erinm_4600
in
12to32
Fic: Wyatt Cain's Words of Wisdom
Title: Wyatt Cain's Words of Wisdom
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Cain, and Az (mention of DG and the Witch)
Rating: PG
Summary: It's Az's turn to get the Wyatt Cain-pep talk...
Warnings: post-series *Written for the Fall/Winter Seasonal Challenge at tm_challenge.
Prompts: Escape, Sight, Discordance, Impoverished, Castaway, Readiness and Offside
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors.
the Big Damn Prompt table
ESCAPE
She is sitting in a dark corner of a random room in the palace, eyes closed and trying to shut herself off from everything. She can hear the music wafting up the stairs at the end of the hall; there is a party going on and she wants nothing to do with it. Why are they always trying to push her out when she just wants to stay inside?
She should stop feeling sorry for herself, but she just can't help it. She needs to get away but knows they won't let her go.
Now free, she's still a prisoner.
SIGHT
He watches as she sits in the dark room. There is a part of him that wants to just leave her be - he's been there as well. He knows the others will start to worry if she doesn't appear soon, and the last thing needed tonight is a scene. It is supposed to be a happy occasion, the Zone finally at some level of peace following the months after the eclipse.
He doesn't want to be there any more than she does... and, of all people, he should be the last one checking up on her. But he knows how she feels. More than anyone knows, he understands her. It should be hard to even be in the same room with her - and it is - but he does it.
For them.
"You know the party is downstairs?" he asks quietly, not wanting to scare her, and knowing she probably already knew he was there.
"They sent you to drag me back there?" she asks with frustration.
"No." He purses his lips for a moment and steps into the room, but only two.
"How do you do it?" she asks.
"Do what?"
"Stand to even look at me?"
DISCORDANCE
He's standing in the open doorway, the light from the hallway almost making him glow. She looks away, embarrassed to even be in the same room with him.
She has no right to speak to him, after everything. He could put her out of everyone's misery then and there and no one would judge him. Well, maybe a few. Perhaps.
She breathes a laugh and looks at the bookcase she knows is there, and speaks softly. "I can't even bring myself to look at my own reflection."
He frowns, because it is hard for all of them to see her.
IMPOVERISHED
He has no words to comfort her - what words could possibly exist?
"I won't lie to you, Princess," he says simply. She knows he speaks the truth.
"Thank you," she replies, not needing him to finish the thought.
She will never be forgiven; the sooner she accepts that, the sooner she can try to move forward.
Not that there's much ahead of her.
"You know what the worst part was?" he asks, rather quietly. Az looks at her lap and frowns. Cain breathes a smile and looks toward the window. "Beards itch." She blinks and looks up to see her sister's friend smiling at her.
He drops his arms to his sides and shrugs. "I couldn't move my arms," he smiles again. "Zero turned on that image of my family and left and all I could think about was how much my face itched."
Az doesn't understand what he's trying to tell her, but she listens. That was her fault. She looks at the bookshelf now.
"For eight annuals... I couldn't even control an itch," he laughed again. "And I can't imagine," she hears him continue - his voice is much closer now - "surviving fifteen..."
"How did you?"
CASTAWAY
"Don't you dare," Az demanded, shaking her head as her eyes squeezed shut. Cain knelt next to her and grabbed her shoulders, giving her a slight shake.
"Look at me," he demanded. She flinched slightly, but didn't give in. "Look at me," he demanded again, with a lot more anger, which scared her enough to open her eyes and look at him.
"You have to let it go," he told her.
She actually laughed at him. Az couldn't even think of a response and looked away again. "What is it with you two?" Cain asked, shrugging in confusion. "The both of you are dead set on claiming all responsibility for everything, whether you had anything to do with it or not."
Az looked at him for a moment then let her eyes fall to the floor.
"I'm so glad I was an only child," he mumbled and let go of her, but didn't move away.
"What gives you the right to tell me what I can and can not claim responsibility for?" she asked in a regally pissed-off tone. She stood up quickly and Cain leaned back slightly as he pushed himself up.
"I let her take over. I didn't stop her."
"You were twelve."
"It doesn't matter," she frowned and stepped around him. Cain turned as she passed.
"You did stop her." Az turned with one eyebrow raised as high as it could go. "Up on that tower," he added slowly, stepping toward her again. "You stopped her."
Az shook her head and mumbled: "No, it was DG. She-"
"No," Cain said, grabbing her arms again. "You." Az shook her head again and Cain nodded. "You have more strength and courage than anyone I've ever met."
Az blinked back the tears ready to fall and took a deep breath.
READINESS
"I would have given up," Cain stated, matter-of-factly. Thinking about it, he knew this to be true.
"You never would have gone into the cave," Az countered. Cain reared back and made a face.
"I followed your sister, blind, all over the Zone." Cain cocked his head slightly and nodded. "I'd have gone in the cave," he added in a whisper.
Az tried not to smile at the image of Cain following a little DG around the Zone and failed miserably, which made Cain smile. "Can we please go downstairs now? Before your sister makes a scene?"
"Oh, all right..."
OFFSIDE
When Cain and Az enter the hall, together, eyebrows are raised, cheeks flush and whispers abound.
"How can he offer his arm to her?"
"What madness is this?"
"The nerve of her to even show up."
All questions are wiped from everyone's mind when he turns to her and offers a hand, indicating a request to dance with her.
Wyatt Cain can be a bigger man than most give him credit for; their opinion of him be damned.
If he can separate Az from Azkadellia, so can they.
And, if they can't, they aren't worth the trouble.
And Az accepts.
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Cain, and Az (mention of DG and the Witch)
Rating: PG
Summary: It's Az's turn to get the Wyatt Cain-pep talk...
Warnings: post-series *Written for the Fall/Winter Seasonal Challenge at tm_challenge.
Prompts: Escape, Sight, Discordance, Impoverished, Castaway, Readiness and Offside
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors.
the Big Damn Prompt table
ESCAPE
She is sitting in a dark corner of a random room in the palace, eyes closed and trying to shut herself off from everything. She can hear the music wafting up the stairs at the end of the hall; there is a party going on and she wants nothing to do with it. Why are they always trying to push her out when she just wants to stay inside?
She should stop feeling sorry for herself, but she just can't help it. She needs to get away but knows they won't let her go.
Now free, she's still a prisoner.
SIGHT
He watches as she sits in the dark room. There is a part of him that wants to just leave her be - he's been there as well. He knows the others will start to worry if she doesn't appear soon, and the last thing needed tonight is a scene. It is supposed to be a happy occasion, the Zone finally at some level of peace following the months after the eclipse.
He doesn't want to be there any more than she does... and, of all people, he should be the last one checking up on her. But he knows how she feels. More than anyone knows, he understands her. It should be hard to even be in the same room with her - and it is - but he does it.
For them.
"You know the party is downstairs?" he asks quietly, not wanting to scare her, and knowing she probably already knew he was there.
"They sent you to drag me back there?" she asks with frustration.
"No." He purses his lips for a moment and steps into the room, but only two.
"How do you do it?" she asks.
"Do what?"
"Stand to even look at me?"
DISCORDANCE
He's standing in the open doorway, the light from the hallway almost making him glow. She looks away, embarrassed to even be in the same room with him.
She has no right to speak to him, after everything. He could put her out of everyone's misery then and there and no one would judge him. Well, maybe a few. Perhaps.
She breathes a laugh and looks at the bookcase she knows is there, and speaks softly. "I can't even bring myself to look at my own reflection."
He frowns, because it is hard for all of them to see her.
IMPOVERISHED
He has no words to comfort her - what words could possibly exist?
"I won't lie to you, Princess," he says simply. She knows he speaks the truth.
"Thank you," she replies, not needing him to finish the thought.
She will never be forgiven; the sooner she accepts that, the sooner she can try to move forward.
Not that there's much ahead of her.
"You know what the worst part was?" he asks, rather quietly. Az looks at her lap and frowns. Cain breathes a smile and looks toward the window. "Beards itch." She blinks and looks up to see her sister's friend smiling at her.
He drops his arms to his sides and shrugs. "I couldn't move my arms," he smiles again. "Zero turned on that image of my family and left and all I could think about was how much my face itched."
Az doesn't understand what he's trying to tell her, but she listens. That was her fault. She looks at the bookshelf now.
"For eight annuals... I couldn't even control an itch," he laughed again. "And I can't imagine," she hears him continue - his voice is much closer now - "surviving fifteen..."
"How did you?"
CASTAWAY
"Don't you dare," Az demanded, shaking her head as her eyes squeezed shut. Cain knelt next to her and grabbed her shoulders, giving her a slight shake.
"Look at me," he demanded. She flinched slightly, but didn't give in. "Look at me," he demanded again, with a lot more anger, which scared her enough to open her eyes and look at him.
"You have to let it go," he told her.
She actually laughed at him. Az couldn't even think of a response and looked away again. "What is it with you two?" Cain asked, shrugging in confusion. "The both of you are dead set on claiming all responsibility for everything, whether you had anything to do with it or not."
Az looked at him for a moment then let her eyes fall to the floor.
"I'm so glad I was an only child," he mumbled and let go of her, but didn't move away.
"What gives you the right to tell me what I can and can not claim responsibility for?" she asked in a regally pissed-off tone. She stood up quickly and Cain leaned back slightly as he pushed himself up.
"I let her take over. I didn't stop her."
"You were twelve."
"It doesn't matter," she frowned and stepped around him. Cain turned as she passed.
"You did stop her." Az turned with one eyebrow raised as high as it could go. "Up on that tower," he added slowly, stepping toward her again. "You stopped her."
Az shook her head and mumbled: "No, it was DG. She-"
"No," Cain said, grabbing her arms again. "You." Az shook her head again and Cain nodded. "You have more strength and courage than anyone I've ever met."
Az blinked back the tears ready to fall and took a deep breath.
READINESS
"I would have given up," Cain stated, matter-of-factly. Thinking about it, he knew this to be true.
"You never would have gone into the cave," Az countered. Cain reared back and made a face.
"I followed your sister, blind, all over the Zone." Cain cocked his head slightly and nodded. "I'd have gone in the cave," he added in a whisper.
Az tried not to smile at the image of Cain following a little DG around the Zone and failed miserably, which made Cain smile. "Can we please go downstairs now? Before your sister makes a scene?"
"Oh, all right..."
OFFSIDE
When Cain and Az enter the hall, together, eyebrows are raised, cheeks flush and whispers abound.
"How can he offer his arm to her?"
"What madness is this?"
"The nerve of her to even show up."
All questions are wiped from everyone's mind when he turns to her and offers a hand, indicating a request to dance with her.
Wyatt Cain can be a bigger man than most give him credit for; their opinion of him be damned.
If he can separate Az from Azkadellia, so can they.
And, if they can't, they aren't worth the trouble.
And Az accepts.