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rainbowfic2024-04-07 09:16 pm
thisbluespirit) wrote in rainbowfic2024-04-07 09:16 pm
Light Black #11; Vert #6; Burgundy #1
Name: Friend in need
Story: Starfall
Colors: Light Black #11 (find); Vert #6 (Token of loyalty); Burgundy #1 (nose)
Supplies and Styles: Graffiti (April Food Challenge)
Word Count: 1149
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
Notes: 1313, Portcallan; Viyony Eseray, Leion Valerno, Marran Delver. (Gratuitous piece of accidental cat acquisition, in short.)
Summary: Viyony solves Marran's problem by giving it to Leion.
"This way," Leion said.
He led Viyony down a narrow alleyway between the houses, and out again into Watersgate Market, bristling with stalls in every free space, and full of people winding their way around them, stopping to look, touch, and maybe even buy. She had been here once before, but she had been in too much of a hurry to stop and explore.
"The real Portcallan," Leion continued, giving a grand wave and nearly hitting a passing woman in the face. He inched in nearer to the wall. "So some people say, although personally, I'm pretty sure none of the city is an hallucination."
Viyony rolled her eyes at him and hurried over to a stall selling all kinds of beads, laid out in a rainbow of card boxes. They had necklaces, bracelets and anklets and longer strings of them hung up at the sides. She leant over, touching a set of tiny shells with the tip of her finger to see if they were real, or something else that had been carved into that shape. The light caught on counterfeit diamonds, starstone, and all imaginable colours of glass. There were wooden beads, painted and carved into all shapes and sizes—stars, flowers, animals. She looked up, catching the woman stallholder's eye with a smile. Her sister Lisiyan would love these.
"You won't find a wider choice anywhere else," said the woman, when Viyony took a step back. "And we don't heap on charges like they do at the Arcade."
Viyony laughed. "I'm sure," she said, but moved away regardless. She did too much buying and selling herself not to take a good look around first. The woman wasn't going to run out of these before she returned. "Leion -" she said turning to ask if any of his niblings would like some, too, and stopped. He wasn't there.
She cast her eye around and spotted him not far away, engrossed in examining a pile of books at a second-hand stall. Viyony shrugged, and carried on, giving a wide berth to a seller of shell-tokens pressing his wares on people too insistently. After a desultory look around at some of the others, she returned and bought a selection of purple, white and blue glass beads for Lisiyan, and rejoined Leion as he walked away from the book stall empty handed.
"Do you think -" she began, and then caught at Leion's sleeve as someone jostled her arm with a basket. She turned sharply.
"Excuse me, sorry," said Soldier Delver, still trying to get past, before the light of recognition dawned on his face and he stopped. The man walking behind him bumped into him and swore, but he ignored him. "Oh, it's you!"
Leion raised his eyebrows at the basket in the young soldier's arms. "Oh, dear. Things got so bad you're resorted to street-selling?"
"I think," said Viyony, "that we should stop blocking the road."
Leion gave a nod, and ushered the other two away through another alley way into Lower Watersgate street, out of the immediate hustle and bustle of the market square.
"I'm glad to see you," said Soldier Delver. His gaze flickered down to his basket. "I leave for Tamah tomorrow. I went to see Captain Maraseny, but he's not there, and I don't know when he'll be back." He frowned back up the street. "Was it busier than usual back there?"
"Special monthly market," said Leion. He gave a pointed, delicate cough. "What is it you think we can do? Take a message?"
Delver shifted on his feet and then held out the basket. When Viyony leaned in closely enough, he pulled it open a fraction, just enough for her to see something grey-furred move inside and a pink nose and whiskers become visible through the gap.
"I thought it'd be all right," Delver said. "I thought ships had cats, so it wouldn't matter when I left—I could take her with me. But then—I don't think she'd suit the life, and it turns out she's expecting. The Captain is the only person I know in the city who's staying here. You have to help me—I can't just abandon her outside the fort."
Viyony carefully smothered rising amusement. She cast a mischievous look at Leion. "You can help, can't you? My aunt would never tolerate a pregnant cat in the house, but you must be able to find someone who'd give her a home. You keep telling me you know everyone, don't you?"
"Oh, of course. Why not?" said Leion immediately.
Viyony put her hand over her mouth and had to look away.
Delver missed any irony, holding out his burden to Leion in clear relief. "Thank you!"
"Where did you find her?" said Leion, poking at the cover. "If you've kidnapped somebody's pet, I don't want to be involved."
Delver shook his head. "She was hiding in one of the outbuildings at the fort. I've been looking after her ever since we got here."
"I see," said Leion. "Commendable. Never ignore a soul in distress. Well, I'm sure I can cope for a night or two, so you can stop worrying about it and run off back to wherever you're meant to be."
"Thank you!"
"Not at all," Leion said. "Knowing you are safely out of the country at last will be reward enough."
Viyony held out a hand to Soldier Delver. "Ignore him. Good luck in West Korphil."
They watched Delver hurry away, down towards the Water Gate, and presumably Tollah Fort beyond it.
"You're enjoying this far too much," said Leion.
"You can't tell me that I need to have more fun and then complain when I do."
"Yes, I can," he said. He grimaced down at the basket in his arms. "I suppose I had better take this unfortunate cat home. Then I shall have to see if I can find anyone who wants her."
Viyony leant forward, raising the lid again.
"Don't," said Leion, waving her back. "This is bad enough without you letting the cat out here."
"If she really is nearly due, I don't suppose she'll be making a heroic leap for freedom if I take a peek."
"I'll take no chances," said Leion. "Which brings yet another outing of ours to a premature end. I'm sorry."
Viyony shook her head. "Not quite yet. I got you into this, so I suppose I should see you both home—make sure you're all right."
"The market, I meant," he said. "We'd barely started."
She settled into step beside him, heading south-eastwards, to the nearest bridge across the river. "I've got months here yet. I'll have other chances to go, I'm sure."
"Hmm. Yes - and that young sea-spawn ought to be well away from Portcallan by the time next month's comes around."
"Tomorrow, he said, didn't he?"
"If only it had been yesterday!"
Story: Starfall
Colors: Light Black #11 (find); Vert #6 (Token of loyalty); Burgundy #1 (nose)
Supplies and Styles: Graffiti (April Food Challenge)
Word Count: 1149
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
Notes: 1313, Portcallan; Viyony Eseray, Leion Valerno, Marran Delver. (Gratuitous piece of accidental cat acquisition, in short.)
Summary: Viyony solves Marran's problem by giving it to Leion.
"This way," Leion said.
He led Viyony down a narrow alleyway between the houses, and out again into Watersgate Market, bristling with stalls in every free space, and full of people winding their way around them, stopping to look, touch, and maybe even buy. She had been here once before, but she had been in too much of a hurry to stop and explore.
"The real Portcallan," Leion continued, giving a grand wave and nearly hitting a passing woman in the face. He inched in nearer to the wall. "So some people say, although personally, I'm pretty sure none of the city is an hallucination."
Viyony rolled her eyes at him and hurried over to a stall selling all kinds of beads, laid out in a rainbow of card boxes. They had necklaces, bracelets and anklets and longer strings of them hung up at the sides. She leant over, touching a set of tiny shells with the tip of her finger to see if they were real, or something else that had been carved into that shape. The light caught on counterfeit diamonds, starstone, and all imaginable colours of glass. There were wooden beads, painted and carved into all shapes and sizes—stars, flowers, animals. She looked up, catching the woman stallholder's eye with a smile. Her sister Lisiyan would love these.
"You won't find a wider choice anywhere else," said the woman, when Viyony took a step back. "And we don't heap on charges like they do at the Arcade."
Viyony laughed. "I'm sure," she said, but moved away regardless. She did too much buying and selling herself not to take a good look around first. The woman wasn't going to run out of these before she returned. "Leion -" she said turning to ask if any of his niblings would like some, too, and stopped. He wasn't there.
She cast her eye around and spotted him not far away, engrossed in examining a pile of books at a second-hand stall. Viyony shrugged, and carried on, giving a wide berth to a seller of shell-tokens pressing his wares on people too insistently. After a desultory look around at some of the others, she returned and bought a selection of purple, white and blue glass beads for Lisiyan, and rejoined Leion as he walked away from the book stall empty handed.
"Do you think -" she began, and then caught at Leion's sleeve as someone jostled her arm with a basket. She turned sharply.
"Excuse me, sorry," said Soldier Delver, still trying to get past, before the light of recognition dawned on his face and he stopped. The man walking behind him bumped into him and swore, but he ignored him. "Oh, it's you!"
Leion raised his eyebrows at the basket in the young soldier's arms. "Oh, dear. Things got so bad you're resorted to street-selling?"
"I think," said Viyony, "that we should stop blocking the road."
Leion gave a nod, and ushered the other two away through another alley way into Lower Watersgate street, out of the immediate hustle and bustle of the market square.
"I'm glad to see you," said Soldier Delver. His gaze flickered down to his basket. "I leave for Tamah tomorrow. I went to see Captain Maraseny, but he's not there, and I don't know when he'll be back." He frowned back up the street. "Was it busier than usual back there?"
"Special monthly market," said Leion. He gave a pointed, delicate cough. "What is it you think we can do? Take a message?"
Delver shifted on his feet and then held out the basket. When Viyony leaned in closely enough, he pulled it open a fraction, just enough for her to see something grey-furred move inside and a pink nose and whiskers become visible through the gap.
"I thought it'd be all right," Delver said. "I thought ships had cats, so it wouldn't matter when I left—I could take her with me. But then—I don't think she'd suit the life, and it turns out she's expecting. The Captain is the only person I know in the city who's staying here. You have to help me—I can't just abandon her outside the fort."
Viyony carefully smothered rising amusement. She cast a mischievous look at Leion. "You can help, can't you? My aunt would never tolerate a pregnant cat in the house, but you must be able to find someone who'd give her a home. You keep telling me you know everyone, don't you?"
"Oh, of course. Why not?" said Leion immediately.
Viyony put her hand over her mouth and had to look away.
Delver missed any irony, holding out his burden to Leion in clear relief. "Thank you!"
"Where did you find her?" said Leion, poking at the cover. "If you've kidnapped somebody's pet, I don't want to be involved."
Delver shook his head. "She was hiding in one of the outbuildings at the fort. I've been looking after her ever since we got here."
"I see," said Leion. "Commendable. Never ignore a soul in distress. Well, I'm sure I can cope for a night or two, so you can stop worrying about it and run off back to wherever you're meant to be."
"Thank you!"
"Not at all," Leion said. "Knowing you are safely out of the country at last will be reward enough."
Viyony held out a hand to Soldier Delver. "Ignore him. Good luck in West Korphil."
They watched Delver hurry away, down towards the Water Gate, and presumably Tollah Fort beyond it.
"You're enjoying this far too much," said Leion.
"You can't tell me that I need to have more fun and then complain when I do."
"Yes, I can," he said. He grimaced down at the basket in his arms. "I suppose I had better take this unfortunate cat home. Then I shall have to see if I can find anyone who wants her."
Viyony leant forward, raising the lid again.
"Don't," said Leion, waving her back. "This is bad enough without you letting the cat out here."
"If she really is nearly due, I don't suppose she'll be making a heroic leap for freedom if I take a peek."
"I'll take no chances," said Leion. "Which brings yet another outing of ours to a premature end. I'm sorry."
Viyony shook her head. "Not quite yet. I got you into this, so I suppose I should see you both home—make sure you're all right."
"The market, I meant," he said. "We'd barely started."
She settled into step beside him, heading south-eastwards, to the nearest bridge across the river. "I've got months here yet. I'll have other chances to go, I'm sure."
"Hmm. Yes - and that young sea-spawn ought to be well away from Portcallan by the time next month's comes around."
"Tomorrow, he said, didn't he?"
"If only it had been yesterday!"
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Aw.
(As we speak,
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(I'm just realising that in Developments that will not happen for quite some time in actual typing up and posting - who knows when - he will also be left holding the baby. This is not gratuitous cat acquisition, it's foreshadowing, lololol. ahem.)
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Here's your two novelty beads!
1) "Dreams aren't what they used to be/Some things sat by so carelessly." - Smile Like You Mean It, The Killers
2) https://i.pinimg.com/564x/57/dc/0b/57dc0bb71313042ae6734ef381337c04.jpg
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