Printable Version of Topic
Click here to view this topic in its original format
Seas Of Erin > Cecilia > Kickin' up an awful fuss


Posted by: Pepita Bawkbegokk Apr 23 2008, 05:11 PM
The hold was, though secure and nice and dark like the inside of a henhouse, very cold and rather damp, and the little chicken was getting goosebumps, which was very unbefitting considering that she was a chicken and not a goose.

She clucked solemnly to herself, nestling into the little nest she had made out of spare scraps of canvas and old shirts.

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 23 2008, 05:19 PM
"And are the quarters much to the lady's liking?" Starling swaggered out of the dark, grinning ear to ear. "I would have applied for better, but the Lady Niall laid claims to the captain's cabin."

Posted by: Pepita Bawkbegokk Apr 23 2008, 05:21 PM
"Bawk!" the chicken agreed eagerly, and nodded her little head before she got up on her two spindly little legs and strutted over to rub her head affectionately against Starling's trouser leg. "Bawkabawk, begokk, bawka. Bawk."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 23 2008, 05:27 PM
Starling crouched down and tickled the fowl on the side of the neck. "We'll work your way to warmer keepings soon enough. Patience."

Posted by: Pepita Bawkbegokk Apr 23 2008, 05:29 PM
"Gokkabawkbawkabawk," the chicken answered agreeably, and she nipped and his fingers. "Bawkabawkagokkabawk."

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 23 2008, 05:30 PM
"Are you still talking to that chicken?" Elaine asked, peering into the room skeptically.

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 23 2008, 05:32 PM
With one last scratch, Starling straightened up lazily and stretched his arms over his head, then reached down to tug his loose tunic back into place. "Just makin' sure she's settlin' in all right. D'you think it's too chill down here for chickens?" he asked Elaine, quite seriously.

Posted by: Pepita Bawkbegokk Apr 23 2008, 05:33 PM
"Bawk!" the chicken interjected, nodding decisively.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 23 2008, 05:34 PM
"How should I know?" Elaine asked. "I don't know anything about chickens. Um. She looks cold?" she suggested.


Then she leaned back against the doorframe "So, did your grandmother flay you last night?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 23 2008, 05:40 PM
Starling scoffed. "Nah, she's too busy sortin' out the new lot and the countess. It'll take her days to get to me. I'm gonner lay low until the edges wear off." His tangled eyebrows tightened in concern over Elaine. "So what were you two talkin' about last night? I saw your da' came aboard. He's not wantin' you to leave, is he?"

Posted by: Pepita Bawkbegokk Apr 23 2008, 05:45 PM
The chicken tilted her head up curiously at the two.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 23 2008, 05:48 PM
Elaine blinked, then laughed. "Oh. Oh, no, he...um..." Her eyes lit up. "Oh, probably everyone else knows already," she said, rubbing her hands together. "Spider's having a baby."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 23 2008, 05:51 PM
This time Starling blinked. "Right now? Like, now-now? Why?"

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 23 2008, 05:59 PM
"No!" Elaine exclaimed, waving her hands around frantically. "No, no, I--I mean, she's pregnant. Barely pregnant." She held up two fingers to illustrate. "Like, too small to see."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 23 2008, 06:06 PM
"Oh." Starling shut his mouth, and tried to adopt the classic juvenile posture of I-knew-that-I-was-just-seeing-if-you-did. "Well, that didn't take very long, did it? They must've jumped right aboard as soon as they got off alone together. So that's . . . good, I guess?" He glanced to Elaine to see if she might have any contradictory feelings on the subject.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 23 2008, 06:17 PM
"We all knew they were slipping off together in Drunnandannon," Elaine pointed out. "It's not like it's a surprise." She shrugged, frowning. "I...don't know if it's good yet?" she answered. "I mean, I like the whole having-a-baby-brother-or-sister bit, especially since I'm old enough to help take care of it. But, you know, Spider's got her own problems with her mother, and Andre's...he wasn't very good at this the first time through...so I'm not sure."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 23 2008, 06:24 PM
Starling let the posture lapse. Concern overwhelmed confusion. He walked over to Elaine and held out a hand. "It'll be all right. I mean, they're happy about it, right? And your da's older now, he's bound to . . . I don't know, have figured out a few things by now. Spider'll kick some sense in to him. You know she will."

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 23 2008, 06:31 PM
Elaine smiled, looking reassured, and she took Starling's hand in both of hers, turning it over thoughtfully as she looked down at it, and not at the boy's face. "I know she will," she answered. "I just...I hope everything's all right for them."

She went silent for a long moment. "I talked to Jochy. For a long time. I wanted to tell you. I mean, I wanted to talk to you about it."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 23 2008, 06:35 PM
"Um, sure." He joined her for a moment in staring at his hand, then looked back up to watch her face. "What did you want to tell me? I knew he'd been here; he and Nialla were talkin' up on deck last night."

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 23 2008, 06:50 PM
"What?" Elaine asked, and she dropped his hand, suddenly. Then frowned. "I mean...I didn't know that. I...I saw him earlier. Not on the ship." She pressed her lips together. "We...he..." Lost for words, she pulled the compass out of her pocket and thrust it at the boy. "He gave me this."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 23 2008, 06:56 PM
"Hey, hey." Alarmed, he patted her shoulder, but shied back from the compass, his lips pulled back from his teeth in a near-snarl. "Can't touch," he warned her, nervous; "it's got iron in it. It's . . . pretty?"

He observed the case from a safe distance. "Maybe it's supposed to be one of those symbolic presents?" he suggested. "Like, he wants you to find your way back to him?"

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 23 2008, 07:00 PM
"Sorry!" Elaine exclaimed, and she pulled the compass away safely. "Judith touched it, and she was-- I didn't realize." She gave the compass a cautious look. "I think it was more practical and completely unromantic," she said sadly. "He. Um."

She slipped the compass back into her pocket, giving the boy a look that was half-accusatory, half-questioning. "You gave me earrings."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 23 2008, 07:05 PM
"You seen that woman's hands lately?" Starling asked. "She don't have palms, she has paws."

Starling's shoulders relaxed as soon as the compass vanished again; he replaced his hand on Elaine's shoulder and shrugged, only a little stilted. "Well, aye. You're pretty. Pretty girls get jewellery."

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 23 2008, 07:12 PM
Elaine smiled, sheepish, and looked away from the boy, at the floor. "I don't want to mess things up," she said quietly. "You're the first real friend I've ever had. I don't want to mess that up. I..."

She tugged at her shirt. "I don't know how to put this, exactly."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 23 2008, 07:21 PM
"Hey, it's all right, what? The best way to mess things up for real is if you think about it too much. By the time you get it set out like you want, it's too late." He cupped her face in his hands, turning her head down so that they could look at each other eye to eye, and pressed up to kiss her, very softly, on the lips.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 23 2008, 07:30 PM
Elaine's cheeks went flush, and the heat seems to rush out, to her head, down her throat, into her arms so that her fingers tingled as she dropped her arms to ring his waist, and she returned his kiss, harder than he kissed her, until her vision swam and she stepped back, lips parted, an astonished look on her face.

"Um. Jesus," she breathed, reaching up to smooth down her hair. "Um. What happens now?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 23 2008, 07:39 PM
Starling grinned and cackled, very softly. "For starters we don't let my grandmum find out. Kind of part of that whole 'lyin' low' bit. Beyond that?" He ran a finger down the rim of her ear, tinkling against the one gold hoop, then slipped it down the side of her throat to her breast. "Whatever you want."

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 23 2008, 07:47 PM
Elaine's chest rose as he touched her, and she reached behind her, tugging the hatch shut with a resounding clomp before she realized that she was holding her breath.

She let it out fast, sounding a tiny squeak, and put a hand to her heart before she looked at him again. "I already talked to her," she said, in a whisper, as she reached to grab at his shirt with her hands. "I-- if she's ever going to be okay with anybody I pick, it's going to be you."

She tugged him forward, leaning in to kiss him again.

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 23 2008, 07:54 PM
He caught her face, almost a little too roughly, dragging her in tight to kiss her more thoroughly while his hand explored around her waist, trying to find a way under her shirt. "Then it's all right," he soothed quietly, drawing her off further away from the hatch. "Just . . . not in front of the chicken, what?"

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 23 2008, 08:03 PM
"Oh, Jesus, Starling," Elaine hissed between kisses, as she slid her own hand up between his shirt and his chest, tracing the lines of his ribcage with her fingers. "It's a chicken. It's not...mmm...like she cares."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 24 2008, 04:29 AM
"I know, I know, I just don't like being looked at . . . " His fingers tangled with hers, trying to lure her hands below his belt.

Posted by: Pepita Bawkbegokk Apr 24 2008, 04:36 AM
The chicken clucked from where she was hunting for worms in the floor.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 24 2008, 04:43 AM
"Starling, the chicken's not looking at you," Elaine assured the boy, and she gave him an amused look, pressing herself closer as she obediently let her hand drift down the front of his trousers-- and she blinked and looked down in curiosity and surprise.

Which was seemingly short-lived.

"And anyway," she whispered into his ear, "you're not acting like you care all that much."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 24 2008, 04:55 AM
Starling growled, low in his throat, at the sudden touch; he clamped down hard on her wrist to keep her hand still, and kissed the side of her neck . . . while glaring at the chicken and making little shooing gestures over Elaine's back.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 24 2008, 05:02 AM
Elaine let out a soft little moan and turned his mouth back up to meet hers, her kisses rather careless and messy as she tried to nudge his hand toward her belt. "C'mon," she whispered. "Me, to--"

Posted by: Pepita Bawkbegokk Apr 24 2008, 05:02 AM
"Bawk!" the chicken exclaimed, objecting when the boy tried to shoo her.

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 24 2008, 10:24 PM
Easing Elaine backwards--and, more significantly, away from the chicken--Starling undid her belt as he guided her toward an alcove formed between a pair of crates and the curve of the hull itself. By that time he had worked her trousers halfway down her hips. Leering, he put two fingers in his mouth and slurp on them, slicking them with spit before working his hand toward her crotch.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 24 2008, 10:32 PM
Elaine couldn't help but snort at the slurping sounds, and she bit down on her lower lip to keep from laughing out loud. "C'mere," she murmured, still sounding amused as she boosted herself up to sit on a crate, wriggling her trousers down to her knees. "You, um..." Now she let out a giggle, in spite of an attempt to look serious. "Have you done this before?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 24 2008, 10:54 PM
Starling shot up a brow. "Not with you I haven't. Now you c'mere." He caught a hand around the back of her head and kissed her again, all stifling tongue and sharp teeth, working to push down his own trousers.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 24 2008, 11:03 PM
"Mmph!" the kiss startled her, and she wasn't prepared for it, but her lips softened after a moment and she kissed him back voraciously, sliding one hand around to cup his backside. "Mm...hold...that's not an answer," she teased. "I mean, d'you think we should...slow...have you or haven't you?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 25 2008, 01:27 AM
"Of course I think we should. This is what you wanted, isn't it?" He pried her knees open and wrangled himself between them. His tongue ran along the underside of her chin.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 25 2008, 01:35 AM
Elaine shied away, giggling. "That tickles, Star..." she squealed. "Eee..." She shimmied back a little. "You're not even answering my question. Of course I want to...I just...This is what happened with Jochy...he...he kissed me and next thing we were in bed together...and I wasn't really expecting it."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 25 2008, 01:50 AM
"Nothing like I'll be tickling you in a minute," he teased back, wrinkling his nose at her. He huffed and drew back, though not by much. "Aye, of course I have. Does it make any difference? I thought . . . look, don't think about him, what?" He twisted a lock of her hair around his finger, looking up at her with vague, puppyish confusion.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 25 2008, 02:25 AM
"I don't want to-- Oh," Elaine growled, kicking a foot up along Starling's knee, gently. "It's not about him," she said. "It's not." She wriggled back a little more, reached for his hand, held it to her cheek. "I told you. I don't want to ruin this."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 25 2008, 02:38 AM
"And . . . this would be ruinin' things . . . how?" He wiggled a finger into her ear while she had his hand near her cheek. "I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noticed that we both seemed to be goin' along with this fairly well up until right about now." He drew her hand down, nibbling on the tips of her fingers. "So what's the trouble?"

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 25 2008, 02:43 AM
She gave her trousers a tug back up with her free hand, pulling her knees onto the crate. "Because this is what happens," she said quietly, sliding her fingertip over his lips. "It's like...if you have a bag of sweets, and you eat them all at once, you don't have any left and you have a stomachache."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 25 2008, 02:55 AM
He gave her fingertip an experimental nibble. "I . . . am not followin' your analogy here, Elaine. It's not the same thing. I thought we liked each other." Back to the puppy-eyes. "This is the first time since practically we met that you ain't been mopin' over Jochy." His brow shot up sharply. "Be honest I were gettin' a bit tired of waiting. I'd about given up."

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 25 2008, 03:01 AM
"I do like you," Elaine said softly, smoothing her hand over his cheek. "I..." she grimaced. "I think I might more-than-like you. I just...can't we take this a little-bit-at-a-time? I mean, when I did this this way with Jochy, it was a mistake."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 25 2008, 03:14 AM
Starling was briefly overcome with a look that said he would genuinely like to knock Elaine unconscious for purposes unknown but easily guessed at. With difficulty, he swallowed it down and started to hitch up his trousers--but paused halfway up, considering Elaine with curiosity. "How about just me, then?"

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 25 2008, 03:18 AM
Elaine blinked, uncomprehending, and looking rather shaken at Starling's expression. "Just you what?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 25 2008, 03:35 AM
He shrugged. "Hand-job, blow-job, I'm not picky."

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 25 2008, 03:37 AM
Elaine's jaw dropped. "You're joking."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 25 2008, 03:55 AM
He backed away, one hand held up in appeasement, the other one on the waist of his trousers. "Suggestion. If you're up for it." He flashed a grin at her. "We both know I'm up for it. It's gettin' it down's gonner be the trouble here."

He turned slightly to the side to buckle his belt.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 25 2008, 04:06 AM
Elaine's face went red, and she huffed, pushing herself off the crate to do her own belt up. "That's what I mean," she said unhappily. "I came down here to talk to you, because...I needed to talk. I don't want to...if we end up fooling around instead of talking, nothing gets...I still feel bad. I mean, I..." She rubbed at her cheeks, miserably. "I don't feel bad you-- you like me. But I don't want to be ducking down here to mess around just because it's easier than talking about things."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 26 2008, 02:57 AM
"We were talkin'," Starling pointed out. "Or rather, you were talkin'. Then we were kissing. I just followed your lead."

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 26 2008, 03:08 AM
"You kissed me," Elaine said, and then shrugged, looking pained. She rubbed at her cheek. "Look, I don't...I don't mean to argue. We were both following each other's leads."

She reached for his hands. "I like you, Starling. I do. I just...I think I need to take this slower. I would be all right with kissing, for now."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 26 2008, 03:16 AM
"Then may I just kiss you?" He took her hands, tugging her forward. "For now.'

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 26 2008, 03:25 AM
Elaine nodded obligingly, and shut her eyes, tipping her head down to him to allow him to kiss her.

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 26 2008, 03:33 AM
He let go her hands to kiss her, but let his own hands slip nimbly about her waist, shifting to pull her into him while kneading her backside. His eyes narrowed to slits, studying her face, her closed eyes.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 26 2008, 03:42 AM
Starling's roaming hands were met with a swat. "I said kissing, not making dough out of my ass," she teased. "C'mere," she murmured, slipping her free hand around his neck to kiss him more thoroughly.

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 26 2008, 03:54 AM
"What?" He scowled at the swatting. "You've got a cute arse. My hands are drawn thither." It was tough work keeping up a smirk through kissing, but he managed it--and likewise managed to keep his hands a chaste distance between hipbone and waistline. "Are you sure about this?" he half-mumbled.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 26 2008, 03:57 AM
"Thither?"Elaine asked, making a face. "What the hell kind of a word is thither? If you're going to go all poetic on me, don't do it about my ass."

She stepped back, giving him a questioning look. "Sure about what?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 26 2008, 04:11 AM
"I could go all poetic on your nose--" He poked said nose with his own. "Or on your toes, or we could stick with the usual bits like eyes and lips and breasts but for the most part? I really, really don't think you want me to go poetic on your ass." His eyes sparkled green.

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 26 2008, 04:14 AM
"Oh?" Elaine retorted, grinning back at him, and looking terribly relieved at the moment. "Now that sounds like a challenge if I ever heard one. You're just looking for an excuse," she informed him sweetly.

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 26 2008, 04:25 AM
"You want a challenge?" This time his eyes lit up as if she had just offered him cake, cake being a primary incentive for many bad ideas in the world. "We could work out our trade in poetry."

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 26 2008, 04:28 AM
Elaine gave Starling a skeptical look. "Um...what are we trading?" she asked. "And what counts as poetry, lyrics to all the songs Judith won't let you sing?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 26 2008, 04:52 AM
"Poetry, love. It doesn't count if someone else has heard it before. This poetry is more private." A sliver of a grin took shape on his face. "I compose you a poem. If it pleases you, I win a favour for further inspiration. Sound like a bargain?"

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 26 2008, 05:01 AM
Elaine's brows rose, and she stepped back from the boy, putting both hands up. "All right, hold. One," she said, sticking a finger in the air. "One, don't call me love. I'm not your love. I'm not anybody's love. Two, that's not the way this works. I don't give a big enough damn about poetry to trade much of anything for it, and the whole point is that I want to be able to tell you when I'm ready to do anything more. I don't want to owe you!"

And then her face crumpled, as if a realization had struck her. "Is that all you think of me?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 26 2008, 05:11 AM
Now there was no disguising the smirk. "Is that all you think of yourself?" he sneered back, very softly. "Far be it for me to contradict your own opinion."

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 26 2008, 05:16 AM
Elaine let out a tiny little gasp, and then struck at the boy's face, hard. "How could you?" she demanded.

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 26 2008, 05:26 AM
Perhaps it was a simple miscalculation, but Starling actually seemed to step into the slap. He rubbed his tender jaw and curled his lip. "I couldn't've," he replied. "Not without your help, anyways. It generally takes the both of us. You done with the heartfelt confessionals yet, or are you gonner slap me around some more?"

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 26 2008, 05:28 AM
"What the hell?!" Elaine demanded, as tears sprung up in her eyes. "What the hell, Starling?! What is that supposed to even mean?!" she shrieked at him, giving his shoulders a good battering.

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 26 2008, 05:34 AM
"Hey!" Laughing, he caught at her fists, but otherwise made no move to defend himself. "That's right, keep screaming, that's sure to bring someone down here. You want another mess like the one this morning? How much you want to bet Nialla won't be in quite such a hurry to see you kept aboard?"

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 26 2008, 05:38 AM
Elaine swallowed her shouts, wiped her sleeve across her eyes, her vision still blurry with tears. "What the hell did I ever do to you?" she demanded, between sniffles. "I thought we were friends. I thought you--I thought you actually gave a shit about me."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 26 2008, 05:41 AM
"Oh aye, sure, we were friends right up until the time Jochy came back over the horizon." Starling backed up, his arms folded over his chest. "And the minute you lost sight of him, who did you come back to? Friendship never looked so much like early senility."

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 26 2008, 05:46 AM
"And what?" Elaine demanded. "You couldn't say that then when you thought there was a chance you could get me backed into a corner with my pants down? It never occurred to you that I--"

She kicked at the floor. "I talked to Jochy. About you. And I thought I'd realized you were the one I wanted."

She sniffled loudly. "Not now."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Apr 26 2008, 05:59 AM
"Then it's probably best you figgered that out before you let me fuck you," Starling said kindly. "Nothin' worse'n regret, I say."

Posted by: Elaine Romain Apr 26 2008, 06:02 AM
"Oh, shut up," Elaine howled, shoving hard at the boy's shoulder as she stomped out of the hold.

Powered by Invision Power Board (http://www.invisionboard.com)
© Invision Power Services (http://www.invisionpower.com)