Conspiracy and Lipstick (Aislain)

[DoS Archive]

From: aislainuz@aol.com (Aislain Uz)
Date: 30 Jun 1998 17:52:33 EDT

"Aggy STOP it!" Aislain Uziel tossed her dark red curls and scowled at her older twin brother. Agravain Uziel grinned back and tapped her head with his wooden practice sword.

"Got you! Got you!" He teased, lunging back on one leg with the debonair twist he learned from Jesse Troyn. Jesse, leaning against the trunk of the tree under the tree house, pulled the cigarette from his lips and wolf whistled. "Gonna make the chicks drool boy. Hot damn, I did not look so good when I was seventeen!"

Agravain smirked, in an exact imitation of Jesse as he tossed back, "That was just last year, fool."

Furious, Ais twirled on her heel marching across the meadow in front of the SSH Tree House to Drak Silverglade who had been officiating the practice match. The windling was perched on a tree branch above Jesse his dragonfly wings fluttering in the breeze.

"Sorry Ais, he High Cut your Slash, I saw it with my own two eyes, really!" Drak gravely nodded, pointing to his silver eyes as if to prove to Ais he saw it. Ais crossed her arms across her fragile eight year old body, her small cheeks flushing red with anger.

"Ce nest pas possible! Aggy always parrys after a thrust, he always really truly does! Someone must be giving him hints behind my back. I am an TDL All Star and he is, he is...a stupid BOY who uses MAGIC to make himself look like a man!" Her black eyes flashed with meaning, as she glared up at Drak. Drak looked as if he was about to cry.

Riley the Lil Sal Roa came sliding down the rope swing, landing in a small heap of red curls at the foot of the tree house, "'Slain, he did not get any hints, I saw it too!" Randel Adam Shallot-Ulethson slid down behind Rill, tumbling over the smaller six year old until he muttered a few words. With a soft bounce, he got his bigger ten year old body up and floated three feet above the ground. He pulled his long legs up under his kilt and crossed
them. Ais stamped her foot screeching, "Not you TOO Rill! How could you? You and Drak just wanted Aggy to get me! How perfectly horrible of both of you!"

Jesse crushed his cigarette under his boot heel, his voice soft but full of meaning, "Now Ais, settle down. Aggy got you fair, want me to give you some help after lunch, pumpkin?" Aggy snickered as he flopped down next to Rill, his long legs stretching out in front of him. "Ais is Marme's baby, Ais is Marme's baby! Cry baby Ais!"

Randy snapped off a twig and threw it at Aggy's back, "Hush, Ais is upset. She just needs to know how to lose better. Sometimes even Pirates just need to learn how to lose."

Ais screamed, "I hate ALL of you!"

Rhiannon Dawn Brock peeked out of the tree house above, Jacie Dilon squiggling to squeeze in next to her. The little four year old squeaked, "Ais? I don't hate you. Why do you say that? Rhi loves Ais."

"Rhi, I love you too, but some people on our team cheat! They just want me to lose. I am quitting SSH unless someone makes them go away!" Ais burst into tears and threw her beloved wooden sword at Aggy's head. Aggy ducked to the side, knocking over Rill. Everyone looked at Ais as a shocked quiet descended upon the meadow.

Finally Jacie leaned out the window pushing passed Rhi a bit, "How's we gonna' ta team if yall be chitters?" He shoved the sandy blonde hair falling into his light blue eyes away nervously, the logic of all his seven years coming to play. "I's can no play pokie wit' chitters"

Drak covered his tiny face and now crying in earnest, "I am NOT a chitter! I am a windling! Please don't quit Ais, I told the truth. How can I prove it? Please, please, please?"

Ais did not hear him as she was already running back to the Oakenshield Manor in tears.

For days Ais refused to return to the tree house. She stayed inside sulking. She played with her snails, giving her Femme Fatales elaborate lectures on honor or plotted elaborate Pirate battles where all the cheaters had their belly's shaved with rusty razors. Late at night she would crawl out of her bed and lean out the window, carrying on imaginary conversations with her Papa trying to reach out to him for comfort on the cool Summer breeze.

Morte Dulce watched her daughter closely, but said nothing. Wisely she let Ais lie in the bed of her own making. Finally, on the afternoon of the fourth day of her self imposed exile, Ais wandered into Morte's rooms looking bored.

"Bon jour Marme." She flopped on her mother's bed watching Morte put on her make-up. "Can I play in here? Ellen says I can not play in the kitchen today because I am underfoot and 'heaven help bake the bread with Ais under our feet.' But I wasn't underfoot Marme! I just wanted to see if silver would melt in the oven."

"Faire morn sweets." Morte smiled into the mirror, carefully outlining her lips. Ais cradled her chin in her palm and asked, "Can I wear lipstick Marme?"

"Dunnae be a silly,luv." Morte turned and smiled, "You be old enough, soon enough. Nae use rushin yerself like Aggy be doin'." She sighed and rubbed her temple, how on earth was she going to get that boy to stop using his magic to age himself?

"Aggy is a cheat and a liar and so is EVERYBODY on the Short Swords!" Ais rolled on her back and stuck her legs in the air pretending she was riding a bicycle on the ceiling.

"Aye?" Morte sat down next to Ais, gently brushing back the dark red curls from her cheek. "An' why do ye be sayin that, lass?"

"Because I know. We were practicing and someone was helping Aggy behind my back. LOTS of someones."

Morte hid a smile, "But how do ye know this, luv?"

Ais' small jaw tightened as she stopped bicycling, "I just do! Aggy never beats me and he beat me five times in a row! He is the ugliest dueler in the widest world and I am an All Star in the TDL and I am a girl! They had to be cheating!"

Morte arched an eyebrow to her daughter, "Och, so Aggy won an' so everyone be cheatin'? I see yer logic, sweetie." Morte nods her head slowly, drawing out the moment as she ponders the situation. " Yer team mates, all plot 'gainst ye just so Aggy can beat ye. Aye, I do be seein yer..hmmm.... wisdom."

Ais started crying as she buried her head in Morte's lap. "It's NOT fair!"

Morte gently stroked the back of Ais' head, "What be unfair, luv? Ye accuse yer team mates because ye cannaet bear te lose? That you cannae prove they cheated?" Morte tilted Ais's head upwards so their eyes met, Morte's cool green ones lookin tenderly inte Ais' black ones. "Or that yer team mates cannae prove they didnae?"

Ais said nothing, her quiet sobs her only answers for a long time. Finally she sat up, wiping her tear streaked face with the back of her fists. "I am lonely. What should I do Marme?"

Morte hugged her close, "Ais, this be for ye te decide. Either ye trust yer team mates an' have fun duelin', or ye dunnae trust yer team mates an' ye go do somethin' else. Tis a grown-up decision, luv."

"I want to duel - and I don't want them to cheat." Ais' small jaw took a stubborn set.

Marme burst into laughter, "Och Ais. An' how be ye goin' te make sure they dunnae cheat?"

"I don't know." Ais shrugged.

Softly Morte guided her daughter, "More te the point...how will they e'er be able te prove they didnae cheat? Every time ye lose, be ye goin' te accuse them?" Morte looked deeply into Ais' eyes, then kissed her sweet daughter on the forehead. She turned back to the mirror, theirs eyes meeting again in the reflection.

Ais bit her lip then whispered, "I guess I have to trust them?"

Morte turned slightly and took Ais on her lap and hugging her tight, "Aye! Tis only right te trust them. If ye want te duel with others, then ye have te trust them. Tis all 'bout Honor and Trust, theirs and yers. Otherwise, ye best jus' give up duelin' an' be doin somethin that willnae sometimes hurt yer pride. Losin' with grace be as important as winnin a duel. Think on that, me sweets!"

Ais kissed Morte's cheek, "Guess I better say I am sorry." She sat looking miserable for a moment then brightened, "Maybe if I make cookies like Madam Talanador? You know her big pink heart ones? She made them for Drak when she said she was sorry she made him cry. I will too! Except mine will be big black spider cookies with green eyes and sharp pointy teeth? Maybe Ellen will let me in the kitchen so I can make them?"

"Aye luv, but..." Morte's eyes took on a mischievous twinkle, "Mayhaps ye may be likin a wee bit o' lipstick first? Seems like ye be growin'-up right afore me eyes."

Ais bounced out of bed diving into Morte's paints before she could change her mind. "Oui Marme! Can I wear pink? Red? Blue lipstick? Blue is the prettiest with red hair. Wait, I know! I can wear them all, a rainbow like a Pirate Queen!"

With a smile Morte joined her daughter at the mirror, happy Ais was finally growing up - but not too fast.