went
out at the weekend to see them play. As usual, the event was at
Willow Pool Garden, since it was the largest hostelry we had. We
sat down with our friends, and were indulging in idle gossip, when
I saw him. I didn’t know who it was. I just saw this beautiful
creature and remember thinking he had ‘Zehn’ written all over him.
‘Yz,’ I said discreetly. ‘I think there’s an out-towner here we
could put money on, in terms of Zehn having him later on.’ I jerked
my head in the new har’s direction.
Ysobi glanced over his
shoulder. He sighed, rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, ‘Oh,
great.’
I knew then who it was.
The har in question sashayed
over to our table. He had thick brown hair, cut to his shoulders
and astounding straight black eyebrows, with sultry dark eyes
beneath. His lips were full, made to kiss. ‘Ysobi,’ he said. ‘I
wouldn’t have thought this was your kind of thing.’ He glanced at
me, summing me up in seconds.
‘Gesaril,’ Ysobi said wearily,
‘this is my chesnari, Jassenah. Jass, this is my latest
student.’
‘Hi,’ said Gesaril. One
shoulder was bare, since the oversize, soft wool jumper he wore
kept slipping off it. He spent a lot of time needlessly sliding it
back, only for it to drip once more seductively to his elbow.
I nodded to him. My hackles
were up. I knew his type. I was actually praying for Zehn to show
up. Now that the charming Gesaril was aware his teacher had a
chesnari, Ysobi would become infinitely more fascinating to him. I
just knew it. And Gesaril was exquisite, in that mean, careless way
his kind has. He was an ouana-charmer. Hara would fall helplessly
and mindlessly before him.
‘Are you enjoying your
training?’ I enquired pleasantly.
He wrinkled his perfect nose.
‘It’s OK. Yzzi insists it’s all essential stuff, but I just want to
get to the interesting part. I know what he’s famous for!’ He
laughed beautifully, while I froze from the gut outwards. With
these words, knowing how accurately he’d hit his target, no doubt,
Gesaril sauntered off, with a languid wave of one hand and a
drawled: ‘See ya!’
Don’t be ridiculous , I
told myself. He’s a posturing fool. He’s an empty pretty shell,
that’s all. Then I could see him on the cushions in the Nayati,
his gorgeous body spread out, his face transfigured by pleasure,
those wonderful lips slightly open. I could see Ysobi’s head
between his legs, and I heard the moans he would make. I felt
sick.
‘Jass?’ Ysobi said. He sounded
worried.
I shook my head. ‘What a little
shit!’
‘I know. I’ll speak to him. He
doesn’t realise you’re with pearl.’
I hadn’t realised it was
possible for my frozen innards to go colder. ‘Don’t tell him,’ I
said quickly.
Ysobi frowned. ‘Why not? He’s being
flirty. He should know it’s not really appropriate at the moment.
Your emotions are up and down.’
I wanted to stand up and leave.
I felt furious, not least because of Ysobi’s rather patronising
remark. ‘He called you Yzzi,’ I said. ‘How come he’s so familiar
with you after so short a time?’
‘He does it to try and wind me
up,’ Ysobi said. ‘Ignore it. I do.’
I shook my head. ‘He’s
trouble,’ I said. ‘Be careful, Yz.’
‘I know he’s trouble,’ Ysobi
said. ‘I don’t need you to tell me.’ He squeezed my shoulder. ‘Just
enjoy yourself. Forget him.’
I did try. But all evening, I
had to endure the butterfly presence of Gesaril, whose laughter
reached far. He was forever messing with his hair, twisting little
locks of it, chewing it, or else trying to pull his clothes back
on. Always, wherever he was in the room, his glance kept sliding
towards our table. He didn’t care that I noticed.
Zehn arrived late, accompanied
by a har called Arken, who was another fairly recent addition to
our community, not yet shattered by Zehn. He was a good-natured and
attractive har, fair-haired like Zehn, and very tanned. I hoped
Zehn wouldn’t
out at the weekend to see them play. As usual, the event was at
Willow Pool Garden, since it was the largest hostelry we had. We
sat down with our friends, and were indulging in idle gossip, when
I saw him. I didn’t know who it was. I just saw this beautiful
creature and remember thinking he had ‘Zehn’ written all over him.
‘Yz,’ I said discreetly. ‘I think there’s an out-towner here we
could put money on, in terms of Zehn having him later on.’ I jerked
my head in the new har’s direction.
Ysobi glanced over his
shoulder. He sighed, rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, ‘Oh,
great.’
I knew then who it was.
The har in question sashayed
over to our table. He had thick brown hair, cut to his shoulders
and astounding straight black eyebrows, with sultry dark eyes
beneath. His lips were full, made to kiss. ‘Ysobi,’ he said. ‘I
wouldn’t have thought this was your kind of thing.’ He glanced at
me, summing me up in seconds.
‘Gesaril,’ Ysobi said wearily,
‘this is my chesnari, Jassenah. Jass, this is my latest
student.’
‘Hi,’ said Gesaril. One
shoulder was bare, since the oversize, soft wool jumper he wore
kept slipping off it. He spent a lot of time needlessly sliding it
back, only for it to drip once more seductively to his elbow.
I nodded to him. My hackles
were up. I knew his type. I was actually praying for Zehn to show
up. Now that the charming Gesaril was aware his teacher had a
chesnari, Ysobi would become infinitely more fascinating to him. I
just knew it. And Gesaril was exquisite, in that mean, careless way
his kind has. He was an ouana-charmer. Hara would fall helplessly
and mindlessly before him.
‘Are you enjoying your
training?’ I enquired pleasantly.
He wrinkled his perfect nose.
‘It’s OK. Yzzi insists it’s all essential stuff, but I just want to
get to the interesting part. I know what he’s famous for!’ He
laughed beautifully, while I froze from the gut outwards. With
these words, knowing how accurately he’d hit his target, no doubt,
Gesaril sauntered off, with a languid wave of one hand and a
drawled: ‘See ya!’
Don’t be ridiculous , I
told myself. He’s a posturing fool. He’s an empty pretty shell,
that’s all. Then I could see him on the cushions in the Nayati,
his gorgeous body spread out, his face transfigured by pleasure,
those wonderful lips slightly open. I could see Ysobi’s head
between his legs, and I heard the moans he would make. I felt
sick.
‘Jass?’ Ysobi said. He sounded
worried.
I shook my head. ‘What a little
shit!’
‘I know. I’ll speak to him. He
doesn’t realise you’re with pearl.’
I hadn’t realised it was
possible for my frozen innards to go colder. ‘Don’t tell him,’ I
said quickly.
Ysobi frowned. ‘Why not? He’s being
flirty. He should know it’s not really appropriate at the moment.
Your emotions are up and down.’
I wanted to stand up and leave.
I felt furious, not least because of Ysobi’s rather patronising
remark. ‘He called you Yzzi,’ I said. ‘How come he’s so familiar
with you after so short a time?’
‘He does it to try and wind me
up,’ Ysobi said. ‘Ignore it. I do.’
I shook my head. ‘He’s
trouble,’ I said. ‘Be careful, Yz.’
‘I know he’s trouble,’ Ysobi
said. ‘I don’t need you to tell me.’ He squeezed my shoulder. ‘Just
enjoy yourself. Forget him.’
I did try. But all evening, I
had to endure the butterfly presence of Gesaril, whose laughter
reached far. He was forever messing with his hair, twisting little
locks of it, chewing it, or else trying to pull his clothes back
on. Always, wherever he was in the room, his glance kept sliding
towards our table. He didn’t care that I noticed.
Zehn arrived late, accompanied
by a har called Arken, who was another fairly recent addition to
our community, not yet shattered by Zehn. He was a good-natured and
attractive har, fair-haired like Zehn, and very tanned. I hoped
Zehn wouldn’t
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