Lake Party Bonfire Night Two

[the_woodpecker]

Night falls, and the air begins to hold a slight chill

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[necessary_child]

Sam's out on the lakeside, a little way away from the bonfires.

His hands are full of stars tonight, adding to the other flickering lights dotted about the lakeside.

He's watching, but not unapproachable.

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[treading_dawn]

And in amongst those other flickering lights is a flash of gold.

Then it fades.

Time passes, a few minutes at most, and then there is another flash of gold.

This time it isn't at a distance at all.

Two great, solemn golden eyes are watching Sam.

These eyes are deeply set in a leonine face.

"We are well met here, son of Time."

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[necessary_child]

The words running through Sam's head, when he hears his title, may be considered thoroughly unrepeatable.

Althought they are very well-researched.

He has no idea who Aslan is. More importantly, he has no idea what Aslan is. He senses power, possibly greater than his own. But nothing more.

At length, though, all he says is "Hello."

To his credit, his own intensely black eyes do meet the golden ones.

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[treading_dawn]

It is to his very great credit, in truth, as not every man and woman can manage it.

"And shall you choose to be wary of me, then? Few indeed need be, here."

He lowers his head a little, keeping himself eye-level with Sam.

"In my own country I am known as Aslan. That same name is accurate here, as well."

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[necessary_child]

The same can be said in return.

Sam shrugs, pretends he's less uneasy than he is. "For some reason, beings who know my... heritage... without ever having met me tend to make me wary."

When they have Aslan's level of power, they also tend to like trying to kill him. That and the wary may just be linked.

"I'm Lucifer, although I daresay you probably knew that already, too."

Beat. "Most people here call me Sam, though."

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[treading_dawn]

"You can hardly be considered unwise to regard it so."

There is a quiet rumble underneath the deep voice; they are the gentle signs of a Lion's laughter.

"And were we not in this place, and you other than you are, indeed we might have come to blows. But as neither of those things are true, child, then may there not be peace between us?"

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[necessary_child]

I'm no child, mutters the part of Sam's brain that is still an angry young man with far too much to be angry about.

Instead, he shrugs again. And says "I'm not usually the one to strike first. When I don't have to."

Sam frowns at the lion. "But what- who- are you, to know so much about me?"

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[treading_dawn]

"I have told you who I am, here and now."

The Lion's tail lashes against his flank, and solemn golden eyes do not waver from Sam's.

"The rest, should you keep searching, will come to you in its own time."

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[necessary_child]

A mental sigh. Ah, Incarnates. Typical.

"Lucky me," Sam says dryly, holding the Lion's gaze with a kind of defiance, refusing to be the one to drop his gaze.

Oh, sod it, may as well make nice.

More cheerfully: "Well, hi, I suppose, mysterious Aslan. I'd be grateful if you didn't go around giving my real name out to all and sundry- I don't think it'd go down too well with the Catholic priest. And that would be a pity, as I quite like him."

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[treading_dawn]

"Your secrets are your own to keep, child."

And again there is that deep rumble in his voice, and the smell of violets in the air.

"As your story is your own to tell."

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[necessary_child]

Again with the child thing, says a nettled small voice in Sam's head, immediately quashed.

Dryly, "Yeah, like that's ever happened before. My story's for others to mould to what suits them."

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[treading_dawn]

Aslan's tail lashes his flanks, and abruptly that rumble under his words is less pleasant than presaging a storm.

Call it a warning, after a fashion. Or maybe just impatience with apparent self-pity. Or self-mockery.

"Only should you allow it, child. It needs only courage and cleverness to begin."

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[necessary_child]

Coolly, "And how do you propose I forbid it?"

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[treading_dawn]

Aslan just looks at him, solemn golden eyes wide and bright.

"That answer lies with you. It always has."

The growl is still present, but it is no longer edged.

"There are none that can force you to make use of it."

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[necessary_child]

It's self-mockery, for choice; Sam wants nobody's pity, including his own.

But he looks at Aslan now with quizzically-tilted head, and there's a faint smile on his face and in his voice, wry but not unfriendly.

Frankly, "Do Incarnates ever give straight answers? Or is that all part of the charm?"

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[treading_dawn]

"Peace, child."

There is a faint undercurrent of warmth to Aslan's voice--the kind of warmth that can quickly spark to flame.

"There is more value to an answer learned than to an answer given. You have learned that well enough."