shadowsong26 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shadowsong26) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
rainbowfic2021-08-24 11:30 pm
shadowsong26) wrote in rainbowfic2021-08-24 11:30 pm
Cerise #15, True Blue #9
Name: shadowsong26
Story: Focus
'Verse: Feredar
Colors: Cerise #15. Thanks for what you do anyway, True Blue #9. Fair weather friend
Supplies and Materials: graffiti (Lilith Faire Day 2: Second Stage), photography, tapestry (True Blue + novelty beads), eraser (Arrest AU), fabric, seed beads, novelty beads
Word Count: 438
Rating: R
Characters: Deshell
Warnings: References to serial murder killings.
Notes: Constructive criticism welcome, as always. This is an AU I haven't written in a while, where Selmid was able to ID the murderer right away and so he gets caught in 984 FY instead of...uh, at least twenty years later.
Deshell had been prepared for most of the consequences of the last few days. Especially when Selmid had identified the man he’d seen, the murderer Deshell had been borderline obsessed with catching for years. Especially given who that man turned out to be.
A high-ranking Captain, from one of the wealthiest and most powerful Islander Clans.
He’d been prepared for political posturing, with the local Inspector whose case he was technically barging in on, with higher-ranked officials who might steal it in their turn, with whoever the Islands sent to make sure their voice was heard.
He’d been prepared for people questioning his witness.
He’d been prepared to scramble to stretch the money and other resources he’d brought for what was becoming a much, much longer stay in the capital than he’d planned.
He’d been prepared (he hoped) for whatever personal fallout there might be, with him staying so long away from home, especially given the reason.
He’d even been prepared, or as prepared as he could be, for interrogating the man who had butchered so many people.
Deshell was beginning to prepare himself for the fact that there were a lot more victims than they really knew about.
What he hadn’t been prepared for was all this focus, directly on him.
He hadn’t even done all that much, in the end, other than been in the right place at the right time to overhear the right piece of someone else’s investigation; and been able to talk to Selmid because he knew boys that age, having two of his own.
And yet…
It wasn’t that everyone knew who he was. Rumor hadn’t spread so far that in the marketplace, people stared or whispered or approached him.
But everyone who knew the details--who knew about the case, about Kit Artwick and his victims, and who Deshell was, treated him like--almost like a hero.
It was incredibly uncomfortable.
Then again, if he was in the spotlight, it kept some of the attention off Selmid, who was in no way ready to handle that kind of focus.
Still. Deshell found himself looking forward to wrapping up his role in this thing and returning home to Lester--not just so justice of some kind could finally be served for the victims. Not even just for the purely selfish reason that he could finally put this mess behind him and, maybe, if Fesha agreed, bring Selmid home with him.
But because the sooner this was done, the sooner there would be another scandal or major event to draw the public’s attention far away from him.
That day couldn’t come soon enough.
Story: Focus
'Verse: Feredar
Colors: Cerise #15. Thanks for what you do anyway, True Blue #9. Fair weather friend
Supplies and Materials: graffiti (Lilith Faire Day 2: Second Stage), photography, tapestry (True Blue + novelty beads), eraser (Arrest AU), fabric, seed beads, novelty beads
Word Count: 438
Rating: R
Characters: Deshell
Warnings: References to serial murder killings.
Notes: Constructive criticism welcome, as always. This is an AU I haven't written in a while, where Selmid was able to ID the murderer right away and so he gets caught in 984 FY instead of...uh, at least twenty years later.
Deshell had been prepared for most of the consequences of the last few days. Especially when Selmid had identified the man he’d seen, the murderer Deshell had been borderline obsessed with catching for years. Especially given who that man turned out to be.
A high-ranking Captain, from one of the wealthiest and most powerful Islander Clans.
He’d been prepared for political posturing, with the local Inspector whose case he was technically barging in on, with higher-ranked officials who might steal it in their turn, with whoever the Islands sent to make sure their voice was heard.
He’d been prepared for people questioning his witness.
He’d been prepared to scramble to stretch the money and other resources he’d brought for what was becoming a much, much longer stay in the capital than he’d planned.
He’d been prepared (he hoped) for whatever personal fallout there might be, with him staying so long away from home, especially given the reason.
He’d even been prepared, or as prepared as he could be, for interrogating the man who had butchered so many people.
Deshell was beginning to prepare himself for the fact that there were a lot more victims than they really knew about.
What he hadn’t been prepared for was all this focus, directly on him.
He hadn’t even done all that much, in the end, other than been in the right place at the right time to overhear the right piece of someone else’s investigation; and been able to talk to Selmid because he knew boys that age, having two of his own.
And yet…
It wasn’t that everyone knew who he was. Rumor hadn’t spread so far that in the marketplace, people stared or whispered or approached him.
But everyone who knew the details--who knew about the case, about Kit Artwick and his victims, and who Deshell was, treated him like--almost like a hero.
It was incredibly uncomfortable.
Then again, if he was in the spotlight, it kept some of the attention off Selmid, who was in no way ready to handle that kind of focus.
Still. Deshell found himself looking forward to wrapping up his role in this thing and returning home to Lester--not just so justice of some kind could finally be served for the victims. Not even just for the purely selfish reason that he could finally put this mess behind him and, maybe, if Fesha agreed, bring Selmid home with him.
But because the sooner this was done, the sooner there would be another scandal or major event to draw the public’s attention far away from him.
That day couldn’t come soon enough.