Disclaimer: I don't own anything. :)
Notes: 40 minutes. An attempt at humour that didn't come out the way I intended it to be. I hope it isn't too bad, though. For tm challenge. Comments and criticism welcome.
A Small Point
Kenren sipped his sake and surveyed the faces around the table. Some he knew, some he recognised vaguely and others, well, others, he didn't want to know in he first place. Making enemies seemed to come as a natural talent.
Sighing, he leant back and listened to the soft clink of china and the low murmur of voices. The dinner was progressing at an agonising pace, perhaps only rivalled by that of a lame turtle.
The guests were still drifting in. It was already well into an hour of the dinner, yet nothing had started. There was the usual round of cold platters, sake and tea. The usual routine of crunching peanuts daintily and hoping that the tiny bowl provided would last.
Small talk that droned on endlessly and led to nowhere. It was excruciating to listen to the dreary social platitudes passing from one lip to another, and the endless discussion about the merits of Brand X of sake as compared to Brand Y. Kenren never bothered to listen. The fools didn't drink enough to be able to tell, in any case.
The inexorable voices continued their incessant hum. Kenren drummed his fingers and busied himself with wringing the napkin. After discovering how many glasses one could balance on top of each other and rather regretting the result, he lost his patience.
Kenren slammed his glass down hard on the table, spilling its contents. Heads round the entire table turned to look at him.
He cleared his throat theatrically and began," I had an affair."
From the pleasantries and dinner conversation this seemed to be a non-sequiter, and there was a pause as people generally did an entire turnabout in their heads.
Not getting the desired response, Kenren tried again. "I had an affair. You know, the sort of thing that involves fucking like bunnies the whole night through?"
Someone at the opposite end of the table ventured to ask, not without barely contained curiosity. "Fucking like bunnies?"
"Yeah, fucking like bunnies. And boy, was it good."
"The whole night through?" Kenren had the entire table's attention now, plus a couple of tables around his. He could practically feel the gazes of the people on him as they turned their energies towards a more fruitful direction of discussion.
"The whole night through. Yup. You should try it sometime. Releases the stress wonderfully. Nothing like good physical activity to exercise."
"Where did you do it?"
"In a room. There wasn't any bed, but that was fine. You don't really think of much when you're engaged."
"Was it good? I thought we weren't allowed to do it here!" Some of the younger members of the army had expressions of awe on their faces.
"Yes it was good, no, you aren't allowed to do it here."
"Like how did it feel?"
"How do I put this? Like quicksilver running through my veins and pure pleasure engulfing me. Better than alcohol, I'd say. When you're doing it, there's nothing on your mind except fucking, and you don't give a damn to what's happening."
He paused and looked around. Eveybody was staring now. Kenren smirked and continued.
"It's just go go go and let's do it. You know the kind of thrill you get when fighting an enemy ten times your size with ten times your power and yet you still win? It's even better than that. Nothing compares to it. Especially if you're doing it with someone you like."
"That someone pretty?"
" Pretty? You bet. God damn gorgeous. You start fucking and those eyes stare right down, deep into yours, pools of molten ebony and you can get lost in them. And those hands, they're so gentle and white, gently caressing and teasing all at the same time. They had me screaming in pleasure once they start."
"Do a recommendation, General? We'd like to share in the fun too."
" Recommendation? Umm… dunno about that one. I don't want to share, and I think, neither does that someone. They're just some things that you don't want others to know about."
"Good taste?" There was some laughter at this point. " You know, dresses nicely? Rich?"
" Always dresses in white. Not sure why, my guess would be the beauty of it. White symbolises purity and innocence. No matter what sort of dressing, my heart still pumps. Yep, that gorgeous. Body's damn hot too. You couldn't ask for better, more well-toned muscles ever. About the strength in them, you wouldn't want to know. You can never trust appearances. You look at the face, judge by the carefree smile and calm tone, and the next minute, you're lying flat on the floor. Reckless, that one."
"Aren't you afraid that, you know, something might happen?"
"What? What can happen?" A private discussion was held at the other end of the table. Someone was nudged forward.
"Well, like you know, there's always a chance that an unexpected thing might occur," The recruit blushed. "Like Nataku," he added for confirmation.
Kenren stared for a moment before choking on his sake and spitting it out , narrowly missing the person beside him. "Nope, no chance of that," he said, attempting to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand while concealing a smirk. "No way, in a hundred years. No way I'd get caught like that."
A deafening fanfare broke through the room. An official at the microphone loudly proclaimed the entry of the highly esteemed guest-of-honour. There was a general stir as everyone pushed back their chairs to bow.
Kenren was in the midst of clapping when he felt a body pressed tightly against his from behind. A low sensual whisper said," Good story, General."
Kenren turned slightly."Ah, it's you. Glad you agree, Marshal."
"Wonderful descriptions, even if they weren't very original. Just a small note, I think you forgot to tell them that that "somebody" was a he."
Kenren scratched at his chin thoughtfully. After a moment, he said," Yeah, I think a forgot."
"Good, because I don't want to share."
Giving a wink, Tenpou turned to leave as the guest-of-honour began his speech.
"Small point indeed."
The End
03/05/2004
