Fic: New Horizons (2/25?)
Rachel Berry was running away from the guards yet again. She really couldn’t resist practicing outside; it gave her a challenge. The lack of acoustics outdoors made her work harder to get just the right sound. This lack of reverberation, however, didn’t stop her neighbors from hearing, or retaliating. Apparently they were upset when their precious quiet was disturbed, and decided to whine to the city guards. That, however, was the last thing on her mind as two surly men began to pursue her. She grabbed the sheet music she carried around as a preparation for any performance, as she felt even in crisis, she should be ready, and darted off, running down the city road, listening to the men’s feet pounding after her. “All this for Broadway show tunes?” She couldn’t help but smile as she felt Finn, her pet monkey, run up onto her head, shrieking and shaking his fist at the men pursuing her. Not many people knew, but she was a bit psychic, and she could understand Finn like he was talking. And if he had been talking, the guards would have heard, “I’d beat you up if I were your size! Leave her alone! You’re fat! I’ll make you scared to walk the streets of Agrabah! You’re just jealous and bitter!” All of this made Rachel smile.
The man behind her, however, reaches down to grab her, and she jumps off the building she had ran up in her haste to escape. She deftly slides down clotheslines and lands at the bottom, disguised underneath a lot of laundry. She runs into the open door and is greeted by Tina. “G-g-getting int-t-to trouble a lit-t-tle early t-t-oday, aren’t we, Rachel?”
“Trouble? There’s no trouble. I’m only in trouble if I get caught.” At that she turns around to see two guards, one of them her declared nemesis, Karovsky. The boy, whom Rachel thinks looks akin to a caveman, is holding a very sharp looking sword. ‘Crap,’ She thinks to herself. ‘The head guard must have told them they could take a finger off in punishment. So much for the noise complaints being dismissed.’
Out loud she says to Tina, “Now I’m in trouble.” She winks and dives underneath the swipe of Karovsky’s blade, laughing as Finn drops down onto his head and pulls the hat over his eyes. “Nice timing, Finn!” She laughs as Finn scampers back onto her shoulders. She continues her flight, wanting to keep her fingers intact. She, after all, had dreams, and very few people who had been dismembered and imprisoned became famous.
She probably runs halfway across the city before she ends up in a harem where she occasionally sings, partly because she feels bad for the girls, partly because she loves to impart her knowledge of music and the outside world on anyone who will listen, and partly because the girls aren’t exactly hard on the eyes. She dives out the window as the guards arrive by stair, and dashes off, still free. Across the south part of the city she flees, and the guards are still hot on her tail. She shoots up a staircase and into a room, grabs a carpet and leaps out the window. “Sometimes you’ve got to trust your instincts, close your eyes, and leap.” She yells, as she drifts safely to the ground over a high wall. She hears a splat that indicates her pursuers have fallen into a large pile of fertilizer and giggles a bit.
She and Finn sit, and Rachel pulled out a loaf of bread she’d been saving. She breaks it in half, and Finn snatches his half, eyes clearly indicating just how hungry he’d gotten. Rachel looks somewhat guilty. She knows she can sometimes forget she needs to eat, but it’s inexcusable for her to miss a meal when she provides for Finn. There’s a rustling that distracts her from her thoughts, and she sees two children scrounging for food. Rachel’s soft brown eyes fill with pity. She hates to see youth in such a sorry state. If she knew who to yell at, she would, but as it were, she merely resorts to what she can. Rachel gets up and hands them her half of the loaf. Finn looks at her like she’s crazy and takes a huge bite, but then sees the woeful eyes of the children and softens, scampering over to deliver his half.
Rachel wanders towards the main road, hearing music. Finn rushes after her, and the children chase him, running into the street. An exceptionally well-dressed man on a horse sneers. “Out of my way, filthy brats!” He pulls out a pair of nun-chucks, and flings them at the children. Rachel runs in and deftly catches them, flinging them back at the Prince.
“If I had the fiscal resources to match yours, perhaps I would spend my money on classes in decorum!” She barks at the prince, her eyes steely as she regards him. He swoops down and shoves her into a muddy patch of the road.
“I’ll teach you manners, woman.” The Prince sneers, cockily looking around the crowd as they laugh.
“Oh, Finn,” she begins. “You must see this. I’ve come upon a rarity in the natural world. It’s a horse with two assholes!”
The man spins around. “You’re a worthless nothing, and you’ll always be nothing, and you’ll die a nobody, and only your fleas will mourn you!”
Rachel attempts to charge the man, only to see the palace gates shut in her face. “I am most certainly not a nobody, nor worthless. And I adhere to a very strict routine of personal hygiene, making the possibility of my having fleas next to zero!” She realizes that as she says this she’s scratching at her head, trying to shake dried mud out of her hair. She scowls. “Come on Finn, let’s go home.”
She looks up around at the city, as it nears dusk. “I’m not just a nobody. I’m much, much more than that, and one day I’ll be successful and well known. Finn, we’ll never have problems when that day comes.” She sighs. She wishes her fathers were still alive, that she had someone to spend time with, and stares at the palace, the longing written into her open face. She hums Don’t Rain on My Parade quietly to herself as she settles into sleep
.
The man behind her, however, reaches down to grab her, and she jumps off the building she had ran up in her haste to escape. She deftly slides down clotheslines and lands at the bottom, disguised underneath a lot of laundry. She runs into the open door and is greeted by Tina. “G-g-getting int-t-to trouble a lit-t-tle early t-t-oday, aren’t we, Rachel?”
“Trouble? There’s no trouble. I’m only in trouble if I get caught.” At that she turns around to see two guards, one of them her declared nemesis, Karovsky. The boy, whom Rachel thinks looks akin to a caveman, is holding a very sharp looking sword. ‘Crap,’ She thinks to herself. ‘The head guard must have told them they could take a finger off in punishment. So much for the noise complaints being dismissed.’
Out loud she says to Tina, “Now I’m in trouble.” She winks and dives underneath the swipe of Karovsky’s blade, laughing as Finn drops down onto his head and pulls the hat over his eyes. “Nice timing, Finn!” She laughs as Finn scampers back onto her shoulders. She continues her flight, wanting to keep her fingers intact. She, after all, had dreams, and very few people who had been dismembered and imprisoned became famous.
She probably runs halfway across the city before she ends up in a harem where she occasionally sings, partly because she feels bad for the girls, partly because she loves to impart her knowledge of music and the outside world on anyone who will listen, and partly because the girls aren’t exactly hard on the eyes. She dives out the window as the guards arrive by stair, and dashes off, still free. Across the south part of the city she flees, and the guards are still hot on her tail. She shoots up a staircase and into a room, grabs a carpet and leaps out the window. “Sometimes you’ve got to trust your instincts, close your eyes, and leap.” She yells, as she drifts safely to the ground over a high wall. She hears a splat that indicates her pursuers have fallen into a large pile of fertilizer and giggles a bit.
She and Finn sit, and Rachel pulled out a loaf of bread she’d been saving. She breaks it in half, and Finn snatches his half, eyes clearly indicating just how hungry he’d gotten. Rachel looks somewhat guilty. She knows she can sometimes forget she needs to eat, but it’s inexcusable for her to miss a meal when she provides for Finn. There’s a rustling that distracts her from her thoughts, and she sees two children scrounging for food. Rachel’s soft brown eyes fill with pity. She hates to see youth in such a sorry state. If she knew who to yell at, she would, but as it were, she merely resorts to what she can. Rachel gets up and hands them her half of the loaf. Finn looks at her like she’s crazy and takes a huge bite, but then sees the woeful eyes of the children and softens, scampering over to deliver his half.
Rachel wanders towards the main road, hearing music. Finn rushes after her, and the children chase him, running into the street. An exceptionally well-dressed man on a horse sneers. “Out of my way, filthy brats!” He pulls out a pair of nun-chucks, and flings them at the children. Rachel runs in and deftly catches them, flinging them back at the Prince.
“If I had the fiscal resources to match yours, perhaps I would spend my money on classes in decorum!” She barks at the prince, her eyes steely as she regards him. He swoops down and shoves her into a muddy patch of the road.
“I’ll teach you manners, woman.” The Prince sneers, cockily looking around the crowd as they laugh.
“Oh, Finn,” she begins. “You must see this. I’ve come upon a rarity in the natural world. It’s a horse with two assholes!”
The man spins around. “You’re a worthless nothing, and you’ll always be nothing, and you’ll die a nobody, and only your fleas will mourn you!”
Rachel attempts to charge the man, only to see the palace gates shut in her face. “I am most certainly not a nobody, nor worthless. And I adhere to a very strict routine of personal hygiene, making the possibility of my having fleas next to zero!” She realizes that as she says this she’s scratching at her head, trying to shake dried mud out of her hair. She scowls. “Come on Finn, let’s go home.”
She looks up around at the city, as it nears dusk. “I’m not just a nobody. I’m much, much more than that, and one day I’ll be successful and well known. Finn, we’ll never have problems when that day comes.” She sighs. She wishes her fathers were still alive, that she had someone to spend time with, and stares at the palace, the longing written into her open face. She hums Don’t Rain on My Parade quietly to herself as she settles into sleep
.