Loggage post: A brief break on the beach
After lunchtime, Asar-Suti came to the kitchen and wheedled a bit. "It's too cold here," he said. "Natural seasons by the lake are well and fine, but I wish it wasn't winter just for a bit. Will you go with me to a place where it's warm, just for a few hours, until your evening shift starts?"
He knew better than to try and separate Gil from his work too long. The faun had said he'd come to Aman in February, anyway, and that was remarkable as it was.
Gil looked around the kitchen. Everything was well in hand and Everard squeaked and jerked a thumb at the door. "Sure," Gil said, "i'll take your shft tomorrow."
He wiped his hands, removed his apron and joined Sooty with a grin. "Everard's courting," he said sotto voce.
Asar-Suti took Gil's hand and led him towards the main door. "Oh, is he?" he said, with a grin. "Whom? And shall we have another batch of baby rats, then? Remember when Ratty had hers? That was more than a year ago, when you were still all faun?"
They reached the door, and Asar-Suti touched the handle. "Someplace warm, please!" he said, as if it was the door doing anything, and not him taking them to somewhere far away. Anywhere, really. Because he was a god, and what use was it to be a god if you couldn't even take your beloved faun to a warm beach in January?
Because that was what Asar-Suti had called up beyond the door - some Caribbean island, with palm trees, sunshine, a blue sky, a white beach. There was a litle keg in the sand, some bottles, coconuts, fruit. You couldn't tell if this was a real tropical island or just a worldlet that Asar-Suti had made up on the spot, or what time it was, or what world. It was just a three or four hours micro holiday.
"Brilliant," Gil said, whipping his shirt off over his head and striding down the sand to the cache of food and drink. "What do you want, Sooty? Planter's punch or one of my own concoctions?"
Asar-Suti took off his sweater in a hurry - the black-and-purple striped one he'd worn last winter - quickly followed by his own shirt, and stood in the sun, enjoying the warmth on his pale skin. "This is lovely," he said. "One of your own concoctions, please - I always trust your ideas over any recipe.
He sat in the sand beside the keg, and groaned with pleasure.
A little bit of magic and rather a lot of invention later and Gil and Sooty were sipping a rum lime juice and coconut milk through straws from coconut shells.
Gil shivered a little at the cool strength of the drink then grinned, wriggling his toes in the sand. "Damn that's good. Good idea to do this Soots."
Asar-Suti leaned back, touched Gil's knee, smiled, and said, "Oh yes!" With a grin, he added, "Who is Everard courting, though?"
"Holly," Gil said. "Nice little rat, bright, lovely pair of haunches, they'll suit each other. Speaking of haunches," he put his drink down and took his trousers off, conjuring a hasty towel so as not to get sand in inconvenient places. "That's better," he said. "So, how's your week been?"
Asar-Suti stood, and took off his own trousers, then tamely asked, "Can I share that towel? And my week was fine so far - talked to a few people, helped friends with stuff, the usual." He sipped his drink and looked down at Gil.
Gil moved over, casually expanding it to fit two fairly skinny types. "Oh good," he said, laying back with his forearm over his eyes. "Seen Red lately? Is she still blooming?"
"She's lovely as ever," Asar-Suti said with a smile. "But there's other people that have already, how shall I say, come to fruition?" He grinned, sat beside Gil, and relaxed, breathing in the smell of his drink. "You were right, by the way."
"Yeah I often am," Gil agreed smugly, putting his free hand on Sooty's thigh, "but what about in this particular instance?"
"When I went on about marrying and weddings and so on, a few months ago?" Asar-Suti started, a bit complicated. "You said there was no point in getting married if there aren't any kids involved, so I wondered why Green!Jack and CSI!Gil had done it; if it was really just a glorified housewarming party? Turned out there was a kid involved after all. I met CSI!Gil with an incredibly tiny girl today; she's called Georgia, and was born the same night Nerdanel's was, you know, made? When she came to our fire?"
"Oh that's nice," Gil said, smiling. "Who's the mum? Do they know?"
"Green!Jack's sister, which makes her a little goddess in her own right - the tiniest goddess I have ever seen! She is so small!" Asar-Suti said. He wriggled a bit closer to Gil, and added, "But if they want to raise the kid together, it's really better they're married. You know it's more than a year since we first, you know, made love?"
"Wow," Gil said, flexing his fingers, "and some things just never get old." He grinned under his arm. "I wouldn't worry about it Sooty. Now if it had been more than a year since we last made love ..."
Asar-Suti giggled. "No, luckily, it's considerably less. And I somehow doubt I'll have to wait a year for the next time, either. And you're totally right - it doesn't get old. I think as long as it doesn't get old, we're still good." He bent over Gil, and kissed his elbow. Some fast but complex idea about how this was the way it went, how it was about taking care things wouldn't get old from day to day that kept their love alive and on its toes, how this was the way they were, flitted through his brain. But the idea was gone before he could even start putting it in words, so he just lay down beside Gil, breathed in deeply, and relaxed.
"I know what you're up to," Gil said, cracking an eyelid and peering sidelong at Sooty. "You're philosophising again, aren't you? Come on admit it!!" He rolled over and pounced, tickling and tweaking.
Asar-Suti squealed, tried to catch Gil's wrist, tried to take the faun by the horns, and totally failed. "I can't philosophise when you tickled me! It's gone! I've stopped, I swear!" he giggled under the onslaught. He did manage to capture Gil's neck for a moment and kiss him, briefly. Then, he squealed in a different key as he was being tweaked just right.
Gil gave a selfsatisfied purr - being of the opinion that too much philosophising was bad for you, could make you go blind in fact - and tweaked Sooty again in the way he liked best. Faun on top, of course. With his brown skin he'd take little harm from the sun whereas Sooty might burn and while purple had a dignity all of it's own sunburn pink looks silly.
Asar-Suti gave a satisfied purr as well - because faun on top was always good by him.
He knew better than to try and separate Gil from his work too long. The faun had said he'd come to Aman in February, anyway, and that was remarkable as it was.
Gil looked around the kitchen. Everything was well in hand and Everard squeaked and jerked a thumb at the door. "Sure," Gil said, "i'll take your shft tomorrow."
He wiped his hands, removed his apron and joined Sooty with a grin. "Everard's courting," he said sotto voce.
Asar-Suti took Gil's hand and led him towards the main door. "Oh, is he?" he said, with a grin. "Whom? And shall we have another batch of baby rats, then? Remember when Ratty had hers? That was more than a year ago, when you were still all faun?"
They reached the door, and Asar-Suti touched the handle. "Someplace warm, please!" he said, as if it was the door doing anything, and not him taking them to somewhere far away. Anywhere, really. Because he was a god, and what use was it to be a god if you couldn't even take your beloved faun to a warm beach in January?
Because that was what Asar-Suti had called up beyond the door - some Caribbean island, with palm trees, sunshine, a blue sky, a white beach. There was a litle keg in the sand, some bottles, coconuts, fruit. You couldn't tell if this was a real tropical island or just a worldlet that Asar-Suti had made up on the spot, or what time it was, or what world. It was just a three or four hours micro holiday.
"Brilliant," Gil said, whipping his shirt off over his head and striding down the sand to the cache of food and drink. "What do you want, Sooty? Planter's punch or one of my own concoctions?"
Asar-Suti took off his sweater in a hurry - the black-and-purple striped one he'd worn last winter - quickly followed by his own shirt, and stood in the sun, enjoying the warmth on his pale skin. "This is lovely," he said. "One of your own concoctions, please - I always trust your ideas over any recipe.
He sat in the sand beside the keg, and groaned with pleasure.
A little bit of magic and rather a lot of invention later and Gil and Sooty were sipping a rum lime juice and coconut milk through straws from coconut shells.
Gil shivered a little at the cool strength of the drink then grinned, wriggling his toes in the sand. "Damn that's good. Good idea to do this Soots."
Asar-Suti leaned back, touched Gil's knee, smiled, and said, "Oh yes!" With a grin, he added, "Who is Everard courting, though?"
"Holly," Gil said. "Nice little rat, bright, lovely pair of haunches, they'll suit each other. Speaking of haunches," he put his drink down and took his trousers off, conjuring a hasty towel so as not to get sand in inconvenient places. "That's better," he said. "So, how's your week been?"
Asar-Suti stood, and took off his own trousers, then tamely asked, "Can I share that towel? And my week was fine so far - talked to a few people, helped friends with stuff, the usual." He sipped his drink and looked down at Gil.
Gil moved over, casually expanding it to fit two fairly skinny types. "Oh good," he said, laying back with his forearm over his eyes. "Seen Red lately? Is she still blooming?"
"She's lovely as ever," Asar-Suti said with a smile. "But there's other people that have already, how shall I say, come to fruition?" He grinned, sat beside Gil, and relaxed, breathing in the smell of his drink. "You were right, by the way."
"Yeah I often am," Gil agreed smugly, putting his free hand on Sooty's thigh, "but what about in this particular instance?"
"When I went on about marrying and weddings and so on, a few months ago?" Asar-Suti started, a bit complicated. "You said there was no point in getting married if there aren't any kids involved, so I wondered why Green!Jack and CSI!Gil had done it; if it was really just a glorified housewarming party? Turned out there was a kid involved after all. I met CSI!Gil with an incredibly tiny girl today; she's called Georgia, and was born the same night Nerdanel's was, you know, made? When she came to our fire?"
"Oh that's nice," Gil said, smiling. "Who's the mum? Do they know?"
"Green!Jack's sister, which makes her a little goddess in her own right - the tiniest goddess I have ever seen! She is so small!" Asar-Suti said. He wriggled a bit closer to Gil, and added, "But if they want to raise the kid together, it's really better they're married. You know it's more than a year since we first, you know, made love?"
"Wow," Gil said, flexing his fingers, "and some things just never get old." He grinned under his arm. "I wouldn't worry about it Sooty. Now if it had been more than a year since we last made love ..."
Asar-Suti giggled. "No, luckily, it's considerably less. And I somehow doubt I'll have to wait a year for the next time, either. And you're totally right - it doesn't get old. I think as long as it doesn't get old, we're still good." He bent over Gil, and kissed his elbow. Some fast but complex idea about how this was the way it went, how it was about taking care things wouldn't get old from day to day that kept their love alive and on its toes, how this was the way they were, flitted through his brain. But the idea was gone before he could even start putting it in words, so he just lay down beside Gil, breathed in deeply, and relaxed.
"I know what you're up to," Gil said, cracking an eyelid and peering sidelong at Sooty. "You're philosophising again, aren't you? Come on admit it!!" He rolled over and pounced, tickling and tweaking.
Asar-Suti squealed, tried to catch Gil's wrist, tried to take the faun by the horns, and totally failed. "I can't philosophise when you tickled me! It's gone! I've stopped, I swear!" he giggled under the onslaught. He did manage to capture Gil's neck for a moment and kiss him, briefly. Then, he squealed in a different key as he was being tweaked just right.
Gil gave a selfsatisfied purr - being of the opinion that too much philosophising was bad for you, could make you go blind in fact - and tweaked Sooty again in the way he liked best. Faun on top, of course. With his brown skin he'd take little harm from the sun whereas Sooty might burn and while purple had a dignity all of it's own sunburn pink looks silly.
Asar-Suti gave a satisfied purr as well - because faun on top was always good by him.