![Sandra Hill - [Vikings II 04]](/res/aob/book1.jpg)
Ragnor finally inserted himself into the bizarre conversation. “Besides, I am not overly fond of chicken. I much prefer boar … or shank of reindeer.”
Pretty Boy laughed. “You’ll like this kind of chick, my man.”
“We need a little B & B for our R & R,” Flash put in.
“They mean bootie call,” Sly explained, as if his words were any clearer. “Booze and Broads for our Rest and Respite.”
“A honky-tonk. A little music, a little dancing, a little beer,” Flash further explained. “And easy women.”
That got his attention. “Beer? Dost mean there will be mead available?” He rolled over and sat up on his pallet. He would give just about anything for a horn of mead.
“You betcha,” Flash said.
Even at night, sleeping time was not their own. Sometimes they were awakened by loud shouting, or banging of clubs on trash can lids, or whistles or bullhorns or weapons going off, just so they could be marched down to the ocean where they would sit in the surf for hours on end. Tonight they’d been given a rare night off, but Ragnor could not imagine that a drinking hall was what their leaders had in mind. “I cannot believe our chieftain and his cohorts in punishment would allow us to go to such a place. Do we have leave to depart the base?”
“No, we have a limited liberty, but what they don’t know can’t hurt us,” Flash answered, waggling his eyebrows with mischief.
“Well, mayhap I will go with you, then,” Ragnor agreed. “Where exactly are we going?”
“The Wet and Wild,” Flash announced with a big grin.
“Well, count me out,” Cody yelled from several pallets away. “I don’t need any she-done-me-wrong songs. I want good ol’ rock ’n roll.” Cody did a little dance that involved swiveling his hips and thrusting his pelvis in a suggestive manner. “I’m off to Rock ’n Suds. Besides, it’s deep in San Diego, where we’re sure to evade a Mac Attack.”
“Me, too,” F.U. and Sly said as one, walking toward the door with Cody, both of them wearing the blue
braies
he’d noticed many men wearing in this country, along with U.S. Navy tea-ing
sherts
.
“Count me out both ways,” JAM said.
Everyone turned to look at him.
His face bloomed red as he disclosed, “I have a date.” JAM was dressed in the white uniform some ofthe military men wore. The contrast with his dark complexion was startling, and probably attractive to women. JAM came from Mexico, where skin color was somewhat dark, but not as dark as Nubians, like Sly … although Sly was not from the land of Nubians. He came from a country called Man-hat-ten. Very confusing!
“Whooee, ya gotta watch them quiet ones,” Flash said. The others added randy remarks on the former priest-to-be’s prowess in the bed furs. Like youthlings they were. In truth, like Vikings they were. He guessed that men in all lands of whatever age liked to tease each other about their virility.
“Do you like country music?” Flash asked him.
“What country?”
“Never mind,” they all said with communal disgust. “Never mind” was a common saying here.
Two hours later, they were sitting at a back table in a drinking hall named the Wet and Wild, wearing uniforms of tight faded-blue
braies
, short-sleeved tea-ing
sherts
, and lightweight running shoes.
What a country! Special shoes just for running!
And of course they all had handfuls of cone-domes in their pockets, just in case they got lucky. Ragnor didn’t need to have “getting lucky” explained to him.
Little had he known that the place’s name, Wet and Wild, came from the wetting down of females, and males, who entered the premises, thus turning their upper garments nigh transparent. Not a bad idea! Mayhap he would suggest it to his castellan when he returned to the Norselands. Women who entered his great hall for a feast would have to endure a bucket of water over the chest area first. On the other hand, women like Madrene might just bop any man whodared such
Pretty Boy laughed. “You’ll like this kind of chick, my man.”
“We need a little B & B for our R & R,” Flash put in.
“They mean bootie call,” Sly explained, as if his words were any clearer. “Booze and Broads for our Rest and Respite.”
“A honky-tonk. A little music, a little dancing, a little beer,” Flash further explained. “And easy women.”
That got his attention. “Beer? Dost mean there will be mead available?” He rolled over and sat up on his pallet. He would give just about anything for a horn of mead.
“You betcha,” Flash said.
Even at night, sleeping time was not their own. Sometimes they were awakened by loud shouting, or banging of clubs on trash can lids, or whistles or bullhorns or weapons going off, just so they could be marched down to the ocean where they would sit in the surf for hours on end. Tonight they’d been given a rare night off, but Ragnor could not imagine that a drinking hall was what their leaders had in mind. “I cannot believe our chieftain and his cohorts in punishment would allow us to go to such a place. Do we have leave to depart the base?”
“No, we have a limited liberty, but what they don’t know can’t hurt us,” Flash answered, waggling his eyebrows with mischief.
“Well, mayhap I will go with you, then,” Ragnor agreed. “Where exactly are we going?”
“The Wet and Wild,” Flash announced with a big grin.
“Well, count me out,” Cody yelled from several pallets away. “I don’t need any she-done-me-wrong songs. I want good ol’ rock ’n roll.” Cody did a little dance that involved swiveling his hips and thrusting his pelvis in a suggestive manner. “I’m off to Rock ’n Suds. Besides, it’s deep in San Diego, where we’re sure to evade a Mac Attack.”
“Me, too,” F.U. and Sly said as one, walking toward the door with Cody, both of them wearing the blue
braies
he’d noticed many men wearing in this country, along with U.S. Navy tea-ing
sherts
.
“Count me out both ways,” JAM said.
Everyone turned to look at him.
His face bloomed red as he disclosed, “I have a date.” JAM was dressed in the white uniform some ofthe military men wore. The contrast with his dark complexion was startling, and probably attractive to women. JAM came from Mexico, where skin color was somewhat dark, but not as dark as Nubians, like Sly … although Sly was not from the land of Nubians. He came from a country called Man-hat-ten. Very confusing!
“Whooee, ya gotta watch them quiet ones,” Flash said. The others added randy remarks on the former priest-to-be’s prowess in the bed furs. Like youthlings they were. In truth, like Vikings they were. He guessed that men in all lands of whatever age liked to tease each other about their virility.
“Do you like country music?” Flash asked him.
“What country?”
“Never mind,” they all said with communal disgust. “Never mind” was a common saying here.
Two hours later, they were sitting at a back table in a drinking hall named the Wet and Wild, wearing uniforms of tight faded-blue
braies
, short-sleeved tea-ing
sherts
, and lightweight running shoes.
What a country! Special shoes just for running!
And of course they all had handfuls of cone-domes in their pockets, just in case they got lucky. Ragnor didn’t need to have “getting lucky” explained to him.
Little had he known that the place’s name, Wet and Wild, came from the wetting down of females, and males, who entered the premises, thus turning their upper garments nigh transparent. Not a bad idea! Mayhap he would suggest it to his castellan when he returned to the Norselands. Women who entered his great hall for a feast would have to endure a bucket of water over the chest area first. On the other hand, women like Madrene might just bop any man whodared such
Similar Books
