I wrote 5,086 words today, which puts my total for the month to 7,895 at midnight. Somewher between 1/7th and 1/6th of the way there.

As a reward for putting up with me, here’s a fragment of today’s work.

“Are yeh okay, Miss Cass?” Fanny asked with worry in her eyes. Cass was holding her left arm as if it was a toy.

Cass groaned. She tried to move her left shoulder, but something was definitely wrong. “I think that mudspittled bastard tore something. Can yeh go check on the shop, an’ work on restockin’ while I figure out this mess?”

Fanny nodded and walked back to the back door of the shop. As soon as she opened the door the two women inside started yelling curses. “Aah, shut yer muckin’ mouths, yeh sootball bastards,” Fanny replied in kind. Cass could have laughed, if the pain in her arm would have let her. She winced again, trying to move the arm.

Top dropped to one knee in front of the Flame. “May I take a look at it, Hearth Mother?” he asked formally, without looking up.

“Tommy, what’re you- get up!” she ordered. “Of course yeh can take a look at it, though I doubt as if yeh can do a fallen thing about it. Sparks but I hate that formal muck,” she added under her breath. “Yeh know we’re not like that here.”

Tom was at her side immediately. “I know yeh say that but I’ve no desire for the guards teh come around the corner an’ me not askin’ permission, ma’am,” he replied. He took her injured arm in his hands and lifted it gently. She gritted her teeth together and groaned at the pain. Tom stopped lifting the arm and stepped behind Cass, supporting her left arm in his left hand as he ran his right hand over her neck and shoulder gently, gauging the extent of the injury. His touch made her tingle in a way she hadn’t felt since she’d had a crush on a Burgravine’s son in Academy when she was in tenth year. At the same time, the roaring pain in her arm announced there would be none of that, thank you.

“What is that yer hummin?” Cass asked, trying to keep her mind off of the conflicting signals her body was sending. “Sounds like an old sea tune my mam used teh sing.”

Tom stopped suddenly, and Cass could feel him tense up. “It’s nothin’, just something my grandmam sang when I was a kid. Am I hurting you? I can stop if yeh want.” He lowered her arm and backed away.

As for me, it’s back to the word mines I go…