“I refuse to settle,” Sorak snarled.
“Eh. Where you go now? Not just come back from go?” Berkr called out.
“I have to tinkle.” Dace’s voice broke, like she was struggling to hold it together.
Wake up, I yelled at myself in my sluggish head. Wake up already, damn it!
“Look, see? Say stupid things, make Candy-ass lie say she need pee, she leave ‘gain.”
Forcing my eyes to open, I spied a blur of blonde and blue as it flew past the room I found myself in.
There was a gurgling sound, and then heavy thumps like something hitting something hard, followed by a grunt and a final, jarring thud.
“Be lucky, Sorry head, Candy-ass say horn head her mate.” Berkr made an angry sound, then muttered some unkind things about him in growl speak about him thinking he was too good for her. The rest of Berkr’s tirade I didn’t understand and took to mean bad words.
“I never said that,” Sorak gritted out, in reply to everything Berkr had said. Dace has said Sorak spoke Lo denaii, or Creeson as I thought of it.
“Say it now, make Candy-ass hide ‘way to cry.” Berkr sounded pissed.
“I said I refused to settle,” Sorak mumbled. His voice sounded funny, partially muffled.
“Sorry head not listen self?” Berkr snapped.
There was a loud rustling and then, “She was settling for me!” Sorak thundered.
Silence, then, “She say that? Candy-ass say she settle for Sorry head, be Candy-ass mate?”
“In so many words…” Sorak finally muttered.
“Then why Berkr find Candy-ass wet face, cry and cry and cry over stupid horn head no want her, over and over. Find hideplaces to cry over Sorry head who not want her so others not see?”
“She was just settling,” Sorak muttered, bristling.
“If that what Sorry head say…” Berkr didn’t sound like he believed that for a minute.
“It’s true.” Sorak sounded less convinced by the minute.
“Sorry head thinks so,” Berkr got out between grunts.
“It is.”
“Why she ask, you say she settle? What she settle for? Sorry head has lots of kep-keps like Candy-ass loves, big hut for lots of babies, like Candy-ass wants, stupid Sorry head always looks at Candy-ass when Candy-ass not looking. Gets the stupid face for Candy-ass. Candy-ass always say, Sorry this. Sorry that. Her friend the Sorry. Sorry, Sorry. Sorry so nice. Sorry the nicest, do nice things for Candy-ass. Sorry really care. Sorry Candy-ass friend.”
“She’s not in love with me,” Sorak mumbled, defeat thick in his voice. “She wanted to settle for me. I’m not who she really wanted.”
“Dummy head.”
“I’m the dummy head? Why do you think I told her no?” Sorak exploded. “You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed?”
“Berkr not notice what?” Berkr rumbled out cluelessly.
A frustrated noise left the unicorn man. “You can’t bethatrock brained.”
“You rock brained.” Berkr’s instant reply was met with a disbelieving snort. “What Berkr notice?”
“If you haven’t figured it out,” Sorak muttered snootily. “I’m not going to tell you.”
“Speak funny. Stupid head. Berkr no care you say.”
