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rainbowfic2024-12-07 08:45 pm
thisbluespirit) wrote in rainbowfic2024-12-07 08:45 pm
Beet Red #17; Vert #24 [Starfall]
Name: it's beginning to get to me
Story: Starfall
Colors: Beet Red #17 (Cut some slack); Vert #24 (Which At The Bottom Of The Box Remained)
Supplies and Styles: Pastels (title from Snow Patrol - It's Beginning To Get To Me forlyricaltitles bingo square "Song from the 2000s") + Novelty Beads ("near miss" from Sept Secrets 2023 + https://31.media.tumblr.com/750d60c5edb1a7f927c27b21b54685f4/tumblr_inline_ninheuIrpZ1rg1b0q.gif - from Feb 2021 TV Tropes Challenge)
Word Count: 1340
Rating: PG
Warnings:
Notes: Portcallan, 1313; Leion Valerno/Viyony Eseray. Takes place immediately after Making Connections.
Summary: Leion thinks they're being followed.
Viyony had finished what had proved to be a very satisfactory tour of Imai Cauhaney's warehouse, and was absorbed in wondering whether she had started negotiations on the warehouse space at too low or too high a price, barely aware of the quiet back street or its steep gradient, leading upward, away from the docks. She had almost forgotten Leion, too, as he ambled along a little ahead of her, casting brief glances her way, until he suddenly stopped short at the corner between one road and another. Viyony walked into him, but before she could complain about him getting in her way, he caught hold of her, pulling her around the side of the nearest building.
Viyony's calculations of space and costs faltered into nothing. She caught her breath; grateful for the solid wall behind her keeping her upright. Leion moved in nearer, one hand pressed against the building, above her shoulder. Her fingers scrabbled behind her back at the edges of the bricks, as she could only think, for one dizzying moment, that he was going to kiss her. All the other sorts of equations she had been making about whether or not they should wound up at the sum of about time. She closed her eyes.
Leion did not. Instead, he murmured in her ear, "Across the road. Is he still there?" As she instinctively moved to turn her head in response, he touched her chin lightly, drawing her full attention back to him. "No. Out of the corner of your eye, if you can. Don't let him see. Sandy-haired pale nothing of a fellow. Is he still there?"
"S-sorry?" said Viyony. She swallowed. The world righted itself, too sharply. "What?"
"Chiulder. I saw him this time, for certain. I don't think he realised, though—I'd rather keep it that way. What's he doing?"
Viyony looked beyond Leion, in time to catch a slight figure in a faded brown jacket as he slipped away down a lane on the opposite side of the street. "Nothing—he's gone." She straightened herself, mentally and physically. Her heart was still thumping in her ears. She was such a fool.
"You sure?"
"Yes. The only person hanging around there now is a sailor, and she's staring at us. You can hardly blame her!"
He drew back, raising his eyebrows. "Sorry. I didn't want him to know I'd spotted him. Better not, don't you think?"
Viyony shoved Leion aside and moved past him, back into the road. She hugged her arms against herself. "I don't know, and I don't care. I'd rather not be manhandled like that, thank you. If you ask me, it's the sort of behaviour likely to attract attention rather than the reverse. Are you sure you do this sort of thing for a living?" She set off, walking rapidly away down the sloping street without a backward glance at Leion.
"Hey," he said breathlessly, catching up with her. "I am sorry. I didn't mean any harm. Stars! I know I thought I'd seen him earlier, but to nearly walk right into him like that—it's a shock, that's all. Viyony, don't be like that. I won't ever do anything like that again, I promise. Stop, please! Viyony!"
Viyony shook her head, the steepness of the road causing her to walk to become a run until she pulled herself up short at the flat paved space around the inner dock. She clutched at the painted metal railing at the water's edge and drew in a ragged breath.
"What's got into you?" asked Leion, joining her. "We just came this way! And unless you're outraged enough to hop on a ship out of here, we're going to have to go all the way back up the hill again now. Look—I'm sorry. Really. I didn't mean to upset you. It wasn't that awful, was it? What's wrong?"
Viyony bit her lip, and then raised her gaze to meet his. "No, not really. And I do see that this person bothers you a great deal. It's only -" She brushed her hair back from her face, unsure what she did mean. Her hand was trembling, and not merely from close contact with Leion. "I don't like pretence," she said at last, raising her eyes. "Not when it comes to things like that."
"This, from someone making a marriage of convenience!"
Viyony twisted back around and fixed her gaze on the murky waters of the dock basin. "Yes, but we both understand it's purely business. Nobody's lying or making it out to be anything it isn't. And I'm not doing that for fun, either—only because I can't see anything else to do. It's different when somebody treats the whole thing like a game."
"Come on," said Leion. He kept a respectful distance, but pointed towards an upward-leading lane. "We should get you home."
She gave a stiff nod, and let go of the railing. He waited until she reached him, and then fell into pace with her.
"So, who did that to you?" he asked quietly. "Lying—pretending. What sort of sea-shit have you been hanging around with?"
She gave an unwilling half-smile. "Oh, a good-looking, sweet-talking, arrogant sort. You know the type."
"I don't think that's fair. And, as it happens, actually I do."
Viyony let out a breath. "Yes. I'm sorry. It was all nonsense—I was an idiot. An unedifying story, hardly worth telling—just like yours. He thought I was an heiress. I thought—finally, here's someone who isn't terrified of my dreams, and I didn't -" Her throat tightened. "I never asked the sort of questions I should have done. We were even engaged. For almost a week."
"Not as much of an idiot as I was, then," said Leion. "You know when you're a child and someone says, don't touch the fire, it'll burn you, and you nod and promise not to touch it, and then you touch the fire anyway and, guess what, it burns you? Turns out I had no more sense at twenty than at about two. That's pretty much how it was with me and Atino."
"Is that meant to be comforting?"
"You tell me."
She gave a miniscule shrug, and put her hand on his arm as the gradient grew steeper. "The worst thing, though, is that nobody's ever wanted me—just me. Guileot was after money I didn't have, and for Imoren I'm part of a contract, and you think even Tess and Hyan are only interested in me because of my dreams."
"I like you."
"Oh, you—you're just doing your job, aren't you?"
"Yes, but you're engaged, so what else is left?" said Leion. "Anyway, I don't think you should write yourself off based on twice-rotted Barras and Hyans and—what was his name—Guillot?"
"Guileot Fahzey. Yes." She pulled down her mouth.
"I'll make a note of it, just in case."
Viyony laughed. "You're not likely to run into him. Last I heard he'd scuttled off to High Eisterland, and good riddance. What would you do to him anyway?"
"Oh, say something extremely cutting," said Leion. "Snub him outright, even." He directed a laughing look at her.
The tension in Viyony's stomach eased. They carried on in silence for a moment, moving into a busier street, having to navigate their way round shoppers, messengers and porters. "Do you think Chiulder really was following you?"
"I suppose he might live somewhere near here," said Leion. "But last time I saw him back in the day, he was screaming at me that he'd kill me. And he—he got right inside my head once. I hope I'm wrong—I hope today was the last I'll ever see of him."
"If it's not," said Viyony gravely, "I suppose I'll let you use me as a shield again, if you must."
Leion tried to glare, but couldn't keep back a laugh. "Sometimes you can also be a piece of wave-rot yourself."
"Thank you," she said, with a smile. "You, too."
Story: Starfall
Colors: Beet Red #17 (Cut some slack); Vert #24 (Which At The Bottom Of The Box Remained)
Supplies and Styles: Pastels (title from Snow Patrol - It's Beginning To Get To Me for
lyricaltitles bingo square "Song from the 2000s") + Novelty Beads ("near miss" from Sept Secrets 2023 + https://31.media.tumblr.com/750d60c5edb1a7f927c27b21b54685f4/tumblr_inline_ninheuIrpZ1rg1b0q.gif - from Feb 2021 TV Tropes Challenge)
Word Count: 1340
Rating: PG
Warnings:
Notes: Portcallan, 1313; Leion Valerno/Viyony Eseray. Takes place immediately after Making Connections.
Summary: Leion thinks they're being followed.
Viyony had finished what had proved to be a very satisfactory tour of Imai Cauhaney's warehouse, and was absorbed in wondering whether she had started negotiations on the warehouse space at too low or too high a price, barely aware of the quiet back street or its steep gradient, leading upward, away from the docks. She had almost forgotten Leion, too, as he ambled along a little ahead of her, casting brief glances her way, until he suddenly stopped short at the corner between one road and another. Viyony walked into him, but before she could complain about him getting in her way, he caught hold of her, pulling her around the side of the nearest building.
Viyony's calculations of space and costs faltered into nothing. She caught her breath; grateful for the solid wall behind her keeping her upright. Leion moved in nearer, one hand pressed against the building, above her shoulder. Her fingers scrabbled behind her back at the edges of the bricks, as she could only think, for one dizzying moment, that he was going to kiss her. All the other sorts of equations she had been making about whether or not they should wound up at the sum of about time. She closed her eyes.
Leion did not. Instead, he murmured in her ear, "Across the road. Is he still there?" As she instinctively moved to turn her head in response, he touched her chin lightly, drawing her full attention back to him. "No. Out of the corner of your eye, if you can. Don't let him see. Sandy-haired pale nothing of a fellow. Is he still there?"
"S-sorry?" said Viyony. She swallowed. The world righted itself, too sharply. "What?"
"Chiulder. I saw him this time, for certain. I don't think he realised, though—I'd rather keep it that way. What's he doing?"
Viyony looked beyond Leion, in time to catch a slight figure in a faded brown jacket as he slipped away down a lane on the opposite side of the street. "Nothing—he's gone." She straightened herself, mentally and physically. Her heart was still thumping in her ears. She was such a fool.
"You sure?"
"Yes. The only person hanging around there now is a sailor, and she's staring at us. You can hardly blame her!"
He drew back, raising his eyebrows. "Sorry. I didn't want him to know I'd spotted him. Better not, don't you think?"
Viyony shoved Leion aside and moved past him, back into the road. She hugged her arms against herself. "I don't know, and I don't care. I'd rather not be manhandled like that, thank you. If you ask me, it's the sort of behaviour likely to attract attention rather than the reverse. Are you sure you do this sort of thing for a living?" She set off, walking rapidly away down the sloping street without a backward glance at Leion.
"Hey," he said breathlessly, catching up with her. "I am sorry. I didn't mean any harm. Stars! I know I thought I'd seen him earlier, but to nearly walk right into him like that—it's a shock, that's all. Viyony, don't be like that. I won't ever do anything like that again, I promise. Stop, please! Viyony!"
Viyony shook her head, the steepness of the road causing her to walk to become a run until she pulled herself up short at the flat paved space around the inner dock. She clutched at the painted metal railing at the water's edge and drew in a ragged breath.
"What's got into you?" asked Leion, joining her. "We just came this way! And unless you're outraged enough to hop on a ship out of here, we're going to have to go all the way back up the hill again now. Look—I'm sorry. Really. I didn't mean to upset you. It wasn't that awful, was it? What's wrong?"
Viyony bit her lip, and then raised her gaze to meet his. "No, not really. And I do see that this person bothers you a great deal. It's only -" She brushed her hair back from her face, unsure what she did mean. Her hand was trembling, and not merely from close contact with Leion. "I don't like pretence," she said at last, raising her eyes. "Not when it comes to things like that."
"This, from someone making a marriage of convenience!"
Viyony twisted back around and fixed her gaze on the murky waters of the dock basin. "Yes, but we both understand it's purely business. Nobody's lying or making it out to be anything it isn't. And I'm not doing that for fun, either—only because I can't see anything else to do. It's different when somebody treats the whole thing like a game."
"Come on," said Leion. He kept a respectful distance, but pointed towards an upward-leading lane. "We should get you home."
She gave a stiff nod, and let go of the railing. He waited until she reached him, and then fell into pace with her.
"So, who did that to you?" he asked quietly. "Lying—pretending. What sort of sea-shit have you been hanging around with?"
She gave an unwilling half-smile. "Oh, a good-looking, sweet-talking, arrogant sort. You know the type."
"I don't think that's fair. And, as it happens, actually I do."
Viyony let out a breath. "Yes. I'm sorry. It was all nonsense—I was an idiot. An unedifying story, hardly worth telling—just like yours. He thought I was an heiress. I thought—finally, here's someone who isn't terrified of my dreams, and I didn't -" Her throat tightened. "I never asked the sort of questions I should have done. We were even engaged. For almost a week."
"Not as much of an idiot as I was, then," said Leion. "You know when you're a child and someone says, don't touch the fire, it'll burn you, and you nod and promise not to touch it, and then you touch the fire anyway and, guess what, it burns you? Turns out I had no more sense at twenty than at about two. That's pretty much how it was with me and Atino."
"Is that meant to be comforting?"
"You tell me."
She gave a miniscule shrug, and put her hand on his arm as the gradient grew steeper. "The worst thing, though, is that nobody's ever wanted me—just me. Guileot was after money I didn't have, and for Imoren I'm part of a contract, and you think even Tess and Hyan are only interested in me because of my dreams."
"I like you."
"Oh, you—you're just doing your job, aren't you?"
"Yes, but you're engaged, so what else is left?" said Leion. "Anyway, I don't think you should write yourself off based on twice-rotted Barras and Hyans and—what was his name—Guillot?"
"Guileot Fahzey. Yes." She pulled down her mouth.
"I'll make a note of it, just in case."
Viyony laughed. "You're not likely to run into him. Last I heard he'd scuttled off to High Eisterland, and good riddance. What would you do to him anyway?"
"Oh, say something extremely cutting," said Leion. "Snub him outright, even." He directed a laughing look at her.
The tension in Viyony's stomach eased. They carried on in silence for a moment, moving into a busier street, having to navigate their way round shoppers, messengers and porters. "Do you think Chiulder really was following you?"
"I suppose he might live somewhere near here," said Leion. "But last time I saw him back in the day, he was screaming at me that he'd kill me. And he—he got right inside my head once. I hope I'm wrong—I hope today was the last I'll ever see of him."
"If it's not," said Viyony gravely, "I suppose I'll let you use me as a shield again, if you must."
Leion tried to glare, but couldn't keep back a laugh. "Sometimes you can also be a piece of wave-rot yourself."
"Thank you," she said, with a smile. "You, too."