Post by Griff on Apr 14, 2013 0:54:07 GMT 10
Title: Star Man
Rating: PG
Word Count: 537
Pairing: Alanna/Jonathan
Round/Fight: 1/A
Summary: Prince Jonathan must decipher the mystery of the fallen star man.
-
With a curse, Duke Baird threw his scalpel on the small tray held by his assistant and jerked at the ties of his apron. “It’s not skin,” he said as he approached the prince. “It’s not skin, but it’s not cloth, nor metal. I’ve never seen the like. The scalpel will tear the first layers, but there’s another underneath that’s impenetrable.”
“And it’s not skin?” Jonathan stepped hesitantly towards the table where the strange creature lay, formed with arms and legs like a man, but it’s head was large and bulbous. “You say it’s a man.”
“Near enough, at least. It’s difficult to tell. I’m sure this is some sort of - clothing? Armor? Perhaps an exoskeleton?” Baird shook his head. “He fell from the stars. For all I know he’s a god and we’ve killed him.”
“I don’t think we can kill a god,” Jon gave a weak smile, “Besides, what sort of god has a falling prison?”
“A very bad one,” Baird offered with a pointed eyebrow. “I would say to strap him down, but I don’t see the use. For all I can tell, he’s already dead.”
“No...” The prince stepped forward, watching the star man warily. “No, he’s not dead. He’s waking up.” Retreating quickly, he insisted, “he’s waking up, watch his head, it’s moving. Not much, and now - his hand, look!”
As the prince predicted, the star man began to move, first weakly attempting to sit, then raising his hands towards his black, spherical head. He ran his fingers along the smooth shape, checking the area near his neck. Then, suddenly, he began beating himself in the head, low, beneath where a human ear would be.
“Stop him!” The prince commanded, “Hold him down.”Two guards managed to pin the star man to the table. “Has he hurt himself?”
“No,” Baird inspected the area carefully, “Not that I could see. Perhaps,” he shook his head, “perhaps he’s trying to die? Throwing himself from the skies was his intent?”
“Perhaps,” Jonathan shook his head as confused as everyone else. He waved off the guards, “Release him, slowly. I want to see if he can understand me.”
The guards relaxed their grip slowly, but the star man still managed to wrench one arm loose before the other. Struggling upright, he immediately began pulling again at his skull. Jon barely had time to step forward before, to his shock, the head became a removed helmet and the man a striking woman.
“You touch me one more time,” She growled, pointing an angry finger at him, “and I swear to every god I know, I’m beating that pretty-boy right off your face.” Then, she turned to Duke Baird and demanded, “Where’s my ship?”
-
When their children asked how their mother fell from the sky, Alanna laughed and left their father to spin a tale of faeries and beauty to cover the ugly truth of a broken nose, an interstellar war far in the future, and ship unable to take her back.
When they pressed for their mother’s version, Alanna simply told them that the first time they met, their father cried like a little girl and she only married him to make him stop.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 537
Pairing: Alanna/Jonathan
Round/Fight: 1/A
Summary: Prince Jonathan must decipher the mystery of the fallen star man.
-
With a curse, Duke Baird threw his scalpel on the small tray held by his assistant and jerked at the ties of his apron. “It’s not skin,” he said as he approached the prince. “It’s not skin, but it’s not cloth, nor metal. I’ve never seen the like. The scalpel will tear the first layers, but there’s another underneath that’s impenetrable.”
“And it’s not skin?” Jonathan stepped hesitantly towards the table where the strange creature lay, formed with arms and legs like a man, but it’s head was large and bulbous. “You say it’s a man.”
“Near enough, at least. It’s difficult to tell. I’m sure this is some sort of - clothing? Armor? Perhaps an exoskeleton?” Baird shook his head. “He fell from the stars. For all I know he’s a god and we’ve killed him.”
“I don’t think we can kill a god,” Jon gave a weak smile, “Besides, what sort of god has a falling prison?”
“A very bad one,” Baird offered with a pointed eyebrow. “I would say to strap him down, but I don’t see the use. For all I can tell, he’s already dead.”
“No...” The prince stepped forward, watching the star man warily. “No, he’s not dead. He’s waking up.” Retreating quickly, he insisted, “he’s waking up, watch his head, it’s moving. Not much, and now - his hand, look!”
As the prince predicted, the star man began to move, first weakly attempting to sit, then raising his hands towards his black, spherical head. He ran his fingers along the smooth shape, checking the area near his neck. Then, suddenly, he began beating himself in the head, low, beneath where a human ear would be.
“Stop him!” The prince commanded, “Hold him down.”Two guards managed to pin the star man to the table. “Has he hurt himself?”
“No,” Baird inspected the area carefully, “Not that I could see. Perhaps,” he shook his head, “perhaps he’s trying to die? Throwing himself from the skies was his intent?”
“Perhaps,” Jonathan shook his head as confused as everyone else. He waved off the guards, “Release him, slowly. I want to see if he can understand me.”
The guards relaxed their grip slowly, but the star man still managed to wrench one arm loose before the other. Struggling upright, he immediately began pulling again at his skull. Jon barely had time to step forward before, to his shock, the head became a removed helmet and the man a striking woman.
“You touch me one more time,” She growled, pointing an angry finger at him, “and I swear to every god I know, I’m beating that pretty-boy right off your face.” Then, she turned to Duke Baird and demanded, “Where’s my ship?”
-
When their children asked how their mother fell from the sky, Alanna laughed and left their father to spin a tale of faeries and beauty to cover the ugly truth of a broken nose, an interstellar war far in the future, and ship unable to take her back.
When they pressed for their mother’s version, Alanna simply told them that the first time they met, their father cried like a little girl and she only married him to make him stop.