The last day of McKale's 'week' was fast approaching, and he/she had not had much luck in retrieving a confirmation from Bress. Not that McKale had been spending a spectacular amount with the man, taking to slipping out of doors donning suit jacket and trousers for a bit of change. After all, if he/she was going to keep up pretending to be both genders, he/she was going to have to take a break or two from romantic relations in order to keep up appearances. But, as the morning of the sixth day of seven broke, McKale was forced to squeeze into a corset and prepare the day's gown; a large, many layered white dress, with red-blue feathered jewels holding back the material to create a sweeping, braided pattern throughout the skirt.
McKale was just adjusting the large pink ribbons that encompassed the majority of her tiny sleeves when a knock sounded on her apartment door. She straightened out her skirts, leaned back to get a quick look at herself in the mirror, and tottled over to the door to answer it.
Bress stood in the hall, his eyes lighting up as soon as he saw her (or perhaps her dress, he was rather infatuated with the Victorian wear, after all), with Yaidom behind him, frowning. Bress bowed and pressed his lips to McKale's hand, Good afternoon, my lady."
McKale smiled, fanning herself with her hand, and stepped aside to let them him, Good afternoon, monsieurs."
Bress tugged Yaidom into the room and they sat themselves on the couch, Yaidom doing so with excruciating slowness, as if the task were an onerous one. He crossed his arms over his chest and snapped his head in the direction of the nearest wall. Bress let out a sigh, jerking his head toward his companion and rolling his eyes. McKale let out a muffled giggle.
"I'm pleased to announce, said Bress, sitting straighter and tipping his chin the air, That I've managed to persuade Yaidom to leave to see your friend."
"Oh, Bress!" McKale flung herself at him, smothering his chin with an onslaught of sloppy kisses, Thank-you so much, Bress, if there's anything-"
Yaidom cleared his throat. Shooting daggers at McKale,"Please restrain her from such...obstreperous displays, Bress."
Bress planted a kiss on McKale's cheek and eased her back toward the bed, where she promptly sat with a silly little grin curling her lips.
"As I was saying, my lovely Miss McKale-" they both gave a little shimmer of a laugh,"Yaidom is going to happily make an appearance at your friend's abode, only...we need his name and address."
"Oh,"McKale blinked, I forgot that, did I?"
Bress nodded. Yaidom gave an obnoxious snort.
McKale pulled a slip of paper from her bodice and turned to one of the dressers, producing a second paper and a pen. She scribbled down Winquist's name, address, and threw in the phone number just in case. She clicked the pen and stuck it back in the drawer before handing the paper to Bress.
"Thank-you, love,"Bress nodded, smiling, and slipped the paper into Yaidom's jacket pocket with mild protest from the man himself, Youre off then, aren't you, Yaidom?"
Yaidom stood with sneer and straightened out his clothes,"Indeed,"he narrowed his eyes at McKale, I have no intention of spending any more time than I must with you an your...over obsequious girlfriend." He moved toward the door.
McKale stood to let him out.
"Sit down."
McKale did so, gaping a little.
"Good-bye, Bress, Yaidom nodded to him, Ill be back within a week." And with that, he left.
"Well I say, Bress,"said McKale, frowning after the door, I say!"
When Bress didn't answer her McKale shifted her gaze from the door, to him. He was giving her a rather strange look, eyes half-lidded and lips parted in a subtle smile. McKale let out a breathy 'oh' and, grinning, crossed the room to plant herself in his lap. He proceeded to nibble on her neck.
"I haven't seen you in days, Tierney."
McKale muttered something unintelligible and leaned into him, wrapping her arms about his shoulders.
"What have you been doing all this time?"
"Mmm, walking, mostly."
"Oh?" Bress let out a little chuckle and rested his hands on her knees, Your feet must hurt something awful then, mustn't they?" '
"Oh, oh yes, she slipped off of him, hiking her dress up about calves. She planted her feet in his lap, wiggling her toes, You should make them feel better." She batted her lashes at him.
Bress smiled and proceeded to rub the preferred appendages, That Jeffrey of yours is a marvel, you know."
McKale frowned,"Must you bring him up, now? I'm rather miffed with him."
"Oh? You should forgive him, I think he deserves it, his hands slid a little further up her feet, pressing her ankles, Some poor man injured his ankle on the way out and he stopped to help him, gave him his kerchief and everything. Not very many people do that."
McKale squirmed a little, but said nothing. His hands had moved on to massage her calves now.
"I've never thought much about obtaining a butler, but if I were to get one, I'd want-" Bress's hand stilled.
McKale cracked open her eyes and pushed herself upward from where she'd thrown herself back against the arm of the couch,"Bress?"
Slowly, Bress lifted his hands from her legs and set them aside, moving to the other end of the couch.
McKale frowned and sat up,"Bress?"
"You...you're him."
McKale's face drained of color,"H-him? Oh, honestly, Bress, how could I be h-"
Bress shot to his feet, backing away until his thighs hit the bed. He sneered at her, You already know what Jeffrey did, because you're him."
McKale panicked. How could he know? What had she done? She'd been so careful, there was no way...no way at all...oh. She lifted her right leg and yanked her dress back far enough to see her foot. It wasn't much of a mark, but the scar was there from when Cyilume had bitten her. She gasped sharply and let her dress fall back over her feet, tilting her head upward to lock eyes with Bress.
"You were wearing pants!" Bress' voice reached a painfully high pitch, his hands were shaking, You had a moustache!"
McKale scrambled to her feet, swaying dangerously, Its not what you-"
"Are you a bloody man?!"Bress shrieked and flung his arms, burying his hands in his hair, Have I been...been...? Oh god."
McKale's hands curled to fists at her side, Well you stole my watch!"
"Your watch? What would I want with your watch! Oh my god,"he clasped a hand over his mouth. A good thing, too, McKale would decide later, as he was looking a little green about the gills.
"Oh, as if you bally well don't know, she stormed across the room, forcing Bress to clamber over the bed to put more distance between them, And whats wrong with wearing pants? At least I'm not really a great, ugly lizard with medusan eyes! At least I don't run about killing people by looking at them."
"I- What?" Bress paled, then reddened, How the hell did you know about that!" Realization dawned before McKale could even open her mouth to reply. His eyes widened and he turned away with a choked noise, The man in the hatching bay...oh god...I remember now...and...and Jeffrey. You were there with Jeffrey, his eyes narrowed, Just how often do you go about masquerading as a male?"
McKale pursed her lips, As often as I like!" She stormed toward the door and wrenched it, Get out!"
Bress did so, hurriedly. He bumped into Jeffrey in the hall.
"Your employer's a cross-gendered freak! " he shouted at him.
Jeffrey tilted his head slightly, Indeed sir?" He seemed unphased.
Bress let out a strangled growl at slammed his hand against the wall. Jeffrey watched him storm back into his room before continuing down to McKale. He slipped his head noiselessly through the open doorway.
"Miss? he queried, brow creased,"Is everything all right?"
McKale lay in a rumpled mess at the end of the couch, face buried in her hands. She peered up between her fingers, eyes red and puffy. She sniffed and wiped her nose, shaking her head.
Jeffrey shimmered into the room, dropping to one knee before McKale. He opened his arms, and she fell into them, sobbing.
After a moment or two she wiped her nose (on Jeffrey's shoulder, but he withheld his protest) and sat up a bit, rubbing her eyes, I want to go back to the apartment."
"Very well, miss. I will pack your things," he stood, and paused, lips pursed, And miss?"
McKale looked up at him, eyes wide and watery.
Jeffrey's hands sank into his breast pocket, and when it appeared again his fingers were twined with a golden chain and from between the folds of his vest fell the watch. McKale gasped.
"I took the liberty of sending Shar to check Mister Bress' room whilst he and his companion were out. He found the watch in his dresser, miss."
.:.:.::.:.:.
The reader may well be wondering why I was on my way to see Miss/Mister McKale, despite the fact I had not been needed and knew very well McKale still harbored ill-feelings for my previous displays of affection toward her. Although McKale was no longer vituperating -
...
No, sir, I believe the reader will understand perfectly.
...
Very well, sir.
Mr. McKale impels me to inform you he/she was no longer reprimanding me for my behavior, not, as he/she so eloquently put it, 'using dashed long words to describe things those chaps won't understand'.
May I continue, now, sir? Thank-you.
Although miss/sir McKale was no longer reprimanding me, his/her decision to continue to stay away from the apartment was a testament to his/her feelings of discomfort, both for my bonds Shar'voras and Cyilume, and for my advances upon his/her person. Never-the-less, I had no ill feelings towards him/her, and was quite anxious to have him/her return to the apartment where I might keep a better eye on his/her safety. I had not forgotten the true forms of Bress and Yaidom, and the image of them turning on my employer haunted me constantly.
Therefore, that morning, I gave into pusillanimous behavior and requested Shar to sneak into Bress' apartment. I had not, at the time, known of he's earlier stratagem with Cyilume to temporarily dispose of the watch in order to draw Miss/Mister McKale from Bress. Shar returned with the watch, which caused Cyilume some distress, I noted, and explained where he had found it. Instantly I drew the conclusion that Bress had known about Mr. Winquist and was simply using my employer in attempt to obtain the watch. My appearance at McKale's door just as Bress was leaving was purely coincidental. I had come to check up on him/her and inform him/her of Bress' treachery, hoping it would be enough to separate them before it was too late. Imagine my surprise when I witnessed the very moment of their 'break-up', devoid of any interference on my behalf.
I had intended to keep the watch, then, as my employer would no longer need its appearance to break off engagements with Bress, but, upon seeing my master/mistress in tears, I fear I could not bring myself to do it. I returned the watch to him/her with full explanation of mine and Shar's actions.
He/she forgave me for my attempt to woo him/her, and I was overjoyed to have him/her return to the apartment. But there had been more at work than what I had realized...