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Linkback Incentive Story
Nov. 18th, 2011 10:50 amThis is my linkback incentive story for the November Giraffe Call (Dreamwidth.
The first part of the story was originally posted here (DW); I am continuing it with an additional 50 words for every linkback to the Call or the stories from the call.
( original )
The man-creature stared at her. This clearly wasn’t what he’d intended, and she could tell he was looking for the trap. With some people, it would be a bear trap, quick to snap shut. Nila’s ways were - if not gentler, at least a little bit slower. This would bite him - not that he’d notice, at least.
He seemed to be reading her body language . She, for her part, was too worn for dissimilitude. What he saw - a tired girl, concerned about her children and worried about the potential threat in the road - was all her.
He nodded, reluctantly but, she thought, seeming no other choice. “I swear that I will do no harm to you or to your children,” he gestured at Allan and Susan, who were being very good and very quiet.
It was more than she’d asked for. Nila nodded brusquely. “Shirt off. Sit down.”
“What?”
“Take your shirt off,” Allan helped. “And sit down. Mom’s in business mode.”
Nila smiled appreciatively at her son, as the stranger sat down uncertainly, trying to pull off his shirt while watching her the whole time. “I notice you didn’t promise.”
“I’m a young mother with two small children. What can I do?” she asked innocently.
He coughed. “You’re an Ellehemaei. They’re baby Ellehemaei. And I’m out of power.”
“Well, then, you’d better just relax and trust me, oughtn’t you?” She smiled sweetly at him. “Allan, here, take your sister. Watch protocol.”
“Check.” Her son sat down with his back to a tree, watching the road in both directions, cuddling his baby sister.
“That’s my boy.” With a proud smile, Nila sank into lotus and began chanting a healing over the man.
After his first startled gasp, she looked up at him, smirking. “Name?”
Despite the good faith shown in the initial healing, he hesitated now.
She tch’d impatiently at him, and touched the part of him he was still Masking - the injuries he’d hidden under a glamour, to look less wounded, or to protect her children’s theoretical tender sensibilities. “I either need to see this, or to have your Name, to do this properly.”
Still, he hesitated. “Promise you won’t laugh?”
“What are you, seven?” The setting sun and her own impatience made her short. “I will not laugh at your Name. I can’t Work a healing while laughing.”
“You don’t want to promise anything at all, do you?” he grumbled.
“Nope,” she agreed.
The man sighed, those dog-like ears going flat. “I’m Tros, Named Ganymede.”
“Thank you, Tros.” There wasn't time to giggle. She dove back into her Working, pulling out only when she was certain he wouldn’t fall over in the next day. “You were pretty badly damaged.”
“Nedetakaei and returned gods. It was a nasty fight.”
“It must have been. But you walked away from it.” She left the question unspoken.
“They didn’t. But there were four of them, and six of us, and as far as I know, now there’s just me.”
“Aah.” She studied him for a moment. “I’m sorry for your loss.” They’d all lost someone.
“Everyone loses people in battle.” His ears canted unhappily; she took the cue and dropped it.
“I’ve healed you well enough to get away from here. I’ll heal you fully – for a price.”
He watched her uncertainly, as he tested out her repair job. “What’s your price?”
“Swear to help me watch and protect my kids and my own back for the next-” she did quick logistics in her head – “twelve days, and I will heal you and help feed you for that long.”
“Seven days,” he bargained.
“Ten,” she countered. “Starting at sunrise.”
“You have a deal.”
“Your oath?”
He nodded slowly, not entirely willingly. “If you promise to heal me completely, and to keep me healed and help feed me for the next ten days, beginning now but counting from sunrise tomorrow, I will watch your back and help you protect you and your children.”
She smiled crookedly at him. “I knew you were one of the good guys. I promise to heal you as completely as my ability allows, and to keep you healed and fed for the next ten days, beginning now but counting from sunrise tomorrow.”
The air settled around them with a pop.
Tros nodded, a little uncertainly, his ears twitching at the feel of the oath. “The sun’s going down,” he pointed out. “Do you have shelter for the night?”
“Girl scout, always prepared. Is there a good spot around here?”
“Just off the road, there’s a decent overhang out of sight.” He pointed. “Be a bit hard for the kids to get down it, but I can carry your son if you carry your daughter.”
Allan bristled. “I can manage a hill!”
“Calm down, little man,” Nila murmured. “Let the man help.” Her son subsided unwillingly, and Nila turned back to their new companion. “All right, show us.”
He was still limping, she noted; how bad was the rest of the damage? Not for the first time, she wished for more strength in the diagnostic Words. But he picked up Allan with no apparent strain, and gestured down the steep cliff.
“All right, kid, just hold on tight, kay?”
“I know how to do this,” Allan complained.
“Your kids do basic training on the weekend?” Tros was studying Nila with amusement as he started descending.
“Watch your footing,” she muttered.
“Yes, ma’am.”
They made it to the bottom in silence, Tros still watching Nila uncertainly. “You seem like you planned for this.”
She shrugged, and pulled out the pop-out tent from her backpack.
“That’s… a little small.”
“Well, it packs better that way.” She muttered a complex working around the miniature tent, and it expanded into a shelter suitable to fit the four of them, albeit tightly.
“You… really are prepared.” He looked at his feet, abashed. “I was lucky to get out with a weapon and the clothes on my back.”
She patted said back, shooing him into the tent. “It’s all right,” she assured him. “I’m prepared enough for all of us.”
~fin~
Next: A New Flower (LJ)
The first part of the story was originally posted here (DW); I am continuing it with an additional 50 words for every linkback to the Call or the stories from the call.
( original )
The man-creature stared at her. This clearly wasn’t what he’d intended, and she could tell he was looking for the trap. With some people, it would be a bear trap, quick to snap shut. Nila’s ways were - if not gentler, at least a little bit slower. This would bite him - not that he’d notice, at least.
He seemed to be reading her body language . She, for her part, was too worn for dissimilitude. What he saw - a tired girl, concerned about her children and worried about the potential threat in the road - was all her.
He nodded, reluctantly but, she thought, seeming no other choice. “I swear that I will do no harm to you or to your children,” he gestured at Allan and Susan, who were being very good and very quiet.
It was more than she’d asked for. Nila nodded brusquely. “Shirt off. Sit down.”
“What?”
“Take your shirt off,” Allan helped. “And sit down. Mom’s in business mode.”
Nila smiled appreciatively at her son, as the stranger sat down uncertainly, trying to pull off his shirt while watching her the whole time. “I notice you didn’t promise.”
“I’m a young mother with two small children. What can I do?” she asked innocently.
He coughed. “You’re an Ellehemaei. They’re baby Ellehemaei. And I’m out of power.”
“Well, then, you’d better just relax and trust me, oughtn’t you?” She smiled sweetly at him. “Allan, here, take your sister. Watch protocol.”
“Check.” Her son sat down with his back to a tree, watching the road in both directions, cuddling his baby sister.
“That’s my boy.” With a proud smile, Nila sank into lotus and began chanting a healing over the man.
After his first startled gasp, she looked up at him, smirking. “Name?”
Despite the good faith shown in the initial healing, he hesitated now.
She tch’d impatiently at him, and touched the part of him he was still Masking - the injuries he’d hidden under a glamour, to look less wounded, or to protect her children’s theoretical tender sensibilities. “I either need to see this, or to have your Name, to do this properly.”
Still, he hesitated. “Promise you won’t laugh?”
“What are you, seven?” The setting sun and her own impatience made her short. “I will not laugh at your Name. I can’t Work a healing while laughing.”
“You don’t want to promise anything at all, do you?” he grumbled.
“Nope,” she agreed.
The man sighed, those dog-like ears going flat. “I’m Tros, Named Ganymede.”
“Thank you, Tros.” There wasn't time to giggle. She dove back into her Working, pulling out only when she was certain he wouldn’t fall over in the next day. “You were pretty badly damaged.”
“Nedetakaei and returned gods. It was a nasty fight.”
“It must have been. But you walked away from it.” She left the question unspoken.
“They didn’t. But there were four of them, and six of us, and as far as I know, now there’s just me.”
“Aah.” She studied him for a moment. “I’m sorry for your loss.” They’d all lost someone.
“Everyone loses people in battle.” His ears canted unhappily; she took the cue and dropped it.
“I’ve healed you well enough to get away from here. I’ll heal you fully – for a price.”
He watched her uncertainly, as he tested out her repair job. “What’s your price?”
“Swear to help me watch and protect my kids and my own back for the next-” she did quick logistics in her head – “twelve days, and I will heal you and help feed you for that long.”
“Seven days,” he bargained.
“Ten,” she countered. “Starting at sunrise.”
“You have a deal.”
“Your oath?”
He nodded slowly, not entirely willingly. “If you promise to heal me completely, and to keep me healed and help feed me for the next ten days, beginning now but counting from sunrise tomorrow, I will watch your back and help you protect you and your children.”
She smiled crookedly at him. “I knew you were one of the good guys. I promise to heal you as completely as my ability allows, and to keep you healed and fed for the next ten days, beginning now but counting from sunrise tomorrow.”
The air settled around them with a pop.
Tros nodded, a little uncertainly, his ears twitching at the feel of the oath. “The sun’s going down,” he pointed out. “Do you have shelter for the night?”
“Girl scout, always prepared. Is there a good spot around here?”
“Just off the road, there’s a decent overhang out of sight.” He pointed. “Be a bit hard for the kids to get down it, but I can carry your son if you carry your daughter.”
Allan bristled. “I can manage a hill!”
“Calm down, little man,” Nila murmured. “Let the man help.” Her son subsided unwillingly, and Nila turned back to their new companion. “All right, show us.”
He was still limping, she noted; how bad was the rest of the damage? Not for the first time, she wished for more strength in the diagnostic Words. But he picked up Allan with no apparent strain, and gestured down the steep cliff.
“All right, kid, just hold on tight, kay?”
“I know how to do this,” Allan complained.
“Your kids do basic training on the weekend?” Tros was studying Nila with amusement as he started descending.
“Watch your footing,” she muttered.
“Yes, ma’am.”
They made it to the bottom in silence, Tros still watching Nila uncertainly. “You seem like you planned for this.”
She shrugged, and pulled out the pop-out tent from her backpack.
“That’s… a little small.”
“Well, it packs better that way.” She muttered a complex working around the miniature tent, and it expanded into a shelter suitable to fit the four of them, albeit tightly.
“You… really are prepared.” He looked at his feet, abashed. “I was lucky to get out with a weapon and the clothes on my back.”
She patted said back, shooing him into the tent. “It’s all right,” she assured him. “I’m prepared enough for all of us.”
~fin~
Next: A New Flower (LJ)
