Page 23 of A Curse of Hope and Shadows: Part I
Dimitri shrugged, still against the shadows. “I suffer from somewhat persistent headaches. The light does not help.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“What good would it have done?”
“I—” she stopped. “I should know these things, if I am to look after you.”
“There isn’t anything that can be done, so it hardly seemed to matter.”
“You shouldn’t have to suffer in silence.”
He shrugged indifferently. “I’m used to it.” He went over to the table and picked at his breakfast, not eating much. Adeline raised an eyebrow. “It’s too hot to eat,” he explained, pulling at his collar.
It occurred to her that he must be even warmer than she was, with all of his fur, although at least he had the benefit of wearing fewer layers.
“Want me to shave you?”
He glared at her.
“Fine, fine.” She got up and filled the sink, dampening the curtains and then a towel, flinging it at his face. “You can take your shirt off, if you wish,” she suggested, slumping back into her chair with a cold towel of her own. “It is only me.”
“You can take your dress off, if you like,” he returned, with something suspiciously like a grin. “It is only me.”
She laughed, wondering why her cheeks felt flushed at such a silly comment. It was probably only the heat. “We should play the grateful game.”
“The what?”
“It’s a game where you list all the things you are grateful for. Can only be played when you are grumpy for trivial reasons.”
“Really?” he raised an eyebrow. “You expect me to be grateful for anything?”
She glared at him from across the room. “Pick up a book.”
“What? Why?”
“One, so you can hit yourself with it, two, so that you can be grateful that you canafford to have books.Honestly. You could pick any object in this room to be grateful for.”
He sighed. “Fine. But you go first.”
“Fine. Today I am grateful for my job.”
“Your job?”
“Yes, for many reasons, but today mostly because I can sit here complaining about how hot I am rather than having to toil in the fields.”
“Hmm. I never thought of that. I guess I’m grateful for that too.”
“Pick something different.”
“Fine, fine. I’m grateful that I… never have to worry about starving to death.”
“Dark.”
“It was the best I could think of.”
“Hmm… I am grateful to my parents. They may be gone, but they were able to leave us enough that we don’t have to worry too much about starvation either.”
“I wouldn’t let you starve.” Dimitri pouted, as if this were some personal slight on him. “I am grateful for… well, for you, I suppose. That if the Gods had to saddle me with an irritatingly cheerful maid, at least they saddled me with…”
