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scarletmorningGive me a prompt consisting of one word, and I'll do my best to write a 500-word minimum piece based on this prompt. If you have specific characters/universe or a certain genre in mind, please feel free to mention them as well.
(Which reminds me that there is still an unfilled "write my character" drabble request, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiih)
(Which reminds me that there is still an unfilled "write my character" drabble request, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiih)
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(no subject)
6/6/11 14:13 (UTC):333
First time writing Lucius, oy! "Eternal Smile"
8/6/11 11:08 (UTC)They had a statue of her behind the altar. Lucius often knelt before her, praying, wishing for more food for the smaller children in the orphanage, for more blankets, for a mild winter. Elimine listened to his selfless wishes as patiently and with her eternal smile as to his childish wishes (a toy? He didn't need a toy while the helpings of gruel grew smaller and smaller every day. A book? The older children wore clothes with holes bigger than his fist.).
Lucius felt safe here, felt loved by Elimine. He wondered if a mother´s smile looks as serene and friendly as Elimine´s. If a mother would listen to his complains and sorrows and doubts as patiently as her. If a mother would always be here for him.
Lucius admired Elimine and strove to become like her. He practised to copy her smile for hours bend over the lake because there was no mirror in the little orphanage. He practised to be patient, to listen to everyone, to give hope and support, to always smile.
One day a little girl who had scrapped her knee because another girl had pushed her and was now crying in Lucius´ arms looked up at him, sniffling. "You smile as pretty as Elim'e," she mumbled with a lisp. Lucius only hushed her, pressing a kiss on her forehead, and then wiped off her tears, sending her back to play with her friends. Secretly he was elated and it seemed to him that he grew a few centimetre in that second. Later, for a moment, he feared that it was vain to feel so proud of himself – deep at night he sneaked into the prayer room and asked Elimine for forgiveness – but he was sure that the good he did with his smile would balance it out.
Years later Elimine´s smile has become his smile. He smiles at Serra, who is rambling about her dress and beautiful hair again. He smiles at Raven, who rages against Ostia again and who doesn't listen to Lucius´ attempts to calm him. He smiles at Canas, who wants to lend a holy book and doesn't stop listing the pros and contras of light magic against dark magic. He smiles at Wil, who comes back with an arrow sticking out of his thigh. He smiles at Kent, who is slowly dying, and Lady Lyndis, who sits next to him and doesn't let him go.
Only deep at night, when Raven is asleep or on watch, Lucius lets the smile slip from his face. It becomes harder every day and the blank expression feels weird, wrong. Sometimes Lucius tries to smile normally, show his own smile. But it always turns into the patient, forgiving, eternal and yet so empty smile. The first time, Lucius was afraid. Now he just accepts it. He has given up his own smile, his own happiness to make others happy. And he is content.
No one, not even Lucius himself, notices the tiny flash of loneliness in his eyes every time the eternal smile settles on his face.
Re: First time writing Lucius, oy! "Eternal Smile"
8/6/11 20:25 (UTC)Re: First time writing Lucius, oy! "Eternal Smile"
8/6/11 20:29 (UTC)(no subject)
6/6/11 14:30 (UTC)The Joys of a Father
6/6/11 19:41 (UTC)Very slowly and inwardly fearing the worst, Fado raised his gaze, peeking over the edge of his magazine. There were very, very broad grins on his five-year-old twins´ faces. "What did you say?"
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!" they exclaimed again in perfect unison. Fado pressed his teeth together tightly. He knew what that meant. Far, far too well, actually.
"Come, Eirika, Ephraim, can't we watch something else for once?" he asked pleadingly, putting down his magazine.
"No!"
Fado cringed. Ephraim started bouncing and Eirika dashed to the cupboard and got the VHS. "Here," Eirika shoved the video tape in his face. Grudgingly, he accepted it, but didn't stand up yet.
"But we bought a new video last week. Why won't you try that?"
"No!" Eirika shook her head wildly.
"We want 'Mary Poppins'!"
Fado groaned. He needed to get out of here. Quickly. He couldn't stand to watch this movie yet again. His gaze flickered through the room, searching for an escape. Meanwhile Ephraim and Eirika climbed on the couch and clung to their father, chanting the dreaded word over and over again.
"Hey, be quiet for a moment," he finally said. The twins looked at him with big eyes full of expectation. "Why won't you watch the movie with your mother? She hasn't watched it with you for weeks."
In that moment Catalina poked her head in and said: "I'm sorry, dear, but I have an appointment. I'll be back in a few hours." Fado gaped at her over his shoulder. She waved goodbye with a smile, threw a kiss to each of her children and left the house suspiciously quickly and giggling. Fado groaned again. The twins chanted again.
"Alright, alright!" Fado finally said, defeated, and stood up to get the movie started. Eirika and Ephraim cheered happily and loudly. When Fado sat down again and pressed 'play', Eirika immediately claimed his lap – much to Ephraim´s dismay, but he had sat on Fado´s lap the last time – and leaned back giggling.
As soon as the opening credits started rolling, Fado sighed deeply, put his arms around Ephraim and Eirika and just accepted that he would have to watch 'Mary Poppins' for about the fiftieth time in the last month. At least the cuteness that were his children when they started to sing the songs with the actors made this whole thing a tiny bit bearable.
He just wished that "singing and having fun" weren't the only thing they learnt from that movie; their room always looked like after a hurricane.
Re: The Joys of a Father
6/6/11 20:02 (UTC)(no subject)
6/6/11 23:44 (UTC)Please and thank you. :)
In which there is Innes and then Tana and yay siblings. And this is far too long for a drabble P.1.
11/6/11 10:55 (UTC)It was only a superficial wound, yes, but it twinged and ached in the crisp night air more than he had supposed. However, he would surely not go back and ask Ephraim (of all people) to give his shift to someone else. This little ache would not hinder his ability to detect and shoot enemy spies. He just ignored the pain and rather stared at the bushes, the palisade of trees and kept a close gaze on the holes in the treetops.
Maybe an hour passed and the ache had grown almost too prominent for him to ignore; he shifted a bit, pulling his cloak tighter around himself but it accomplished nothing but more uncomfortableness. The weather was not that bad, actually, and he wouldn't freeze that much if he could walk or just somehow move his limbs. But he wouldn't show the enemy were to hit just because of a little coldness.
Suddenly the world became dark and something fell on him. Startled he stumbled to his feet, but his legs gave away (he should have switched his sitting position earlier) and he fell back. Small hands caught him. "Innes!" a familiar voice hissed worriedly.
"Tana?" he asked incredulously and yanked the cloth, which he identified as a blanket, from his head and incredulously looked up at his little sister. "Are you mad?" While there was still a hint of worry on her brow, she looked mostly annoyed now.
"I thought you heard me," she retorted and crouched down. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Aren't you the one
who said that you have an impeccable hearing?"
"Tana, what do you want?"
"I've thought you might be cold," she said with a shrug, a bit from her annoyance leaving her face. "You seemed to have problems with your side earlier and I know you can be sensitive to cold." Innes clenched his teeth tightly; he wouldn't let his little sister tell him that he is sensitive to anything.
"Don't be ridiculous. Where did you get this blanket from anyway?" He pulled it a bit closer, letting the surprisingly soft material caress his cheek. "I don't believe we had any spare ones." And he had looked into that earlier (he had feared that his own blanket would be too thin to keep him warm properly and he was proven right again).
"It's mine," she said with a shrug and an unconcern that appalled him.
"Tana," he hissed and yanked her blanket from his shoulders, shoving it towards her. "I won't take your only blanket. You'll catch cold and that's the last thing we need. Be a bit more responsible. I thought you wanted to show me that you are a fully-fledged soldier now." She puffed up her cheeks in anger – a relict from their childhood when this technique still worked on Innes and her father (truth to be told, sometimes it still worked on their father).
"I still have my riding cloak. Just take it."
"No. Our father would have my hide if I let you catch a cold. I don't need your help."
"You're ungrateful, you know that?" He didn't even blink.
"Take your blanket with you and leave me alone." He turned back to the forest, sitting cross-legged, and clutched his own blanket tighter. He thought that he had made his point clearly and that this conversation was over, but he obviously underestimated Tana´s stubbornness.
She straightened abruptly, threw her blanket over him – how she managed to tuck it around him so tightly and quickly, he would never know – and walked away, her head held high.
"Tana," he hissed and whirled around. She gave him a dismissive wave over her shoulder.
"I can't hear you. You have to speak up." Her voice had an incredibly grating triumphant undertone. Innes gritted his teeth; she knew he wouldn't call after her. It was far too dangerous and he wasn't stupid. Seething with annoyance, he turned towards the forest again and unwillingly clutched her blanket tighter.
In which there is Innes and then Tana and yay siblings. And this is far too long for a drabble P.2.
11/6/11 10:57 (UTC)He took a little detour to Tana´s tent; he didn't intend to keep her blanket the whole night and to be deeper in her debt.
Soundlessly, he slipped into her tent and tiptoed over to where he thought her bunk was, outstretching his hand to feel for the edge of her bed (and to avoid hitting his knee on it again). He was shocked when his searching fingers found cold skin. Tana backed away a bit at his warm touch and sigh-groaned in her sleep. Innes waited for a few seconds so that his eyes could grew accustomed to the light.
He still couldn't discern much, but he did see that Tana´s so-called riding cloak barely covered her legs. She had curled up, clutching her knees to her chest, to keep her little warmth close to her. Her arms were bare and (to Innes at least) felt colder than the night air. He tsked annoyed (and worried) and immediately threw her blanket over her, tucking it close around her.
"Stupid girl," he mumbled to himself while pulling the blanket up to her chin. "I told you father would have my hide if I let you get sick." She shifted, clutching for the blanket, and sighed.
He pushed her ponytail back over her shoulder; then his hand hovered over her head for a moment, hesitating, until he finally stroked her once. He quickly stood up afterwards and strode towards the tent exit. Just when he threw back the cloth, he heard a low "Thank you, brother". He turned his head back, an answer lying on the tip of his tongue, but it didn't want to leave his mouth.
"Good night." Then he left the tent.
Re: In which there is Innes and then Tana and yay siblings. And this is far too long for a drabble P
14/6/11 04:58 (UTC)And, oh my, I loved this. Innes and Tana's relationship is one that seems to be rarely explored and there should be more sibling fun for them. I love the way you handled this drabble.
Thank you so much! This was lovely.
Re: In which there is Innes and then Tana and yay siblings. And this is far too long for a drabble P
14/6/11 07:28 (UTC)