Realmpentup

"Hey Xena?" Asked the bard/warrior/Amazon Queen and all around nice person, Gabrielle.

"Yeah?" Replied the fighter of injustices/Warrior Princess/Warrior Mom and all around dangerous but nice person, Xena.

"I can't seem to pin down the best way to describe the night of the Amazon attack. Humid? Moist? Wet? Damp? This writer's block is going to drive me crazy..." rambled Gabrielle.

"Sultry," Xena offered offhandedly.

"... I mean, I'm a bard and I... Did you say sultry?" Probed a rather inquisitive bard.

"Yeah, why?" Asks Xena; never skipping a beat as she brushes down her faithful steed/warhorse/golden mare and all around nice horse, Argo.

"What made you come up with that word?" A rather inquisitive bard further probed as she rose from her outdoor bedding accommodations where she had been so vigilantly staring at her blank scroll.

"I don't know. The night was sultry. That's just how I think of that night," replied the warrior as she moved to Argo's other side to continue brushing.

"How could you come up with that word?" The Amazon Queen getting a little testy.

"And why can't I come up with SULTRY? Being a warrior doesn't make me stupid!" Spat out Xena.

"That's not what I meant," Gabrielle shot back.

"Oh really? Then what exactly did you mean by that?" Questioned a pregnant yet dangerous looking Warrior Princess.

"I... I didn't mean it the way you took it. It's just that I'm a bard and I shouldn't be having this writing problem. I'm sorry Xena. I didn't know how to handle it when the exact word, the perfect word for my story, just rolled off of your tongue after I have spent days trying TO COME UP WITH IT!" Finished a somewhat flustered Gabrielle.

"Oh, so you're just going to take your writer's block out on me?" More statement than question from the fighter of injustices; who, incidentally, has yet to stop brushing her horse.

"NO, and I wasn't tak..."

"Oh, yes you were...Or were you just insinuating that I'm not...

"I wasn't insinuating anything, Xena. I'm just...mad at myself for not thinking of it first," Gabrielle admitted as she sat back down on her bedroll.

Xena spared a passing glance at her best friend; noting how upset she seemed. Xena knew that there was nothing she could do to help with Gabrielle's writer's block. This didn't mean she couldn't try to take her mind off of it. But what to do?

"Xena... I'm sorry," stated a very upset battling-bard.

"You complain that I don't talk enough; but then when I do you jump down my throat because I say the wrong things... Sultry," Xena mentioned the last as an offhand remark; not really meaning anything by it.

"I'm sorry, you're right. You're right," Gabrielle, now feeling lower that dirt for what she's done, is practically on the verge of tears.

"Hey, are you all right?" Whispered the Warrior Princess who has just finished brushing down her golden mare.

"I'll be fine," the bard murmured through tears, "I just need to work through this."

"There is no need to get this upset about it." Softly spoken by the warrior.

"I can't write. It's been my outlet for so long..." the Amazon sobbed.

"You're pent up," Xena said quite flatly.

"Well, yes, I guess. I have no outlet for my emotions." As Gabrielle begins to calm. "What else can I do?"

"I know exactly what you can do. I gotta get you laid. Then..."

"XENA... What are you thinking? You know I don't..."

"Oh, c'mon Gabrielle. Just this once. It's an outlet."

"NO, XENA! Wwwhat are you gonna do? You're going to go up to some guy and say 'hey my little sidekick needs to get laid?' Thanks but no thanks!" Very sarcastically spoken by the little Amazon.

"Well I was thinking more along the lines of 'uncomplicated fuck' and I would NEVER say 'sidekick.' You know better than that." Xena finished, a little flustered.

"The night was sultry, it has a good ring to it." The bard tried in vain to change the subject, but to no avail. Xena knows what Gabrielle needs.

"You are not doing this. I'm taking you Athens, we're not far, we could be there by tomorrow night." Xena said.

"You can't make me do this Xena. Short of holding me down, you can't force me into this." The bard defiantly stated. Now standing again, the Amazon Queen was looking mighty dangerous herself. She unflinchingly stood toe to toe with the Warrior Princess.

"No, you're right, I can't force you, but I want to go to Athens anyway. Supplies."

"And?" Asked Gabrielle.

"Well, if you get laid then yippee, if not, I'm in Tartarus." The warrior turned to put Argo's brush away.

"Why would you be in Tartarus? I'm the one with the problem; or did you forget that?"

"Oh, believe me I can't forget that. You won't let me." Xena, now at a complete loss, throws her hands up and walks over to her bedroll, fixes it and sits down.

"Xena, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was that bad. How can I make it up to you? Anything, name it." Gabrielle pleaded with Xena.

"Anything?"

"Anything!" Reassured Gabrielle.

"Well, you know those little dumplings with the red stuff in the middle... You haven't made those in... gods, ages, a couple of years..."

"You want dumplings?"

"Ooh, yeah. Please????"

"Ok, if that's what you really want." A hint of trepidation in Gabrielle's voice, then, "We can pick up the ingredients in Athens."

"Yes we can." Said a very happy Xena.

"What other supplies did you need?" Inquired the bard.

"Just those." Xena settled herself in knowing that sleep would be elusive tonight. Just the thought of those dumplings was making her mouth water.

The End

Disclaimer:
Unfortunately no writers' block was harmed during the making of this story. No small bugs lost their lives to Xena's meticulous brushing [Argo doesn't have bugs - X.].