April 27, 2011

In Which Camaline Gives the Right Answer to the Wrong Question

December 27, 1173

As ill fortune would have it, Camaline arrived in Searle's new study only to find him snuggling with his wife. Didn't either of them have anything better to do? She liked Lettie--more than she'd ever express to the girl, perhaps--and of course she had nothing against Sparron's little boy-toy, but given the circumstances, their casual cuteness was vexing. That might have been an unfair judgment on her part--after all, how could either of them have known better?--but lately, it was just easier to be angry with everyone. She was angry with Lettie and angry with Searle. She was angry with Octavius and Holladrin and especially Sparron. Hell, she was even angry with herself.

Not sure how much more bunny love she could stomach, Camaline cleared her throat. Lettie sprung from Searle's lap as the two of them exchanged a naughty smirk. Newlyweds. Thank God she'd never been so stupid.

"Good morning, Camaline," Searle greeted her from the couch, his arm still slung around Lettie's shoulders.

Camaline stiffened. It wasn't a good morning, but she didn't care to argue. "Searle."

"You know, I don't think I've seen you since my wedding." A wistful smile crossed his face as he twirled a lock of Lettie's pretty red hair around his finger. "How have you been?"

Of course he hadn't seen her since the wedding. He hadn't bothered calling--not that it mattered much to her, but Sparron's melancholy morphed into all-out woe whenever Searle hadn't been around in a while. Granted, it wasn't as if Sparron was willing to take matters into his own hands and pay Searle a visit himself. They were stuck in a stalemate of idiocy that was taking its toll on her best friend and Camaline was sick of it. "I've been well enough, thank you very much."

"Likewise," Lettie laughed as she landed a pinch on Searle's thigh. "I can't say I thought you'd ever call here, though. Are you two friends?"

"Friends-in-law, perhaps." She'd meant it as a serious response, but Searle seemed to find it amusing. Stupid kid didn't suspect a thing, did he? "Have you thought about paying Sparron a visit? You haven't called in months."

Well, that seemed to kill his good spirits. Lettie tried to calm him by squeezing his hand, but Searle's hurt look remained. "Does he want me to? Kind of made himself scarce since the wedding, hasn't he?"

"He's confused."

"He wouldn't even talk to me on his way out."

"He's scared."

"He's not himself anymore."

"He--" She caught herself just in time. She might have been angry with Searle--with Sparron, Lettie, everyone. She wasn't a nice person and she knew it. But things were bad enough and she didn't need to make them any worse. "He's been ill."

Searle's back straightened, his head inclining to meet her eye. His own put the blue of his tunic to shame; it was no wonder Sparron admired them so. "What?"

"You heard." Camaline tucked a stray hair back beneath her diadem and sighed. "It happened earlier in the month. He came down with something all of a sudden and we didn't want people to panic. That's why you haven't seen much of any of us lately."

The boy blinked; upon completion, his lashes looked just a little damp. "Is he all right?"

No--no, he wasn't. But to say that outright would have been insensitive even for Camaline. "He'll live."

Searle eased somewhat. Lettie, on the other hand, seemed to get that it was the right answer to the wrong question. "He's not really ill, is he?"

Camaline sniffed. The only way to deal with that question was to dodge it. "It's nothing life-threatening."

And yet, the look on Searle's face said it all.

NEXT CHAPTER:

9 comments:

Van said...

It's quarter past four where I am and I'm still wide awake. My bloodstream is PURE CAFFEINE o_O

Penelope said...

*hehe* Yeah, I noticed that the post time on this was like an hour ago and I thought to myself, "Van needs to go to sleep."

And jeezzz... I'm a little worried about Camaline's reaction. She just seems more annoyed than anything else. That is one icy young lady.

*wait'n to see what happens*

Van said...

Oddly enough, I did manage six hours :S

Camaline... she's very icy. That and she tends to convert most of her negative emotions into annoyance. Maybe it's a coping mechanism, or maybe it's just her. She does care for Sparron, though--she just has a funny way of showing it.

Joseph said...

I like Camaline's erm outfit (I don't know how else to describe it but that's mainly because I'm all fizzled out after writing descriptively just now :p)

Wierdly I like Camaline BECAUSE she's icy. I think that her personality is a coping mechanism though. Which is sad really. I think there's another nicer personality under there just waiting for the day to come out.

And about the lack of sleep through caffeine? You are not alone on that one. I probably won't sleep tonight after my latest coffee. That probably means MOAR writing.

That was a long comment for me but I am awake :p

Well done

Anonymous said...

Personally, I think Camaline is a bit of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold. Yeah, she's a bit prickly, and icy, and cold. But she does really care about people, she just doesn't like to show it. And for all her cold, prickly and icy-ness, it's not like she goes around deliberately hurting people. She just doesn't like to deal with them.

Anyway, I am now officially convinced that Sparron tried to kill himself. :( Poor boy! He needs a hug! And cookies! And a therapist!

And alas, I am only qualified to give two out of three.

Also -- "She liked Lettie--more than she'd ever express to the girl, perhaps" -- do I sense a crush?

(See, you're not the only one who can go all shipping on people's stories. ;))

Chene303 said...

Okay, what? Can these boys please catch a break??

I don't like Camaline. I never have. It's not that I dislike her, I sort of don't care either way. lol What I don't like is her playing ice-queen with Searle; he's been through too much for her shit.

Van said...

Joseph: That would be Camaline's winter cloak. Her new everyday outfit (I just aged her up recently) is quite different.

Her iciness gives her a bit of character, doesn't it? And we do get hints of something underneath.

More writing is always good ;)

Thanks Joseph :)

Morgaine: A Jerk with a Heart of Gold? Yeah, I can see that :P

That does seem to be the implication here :( Although, even if he didn't try to kill himself, he could probably use the hug and the cookies and the therapist anyway :S

I won't rule out the possibility of Camaline being attracted to Lettie ;) Lettie seems pretty straight so far, but I guess it's too early to rule anything out.

Chene: They could really use that break right about now :(

No worries--I don't expect everyone to like all of my characters ;) She and Searle aren't exactly compatible personalities, though; I imagine she doesn't have much patience for the poor kid :(

S.B. said...

Camaline. What a bitch. No it's not life threatening, it's just sufficiently threatening for her to grab it and poke someone with it. She's unhappy and she cannot stand seeing anyone else grab a little bit of light. Would she like to be on the couch with Lettie?

Poor Searle.

Van said...

I wouldn't say that Camaline is unhappy, or at least not in the same sense that Sparron is unhappy. It's kind of hard to tell with Camaline. She's a bit of a premature curmudgeon. I don't think she means to be malicious, though.

Poor Searle can never catch a break :(