Number four: Games.
Pairing: Larten Crepsley/Arra Sails.
Disclaimer: See chapter one.
Vanez, Kurda and Gavner were sat in the bustling Hall of Khledon Lurt, bored out of their minds, absently watching other vampires shout and laugh: it was the final day of the Festival of the Undead but the party was still very much alive (and still would be for the next twenty-four hours, if the vampires got their way). But all the three vampires in the corner wanted to do was return to normal: Vanez wanted to be in charge of the Games again, Kurda wanted to get back to his map-making, and Gavner wanted his two closest friends back; Larten and Arra had hardly been seen these past three nights and days, and when they had appeared for the ball on the second night they had been completely inseparable, stayed to the edges of the Hall and had left very early on.
Gavner wasn't especially pleased with this but he understood why they were behaving this way: they both had rather demanding jobs and hardly saw much of each other, so the Festival for them was time to catch up and spend time together. Gavner just wished that they'd appear and include him in everything again.
"Hey, let's play a game." Kurda suggested, clapping his hands together decidedly.
"What sort of game?" Vanez asked, turning his back on the crowded Hall.
"Umm," Kurda thought for a moment, "Hide 'N Seek?"
"No way!" Gavner exclaimed, stubbornly shaking his head, "It'd take hours for you to find us in this place!"
Kurda grinned, "Okay, how about . . . . I Spy?" Gavner huffed and rolled his eyes.
"Scrabble?"
"Vanez can't read or spell." Gavner pointed out and Vanez grinned, crossing his eyes and pulling a face.
The blonde General snorted, "Fine. Poker?"
"Strip Poker is more fun." Vanez stated, nodding his head slowly.
Gavner stared somewhat worriedly at the Gamesmaster and then turned to Kurda, "I Spy it is."
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"Okay!" Kurda shouted excitedly, and started the rhyme in a very child-like voice, "I Spy, with my two blue eyes" – Vanez and Gavner exchanged glances at these words, grinning to each other – "something beginning with . . . . 'V'."
"Vampires!" Vanez shouted, banging his fist against the table.
Kurda nodded and the Gamesmaster whooped loudly, "Kurda," Gavner started, "that one was terrible: let me do it." Kurda stuck his tongue out at Gavner but let him continue the game, "I Spy something beginning with 'R'."
"Rock!" Vanez almost screamed, pointing to the rock wall he was leaning against.
"Well done." Gavner appraised him sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "I Spy something beginning with . . . . 'T'."
"Table!" Another crazily excited scream from Vanez, "Let me do it, let me do it!"
"Fine, go ahead." Gavner sighed, leaning back against his chair.
"I Spy, with my one good eye, something beginning with . . . ." Vanez looked around the Hall, his eye scanning for something that Gavner and Kurda would never be able to get. He dismissed vampires, tables, chairs, rock, laughter, shouting, fighting, story-telling, but then saw something that made him grin. He cleared his throat, "Something beginning with 'L'."
Kurda and Gavner looked around the Hall, confused, "Lorcan?" Kurda guessed, pointing to a nearby vampire called Lorcan, but Vanez shook his head.
"Light?" Gavner pointed to the flame candles but again Vanez shook his head.
After a few more terrible 'L' guesses, Gavner and Kurda gave up, convinced that Vanez was making this 'L' thing up, "I swear I'm not." The Gamesmaster defended, a grin still plastered across his face.
"Well then," Kurda pouted, "where is it?"
Vanez laughed and pointed to the other side of the Hall: Kurda and Gavner had completely overlooked their friends – the young vampire couple – who were standing against the wall near the entrance of the Hall. Arra was staring dismally at the dusty floor, while Larten was muttering something, his lips barely moving, obviously to keep their conversation private, only for their ears.
"What's the word?" Gavner asked Vanez, not taking his eyes off of his friends: Larten placed his hand under Arra's chin, to make her look up at him, and then pulled her close, his lips still moving, still muttering to his mate.
Vanez smiled as Arra pulled away from Larten and kissed him gently: whatever they had been talking about seemed to be sorted out for now and as the two walked hand-in-hand over to the three vampires in the corner, Vanez simply revealed the word, "Love."