Topic: The Wait

VeeJay Illiastri

Date: 2009-03-23 20:14 EST
Early-morning sunlight streamed in through curtains thrown back, cutting a swath of warmth over the bed. VeeJay stretched long and lazily as she woke up, blinking yellow-green eyes through the tangle of black curls in her face. ?Blue Monday? throbbed from the alarm radio, but the noise wasn?t enough to make up for a sound not present. Waking up was always better when Roland stayed the night. He tried to be so quiet when he got up before she did; with only a very little effort, she could hear the footsteps of everyone walking on the street below. It made the attempt pointless, but no less sweet.

?Beautiful Day? kept her company while she rolled out of bed, pulled on jeans with the knees torn out, a black thermal shirt and a faded yellow t-shirt. The t-shirt had a smiley-face on it with a halo hanging rakishly from devil horns. She was just tugging down the shirt when there was a knock on the door. She beamed, and bounced over to fling open the door.

The boy standing there with his hand lifted for a second knock stepped back half a pace, startled. Vee?s bright laugh bubbled out, and the boy found himself smiling back without meaning to. She be-bopped a bit in place to ?Tainted Love?, without a care for what the boy might think. ?Hi! What can I do for you?? Yellow-green eyes sparkled with her smile that looked too wide for her face.

?Th-this is from Master Gravois with his compliments.? The boy thrust out a sealed letter, stammering a bit in the presence of VeeJay?s outgoing energy. Her black eyebrows flew up with surprise, and she looked more closely at the boy. There was the small symbol of House DeMuer embroidered on his shirt. He glanced down, took in the bright pink of her painted toenails, and then flushed, looking terribly young.

Vee laughed again, a chortle of delight, and bounced back to invite him into the apartment. ?Did he say to wait for an answer??

The boy shook his head violently in answer to the question. ?N-no. I?ve got to get back. Itwasverynicetomeetyou.? The last came out in a rush while he backed away. He turned just in time to avoid tumbling backwards down the stairs, and clattered down at a near-run. It was as if he didn?t want to answer any more questions. One last word was delivered over his shoulder. ?Sorry.?

More puzzled now than anything, especially by that last apology, VeeJay shut the door and broke the seal on the letter. Her smile fell away when she scanned the words. ?Minor border conflict? What do you mean, minor border conflict?? Amusement had dropped away. The boy had to have known more about it for the apology to slip in. She walked back into her bedroom to hunt up shoes, and slammed off the alarm radio. It shattered and broke, ?Another One Bites the Dust? dying with a hiss of static and cracking plastic.

A few minutes later Vee took the stairs down three at a time, heeled boots barely touching the wood. A pencil threaded through her wild black curls and her notebook was tucked into one jacket pocket. There was a very determined look on her face as she set out to find out exactly what was taking place in the Barony.

Roland

Date: 2009-03-23 20:45 EST
By nine o'clock in the morning, the Silver Mark Pub & Brewery had opened and was buzzing with activity -- news of the Barony's near-massacre of the invading Dream Horde broke the tension that had been hanging over the House since late last night, and the 'tender on duty decided to open for a little celebration. Lt. O'Brien of the West End Watch was there, listening with interest to the knight Seamus (who had been sent back to spread the news in the first place) describing the battle for the umpteenth time, and offering his own input on the manuevers involved.

"...so he chases him down the road and, whump, lops his head clean off!" O'Brien started at this, then laughed and shook his head, starting on a fresh pint of lager.

"Think I'm too old for war these days... but God, part of me's sad I missed this."

"Sad, nothin'!" the 'tender cut in -- a man with once red hair now gone mostly white -- and wagged his finger at the pair. "We're lucky it's over, an' not a one of ours got hurt too bad. Lucky!" He finished with a stiff nod, then squinted his eyes in a smile. The others looked around at each other, then toasted,

"To peace!"

Among the crowd, besides Seamus, O'Brien and the 'tender, were a couple other Watchmen, a few House guards, nearly a dozen other House workers including Peter Oliend, but no sign of Roland Gravois nor Baron DeMuer.

VeeJay Illiastri

Date: 2009-03-24 16:12 EST
The Silver Mark Pub & Brewery was one of House DeMuer?s hubs, a gathering place for its off-duty workers ? and, like all pubs, information flowed almost as easily there as the beer. It was VeeJay?s first stop, and her instincts were rewarded; the crowd inside was bustling. A word, ?war?, caught her by the throat with her hand raised to open the door. But the next sentence started her breathing again. Not one of ours hurt too bad. It wasn?t the same as none hurt, but nobody had been killed. They were talking as if it was already over.

The toast rang out, and Vee slipped in the door. Normally she bounced ? today it was a stalk, the prowl of a hunting animal. The room had the feeling of a private party, and all eyes shifted to the intruder. VeeJay smiled brightly. ?Hi! I heard your toast. Could I get something to join in with that?? She was scanning the room, deciding who to confront, and her gaze settled on the lone knight in the room, Seamus. The bartender shrugged and started drawing a beer, while the occupants continued to watch her.

Another day she might have been more subtle, worked up to her questions in the course of a conversation. Today she just stopped in front of Seamus and looked at him levelly. ?My name is VeeJay, and I?m looking for Roland.? There was an exhale, a murmur of understanding in the room from those few who knew her name if not her face. Conversation picked up again, back to hashing over the story Seamus had told.

Seamus was obviously one of those who recognized her name, and not just as the reporter who had written about the House. He shifted, suddenly looking vaguely uncomfortable. ?Sir Seamus at your service, Miss. Ah ? well, I couldn?t tell you exactly where Captain Gravois is. Somewhere in the Barony, finishing up the last of that Dream Horde mess.? He smiled hopefully, an expression that relaxed when Vee?s own smile spread wide.

?Right, the Dream Horde. Shamans, raiders, trying to come in over your borders.? It wasn?t a question. She had heard of the Dream Horde as well, though more as rumors and traveler?s tales. By seeming to know more than she did, often people assumed she had the whole story. It made them feel more secure in telling their version; the tactic worked on Seamus.

He settled back onto his stool and waved her to take a seat. She swung up and took the beer the bartender passed over with a smile. She lifted it, took a bare sip, and then turned back to Seamus. The knight had already nodded agreement to the identification. ?That?s right. We had to drive them back before they could get a foothold in the Barony. Attacked this morning at dawn ? Sir Roland had a good plan. Lit their tents on fire and attacked when they went running out.? The knight shook his head and laughed. ?He led the charge, too.?

?Really?? Her eyes were wide with interest, and she swung her boots in a gesture that made her look both younger and more innocent. Something behind her eyes had shifted, leaving them feral green instead of lively with yellow-gold, but it didn?t interfere with her smile.

?I thought he was going down for a moment when that musket got him, but he just picked up and kept going. Took their leader?s head off, and the rest of them just sort of gave up when Sir Roland rode back holding it up.? Despite the many times he had told and retold the story, there was still relish in Seamus? voice. ?I had my hands full on the hill, but there was no way to miss that, not with the lightning show.?

The kick-kick-swing of Vee?s boots paused, and to hide it she reversed the motion. ?How many of ours were hurt? Killed?? By calling them ?ours? she hoped the knight would assume she actually had a right to the answer. He did.

?Just seven of us wounded, and nobody died. Wiped the floor with the Horde, though.? There was a note of satisfaction as well as relief in Seamus? voice, and then he looked suddenly surprised, his eyes widening with understanding. ?Oh, don?t you worry about Sir Roland, Miss. He was getting bandaged up when I left to bring the news. He?ll be fine.?

VeeJay nodded, and smiled again, though the feral green hadn?t left her gaze. She waited a moment longer, to see if Seamus would add anything else. The knight looked at her curiously, and she shook her head with a swing of wild curls. ?Thank you, Sir Seamus.? She hopped down from the seat, leaving a small gold coin gleaming on the bar for the beer, and left the pub without looking back. Seamus shrugged and turned back to answer a question from O?Brien.

Heeled boots rapped sharply on the cobbles of this section of street while VeeJay walked slowly back to her apartment. Curls fell into her face without notice while she tried to sort out the tangle of emotions. Anger, fear, bloodlust, worry, pride. Roland had left without telling her, just a letter. He could have died and left just one stupid letter as his last words. He was wounded, shot, but alive. The invasion was ended, and it was his doing. He was wounded. He could have died, and all she would have had was one letter.

She laughed, the sound cheerful, golden-bright in the morning air. He was alive, and he would come home. Again her laughter rang out before she sat on the steps to her apartment and started scrawling notes in shorthand in her notebook. Laughter was better than crying.

VeeJay Illiastri

Date: 2009-03-24 18:04 EST
It was early in the afternoon when a truck rumbled up to the front of VeeJay's apartment, driven by an old man with several gold teeth wearing a flat cap and an Aurkindar passenger. Several House 'soldiers,' no longer heavily armed, were piled into the back, as well as Roland Gravois. He would have preferred to return on horseback, but with one arm bandaged, it might not go over so well... He dropped carefully and gracefully from the back when the truck slowed down to just a few miles an hour, then jogged up to the door -- even if the engine didn't give him away to Vidya, the parting cheers and cries of his name certainly would. He waved awkwardly to them, blushing, and then turned to knock... looking a little scared, frankly.

It wasn?t that Vee was worried. Or angry. Not exactly. Except that she was. As a consequence of this emotional confusion, her apartment was sparkling. She had typed up her notes earlier, and then starting cleaning to work off some of her excess energy. Her stereo was playing oldies music, loudly, but it wasn?t enough to cover up the heavy rumble of the truck, and definitely not enough to cover up the shouts of Roland?s name. By the time he knocked, she was opening the door, already looking him over to see what the wound had been. Lemon cleaner on the air wasn?t enough to hide the scent of blood under the bandage on his arm.

She looked at that bandage for a moment before she raised her eyes to his face and smiled. ?Hey.? Stepping back, she opened the door wider, a silent invitation.

"Ah... hi," Roland said, and stepped inside at her invitation. It was more than a graze, sure, but it still wasn't a bad wound. Once he was inside and the door was shutting, he turned to her to apologize -- "I am sorry, Vidya - I was called at two in the morning and they told me it was an emergency, that I had to leave at once. I wanted to see you first, but..." He shook his head, then hung it, clearly embarrassed. "...I am sorry."

She wanted to smile when he used her real name, the only person here in RhyDin she had actually given it to. But ? ?I know about emergencies.? She shook her head, tried to explain, ?That doesn?t bother me.? She turned, walked a few steps away, pushing her hands through her curls before she picked up the letter. ?This ? this bothered me.? Turning back to show it to him. ?A minor conflict? Don?t worry?? She laughed quietly and sat down suddenly, right where she had been standing on the floor, looking up at him. ?How am I not supposed to worry? You went to war, Roland. You charged the leader of the Dream Horde and got shot. You don?t heal the way I do, and if you?d never come back, all I would have known is from this stupid letter.?

He frowned at that and sank down, carefully, to crouch by her. He shook his head. "...It was thoughtless of me. I... did not know what to say. I did not want you to worry, but I did not want to keep anything from you... I wanted to be honest, but -- " He frowned, again. "...Should I have waited to tell you?"

"No - no." Again Vee shook her head, reaching out a hand for one of his. "I'd rather the letter than nothing. But you could have told me what was happening, instead of trying to gloss it over." A real laugh bubbled up, then. "Let me worry about you if I want to. If you say don't worry it's even scarier."

Roland bowed his head at that, a smile breaking through his frown, and he accepted -- "Okay... I will." His hand enclosed hers, and he was quiet for a moment. "...I am glad it is over... and I am glad to be with you again, Vidya."

?Double. Triple.? She grinned wide, squeezing his hand before she tugged him over to steal a kiss. ?I was worried about you, and I?m so glad you?re back safe. Well ? mostly safe.? Yellow-green eyes flicked to the bandage again, and back to his face. ?I have to ask. Were you doing something stupid and macho when you got this??

He returned her kiss and gave her the best one-armed hug he could manage, and then thought about that, though there was a little smile. "Well, I had my reasoning... I thought to myself, Well, if we let their leader go, he will return, and there will be more blood, yes? So... I may have charged down the hill and leapt onto his guard's horse."

Black eyebrows flew upwards. ?May have? Possibly?? There it was, the undertone of humor in her voice that had been missing. ?Seamus said something about a lightning show, too.?

He laughed at that and shook his head. "Then he was exaggerating. I chased the Dream-Shaman down the road, and he turned and cast a bolt at me, and I avoided it... so I came in from the side and," here, he made the sound effect of a sword swinging through the air, "lopped off 'is head." This was followed by a pause, and he shook his head. "It was unnerving, I think, afterwards, but then I was still, ah, caught up in the heat of the battle, as they say?"

VeeJay hadn?t even blinked at the description of the decapitation. Again something feral shifted behind her eyes, but when he went on to say it was unnerving, the green faded away from her gaze. She nodded slowly. ?A lot of times people can do things when they get caught up in the moment that they wouldn?t otherwise. And it worked.? Her smile flashed. ?You can?t argue with what works.?

He smiled. "The people of the Barony are safe. I think... that is what matters, yes?" He climbed back to his feet, and offered his right hand to help her up (and, once she was up, pull her to him).

?I think you?re right. Captain Roland Gravois, Knight of the Barony of Saint-Ouen, Hero of the Realm.? She chortled while she stood with his help, not at all unwilling to be pulled against him. Yellow-green eyes shone at him with her face inches from his when she wrapped her arms around his neck. ?Don?t think I didn?t hear them calling after you. But you looked almost scared when I opened the door. Don?t tell me I?m scarier than the Dream-Shaman.?

"I think, in a fair fight... you could give him a run for his money," he chuckled, and kissed her. Part of him wanted to keep kissing her - lots - but he was so tired, and the last of the adrenaline and caffeine was wearing off... "...I have been awake since yesterday morning... Would you mind if I slept here?"

"Of course not! You don't even need to ask. I'll even turn off the music for you." Which, during her waking hours, rarely happened. Wicked teasing glimmered. "After all, the Hero of Sainte-Ouen needs his sleep." Another kiss stolen before she let him go; she bounced ahead of him into the bedroom to pull close the heavy drapes and turn off her stereo.

He trudged after her, stifling a long yawn. "A war on no sleep... You know... I am a little surprised that we won."


((Adapted from live play))