(no subject)
Flavor of the Day - 3/21/10 - Fatidic
and Elderberry #19. Celestial Prism with Hot Fudge
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1269
Word Count : 710
Word of the Day : fatidic - Of, relating to, or characterized by prophecy; prophetic
So there's probably a MILLION things I could and should do with fotd, but this came to mind first, since I'd already been thinking about it for the Elderberry prompt.
They were running from the rain the first time it showed up. Cloaks pulled up over their heads, boots splashing and sticking in the mud, they were weaving a frantic path through the trees,miles from anywhere and desperately searching for something more substantial overhead than bare branches. And then there it was, squat stone walls and battered old doors, sitting among the trees as if it had been there all along.
Reida came to a halt. Her soggy cloak fell from numb fingers and the rain pelted her hair. “What the-?”
Cloak still tented over his head, Rune looked nervously between her and the newly arrived set of doors. “You saw that?” he said. “I mean, it’s not just me, the thing really does just pop out of nowhere?”
She’d been brushing past him, reaching for the door, only half listening to what he said. One hand on the wood, water rolling over every part of her, she turned to fix the man behind her with a look. “This happens to you a lot, does it?”
“Yes,” said Rune, scurrying to the doors. “Well, often enough. But it’s never done it when there was someone else there to see it.
“Must be my lucky day.” Reida grinned and gave the door a shove.
The inside of the temple was scorched wall to wall and floor to ceiling. She’d never heard anything about that. But the statues were right. Like any temple whose shrines predated the plague, there were figures of fire and water to the left, earth and air to the right, life to the rear, throwing off the balance, her partner removed. The original shrine for the death goddess was no more, as one would expect, but a replacement stood in its place.
Reida stood, mouth open, cloak dripping on the floorboards, staring at the mismatched idol, as Rune slipped in behind her and set to calmly peeling the wet fabric from his own shoulders.
“You’ve been here before?” she said, her eyes never leaving the death goddess’s shrine.
“I already told you, yes.” There was a slap of wet fabric being folded, a loud squelch from his boots as he shifted position. “I even lived here once for awhile.”
Reida spun around to find him casually pulling the sodden boots off his feet. “Do you have any idea what you’ve got here?”
“Well, clearly it’s not just a temple,” he said, laying one boot aside and reaching for the next. “But I’ve never been able to figure-”
“It’s the gateway,” she said. She waited for the revelation to hit him, but he just continued to pick at the laces of his boot. “The gateway, you dolt!” She rapped a finger on the side of his head. “Doesn’t she tell you anything?”
Not waiting for a response from the dumbfounded Rune, she returned her attentions to her suroundings. Not a sigil in sight, just a lot of burnt wood. “Where are the forms? Under the floor?” She lowered herself to her knees and brought an eye to a crack between the charred boards. She dragged a finger around a nail and frowned. “No matter,” she said to herself, pushing back up to her feet. “We’d need the boy first. And a vessel.”
“What are you going on about?”
Reida looked up to find him scratching his neck. “Seriously?” She tapped her own temple this time. “Nothing?”
Rune scowled at her. “Forgive me. She’s not exactly conversational. And nothing I’ve read has ever mentioned-”
Reida snorted. She waved him off. “The noble tripe you people buy into. You’re a god’s champion, right? A hero to save the world from darkness. Is that why you go frying demons? Rescuing the weak?” She shot him a grin as he ground even harder at the back of his neck. “You think this is about you?”
Rune opened his mouth to protest but Reida continued on. “She’s real,” she said, with another tap to her head. “You know she’s real, even if she doesn’t have much to say. Your powers? Nothing next to hers.”
“Well of course she is,” said Rune, still glowering at her. “But this-”
“This,” said Reida, gesturing at the statues around them. “This is where she comes out to play.”
and Elderberry #19. Celestial Prism with Hot Fudge
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1269
Word Count : 710
Word of the Day : fatidic - Of, relating to, or characterized by prophecy; prophetic
So there's probably a MILLION things I could and should do with fotd, but this came to mind first, since I'd already been thinking about it for the Elderberry prompt.
They were running from the rain the first time it showed up. Cloaks pulled up over their heads, boots splashing and sticking in the mud, they were weaving a frantic path through the trees,miles from anywhere and desperately searching for something more substantial overhead than bare branches. And then there it was, squat stone walls and battered old doors, sitting among the trees as if it had been there all along.
Reida came to a halt. Her soggy cloak fell from numb fingers and the rain pelted her hair. “What the-?”
Cloak still tented over his head, Rune looked nervously between her and the newly arrived set of doors. “You saw that?” he said. “I mean, it’s not just me, the thing really does just pop out of nowhere?”
She’d been brushing past him, reaching for the door, only half listening to what he said. One hand on the wood, water rolling over every part of her, she turned to fix the man behind her with a look. “This happens to you a lot, does it?”
“Yes,” said Rune, scurrying to the doors. “Well, often enough. But it’s never done it when there was someone else there to see it.
“Must be my lucky day.” Reida grinned and gave the door a shove.
The inside of the temple was scorched wall to wall and floor to ceiling. She’d never heard anything about that. But the statues were right. Like any temple whose shrines predated the plague, there were figures of fire and water to the left, earth and air to the right, life to the rear, throwing off the balance, her partner removed. The original shrine for the death goddess was no more, as one would expect, but a replacement stood in its place.
Reida stood, mouth open, cloak dripping on the floorboards, staring at the mismatched idol, as Rune slipped in behind her and set to calmly peeling the wet fabric from his own shoulders.
“You’ve been here before?” she said, her eyes never leaving the death goddess’s shrine.
“I already told you, yes.” There was a slap of wet fabric being folded, a loud squelch from his boots as he shifted position. “I even lived here once for awhile.”
Reida spun around to find him casually pulling the sodden boots off his feet. “Do you have any idea what you’ve got here?”
“Well, clearly it’s not just a temple,” he said, laying one boot aside and reaching for the next. “But I’ve never been able to figure-”
“It’s the gateway,” she said. She waited for the revelation to hit him, but he just continued to pick at the laces of his boot. “The gateway, you dolt!” She rapped a finger on the side of his head. “Doesn’t she tell you anything?”
Not waiting for a response from the dumbfounded Rune, she returned her attentions to her suroundings. Not a sigil in sight, just a lot of burnt wood. “Where are the forms? Under the floor?” She lowered herself to her knees and brought an eye to a crack between the charred boards. She dragged a finger around a nail and frowned. “No matter,” she said to herself, pushing back up to her feet. “We’d need the boy first. And a vessel.”
“What are you going on about?”
Reida looked up to find him scratching his neck. “Seriously?” She tapped her own temple this time. “Nothing?”
Rune scowled at her. “Forgive me. She’s not exactly conversational. And nothing I’ve read has ever mentioned-”
Reida snorted. She waved him off. “The noble tripe you people buy into. You’re a god’s champion, right? A hero to save the world from darkness. Is that why you go frying demons? Rescuing the weak?” She shot him a grin as he ground even harder at the back of his neck. “You think this is about you?”
Rune opened his mouth to protest but Reida continued on. “She’s real,” she said, with another tap to her head. “You know she’s real, even if she doesn’t have much to say. Your powers? Nothing next to hers.”
“Well of course she is,” said Rune, still glowering at her. “But this-”
“This,” said Reida, gesturing at the statues around them. “This is where she comes out to play.”