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labyfic2018-01-03 12:01 am
jalenstrix) wrote in labyfic2018-01-03 12:01 am
Entry tags:
Drabble #64: New
...we had a livelier response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 63, with entries by the wondrous
wordrevolt, me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix), the fabulous ghislaine, and the terrific 3iggy. We were also more lively on the commenting love, with encouraging words by the terrific 3iggy, me, and the fabulous ghislaine.Huzzah to my dear labyfic collective! I love you all!!
For this prompt, we continue with our one-word drabble roots, taking inspiration from the turning of the year:
New
What’s new? Or who? Why? Tell us all about it. You know you want to.
I continue to enjoy the 300 word limit, so let's continue with it for this month. 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 (Feb 2).
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.)
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Drabble:
“What the hell?”
Wedged into Sarah’s copy of Romeo and Juliet was an envelope with Sarah's name scrawled on the front. Sarah was about to practice her audition lines for this year’s school play. The letter was short, but to the point: “Sarah, I have a crush on you. You probably haven’t noticed me. After all, I’m new, and a year below you. At any case, I’m auditioning for Romeo and Juliet, so I’ll see you then.” And it was unsigned.
Sarah frowned. She had no idea who this person could be, but she’d been made fun of by the kids in her high school before in similar ways. She was auditioning tomorrow, and she didn’t need this distraction. Sarah tore the letter and envelope in half...
Sarah didn’t let her nervousness show for a minute. She’d braided her long black hair with silver ribbons and worn a romantic poet blouse. She’d already memorized the lines. She waited for the guy auditioning as Romeo to come onto the stage. Her pulse was pounding in anticipation. This was ridiculous.
Then, he came out of the shadows. He was on the thin side, with longish choppy black hair, and he wore a black jacket and jeans. He looked like he probably listened to Christian Death and The Cure. He started right into the play with a jarring forthrightness. He wasn’t reading from a script, either. Chin up, Sarah came right back with her lines, but she felt her face growing hot. Was this him? Damn it, it just did not matter. But a new passion crept into her own voice. She had a synchronicity with him that made the play come alive around them.
“Hey,” she heard him murmur as she turned away, finished, “great job."
no subject
Drabble:
I stormed into the throne room, my magic preceding me in waves of slithering, frosty darkness.
The goblins froze.
I kept my voice calm to maximize the chance of discovering what the bloody hell they’d been thinking. “Explain yourselves.”
At last, one of my braver subjects ventured a reply. “What would you like us to explain, your Majesty?”
I nodded slowly, the very picture of benign sovereignty, before flinging two words back at them. “The earwax.”
Several worried glances were exchanged. “Aaaah...this would be about Miss Sarah’s present?”
“It would indeed.” If I was very careful, the words wouldn’t form ice as soon as they left my lips.
The answer came spilling out from a dozen stammering mouths. “It was N-N-New Year’s Above—“
“—which sounds like ‘new ears’ if you say it f-fast—“
“—and what’s n-new from ears all the time b-b-but wax—“
“—and you’ve been worrying w-w-why the lady never invites you over w-w-with us—“
“—and we was thinking it’s because you need to l-l-lighten up a little, begging your pardon, of course...”
In a horrific moment of clarity, I suddenly understood precisely why Sarah had woken up to a ball of approximately crystal-sized goblin earwax lying blithely on her nightstand, with a note wishing her “Hapy New ‘Earz — thingking uv yu. Luv, Jareth.”
I closed my eyes and counted very slowly to ten. Of course they meant well. When I opened my eyes again, my magic had receded into the shadows behind me, roiling like a very small, pissed off ocean. “In the future, please do not assist my relations with Sarah.”
Silence for a heartbeat. Then: “B-b-but she did call you right after, your Maj—“
I held up a hand. “No. No helping.”
“But—“
“None!”
“Yes, your Majesty.”
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Invective
Drabble:
Sarah stood beside Bishop as they watched a pair of guardians spar. She shook her head when he nodded towards the combatants and they left the training room together.
“When you came Underground did you have a sense of something missing?”
Bishop graced her with a Cheshire Cat grin. “When you beat the Labyrinth, was there a tall–” Sarah raised an eyebrow. “--dark and handsome stranger missing from your life.” She snorted at the question but shook her head. “There’s your answer, love. The connection seems to be part of the Labyrinth’s geas and it didn’t manifest until we were in the same place.”
That was a sound theory to Sarah’s mind, although she wondered if even Jareth understood the machinations of the Labyrinth. They walked throughout the castle and its grounds as Bishop pointed out the guardians who’d recently rotated from Above. While there was an undercurrent of safety from all of them, none of them held the same connection she had immediately felt with Bishop.
“I thought it might be Rook’s brother.” Bishop’s coat swirled around his legs as they walked through the gardens. “He bears the Labyrinth’s mark.” He tapped a finger under his left eye to indicate the partial heterochromia that all of the guardians bore. “But he’s both a little young to be called and he’s married.”
“Wouldn’t the Labyrinth call them both?” Sarah stopped to admire a bloom.
Bishop shrugged. “There’s no precedent, but it would be a poorly timed tactic to bring on someone who is both relatively young and who would have potentially contradictory priorities.”
“The Labyrinth does not strike me as an entity that would compromise people that way,” Sarah agreed.
They both started at a loud commotion coming from nearby and increased their pace to investigate. Sarah was surprised to see Rook sitting on a bench beside a woman she didn’t recognise. It was the woman who was waving her hands about wildly as she unleashed a torrent of invective. “Is that Italian?” Sarah whispered, smiling broadly as Bishop nodded. “I have no idea why, but that is surprisingly hot.”
Bishop’s laughter distracted the woman and halted her tirade. “You’re not the only one to think so.” A subtle nod towards the castle showed several other guardians watching the show. He strode forward and pulled the woman into a hug, before turning back to Sarah. “Allow me to introduce Angel, she’s Erich’s partner.”
“So you’re Jareth’s Queen.” Angel looked Sarah over and grinned broadly. “He always did have good taste.”
Sarah was surprised to hear a broad Brooklyn accent from the woman who had been swearing in fluent Italian. She was about Rook’s height, had long, wavy, dark hair and was dressed in yoga pants and a loose, wide necked tee that had slipped to expose a shoulder. Looking between Bishop and Angel, it felt as if a piece she hadn’t realised was missing had settled in her heart. “I think we’ll be getting to know each other quite well.”
Re: Invective
Re: Invective
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