Fic: Splendor & Party On
Look at me! Doing something early, for a change!
Title: Splendor
Prompt: Toes
Word Count: 619
Rating: PG-13
Original/Fandom: Original - Streetlight People
Pairings (if any) none
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/RPF etc): none
Summary: Tevan couldn't stop thinking about the possibilities.
It should have been a done deal. Tevan should have been able to walk away from that street urchin - who ended up not being a street urchin at all but he was sure that thinking of her any other way would allow his thoughts to start edging toward remembering the pattern of the freckles across her cheeks or how soft her colored hair had been when he'd accidentally brushed his hand through it as he'd tried to get her settled. He shouldn't have been bothered by her current predicament now that he'd left her in the plush room on the top floor of Yunnic Hall. The top floor! He only rated a third floor room. Of Jutla Hall, no less.
He might make fun of Gaffa Te for their priviledge and money but he'd never dare mess with Yuna Ja. Not for all the credits in the repository at Bremblen. They were the crowd with the power. Not the might, necessarily, but they could buy protection. Hell, they could buy pretty much what they wanted.
"What do you think the likes of her was doing there?"
He didn't even realize he'd said the words out loud until Rika cleared her throat. If he'd been smarter, he would have figured a way around his question because that reflex of hers meant that his friend was royally pissed. At him. At her lot in life to be stuck with someone like him. At the fact that she couldn't train some smarts into his thick head. Tevan had heard it all.
"I'm going to assume the who is Kilce. Which there do you mean? The street where we found her or the place where we left her?"
Once again, a smarter man would have found a way around the question but Tevan wasn't a smart man. He was too used to speaking his mind, especially around Rika. "Yunnic Hall. Did you see the decor in the hallways? The hallways, Rika! We have carpet and painted walls. They had statues. And plants. It was like... like... a museum."
But she didn't thump the side of his head like she was so often want to do. Instead, she sat staring down at her toes as if there was something special to be seen in the new coat of polish she'd just finished putting on them. He usually liked to watch her do the mundane, girly task but he'd missed the whole thing while he was thinking about the urchin. She seemed to sense that, her frown deepening as she came to some sort of understanding within herself.
"Don't do anything stupid, Tevan. Just let her be. You don't want to be involved with whatever it is that she's stuck in."
"Stuck? You call it stuck but I call it luxury."
"The roommate... do you have any idea who she is?" Rika's expression was strangely serious as she lifted her eyes to his. Even before he could think about answering, she kept talking. "Her name is Pliya Gustav. Ring any bells? She's Werrin Gustav's daughter. His pride and joy."
The name sounded familiar but it took several tense seconds for Tevan to figure out just how he recognized it. When he did, he could only gape at Rika. She nodded smugly but didn't say anything, just sat back and looked back at her toes.
Tevan should have stopped thinking about the urchin and, more importantly, Pliya. He'd barely acknowledged the girl as he'd deposited her roommate on the appropriate bed. Now, the two girls were all he could think about. He knew he should have been smarter but he was transfixed with the idea that maybe, just maybe, he'd found a way out of his destiny.
Title: Party On
Prompt: Gossamer
Word Count: 880
Rating: PG
Original/Fandom: Original - Streetlight People
Pairings (if any) none
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/RPF etc): none
Summary: This is actually set previous to anything written so far. Cyril Ann stakes out her territory and runs into a bit of resistance.
Cyril Ann tugged at the wrap around her shoulders, nearly growling out loud as the gossamer fabric caught on one of her earrings, nearly pulling it out of her ear. She took a minute she didn't have trying to rearrange her face back into the composed disguise she was having trouble wearing. The next few hours were going to be very touch and go, seeing as how she wasn't sure of her welcome. Nothing was for sure these days. Not with this group.
"Darling," she called out after taking the last deep breath she was sure to breath until she left. When she reached the first of the small groups, she gave each girl there a kiss on the cheek and a personal comment on their choice of outfit. Not too formal but not so familiar that one of them might think she was trying too hard to be friendly. Her ruse dictated that she blend in and no one was friendly here. Not unless they were trying to attempt a coupe. The last coupe had been overthrown in three days, leaving the structure of the group nearly the same as it was before with one tiny change. Lady Cyril Ann Bray had made quite a move up without even trying. It had all been unintentional but she knew better than to look past such an opportunity.
When she finally made her way to the other side of the room, her smile was wider than it had been and her eyes were more composed and calm than they had been before. Those girls were only the practice for the real thing. This was the real power here.
"Simone. So wonderful to see you here today. I've missed you the last few events." Cold gray eyes met even colder blue eyes. Cyril Ann was quite certain that the other girl did something to make her eyes appear more blue than they really were but she wasn't about to get caught up on cosmetics. There was nothing that said the girls couldn't try to out-do each other's looks. Not that Simone had much of an advantage. It wasn't her looks that had gotten her into the position she held. No, it was her father's money. And the possibility that she would get every penny of it after his death. Not because she was an only child but because she didn't appear to love the rest of her siblings and would have seen them all turned out without a chit, if the rumor mill was to be believed.
Next, Cyril Ann turned to the second most powerful woman present. Her red hair was curled and piled high on her head so that it looked like her thin neck might snap in two at any minute. "Greta. Lovely to see you, my dear. How is your mother?"
"As well as can be expected. Thank you." The nasal whine was verbal grating across Cyril Ann's ears. It was all she could do not to flinch as the girl continued with a story about her mother's newest ailment. It was possible that Madam Ollick was the sickest woman on the planet, even though she'd never suffered from the same sickness twice.
As the recitation continued for several minutes, Cyril Ann had time to make sure that her intel on the number one spot was still viable. Pliya Gustav smiled at Greta as if she cared that the woman was close to death yet again. And not in a spiteful way. She looked like she might genuinely care about the woman. While it might have been a cover, it was too seamless to be an act. She never stopped being exactly what she was. Everyone loved her and, conversely, everyone hated her for it. She held the power because no one could take it from her. No one could take it from her because she didn't hold onto it in the first place.
And her father would have killed anyone that tried to hurt his daughter. That was how the last coupe had been taken care of. Even when it was impossible to see a guard, there was always one nearby.
"Cyril Ann, have you met my new roommate? Kilce, this is Lady Cyril Ann Bray. Cyril Ann, this is Kilce."
"Quite a mouthful," the pink-haired girl said in way of greeting. She extended her hand before realizing her mistake and offering her cheek.
As Cyril Ann leaned in, she could smell the subtle stink of humanity on the girl. In a different world, she might have taken her aside and given her some tips on how to get rid of it. Instead, she smiled her fake smile as she pulled away. "It's wonderful to meet you. Any friend of Pliya's is a friend of mine."
The girl narrowed her eyes as she answered, "I'm sure."
If she didn't know any better, Cyril Ann might have thought Pliya had acquired a guard dog but that was silly. No newcomer had any hope of understanding the intricacies of the Tea Society. It had taken Cyril Ann a lifetime to get to where she was. No pink-haired girl smelling of the streets was going to best her. But she might be able to use her. Of that, Cyril Ann was sure.
This entry was cross posted at dreamwidth - where the cool kids hang out.
Title: Splendor
Prompt: Toes
Word Count: 619
Rating: PG-13
Original/Fandom: Original - Streetlight People
Pairings (if any) none
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/RPF etc): none
Summary: Tevan couldn't stop thinking about the possibilities.
It should have been a done deal. Tevan should have been able to walk away from that street urchin - who ended up not being a street urchin at all but he was sure that thinking of her any other way would allow his thoughts to start edging toward remembering the pattern of the freckles across her cheeks or how soft her colored hair had been when he'd accidentally brushed his hand through it as he'd tried to get her settled. He shouldn't have been bothered by her current predicament now that he'd left her in the plush room on the top floor of Yunnic Hall. The top floor! He only rated a third floor room. Of Jutla Hall, no less.
He might make fun of Gaffa Te for their priviledge and money but he'd never dare mess with Yuna Ja. Not for all the credits in the repository at Bremblen. They were the crowd with the power. Not the might, necessarily, but they could buy protection. Hell, they could buy pretty much what they wanted.
"What do you think the likes of her was doing there?"
He didn't even realize he'd said the words out loud until Rika cleared her throat. If he'd been smarter, he would have figured a way around his question because that reflex of hers meant that his friend was royally pissed. At him. At her lot in life to be stuck with someone like him. At the fact that she couldn't train some smarts into his thick head. Tevan had heard it all.
"I'm going to assume the who is Kilce. Which there do you mean? The street where we found her or the place where we left her?"
Once again, a smarter man would have found a way around the question but Tevan wasn't a smart man. He was too used to speaking his mind, especially around Rika. "Yunnic Hall. Did you see the decor in the hallways? The hallways, Rika! We have carpet and painted walls. They had statues. And plants. It was like... like... a museum."
But she didn't thump the side of his head like she was so often want to do. Instead, she sat staring down at her toes as if there was something special to be seen in the new coat of polish she'd just finished putting on them. He usually liked to watch her do the mundane, girly task but he'd missed the whole thing while he was thinking about the urchin. She seemed to sense that, her frown deepening as she came to some sort of understanding within herself.
"Don't do anything stupid, Tevan. Just let her be. You don't want to be involved with whatever it is that she's stuck in."
"Stuck? You call it stuck but I call it luxury."
"The roommate... do you have any idea who she is?" Rika's expression was strangely serious as she lifted her eyes to his. Even before he could think about answering, she kept talking. "Her name is Pliya Gustav. Ring any bells? She's Werrin Gustav's daughter. His pride and joy."
The name sounded familiar but it took several tense seconds for Tevan to figure out just how he recognized it. When he did, he could only gape at Rika. She nodded smugly but didn't say anything, just sat back and looked back at her toes.
Tevan should have stopped thinking about the urchin and, more importantly, Pliya. He'd barely acknowledged the girl as he'd deposited her roommate on the appropriate bed. Now, the two girls were all he could think about. He knew he should have been smarter but he was transfixed with the idea that maybe, just maybe, he'd found a way out of his destiny.
Title: Party On
Prompt: Gossamer
Word Count: 880
Rating: PG
Original/Fandom: Original - Streetlight People
Pairings (if any) none
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/RPF etc): none
Summary: This is actually set previous to anything written so far. Cyril Ann stakes out her territory and runs into a bit of resistance.
Cyril Ann tugged at the wrap around her shoulders, nearly growling out loud as the gossamer fabric caught on one of her earrings, nearly pulling it out of her ear. She took a minute she didn't have trying to rearrange her face back into the composed disguise she was having trouble wearing. The next few hours were going to be very touch and go, seeing as how she wasn't sure of her welcome. Nothing was for sure these days. Not with this group.
"Darling," she called out after taking the last deep breath she was sure to breath until she left. When she reached the first of the small groups, she gave each girl there a kiss on the cheek and a personal comment on their choice of outfit. Not too formal but not so familiar that one of them might think she was trying too hard to be friendly. Her ruse dictated that she blend in and no one was friendly here. Not unless they were trying to attempt a coupe. The last coupe had been overthrown in three days, leaving the structure of the group nearly the same as it was before with one tiny change. Lady Cyril Ann Bray had made quite a move up without even trying. It had all been unintentional but she knew better than to look past such an opportunity.
When she finally made her way to the other side of the room, her smile was wider than it had been and her eyes were more composed and calm than they had been before. Those girls were only the practice for the real thing. This was the real power here.
"Simone. So wonderful to see you here today. I've missed you the last few events." Cold gray eyes met even colder blue eyes. Cyril Ann was quite certain that the other girl did something to make her eyes appear more blue than they really were but she wasn't about to get caught up on cosmetics. There was nothing that said the girls couldn't try to out-do each other's looks. Not that Simone had much of an advantage. It wasn't her looks that had gotten her into the position she held. No, it was her father's money. And the possibility that she would get every penny of it after his death. Not because she was an only child but because she didn't appear to love the rest of her siblings and would have seen them all turned out without a chit, if the rumor mill was to be believed.
Next, Cyril Ann turned to the second most powerful woman present. Her red hair was curled and piled high on her head so that it looked like her thin neck might snap in two at any minute. "Greta. Lovely to see you, my dear. How is your mother?"
"As well as can be expected. Thank you." The nasal whine was verbal grating across Cyril Ann's ears. It was all she could do not to flinch as the girl continued with a story about her mother's newest ailment. It was possible that Madam Ollick was the sickest woman on the planet, even though she'd never suffered from the same sickness twice.
As the recitation continued for several minutes, Cyril Ann had time to make sure that her intel on the number one spot was still viable. Pliya Gustav smiled at Greta as if she cared that the woman was close to death yet again. And not in a spiteful way. She looked like she might genuinely care about the woman. While it might have been a cover, it was too seamless to be an act. She never stopped being exactly what she was. Everyone loved her and, conversely, everyone hated her for it. She held the power because no one could take it from her. No one could take it from her because she didn't hold onto it in the first place.
And her father would have killed anyone that tried to hurt his daughter. That was how the last coupe had been taken care of. Even when it was impossible to see a guard, there was always one nearby.
"Cyril Ann, have you met my new roommate? Kilce, this is Lady Cyril Ann Bray. Cyril Ann, this is Kilce."
"Quite a mouthful," the pink-haired girl said in way of greeting. She extended her hand before realizing her mistake and offering her cheek.
As Cyril Ann leaned in, she could smell the subtle stink of humanity on the girl. In a different world, she might have taken her aside and given her some tips on how to get rid of it. Instead, she smiled her fake smile as she pulled away. "It's wonderful to meet you. Any friend of Pliya's is a friend of mine."
The girl narrowed her eyes as she answered, "I'm sure."
If she didn't know any better, Cyril Ann might have thought Pliya had acquired a guard dog but that was silly. No newcomer had any hope of understanding the intricacies of the Tea Society. It had taken Cyril Ann a lifetime to get to where she was. No pink-haired girl smelling of the streets was going to best her. But she might be able to use her. Of that, Cyril Ann was sure.
This entry was cross posted at dreamwidth - where the cool kids hang out.