There are a number of people who could be described as being starved for attention.
“Mom! Mom, where are you? Mo-o-om!”
Simon rubbed up against Kamiki’s ankles, leaving a platinum hair entwined in her silver anklet.
…Kamiki was not one of those people. In fact, if anything, she was satiated with it.
“I’m in my wardrobe, Gavin, and don’t shout at me from another room, come in here to do it. …Wait, scratch that. Don’t shout at me at all.”
Two eyes, one purple and the other red, suddenly appeared, peeking around the edge of the doorframe. Kamiki put a hand on either hip and tilted her head to look at her son with expectation, and Gavin, seeing that he had a firm grasp on his mother’s attention, stepped into complete view. The mischievous boy was grinning; his silver tail curled up around his front, covering his hands- and the suspicious gesture caused Kamiki to narrow her eyes at her only son.
“What are you up to?”
Gavin shrugged and let his tail fall back to hang behind him- and she saw that his hands were indeed empty. She still didn’t put it past him to have something up his sleeve, however. For the most part, Kamiki trusted her son- as he grew older, Gavin was beginning to understand more what his mind games and trickery could do to others emotions, and since he wasn’t a bad child at heart, was beginning to move away from his older reaction-achieving tactics. However, that meant that he was moving towards a completely new realm of impish behavior- the world of practical jokes. His parents admitted that this new suggested healthy growth and a growing understanding of the feelings of others… but it was hard for them to be too objective, since they’d both been prey to his pranks on a number of recent occasions.
“Nothing!” Gavin said, blinking innocently and raising his eyebrows so his eyes would look as large and sweet as possible. It was possibly, Kamiki thought, a case of protesting too much.
“Well then, what is it you want, Gavin? I have to change my clothes, and I only have twenty minutes to get across town.”
“I can wait. Simon and I will be out in the hall.” He motioned to the fox, who didn’t seem to be too pleased about being called away from a soon to be disrobed Kamiki- but trotted over to his young ward’s side, anyway. As soon as they’d closed the door, Kamiki called after them.
“No, go wait on the stairs! Daddy will be home in a few minutes!” She didn’t know if they heard or not, but as soon as the words had cleared her lips, she snapped her fingers to herself. Now that Gavin was older, she was trying to break herself of the habit of referring to Sabin as “Daddy”, if only for the sake of not embarrassing either of them when they were about. She still personally thought of herself and Sabin as “Gavin’s Mommy and Daddy”- but no need to tell either of them that. It was the same sort of mother’s affectation that caused her to remember Gavin as a small-eared, sweet little baby whenever he seemed to be growing up too fast. …A mother’s memory is a protective shield against the ravages of time.
What was more presently occupying her, however, was an attempt to summon her willpower. She didn’t think of her will as being something great, but instead, as a little power that put out a great deal of effort. In fact, more often than not, she thought, it served her more as an anchor than a sail. After a long day of work at the clinic it took a great deal of ‘juicing’ that little power to make it to do anything- even something as seemingly small as getting ready to go out.
“Do I really have to change?” She mused aloud, her eyes darting over the impressive three-tiered rack of skirts that towered before her. It seemed to answer back at her with a stare of fine fabrics and bright hues that it was up to her, but why would she dare consider attending a business meeting in what she was wearing?
“I’ll have you know this is a fine ensemble,” she said, realizing both that she was responding to an imagined slight, and that she didn’t particularly care. It wasn’t uncommon for her to speak to herself in an offhand, casual manner, particularly when she was alone and the sound of her own voice was gentle to her ear.
The rack seemed to have no response for this one, Kamiki thought to herself, and she ran her hands down her hips, feeling the frame of the curves beneath the kimono. It certainly wasn’t a bad outfit, she assured herself, remembering that the beautifully stitched orchid robe with red and cream stitching about the hem and sleeves had once been part of her staple attire. It had been long enough since she’d last worn it, however, that it almost felt new to her- she’d forgotten how well the cream colored obi hugged her waist, and that the knot’s high, folded position between her shoulder blades accentuated her statuesque posture. And it was so comfortable- a sheath of coziness- which had always been a must for any of her favorites. Kamiki, although she possessed the ability to bear pain and to suffer nuisances quietly, had a soft spot for anything that eased her life, and comforted her, whether it be an old worn robe, a perfect chair, or even a sweet, pleasing comfort food. And the kimono, an old favorite, fit the bill.
She’d had an impulse that morning to wear it once she’d spotted her white geta in her shoe revolver, and was reminded of the elegant Japanese attire which she’d once been so attached to. Kamiki owned scads of remarkable things as far as her wardrobe was concerned, but little of it made her as happy as to return to an old, well-worn favorite, if only for a day of memories.
“Well,” she thought, finally moving to untie the great knot behind her with a flexibility few humans could boast, “it may be elegant, but it’s not suited for this evening.” She unwound the obi and hung it aside, letting the layered robes of the kimono fall open. Once she stepped out of the geta, she wandered through her substantial wardrobe, barefoot and teeming with ideas of what to wear.
She was dressing for a meeting with Gambino himself, which was one of the reasons she was taking such care with her appearance. Gambino was a man with an eye for fine, expensive things, and Kamiki couldn’t deny a certain swoon that came over her whenever the immense man cast a hungry eye her way. She knew she would never act on the advances of the man- even if he was practically Gaian business royalty- but as a connoisseur of rich and luxurious things herself; Kamiki couldn’t help but present herself in all her finery.
The other concern for how to dress existed in the purpose of the evening. This wasn’t one of the super-social luncheons or Gaian balls that would bring the two socialites together- but instead, a personal meeting and dinner that Gambino was hosting for his top contributors to his campaign against the Von Helson Sisters. At the time, he’d been ill-equipped to repay his top donators, having just lost his mansion and several of his lucrative businesses, so even those heavy-pocketed donators such as Kamiki had gone away from the event armed only with an anti Von Helsons picketing sign. However, since his recent investments in the Aekea housing projects had skyrocketed, Gambino was assuring his benefactors that he hadn’t forgotten their generosity. The meeting was to award stock options to those who had made the highest donations, and Kamiki had been assured a spot on the register. If she was being honest with herself, she thought, as she pulled the ornate hairpins out of her hair, placing the pearl-tipped pins back in her jewelry case, the stock didn’t hold a great deal of interest to her. Her own business ventures had been thriving, and these days she didn’t have much need for money. What did hold a certain proud possibility for her, though- the thing that excited her- was the thought of her name being published on the stockholders list for all to see her contribution. Not a small part of her wished that tonight would be ‘her’ night. And she planned on being prepared for the contingencies- in case it was announced that she was the highest donator, she wanted to at least look prepared for the honor.
Choosing
was no easy task, but she finally decided that she’d have to settle on
something, since her time was running out- the meeting was all the way on
When she walked out of her wardrobe room, she was dressed head to toe in a black and white motif- a panda hat, a black lacy camisole under a white silk suit jacket, a short white skirt, and black heeled pumps with white leather stitching along the sides. The heels added a good two inches to her height, and her silver and white jewelry glimmered at her throat, wrists, and in her ears. She was a consummate professional, looking sharp and sexy without sacrificing any of the obvious intelligence that glistened in those violet eyes. Her emo bag hung at her side, and she looked around to make sure that Gavin and Simon had done what she’d said, and not loitered about in the hallway. They weren’t, and she was glad, although last-minute realization caused her to wish that she hadn’t given the order. If they weren’t on the steps like she’d instructed, she’d be hard-pressed for time to find them, and would have to leave for the meeting without saying goodbye. However, a quick dash down the hallway revealed two figures, each sporting a pair of disparate fox ears, sitting on the grand staircase and clinging to the banister.
She sighed in relief. “Gavin,” she said, capturing his attention immediately, “whatever it is you wanted, you better say it quick, because as soon as I hit that door…” she pointed a long index finger to the great double doors that led out to the front yard, “I’m gone.” She said this at the top of the staircase, but at the word ‘gone’, tread down onto the next step and continued to descend, heels clicking on each stair.
“Well, you had a phone call…” Gavin started.
Kamiki passed him.
“It was just a few minutes ago, when you were upstairs…”
She passed Simon.
“And it was from Mr. Gambino’s secretary.”
Kamiki stepped off the last step.
“She said that the meeting was cancelled, and pushed back until tomorrow afternoon.”
Kamiki stopped. By this time, her hand was on the doorknob.
“Gavin,” she said still facing the ornate glasswork on the door, “why didn’t you tell me that before I got dressed?”
“You were buuuuusy.” He drew the last word out with glee, and she turned to see a smiling face in which the innocent blink had returned, making a fan out of the thick, beautiful eyelashes he’d inherited from his mother.
Kamiki rubbed her eyes, letting her bag strap fall from her shoulder into the crook of her arm. “My son, you are going to be the death of me yet.” She said, her voice muffled from the palms obstructing them. She heard a laugh, and then the telltale sound of footsteps cascading down the stairs. When she freed her eyes from their generous rub, her vision swam in a swirl of black and white until the churning colors transformed into the sight of Gavin at the foot of the stairs.
“Are you getting a headache?” He asked, genuine curiosity in his voice. Kamiki exhaled deeply, and leaned back on the door, hoping Sabin wouldn’t choose that moment to come home and knock her to the ground. Sometimes, Gavin’s ‘anything is fair game’ policy could really grate on her nerves.
“You look really pretty, though, Mom.”
But she figured she’d keep him around, anyway.
“Thank you, honey. And no, no headache. I’m just… all dressed up with nowhere to go.” She eased off the door, and resituated her balance to stand. She wasn’t too bothered by the cancellation, but felt a little at odds with what to do with the crumbs of willpower she’d scraped up. Now that her evening was effectively shot, she felt a little sunken, barely able to dedicate that willpower to standing up straight. Maybe that headache was coming on, she thought, and she suddenly felt tired- not for the sake of anything Gavin had done- a minimal prank such as this didn’t blip her temper radar (which was a rare occurrence, in all honesty)- but here she was, all dressed up for no reason, and with no one to see or care.
At that moment, Gavin made a choice to smile at her. His charisma and charm was as equal to (and spontaneous as) his trickery and love of a good folly, and Kamiki found herself feeling somewhat guilty for discounting her son as a ‘nobody’. Was there truly no one to see her, and nothing to do? She was standing there in front of a sweet young gentleman who’d just complimented her. She returned her son’s smile, and a load fell from her shoulders as soon as her face brightened to match her mood.
“How about we spend the afternoon together?” She asked. These days, it was getting harder to catch the almost-teen en route to his various adventures, and they hardly ever had the chance to spend real time together. Not since Gavin was a toddler, and she and Sabin would spend whole days with him, marveling in the joy that was this beautiful little child they’d created, had Kamiki felt like she was getting enough time with her son. …She knew it was cliché to think that he was ‘growing up so fast’, or ‘it seems like it was only yesterday’, but being clichéd didn’t make them feel any less true. It really did seem like the day before that she’d held him for the first time, or watched him let go of the coffee table and walk his first steps. Nothing was more important to Kamiki than her family, for they were her legacy and her joy. A dinner with Gambino would have proved to be… drool-inducing, and certainly entertaining (diamonds in the wine glasses and all-night parties- no one threw a fete like Gambino)… but she’d rather be with this strange collection of unique characters that she called a family, than with all the socialites in Gaia.
Gavin didn’t quite know what his mother was thinking, but he could see that her brow had relaxed and a sort of… sweet flush had invaded her face, and he was curious to know what had brought about the change. More than that, however, he was intrigued by the idea of having his mother to himself all afternoon, and it excited him.
“Sure. But what can we do?”
Kamiki took the black and white hat off and hung it on the hat rack just inside the door. One of the servants Sabin had employed would surely take it back up to her wardrobe later, but for now it felt good to be able to unpin her hair and let it fall naturally again.
“I’m yours for the evening, honey. We can do whatever you want.”
“Can we go get a puppy?”
“Except that.”
Gavin rolled his eyes- he’d figured that would be her answer. He knew well enough not to ask why; it had long been established in the Duvert household that as far as pets were concerned, the rule was ‘do as I say, not as I do’. The house was a practical zoo for the myriad of pets that his parents had picked up over the years- his father even had an entire Keep filled with mythical creatures that he not only housed, but bred. Bringing up the hypocritical wouldn’t do him much good, so he didn’t think to incite it as a tactic. However, he couldn’t help one last shot.
“But you like puppies so much.”
“We all like puppies. But we’re not getting one. Besides, you have Simon.”
Simon rolled his eyes at this, but saw the wink that Kamiki pinned on the end to let her best friend know she was joking. More than anything else, he despised being called ‘a pet’, and would sooner sit on Sabin’s lap and allow himself to be scratched behind the ears by the half-anju than be subjugated to the lifestyle of some overfed housecat.
With his first idea so summarily dismissed, Gavin searched for something else that could hold his mother’s attention- the idea of having her all to himself for the afternoon was too good a treat to squander away on long shots.
“Before you came home, Simon and I were working on a puzzle in the library. You can help us finish it, if you like.” His smile was generous and wide, and it was that, more than the puzzle itself, that drew his mother in. She followed them into the room that was Sabin’s main sanctuary- the largest library in the well-endowed manor- and pulled a cream colored wingback chair to the table where a puzzle had already been lain out and begun.
The first floor library was an immense room- built to Sabin’s specifications exactly, and converted from what had originally been a spectacular ballroom- a staple for any well-to do Durem house built in the era of their manor’s time. Sabin hadn’t had much use for the glorious wood paneled floor, or the raised dais built for the most genteel of orchestras- he’d never spent much of his time dancing, and certainly none of the time he did spend on it had accompanied his being sober. So, needless to say, it hadn’t presented much of a heartache for him to transform the frescoed walls and open spaces into the library of his dreams.
“Simon, if you eat that piece, I swear to God you’re going in the puzzle.”
The fox rolled his eyes and put the piece he’d been holding between his teeth down to click into its rightful place, then gnashed his canines at her as if to say “it’s easier than transforming, alright?”
After a while, Kamiki had to admit that she was having more trouble with the puzzle than she thought she would- the piece she was holding between her thumb and forefinger was obviously a bit of Ian’s hat… but it wouldn’t fit with any other of the brown pieces that were clearly prints of the same fabric. She sighed, and gave her son a look across the small table.
“Is this one of your ‘special puzzles’?”
Gavin put his hand down on the table- it was filled with pieces, and a blue one that looked like a cat tail spilled out and skidded across to Simon’s side. He eyed the pieces lying out before him carefully, and then looked back up at his mother and shrugged.
“I don’t really remember. It could be.”
Gavin’s ‘special puzzles’ was a well- known phrase in the Duvert household. When Gavin had been younger, he’d been consumed by what was a devilish stroke of mayhem genius, and had taken it upon himself to “improve” upon the family’s stock of puzzles. He’d taken a pair of scissors and painstakingly cut little slivers off edges of pieces and rounded others off- not so much that the pieces looked malformed, but just enough that they wouldn’t fit together anymore. Then he’d put them away and enjoyed how long it took the family to figure out what had happened- in the meantime, he’d had months of entertainment and glee at the confused looks of anyone who tried to entertain themselves with a puzzle. Kamiki, after the initial exasperation of having so many games ruined, had finally admitted to herself that it was a particularly clever trick. …And as for their current situation, she thought they’d disposed of the “improved” puzzles, but Gavin had done it long enough before that even he couldn’t remember which ones had benefited from his…creativity.
“Well,” Kamiki said, placing an edge of her piece onto the table and then pressing the rest of it down to the wood with a click, “I think this is the last victim of the Gavin-induced puzzle piece diet program. We’re going to have to think of something else to play.”
Gavin cleared the table and put the box aside so they could remember to throw it out- and opened the games cupboard for everyone to see. The stack was impressive- but there were few that anyone wanted to play. Most were games geared for younger ages, Kamiki noted- and wondered when the last time she truly sat down and played one with Gavin- there was Candyland, even, in the cupboard! The three surveyed the contents with critical eyes.
“Mm…” Kamiki vocalized, “I don’t really want to play Gaiaopoly.” The family always spent too much time fighting over who got to be what piece. …Kamiki may have had the reigning vote with most other things where the family was concerned, but as far as Gaiaopoly went, she always had to fight tooth and nail to be the bunny slipper. (Strangely enough, it was one of the more masculine pieces… that is, in comparison to the Hami and the Bani pieces- so she was always hoarding it from the others, who were desperate to not play a game as something so sweet at the little silver Hami.)
While she was still perusing the boxes with her eyes, Simon jumped off the stool he’d been perching on and trotted over to the cupboard, where he nosed at a box near the bottom of the stack. Gavin pulled it out for him, and held it up to his mother- LIFE. Kamiki looked at the box, and the one who had chosen it, and understood why Simon would prefer it. Unlike some of the other games, he’d be able to play this one without having to transform into his human state. If they played something like, say, Clue, he’d require a more human tongue to accuse Moira of being the murderer, in the hat shop, with the pitchfork.
“LIFE sounds fine.” She didn’t blame Simon for preferring his fox form- in her own animal manifestation, she always marveled at how heightened every sensation was, and how liquid she could move and think without the hindrances of human trappings. Existing as a human mind in an animal form was truly a superior and unique feeling, and there were few things in the world that rivaled that… duality of nature, and presence of mind.
Gavin didn’t mind what they played, so he brought the box over to the table and set the game up with his mother as banker. As he was unfolding the board, and Kamiki leafed through the paper thousands, a resounding voice pierced the temporary quiet.
“Well, what do we have here?”
Kamiki was quicker than her son, who hadn’t yet come into the speed he’d doubtlessly inherited from his parents, and her head jerked to see the figure standing in the doorway of the library. Before Gavin even had a chance to look up, Kamiki had already smiled at the owner of the voice.
“Hello Dad,” Gavin said a second later. “We’re playing a game.”
Sabin walked further into the room, taking off his top hat as he stepped forward. His long coat was already slung over one arm- and Kamiki had no problem acknowledging that he struck quite a figure, and almost dashing, with that black hat held by those grey-gloved hands. He may not have the most impeccable sense of style, she thought, but there were times like this, when the imposing man strode so confidently, comfortable in his antiquities, that she realized that she wouldn’t have him any other way.
“I see that,” Sabin said, “although I’m surprised you’re here. I thought you had a meeting with Gambino.”
“Cancelled,” she said, and Sabin leaned down to kiss her forehead.
“Do you want to play, Dad?” Simon put his head down on the table and glared at his ward. No one noticed.
“Sure.” Sabin pulled up the chair that was the twin to Kamiki’s, and slid it so that he sat next to his son. “And I’m sorry. About the meeting, I mean.”
Kamiki laughed- it was a single, doubting huff. Sabin had nothing against Gambino, but even he wasn’t oblivious of the…well, what could only be called the crush, that his lover had for the powerful man. And it bothered him- although Kamiki doubted he’d ever take it so far as real jealousy.
“You say that with such conviction,” she said, sarcasm frosting her words. Sabin sighed and draped his coat across the back of the chair.
“Well, you can’t expect me to be crushed that Gambino’s number one groupie won’t be able to attend his soiree. I do have a personally vested interest in you staying away from handsome men, after all.”
Kamiki leveled her well-shaped eyebrows at Sabin.
“I am not a groupie.” She picked up the purple car from the box and affixed a pink peg that signified her into the ‘driver’s seat’. “I am an apostle. And just for that, you’re getting the pink car.”
She stuck a blue peg in the driver’s seat of the pink car and put it on the starting line, and gave Sabin a challenging stare. The two fixed eyes, and were silent as they contemplated who’d send the next volley of sarcasm-dipped words.
“Fat penguins!”
The stare was broken, each pair of parental eyes switching instead to gape at the strange outburst of their son. Gavin looked at each parent in turn, a broad smile on his face. Finally, he shrugged and opened his mouth to explain.
“I just wanted to say something that would break the ice.”
As soon as it was out of his lips, he burst out in a childlike giggle at his cleverness, and his parents couldn’t help but join in at the absurdity of it all. Even Simon barked a few laughs. After it was all out of their systems, Simon and Gavin put their cars on the board- white and blue, respectively, and they began to play.
“Gavin, you can’t go the fast track and skip college.” …The peace hadn’t lasted long.
“Mom, it’s just a game. And this way is faster!”
“You’ll be able to choose from more careers if you go to college. Besides… look, Simon went the long way. He’s going places.” The fox, if he’d been able, would have beamed at the praise. But Gavin just rolled his eyes and moved to slide his car along the non-educated, shorter route.
“Gavin! …Sabin, jump in, here anytime.”
Sabin shrugged. “I think he should do whatever he’d like.”
“Alright you, stay out of this.” Kamiki said. Sabin laughed.
“You certainly change your mind often enough.” He reached across the table and ran his gloved finger down her cheek affectionately. “Just think, this way he’ll go broke before he ever reaches the ‘buy a house’ square, and we’ll win.”
Kamiki smiled sweetly at Sabin. “Who’s we, pale man? I’m going to kick your butt.” She spun the dial, and it clicked along to the sound of Sabin’s response laughter.
Not long after, they had to pause the game to deal with a small scandal- Sabin’s sharp eyesight had caught Gavin smuggling money out of Simon’s pile and hiding it under his corner of the board. As a penalty, he had to return Simon’s money and pay double again to the bank. As Sabin checked to make sure their crafty son wasn’t hoarding any more on his person, Kamiki counted out the penalty money into the bank slots.
“Son, I think you should be glad that you weren’t born a twin,” she said, licking the tip of her finger to shuffle through the money easier, “because I have a sneaking suspicion you’d be the evil one.” Both Sabin and Gavin got a laugh out of that, and then they continued the game, Simon having moved closer to Kamiki and keeping a wary eye on his money.
They continued with the spins, and when they reached the ‘pick a career card’, they all had a good joke at each other’s expenses: Kamiki had chosen the doctor randomly from the pile, and Sabin the teacher- and it almost seemed that the game would be prophetic, until Gavin pulled rock star. They all thought that was funniest thing ever… until Simon drew the accountant card. Something about the silver fox with the accountant card sticking out of his mouth to show everyone else made them laugh until their sides split- however, they sobered up when they saw that he’d also pulled the highest salary card.
“The fox is making more than me?”
Simon rolled his eyes and whacked his paw on the spinner, anxious to get going towards the next Payday square for his fat new payout.
Since Kamiki was in charge of the bank, she had the box at her side- so she was also the one who doled out the pink and blue ‘people pegs’ when the cars reached the marriage square. She had fun giving the three males a choice between having a blue or pink peg- and Sabin was giving her such a hard time about it that when it came time for her to ‘get married’, she wordlessly slid a pink peg into the passenger seat of her purple car.
“What’s that?” Sabin said, once she’d set the car back onto the board with its new female occupant. “You’re not married to me?”
“That’s what you get for calling me a groupie.”
“I thought that was why I’m stuck driving the pepto bismol monstrosity.”
“It’s a many-faceted punishment.” She held out a little blue peg. “Would you like to get me back? You could put him in the front seat with you. Teach me a real lesson.”
Sabin rolled his eyes, but there was no disguising that they were filled with mirth. “No thank you- I think you’d enjoy that too much.” He winked at his lover, knowing what was on her mind.
Gavin just sighed and tinkered with the spinner. The sexual subtext of his parents’ conversation was lost on him, and he was impatient. “Dad, just roll already. I want it to be my turn.”
Simon slipped into the lead early, and stayed at least ten squares ahead of everyone else almost the entirety of the game- but the family had played the game before, and knew that money was what counted at the end- not what place you came in. What was an ordinary board game to any other family was a mini war with them- competition ran in their blood, and so did the sort of banter that they were so good at. By the third time Sabin landed on a ‘Congratulations, you’ve had twins!’ or ‘You’ve adopted two boys!’ square, they pointed at him and jeered, “Ha ha! Your wife hates you by now!” And when Kamiki landed on the ‘audit’ square, Simon brushed his paw up against his fur, breathed on it to ‘shine it’, and placed it out, paw pad up, to indicate that she should count out the money she owed directly to him, as the accountant.
Being ahead, and having the highest salary, it seemed that Simon was sure to win- but about halfway through, Kamiki chanced to land on the ‘switch salary cards with any player’ square, and immediately swapped her 60,000 card for Simon’s 100,000. From that point on, she and her two girls and one boy peg in the backseat of her purple car zoomed ahead of the rest monetarily-wise. When they’d all reached the end, Kamiki obviously had the most cash on hand, so they didn’t even bother counting- although Gavin managed to accumulate more ‘LIFE’ cards than anyone could remember him landing on. However, even with his suspicious stockpile, Kamiki was the obvious winner, and she clapped in glee.
“Ha! Take that, bubble-gum princess!” She picked up Sabin’s pink car and ‘drove’ it through the air, making little bee-lines in front of his nose. “I beat yooouu… I beat yoouu...” She resisted the urge to get up and dance, but no amount of self-restraint could keep her from putting her feet up on the table and her hands behind her head, reclining in a victor’s pose.
“Were we playing for anything?” Sabin asked, standing up and stretching his muscles. Gavin’s eyes widened at the possibility of what he could possibly do with the response, but Kamiki shook her head before the devious boy could concoct anything.
“No- but if you wanted to worship me all evening, I wouldn’t be completely opposed to that.” She wiggled her still-heeled feet, disturbing a few of the game pieces as she did so.
Sabin smiled and took a step over to her so he could reach down and kiss her. When he’d straightened again, he hooked his coat back over his arm and picked his hat up from where he’d deposited it next to the wingback.
“I think I could manage an afternoon and night of worship.” Kamiki bit on her lip to restrain an impulsive smile- she understood the emphasis on ‘night’. Sabin nodded sagely and sweetly, understanding that she knew what he meant. Then he rested a hand on her knee.
“Everything aside, I am sorry your evening was spoiled. I know you were looking forward to it. We’ll all try and make an effort to make it up to you.”
With that, Kamiki looked around at her family- her son was stacking the paper money up and her best friend was trying to pull the pegs out of the cars with his teeth, and having some difficulty with the delicate process. Then she gazed up at the man who stood, touching her with a promise of love and many years of continued mirth and joy like this night, and she exhaled- a sigh of pleasure.
“You already have.”