flavour of the day and grapefruit with malt, fresh peaches and fresh pineapple
Story: Timeless { backstory | index }
Title: Without Permission
Rating: PG (language)
Challenge: FOTD: osmose, Grapefruit #14: spare change
Toppings/Extras: malt, fresh peaches, fresh pineapple
Wordcount: 700
Summary: Pia Rees isn’t often wise and Lord Ashdown isn’t often open.
Notes: Grapefruit prompt used kind of sneakily here. Osmose: to gradually or unconsciously assimilate some principle or object. Grapefruit PFAH: Ashdown : when you asked for light, I set myself on fire. Peaches: Tomorrow you will see clearly again, but doubtless there are adventures in store for you! Pineapple: And I wonder, do you ever wonder too?/ ‘Cause I hunger for the memory of you.
“You sure about this, Eddie?” Pia asked as they stood in the elevator that slowly ticked up the floors of Hamlet Tower. Ashdown sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, as though answers to all questions could be found there.
“Yes.”
“Man, I could’ve sworn that you like, hated Verity about half an hour ago…”
“Not really.”
Pia raised an eyebrow.
“It’s… ‘hate’ is one of those words that gets misused a lot. Not that I’m very prone to misusing words, of course.”
“Of course.”
He scratched his head vaguely, for once not rising to the bait. “It’s hard to explain.”
“Oh?” Pia asked innocently, who had played a far greater part in the couple’s hesitant rekindling of friendships than Ashdown knew or suspected. “Uh, did you not think that maybe you’d end up, like, fond of her? A little? When you, you know, married her?”
“My parents never liked each other,” Ashdown said dismissively, “and they were married for a long time. It doesn’t always work like that.”
“Just for the lucky few, eh?”
“Lucky… ha!” He glanced at her. “What about your parents? Were they…?”
“Never knew my dad,” Pia said with a shrug.
“I see.”
“It happens.”
“I know.”
He was looking at his fingers, face as inexpressive as usual but hands fidgeting ever so slightly.
“Do you…?” She left the sentence hanging and when Ashdown looked up, she waggled her blazing orange eyebrows rather impressively. Then she nudged him. “You know!”
“What?”
“Do you…?”
More of the same.
“What?”
“Dude, you are about to go on a neckbreaking mission to go and rescue her from a ship that’s being obliterated. Do you love her?”
He was still giving her that quizzical look of his when the elevator doors opened.
The wind snatched away all chance at conversation and he stalked out across the flat roof of the skyscraper towards the helipad, where Pia could already see Robyn Walshe, attitude-filled leader of the black ops team, and her nervous colleague Victor Blackledge, who would be flying the helicopter.
Ashdown was eyeing the helicopter as if it were a harbinger of doom.
Skipping past him, Pia rushed towards Robyn and Victor and practically careened into them.
“Thanks, Vic,” she said with a grin. “You’re a real brick.”
The smile she got in return was a rather confused one.
When Victor clambered into the helicopter and Robyn leaned forwards to talk to him, Pia spun around. Ashdown was still staring at the helicopter when he spoke abruptly.
“It happened without my permission,” he said. “And I don’t approve.”
Laughingly, Pia slapped him on the back. After knowing her for so long he was used to such antics but still looked a little annoyed as he straightened his jacket.
“You two crack me the fuck up!”
“Pia! There’s still going to be something of an issue with this marriage-!”
“Trust me, there ain’t,” Pia said. She lifted her chin and levelled him with a knowing look, hazel eyes shining. “She won’t care, Ed. You’re goin’ to tell her, right?”
“Well…”
“Yes. Yes you are.”
“Of course. Of course.” Ashdown grimaced somewhat and continued with his fidgeting. “I suppose it is my fault, in a way…”
“Oh, Ed. It ain’t really. Not this part.”
“I shouldn’t have married her.”
“But you did, and you cocked it all up, which seems to be some sort of hobby of yours, and now you’re goin’ to make it as better as you can and maybe you two will be happy. Sound good?”
“It’s a peculiar feeling when you suddenly come out with something just a little bit wise, Pia,” he said, looking out across the cityscape. He squinted slightly, watching its glimmering, populous surface. “Like watching a rabbit play the piano.”
“Eh?”
“I didn’t like her hugely even when I first married her-and since then all we’ve done is argue. Why would it change?”
“Verity’s a good old stick,” Pia said with a shrug. “And you’ve been married, what, five years? Sometimes it just… what goes, goes, you know? Don’t argue with it.” She cocked her head and smiled brightly. “Now, come on. You’ve never flown before, am I right?”
Title: Without Permission
Rating: PG (language)
Challenge: FOTD: osmose, Grapefruit #14: spare change
Toppings/Extras: malt, fresh peaches, fresh pineapple
Wordcount: 700
Summary: Pia Rees isn’t often wise and Lord Ashdown isn’t often open.
Notes: Grapefruit prompt used kind of sneakily here. Osmose: to gradually or unconsciously assimilate some principle or object. Grapefruit PFAH: Ashdown : when you asked for light, I set myself on fire. Peaches: Tomorrow you will see clearly again, but doubtless there are adventures in store for you! Pineapple: And I wonder, do you ever wonder too?/ ‘Cause I hunger for the memory of you.
“You sure about this, Eddie?” Pia asked as they stood in the elevator that slowly ticked up the floors of Hamlet Tower. Ashdown sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, as though answers to all questions could be found there.
“Yes.”
“Man, I could’ve sworn that you like, hated Verity about half an hour ago…”
“Not really.”
Pia raised an eyebrow.
“It’s… ‘hate’ is one of those words that gets misused a lot. Not that I’m very prone to misusing words, of course.”
“Of course.”
He scratched his head vaguely, for once not rising to the bait. “It’s hard to explain.”
“Oh?” Pia asked innocently, who had played a far greater part in the couple’s hesitant rekindling of friendships than Ashdown knew or suspected. “Uh, did you not think that maybe you’d end up, like, fond of her? A little? When you, you know, married her?”
“My parents never liked each other,” Ashdown said dismissively, “and they were married for a long time. It doesn’t always work like that.”
“Just for the lucky few, eh?”
“Lucky… ha!” He glanced at her. “What about your parents? Were they…?”
“Never knew my dad,” Pia said with a shrug.
“I see.”
“It happens.”
“I know.”
He was looking at his fingers, face as inexpressive as usual but hands fidgeting ever so slightly.
“Do you…?” She left the sentence hanging and when Ashdown looked up, she waggled her blazing orange eyebrows rather impressively. Then she nudged him. “You know!”
“What?”
“Do you…?”
More of the same.
“What?”
“Dude, you are about to go on a neckbreaking mission to go and rescue her from a ship that’s being obliterated. Do you love her?”
He was still giving her that quizzical look of his when the elevator doors opened.
The wind snatched away all chance at conversation and he stalked out across the flat roof of the skyscraper towards the helipad, where Pia could already see Robyn Walshe, attitude-filled leader of the black ops team, and her nervous colleague Victor Blackledge, who would be flying the helicopter.
Ashdown was eyeing the helicopter as if it were a harbinger of doom.
Skipping past him, Pia rushed towards Robyn and Victor and practically careened into them.
“Thanks, Vic,” she said with a grin. “You’re a real brick.”
The smile she got in return was a rather confused one.
When Victor clambered into the helicopter and Robyn leaned forwards to talk to him, Pia spun around. Ashdown was still staring at the helicopter when he spoke abruptly.
“It happened without my permission,” he said. “And I don’t approve.”
Laughingly, Pia slapped him on the back. After knowing her for so long he was used to such antics but still looked a little annoyed as he straightened his jacket.
“You two crack me the fuck up!”
“Pia! There’s still going to be something of an issue with this marriage-!”
“Trust me, there ain’t,” Pia said. She lifted her chin and levelled him with a knowing look, hazel eyes shining. “She won’t care, Ed. You’re goin’ to tell her, right?”
“Well…”
“Yes. Yes you are.”
“Of course. Of course.” Ashdown grimaced somewhat and continued with his fidgeting. “I suppose it is my fault, in a way…”
“Oh, Ed. It ain’t really. Not this part.”
“I shouldn’t have married her.”
“But you did, and you cocked it all up, which seems to be some sort of hobby of yours, and now you’re goin’ to make it as better as you can and maybe you two will be happy. Sound good?”
“It’s a peculiar feeling when you suddenly come out with something just a little bit wise, Pia,” he said, looking out across the cityscape. He squinted slightly, watching its glimmering, populous surface. “Like watching a rabbit play the piano.”
“Eh?”
“I didn’t like her hugely even when I first married her-and since then all we’ve done is argue. Why would it change?”
“Verity’s a good old stick,” Pia said with a shrug. “And you’ve been married, what, five years? Sometimes it just… what goes, goes, you know? Don’t argue with it.” She cocked her head and smiled brightly. “Now, come on. You’ve never flown before, am I right?”