A Few Lines More (a Farsight x Stonemover 450 Word Fanfiction)

A Few Lines More

It wasn't until the candle burned low and his eyes were raw from smoke that Farsight sought him out.

"Still writing?" Her voice was soft, some distance away at the threshold of the scriptorium, but it startled him out of his stupor anyway. Stonemover's pen jerked. Fortunately, it hadn't held enough ink to splatter his copy of the manuscript.

He blinked, and then looked at the paper below him, as if he had just seen it for the first time in his life. It took a cough and a moment to find his voice.

"I suppose," he said, making note of where a sentence abruptly ended. "Only a few more lines to go." Only a few lines more, Stonemover thought to himself. And a few too many. There were pressing concerns now, like the Farsight's presence, lingering just outside the room. 

"I'll be finished shortly," he said, unsure of whether he was addressing the paper, himself, or the dragon by the door. "Stay with me? There's more light here."

There was nobody else there either, only him. And soon after, Farsight, her wing almost brushing against his, despite the ample space within the scriptorium. And she was reading what came beneath his pen, he realized. Possibly noting his pencraft as well.

"It's only a story," he mumbled at last. It wasn't very good company to leave Farsight in the quiet, and he liked spending time with her. "One of the shortest."

Easier for a scribe who was inclined to blot his ink and have his pen slip at inopportune times. Yet, Farsight didn't seem to notice that, or the unsightly blotch he had just moved to cover.

"Is it Tales of the NightWings?" she asked. "It's a good story."

"Mmph," Stonemover managed in return. He had told her about that some time ago, but it was nice that she remembered all the same. Not many would be interested in such a small project. There were only three words left now, but before he finished, he had just one thing to do, his pen coming to a halt.

"Farsight," he said, thinking of how pleasant it was to be with her, "would you—"

He paused, and coughed. "I suppose, uh. Erm."

Stonemover set the pen down this time, and looked at Farsight, the tips of his ears burning.

"Would you like to go out for a walk with me? Once I'm finished?"

There was another pause, a lull as he waited for her reply. Perhaps it was already too late in the day, he realized a beat too late. Or perhaps she already had someone else waiting for her.

Farsight laid a talon on his arm.

"Dear," she said. "Of course I would."

To Be Continued.

***

A/N: Well, here's the prequel sequel to "A Small Conversation"! In truth, the title very much matched my mood when I first started writing this just before I was to go to bed. "A few lines more" indeed, given that it's now 1:30 am and I swore to myself that I'd have a functional sleep schedule over the summer.