Re: "Black Velvet" ContinuedguiltyhousewifeMarch 7 2011, 04:58:08 UTC
The next couple months passed in a pleasurable blur for Ariel. Though her nights still revolved around the Sea Cave and spending time with Ursula, her days were spent on countless dates with Eric Rigsby.
While Ursula treated her to spectacular sights and experiences, Eric and Ariel spent their time in milder, sweeter, simpler ways. For a man of a seemingly endless bank account, he planned dates that revolved around horse and buggy rides through the touristy area of the city, ice skating, paddeboat rides, and walks through the park.
They learned a lot about each other, Ariel sharing her story when prompted endlessly by Eric, Eric telling of his dreams to do more, to see more than the city, to travel and make a living outside of money-exchange.
Ariel was falling, she could feel it. His simple kindness, his plain, honest manners, his old fashioned gentlemanly-habits, all reminded her of home, the part of home she remembered the most fondly. His handsome visage, the way his strong arm draped across her lazily, the feel of his firm hand helping her step down, filled with currents of physical excitement and emotional attachment. He made her feel brand new, clean and simple.
But to serve as a counterpoint to their growing romance came her new tensions with Ursula. At first, Ursula didn't notice Ariel's daytime dates with Eric, the club owner's early hours filled with business matters. Yet she started to notice just how many times Ariel offered excuses to why she couldn't make their brunches and teas, why she wasn't there when Ursula sought out the girl's company for pleasure.
And Ariel had started to find her work trying, enjoying it less and dreading the sun's descent in the sky as a signal for her work to begin. Eric made his disapproval known.
"It's not that I'm judging you, I'm not," he spoke quickly, as he saw Ariel's bottom lip start to stick out defensively, "It's just that, do you really want to do this for the rest of your life?" he asked, exasperated.
"No, of course not. I mean, I don't think so. Look, what choice do I have?"
"You know I've offered time and time again for you come to live with me and my family. You've met them, and they love you. If it bothers you to be living with us rent-free, you could get help out with my sister's singing classes."
"I know, and that sounds wonderful. It's just that... I can't just up and leave."
"Why not?"
How could Ariel explain it to Eric? How could she explain what tied her to The Sea Cave? How it was all she had known since leaving her home, how she was a part of the community of girls there, how Ursula...How Ursula was like a mother to her, how she could tell without knowing how betrayed Ursula would feel if she left, how much she owed the woman. There wasn't an easy way to describe her complicated emotional attachment to Ursula, really.
"I mean, I signed a contract, didn't I?" she offered hesitatingly.
"A contract?" Eric burst, heated now. "You're barely 17, you were 16 when you signed that supposed contract. It's not even legal for you to work there at all."
"Look, can't we talk about something else? How's Sam, your dog?"
Ariel was on stage again, the crowd bursting to the seems. Her fame had spread, and Ursula was raking it in.
She sang, but her heart took no joy in it tonight, worried that she had fought with Eric and Ursula about the same old issue. Eric had made his stand again, pleading with her, telling her he had the means and the bravery to severe her ties himself. He knew the fear in her.
Ursula had finally confronted her about her lies, suspecting a man behind it, as a man was behind all problems in her eyes. She accused Ariel of being naive, foolish, prey to her own youthful heart.
"Jackie left on a cold, dark night Telling me he'd be home Sailed the seas for a hundred years Leaving me all alone And I've been dead for twenty years."
The song was a soft one, to signify the last song of the night. In her completely sheer, silver gown, she looked like a goddess, her hair pinned high and complicated and stabbed through with ivory wands.
"I've been washing the sand With my ghostly tears Searching the shores for my Jackie-oh."
Perhaps it was because the song was a softer one that she heard the argument even over the music, the raised voices. Other eyes traveled up to Ursula's box as Ariel's strove to make out the figures in the glass above.
She stopped singing, and starting worrying, recognizing Ursula and Eric in the same room.
The music kept playing as she ran from the stage without a word to the confused audience.
"I remember the day the young man came He said, "Your Jackie's gone We got lost in the rain"
They were close to blows, she could tell, by the time she burst in.
"You have no right to keep her here. She's a child for God's sake!"
Ursula was not intimidated by Eric's shouted words and angry proximity, and smiled a nasty smile.
"A child? Well then, princey, what does that make you, a pedophile?"
His face colored instantly, and his fists clenched, and Ariel though it was lucky for Ursula that Eric was too much of a gentleman to ever strike a woman.
"I love her." he insisted, ignoring her harsh laugh."And you, you're playing on the wrong side of the law, here Ursula, and you know it. How many other girls here are underage, Ursula? How many of them did you force into signing a contract with you?"
His words seemed to have struck a cord, and Ursula's smile snapped close. She got in his face, towering over him in both presence and bulk, her black silk robe billowing about her.
"I have NEVER forced any girl to sign with me. They come of their own free will."
"Free will the law doesn't recognize." Eric replied cooly as she stuck her long red fingernails in his face.
"The law can go to hell." Ursula snapped. "I'm above it here, or maybe," she smiled, "below it. Down here in my pleasure cave, the police can't touch me."
END OF "BLACK VELVET"guiltyhousewifeMarch 7 2011, 05:15:34 UTC
Apparently, obviously, they could.
Even more far reaching than the arms of pleasure where the arms of the law. The following night, with Ariel sobbing and struggling to get past them to Ursula herself, the police raided The Sea Cave, with a grim-faced Eric behind them.
It turned out that more than half of the mermaids were under eighteen, a fact that surprised no one.
Ursula had initially fought when they first arrived, ushering her scantily clad darlings out the back doors and secret exits, pushing papers through the shredder even as they bust down her office door. She cursed them, threw her wine glasses at their heads and arched her neck beyond the police captain's shoulder and spat into Eric's face with all the venom and poison she could muster.
But now she sat cool and quiet atop her marble desk, her legs gracefully folded, a tartan throw draped across her black gown, and watched with otherworldly calm as the police dumped out her file cabinets and desk drawers.
They had deigned to place her in cuffs. Or perhaps were afraid to attempt it. Even in the throes of defeat, the woman was so powerful in presence, in energy, and her gaze was mighty and dangerous. No, they left her to her own, and she listened disinterested and seemingly bored as they read her rights aloud, the charges against her numerated.
Ariel had managed to get into the office now, the chaos passed and breaking free of Eric's protective arms, threw herself on the floor in front of Ursula's feet, wrapping her arms around the older woman's knees.
"Please, please Ursula, forgive me. I didn't want any of this, I didn't-"
Eric went to draw her to her feet, but it was Ursula herself who spoke the cold words.
"Get up."
Shocked by the lack of usual warmth in her tone, Ariel wiped her eyes, and rose. She could feel her bones breaking under Ursula's gaze, and felt more ashamed then than she ever felt bare breasted on that stage.
Ursula said not a word, just looked at Ariel. Disbelief, cynicism, hatred, sadness, all were there in unbearable amounts.
Ariel turned from her, and pleaded with Eric and the police captain.
"Isn't there anyway she doesn't have to go to jail? Oh please don't put her in jail. If there's anything I can do..."
Ursula laughed a harsh, bitter laugh.
"Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about me, Ariel."
Her name, it sounded so purposefully awkward, so painful and icey on Ursula's tongue. Where was dear? Where was sweetheart? Where was baby?
Her heart cracked.
"Oh, Auntie Ursula..."
The baby-name sounded ridiculous voiced aloud, at this time, and Ursula cringed.
"I'm not your Auntie Ursula anymore. I'm not your anything anymore."
"Mama's baby's in the heart of every school girl "Love me tender" leaves 'em cryin' in the aisle"
In the car back to Eric's mansion, Ariel cried brokenly, cried brokenly for the mother she lost so many years ago, and the lover and mother she lost today.
In the back of the police car, when she was sure the officers upfront were too caught up in their own conversations to hear her, Ursula allowed herself a few, angry tears, mourning what was once hers to hold.
"Black velvet and that little boy's smile Black velvet with that slow southern style A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees Black velvet if you please"
Re: END OF "BLACK VELVET"afterandalasiaMarch 7 2011, 12:54:02 UTC
Oh my god. This... this is so perfect, so beautiful. It's dark and rich and dangerous and... gah, I really don't have the words. Your writing is so wonderful! Thank you so much for doing this fill, it's more than I really could have dreamed of. <3
Re: END OF "BLACK VELVET"guiltyhousewifeMarch 8 2011, 02:02:28 UTC
No problem, I really enjoyed doing it, even more so finding a neat and tidy way to finish it. I reverted back to my old habits of turning everything into a songfic, lol.
Hey, if you ever get in the mood to work on some more Aladdin requests, I have a couple untended, lol. :P
Re: END OF "BLACK VELVET"guiltyhousewifeMarch 8 2011, 09:30:11 UTC
Amazing work! I really enjoyed reading this. You really wrote Ursula perfectly, and I loved the way you built up Ariel's dependent relationship with her, and how she couldn't leave. Wonderful stuff!
Re: END OF "BLACK VELVET"ellielove_x3April 3 2011, 10:14:42 UTC
OH. MY. GOD. THAT. WAS. AH. MAZE. ING. *falls to knees and bows* That was freaking gorgeous! Everything about it was so perfect. Ariel's innocence and optimism, Ursula's manipulation and soothing voice (reminded me of Mother Gothel, actually, especially since I just finished watching Tangled), and Eric's sweet heart and righteousness. And you had me hooked "Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell" because Black Velvet is my FAVORITE NON-DISNEY SONG EVER. EVER. The perfection of this AU story is too much for me to convey with words. I think the icing on the cake is the end and how Ursula shows her true colors (MOTHER GOTHEL ... AGAIN), and how Ariel still considers her as her wonderful, doting Auntie Ursula. Don't worry about it being a songfic; it's perfect cause it used Black Velvet and Jennifer Hudson! Squee!
Black Velvet:: PodficafterandalasiaMay 25 2012, 13:04:55 UTC
So, this took me longer than I thought it would... partially because of the singing! I'll say upfront that whilst (I hope) I can sing passably, I'm certainly no Ariel.
Re: Black Velvet:: PodficguiltyhousewifeMay 25 2012, 16:20:23 UTC
Oh my God, oh my God I am dying.
I literally sat with my chin in my hand and listened to the whole thing. Girl, I could listen to you read the phonebook. I loved how you gave each character a particular voice; it's just how I imagined it! Especially Ariel's, you captured it wonderfully. And your singing was lovely, so no modesty about that.
This is like the most flattering thing I have ever received.
You would do the internet a favor be doing these things for as long as you can; you're the only one who can do it as well as you do!
Okay, enough awkward and slightly creepy-gushing, now a gifspam to show my love for this fill!
Re: Black Velvet:: PodficafterandalasiaJune 1 2012, 16:06:43 UTC
*sidles over for a late reply*
I actually have a new microphone (*strokes*) which has really nice quality, but I'm going to be tied up for a while because I maaaaay have signed up to pod for a Big Bang. Over 100K words of it.
But honest to god, I LOVED this story. I still sit and re-read it. So if there's anything that opens it up to other people, I will totally and ecstatically do that.
While Ursula treated her to spectacular sights and experiences, Eric and Ariel spent their time in milder, sweeter, simpler ways. For a man of a seemingly endless bank account, he planned dates that revolved around horse and buggy rides through the touristy area of the city, ice skating, paddeboat rides, and walks through the park.
They learned a lot about each other, Ariel sharing her story when prompted endlessly by Eric, Eric telling of his dreams to do more, to see more than the city, to travel and make a living outside of money-exchange.
Ariel was falling, she could feel it. His simple kindness, his plain, honest manners, his old fashioned gentlemanly-habits, all reminded her of home, the part of home she remembered the most fondly. His handsome visage, the way his strong arm draped across her lazily, the feel of his firm hand helping her step down, filled with currents of physical excitement and emotional attachment. He made her feel brand new, clean and simple.
But to serve as a counterpoint to their growing romance came her new tensions with Ursula. At first, Ursula didn't notice Ariel's daytime dates with Eric, the club owner's early hours filled with business matters. Yet she started to notice just how many times Ariel offered excuses to why she couldn't make their brunches and teas, why she wasn't there when Ursula sought out the girl's company for pleasure.
And Ariel had started to find her work trying, enjoying it less and dreading the sun's descent in the sky as a signal for her work to begin. Eric made his disapproval known.
"It's not that I'm judging you, I'm not," he spoke quickly, as he saw Ariel's bottom lip start to stick out defensively, "It's just that, do you really want to do this for the rest of your life?" he asked, exasperated.
"No, of course not. I mean, I don't think so. Look, what choice do I have?"
"You know I've offered time and time again for you come to live with me and my family. You've met them, and they love you. If it bothers you to be living with us rent-free, you could get help out with my sister's singing classes."
"I know, and that sounds wonderful. It's just that... I can't just up and leave."
"Why not?"
How could Ariel explain it to Eric? How could she explain what tied her to The Sea Cave? How it was all she had known since leaving her home, how she was a part of the community of girls there, how Ursula...How Ursula was like a mother to her, how she could tell without knowing how betrayed Ursula would feel if she left, how much she owed the woman. There wasn't an easy way to describe her complicated emotional attachment to Ursula, really.
"I mean, I signed a contract, didn't I?" she offered hesitatingly.
"A contract?" Eric burst, heated now. "You're barely 17, you were 16 when you signed that supposed contract. It's not even legal for you to work there at all."
"Look, can't we talk about something else? How's Sam, your dog?"
Reply
The bomb began it's drop the next Friday night.
Ariel was on stage again, the crowd bursting to the seems. Her fame had spread, and Ursula was raking it in.
She sang, but her heart took no joy in it tonight, worried that she had fought with Eric and Ursula about the same old issue. Eric had made his stand again, pleading with her, telling her he had the means and the bravery to severe her ties himself. He knew the fear in her.
Ursula had finally confronted her about her lies, suspecting a man behind it, as a man was behind all problems in her eyes. She accused Ariel of being naive, foolish, prey to her own youthful heart.
"Jackie left on a cold, dark night
Telling me he'd be home
Sailed the seas for a hundred years
Leaving me all alone
And I've been dead for twenty years."
The song was a soft one, to signify the last song of the night. In her completely sheer, silver gown, she looked like a goddess, her hair pinned high and complicated and stabbed through with ivory wands.
"I've been washing the sand
With my ghostly tears
Searching the shores for my Jackie-oh."
Perhaps it was because the song was a softer one that she heard the argument even over the music, the raised voices. Other eyes traveled up to Ursula's box as Ariel's strove to make out the figures in the glass above.
She stopped singing, and starting worrying, recognizing Ursula and Eric in the same room.
The music kept playing as she ran from the stage without a word to the confused audience.
"I remember the day the young man came
He said, "Your Jackie's gone
We got lost in the rain"
They were close to blows, she could tell, by the time she burst in.
"You have no right to keep her here. She's a child for God's sake!"
Ursula was not intimidated by Eric's shouted words and angry proximity, and smiled a nasty smile.
"A child? Well then, princey, what does that make you, a pedophile?"
His face colored instantly, and his fists clenched, and Ariel though it was lucky for Ursula that Eric was too much of a gentleman to ever strike a woman.
"I love her." he insisted, ignoring her harsh laugh."And you, you're playing on the wrong side of the law, here Ursula, and you know it. How many other girls here are underage, Ursula? How many of them did you force into signing a contract with you?"
His words seemed to have struck a cord, and Ursula's smile snapped close. She got in his face, towering over him in both presence and bulk, her black silk robe billowing about her.
"I have NEVER forced any girl to sign with me. They come of their own free will."
"Free will the law doesn't recognize." Eric replied cooly as she stuck her long red fingernails in his face.
"The law can go to hell." Ursula snapped. "I'm above it here, or maybe," she smiled, "below it. Down here in my pleasure cave, the police can't touch me."
Reply
Even more far reaching than the arms of pleasure where the arms of the law. The following night, with Ariel sobbing and struggling to get past them to Ursula herself, the police raided The Sea Cave, with a grim-faced Eric behind them.
It turned out that more than half of the mermaids were under eighteen, a fact that surprised no one.
Ursula had initially fought when they first arrived, ushering her scantily clad darlings out the back doors and secret exits, pushing papers through the shredder even as they bust down her office door. She cursed them, threw her wine glasses at their heads and arched her neck beyond the police captain's shoulder and spat into Eric's face with all the venom and poison she could muster.
But now she sat cool and quiet atop her marble desk, her legs gracefully folded, a tartan throw draped across her black gown, and watched with otherworldly calm as the police dumped out her file cabinets and desk drawers.
They had deigned to place her in cuffs. Or perhaps were afraid to attempt it. Even in the throes of defeat, the woman was so powerful in presence, in energy, and her gaze was mighty and dangerous. No, they left her to her own, and she listened disinterested and seemingly bored as they read her rights aloud, the charges against her numerated.
Ariel had managed to get into the office now, the chaos passed and breaking free of Eric's protective arms, threw herself on the floor in front of Ursula's feet, wrapping her arms around the older woman's knees.
"Please, please Ursula, forgive me. I didn't want any of this, I didn't-"
Eric went to draw her to her feet, but it was Ursula herself who spoke the cold words.
"Get up."
Shocked by the lack of usual warmth in her tone, Ariel wiped her eyes, and rose. She could feel her bones breaking under Ursula's gaze, and felt more ashamed then than she ever felt bare breasted on that stage.
Ursula said not a word, just looked at Ariel. Disbelief, cynicism, hatred, sadness, all were there in unbearable amounts.
Ariel turned from her, and pleaded with Eric and the police captain.
"Isn't there anyway she doesn't have to go to jail? Oh please don't put her in jail. If there's anything I can do..."
Ursula laughed a harsh, bitter laugh.
"Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about me, Ariel."
Her name, it sounded so purposefully awkward, so painful and icey on Ursula's tongue. Where was dear? Where was sweetheart? Where was baby?
Her heart cracked.
"Oh, Auntie Ursula..."
The baby-name sounded ridiculous voiced aloud, at this time, and Ursula cringed.
"I'm not your Auntie Ursula anymore. I'm not your anything anymore."
"Mama's baby's in the heart of every school girl
"Love me tender" leaves 'em cryin' in the aisle"
In the car back to Eric's mansion, Ariel cried brokenly, cried brokenly for the mother she lost so many years ago, and the lover and mother she lost today.
In the back of the police car, when she was sure the officers upfront were too caught up in their own conversations to hear her, Ursula allowed herself a few, angry tears, mourning what was once hers to hold.
"Black velvet and that little boy's smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees
Black velvet if you please"
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Hey, if you ever get in the mood to work on some more Aladdin requests, I have a couple untended, lol. :P
I can't wait for another fill-a-thon!
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And I need to work on my genie to do some more Aladdin fills. << That totally counts as an excuse to watch the film again, right?
Another fill-a-thon... and I've just discovered Toy Story... I may be able to see where this is going, lol.
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<3
Just discovered Toy Story? Oh man, that movie is a GOLDMINE for complex and rich relationships.
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Thank you so much, I am thrilled you like it!
Reply
So, without further faffing:
Title: Black Velvet
Author: guiltyhousewife
Reader: afterandalasia
Time: 47 minutes
Link: At 4Shared
Reply
I literally sat with my chin in my hand and listened to the whole thing. Girl, I could listen to you read the phonebook. I loved how you gave each character a particular voice; it's just how I imagined it! Especially Ariel's, you captured it wonderfully. And your singing was lovely, so no modesty about that.
This is like the most flattering thing I have ever received.
You would do the internet a favor be doing these things for as long as you can; you're the only one who can do it as well as you do!
Okay, enough awkward and slightly creepy-gushing, now a gifspam to show my love for this fill!
Reply
I actually have a new microphone (*strokes*) which has really nice quality, but I'm going to be tied up for a while because I maaaaay have signed up to pod for a Big Bang. Over 100K words of it.
But honest to god, I LOVED this story. I still sit and re-read it. So if there's anything that opens it up to other people, I will totally and ecstatically do that.
Reply
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