Drabble #227: Double

[redwolf]

For this prompt, we continue with our one-word/phrase drabble roots:

Double

Tell us all about it. Labyfic-style, of course.

Given our entries from recent months, let's continue with the suggested limit of 500 words. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: # of words
$your_beautiful_drabble

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Comments

Seraglio

[redwolf]

Word count: 500

Sarah was curled up in a wingback chair, indulging in one of the surprisingly large number of spicy romances that had made their way onto the castle’s library shelves.

“Something amusing you?” Bishop had kicked off his boots and had his feet up on an ottoman.

They’d been trading snippets of their reading material. Bishop’s was an adventurous tale of piracy with an all female crew and he was delighted about the accuracy of the descriptions of life about the ship. Sarah’s book was a reverse harem trope involving tradesmen.

“It just reminded me of the first time I heard about this kind of thing.” She indicated her book. “I was back home during a school break.” Irene had been catching her up on the gossip, the highlight being a local man getting caught splitting his time with a secret second family.”

Bishop scoffed. “That seems like a lot of hard work.”

“Right?” Sarah shook her head. “That’s what Irene said. Then she added that it would be easier the other way around and how she wouldn’t mind having multiple men.”

“Irene is a dark horse,” Bishop chuckled.

“She needed one to cook, another to clean and one to handle the garden. Of course, she wouldn’t complain if they performed their chores in as little clothing as possible.”

“She played you well.” Bishop was laughing at the image of a scandalised Sarah.

“While I was spluttering about that little bombshell, she hit me with having no interest in touching them, but it would be nice to have some eye candy to rev her motor, her words, before she ravaged my father.”

“That little minx,” Bishop was shaking with laughter.

“Her delighted cackle brought Dad out of the den and then she looked at him like he was edible.” Sarah shuddered.

“What happened next?” Bishop leaned his elbow on the arm of his chair.

“I noped out of there and took Toby to a movie.”

“That’s one way of getting some alone time.”

“At the time I would have appreciated a less traumatic method, but it’s funnier now.”

Chuckling interrupted their conversation and Sarah took the opportunity to admire her husband.

Jareth and Rook were sitting cross legged on a lounge with an elaborately embroidered square of silk as a game board between them. Sarah thought the aim was to move one side of the board to the other, but she still wasn’t certain if each player competed separately, they worked together, or they were at odds against each other.

The game play involved a die and a mismatched deck of leftover cards. She had no idea why the five of cups indicated a crocodile infested river, why a roll of the dice determined throwing a chicken in and why a reverse Uno meant that goblins would clear the way.

“I swear the rules change every time they play. It’s like Calvinball.”

Sarah snorted in response. “I love him to bits, but I couldn’t deal with more than one of him.”