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rainbowfic2019-03-28 09:25 pm
thisbluespirit) wrote in rainbowfic2019-03-28 09:25 pm
Cloudy Grey #3 [Divide and Rule]
Name: thisbluespirit
Title: Enquire Within
Story: Divide & Rule
Colors: Cloudy Grey #3 (classify)
Supplies and Styles: Brush (March 28th 2019 polyglot)
Word Count: 389
Rating: PG
Warnings: None, some refs to espionage.
Notes: July 1949; Edward Iveson, Julia Graves. (A slightly different look at the beginning of this piece for RaTs, from back at the start of their relationship.)
Summary He sins first by omission.
***
He sins first by omission.
Edward thanks the shop-keeper in German as he buys the daily paper, and steps out to unfold it on the street. It gives him cover to stay there for a few minutes and watch his target meeting his contact. But it’s Julia who arrives, and then he speaks the language of deceit, first to himself, telling himself it doesn’t matter (there was probably nothing he could have done to stop this), and later, to his superiors, when he leaves her name out of the files. She’s not worth mentioning.
His second crime is in overcompensation.
He asks directions to Calais’s train station in French, and as he makes his way there by foot he speaks a multitude of languages in his mind and heart, a discordant babble. He tries reason – it’s rash, of course, but the essential point is to extract Julia from the orbit of these people who have been using her. Then justification – it’s a matter of pragmatism. They’re hardly the first couple who’ve ever made a marriage of convenience and it’s been done for worse reasons than this. His heart whispers in fear – what does she want, why is she doing this? He accuses himself in guilt, but responds with honour, or maybe only pride, that it’s too late to back down, can’t go back on his word now. And denial, betrayal – oh, he speaks treason fluently, he mastered that years ago. And as he waits on the platform, he shifts his stance, pulls his coat straight, and won’t look at anyone else; proclaiming his nerves to anyone who cares to pay attention.
When he meets Julia off the train, helping her down and taking her case, he greets her, in prosaic English, with a glance at the small case, “Julia. Is that all?”
She nods, but gives him a quizzical look he can’t interpret.
He takes her to a café to wait out the time until they can board the ferry back to England, a place where they can try and talk. They’re engaged and he doesn’t know yet whether or not they can speak the same language.
Worst of all, when they leave the café, he drops a kiss on her cheek and takes her hand in his, their fingers tangling together, he might already be talking of love.
***
thisbluespiritTitle: Enquire Within
Story: Divide & Rule
Colors: Cloudy Grey #3 (classify)
Supplies and Styles: Brush (March 28th 2019 polyglot)
Word Count: 389
Rating: PG
Warnings: None, some refs to espionage.
Notes: July 1949; Edward Iveson, Julia Graves. (A slightly different look at the beginning of this piece for RaTs, from back at the start of their relationship.)
Summary He sins first by omission.
***
He sins first by omission.
Edward thanks the shop-keeper in German as he buys the daily paper, and steps out to unfold it on the street. It gives him cover to stay there for a few minutes and watch his target meeting his contact. But it’s Julia who arrives, and then he speaks the language of deceit, first to himself, telling himself it doesn’t matter (there was probably nothing he could have done to stop this), and later, to his superiors, when he leaves her name out of the files. She’s not worth mentioning.
His second crime is in overcompensation.
He asks directions to Calais’s train station in French, and as he makes his way there by foot he speaks a multitude of languages in his mind and heart, a discordant babble. He tries reason – it’s rash, of course, but the essential point is to extract Julia from the orbit of these people who have been using her. Then justification – it’s a matter of pragmatism. They’re hardly the first couple who’ve ever made a marriage of convenience and it’s been done for worse reasons than this. His heart whispers in fear – what does she want, why is she doing this? He accuses himself in guilt, but responds with honour, or maybe only pride, that it’s too late to back down, can’t go back on his word now. And denial, betrayal – oh, he speaks treason fluently, he mastered that years ago. And as he waits on the platform, he shifts his stance, pulls his coat straight, and won’t look at anyone else; proclaiming his nerves to anyone who cares to pay attention.
When he meets Julia off the train, helping her down and taking her case, he greets her, in prosaic English, with a glance at the small case, “Julia. Is that all?”
She nods, but gives him a quizzical look he can’t interpret.
He takes her to a café to wait out the time until they can board the ferry back to England, a place where they can try and talk. They’re engaged and he doesn’t know yet whether or not they can speak the same language.
Worst of all, when they leave the café, he drops a kiss on her cheek and takes her hand in his, their fingers tangling together, he might already be talking of love.
***
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I really like this and I'm very intrigued by their relationship. The flow of this piece is beautiful.
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