[Spitnose] Beneath the Milky Twilight

[Gunnar the Gullible]

Time and Date::  December 24th, late evening
Weather:: Lightly snowing, lots of starlight and moonlight
Previous Threads?:: N/A

It was late at night, and one boy lay awake in bed, drawing the covers over his face as he slept. In his dreams was a rather pleasant scene; it was him and Spitnose, together once more. They were laughing, smiling, hugging.. When suddenly they were entangled, their breathe upon each others necks, their lips daringly close together, mere inches apart. He felt a rush of emotions in his dream, and found as he awoke his breathing was heavy, his veins tingling with the fresh emotions of his dream. Realizing he had been sweating, he sat up, wiping his brow with his already soggy blanket.

It was then he realized music was playing. Or rather, vikings singing; as that was their own type of music. He could hear bells, and chimes ringing outside, laughter, and lots of vikings chattering away about this and that and what not. It was then he realized that he still had the wrap on his leg. He got up, a large, sturdy branch next to his bed. He had carved it into a single stick, and although it wasn't the best carving, it was smooth enough that it wouldn't give him splinters yet could still support his weight.

Grabbing his own sort of cane and using it to lean on as he got out of bed, he stumbled for a moment before hobbling towards the stair way. One step at a time- cane first followed by his good leg and then the other- he made his way down the stairway. His mother was sound asleep, so he left a note in ancient runes for her and sat it next to her, before heading out the door. Just before he reached the door he heard her call for him, but moments later she fell silent. He realized shortly after she was in a drunken stupor, and was merely talking in her sleep.

Heading out the door, he closed it quietly as he slipped on his fur vest, heading towards the Great Hall. He hobbled through the snow, realizing the cold snow that fell felt rather good on his injured leg. He came to the Great Hall and quickly scanned the room for signs of one girl. As he did so the dream played through his mind. He blinked, swallowing hard; he still didn't know just what that dream meant, or why he had dreamed it. But it had been.. good... After all it couldn't hurt; for it was just a dream... wasn't it?

[Spitnose]

The Snoggletog feast was the event to be at, and pretty much every one was. Even the Fisker family had shown up, helping with food preperations and such, or at least the adults of the family where. The children where off doing their own things, or had been until someone challenged them to an eating competition. Naturally the youngest had accepted. She was born ready to eat. And it wasn't long before her name was being chanted.

Mouth full, and stomach even more so Spit found her chewing becoming slower, and each swallow threatened to come back up. But she wouldn't back down. It was only her and a larger twenty something Viking now. And much to he own surprise he actually turned head and be chunks first. Arms shooting up in victory she managed to force down the last bit of bread and laughed. But as a burp escaped her gut she really wished she hadn't swallowed that last bit. Unlike most of the others who had failed the challenge, she decided if she was going to vomit best do it outside.

As she began to wobble towards the door she got a few pats of encouragement on a back, and with each one she could feel acid rising in her throat. Despite it all, she still managed to grin.

While walking, she noticed a familiar face from under her mess of hair. "Oh, hi Gunnar." She stopped, and realized what she had said. "Oh! Sorry, gosh I didn't think you would show up!" She smiled, while clutching her stomach. "How's your leg? Still attached I see!" All she could offer was a sheepish laugh. She still felt bad about that, and it had been quite some time now. While she had been speaking, she could feel her throat burning, and slowly inched back towards the door. "Uh.. I need to... outside. Now. Soon." Her cheeks bulged a big as she held back a heave, desperately trying not to throw up on him.

[Gunnar the Gullible]

Gunnar's eyes searched the room, but he couldn't find her. Realizing it might be difficult since she was one of the shorter vikings, he used his height to peer over every other vikings head. Within a few short moments a loud call came for an eating contest. The vikings moved quickly to huddle around the table, as Gunnar muttered, "Great, now I'll never find her!" Meanwhile he could hear clapping and cheering, which soon turned into chanting. Rolling his eyes for a moment, he sighed, "Typical vikings..." He muttered beneath his breath, until he heard what name they were chanting. "Spitnose, Spitnose, Spitnose!"

Gunnar felt his face flood suddenly with color, his cheeks burning hot in embarrassment of himself. He couldn't help but meander closer, watching Spitnose gorge herself on food. It was not the most appealing sight, to see a viking stuffing their face with food... particularly the man next to her; but with Spitnose, he somehow didn't mind. Instead he found him watching her mouth move up and down as she chewed, watching every time her lips moved or her hair flipped a certain way. He breathed under his breathe, "Get em, Spitnose, get em..." He found that she was nearly finished and just then the other viking lost his lunch, just as Spitnose finished. He let out a yelp of joy, unheard in the crowd, before waiting for her to come over.

She didn't seem to know he was there, that is until she picked him out in the crowd and walked over. Gunnar ran a hand through his long black hair, futzing with the helmet atop his head. At her apology, he shook his head, "No, no, it's fine.. I.. I'm just happy to see you." He said softly, before she lightened the mood with a joke about his leg. He laughed a little, "Yeah, the medic said it should heal fine." He said softly, smiling a bit at her. Yet just then he noticed her cheeks starting to bulge as she told him she needed to go outside. Quickly, he took her hand in an attempt to pull her outside. As soon as they got out the door, he moved to hold her hair back and wrap an arm around her to comfort her. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted to comfort her as much as possible. After all, getting sick was never fun. That had to be the reason... right?

[Redkitebait]

Moved to Snoggletog

[Spitnose]

Spit grinned slightly as Gunnar explained his leg situation, she was glad it was better but was finding it difficult to say such. Or much of anything really, her twisting and chruning gut was refusing to make speaking easy. She just mustered a grin, the most genuine she could with the current internal battle. She didn't want to seem rude, but at the same time didn't want to spew.

Since it was a feast, her parents had convinced her not to wear her shield today. Her back wasn't protected by it and as soon as his arm was around her back she wished it was. He was gentle enough not to cause her pain, but the thought of him brushing the burn scared her. Not even her parents had found out about it, no one knew, and now ... her head shook a bit. No, she wouldn't let it be on her mind any longer. Now was a time for enjoying the evening and now dwelling on what could go wrong but instead what could go right.

The walk to the door felt like forever, but they finally made it. And as they did an audible sigh of relief escaped her. Even just the fresh air free of smells and sounds was refreshing. But not enough to sooth her churning gut. It wasn't long after their second step outside that she turned and instantly lost everything she had just eaten. Braid falling to the side, her breathing was heavy, gasping between gags. Tears stung her eyes as she looked up, offering a faint laugh. "N-never again..." A few coughs followed, but she straightened up, shaking slightly from the ordeal. Her face was red and damp despite the obvious cold of the night. "O-okay now I can say hi..." But even now she found her hand reaching to steady her spinning head. It didn't seem to last long however, her regular cheer already bouncing back. "H-ha. Wow." Exhaling deeply she gave her head a quick shake, the cold air cooling her face considerably.

Now that she was feeling better, she turned her attention back to Gunnar. "I thought you wouldn't be able to leave? Isn't it going to be bad for your leg? I mean sure it will heal, but what if it heals .... weird?" She also just realized he had been offering g her support when he had little to give due to the injury. "I... thanks. A lot." A sigh escaped and she glanced at her feet. "You didn't have to help..." She grinned sheepishly, glancing up again. "I totally kicked butt." She brushed her bangs aside, she actually properly got to see him. The cane, stick, thing was pretty neat. She wanted to ask him if she could try it but decided last moment maybe that wasn't such a good idea. "So... why did you come out?"

[Gunnar the Gullible]

As he was leading her outside, his arms wrapped around her instinctively; he moved to hold her hair back and hold her with one arm, the other leaning on his cane. Just as they got outside she lost her lunch, or dinner rather. He still held his arm around her, getting a look at her red, sweaty face. Slowly, her moved to move some hair back from her face as laughter came from her. "Still beautiful." He said without thinking, and almost instantly turned a deep shade of red, "I mean, er.. for a girl."

As he stood there, he realized she seemed to be rather tipsy from either eating so much or puking... or both. However, much to his relief it wore off rather quickly and he answered her question about his leg, "Nah, it'll be fine. Besides, you couldn't keep me away if you tried." He jeered gently, and although it was a subtle joke, laughter flowing from his lungs, there was a deeper meaning to it, although even Gunnar himself didn't realize it; not yet, anyway. As she asked if his leg would heal weird, he chuckled, "Maybe it'd be more like a battle scar. Ya never know; a lady might find a lame viking rather fetching." He said, laughing despite himself.

His laughter ebbed off. As she said he didn't have to help, he moved a hand to her shoulder, "I wanted to." He said softly, before her next words made him smile, "You sure did. You whooped the other guys butt!" He met her eyes as he caught her examining his cane, and he looked down for a moment. Her next question made him turn red, and he ran a hand through his hair nervously, "I.. erm.. I.. uh.." He took a deep breath, "I came to see all the excitement.. But that's not the real reason I came because I.. I.." He met her eyes, before looking down, "I came to see.. y-you..."

[Spitnose]

Still a bit woozy from it all, she hardly caught what he said. "You're just saying that. I'm the toughest girl around." A small cough left her throat as she attempted a laugh. She spat out remains of what was in her mouth still, but was glad to be on a different subject. Even if it was a tough one to take. But his comment made her grin. "I bet a dragon trap would work." She elbowed him in the side joining in the amusement. "A scar? I've seen fish with bigger!" She felt better about the situation if they were making jokes about it, and her mood about his leg lifted. If you can make a joke about it and laugh, then there are clearly no ill-intentions directed towards you.

"Only if you get a cool peg-leg out of it!" As they talked she found herself swaying slightly to the jovial noises coming from inside, singing had erupted from the hall and between talking she began to hum. "He was an amateur next to me!" She pounded her stomach for emphasis, but the action also forced out  burp. She grinned a bit at the burp, covering her mouth a bit with her hand. "Haha, oops." She tilted her head as he began to explain why he had come, still humming in the background. She blinked a bit, not getting what he meant. "You know, people have died on those stairs in better condtions." The thought made her glanced at the steps up to the hall. "But I guess it's a pretty awesome night, and who wouldn't want to spend it with friends." She smiled and began to hum once more, fingers drumming out a beat on her skirt. Her eyes had since turned to the sky, staring at the thick black blanket dotted with bright stars. "It's nice out. I can actually see the sky."

[Gunnar the Gullible]

He smiled a little, "No, no, I really mean it." He said softly, and at her next comment he laughed, "Dragon traps, eh? What if I become the dragon trapper and trap you, eh?" He jeered softly, laughing a little. He hardly noticed when she spat up the remainder of her dinner. As she mentioned scars he laughed a little, and thought of the burns on his chest. "I have a few, you could say." He said softly. At her next comment about getting a peg leg he smiled a bit, "Who knows, this old viking might just get one, yet!"

Just then she mentioned the food eating competition and he nodded, "Sure was.." However his thoughts had drifted; for singing had started coming from the halls. He heard her burp a little and smiled, shuffling his feet for a moment. As he admitted she was the reason he had come to see her, he found his cheeks hot, hoping she wouldn't notice in the dark that he was blushing. However her reaction made him wonder if she was just not interested in his comment or what had happened to have her mention the stairs and people dieing. "Yeah, yeah.." He said softly.

Taking a deep breathe, he gathered up his courage. "The stars are mighty beautiful... Perfect to dance under..." He said softly, adding, "Spitnose..." He moved to take her hand and lead her to a clean patch of snow, "May I have this dance?"

[Spitnose]

The banter was enough to keep the girl laughing, her previous ailments forgotten. The only remind a faint burning in the back of her throat, but even that was trivial. She was enjoying the evening, and was glad she was able to see some good company before it's end.

But even she could notice his mind wasn't down on the steps right now, and she felt curious. However she figured how wasn't the time to bombard him with questions, nobody wanted to be bothered that much on Snoggletog.

His next statement caught her a bit off guard. "Dance?" She blinked a bit, this time tucking her bangs behind her ears so she could see clearly. He didn't seem to be joking around any more, and she looked a bit shocked. "I.. yeah, sure." She took his hand and followed, still looking baffled. "You know, I might as well have two pegged-legs." She looked to the side. "I can't really dance. Not like... properly or anything." She didn't want to be rude, but she was clumsy at the best of times, and he was already hurt because of it. "I don't want to hurt you again..." Her eyes fell to the snow, guilt tightening in her gut.

[Gunnar the Gullible]

Her laughter was like music to his ears, it lit his heart and put a sparkle in his eyes. His eyes peered up at the sparkling skies above as he asked her to dance, and he looked back down to her, leaning on his crutch, watching her brush her bang aside. He could hear her questioning whether she should dance or not, and it made him feel the need to be closer to her. He watched her for a moment, as she finally accepted, and hobbled closer to her, as she said she was a clumsy dancer. He put a hand on her shoulder, the other around her waist.

He found himself leaning slightly against her, but tried to support himself as much as he could, dropping his crutch. At her next words, he put a hand to her cheek, "You won't." He whispered softly, "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere..." He said softly.

"Just shuffle your feet. Or don't move at all... just.. wrap your arms around me, and hum a tune... That's all a dance is anyway." He said softly, before moving to pull her closer. He found one hand moving to run through her hair, while his head leaned over her own, for he was just enough taller then her that his head could sit atop hers. He smiled at her, "See.. not that bad, right?"

[Spitnose]

She had seen enough people dancing before, still unsure of this all. But he seemed happy enough, and who was she to deny some one a good evening? He dropped the crutch, and she frowned. "Don't fall." She tried her best to not put any weight on him, not wanting to knock him over. She let out a small squeak and he pulled her in closer, closing her eyes as she bit her lip. The faint pressure on her back was enough to cause her to lower her head, trying not to show that it was uncomfortable. "Okay." A meek smile spread across her face, she quickly picked up on the tune and a soft hum left her. It distracted her from how close he was to the scar, and gave her something to follow since the music was growing fainter as the doors to the hall where pulled closed.

As his hand moved through her hair, it would find quite a bit of resistance. It was matted and tangled, and tied tight into the braid. But even the tugging at her hair wasn't enough to bother her. But it did bring her attention to him now. "I've never danced properly before." She began to think out loud, trying really hard not to just give up and lean in. "Kind of weird my first would be with some one with a broken leg." She laughed softly at the thought. "But... why me? And now? I would have waited if I was the one with the injury." Then again, after her shoulder had been almost ripped off, she was right back to swimming as soon as the wound had closed. So maybe, her words were slightly warped however curiosity tickled the back of her mind. "Sure Snoggletog is great, but there's always next year, or even next holiday." While her head motions were limited by his being above her, he would feel her lifting it up slightly in an attempt to look at him.

[Gunnar the Gullible]

As he came to drop his crutch, he heard her concerned words and smiled, "Don't worry, I'm fine." He said softly, and as he leaned slightly into her he shuffled one foot a little to balance himself. He drew her closer, yet to his surprise he felt her body tense at the touch.

Frowning a little, he ignored this slightly disappointing fact and tried to focus on having a good time. Just then he saw her meek smile, and heard her words about having never danced before. He tried to smile, but found a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth once more as she said it was weird to dance with him.

He looked to her, his eyes hurt and concerned, "Why not now? You're a beautiful girl... I.. I just thought a dance would be nice..." As she continued asking why not next year or the next holiday he pulled back, "Why do I get the feeling you don't want to dance with me..." He said quietly. He turned, grabbing his crutch, which was leaning against the building. "I.. I better go. Tonight was.. it was fun. I'll.. I'll see you around, Spitnose. Good night." He took one last look at her, then turned, hobbling off, hoping to escape from this night as fast as possible.

[Spitnose]

She paused, hardly registering his words as he pulled away. "Huh?" Blinking she pulled her bangs back. "I... uh, okay, bye.." 'Did I mess up?' He took his crutch back and began to leave, leaving Spit confused. She paused trying to think about what had just happened, but her mind was only drawing blanks. Well, there was no point in lingering in the cold much longer if there wasn't a reason to, so she wandered back inside the hall. The festivities had died down quite a bit, but that didn't stop her from finding her brother. "Hey!" "Oh, hey, where did you go?" She gave him a thump on the back and grinned. "To get some fresh air, it smells to much like work in here." Her brother simply shrugged, and continued eating what appeared to be some dried meat.

--

Her family was one of the last to head out, outside of the few drunks who where passed out at the tables. They helped tidy up before taking what they had brought and began to head back home. She couldn't help but think back on the events of the night, wondering what had happened. But with a shake of her head she moved on from it. Surely it was nothing?

---

THE END