and find Tuesday on the compass rose (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
averydifferentsort) wrote2012-02-26 06:48 pm
averydifferentsort) wrote2012-02-26 06:48 pm
Entry tags:
We Can Offer You the Chance
Title: We Can Offer You the Chance
Rating: PG-13 (on principle, I think)
Characters: Tuesday, Reina
Word Count: 1516
Summary: A girl walks into the Fox Witch's court...
Notes: Written for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
origfic_bingo, prompt: promises made
The girl who walked into the Fox Witch’s court was not the sort that anyone expected to see there. Reina (for that was the Fox Witch’s name, though it was not used in her court) couldn’t help but watch her with an amused little smirk - not precisely a nice expression, but enough that her court took her lead and didn’t immediately set in to her.
The girl was human, that much Reina could tell for certain, not particularly smart and not particularly pretty, but full of a fierce determination that kept her from running or shying away from eye contact. She kept her chin stubbornly up, her plain brown eyes meeting anyone who cared to lock eyes with her not fearlessly but close. She was something special, that was certain.
One of the older members of the court stepped up to the girl, his badger-blood obvious in the stoutness and fierceness of him, not to mention the ears twitching forward to focus all of his attention fully on her. Cale had cowed many a brave interloper into fleeing without making their request of her, as was his duty. Reina watched the silent exchange from the corner of her eye, not betraying too much interest, lest her rivals decide to take the poor thing out in retaliation before she even got a chance to speak to her. The girl was taller than Cale, too tall for her long limbs to be anything but “lanky” rather than “lithe”, and her body language just screamed that she’d rather be running far far away from this place. She trembled a bit, clenched her fists, her breathing came in short shaky gasps. And she did not move an inch.
After a few moments, Reina nodded, and a murmur passed through the court, enough to signal Cale that the girl had passed his test. An ear twitch was the only indication that he was stepping aside for any reason other than his own, clearing the path from where the girl stood to the table where the Fox Witch held court. She looked lost, poor little lamb in the wolves’ den, and walked forward slowly and uncertainly.
“Um,” she started as she reached where Reina sat, and the Fox-blooded held out a hand to silence her. Wisely, the girl complied, though a flash of irritation flickered in her eyes.
Reina always liked the ones that had spirit.
“It’s been some time since a human entered the Fox Witch’s court,” Reina said, her voice soft and only slightly threatening. There was a murmur of agreement from the room. “And even longer since one left intact,” she added with a predatory grin. “What brings you to my den, little lamb?”
“I...” The girl trailed off and swallowed hard. Oh, she wasn’t just nervous or intimidated, she was terrified, Reina could practically taste the fear rolling off her. That meant she’d heard the right stories, and believed them. Even rarer than an idiot who thought she would grant wishes like a genie were those who came knowing full well that their life could be forfeit if she didn’t like them or their request, and came anyway. They tended to be the ones who made it out alive. “I came to ask for a favor,” the girl said finally. She attempted to meet Reina’s eyes before clearly remembering herself and looking submissively to the floor, though her chin still stayed up.
“A favor,” Reina repeated, rolling the word over her tongue like honey. “You should know better, lamb. The Fox Witch doesn’t do favors for nothing. That would put you in my debt, yes, but you humans have such an inconvenient tendency to die before I’m ready to collect. No, little one, no favors. Take your request to one who is content to collect within your short mortal lifetime.” She turned away, pointedly.
“A deal, then,” the girl said quickly, without hesitation. Reina turned back, one eyebrow raised in surprise. To make a deal with anyone not mortal was likely to end with the human getting the short end of the stick, unless a particularly intelligent human or particularly stupid immortal was involved.
“Well, then,” Reina conceded with a smile. “That’s a different matter. Pray tell, my brave little lamb, what deal you would make with me?”
“A... There’s a certain being that... Hurt someone I care about,” she said haltingly. It was clearly more than that, but if the girl didn’t want to clarify just yet, well, Reina wasn’t going to press. Yet.
“And you want me to curse him, perhaps?” Reina asked. “Or to undo what was done to your... friend?” She placed a delicious emphasis on the last word, eliciting laughter from the court and a bright blush from the human child.
“No,” she said. “I want to be able to punish him myself. But I don’t know how to do that, and I don’t know how to find him, and I don’t know how to keep myself alive even if I did know the other two things. So that’s, um. That’s why I need you.” She let out a deep breath and bit her lip, already starting to cringe as if bracing herself for rejection
“Hmm,” Reina mused, tracing lazy circles on the tabletop with the tip of her finger. “I suppose that would depend on who this being is,” she said after a moment’s thought. “No need to say it out loud, just come whisper it in my ear, little one.”
The girl licked her lips and nodded, stepping forward after a moment to lean in and whisper a name in Reina’s ear, almost inaudible even then, a hand cupped over her mouth like a little child. Reina’s eyes widened when she heard the name, and then she smiled wickedly as the girl stepped back.
“Oh, little kit,” Reina all but purred. “I can give you what you need, but it will cost you dearly. To give that much to you, I will need something dear to you in return.”
The girl nodded uncertainly. “Y-yes. I know. What… what is it you want?”
“Right to the point. Admirable quality, if less entertaining than others.” Reina pursed her lips for a moment and then smiled widely, her canines glinting in the firelight. “You wish to recover her essence so she will recover from this sleep, yes?” The girl nodded earnestly. “To do this, you’ll need to be safe from the worst of his power. And that is only possible if you sacrifice your humanity.” The girl frowned deeply, clearly not following. Reina breathed a sharp sigh. “You will become one of my court. Abandon your humanity and mortality, gain all the benefits of being one of mine… as well as the drawbacks.” Reina gave the girl a pointed look, and dismay filled the girl’s eyes as she realised what was being said.
“I… You mean I won’t be able to go back home, don’t you,” she whispered hoarsely. There were a few laughs here and there from the court, which Reina quieted with a wave of her hand, finally catching the girl’s eyes and holding the contact.
“I mean that by sacrificing your humanity, who you are now will cease to exist, and cease to have existed. They will forget you, kit, utterly and completely.”
The girl didn’t break eye contact, her jaw clenching as she considered this. “What do you get out of it?”
“Another member for my court,” Reina said. “And the sacrifice of your humanity. It’s a surprisingly potent offering that will grant me more power for a good while. It tastes like plump chickens stolen from the henhouse.” She licked her lips a little and sat back, spreading her hands. “That is my deal to you. You will not be required to stay here in my court, but you will answer to me and will obey any summons or decrees I may send you. And, to be kind, your humanity will not be taken all at once. I hear the process is painful beyond belief. I will give you the knowledge you need to track him, and you will have six months before your humanity and all memory of you as you are now is gone.”
“Six months,” the girl echoed, looking away from Reina and thinking hard. Reina could see her calculating in her head, wondering if she could finish her quest before the six months was up, and have those last few weeks or days or hours with her loved ones. Reina thought it unlikely, but she was not cruel. Six months was generous, for the deal she was making, but something about the girl made her feel like being generous. Or perhaps it was that the wind was from the northwest today.
“Well?” she asked after a moment. The girl lifted her chin and met Reina’s eyes again.
“Okay,” she said, her voice not quavering the slightest bit. “You have a deal.”
Reina smiled. “Excellent.”
Rating: PG-13 (on principle, I think)
Characters: Tuesday, Reina
Word Count: 1516
Summary: A girl walks into the Fox Witch's court...
Notes: Written for
origfic_bingo, prompt: promises madeThe girl who walked into the Fox Witch’s court was not the sort that anyone expected to see there. Reina (for that was the Fox Witch’s name, though it was not used in her court) couldn’t help but watch her with an amused little smirk - not precisely a nice expression, but enough that her court took her lead and didn’t immediately set in to her.
The girl was human, that much Reina could tell for certain, not particularly smart and not particularly pretty, but full of a fierce determination that kept her from running or shying away from eye contact. She kept her chin stubbornly up, her plain brown eyes meeting anyone who cared to lock eyes with her not fearlessly but close. She was something special, that was certain.
One of the older members of the court stepped up to the girl, his badger-blood obvious in the stoutness and fierceness of him, not to mention the ears twitching forward to focus all of his attention fully on her. Cale had cowed many a brave interloper into fleeing without making their request of her, as was his duty. Reina watched the silent exchange from the corner of her eye, not betraying too much interest, lest her rivals decide to take the poor thing out in retaliation before she even got a chance to speak to her. The girl was taller than Cale, too tall for her long limbs to be anything but “lanky” rather than “lithe”, and her body language just screamed that she’d rather be running far far away from this place. She trembled a bit, clenched her fists, her breathing came in short shaky gasps. And she did not move an inch.
After a few moments, Reina nodded, and a murmur passed through the court, enough to signal Cale that the girl had passed his test. An ear twitch was the only indication that he was stepping aside for any reason other than his own, clearing the path from where the girl stood to the table where the Fox Witch held court. She looked lost, poor little lamb in the wolves’ den, and walked forward slowly and uncertainly.
“Um,” she started as she reached where Reina sat, and the Fox-blooded held out a hand to silence her. Wisely, the girl complied, though a flash of irritation flickered in her eyes.
Reina always liked the ones that had spirit.
“It’s been some time since a human entered the Fox Witch’s court,” Reina said, her voice soft and only slightly threatening. There was a murmur of agreement from the room. “And even longer since one left intact,” she added with a predatory grin. “What brings you to my den, little lamb?”
“I...” The girl trailed off and swallowed hard. Oh, she wasn’t just nervous or intimidated, she was terrified, Reina could practically taste the fear rolling off her. That meant she’d heard the right stories, and believed them. Even rarer than an idiot who thought she would grant wishes like a genie were those who came knowing full well that their life could be forfeit if she didn’t like them or their request, and came anyway. They tended to be the ones who made it out alive. “I came to ask for a favor,” the girl said finally. She attempted to meet Reina’s eyes before clearly remembering herself and looking submissively to the floor, though her chin still stayed up.
“A favor,” Reina repeated, rolling the word over her tongue like honey. “You should know better, lamb. The Fox Witch doesn’t do favors for nothing. That would put you in my debt, yes, but you humans have such an inconvenient tendency to die before I’m ready to collect. No, little one, no favors. Take your request to one who is content to collect within your short mortal lifetime.” She turned away, pointedly.
“A deal, then,” the girl said quickly, without hesitation. Reina turned back, one eyebrow raised in surprise. To make a deal with anyone not mortal was likely to end with the human getting the short end of the stick, unless a particularly intelligent human or particularly stupid immortal was involved.
“Well, then,” Reina conceded with a smile. “That’s a different matter. Pray tell, my brave little lamb, what deal you would make with me?”
“A... There’s a certain being that... Hurt someone I care about,” she said haltingly. It was clearly more than that, but if the girl didn’t want to clarify just yet, well, Reina wasn’t going to press. Yet.
“And you want me to curse him, perhaps?” Reina asked. “Or to undo what was done to your... friend?” She placed a delicious emphasis on the last word, eliciting laughter from the court and a bright blush from the human child.
“No,” she said. “I want to be able to punish him myself. But I don’t know how to do that, and I don’t know how to find him, and I don’t know how to keep myself alive even if I did know the other two things. So that’s, um. That’s why I need you.” She let out a deep breath and bit her lip, already starting to cringe as if bracing herself for rejection
“Hmm,” Reina mused, tracing lazy circles on the tabletop with the tip of her finger. “I suppose that would depend on who this being is,” she said after a moment’s thought. “No need to say it out loud, just come whisper it in my ear, little one.”
The girl licked her lips and nodded, stepping forward after a moment to lean in and whisper a name in Reina’s ear, almost inaudible even then, a hand cupped over her mouth like a little child. Reina’s eyes widened when she heard the name, and then she smiled wickedly as the girl stepped back.
“Oh, little kit,” Reina all but purred. “I can give you what you need, but it will cost you dearly. To give that much to you, I will need something dear to you in return.”
The girl nodded uncertainly. “Y-yes. I know. What… what is it you want?”
“Right to the point. Admirable quality, if less entertaining than others.” Reina pursed her lips for a moment and then smiled widely, her canines glinting in the firelight. “You wish to recover her essence so she will recover from this sleep, yes?” The girl nodded earnestly. “To do this, you’ll need to be safe from the worst of his power. And that is only possible if you sacrifice your humanity.” The girl frowned deeply, clearly not following. Reina breathed a sharp sigh. “You will become one of my court. Abandon your humanity and mortality, gain all the benefits of being one of mine… as well as the drawbacks.” Reina gave the girl a pointed look, and dismay filled the girl’s eyes as she realised what was being said.
“I… You mean I won’t be able to go back home, don’t you,” she whispered hoarsely. There were a few laughs here and there from the court, which Reina quieted with a wave of her hand, finally catching the girl’s eyes and holding the contact.
“I mean that by sacrificing your humanity, who you are now will cease to exist, and cease to have existed. They will forget you, kit, utterly and completely.”
The girl didn’t break eye contact, her jaw clenching as she considered this. “What do you get out of it?”
“Another member for my court,” Reina said. “And the sacrifice of your humanity. It’s a surprisingly potent offering that will grant me more power for a good while. It tastes like plump chickens stolen from the henhouse.” She licked her lips a little and sat back, spreading her hands. “That is my deal to you. You will not be required to stay here in my court, but you will answer to me and will obey any summons or decrees I may send you. And, to be kind, your humanity will not be taken all at once. I hear the process is painful beyond belief. I will give you the knowledge you need to track him, and you will have six months before your humanity and all memory of you as you are now is gone.”
“Six months,” the girl echoed, looking away from Reina and thinking hard. Reina could see her calculating in her head, wondering if she could finish her quest before the six months was up, and have those last few weeks or days or hours with her loved ones. Reina thought it unlikely, but she was not cruel. Six months was generous, for the deal she was making, but something about the girl made her feel like being generous. Or perhaps it was that the wind was from the northwest today.
“Well?” she asked after a moment. The girl lifted her chin and met Reina’s eyes again.
“Okay,” she said, her voice not quavering the slightest bit. “You have a deal.”
Reina smiled. “Excellent.”
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["You will not be required to stay here in my court, but you will answer to me and will obey any summons or decrees I may send you."]
BEST adventures.
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