Twice a year

[Lovely]

November 1, Year 1


"could that be you, you bayou devil?" Amethyst smiles and hands him his room key. "Nice to see you again.. you bring me anything I won't be able to resist this trip in?"

*looks around the street and slips in the door* "Always do, non? Could not be moi, petite... I cover my tracks too well," winks

'Sweeps' him with her broom and winks. "Em has gone up to put fresh linens on the bed for you, supper is cooking.. You have any special requests while you are here?"

"Only one," he grinned. "Every smile I can get from you."

"Always the charmer.." She smiled real pretty for him and blew him a kiss. "The rest will cost you." She teased, pulling the door shut, tight behind him.

He frowned though his eyes still sparkled. "You'd be chargin' li'l ol' me, na? What you did that for?"

"Sure we can work out some sort of trade.." She winked, chuckling as she moved to greet him with a friendly hug. "Someone has to keep you in line.. and since the other girls just about faint at the sight of that devilish grin.. I guess it leaves me."

"Nope, no faintin' from you, na. Just me to catch you and we know where that leads to, non? Can't say as I mind none with all those crisp linens all crinklin' that happy hello," he said, scooping her into a welcoming arm with a slightly more than 'just friendly' embrace. "So how are my two girls, r'a na?"

"Em is still a good girl, though I think my wild ways might be finally rubbing off on her a little." She gave him a dazzling smile that shifted to playful and flirtatious. "Mmm I suppose I should double check those sheets for you.. make sure everything is satisfying in your room."

"Mmm I suppose I ought not let you go up there without an escort, na. Might be a big ol' woolly spider waitin' to wiggle it's little toes at you," he said, reaching to tickle her like a 'spider attack'.

Ame giggled, reaching to catch his fingers at her sides and pull his arms around her, holding his hands with her arms folded behind her back. "I think you better.. never know what might be lurking under the covers.. and we have to discuss what you'll be wanting for breakfast in the morning."

He leaned down to kiss her nose and whisper, "More o' what I had the night before." His eyes watched her while he stood close, sparkling still as he reached for the sugar dapple of her lips.

"I'll be sure to cook you up a big pot of that.. you can have every morning you're here, if you like." She lifted up on her toes as he leaned to her lips, meeting him with a kiss that had been waiting just for him. He probably had a girl in every town he stopped in, more likely more than one.. but Ame liked him just the same, having come to genuinely care for and be fond of him.

[Lovely]

"Don't you go did all that just for me, na," he protested weakly indicating he'd like that and more, bracing her back against his arm and not letting go just yet. "Though not bein' one to turn down a warm...," he murmured, cutting off his thought with another soft kiss and setting her to her feet.

"Aren't I always good to you?" She stayed close in his arms, wrapping hers around his shoulders. "How about we get you that warm.." She whispered, pushing her hip gently into his.

"Always and then some, peti'," Locke nodded, already getting a little lost in the kiss and not wanting to wait til they went upstairs. Sure that Emerald would likely be down any moment, he sighed and pulled away, peeling a hand from his neck to lace into his square and gentle palm.

Ame sighed, reluctantly moving slightly away from him, though her eyes whispered how close she wanted to be to him. Her fingers curled around his hand and her other played at the bodice of her dress.

He couldn't help his gaze from straying to the dainty fingers that brushed over her dress. "Let's take care of that upstairs, na. Seems you ... got a loose thread all up in there like..."

Em's footsteps lightly padded down the stairs, her smile brightening as she set upon the trader with a running hug. Bumping him back a step, with a giggle, she was not affectionate in the ways her sister was with him, but was friendly with him and knew how much her sister liked him, even when Ame wouldn't admit it.

Ame was about to agree when she heard her sister coming down to greet him, Ame laughed and tugged his hand, letting him know she'd meet him upstairs. Her hands smoothed over the curves of her torso as she stepped away, looking back over her shoulder as she accended the stairs.

He curled into the hug politely and cast an eye after the lady moving up the stairs. The chuckle for them both rolled out and he patted Em's back gently. "Well, na... there's the best greetin' worth waitin' half a year fo', non? Two prettiest ladies in town in one place?"

"Well we are sisters.. doesn't get any better." Em kissed his cheek and gave him one more firm hug before stepping back. "It's good to see you again... " Her hands slid to his and she gave a brief squeeze. "We can catch up, after you've... rested. I've got to be off to meet Cody." She smiled sweetly, taking another step back, she'd promised to bring Cody some of the stew she made for his midday meal.

"Cody? Ain't that that lawyer's son what goes hollerin' and shootin' up the whole place? Is he sick? He don't need such a pretty nu'se, peti'. He wouldn't know how to behave himself any which way." Locke looked like a worried parent for a moment.

Em laughed him off, with a wave of her hand. "He's not sick, but I'm sure he's getting hungry.. and he behaves just fine.. I should be worried about how you behave." She teased, her eyes shifting towards the stairs. Of course she knew about him and Ame.

[Lovely]

"Well, na.. that's just ain't right," he pouted teasingly. "Have half a mind not to give your li'l present, na..."

She pushed his shoulder. "mmhmm.. don't you go pouting.. Amethyst finds out I made you all pouty, she have my hide!" She laughed softly, she and Ame were close and she knew just how happy her sister was.. twice a year. "You just make sure you give Ame what you have for her."

His pout quirked back into a gentle grin. "Alright na, peti', you best be goin' on with your gettin' goin' to see that tow-headed muskrat, and you tell him I said so... better watch himself and don't be messin' up my pretty girls, na."

"Now which of your many girls should I tell him to be good to?" She kissed his cheek and darted away to avoid any playful swats at her teasing him so.

"That li'l jack-rabbit what calls herse'f Em," he teased back, stepping toward the stairs. "I got this one taken care of myse'f... you just watch him, na." He gave her a wink, smiling devilishly at her comment, but letting it go for now. Only one girl mattered at the moment and she was already upstairs where he started to head. "Save me some o' that stew, Em... bound to get hungry later on, non?"

"You're sure to work up an appetite." She scooted towards the kitchen, where she had already portioned out some stew into a smaller pot.

Ame left the door to the room open, just a crack, she stood in front of the looking glass unpinning her hair. Her fingers stroked through the silky locks and she hummed softly, her boots were off and set to the side of the door.

Locke tiptoed nearly silently as he came up and pushed the door open then closed behind himself. "Look mighty pretty there, peti'," he said, admiring the girl from the door as his shoes were taken off to rest by her boots. He slid up behind her where she could see him over her shoulder in the mirror and he pulled a small envelope from 'thin air' it seemed like he'd pull a penny from a child's ear with a little side-show magic. "For you, peti'... hope you like it, na."

Ame smiled at him in the mirror, shaking the last of her pinned hair free. "Thank you." She softly met his eyes in the reflection. "and thank you." Her fingers smoothed over the envelope and she slowly took it from him, leaning back against his chest and tilting her face to kiss his cheek.

He watched her in the mirror then moved around her a little to return the kiss more directly and less timidly than he had in the foyer. "Glad you like it," he teased in a whisper, shifting her hair over her shoulder and 'helping' with that 'loose thread.'

The taste of his kiss was savored and she gently pulled away. "You want me to open this now?" She waved the envelope and then smiled. ".. or do you want to open this now?" She glanced down at the front of her dress where he was begining to unlace her.

"Mmmm," he tilted his head, musing as his fingers slowly and deftly worked at the lacing. "Don't think they go together, peti'. I'll manage this bit o nuisance here and you go on an' take a peek on up in there, tell me what you thinkin', non?"

[Lovely]

Her eyes watched down at his fingers for a moment longer, letting him expose more of her skin. She shifted her hands to the envelope and opened it to see what he had inside for her. Her eyebrow arched at him and a bit of a smile on her face.

Inside the envelope was a necklace of a fine lacey metal that would have impressed the Queen herself. It was a tri-tone gold with a few sparkling shimmers that looked like milky silver diamonds catching the dim light like a rustic glimmering pond. His fingers distracted his attention from the shining gems, both chain and girl and continued to remove the corset to bare her neck and show just the chain itself once it was on.

Her eyes widened and she gasped, the envelope falling to the floor as she held the gorgeous neclace in her fingers. "Jeffery!" She whispered, drifting from the necklace to his face, she trembled at a loss for words.

"Ah, what I gone n did, na?" He smiled and hushed her with a fingertip to her lip and lifted the chain from her fingers to put it on her. "Let's see you all sparkled up with that all up in there, that's it, pretty as a daisy in the mornin'."

She giggled with nervous excitement, her fingers lifting to touch her neck once he'd done the clasp. "Jeffery.. what.. how.. this is.. too much.. " She gazed at him in wonder.

"Shhh, na don' hurt yourse'f none, there. Just a li'l nothin' what says I miss you when I go away, na. See there? Na ain't that nice on you, m'emeselle? Let me get a closer look, r'a na." He faced her and fluffed her hair off her shoulders, letting her dark locks offset the glowing gold tones. His fingers shifted to her neck, lightly brushing as his lips whispered over her check then neck and shoulder over the chain.

Her eyes fluttered closed at the feel of his lips on her skin, her hand drifting up over his arms and curling in his hair and on his shoulder. She turned her face to catch his as he shifted his kisses over her neck, Ame held him still with a kiss filled with sweetness. "I miss you, too.. when you go away.." She whispered to his ear, following kisses over his cheek.