#9 Discomfort
Kirra had just come in from tending to Fate and Jin and was beginning her morning meditation, when the doorbell sounded. Her eyes snapped open in annoyance more then fear, though that crept in as she pulled herself to her feet and went to answer the door. It was her best friend, Shay Young.
Shay and Kirra had been friends since Kirra's first day of school when some heartless little boy had picked on the new girl for her broken English and strange ways. Shay had come to the rescue, pushed the boy down in Kirra's defense, than made sure he never picked on her again. The two had been fast friends ever since.
"Shay," Kirra breathed eyes as big as saucers, "what are you doing here?"
Shay rolled her thickly outlined eyes and held up her black beach bag, "You said to come over first thing in the morning on Monday. It's Monday morning, so here I am."
Kirra frowned, had only the weekend passed? It seemed like a lifetime since last Friday. She faintly remembered talking to Shay, but now that everything had changed, she wasn't sure just how much she wanted to hang out with her best friend in the whole world, really her only friend. It would just make leaving all the more difficult.
"Are you sure you want to swim today?" she asked.
Shay slipped by her, "Of course, I have been looking forward to this all weekend. You cannot imagine how bad my mom has been," She cut off abruptly and fixed Kirra with a speculative look, "You okay?"
Kirra nodded reluctantly as her mind worked to come up with someway to explain Gawain if he came downstairs – which he was most likely to do at the first scent of breakfast. "Yeah, but I am not so sure if this is a good day. Isn't it supposed to storm?"
Shay tossed her bag on the couch, "Nah, it's supposed to be sunny today – for once." She added dryly.
Kirra heaved a sigh, "Alright, have you eaten?" She asked, knowing the answer before Shay could say anything.
Shay looked at her as if she had grown a second head, "Heck no, It's crepe day."
It had been a weekend tradition for Shay to come over and have crepes with Kirra. When they were younger, Lil had made the crepes while the girls filled them and ate in front of the Saturday cartoons. Now that they were older, the girls made them themselves and enjoyed them in front of the pool on good days and in front of the Saturday morning cartoons on stormy mornings. Since Kirra had wanted the house to herself for the first time ever, she had asked Shay to wait until Monday before coming over.
Kirra shrugged, "It's been a hectic weekend. I forgot. Sorry."
"'s okay," Shay said, frowning. "Has James been at you?"
Kirra, shook her head, glad Shay thought it was that and not something else, "No yet, but I am sure that will start soon. He has to give Mom and Dad a few days away – for form's sake."
"I'm sure," Shay said in a flat tone. "I just don't get why he won't leave you alone."
"You and me both," Kirra broke for the kitchen, praying that Gawain was still weak enough or lazy enough to sleep in this morning, "Well, come on. I'm starved."
"Yeah right," Shay said giving Kirra a pointed once over. Her friend was dressed in a sports bra and close fitting Capri pants, "You were getting ready to do your yoga." She said accusingly.
"Well, no yoga now, so bring on the crepes."
"You know," Kirra began as she pulled out the crepe pan and plugged it in. "I have never understood why you like to come over and sit in the sun so much." She pulled out the crepe bowl and found the whisk while Shay dug the flour out of the pantry and placed it on the counter. "Aren't you supposed to be all into Goth or something? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose?"
Shay examined her nails for a second, they were painted a shiny beetle black, "Kirra, Kirra, Kirra," she said in mockingly patient tone, "that is why I brought a hat – and 200 spf sunscreen."
Kirra burst out laughing as she began to crack eggs into the bowl, "If that doesn't keep the sun away, nothing will. Are you the only Goth to use the stuff?"
"I'm sure I am not the only one," Shay stated seriously.
"Yeah, yeah. The strawberries are in the fridge." Kirra said adding milk and flour and whisking the whole mess. "And just so you know, strawberries don't seem all that Goth, either."
"Depends on what you're using them for," Shay said suggestively, popping a red berry into her mouth.
Kirra rolled her eyes and groaned, choosing not to go there.
Someone must have been watching out for her because Gawain did sleep in late that morning, not even waking when Kirra crept up the stairs to change into her swimming suit. However, the window of his room faced the backyard and so he woke to the sounds of laughing girls and splashing water. He pulled on a shirt and a pair of shorts and, following the sound of laughter, found himself outside.
His jawed dropped as he caught sight of Kirra. She stood poised for a moment on the edge of a pool of clear, blue water, dressed in little more than nothing, before diving gracefully into the water. Her blurred figure was seen streaking beneath the shimmering expanse before she resurfaced at the opposite edge. She climbed out and pressed the water from her hair, laughing as she did so and talking animatedly to a girl who reclined in a chair in the shade.
The girl looked up from where she was slathering on a salve of sorts and saw Gawain standing in the doorway, gawking at Kirra. She stared for a few moments before saying something to Kirra which made her turn and wave.
To the knight's absolute discomfort, she started around the water towards him. He tried to look anywhere but at her exposed skin, which was nearly impossible seeing as there was so much of it. Her friend followed her, but not before donning a wide-brimmed black hat and a sheer robe of sorts. It didn't help -- she was dressed in almost as little.
"Good morning. How did you sleep?" Kirra asked shading her eyes. The sun winked off of a little ring she had at her navel, just begging for further investigation.
"Fine," He answered somewhat despondently.
He really needed to be more careful when he went to look for her, either that or just expect that she would be wearing next to nothing. It seemed to be perfectly normal for her, or – seeing her friend, this time.
Kirra watched him for a moment, "Great!" then turned to her friend. "Shay this is Gavin, Gavin," -- she gave Gawain a meaningful look -- "this is Shay." She said, introducing her friend to him in Latin and then English.
Shay looked the Gavin up and down. Something was off. She had not missed that little pointed glance Kirra had given the man, yet Kirra seemed at ease with him. Something Shay could not fathom. His appearance was far from comfortable.
The man was quite literally covered in cuts and bruises. She looked down and spotted a white bandage wrapped around one calf and remembered how stiffly he had been moving, so there had to be more then what she saw. But it wasn't just the injuries, it was how he looked.
Gavin, for all the t-shirt and shorts -- which didn't suit him at all, looked rather, well, rather scary. He was quite tall, sturdy, and extremely well muscled. Long, wild hair hung in a disarray of braids and loose tangles about his face and shoulders. His blue eyes were calm enough, but watchful. Watchful when he looked at her, but hungry when he looked at Kirra – or tried not to look at her. His eyes flicked away from her almost as soon as they came to rest on her.
That worried Shay. Kirra was tiny compared to this guy. There was no way she could fight him off if he decided to go after her. Her eyes flicked to Kirra, who was standing somewhat awkwardly as if she were waiting for Shay to call her out. Shay knew she was lying or holding something back.
"Gavin, huh?" she echoed suspiciously.
Gavin smiled and nodded. Shay turned to Kirra with a knowing look and then walked back to her chair and opened her book. If Kirra wanted to play that way, fine.
"I don't think she believes you," Gawain said to Kirra once Shay was out of earshot.
Kirra shrugged, her eyes darkening, "Probably not. She knows me too well and I'm a horrible liar. But on the off chance she does believe us; I told her you were Niara's nephew from Greece. It was the only thing I could come up with, given the short amount of time and the fact that you don't speak English."
Gawain had no idea where Greece was and glanced over to Shay, who was watching them through narrowed eyes over the edge of her book. He frowned and nodded, thinking he should escape while he had the chance. He didn't want to be around when the pale girl confronted Kirra about her little lie. Somehow, she didn't look the type to hold anything back.
"I think I will go inside and eat," He said as he tried to avoid looking at Kirra's scantily clad body and failed miserably.
"That's probably a good idea." She said, glancing back at her friend. "We left you breakfast in the kitchen. They're crepes. You put the fruit in the thin cake with a little of the white sauce and roll it up. I think you'll like them. Go ahead and eat the rest, they're for you ..." She explained at his quizzical expression and turned to accept her fate.
Gawain had to divert his eyes from her tempting little backside and groaned inwardly as he turned on his heel to get breakfast. Kirra was definitely not making life easy for him.
"Greece, huh?" Shay asked in a steely tone as Kirra approached her.
"Yeah," Kirra replied unconvincingly.
Shay raised a dark eyebrow, "That's funny 'cause I didn't know you spoke Greek -- only English and Latin. And that didn't sound anything like Greek, though I'm certainly no expert." She waited, staring holes in Kirra as she fought not to squirm under the piercing glare.
"Okay!" Kirra burst out after a moment. "He's not Greek, but I can't tell you where he's from."
"Can't, meaning you don't know or won't tell?"
Kirra rolled her eyes at her friend, "Won't tell," She said decisively.
"How come he looks as though someone has been using him for a punching bag?"
Kirra looked towards the house, "I can't tell you that, either."
"Hmm," Shay snorted disapprovingly. "Is he really Niara's nephew?"
Kirra took a deep breath. She really was a horrible liar and she felt guilty trying to pull it off against her best friend, "Well, he knows Niara."
"Do your parents know him?"
Narrowing her eyes, Kirra said, "No, and they don't need to. So keep it to yourself, Shay."
Shay narrowed her own eyes, "Don't look at me like that. This is your deal, not mine. But I'll keep your secret, unless something happens to you. I'm calling everyday – you don't answer, I'm calling James. That guy looked at you like he wanted to eat you."
Kirra was taken back at the threat, bewildered at Shay's announcement of the way she perceived Gawain saw Kirra, but relieved that she would not tell her parents about the unknown man staying with her best friend.
Shay pursed her lips thoughtfully, "Can I at least know his real name?"
Kirra thought. True, Shay was smart, but was she smart enough to come to the conclusion that Gawain was the Gawain? And if she did, would she think that Kirra was crazy for believing it?
"We-ell. It's Gawain."
Shay made a face, "I liked Gavin better." She said disappearing back into her book.
Kirra rolled her eyes and turned back to the pool. Now would be the opportune time to swim a couple hundred laps. Maybe that would calm the unsettled feelings that knotted her stomach and made her palms sweat. Shay had given up far too easily for Kirra's comfort.
But surprisingly the subject was not brought up again for the remainder of the day and Gawain stayed hidden in his room, appearing only at lunch time then disappearing as soon as he had eaten, not saying anything to either girl.
Shay stayed until well after dinner, keeping a close eye on her friend – and Gawain. Nothing happened, but every once and awhile Kirra would look up and see Shay staring at her with a calculating expression behind her dark eyes. It was a relief when she finally announced it was time for her to leave.
"Remember what I said, Kirra. I'll be calling." She warned as she threw one last untrusting glance up the stairs where she was sure Gawain waited to pounce on Kirra as soon as she was gone.
"I'll be fine, Shay. No worries."
Shay harrumphed as she slouched out the door. Kirra waved to her as she started her car and drove away.
"I have never been so glad to see her leave, "Kirra said with a sigh as she sank into the couch beside Gawain. "She's like a dog with a bone when she knows something is up. And she is really suspicious over this; she won't give up just because I refuse to tell her all about you."
"Will she be a problem?" Gawain asked.
"I don't think so," Kirra said. "I think even if the correct thoughts passed through her head, she wouldn't believe them. It's too crazy. She's just worried you're going to eat me."
Gawain turned to stare at her, "Eat you?" It surprised him that her friend could be so observant. That was almost exactly what he had been feeling watching Kirra move wet and almost naked.
Kirra's attention was on the TV, so she didn't notice Gawain's shocked expression, "That's what she said this afternoon after you made your untimely appearance."
Gawain collected himself and shrugged, thinking it was better to downplay the whole situation, "How was I supposed to know the girl was there? You weren't supposed to tell anyone about me." He hid his smile at Kirra's little angry huff.
"I had forgotten I told her to come over. I couldn't very well tell her to go home. She's my best friend; it would have hurt her feelings."
"Will that matter in the end?"
Kirra was silent a long time at his question. When Gawain looked at her, her face was set and hard, yet there seemed to be tears glimmering in her eyes. He sighed and draped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze.
"I did not mean to hurt your feelings, Kirra."
"I know," She whispered, sniffling and fighting back the tears. "I can't help it. Shay's been my only friend since I came here. We're like sisters."
Gawain stroked Kirra's hair in attempt to comfort her, "Then it's probably fine that she knows. I am sure if it mattered all that much, she wouldn't have been allowed to come over."
Kirra leaned her head against him, yawning widely. She was used to going to bed early and it was later then normal for her, "I hope you're right." She said.
"You are tired. Go upstairs and sleep. I'll not eat you." Gawain said with a grin as he nudged the sleepy girl. Though he was feeling quite well, he wasn't sure his shoulder and leg would be up to carrying her up the stairs again if she fell asleep. He could still feel a couple of twinges from the night before.
"That's sounds like a good idea," Kirra stood up and stretched, revealing a couple of inches of bared skin as she did so, Gawain shook his head ruefully. It didn't seem to matter if she were fully clothed or barely clothed, Kirra always managed to sow something.
"Good night, Gavin," She said with a grin as she snapped for Finn and dodged the pillow Gawain tossed at her as she left the room.