An Interesting Day
(Subtitled: Set in Stone)
By Saphron
A/N: I pronounce "Jas" as Jace, with a long a, but hey, that's just me.
And thanks for reviewing this old thing Princess of Everything, Anon. girl & Sunkissed Guac, you guys are so spiffy!
Chapter 3 -A Night Out On the Town
"Come back 'ere ye two little brats!" Shouted a portly man waving a wooden spoon, "Ye damn little devils!" His bellowing voice echoed down the street, in place of his chubby feet, which stayed firmly rooted to the inside of his large bakery door. The portly baker was obviously in no condition to run after years of sampling his sugary wares.
But the only answer he received was the sound of hurried scuffling feet and muffled laughed.
"Jas! I can't believe we just did that!" Kel gasped at her companion as they ducked safely into a nearby alleyway.
"What?" he asked innocently. "It wasn't like he couldn't afford it. Look at the tub of lard!"
"But still--stealing is wrong." She grimaced, her guilty conscious speaking up.
"It was only a cake! And a small one at that."
She frowned, but then smiled, it was pretty funny ducking underneath the baker's legs and bolting out the door, balancing a chocolate cake in one palm, a coconut cream puff in the other, racing down the street like a pair of wild sprightly imps.
They ducked out of the alley and walked nonchalantly down the avenue, laughing and recalling old memories. Soon they stopped to devour the fruits of their labor, but then Jasson noticed two shadows lurking nearby. It was a tiny boy and girl, eyes hungry and sad, cheeks sallow, skinny frame nothing but a few bones. Jasson stopped and looked at Kel. She nodded back, and he handed the cakes to the children.
They were frightened and looked like they'd bolt any minute if you said "boo," but they took the cakes anyway and greedily gobbled them up with another nod of approval from Jasson. They smiled at them, frosting smudged on their cheeks and tangled in their messy hair; Kel and Jasson smiled too.
It felt good to help those less fortunate, but as much as they wanted to they couldn't take the kids home with them, and they were soon forced to leave them behind.
Kel sighed; she hated seeing others being mistreated, whether it be by bully or starvation.
Jasson, seeing Kel's dejected mood, tried to cheer her up. "Come on, I have an idea."
"Ugh-" she groaned, "do I even want to know?"
"Nope, but I'm telling you anyway. Come on, we're going dancing!"
--
Fifteen minutes later, Kel was being twirled and twisted and spun in circles. They were tearing up the dance floor, so to speak, and laughing their heads off while they cavorted.
The loud music was pounding in Kel's head and she felt herself just let go. Her feet swung with the beat as if they had a life of their own, she was flying through the air, careless and worry-free. Jasson's strong arms were there to catch her, something Kel found comfort in, and he was a very good dancer partner.
But alas, the pair soon grew winded, and they sat down to get some drinks. Kel decided she had best stick with non-alcoholic this time, seeing as how she was still feeling the effects of last time (though just a little.) Jasson teased her good-naturally (what is it with guys and beer?) But all Kel gave into was one tiny, itsy-bitsy shot.
They danced a little while more, experimenting with some strange new southern dance from Carthak called "salsa dancing", and Jasson, who had ordered quite a few more than one shot, even sang a bit of karaoke, before Kel, who was half-drunk herself (she had given into two more shots) pulled him out the door.
The chilly night air sobered them a bit, not much, but enough so that they realized it had gotten quite late. Kel didn't know the exact time but she guessed it was past midnight.
Ack! She panicked—she should've been back at the palace ages ago!
"Shit Jas! I gotta get back, I'll see ya later!" She ran off, leaving him still humming "give me just one night, una noche, a moment to be by sour side…"
"Where in the hell is she!" Cleon snapped at Neal for the hundredth time.
"I dunno Cleon," he said sleepily, "I'm sure she's :yawn: fine."
"Fine? Fine! It's :he checked the clock: 12:43am!"
"So? She's a big girl, she can take care of herself." He told him, although in truth he was just as worried about his missing friend as Cleon, he just didn't want to show it and worry him more. All their years together had been a big influence, Kel was a lot more sarcastic than when she first arrived and even Neal had learned to some degree how to not seemed fazed by anything.
Cleon snapped his fingers in the air. "She should've been back by now. I wish Lalasa wasn't off visiting friends tonight, otherwise she might know where Kel is."
Neal just shrugged, "I'm tired Cleon, let's go to bed."
"No." He refused stubbornly.
"But Cleon!" he whined, "so…sleepy…"
"Eeek! What are you two doing in my room?" Kel asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway. She had planned to try and sneak in, but well, obviously she couldn't if they were in there.
"KEL!" Cleon hollered at her.
"Hi Kel," Neal muttered, yawning again (to cover up his relief.)
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Cleon yelled at Kel some more, clearly angry as well as concerned.
"Ouch," she grumbled, "don't yell. My head hurts." Cleon threw up his arms in exasperation, a mixture of anger and relief on his face.
Neal calmly got up from his chair and went over to Kel.
"Phew Kel, did you know you're completely noshed?" he said, waving his hand through the air in front of his nose.
"She is? Kel! Getting drunk with a strange guy around…" Cleon started lecturing.
"He's not strange. He's my friend." She defended (both him and her.) "Now both of you-out!"
"Kel-"
"Out."
"But Kel-"
"OUT!" With that she grabbed the two (mostly Cleon though, Neal was pretty subordinate) by the collars of their shirt and pushed them out the door before slamming it in their faces.
"Honestly…" she muttered as she collapsed onto her bed, not even bothering to take off her shoes or undress. She was asleep before she hit the pillow.
…..Saphron….
-Coughs- So yeah, still revamping and whatnot...more?