Hero's Manual: Interlude
A/N: I haven't written in this 'verse for so long, the characters are worried. And in a bit of bad place.
It'd been dark for longer than she could remember. It'd been quiet for a little less than that, once the screaming had abruptly and mercifully stopped.
"Hero?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you stil there?"
The dark was silent for a moment, or an eternity. Maybe even both, she mused; time had lost its regularity once everything else had stopped.
"I'm still here." The voice was just above a whisper, and hoarse. But at least it was there.
Clothes rustled in the darkness and limbs slowly unfolded, reached out and met. Hands wrapped around each other and held on tightly.
"I was worried," admitted Gwen.
Hero didn't have the heart to tell her it would all be alright.
***
Quasi ran blind fingers over the grape motif, feeling his way slowly up, imagining the candlestick in detail, remembered where the light glinted off most, where the shadows blended into each other, where the scuff marks needed extra polish.
At least, he thought he could still remember. But when he tried to imagine it, all he saw - all he felt - was grooves, crevasses, nubs and knolls.
"Master?" he said, secretly relieved when a voice cleared somewhere to his left.
"Quasi?"
"Do villains ever get rescued?"
A warm body sat down beside him; a shoulder pressed up against his.
"I'm afraid not, my boy."
"Nor monsters."
***
Bending his knees awkwardly, Clyde lowered his head and sniffed the ground. Slowly he lowered his great body down and leant against the warm bundle beside him.
Ever since the dark had descended, the little goat had kept its place by his side, never breaking contact; a constant pressure at his side. The weary camel nuzzled Frank, then, heaving his sides, began to chew his cud. A horn stirred, pricking Clyde's flank, then settled as the goat sank deeper into sleep.
It'd been dark for longer than she could remember. It'd been quiet for a little less than that, once the screaming had abruptly and mercifully stopped.
"Hero?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you stil there?"
The dark was silent for a moment, or an eternity. Maybe even both, she mused; time had lost its regularity once everything else had stopped.
"I'm still here." The voice was just above a whisper, and hoarse. But at least it was there.
Clothes rustled in the darkness and limbs slowly unfolded, reached out and met. Hands wrapped around each other and held on tightly.
"I was worried," admitted Gwen.
Hero didn't have the heart to tell her it would all be alright.
***
Quasi ran blind fingers over the grape motif, feeling his way slowly up, imagining the candlestick in detail, remembered where the light glinted off most, where the shadows blended into each other, where the scuff marks needed extra polish.
At least, he thought he could still remember. But when he tried to imagine it, all he saw - all he felt - was grooves, crevasses, nubs and knolls.
"Master?" he said, secretly relieved when a voice cleared somewhere to his left.
"Quasi?"
"Do villains ever get rescued?"
A warm body sat down beside him; a shoulder pressed up against his.
"I'm afraid not, my boy."
"Nor monsters."
***
Bending his knees awkwardly, Clyde lowered his head and sniffed the ground. Slowly he lowered his great body down and leant against the warm bundle beside him.
Ever since the dark had descended, the little goat had kept its place by his side, never breaking contact; a constant pressure at his side. The weary camel nuzzled Frank, then, heaving his sides, began to chew his cud. A horn stirred, pricking Clyde's flank, then settled as the goat sank deeper into sleep.