[Xenogears] Meme archive - five ficlets
Oct. 31st, 2008 12:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
runicloreOnly one more archive, and then I'm done. Sorry for the spam.
Prompt: 03 - Sly character
Character: Hyuga
Requested by:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
reynardfox
Words: 189
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"Hyuga." Yui wiped her hands with a dishtowel and twisted the faucet off. "Are you sure about this? That compression unit didn't look very reliable."
He turned the porcelain teacup between his hands, breathing deeply of the scent of fresh tea leaves and jasmine. "It is perfectly safe. My only worry is the temperature of the water." Hyuga sipped and scalded his tongue. "The unit is well-made for... for an Aveh product, that is." For a land-dweller invention. It was hard to watch his tongue - harder here in Lahan than in Solaris, where the citizens were not as innocent, more likely to take advantage of any bit of information available to them. He'd broken into Solarian dialect just the other day; they were lucky nobody heard. "I will test it before--"
A loud knock interrupted them. Yui called come in, and the door opened to reveal Fei and Midori. Yui hurried over, and Hyuga watched them interact without listening, eyes on the mud caking their guest's arms to the elbows.
Perfect.
"Fei," he said, leaving his teacup on the table and smiling. "Would you care to give our new bathtub a test-drive?"
..........................................
.
Prompt: 31 - Plague-by-Law-School-finals character
Character: Krelian
Requested by:nyuna
Words: 237
..........................................
"I can't believe you're actually studying Solarian law."
Krelian glanced at the door. Miang leaned against the frame, arms crossed, and when she met his gaze her lip curled up, almost a smile. He shrugged and went back to his book. "If we appear to be working within the constraints of the law, there will be less trouble when we implement the plan."
He heard her nudge the door closed, and she moved into his peripheral vision on the other side of the desk. "Solarians don't question their leaders, Krelian. That's a quirk you land-dwellers have developed over time."
Krelian marked the book, closed it, and set it aside for a tome on articles of taxation. "Why are you here? I have work to do, as you can see."
"The Ministry," Miang said. "Their progress..."
"Is coming along. Their memory is still compiling." Krelian sat back in his chair, lifting a brow. "I thought you'd enjoy the quiet."
Miang looked away. "They're necessary. That's all."
"Of course." If he hadn't known better, he'd have thought her concerned. She was, perhaps - concerned about their ability to perform their duty as weapons. He couldn't tell if emotion lurked beneath her facade, though if it did, he doubted the likelihood of tender feelings for her children. "Five more days. Don't bother me until then. I'll notify you of any mishaps."
Miang's eyes narrowed, but she nodded and turned to leave. Krelian went back to his book.
..........................................
.
Prompt: 27 - Well-shagged character
Character: Yui
Requested by:reynardfox
Words: 379
..........................................
Yui bowed before the queen and stood at rest, adjusting her sword so it wouldn't sit so heavily on her hip. She rather envied the queen her armchair, and the cup of velvety red tea that sat at her elbow on the tiny side table. She watched the steam curl into the air as she made her greetings. It smelled strongly of both tea leaves and cinnamon, and the acidic sharpness promised caffeine and energy.
"Yui, child--"
She jumped, and her gaze snapped back to the queen. "I-I apologize, your majesty, what--?"
Zephyr lifted an eyebrow, lips pursed. She gestured to the chair across from her, but Yui shook her head and moved her shoulders back. "You should have told me you're unwell," the queen said. Her gaze lingered on the shadows beneath Yui's eyes. "This can wait until you have recovered."
"Well-- as to that..." Yui looked down at the carpet. It wasn't that she was sick, so much as tired - tired, wrung-out, and running on one cup of coffee too many. Hyuga's preferece for the stuff was disgusting, and yet she drank it anyway because he made enough for two. It kept her awake. "I have not slept... well," she said after a moment. Her face heated. "It will pass once I have a full night's rest."
The queen hmmed and reached for her tea, sipping slowly, watching her over the rim of the cup. Yui felt the heat intensify and looked away again. Zephyr was ancient, wise, twenty times her age and then some; the way her eyes flicked from Yui's heated face to the condition of her hair, to the neatness of her uniform and the way her shoulders slumped - again - her response was not a surprise. "He hasn't been in Shevat more than two days," the queen said, placing her cup on its saucer. "I suppose I should consider this a good sign. You've married a healthy and vigorous man, but-- do consider your other obligations when he visits. It isn't as if you'll never see him again."
Yui gave up on maintaining her posture and covered her face with her hands. "Y-yes, majesty."
The queen's laughter made Yui grit her teeth. God, she would never live this down. She couldn't wait until her grandfather heard about it.
..........................................
.
Prompt: 21 - Daring character
Character: Elly
Requested by:seta_suzume
Words: 381
..........................................
Elly stared at the readout. Missiles - hundreds of them, in neat rows of white and red stripes, like soldiers. She turned Vierge to the left, the right, her floodlights illuminating the first ten rows and casting far enough to imply many more in the shadows beyond, veiled by the dust hanging in the air.
"Sensors say defunct," Emeralda's voice came over the speaker, cracking in places. "Launch pods are deger-- degen--"
"Degenerated," Elly said, tearing her eyes away from the windshield to look at her companion's face on the monitor. "The radiation must have damaged the launching mechanisms, is that it?" When she had Emeralda's affirmative, she switched her long range sensors on. "Are you picking up anything else? Is there anything in the chamber we might ignite if we fly over them? The exit on this side is melted in. I think it leads to the ruin we found earlier."
Distantly, she heard the swish of the other gear's passage and the fold of its metallic wings. Crescens was the closest thing they had to an omnigear on this trip; Vierge's instruments were some of the best in Gebler, but her readout registered only the usual levels of radioactive elements in the air, the sort one would find in any missile silo at home. Not safe, but not dangerous enough to forbid the operation of gears or other mechanical equipment. There was only one column that bothered her; a high count of excess energy her database didn't have a name for blinked on the screen, and its constituents looked familiar, but she couldn't call to mind where she had seen them before. The Gates, maybe? The reactor in Etrenank?
"No idea," Emeralda said after a long pause. The sound of her propulsion grew louder, and at the corner of her viewing radius, the green of the other gear's wings glinted in Vierge's lights. "We go? Map says Shitan on the other side."
Elly tried to count the pods she saw in the shadows, and lost count. "Well--" They'd used gears to take the Gates down, so they should be safe enough - she hoped. If their fuel emissions set anything off, they'd be goners. "Yeah." She toggled the floodlights back to their normal setting and jumped from the platform. "Let's go. Now or never!"
..........................................
.
Prompt: 29 - Injured Character
Character: Yui
Requested by:reynardfox
Words: 348
..........................................
"They're called Seraphim, you say." Yui stared at the ceiling, flinching at the sting of the antiseptic swab. Her arm burned, a long, jagged cut parting her skin from shoulder to her elbow and just deep enough it felt as if her husband was prodding that stick right to the bone. She'd have been happier not to feel the arm at all. "Pretentious, isn't it?"
Hyuga pressed the swab into every bleeding cranny, slow, careful, brushing each nerve. The sting spread like a plague. "In this case, it is our ancestors we should blame, though I do not doubt Krelian would use similar tactics if the naming were left to him."
Yui clenched her teeth together until they creaked. "You know him better than I do."
His chuckle fell flat in the small chamber. She felt the prick of a needle; cold spread from the point, cramping her muscles, what was left to move, shriveling them. Like atrophy. "Your queen would be a better judge of his sense of humor and thematics. My memory is of his lectures on molecular anatomy."
"Thrilling." She felt the pull of her flesh when he pulled the first stitch and turned her face to the blank wall.
Seraphim, he said, were the makings of the army they faced now - not Solarians, but God's fiery avengers. They looked more gruesome than described in the stories, like wels in dragon and serpent shape, deformed limbs framed by their halos. Their flesh parted like water around her blade, but their claws were solid and sharp. She would spend another day in the infirmary waiting for nano-treatment; injuries by their scythes and nails continued to eat at the body long after the initial cut.
"I've had it with stories coming to life," Yui said. "Soylent was enough."
Hyuga wove another stitch. "I am sure he will surprise us with a new invention in time."
"Naturally." Yui rolled her eyes to the ceiling again. It was just as boring as before. "Thanks, Hyuga."
"My pleasure."
..........................................
.
Prompt: 03 - Sly character
Character: Hyuga
Requested by:
reynardfoxWords: 189
..........................................
"Hyuga." Yui wiped her hands with a dishtowel and twisted the faucet off. "Are you sure about this? That compression unit didn't look very reliable."
He turned the porcelain teacup between his hands, breathing deeply of the scent of fresh tea leaves and jasmine. "It is perfectly safe. My only worry is the temperature of the water." Hyuga sipped and scalded his tongue. "The unit is well-made for... for an Aveh product, that is." For a land-dweller invention. It was hard to watch his tongue - harder here in Lahan than in Solaris, where the citizens were not as innocent, more likely to take advantage of any bit of information available to them. He'd broken into Solarian dialect just the other day; they were lucky nobody heard. "I will test it before--"
A loud knock interrupted them. Yui called come in, and the door opened to reveal Fei and Midori. Yui hurried over, and Hyuga watched them interact without listening, eyes on the mud caking their guest's arms to the elbows.
Perfect.
"Fei," he said, leaving his teacup on the table and smiling. "Would you care to give our new bathtub a test-drive?"
..........................................
.
Prompt: 31 - Plague-by-Law-School-finals character
Character: Krelian
Requested by:
nyunaWords: 237
..........................................
"I can't believe you're actually studying Solarian law."
Krelian glanced at the door. Miang leaned against the frame, arms crossed, and when she met his gaze her lip curled up, almost a smile. He shrugged and went back to his book. "If we appear to be working within the constraints of the law, there will be less trouble when we implement the plan."
He heard her nudge the door closed, and she moved into his peripheral vision on the other side of the desk. "Solarians don't question their leaders, Krelian. That's a quirk you land-dwellers have developed over time."
Krelian marked the book, closed it, and set it aside for a tome on articles of taxation. "Why are you here? I have work to do, as you can see."
"The Ministry," Miang said. "Their progress..."
"Is coming along. Their memory is still compiling." Krelian sat back in his chair, lifting a brow. "I thought you'd enjoy the quiet."
Miang looked away. "They're necessary. That's all."
"Of course." If he hadn't known better, he'd have thought her concerned. She was, perhaps - concerned about their ability to perform their duty as weapons. He couldn't tell if emotion lurked beneath her facade, though if it did, he doubted the likelihood of tender feelings for her children. "Five more days. Don't bother me until then. I'll notify you of any mishaps."
Miang's eyes narrowed, but she nodded and turned to leave. Krelian went back to his book.
..........................................
.
Prompt: 27 - Well-shagged character
Character: Yui
Requested by:
reynardfoxWords: 379
..........................................
Yui bowed before the queen and stood at rest, adjusting her sword so it wouldn't sit so heavily on her hip. She rather envied the queen her armchair, and the cup of velvety red tea that sat at her elbow on the tiny side table. She watched the steam curl into the air as she made her greetings. It smelled strongly of both tea leaves and cinnamon, and the acidic sharpness promised caffeine and energy.
"Yui, child--"
She jumped, and her gaze snapped back to the queen. "I-I apologize, your majesty, what--?"
Zephyr lifted an eyebrow, lips pursed. She gestured to the chair across from her, but Yui shook her head and moved her shoulders back. "You should have told me you're unwell," the queen said. Her gaze lingered on the shadows beneath Yui's eyes. "This can wait until you have recovered."
"Well-- as to that..." Yui looked down at the carpet. It wasn't that she was sick, so much as tired - tired, wrung-out, and running on one cup of coffee too many. Hyuga's preferece for the stuff was disgusting, and yet she drank it anyway because he made enough for two. It kept her awake. "I have not slept... well," she said after a moment. Her face heated. "It will pass once I have a full night's rest."
The queen hmmed and reached for her tea, sipping slowly, watching her over the rim of the cup. Yui felt the heat intensify and looked away again. Zephyr was ancient, wise, twenty times her age and then some; the way her eyes flicked from Yui's heated face to the condition of her hair, to the neatness of her uniform and the way her shoulders slumped - again - her response was not a surprise. "He hasn't been in Shevat more than two days," the queen said, placing her cup on its saucer. "I suppose I should consider this a good sign. You've married a healthy and vigorous man, but-- do consider your other obligations when he visits. It isn't as if you'll never see him again."
Yui gave up on maintaining her posture and covered her face with her hands. "Y-yes, majesty."
The queen's laughter made Yui grit her teeth. God, she would never live this down. She couldn't wait until her grandfather heard about it.
..........................................
.
Prompt: 21 - Daring character
Character: Elly
Requested by:
seta_suzumeWords: 381
..........................................
Elly stared at the readout. Missiles - hundreds of them, in neat rows of white and red stripes, like soldiers. She turned Vierge to the left, the right, her floodlights illuminating the first ten rows and casting far enough to imply many more in the shadows beyond, veiled by the dust hanging in the air.
"Sensors say defunct," Emeralda's voice came over the speaker, cracking in places. "Launch pods are deger-- degen--"
"Degenerated," Elly said, tearing her eyes away from the windshield to look at her companion's face on the monitor. "The radiation must have damaged the launching mechanisms, is that it?" When she had Emeralda's affirmative, she switched her long range sensors on. "Are you picking up anything else? Is there anything in the chamber we might ignite if we fly over them? The exit on this side is melted in. I think it leads to the ruin we found earlier."
Distantly, she heard the swish of the other gear's passage and the fold of its metallic wings. Crescens was the closest thing they had to an omnigear on this trip; Vierge's instruments were some of the best in Gebler, but her readout registered only the usual levels of radioactive elements in the air, the sort one would find in any missile silo at home. Not safe, but not dangerous enough to forbid the operation of gears or other mechanical equipment. There was only one column that bothered her; a high count of excess energy her database didn't have a name for blinked on the screen, and its constituents looked familiar, but she couldn't call to mind where she had seen them before. The Gates, maybe? The reactor in Etrenank?
"No idea," Emeralda said after a long pause. The sound of her propulsion grew louder, and at the corner of her viewing radius, the green of the other gear's wings glinted in Vierge's lights. "We go? Map says Shitan on the other side."
Elly tried to count the pods she saw in the shadows, and lost count. "Well--" They'd used gears to take the Gates down, so they should be safe enough - she hoped. If their fuel emissions set anything off, they'd be goners. "Yeah." She toggled the floodlights back to their normal setting and jumped from the platform. "Let's go. Now or never!"
..........................................
.
Prompt: 29 - Injured Character
Character: Yui
Requested by:
reynardfoxWords: 348
..........................................
"They're called Seraphim, you say." Yui stared at the ceiling, flinching at the sting of the antiseptic swab. Her arm burned, a long, jagged cut parting her skin from shoulder to her elbow and just deep enough it felt as if her husband was prodding that stick right to the bone. She'd have been happier not to feel the arm at all. "Pretentious, isn't it?"
Hyuga pressed the swab into every bleeding cranny, slow, careful, brushing each nerve. The sting spread like a plague. "In this case, it is our ancestors we should blame, though I do not doubt Krelian would use similar tactics if the naming were left to him."
Yui clenched her teeth together until they creaked. "You know him better than I do."
His chuckle fell flat in the small chamber. She felt the prick of a needle; cold spread from the point, cramping her muscles, what was left to move, shriveling them. Like atrophy. "Your queen would be a better judge of his sense of humor and thematics. My memory is of his lectures on molecular anatomy."
"Thrilling." She felt the pull of her flesh when he pulled the first stitch and turned her face to the blank wall.
Seraphim, he said, were the makings of the army they faced now - not Solarians, but God's fiery avengers. They looked more gruesome than described in the stories, like wels in dragon and serpent shape, deformed limbs framed by their halos. Their flesh parted like water around her blade, but their claws were solid and sharp. She would spend another day in the infirmary waiting for nano-treatment; injuries by their scythes and nails continued to eat at the body long after the initial cut.
"I've had it with stories coming to life," Yui said. "Soylent was enough."
Hyuga wove another stitch. "I am sure he will surprise us with a new invention in time."
"Naturally." Yui rolled her eyes to the ceiling again. It was just as boring as before. "Thanks, Hyuga."
"My pleasure."
..........................................
.