As Jude kneels beside the river and dips her cupped hands into the cool water and brings them to her face, Cardan watches. His lips turn up at the corners as she sighs and a look of relief — however short lived it will be — washes over her face. Summer has been hotter than usual in faerie, and nights have offered no respite from the heat.
Without looking at him, Jude says, “We could always just spend a few days in the mortal realm, until the heatwave passes.”
“It’s just as hot there, if not worse.”
“At least they have air conditioning,” Jude points out as she rubs the back of her neck with cool, wet hands, not at all caring that the hem of her dress is soaking up water and mud. “What do you say? You could simply glamour some leaves into money and we can stay at a hotel and blast the air conditioner while ordering room service.”
She splashes water on her arms, up to the elbows and Cardan finally joins her, kneeling with far more grace than one has any right to when kneeling on a muddy riverbank. Jude has half a mind to shove Cardan into the water for no other reason than just that, but instead watches as he brings water to his face and runs his wet hands through his hair. He catches her eye, of course he does, and smirks at her.
That’s it, Jude thinks and, with a smile more innocent than she should ever wear being Cardan’s only warning, she shoves him and sends him toppling into the water face first.
When Cardan emerges from the water he’s sputtering, his tail switching back and forth and there’s some moss stuck to the tip of it. “And here I was just about to agree to your plan to go to the mortal realm with you for a few days.”
“We can still go,” Jude snorts with laughter, “the really nice hotels have huge bathtubs you can clean up in.”
“We can still go, yes,” Cardan says as he looks her over and it’s the lilt of his voice that gives him away, but Jude isn’t fast enough and Cardan grabs her by the hand and pulls her into the water with a laugh of his own, “if you join me, that is.”
The Folk of the Air, Jude/Cardan
Without looking at him, Jude says, “We could always just spend a few days in the mortal realm, until the heatwave passes.”
“It’s just as hot there, if not worse.”
“At least they have air conditioning,” Jude points out as she rubs the back of her neck with cool, wet hands, not at all caring that the hem of her dress is soaking up water and mud. “What do you say? You could simply glamour some leaves into money and we can stay at a hotel and blast the air conditioner while ordering room service.”
She splashes water on her arms, up to the elbows and Cardan finally joins her, kneeling with far more grace than one has any right to when kneeling on a muddy riverbank. Jude has half a mind to shove Cardan into the water for no other reason than just that, but instead watches as he brings water to his face and runs his wet hands through his hair. He catches her eye, of course he does, and smirks at her.
That’s it, Jude thinks and, with a smile more innocent than she should ever wear being Cardan’s only warning, she shoves him and sends him toppling into the water face first.
When Cardan emerges from the water he’s sputtering, his tail switching back and forth and there’s some moss stuck to the tip of it. “And here I was just about to agree to your plan to go to the mortal realm with you for a few days.”
“We can still go,” Jude snorts with laughter, “the really nice hotels have huge bathtubs you can clean up in.”
“We can still go, yes,” Cardan says as he looks her over and it’s the lilt of his voice that gives him away, but Jude isn’t fast enough and Cardan grabs her by the hand and pulls her into the water with a laugh of his own, “if you join me, that is.”