Fic for Universe_the
Couples Night (Being Human US, PG-13, 478 words)
Prompt: playing a board game
"Oh, hey," Sally said. "How about sex? Uses the 'x' and hits a double word score." She reached over to rearrange Josh's tiles, then sighed as her fingers passed through right them. "I hate not being able to touch things again! Why did dying a second time take away that ability?"
Across the board, Aidan scowled at Sally and nodded meaningfully toward Kat, whose head was bent over her own tiles.
"Oh, come on," Sally said. "It's not like I actually move anything. Or do anything at all that she'll notice."
Josh studied his tiles for another minute, then played 'sex' with a sheepish look, ignoring the dual frowns from Nora and Aidan.
"So, have you thought about just telling her?" Sally asked. "I mean, that would simplify so many things. No more eating real food all the time, no more hiding your blood supply, no more running out in the middle of sex so you don't--"
Aidan coughed loudly.
"Are you okay?" Kat asked.
"Yeah, just had something in my throat."
"Fine," Sally sighed. She disappeared and re-materialized on the kitchen counter, observing the game from a distance.
"So now that you know Josh's mom is going to be okay, are you two planning a real honeymoon?" Kat asked.
Nora and Josh exchanged glances. "Eventually," Nora said. "We kind of ran through our savings with Josh not working for so long, so..."
"I can imagine," Kat said sympathetically. "It would be good for you to go somewhere, though. Celebrate a little."
"There's certainly a lot to celebrate," Aidan agreed. He laid down his tiles.
Sally rematerialized behind his shoulder. "Ormolu? Is that even a word?"
"That's not a word," Josh said.
"Sure it is," Aidan said. "It's a technique for gilding bronze with gold."
"Or it was back in the eighteenth century," Kat said. "Before they figured out that mercury could skill you." She gave Aidan an affectionate smile. "Somebody's showing off."
Aidan shrugged. "I'm interested in the period."
Josh rolled his eyes. "Right. Nora?"
"Oh, oh! Play 'queen'!"
Nora played 'quay.'
"Or you could do that," Sally said. She watched as Kat began picking out tiles. "So how come we never play this game with just the four of us?"
"Because you can't move your own tiles," Josh muttered.
Kat look up. "Sorry?"
"I was just wondering where you and Aidan would go, you know, if, uh, you got this far."
"I think it's a little soon to be worrying about that," Aidan said. "We've only been dating a few months."
"Yeah, I think that's a ways off," Kat said. "I mean...yeah."
"Oh, wait, I have an idea," Sally said. She leaned over the board and slid the 'y' from quay up a square. "Look!" she crowed. "I did it! Who's the ghost?"
"Wait," Kat said. "Did that tile just move by itself?"
"Oops," said Sally.
A Simple Plan (The Mentalist, PG-13, 484 words)
Prompt: grumpy Cupid
Van Pelt tried the door again. "It's no good," she said in frustration. "We're stuck until someone comes to let us out."
"But that won't be until tomorrow morning!" Ryder protested. "We can't stay here all night!"
"Why not?" Jane asked. "We're well-equipped. Food. Water. Blankets. Really, your company has done a marvellous job of setting us up for a camp out. All we need is a fire and some ghost stories."
"This is not a camp out," Lisbon said. "It's a criminal investigation."
"Well, yes," Jane said. "But clearly we won't be doing any more investigating until we get out, so we need another way to pass the time."
Lisbon looked at him suspiciously. "What did you have in mind?"
Jane smiled and looked around at the ten employees of Ryder Industries who were stuck in the office. "How about a game?" he said innocently.
***
"Okay, so a bunch of us are werewolves?" Rigsby asked.
"Werewolves, assassins, mafioso...whatever you want to call them," Jane said. "There are five bad guys, and the rest of you are innocent villagers."
Rigsby looked down at the slip of paper in his hand. "So I'm--"
"Don't tell anyone!" Van Pelt said.
"Oh, right."
"Our special roles for this evening are seer, healer, and cupid," Jane said. "Now everyone gather in a circle and close your eyes."
***
"You can open your eyes," Jane said. "I'm afraid the delightful Agent Lisbon was taken out by the assassins last night. As it happens, Agent Cho was secretly in love with her, so I'm afraid he's dead too."
"What do you mean Cho was in love with me?" Lisbon sputtered. "That's ridiculous."
"It's just a game, Boss," Van Pelt said tentatively.
"Why shouldn't Cho be in love with you?" Jane asked. "You're smart, competent, you know you're way around a gun...."
"So what now?" Lisbon asked.
"Now you and Cho hang out over there, and everyone else decides who to take out today."
***
"The assassins took out Ms. Chang last night," Jane said. "And also Agent Rigsby, since he was secretly in love with her."
"Hey!" Van Pelt said. She hit Rigsby's leg.
"What?" he said. "It's just a game, remember? I didn't even know I was in love with her."
"No matter," Jane said. "It's time for the next round."
***
"Mr. Ryder was taken out by the assassins last night," Jane announced. "And his secret lover Ms. Gibson died with him. Cupid must be getting grumpy with all these innocent deaths. Or maybe Cupid was grumpy to begin with."
***
"You are correct!" Jane said. "Ms. Khan was the last assassin. The villagers win. Why don't we take a break? Does anyone else want a cookie?"
Lisbon corralled Jane in the corner. "So what was the point of all that? Grumpy cupid?"
Jane gave her a brilliant smile. "Well, now I know who the killer is."
This entry was originally posted at http://skieswideopen.dreamwidth.org/146132.html, where it has
comments. Comments are equally welcome on either entry.
Prompt: playing a board game
"Oh, hey," Sally said. "How about sex? Uses the 'x' and hits a double word score." She reached over to rearrange Josh's tiles, then sighed as her fingers passed through right them. "I hate not being able to touch things again! Why did dying a second time take away that ability?"
Across the board, Aidan scowled at Sally and nodded meaningfully toward Kat, whose head was bent over her own tiles.
"Oh, come on," Sally said. "It's not like I actually move anything. Or do anything at all that she'll notice."
Josh studied his tiles for another minute, then played 'sex' with a sheepish look, ignoring the dual frowns from Nora and Aidan.
"So, have you thought about just telling her?" Sally asked. "I mean, that would simplify so many things. No more eating real food all the time, no more hiding your blood supply, no more running out in the middle of sex so you don't--"
Aidan coughed loudly.
"Are you okay?" Kat asked.
"Yeah, just had something in my throat."
"Fine," Sally sighed. She disappeared and re-materialized on the kitchen counter, observing the game from a distance.
"So now that you know Josh's mom is going to be okay, are you two planning a real honeymoon?" Kat asked.
Nora and Josh exchanged glances. "Eventually," Nora said. "We kind of ran through our savings with Josh not working for so long, so..."
"I can imagine," Kat said sympathetically. "It would be good for you to go somewhere, though. Celebrate a little."
"There's certainly a lot to celebrate," Aidan agreed. He laid down his tiles.
Sally rematerialized behind his shoulder. "Ormolu? Is that even a word?"
"That's not a word," Josh said.
"Sure it is," Aidan said. "It's a technique for gilding bronze with gold."
"Or it was back in the eighteenth century," Kat said. "Before they figured out that mercury could skill you." She gave Aidan an affectionate smile. "Somebody's showing off."
Aidan shrugged. "I'm interested in the period."
Josh rolled his eyes. "Right. Nora?"
"Oh, oh! Play 'queen'!"
Nora played 'quay.'
"Or you could do that," Sally said. She watched as Kat began picking out tiles. "So how come we never play this game with just the four of us?"
"Because you can't move your own tiles," Josh muttered.
Kat look up. "Sorry?"
"I was just wondering where you and Aidan would go, you know, if, uh, you got this far."
"I think it's a little soon to be worrying about that," Aidan said. "We've only been dating a few months."
"Yeah, I think that's a ways off," Kat said. "I mean...yeah."
"Oh, wait, I have an idea," Sally said. She leaned over the board and slid the 'y' from quay up a square. "Look!" she crowed. "I did it! Who's the ghost?"
"Wait," Kat said. "Did that tile just move by itself?"
"Oops," said Sally.
A Simple Plan (The Mentalist, PG-13, 484 words)
Prompt: grumpy Cupid
Van Pelt tried the door again. "It's no good," she said in frustration. "We're stuck until someone comes to let us out."
"But that won't be until tomorrow morning!" Ryder protested. "We can't stay here all night!"
"Why not?" Jane asked. "We're well-equipped. Food. Water. Blankets. Really, your company has done a marvellous job of setting us up for a camp out. All we need is a fire and some ghost stories."
"This is not a camp out," Lisbon said. "It's a criminal investigation."
"Well, yes," Jane said. "But clearly we won't be doing any more investigating until we get out, so we need another way to pass the time."
Lisbon looked at him suspiciously. "What did you have in mind?"
Jane smiled and looked around at the ten employees of Ryder Industries who were stuck in the office. "How about a game?" he said innocently.
***
"Okay, so a bunch of us are werewolves?" Rigsby asked.
"Werewolves, assassins, mafioso...whatever you want to call them," Jane said. "There are five bad guys, and the rest of you are innocent villagers."
Rigsby looked down at the slip of paper in his hand. "So I'm--"
"Don't tell anyone!" Van Pelt said.
"Oh, right."
"Our special roles for this evening are seer, healer, and cupid," Jane said. "Now everyone gather in a circle and close your eyes."
***
"You can open your eyes," Jane said. "I'm afraid the delightful Agent Lisbon was taken out by the assassins last night. As it happens, Agent Cho was secretly in love with her, so I'm afraid he's dead too."
"What do you mean Cho was in love with me?" Lisbon sputtered. "That's ridiculous."
"It's just a game, Boss," Van Pelt said tentatively.
"Why shouldn't Cho be in love with you?" Jane asked. "You're smart, competent, you know you're way around a gun...."
"So what now?" Lisbon asked.
"Now you and Cho hang out over there, and everyone else decides who to take out today."
***
"The assassins took out Ms. Chang last night," Jane said. "And also Agent Rigsby, since he was secretly in love with her."
"Hey!" Van Pelt said. She hit Rigsby's leg.
"What?" he said. "It's just a game, remember? I didn't even know I was in love with her."
"No matter," Jane said. "It's time for the next round."
***
"Mr. Ryder was taken out by the assassins last night," Jane announced. "And his secret lover Ms. Gibson died with him. Cupid must be getting grumpy with all these innocent deaths. Or maybe Cupid was grumpy to begin with."
***
"You are correct!" Jane said. "Ms. Khan was the last assassin. The villagers win. Why don't we take a break? Does anyone else want a cookie?"
Lisbon corralled Jane in the corner. "So what was the point of all that? Grumpy cupid?"
Jane gave her a brilliant smile. "Well, now I know who the killer is."
This entry was originally posted at http://skieswideopen.dreamwidth.org/146132.html, where it has
comments. Comments are equally welcome on either entry.