Drabble #77: Complicated
Friday, 1 February 2019 12:53![[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 76, with an entry by me (your intrepid drabble proposer
jalenstrix). Oh, labyfic collective, come baaaaaack! I miiiiiiiss you!!
For this prompt, we continue with our one-word drabble roots, with a word evocative of many different scenarios:
Complicated
What's complicated? Who's complicating it? (There are just so many interesting ways for things to be "complicated", you know.) Tell. Us. About it. Labyfic-style.
Given our entries from recent months, let's continue with the 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 (Mar 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.)
no subject
2019-02-22 19:42 (UTC)Drabble:
“How complicated could it be?”
I looked up from the mess of pieces and let my eyes rest (far more happily) on the lithe figure by the window, where the afternoon sunlight was having a fabulous time highlighting cornsilk hair and patrician features that would give a GQ model a serious case of existential envy. “You haven’t even looked, have you?”
“I might not have.”
“You should look before saying things like that. I promise you it’s more complicated than you think.” I drummed my fingers pointedly near a pile of screws of different lengths. “And time is short.”
Jareth smiled. “Isn’t that my line?”
I shrugged off his smile. I’d had a lot of practice over the years. “Could be. Are you actually going to look now?”
“Oh, I might do.”
“Well, don’t come crying to me if it turns out poorly because you can’t be bothered to even look, your highness.”
“Do I detect a modicum of sarcasm, my dear?”
“Never. I know how precious your time is. Too busy to look at instructions.”
“It’s a desk, Sarah. It simply can’t be that hard to construct.”
“This is no IKEA desk. It’s got pieces.” I gestured expansively at the myriad piles in front of me.
Jareth arched an eyebrow. “I’m capable of profoundly complicated magical acts. I alter time on a regular basis. I can assemble a mere desk.”
I felt the corners of my mouth twitch. “And there’s the royal humility I know and love.”
“Love my...humility, do you?” Jareth’s eyes gleamed as he leaned back against the window sill, showcasing a lot of very fine attributes that had very little to do with humility.
I grinned back. “Keep it up and I’ll revoke your Scrabble invite for this week.”
“Didymus will run roughshod over the lot of you if you do.”
“Could be. I’ll still do it. Don’t think I won’t, no matter how fine your…humility...looks.”
“We should explore this appreciation you have for my humility.”
“After the desk is assembled.”
“Cruel woman.”
“You know it. Now, if you please, bring your fine-looking humility over here and help me with this thing.”
“As you wish.”
no subject
2023-01-17 08:54 (UTC)no subject
2023-01-31 21:09 (UTC)no subject
2019-03-01 22:25 (UTC)no subject
2019-03-04 15:36 (UTC)Clash
2023-01-17 08:58 (UTC)Drabble:
“You alright there, love?” Sarah blinked as she shook herself out of her contemplative state and looked up at Bishop.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little confused.” Sarah motioned for Bishop to join her. She smiled at the moment of culture clash of seeing Bishop’s casual elegance against the backdrop of the castle’s gardens. There was nothing unusual about citizens Underground favouring more formal attire, but she still thought of gardens as a place for barbecues and bare feet. “I was with Jareth in his office earlier and it got a little weird.”
Bishop leaned forward, elbows on his knees and hands clasped. “How so?”
“Jareth just got a papercut, swore and before I could blink there was a guardian in the room.” She hadn’t met him before, but he had the green eyes and sharp teeth shared by all that she had met.
“He arrived looking ready to kill someone, scanned the room, visibly relaxed, then grabbed Jareth’s hand, ripped the glove off and stuck the injured finger in his mouth.” She’d seen the guardians heal Jareth in the past, so wasn’t shocked by the behaviour. However, the wagged finger and stern admonition was quite amusing.
“He appeared so quickly.” Sarah fiddled with a loose thread on her shirt. “Could he smell the blood?”
“We’re not certain.” Bishop huffed out a breath. “We think it might be a slightly heightened sense that the Labyrinth has enhanced to protect Jareth because it always occurs in pairs. There’s a handful of us on the home team who will react that way, so one of each pair will always be based Underground at any time.”
“There’s more?”
Bishop nodded. “The one you saw today reacted to Jareth’s blood, there’s a pair that reacts to pain and another that reacts to a certain pitch of voice. Rook is one of those. We think Doug accidentally triggered the response that saw her rescue him.”
Sarah frowned and turned to look at her companion. “Shouldn’t they have appeared when I injured Jareth?”
“We advised them ahead of time that we would be conducting a training exercise.” Bishop sat back up and gave her a half smile.
Sarah grimaced at the memory. “Okay, so blood is smell and voice is sound, but pain is what? Empathy?”
“Both were raised to be healers and have continued their education in that direction, so it’s as good a theory as any.” Bishop shrugged. “Or it’s just the Labyrinth.”
“Surely it only kicks in if they’re in range?”
“Based on past experience, no. They can feel the pull from anywhere Underground and if Jareth is badly injured they’ll even feel it when Above.”
“Sounds handy.” Sarah mused that it could also be potentially inconvenient for those impacted.
“The Labyrinth has a vested interest in keeping its chosen rulers alive, so you should expect to gain your own set of personal medics over time.”
Sarah snorted out a laugh. “I’ll try not to look too surprised next time I cut myself.”
Re: Clash
2023-01-31 21:10 (UTC)Re: Clash
2023-01-31 21:26 (UTC)