Page 4 of The Curious Incident of the Great Cookie Snackcident of 979
Abi was terrified to look at Senka, surely this was the end of their easy companionship. The shades were primarily responsible for preserving the Lady’s safety and dignity. Surely Senka would take offense.
Her vision was beginning to blur when she heard a snicker coming from her left. Abi turned to see Senka, arms clutched to their middle, eyes wide and glowing, and their mouth pinched tight, suppressing a laugh. Still smiling, their jaw dropped.
“Abi, I think you just spit in the Lady’s bathwater!” They ended on a giggle, their wisps waving around their body. They rocked backward, bursting into full belly laughs.
At first, Abi just stared at them. She didn’t understand. Shouldn’t they be offended?
It seemed that instead they found the entire sequence of events hilarious. Eventually, Abi couldn’t hold back her own laugh.
“Oh Lady, I’m so sorry! I suppose I did, didn’t I?” Abi said between laughs. “I hope She isn’t offended, I didn’t mean to!”
Senka shook their head, sitting up. “Honestly, I doubt she cares, if someone spit near me while I was taking a nap Iwouldn’t notice. Plus, I doubt she worries about if the fish in the water are pooping in her lake.”
A new round of giggles burst from Abi. “What is it with you and poop?”
“I just think it’s fascinating. I’ve never done it before, but it seems to take up a lot of your day. You never talk about it, except to excuse yourselves to do it more times a day than I can count. And I’ve never known anybody I could ask about it before. I suppose ..." they said, trailing off, “Both things are kind of secret?”
“Both things?” Abi asked.
“Well, yes,” Senka whispered, “Pooping and ejaculation.”
If any of Abi's blush had worn off, it was surely back now. “Yes, or I suppose I wouldn’t say secret, more like, not polite conversation?”
“Ach so, thatwasrude? I wasn’t trying to be rude to you!” Senka said, their voice high and strained.
“No, no, it’s fine to talk about it with some people, just not others. I like to think we are pretty good friends now, so if we want to decide we are close enough to talk about such things, we can.”
Several of Senka’s wisps twisted on themselves, “Well, I likeyouenough to talk about poop and ejaculation ..." they said.
Their words were barely audible, wringing their hands and looking at her with wide, reflective eyes that looked so achingly vulnerable. Reaching out her hand, laying it flat to invite them to take hers, Abi smiled encouragingly.
“I like you enough to talk about those things, too,” Abi said, her smile audible in her words.
When Senka placed their hand in hers, she squeezed it lightly. The now familiar feeling of their skin was a comfort to her. Abi liked how if she applied strong pressure, their skin seemed topush back, but if she relaxed her hand it would sink to melt with Senka's.1
“Thank you. I’ve never had a friend to talk to about poop or ejaculation before,” Senka said, their eyes wide with adoration.
Abi bit her lips, trying to suppress a giggle. Just because she said they could talk about such things, didn’t make it so that they weren’t still funny or slightly awkward. It wasn’t until she saw Senka’s shoulders shaking that she realized what her friend had done.
Abi gasped in affront. “You did that on purpose! We were having a nice, sweet, important moment, and you purposely said something to make me laugh!”
Senka nodded, outwardly laughing so hard now that they couldn’t speak, which, of course, started Abi laughing. Abi couldn’t remember a time when she had laughed so hard or so often as she did with Senka.
Every time Abi felt like she had her mirth under control, Senka would make some sort of silly noise that would start her up again. The reverse also seemed to be true, so they were still laughing nearly ten minutes later, when a voice called out into the chamber.
“Hello?” said the voice from the hall. Sirin, Sanctuary’s newest resident, peeked her head through the entrance.
A few months prior, she’d come north, trying to find the source of magic, and had ended up mated to a local ranger.2 She spent a lot of time visiting the Lady, taking lunula measurements from both sides of the lake. After several weeks of work, Abi was used to the small, curvy woman being around, taking measurements and handing them to her assistant, Sigfinn.
In fact, the young fish-kin man, whom Abi had babysat as a child, trailed behind her now. Sirin was always easy to spot around town, her dark hair making her pop against the sea oflunula-bleached heads. Sigfinn, on the other hand, didn’t have any hair, his green pate instead bookended by wide, fin-like ears.
Abi and Senka waved at them and curbed their giggles. Usually, Sirin and Sigfinn would take their measurements, spend some time with the Lady, and leave with little chatting. Today, however, they walked straight over to where Senka and Abi sat. Abi set out their packet of pastries and packed up the rest of her lunch, wondering what precipitated their change.
“Senka, I think I’m just about ready for that ritual we talked about.” Sirin gestured to the side of the chamber, where a network of caves extended under the mountain.
“Oh! Wonderful,” Senka said, smiling at Sirin. “Abi, Sirin asked the Guard-Captain for permission to conduct a fertility rite.”
“Congratulations! How very exciting for you both!” Abi said. If it was her, she would think it was a little early to begin thinking about children, but everyone’s lives operated on their own time frame, she figured.