[melpomene] [ulalume: poe, red, dian, astarte] communication + pain
Neither of these make much sense out of context and there basically isn't any context for them unless you want to listen to me summarize, since I only seem to work on this in order to add 209342039823 more characters or fine tune the public transportation system or maybe pontificate on the world's socioeconomic norms. Anyway.
In short, it's this scifi pseudo-epic thing involving psionics, politics, and... penises, probably.
Title: After the Fact
Universe: ulalume
Characters: Poe, Red, Saaratha
Rating: PG? Not even?
Summary: Pulling it back together after everything hits the fan.
Notes: Red is basically talking about 'permanent' bonding that he's recently discovered... actually isn't. He was raised differently.
"I don't understand," he said, watching Ysen and Lyss tending to one another across the room. "They obviously love one another, but they aren't - "
"It's different for us," Saaratha interrupted, the beads in her hair clacking gently as she leaned against the counter. He caught the faint warning in her tone, the quick sideways flicker of her eyes, and realized belatedly that Poe was there, settling in on his other side. He kept the surprise off his face, but he still wasn't used to it, couldn't help prodding at the hole in his head where the bond used to be. He'd gotten so used to feeling Poe, to always knowing where he was, that it was always a shock to remember it was no longer true.
"If worst comes to worst," Saaratha continued smoothly, "they don't want to be used against one another."
"Used -" he started, but she cut him off with a shrug.
"Think about it," she said, and excused herself with a wave.
And Red did, though he already knew what she meant, had only to think of what had happened to himself in the past several months to know. But he'd never thought of it that way, he realized. He shuddered a little at the thought: he could have been used against Poe. All the pain he'd felt, all the - it had never been discussed in his training, not really, because it was always assumed that if one went down, so would the other and -
Poe made a noise then, soft in his throat, so Red looked at him. Looked at the downcast eyes, the thin, white line of his lips, the pale hand clenched on the counter between them.
"I would do it again," he said, and, for the first time since they'd been broken, Red felt the quick, tentative brush of Poe's mind. "For you. I would do it."
Red paused, considered. Took a breath and didn't reach back. Took two steps to the left instead and leaned into him, covered that cold hand with his own, warm.
"I know," he said. "I know you would."
Title: Across the Desert
Universe: ulalume
Characters: Astarte, Dian, Saaratha, Vionne, peons
Rating: PG-13, maybe? Pseudo-violence.
Summary: Astarte visits Dian; Saaratha takes umbrage.
Notes: I'm sorry that I don't explain any of these terms. XD
It was fascinating, Astarte thought, brushing across Dian's shields again. Lightly, so lightly. They were solid, cool to the touch like ice or thick glass, less clear than either. She could feel Dian's mind working behind them, feel it but not see, and she itched to - Astarte pulled hard on the triple-link, took all the power the bonded pair could give her, gathered it with her own strength and struck, hard.
Nothing. No crack, not even a dent; just more, impossibly more, smooth, cold walls slamming up around her. No sign of retaliation either - oh. There it was, another mind sweeping in, swift and vicious. Someone powerful, Astarte noted absently, deflecting the blow to Cender and Deik without much thought, let the links go when one of them folded under it, barely hearing the body hit the ground.
Interesting, Astarte thought, drawing herself back across the desert. Very, very interesting.
***
"So that's what that was," Saaratha said, appearing soundlessly in the doorway.
"You Saw it," Dian said, not asking, raising a hand to her temple. The ache was setting in. Vionne was already out of her seat, up and bustling around the room, mixing tea and painkillers with the same placid, practiced movements.
"I Saw it," Saaratha confirmed dryly. "And that you wouldn't do anything about it. I didn't know when, so I've been listening for you."
"I couldn't have done much anyway," Dian murmured, accepting the cup Vionne was holding out wordlessly.
"You could have done more than that."
Dian shrugged. "Did you kill them?"
"Don't think so. You sensed the link, yes? I might have gotten one of them. Pulled back too fast for me to get a good look and I didn't want to risk following."
"Yes," Dian agreed, to one or both sentiments, and left it at that.
I feel kind of lame, but there you go!
In short, it's this scifi pseudo-epic thing involving psionics, politics, and... penises, probably.
Title: After the Fact
Universe: ulalume
Characters: Poe, Red, Saaratha
Rating: PG? Not even?
Summary: Pulling it back together after everything hits the fan.
Notes: Red is basically talking about 'permanent' bonding that he's recently discovered... actually isn't. He was raised differently.
"I don't understand," he said, watching Ysen and Lyss tending to one another across the room. "They obviously love one another, but they aren't - "
"It's different for us," Saaratha interrupted, the beads in her hair clacking gently as she leaned against the counter. He caught the faint warning in her tone, the quick sideways flicker of her eyes, and realized belatedly that Poe was there, settling in on his other side. He kept the surprise off his face, but he still wasn't used to it, couldn't help prodding at the hole in his head where the bond used to be. He'd gotten so used to feeling Poe, to always knowing where he was, that it was always a shock to remember it was no longer true.
"If worst comes to worst," Saaratha continued smoothly, "they don't want to be used against one another."
"Used -" he started, but she cut him off with a shrug.
"Think about it," she said, and excused herself with a wave.
And Red did, though he already knew what she meant, had only to think of what had happened to himself in the past several months to know. But he'd never thought of it that way, he realized. He shuddered a little at the thought: he could have been used against Poe. All the pain he'd felt, all the - it had never been discussed in his training, not really, because it was always assumed that if one went down, so would the other and -
Poe made a noise then, soft in his throat, so Red looked at him. Looked at the downcast eyes, the thin, white line of his lips, the pale hand clenched on the counter between them.
"I would do it again," he said, and, for the first time since they'd been broken, Red felt the quick, tentative brush of Poe's mind. "For you. I would do it."
Red paused, considered. Took a breath and didn't reach back. Took two steps to the left instead and leaned into him, covered that cold hand with his own, warm.
"I know," he said. "I know you would."
Title: Across the Desert
Universe: ulalume
Characters: Astarte, Dian, Saaratha, Vionne, peons
Rating: PG-13, maybe? Pseudo-violence.
Summary: Astarte visits Dian; Saaratha takes umbrage.
Notes: I'm sorry that I don't explain any of these terms. XD
It was fascinating, Astarte thought, brushing across Dian's shields again. Lightly, so lightly. They were solid, cool to the touch like ice or thick glass, less clear than either. She could feel Dian's mind working behind them, feel it but not see, and she itched to - Astarte pulled hard on the triple-link, took all the power the bonded pair could give her, gathered it with her own strength and struck, hard.
Nothing. No crack, not even a dent; just more, impossibly more, smooth, cold walls slamming up around her. No sign of retaliation either - oh. There it was, another mind sweeping in, swift and vicious. Someone powerful, Astarte noted absently, deflecting the blow to Cender and Deik without much thought, let the links go when one of them folded under it, barely hearing the body hit the ground.
Interesting, Astarte thought, drawing herself back across the desert. Very, very interesting.
***
"So that's what that was," Saaratha said, appearing soundlessly in the doorway.
"You Saw it," Dian said, not asking, raising a hand to her temple. The ache was setting in. Vionne was already out of her seat, up and bustling around the room, mixing tea and painkillers with the same placid, practiced movements.
"I Saw it," Saaratha confirmed dryly. "And that you wouldn't do anything about it. I didn't know when, so I've been listening for you."
"I couldn't have done much anyway," Dian murmured, accepting the cup Vionne was holding out wordlessly.
"You could have done more than that."
Dian shrugged. "Did you kill them?"
"Don't think so. You sensed the link, yes? I might have gotten one of them. Pulled back too fast for me to get a good look and I didn't want to risk following."
"Yes," Dian agreed, to one or both sentiments, and left it at that.
I feel kind of lame, but there you go!