Story name: Roses and Thorns
Author: Deranged Kitsune
Publication date: September 3, 1999 (on TSA-List)
Date: sometime between lute June to late August, 706 CR
Location: Metamor Keep (Deaf Mule), Euper (Tavern's Hearth)
Overview
Rickkter and Kayla go out to dinner together. Rickkter gives her a gift.
Summary
For an hour Michael has been playing five games of chess against Rickkter, despite getting help from his fellow Timber Crewmen. After Rick's knight threatens several of Michael's pieces, Kayla steps up, intrigued. She points out that with Rick's strategy, he could have easily beaten Michael many turns ago. She offers to help him out, and Rickkter gives her ten moves. Soon, they are rapidly playing against each other, well past the ten moves, playing aggressively until Rick checkmates her. Kayla apologizes to Michael, as she had not played an equal in a long time. Rickkter leaves Michael his chess board and walks off with Kayla.
Rickkter suggests they go into town for a change. On the way, Rickkter asks how she learned to play chess so well. Kayla says she learned to play from her grandfather in Eramosa. Rickkter remembers visiting Eramosa after he visited the Holy Lands, a place where magic doesn't work. He asks who her grandfather was, and is amazed that he was Elijhah Tremayne, who wrote several books on unconventional battle tactics, and an inspiration to Rickkter. Kayla says that when she knew him, he'd already given up war and devoted himself to his family.
They arrive at a restaurant, but find the food too expensive and unappetizing and the clientele too snobbish. The second restaurant has better food but is also too expensive. Kayla suggests a place she visits, the Tavern's Hearth Pub. On the way, Rickkter asks how many other skunks Kayla knows of. She mentions four others, one of whom she'd had a heated affair with, but never heard back from.
They arrive at the pub, run by Myra, who greets her like an old friend. Rickkter remarks that this is the one place that accepts her, which stings her. Rickkter says that he doesn't like his own curse, being uncomfortable in his skin, knowing he was so close to a cure. Kayla tells him that he has a beautiful body; and besides, everyone struggles with the curse. She suggests the curse chooses who to keep and who to ignore, and chose him. Rickkter comments that she's a philosopher; she says she's just a nobody who keeps Metamor working, and has lost so many friends. She comments on that real friends walk in when the rest of the world walks out; Rickkter adds that she's a poet. He confesses to finding intelligence attractive, and they share a tender look before their food is served.
After the dinner, they walk back to Kayla's room, where Rickkter asks to see inside. There, Rickkter gives her a pearl-like pendant, and enchants it with a rune to hide her scent. Kayla is overcome with emotion, and asks why he did it. Rickkter answers for the challenge, and adds that he thought she could use it. Kayla quickly asks him to leave, as she has to get up in the morning. Rickkter thanks her for the evening.
Rickkter steps out and makes it past the corner before he stops and agonizes over what he just did. Scratch walks past, carrying a rose for his love, and speaks with Rick. Rickkter asks to smell the rose, and asks if Scratch has heard the expression "Some people complain about roses having thorns; I'm just thankful that thorns have roses." Rick remembers his old love had many such expressions. He snaps out of his reverie, and tells Scratch to let Pascal know how special she is.
Characters
Main characters:
- Rickkter: A battle mage, a raccoon morph. He teaches Michael how to play chess, playing less than optimally to give Michael a chance. He then spends the evening with Kayla.
- He is 33 years old (born circa 673).
- He spent a week in the Holy Land once, and felt out-of-place, as there was no mana to be found there.
- He is still bitter about not finding the cure in time, and having to put up with an unfamiliar appearance. He also misses travelling the world, and has even contemplated risking death outside Metamor.
- Kayla: An intelligence secretary and Rickkter's girlfriend, a skunk morph. She takes Rickkter to her favorite restaurant. She is overwhelmed by emotion when he gives her a magic necklace that hides her scent.
- She is a few inches shorter than Rickkter. She wears a low-cut blue dress.
- Kayla's necklace is teardrop-shaped with a pearl-like surface and a scaley texture, and a light blue metallic sheen. It rests in a gold chain with a silver clasp.
- She was born and raised in Eramosa. She has also visited Holy Lands, and found it very pretty, and not as religious as people say.
- Kayla learned to play chess from her grandfather, who beat her many times but always pointed out her mistakes and encouraged her to keep playing. She also enjoys reading novels and poems.
- As a human, she had various friends and suitors. Now, she feels she doesn't fit in anywhere. The Tavern's Hearth is one of the few places she still feels comfortable.
- She enjoys her current job in intelligence, seeking neither glory nor fame, but ensuring that Metamor continues to function.
- She is slightly ashamed of her appearance, having a mirror in her room that she only looks at for grooming. Rick's love for her may be changing that.
- She is a few inches shorter than Rickkter. She wears a low-cut blue dress.
Minor characters:
- Michael: A member of the Timber Crews, a plaid beaver morph. He does not know chess well, and loses badly against Rickkter, despite Rick holding back and Lance and Lindsey helping out.
- He wears a thin summer shirt.
- His greatest difficulty is remembering how the pieces can move, and seeing his opponent's strategy.
- Myra: The barkeep of Tavern's Hearth, likely a female gendermorph.
- She has long brown hair.
- Scratch: Pascal's lover, a tiger morph. He passes Rickkter in the hall, carrying a rose for Pascal.
- He mentions that Rick's spell is still working on him.
Cameo:
- Lance: A Timber Crewman, a moose morph. He tries to teach Michael some defensive strategy.
- A stocky, red-bearded member of the Timber Crew, most likely Lindsey.
Important mention:
- Elijhah Tremayne: Kayla's grandfather. He was a military genius who wrote several books on unconventional battle tactics, upholding improvisation over controlled maneuvers. Rickkter is a huge fan of his work.
- In his old age, he retired from military life and occupied himself with chess. He told Kayla that one cannot play chess if one imagines the pieces are living souls.
- He might have used called himself "Moore" or "the stagiest" at some point, as Rickkter refers to him as such.
- The 4 other skunk morphs that Kayla knows of besides herself:
- A warrior in his late 30s, who lives in Castle Grenier, and is married with kids.
- An old noble who lived outside a mining town by the east mountains. He became wealthy off of those mines, and lived in a large estate. Since then he has walled up inside his own estate, and hasn't been seen in 5 years. Some wonder if he is still alive.
- Deller, a sergeant in Lorland's militia who works directly under the steward. He is in his early 30s. Before his change, he was married.
- A soldier in Glen Avery, Kayla's former beau. He came to Metamor Keep to train with the Long Scouts. In early March of 704 CR, he and Kayla went into heat and had a passionate affair. He left soon after, promising to come back, but he never returned or even sent word.
Referenced:
- Coe: A raccoon morph, the only one in the Valley Rickkter is aware of.
- Kayla slyly mentions Coe is not immune to a raccoon's mating season.
- Phil: The head of intelligence, a rabbit morph, whom Kayla works for.
- Deanna: Rickkter's former love. She loved fresh flowers, especially red ones. She knew several clever turns of phrase.
Locations
- The first restaurant Rickkter and Kayla visit in Euper is for nobles and is very upscale.
- They serve, among other things, eels in saffron sauce, tureens of spiced scallop bisque, almond fish stew, porpoise and peas in onion white sauce, baby rabbits, fawn, bear, swan, eagle, heron, and sparrow's heart.
- The second restaurant they visit in Euper serves expensive fish and sea food.
- They serve, among other things, crayfish, herring, bass, millet, trout, fried pike, sturgeon roe, gurnard flanks, and codling pie in sauce vert.
- The Tavern's Hearth is a pub run by Myra. It is a small little-known pub, and is typically visited only by regulars and guests at the neighboring inn. The stew is well-known among regulars.
- The exterior has two windows, with the door in between.
- Adjacent to the Tavern's Hearth is a butcher shop and a low class inn.
- Kayla's residence is an apartment inside the Keep.
- It is a small room, with a bed, a desk stacked with disordered papers, a table against the wall with one chair, a wardrobe, and two bookshelves with thick novels, a handful of plays, some poetry books, and a journal by her grandfather.
- On the wall is a tapestry which covered up a mirror. It is normally only exposed when Kayla grooms herself.
- Eramosa is a city just outside the Holy Lands, where Kayla grew up.
- The Holy Lands are possibly unique, in that they are the only place in the world where magic does not work, apparently due to lack of mana. Most people believe that only superstitious or ultra-religious people live there, though the reality is more complex.
Story Connections
- Rickkter mentions the checkmate Kayla made, and the tour of his room he gave her, in Somehow Here Again.
- He also mentions "the games" when he spoke to Kayla, referring to Fun and Games.
Chronology
- This is a difficult story to date:
- There is nothing specifically preventing it from taking place in late August, but it is strongly implied that "Somehow Here Again" and "Fun and Games" took place recently, but not too recently, as Kayla's necklace must've taken some time to create.
- In addition, Kayla comments that there won't be many cool evenings left, which could imply it is before the heat of summer, although this could also be taken as a philosophical comment.
- Kayla mentions there are a number of recent darkmen incidents; darkmen were only previously mentioned in One of Each, in late June, though there is no reason there couldn't be another disturbance offstage.
- Confounding this issue is a lack of appearances or mentions of Kayla in other summer stories, showing if she has her necklace or what her relationship with Rickkter is. In any case, this story definitely takes place before Clearing the Courtyard.
Society
- The nobility that visit Euper wear lace, velvet, and gold and silver jewelry.
- There is a theory about the curse, that it is alive and chooses who to target and who to let go. This could be wishful thinking, of course.
- Kayla's necklace is activated specifically for her. To activate it, Rickkter makes a gesture and says an incantation, whereupon the pendant and chain glow green. He then draws a sigil on Kayla's forehead and mutters some words, which causes it to glow. He then touches the chain, activating the field around her, which she describes as a chill.
Points of Interest
- In his first game, Rickkter shamelessly made a scholar's mate against Michael, having always wanted to do it.
- Kayla points out Hasslar's third gambit in the chess game: a flying wedge of pawns and a knight behind them.
- Sparrow's heart is said to be an aphrodisiac.
| Rickkter and Kayla | |
|---|---|
| Stories | Stories in yellow are not part of the arc proper, but give important context for later stories. |
| A Place Where There Is No Darkness · Somehow Here Again · Fun and Games · Roses and Thorns · Actions and Reactions · Dissuasion · Apologies · Casual Evening · Balance in all Things · Daylight Fading | |
