Page 121 of Halfling
She couldn’t help a sense of surrealness as she looked about her room.I’m home. And I brought a half-orc with me.
Her belly clenched, not just with morning hunger but inexcitement. She wanted to show himeverything.
Finally throwing herself out of bed, Sorcha realized the little hearth had gone cold and bright morning sunlight streamed through the windows. Fates, she hadn’t slept in so long in…a while.
It was its own small joy to slip into her own clothing again. Her braies needed a little tighter lacing after all the walking and dinners of vegetable soup, but they were still all the familiar textures and weights. Her own set of stiff cloth stays was such a pleasure, her back and breasts almost sighing with the proper support.
She smoothed her hands down her middle, suddenly a little nervous. The clothes she’d managed to find had done just fine, and she intended to keep many of them, but they were all creams and browns. Sorcha loved greens, rich clarets, and wine purples. Deep colors to suit her complexion and coloring. She loved the embroidery, much of which she’d done herself, on her stays, decorated with scrolling blooms and berries.
She’d put on all her favorites, she realized—her billowy green shirt, her softest braies that hugged her hips and thighs just so, her boots with a slight heel that made her backside look wonderful.
I want to look pretty for him.
Sorcha blushed. Her halfling always thought she was beautiful; and it didn’t take great acumen to figure out his favorite was her naked. Still, she felt pretty and comfortable in her own clothing.
She made her way downstairs in search of Orek—and breakfast.
She didn’t find him in any of the front rooms. In fact, she didn’t find anyone at all, not until she made it to the kitchen. She squealed in delight when she saw her Aunt Sofie drinking tea with her mother and Maeve.
Sofie quickly had her in her arms, surrounding Sorcha with her scent of herbs and lavender. Although willowy compared to Aoife’s hearty curves, Sofie gave the tightest, most rib-cracking hugs. She nearly squeezed the breath out of Sorcha before taking Sorcha’s face between her dry, tanned hands to look her over.
“Just look at you!” she said. “You gave us such a scare.” Pulling her in for a slightly less snap-in-half hug, she rocked Sorcha in her arms. “We missed you, sprout.”
“I missed you, too. I came home as quick as I could.”
Sofie made an amused sound, pulling back to shoot Sorcha a wry grin. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I saw that male you brought home. I wouldn’t blame you for taking your time.”
Aoife guffawed and Maeve groaned, but Sorcha ignored them.
“You’ve seen Orek? Where is he?”
Sofie nodded. “Saw him on my way here. Calum somehow talked him into giving nature lessons. They were back from the lake and headed out again, with Blaire and Keeley in tow, of course. Can’t miss anything interesting, those two.”
A soft smile claimed her mouth thinking of Orek being overrun with her three youngest siblings. They were all affable, kind kits, each with their own quirks and interests. Calum could usually be found buried in a book—when he wasn’t out investigating whatever interested him. Blaire often accompanied him, mostly to pick flowers and sit and read poetry and novels while he collected his samples. And Keeley. Keeley was sunshine in a person, always bouncing along, happy to be with whoever she was with.
She had no worries about him making fast friends with those three. No doubt they all had their own plans to pounce on him at some point today to ask more questions.
It was the older three siblings she had to worry about.
Not that Maeve ever really liked what Sorcha did—her choice of clothes, her hobbies, her jokes. Sorcha didn’t let it get to her; Maeve was all sharp teeth and claws but rarely bit.
Although, as she got older, her chance bites were starting to hurt.
“Come have some breakfast,” her mother said, waving her further into the kitchen.
Sorcha sat at a stool, humming happily as her mother piled her plate with meat pastries, bacon, and fruit.
“Not warm anymore since someone decided to sleep in,” Aoife said with a wink. “Though I think we can certainly forgive it this time.”
She tucked into the food, the flavors of her mother’s cooking bursting across her tongue.This is what home tastes like.She kept trying to find it in all those other towns and markets, but they just couldn’t compare.
The other women chatted around her, drinking their mugs of tea, as Sorcha ate. They told her what she’d missed while she’d been away. How Connor and Niall had both asked for reassignment to the Darrowlands while she was missing and planned on helping continue their father’s cause of rooting out the slave-peddlers.
Maeve had begun tutoring under several scholars to prepare for entry into one of the academies in Gleanná. Sorcha hadn’t quite believed her sister when she spoke of becoming a teacher, but she was impressed and proud to hear Maeve had taken the next steps. For all that she could be a vain, haughty thing, Maeve had always loved children.
Probably because they fawn all over her,Sorcha thought, not for the first time.
The younger children had continued schooling, though her absence had been difficult on them. Aoife obviously didn’t want to speak of it yet, but she did convey in a few words how devastated they’d all been at her disappearance.
