Wednesday Warm-up
Dec. 30th, 2015 05:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beekeeperofedenI felt like warming up the writerly muscles, so I put my music on shuffle and wrote for each song that came up, for as long as it was playing. Nothing here but ficlets, but it was fun.
Take Advantage of Me by Seanan McGuire (lyrics)
"Don't underestimate her," whispered Jarlaxle as they lurked by the door. Entreri didn't dignify that with a response. He never underestimated anyone.
She was a half-drow, an information broker that worked out of the rough part of Menzoberranzan, the part where house wars had almost no impact. It almost felt like home.
"Jarlaxle," she purred as the mercenary walked in, boots a'clicking against the stone floor. "It's been too long."
"I've been busy." Jarlaxle shrugged. "Such is life."
"And who's this?"
-
Fire in the Sky by Kristoph Klover. (Fuck yeah, more space opera. Thanks to cohobbitation for all the Space!Faerun chatting.)
Gagarin was the first back in 1961,
When like Icarus undaunted he climbed to reach the sun,
And he knew he might not make it, for it's never hard to die,
but he lifted of the pad and rode a fire in the sky.
Drizzt looked back as Menzoberannzan vanished into the stars. He hadn't been expecting this plan to work, had been expecting to be caught and dragged back every second between making his decision and now.
But the ship was leaving the moon's orbit. From this vantage point, it barely looked occupied, just cracks in the surface hiding the drow cities below the surface.
"You!"
There it was. The capture he'd been expecting. But it was no drow matron yelling at him. Instead it was a small... alien? She was half his height, with red hair and an inquisitive scowl. A human fledgling?
"You're a stowaway, aren't ye?" she asked, frowning at him. She spoke in Galactic Common, thankfully. Drizzt hadn't been sure if he'd be able to communicate with others once he was out of drow space.
"Please don't send me back." He wasn't sure why he started with that, rather than a denial or a justification.
Her eyes were considering. "Okay. I won' tell Da."
-
World of Stone by Blackmore's Night. (Set during early in The Last Threshold.)
The siege had been going for six months now and Port Llast was running out of rations.The sahuagin had gotten reinforcements from somewhere, gods only knew where. Another night was going by. Drizzt perched on the town wall, trying to count them as they moved in the distant darkness.
"We should leave," Entreri suggested again. Drizzt had lost count of how many times they'd had this argument. Drizzt wondered every time why Entreri hadn't just snuck away in the night himself. He must want his dagger back very badly, Drizzt had finally concluded.
"No. We can help these people." Drizzt leaned against the cold stone of the perimeter wall. "Go if you must, but I'm staying."
Entreri glared at him for a moment, then walked away. Drizzt sighed, wondering again if he'd wake in the morning and find his old enemy, his old reminder, gone with the morning mist.
-
When You're Good to Mama from the musical Chicago. (Set between Silent Blade and Servant of the Shard. It took a while to figure out what to do with this song.)
They had almost formed an alliance, Sharlotta and Entreri. The only humans in the secret drow faction of Calimport, they recognized each others' value.
"What's Rai-guy up to?" Entreri asked quietly, to the morning air as much as to Sharlotta. They were sitting on the roof in the sunrise. A shared bottle of whiskey, perhaps, might have been appropriate, if they had trusted the other not to poison it. But there were no drinks in evidence.
"He's been asking me about what our strongest enemies are. He may be considering what sort of threat would be sufficient to drive Bregan D'aerthe back below ground." Rai-guy's hatred of the surface was an open secret, after all. Entreri nodded, accepting the information if not the analysis of it. "And Kimmuriel?"
"Avoiding me more than usual."
-
Whistles the Wind by Flogging Molly. (Direct continuation from Cold.)
"What do you mean?" Jarlaxle shivered at the cold wind against his neck.
"I. Never. Escaped." Entreri spat out each word slowly, as if it took effort to allow them past his lips.
"You're alive. I thought--" But Entreri was shaking his head. Jarlaxle studied him again, reconsidering the differences he saw in a different light.
"Let me help." He wasn't even sure what he was helping with, but. If this wasn't an illusion or some dream, Jarlaxle knew he wanted to cling to it as tightly as he could.
"You can't." Entreri seemed to have given up on pushing Jarlaxle off of him. Oh my friend, when did you start giving up so easily? Jarlaxle put on a smile and met Entreri's eyes.
"When have I failed to help you before?" Other than the obvious.
Bonus track: Up into the Pear Tree by Heather Dale. (I know the song is about a pair of lovers tricking an unwitting husband, but I wasn't in the mood for a love triangle. So you get mischieviousness amongst lovers, instead. Set near the end of The Last Threshhold, before the Long Nap. Established Drizzt/Dahlia/Entreri.)
It had become a game, stealing kisses when no one was looking. It had started when Entreri had made an offended comment about only being interesting when Dahlia got to use him against Drizzt. Now that they had, ah, settled everything, he didn't have any purpose.
So she had snuck up, pointed out that Drizzt couldn't see them, and kissed him until they had to stop and breathe.
It had been fun, the risk of discovery, she could admit that. So she snuck around to the other side of camp, and had done the same thing to Drizzt.
He hadn't caught on quite as quickly, alas. Then she pointed out that really, it was a good thing she was the only one of the trio who paid attention to her surroundings. It was clearly taken as the challenge it was intended as, because Entreri later came to complain to her about Drizzt sneaking up on him. And she hadn't even noticed.
Take Advantage of Me by Seanan McGuire (lyrics)
It’s a little slice of chaos, it’s a starlight carnival.
It’s the place where heroes fear to tread, but angels come to fall.
It’s the place where heroes fear to tread, but angels come to fall.
"Don't underestimate her," whispered Jarlaxle as they lurked by the door. Entreri didn't dignify that with a response. He never underestimated anyone.
She was a half-drow, an information broker that worked out of the rough part of Menzoberranzan, the part where house wars had almost no impact. It almost felt like home.
"Jarlaxle," she purred as the mercenary walked in, boots a'clicking against the stone floor. "It's been too long."
"I've been busy." Jarlaxle shrugged. "Such is life."
"And who's this?"
-
Fire in the Sky by Kristoph Klover. (Fuck yeah, more space opera. Thanks to cohobbitation for all the Space!Faerun chatting.)
Gagarin was the first back in 1961,
When like Icarus undaunted he climbed to reach the sun,
And he knew he might not make it, for it's never hard to die,
but he lifted of the pad and rode a fire in the sky.
Drizzt looked back as Menzoberannzan vanished into the stars. He hadn't been expecting this plan to work, had been expecting to be caught and dragged back every second between making his decision and now.
But the ship was leaving the moon's orbit. From this vantage point, it barely looked occupied, just cracks in the surface hiding the drow cities below the surface.
"You!"
There it was. The capture he'd been expecting. But it was no drow matron yelling at him. Instead it was a small... alien? She was half his height, with red hair and an inquisitive scowl. A human fledgling?
"You're a stowaway, aren't ye?" she asked, frowning at him. She spoke in Galactic Common, thankfully. Drizzt hadn't been sure if he'd be able to communicate with others once he was out of drow space.
"Please don't send me back." He wasn't sure why he started with that, rather than a denial or a justification.
Her eyes were considering. "Okay. I won' tell Da."
-
World of Stone by Blackmore's Night. (Set during early in The Last Threshold.)
Bring to me all of my arrows,
Bring to me my crossbow too
I fear that we will need them both
Before this night is through.
Bring to me my crossbow too
I fear that we will need them both
Before this night is through.
The siege had been going for six months now and Port Llast was running out of rations.The sahuagin had gotten reinforcements from somewhere, gods only knew where. Another night was going by. Drizzt perched on the town wall, trying to count them as they moved in the distant darkness.
"We should leave," Entreri suggested again. Drizzt had lost count of how many times they'd had this argument. Drizzt wondered every time why Entreri hadn't just snuck away in the night himself. He must want his dagger back very badly, Drizzt had finally concluded.
"No. We can help these people." Drizzt leaned against the cold stone of the perimeter wall. "Go if you must, but I'm staying."
Entreri glared at him for a moment, then walked away. Drizzt sighed, wondering again if he'd wake in the morning and find his old enemy, his old reminder, gone with the morning mist.
-
When You're Good to Mama from the musical Chicago. (Set between Silent Blade and Servant of the Shard. It took a while to figure out what to do with this song.)
The folks atop the ladder are the ones the world adores,
Boost me up my ladder, kid, and I'll boost you up yours.
Boost me up my ladder, kid, and I'll boost you up yours.
They had almost formed an alliance, Sharlotta and Entreri. The only humans in the secret drow faction of Calimport, they recognized each others' value.
"What's Rai-guy up to?" Entreri asked quietly, to the morning air as much as to Sharlotta. They were sitting on the roof in the sunrise. A shared bottle of whiskey, perhaps, might have been appropriate, if they had trusted the other not to poison it. But there were no drinks in evidence.
"He's been asking me about what our strongest enemies are. He may be considering what sort of threat would be sufficient to drive Bregan D'aerthe back below ground." Rai-guy's hatred of the surface was an open secret, after all. Entreri nodded, accepting the information if not the analysis of it. "And Kimmuriel?"
"Avoiding me more than usual."
-
Whistles the Wind by Flogging Molly. (Direct continuation from Cold.)
Well it breaks my heart to see you this way,
the beauty in life where's it gone
Well somebody told me we're doing okay,
somehow I guess they were wrong.
the beauty in life where's it gone
Well somebody told me we're doing okay,
somehow I guess they were wrong.
"What do you mean?" Jarlaxle shivered at the cold wind against his neck.
"I. Never. Escaped." Entreri spat out each word slowly, as if it took effort to allow them past his lips.
"You're alive. I thought--" But Entreri was shaking his head. Jarlaxle studied him again, reconsidering the differences he saw in a different light.
"Let me help." He wasn't even sure what he was helping with, but. If this wasn't an illusion or some dream, Jarlaxle knew he wanted to cling to it as tightly as he could.
"You can't." Entreri seemed to have given up on pushing Jarlaxle off of him. Oh my friend, when did you start giving up so easily? Jarlaxle put on a smile and met Entreri's eyes.
"When have I failed to help you before?" Other than the obvious.
Bonus track: Up into the Pear Tree by Heather Dale. (I know the song is about a pair of lovers tricking an unwitting husband, but I wasn't in the mood for a love triangle. So you get mischieviousness amongst lovers, instead. Set near the end of The Last Threshhold, before the Long Nap. Established Drizzt/Dahlia/Entreri.)
It had become a game, stealing kisses when no one was looking. It had started when Entreri had made an offended comment about only being interesting when Dahlia got to use him against Drizzt. Now that they had, ah, settled everything, he didn't have any purpose.
So she had snuck up, pointed out that Drizzt couldn't see them, and kissed him until they had to stop and breathe.
It had been fun, the risk of discovery, she could admit that. So she snuck around to the other side of camp, and had done the same thing to Drizzt.
He hadn't caught on quite as quickly, alas. Then she pointed out that really, it was a good thing she was the only one of the trio who paid attention to her surroundings. It was clearly taken as the challenge it was intended as, because Entreri later came to complain to her about Drizzt sneaking up on him. And she hadn't even noticed.