(no subject)
Title: Untitled
Fandom: Original
Pairing: None
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1249
Warnings: None
"Three... Two... And... One."
As if summoned by the following snap, the dark, leaden sky finally made good on the storm it had been threatening for the better part of the day. The ensuing deluge soaked everything thoroughly within moments, water-logging the plants and any animal unfortunate enough to have been caught out, turning even the packed earth to thick, heavy mud. Everything, that is, but for one small figure making her way up the rowan-lined stone path. The rainfall skirted her, bending away and parting like a crystal curtain as she approached, falling once more back into place once she had passed.
Nocturne smiled quietly. It was the only indication she gave that she'd noticed the storm at all - she was as dry now as she had been yesterday, when the weather had been sunny and warm with hardly a cloud in sight. Any other time, she might have stopped to watch the ferocity of it all. But she was in a hurry, and still far from her destination. Nocturne hummed a few bars of a lilting travel-song a centaur had once taught her to pass the time, and before long was singing it in truth.
An hour passed, and soon the pale gray stone shifted to worked patterns of snow quartz, hematite, and larvikite. The winding promenade meandered its way up a long hillock, through several gardens that were lovingly tended but not strictly kept and small forests of sheltering trees, ending its journey at the massive doors of a towering monolith of a castle.
Built in strong, dove gray stonework, the castle was a work of art in itself, the masterpiece of only the most talented dwarven hands. Long, elegant spires stretched unyielding towards the low-hanging sky, supported by graceful arches and sweeping vistas. Ivy vines clung staunchly to the aged walls, climbing ever higher with each passing year, and even in this weather some brave rosebuds had chosen to bloom, creating bursts of vibrant color against their comparatively duller backgrounds.
Coral-lined herb gardens sweetened the damp air closer to the beautifully wrought doors, the white gold still shining as if new, and Nocturne's heart lifted at the familiar view as she approached. Despite everything, this castle would always be home.
The great doors opened before her, unbidden and silent, and she stepped inside, pushing back the hood of her dark traveling cloak as they swung shut once more. The sounds of the weather outside faded as she tugged at the ties, pulling the cloak off to drop it to the side. It slumped slightly, then gathered itself up as though exasperated to hang more appropriately in the air. Nocturne made a face at it, and it gave a silent hmph! before floating off. Stuffy cloaks. Really.
The cloak rounded the corner at the same time as an older gentleman came around the other way, his long legs eating up the distance with each stride. He had the look of one who spent many, many hours in the sun, and the tanned leather of his skin contrasting sharply against the cropped white of his hair and the salt-and-pepper of his neatly trimmed beard. The deep green tunic he was wearing had long since lost its sleeves, baring his broad, powerful shoulders and strong arms. Arms which were held open wide, a nearly blinding grin splitting his weather-chiseled face.
"Nox! Nox, my dear girl, you came!" he exclaimed, laughing as he swept Nocturne up into a bear hug. His tall, solid frame dwarfed the smaller girl easily, and Nox had to laugh with him as he swept her clear off her feet. "I can hardly believe these old eyes!"
"Of course I came, you silly man," she teased. "Really, Adamec, what would ever make you think that I wouldn't?"
"Oh, only the fact that you haven't come in nearly half a decade," Adamec replied, something lightly scolding in his tone. He set her carefully down and stepped back to take her in. "If it weren't for all the trouble you cause, we might have thought you were dead. Here now, let me have a look at you."
Adamec shooed her back with a gentle motion of his hand, and Nox moved obligingly back to allow him a better view. Though it had been nearly four years since they'd last seen one another, Nox hadn't changed much more than Adamec had. She was still tiny, fine-boned, and graceful in the sort of way that put Adamec in mind of faeries (if they were very, very large), or elves (if they were very, very small).
Thick, full bangs still framed her heart shaped face, the unmitigated black-blue of the strands a striking contrast to her moon-pale skin and a rich frame for the twilight color of her eyes. The full length of her hair, however, was tied up hundreds of tiny braids were woven around her head like an elaborate crown, pinned in place with flowers fashioned from different metals. It was a far cry from the knee-length locks and simple barrette she'd left with.
"Your hair got in the way when it was down, didn't it?" Adamec questioned wryly. Nox blushed.
"I know, I know," she sighed, "you told me so. I fixed it eventually, didn't I?"
"Apparently," Adamec agreed. He scanned the rest of her over and arched an eyebrow. "Now just what are you wearing, girlly?"
Nox blinked in mild surprise. "It's called 'steampunk.' I picked it up on a whim when I was passing through Ataire."
"Ataire," Ademec repeated, sighing. "It figures."
He took her outfit in again. It had flair, he had to admit. It was impeccably tailored, and complemented her coloring well, but it had too many and buckles and chains than he considered practical. And one more thing:
"I'm fairly sure that particular style was meant for men."
"Not anymore," Nox answered primly. "It looks better on me."
Adamec couldn't help but laugh. It was true enough; no man he'd ever met would make those clothes look even half as attractive as Nocturne did. He motioned her forward congenially, sending her further into the castle's depths.
"On with you, then," the man chuckled. "You're the last to arrive - and you're going to make a lot of us very unhappy."
"I am?" Nox frowned a little, looking put out. "But I haven't even done anything yet."
"The betting pool favored another no-show this year," Adamec explained. Nox huffed in response, playing at offended. It wasn't long, however, until she gave up the act and started laughing.
"I'd ask for a portion of your winnings, but I probably owe you twice that for all your losses over the years."
"Near enough," Adamec agreed amiably.
Nox made a face at him, still laughing, as they left the grand entrance hall. Like the outside, the inside of the castle was beautifully and elegantly appointed, if a bit more austere. The floor, silver-veined white marble that gleamed spotlessly in the warm, golden light, was covered with a plush red runner in the hallway. It was the only consistent bit of vibrant color: the walls and intricately carved archways above were of the same dove gray as the outer walls. Polished weaponry, magical artifacts, and the occasional vase of flowers were the only other things keeping the seemingly endless passages from total monotony. The Spartan approach to decor, however, gave abruptly away to lavish opulence in the room Nox and Adamec finally turned into.
Fandom: Original
Pairing: None
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1249
Warnings: None
"Three... Two... And... One."
As if summoned by the following snap, the dark, leaden sky finally made good on the storm it had been threatening for the better part of the day. The ensuing deluge soaked everything thoroughly within moments, water-logging the plants and any animal unfortunate enough to have been caught out, turning even the packed earth to thick, heavy mud. Everything, that is, but for one small figure making her way up the rowan-lined stone path. The rainfall skirted her, bending away and parting like a crystal curtain as she approached, falling once more back into place once she had passed.
Nocturne smiled quietly. It was the only indication she gave that she'd noticed the storm at all - she was as dry now as she had been yesterday, when the weather had been sunny and warm with hardly a cloud in sight. Any other time, she might have stopped to watch the ferocity of it all. But she was in a hurry, and still far from her destination. Nocturne hummed a few bars of a lilting travel-song a centaur had once taught her to pass the time, and before long was singing it in truth.
An hour passed, and soon the pale gray stone shifted to worked patterns of snow quartz, hematite, and larvikite. The winding promenade meandered its way up a long hillock, through several gardens that were lovingly tended but not strictly kept and small forests of sheltering trees, ending its journey at the massive doors of a towering monolith of a castle.
Built in strong, dove gray stonework, the castle was a work of art in itself, the masterpiece of only the most talented dwarven hands. Long, elegant spires stretched unyielding towards the low-hanging sky, supported by graceful arches and sweeping vistas. Ivy vines clung staunchly to the aged walls, climbing ever higher with each passing year, and even in this weather some brave rosebuds had chosen to bloom, creating bursts of vibrant color against their comparatively duller backgrounds.
Coral-lined herb gardens sweetened the damp air closer to the beautifully wrought doors, the white gold still shining as if new, and Nocturne's heart lifted at the familiar view as she approached. Despite everything, this castle would always be home.
The great doors opened before her, unbidden and silent, and she stepped inside, pushing back the hood of her dark traveling cloak as they swung shut once more. The sounds of the weather outside faded as she tugged at the ties, pulling the cloak off to drop it to the side. It slumped slightly, then gathered itself up as though exasperated to hang more appropriately in the air. Nocturne made a face at it, and it gave a silent hmph! before floating off. Stuffy cloaks. Really.
The cloak rounded the corner at the same time as an older gentleman came around the other way, his long legs eating up the distance with each stride. He had the look of one who spent many, many hours in the sun, and the tanned leather of his skin contrasting sharply against the cropped white of his hair and the salt-and-pepper of his neatly trimmed beard. The deep green tunic he was wearing had long since lost its sleeves, baring his broad, powerful shoulders and strong arms. Arms which were held open wide, a nearly blinding grin splitting his weather-chiseled face.
"Nox! Nox, my dear girl, you came!" he exclaimed, laughing as he swept Nocturne up into a bear hug. His tall, solid frame dwarfed the smaller girl easily, and Nox had to laugh with him as he swept her clear off her feet. "I can hardly believe these old eyes!"
"Of course I came, you silly man," she teased. "Really, Adamec, what would ever make you think that I wouldn't?"
"Oh, only the fact that you haven't come in nearly half a decade," Adamec replied, something lightly scolding in his tone. He set her carefully down and stepped back to take her in. "If it weren't for all the trouble you cause, we might have thought you were dead. Here now, let me have a look at you."
Adamec shooed her back with a gentle motion of his hand, and Nox moved obligingly back to allow him a better view. Though it had been nearly four years since they'd last seen one another, Nox hadn't changed much more than Adamec had. She was still tiny, fine-boned, and graceful in the sort of way that put Adamec in mind of faeries (if they were very, very large), or elves (if they were very, very small).
Thick, full bangs still framed her heart shaped face, the unmitigated black-blue of the strands a striking contrast to her moon-pale skin and a rich frame for the twilight color of her eyes. The full length of her hair, however, was tied up hundreds of tiny braids were woven around her head like an elaborate crown, pinned in place with flowers fashioned from different metals. It was a far cry from the knee-length locks and simple barrette she'd left with.
"Your hair got in the way when it was down, didn't it?" Adamec questioned wryly. Nox blushed.
"I know, I know," she sighed, "you told me so. I fixed it eventually, didn't I?"
"Apparently," Adamec agreed. He scanned the rest of her over and arched an eyebrow. "Now just what are you wearing, girlly?"
Nox blinked in mild surprise. "It's called 'steampunk.' I picked it up on a whim when I was passing through Ataire."
"Ataire," Ademec repeated, sighing. "It figures."
He took her outfit in again. It had flair, he had to admit. It was impeccably tailored, and complemented her coloring well, but it had too many and buckles and chains than he considered practical. And one more thing:
"I'm fairly sure that particular style was meant for men."
"Not anymore," Nox answered primly. "It looks better on me."
Adamec couldn't help but laugh. It was true enough; no man he'd ever met would make those clothes look even half as attractive as Nocturne did. He motioned her forward congenially, sending her further into the castle's depths.
"On with you, then," the man chuckled. "You're the last to arrive - and you're going to make a lot of us very unhappy."
"I am?" Nox frowned a little, looking put out. "But I haven't even done anything yet."
"The betting pool favored another no-show this year," Adamec explained. Nox huffed in response, playing at offended. It wasn't long, however, until she gave up the act and started laughing.
"I'd ask for a portion of your winnings, but I probably owe you twice that for all your losses over the years."
"Near enough," Adamec agreed amiably.
Nox made a face at him, still laughing, as they left the grand entrance hall. Like the outside, the inside of the castle was beautifully and elegantly appointed, if a bit more austere. The floor, silver-veined white marble that gleamed spotlessly in the warm, golden light, was covered with a plush red runner in the hallway. It was the only consistent bit of vibrant color: the walls and intricately carved archways above were of the same dove gray as the outer walls. Polished weaponry, magical artifacts, and the occasional vase of flowers were the only other things keeping the seemingly endless passages from total monotony. The Spartan approach to decor, however, gave abruptly away to lavish opulence in the room Nox and Adamec finally turned into.