Young Wizards - i'll give you stars and the moon
Title: I’ll give you stars and the moon
Fandom: Young Wizards
Pairings: Dairine/the Lone Power
Prompt: Space
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,067
Summary: The back of her neck prickles.
Spoilers: Spoilers basically up to High Wizardry.
Written for story_lottery. Title and cut text from “Stars & the Moon.” Honestly, I have no idea what this is. It sort of wanders around aimlessly.
It started with her Ordeal; that much is clear. Everything about that time was extraordinary, including her, though she doesn’t like to think about that part, even if it’s true. No other wizard, ever, has known It like she has. She’s always been good at knowledge, and it’s that knowledge that starts things.
But things could also have stopped there. She could have grown up and lived the ordinary life of an ordinary wizard, with a partner, or not, and maybe kids, and a day job, and consultations with Martians on the side. She could have walked the normal path and done the normal spells, but then she would never have lost herself among the burning of the stars.
*
The one thing she never forgets is who her enemy is. That has always been perfectly clear to her, and is probably how she maintains her wizardry, which you get right to the heart of the matter. Then again, even Darth Vader had good inside of him.
*
The first time (outside of her Ordeal) that It speaks to her, really speaks to her, not to gloat or boast, It says, “Walk with me.” She’s crouched on the ground, rain and sweat drenching her hair, trying not to shiver, and frantically searching Spot for a spell to save them, and It says, “Walk with me.”
So she does. She’s clutching Spot to her chest and readying five different spells in her mind, but she goes with It.
It spends most of the time gloating anyway, but It does not kill her, which is something. The second time It does not kill her, either, but talks about what makes gravity work and what keeps electrons in place. She knows these things already, but she likes hearing them again. More than that, she likes the wild feeling of standing near It, not knowing what will happen next, every nerve in her body tingling, ready to will her muscles or her mind into action in an instant.
Rarely does she feel this alive.
*
At first, nothing changes. She does the same spells, uses the same gate at the Crossings, and avoids alien food except when absolutely necessary. Slowly, though, there are changes. She agrees to go with Nita and Kit for an intervention, since they tell her little one-celled organisms are involved. In the end, she’s the one trying to counsel the organisms while Kit makes sarcastic comments and Nita monologues with the Lone Power. She doesn’t look at It; she lets Nita do that, but she can’t shake the creepy feeling that It’s looking at her.
The back of her neck prickles.
*
She obviously knows that there is something wrong about this. It feels like there’s something wrong about this, and she’s learned that, in the practice of her Art, it’s important to pay attention to her hunches. In this case, she gives them the interest they’re due and then proceeds to ignore them. But she paid attention to them first, and she assumes that’s what’s important.
She tells that to Spot, too, who doesn’t seem quite so impressed. In fact, he goes so far as to express nervousness at the whole thing, at which point she decides it’s better just to argue with him about sentience.
*
It once says to her, “Together, we could be amazing.”
She laughs in Its face-briefly-then pulls herself together and says, “Nuh uh. Darth Vader said that, too. I’m not an idiot.”
“I would never assume you were,” It says.
But her mind is already racing forward, considering other things. It’s true Darth Vader said that, but it’s also true that Darth Vader ended up being a good guy in the end, basically because Luke forced him into it. Good old Darth had to spend so much time with Luke, who was being such a good guy, that eventually it just rubbed off. Basically. Honestly, that whole thing was pretty sneaky of Luke.
This is her taking a page out of Luke’s book.
She kisses It. Just like that. Which, actually, isn’t that easy, since right now It is several inches taller than her.
The kiss burns, her lips coming away hot (she puts her fingers up and feels the heat).
It looks at her like she’s lost her mind. And maybe she has. She transports out of there, not bothering to be neat with the air she displaces, just wanting to get away. But then, standing in the twilight of her backyard, she feels even stupider. This is her running away.
She thinks the spell to go back, but it’s like that one thing they make you try where you lean your shoulder against a wall then try to step away but can’t. She can’t step anywhere, and that’s when the dread sets in. Is this how you lose your wizardry? Just like that? One instant there, the next not? She begins to shake and has to take a few seconds to try to pull herself together.
“Okay,” she says. “Okay. You can still understand the Speech, right? Right?”
But she isn’t sure. She can’t tell what is going on in her head, and she’s about to start on another round of rationalizations when Spot, on the ground beside her, says, “Your name changed.”
She breathes again, like she’d just been in a vacuum, eyes squeezed shut, air pushed out of her lungs.
Then she says, “What?” Her voice actually squeaks. “I thought you kept up with that for me.”
“It happened too quickly,” he says, his scratchy voice apologetic.
“Okay,” she says. “It’s all right, buddy.”
She goes in to dinner and somehow manages to smile at her dad and her sister like nothing happened. Because nothing did happen.
*
The next time she sees It, she’s with Nita and Kit again, and they’re both pretty mad. She’s something between embarrassed and proud. And yes, maybe she doesn’t quite meet Its eyes, but that’s because she’s also tracing out a spell on the ground.
They make it out alive, as they have lately, but before they go, It whispers something in her head about last time being a nice change.
At least she thinks it’s in her mind. As it turns out, that’s not true, because that night, as they pass on the way to and from the bathroom, Nita says, “What was that It was saying back there?”
Dairine looks at her a little strangely and says, “I honestly don’t remember.”
But she doesn’t say it in the Speech.
Fandom: Young Wizards
Pairings: Dairine/the Lone Power
Prompt: Space
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,067
Summary: The back of her neck prickles.
Spoilers: Spoilers basically up to High Wizardry.
Written for story_lottery. Title and cut text from “Stars & the Moon.” Honestly, I have no idea what this is. It sort of wanders around aimlessly.
It started with her Ordeal; that much is clear. Everything about that time was extraordinary, including her, though she doesn’t like to think about that part, even if it’s true. No other wizard, ever, has known It like she has. She’s always been good at knowledge, and it’s that knowledge that starts things.
But things could also have stopped there. She could have grown up and lived the ordinary life of an ordinary wizard, with a partner, or not, and maybe kids, and a day job, and consultations with Martians on the side. She could have walked the normal path and done the normal spells, but then she would never have lost herself among the burning of the stars.
*
The one thing she never forgets is who her enemy is. That has always been perfectly clear to her, and is probably how she maintains her wizardry, which you get right to the heart of the matter. Then again, even Darth Vader had good inside of him.
*
The first time (outside of her Ordeal) that It speaks to her, really speaks to her, not to gloat or boast, It says, “Walk with me.” She’s crouched on the ground, rain and sweat drenching her hair, trying not to shiver, and frantically searching Spot for a spell to save them, and It says, “Walk with me.”
So she does. She’s clutching Spot to her chest and readying five different spells in her mind, but she goes with It.
It spends most of the time gloating anyway, but It does not kill her, which is something. The second time It does not kill her, either, but talks about what makes gravity work and what keeps electrons in place. She knows these things already, but she likes hearing them again. More than that, she likes the wild feeling of standing near It, not knowing what will happen next, every nerve in her body tingling, ready to will her muscles or her mind into action in an instant.
Rarely does she feel this alive.
*
At first, nothing changes. She does the same spells, uses the same gate at the Crossings, and avoids alien food except when absolutely necessary. Slowly, though, there are changes. She agrees to go with Nita and Kit for an intervention, since they tell her little one-celled organisms are involved. In the end, she’s the one trying to counsel the organisms while Kit makes sarcastic comments and Nita monologues with the Lone Power. She doesn’t look at It; she lets Nita do that, but she can’t shake the creepy feeling that It’s looking at her.
The back of her neck prickles.
*
She obviously knows that there is something wrong about this. It feels like there’s something wrong about this, and she’s learned that, in the practice of her Art, it’s important to pay attention to her hunches. In this case, she gives them the interest they’re due and then proceeds to ignore them. But she paid attention to them first, and she assumes that’s what’s important.
She tells that to Spot, too, who doesn’t seem quite so impressed. In fact, he goes so far as to express nervousness at the whole thing, at which point she decides it’s better just to argue with him about sentience.
*
It once says to her, “Together, we could be amazing.”
She laughs in Its face-briefly-then pulls herself together and says, “Nuh uh. Darth Vader said that, too. I’m not an idiot.”
“I would never assume you were,” It says.
But her mind is already racing forward, considering other things. It’s true Darth Vader said that, but it’s also true that Darth Vader ended up being a good guy in the end, basically because Luke forced him into it. Good old Darth had to spend so much time with Luke, who was being such a good guy, that eventually it just rubbed off. Basically. Honestly, that whole thing was pretty sneaky of Luke.
This is her taking a page out of Luke’s book.
She kisses It. Just like that. Which, actually, isn’t that easy, since right now It is several inches taller than her.
The kiss burns, her lips coming away hot (she puts her fingers up and feels the heat).
It looks at her like she’s lost her mind. And maybe she has. She transports out of there, not bothering to be neat with the air she displaces, just wanting to get away. But then, standing in the twilight of her backyard, she feels even stupider. This is her running away.
She thinks the spell to go back, but it’s like that one thing they make you try where you lean your shoulder against a wall then try to step away but can’t. She can’t step anywhere, and that’s when the dread sets in. Is this how you lose your wizardry? Just like that? One instant there, the next not? She begins to shake and has to take a few seconds to try to pull herself together.
“Okay,” she says. “Okay. You can still understand the Speech, right? Right?”
But she isn’t sure. She can’t tell what is going on in her head, and she’s about to start on another round of rationalizations when Spot, on the ground beside her, says, “Your name changed.”
She breathes again, like she’d just been in a vacuum, eyes squeezed shut, air pushed out of her lungs.
Then she says, “What?” Her voice actually squeaks. “I thought you kept up with that for me.”
“It happened too quickly,” he says, his scratchy voice apologetic.
“Okay,” she says. “It’s all right, buddy.”
She goes in to dinner and somehow manages to smile at her dad and her sister like nothing happened. Because nothing did happen.
*
The next time she sees It, she’s with Nita and Kit again, and they’re both pretty mad. She’s something between embarrassed and proud. And yes, maybe she doesn’t quite meet Its eyes, but that’s because she’s also tracing out a spell on the ground.
They make it out alive, as they have lately, but before they go, It whispers something in her head about last time being a nice change.
At least she thinks it’s in her mind. As it turns out, that’s not true, because that night, as they pass on the way to and from the bathroom, Nita says, “What was that It was saying back there?”
Dairine looks at her a little strangely and says, “I honestly don’t remember.”
But she doesn’t say it in the Speech.