Fill: Challenge 44, Lemy'es
Apr. 24th, 2022 07:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lantairvlea posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
tenminutesadayThis one got away from me a bit.
"What are you doing Kallon?" Sray asked as she entered the room.
Kallon was sprawled over the table, one arm wrapped around a thin-necked bottle, his head leaning against it, staring at his other hand arched over a glass, a finger tracing the rim. "Wha're you doin', Sray?"
"Checking on you." She shoved the door roughly shut. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Y'gunna jus' yell a'me? Y'c'n get out." He thumped the glass against the table, it's contents sloshing in agitation as he glowered over his shoulder at her.
"Why would I yell at you?" She asked as she crossed the room.
"Y'r gett'n burnt up, aren' yuh?" He watched her sit down. "I c'n feel it." He pushed himself upright, pulling the bottle towards his chest and raising the glass, he hesitated as it touched his lips, watching her through half-lidded eyes, expecting her to snatch it from him, but she didn't so he tilted his head back and downed what remained, swallowing hard against the strength of the liquor. He rolled the glass in his hand and placed it rim-down between them. "Y'just're warm'n' up b'fore y'really let loose."
"I'm surprised you can feel anything." Sray said, folding her arms to keep herself from grabbing the bottle from him. "I think you've had enough of that. Where did you even find it?"
"That's the point." He muttered. "Foun' it 'n here." He motioned vaguely to the room. "Humans like their alcohol."
She frowned back at him. "Don't tell me that bottle was full when you started."
"We can' all be you, Sray. The perfect child. Always doin' ev'ry right thing. So proud of you, our parents, carry'n on their legacy of peacemaking 'tween Man and Klamon. Had y'been a boy I'd be useless. The second, lesser son of Teigan and Kayrin, worthless."
"You don't have to be me Kallon," she replied softly. "It's better if you're not. I've had my share of screw-ups, you know that. You're not worthless. None of this was your fault."
"No, it was yours." He reached for the glass again, but Sray put her hand over it first. His lip curled.
"That is the alcohol talking. You've had enough." She said, her voice cold and even. She didn't move a muscle, but he could tell she was braced and ready, almost daring him to try and take it, the softness and sympathy gone. It reminded him of the first time she found him hungover and it made him pause.
"'S true, i'nt it?" He drew his hand back and leaned over his left elbow, his right arm still tucking the bottle against his shoulder. "If it weren't f'r you they wouldn't know about me. They woul'n a come f'r me if Engama di'n' have you."
"Alekandler Triden is a power-hungry madman and his actions are his fault alone." Sray countered. "We are here to make him pay for what he did to you, for what he put all of us through and we can't do that if you're drunk or hungover, so what do you think you're doing, Kallon?"
"Try'n' t' forget f'r one minute what it was like down there." He replied, sitting up. "I'm drownin' the nightmares, alright?" He stood, swayed, touched the table and took a draw straight out of the bottle. "T'morrow I hafta go out there," he pointed to the door, "and see that monster Triden and he's go'n to sit there smug in his own pow'r 'cause who is goin' t' b'lieve me? Him and whiche'r 'is men they managed to round up," he waved vaguely with his empty hand, "and then me, some no name halfbreed from Jon."
"And you," he turned and pointed back at Sray, getting more aggravaged and louder with each word, "you still stand with them, these Meim, after all they did. After what they did to me, your own brother. What they did to me! I'm ruined! I have nowhere to go. Geteilpohth is right there, just North and I'm so close! I can't go there. I can't go home." He shook his head. "Jon never was home." He said quietly before his voice raised again. "I can't go back there. I can't tell Pogenhyuns what happened, not that he would believe me if I could! You saw me at Engama. I just can't. I can't! I can't stand them! Not anymore! I'm not Human, I'm too much like Tafa, but I'm not enough. I'm not enough like him for it to actually matter. I was almost there, Sray, almost there! You said we would be protected and this happened!"
The door creaked open and a head poked around it. "Is everyth-" it snapped back shut as the bottle smashed against the door.
I'm still working on this.
"What are you doing Kallon?" Sray asked as she entered the room.
Kallon was sprawled over the table, one arm wrapped around a thin-necked bottle, his head leaning against it, staring at his other hand arched over a glass, a finger tracing the rim. "Wha're you doin', Sray?"
"Checking on you." She shoved the door roughly shut. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Y'gunna jus' yell a'me? Y'c'n get out." He thumped the glass against the table, it's contents sloshing in agitation as he glowered over his shoulder at her.
"Why would I yell at you?" She asked as she crossed the room.
"Y'r gett'n burnt up, aren' yuh?" He watched her sit down. "I c'n feel it." He pushed himself upright, pulling the bottle towards his chest and raising the glass, he hesitated as it touched his lips, watching her through half-lidded eyes, expecting her to snatch it from him, but she didn't so he tilted his head back and downed what remained, swallowing hard against the strength of the liquor. He rolled the glass in his hand and placed it rim-down between them. "Y'just're warm'n' up b'fore y'really let loose."
"I'm surprised you can feel anything." Sray said, folding her arms to keep herself from grabbing the bottle from him. "I think you've had enough of that. Where did you even find it?"
"That's the point." He muttered. "Foun' it 'n here." He motioned vaguely to the room. "Humans like their alcohol."
She frowned back at him. "Don't tell me that bottle was full when you started."
"We can' all be you, Sray. The perfect child. Always doin' ev'ry right thing. So proud of you, our parents, carry'n on their legacy of peacemaking 'tween Man and Klamon. Had y'been a boy I'd be useless. The second, lesser son of Teigan and Kayrin, worthless."
"You don't have to be me Kallon," she replied softly. "It's better if you're not. I've had my share of screw-ups, you know that. You're not worthless. None of this was your fault."
"No, it was yours." He reached for the glass again, but Sray put her hand over it first. His lip curled.
"That is the alcohol talking. You've had enough." She said, her voice cold and even. She didn't move a muscle, but he could tell she was braced and ready, almost daring him to try and take it, the softness and sympathy gone. It reminded him of the first time she found him hungover and it made him pause.
"'S true, i'nt it?" He drew his hand back and leaned over his left elbow, his right arm still tucking the bottle against his shoulder. "If it weren't f'r you they wouldn't know about me. They woul'n a come f'r me if Engama di'n' have you."
"Alekandler Triden is a power-hungry madman and his actions are his fault alone." Sray countered. "We are here to make him pay for what he did to you, for what he put all of us through and we can't do that if you're drunk or hungover, so what do you think you're doing, Kallon?"
"Try'n' t' forget f'r one minute what it was like down there." He replied, sitting up. "I'm drownin' the nightmares, alright?" He stood, swayed, touched the table and took a draw straight out of the bottle. "T'morrow I hafta go out there," he pointed to the door, "and see that monster Triden and he's go'n to sit there smug in his own pow'r 'cause who is goin' t' b'lieve me? Him and whiche'r 'is men they managed to round up," he waved vaguely with his empty hand, "and then me, some no name halfbreed from Jon."
"And you," he turned and pointed back at Sray, getting more aggravaged and louder with each word, "you still stand with them, these Meim, after all they did. After what they did to me, your own brother. What they did to me! I'm ruined! I have nowhere to go. Geteilpohth is right there, just North and I'm so close! I can't go there. I can't go home." He shook his head. "Jon never was home." He said quietly before his voice raised again. "I can't go back there. I can't tell Pogenhyuns what happened, not that he would believe me if I could! You saw me at Engama. I just can't. I can't! I can't stand them! Not anymore! I'm not Human, I'm too much like Tafa, but I'm not enough. I'm not enough like him for it to actually matter. I was almost there, Sray, almost there! You said we would be protected and this happened!"
The door creaked open and a head poked around it. "Is everyth-" it snapped back shut as the bottle smashed against the door.
I'm still working on this.
