AU- *Grins maniacally* I've done it! another Chapter!
MWAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH
***
Chapter Fifteen:
Theme music:
***
Sarah left the bath pink and steamy and, for once, feeling much better about the world in general.
Eittene had slipped a key under the door while she'd been bathing and now she made for her room, wrapped up in a fluffy white towel. The door with symbols painted on it that matched the ones on the key ring was luckily almost directly across from the baths. *grin*
Sarah swept into the room with a airy grace and a smile on her face that wasn't even deterred by the fact that Jareth, once again, was lounging elegantly on the bed smiling casually.
Sarah swept by him and to her packs without sparing him much attention. "Notice." She said sweetly. "That I am not asking why you are in my room, in fact I am pretending you aren't here because I intend to change."
"By all means, go ahead. I am merely here to escort you to Rosebud, I suggest you dress up a little." He said slightly stiffly.
Sarah turned to look at him cocking an eyebrow. Normally Jareth was only too happy to be around when she dressed... but despite his forcibly casual pose there were lines around his mouth and brow that were usually impeccably smooth.
"Are you all right?" she asked. "You sound a little... stressed."
"I am." He replied shortly. "I have personal interest in the way you and Rosebud get along."
'Jareth...' Sarah thought in mild shock. She'd never seen him so frazzled. Forgetting getting dressed for the moment (really, Jareth had seen her in less than a towel before) she can to sit down beside him with a companionable smile.
Jareth relaxed slightly and reached out to caress Sarah's hair, she let him. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. For once the great, impermeable Goblin King was showing a weakness and, even though it worried Sarah, something in her saw and responded to it. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to offer her company to help him.
Jareth wound a thick cord of Sarah's hair around his knuckles and admired the ply of candlelight on the shiny strands. "Forgive me, Sarah. I shouldn't be short with you. It matters very much to me how you and Rosebud get along. I fear that either you shall love each other or become mortal enemies on sight." He sighed. "You are so very alike that I fear the second most."
Sarah cocked her head and felt a slight tug on the roots of her hair, jareth didn't release her hair but he did re adjust his grip so that it did not hurt her. "Just who -is- Rose bud, after all?" she asked. "Why do you care how she and I get along."
Jareth laughed tersely. "She will not look it, but Rosebud is my..."
Jareth was cut off by the door swinging open to emit Gawain and Eittiene bearing a heavy laden tray between them.
"Hey Sis, we thought we'd all eat.. up... oh Hello, Jareth!" Gawain grinned. "Well, you should have said you were visiting, we'd have gotten you supper as well!"
Jareth reluctantly released Sarah's hair and shook his head. "Have you no sense of shame, Bard?" he asked in exasperation as Gawain set down the huge tray onto the low table that dominated the room.
Gawain grinned unrepentantly. "No! Not at all! That way my other senses are enhanced."
Jareth groaned and conjured a crystal. "Well, I can at least do something..." he murmured. The crystal floated straight to the ceiling and exploded in a cloud of silver glitter that, as it touched the three travelers, left them all neat clean, and in bright new finery.
Sarah had been magicked into an elegant dress of black and emerald green silk of a peculiar cut embellished by bronze jewelry and embroidery. "I'm starting to sense a pattern here Jareth." She mumbled.
"Oh, but it suits you so well!" he chortled.
"Nice work, Jareth!" Gawain applauded him as he inspected his own finery, tight black leather trousers with a green silk shirt and a black leather vest. "Are Sarah and I to match from now on?" he asked almost seriously.
Jareth shrugged and looked to Eittene. "Hmm.... maybe I should have given you a blue shirt..."
Eittene was staring at the black linen breeches and white embroidered tunic that Jareth had given him. "I... I've never had anything like this!" he stammered and Jareth laughed.
"I imagine you'll get used to it."
"I don't suppose we get our old clothes back, a had some rather valuable things in my pockets." Gawain asked cheekily.
Jareth waved negligently. "Do you take me for an amateur? Of course you get them back, you clothes are folded on top of your packs in your room." He sniffed.
Gawain shrugged and reached for the food. "Well, I suppose there's plenty to go around."
"I ate, I only came to direct you to Rosebud's." Jareth assured him.
"Actually, I'm not terribly hungry." Sarah decided out loud. "Why don't the boys stay here and eat and we go?"
Gawain shot her an inquisitive look and, at Sarah's nod, he shrugged. "If my lady wills it." he said and snagged a whortleberry tart from underneath Eittene's fingers and handed it to her. "Take it with you."
Sarah accepted the tart and was already munching on it when Jareth snapped his fingers and they vanished in a swirl of glitter.
***
They reappeared before a whitewashed building surrounded by tropical flowers and fragrant herbs. There was a demure sign by one side of the door that, naturally, Sarah could not read. "Jareth? What does that sign say?"
Jareth blinked and looked to the sign and back to Sarah. "You cannot read?"
Sarah scowled. "Not in that language, I know you did something so I speak the language but I can't read."
Jareth looked vaguely annoyed but he read the sign out loud for her. "The Rose Garden." He said before taking her firmly by the arm and steering her inside.
The inside of the building, or at least what she could see as Jareth practically hustled her to the back, was low lit with sumptuous appointments and a large number of scantily clad women lounging about... oh my...
"Jareth!" Sarah cried, half in pain, half in anger and her body heat rose (presumably from her hot blush). "You're hurting me!"
Jareth released her with a yelp of pain and took a step back from her, massaging his palm. "There was no need for that, Sarah." He said in an injured tone.
"You can't just drag me around like a sack of flour either, and you deserved to be yelled at." She retorted in what she assured herself wasn't a sulky tone of voice.
"Yelled..." confusion touched Jareth's face and then he pursed his lips. "I see. You don't realize it yet..." He placed a hand in the small of Sarah's back and propelled her, more gently this time to a smallish door at the back of the main room.
"I don't wish for you to get the wrong idea, Sarah." He told her in a sotto voice. "but it isn't a good idea for an attractive young woman who wishes to remain left alone to linger in this area of the Rose Garden..."
"I don't want to get propositioned, if that's what you mean." Sarah hissed back. "but you -were- hurting me."
"I apologize." Jareth tugged Sarah close as a man emerged from the shadows with an eager look on his face, but seeing the possessive way Jareth held the tiny brunette he sighed and made for a dulcet blonde on a green silk cushion.
Jareth exhaled through gritted teeth. "I should have talked her into coming to your inn..." he hissed as he opened the door and pushed Sarah inside.
*Fin
Au- Ohmigod, am I on a roll or what?
MWAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH
***
Chapter Fifteen:
Theme music:
***
Sarah left the bath pink and steamy and, for once, feeling much better about the world in general.
Eittene had slipped a key under the door while she'd been bathing and now she made for her room, wrapped up in a fluffy white towel. The door with symbols painted on it that matched the ones on the key ring was luckily almost directly across from the baths. *grin*
Sarah swept into the room with a airy grace and a smile on her face that wasn't even deterred by the fact that Jareth, once again, was lounging elegantly on the bed smiling casually.
Sarah swept by him and to her packs without sparing him much attention. "Notice." She said sweetly. "That I am not asking why you are in my room, in fact I am pretending you aren't here because I intend to change."
"By all means, go ahead. I am merely here to escort you to Rosebud, I suggest you dress up a little." He said slightly stiffly.
Sarah turned to look at him cocking an eyebrow. Normally Jareth was only too happy to be around when she dressed... but despite his forcibly casual pose there were lines around his mouth and brow that were usually impeccably smooth.
"Are you all right?" she asked. "You sound a little... stressed."
"I am." He replied shortly. "I have personal interest in the way you and Rosebud get along."
'Jareth...' Sarah thought in mild shock. She'd never seen him so frazzled. Forgetting getting dressed for the moment (really, Jareth had seen her in less than a towel before) she can to sit down beside him with a companionable smile.
Jareth relaxed slightly and reached out to caress Sarah's hair, she let him. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. For once the great, impermeable Goblin King was showing a weakness and, even though it worried Sarah, something in her saw and responded to it. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to offer her company to help him.
Jareth wound a thick cord of Sarah's hair around his knuckles and admired the ply of candlelight on the shiny strands. "Forgive me, Sarah. I shouldn't be short with you. It matters very much to me how you and Rosebud get along. I fear that either you shall love each other or become mortal enemies on sight." He sighed. "You are so very alike that I fear the second most."
Sarah cocked her head and felt a slight tug on the roots of her hair, jareth didn't release her hair but he did re adjust his grip so that it did not hurt her. "Just who -is- Rose bud, after all?" she asked. "Why do you care how she and I get along."
Jareth laughed tersely. "She will not look it, but Rosebud is my..."
Jareth was cut off by the door swinging open to emit Gawain and Eittiene bearing a heavy laden tray between them.
"Hey Sis, we thought we'd all eat.. up... oh Hello, Jareth!" Gawain grinned. "Well, you should have said you were visiting, we'd have gotten you supper as well!"
Jareth reluctantly released Sarah's hair and shook his head. "Have you no sense of shame, Bard?" he asked in exasperation as Gawain set down the huge tray onto the low table that dominated the room.
Gawain grinned unrepentantly. "No! Not at all! That way my other senses are enhanced."
Jareth groaned and conjured a crystal. "Well, I can at least do something..." he murmured. The crystal floated straight to the ceiling and exploded in a cloud of silver glitter that, as it touched the three travelers, left them all neat clean, and in bright new finery.
Sarah had been magicked into an elegant dress of black and emerald green silk of a peculiar cut embellished by bronze jewelry and embroidery. "I'm starting to sense a pattern here Jareth." She mumbled.
"Oh, but it suits you so well!" he chortled.
"Nice work, Jareth!" Gawain applauded him as he inspected his own finery, tight black leather trousers with a green silk shirt and a black leather vest. "Are Sarah and I to match from now on?" he asked almost seriously.
Jareth shrugged and looked to Eittene. "Hmm.... maybe I should have given you a blue shirt..."
Eittene was staring at the black linen breeches and white embroidered tunic that Jareth had given him. "I... I've never had anything like this!" he stammered and Jareth laughed.
"I imagine you'll get used to it."
"I don't suppose we get our old clothes back, a had some rather valuable things in my pockets." Gawain asked cheekily.
Jareth waved negligently. "Do you take me for an amateur? Of course you get them back, you clothes are folded on top of your packs in your room." He sniffed.
Gawain shrugged and reached for the food. "Well, I suppose there's plenty to go around."
"I ate, I only came to direct you to Rosebud's." Jareth assured him.
"Actually, I'm not terribly hungry." Sarah decided out loud. "Why don't the boys stay here and eat and we go?"
Gawain shot her an inquisitive look and, at Sarah's nod, he shrugged. "If my lady wills it." he said and snagged a whortleberry tart from underneath Eittene's fingers and handed it to her. "Take it with you."
Sarah accepted the tart and was already munching on it when Jareth snapped his fingers and they vanished in a swirl of glitter.
***
They reappeared before a whitewashed building surrounded by tropical flowers and fragrant herbs. There was a demure sign by one side of the door that, naturally, Sarah could not read. "Jareth? What does that sign say?"
Jareth blinked and looked to the sign and back to Sarah. "You cannot read?"
Sarah scowled. "Not in that language, I know you did something so I speak the language but I can't read."
Jareth looked vaguely annoyed but he read the sign out loud for her. "The Rose Garden." He said before taking her firmly by the arm and steering her inside.
The inside of the building, or at least what she could see as Jareth practically hustled her to the back, was low lit with sumptuous appointments and a large number of scantily clad women lounging about... oh my...
"Jareth!" Sarah cried, half in pain, half in anger and her body heat rose (presumably from her hot blush). "You're hurting me!"
Jareth released her with a yelp of pain and took a step back from her, massaging his palm. "There was no need for that, Sarah." He said in an injured tone.
"You can't just drag me around like a sack of flour either, and you deserved to be yelled at." She retorted in what she assured herself wasn't a sulky tone of voice.
"Yelled..." confusion touched Jareth's face and then he pursed his lips. "I see. You don't realize it yet..." He placed a hand in the small of Sarah's back and propelled her, more gently this time to a smallish door at the back of the main room.
"I don't wish for you to get the wrong idea, Sarah." He told her in a sotto voice. "but it isn't a good idea for an attractive young woman who wishes to remain left alone to linger in this area of the Rose Garden..."
"I don't want to get propositioned, if that's what you mean." Sarah hissed back. "but you -were- hurting me."
"I apologize." Jareth tugged Sarah close as a man emerged from the shadows with an eager look on his face, but seeing the possessive way Jareth held the tiny brunette he sighed and made for a dulcet blonde on a green silk cushion.
Jareth exhaled through gritted teeth. "I should have talked her into coming to your inn..." he hissed as he opened the door and pushed Sarah inside.
*Fin
Au- Ohmigod, am I on a roll or what?
