percivalthegale (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
percivalthegale) wrote2009-05-10 11:04 pm
percivalthegale) wrote2009-05-10 11:04 pm
Prose log with Euram
Who: Percival and Euram (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
falenas_fop)
When: this weekend, afternoonish
Where: outside the cafe
What: a follow-up encounter, regarding their chance meeting and newfound truce/friendship that developed over May Day.
After deliberation, the nice weather and an unusually long good mood, Euram had decided to move his writing tools to the tables at the café. He had left castle Budehuc earlier due to the increasingly depressing thoughts he had been enduring because of it. He had hoped that enough time away would put everything right again, and his wish had come true better than he had anticipated. Even though he had only made it to Iksay and not Vinay as he had intended, it had refreshed his mood far better than the city could have. The majority of this new lease on life had it’s base in one unexpected woman, Percival’s mother, who he was currently addressing a letter to.
Having to ride right back to Iksay, and return with a vet, in a short space of time had tired out Percival enough that he was having a hard time catching up on sleep. He had fallen back into his routine upon his final return, but instead of relaxing in his free time, was spending most of it in the stable helping Kathy apply poultices and walk the injured filly so she wouldn't go down. This afternoon, he was headed to the cafe to pick up something for Kathy, who wouldn't take time out to cook for herself while she had work to do.
Euram pursed his lips as he realized he was not entirely certain how to address the letter. How terrible! How was he supposed to keep up a correspondence if he did not even know how to start it? He knew that Percival had a last name, but he recalled that he had not always and therefore he did not know if his mother possessed it. It was horribly troubling dilemma. Fortunately for him, he looked up to tap the end of his quill against his cheek just as Percival walked past. Perfect! He would have the answer to this quandary!
“Ah Sir Percival!” Euram called after him waving a frilly arm to get his attention. “What perfect timing!”
The call arrested Percival's attention before he could get up to the counter. "Oh...Sir Euram." He changed direction and came over. "Is something the matter? What can I do for you, today?"
“Yes, actually you can!” Euram stated quite loudly in his excitement. “You name…Fraulein…it was gifted to you correct?”
Percival gave him a perplexed look. "Yes, it was bestowed to me upon knighthood. Why?"
“Ah, excellent!” Euram said, not hearing Percival’s question after his own had been answered. He sat back down and prepared to write with a flourish. “So it would be improper to address her as such!”
"Improper...Sir Euram, are you writing to my mother?" Percival asked, even more boggled by the idea. After a moment, though, he calmed down. "Well, I suppose she would be pleased to receive a thank-you note or something..."
Euram had already almost forgotten that Percival was present as his attention was back to his letter. “Huh?” he said snapping out of it again and then regaining himself. “Oh yes, of course! I would be terribly rude to not do so after all! And she did seem to enthralled by the possibility…” he broke off suddenly looking quite worried. “She is able to read is she not?” The question may have been as insulting as it sounded if it wasn’t tempered by his childishly wide eyes.
Percival gave him a droll glare in response. "Yes, she can read. I write to her often myself. Honestly, Euram, just because Iksay is a farming town doesn't mean its people are all rubes. My parents taught me my letters before I ever made it to the city."
“Oh wonderful!” Euram interrupted once again not listening after he’d received his answer. “It is so troubling being about all of these people with uncertain education,” he said with a light laugh as he started to compose his greeting.
All Percival could do was sigh and roll his eyes. "For the love of the Goddess, Sir Euram. What did I tell you about saying those kinds of things out loud? Budehuc society is not much different from Iksay."
“Hmm?” Euram said looking up again and letting the words sink in. He hadn’t even realized he’d said something wrong, so naturally his first reaction was to deny it. “I..I was merely addressing a true concern! I mea…it would be the epitome of rudeness to write a letter in goodwill to a recipient who would be unable to enjoy it! Why they might take it as an insult! Would you prefer I was to…unintentionally of course…insult your mother?! Fy! How terrible her life would be with a son like that!”
Percival just stood there and stared at him a moment. That train of thought was hard to follow in the first place. He decided to turn and make as though to leave. "Yes. Well. Fortunately for the both of us, I doubt my mother would be insulted by having a letter written to her. Unless it were to somehow cast dispersions on her son, I don't think she would take well to reading that sort of thing."
“I would do no such thing!” Euram all but shouted back sounding QUITE offended. “Why to put a lady through ANY distress would be the most unspeakable of atrocities! Oh that you would even THINK such a thing is only more proof that you received your standing late in life.” He ended his tirade with a childish pout. “After all that is not even remotely the type of information she asked me to relay about you.”
Just when Percival was about to get irate himself, and fire back, pretty much eliminating the comfortable truce they had going, the last bit made him stop and merely stare. "...my mother asked you to what?"
Euram smirked feeling quite smug at the reaction he had gotten. “Why your dear mother is so concerned about you so far away from her!” he said, with a melodramatic air. “Surely you must know where her true motivations lay. Oh she did so wish you would share it with her yourself. How terrible that she must rely on others to delve into the mystery of her son’s heart as he will not bare it to her himself.”
Percival gaped at him. "My heart...? Wh-what? What did you tell her?" He instantly slid himself into the chair adjacent to Euram, leaning in. "I told her nothing about 'my heart' because there is nothing to tell!" he hissed.
“Oh my! With such a reaction no wonder she knows you have been misleading her!” Euram said, loving every minute of being in a position of power again. And like his mood it was another gift of his new mother-replacement who had doted on him the whole of his trip to Iksay.
"Euram." Percival couldn't help the growl that came into his voice. "I have not been misleading my mother. As such, I don't know what you've told her, since you hardly know anything of my personal life."
“I?” Euram said with mock surprise and a hand flared to point at his chest. “My my, so quick to pin blame.” He sighed dramatically before the smirk reappeared on his face. “I told your mother nothing! Not for lack of trying however. So many of her questions as we talked were of you, you know, and of course I had not the knowledge to sate her curiosity.” He sighed again and flipped his hand dismissively. “Though I am surprised you would not have told her anything of that young horse woman. Miss…Kathy is it? The one with the enchanting harmonica.”
Percival's head fell into his hand, hiding his eyes. "Kathy and I are just friends," he insisted. "I have said as much to my mother - what, doesn't she believe me?" He could hardly fathom Euram and his own mother gossipping behind his back...the idea was horrifying in its own way.
Euram had spent quite the happy time gossiping away with Percival’s mother. She had been in awe of his status and mannerisms, which had allowed them to get along just famously! Add in being able to spread dirt about those at the castle and it became the time of Euram’s life. With the May festival on, there had been many opportunities for Greta to speculate on the woman her son had been talking to with her new noble friend. “Oh must you continue to lie even now? You do realize that you can confess easily now without whatever fear has caused you to not do so to your mother. Why you need not even say so yourself! I can compose the words for you!”
"No no no!" Percival sat up sharply and waved his hands. "That's quite all right. I am telling you the truth, I swear by the Goddess - Kathy and I are only friends, nothing more. Please, do not encourage my mother on that subject, I don't want to get her hopes up only to dash them later." He sighed heavily. "If you must correspond with her, try to stick to other subjects."
“You think I have nothing else to say to her other than idle gossip on a topic I find entirely disinteresting?” Euram asked, sitting straighter in his seat to look both put out and haughty. “If it were not the for the extraordinary pressure she put upon me I would continue to care not at all. If you cared for your mother you would think you would want to bring her joyous news she so clearly desires to hear.”
This time, Percival's head came to rest in both hands, which began to claw through his hair in frustration. "I knew she would start this again, as soon as she spotted Kathy and I talking at the festival. If you really are disinterested in my love life...which I hope to the Goddess you are," he said wearily, "then you don't have to entertain her speculations. By all means, discuss the weather. The flowers. Anything."
Euram pouted at the lack of response he was receiving. He liked getting other people worked up while he remained calm, it wasn’t fair when they stopped being entertaining. “It is not as though I have anything to say on the matter as disinterested as I am…which is quite a bit! After all had she not made such a point to ensure I saw your wooing at the festival I would not have noticed. I was quite busy with my own matters after all.”
Percival lifted his head slightly. "Yes, I noticed. My mother wasn't the only one who was taken by your charms. If you don't mind me saying, I was somewhat surprised that you found so much to like about a little farming village, and its residents."
Euram preened at the compliment, a wave of self-satisfaction passing through him. “Ah I was quite surprised myself,” he said a wistful tone and princely sigh. “To think such refinement could be hidden amongst the dust. Why with some proper grooming and other lessons their status might be indistinguishable from the merchant class.”
That made Percival chuckle under his breath. "Honestly, you sound just like Gordon. Who knows? Perhaps some of his influence rubbed off on the townsfolk before he left...or perhaps that's why they were so enamored of a nobleman from a foreign land."
“Who?” Euram asked not sure if he trusted it or not. “Who am I being compared to…such a plebian sounding name.”
The knight chuckled again, sitting back in the chair. "Gordon was the self-styled epitome of gentlemanly behavior. He used to run the shop in Iksay, and came here at Thomas' request. I don't know when or why he moved to Iksay, he wasn't anyone I knew personally, but I got more than an earful about his gentleman's aesthetic here during the war."
“Hmm,” Euram said thoughtfully at the information. Perhaps if the person arrived he would join the newly forming cultured society at Budehuc. “Surprising…and leads even more credence to my musings…hmm.”
Percival shook his head slowly. "Something tells me that if he ever returned to Budehuc, you would get along with him famously. No matter. We take what we can get, really."
Euram shrugged nonchalantly, not really caring one way or another Percival’s opinion on the matter; at least not when the letter was more engrossing. “Yes yes quite,” he said as though he was paying attention.
Breathing a quiet sigh, Percival pushed himself out of the chair. "Then, if that's all you needed from me, I'll be on my way. My duty today is making sure Kathy doesn't exhaust herself."
Euram paused mid-word in his writing looking up. “Ah, so you are seeing the young lady today then!” he said as though he had unearthed a great secret. He focused again on his letter, scribbling furiously now with a grin on his face.
"Oh...no, no! Don't put that down..." Percival was not above begging at this point. "I'm helping her look after the horses that were injured by the fire! It's rather ghastly and unpleasant, not anything to be writing home about - literally."
“Oh is that so?” Euram asked not looking up from his writing, but only adding more to the curly scrawl.
Percival set his hands on his hips sternly. "Don't make me drag you down to the stables to see for yourself. Though Kathy is liable to bite your head off."
“Why would I wish to go to the stables?” Euram asked, looking up in mixture of surprise and disgust. “I am quite satisfied where I am.”
"You aren't listening to anything I say," Percival realized.
“Yes, quite,” Euram replied, with a practiced nod he used to give the illusion of interest. If Percival wanted him to listen he shouldn’t have spoken when Euram was only half-way through writing a very complex sentence.
Percival huffed audibly and turned away again. "Fine. Then I will leave you to your gossip, and later tonight I will write my own letter home to my mother refuting anything you tell her."
“I will inform her to expect it in mine!” Euram called after him as he paused to dip his quill in more ink.
Percival screeched to a halt and turned back - again. "We are not getting into a battle of who can tell my mother what," he said sternly.
“Hmm?” Euram asked a bit perplexed. “Now now, just because the level of truth I am purveying to your mother is upsetting is no reason to be so uppity.”
"Let me see that." Percival stormed back over and tried to snatch the paper from under Euram's pen.
“Hey!” Euram said scrambling to protect the paper. “It is unacceptable to read other’s mail!”
"I won't have you telling my mother things that would upset her!" Percival stopped short of wrestling for the letter, but he did loom ominously over Euram. "I don't begrudge you the correspondence but do not perpetuate any false ideas about me and Kathy!"
Euram laid flat against the table hiding the letter with his upper body, and shrinking down from the glare. “D..Do not presume to know what I have written! As I said there are a great many other things I might have dinned to share. So…go away!”
After a moment of standing like that, Percival realized how ridiculous it was and backed off, sighing. "Fine. Just remember, if the reports about Kathy and I come to nothing, she may just shoot the messenger, so to speak. We wouldn't want that, would we?"
“Huh?” Euram asked looking up fearfully. “Su...Surely she wouldn’t, I mean…” The thought that his new surrogate maternal figure would turn on him was enough of a threat to bring a complete about face.
The knight heaved another sigh. "No, she wouldn't," he admitted, unable to keep up the bluff so easily when the subject was his family. "But I'd really rather not discuss it. I don't know what besides my honest word will get across that there is nothing going on there, but..."
“Well then why would you say such a thing?!” Euram demanded incensed. He may have enjoyed his mother’s company but Percival still grated on his nerves. “Hmpf, begging for your words to be taken at value after admitting to a bold faced lie…How truly silly.”
"What?" Percival rounded on him again. "I admitted no lies! What are you talking about?"
“Another one!” Euram said pointing excitedly. “You admitted that you lied about your mother’s reaction and then lied about that admittance! Ha!”
"Oh for the love of..." Pervical tilted his head back with the force of rolling his eyes. "I was joking with you, Euram. You do understand a joke, don't you?"
“Wel...eh...” Euram scrunched his face in a put out pout and sat as straight as he could as though he didn’t care. “Your jokes leave a great deal to be desired if they are not even obvious when they occur.”
"Fair enough." Percival wagged a finger at him in mild warning. "Can we at least agree that encouraging my mother in her fairy-tale ideas of the knight bringing home a bride could backfire on both of us? You wouldn't want to be the bearer of bad news even if the fault was entirely mine..."
For one whose mind was full of little but fairy-tales, Euram couldn’t see the problem Percival was bringing up. “That is easily rectified. Another shall bear that news.”
At that, Percival finally laughed. "Now that's an idea. We'll send someone else, like...hm. Lord Salome?"
“Agreed!” Euram said, not entirely aware they were joking.
Percival shook his head wryly. "Very well. I'll leave you to your correspondence. Heaven knows my mother could use someone besides the old biddies around town to chat with." He was still trying to adjust to the idea that his mother had taken such a shine to Euram, but he was willing to let it slide since there couldn't be any guile behind Barows' ingratiating charm. She was just a farm widow from Iksay, what could he gain by getting her on his side?
“Adieu,” Euram called out, returning to his letter. “Perhaps I shall bring the finished draft to you so you can see it brought to it’s destination…if you can be entrusted to ensure it does that is.”
Percival only gave him a slight eye-roll that time as he turned to go order some food for himself and Kathy. "Delivering mail isn't my job, but...perhaps I will look it over. If you wish. Until then, Sir Euram..." He continued on his way with a little wave over his shoulder.
falenas_fop)When: this weekend, afternoonish
Where: outside the cafe
What: a follow-up encounter, regarding their chance meeting and newfound truce/friendship that developed over May Day.
After deliberation, the nice weather and an unusually long good mood, Euram had decided to move his writing tools to the tables at the café. He had left castle Budehuc earlier due to the increasingly depressing thoughts he had been enduring because of it. He had hoped that enough time away would put everything right again, and his wish had come true better than he had anticipated. Even though he had only made it to Iksay and not Vinay as he had intended, it had refreshed his mood far better than the city could have. The majority of this new lease on life had it’s base in one unexpected woman, Percival’s mother, who he was currently addressing a letter to.
Having to ride right back to Iksay, and return with a vet, in a short space of time had tired out Percival enough that he was having a hard time catching up on sleep. He had fallen back into his routine upon his final return, but instead of relaxing in his free time, was spending most of it in the stable helping Kathy apply poultices and walk the injured filly so she wouldn't go down. This afternoon, he was headed to the cafe to pick up something for Kathy, who wouldn't take time out to cook for herself while she had work to do.
Euram pursed his lips as he realized he was not entirely certain how to address the letter. How terrible! How was he supposed to keep up a correspondence if he did not even know how to start it? He knew that Percival had a last name, but he recalled that he had not always and therefore he did not know if his mother possessed it. It was horribly troubling dilemma. Fortunately for him, he looked up to tap the end of his quill against his cheek just as Percival walked past. Perfect! He would have the answer to this quandary!
“Ah Sir Percival!” Euram called after him waving a frilly arm to get his attention. “What perfect timing!”
The call arrested Percival's attention before he could get up to the counter. "Oh...Sir Euram." He changed direction and came over. "Is something the matter? What can I do for you, today?"
“Yes, actually you can!” Euram stated quite loudly in his excitement. “You name…Fraulein…it was gifted to you correct?”
Percival gave him a perplexed look. "Yes, it was bestowed to me upon knighthood. Why?"
“Ah, excellent!” Euram said, not hearing Percival’s question after his own had been answered. He sat back down and prepared to write with a flourish. “So it would be improper to address her as such!”
"Improper...Sir Euram, are you writing to my mother?" Percival asked, even more boggled by the idea. After a moment, though, he calmed down. "Well, I suppose she would be pleased to receive a thank-you note or something..."
Euram had already almost forgotten that Percival was present as his attention was back to his letter. “Huh?” he said snapping out of it again and then regaining himself. “Oh yes, of course! I would be terribly rude to not do so after all! And she did seem to enthralled by the possibility…” he broke off suddenly looking quite worried. “She is able to read is she not?” The question may have been as insulting as it sounded if it wasn’t tempered by his childishly wide eyes.
Percival gave him a droll glare in response. "Yes, she can read. I write to her often myself. Honestly, Euram, just because Iksay is a farming town doesn't mean its people are all rubes. My parents taught me my letters before I ever made it to the city."
“Oh wonderful!” Euram interrupted once again not listening after he’d received his answer. “It is so troubling being about all of these people with uncertain education,” he said with a light laugh as he started to compose his greeting.
All Percival could do was sigh and roll his eyes. "For the love of the Goddess, Sir Euram. What did I tell you about saying those kinds of things out loud? Budehuc society is not much different from Iksay."
“Hmm?” Euram said looking up again and letting the words sink in. He hadn’t even realized he’d said something wrong, so naturally his first reaction was to deny it. “I..I was merely addressing a true concern! I mea…it would be the epitome of rudeness to write a letter in goodwill to a recipient who would be unable to enjoy it! Why they might take it as an insult! Would you prefer I was to…unintentionally of course…insult your mother?! Fy! How terrible her life would be with a son like that!”
Percival just stood there and stared at him a moment. That train of thought was hard to follow in the first place. He decided to turn and make as though to leave. "Yes. Well. Fortunately for the both of us, I doubt my mother would be insulted by having a letter written to her. Unless it were to somehow cast dispersions on her son, I don't think she would take well to reading that sort of thing."
“I would do no such thing!” Euram all but shouted back sounding QUITE offended. “Why to put a lady through ANY distress would be the most unspeakable of atrocities! Oh that you would even THINK such a thing is only more proof that you received your standing late in life.” He ended his tirade with a childish pout. “After all that is not even remotely the type of information she asked me to relay about you.”
Just when Percival was about to get irate himself, and fire back, pretty much eliminating the comfortable truce they had going, the last bit made him stop and merely stare. "...my mother asked you to what?"
Euram smirked feeling quite smug at the reaction he had gotten. “Why your dear mother is so concerned about you so far away from her!” he said, with a melodramatic air. “Surely you must know where her true motivations lay. Oh she did so wish you would share it with her yourself. How terrible that she must rely on others to delve into the mystery of her son’s heart as he will not bare it to her himself.”
Percival gaped at him. "My heart...? Wh-what? What did you tell her?" He instantly slid himself into the chair adjacent to Euram, leaning in. "I told her nothing about 'my heart' because there is nothing to tell!" he hissed.
“Oh my! With such a reaction no wonder she knows you have been misleading her!” Euram said, loving every minute of being in a position of power again. And like his mood it was another gift of his new mother-replacement who had doted on him the whole of his trip to Iksay.
"Euram." Percival couldn't help the growl that came into his voice. "I have not been misleading my mother. As such, I don't know what you've told her, since you hardly know anything of my personal life."
“I?” Euram said with mock surprise and a hand flared to point at his chest. “My my, so quick to pin blame.” He sighed dramatically before the smirk reappeared on his face. “I told your mother nothing! Not for lack of trying however. So many of her questions as we talked were of you, you know, and of course I had not the knowledge to sate her curiosity.” He sighed again and flipped his hand dismissively. “Though I am surprised you would not have told her anything of that young horse woman. Miss…Kathy is it? The one with the enchanting harmonica.”
Percival's head fell into his hand, hiding his eyes. "Kathy and I are just friends," he insisted. "I have said as much to my mother - what, doesn't she believe me?" He could hardly fathom Euram and his own mother gossipping behind his back...the idea was horrifying in its own way.
Euram had spent quite the happy time gossiping away with Percival’s mother. She had been in awe of his status and mannerisms, which had allowed them to get along just famously! Add in being able to spread dirt about those at the castle and it became the time of Euram’s life. With the May festival on, there had been many opportunities for Greta to speculate on the woman her son had been talking to with her new noble friend. “Oh must you continue to lie even now? You do realize that you can confess easily now without whatever fear has caused you to not do so to your mother. Why you need not even say so yourself! I can compose the words for you!”
"No no no!" Percival sat up sharply and waved his hands. "That's quite all right. I am telling you the truth, I swear by the Goddess - Kathy and I are only friends, nothing more. Please, do not encourage my mother on that subject, I don't want to get her hopes up only to dash them later." He sighed heavily. "If you must correspond with her, try to stick to other subjects."
“You think I have nothing else to say to her other than idle gossip on a topic I find entirely disinteresting?” Euram asked, sitting straighter in his seat to look both put out and haughty. “If it were not the for the extraordinary pressure she put upon me I would continue to care not at all. If you cared for your mother you would think you would want to bring her joyous news she so clearly desires to hear.”
This time, Percival's head came to rest in both hands, which began to claw through his hair in frustration. "I knew she would start this again, as soon as she spotted Kathy and I talking at the festival. If you really are disinterested in my love life...which I hope to the Goddess you are," he said wearily, "then you don't have to entertain her speculations. By all means, discuss the weather. The flowers. Anything."
Euram pouted at the lack of response he was receiving. He liked getting other people worked up while he remained calm, it wasn’t fair when they stopped being entertaining. “It is not as though I have anything to say on the matter as disinterested as I am…which is quite a bit! After all had she not made such a point to ensure I saw your wooing at the festival I would not have noticed. I was quite busy with my own matters after all.”
Percival lifted his head slightly. "Yes, I noticed. My mother wasn't the only one who was taken by your charms. If you don't mind me saying, I was somewhat surprised that you found so much to like about a little farming village, and its residents."
Euram preened at the compliment, a wave of self-satisfaction passing through him. “Ah I was quite surprised myself,” he said a wistful tone and princely sigh. “To think such refinement could be hidden amongst the dust. Why with some proper grooming and other lessons their status might be indistinguishable from the merchant class.”
That made Percival chuckle under his breath. "Honestly, you sound just like Gordon. Who knows? Perhaps some of his influence rubbed off on the townsfolk before he left...or perhaps that's why they were so enamored of a nobleman from a foreign land."
“Who?” Euram asked not sure if he trusted it or not. “Who am I being compared to…such a plebian sounding name.”
The knight chuckled again, sitting back in the chair. "Gordon was the self-styled epitome of gentlemanly behavior. He used to run the shop in Iksay, and came here at Thomas' request. I don't know when or why he moved to Iksay, he wasn't anyone I knew personally, but I got more than an earful about his gentleman's aesthetic here during the war."
“Hmm,” Euram said thoughtfully at the information. Perhaps if the person arrived he would join the newly forming cultured society at Budehuc. “Surprising…and leads even more credence to my musings…hmm.”
Percival shook his head slowly. "Something tells me that if he ever returned to Budehuc, you would get along with him famously. No matter. We take what we can get, really."
Euram shrugged nonchalantly, not really caring one way or another Percival’s opinion on the matter; at least not when the letter was more engrossing. “Yes yes quite,” he said as though he was paying attention.
Breathing a quiet sigh, Percival pushed himself out of the chair. "Then, if that's all you needed from me, I'll be on my way. My duty today is making sure Kathy doesn't exhaust herself."
Euram paused mid-word in his writing looking up. “Ah, so you are seeing the young lady today then!” he said as though he had unearthed a great secret. He focused again on his letter, scribbling furiously now with a grin on his face.
"Oh...no, no! Don't put that down..." Percival was not above begging at this point. "I'm helping her look after the horses that were injured by the fire! It's rather ghastly and unpleasant, not anything to be writing home about - literally."
“Oh is that so?” Euram asked not looking up from his writing, but only adding more to the curly scrawl.
Percival set his hands on his hips sternly. "Don't make me drag you down to the stables to see for yourself. Though Kathy is liable to bite your head off."
“Why would I wish to go to the stables?” Euram asked, looking up in mixture of surprise and disgust. “I am quite satisfied where I am.”
"You aren't listening to anything I say," Percival realized.
“Yes, quite,” Euram replied, with a practiced nod he used to give the illusion of interest. If Percival wanted him to listen he shouldn’t have spoken when Euram was only half-way through writing a very complex sentence.
Percival huffed audibly and turned away again. "Fine. Then I will leave you to your gossip, and later tonight I will write my own letter home to my mother refuting anything you tell her."
“I will inform her to expect it in mine!” Euram called after him as he paused to dip his quill in more ink.
Percival screeched to a halt and turned back - again. "We are not getting into a battle of who can tell my mother what," he said sternly.
“Hmm?” Euram asked a bit perplexed. “Now now, just because the level of truth I am purveying to your mother is upsetting is no reason to be so uppity.”
"Let me see that." Percival stormed back over and tried to snatch the paper from under Euram's pen.
“Hey!” Euram said scrambling to protect the paper. “It is unacceptable to read other’s mail!”
"I won't have you telling my mother things that would upset her!" Percival stopped short of wrestling for the letter, but he did loom ominously over Euram. "I don't begrudge you the correspondence but do not perpetuate any false ideas about me and Kathy!"
Euram laid flat against the table hiding the letter with his upper body, and shrinking down from the glare. “D..Do not presume to know what I have written! As I said there are a great many other things I might have dinned to share. So…go away!”
After a moment of standing like that, Percival realized how ridiculous it was and backed off, sighing. "Fine. Just remember, if the reports about Kathy and I come to nothing, she may just shoot the messenger, so to speak. We wouldn't want that, would we?"
“Huh?” Euram asked looking up fearfully. “Su...Surely she wouldn’t, I mean…” The thought that his new surrogate maternal figure would turn on him was enough of a threat to bring a complete about face.
The knight heaved another sigh. "No, she wouldn't," he admitted, unable to keep up the bluff so easily when the subject was his family. "But I'd really rather not discuss it. I don't know what besides my honest word will get across that there is nothing going on there, but..."
“Well then why would you say such a thing?!” Euram demanded incensed. He may have enjoyed his mother’s company but Percival still grated on his nerves. “Hmpf, begging for your words to be taken at value after admitting to a bold faced lie…How truly silly.”
"What?" Percival rounded on him again. "I admitted no lies! What are you talking about?"
“Another one!” Euram said pointing excitedly. “You admitted that you lied about your mother’s reaction and then lied about that admittance! Ha!”
"Oh for the love of..." Pervical tilted his head back with the force of rolling his eyes. "I was joking with you, Euram. You do understand a joke, don't you?"
“Wel...eh...” Euram scrunched his face in a put out pout and sat as straight as he could as though he didn’t care. “Your jokes leave a great deal to be desired if they are not even obvious when they occur.”
"Fair enough." Percival wagged a finger at him in mild warning. "Can we at least agree that encouraging my mother in her fairy-tale ideas of the knight bringing home a bride could backfire on both of us? You wouldn't want to be the bearer of bad news even if the fault was entirely mine..."
For one whose mind was full of little but fairy-tales, Euram couldn’t see the problem Percival was bringing up. “That is easily rectified. Another shall bear that news.”
At that, Percival finally laughed. "Now that's an idea. We'll send someone else, like...hm. Lord Salome?"
“Agreed!” Euram said, not entirely aware they were joking.
Percival shook his head wryly. "Very well. I'll leave you to your correspondence. Heaven knows my mother could use someone besides the old biddies around town to chat with." He was still trying to adjust to the idea that his mother had taken such a shine to Euram, but he was willing to let it slide since there couldn't be any guile behind Barows' ingratiating charm. She was just a farm widow from Iksay, what could he gain by getting her on his side?
“Adieu,” Euram called out, returning to his letter. “Perhaps I shall bring the finished draft to you so you can see it brought to it’s destination…if you can be entrusted to ensure it does that is.”
Percival only gave him a slight eye-roll that time as he turned to go order some food for himself and Kathy. "Delivering mail isn't my job, but...perhaps I will look it over. If you wish. Until then, Sir Euram..." He continued on his way with a little wave over his shoulder.