. "When we see him, we'll ask what he knows or can find out."
Or she could go riding with MacBride and see what he wanted to tell her. She didn't want to argue right now so she didn’t tell Honor that she did indeed plan to go riding with their new acquaintance.
At the door to her chambers, Riku was waiting patiently.
"I've searched the room," he said. "After there's been trouble I thought it best."
Word travelled fast. Kat nodded. "Thank you."
"Yes. I know I said we were safe here but at least for tonight, I think you ought to stand guard at the door," Honor said. "I'll find Horton and tell him to relieve you when your shift finishes."
Kat caught at Honor's sleeve. When he paused, she leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Good night."
He stroked her hair, no longer angry with her, only at the situation. "Sleep well."
He left to find Horton, and Kat bid Riku a peaceful guard shift before shutting the door behind her.
She undressed quickly and didn't bother to brush her hair at all, gratefully falling into bed. Sleep came quickly, and thankfully, she didn't dream.
The Tour members were already seated when Kat and Honor joined them for breakfast. MacBride was there, as well as the chancellor, the king, and a noblewoman that Kat didn't recognise. The king had almost finished his meal, for he was going out deer hunting, and apologised for his absence as he took his leave. Kat assured him she was satisfied by the spread and did not require him to be present.
Cal was staring morosely at a bowl of porridge.
"Where were you last night?" Kat asked, taking up an apple.
"There was this small tavern," he said slowly. "Very…what's the word?"
"Exclusive," Ryan supplied. He was in brighter sprits than Cal. "Not everyone was allowed in there."
Honor rolled his eyes. "But Sir Callaghan had no such problems."
"Exactly." Cal sighed. "There was this drink. It was the best thing I ever tasted. Like warm honey and summer days and yellow."
Honor frowned. "How can something taste yellow?"
"I don't know. But it did. It was delicious. Only it was a bit stronger than I thought."
Ryan smirked. "The landlady warned you that it was powerful stuff and what did you say?"
"Keep them coming," he confessed. "It was sort of a delayed reaction, and by the time I felt the effects, I'd had a few too many. I mean, I haven't got a headache, but the world seems – I don't know. Too bright. Too yellow-y." He gestured. "And off kilter."
MacBride cleared his throat. "Dragonblood," he said. "A fanciful name for a wondrous concoction. It's often used to commune with the gods, allowing a trance state to be entered quite easily."
Cal regarded him with puzzlement. "I don't exactly believe in the gods."
"Well whatever is beyond the gods, beyond the world," MacBride said. He put a bread roll on a plate, added several rashers of bacon, and poured a cup of chocolate. He added a pinch of salt to the drink and served the cup and plate to Cal. "The heartbeat of existence. There's something beyond what we see and hear and feel. Forget the porridge. This will ground you. In future, save the dragonblood for times you want to commune with the aetheric realm."
Kat made a mental note to acquire some bottles of this dragonblood. They would make for wonderful gifts – and maybe, she thought wryly, some of the more stuffy religious types might experience a revelation and find that they were not supposed to be subjugating whole classes of people.
Cal took a few sips of the drink and seemed better able to focus. "Who are you?"
"MacBride."
Cal's eyes widened. "The famed storyteller."
Well, now MacBride had made a friend, Kat thought. Giving him breakfast and knowing new stories was guaranteed to put Cal firmly on MacBride's side unless given very good cause to do otherwise.
MacBride brushed the praise aside. "I tell an occasional tale."
Tara entered and crouched down beside Kat. "Where do you need us today? Riku went on the deer hunt already, but we can catch the party up if you would like."
"No, I'm enjoying breakfast." Kat put the apple aside and poured herself some chocolate. "I'm going with MacBride to tour the boundary line in a while. Honor will no doubt come with me." If only to glare at MacBride some more.
She gestured to Ryan. "Will you come riding with us, you and Tara?"
"I'd love to." He glanced at Cal.
Cal shook his head. "I'm going to go back to sleep for a while."
"Horton, see to the other horses and then entertain yourself until I return this evening," Kat said. "The point of staying here is we can relax. Enjoy yourselves whenever you can."
A little over halfway through the Tour, after everything they'd all been through so far, they deserved some time to recharge and recover.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-28 01:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-28 04:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-13 06:27 pm (UTC)Awwww, so cute. :D
Kat watched MacBride stride off down the hallway as if he owned the place
Awwww, I love him! :D
She hadn't, mostly because she was trying to be polite and not cause a scene.
Yeah... trying to be polite with assholes... hoping they're not assholes, not truly... ugh.
He must have seen your distaste for him
Hm... Really?
I don't think I agree with Honor here. The guy seemed ignorant and too self-centered to notice anything other than his own ego. Which is not a crime in itself. Being too familiar and acting condescending, all touchy and hands on - that IS.
And distaste or no, I think it's inappropriate to touch a lady in such manner in public. Even if he thought there was a mutual attraction he simply had no right doing what he did.
You are more expressive than you think.
OMG. That's a dangerous trait for a politician. OMG OMG Will Kat get in trouble because of it? O_O
As if the curse needed to be freed sometimes.
What a fascinating - and scary - theory! O_O Gods, I love it!! :D
"Are you thinking of going riding with him tomorrow?"
For a split second I thought Honor meant Simkins, because they were discussing him just now. O_o
I don't know anything about him though."
Whose line is this? Sorry. My brain doesn't work properly today. o_O
Or she could go riding with MacBride and see what he wanted to tell her.
Oooh, just the two of them? Risky but intriguing. :D I need this piece in my life! :D Please, please, please, bb, please! *FLAILS*
"I've searched the room," he said. "After there's been trouble I thought it best."
Good thinking! Love capable characters! And looove your attention to such details! :D
"Dragonblood," he said. "A fanciful name for a wondrous concoction. It's often used to commune with the gods, allowing a trance state to be entered quite easily."
Interesting. :D Has anyone succeeded in speaking with gods this way? Or the gods are only in one's head? LOL. :D
and maybe, she thought wryly, some of the more stuffy religious types might experience a revelation and find that they were not supposed to be subjugating whole classes of people.
LOL :D Great idea! Love Kat! :D
If only to glare at MacBride some more.
LOLOLOL :D
Thank you for this piece, bb! :D Aaaand now I need another update as soon as possible because I'm super curious about everything! :D
I want to learn more about the curse and I'm dying to get to know MacBride better! :D I'm enjoying him A LOT. :D
Please, bb, write MOAR!!
*FLAILS HARD*
no subject
Date: 2012-10-13 08:29 pm (UTC)He must have seen your distaste for him Again, a lot of men whine when women do call them out. They say they didn't know they were irritating a woman, that they had No Idea they were upsetting her when they pinched her ass or touched her boobs. And some of them claim they have various mental/social issues that make it hard for them to 'read' women. And other people with more severe issues such as austism call bullshit on that because really all it takes for a guy not to be a creep is to pay some attention to the woman he's interacting with and to gain consent before moving into her personal space or touching her. Honor says Kat is quite readable and if Simkins had been paying any attention to her body language he'd have seen she was tense and uncomfortable. But if/when I edit it, I'll work on that, make it clear that the signs are there if Simkins wasn't just an entitled creep!
You are more expressive than you think.
OMG. That's a dangerous trait for a politician It's not as Kat decided to be a politician. It's her birthright, and whatever strengths or weaknesses she has won't stop her. I rather think the people might appreciate a ruler who's not always wearing a mask. And you'd think the amount of smug smirks some US politicians are seen giving would bring them down, but no such luck. Some people will support an openly contemptuous person for whatever reason, so emotion isn't always a factor.
What a fascinating - and scary - theory! O_O Gods, I love it!! :D :D I have some ideas about this that I'm trying to build up here.
For a split second I thought Honor meant Simkins, because they were discussing him just now. O_o LOL, okay, I'll fix that in an edit too! :D
Whose line is this? Sorry. My brain doesn't work properly today. o_O It's not you, it's me. It looks as if I had two separate lines and didn't edit out that second one.
Interesting. :D Has anyone succeeded in speaking with gods this way? Or the gods are only in one's head? LOL. :D Since everyone's experiences are subjective, who knows? :D
Thanks so much for the comments :D
long comment is long (part 1)
Date: 2012-10-16 09:37 am (UTC)I had a conversation with a random guy yesterday. He asked me to a cafe I couldn't say 'No' because it would be impolite. I listened to his BS while he drank (and smoked in my face even after I asked him not to 654436 times), and then I ended up driving him home IN HIS CAR because he was too drunk to drive himself. At least he didn't try anything and was decent enough to pay for my taxi so that I could get back to MY CAR and finally get to MY HOME.
(But this another example how trying to be a Good Girl affects us when we make decisions is not why I'm telling this.)
As we were talking the guy complained how all women were either bitches or whores. Bitches, okay, I got it. She didn't want to talk to you so naturally she was a bitch. But whores? I asked how was it he knew they were whores? Did they have a button saying "I'm a whore, ask me how much"?
He provided me with a very telling example.
So he sits in a cafe with his buddy and they have a conversation. It's obvious that they're busy and not in the mood to talk to anyone else. But those two DUMB WHORES just walk to them and say: "Hey guys, do you mind if we sit with you, we're bored and you're nice."
THOSE WHORES!
*facepalm*
I can't even.
And other people with more severe issues such as austism call bullshit on that because really all it takes for a guy not to be a creep is to pay some attention to the woman he's interacting with and to gain consent before moving into her personal space or touching her.
Yes. I totally agree.
What I meant earlier was that if the guy is a self-centered idiot it's not a crime so long as he doesn't invade a woman's personal space.
Simkins isn't a genius. He might not have seen how the things he was saying were affecting Kat. But it was okay so long as he didn't attempt to touch her. Anyone can say pretty much whatever they want, we all have rights to free speech and wrong opinions. But touching without consent is harassment. He had no right to invade Kat's personal space.
Re: long comment is long (part 1)
Date: 2012-10-16 11:16 am (UTC)As we were talking the guy complained how all women were either bitches or whores. Whore is an all purpose insult for women. They bother you? Whore. They won't sleep with you? Whore (illogical as that is!). Women can't win when men have that mindset.
What I meant earlier was that if the guy is a self-centered idiot it's not a crime so long as he doesn't invade a woman's personal space. Yes, exactly. And if she walks away (or asks him to leave if she can't move away from him) or is clearly uncomfortable, he needs to let it go and not start on how she's a bitch/whore. I read the 'rape culture realities' tumblr when I bear it, and there's story after story of street harassment, abuse on public transport, threats in public places like clubs or restaurants. It's a huge problem :(
long comment is long (part 2)
Date: 2012-10-16 09:38 am (UTC)I reread the story in this new light and I've been thinking about it for some time...
The whole thing is a very serious problem. Very serious and very big. Right now (because we only have two scenes and don't know what happens before/after/in-between) this very serious and big problem doesn't get enough time. Now it looks like "Oh, btw, this is very wrong! So where were we?"
The point Honor makes is totally legit and he's right. But, because we don't have the full novel yet, it looks like he's expecting to fix everything with just the right quote. Like now that he said this right thing everything's going to be fine. Kat will never fall victim to the foisted indoctrinations in her mind, and all guys will behave themselves properly.
Honor tells this right thing to Kat one single time. The society has been feeding its bullshit to Kat since the day she was born, EVERY SINGLE DAY. Honor can't expect to brush it off with one line and I want Kat to point it out.
And again talking about right things is all nice but the real learning experience (for readers as well as characters) is in the action.
Thinking the right thing, saying the right thing and doing the right thing are entirely different matters.
I hope you'll be covering this issue more because it's important and deserving of 'screen time'.
BB, and thank you for raising awareness for this very serious cause!
*HUGS*
I rather think the people might appreciate a ruler who's not always wearing a mask.
And I agree. I meant that Kat's enemies would do Kat harm if they could easily read her.
It's not as Kat decided to be a politician. It's her birthright, and whatever strengths or weaknesses she has won't stop her.
I think I'd like to see Kat's openness get her into a tough situation so that she could show exactly that. That her weaknesses won't stop her, and whatever it is you throw at her she can handle it. :D
It's totally a good thing when a hero has traits that get them in trouble. :D
I have some ideas about this that I'm trying to build up here.
OMG I'M SO EXCITED MOAR SCARY THINGS YAY!!!
BB PLEASE WRITE MOAR!!! *FLAILS CRAZY*
Re: long comment is long (part 2)
Date: 2012-10-16 11:26 am (UTC)Thinking the right thing, saying the right thing and doing the right thing are entirely different matters. Of course :)
I hope you'll be covering this issue more because it's important and deserving of 'screen time'. I hope to do so. I want to visit some really fucked up kingdoms too and some places that give her the idea that the Citadel's not so good, places where "don't invade someone's space" is the norm, as well as places where perhaps the idea of personal space is very different (lots of hugging and kissing, as we see in French and Italian media) and how to come to terms with that, when there's no sexual overture, this is just a normal way of greeting people.
Re: long comment is long (part 2)
Date: 2012-10-16 01:11 pm (UTC)Yes, I understand that.
I guess it's because Honor is the one to change the subject, not Kat, that I feel like he goes "Show support - check. Say a Smart Thing of Wisdom - check. Okay. All fixed. So whats the deal with you and the new guy?"
I know it's not what he meant. It's just what it looked like to me.
I want to visit some really fucked up kingdoms too and some places that give her the idea that the Citadel's not so good
Awwwww, bb, I can't wait! :D
*FLAILS*
Re: long comment is long (part 2)
Date: 2012-10-16 01:22 pm (UTC)Re: long comment is long (part 2)
Date: 2012-10-16 02:26 pm (UTC)Hm... Maybe not exactly here. I have an impression that Kat is too stressed out and tired to have a proper discussion. Maybe Honor could say that it's something they need to discuss and Kat might ask to discuss it later? That way it would be Kat who's changing the subject, too. :D
We should always try to do better. And also know when to stop and say "It'll never be perfect but it's good enough and everyone will just have to deal with it *shades on*". :D
Re: long comment is long (part 2)
Date: 2012-10-16 04:16 pm (UTC)(and now I'm going to go and hunt through Tumblr for a cool Deal with It glasses gif :D)