The Autumn Mage

Chapter 9

     "No, I am not taking the bed," Aki insisted. He was still on edge from the fight several hours before. They had eaten dinner in silence and had managed some polite small talk, but now that it was time to turn in another small disagreement was starting. The room Minda had checked out had one bed that could accommodate two people and a small faded blue checkered chair, much smaller and less comfortable than the last one Aki slept in.

     "I insist; you are my guest tonight," Minda said matter-of-factly, a confident grin spreading. She was wearing the same sleep outfit she had shocked him with the first night, but he did not mind; in fact, he allowed his eyes to dart to parts of her that he wished he had not, a mixture of confusion and guilt entering his mind each time they settled on her shorts or her chest.

     "No!" he exclaimed, less annoyed and more sheepish. "It's bad enough that you're paying for the room. You take the bed, and I'll take the seat. End of discussion." He sunk into it, the worn seat sinking under his weight and putting pressure on his legs behind his knees raising them slightly. His heels came off the ground and he shifted his body trying to will it into comfort. His back began to sweat, the material of the chair refusing to breathe.

      "It is not large enough," Minda said, growing annoyed at his stubbornness. "There is plenty of room for us both. Now get up and come on."

      "I will be just fine," Aki said, a knot forming above his tailbone. His arms began to lose feeling as they were draped up and over the hard armrest.

     "Fine, but do not say that I did not offer," she said turning her nose up. She softly blew out the wall sconce and slid silently under the covers lying on her side facing away from Aki. The room was silent as Aki laid still, the blood rushing away from his shoulders. He slouched further down but this forced his chin into his chest. He got up and draped his body across the armrests, his head resting on the floor making him dizzy. He tried taking a normal seated position but he could not fall asleep this way, especially with the growing pressure forming in his hips from the lack of support. He finally tried curling up in front of the chair like a dog and sighed heavily. "Will you stop being an idiot and just come over?" Minda snapped. She still faced the wall but had heard every movement.

     "I see those pointy ears work just fine," Aki grumbled as he climbed into the bed. She rolled over and lightly pounded his bare chest with her fist. "Ow!"

      "Do not tease me about my ears!" she insisted, thanking the darkness for concealing her angrily blushed face.

     "Ouch, I'm sorry!" he insisted as he rubbed the sore pink skin. She let out a frustrated sigh.

      "It is alright. I was just bullied about it quite a bit when I was younger," she said softly. Aki felt another twinge of guilt.

     "I'm sorry; I didn't know. Why were you bullied?"

     "You really can't tell?" she scoffed.

      "If I could would I be asking?" he said curiously.

     "I am part Elf, compliments of my grandfather on my mother's side," she explained exasperated.

     "Oh, sweet," Aki replied, unsure of what to say.

     "No, not 'sweet'; Elves belong in the woods, not a palace. That is why they are rarely seen in cities, save for servant positions."

     "I'm sorry, I don't think I follow," Aki said sadly. He was struggling to get to her point and she sighed again and turned onto her back, unable to face him as she spoke.