[Wild Roses]
Title: match
'Verse/characters: Wild Roses; Arianhrod
Prompt: 65B "dress up"
Word Count: 294
One side of the game's won--we have our agreement, signed and witnessed and copied. My father will probably be disappointed I didn't throw our weight around the way I might have, but in his absence, he will have to accept what we make of his responsibilities.
The other side of the game hasn't gone nearly so well. Aside from a haunting, irritating familiarity in the way the other mage plays, I'm no closer to catching them out, and when I leave tomorrow they will have free ground to play with the people here again.
My maids can tell I'm angry, though not why, and my Hand gives me strange looks, because he knows it's not the agreement that's made me this angry. I break a teacup by holding it too tightly while we're starting the process of dressing me for the last celebration before I go home, and it just winds me tighter.
At least tonight I can dress in my own colours, and I choose the single dress that leaves my hands completely free. I don't expect to see my opponent, but I can't make myself act like there's nothing wrong.
I'm greeted as soon as I get near the bottom of the steps, allow my bare hands to be touched and kissed and the colour of my dress admired, as I scan the room, just in case.
There's a stranger standing by the food, one aware enough to look up at me when my eye passes by him.
He smiles at me, and I suddenly spot the grin behind the smile, that damnable gloating smug grin, because that's a fox at the table, dressed up as a human nobleman.
Everything falls into place and I'm moving, as fast as I really can.
'Verse/characters: Wild Roses; Arianhrod
Prompt: 65B "dress up"
Word Count: 294
One side of the game's won--we have our agreement, signed and witnessed and copied. My father will probably be disappointed I didn't throw our weight around the way I might have, but in his absence, he will have to accept what we make of his responsibilities.
The other side of the game hasn't gone nearly so well. Aside from a haunting, irritating familiarity in the way the other mage plays, I'm no closer to catching them out, and when I leave tomorrow they will have free ground to play with the people here again.
My maids can tell I'm angry, though not why, and my Hand gives me strange looks, because he knows it's not the agreement that's made me this angry. I break a teacup by holding it too tightly while we're starting the process of dressing me for the last celebration before I go home, and it just winds me tighter.
At least tonight I can dress in my own colours, and I choose the single dress that leaves my hands completely free. I don't expect to see my opponent, but I can't make myself act like there's nothing wrong.
I'm greeted as soon as I get near the bottom of the steps, allow my bare hands to be touched and kissed and the colour of my dress admired, as I scan the room, just in case.
There's a stranger standing by the food, one aware enough to look up at me when my eye passes by him.
He smiles at me, and I suddenly spot the grin behind the smile, that damnable gloating smug grin, because that's a fox at the table, dressed up as a human nobleman.
Everything falls into place and I'm moving, as fast as I really can.