Swordbearer, part 7: "Snarky"
by Vega
October 19th, 2006 - morning
I woke with the sun in my eyes. Then I rolled over and cursed myself for forgetting to draw the blinds in my drunken stupor. It was too damn early to be awake. Of course... fewer people are on the bus this early ...
I groaned at my own twisted logic and crawled slowly from under the covers.
It was an effort, but I managed to get dressed, coiffed, painted, and filled with coffee in time for the 7:40 arrival of everyone's favourite means of public transportation. I was halfway across the parking lot of my apartment building before I remembered that I had to wear my sword on the outside now, and I had to rush back into my place to switch holsters - I had been wearing the one that concealed my rapier in the lining of a thick leather duster.
Booking it back out to the street in time, knapsack on my back and sword in hand, the straps of the hilt guard flapping as I ran, I just managed to slip onto the bus before it pulled away. Nodding my head in thanks to the driver, I plopped my butt down in the nearest seat and sprawled, trying to catch my breath.
It was then that I noticed my plan had worked - there was NO one else on the bus! Yes!
... except the driver.
"So..." he ventured, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror and my reflection in it more frequently than to the road signage. "Immortal, eh?"
I groaned inwardly and sat up straight. I had the option of snapping at the man and moving... but I wasn't really in the mood to be snarky today. I'd had enough of snarky. And I was probably this man's first encounter with my "people".
"Last time I accidentally stabbed myself, yes," I replied, my tone somewhere between snappish and joking. I twisted in my seat and sat up slightly to get the belt of my holster around my hips then squirmed around to get everything buckled up right.
I caught him twisting in his seat, eyeing me, and I smiled. He seemed a bit relieved to realize that I was joking. And I was... mostly.
"So... you're going up to the university?" he ventured after another pause.
"Yup - got classes."
"Oh. You teach?"
"Nope, I attend."
Another glance in the rear-view mirror. "You go to classes? Why? I mean... you probably gotta know a lot, already, right?"
I shrugged. "Why not go? I mean, really, what else could I do with my life? Get a job, earn money? I'm pretty set that way, so I don't need it. I might as well spend the next decade or so perusing a few good books."
The driver's smile had a twinkling in it. "Makes sense, I guess."
As he pulled to the curb to pick up the next passenger, I closed my eyes and cussed. A buzzing headache swept over my consciousness and I slumped back in my seat. Like friggin' daisies, I swear.
"Ah! Ms. Diedre!" Adam Pierson called as he hopped onto the bus, clad in faded jeans and a loose green sweater that had seen many better days. He clutched a traveller's mug of coffee in one hand and his leather carrying case in the other. "I didn't realize we lived so close to each other."
I nodded curtly to him, slightly annoyed that, in all the vast vacancy of the bus, he chose to sit right behind me.
"God bless me," the driver piped up, "Two Immortals on my bus. There are more of you than I thought."
"No, only two in this city," Adam answered back, and I was sort of impressed that he knew that. It meant that he had done his research before moving in. Now I really didn't ever want to fight this guy. "Just me and her, and I'm the newbie."
"Ah," the driver said, and nothing else.
There was an awkward silence and eventually I guessed it was up to me to abate it. "You teaching already?"
"Hm?" He had been lost in thought.
"Your have your briefcase - are they making you teach already? I was under the impression that the Latin Prof's baby wasn't due for at least a month."
"It isn't - I'm going to sit in on her classes, to figure out her style and where they are."
"Ah," I said, making a non-committal and non-comentative sound. We lapsed into silence for another long few minutes.
"So..." Adam turned his piercing gaze to me. "How did your talk with Garret go?"
"Figures you were the one who sent him after me." I felt my expression harden. "It sucked, thankyouverymuch. You shouldn't have encouraged the dumbass little kid. You still act like a fuckin' Watcher - can't keep your nose out of other people's business."
"Well," he grinned at the implied insult, "It is a rather large nose. And Garret may be little, but he's not a kid."
"Compared to us he is."
"And yet age does not always equal maturity."
I clenched my fists in my lap. "Arg! Does nothing phase you?!"
He did that 'relaxed like a cat' thing and turned a smug eye in my direction. "Not really, no."
I chomped on the inside of my cheek for a while, debating for the second time in as many days if I wouldn't just be better off dropping out of school and leaving town. This guy was station to get on my nerves, and although I wasn't one of those Immortals who would Challenge someone just because they were a pest or stupid, I wasn't about to hang around with him if he pissed me off, either.
"Why does everything irritate you?" Adam ventured slowly.
I glared at him. "Well... I just hate being started at. And this bullshit with Garret. And I hate Watchers."
Adam closed his eyes slowly. "That's a lot of things to hate."
"... I guess."
"Does it ever weigh you down?"
"What?"
"The hate?"
I snorted. "What, are we getting all philosophical? No, the hate doesn't wear me down. I don't let it. If I did, I would have been ground into the dust a long time ago."
"So, don't you think that these irritations would be worth letting go of to? Garret--"
"Garret is a fucking liar who played me for a sap for three years." I felt like snarling at him, could feel the hot grumbling anger in my chest, but held it in. I'd promised myself this would be a 'snarky' free day.
Adam opened his eyes again, just as we were approaching an upcoming bus stop that had a lot of people waiting. "He's also a young man who's very much in love with you."
As the air-brakes hissed on and the metallic scrape of the bus door being opened rang out, I leaned forward to whisper to Adam, "Love is a figment of desperate people's imagination. My husband taught me that." I stood to move to a different seat, meaning to put a lot of people between us.
He reached out and grabbed my wrist, and I was only slightly stunned to feel how warm and large his thin hand was. "Love, and the remembrance of love, is the only thing that makes Immortality worth it. That's something my wife taught me."
"Then you're a romantic old fool," I hissed and freed myself, "You're going to end up losing your head over a girl. Literally."
The pulled away from the curb, and I moved to the back of the bus and stared steadfastly out the window to avoid all the people staring at me. That didn't make the feel of his hazel eyes boring into me go away.
Author's note:
Sorry about the delay between posts, and the short chapter. I've been in Egypt for the past month, doing some on-site research for my novel. Okay, and I went to the beach, too. But I'm back, so we'll see if this thing picks up some speed...
Reviews:
TT: I hope this chapter was just as pleasant as the others. Electronic reader? That's so cool! I wonder if sounds like me at all (I'm a Voice Actor)
Lili: I hope I will update soon. We'll see - I sort of have to wait for the juices to start flowing again, I've been away from it for so long.
Morgan Pendragon :Why should I tell you if they find out he's Methos ! That's spoiling it!
Alynna: Thank you, and I hope so too. I have an idea for the plot, we'll just see if it works itself into being.
Jentri: Heh! Thanks for pestering. It's the only way I get stuff done.
by Vega
October 19th, 2006 - morning
I woke with the sun in my eyes. Then I rolled over and cursed myself for forgetting to draw the blinds in my drunken stupor. It was too damn early to be awake. Of course... fewer people are on the bus this early ...
I groaned at my own twisted logic and crawled slowly from under the covers.
It was an effort, but I managed to get dressed, coiffed, painted, and filled with coffee in time for the 7:40 arrival of everyone's favourite means of public transportation. I was halfway across the parking lot of my apartment building before I remembered that I had to wear my sword on the outside now, and I had to rush back into my place to switch holsters - I had been wearing the one that concealed my rapier in the lining of a thick leather duster.
Booking it back out to the street in time, knapsack on my back and sword in hand, the straps of the hilt guard flapping as I ran, I just managed to slip onto the bus before it pulled away. Nodding my head in thanks to the driver, I plopped my butt down in the nearest seat and sprawled, trying to catch my breath.
It was then that I noticed my plan had worked - there was NO one else on the bus! Yes!
... except the driver.
"So..." he ventured, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror and my reflection in it more frequently than to the road signage. "Immortal, eh?"
I groaned inwardly and sat up straight. I had the option of snapping at the man and moving... but I wasn't really in the mood to be snarky today. I'd had enough of snarky. And I was probably this man's first encounter with my "people".
"Last time I accidentally stabbed myself, yes," I replied, my tone somewhere between snappish and joking. I twisted in my seat and sat up slightly to get the belt of my holster around my hips then squirmed around to get everything buckled up right.
I caught him twisting in his seat, eyeing me, and I smiled. He seemed a bit relieved to realize that I was joking. And I was... mostly.
"So... you're going up to the university?" he ventured after another pause.
"Yup - got classes."
"Oh. You teach?"
"Nope, I attend."
Another glance in the rear-view mirror. "You go to classes? Why? I mean... you probably gotta know a lot, already, right?"
I shrugged. "Why not go? I mean, really, what else could I do with my life? Get a job, earn money? I'm pretty set that way, so I don't need it. I might as well spend the next decade or so perusing a few good books."
The driver's smile had a twinkling in it. "Makes sense, I guess."
As he pulled to the curb to pick up the next passenger, I closed my eyes and cussed. A buzzing headache swept over my consciousness and I slumped back in my seat. Like friggin' daisies, I swear.
"Ah! Ms. Diedre!" Adam Pierson called as he hopped onto the bus, clad in faded jeans and a loose green sweater that had seen many better days. He clutched a traveller's mug of coffee in one hand and his leather carrying case in the other. "I didn't realize we lived so close to each other."
I nodded curtly to him, slightly annoyed that, in all the vast vacancy of the bus, he chose to sit right behind me.
"God bless me," the driver piped up, "Two Immortals on my bus. There are more of you than I thought."
"No, only two in this city," Adam answered back, and I was sort of impressed that he knew that. It meant that he had done his research before moving in. Now I really didn't ever want to fight this guy. "Just me and her, and I'm the newbie."
"Ah," the driver said, and nothing else.
There was an awkward silence and eventually I guessed it was up to me to abate it. "You teaching already?"
"Hm?" He had been lost in thought.
"Your have your briefcase - are they making you teach already? I was under the impression that the Latin Prof's baby wasn't due for at least a month."
"It isn't - I'm going to sit in on her classes, to figure out her style and where they are."
"Ah," I said, making a non-committal and non-comentative sound. We lapsed into silence for another long few minutes.
"So..." Adam turned his piercing gaze to me. "How did your talk with Garret go?"
"Figures you were the one who sent him after me." I felt my expression harden. "It sucked, thankyouverymuch. You shouldn't have encouraged the dumbass little kid. You still act like a fuckin' Watcher - can't keep your nose out of other people's business."
"Well," he grinned at the implied insult, "It is a rather large nose. And Garret may be little, but he's not a kid."
"Compared to us he is."
"And yet age does not always equal maturity."
I clenched my fists in my lap. "Arg! Does nothing phase you?!"
He did that 'relaxed like a cat' thing and turned a smug eye in my direction. "Not really, no."
I chomped on the inside of my cheek for a while, debating for the second time in as many days if I wouldn't just be better off dropping out of school and leaving town. This guy was station to get on my nerves, and although I wasn't one of those Immortals who would Challenge someone just because they were a pest or stupid, I wasn't about to hang around with him if he pissed me off, either.
"Why does everything irritate you?" Adam ventured slowly.
I glared at him. "Well... I just hate being started at. And this bullshit with Garret. And I hate Watchers."
Adam closed his eyes slowly. "That's a lot of things to hate."
"... I guess."
"Does it ever weigh you down?"
"What?"
"The hate?"
I snorted. "What, are we getting all philosophical? No, the hate doesn't wear me down. I don't let it. If I did, I would have been ground into the dust a long time ago."
"So, don't you think that these irritations would be worth letting go of to? Garret--"
"Garret is a fucking liar who played me for a sap for three years." I felt like snarling at him, could feel the hot grumbling anger in my chest, but held it in. I'd promised myself this would be a 'snarky' free day.
Adam opened his eyes again, just as we were approaching an upcoming bus stop that had a lot of people waiting. "He's also a young man who's very much in love with you."
As the air-brakes hissed on and the metallic scrape of the bus door being opened rang out, I leaned forward to whisper to Adam, "Love is a figment of desperate people's imagination. My husband taught me that." I stood to move to a different seat, meaning to put a lot of people between us.
He reached out and grabbed my wrist, and I was only slightly stunned to feel how warm and large his thin hand was. "Love, and the remembrance of love, is the only thing that makes Immortality worth it. That's something my wife taught me."
"Then you're a romantic old fool," I hissed and freed myself, "You're going to end up losing your head over a girl. Literally."
The pulled away from the curb, and I moved to the back of the bus and stared steadfastly out the window to avoid all the people staring at me. That didn't make the feel of his hazel eyes boring into me go away.
Author's note:
Sorry about the delay between posts, and the short chapter. I've been in Egypt for the past month, doing some on-site research for my novel. Okay, and I went to the beach, too. But I'm back, so we'll see if this thing picks up some speed...
Reviews:
TT: I hope this chapter was just as pleasant as the others. Electronic reader? That's so cool! I wonder if sounds like me at all (I'm a Voice Actor)
Lili: I hope I will update soon. We'll see - I sort of have to wait for the juices to start flowing again, I've been away from it for so long.
Morgan Pendragon :Why should I tell you if they find out he's Methos ! That's spoiling it!
Alynna: Thank you, and I hope so too. I have an idea for the plot, we'll just see if it works itself into being.
Jentri: Heh! Thanks for pestering. It's the only way I get stuff done.