Drabble #213: Luxurious

[jalenstrix]

...we had a nice response to my last posted drabble prompt of Drabble 208, with entries by redwolf, and commenting by me (jalenstrix), one of your intrepid drabble proposers. Huzzah!

As always, special labyfic love to redwolf for adding entries and comments for several previous drabble prompts. Onward, drabblers, inspired by our rather wonderful redwolf!





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

Luxurious

What's luxurious? Who's providing this luxury and how exactly is it being implemented? 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
$your_beautiful_drabble


I'll aim to get my next drabble challenge out on the first Monday of next month (July 7).

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. Authors generally write for love.)

Comments

Restorative

[redwolf]

Word count: 500

Sarah had spent her afternoon following up on their new arrival. Her concerns that the child could be suffering from a similar malady to that which had claimed her parents had been well founded. The healers had placed the little girl in statis while they worked to slowly purge her system of remaining toxins and to repair the damage they had caused.

While Sarah had hoped the healers could provide her with a list of the chemicals involved, that had unfortunately devolved into a circular discussion with neither party understanding the other’s terminology. Taking a different tack, Sarah had ended up calling Irene and, between the two of them, they had determined that the family had been the victims of a tainted water supply. It seemed that there was a high profile legal case for victim compensation in progress, which may help those families who had a chance of recovery, but there were enough people who were beyond medical intervention that Sarah suspected the child was the first of an influx.

Entering the library, Sarah smiled as she saw Jareth sprawled on a lounge chair. Having fallen asleep while reading, his head was thrown back, exposing a long column of neck and one hand was buried in the heavy pelt draped across his lap. As she watched, his rug moved and a very much alive wolf didn’t so much fall from the lounge as it did succumb to gravity in a slow ooze that eventually yawned, curled in a tight ball at Jareth’s feet and resumed its own sleep.

Stepping behind the chair, Sarah brushed Jareth’s hair aside before kissing him on the forehead.

With a dramatic full body stretch, Jareth reached up to return Sarah’s kiss. “How’s the patient?”

“She’ll recover fully, but they want to keep her in their care for a while yet.” Carefully avoiding treading on the sleeping wolf, Sarah joined Jareth on the lounge and curled into his side. “There’ll be more, won’t there?” She could feel an air of heavy expectation from the Labyrinth that made her suspect the next call would be soon.

“Quite a few, yes.” Sarah shuddered and Jareth tightened his arms around her.

“I’m feeling the urge to introduce the culprits to the bog.”

“Alas that is outside our remit, my love,” Jareth commiserated.

“Is there anything we can do?”

“We can ensure the children who are wished away find loving homes.”

“I meant Above.”

“I understand, but there are rules, and while you only want to intervene with the best of intentions, others may not be so altruistic.”

As frustrating as it was to hear, Sarah understood that it would be a slippery slope. While she knew the flip side was that there would soon be families Underground gaining a much wanted child, it was still difficult to only be able to step in under tightly defined conditions and even then it was in the aftermath of disaster.

“We provide a safety net for those who’ve lost all hope.”

Re: Restorative

[jalenstrix]

I just love that description of the wolf on (and off) Jareth's lap. Adorable and feral at the same time.

Re: Restorative

[redwolf]

I have huskies. One of them turns into liquid on furniture and slowly oozes off 🦊🧡

[jalenstrix]

Word count: 308
Drabble:

I glanced around the ballroom. It was literally dripping with excess. Velvet curtains pooled on the glistening marble floor, which flowed with metallic veins of every color. Crystal chandeliers cascaded like waterfalls, carved furniture bubbled up here and there as if from a rococo fever dream, and gossamer veils dribbled over every surface. It was flamboyant, ostentatious, and utterly unashamed of itself.

I blinked slowly. “Ridiculous.”

A masculine voice made of honeyed shadows rubbed over my skin and down my spine. “Luxurious, you mean.”

“I said what I meant. It’s too much. Everywhere.”

I could feel the amusement of Jareth’s smile, even from behind me. “Come, come…tell me you couldn’t get used to this.” His breath was hot in my ear. “That you couldn’t indulge in it and enjoy it.”

I leaned my cheek into him, feeling the roughness of his morning stubble against my skin. “No fair swaying my opinion with other means.”

“Who ever said I was fair?”

“Point.” I looked out again at the room. It was just so…much. I had to close my eyes against it. “But maybe we could tone it down in here just a touch. As a compromise.”

“My darling girl, why on earth would you think I wish to compromise?”

“To preserve your wife’s sanity?”

He nibbled my ear. “You of all people know there are far better ways for that. And perhaps you’ll come to appreciate my taste more with the appropriate motivation.”

I grinned, turning my head so my lips brushed his. “I already quite appreciate your taste. Or at least, I think I do. I may have to investigate properly just to be sure.”

His laughter ran through both our mouths as they touched. “Be sure, my love.”

My lips explored the contours of his as my hands wandered down the length of his body. “I will.”

[redwolf]

I see nothing wrong with using Jareth to distract from a Rococo fever dream. Fun! 🦊🧡