Meteora
Title: Caught in the Act
Word Count: 301
Author's Note: It was always established in the Meteora timelines (all... three of them) that Taesa and Azazel had known each other since pre-canon, and for some reason I never tackled it in any of the stories save for the occasional flashback.
"It's awfully cute that no matter where I end up, you're always there," she said to the shadows as she crouched to roll the body onto its back. There was no immediate answer, though her ears registered the faintest hint of movement. "You think I don't hear you back there?" she asked, glancing into the alcove. Again, no answer, but this time there was the click of metal on metal and a flame flared to life in the darkness. She caught a glimpse of a face for a moment before the light was gone, leaving the cherry-glow of a cigarette in its place.
"You talk an awful lot," he said quietly.
"Just making conversation." She dug in the pockets of the corpse's jacket and removed the wallet, keys, and tiny palmtop she found there. "I figured you wanted something if you were following me."
Silence. She pursed her lips and fixed her eyes on the red glow, sniffing when she caught of a whiff of the acrid smoke.
"You one of Gabriel's boys?" she asked.
"No."
"You work for Kraven?"
"No."
"Then who the hell are you?"
He chuckled, a low noise that was more an amused growl, and without warning emerged from the shadows with his hands in his pockets, heading toward the street. He turned back only once, briefly, and tossed a piece of metal at her - she snatched it from the air and stared at it, the silver coin in the center of her palm, the foreign characters etched around the edge.
"Was told to give that to you," he said. The streetlight behind him cast an odd glow across his mop of platinum hair and the stark white fur of the thick tail that curled against the backs of his legs. "Guess I'll see you around."
Title: Sanctuary
Song Used: Sarah Brightman, "Eden"
Word Count: 168
Rating: G
Summary: It's quiet in the desert.
Two wars and an encroaching desert hadn't been kind to the church - one wall was almost entirely blasted away, causing the steepled roof to sag dangerously and the remaining stained glass windows to stretch and fall away from their frames. Sand filled the aisles and pews, the wood scorched and abraded from the wind, and the massive crucifix that had once hung over the altar had toppled to the ground, one arm splitting away from the structure so that it lay palm up as if begging for assistance.
If nothing else, the half-collapsed building offered a brief repreive from the heat and a chance to rest his eyes from the glare - it had been weeks since he'd seen proper daylight and his vision was not adjusting without complaint. Trudging through the inches of sand that had accumulated, he took a seat on one of the front pews and stared at the fallen Savior, his hands clasped in his lap.
"Hey there," he said quietly. "Been a while."
Word Count: 301
Author's Note: It was always established in the Meteora timelines (all... three of them) that Taesa and Azazel had known each other since pre-canon, and for some reason I never tackled it in any of the stories save for the occasional flashback.
"It's awfully cute that no matter where I end up, you're always there," she said to the shadows as she crouched to roll the body onto its back. There was no immediate answer, though her ears registered the faintest hint of movement. "You think I don't hear you back there?" she asked, glancing into the alcove. Again, no answer, but this time there was the click of metal on metal and a flame flared to life in the darkness. She caught a glimpse of a face for a moment before the light was gone, leaving the cherry-glow of a cigarette in its place.
"You talk an awful lot," he said quietly.
"Just making conversation." She dug in the pockets of the corpse's jacket and removed the wallet, keys, and tiny palmtop she found there. "I figured you wanted something if you were following me."
Silence. She pursed her lips and fixed her eyes on the red glow, sniffing when she caught of a whiff of the acrid smoke.
"You one of Gabriel's boys?" she asked.
"No."
"You work for Kraven?"
"No."
"Then who the hell are you?"
He chuckled, a low noise that was more an amused growl, and without warning emerged from the shadows with his hands in his pockets, heading toward the street. He turned back only once, briefly, and tossed a piece of metal at her - she snatched it from the air and stared at it, the silver coin in the center of her palm, the foreign characters etched around the edge.
"Was told to give that to you," he said. The streetlight behind him cast an odd glow across his mop of platinum hair and the stark white fur of the thick tail that curled against the backs of his legs. "Guess I'll see you around."
Title: Sanctuary
Song Used: Sarah Brightman, "Eden"
Word Count: 168
Rating: G
Summary: It's quiet in the desert.
Two wars and an encroaching desert hadn't been kind to the church - one wall was almost entirely blasted away, causing the steepled roof to sag dangerously and the remaining stained glass windows to stretch and fall away from their frames. Sand filled the aisles and pews, the wood scorched and abraded from the wind, and the massive crucifix that had once hung over the altar had toppled to the ground, one arm splitting away from the structure so that it lay palm up as if begging for assistance.
If nothing else, the half-collapsed building offered a brief repreive from the heat and a chance to rest his eyes from the glare - it had been weeks since he'd seen proper daylight and his vision was not adjusting without complaint. Trudging through the inches of sand that had accumulated, he took a seat on one of the front pews and stared at the fallen Savior, his hands clasped in his lap.
"Hey there," he said quietly. "Been a while."