Disclaimer: The world and characters of Tortall belong to Tamora Pierce, not to me.
Written for SMACKDOWN at Goldenlake (fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com)! Kel/Lalasa is going on to the next round! Come and join in the fun!
-:-
Kel thought of Lalasa entirely too often to be healthy.
Luckily, Kel didn't have issues keeping herself focused during battles. Then, it was steel and sweat and frantic neighing. It was the downtime that got to her.
When she was supposed to be drawing up paperwork, her mind would wander and she'd start composing her latest letter to Lalasa in her head. On occasion she'd give up and write it down properly, but more often she'd sit and stare into space with her dreamy hazel eyes.
She gave in when she returned to Corus for a few days, and went to her former maid's shop. They took a stroll and a surprising amount of young women stopped Lalasa to thank her or talk to her, and Kel marvelled anew
It was only when Lalasa delicately answered Kel's question about marriage with "Tian and I don't see each other very often anymore" that Kel understood, in a sudden shock, what she'd been feeling.
Outwardly, Kel took it in stride. But it must be confessed that Lalasa haunted her thoughts at the front quite a bit more after that simple conversation; more still after the brief, shy kiss Lalasa bestowed on her Midwinter of that year.
And Kel didn't mind it at all.