Drabble #113: Balance
Friday, 4 February 2022 10:27![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jalenstrix in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
labyfic...we had a quieter response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 112, with an entry by me (your intrepid drabble proposer
jalenstrix). For this prompt, we continue with our one-word/phrase drabble roots:
Balance
Is someone feeling off-balance? Trying to keep their balance? Maybe needling someone else to get that someone else off-balance? Is it physical balance, emotional balance, magical balance, or something else entirely? Tell us all about it. Labyfic-style, of course.
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 (March 4).
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.)
Ensemble
2022-02-14 10:04 (UTC)Drabble:
Sarah leaned back on her elbows from her perch on their bed and watched as Jareth chose their wardrobe for an upcoming appointment. From a human relationship perspective it may have seemed like controlling behaviour, but Jareth ensured that it was a lesson in history, politics and personalities of the fae of the Underground.
The Labyrinth offered its inhabitants certain protections, which included non-citizens being denied entry without permission and the repression of their magic whilst they were within the kingdom.
“Lady Mithral is a vain and self-centred creature.” Jareth's mouth quirked at Sarah’s laughter. “And while that does not make her unique amongst fae, experience does give us something to work with. She has displayed much in the way of greed and hedonism and shown so little interest or understanding of managing a kingdom that her parents officially passed her over as successor and appointed a niece in her stead. Not being bright enough to comprehend that this was all her own doing, she’s been scrambling to regain place and favour for centuries.”
It had taken Sarah minutes to figure out that most of the visiting fae were little more than bullies who desperately wanted access to the power of the Labyrinth. Unfortunately for them, they had no understanding of the implications of serving the Labyrinth, nor that they were attacking the crown from a power imbalance akin to a toddler flailing at the CEO of an international corporation. The pleadings and tantrums held no substance, but the seat of power was expected to play its role in Underground politics by pandering to the illusions of grandeur of incompetent royal offspring.
“So how do we work with that? Do we go frou frou, barely there, business casual, grunge, obscenely tight pants or full armour?” Sarah kicked her feet idly as Jareth selected garments.
“Obscenely tight trousers are a given, my dear.” Sarah grinned at the heated look that held promise for an interesting evening once their guest had departed. “As much as I would love to indulge in public nudity with you during an audience, our guest has something of a fetish I think we have a duty to trigger.” He selected several garments and passed them to Sarah.
“Ah, full armour it is.” She lovingly stroked the carapace-like structure of her armour before hopping off the bed and dropping her robe as she started to dress.
Sarah loved her armour. Truthfully, she loved most of her formal wardrobe and was equally fascinated by the political ramifications of which items were worn in the presence of which fae lord or lady. In this case, her armour matched the aesthetic features of Jareth’s, with subtle changes to signify her position as well as differing colour accents of her blue to the king’s red.
“Ready, my love.” Jareth held out a hand to Sarah and transported them to the throne room where they adopted practised bored expressions as the shimmering of a portal mirror signalled the imminent arrival of their guest.
Re: Ensemble
2022-02-15 21:22 (UTC)Re: Ensemble
2022-02-15 21:28 (UTC)no subject
2022-02-28 21:28 (UTC)Drabble:
Bright Fae eyes glanced enviously at my shoes.
Heh. I did enjoy my Fluevogs, with their three inch heels and faux velvet chaps of deep velvety blue. I tapped my toe, watching the girl’s eyes follow every motion.
Her eyes finally traveled upwards, stopping briefly at my very pregnant midsection and trying not to stare outrageously. Ah, youth! I’m sure she probably had a century or two on me, but it was about life experience really. And heaven knew I was far ahead in that department, being married to Jareth, having a rambunctious, irrepressible toddler son with him, and a triplet surprise en route. Of course, the girl’s surreptitious glances at my husband (who was, of course, deliciously and flamboyantly clad) left no doubt she would happily take the first of my roles at a moment’s notice. Subtle, she wasn’t.
My patience, however, had officially run out. I raised an eyebrow. “Was there something you wanted besides admiring my shoes?”
She actually jumped before regaining her composure.
The Fluevogs must have made more of a statement than I realized. Or maybe it was Jareth lounging next to me, languidly displaying his thoroughly distracting self, from sunbright hair to lean crossed legs to glittering Fluevog-shod pointed toes. Naaaah.
The girl took a breath and raised her eyes carefully to my chin, not turning her gaze one iota towards Jareth. “My mother, the Empress of the Chaotic Marshes, the Conqueror of the Mountains of Flame, the Marchioness of the Drag—“
Jareth cut her off. “Yes, my dear, we know Althea. What was the message?”
The girl’s mouth clamped shut and her lips twitched.
My velvet-clad foot tapped pointedly again.
She swallowed. “She wants to participate in the baby shower.”
“You mean she wants to know why she wasn’t invited.”
“Uh-“
“It’s because there is no baby shower planned.”
Both her eyebrows jumped. “What?”
I tried not to roll my eyes. “No. Baby. Shower.”
“What do you mean, no baby shower?”
Jareth chimed in, his voice rife with a sardonic bite. “I don’t think smaller words are available to convey the intended meaning.”
She chewed on this for a moment. “It’s simply not done. You have to have a baby shower, especially for three new babies at once!”
I smiled, trading a knowing look with Jareth. “Not done! Can you imagine? Us?”
“Inconceivable, my love.”
Her eyes darkened. “You’re mocking me. I won’t stand for it.”
Jareth smiled down at her. “You’re quite welcome to see yourself out, my dear. Give our regards to Althea.”
She froze for a moment, then turned sharply and marched out of the room.
I exhaled and sat down next to Jareth. “Ah, youth. So touchy.”
His glittering toe tapped mine. “Inconceivable.”
“I don’t think that word means what you think it means.”
“When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean.”
I laughed softly. “Thank you, Humpty Dumpty.”
“At your service, my love.”
no subject
2022-03-01 07:22 (UTC)no subject
2022-03-01 20:48 (UTC)