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rainbowfic2024-04-20 09:20 pm
thisbluespirit) wrote in rainbowfic2024-04-20 09:20 pm
Burgundy #6; Beet Red #13 [Starfall]
Name: Checking In
Story: Starfall
Colors: Burgundy #6 (sweet); Beet Red #13 (Beat around the bush)
Supplies and Styles: Graffiti (April Food Challenge)
Word Count: 1562
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
Notes: 1313, Portcallan; Leion Valerno/Viyony Eseray, Fern the Cat. (Takes place after Friend In Need and before Acid Drops.)
Summary: Leion's been having kittens.
Viyony leant over the side of the wooden crate containing the cat and her newborn kittens.
Leion watched her, perched on the side of his desk. "I told you to avoid the Barras and their set. You could at least not go to private parties at Barra House itself."
"What do you imagine they'd do to me in front of all their guests?"
Leion shrugged. "Best not to find out."
"I can't ignore people who've been kind to me if you won't give me sensible reasons why I should." Viyony looked up. "Why do you hate Eollan?"
"Not Eollan as such—the whole lot of them, him included. Granted, I suppose they're not going to try anything too extreme in their own home—but the kind of meddling with affinity, starstone and Powers I'm concerned about can start out masquerading as a party game. I worry you're not taking my warnings seriously."
Viyony turned, leaning back against the wall and wrapping her arms around her knees. "I do. They warn me against you, you know, and yet here I am."
"Which only goes to show how little you can trust them," said Leion. "I'm entirely unobjectionable. Impeccable, even, as acquaintances go."
"If not particularly modest."
Leion picked up the topmost piece of paper from the desk, and was instantly distracted into reading it. "Cursed clients. What date is it?"
"Daybird 19," said Viyony without pausing to think.
"That's more than a month overdue, then. I'll have to send out another letter demanding payment."
Viyony frowned. "Well, yes. You should really make your clients pay before you start. Don't you have any business sense?"
"Yes, thank you. I do. But not usually the whole fee, and not always. My line of work tends to involve sensitive matters. People get upset—they don't want me sailing straight in with the bill."
"If you say so." Viyony drew her hands back into her lap and then shuffled forward to look over the side of the cat's box again. "The cat seems all right, anyway."
"Yes," said Leion. "I asked around about what to do, but in the end, she seemed to get on with the business without any interference from me. I think she rates me about as highly as you do."
"Well, done, cat." Viyony lifted her head. "Did Delver say what her name was?"
"No. I call her Fern."
"Pretty. What about the kittens?"
Leion laughed. "Short for Infernal Nuisance. As to the kittens, my niblings are coming over later to view them, and I've promised they can have the honours."
Fern had produced four kittens, three females, the same striking mid grey colour as their mother, and the final one a black-furred male. Beyond that, they were too small to say much else about them as yet.
"I hope you didn't mind me calling on you here," said Viyony, rising. "I was feeling rather guilty about landing you with the cat—I thought I'd better make sure you were both all right."
"As you see, mother, and babies are all doing well, and I'm holding up tolerably well under the strain. As long as you avoid befriending any more troublesome soldiers during your stay here, I shall cope."
Viyony shook her head.
Leion pushed the detested reminder letters aside in favour of studying Viyony while she resumed an intent watch on the cats. She'd raked him down when they'd first met, for being arrogant and vain—expecting he could charm her into doing what he wanted. Utterly unjust, he'd thought at the time, although he was happy to take the compliment if she thought he was charming. Now, though, Leion was beginning to wonder if she had a point. If he did have charms, Viyony was comfortably resistant to them, and that was a constant, minor irritation worrying him like a burr in his clothes or a piece of grit lost in his shoe. If he really had started to expect admiration as his due, then Viyony was right. He had become insufferable, and he ought to do something about it.
He stood and crossed back to sit at his desk, pulling out a blank sheet of paper. Write the cursed thing, he told himself, and then his attention immediately wandered. He considered Viyony from this new angle. What would she do if he actively tried to charm her, to seduce her even?
Probably something he'd regret, he concluded with a shake of his head at his folly. Pointless in any case and possibly even cruel in the unlikely eventuality that he succeeded, considering that she planned to marry someone else before the year was out.
"Do you truly think I would be in danger at Kadia's party? I will have Laida with me."
Leion pushed the still blank letter away. "Probably not, as long as you are careful." He got up and crossed over to sit on the chair close to her. "Leave them alone, though—they're not worth it. Take your mother's advice and have an affair with me instead. So much more entertaining."
"No, thank you," she said. "Even if you meant it."
"It's just as well I don't," said Leion. Her dismissal rankled. He pressed himself upright against the chair back and studied his hands.
Viyony looked up. "You're not offended, are you?"
"No more than usual when we've been having one of our little chats," he said. He breathed out. He didn't mind. It would be absurd to mind. "Making your acquaintance is such a salutary experience." He gave a lopsided smile and held out a hand to raise her up from her knees. "Horribly overdue, I fear."
Viyony, on her feet again, let go of him. "Well," she said briskly, having dusted herself down, "I only came to see the cat and I see I'm in your way so -"
Leion stood sharply. "There you go again! More insults. Your rich Lialian is more than welcome to you. Mind, I'm sure he'll grow resigned to his fate in time."
"I doubt it," she said. She hadn't meant to be quite so honest: she shot a glance up at him; then she stepped back and forced a smile. "I shouldn't have stayed so long."
He was between her and the door. He touched her shoulder lightly before she could walk past him. "Viyony. He will—of course he will." He gave her a crooked smile. "You have your own brand of charm—and as far as aesthetics go, you're pretty impeccable, too."
"It won't be like that," she said. Her frown didn't shift; she didn't even acknowledge his compliments.
Leion hadn't known her long, but he recognised the shadow that crossed her face. "Is this another dream?" he asked softly. "You must know better than I how unreliable that is—even when it comes to yours."
"I told you about the worst dream," she said, not meeting his eyes. "The whole of Eseray dying—it feels as if I might as well die with it. As soon as we made this arrangement with Moren, it finally ended. Now I have another. Eseray is thriving, but I'm trapped—dead inside. That's the price. It's how it is."
Leion reached out instinctively to touch her again, but dropped his arm back his side. His fingers flexed against the fabric of his clothes. "Hey," he said, waiting until she raised her eyes to him. "You beat that first dream into nothing. That young soldier friend of yours is alive and well, thanks to you—providing no-one's had the understandable urge to push him overboard since. Your dreams aren't immutable. You can change this one too."
"No," said Viyony, swallowing. "I tell myself that, but—I feel it already." She pressed a fist against her chest, and then gave a hard, bright laugh. "Forget it—I shouldn't have said anything. The only way to stop this one is to abandon the marriage—even to think about it. Then the old dream comes back, so much worse I can barely breathe." She shivered.
No wonder she didn't have time for his nonsense. Leion pulled his mouth down in wordless sympathy and patted her arm. In an entirely different spirit to the way he'd been imagining earlier, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
"I think the whole idea is wrong-headed and maybe even immoral," he said, "but you may be genuinely heroic. Eseray is lucky to have you. And, unless your Lialian is a complete fool or worse, he'll see that, too, in time. You know what they say—even the truest of dreams is also a lie."
Viyony blinked and looked hastily away. "Thank you," she said, putting up a hand as if to ward something off, "but don't—please don't."
"Don't worry," he said and grinned. "I shall never be nice to you again. So, if you're feeling future sadness hanging over you, you may safely come round and watch the kittens, and if I'm here, I can insult you all you like. The ideal cure."
Viyony gave a reluctant laugh. She headed to the door and then turned back round sharply. "Oh—and may I go to the party?"
"If you must. But you'll find it horribly dull."
"Don't tell me," Viyony said. "Because you won't be there?"
"At the risk of further immodesty—yes!"
Story: Starfall
Colors: Burgundy #6 (sweet); Beet Red #13 (Beat around the bush)
Supplies and Styles: Graffiti (April Food Challenge)
Word Count: 1562
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
Notes: 1313, Portcallan; Leion Valerno/Viyony Eseray, Fern the Cat. (Takes place after Friend In Need and before Acid Drops.)
Summary: Leion's been having kittens.
Viyony leant over the side of the wooden crate containing the cat and her newborn kittens.
Leion watched her, perched on the side of his desk. "I told you to avoid the Barras and their set. You could at least not go to private parties at Barra House itself."
"What do you imagine they'd do to me in front of all their guests?"
Leion shrugged. "Best not to find out."
"I can't ignore people who've been kind to me if you won't give me sensible reasons why I should." Viyony looked up. "Why do you hate Eollan?"
"Not Eollan as such—the whole lot of them, him included. Granted, I suppose they're not going to try anything too extreme in their own home—but the kind of meddling with affinity, starstone and Powers I'm concerned about can start out masquerading as a party game. I worry you're not taking my warnings seriously."
Viyony turned, leaning back against the wall and wrapping her arms around her knees. "I do. They warn me against you, you know, and yet here I am."
"Which only goes to show how little you can trust them," said Leion. "I'm entirely unobjectionable. Impeccable, even, as acquaintances go."
"If not particularly modest."
Leion picked up the topmost piece of paper from the desk, and was instantly distracted into reading it. "Cursed clients. What date is it?"
"Daybird 19," said Viyony without pausing to think.
"That's more than a month overdue, then. I'll have to send out another letter demanding payment."
Viyony frowned. "Well, yes. You should really make your clients pay before you start. Don't you have any business sense?"
"Yes, thank you. I do. But not usually the whole fee, and not always. My line of work tends to involve sensitive matters. People get upset—they don't want me sailing straight in with the bill."
"If you say so." Viyony drew her hands back into her lap and then shuffled forward to look over the side of the cat's box again. "The cat seems all right, anyway."
"Yes," said Leion. "I asked around about what to do, but in the end, she seemed to get on with the business without any interference from me. I think she rates me about as highly as you do."
"Well, done, cat." Viyony lifted her head. "Did Delver say what her name was?"
"No. I call her Fern."
"Pretty. What about the kittens?"
Leion laughed. "Short for Infernal Nuisance. As to the kittens, my niblings are coming over later to view them, and I've promised they can have the honours."
Fern had produced four kittens, three females, the same striking mid grey colour as their mother, and the final one a black-furred male. Beyond that, they were too small to say much else about them as yet.
"I hope you didn't mind me calling on you here," said Viyony, rising. "I was feeling rather guilty about landing you with the cat—I thought I'd better make sure you were both all right."
"As you see, mother, and babies are all doing well, and I'm holding up tolerably well under the strain. As long as you avoid befriending any more troublesome soldiers during your stay here, I shall cope."
Viyony shook her head.
Leion pushed the detested reminder letters aside in favour of studying Viyony while she resumed an intent watch on the cats. She'd raked him down when they'd first met, for being arrogant and vain—expecting he could charm her into doing what he wanted. Utterly unjust, he'd thought at the time, although he was happy to take the compliment if she thought he was charming. Now, though, Leion was beginning to wonder if she had a point. If he did have charms, Viyony was comfortably resistant to them, and that was a constant, minor irritation worrying him like a burr in his clothes or a piece of grit lost in his shoe. If he really had started to expect admiration as his due, then Viyony was right. He had become insufferable, and he ought to do something about it.
He stood and crossed back to sit at his desk, pulling out a blank sheet of paper. Write the cursed thing, he told himself, and then his attention immediately wandered. He considered Viyony from this new angle. What would she do if he actively tried to charm her, to seduce her even?
Probably something he'd regret, he concluded with a shake of his head at his folly. Pointless in any case and possibly even cruel in the unlikely eventuality that he succeeded, considering that she planned to marry someone else before the year was out.
"Do you truly think I would be in danger at Kadia's party? I will have Laida with me."
Leion pushed the still blank letter away. "Probably not, as long as you are careful." He got up and crossed over to sit on the chair close to her. "Leave them alone, though—they're not worth it. Take your mother's advice and have an affair with me instead. So much more entertaining."
"No, thank you," she said. "Even if you meant it."
"It's just as well I don't," said Leion. Her dismissal rankled. He pressed himself upright against the chair back and studied his hands.
Viyony looked up. "You're not offended, are you?"
"No more than usual when we've been having one of our little chats," he said. He breathed out. He didn't mind. It would be absurd to mind. "Making your acquaintance is such a salutary experience." He gave a lopsided smile and held out a hand to raise her up from her knees. "Horribly overdue, I fear."
Viyony, on her feet again, let go of him. "Well," she said briskly, having dusted herself down, "I only came to see the cat and I see I'm in your way so -"
Leion stood sharply. "There you go again! More insults. Your rich Lialian is more than welcome to you. Mind, I'm sure he'll grow resigned to his fate in time."
"I doubt it," she said. She hadn't meant to be quite so honest: she shot a glance up at him; then she stepped back and forced a smile. "I shouldn't have stayed so long."
He was between her and the door. He touched her shoulder lightly before she could walk past him. "Viyony. He will—of course he will." He gave her a crooked smile. "You have your own brand of charm—and as far as aesthetics go, you're pretty impeccable, too."
"It won't be like that," she said. Her frown didn't shift; she didn't even acknowledge his compliments.
Leion hadn't known her long, but he recognised the shadow that crossed her face. "Is this another dream?" he asked softly. "You must know better than I how unreliable that is—even when it comes to yours."
"I told you about the worst dream," she said, not meeting his eyes. "The whole of Eseray dying—it feels as if I might as well die with it. As soon as we made this arrangement with Moren, it finally ended. Now I have another. Eseray is thriving, but I'm trapped—dead inside. That's the price. It's how it is."
Leion reached out instinctively to touch her again, but dropped his arm back his side. His fingers flexed against the fabric of his clothes. "Hey," he said, waiting until she raised her eyes to him. "You beat that first dream into nothing. That young soldier friend of yours is alive and well, thanks to you—providing no-one's had the understandable urge to push him overboard since. Your dreams aren't immutable. You can change this one too."
"No," said Viyony, swallowing. "I tell myself that, but—I feel it already." She pressed a fist against her chest, and then gave a hard, bright laugh. "Forget it—I shouldn't have said anything. The only way to stop this one is to abandon the marriage—even to think about it. Then the old dream comes back, so much worse I can barely breathe." She shivered.
No wonder she didn't have time for his nonsense. Leion pulled his mouth down in wordless sympathy and patted her arm. In an entirely different spirit to the way he'd been imagining earlier, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
"I think the whole idea is wrong-headed and maybe even immoral," he said, "but you may be genuinely heroic. Eseray is lucky to have you. And, unless your Lialian is a complete fool or worse, he'll see that, too, in time. You know what they say—even the truest of dreams is also a lie."
Viyony blinked and looked hastily away. "Thank you," she said, putting up a hand as if to ward something off, "but don't—please don't."
"Don't worry," he said and grinned. "I shall never be nice to you again. So, if you're feeling future sadness hanging over you, you may safely come round and watch the kittens, and if I'm here, I can insult you all you like. The ideal cure."
Viyony gave a reluctant laugh. She headed to the door and then turned back round sharply. "Oh—and may I go to the party?"
"If you must. But you'll find it horribly dull."
"Don't tell me," Viyony said. "Because you won't be there?"
"At the risk of further immodesty—yes!"
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BTW, you've got a 'wondered' for 'wandered' in there (re. Leion's attention).
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I like them (and their dynamic) so much!
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Here's your novelty beads!
1. waters
2. on the ground
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