Tin Man: Letter Read (11/?)
Title: Letter Read
Author: Vashti
Fandom: Tin Man
Character(s): DG, Cain, mentions of everyone, OCs
Rating: PG
Summary: In a distant future, all that will be left for one of Queen Dorothigale's descendants are letters read.
Length: ~1,400 words
Disclaimer: I don't know you. You don't know me. Let's keep it that way. The title is from Rachael Yamagata's song, "Letter Read." The idea that "Dorothigale" is long for DG is from chibi_kaz
Author's Notes: This is a work in progress. I have a vague idea of where it's going (always essential to one of my stories) but I don't know how or when or how fast it's going to get there. If for some strange reason you happen to like, please feel free to poke me at will if/when I slow down. Please also feel free to spot-beta as need be. And if it starts getting scary you can even suggest I get an actual beta. meep!
AN2: "Annual" numbers correspond to years since the Cains left the service of the royal family.
AN3: My continued thanks to everyone on ohzeebooks. Your comments will be helping for far into the future :D
Chapter 1: Annual One: January to March, March to April, May to June, July to September, November to December
Interlude: Big Purple Eyes
Chapter 2: Annual Two: January, January to February, February, March, April
Chapter 2: Annual Two: April to May
April 29
Dear Mr. Cain,
One of Shane's triplets is a boy and his name is Hamilton, isn't it? I haven't cheated, although I have done some investigative work. Once we got rid of the hangers on after the Winter Ball, things got really slow around here, what with Central City all but immobilized by snow. Shane thought it was funny--and investigating with two guards in tow isn't easy, btw--which makes me wonder if you told her about your challenge. Oddly enough Mom was really proud of me once I explained why I was being so surreptitiously nosy. Apparently being sneaky is a great trait for ruler to have? Not that she put it that way, of course, but that's what she meant. Dad was all chip-off-the-old-block, but that wasn't a surprise. He's only in charge of security, that's all. Anyway, something else to add to my ever growing list of Shocking Job Description Of Sitting Monarchs. I'm telling you, a tell-all book would sell like hotcakes on the Other Side. I don't know why only Glitch and Az are behind me on this. Even Popsicle and the Mominator are anti, and they agree that I'm right.
Anyway...
Jayson is in town with his father and brother on business. The trade routes through the Deadly Desert finally opened up earlier this month, although some of them have been touch and go. It's the wind. Blows land-ships off into the middle of nowhere if people are lucky, and right off the map if they're not.
You know what's crazy? I always cared about this stuff before. Even if I hadn't turned out to be royalty, this is about people and their livelihoods. You don't have to be an miner to sympathize with a family after a cave-in. But now that I really know all this stuff about Ozian trade, albeit mostly from Jayson's side of things as a merchant, oh boy do I care about which trade routes are open vs. the ones that are iffy, and about the number of land-ships that get damaged or lost. I knew studying those trade agreements last year was something important I had to do, but I thought it'd only be useful in, like trade negotiations with our neighbors and allies. I had no idea it'd make me care about the OZ and my people more. Which kind of makes it sound like I didn't care about the OZ before, but you know what I mean. It was all academic and really dry. Now it's people and fortunes and jobs and whether we get some of the things we've come to rely on over the last 100 years - things even the Sorceress wouldn't blockade.
Sorry, I didn't mean to get off on a tangent. I really just meant to mention that Jayson's in town. I went to visit Glitch in the lab (well, outside the lab) and J was sitting in one of the seats for the pages. He looked like he was waiting to be called for the doctor--you know, sorta nervous?--instead of a friend. So I plopped down next to him and we started talking, and things have been so crazy with trading through the Deserts it was tops on the conversation list. We had been going at it for a solid 15 when Marty popped out instead of Glitch. Looking very pleased, Jayson said "You've been studying up on Ozian import and export issues." You would have thought he had something to do with it. I couldn't be mad though, because I had been studying, if not on purpose, and it's nice to see all this crap Mom and Dad and Tutor make me do every day has real, practical application!
Aaand Mom has apparently been reading over my shoulder. Guess how I know. No, really, guess.
If you guessed an exclamation of "DG! Of course the things we've been teaching you have practical application...!" Then ding ding ding! You get the prize.
So twenty minutes and one semi-serious, semi-disappointed conversation later, I'm back. It's not that I didn't believe don't believe that what I'm doing and learning is important, but I couldn't really see it before. Which I tried to explain to Mom at first with not so great results. It's like being at college. Or I guess University here. You do a lot of work and study a lot of stuff that you're told you need to prepare you for your profession, but some of it you think is just to get you to take the credits to get you out of school--or to give some tenured prof's nephew a questionably deserved paycheck. Or high school math (if there're no HS'es in the OZ I have no idea what to use as an equivalent). The only person who probably never asked when they'd ever use it again is Glitch-as-Ambrose. And that was probably because he had taken over teaching the class himself about midway through.
Anyway, Mom says hi.
Now I can't remember what I wanted to write. Crud.
Anyway, Az is getting better, Dad is himself, the robo-rents are actually really really well. They weren't exactly made to serve the crown or to live their lives for me, but it's what they've spent a lot of their lives doing and, y'know, they are my parents--they are in robo-heaven. I mean you've seen it. It's more of same. Sometimes I don't know if they've adopted all of us universally (except Glitch--I think they're scared he'll try to work on them) or if they're Mom's and Dad's older siblings, or our Great-aunt and -uncle. I don't know if I could do this without them. I think the jump from small town girl trying to run away from home, to magic-wielding princess of a parallel universe wouldn't have been as manageable without something to ground me to who I had been.
Anyway, Mom is fine, as you can see. So are Glitch, Marty, Shane and Terry. Shane and Terry request more words of wisdom and perhaps a training manual. I suggested the manual.
Haven't seen Raw, but I expect him in a few days, maybe two weeks on the outside. Ugh, and the Spring parties start soon. Save me, Tin Man.
I'd ask you how Amalie and Jeb are getting on but we both know that's silly *grin* Can't wait to be an honorary auntie! How's it feel to be a granddad? Gonna child-proof the woods?
Anyway, this letter feels long I wonder if it will read that way. I miss you, Mr. Cain. You should come up with Jeb and Ami after the baby is born. Or meet us in Finaqua. Raw will be there. It'll be like a reunion.
Sincerely,
DG
P.S. How's the young couple who are living in your old cabin. They've been on my mind.
5/14
DG,
Carl and Leanne have been on my mind as well. It's finally thawed enough for me and Jeb and some of the women in town to check on them in the morning. Amalie wants to go, as I'm sure you already know or will by the time this letter gets to you but, wet as everything is, it's just too dangerous. You're right, she's huge, and carrying low. Not that she cares. Cain men only have stubborn wives. Nothing would ever get done otherwise, I suppose. Anyway, Jeb flat out forbade her to go. You could hear them arguing halfway to town, which is about where I was when I heard them. If Ami hasn't told you all about it already, ask your sister if she knows anything. She thinks of you both as kin, you know, but she knows you and Jeb are close. It wouldn't surprise me if she didn't want to badmouth him to you. Though, in all honesty, if Jeb hadn't done I would have.
And I'm proud of you for finding one of Shane's siblings. Only one left, kiddo.
As for the Queen, your mother: Someday you're going to have kids, and not too long after that they'll be grown enough to have their own thoughts about their world. Trust me, Kid, some of those thoughts are going to lay you right out.
-Cain
5/15
B/c I know you'll want to know: the kids up on the mtn are OK. The town midwife doesn't like how small Leanne has gotten. She thinks she might lose the baby, but she doesn't want to tell them yet. She hasn't told anyone but me and Jeb since we're the closest nghbrs they got. We'll see
-Cain
Author: Vashti
Fandom: Tin Man
Character(s): DG, Cain, mentions of everyone, OCs
Rating: PG
Summary: In a distant future, all that will be left for one of Queen Dorothigale's descendants are letters read.
Length: ~1,400 words
Disclaimer: I don't know you. You don't know me. Let's keep it that way. The title is from Rachael Yamagata's song, "Letter Read." The idea that "Dorothigale" is long for DG is from chibi_kaz
Author's Notes: This is a work in progress. I have a vague idea of where it's going (always essential to one of my stories) but I don't know how or when or how fast it's going to get there. If for some strange reason you happen to like, please feel free to poke me at will if/when I slow down. Please also feel free to spot-beta as need be. And if it starts getting scary you can even suggest I get an actual beta. meep!
AN2: "Annual" numbers correspond to years since the Cains left the service of the royal family.
AN3: My continued thanks to everyone on ohzeebooks. Your comments will be helping for far into the future :D
Chapter 1: Annual One: January to March, March to April, May to June, July to September, November to December
Interlude: Big Purple Eyes
Chapter 2: Annual Two: January, January to February, February, March, April
Chapter 2: Annual Two: April to May
April 29
Dear Mr. Cain,
One of Shane's triplets is a boy and his name is Hamilton, isn't it? I haven't cheated, although I have done some investigative work. Once we got rid of the hangers on after the Winter Ball, things got really slow around here, what with Central City all but immobilized by snow. Shane thought it was funny--and investigating with two guards in tow isn't easy, btw--which makes me wonder if you told her about your challenge. Oddly enough Mom was really proud of me once I explained why I was being so surreptitiously nosy. Apparently being sneaky is a great trait for ruler to have? Not that she put it that way, of course, but that's what she meant. Dad was all chip-off-the-old-block, but that wasn't a surprise. He's only in charge of security, that's all. Anyway, something else to add to my ever growing list of Shocking Job Description Of Sitting Monarchs. I'm telling you, a tell-all book would sell like hotcakes on the Other Side. I don't know why only Glitch and Az are behind me on this. Even Popsicle and the Mominator are anti, and they agree that I'm right.
Anyway...
Jayson is in town with his father and brother on business. The trade routes through the Deadly Desert finally opened up earlier this month, although some of them have been touch and go. It's the wind. Blows land-ships off into the middle of nowhere if people are lucky, and right off the map if they're not.
You know what's crazy? I always cared about this stuff before. Even if I hadn't turned out to be royalty, this is about people and their livelihoods. You don't have to be an miner to sympathize with a family after a cave-in. But now that I really know all this stuff about Ozian trade, albeit mostly from Jayson's side of things as a merchant, oh boy do I care about which trade routes are open vs. the ones that are iffy, and about the number of land-ships that get damaged or lost. I knew studying those trade agreements last year was something important I had to do, but I thought it'd only be useful in, like trade negotiations with our neighbors and allies. I had no idea it'd make me care about the OZ and my people more. Which kind of makes it sound like I didn't care about the OZ before, but you know what I mean. It was all academic and really dry. Now it's people and fortunes and jobs and whether we get some of the things we've come to rely on over the last 100 years - things even the Sorceress wouldn't blockade.
Sorry, I didn't mean to get off on a tangent. I really just meant to mention that Jayson's in town. I went to visit Glitch in the lab (well, outside the lab) and J was sitting in one of the seats for the pages. He looked like he was waiting to be called for the doctor--you know, sorta nervous?--instead of a friend. So I plopped down next to him and we started talking, and things have been so crazy with trading through the Deserts it was tops on the conversation list. We had been going at it for a solid 15 when Marty popped out instead of Glitch. Looking very pleased, Jayson said "You've been studying up on Ozian import and export issues." You would have thought he had something to do with it. I couldn't be mad though, because I had been studying, if not on purpose, and it's nice to see all this crap Mom and Dad and Tutor make me do every day has real, practical application!
Aaand Mom has apparently been reading over my shoulder. Guess how I know. No, really, guess.
If you guessed an exclamation of "DG! Of course the things we've been teaching you have practical application...!" Then ding ding ding! You get the prize.
So twenty minutes and one semi-serious, semi-disappointed conversation later, I'm back. It's not that I didn't believe don't believe that what I'm doing and learning is important, but I couldn't really see it before. Which I tried to explain to Mom at first with not so great results. It's like being at college. Or I guess University here. You do a lot of work and study a lot of stuff that you're told you need to prepare you for your profession, but some of it you think is just to get you to take the credits to get you out of school--or to give some tenured prof's nephew a questionably deserved paycheck. Or high school math (if there're no HS'es in the OZ I have no idea what to use as an equivalent). The only person who probably never asked when they'd ever use it again is Glitch-as-Ambrose. And that was probably because he had taken over teaching the class himself about midway through.
Anyway, Mom says hi.
Now I can't remember what I wanted to write. Crud.
Anyway, Az is getting better, Dad is himself, the robo-rents are actually really really well. They weren't exactly made to serve the crown or to live their lives for me, but it's what they've spent a lot of their lives doing and, y'know, they are my parents--they are in robo-heaven. I mean you've seen it. It's more of same. Sometimes I don't know if they've adopted all of us universally (except Glitch--I think they're scared he'll try to work on them) or if they're Mom's and Dad's older siblings, or our Great-aunt and -uncle. I don't know if I could do this without them. I think the jump from small town girl trying to run away from home, to magic-wielding princess of a parallel universe wouldn't have been as manageable without something to ground me to who I had been.
Anyway, Mom is fine, as you can see. So are Glitch, Marty, Shane and Terry. Shane and Terry request more words of wisdom and perhaps a training manual. I suggested the manual.
Haven't seen Raw, but I expect him in a few days, maybe two weeks on the outside. Ugh, and the Spring parties start soon. Save me, Tin Man.
I'd ask you how Amalie and Jeb are getting on but we both know that's silly *grin* Can't wait to be an honorary auntie! How's it feel to be a granddad? Gonna child-proof the woods?
Anyway, this letter feels long I wonder if it will read that way. I miss you, Mr. Cain. You should come up with Jeb and Ami after the baby is born. Or meet us in Finaqua. Raw will be there. It'll be like a reunion.
Sincerely,
DG
P.S. How's the young couple who are living in your old cabin. They've been on my mind.
5/14
DG,
Carl and Leanne have been on my mind as well. It's finally thawed enough for me and Jeb and some of the women in town to check on them in the morning. Amalie wants to go, as I'm sure you already know or will by the time this letter gets to you but, wet as everything is, it's just too dangerous. You're right, she's huge, and carrying low. Not that she cares. Cain men only have stubborn wives. Nothing would ever get done otherwise, I suppose. Anyway, Jeb flat out forbade her to go. You could hear them arguing halfway to town, which is about where I was when I heard them. If Ami hasn't told you all about it already, ask your sister if she knows anything. She thinks of you both as kin, you know, but she knows you and Jeb are close. It wouldn't surprise me if she didn't want to badmouth him to you. Though, in all honesty, if Jeb hadn't done I would have.
And I'm proud of you for finding one of Shane's siblings. Only one left, kiddo.
As for the Queen, your mother: Someday you're going to have kids, and not too long after that they'll be grown enough to have their own thoughts about their world. Trust me, Kid, some of those thoughts are going to lay you right out.
-Cain
5/15
B/c I know you'll want to know: the kids up on the mtn are OK. The town midwife doesn't like how small Leanne has gotten. She thinks she might lose the baby, but she doesn't want to tell them yet. She hasn't told anyone but me and Jeb since we're the closest nghbrs they got. We'll see
-Cain