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rainbowfic2023-09-10 09:19 pm
thisbluespirit) wrote in rainbowfic2023-09-10 09:19 pm
Vienna Orange #7; Tourmaline #9 [Starfall]
Name: Quayside Ramble
Story: Starfall
Colors: Vienna Orange #7 (Mother says years ago this whole world was ours to rule); Tourmaline #9 (space/confinement)
Supplies and Styles: Paint-by-Numbers fromshadowsong26 (the power of memory)
Word Count: 1124
Rating: G
Warnings: None, really, slight reference to (not actual) suicide.
Notes: Portcallan, 1313; Marran Delver, Mina Modelen. (Mina is Leaira’s mother; a very slight piece with a random meeting in Portcallan in the earlier storyline.)
Summary: Mina Modelen runs into a stranger.
Dusk was on its way; the light on the horizon across the sea began develop an orange tinge. Mina Modelen shifted the load in her arms as she headed along the quay towards the Laonnic of Lighthaven, her gaze straying to a young soldier in a dark blue uniform, who was standing very still at the edge, staring into the murky waters below.
“Don’t do it,” she said lightly, as she passed. “You’d be poisoned before you drowned.”
He started and lifted his head. He was tall, fair-headed, and light-skinned, with a still-healing cut on his temple. He looked young yet to have been in the wars – and there weren’t currently many wars to be in – but that was being a soldier for you, no doubt. “Oh,” he said. “I wasn’t going to – at least, not like that. And not here, certainly; I thought that, too.”
“Not anywhere,” said Mina. “You’re too young to give up yet.” She put her box down on the quay, and moved to stand beside him. It was unusually quiet at this end of the harbour today. She could see some sailors moving around on one of the larger ships berthed at the far end, but there weren’t many others in sight. “What do you mean, not like that? If you want a swim, there’s a beach that way.”
The young man rubbed his forehead. “No, no,” he said. He screwed up his face. “Have you heard people talk about speaking to the Powers? You’re supposed to give yourself up to them, so to throw yourself into the waters is the way to hear Shara.”
“Drastic,” said Mina. “I don’t think you should try that, either. There’s a shrine off the Aliate Green if you want to pay your respects.”
He laughed, and turned to face her, the sea breeze catching a stray strand of his fringe and lifting it. “Yes – well, you see, I was bored and it’s something I think about sometimes. I went to the shrine here, but it’s not really –” He stopped and pulled his mouth down.
“Oh,” said Mina, finally taking in the significance of his uniform. “You’re from North Eastern?” North Easterners were, so southerners said, notoriously superstitious – and good for them, as far as Mina was concerned.
He nodded.
“Rosfallen, should I say?”
The soldier stiffened. “I’m not a disunionist.”
“Oh, no,” she said. “I didn’t mean that. I always think we ought to remember the old names more than we do – I assumed, if you’re daydreaming about old tales, you’d agree.”
He laughed, flushing, and screwing his face up. “Sorry. Yes. Only I got this from someone shouting about Rosfallen scum.” He gestured at his forehead. “That’s why I’m here. The rest of my regiment left for Tamah, and I’m stuck here until I’m officially fit again – and get moved to another regiment.”
“Sorry,” said Mina. “It won’t be long, though, now, will it? Funnily enough, I’m off to West Korphil, too, although not to Tamah, or not for long. You’ll like it.”
The young soldier shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Already far enough from home?” said Mina, tilting her head, her voice softening slightly. “Got someone you didn’t want to leave behind?”
He nodded slowly. “Yes. But the only way to get back is to go through with it, I know. I’ve just – well –” He cast her an uncertain look. “I’ve never actually been out of Emoyra. Never been out of North Eastern before this.”
“Well,” said Mina, “Tamah is as dedicated to Shara as Old Ralston, so if you must cast yourself into any bodies of water – not that I think you should – the shrine on Iyn Tamis would be much better than Portcallan harbour.”
He pressed his hand to his mouth, not quite hiding a smile. “Thank you. And I won’t really. I just don’t like sitting around doing nothing. I start thinking too much all the time.”
“Me neither,” said Mina. She held out a hand. “Mina Modelen.”
He took it. “Marran Delver.” He saw her move to pick the box back up and beat her to it, lifting it with enviable ease. “Where’s your ship?”
Mina pointed. “You don’t have to,” she said, but without much emphasis. If he was prone to thinking up wild schemes like half-killing himself to contact the Powers when left to his own devices, he might as well busy himself with something harmless like carrying her box across the quay.
“What takes you to West Korphil?” he asked, politely.
Mina had to quicken her pace to keep level of him; he had far longer legs. “The opposite to you, really – I want to get as far away from home as possible.”
“Is it that bad?”
“Oh, no,” she shook her head. “And not yet – this is trip is more information gathering. I’m interested in old legends, too, in a way. We’ve been trapped within the barrier the tales say was caused by the Starfall event, ever since it happened – but before, the whole world was open. My partner and I are searching for a way past the barrier. Sooner or later, we must find a way out, and start to explore it all – find out if anything survived the transformation, or if it’s all dead – or all sea.”
Marran looked up at the sails of the Laonnic as they neared it. He put down the box before the ramp. “That sounds far more dangerous than my idea.”
“It’s only theory as yet,” said Mina. “We’ve travelled south before, but that’s notoriously difficult to navigate, and I don’t think it’s the way to go. Westwards is my bet – that’s why Korphil. But it’s only research this time. We want to try sailing out again some day, but we’ve a baby daughter at home now, so we can’t do a long trip until she’s older – and it’s better to find all the clues we can first in any case.”
Marran glanced at the ramp. “Good luck, then. Rather you than me!”
“You can come on board, if you like,” she said. “Try out your sea legs – see if you have any.”
Marran shook his head. “No. I’d better not. Somebody might think I was running away.”
“Oh,” she said. “No deserting. Quite right. Don’t worry; you’ll break those barriers too, one day. We’ll both have to be patient in the meantime.”
“And not wind up in the water.” He laughed. “Thank you. Not that I really would have done it, not today, not here. But – I hope you find what you’re after.”
Mina smiled. “Well, it won’t be for want of trying.” She held out her hand to him again, and he shook it in farewell. “Same to you, too, Soldier Delver.”
Story: Starfall
Colors: Vienna Orange #7 (Mother says years ago this whole world was ours to rule); Tourmaline #9 (space/confinement)
Supplies and Styles: Paint-by-Numbers from
shadowsong26 (the power of memory)Word Count: 1124
Rating: G
Warnings: None, really, slight reference to (not actual) suicide.
Notes: Portcallan, 1313; Marran Delver, Mina Modelen. (Mina is Leaira’s mother; a very slight piece with a random meeting in Portcallan in the earlier storyline.)
Summary: Mina Modelen runs into a stranger.
Dusk was on its way; the light on the horizon across the sea began develop an orange tinge. Mina Modelen shifted the load in her arms as she headed along the quay towards the Laonnic of Lighthaven, her gaze straying to a young soldier in a dark blue uniform, who was standing very still at the edge, staring into the murky waters below.
“Don’t do it,” she said lightly, as she passed. “You’d be poisoned before you drowned.”
He started and lifted his head. He was tall, fair-headed, and light-skinned, with a still-healing cut on his temple. He looked young yet to have been in the wars – and there weren’t currently many wars to be in – but that was being a soldier for you, no doubt. “Oh,” he said. “I wasn’t going to – at least, not like that. And not here, certainly; I thought that, too.”
“Not anywhere,” said Mina. “You’re too young to give up yet.” She put her box down on the quay, and moved to stand beside him. It was unusually quiet at this end of the harbour today. She could see some sailors moving around on one of the larger ships berthed at the far end, but there weren’t many others in sight. “What do you mean, not like that? If you want a swim, there’s a beach that way.”
The young man rubbed his forehead. “No, no,” he said. He screwed up his face. “Have you heard people talk about speaking to the Powers? You’re supposed to give yourself up to them, so to throw yourself into the waters is the way to hear Shara.”
“Drastic,” said Mina. “I don’t think you should try that, either. There’s a shrine off the Aliate Green if you want to pay your respects.”
He laughed, and turned to face her, the sea breeze catching a stray strand of his fringe and lifting it. “Yes – well, you see, I was bored and it’s something I think about sometimes. I went to the shrine here, but it’s not really –” He stopped and pulled his mouth down.
“Oh,” said Mina, finally taking in the significance of his uniform. “You’re from North Eastern?” North Easterners were, so southerners said, notoriously superstitious – and good for them, as far as Mina was concerned.
He nodded.
“Rosfallen, should I say?”
The soldier stiffened. “I’m not a disunionist.”
“Oh, no,” she said. “I didn’t mean that. I always think we ought to remember the old names more than we do – I assumed, if you’re daydreaming about old tales, you’d agree.”
He laughed, flushing, and screwing his face up. “Sorry. Yes. Only I got this from someone shouting about Rosfallen scum.” He gestured at his forehead. “That’s why I’m here. The rest of my regiment left for Tamah, and I’m stuck here until I’m officially fit again – and get moved to another regiment.”
“Sorry,” said Mina. “It won’t be long, though, now, will it? Funnily enough, I’m off to West Korphil, too, although not to Tamah, or not for long. You’ll like it.”
The young soldier shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Already far enough from home?” said Mina, tilting her head, her voice softening slightly. “Got someone you didn’t want to leave behind?”
He nodded slowly. “Yes. But the only way to get back is to go through with it, I know. I’ve just – well –” He cast her an uncertain look. “I’ve never actually been out of Emoyra. Never been out of North Eastern before this.”
“Well,” said Mina, “Tamah is as dedicated to Shara as Old Ralston, so if you must cast yourself into any bodies of water – not that I think you should – the shrine on Iyn Tamis would be much better than Portcallan harbour.”
He pressed his hand to his mouth, not quite hiding a smile. “Thank you. And I won’t really. I just don’t like sitting around doing nothing. I start thinking too much all the time.”
“Me neither,” said Mina. She held out a hand. “Mina Modelen.”
He took it. “Marran Delver.” He saw her move to pick the box back up and beat her to it, lifting it with enviable ease. “Where’s your ship?”
Mina pointed. “You don’t have to,” she said, but without much emphasis. If he was prone to thinking up wild schemes like half-killing himself to contact the Powers when left to his own devices, he might as well busy himself with something harmless like carrying her box across the quay.
“What takes you to West Korphil?” he asked, politely.
Mina had to quicken her pace to keep level of him; he had far longer legs. “The opposite to you, really – I want to get as far away from home as possible.”
“Is it that bad?”
“Oh, no,” she shook her head. “And not yet – this is trip is more information gathering. I’m interested in old legends, too, in a way. We’ve been trapped within the barrier the tales say was caused by the Starfall event, ever since it happened – but before, the whole world was open. My partner and I are searching for a way past the barrier. Sooner or later, we must find a way out, and start to explore it all – find out if anything survived the transformation, or if it’s all dead – or all sea.”
Marran looked up at the sails of the Laonnic as they neared it. He put down the box before the ramp. “That sounds far more dangerous than my idea.”
“It’s only theory as yet,” said Mina. “We’ve travelled south before, but that’s notoriously difficult to navigate, and I don’t think it’s the way to go. Westwards is my bet – that’s why Korphil. But it’s only research this time. We want to try sailing out again some day, but we’ve a baby daughter at home now, so we can’t do a long trip until she’s older – and it’s better to find all the clues we can first in any case.”
Marran glanced at the ramp. “Good luck, then. Rather you than me!”
“You can come on board, if you like,” she said. “Try out your sea legs – see if you have any.”
Marran shook his head. “No. I’d better not. Somebody might think I was running away.”
“Oh,” she said. “No deserting. Quite right. Don’t worry; you’ll break those barriers too, one day. We’ll both have to be patient in the meantime.”
“And not wind up in the water.” He laughed. “Thank you. Not that I really would have done it, not today, not here. But – I hope you find what you’re after.”
Mina smiled. “Well, it won’t be for want of trying.” She held out her hand to him again, and he shook it in farewell. “Same to you, too, Soldier Delver.”
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