Dragon Journal (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dragonjournal) wrote2013-02-25 08:12 am
dragonjournal) wrote2013-02-25 08:12 am
I wrote something :D
Originally posted on my Tumblr. But, here we go:
She crossed her arms, standing in the doorway. A muscle ticked in her jaw. Eyes narrowed, she wasn’t about to back down. This was utterly ridiculous, but she had her pride, and it’d kept her going this long. Why ruin a good thing?
“Rissa, you know no apology.” Ran grimaced and pushed a hand through his hair.
English wasn’t his first language – or his third – but Rissa didn’t have any idea what he was trying to say. Usually she could guess, but today, she was just too tired to bother. Between spending the day as Queen, her eldest breaking her arm and the other fifteen things that have happened, trying to figure out a spaceman’s English. In fact, she had planned to just curl up on her couch with a beer and all the damned trade agreements that came with setting up a Queendom on Earth’s Moon.
“What?”
“I sorry. I open my mouth when should be quiet.” Ran managed an apology, finally. He sighed and pushed his hand through his shoulder-length blue hair again.
God, she loved that hair. It was the first thing she’d noticed about him when he’d finally ditched the hair color and been himself. Rissa turned away and looked into the house. The children were in bed, at least. Free’nel hummed softly as he puttered around the kitchen. It took a moment for her to realize it was Queen that had caught his attention.
“The Americans are going to screw me.”
They’d been talking, and the American delegate had mentioned something about trade priorities and bypassing the UN. She wasn’t about to agree to it, but she hadn’t wanted him to know that. She’d wanted to string him along for a little while so she could get some more information.
Unfortunately, Ran had immediately spoken up about destroying the possibility of other trade agreements if she’d done that. Then, he’d pointed out that if she did that, no one within the intergalactic community would trust her to hold to her word. They’d never believe that she’d hold to trade agreements and she’d bring more fighting down on herself and her people because the other empires would look for ways to hurt her, to screw her over before they got screwed.
Rissa knew that. She wasn’t a complete idiot.
It’d hurt more because he’d been the one to drag her out of bed to go to the stupid negotiation. It’d been a momentary weakness, a distraction, a necessary letting out of the sexual tension between them. And then, he’d done that and made her feel like a country bumpkin, paraded out for the entertainment of the rich and fabulous.
“It took you three days to apologize.” Rissa felt the need to point that out. Then again, if he had shown up right away, she probably would have shot him, or something equally idiotic. She’d been hurt, angry, and more than a little embarrassed that he’d thought so little of her intelligence.
She was a farmer, a mother, a student of history. They might have bullied her into the position of Queen, but she wasn’t stupid. Rissa just didn’t know who she was trying to convince.
“I know. I come sooner, you shoot me. I been shot. It hurts.”
Rissa felt a laugh bubble up at that. He sounded so damned earnest. “What will happen if I let you in the house?” She wanted to be sure of what he was offering. Her kids needed her to be sure.
Ran shrugged. “Nothing you say no to. I help with trade, maybe? Or just look pretty and dumb?”
Rissa groaned and dropped her head against the doorframe. Flame had told him to pretend to be that, while they were in the middle of the negotiations. His breaking that persona had caused this whole mess. “How about I bounce ideas off of you, and you get me a beer?”
“I can do, yes.” Ran agreed, following her into the house. Gently, he closed the door behind them.
She crossed her arms, standing in the doorway. A muscle ticked in her jaw. Eyes narrowed, she wasn’t about to back down. This was utterly ridiculous, but she had her pride, and it’d kept her going this long. Why ruin a good thing?
“Rissa, you know no apology.” Ran grimaced and pushed a hand through his hair.
English wasn’t his first language – or his third – but Rissa didn’t have any idea what he was trying to say. Usually she could guess, but today, she was just too tired to bother. Between spending the day as Queen, her eldest breaking her arm and the other fifteen things that have happened, trying to figure out a spaceman’s English. In fact, she had planned to just curl up on her couch with a beer and all the damned trade agreements that came with setting up a Queendom on Earth’s Moon.
“What?”
“I sorry. I open my mouth when should be quiet.” Ran managed an apology, finally. He sighed and pushed his hand through his shoulder-length blue hair again.
God, she loved that hair. It was the first thing she’d noticed about him when he’d finally ditched the hair color and been himself. Rissa turned away and looked into the house. The children were in bed, at least. Free’nel hummed softly as he puttered around the kitchen. It took a moment for her to realize it was Queen that had caught his attention.
“The Americans are going to screw me.”
They’d been talking, and the American delegate had mentioned something about trade priorities and bypassing the UN. She wasn’t about to agree to it, but she hadn’t wanted him to know that. She’d wanted to string him along for a little while so she could get some more information.
Unfortunately, Ran had immediately spoken up about destroying the possibility of other trade agreements if she’d done that. Then, he’d pointed out that if she did that, no one within the intergalactic community would trust her to hold to her word. They’d never believe that she’d hold to trade agreements and she’d bring more fighting down on herself and her people because the other empires would look for ways to hurt her, to screw her over before they got screwed.
Rissa knew that. She wasn’t a complete idiot.
It’d hurt more because he’d been the one to drag her out of bed to go to the stupid negotiation. It’d been a momentary weakness, a distraction, a necessary letting out of the sexual tension between them. And then, he’d done that and made her feel like a country bumpkin, paraded out for the entertainment of the rich and fabulous.
“It took you three days to apologize.” Rissa felt the need to point that out. Then again, if he had shown up right away, she probably would have shot him, or something equally idiotic. She’d been hurt, angry, and more than a little embarrassed that he’d thought so little of her intelligence.
She was a farmer, a mother, a student of history. They might have bullied her into the position of Queen, but she wasn’t stupid. Rissa just didn’t know who she was trying to convince.
“I know. I come sooner, you shoot me. I been shot. It hurts.”
Rissa felt a laugh bubble up at that. He sounded so damned earnest. “What will happen if I let you in the house?” She wanted to be sure of what he was offering. Her kids needed her to be sure.
Ran shrugged. “Nothing you say no to. I help with trade, maybe? Or just look pretty and dumb?”
Rissa groaned and dropped her head against the doorframe. Flame had told him to pretend to be that, while they were in the middle of the negotiations. His breaking that persona had caused this whole mess. “How about I bounce ideas off of you, and you get me a beer?”
“I can do, yes.” Ran agreed, following her into the house. Gently, he closed the door behind them.