I Got You!

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 27th October 2005

Characters: Daigoro, Cinale
Description: Daigoro helps Cinale on cold winter night, and something a little unexpected happens...
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 8, day 21 of Turn 3

Cinale

It was _so cold_ this evening! Cinale wished the cotholders down the lane had given her the message earlier that they wanted dinner, for she had sent all her kitchen girls away for the night, and now _she_ had to go trudging through the ice and snow bearing heavy trays. Normally, Cinale wouldn't have minded. She loved to go walking outdoors. But it was _so cold_...and she was just too nice to say no. Shrugging into her heavy jacket, she reached around for her winter hat and gloves, unaware of the man who was standing at the doorway to her quarters.

"Are you going somewhere at this time of night Cinale?" the brewer who filled her door asked.

She started, one hand flying to her chest as she whirled around to stare at him. "Oh shards, Daigoro - you _scared_ me!"

"Did I?" He asked as he took a couple steps into the room. "I didn't mean to. I was going to just ask if I could borrow a towel since none have come back from the laundry yet. But it looks like you are on your way out."

She smiled at him. "I have a couple extra towels if you want them, hon.
And yes, I'm on my way out." She gave a sigh. "None of my kitchen girls are around to run this errand for me, so I have to do it myself."

"You're not going out there _alone_ are you?"

"Mmm.... No?" She smiled at him guiltily.

"You're right, you're not, because I'm going with you." The Hallsecond turned around and walked across the hall to his room to get his heavy winter jacket.

Her guilty smile softened into a genuine one as she looked after him. Grabbing her hat and gloves off the shelf, she went out to the kitchen and surveyed the platters, making sure she had everything.

Daigoro in pulling his gloves over his great paw-like hands. "All right now, beauty, what can I carry for you?"

"Mmm...could you carry this?" she asked, gesturing to one of the trays. The heavier one. She looked at him. "And where's your hat, hmm?"

"I don't like wearing hats. They make my hair look all funny when I take them off." He picked up the tray easily, hooking the basket beside it around his arm for good measure.

"Oh, hon... It's so cold out there. Will you just wear it? It makes me cold just _thinking_ about your uncovered ears!"

"I don't know if I even have one anymore," Daigoro answered honestly.

"Here...hold on..." When Cinale reappeared, she had a fur-lined hat in her hands. She came closer and smiled at him. "Wear this. It'll keep your ears warm and toasty." Because his hands were so full, she rose on tiptoe and pulled the soft hat snugly around his head for him.

"All right, if it will make you feel better," he said with a grimace, but his eyes were soft and amused.

"It'll make me feel much better," she replied as she adjusted it a bit more. "There." She pulled back a little to look at him.

"So, how do I look?" **Probably as silly as I think I look...**

"You look like you won't freeze!" Cinale patted his arm gently and met his eyes, holding them for a moment.

Finally Daigoro cleared his throat. "Well, let's hurry up and go before anyone sees me in this ridiculous thing."

She laughed as she grabbed the other tray. "All right, all right. We're going. And there's still enough light out there for us to actually _see_ where we're going."

"Great." **That means enough light to be seen...** "All right, beauty, lead the way."

The blast of frosty air that hit them as they went out the door made Cinale's teeth chatter. "I think you and I are going to need a nice, _hot_ mug of klah when we get back..."

"Mmmm," Daigoro agreed. "And some cookies for dunking."

"I think I have a few left over from this morning..." Which was definitely a good thing, for when she got back, she was _not_ going to be on her feet for very long. "Are you needing sweets to forget the trials of a day's work?"

"Cinale, you should know by now that I don't need an excuse to need your cookies," the Hallsecond laughed.

She grinned as she picked her way around the icey spots in the path. "You're right. Shame on me for forgetting!" She glanced up, her eyes wandering over the mounds of fresh snow, and a secretive smile curved her lips. She was going to have a little fun on the way back to the Hall.

Daigoro smiled to himself as well, but no such plots or schemes filled his mind. He was more interested in watching the lady than the scenery.
The lights reflecting off the slow lit her up with beautiful glow.
Warm klah, good cookies, and Cinale. This night got better and better, for the Hallsecond was beginning to realize more and more just how the cook could brighten his day like no other.

They crunched through the snow in companionable silence for a while, each lost in their own musings. The cothold wasn't too much further down the lane, and Cinale was _glad_. As they rounded the slight bend, another blast of cold air hit them, blowing her scarf up in her face. Shaking her head, she looked at him. "See? Aren't you glad you wore a hat?"

Daigoro had to admit, his ears felt surprisingly warm. "All right, yes, the hat helps a bit. But when I take it off you will see what I mean about my hair."

Her eyes glinted up into his when they finally paused before their destination. "And I promise to try to not laugh at you."

"Just remember, no matter how bad it looks, it's your fault." He gave her a wink before shifting the tray to one arm and knocked on the door, happily relieving them both of their burden.

~~

"Hold on, hon... I need to fix my boot." Cinale dropped back behind him, knelt down, packed a ball of snow tightly in her hands, and then threw it at his back.

"What the..." he whirled around and the woman, grinning from ear to ear.
"_You_ did that? _You_? Oh, you're gonna get it!" Daigoro bent down and gathered a mound of snow between his large hands and started for her.

Her eyes widened as she slowly began to move back. "You wouldn't _dare_," she grinned.

"Oh, you thought you could get away with it, did you?" his eyes danced with mischief as he slowly walked towards her.

"Well, why not?" she laughed, still backing up. Backing _way_ up. Then she turned and bolted off to one side.

Daigoro was right behind her, his longer legs easily closing the distance between them. He cried in triumph as deposited the mound of snow right on the cook's head.

Yelping as the icy water leaked through her hat right onto her head, she twisted around to grab him just as his arms twined around her.

The much larger man could easily take the impact of Cinale's charge, but as he moved his foot to steel himself against it, he felt his legs slip out from under him on a patch of ice. Gracelessly, he fell straight back onto the cold fronzen ground, the cook on top of him laughing.

"I got you!" she grinned, looking down at the poor Hallsecond. "I _got_
you!"

"Ow..."

"Oh come on, hon. If you're trying to get sympathy, surely you can do better than _that_!"

"Ow," he groaned through clenched teeth.

"Oh, _hon_, come on now..." Cinale propped herself up on her forearms, shifting her weight off of his stomach.

Daigoro tried to sit up a bit but quickly lay back down.
"_Oooooooowww_..."

The grin slid from her lips and her eyes widened in worry. "Daigoro? Are you all right?" Obviously he wasn't! "Did you twist something?" She put a gentle hand under his head, her expression anxious.

Any other time the brewer would have been quite pleased to have such tender attention from Cinale, but at this moment all he could say was, "Something's wrong, down there," and point to wards his waist.

Her eyes followed the direction of his finger. "Umm... Where down there, hon?"

"On my... Well," he blushed slightly. "On my... on my arse."

"Oh..." Her cheeks pinked from more than just the nippy air. "I'm sorry, Daigoro... Mmm...do you need to just lay here for a while?" She shifted so that her leg could pillow his head instead of her hand. Or can you...can you move?"

"Let me just lie here a moment. Maybe the cold will numb it."

Cinale winced. "I'm sorry, hon. I didn't mean to fall on you so hard..."

"No no, it wasn't you. I slipped on the ice is all." At least his manly pride couldn't be bruised on _that_ score. She did not succeed in taking him down. He could do that all by himself apprently!

"Next time, when we decide to make war with the snowballs, we should do it in the powdery snow..."

"I have to agree whole-heartedly. Now be a beauty and help me to my feet. I think I best find that healer of ours..."

Last updated on the October 27th 2005

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I Got You!