This is 100% Lilfluff’s fault and probably won’t go any further.

“The Mountain is following us, I swear.”

Aran wiped down the espresso machine for the third time. He’d been like for days, ever since the coffee chain The Mountain had opened their nearest branch down the road from them.

They were still plenty busy; they hadn’t — yet — seen an appreciable dip in business. The Mountain couldn’t do baked goods like they did, and they didn‘t do personal service and comfortable atmosphere the way they did.

(Personal service was a bit of a thing for them…)

Still, every time they had a lull, Aran started getting nervous. Continue reading →

First: Spoils of War I: Surrender

PLEASE NOTE: I WENT BACK TO THE END OF CHAPTER 21 AND AM REWRITING FROM THAT POINT. 

“I’m your man,” Aran repeated slowly.  Good.” He held her hips more tightly. “I like that.  Being your man.” He lifted up his head and kissed her back fiercely. “Didn’t think I would,” he admitted.  “But you did save my life and all.  Twice now, at least.” He bucked his hips up in suggestion. 

She pressed her hand on his chest, just to see what he’d do; he sank back to the bed.  She grinned at him as she kissed him again. “And here I thought third time was the charm.”

“That’ll be when we fight the Mountain and win.  Maybe-“

She occupied his mouth with another kiss.  “Later.” Continue reading →

First: Spoils of War I: Surrender

PLEASE NOTE: I WENT BACK TO THE END OF CHAPTER 21 AND AM REWRITING FROM THAT POINT. 

Nikol was somehow not nearly as surprised as she ought to be when Aran brushed a kiss over her cheek. “Thank you for having rules,” he added quietly. “Let’s shower, mmm?”

He scooped her up in his arms before she could say anything and, very carefully, carried her upstairs and into the bathroom.  “The power is still pretty spotty,” he warned, “but we got the whole thing going with the town water – that was mostly just moving around some solar panels, turns out Ford is good with those – and I can make the water warm okay on my own.”

He set her down carefully and she undressed.  Her borrowed clothes were sticky with sweat and they stank; she was tempted to wear them right into the shower.  Continue reading →

First: Spoils of War I: Surrender

PLEASE NOTE: I WENT BACK TO THE END OF CHAPTER 21 AND AM REWRITING FROM THAT POINT. 

Nikol was making a mess of this suggestion, as much of a suggestion as it was.  She glanced at Aran as she trailed off. He was… smiling. 

No.  Laughing.

He actually laughed.  She paused, thinking about punching him, but he ended with a little snort that didn’t sound mean.  “Hey, hey, I’m just amused because you’re as bad at this as anyone else and it’s kind of a relief. I mean, how did you do it with your mercenaries?” Continue reading →

First: Spoils of War I: Surrender

PLEASE NOTE: I WENT BACK TO THE END OF CHAPTER 21 AND AM REWRITING FROM THAT POINT. 

Nikol swung the stick in anger, barely even caring if she hit something — a fountain, a statue, someone.

“Here.”  Aran walked up from – she hadn’t been paying attention, how had he snuck up on her?  That was ridiculous! She should know where everyone was all the time.   Continue reading →

First: Spoils of War I: Surrender

PLEASE NOTE: I WENT BACK TO THE END OF CHAPTER 21 AND AM REWRITING FROM THAT POINT. 

“Urgh.”  She sat in the sun a day later, chemistry books stacked around her, glaring across the street at the town’s little library.  “None of this is useful.”

“Well, it’s not magic.”  Ford Tejas-Dottir had turned out to be an amazing woman, someone who had at one point been stout, from the looks of her, but carried thinness comfortably.  “I’m not sure how you expect it to translate over, exactly…?” Continue reading →

First: Spoils of War I: Surrender

PLEASE NOTE: I WENT BACK TO THE END OF CHAPTER 21 AND AM REWRITING FROM THAT POINT. 

“Okay, this is going to take some Working, but if I’m right about your Words and I can do what I want with my own – the first would be a bomb, but it would have to be really big or really properly targeted – best would be both – to actually take out the Mountain. 

“A missile…”  Nikol shook her head, picturing the entrances into and out of the Mountain’s main complex (also called the Mountain, just to confuse matters).  “No, we have no way of launching a missile and they have Force shields up, and obviously anything that big Long-Tail wouldn’t be able to drag through the vents. Or any other animal.  Sorry, kitty,” she added ruefully. “You’re really cool, but you’re not nearly that cool.” Continue reading →

First: Spoils of War I: Surrender

PLEASE NOTE: I WENT BACK TO THE END OF CHAPTER 21 AND AM REWRITING FROM THAT POINT. 

He had plans.  Aran had plans to take down the Mountain.  She really had slept a while.

“Plans.  Right.” She looked at the tray and mopped up the last corner of a roll.  “Let’s – where do you have everything?”

“Office.  It’s this way.”  He looked guilty, again.  “Do you think you can-?”

“I’d better find out fast.”  She lifted the tray and offered it to him.  “Thank you for breakfast. And uh, who made the bread?”

“Donnal.  He’s with Ford.  He figured out the whole like, wild yeast?  I don’t know, anyway, it was some doing but we made it happen.”  He took the tray from her, shifted to hold it one-handed, and offered her his other hand.  Continue reading →

First: Spoils of War I: Surrender

PLEASE NOTE: I WENT BACK TO THE END OF CHAPTER 21 AND AM REWRITING FROM THAT POINT. 

“You’ve been talking to the cat a lot in… in the last couple–?” Nikol repeated.  

Aran didn’t answer.  

She ate a little more food.  Her body did not want to move.  She lifted her arm and made herself scoop in the oatmeal.  “Kind of rich,” she added. 

“They had some uh, some fats.  Not as good as proper butter but it turns out they don’t go rancid.  So uh. It’s – coconut?”

“Okay, that’s a little weird.  But it tastes good.” Continue reading →

First: Spoils of War I: Surrender

PLEASE NOTE: I WENT BACK TO THE END OF CHAPTER 21 AND AM REWRITING FROM THAT POINT. 

She woke feeling refreshed, warm, possibly too warm, and hungry. 

She turned to find that she was being slept on by both of Carrone’s large cats, and that she was alone in the bed. 

One of the cats looked at her, licked her face, and bounded off.  The other one sprawled pointedly over her. 

Nikol looked down at the cat.  It had to weigh at least 25 lbs, and it was making every pound of that known in a surprisingly comfortable manner, its front paws on her chest and its back paws nearly at her knee.  “I take it I’m supposed to stay here for a bit?”

The cat murrowled quietly and started purring.  Continue reading →