Drabble #87: Chill

[jalenstrix]

...we had a quieter response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 86, with an entry by me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix).



For this prompt, we continue with our one-word/phrase drabble roots:

Chill

Is this a literal chill? A figurative one? A directive to calm the heck down? Tell us all about it labyfic-style!




Given our entries from recent months, let's continue with the suggested limit for this month of 500 words. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: # of words
Drabble: $your_beautiful_drabble



I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Friday of next month (January 3).

I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.


Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand.)

Comments

Chill

[redwolf]

Word count: 500
Drabble:

Sarah entered the library to find Jareth, Rook and Bishop clustered together on the floor. The giggling and buzzing coming from the trio intrigued her enough to investigate, where she discovered they were playing a simulacra of a game her brother had as a child. Except instead of removing internal organs from a body, what looked suspiciously like representations of annoying minor nobles were being taken from a castle before being dropped in a bog.

Rook’s hair colour was a different jewel tone from when she’d last seen her, leading Sarah to assume the toy was one of Doug’s gadgets. What she didn’t understand is why three people with excellent hand eye coordination were triggering the toy to buzz, but guessed it was either deliberate or they were playing by distraction rules. She hoped it was the latter as last time had resulted in a most enjoyable evening with her husband.

She settled herself at the reading table, smiling when Bishop joined her as she noticed that he’d swapped his brocade vest for one that matched Rook’s new hair colour.

“Homework?” Bishop turned a chair so he could watch both Sarah and the pair on the floor.

Sarah made an inelegant grunt. “We’re supposed to do an essay on a species other than our own and, as I see the guardians all the time, I thought I’d write about shapeshifters.” She frowned at the brief look of concern that flashed across Bishop’s face, but was distracted by a loud bark of laughter from the game players. Turning back to Bishop, she wondered out loud why she couldn’t find anything in the main library.

With a sigh Bishop responded in a soft tone. “You understand that the fae have long lives and suffer from low fertility?” She nodded. “What impact do you think that has on warfare?”

Sarah tilted her head in thought. “It would potentially make a war an extinction event.” Bishop nodded in agreement. “Is that why they recruited shapeshifters?”

“We weren’t recruited, love.” Sarah reached across the table and laid her hand over Bishop’s at his tone. “Millennia ago the great families decided they needed soldiers who could fight in their wars, but had the advantage of high fertility. We’re not a separate species, we’re a genetic tweak seeded into certain human bloodlines with fae ancestry.”

“You’re a halfling with transformation magic?” It was the only solution Sarah could imagine.

Bishop shook his head and smiled sadly. “While we have human and fae ancestry, the genetics that sets our transformation species and increases our fertility is derived from animals. We might be their soldiers, but the families that created us regard us as livestock.”

“Jareth!” Sarah stood up, knocking her chair over as she glared at her husband. “What the hell?” She had a fraction of a second to catch Jareth’s distressed expression and Rook’s look of disappointment and anger before they vanished. She felt Rook’s low growl reverberate through her chest for several seconds after their departure.

Re: Chill

[jalenstrix]

Eep...poor Jareth? It's rarely good to be on the receiving end of a Sarah-revelation...

Re: Chill

[redwolf]

Sarah does seem to be getting a little ahead of herself 🦊🧡