[Wild Roses]
Title: a promise
’Verse/characters: Wild Roses; Arianhrod, Takashi
Prompt: 38B "black and white"
Word Count: 567
Rating: PG
Notes: first war; fifth in a set.
She sent a letter back when she got home.
The roof of the Keep, was all it said, and she sent it back wrapped up in its predecessor, fast as power could make it move.
She was nearly fully packed when she heard him scrape a foot across the threshold of the room. Looked up to see her husband scowling at her, worry beneath the drawn-down brows and twisted mouth.
"Don't come with me," she said, surprising herself a little at the hoarseness of her voice.
"And who will guard your back, my lady?" he replied, too-reasonable, head tilted in curiousity she'd bet wasn't true.
She spoke as softly, but steel creeping into the tone, "My brothers."
He shook his head, eyes glowing gold in reflected mage-light. "You go off to a war wearing black and white, nothing's going to guard your back, Arianhrod."
She blinked--first at him, then down at herself--then at him again. "You--"
"I'm not stupid," he replied, voice impatient, though his tails never even flicked, "even you, lady-mine, can't go walking into a shadow war wearing death and power and expect to avoid every shot someone aims at you just because of the colours you're claiming, let alone anything you're actually doing."
"It's not your war," she told him, flat. "I won't pull you into this, not when I've already lost one."
"She made her choices, just like you did," a single tail flicking as he came closer, tugging her shirt off over her head, barely mindful of his claws. "And you don't even really know any of the players you'll be with or against, after so long."
"Someone killed my daughter," she said, metallic, as he pulled at the ties at her waist and she stepped out of the pool of her clothing, glaring at him nearly-naked. "I want their head on a plate. And no more of my family to die, when I can actually do something about it."
"You married me," he said, pulling off her dark bra, then turning away to flip through half-empty drawers, ignoring her expanse of pale barely-freckled skin. "May I not make my choices in accordance with yours?"
"Not when you showing up with someone else's face might get you killed."
"I can get around--"
"Takashi."
"Yes?" he looked up at her, hands full of something blue.
"Do not come to visit me. Do not ---husband, beloved, I have already lost my daughter to a war no-one's put a name to. I will not lose you or our son, as well. But I cannot keep you safe if you come with me, or after me."
" . . . If you will wear blue, and gray, or brown, if not bronze and gold," he said softly, "you have my word that I will not join your war."
She froze, staring, mouth half-open to continue arguing, and he dropped the something blue over her head, coaxing her hands through the elbow-length sleeves and her braid out and down her back, flipping down the too-long collar, and running a hand down the curve of her body to her hip where the shirt stopped. Reached back up, clipped together the band of the built-in bra through the fabric, his forearms resting gently against the curves of her breasts. He dropped a kiss on the edge of her jaw by her ear before turning away again to her half of the closet.
"... I'll call, if I need you," she said eventually, as he tied a pair of loose gray trousers on her hips, sticking a jade buckle she'd never seen before through the knot.
They both knew she'd never call, not after getting a promise like that out of a Nine, but he nodded anyway. "Call just to say you're still around, lady mine, too."
’Verse/characters: Wild Roses; Arianhrod, Takashi
Prompt: 38B "black and white"
Word Count: 567
Rating: PG
Notes: first war; fifth in a set.
She sent a letter back when she got home.
The roof of the Keep, was all it said, and she sent it back wrapped up in its predecessor, fast as power could make it move.
She was nearly fully packed when she heard him scrape a foot across the threshold of the room. Looked up to see her husband scowling at her, worry beneath the drawn-down brows and twisted mouth.
"Don't come with me," she said, surprising herself a little at the hoarseness of her voice.
"And who will guard your back, my lady?" he replied, too-reasonable, head tilted in curiousity she'd bet wasn't true.
She spoke as softly, but steel creeping into the tone, "My brothers."
He shook his head, eyes glowing gold in reflected mage-light. "You go off to a war wearing black and white, nothing's going to guard your back, Arianhrod."
She blinked--first at him, then down at herself--then at him again. "You--"
"I'm not stupid," he replied, voice impatient, though his tails never even flicked, "even you, lady-mine, can't go walking into a shadow war wearing death and power and expect to avoid every shot someone aims at you just because of the colours you're claiming, let alone anything you're actually doing."
"It's not your war," she told him, flat. "I won't pull you into this, not when I've already lost one."
"She made her choices, just like you did," a single tail flicking as he came closer, tugging her shirt off over her head, barely mindful of his claws. "And you don't even really know any of the players you'll be with or against, after so long."
"Someone killed my daughter," she said, metallic, as he pulled at the ties at her waist and she stepped out of the pool of her clothing, glaring at him nearly-naked. "I want their head on a plate. And no more of my family to die, when I can actually do something about it."
"You married me," he said, pulling off her dark bra, then turning away to flip through half-empty drawers, ignoring her expanse of pale barely-freckled skin. "May I not make my choices in accordance with yours?"
"Not when you showing up with someone else's face might get you killed."
"I can get around--"
"Takashi."
"Yes?" he looked up at her, hands full of something blue.
"Do not come to visit me. Do not ---husband, beloved, I have already lost my daughter to a war no-one's put a name to. I will not lose you or our son, as well. But I cannot keep you safe if you come with me, or after me."
" . . . If you will wear blue, and gray, or brown, if not bronze and gold," he said softly, "you have my word that I will not join your war."
She froze, staring, mouth half-open to continue arguing, and he dropped the something blue over her head, coaxing her hands through the elbow-length sleeves and her braid out and down her back, flipping down the too-long collar, and running a hand down the curve of her body to her hip where the shirt stopped. Reached back up, clipped together the band of the built-in bra through the fabric, his forearms resting gently against the curves of her breasts. He dropped a kiss on the edge of her jaw by her ear before turning away again to her half of the closet.
"... I'll call, if I need you," she said eventually, as he tied a pair of loose gray trousers on her hips, sticking a jade buckle she'd never seen before through the knot.
They both knew she'd never call, not after getting a promise like that out of a Nine, but he nodded anyway. "Call just to say you're still around, lady mine, too."