“I’m complimenting ye.” He gives me an unimpressed look. “Actually, I’m complimenting the dress that I bought ye…thon yer wearing.”
“I didn’t ask you to!”
He shrugs. “Ye could just be grateful.”
“I was!” I shoot back.
“Until?” He lifts his eyebrows, waiting, and I say nothing.
I keep saying nothing, quite enjoying all the attention he’s giving me, and then he breathes out, annoyed, rolls his eyes, and turns and walks away.
“Where are you going?” I call to him, but he doesn’t stop, just keeps walking. So I climb out of the boat and scramble after him. “Hey!” I call again. “Where are you going, I said!”
He spins around, though he doesn’t stop walking. “Fer a dander up the mountains.” He flicks his eyes. “Would ye care to join me?”
“No,” I say quickly. He rolls his eyes, and I regret it immediately. “Maybe?”
He stops walking. “Maybe?” he says, eyes pinched, and I think I see a smile whisper over his face but ever so lightly and only for a second before he puts it away. He might enjoy being angry at me too. Jamison’s eyes fall to my bare feet. “Yer gonna need something for those.”
I straighten up, offended. “I walked the Fallen Kingdom and the jungle yesterday without shoes.”
“Well, thon was stupid of ye.” He gives me a look. “And this is a mountain. There’ll be jagged rocks and snow and—”
“Oh, never mind then,” I growl, crossing my arms, looking away.
He stares over at me. “Yer an absolute punish today.”
My mouth falls open, a little bit from hurt, but mostly from the reprimand.
Jem moves in towards me and waves towards the town square. “We can buy ye some shoes, Bow.”
“I don’t want you to buy me shoes!” I say quickly.
“For why?” He rolls his eyes.
“Why do you want to?” I ask. “So you can hold it over my head again?”
“I never—Fuck!” He shakes his head at me, his face getting closer to mine. “Is yer head cut?”
And then a ball of light zooms in between us, hovering at my eye level.
Jamison pulls back, surprised, as I put my hand out for Rune to land on.
She chimes.
“Oh no. I’m fine.” I shake my head.
She zips over and jingles aggressively in Jamison’s face—he stands there wide-eyed and stunned—before she darts back over and lands on my hand. She jingles.
I give her a look. “Heard about that, did you?”
She trills wildly.
“She’s very pretty. Oh, you don’t have to say that. Well, thank you. That’s kind.”
More chimes.
“No, I’ve not spoken to him since.” I shake my head, and then I feel Jamison’s eyes on me. I turn to him and frown. “What?”
He lifts an eyebrow, surprised. “Ye speak Stj?r?”
“Yes.” I roll my eyes as though I’ve been fluent in it all my life. “Don’t you?”
He pulls back a little, surprised again. “No’ fluently.”
I scoff and Rune and I trade unimpressed looks.
“I know.” I roll my eyes again as I stare over at him for a moment before looking back at her. She trills something about how handsome he is. “Yes, I suppose, if you’re interested in that sort of thing.”*
She jingles.
“Without it on, do you mean?” I lower my voice as I turn my body a little so Jamison can’t see so much of us, in case I’m blushing because I could maybe, possibly be. “Well, yes, I have. No! No, no! Not like that! But it is quite nice, actually, if you must know.”？
I straighten up again, look back at him over my shoulder, and our eyes catch. He swallows a smile before he glances away, and I ignore the feeling I have that he may have just caught all that after all.
Rune jingles.
“Well, we were going to go on a walk, but I have no shoes.”
Jamison ducks his head in towards us, raising a finger in protest. “It’s no’ as though I d?dnae offer to buy ye some.”
Rune jingles, pleased.
“Well, she said no.” Hook tells her. “Aye, cause she’s stubborn.”
Rune chimes at me hotly, stomping her foot against the air.
“I don’t care to ask people for things,” I tell her proudly.
Rune jingles angrily again. Fairies and their emotions, honestly.
“Well, I classify you as people, Rune.” She pulls a face, as though being called a human is offensive, and I guess considering us as a species at large, I do understand why she may not have received it exceptionally well. “I meant it in a positive way,” I clarify. “As in I wouldn’t much like to ask you for anything or expect you to help me either.”