Post by pandoraocelot on Jul 18, 2011 14:22:28 GMT 10
Title: Naming
Rating: PG-13
Couple/Character: Briar
Event: AU Pole Vault
Words: 750
Summary: Niko never found Briar, and he finds quite a different path to Winding Circle.
Warnings: Implied character death
Nobody lasts more than two years scraping barnacles off of the docks. Roach had only been there two months when a shifty-looking fellow paid off a couple of guards, and carried off Roach.
"Now you're free of the nasty docks," the man had told Roach in a sickeningly sweet voice. But Roach was not particularly pleased with this turn of events. He recognized the man for who he was immediately-- a pirate. And being a captive on a pirate ship was no better than being a convict on the docks.
Roach sighed as he started to scrub down the deck again. The wet wood under his fingers felt cold and unfriendly. The pirate's ship was not like the docks. The wood there had been much nicer. It had almost seemed to loosen its hold on the barnacles Roach was trying to scrape away. But the pirate ship was indifferent to Roach's touch.
Day after monotonous day, Roach scrubbed the deck. The ship joined a fleet at a cluster of barren islands, but Roach was not allowed to go ashore. The fleet set sail as one, and Roach was ordered belowdeck permanently. One night, he heard stories about exploding ships. So bitter and bored was he, he hoped the pirate's ship would be the next to explode.
He got his wish. It was lightning, charring both Roach and wood, sending them flying into the sea below. The stunned boy tried to tread water, watching as lightning struck other ships, and a waterspout approached. A piece of burning wood flew past his head, waking him from his brief stupor. Frantically, he started to swim out of the way, but it was no use trying to outrun a waterspout, and his burnt limbs were next to useless. He vaguely noticed to his left, the ship's mage was trying to do the same thing, but he was weighted down by heavy clothing and soon disappeared under the waves.
Suddenly Roach felt something come alive. He wanted to put out buds and stretch leafy tendrils all the way to the sky. Deep underneath the water, green life responded to his call. Seaweed grew until it could weave together and support his weight. He didn't have to swim any more. Laughing at his new power, he turned to the waterspout.
"Go away!" he shouted, but it wasn't threatening him anymore. The funnel was attacking another ship, and left his small, slippery island alone. Roach watched for a moment, and then passed out.
He woke up in a cot, with bandages wrapped around his burns.
"I must be in an infirmary." He thought. "Why would they bother with the likes of me in an infirmary?"
Next to him was a young woman who introduced herself as Osprey. She was a nice enough, but would talk about someone named Crane and become teary. Roach never paid too much attention, drifting in and out of sleep. A plump redhead about his age would often be present, assisting the healers. There was something odd about her, but in his sleepy state it never registered until he saw her trying to scrub the floor. Her left arm was gone below the elbow. She caught him staring and glared back.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Earthquake," she replied shortly. "Sandry spun us three, but it still wasn't quite enough. And Daja's got a limp." None of this made an ounce of sense to Roach, who decided that now was a good time to take a nap. As he settled down, he heard a voice from the hallway call, "Trisana, are you still in there?" He saw a Bag walk into the room, and stare intently at Roach. "Who is this?" he asked.
A very confused boy woke up in what seemed to be a small cottage, but it was hard to tell, as an eager face filled most of his vision.
"You're going to live with us!" the face announced. "I'm Sandry," it added as an afterthought.
"What is your name?" asked another voice. It was the Bag who had been in the infirmary.
"Roach."
"Ew! You should choose a new one." That was Sandry.
"Why?" Roach asked, feeling a little defensive.
The Bag smiled. "Boy, this is your chance. Right now you have the power change who you are, and what people think of you."
Roach considered this for a moment. Then he asked,
"What are those plants, with the thorns, that take big chunks out of you when you grab 'em?"
Rating: PG-13
Couple/Character: Briar
Event: AU Pole Vault
Words: 750
Summary: Niko never found Briar, and he finds quite a different path to Winding Circle.
Warnings: Implied character death
Nobody lasts more than two years scraping barnacles off of the docks. Roach had only been there two months when a shifty-looking fellow paid off a couple of guards, and carried off Roach.
"Now you're free of the nasty docks," the man had told Roach in a sickeningly sweet voice. But Roach was not particularly pleased with this turn of events. He recognized the man for who he was immediately-- a pirate. And being a captive on a pirate ship was no better than being a convict on the docks.
Roach sighed as he started to scrub down the deck again. The wet wood under his fingers felt cold and unfriendly. The pirate's ship was not like the docks. The wood there had been much nicer. It had almost seemed to loosen its hold on the barnacles Roach was trying to scrape away. But the pirate ship was indifferent to Roach's touch.
Day after monotonous day, Roach scrubbed the deck. The ship joined a fleet at a cluster of barren islands, but Roach was not allowed to go ashore. The fleet set sail as one, and Roach was ordered belowdeck permanently. One night, he heard stories about exploding ships. So bitter and bored was he, he hoped the pirate's ship would be the next to explode.
He got his wish. It was lightning, charring both Roach and wood, sending them flying into the sea below. The stunned boy tried to tread water, watching as lightning struck other ships, and a waterspout approached. A piece of burning wood flew past his head, waking him from his brief stupor. Frantically, he started to swim out of the way, but it was no use trying to outrun a waterspout, and his burnt limbs were next to useless. He vaguely noticed to his left, the ship's mage was trying to do the same thing, but he was weighted down by heavy clothing and soon disappeared under the waves.
Suddenly Roach felt something come alive. He wanted to put out buds and stretch leafy tendrils all the way to the sky. Deep underneath the water, green life responded to his call. Seaweed grew until it could weave together and support his weight. He didn't have to swim any more. Laughing at his new power, he turned to the waterspout.
"Go away!" he shouted, but it wasn't threatening him anymore. The funnel was attacking another ship, and left his small, slippery island alone. Roach watched for a moment, and then passed out.
He woke up in a cot, with bandages wrapped around his burns.
"I must be in an infirmary." He thought. "Why would they bother with the likes of me in an infirmary?"
Next to him was a young woman who introduced herself as Osprey. She was a nice enough, but would talk about someone named Crane and become teary. Roach never paid too much attention, drifting in and out of sleep. A plump redhead about his age would often be present, assisting the healers. There was something odd about her, but in his sleepy state it never registered until he saw her trying to scrub the floor. Her left arm was gone below the elbow. She caught him staring and glared back.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Earthquake," she replied shortly. "Sandry spun us three, but it still wasn't quite enough. And Daja's got a limp." None of this made an ounce of sense to Roach, who decided that now was a good time to take a nap. As he settled down, he heard a voice from the hallway call, "Trisana, are you still in there?" He saw a Bag walk into the room, and stare intently at Roach. "Who is this?" he asked.
A very confused boy woke up in what seemed to be a small cottage, but it was hard to tell, as an eager face filled most of his vision.
"You're going to live with us!" the face announced. "I'm Sandry," it added as an afterthought.
"What is your name?" asked another voice. It was the Bag who had been in the infirmary.
"Roach."
"Ew! You should choose a new one." That was Sandry.
"Why?" Roach asked, feeling a little defensive.
The Bag smiled. "Boy, this is your chance. Right now you have the power change who you are, and what people think of you."
Roach considered this for a moment. Then he asked,
"What are those plants, with the thorns, that take big chunks out of you when you grab 'em?"