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rainbowfic2012-12-05 06:33 pm
shadowsong26) wrote in rainbowfic2012-12-05 06:33 pm
Gunmetal #10, Arsenic #3, Grey #3
Name: shadowsong26
Story: Reasoning
'Verse: Lux
Colors: Gunmetal #10. Katana, Arsenic #3. carbon monoxide, Grey #3. grey area
Supplies and Materials: acrylic, stain (“Must I not serve a long apprenticehood/To foreign passages, and in the end,/Having my freedom, boast of nothing else/But that I was a journeyman to grief?” - Shakespeare, Richard II, 1595), fabric, yarn, glitter ("The outlaw had mercy. You remember that the next time you try to twist the truth to kill one of us." – Harry ‘Opie’ Winston to Agent Stahl, from Sons of Anarchy) glue ("Your expertise could be required at work today, and you are destined to become a hero if you stay focused on exactly what must be done. However, you aren't seeking the spotlight now, so you might not accept the extra obligations being tossed your way. Instead of automatically declining responsibility, find a middle path so you can still save the day and tend to your personal needs at the same time.")
Word Count: 525
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mariko and Tsuna Anders
Warnings: References to how Lux hurt Mariko and burns, references to semi-legal-at-best business practices
Notes: Constructive criticism welcome, as always. This takes place about three years before Contact. Haha is the transliteration of the informal/in-group Japanese word for 'mother'
"But why the Domes, Mariko?"
Mariko sighed. "I told you, Mother. They offered me the most money."
Which was true. It had taken her six years, after leaving the CSP station, to be willing to even start looking. Her unwillingness to use anything but old-fashioned voice-only phones hadn't made it easier. Her parents had been more than helpful, there for her every time another skin graft failed, every time she got another polite rejection, every time she started to work up the courage to face people, during those first six years, and then panicked and backed down.
But now that she'd found a job, they kept begging her to change her mind and accept a different offer.
"Money isn't everything," her mother tried again.
"I know. But it's nice."
"You know what it's like there."
Mariko buried her head in her hands and counted to thirty, slowly. Yes, she knew, of course she knew. Everyone knew that the "businesses" on Mars--which had, at its foundation, been one of the first, best colonies--were one step up from organized crime. And her mother's grandfather had had difficulty with the yakuza, that's partly why her parents had moved to Australia, so this was a particularly strong objection for her. Really, it was only the Domes corporations' histories--most had been private military R&D tech firms, which slowly devolved into overt mercenary outfits--and the fact that they still got contracts from various governments around the world that kept them from being classified the same way as any other criminal empire.
"I won't be doing anything illegal, haha," she promised. "I'm a translator. That's all."
"You can't be sure of that."
"I've already taken the job. I'm moving at the end of the week," Mariko said, flatly. Whatever other objections or attempted guilt-trips her mother might throw at her, she wasn't going to change her mind.
"You have other offers," she tried, desperately. "I'm sure if you tried, you could negotiate better pay from one of them. Or you could go work for the government again--not off-planet, but--"
"Mother, please." Mariko shivered, and unconsciously traced one of the scars on her arms. "I told you. The money's good, but it's not just that. The Domes...Red Sky doesn't ask questions."
That stopped her, at least. Mariko wished she hadn't said anything. She hadn't wanted to share that private reason, hadn't wanted her mother to know how hard it still was to deal with people face-to-face.
"...if you're not ready, Mariko, you can stay here," her mother said.
"I am. I am, I need to be out there, I just...I need to be out where I don't have to..." She trailed off. "Look, I have to go. I need to finish packing."
"All right," her mother said. "Just...please be careful. And...if things do start getting--"
"I'll be fine, haha," Mariko said. "I promise. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Mariko hung up, then slumped against the wall and let out a long breath. Hopefully, she was right and Mom was wrong. She shook her head. No. I am right. Everything will be fine.
It had to be.
Story: Reasoning
'Verse: Lux
Colors: Gunmetal #10. Katana, Arsenic #3. carbon monoxide, Grey #3. grey area
Supplies and Materials: acrylic, stain (“Must I not serve a long apprenticehood/To foreign passages, and in the end,/Having my freedom, boast of nothing else/But that I was a journeyman to grief?” - Shakespeare, Richard II, 1595), fabric, yarn, glitter ("The outlaw had mercy. You remember that the next time you try to twist the truth to kill one of us." – Harry ‘Opie’ Winston to Agent Stahl, from Sons of Anarchy) glue ("Your expertise could be required at work today, and you are destined to become a hero if you stay focused on exactly what must be done. However, you aren't seeking the spotlight now, so you might not accept the extra obligations being tossed your way. Instead of automatically declining responsibility, find a middle path so you can still save the day and tend to your personal needs at the same time.")
Word Count: 525
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mariko and Tsuna Anders
Warnings: References to how Lux hurt Mariko and burns, references to semi-legal-at-best business practices
Notes: Constructive criticism welcome, as always. This takes place about three years before Contact. Haha is the transliteration of the informal/in-group Japanese word for 'mother'
"But why the Domes, Mariko?"
Mariko sighed. "I told you, Mother. They offered me the most money."
Which was true. It had taken her six years, after leaving the CSP station, to be willing to even start looking. Her unwillingness to use anything but old-fashioned voice-only phones hadn't made it easier. Her parents had been more than helpful, there for her every time another skin graft failed, every time she got another polite rejection, every time she started to work up the courage to face people, during those first six years, and then panicked and backed down.
But now that she'd found a job, they kept begging her to change her mind and accept a different offer.
"Money isn't everything," her mother tried again.
"I know. But it's nice."
"You know what it's like there."
Mariko buried her head in her hands and counted to thirty, slowly. Yes, she knew, of course she knew. Everyone knew that the "businesses" on Mars--which had, at its foundation, been one of the first, best colonies--were one step up from organized crime. And her mother's grandfather had had difficulty with the yakuza, that's partly why her parents had moved to Australia, so this was a particularly strong objection for her. Really, it was only the Domes corporations' histories--most had been private military R&D tech firms, which slowly devolved into overt mercenary outfits--and the fact that they still got contracts from various governments around the world that kept them from being classified the same way as any other criminal empire.
"I won't be doing anything illegal, haha," she promised. "I'm a translator. That's all."
"You can't be sure of that."
"I've already taken the job. I'm moving at the end of the week," Mariko said, flatly. Whatever other objections or attempted guilt-trips her mother might throw at her, she wasn't going to change her mind.
"You have other offers," she tried, desperately. "I'm sure if you tried, you could negotiate better pay from one of them. Or you could go work for the government again--not off-planet, but--"
"Mother, please." Mariko shivered, and unconsciously traced one of the scars on her arms. "I told you. The money's good, but it's not just that. The Domes...Red Sky doesn't ask questions."
That stopped her, at least. Mariko wished she hadn't said anything. She hadn't wanted to share that private reason, hadn't wanted her mother to know how hard it still was to deal with people face-to-face.
"...if you're not ready, Mariko, you can stay here," her mother said.
"I am. I am, I need to be out there, I just...I need to be out where I don't have to..." She trailed off. "Look, I have to go. I need to finish packing."
"All right," her mother said. "Just...please be careful. And...if things do start getting--"
"I'll be fine, haha," Mariko said. "I promise. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Mariko hung up, then slumped against the wall and let out a long breath. Hopefully, she was right and Mom was wrong. She shook her head. No. I am right. Everything will be fine.
It had to be.
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She does try, with...varying success. She's doing pretty well when Gabriel contacts her, and then gets caught up in things again.
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Yes. Mariko's future troubles actually have little to nothing to do with her employers. ^^;;