flavour of the day and rocky road with fresh peaches and pinapple
Story: Timeless { backstory | index }
Title: Delusions
Rating: PG (language)
Challenge: FOTD: ululate, Rocky Road #15: treetops
Toppings/Extras: fresh peaches, fresh pineapple
Wordcount: 736
Summary: Pia Rees shows Lord Ashdown the local park.
Notes: Pia and Ashdown very early on, within days of their meeting I would say. Ululate: To howl, as a dog or a wolf; to wail; as, ululating jackals. Peaches: Lunar opposition tonight stimulate idle fantasy and wishful thinking. Pineapple: “I Believe I Can Fly”-R. Kelly.
Prodding the rubbery grass with the toe of one boot, Lord Ashdown crinkled his brow and looked around the so-called park. To eyes used to the abundance of the colonial Caribbean, the place was desolate. Flowers sprang from the hard ground, unmoving in the breezeless air, and huge trees made of some sort of stony material filled the place. The path, designed to appear meandering and jolly, was white and hard and each wobble in its route clinically planned.
“What is this place?” he asked, aghast. The young woman that had brought him there bounced on her heels a moment, one eyebrow raised.
“It’s a park,” Pia Rees said. “You asked me to bring you somewhere closer to nature.”
“This isn’t nature.”
Shrugging, Pia bounded across the grass and suddenly sprang up in the air-a flying leap that brought her hands in contact with one of the branches of the eerily silent tree just next to the path, leaving her dangling from it. Without further ado, she wrapped her legs around the limb and clung to the bottom like some shocking ginger animal.
“Better than anythin’ I ever had,” she said. “Anyway, you have to pay big money to get into the places with real plants.” She grinned at him and then clambered atop the branch, making the plastic leaves of the so-called tree rattle and tremble. Tatty purple trainers sqeaking against plastic, she grabbed the next branch up and was soon obscured by the thick, permanent leaves.
Pia Rees was exactly the kind of rowdy, uncouth commoner that Lord Ashdown despised as a rule. She was emotional, changeable, sweary and loud. She also seemed to speak solely in blathering nonsenses, greeting him with the likes of “Oi-oi, nunchuks! What’s occurin’?” and “Evenin’, dazzler.”
She made absolutely no sense at the best of times, and these were not the best of times.
His gaze strayed upwards, just about picking her out as she clawed her way along a branch.
“She stalks her prey,” Pia announced-a flash of maliciously grinning teeth was glimpsed through the leaves before she moved past the open spot of false foliage. “Below her, the target is clueless. He hates fun, and always acts like a fuckin’ asshole because he’s stupidly short.”
“I do not hate fun,” he said, looking up at her with a frown. He wasn’t even going to address the rest of her statement.
At his words, Pia nearly fell out of the tree laughing.
“Oh, sure! What’s your idea of fun? Ironin’ your stockings?”
“I have servants to do that for me,” Ashdown said severely. Pia laughed again and then fell silent. Ashdown looked upwards. “I used to climb trees when I was a boy,” he said. “Actually, that’s rather fitting. You’re the most childish-…”
He never finished constructing his doubtlessly barbed remark because at that point, Pia dropped from the branches making a noise that was a cross between a siren and the stereotypical ‘Red Indian’ warcry, and then promptly leapt onto his back, making him stagger helplessly to one side.
“Ugh!” he said; most probably equal parts in surprise and disgust at being so much as touched by vermin like her. “Get off of me! You’re unbearably heavy.”
“No way, man, you’re just unbearably weak,” Pia said cheerfully, unwrapping her arms from around his neck and springing off of him instantly. He levelled a glare at her that would have made most people stagger back with the impact. Pia, however, had thick skin. She just grinned back at him, freckles distorting on her skin. She had a cheeky, boyish face with bold hazel eyes that refused to back down.
“I wish Mr Prowse were around. He would make short work of you,” Ashdown muttered mutinously, beginning to stride away up the path with his nose in the air. Pia careened after him.
“Who’s Mr Prowse?” she asked. “Your boyfriend?”
“No,” Ashdown replied stiffly. “He is my bodyguard, aide and general assistant.”
“Ah, I see. To protect the royal lord of the universe from harm?”
“In short, yes.”
There was a pause. Hands on hips, Pia strode alongside him, looking almost impressed.
“Wow. You really are bonkers, eh?”
“I’m not lying.”
“Ha! I bet this guy doesn’t even exist!”
“He’s on a ship right now.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Killing pirates.”
Pia started giggling uncontrollably.
“Mate,” she said, “whatever it is you’ve been takin’, I want some.”
Title: Delusions
Rating: PG (language)
Challenge: FOTD: ululate, Rocky Road #15: treetops
Toppings/Extras: fresh peaches, fresh pineapple
Wordcount: 736
Summary: Pia Rees shows Lord Ashdown the local park.
Notes: Pia and Ashdown very early on, within days of their meeting I would say. Ululate: To howl, as a dog or a wolf; to wail; as, ululating jackals. Peaches: Lunar opposition tonight stimulate idle fantasy and wishful thinking. Pineapple: “I Believe I Can Fly”-R. Kelly.
Prodding the rubbery grass with the toe of one boot, Lord Ashdown crinkled his brow and looked around the so-called park. To eyes used to the abundance of the colonial Caribbean, the place was desolate. Flowers sprang from the hard ground, unmoving in the breezeless air, and huge trees made of some sort of stony material filled the place. The path, designed to appear meandering and jolly, was white and hard and each wobble in its route clinically planned.
“What is this place?” he asked, aghast. The young woman that had brought him there bounced on her heels a moment, one eyebrow raised.
“It’s a park,” Pia Rees said. “You asked me to bring you somewhere closer to nature.”
“This isn’t nature.”
Shrugging, Pia bounded across the grass and suddenly sprang up in the air-a flying leap that brought her hands in contact with one of the branches of the eerily silent tree just next to the path, leaving her dangling from it. Without further ado, she wrapped her legs around the limb and clung to the bottom like some shocking ginger animal.
“Better than anythin’ I ever had,” she said. “Anyway, you have to pay big money to get into the places with real plants.” She grinned at him and then clambered atop the branch, making the plastic leaves of the so-called tree rattle and tremble. Tatty purple trainers sqeaking against plastic, she grabbed the next branch up and was soon obscured by the thick, permanent leaves.
Pia Rees was exactly the kind of rowdy, uncouth commoner that Lord Ashdown despised as a rule. She was emotional, changeable, sweary and loud. She also seemed to speak solely in blathering nonsenses, greeting him with the likes of “Oi-oi, nunchuks! What’s occurin’?” and “Evenin’, dazzler.”
She made absolutely no sense at the best of times, and these were not the best of times.
His gaze strayed upwards, just about picking her out as she clawed her way along a branch.
“She stalks her prey,” Pia announced-a flash of maliciously grinning teeth was glimpsed through the leaves before she moved past the open spot of false foliage. “Below her, the target is clueless. He hates fun, and always acts like a fuckin’ asshole because he’s stupidly short.”
“I do not hate fun,” he said, looking up at her with a frown. He wasn’t even going to address the rest of her statement.
At his words, Pia nearly fell out of the tree laughing.
“Oh, sure! What’s your idea of fun? Ironin’ your stockings?”
“I have servants to do that for me,” Ashdown said severely. Pia laughed again and then fell silent. Ashdown looked upwards. “I used to climb trees when I was a boy,” he said. “Actually, that’s rather fitting. You’re the most childish-…”
He never finished constructing his doubtlessly barbed remark because at that point, Pia dropped from the branches making a noise that was a cross between a siren and the stereotypical ‘Red Indian’ warcry, and then promptly leapt onto his back, making him stagger helplessly to one side.
“Ugh!” he said; most probably equal parts in surprise and disgust at being so much as touched by vermin like her. “Get off of me! You’re unbearably heavy.”
“No way, man, you’re just unbearably weak,” Pia said cheerfully, unwrapping her arms from around his neck and springing off of him instantly. He levelled a glare at her that would have made most people stagger back with the impact. Pia, however, had thick skin. She just grinned back at him, freckles distorting on her skin. She had a cheeky, boyish face with bold hazel eyes that refused to back down.
“I wish Mr Prowse were around. He would make short work of you,” Ashdown muttered mutinously, beginning to stride away up the path with his nose in the air. Pia careened after him.
“Who’s Mr Prowse?” she asked. “Your boyfriend?”
“No,” Ashdown replied stiffly. “He is my bodyguard, aide and general assistant.”
“Ah, I see. To protect the royal lord of the universe from harm?”
“In short, yes.”
There was a pause. Hands on hips, Pia strode alongside him, looking almost impressed.
“Wow. You really are bonkers, eh?”
“I’m not lying.”
“Ha! I bet this guy doesn’t even exist!”
“He’s on a ship right now.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Killing pirates.”
Pia started giggling uncontrollably.
“Mate,” she said, “whatever it is you’ve been takin’, I want some.”