Archive | November 2011

Mother Knows… a story of Rin & Girey, for the Giraffe Call @inventrix

Nov13

For kelkyag‘s prompt.

This is in the Reiassan Setting, which has a landing page here (and on LJ). It comes after everything else I’ve written in timeline for Rin & Girey.

Short version of the story – Rin has been at war, acting as a healer in the Callanthe army. The Callanthe beat the Bitrani (this time), and she took as a prisoner of war the Bitrani noble Girey. Hijinks ensue.

Rin’s father had pulled Girey out of the room the minute they’d arrived, with something that sounded like “I want to ask you about this ancient Bitrani artifact.” It had left Rin and her mother alone, sipping tea and staring out her parents’ large picture window at the city below.

“What was it like?” Watching her mother’s face, Rin was reminded that the older Princess had never left Lannamer, much less gone to war. She’d come of age in a rare time of peace and been married before battle was declared again, busy producing heirs for the throne.

“It was… dirty,” she offered. “Busy, dangerous, sometimes too cold and sometimes too hot. But mostly it was dirty.” She wondered if she was trying to make it sound more unpleasant than it had been for her mother’s benefit.

“But you stayed long past your first tour of duty.”

“They needed me. They needed healers, and I’m a very good healer.”

“You could have led them.”

“I could have, but there were other people suited to leadership. There weren’t that many suited to healing.”

“And what are you going to do now?”

Rin plucked at her formal qitari. “I’m going to attend Elin’s wedding, and smile, and wish her well.”

“That will do for the next three days. Are you going to rejoin the army?”

“I thought about it,” she admitted. “But…”

Her mother smiled at her. “I know that expression. Forgive a mother meddling, dear, but I have some suggestions for you.”

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/173935.html. You can comment here or there.

Uh-Oh… A story of #Addergoole, for the Giraffe Call

Nov13

For cluudle‘s prompt.

Wren is a character in Addergoole, a Fourth Cohort student who, last year, was Kept by Phelen, also a Fourth Cohort student. They have a small story, “Poaching,” in Other Sides, the weblit anthology.

For more on Wren and Ray’s father before their birth, see Too Human

Addergoole Year 5, not at Addergoole
Life wasn’t as fun since Wren had gone away to school.

Raylan wandered around the neighborhood, watching the leaves fall, mumbling incoherently to himself. A reputation for being just as crazy as his sister had kept the bullies off of him, even if, unlike her, he had to fake it.

He wondered if she’d come home for the holidays this year. She hadn’t, last year, and Dad had made a couple closed-door phone calls and come back to say, seeming content, “your sister is very involved with her new boyfriend. I’m sure she’ll snap out of it eventually.”

“Eventually” had been the last week of summer break, with a small baby in tow she didn’t want to talk about – and Wren who was self-possessed, sad, but comfortable in her skin in a way she hadn’t been before she left school. Ray wasn’t sure what he thought of all that, either, but Raven was pretty adorable for a nephew. If he had to have a nephew when he was fifteen, and all.

And Dad thought it was fine. Ray stomped around another block, trying to figure out what was going on with Dad. And with everything. No boarding school for Ray, though Dad was pushing him to pick a good college. No worries about Wren’s pregnancy, or the new boyfriend her letters went on and on about. No worries as to how Raven’s unnamed father was going to help Ray’s sister raise a kid, or how Wren was going to juggle the kid and college. No worries…

“…Well, hello, aren’t you handsome?”

That was not what he’d expected to hear, eight blocks from home at the edge of the suburbs. Ray looked up, then up some more, to find a very, very pretty woman who looked very, very dangerous looking down at him. She tch’d and brushed her hand over his chin. “No stubble yet, not even all the way ripe. But handsome.”

He found his voice. “…Excuse me?”

“No excuses needed. You’re not the one I was looking for, but you look good enough to do as a bonus. Come with me.”

“Um… no?” he backed up quickly. “No, thanks, ma’am.”

“So sweet,” she chuckled. “But you’re coming with me.” She reached out her hand, and he found that he was floating a few inches off the ground, floating towards her.

“Hey!”

“None of that,” she smiled. “Stay quiet, and this won’t hurt much.”

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/173366.html. You can comment here or there.

Thicker Than… A story of Stranded World, for the Giraffe Call

Nov13

For rix_scaedu‘s prompt, combined with ankewehner‘s prompt

This is in the Stranded World Setting, which has a landing page here (and on LJ).

Mellie’s roommate was fighting with her mother again. They could hear it from the other side of the room, easily, so the three of them had headed into the hallway.

“I’d say it gets worse around the holidays,” Mellie murmured, “but it’s hard to tell. I’d need a decibel meter to get an accurate read.”

“That’s…. pretty awful,” Bishop frowned. “How long has it been going on?”

“As far as I can tell, since the first week of school. I’m not sure what’s going on, exactly, but it seems like her mom has a new complaint every week.”

“Damn.” Bishop shook his head. “My roommate fights with his folks, too, but it’s not that bad.”

Summer pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I have an idea.”

“You always have ideas.”

“Callie’s a nice girl. And Jacob has been really patient with us all year long. I know we’re going to Melinda’s family’s house for Christmas – but the rest of the vacation. Let’s make a holiday here for them. Jacob and Callie, my roommate doesn’t really like me, but I know Basil’s having a hard time, and the Californian twins.”

“What about their families?” Melinda offered cautiously. “Won’t they be mad they’re not coming home? Family’s important.”

“Blood’s thicker than water, etc,” Bishop murmured.

“Well, they can be mad all they want. What it comes down to is that we like these people, we’re nice to them, and they like us, or at least they’re nice to us. Let’s give them a family dinner the way we know it ought to be.”

Bishop nodded, slowly, Melinda echoed it. “We can do that.”

“Yeah. The dorm kitchens should be pretty empty. We can make this work.”

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/173138.html. You can comment here or there.

Morning!

Nov13

It’s morning, and before I start mudding, sanding, priming, and all that fun stuff, I’ll spend a couple minutes on the Giraffe Call.

The call is still open:
On LJ – http://aldersprig.livejournal.com/316593.html
and on DW – http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/170868.html

The incentive linkback story continues here – http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/171652.html and on LJ – http://aldersprig.livejournal.com/317185.html

I received a mystery donation, not from the Giraffe Button, not sure if it was an Addergoole donation or a Giraffe donation. If that was you, please let me know. 🙂

That donation aside, we’re at $25 right now.


$10 to go to get to the first incentive level!

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/172835.html. You can comment here or there.

The family kudzu – The Aunt Family – for the Giraffe Call

Nov12

For the_vulture‘s prompt.

This is in the Aunt Family setting, which has a landing page now here (and on LJ).

I imagine the speaker to be one of Evangaline’s nieces or cousins.

“Your family is insane.”

“My family is prolific. My family is also insane, but the problem you’re dealing with right now is an entirely separate one.”

“What is this thing?”

“Cheat sheet. It’s not going to help, in the long run, but at least you’ll have some idea what you’re getting into.”

“How do you keep track of all this?”

“I really don’t. I remember a couple salient points – Anshabet, there, just had a baby, so that’s important to remember – and my mother keeps me up to date on those sorts of things, but mostly I just smile and nod and listen to the ‘eee you’ve gotten so big.'”

“You have… four aunts and three uncles.”

“No. My mother has four sisters and three brothers. They’re all married, so double those numbers. And then there’s their kids, and my mom’s the youngest, so some of those kids are old enough to be my aunts and uncles themselves. Add in my mother’s mother’s family, that’s another six aunts, two uncles, then the ones married in, and then there’s my grandmother’s family.”

“Okay, you said prolific. I didn’t think you meant…”

“That’s why there’s the chart.”

“What do you do when you forget a name?”

“Smile and hope to death they’re going deaf and didn’t hear me mess it up?”

“And you’re going to introduce me to all of them.”

“That’s why the chart, yes.”

“Is it too late to elope?”

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/172604.html. You can comment here or there.

Talking it to death – Unicorn/Factory setting, for the Giraffe Call

Nov12

For YsabetWordsmith‘s prompt.

This is in the Unicorn/Factory setting, which has a landing page now here (and on LJ)

“You’re not old enough,” her father protested weakly. They all knew it wasn’t true. They all knew it didn’t matter if it was true.

“You’re not well enough,” her mother protested, more strongly. They all knew that, too, was not true enough to matter.

“It should be me,” her brother muttered softly. “Tisa, it’s not safe.”

“It’s never safe, Farold. It’s never safe for any of us.”

She slapped her hand over her mouth the moment the words were out, but it was too late. All of them – her parents, her older brother, her younger sisters, her maiden aunt, especially her maiden aunt – reeled as if she’d hit them.

She supposed she had, in a way. She only had to bear it, and die, or not. They had to live with sending her, and live with whether or not she came back. Watching her friends’ families, she wasn’t sure, truly, which was worse. Watching her friends who had come back, she wasn’t sure which she wanted.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and hugged them all, first Farold, who was the most stung, Farold who had always protected her from everything, then her parents, and then, and perhaps most importantly, Aunt Eunice, who had come back… who had, at least, come back in body. “I’m sorry, all of you,” she said, more loudly this time, as she hugged her little sisters. “I’m just scared.”

“We’re scared, too,” her mother admitted. “We’re frightened for you, Tisa.”

“I know.” She rubbed her wrists under the tooo-short sleeves of the ritual robe. “But there’s no use in it. I’m scared, you’re scared, we’re all scared and angry. And…”

“And there’s nothing we can do but talk,” her father agreed. “So let us talk.”

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/172044.html. You can comment here or there.

Revelations

Nov12

For natalief‘s prompt.

After Generations, and on LJ, written for this Call as well.

Chandra had never been quite certain about her grandmother’s misapprehensions about her mother, but she had been content to leave things as they were, for fear of rocking a boat that had been sailing uncomfortably for longer than she’d been alive.

It wasn’t until her daughter [daughter] was ready to go to Addergoole, along with her half-brother and her uncle, and her mother was back home, disconsolate and miserable after another relationship had gone to hell, that Chandra decided she needed to intervene. For one, she’d realized that her mother and grandmother’s relationship was barely older than her. For another, now in her thirties, the under-two-decades between her and Megan didn’t seem like such a wide gap.

She cornered Grandma Shira first, while Mom was out in the Village shopping, uselessly.

“We need to talk about Mom.”

“She’ll be done flighting around in a week or two and settle down, once Marco is in school,” Shira answered her tiredly, “and we can get back to life as usual.” She set her head against the window tiredly. “My other kids turned out all right.”

Chandra sighed. “Your other kids weren’t abused, Grandma. I did okay in Addergoole, and Carrig had me watching out for him, and our kids will have each other. But nobody knew about any of this back then, did they?”

“Megan never said anything…” Shira murmured.

“You know better. They still call your cy’ree the support group. You know why Kept who aren’t happy don’t say anything,” Chandra pressed. It wasn’t the same reason she hadn’t said anything when mom had gotten out of line, but it had its similarities.

Something in her voice had gotten her grandmother’s attention. “There’s something you’re not saying, isn’t there? Something else. Not just Shadrach the monster, may he rot.”

“Not just my father, no.” She emphasized “my,” and watched her grandmother’s eyes narrow in understanding.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/171953.html. You can comment here or there.

Generations

Nov12

For ankewehner‘s prompt.

Shira Pelletier is a professor in Addergoole, whose youngest daughter Megan (a 1st Cohort student, and thus no longer in school in Year Five, when the story starts) is a constant disappointment and frustration to her. Chandra and Carrig are Megan’s children.

For more on these characters during Year Five, see Motherhood

Addergoole, Year 21
Shira had had one year of quiet, true quiet, in her house.

Megan came and went, flitting back and forth to her mother’s house when the latest job or boyfriend or get-rich-quick scheme failed, when her father got sick of her, or when she just wanted to hide and cry. Her children stayed with Shira, growing up into, she hoped, decent human beings despite their mother’s choice in fathers for them.

Chandra was seventeen when she “left” for Addergoole, moving out of her grandmother’s house and into the school next door; when her brother left two years later, he was sixteen. Shira’s granddaughter, who had learned to be responsible very early, struggling against Megan’s flightiness, managed to stay childless for those two years, and Shira, for the first time, had spent some private time getting to know her quiet, introverted grandson.

As much as she’d enjoyed that, she’d reveled in the quiet. Megan had moved into her house like a whirlwind after school, her two young children and all her trains of drama in tow; for sixteen years, Shira had worked her life around the stranger she’d given birth two and her children. She couldn’t help but celebrate the peace and quiet.

She held parties. She invited over new lovers and old, including a couple former students who, now in their thirties, were reasonably safe lovers for her (she wasn’t VanderLinden, to sleep with children. She’d never stoop to that. Thirty, thirty-three, that was a different matter, never mind when they were younger than her daughter). She’d managed to get pregnant, again, something she’d been fairly certain she’d never do.

She was staring at the stick (try technology first, then ask Caitrin. No need to alarm the nice Doctor if it was nothing but a mood swing out of nowhere) when her youngest daughter pounded on the door, a tiny son in her arms.

She was balancing her latest grandchild – he had a lovely head of curly black hair and, although Megan was staying mum on the topic of fathers, his name at least wasn’t Shad or Chad or anything like that. Marco she could live with – and talking quietly with Dr. Caitrin when Chandra came home early for their Sunday dinner. She had that pale green-tinged look that Shira recognized from the mirror.

Seven months later, juggling a daughter, a grandson, and a great-granddaughter, Shira decided that peace was overrated. For the first time in her life, she also decided to hire a nanny.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/171497.html. You can comment here or there.

Giraffe Call: running behind on the linkback poll

Nov12

I didn’t get the linkback poll posted last night (I went to bed at 7:30, soo…) so I’m going to hold off posting an incentive story until the polls have a few more respondents.

I currently have one linkback (Anke).

Fae Apoc was, when I checked, winning with 3, with Tir Na Cali following with two

the polls are here:
http://www.livejournal.com/poll/?id=1794414&mode=enter
http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/170628.html

thanks!

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/171054.html. You can comment here or there.