Kate and Sean

Untitled Part 8

Sean spent the day helping Ken with some extra work he had picked up. After several hours, the Joutone woman paid Ken with a satchel of food and an old wolf pelt she was going to throw out anyway. Sean bartered from the satchel for a piece of jerky and a biscuit. Ken took a baggy of gum from his pocket and popped a piece in his mouth before throwing the rest into the nifty satchel the woman had just given him. Sean's mouth dropped open, "Dude, where did you get that?"

 "I had it since Jersey. Smokey has some too." Sean scoffed, "Not anymore, he traded it to the captain for a zippo on the boat. Can I get some of that? I wanna torture Kate with it."

Sean went to grab it from Ken's pocket Ken whipped it out and held it up high were Sean couldn't reach, scolding, "No way, dude! We ain't never seeing gum again. This gonna last me."

Sean turned to storm off and tossed over his shoulder, "Fine, I'll help someone else tomorrow."

Ken hemmed and hawed for a few seconds, thinking how hard the work was. Everything around here was manual labor. No electricity, no modern conveniences. The work was too hard to do on their own. He jogged to catch up, "Fine, take it. But you work two days with me, and don't forget who hooked you up." He shoved the baggie into Sean's hand then took off to find the sheepherder's house so he could finish his chores there.

Sean shoved the baggie into his pouch and took off towards the square. He sat on the steps to the gazebo hoping one of his ship mates would need help with their work and find him. He was there for about an hour when the queen passed by with Kate and a human girl. He was hoping to hold out on the gum till bedtime but his girlfriend looked so cute in the dress she was wearing he couldn't help but want to tease her. He stood up as she passed, "Where ya goin?"

Kate stopped short and scolded him, "None of your business. Ain't you got chores to do?" He smiled smugly, "I'm done. Wanna see what I got?" He grabbed his pocket to prove something was in it.

She crinkled her nose and turned to follow the queen, tossing her head in the air as she did so, "Nope, you got nothing I want."

"You sure about that?" He called after her and as she turned to retort he opened the wrapper and waived the pink wad around, to show it off.

To his delight, her mouth dropped open and she took off after him, "I want it, Sean! You better give it to me!" She chased him around the fountain and then the bon fire pit. Then he went back up the steps towards the gazebo hoping to ditch her on the patio that split off halfway up. She tripped him by the third step up and pinned him to the staircase, his corny laugh didn't even draw pause from her this time as she swooped in for a kiss.

Her lips were so much sweeter than the gum, and he reached for her cheek to savor it a little longer when she ripped away from him and trotted off blowing a bubble back over her shoulder to prove she had stolen the gum from his mouth.

Jocelyn's face lit up with amazement on seeing the big pink bubble, "Awe, wow. How did she do that, mother?" The queen snapped her jaw shut and replied, "I am not really sure."

Sean had seen the face the little girl made when she watched Kate blow the bubble. Like she had never seen gum before. He stood up and crossed the square, pulling out the baggie of gum as he did. He knelt in front of her as Genevieve watched, and opened one of the gum balls to give to the girl. Then he tossed one piece in his mouth. "Look, you chew it till it is soft, then you blow." He demonstrated with a big bubble that Jocelyn popped with her finger.

Again, her face lit up, "Wow!" She stuffed the piece he had just given her into her mouth and then took off after Kate.  Genevieve ran her claws through Sean's hair, giving his scalp a gentle scratch before taking his chin.