Day16: Games

Sometimes, Imogen doesn't know what game they're playing. Because Laudna's breath will catch when they see each other, or the music in her mind will accelerate. Laudna will say things like “I don't know what I would do without you”, or “I'll miss our cabin in the woods”, or even “you're my tether”. Laudna will hold Imogen's hand, and look deep into her eyes, wrap her in the tightest hug and stroke her hair as they breathe in each other's scent.

But then Laudna will also laugh and say that they're friends, even as Imogen feels like she's dying inside.

Day15: Charcoal

Laudna writes her name in charcoal on the table before they leave the cabin behind — six letters scrawled into the wood.  Next to it, she makes a little doodle of Pâté, a stick-figure rat with skull helmet holding his arms out for a hug.  Perhaps the next people to stay in this abandoned cabin will appreciate her art.

But when she passes through one last time to check that they haven’t forgotten anything, she sees Imogen has added her own name under Laudna’s, a plus symbol in between them.  And that makes Laudna so much happier without her knowing why.

Day14: Crawl

“All clear,” Laudna calls from the other side of the wall.

It’s a moonless night, but Laudna can see in the dark. Imogen gets low and crawls through the shallow dug passage.  Her clothes are ruined, but that’s the least of her concerns.  They’re inside the courtyard now.  And for tonight at least, they’ll have free run of the library.

Laudna brushes some dust off Imogen’s shoulder as she stands, pulls some twigs out of her hair.  “How do you feel about breaking and entering?”

Imogen smiles, takes Laudna’s hand and pulls her along.  “As long as I’m with you.”

Day13: Mud

Imogen finds Laudna near the shore one morning, crouched down in the muck.  She’s on all fours, face near the ground, and even the tip of her nose is dabbed with mud.

“What are you doing there, Laudna?”

She looks up then, and points as she sees Imogen.  “Look, mudskippers!”

And sure enough, as Imogen approaches, she can make out dozens of the small fish-like creatures flopping around, digging little holes and burrowing in the mud.  Laudna is smiling in awe at the display, full of wonder and joy, and Imogen thinks it’s the most beautiful thing in the world.

Day12: Power

Imogen hears the music falter, and her heart seizes. She rockets through the air, hair billowing out as purple lightning arcs from her fingertips. She sees Laudna crumpled on the floor, Orym beside her, trying to fend off four Reiloran Juggernauts at once. He flits between them, striking fast and then withdrawing to keep them away from Laudna’s prone form.

Laudna! Imogen’s scream is silent, mental, pure agony blasted down from above along with fire and lightning.

All this power inside her, but no healing. All this power, and she can’t use it for the thing she wants the most.

Day11: Tear

Sometimes, when they're alone, Imogen runs her fingers along the scar on Laudna's chest, the place where Otohan's blade had torn through muscle and bone — the spot where Laudna tears at herself when she summons her hound.

Laudna lets her do it, of course. Laudna will wait until Imogen shakes her head, lets out a ragged breath, and Laudna will say “I love you.”

“Don't ever leave me.”

“I won’t.”

And Imogen will lay her head on Laudna's chest, listen to the slow sound of her heartbeat, and they will both blink back tears.

“I love you so much, Laudna.”

Day10: Cold

Laudna tells herself it's a trick of physics and senses. It's because her skin is colder than everyone else, and it comes down to temperature gradients. Because even if Imogen's hands feel hot when they touch, there’s no deeper meaning. Not when fingers burn against her wrist to drag her through the market. Not when Imogen brushes some hair out of Laudna's eyes and leaves searing trails on her forehead. And especially not when Imogen lays her head on Laudna's shoulder at night and Laudna feels like she's burning up inside.

See, Laudna is supposed to be the cold one.

Day9: Sugar

“I’m trying a new sugar cookie recipe.”

Imogen grabs one off the plate, bites into it and nods her approval. “Delicious. You're so very capable.”

Laudna laughs. “Stop. You're making fun of me.”

But Imogen smiles at her, takes some powdered sugar off the cookie and dusts Laudna's nose. “It really is delicious.” And as if to emphasize the point, she kisses Laudna’s nose, her tongue coming out to lick the sugar away.

“Imogen.” She tries to protest, but it's pointless, because Imogen has always been Laudna's weakness. Imogen bumps their noses together, and their mouths find each other unerringly.

Day8: Pets

“It's ok,” Imogen says, “she's skittish around other people.”

And for a moment, Laudna isn't sure if Imogen means her or Flora.  But when Imogen continues, it's clear her words are for the horse.  “Laudna's a friend.”

But Laudna's heart warms, because no one has ever called her friend.  And she's keenly aware of Imogen's hand on the back of hers, fingers interlaced as she guides Laudna's hand to Flora’s mane.

Laudna pets the horse, smiles when it doesn't bolt.  Because animals never like Laudna, but this is Imogen's horse.  And Laudna wants so much for Imogen to like her.

Day7: Ring

They wake to the sound of ringing bells drifting through the window of their room at the inn. It's almost noon, but they had only arrived in this town late last night.

“Look Laudna, it's a wedding,” Imogen points to the town square, where a small crowd is gathered around a couple. A young boy rings the town’s bell, and people are throwing flowers into the air.

“Do you want to get married someday?”

And Imogen’s heart skips a beat before she realizes Laudna means it in the abstract. Not to each other.

“Oh, I don't know,” but Imogen smiles.

Day6: Knife

(trigger warning: animal butchery)

One morning on the road, Imogen spots a rabbit, and Laudna catches it with an eldritch blast.  So that evening is the first time Laudna sees Imogen draw her knife.  She lays the carcass out, then goes about skinning and gutting it.

“I can do that if you like,” Laudna offers.

But Imogen continues, making deft cuts along the flesh.  “It's fine, I grew up on a farm.  I can handle this.”

“Can you save me the pelt?”

“For you, anything,” Imogen says without looking away from the blade, and Laudna can't stop the smile that spreads across her face.

Day5: Mine

The signage claims it's an old silver mine, though the fact that it's empty must mean there's no more precious metals.

“Are we really going to stay here?” Imogen hovers near the entrance, as Laudna digs through some trash piles.

“It beats being in the rain.”

Imogen remembers stories though, about ghosts and monsters and creatures lurking in the dark. But Laudna hums her approval, holds up a bracelet of dyed beads she dug out of the refuse.

A quick spell removes the dust and grime from it. “Here,” she hands the bracelet to Imogen, “it’ll look nice on you.”

Day4: Stones

The standing stones in the forest are where they arrange to meet on that fateful day. Laudna has a chisel in her hair, scissors on her belt, and she pets Pâté absent-mindedly as she waits. Imogen waves as she approaches, opens her mind to dip into the nearby music. It’s soothing, if a bit anxious this morning.

Hi. Imogen smiles, feeling shy and not knowing why. They’ve spent so much time together lately. They’re supposed to run away together. Today. Just leave all this behind and go.

I wasn’t sure you would really come.

I would never abandon you, Laudna.

Day3: Tether

Laudna tightens the rope around her waist, and checks the other end that’s around Imogen.  “This way we’re tethered together.  I’ll go first.”  She smiles at Imogen.  “Just don’t look down.”  Then Laudna scrambles effortlessly up the cliffside.

Halfway there, she waits for Imogen to catch up, reaches down with a thin hand to help her.  “Don’t worry,” Laudna says as their hands touch, the fingers wrapping themselves together, “I won't let you fall.”

But Imogen can only stare up Laudna’s face, her head framed by the sky, pale features in the dying orange pink glow of dusk.

Too late.

Imodnovember Drabbles

For anyone who wants to follow along on AO3, I'm cross-posting here:

I will probably post to Tumblr first, because I like being at the computer to format for AO3. In atypical fashion (for me), I'm actually 2 days ahead on prompts, we'll see if that can be maintained.

Day2: Fire

Imogen warms her hands by the campfire as she looks around nervously.  The sounds of night surround them in the darkness beyond the fire’s glow. “What if someone sees us?” Imogen asks.

“I'll chase them away,” Laudna responds, “but no matter how scary it looks, I promise it won't hurt you.”

“I'm not scared of you.” Imogen takes Laudna's hands then, holds them in her own, and lavender eyes stare so intently that Laudna has to look away.  She can feel the blush rising to her cheeks, and Laudna tells herself that it must be the heat from the fire.

Day1: Shock

The little girl hands Imogen a flower — purple — like the color of her hair.  “Thank you,” Imogen says, and when Imogen smiles, Laudna beams as well.  But Laudna’s smile is not what most people would consider pretty.  Laudna's smile is too wide, lips too dark, teeth too narrow and too long.

The child screams in shock, runs crying back to her parents, who hurry her away quickly.  And then it's Laudna's turn to recoil, blinking back inky tears.

But Imogen takes her hand and pulls her along, tucks the purple flower into Laudna's hair and speaks a single word.  “Beautiful.”