Fic: Impeccable Timing
Sep. 24th, 2012 07:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meridian_roseTitle: Impeccable Timing
Fandom: Original
'Verse/Series: Call Me Mistress
Pairing/Characters: Jack, Amy, Kai, others
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1397
Prompt: For the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
100_tales prompt 047. Present.
Summary: Jack reflects on the present Mistress compared to her predecessor, sees Amy finally take a stand on something, and discovers that Kai has impeccable timing.
Warnings: None
Notes: In the UK there are strict rules about possession of weaponry and private citizens are forbidden to own Tasers.
Amy stared at Clancy. "Vegan?"
"Yeah, it's healthy." He gave her a smug grin and folded his arms. "I don't drink either. I'm capable of having fun without being a drunk."
Amy's eyes narrowed. Sitting at the table near the back of the lounge, Jack looked up from the spreadsheet he'd been working on. He put the tablet computer aside, and moved to the edge of his seat.
Clancy had a lot of undesirable qualities, including being borderline homophobic, but Jack would never have picked Clancy's diet as being the final straw. This was going to be interesting. Hopefully not too interesting since Kai wasn't here and Jack did so hate having to use the very illegal Taser.
Amy lifted her chin. "I see," she said and there was a menacing note to her tone.
Clancy, for all his social failings, didn't miss her disdain. "What? Is there a problem?"
Jack might have stepped in, but he wanted to see if Amy was capable of standing up for herself.
"I couldn't possibly have a relationship with someone constantly disapproving of me enjoying the very fine wine we have in this house," Amy said.
Oh, yes; Jack remembered how her eyes had lit up at the first mention of the wine cellar. Clancy made to protest, but Amy held up one finger and he stayed silent. Jack was impressed and surprised.
"Clancy, you can stay under this roof until you violate one of the House Rules," Amy declared.
Until, Jack noted. She'd formed an opinion on Clancy, then. If she'd wanted him gone, she didn't have to wait until he broke a rule, she just had to say so. Perhaps he hadn't made that clear previously, a situation he would have to remedy.
"However," she went on, "I can guarantee that you will never be my Chosen One."
She spoiled her declaration a little by glancing over at Jack for his approval. He gave her a slight nod. She would have to work on her self-confidence, but this was a good start.
Encouraged by his support, Amy added, "That goes for the rest of you, too. Anyone who won't share a steak and a beer with me is out of the running."
There was some discussion from the other men assembled in the room. Most of them drank beer at least, Jack knew, and half of them didn't like Clancy anyway – and anyone hoping to "win the game" would be glad to see a competitor kicked out.
For his part, Clancy gave Amy a look of distaste and said, "Well scr- well, whatever, you du- you…whatever!" So he could keep his desire to throw insults around under control, Jack thought. Rather a pity. If he'd directly insulted Amy, Jack wouldn't even need her permission to have Clancy evicted there and then.
"Whatever, Mistress," Jack said mildly, earning himself a furious glare from Clancy.
He was somewhat relieved that Kai chose that moment to return home. Kai had a plastic shopping bag in one hand and used his free hand to shut the door behind him. Amy turned on him, sniffing the air.
"What have you got there?"
Kai took in the scene and the overall mood and hesitated. In the tone of one who knew his next words could have serious repercussions he ventured uncertainly, "Fish and chips?"
Amy nodded curtly. "Good."
Emboldened by her response, Kai offered, "I can share."
"Even better." Amy followed Kai to the dining room. Jack turned off his tablet before he went after them. Amy was already setting out wine glasses and Kai had found out some plates. Jack said he wasn't hungry but would have a glass of wine with them, and proceeded to find and open a bottle.
"That was all right, wasn't it?" Amy asked. She hadn't bothered with cutlery and was eating chips with her fingers. Kai, having to deal with the battered fish, was using a knife and fork, and was watching her intently.
"You are the Mistress," Jack said, trying not to be frustrated by her insecurities. He took a sip of the wine. "You may make or rescind any regulations aside from the House Rules, and you have full control over who you choose to be your First Partner."
She nodded and then said, embarrassed, "I said 'chosen one', didn't I?"
"I don't think the other guests care much for semantics," Jack assured her. "It's certainly a more romantic title than the official one."
Kai cleared his throat. "What did I miss?"
"Clancy being a sanctimonious asshat," Amy told him. When she was alone with them, Jack thought, she was more sure of herself and expressed her opinions with deep conviction and without sugar coating. She needed to extend that strength of mind to her dealings with the guests.
Kai shrugged. "He's a jackass. Why do you let him stay?"
She gestured with one hand. Kai watched the movement like a cat following a laser pointer. "I don't know. It seemed rude to throw him out if he hadn't broken any rules."
"It's your house. Sort of. You don't have to let anyone stay, except maybe Jack – and I suppose even he's replaceable." Kai tore his gaze from Amy to tell Jack, "No offence."
"I am replaceable," Jack said calmly. "He's right, Amy. You get final say over who is allowed within the house at all. The guests reside here only at your discretion."
Amy chewed another chip thoughtfully. She licked a grain of salt from the tip of her finger, and Jack noticed Kai bite at his lip.
The problem with Amy was her naivety. If she had any idea of the sort of rules made and punishments meted out by the previous Mistress, Amy would likely be horrified. Jack had purposely not elaborated on her predecessor's proclivities so as not to alarm her, but he knew she couldn’t be sheltered forever.
Still this was progress. The present Mistress of the House was going to have to winnow a lot of chaff if she was going to choose a First Partner. Furthermore, she could make that decision based on any criteria she liked. Clancy might feel hard done by, but the previous Mistress had once refused to let a man through the front door because she said Monty was "too silly a name".
Stuart knocked on the dining room door, which was already wide open. "Mistress?"
"Yes?"
He gave her a wry grin. "I'm mostly vegetarian, ma'am - occasionally I eat fish, and you know I love real ale. Can I still stay or do I need to go find a hotel room tonight?"
"I said even Clancy could stay." Amy picked up her wine glass and regarded Stuart thoughtfully. "You're a decent guy, with a good sense of humour, but vegetarian or not, you're not my type."
Stuart nodded. "I'm looking at flats next week anyway. I've had fun here, but I think it's time to move on. Thanks for having me."
"You're welcome."
He made to go, turned back. "Can I ask, ma'am, what is your type?"
Amy shrugged. "I'm still finding that out." Jack understood. She was working from what she didn't want to what she did, just as a differential diagnosis often relied upon ruling out everything a medical complaint wasn't.
Stuart nodded and headed out to the garden.
"Hmm. He had smoky bacon crisps the other day," Amy commented.
"That's not meat though is it? Just flavourings and chemicals." Kai gestured to his plate. "Do you want any more?"
"Just one." Amy grabbed a chip and flashed him a smile. When she'd finished eating, she drained her glass and stood. "I'm going for a nap. Wake me if I'm not up by eight, Jack, or I won't sleep tonight."
Jack watched her go and then turned his attention to Kai. That had been quite the opportune entrance and it made Jack a little suspicious. "You do have impeccable timing."
Kai's brow furrowed. "And?"
"Just an observation."
Kai poured himself a second glass of wine. "Jack, what happened to the previous Mistress?"
A question even Amy hadn't yet asked. "Let's focus on the present holder of the post," Jack said smoothly. "Amy has a long way to go to truly own the title."
The present Mistress was, he thought, a work in progress. What she might become was anyone's guess.
Fandom: Original
'Verse/Series: Call Me Mistress
Pairing/Characters: Jack, Amy, Kai, others
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1397
Prompt: For the
100_tales prompt 047. Present.Summary: Jack reflects on the present Mistress compared to her predecessor, sees Amy finally take a stand on something, and discovers that Kai has impeccable timing.
Warnings: None
Notes: In the UK there are strict rules about possession of weaponry and private citizens are forbidden to own Tasers.
Amy stared at Clancy. "Vegan?"
"Yeah, it's healthy." He gave her a smug grin and folded his arms. "I don't drink either. I'm capable of having fun without being a drunk."
Amy's eyes narrowed. Sitting at the table near the back of the lounge, Jack looked up from the spreadsheet he'd been working on. He put the tablet computer aside, and moved to the edge of his seat.
Clancy had a lot of undesirable qualities, including being borderline homophobic, but Jack would never have picked Clancy's diet as being the final straw. This was going to be interesting. Hopefully not too interesting since Kai wasn't here and Jack did so hate having to use the very illegal Taser.
Amy lifted her chin. "I see," she said and there was a menacing note to her tone.
Clancy, for all his social failings, didn't miss her disdain. "What? Is there a problem?"
Jack might have stepped in, but he wanted to see if Amy was capable of standing up for herself.
"I couldn't possibly have a relationship with someone constantly disapproving of me enjoying the very fine wine we have in this house," Amy said.
Oh, yes; Jack remembered how her eyes had lit up at the first mention of the wine cellar. Clancy made to protest, but Amy held up one finger and he stayed silent. Jack was impressed and surprised.
"Clancy, you can stay under this roof until you violate one of the House Rules," Amy declared.
Until, Jack noted. She'd formed an opinion on Clancy, then. If she'd wanted him gone, she didn't have to wait until he broke a rule, she just had to say so. Perhaps he hadn't made that clear previously, a situation he would have to remedy.
"However," she went on, "I can guarantee that you will never be my Chosen One."
She spoiled her declaration a little by glancing over at Jack for his approval. He gave her a slight nod. She would have to work on her self-confidence, but this was a good start.
Encouraged by his support, Amy added, "That goes for the rest of you, too. Anyone who won't share a steak and a beer with me is out of the running."
There was some discussion from the other men assembled in the room. Most of them drank beer at least, Jack knew, and half of them didn't like Clancy anyway – and anyone hoping to "win the game" would be glad to see a competitor kicked out.
For his part, Clancy gave Amy a look of distaste and said, "Well scr- well, whatever, you du- you…whatever!" So he could keep his desire to throw insults around under control, Jack thought. Rather a pity. If he'd directly insulted Amy, Jack wouldn't even need her permission to have Clancy evicted there and then.
"Whatever, Mistress," Jack said mildly, earning himself a furious glare from Clancy.
He was somewhat relieved that Kai chose that moment to return home. Kai had a plastic shopping bag in one hand and used his free hand to shut the door behind him. Amy turned on him, sniffing the air.
"What have you got there?"
Kai took in the scene and the overall mood and hesitated. In the tone of one who knew his next words could have serious repercussions he ventured uncertainly, "Fish and chips?"
Amy nodded curtly. "Good."
Emboldened by her response, Kai offered, "I can share."
"Even better." Amy followed Kai to the dining room. Jack turned off his tablet before he went after them. Amy was already setting out wine glasses and Kai had found out some plates. Jack said he wasn't hungry but would have a glass of wine with them, and proceeded to find and open a bottle.
"That was all right, wasn't it?" Amy asked. She hadn't bothered with cutlery and was eating chips with her fingers. Kai, having to deal with the battered fish, was using a knife and fork, and was watching her intently.
"You are the Mistress," Jack said, trying not to be frustrated by her insecurities. He took a sip of the wine. "You may make or rescind any regulations aside from the House Rules, and you have full control over who you choose to be your First Partner."
She nodded and then said, embarrassed, "I said 'chosen one', didn't I?"
"I don't think the other guests care much for semantics," Jack assured her. "It's certainly a more romantic title than the official one."
Kai cleared his throat. "What did I miss?"
"Clancy being a sanctimonious asshat," Amy told him. When she was alone with them, Jack thought, she was more sure of herself and expressed her opinions with deep conviction and without sugar coating. She needed to extend that strength of mind to her dealings with the guests.
Kai shrugged. "He's a jackass. Why do you let him stay?"
She gestured with one hand. Kai watched the movement like a cat following a laser pointer. "I don't know. It seemed rude to throw him out if he hadn't broken any rules."
"It's your house. Sort of. You don't have to let anyone stay, except maybe Jack – and I suppose even he's replaceable." Kai tore his gaze from Amy to tell Jack, "No offence."
"I am replaceable," Jack said calmly. "He's right, Amy. You get final say over who is allowed within the house at all. The guests reside here only at your discretion."
Amy chewed another chip thoughtfully. She licked a grain of salt from the tip of her finger, and Jack noticed Kai bite at his lip.
The problem with Amy was her naivety. If she had any idea of the sort of rules made and punishments meted out by the previous Mistress, Amy would likely be horrified. Jack had purposely not elaborated on her predecessor's proclivities so as not to alarm her, but he knew she couldn’t be sheltered forever.
Still this was progress. The present Mistress of the House was going to have to winnow a lot of chaff if she was going to choose a First Partner. Furthermore, she could make that decision based on any criteria she liked. Clancy might feel hard done by, but the previous Mistress had once refused to let a man through the front door because she said Monty was "too silly a name".
Stuart knocked on the dining room door, which was already wide open. "Mistress?"
"Yes?"
He gave her a wry grin. "I'm mostly vegetarian, ma'am - occasionally I eat fish, and you know I love real ale. Can I still stay or do I need to go find a hotel room tonight?"
"I said even Clancy could stay." Amy picked up her wine glass and regarded Stuart thoughtfully. "You're a decent guy, with a good sense of humour, but vegetarian or not, you're not my type."
Stuart nodded. "I'm looking at flats next week anyway. I've had fun here, but I think it's time to move on. Thanks for having me."
"You're welcome."
He made to go, turned back. "Can I ask, ma'am, what is your type?"
Amy shrugged. "I'm still finding that out." Jack understood. She was working from what she didn't want to what she did, just as a differential diagnosis often relied upon ruling out everything a medical complaint wasn't.
Stuart nodded and headed out to the garden.
"Hmm. He had smoky bacon crisps the other day," Amy commented.
"That's not meat though is it? Just flavourings and chemicals." Kai gestured to his plate. "Do you want any more?"
"Just one." Amy grabbed a chip and flashed him a smile. When she'd finished eating, she drained her glass and stood. "I'm going for a nap. Wake me if I'm not up by eight, Jack, or I won't sleep tonight."
Jack watched her go and then turned his attention to Kai. That had been quite the opportune entrance and it made Jack a little suspicious. "You do have impeccable timing."
Kai's brow furrowed. "And?"
"Just an observation."
Kai poured himself a second glass of wine. "Jack, what happened to the previous Mistress?"
A question even Amy hadn't yet asked. "Let's focus on the present holder of the post," Jack said smoothly. "Amy has a long way to go to truly own the title."
The present Mistress was, he thought, a work in progress. What she might become was anyone's guess.
