Title: finishing touches
'Verse/characters: Swallow's Tail; Lev Petrovich, Sascha, Helena, Taarstad
Prompt: 08C "release"
Word Count: 1220
Notes: After sunshine and oranges, includes a reference to the spark not wanting to move, for heat and humidityOne more scratched off the list of prompts that constitutes the outline for this story ( Read more... )

Title: consequence
'Verse/characters: Swallow's Tail; Sascha, Petrovich, Helena, Taarstad
Prompt: 83D "heal"
Word Count: 754
Notes: Sascha wasn't kidding about the consequences of Helena needing stitches. Still 3+1.

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( It was nearly an hour before the engines went quiet, and the gravity coils stopped lurching around like a drunk Russian at six of the clock. )

Title: just another day in the life
'Verse/characters: Swallow's Tail; Sascha, Helena, Taarstad, Petrovich
Prompt: larathia: "transcendental olympics"
Word Count: 210
Notes: 3+1, between an attempt at percussive maintenance and whoops.

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( Sascha automatically shoved a foot up to brace himself against the opposite wall when the horse abruptly yawed to the side )

Title: first gifts
'Verse/characters: Swallow's Tail; Helena, Taarstad
Prompt: 96C "clay"
Word Count: 743
Notes: after they're together, before he meets any of her relations.

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( She was sprawled out across the narrow bed they shared, eyes half-closed in bliss as her lover's rider's fingers played on her scalp, scratched carefully through her loosened hair. )

Title: not everyone's treat food
'Verse/characters: Swallow's Tail; Sascha, Helena
Prompt: 41D "citric acid"
Word Count: 632
Notes: 2+1, roughly the same time as an exchange of politenesses.

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( As far as he knew, the Captain never mentioned the new boots to Helena, but she noticed quick, threw a very abbreviated doubletake the first time the Russian wore them, but didn't say a word. )

Title: exchange of politenesses
'Verse/characters: Swallow's Tail; Petrovich, Helena, Sascha (2+1)
Prompt: 98B "gamble"
Word Count: 1230
Notes: after offers, before that line. Berezniki is a town near the Russian-Siberian border; the nearest big city is Perm.

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( The free-stable in Berezniki's biggest terem was bustling, horses coming and going at all hours and crews making deals in the halls for spare parts as well as in the markets outside the stable. )

Title: necessities
'Verse/characters: Swallow's Tail; ensemble crew
Prompt: 99D: "alone", klgaffney: "swallows, 3+1"
Word Count: ~1070
Notes: around the same time as smelling smoke (which is a sketch).

( 'Kid,' someone was saying )

Title: guard-dogs and strays
'Verse/characters: Swallow's Tail; Helena, Sascha, other
Prompt: 24A "the currency of hope", klgaffney: "a dog with eyes of two different colors"
Word Count: 438
Notes: This is either not long before they stole a rider, or sometime in the period when they're pulling off batshit stunts as as result of having a rider. (Or ( Read more... )

Title: sunshine and oranges
'Verse/characters: Swallow's Tail; Taarstad, Theodora, Kyriake, Helena
Prompt: 85B "sun"
Word Count: 952
Notes: Concludes the requests for the Swallow's Tail bits. Includes an image from a comment snip.

( A sound of distant singing woke him, women's voices echoing against what for all the world sounded like stone. )

Title: stand fast
'Verse/characters: the Swallow's Tail; Helena
Prompt: 23C "steadfastness"
Word Count: 331
Notes: Timing-wise, this is during the Sibir era, which is to say the war. A bit after reoccurring dreams and probably roughly concurrent with repurposing. They've gotten word that there are no reinforcements coming.

( It was her, who brought the message, but it was him, the last officer standing, who had to go and speak to the Mansi. )