Drabble #116: Air
Thursday, 2 June 2022 13:14![[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 livelier response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 115, with entries by
redwolf and me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix), and commenting love by us both as well. Hurrah! Special labyfic love to redwolf for adding entries for many previous drabble prompts. Very fun reads! And thanks so much to everyone for your patience while I came up for air from having newborn triplets.
For this prompt, we continue with our one-word/phrase drabble roots:
Air
(Inspired by my own experience of finally coming up for some, metaphorically speaking.)
Is someone coming up for air? Getting some fresh air? Airing out their grievances? Noticing something about the air all around? Tell us all about it. Labyfic-style, of course. (Especially how.)
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 (July 1).
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.)
Elimination
2022-06-14 09:04 (UTC)Drabble:
Sarah was a little nervous at her first solo hosting of a claimant for the throne. The request for an audience had arrived with both little notice and a summons for Jareth’s attendance at the claimant’s family court.
Jareth was displeased at the timing and had insisted on the King’s guard accompanying her, but Sarah had argued him down to keeping the puppies at her side. She found most of the guardsmen intimidating, which was admittedly the point, but who didn’t love puppies. The goblins certainly did and would ride them like ponies whenever they joined Sarah outside the castle.
The term puppies might have been a bit of a stretch, but in her defence, the goblins had started it. And while she didn’t have a firsthand comparison, she was fairly certain that wolves were not quite so large Above, so should serve well to put the fear of dog into the impending lordling.
Not having the luxury of time to query Jareth for an appropriately theatrical costume, Sarah happily defaulted to her Goblin Queen armour. It was comfortable, practical, delightfully terrifying and if she was going to have to sit through an entitled child insulting her, she wanted to do what she could to stay in her comfort zone.
Sarah sat on the edge of the throne, a ridiculously large carnivore pressed against each knee. She reached out to touch each animal, surprised as always to see her hand completely disappear into their thick fur. As the mirror portal shimmered to life, the Labyrinth’s camouflaging glamour settled over her guards to disguise them as shadow creatures. Sarah mused that the cartoon device of a portable hole was a more apt description than shadow, as they now looked like vaguely canine shaped voids in reality.
As her guest stepped through the mirror, Sarah noted that he looked like an emaciated tween playing dress up. Any sympathy his childlike appearance may have engendered was rapidly dispelled at the torrent of abuse directed towards her and all of the goblins within his eyeline. Sarah blanked her expression, felt the calming vibrations of her puppies as they growled at the lordling and instead of listening to his drivel, watched his movements.
By the time the young fae had thrown a handful of powder that dissipated the barrier around the pit and raised his other hand to throw what would turn out to be an iron dagger, Sarah had reflexively summoned a defensive shield around herself and the nearby goblins. The lordling had a moment to look shocked as the hand holding the weapon lay on the throne room floor quite apart from its expected location at the end of his arm. The expression of shock was to be his last as his head quickly joined his errant hand.
Sarah closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before summoning a crystal to calmly relay her unexpectedly eventful meeting to Jareth. She concentrated on reporting the incident first. Freaking out could come later in private.
Re: Elimination
2022-06-25 23:44 (UTC)Re: Elimination
2022-06-26 01:56 (UTC)no subject
2022-06-29 17:36 (UTC)Drabble:
I drew back for a moment, the ghost of Jareth’s mouth a hot whisper against my lips. “We shouldn’t lose track of the time.”
His teeth nipped the sensitive skin below my ear. “Always so responsible.”
I groaned softly against him, inhaling sharply. “I just don’t want to put on an inadvertent show for the kids.”
“Isn’t that girl here to watch them and keep them occupied?”
“Till 2pm.”
“Which is surely ages from now.”
“Or five minutes, according to my timer.”
“Inconceivable.” He kissed along the edge of my ear. “Your timer surely lies.”
I sighed and nipped his neck. “If only. I say we reach a sensible stopping point and reconvene later.”
“There’s nothing sensible about stopping now.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” My fingers traced a circle on his shoulder. “Nevertheless.”
“After the children’s bedtime perhaps?”
“It’s as if you read my mind.”
“One of my many talents.”
“And you’ll be demonstrating more of those talents after the children’s bedtime?”
“As you wish, Sarah love.” His eyes flashed with heated promises that could have set an iceberg on fire.
God, I did so love that man. “Excellent.” I detached the last bit of myself from him. “Let’s go be responsible parents until then, shall we?”
no subject
2023-02-01 23:57 (UTC)