Claimer: I do hereby claim all rights and responsibility for the characters in this series of vignettes because the Amaranthine Saga is mine. (Which means I should probably behave myself since anything I say or do could be taken as canon.) Indulge the lot of us, especially the one who’s learning.
177
Trust for Trust
This again? Jacques stormed, “I know my place.”
“Not well enough”
“You think I don’t know who has your heart?” Jacques didn’t begrudge Tsumiko her place. She was the light of Argent’s life.
“You think I do not know who has yours?”
Jacques slouched disconsolately. “It’s different, now.”
“It is.”
“I belong to you, now.”
“You do.” Argent rested a hand atop Jacques’ head. “You did well today.”
“Too right.”
“You will not misconstrue my touch?”
Jacques snorted. “Does Akira misconstrue Suuzu’s?”
“Go to sleep, Jackie.”
He disobeyed as best he could, the better to enjoy Argent mussing his hair.
Posted: October 17, 2020
Prompt: #Inktober2020, Day Seventeen: Storm
Words: 100
Summary: Jacques Smythe brazens his way into Stately House and shows no sign of departing. Like it or not, Lord Mettlebright has himself a butler. An Amaranthine Saga Serial. [Humor, Drama, Family] Begins here. You can suggest a prompt here. To scroll through archived chapters, use the Lord Mettlebright’s Man tag.
FORTHRIGHT 
Pingback: LMM 176: Rehash – FORTHRIGHT
This chapter reminded me a little of the song “Verborgenheit” (“Seclusion”), by Hugo Wolf, text by Mörike. There is an exquisite recording of Fischer-Dieskau singing it on YouTube, if anyone is interested.
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…for those who might need an English translation (since the song’s in German), the first couple of stanzas are:
Let, O world, O let me be!
Do not tempt with gifts of love,
Let this heart keep to itself
Its rapture, its pain!
I do not know why I grieve,
It is unknown sorrow;
Always through a veil of tears
I see the sun’s beloved light.
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Oh my…that’s sad. Well Jacques, the Stones are right…”you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need”.
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Song lyrics everywhere today! ::twinkle::
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“Does Akira misconstrue Suuzu’s?” Well hell’s belle’s I must have…guess this is reason to re-read some of my favorite stories…
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A gentle reminder that in the LMM timeline, Akira is currently 14 years old, and he’s known Suuzu for almost exactly one year.
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Pingback: LMM 178: Enviable Position – FORTHRIGHT