Tin Man Fanfiction "The Art of Altering Perceptions" (NC-17 over-all)
Disclaimer: There are many things I own, but Tin Man is not one of them(unless you count DVDs) Tin Man belongs to Steven L. Mitchell, Craig W. Van Sickle, and all the other grand high Mucky Mucks of Sci-Fi. No copyright infringement is intended, and of course no money was made from this. Any similarity to any other story not my own is coincidence.
Title: ~The Art of Altering Perceptions~(Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee)
Genre: AU/Romance/PWP; Dorothy Gale/Wyatt Cain
Rating: NC-17 over-all, PG for this chapter, rated for sexual content
Timeline: Sometime after the mini-series
Background: First, I imagine that everyone has split up: Raw has gone back to his people, the Queen and her Consort are in Central City rebuilding things there, and Cain, DG, Azkadellia, Glitch, Tutor, and a small contingent off people are off in a safe-house by Lake Verdemere(to be not only safe, but for everyone to recover, as well as for the princesses to further train for things). Also, Im going with the notion that it would indeed take a bit to rebuild after the reign of the Sorceress, and there would certainly be people still after the princesses, hence the safe-house.
Author's Notes: I know that it has been long and long between writing the first part of this little fic(particularly since it is essentially just PWP) and the second part part, but what can I say *shrug* RL sometimes gets in the way of the really important stuff. *wry grin* But seriously, I have finally finished it, and in the process, cleaned-up the first two chapters, hence re-posting them now.
Oh, and the main title is of course the first part of the Muhammad Ali quote, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see."
Part One - Teach Me
Part Two - Taking Chances
Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee
~The Art of Altering Perceptions~
~If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will
disclose themselves. Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror.
Respond like and echo.~
Bruce Lee
“I've been waiting,” Cain's low voice announced without any preamble, and DG whirled about, almost stumbling into the ex-tin man standing behind her.
“Oh... oh... Cain,” she stammered, trying to catch a glimpse of his eyes underneath the tilted brim of his fedora, and finding herself unable to. Wyatt tilted the brim of his hat lower, shading his eyes from the late afternoon sun that slanted through the trees and sparkled off of the green tinted waves of the Verdemere.
“Our lesson?” He asked simply.
“Our lesson?” DG echoed before her eyes went wide. “Our lesson! Oh, Cain, I'm sorry. I just...”
She gave an expansive wave of her arm, gesturing to her sister and Glitch.
“Az was teaching me... and then Glitch... and I...”
DG glance up at Cain.
“I'm sorry,” she apologized. “Really, Cain.”
He nodded once and then turned to go.
“Wait!” DG said to Wyatt's broad back, stopping him where he stood. “Don't you want to see what Az has been teaching me?”
Slowly, he turned around. Dorothy clapped once and half bounced on the balls of her feet. She grinned and made a small gesture in a seemingly random direction before smiling expectantly at Cain.
Glitch clapped and Azkadellia seemed pleased, but the ex-tin man said nothing.
“Cain?”
“What?” He asked after a few moments.
DG's face fell and Wyatt tipped his hat up. “I don't see anything,” he admitted.
Glitch suddenly laughed. “Of course you didn't, Tin Man, that is the whole point after all.” He laughed a bit more, almost inordinately pleased with his friend's bemused expression.
“I've been teaching DG Zo'yei,” Azkadellia explained, giving Glitch a gently quelling look that stopped his laughter.
“The art of altering perception,” DG added. “See.”
She made another tiny gesture and Cain watched as a small, moss-covered rock appeared to wink back into existence.
“I can only do it with small, inanimate things right now, but Az says that if I practice, I can do more. It's how she and Tutor are keeping this place and all of us hidden.”
Cain raised an eyebrow and looked to the elder princess.
“You've taught her how to make people and things invisible?” He asked in a dry voice. “You've taught your creative and... adventurous... sister this?”
Azkadellia's expression changed as she considered the ex-tin man's words.
“Hey!” DG exclaimed and swung her arm out in a move intended to lightly punch Cain on the shoulder.
Wyatt smiled quietly and caught her fist.
“Ready for your Zo Ku lesson then?” He asked, a trace of amusement in his voice.
“I still think you should let me teach her Za'mi'do, Cain,” Glitch suggested, popping up from the log he had been sitting on. He held his arms out almost as if he were going to fly and bent his right knee up so that his foot was lifted off of the ground.
Wyatt released DG's hand gently and reached up for his hat. He set it aside carefully and quickly did the same with his duster. All the while, Glitch watched him carefully.
“Come here,” Cain directed the former royal advisor as he stepped away from the princesses and into a clear area near the shoreline. “Let me show you why you're not teaching the kid, Za'mi'do.”
Glitch nodded a little nervously, but went to face off with the ex-tin man.
“Za'mi'do is traditionally taught in academies where the floors are made of marble and the light comes from some crystal chandelier over your head.”
“I don't...”
“I'm sure that it was even something Her Highness was being taught as a child,” Cain continued, catching Azkadellia's small nod out of the corner of his eye.
“As a matter of fact,” Glitch said proudly. “I was teaching her... I think...” he added, his memory filtered through his customary confusion. “It has always been taught to the royal heirs,” he continued a bit more confidently before swinging his leg out in a perfectly executed kick.
“It is an elegant and graceful fighting style that has been with us since the Ancients,” he added, sounding as much like his former self as he ever had.
Cain dodged the blow, though it did come close enough that Glitch was rightly pleased. He smiled and Wyatt nodded in acknowledgment of the former advisor's skill.
“And it works well on those marble floors,” the ex-tin man conceded. “Under a nice white light coming from a crystal chandelier.”
He grunted as he took a few smooth kicks and swinging blows from Glitch.
“But, when it doesn't work...” Wyatt drawled before he kicked down and up quickly, creating a sudden cloud of thick white sand and pebbles. “Is when you can't see a damn thing.”
Then he made a sudden rush forward before ducking low and sweeping out his leg in a blind arc that was still focused enough to reach his opponent.
“And there are no nice, solid, marble floors at your feet.”
There was a loud splash and an a cry of distress from Glitch.
“And your opponent doesn't give a damn how pretty it looks, just if it works and leaves him the only one standing.”
The last of the glittering sand fell back down revealing a very wet, very chagrined looking Glitch sitting in the cool waves of the lake.
“And that...” Cain said, bracing his feet and reaching a careful hand out to his friend. “Is why you aren't teaching Za'mi'do to the princess.”
Glitch grabbed Wyatt's offered hand and was hauled back up to his feet.
“Because out of all the things she is, DG is most definitely not a crystal chandelier, marble hall kind of princess.”
Glitch smiled a bit wryly in agreement.
“Well, now that that's settled,” Azkadellia said dryly. “Why don't we leave DG to her other lessons and see to getting you some dry clothes,” she suggested to the former advisor.
Glitch nodded and splashed his way out of the water before giving Cain a wet salute and Dorothy a damp grin.
“Give 'em hell, Doll.”
DG smiled and waited until her sister and friend were well out of ear shot and on their way back to the safe-house before whirling toward Cain.
“So... Mr. Cain,” she drawled pleasantly, snatching his hat up and settling it on her own dark curls. “If I'm not a marble hall sort of princess, then just what kind of princess am I?”
He gave her one of his small, familiar smiles.
“The troublesome, adventurous kind,” he replied, not missing a beat. “The stubborn, headstrong, single-minded kind,” Wyatt continued, still smiling, even as he stepped toward DG. “The unpredictable, entirely too smart for her own good kind,” he couldn't resist adding, startling her little as he reached for the soft cotton of the shirt she was wearing; his shirt. He pulled her toe to toe with him and DG met his eyes, surprised to see them darkened with undisguised attraction.
“The perfect kind,” he practically whispered, surprising her still further by leaning down and kissing her gently.
“The perfect kind?” Dorothy murmured against his lips.
“Perfect for me...” he breathed, kissing her again before gently plucking up his fedora. “Doesn't mean you're keeping my hat though,” Cain said, placing it back on his own head. “And...” he drawled, tugging at the shirt she was wearing. “I'm going to want my shirt back too,” he added with a small smile before kissing her on the forehead and turning to head back to the safe-house.
“Of course...” Dorothy replied to herself with a smile before jogging a few paces to catch up with Cain...
Conclusion - When the Student is Ready
Title: ~The Art of Altering Perceptions~(Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee)
Genre: AU/Romance/PWP; Dorothy Gale/Wyatt Cain
Rating: NC-17 over-all, PG for this chapter, rated for sexual content
Timeline: Sometime after the mini-series
Background: First, I imagine that everyone has split up: Raw has gone back to his people, the Queen and her Consort are in Central City rebuilding things there, and Cain, DG, Azkadellia, Glitch, Tutor, and a small contingent off people are off in a safe-house by Lake Verdemere(to be not only safe, but for everyone to recover, as well as for the princesses to further train for things). Also, Im going with the notion that it would indeed take a bit to rebuild after the reign of the Sorceress, and there would certainly be people still after the princesses, hence the safe-house.
Author's Notes: I know that it has been long and long between writing the first part of this little fic(particularly since it is essentially just PWP) and the second part part, but what can I say *shrug* RL sometimes gets in the way of the really important stuff. *wry grin* But seriously, I have finally finished it, and in the process, cleaned-up the first two chapters, hence re-posting them now.
Oh, and the main title is of course the first part of the Muhammad Ali quote, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see."
Part One - Teach Me
Part Two - Taking Chances
Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee
~The Art of Altering Perceptions~
~If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will
disclose themselves. Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror.
Respond like and echo.~
Bruce Lee
“I've been waiting,” Cain's low voice announced without any preamble, and DG whirled about, almost stumbling into the ex-tin man standing behind her.
“Oh... oh... Cain,” she stammered, trying to catch a glimpse of his eyes underneath the tilted brim of his fedora, and finding herself unable to. Wyatt tilted the brim of his hat lower, shading his eyes from the late afternoon sun that slanted through the trees and sparkled off of the green tinted waves of the Verdemere.
“Our lesson?” He asked simply.
“Our lesson?” DG echoed before her eyes went wide. “Our lesson! Oh, Cain, I'm sorry. I just...”
She gave an expansive wave of her arm, gesturing to her sister and Glitch.
“Az was teaching me... and then Glitch... and I...”
DG glance up at Cain.
“I'm sorry,” she apologized. “Really, Cain.”
He nodded once and then turned to go.
“Wait!” DG said to Wyatt's broad back, stopping him where he stood. “Don't you want to see what Az has been teaching me?”
Slowly, he turned around. Dorothy clapped once and half bounced on the balls of her feet. She grinned and made a small gesture in a seemingly random direction before smiling expectantly at Cain.
Glitch clapped and Azkadellia seemed pleased, but the ex-tin man said nothing.
“Cain?”
“What?” He asked after a few moments.
DG's face fell and Wyatt tipped his hat up. “I don't see anything,” he admitted.
Glitch suddenly laughed. “Of course you didn't, Tin Man, that is the whole point after all.” He laughed a bit more, almost inordinately pleased with his friend's bemused expression.
“I've been teaching DG Zo'yei,” Azkadellia explained, giving Glitch a gently quelling look that stopped his laughter.
“The art of altering perception,” DG added. “See.”
She made another tiny gesture and Cain watched as a small, moss-covered rock appeared to wink back into existence.
“I can only do it with small, inanimate things right now, but Az says that if I practice, I can do more. It's how she and Tutor are keeping this place and all of us hidden.”
Cain raised an eyebrow and looked to the elder princess.
“You've taught her how to make people and things invisible?” He asked in a dry voice. “You've taught your creative and... adventurous... sister this?”
Azkadellia's expression changed as she considered the ex-tin man's words.
“Hey!” DG exclaimed and swung her arm out in a move intended to lightly punch Cain on the shoulder.
Wyatt smiled quietly and caught her fist.
“Ready for your Zo Ku lesson then?” He asked, a trace of amusement in his voice.
“I still think you should let me teach her Za'mi'do, Cain,” Glitch suggested, popping up from the log he had been sitting on. He held his arms out almost as if he were going to fly and bent his right knee up so that his foot was lifted off of the ground.
Wyatt released DG's hand gently and reached up for his hat. He set it aside carefully and quickly did the same with his duster. All the while, Glitch watched him carefully.
“Come here,” Cain directed the former royal advisor as he stepped away from the princesses and into a clear area near the shoreline. “Let me show you why you're not teaching the kid, Za'mi'do.”
Glitch nodded a little nervously, but went to face off with the ex-tin man.
“Za'mi'do is traditionally taught in academies where the floors are made of marble and the light comes from some crystal chandelier over your head.”
“I don't...”
“I'm sure that it was even something Her Highness was being taught as a child,” Cain continued, catching Azkadellia's small nod out of the corner of his eye.
“As a matter of fact,” Glitch said proudly. “I was teaching her... I think...” he added, his memory filtered through his customary confusion. “It has always been taught to the royal heirs,” he continued a bit more confidently before swinging his leg out in a perfectly executed kick.
“It is an elegant and graceful fighting style that has been with us since the Ancients,” he added, sounding as much like his former self as he ever had.
Cain dodged the blow, though it did come close enough that Glitch was rightly pleased. He smiled and Wyatt nodded in acknowledgment of the former advisor's skill.
“And it works well on those marble floors,” the ex-tin man conceded. “Under a nice white light coming from a crystal chandelier.”
He grunted as he took a few smooth kicks and swinging blows from Glitch.
“But, when it doesn't work...” Wyatt drawled before he kicked down and up quickly, creating a sudden cloud of thick white sand and pebbles. “Is when you can't see a damn thing.”
Then he made a sudden rush forward before ducking low and sweeping out his leg in a blind arc that was still focused enough to reach his opponent.
“And there are no nice, solid, marble floors at your feet.”
There was a loud splash and an a cry of distress from Glitch.
“And your opponent doesn't give a damn how pretty it looks, just if it works and leaves him the only one standing.”
The last of the glittering sand fell back down revealing a very wet, very chagrined looking Glitch sitting in the cool waves of the lake.
“And that...” Cain said, bracing his feet and reaching a careful hand out to his friend. “Is why you aren't teaching Za'mi'do to the princess.”
Glitch grabbed Wyatt's offered hand and was hauled back up to his feet.
“Because out of all the things she is, DG is most definitely not a crystal chandelier, marble hall kind of princess.”
Glitch smiled a bit wryly in agreement.
“Well, now that that's settled,” Azkadellia said dryly. “Why don't we leave DG to her other lessons and see to getting you some dry clothes,” she suggested to the former advisor.
Glitch nodded and splashed his way out of the water before giving Cain a wet salute and Dorothy a damp grin.
“Give 'em hell, Doll.”
DG smiled and waited until her sister and friend were well out of ear shot and on their way back to the safe-house before whirling toward Cain.
“So... Mr. Cain,” she drawled pleasantly, snatching his hat up and settling it on her own dark curls. “If I'm not a marble hall sort of princess, then just what kind of princess am I?”
He gave her one of his small, familiar smiles.
“The troublesome, adventurous kind,” he replied, not missing a beat. “The stubborn, headstrong, single-minded kind,” Wyatt continued, still smiling, even as he stepped toward DG. “The unpredictable, entirely too smart for her own good kind,” he couldn't resist adding, startling her little as he reached for the soft cotton of the shirt she was wearing; his shirt. He pulled her toe to toe with him and DG met his eyes, surprised to see them darkened with undisguised attraction.
“The perfect kind,” he practically whispered, surprising her still further by leaning down and kissing her gently.
“The perfect kind?” Dorothy murmured against his lips.
“Perfect for me...” he breathed, kissing her again before gently plucking up his fedora. “Doesn't mean you're keeping my hat though,” Cain said, placing it back on his own head. “And...” he drawled, tugging at the shirt she was wearing. “I'm going to want my shirt back too,” he added with a small smile before kissing her on the forehead and turning to head back to the safe-house.
“Of course...” Dorothy replied to herself with a smile before jogging a few paces to catch up with Cain...
Conclusion - When the Student is Ready