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rainbowfic2013-09-19 05:55 pm
jkatkina) wrote in rainbowfic2013-09-19 05:55 pm
Entry tags:
Walking through the dusty flats on her way to class
Name: jkatkina
Story: Fensirt
Colors: Amber #5 (Dust), Skylight #16 (Walk by there every day on the way to work)
Supplies and Styles: none
Word Count: 813
Rating: G
Warnings: Not really, no.
Summary: Kaitan is a surly teenager who can't always get what she wants.
Notes: My first writin' post here!
Also, if any of you rememberdray's stories from a month (or two?) ago, this is in the same universe but a different part of the world. Like hers, these are pieces for the characters as they are several years before their big story starts.
This piece relates to this illustration post.
Dozens of feet left the ground with the teacher's cry of "Up!" and returned again, the imperfect pattern of impacts betraying inexperience. Puffs of ruddy dust rose at the conclusion of each hop and then were tattered away.
Third day in and the river of faces still ranged from resolute to uncomfortably surprised -- from the experienced to those who'd never ridden or borne a rider.
"And up, and up!" The exercise leader, comfortable on the back of her own partner, gestured with each parade-ground yell and mostly went unobserved. Her charges were watched by the two other instructors who nimbly circled the slow-moving mess, and all three teaching pairs hopped effortlessly in precise pattern with every holler, optimistically setting a good example.
It was the fourth time today the mess of new rider hopefuls had passed Kaitan, and from her perch leaning on the far side of the fence they didn't look like they were doing any better than last time.
She propped her chin on her arms and her arms on the fence, the hood of her poncho up to keep the sun off. Nonetheless, the reflection off of the packed sand of the Rider paradeground had her squinting. She glanced up at the washed-out expanse of blue and made a quick series of negotiations with herself; sure, maybe it was midday and sure Iunis had said that if she was later to her tutor a third time there'd be repercussions, but she could probably manage that one as long as she settled on a lie before she headed back into the city. Five more minutes. Fifteen, if she could think of a good lie.
"Free ride for a few minutes now," the teacher was yelling, some strain in her voice as she reestablished dominion over the pack. "Remember, humans: if you're feeling more impact than you'd like, use your stirrups! No shame in it while you're learning! Riders, if your partners are coming down too hard on your back, tell them!"
A heavy frown wrinkled Kaitan's brow as she watched one errant couple -- a gangly youth who wasn't more than year older than her, and a particularly tall Rider who was young enough to still be all blue knees -- blunder to a stop under the watchful eye of one of the teachers. The human kid had been all wavering around like a rag toy, perched over his cloth saddle with his butt in the air. The guilty party was a too-short stirrup and Kaitan grinned just as brightly as she'd been frowning when one of the teachers corrected the error. She'd called it.
Oh, and then back to scowling. She should have been in there. Zenite's rank toejam, she should have been at the head of that ruly mob!
"I told you yesterday to leave, Friave child."
The resonant voice jolted Kaitan and she found herself staring into a blocky blue face. They'd circled around and snuck up on her -- that was hardly fair! She shot a glance up at the human sitting astride her daemon companion, but the teacher's lips were pulled into a thin line -- not disapproval exactly. Almost embarrassment. She wasn't going to come to Kaitan's rescue. The teenager supposed she deserved such loyalty. "I'm not the only one watching."
The Rider daemon didn't spare a glance for the sparse gaggle of other observers (now staring at the drama unfolding), mostly kids still in skirts. "This isn't Friave land," she rumbled, "you don't have authority here."
Kaitan leaned back, scuffed her soft boot in the dust on her side of the fence and widened her stance. "Technically, it isn't Rider land either," she said slowly, trying to put on the authoritative tone that Iunis had started using on her since Fiuntan had died. "You can't make me leave. Unless you'd like to come out here and chase me off." She was grinning again, a toothy thing.
When the Rider showed her own teeth in an impressive display that put to shame Kaitan's human dental equipment, she realized in a flash of alarm that she'd gone too far and maybe fed to Zenite her chances of ever getting into one of those classes. Hadn't she been trying for years to get them to forget that? Even the human teacher was frowning.
Shame and anger reddened Kaitan's face as the Rider's round ears turned back and her expression changed to one of disgust. Any modicum of respect she'd directed at Kaitan was stripped away, a transformation with which the girl was painfully familiar.
"Get out of here." The Rider turned, startling her companion, and strode away from the fence.
Kaitan clenched her fists to white. All thoughts of sly lies gone from her mind, she turned her back on the training pack and stamped through the dust back towards the white walls of the city.
jkatkinaStory: Fensirt
Colors: Amber #5 (Dust), Skylight #16 (Walk by there every day on the way to work)
Supplies and Styles: none
Word Count: 813
Rating: G
Warnings: Not really, no.
Summary: Kaitan is a surly teenager who can't always get what she wants.
Notes: My first writin' post here!
Also, if any of you remember
dray's stories from a month (or two?) ago, this is in the same universe but a different part of the world. Like hers, these are pieces for the characters as they are several years before their big story starts.This piece relates to this illustration post.
Dozens of feet left the ground with the teacher's cry of "Up!" and returned again, the imperfect pattern of impacts betraying inexperience. Puffs of ruddy dust rose at the conclusion of each hop and then were tattered away.
Third day in and the river of faces still ranged from resolute to uncomfortably surprised -- from the experienced to those who'd never ridden or borne a rider.
"And up, and up!" The exercise leader, comfortable on the back of her own partner, gestured with each parade-ground yell and mostly went unobserved. Her charges were watched by the two other instructors who nimbly circled the slow-moving mess, and all three teaching pairs hopped effortlessly in precise pattern with every holler, optimistically setting a good example.
It was the fourth time today the mess of new rider hopefuls had passed Kaitan, and from her perch leaning on the far side of the fence they didn't look like they were doing any better than last time.
She propped her chin on her arms and her arms on the fence, the hood of her poncho up to keep the sun off. Nonetheless, the reflection off of the packed sand of the Rider paradeground had her squinting. She glanced up at the washed-out expanse of blue and made a quick series of negotiations with herself; sure, maybe it was midday and sure Iunis had said that if she was later to her tutor a third time there'd be repercussions, but she could probably manage that one as long as she settled on a lie before she headed back into the city. Five more minutes. Fifteen, if she could think of a good lie.
"Free ride for a few minutes now," the teacher was yelling, some strain in her voice as she reestablished dominion over the pack. "Remember, humans: if you're feeling more impact than you'd like, use your stirrups! No shame in it while you're learning! Riders, if your partners are coming down too hard on your back, tell them!"
A heavy frown wrinkled Kaitan's brow as she watched one errant couple -- a gangly youth who wasn't more than year older than her, and a particularly tall Rider who was young enough to still be all blue knees -- blunder to a stop under the watchful eye of one of the teachers. The human kid had been all wavering around like a rag toy, perched over his cloth saddle with his butt in the air. The guilty party was a too-short stirrup and Kaitan grinned just as brightly as she'd been frowning when one of the teachers corrected the error. She'd called it.
Oh, and then back to scowling. She should have been in there. Zenite's rank toejam, she should have been at the head of that ruly mob!
"I told you yesterday to leave, Friave child."
The resonant voice jolted Kaitan and she found herself staring into a blocky blue face. They'd circled around and snuck up on her -- that was hardly fair! She shot a glance up at the human sitting astride her daemon companion, but the teacher's lips were pulled into a thin line -- not disapproval exactly. Almost embarrassment. She wasn't going to come to Kaitan's rescue. The teenager supposed she deserved such loyalty. "I'm not the only one watching."
The Rider daemon didn't spare a glance for the sparse gaggle of other observers (now staring at the drama unfolding), mostly kids still in skirts. "This isn't Friave land," she rumbled, "you don't have authority here."
Kaitan leaned back, scuffed her soft boot in the dust on her side of the fence and widened her stance. "Technically, it isn't Rider land either," she said slowly, trying to put on the authoritative tone that Iunis had started using on her since Fiuntan had died. "You can't make me leave. Unless you'd like to come out here and chase me off." She was grinning again, a toothy thing.
When the Rider showed her own teeth in an impressive display that put to shame Kaitan's human dental equipment, she realized in a flash of alarm that she'd gone too far and maybe fed to Zenite her chances of ever getting into one of those classes. Hadn't she been trying for years to get them to forget that? Even the human teacher was frowning.
Shame and anger reddened Kaitan's face as the Rider's round ears turned back and her expression changed to one of disgust. Any modicum of respect she'd directed at Kaitan was stripped away, a transformation with which the girl was painfully familiar.
"Get out of here." The Rider turned, startling her companion, and strode away from the fence.
Kaitan clenched her fists to white. All thoughts of sly lies gone from her mind, she turned her back on the training pack and stamped through the dust back towards the white walls of the city.