Two Microfics/Tootfics From Last Night

I was feeling a bit meh last night, but I wanted to write *something*, so I took a couple prompts for toot fic - fic that fits in a 500-character toot on Mastodon. 

This is what I got.

👶

The thing about a baby was, it was literally made of connections. Polly finished spinning wool from her

read on…

Beauty-Beast 27: Memory

First: M/m Keeper/Kept
Previous: Self

🔒

Ctirad, at Timaois’ gentle suggestion, put some pants on before Sal came upstairs, Danny immediately behind with a large tray of what must pass for finger foods in a household of fae.

“I want you to unlock Ctirad’s lost memories,” Timaios told Sal, with no preamble except a “thanks for coming up here.”

Ctirad was watching Sal closely.  From the expression, this sort of thing was not unheard of in this household, nor was it beyond Sal’s capabilities.

“What’s the boy think of that, Sir?”

“It was his idea.  Well, it was my idea, but he agreed without prompting.  The impression I get is that a lot of it was done with orders.  Thus, there’s no Workings to work around—”

“WIth all due respect, that’s just going to make it trickier.  His own mind has decided — well, had it decided for him, but it comes down to the same thing — that he needs to not have those memories.  I’m going to have to invade him pretty deepl—” Sal trailed off and turned to look directly at Ctirad.  “I’m going to be really far into your mind.  You understand?  I’m going to see things nobody else has seen.”

read on…

Hiding in the Bear Empire

First: Running in the Bear Empire
Previous: Moving through the Bear Empire

🐻

“…a bodyguard who is happy with his work is more effective.”

Carrone snorted at that answer, but took the moment to open a door in the wall that was so effectively sandwiched between two other buildings she’d almost missed it.  “I should go first, in case Teshone is in.”

“As you wish.”  She gestured up the stairs.  Was he leading her into a trap?  She had one hand on her knife-hilt as they navigated the narrow stairs, her senses on high alert.  There was nobody moving upstairs.  Something like a mouse scratched in the wall to her left.  To the right, the sickly smell of a hatter’s seemed to leech through the wall.

“Here.” The staircase terminated in a narrow landing with three doors; he unlocked the one to the right.  Over the hatter’s, then.  From there there were three more doors.

“This is beginning to look like a puzzle box,” she muttered.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mirrored from Alder's Grove Fiction.

Addergoole: A Ghost Story - Chapter 62 - Arnbjörg

Chapter 62 - Arnbjörg
by Lyn Thorne-Alder

Friday, April 13, 2001

Arnbjörg had just finished running laps of the gum, after a session with the heavy bag and enough weights that her shoulders and back had that happy ache to them.  For once, she was enjoying walking through the halls unbothered. 

"No! No, I'm not going to... let go of me!"  A flash of lightning ripped through the hallway; the lights flickered and burnt out, leaving only the dim "Hell Night" red emergency lights.  

Arnbjörg reached for a weapon she didn’t have anymore.

"I think you should leave him alone."  The lights flickered but did not turn back on, as a second voice chimed in, similar to the first one and both familiar...

They were her half-brothers, Arnbjörg realized. Ragnvaldr and Leofric. 

"She might seem nice now, but she's not stable, and it's not a healthy situation."  The new, third speaker released his quarry, however, and stepped back until he was silhouetted against one of the red lights. "Rory, I'm just saying..."

read on...