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rainbowfic2019-01-01 08:34 pm
dray) wrote in rainbowfic2019-01-01 08:34 pm
Iceberg #13, True Blue #7, Ignition Yellow #3
Name: Dray
Story:everwood
Colors: Iceberg 13) Hot Chocolate, True Blue 7) Fast Friends, Ignition Yellow 3) "I don't think straight with nothing to prove"
Supplies and Styles: Fingerpainting, Frame, Stain "Man is a clever animal who behaves like an imbecile." - Albert Schweitzer (19-01-01), Glue "You need people more than you might want to admit."
Word Count: 1771
Rating: E Everybody
Warnings: Poly Overtones
"Ah, magister. Welcome back." The words were dry and polite, but Brandili said them with such warmth that Owen felt like he was being treated to a cup of cocoa after a long day out in the cold. Owen, standing on the doorstep to the cozy cabin, found himself suddenly ensconced in a hug that brooked none of the awkwardness he'd expected. Brandili knew he'd been Akadine's old flame, and he was also to blame for saddling a second toddler on her when she was still learning to wrangle her first. Where he liked to play little tricks on Akadine, he couldn't help but roll over for Akadine's partner, and so he returned the hug with full force. Brandili had become good at these. Years away from court and with genuine people had done that, as had becoming a mother who deeply cared for her children.
"Are we back around to calling you 'my lady' again, then?" Owen asked, stepping into the cabin, giving her a light bow.
Brandili shoved his shoulder, still sore from Akadine's earlier jab, and Owen grinned defensively. He loved the way Brandili looked without her famous hair. The short crop had forced her strong facial features to the forefront, and she looked like an entirely different person even after all these years. He still remembered her as the princess who had sailed across the crimson sea to make a splash in the kingdom's winter court, expecting to find a rulership as capable and as egalitarian as her own. He remembered vividly the first time he had seen her with her head shaved, when he'd helped her and Akadine flee in the dark after the court had thoroughly crushed all hopes of trust and peace. Brandili determined everything in her life, her face said, even coming to this remote village to settle into obscure domesticity. Even now, she tugged on his lapels and patted his coat down with some authority. "You call me 'Brandili' or I will have you reported for malingering."
Owen bowed again, ears a little pink despite himself. "Where are the girls?"
"They're gathering spring sprouts with Sezarra and some of the other students." Brandili grinned. "Vi is a pro."
"Why am I not surprised?"
Akadine had shut the door behind him and Brandili, and went to poke the logs in the fireplace, making physical space for the two to chat even if she couldn't give literal privacy. Now she called over her shoulder, "is the big man with you?"
"You mean Boyce," Owen reminded her, "and no, he's... indisposed at this time of the year."
Brandili, closer, shot Owen an inquisitive look. She gestured for their visitor to sit at their table, so he pulled back a chair.
Akadine snorted. "He comes around even less often than you do, and Vi's his own damned kid."
Owen rolled his shoulder--the one that wasn't developing a nice bruise. "The circumstances of Vianne's birth were incredibly unusual, and Boyce isn't equipped to raise her. Her birth mother wouldn't have her. You know that." He accepted a cup from Brandili and realized that she had been brewing cocoa. Was he developing precognition? He smiled at her, adding, "he does send his regards, though. Trellis was... in hibernation, for the winter. He thinks it's a trait of its maturation, but because it isn't able to travel right now, he's stuck. He'll make the effort once the days are longer."
"Classic hermit." Akadine said, settling in across the table and taking a cup of her own. "Are you sure that his kid isn't less than half human? She's turning out too noble by half to be related to our kind."
"It must be the good role model," Owen responded, instantly and naturally, before he saw Brandili's lips purse. She was a noble on the run; he'd just committed a faux pas in the name of a joke. He stuttered for a moment before hiding behind his cup. Akadine leered at him while he attempted to regain his composure... the last thing he wanted after such a long trek was to get thrown out of their house. Brandili rolled her eyes when Owen cast her a beseeching look. Better to change the subject, a little. Subtly.
"When will they be back? The girls, I mean? And how is Anahi?" If ever there was a noble in exile, it was the older of Brandili's daughters. Brandili had not left entirely of her own volition, when she'd fled. She'd been fleeing for two, really. Luckily, news of where Brandili and her daughter had eventually settled did not make it back to ears who desperately wanted to hear it. Owen had a part in ensuring that, though he would never mention that to this pair.
"She's healthy, and happy, and she speaks more of my home tongue here than she would have with her father," Brandili replied, quiet and serious. She was staring at Owen, reading his intentions in the question, but the brittle period had thawed and she seemed content with his genuine nod of relief. "Will you be staying for a while? Supper, at least?"
"I have a few things I need to do in town," Owen replied. He glanced at Akadine, whose leer flashed more genuine. Brandili, looking between the two of them, folded her hands on the table and clucked, the noise quiet and inscrutable.
She gave a brief nod, and pushed away to putter around. It was a small gesture, but between the two women it communicated more than a frank discussion might have. Akadine slipped into her empty chair and kicked her heels up on the edge of the table. "So. You have things to do? Anyone from around here?" She sipped from her cup, waggling her brows.
Owen coughed into his own mug and then made a face at the resulting mess. Dabbing at the worst of it, he cast her a look that upbraided her tone. But... he was willing to change gears. The old rat had admitted that she'd almost been won over by his big, warm eyes, and he wasn't going to let her forget it. "As a matter of fact, yes," he said, voice low. "If Brandili doesn't mind sharing."
"Oh, she might," Akadine was happy to keep her voice at full volume, shattering any pretensions that Owen could gain the upper hand by teasing her. When he glanced over at the other woman, he found that Brandili was, in fact, leaning one elbow on the counter and watching him with some devilish kind of mirth as Akadine continued, "she's good with lending out relief for a poor traveler if she doesn't have to dirty her hands, isn't she?"
"She is pretty generous," Brandili replied, tone considerate in the face of Owen's disbelief. "If a poor traveler is willing to do a few favours in return the next time he disappears into thin air." Owen could feel his chin sinking in towards the folds of his neck cloth as Brandili waited for a response.
He'd really only meant to flirt for a laugh, had expected a raucous rejection before they carried on to regular business. The flirt and the fanning of his and Akadine's old flame had once been a tradition, too, but it had been put on hold since the girls were born. The women had settled into a solid relationship that he didn't want to fracture. Before that, things had been a little messier, but... But. He and Brandili had had an understanding, somewhere between when she and he had met, and Akadine had been introduced to her as a competent guard, and when it had become clear that Akadine's unbridled enthusiasm had spilled over onto both of them in that strange way she had. They hadn't jostled much as they shared her affections, before their affections for one another had finally coalesced into a proper long-term thing. He knew Akadine liked trouble, and if he'd flirted now, it was both because he missed that attention and because he knew it wasn't coming back his way. Brandili's raised brows and lightly exasperated smile were flaying him to the bone with surprise. He didn't often have blind-spots like this and that made things so much worse.
"Ah, um." Owen set his cup down. "You know I owe you more than a favour or two." He had turned his full attention on Brandili, though Akadine was casting him an almost predatory grin. He was used to that level of lechery, even if he hadn't been the recipient of it in years. "I, ah... yes, that's agreeable." He found his gaze sliding sideways to the old sellsword after all.
Brandili shoved away from the counter and dusted her hands before she went for a lined cape and a hat by the door. She met him part-way as he pushed back his chair to stammer at her, and she took a moment to squeeze one of his hands between hers. "Oh, relax. I'll make a few arrangements. Put supper together with my old woman and don't get any wise ideas while I'm away." Owen found himself dazed as she opened the door and the cold swirled in, but forced himself back to proper form as two young girls screamed into view with a basket between them. Anahi and Vianne were dressed for cold weather, the former about six and darker skinned, like her mother, the latter about five and tinted an inhuman shade of birch, with black eyes that looked better placed on a fawn or in the boll of a tree. They both greeted Brandili with urgent glee, showing off their harvest, and Brandili confronted them with hair ruffles and hugs. An older woman, presumable Sezarra, gave Owen one quick, harsh glance before the two women fell into a quick and private chatter.
Owen found himself set upon by the girls, who recognized him, faintly, and were neither of them shy to enquire about his absence. Any thoughts of earlier arrangements were put quite out of his mind as Akadine hollered for them to get in and close the door behind them. The rest of the afternoon was spent catching the two up on tales from his journeys--whether embellished or not.
He was glad to see that they were both doing so well, with Akadine taking care of them like a gruff old warhound with a litter of puppies. More than any other possible moment, when the lot of them were gathered around the supper table and filling him in on quiet village life, he felt like he belonged here.
Story:
everwoodColors: Iceberg 13) Hot Chocolate, True Blue 7) Fast Friends, Ignition Yellow 3) "I don't think straight with nothing to prove"
Supplies and Styles: Fingerpainting, Frame, Stain "Man is a clever animal who behaves like an imbecile." - Albert Schweitzer (19-01-01), Glue "You need people more than you might want to admit."
Word Count: 1771
Rating: E Everybody
Warnings: Poly Overtones
"Ah, magister. Welcome back." The words were dry and polite, but Brandili said them with such warmth that Owen felt like he was being treated to a cup of cocoa after a long day out in the cold. Owen, standing on the doorstep to the cozy cabin, found himself suddenly ensconced in a hug that brooked none of the awkwardness he'd expected. Brandili knew he'd been Akadine's old flame, and he was also to blame for saddling a second toddler on her when she was still learning to wrangle her first. Where he liked to play little tricks on Akadine, he couldn't help but roll over for Akadine's partner, and so he returned the hug with full force. Brandili had become good at these. Years away from court and with genuine people had done that, as had becoming a mother who deeply cared for her children.
"Are we back around to calling you 'my lady' again, then?" Owen asked, stepping into the cabin, giving her a light bow.
Brandili shoved his shoulder, still sore from Akadine's earlier jab, and Owen grinned defensively. He loved the way Brandili looked without her famous hair. The short crop had forced her strong facial features to the forefront, and she looked like an entirely different person even after all these years. He still remembered her as the princess who had sailed across the crimson sea to make a splash in the kingdom's winter court, expecting to find a rulership as capable and as egalitarian as her own. He remembered vividly the first time he had seen her with her head shaved, when he'd helped her and Akadine flee in the dark after the court had thoroughly crushed all hopes of trust and peace. Brandili determined everything in her life, her face said, even coming to this remote village to settle into obscure domesticity. Even now, she tugged on his lapels and patted his coat down with some authority. "You call me 'Brandili' or I will have you reported for malingering."
Owen bowed again, ears a little pink despite himself. "Where are the girls?"
"They're gathering spring sprouts with Sezarra and some of the other students." Brandili grinned. "Vi is a pro."
"Why am I not surprised?"
Akadine had shut the door behind him and Brandili, and went to poke the logs in the fireplace, making physical space for the two to chat even if she couldn't give literal privacy. Now she called over her shoulder, "is the big man with you?"
"You mean Boyce," Owen reminded her, "and no, he's... indisposed at this time of the year."
Brandili, closer, shot Owen an inquisitive look. She gestured for their visitor to sit at their table, so he pulled back a chair.
Akadine snorted. "He comes around even less often than you do, and Vi's his own damned kid."
Owen rolled his shoulder--the one that wasn't developing a nice bruise. "The circumstances of Vianne's birth were incredibly unusual, and Boyce isn't equipped to raise her. Her birth mother wouldn't have her. You know that." He accepted a cup from Brandili and realized that she had been brewing cocoa. Was he developing precognition? He smiled at her, adding, "he does send his regards, though. Trellis was... in hibernation, for the winter. He thinks it's a trait of its maturation, but because it isn't able to travel right now, he's stuck. He'll make the effort once the days are longer."
"Classic hermit." Akadine said, settling in across the table and taking a cup of her own. "Are you sure that his kid isn't less than half human? She's turning out too noble by half to be related to our kind."
"It must be the good role model," Owen responded, instantly and naturally, before he saw Brandili's lips purse. She was a noble on the run; he'd just committed a faux pas in the name of a joke. He stuttered for a moment before hiding behind his cup. Akadine leered at him while he attempted to regain his composure... the last thing he wanted after such a long trek was to get thrown out of their house. Brandili rolled her eyes when Owen cast her a beseeching look. Better to change the subject, a little. Subtly.
"When will they be back? The girls, I mean? And how is Anahi?" If ever there was a noble in exile, it was the older of Brandili's daughters. Brandili had not left entirely of her own volition, when she'd fled. She'd been fleeing for two, really. Luckily, news of where Brandili and her daughter had eventually settled did not make it back to ears who desperately wanted to hear it. Owen had a part in ensuring that, though he would never mention that to this pair.
"She's healthy, and happy, and she speaks more of my home tongue here than she would have with her father," Brandili replied, quiet and serious. She was staring at Owen, reading his intentions in the question, but the brittle period had thawed and she seemed content with his genuine nod of relief. "Will you be staying for a while? Supper, at least?"
"I have a few things I need to do in town," Owen replied. He glanced at Akadine, whose leer flashed more genuine. Brandili, looking between the two of them, folded her hands on the table and clucked, the noise quiet and inscrutable.
She gave a brief nod, and pushed away to putter around. It was a small gesture, but between the two women it communicated more than a frank discussion might have. Akadine slipped into her empty chair and kicked her heels up on the edge of the table. "So. You have things to do? Anyone from around here?" She sipped from her cup, waggling her brows.
Owen coughed into his own mug and then made a face at the resulting mess. Dabbing at the worst of it, he cast her a look that upbraided her tone. But... he was willing to change gears. The old rat had admitted that she'd almost been won over by his big, warm eyes, and he wasn't going to let her forget it. "As a matter of fact, yes," he said, voice low. "If Brandili doesn't mind sharing."
"Oh, she might," Akadine was happy to keep her voice at full volume, shattering any pretensions that Owen could gain the upper hand by teasing her. When he glanced over at the other woman, he found that Brandili was, in fact, leaning one elbow on the counter and watching him with some devilish kind of mirth as Akadine continued, "she's good with lending out relief for a poor traveler if she doesn't have to dirty her hands, isn't she?"
"She is pretty generous," Brandili replied, tone considerate in the face of Owen's disbelief. "If a poor traveler is willing to do a few favours in return the next time he disappears into thin air." Owen could feel his chin sinking in towards the folds of his neck cloth as Brandili waited for a response.
He'd really only meant to flirt for a laugh, had expected a raucous rejection before they carried on to regular business. The flirt and the fanning of his and Akadine's old flame had once been a tradition, too, but it had been put on hold since the girls were born. The women had settled into a solid relationship that he didn't want to fracture. Before that, things had been a little messier, but... But. He and Brandili had had an understanding, somewhere between when she and he had met, and Akadine had been introduced to her as a competent guard, and when it had become clear that Akadine's unbridled enthusiasm had spilled over onto both of them in that strange way she had. They hadn't jostled much as they shared her affections, before their affections for one another had finally coalesced into a proper long-term thing. He knew Akadine liked trouble, and if he'd flirted now, it was both because he missed that attention and because he knew it wasn't coming back his way. Brandili's raised brows and lightly exasperated smile were flaying him to the bone with surprise. He didn't often have blind-spots like this and that made things so much worse.
"Ah, um." Owen set his cup down. "You know I owe you more than a favour or two." He had turned his full attention on Brandili, though Akadine was casting him an almost predatory grin. He was used to that level of lechery, even if he hadn't been the recipient of it in years. "I, ah... yes, that's agreeable." He found his gaze sliding sideways to the old sellsword after all.
Brandili shoved away from the counter and dusted her hands before she went for a lined cape and a hat by the door. She met him part-way as he pushed back his chair to stammer at her, and she took a moment to squeeze one of his hands between hers. "Oh, relax. I'll make a few arrangements. Put supper together with my old woman and don't get any wise ideas while I'm away." Owen found himself dazed as she opened the door and the cold swirled in, but forced himself back to proper form as two young girls screamed into view with a basket between them. Anahi and Vianne were dressed for cold weather, the former about six and darker skinned, like her mother, the latter about five and tinted an inhuman shade of birch, with black eyes that looked better placed on a fawn or in the boll of a tree. They both greeted Brandili with urgent glee, showing off their harvest, and Brandili confronted them with hair ruffles and hugs. An older woman, presumable Sezarra, gave Owen one quick, harsh glance before the two women fell into a quick and private chatter.
Owen found himself set upon by the girls, who recognized him, faintly, and were neither of them shy to enquire about his absence. Any thoughts of earlier arrangements were put quite out of his mind as Akadine hollered for them to get in and close the door behind them. The rest of the afternoon was spent catching the two up on tales from his journeys--whether embellished or not.
He was glad to see that they were both doing so well, with Akadine taking care of them like a gruff old warhound with a litter of puppies. More than any other possible moment, when the lot of them were gathered around the supper table and filling him in on quiet village life, he felt like he belonged here.