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rainbowfic2013-02-26 12:34 am
shadowsong26) wrote in rainbowfic2013-02-26 12:34 am
Ivory #16, Iceberg #10, Russet #7
Name: shadowsong26
Story: How to Win a Snowball Fight
'Verse: Feredar
Colors: Ivory #16. I don't like watching anybody make the same mistakes I made., Iceberg #10. winter wonderland, Russet #7. knitted [Warm winter clothes.]
Supplies and Materials: paint-by-numbers (from Kelly), canvas (973 FY), watercolors, feathers, charcoal, chalk, novelty beads
Word Count: 657
Rating: G
Characters: Andrell, Kellom
Warnings: None
Notes: Constructive criticism welcome, as always. Kellom is twenty-three here, and Andrell is eight. Temell, Lemir, and Rimell are Sola's three oldest boys. Temell is eight, and Lemir and Rimell are five.
Andrell sloshed back into the private family suite and absolutely positively didn't slam the outside door because Mamma always says not to.
All right, maybe he slammed it a little. Mamma was in Deva's suite, anyway, she couldn't yell at him for it.
"Something wrong?" But apparently Kellom was here to yell, even though he had his own rooms.
Today was just getting worse and worse. "I dunno," Andrell mumbled and started for his room to change.
His big brother caught him by the shoulder and he flinched a little. Stupid ice.
"What happened?" Kellom asked, steering him over to one of the couches.
"I'm all wet," Andrell complained, but Kellom pushed him down anyway. He sighed. "We had a snowball fight. I lost."
"Aha."
"It's not fair," he burst out, before Kellom could say anything else. "It was Temell and Lemir and Rimell, and I was by myself. And they put ice in their snowballs." Jerks.
"They teamed up on you because they're brothers?"
Kellom always figured things out quick. "Yeah," Andrell said, sullenly scuffing his feet on the ground.
"Don't do that," Kellom said, putting a hand on his knee. Andrell stopped. "If it happens again, come get me. I'm your brother, I can be on your team."
Andrell stared up at him. "...you don't count."
Kellom raised an eyebrow. "Really? I'm not your brother?"
Andrell rolled his eyes. "You're an adult."
"Ahhh." Kellom thought for a minute. "Well, look at it this way, then. What's the best way to win a snowball fight?"
"...iceballs?" Andrell's ribs certainly thought so.
"No, that's cheating," his brother said. "Don't stoop to their level. You're better than that."
He shrugged one shoulder.
"No, what you need is a really good snow fort."
Andrell stared up at Kellom. "If I waste time building one, they'll just win faster."
"So you plan ahead. Look, you want to know a secret?" Kellom asked.
He eyed his brother suspiciously. "I guess."
"Promise you won't tell anyone? Not our nephews, not Tana, no one?"
Andrell wrinkled his nose. "I don't tell Tana stuff. She's mean."
Kellom quirked a smile. "Promise me anyway."
"Fine, I promise."
"One time," Kellom said, lowering his voice, "and only one time, Mellir managed to beat me in a snowball fight."
"...you're lying."
"I'm not, I promise," Kellom said. "You know how he won?"
"He used ice?"
"No," he answered, with a touch of impatience, then thought for a minute. "...well, yes, he did, but that's not why he won. No, he got up early that morning, once the snow was deep enough, and built a fort. It took me forever to pound through the walls to get at him, and he kept hitting me in the meantime. Defense always matters."
Andrell still didn't quite believe him. "I guess."
"I mean it, Andrell," Kellom said, and he sounded serious now. "It doesn't matter how badly outnumbered you are, or if the other guy can hit or throw harder. No matter who you're fighting, if your opponent can't hit you, none of that matters."
Well, when he put it that way. "That makes sense."
Kellom thought for a minute, then smiled. "I'll tell you what. I have some free time right now. Why don't we go outside, and I'll show you how to build a proper snow fort."
Andrell blinked, and felt himself brightening. Even though this was serious business, spending time with his oldest brother was always a lot of fun. For hanging out with an adult, anyway. "Sure!"
"I'll meet you outside, I have to go get my coat."
"All right," he said, and grinned as he watched his brother go.
So he didn't have a team for snowball fights--or just about anything else that involved his niece and nephews. He still had the best big brother ever, and next time they had a snowball fight, he'd kick their butts and they wouldn't be able to touch him.
Story: How to Win a Snowball Fight
'Verse: Feredar
Colors: Ivory #16. I don't like watching anybody make the same mistakes I made., Iceberg #10. winter wonderland, Russet #7. knitted [Warm winter clothes.]
Supplies and Materials: paint-by-numbers (from Kelly), canvas (973 FY), watercolors, feathers, charcoal, chalk, novelty beads
Word Count: 657
Rating: G
Characters: Andrell, Kellom
Warnings: None
Notes: Constructive criticism welcome, as always. Kellom is twenty-three here, and Andrell is eight. Temell, Lemir, and Rimell are Sola's three oldest boys. Temell is eight, and Lemir and Rimell are five.
Andrell sloshed back into the private family suite and absolutely positively didn't slam the outside door because Mamma always says not to.
All right, maybe he slammed it a little. Mamma was in Deva's suite, anyway, she couldn't yell at him for it.
"Something wrong?" But apparently Kellom was here to yell, even though he had his own rooms.
Today was just getting worse and worse. "I dunno," Andrell mumbled and started for his room to change.
His big brother caught him by the shoulder and he flinched a little. Stupid ice.
"What happened?" Kellom asked, steering him over to one of the couches.
"I'm all wet," Andrell complained, but Kellom pushed him down anyway. He sighed. "We had a snowball fight. I lost."
"Aha."
"It's not fair," he burst out, before Kellom could say anything else. "It was Temell and Lemir and Rimell, and I was by myself. And they put ice in their snowballs." Jerks.
"They teamed up on you because they're brothers?"
Kellom always figured things out quick. "Yeah," Andrell said, sullenly scuffing his feet on the ground.
"Don't do that," Kellom said, putting a hand on his knee. Andrell stopped. "If it happens again, come get me. I'm your brother, I can be on your team."
Andrell stared up at him. "...you don't count."
Kellom raised an eyebrow. "Really? I'm not your brother?"
Andrell rolled his eyes. "You're an adult."
"Ahhh." Kellom thought for a minute. "Well, look at it this way, then. What's the best way to win a snowball fight?"
"...iceballs?" Andrell's ribs certainly thought so.
"No, that's cheating," his brother said. "Don't stoop to their level. You're better than that."
He shrugged one shoulder.
"No, what you need is a really good snow fort."
Andrell stared up at Kellom. "If I waste time building one, they'll just win faster."
"So you plan ahead. Look, you want to know a secret?" Kellom asked.
He eyed his brother suspiciously. "I guess."
"Promise you won't tell anyone? Not our nephews, not Tana, no one?"
Andrell wrinkled his nose. "I don't tell Tana stuff. She's mean."
Kellom quirked a smile. "Promise me anyway."
"Fine, I promise."
"One time," Kellom said, lowering his voice, "and only one time, Mellir managed to beat me in a snowball fight."
"...you're lying."
"I'm not, I promise," Kellom said. "You know how he won?"
"He used ice?"
"No," he answered, with a touch of impatience, then thought for a minute. "...well, yes, he did, but that's not why he won. No, he got up early that morning, once the snow was deep enough, and built a fort. It took me forever to pound through the walls to get at him, and he kept hitting me in the meantime. Defense always matters."
Andrell still didn't quite believe him. "I guess."
"I mean it, Andrell," Kellom said, and he sounded serious now. "It doesn't matter how badly outnumbered you are, or if the other guy can hit or throw harder. No matter who you're fighting, if your opponent can't hit you, none of that matters."
Well, when he put it that way. "That makes sense."
Kellom thought for a minute, then smiled. "I'll tell you what. I have some free time right now. Why don't we go outside, and I'll show you how to build a proper snow fort."
Andrell blinked, and felt himself brightening. Even though this was serious business, spending time with his oldest brother was always a lot of fun. For hanging out with an adult, anyway. "Sure!"
"I'll meet you outside, I have to go get my coat."
"All right," he said, and grinned as he watched his brother go.
So he didn't have a team for snowball fights--or just about anything else that involved his niece and nephews. He still had the best big brother ever, and next time they had a snowball fight, he'd kick their butts and they wouldn't be able to touch him.
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no subject
Well, Andrell was just pelted with ice by his nephews, and is definitely feeling bruises. Also, he's eight and thoroughly convinced that you only need to hit harder/faster to win a fight and nothing else matters.
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Yeah, there was a reason Andrell worshipped Kellom and took as long as he did to defect, even though the idea was in his head for at least a year or so before Mellir's death--for all he didn't get along with Mellir any better than Kellom does--was the last straw.
no subject
no subject
Weirdly enough, it's partly due to this principle that the war ends when and how it does--if Kellom hadn't destabilized things internally as badly as he did with the Purge, he could have held out much longer against the opposing armies.