Disclaimer: Funfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfun...that's all I'm getting
from this, no pay, and hopefully no lawsuits. Belongs to Tamora Pierce. :-D
"That only works if I care, Numair!" Daine yelled across the tower.
"You do care, or you wouldn't be talking to me!" He yelled back.
The birds nesting in the rafters twittered in concern. Daine soothed them, assuring them that Numair was just being stubborn.
Kitten crawled up onto the table, standing on her hind legs. She whistled a question. Daine smiled, "It's fine, Kit. He's just asking me to do something he knows I can't." The young dragon chirped, well used to Daine's stubborn streak to match Numair's.
Numair's footsteps could be heard as his shadow darkened the book she was reading, "It's just an experiment, Magelet." He murmured in her ear.
She looked up at him, his dark hair flecked with gray in several spots, crows feet creeping in at the corner of his warm, good-natured eyes. She frowned.
"I can't let you test on one of the People. Not even a chicken." She felt more then saw Numair sigh. His comforting warmth at her back moved.
"It wouldn't hurt. It might even lengthen their life span." He took her small hands in his larger ones.
She shook her head stubbornly; "It could go wrong, horribly, terribly wrong. I won't lose another of my friends to experiments, Numair." Kitten clucked in agreement, and the three of them thought back to the recent discovery of magical tests in Dunlath being performed on beasts. The King had sent Daine and Numair to clear the illegal tests up immediately, but not until after Daine's friend Silly, from the Long Lake Pack, the pack that had helped her avenge her family, had been tested upon and killed.
Numair sighed, lifting up his hands in defeat, "All right, you win. No tests." Daine grinned and kissed him softly as the birds and Kitten chirped and whistled happily.
The birds and the dragon stopped long before Daine and Numair did. Voice's below the tower window broke the couple apart.
"But I love you!" A still high pitched male voice whined.
"I love you too, but, it would never work!" A much older, female voice answered.
"Who care's about age? I'll run away with you!" The boy offered.
"I can't! I'm sorry!" Footsteps retreated, and they could hear the boy sniffing.
Daine shot Numair a look, "If we ever were or end up like that, I hope we get slapped." Numair grinned, remembering such a time when Kitten had been forced to whistle shrilling in Daine's ear, causing the young woman to end one such conversation exactly one year ago, "I could never thank you enough for that, Kit."
The young dragon blushed, and hid her face. Numair laughed.
Daine blushed, "We would never have had that conversation if it hadn't been for you complaining you felt old!"
"I wouldn't have felt old if you hadn't made me baby sit Evin and Miri's new born!" He shot back.
She shook her head, "This is going no where, I hope you realize."
He grinned, "I realize. Do you realize that it has been exactly a year that we've been married?"
She looked bemused, "I'd forgotten. Happy anniversary, Numair."
"Happy anniversary, Magelet."
"That only works if I care, Numair!" Daine yelled across the tower.
"You do care, or you wouldn't be talking to me!" He yelled back.
The birds nesting in the rafters twittered in concern. Daine soothed them, assuring them that Numair was just being stubborn.
Kitten crawled up onto the table, standing on her hind legs. She whistled a question. Daine smiled, "It's fine, Kit. He's just asking me to do something he knows I can't." The young dragon chirped, well used to Daine's stubborn streak to match Numair's.
Numair's footsteps could be heard as his shadow darkened the book she was reading, "It's just an experiment, Magelet." He murmured in her ear.
She looked up at him, his dark hair flecked with gray in several spots, crows feet creeping in at the corner of his warm, good-natured eyes. She frowned.
"I can't let you test on one of the People. Not even a chicken." She felt more then saw Numair sigh. His comforting warmth at her back moved.
"It wouldn't hurt. It might even lengthen their life span." He took her small hands in his larger ones.
She shook her head stubbornly; "It could go wrong, horribly, terribly wrong. I won't lose another of my friends to experiments, Numair." Kitten clucked in agreement, and the three of them thought back to the recent discovery of magical tests in Dunlath being performed on beasts. The King had sent Daine and Numair to clear the illegal tests up immediately, but not until after Daine's friend Silly, from the Long Lake Pack, the pack that had helped her avenge her family, had been tested upon and killed.
Numair sighed, lifting up his hands in defeat, "All right, you win. No tests." Daine grinned and kissed him softly as the birds and Kitten chirped and whistled happily.
The birds and the dragon stopped long before Daine and Numair did. Voice's below the tower window broke the couple apart.
"But I love you!" A still high pitched male voice whined.
"I love you too, but, it would never work!" A much older, female voice answered.
"Who care's about age? I'll run away with you!" The boy offered.
"I can't! I'm sorry!" Footsteps retreated, and they could hear the boy sniffing.
Daine shot Numair a look, "If we ever were or end up like that, I hope we get slapped." Numair grinned, remembering such a time when Kitten had been forced to whistle shrilling in Daine's ear, causing the young woman to end one such conversation exactly one year ago, "I could never thank you enough for that, Kit."
The young dragon blushed, and hid her face. Numair laughed.
Daine blushed, "We would never have had that conversation if it hadn't been for you complaining you felt old!"
"I wouldn't have felt old if you hadn't made me baby sit Evin and Miri's new born!" He shot back.
She shook her head, "This is going no where, I hope you realize."
He grinned, "I realize. Do you realize that it has been exactly a year that we've been married?"
She looked bemused, "I'd forgotten. Happy anniversary, Numair."
"Happy anniversary, Magelet."