ROAD GAMES

Disclaimer: Liam, Alanna and the rest belong to Tamora Pierce.
"Seaside or mountains."

"Mountains."

"Dawn or dusk."

"Dawn."

"Beer or bacon."

"Yep."

"You're supposed to pick one."

Liam shoots an amused glance her way and says, "Both."

Alanna sighs. "Fine. Next question. Curved daggers or straight."

Liam gives a click of his tongue to keep his laconic grey gelding moving. The dusty road stretches through the flat plain for miles ahead and behind them. The sun is bright on their heads and shoulders.

"Nope."

"It's a simple question!"

"No questions about fightin'. That was the deal. My turn."

Alanna huffs out an annoyed breath. "I hardly think that knife shape should count."

"A knife's a weapon. Even if we're talkin' table manners. Just remember that poor man you were threatenin' at dinner the other night. I thought I was goin' t' have t' return him his jugular."

"Fine! Ask whatever you want."

"If you insist."

Alanna glares straight ahead, but Liam waits her out silently. Infuriating man. After a minute, she loses patience and looks back over, telling herself that she's far too old to be playing staring games. Sure enough, he's staring curiously; relaxed and disconcertingly intent with light eyes in a deeply tanned face. It's the same way he always looks at her. His gaze is both personal and assessing, as though he never stops trying to figure her out. She doesn't know yet if he does this to everyone, or just her, but it never fails to throw her off balance, and sure enough, she can feel the beginnings of a blush under Liam's scrutiny. It's not like she's a puzzle! She's never pretended to be one of those women who project alluring secrets and mystery!

Liam grins. He's probably spotted the blush. Gods drat him!

"Blondes or redheads."

"…."

"What kind of question is that?!" Now Alanna's really blushing, and hates him a little more for that.

"It's my question, Lioness, and it's your turn t' answer."

Coram shifts silently in his saddle on her other side, not looking at them.

Alanna fumes. If she says redheads, he'll assume she's talking about him and be annoyingly smug, and Goddess knows, he's arrogant enough already. And yet she's always hated blondes. And she's taking far too long to answer the question, and what kind of a stupid question is this anyways, she's never bothered to think about silly things like this—

"Brunettes." She blurts it out far too hastily and hates how uncertain it sounds. Alanna darts a glance at Liam, but he's staring down the road between his grey's bored ears. If he's laughing at her, he's hiding it well.

"So, Lioness," Liam says, a smile in his voice. "Have you got t' know me well enough yet?"

Alanna glares. "This wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

"Maybe you can think of another game for us t' play then."

Mithros burn him, he's making fun of her again. How does this always happen? She used to make fun of Jon. It's insupportable that this man can make her as tongue-tied and red-faced as a silly maid. Alanna decides to ignore him for the next mile. Or ten.

Behind them, Buri mutters, "Are we there yet."

A/N: Okay, so I fanfic'd my own fanfic. This is an "outtake" from a (partly-written) longer story about Liam and the Shang, called "Things invisible to see." But where that story is told by Liam, this one gets told from Alanna's POV. This was written for the "Eye-spy" drabble challenge at team-fen on livejournal. Prompt: Liam, shift, curious, appetite, silent, click. 530 words.