Two ficlets (Discworld, and Doctor Who)
For pitry who gave me the prompt: DEATH. "Out, damned giraffe! Out, I say!"
Title: Damned Giraffe
Author: lost_spook
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 100
Characters/Pairings:
Notes/Warnings: Contains an undead giraffe.
Summary: See the warning.
***
Death paused. The giraffe was still stubbornly there. He’d tried explaining the situation, but it wasn’t shifting from standing beside the fallen shape of its once-live self and doggedly trying to eat leaves. He circled it again, but it did not appear to be anything other than giraffe. It would catch up with its fate eventually, and in the meantime, Death had other appointments.
It was then that he caught the rustling of something small moving about at ground level and possibly a snigger.
AH, said Death, to the Death of Rats, YOU. I THINK THIS ONE IS ALL YOURS.
***
For
john_elliott who gave me the prompt: Doctor Who: Ace and one of her friends-of-the-week - eavesdropping..
Title: Eavesdropping
Author: lost_spook
Rating: All ages/PG
Word Count: 326
Characters/Pairings: Ace/Gwendoline
Notes/Warnings: Refs to Ghostlight.
Summary: Gwendoline was always taught not to eavesdrop, but then she does many things now that she never used to.
***
“Listen,” said Gwendoline, putting out a hand to Ace. They were behind the screen now, midway through changing.
Ace stopped. “What?”
“I heard something.” Gwendoline had been taught not to eavesdrop, but it had become almost normal now for her to do many things she had never expected. In any case, even as a little girl she had never quite managed to resist that particular temptation - hiding in window seats and behind corners, hearing things she shouldn’t. And now she listened to conversations whenever she could without a thought. They never made any sense, not any more. Nothing made sense any more, but she wasn’t sure it ever had.
“It’s that weird bloke again. Isn’t it?” Ace gave her a worried look, obviously not sure what the matter was. “Redvers or something. Are you scared of him? Scared of somebody, is that it? Josiah?”
Gwendoline wasn’t scared. She was sure she should be, but then she should be finding Ace respectable clothes, not changing alongside her into these scandalous garments. She shouldn’t help Josiah, either, or arrange trips to Java. It was unaccustomed freedom, though as well as a cage, so if there was fear somewhere she refused to listen to its whispers. She did so again now, and kissed Ace, suddenly, on the mouth, and then fell back with a nervous laugh at her own daring.
It didn’t shock Ace. She only grinned back, and said, “Here, how’d you fix these ties? And why don’t the sleeves do up at the ends?”
“Allow me, Alice.”
“It’s Ace. I said. About six times.” Suddenly Ace drew back, and looked at her, really hard. Gwendoline suddenly had to turn away, pick up her dress and hang it up correctly. “It’s like… it’s like you’re not even listening to me.”
Gwendoline turned her head. “But of course I am, Alice.”
“Yeah,” said Ace under her breath, before they heard more noise from outside the room. “Yeah. ‘Course you are.”
***
Crossposted from Dreamwidth -- Comments there:
Title: Damned Giraffe
Author: lost_spook
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 100
Characters/Pairings:
Notes/Warnings: Contains an undead giraffe.
Summary: See the warning.
***
Death paused. The giraffe was still stubbornly there. He’d tried explaining the situation, but it wasn’t shifting from standing beside the fallen shape of its once-live self and doggedly trying to eat leaves. He circled it again, but it did not appear to be anything other than giraffe. It would catch up with its fate eventually, and in the meantime, Death had other appointments.
It was then that he caught the rustling of something small moving about at ground level and possibly a snigger.
AH, said Death, to the Death of Rats, YOU. I THINK THIS ONE IS ALL YOURS.
***
For
john_elliott who gave me the prompt: Doctor Who: Ace and one of her friends-of-the-week - eavesdropping..
Title: Eavesdropping
Author: lost_spook
Rating: All ages/PG
Word Count: 326
Characters/Pairings: Ace/Gwendoline
Notes/Warnings: Refs to Ghostlight.
Summary: Gwendoline was always taught not to eavesdrop, but then she does many things now that she never used to.
***
“Listen,” said Gwendoline, putting out a hand to Ace. They were behind the screen now, midway through changing.
Ace stopped. “What?”
“I heard something.” Gwendoline had been taught not to eavesdrop, but it had become almost normal now for her to do many things she had never expected. In any case, even as a little girl she had never quite managed to resist that particular temptation - hiding in window seats and behind corners, hearing things she shouldn’t. And now she listened to conversations whenever she could without a thought. They never made any sense, not any more. Nothing made sense any more, but she wasn’t sure it ever had.
“It’s that weird bloke again. Isn’t it?” Ace gave her a worried look, obviously not sure what the matter was. “Redvers or something. Are you scared of him? Scared of somebody, is that it? Josiah?”
Gwendoline wasn’t scared. She was sure she should be, but then she should be finding Ace respectable clothes, not changing alongside her into these scandalous garments. She shouldn’t help Josiah, either, or arrange trips to Java. It was unaccustomed freedom, though as well as a cage, so if there was fear somewhere she refused to listen to its whispers. She did so again now, and kissed Ace, suddenly, on the mouth, and then fell back with a nervous laugh at her own daring.
It didn’t shock Ace. She only grinned back, and said, “Here, how’d you fix these ties? And why don’t the sleeves do up at the ends?”
“Allow me, Alice.”
“It’s Ace. I said. About six times.” Suddenly Ace drew back, and looked at her, really hard. Gwendoline suddenly had to turn away, pick up her dress and hang it up correctly. “It’s like… it’s like you’re not even listening to me.”
Gwendoline turned her head. “But of course I am, Alice.”
“Yeah,” said Ace under her breath, before they heard more noise from outside the room. “Yeah. ‘Course you are.”
***
Crossposted from Dreamwidth -- Comments there: