Shady Lady -- Comment Fic by Lady_Songsmith, Eloise82, and Metonomia

[rthstewart]

 

Feb. 22nd, 2010 02:49 am (UTC)

lady_songsmith wrote:

 

"You cannot seriously be intending --"

"I most certainly am," Lucy replied calmly, keeping a brisk pace through the increasingly narrow streets.

Her brother dodged around a man carrying a tray of cheap trinkets and quickened his pace to catch up with her. "You should leave this to me."

"Don't be ridiculous, Edmund," she said. "The ladies will be far more comfortable confiding in me than you. The sisterhood of women everywhere--"

"I am aware of your views on the subject," he interrupted hastily. "But this quarter is far more Calormene than Narnian, and most of the places are owned by Tarkaans. The, er, ladies will not be as independent."

"All the more reason for me to speak with them!"

Edmund winced. "Need I remind you of the fuss your lectures caused the last time? Besides," he continued, seeing her ready to expound on that subject, "this area is dangerous. While I would never impugn your abilities, you cannot go in unarmed."

"I am hardly unarmed," Lucy answered, brandishing her sturdy parasol at him with an extravagant flourish that had him skipping aside quickly. "Now do stop fussing, brother."

He tried one more gambit. "You'll ruin our cover. Shorkaan Ahoris is hardly the sort of man who would allow his sister to accompany him to a brothel."

"Then you had best not be seen with me." She shrugged blithely. "Don't you have paints and powders and nasty scars to apply, anyway?"

"I'm hardly going to get myself up as a beggar to gossip at the Silk Blossom," Edmund said sourly.

...
...

Yeah, that's all I got.

 

metonomia wrote:

Feb. 22nd, 2010 02:58 am (UTC)

why why WHY must I go to Mass now???

"Let me borrow some of it, then?" She asked with her most winsome grin, and another little twirl of the parasol that came frighteningly close to his left eye.

"You're not going to actually join them, are you?" He knew his sister better than that, really; knew that despite all appearances she was terribly practical about serious matters, but he could not help asking.

"Of course not, silly! The girls will appreciate the gift, is all, and a good gift always helps open negotiations properly."

(More! More! More!)

 

 

elouise82 wrote:

Feb. 22nd, 2010 03:55 am (UTC)

Re: why why WHY must I go to Mass now???

Edmund reflected bitterly that Lucy had absorbed their diplomacy lessons a little too well. "Peter will never forgive me if I let you do this," he said.

"Let me, my dear brother?" Lucy asked with that frightening arch to her eyebrow and a nasty emphasis on the "let." "I believe--"

To Edmund's mingled relief and dismay, Lucy's lecture was interrupted at that moment by the last person he wanted to see: the Duke's oily little assistant Jorn.

"My lord Shorkaan!" he said, popping his round eyes out until they "goggled" (Lucy's term) more than ever. "Whatever are you doing here - with your lovely sister?"

Yes, Edmund thought, Shorkaan would certainly have no problem visiting this particular quarter, but the Tarkheena Maritisa would not deign to set one sandaled foot in this grimey alley.

Lucy didn't even blink. "My dear sir!" she cried, giving every appearance of being more than delighted to see Jorn. Had Edmund not been treated to a ferocious whispered lecture the first night of their arrival on Jorn's utter inappropriateness in his address to ladies, and how if she was in her true form as Queen of Narnia she would have given him a piece of her mind instead of inane giggles, he might have been fooled.

"How very fortunate we encountered you," Lucy continued, smiling sweetly. "I begged my brother to take me shopping today in the common market, for the quaint experience. However, we seem to have gotten lost, and now I don't know where to look for the silks I promised my dear friends back home!"

"I will be more than happy to escort you back to the market, my lady," the oily Jorn said, all but rubbing his hands together.

"Excellent," Edmund said, seeing his chance to do a bit of investigating while keeping Lucy away from this area (and keeping Peter from completely losing his sanity when they returned). "Now that you have someone to steer you in the right direction, sister, I believe I shall finish my exploration." He leered and winked at Jorn, knowing the other man - the scoundrel! - would take his implied meaning.

"Naturally, my lord," Jorn replied smugly, and he hurried Lucy away before she could do more than glare daggers at Edmund.

He would be in trouble with her later for this, but it was a small price to pay for keeping her safe.

...

(and now to bed, so long as the baby and my sinuses let me sleep!)