Rush Of Blood To The Head, part 5.4.
“Grrr, how comes that a building with stone walls has such a poor sound protection,” Imoen complains loudly, sticking her pink-haired head into the pillow, “I can’t sleep with all that racket they’re making…”
“What are you complaining about, I had to endure this for more than a couple of tendays,” Viconia sighs laying beside Imoen in the two beds that have been pushed together, creating a large one, “but you are correct, the stone walls should not be breached by any sound… which means…”
“Peeping holes!” Imoen exclaims, “let’s see if we can find ‘em!”
With that she jumps out of the bed and strides over to the wall that is separating their room from Theodur and Jaheira’s.
“Come Vic, help me with this closet,” she shouts after a little while, “Ugh, it is so heavy, what’s inside it anyways? Feels like full of bricks… hmm, that’s weird, it’s empty! It must be magical! Vic, will you help me or not?” Imoen is becoming impatient.
“Keep your voice lower or you will alert them,” Viconia warns, rising from the bed, “all though unlikely that they would notice anything if I would blow a horn directly in their ears, at this moment…”
Viconia goes over and joins Imoen into her efforts to push the closet away from the wall, but all their attempts are in vain.
“See! I told ya, it’s magical!” Imoen speaks excited.
“Magical, nothing! It’s attached to the floor with bolts, you nitwit!” Viconia is angry, “now see, you made me rise from the bed for nothing. Why did I even bothered rising up – it’s not like I, a Drow, am interested into peeping at two half-bred mongrels in the process of coupling. Pah!”
“Well, I am not interested in that either, I just wanted to find that peeping hole,” Imoen grins and that makes Viconia even more angry, “hey, I’m a rogue – I gotta practice!”
Viconia only snarls in response and returns to the bed, Imoen joins her soon afterwards…
“Vic? Vic? VIC?”
“WHAT?”
“Er… you’ re not really angry, are you? Say that you’re not angry, please? Please? Pretty please? Very pretty please?”
“Shut up, or I will suffocate you with my pillow, brat!”
“Awwww, thanks Vic, I know you won’t stay mad at me…”
“Hug me again, and you will be sleeping in the hallway.”
Approximately a minute of silence has passed, until…
“Vic? Vic? VICKY? Will it take them much longer, howd’ya think?”
“Hmph. Let me just listen for a moment…” Viconia rises from the bed and turns her head towards the wall, “shouldn’t be long now, probably a couple of minutes. And cover your ears for that…”
A couple of minutes later…
“Whoa, Vic, you guessed it! And thanks for the warning… Gee, they do seem to have a lot of fun! Even though I feel pretty weird… y’know… Jaheira, well…”
“Well, what?” Viconia cocks her head, becoming slightly more interested.
“Well, I shouldn’t probably say that, but… I still don’t feel really good about seeing them together…” Imoen sighs, looking at the ceiling.
“And why would that be, Imoen?” Viconia is becoming more intrigued in the conversation, “she is slightly older than him, but the difference is nothing to make anyone feel odd, I should think.”
“It’s not that, Vic,” Imoen replies, “It is… well, it’s about Khalid…”
“Druid’s late husband?” Viconia asks with incomprehension, “what does he got to do with his ex-wife spreading her legs for another? I admit, I do not understand the surface customs, but I see nothing that would make me feel queasy about it.”
“Geez, you can be blunt as a brick, Viconia,” Imoen chides her, “don’t ya remember how… well, how happy they both seemed to be together… I mean, Khalid did love her and I thought she loved him too… and that was… how long ago? Not even a year… boy, if they had some problems in their marriage, they were well hidden…”
“Still I say – so what? Males come, males go… my respect for the druid has only grown since she moved on from that pathetic excuse of her ex-husband.”
“Don’t… don’t you dare – Viconia, don’t you dare call Khalid pathetic!” Imoen’s voice almost turns into a scream, but Viconia shuts her palm over Imoen’s mouth.
“Do you want them to hear it? Not that I care, but I would think you will only embarrass yourself, pink one,” Viconia laughs, but it doesn’t last long… “Ouch! Why did you bite me for, you little brat!”
“Serves you right, Viconia! Don’t you ever, ever call Khalid names again! I… I liked him and I… loved him as a friend. I miss him dearly, but I don’t think you can understand,” Imoen sighs heavily.
“Do not condemn me so quickly, Imoen,” Viconia looks at her seriously, “I am not blind. I saw your attraction to him - no doubt that it only grew stronger after our valiant leader told you about the involvement with his wife. And I saw well enough how your attitude towards him changed, you were so sympathetic and supportive that the jaluk himself was embarrassed… he actually thought that you had a crush on him. Imoen… he is dead. He does not suffer anymore. He was a… good man, so I suppose that wherever his spirit is now, it is not a bad place.”
“Yes… Khalid is dead…” Imoen whispers grimly, “thank you, Vic. I needed to hear that… maybe I can forgive Jaheira after all, she means so much to Theo… and having heard that, I probably also know why… I guess she’s great in bed, huh?”
“Nonsense! She’s a witless half-breed, what can she possibly know…” Viconia snarls.
“Oh, I wouldn’t dismiss her so easily… you know, there’s an easy way to tell that…”
“How? I don’t plan to sleep with her, if you were implying that,” Viconia smirks.
“Hehe… not necessary… you sure are twisted, Vic… I like that!” Imoen giggles, “know why I think Jaheira is a great lover? She has small feet!”
“Small feet? You have got to be kidding me…”
“No, it’s true – that’s an old surfacer’s belief, it never fails, really! See, Theo has small feet too, so he’s probably good at it, too… and having… err… heard the evidence, I think that the old belief has not been proven wrong!” Imoen proudly declares.
“Oh, will you shut up and let me finally have some sleep… at least while those two are quiet…” Viconia mutters.
“Wow, you mean that they… see, see, the old superstition is correct!” Imoen pokes Viconia in the ribs, “and look at this,” Imoen raises her leg in the air, “See! I have really small feet too! Oh, I will be… I mean - I am the new goddess of love and sensuality!”
Viconia raises her leg too and lifts it beside Imoen’s to compare the size of their feet…
“What a ridiculous superstition, it does not prove a thing,” Viconia frowns, lowering her leg.
“Aww, don’t feel disappointed, Vic… yours is just a tad larger than mine…” Imoen giggles.
“Humph, I will not tolerate being called the ‘bigfoot of the party’,” Viconia growls.
“Hey, but you don’t have the biggest feet amongst us…” Imoen exclaims, barely holding back the laughter.
“Edwin!” Viconia gasps before they both explode in a wave of hysterical laughter that is followed by furious coughing and ends up with a friendly hug after which they separate to retreat to their respective sides of the bed.
“That was fun, but can we get some sleep now, please?” Viconia asks in a pleading voice.
“Sure, Vic,” Imoen replies, still coughing, “And Vic… y’know… I like you. You’re a good friend, really…”
“Whatever… now shut up or I’ll cast Silence on you,” Viconia mutters as finally the room engulfs in blissful silence…
“Pink haired menace…” those are Viconia’s last words before she drifts of to the dream world.
