...gee, I love rain... *gag*
Jan. 9th, 2005 09:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lavandarlizard2Wowee; doing laundry in the rain is great fun. Only saving grace to it, is that other people have better sense than to slog to the laundry roon in the pouring rain. I did, however, get 55 minutes of uninterrupted crocheting time... Gotta acknowlege the little things...
Anywho... Next partlet. Um... This is in response to a question someone asked... Keep in kind, please, that these parts - or any in the whole of BFB - are not necessarily stacked together, story-wise; there may be a few minutes between or there may be a few days. I can't give you a definitive answer on it, either, because depending on where *I* am in my writing at any particular time, the length of timeline between partlets and sections may change. I don't like to make little notes like "two days later" or "twenty minutes later", because honestly I may write something later that necessitates a longer time between events, and then I have an "oopsy". Yeah, I'm anal that way. Maybe it's the rain. My north end is getting rather mossy...
BFB - 086b - Strange Days IV
The anticipated explosion of Banshee self-reliance came this morning. His sense of time has finally returned and with it he realised that I have been sitting with him all this time rather than going into the office. He was very... vocal about *his* need to have *me* return to my usual routine, so here I sit. I have done my best to keep my mind on my work these past couple of hours, but it is difficult. I am... jumpy. Everyone in the large room has been avoiding me almost fearfully.
A soft chime sounded from the far side of the room; a call on our Magical line. Inazuma was leaping that way even before the chime faded. It’s nice to see that my lectures have done some good.
The River Elf is not a slacker, but he’s young, almost as young as Duo, and tends toward being scatterbrained at times. His father is a Third Son, so Zuma has been rather indulged. It isn’t that he doesn’t do his job; more like he just needs an occasional nudge to send him in the proper direction.
Inazuma has been very good this week, though; taking on new assignments without hesitation and following up as best he can on Duo’s cases. He adores Duo; he seems to look up to him as he might to an older brother, in spite of Duo being several years younger.
Something in his face catches my attention as he turns from the brazier. His eyes find mine and he looks... strained. He waggles his fingers, meaning, I suppose, that the call is for me. But he meets me halfway as I cross the room.
“Heero,” he whispers anxiously, “It’s Duo’s uncle.”
Teal. Crap. I still haven’t figured out how to tell him. I guess I will just have to hope that he does not have the ability to reach through the fire for me.
“Thank you, Zuma. Take a break. And take the others with you, please.” The others in the room must have been listening; they were out the door instantly and I was left alone to face Duo’s uncle.
He was not gentle.
“Heero,” he snapped immediately. “Why isn’t Duo answering his phone? And why is he not at work?”
“Teal... We’ve had a problem,” I began, only to see his face go dead white. “Duo is okay,” I said quickly, cursing my delivery. He glared at me.
“Dammit, Heero!” he snarled. “I want to know what the hell is going on!”
~ Well, that makes two of us, doesn’t it? ~ hissed that voice in the back of my head. I slapped it down and took a breath.
“First, Duo is okay; do not worry about that. There was... an incident. We don’t really know the ‘why’ of it yet...” And I proceeded to tell him what had happened. He didn’t interrupt me, but his shock and anger showed clearly in his darkening eyes and the hard set of his mouth. I looked into those eyes and spared nothing, certainly not myself.
“And that’s where we are now,” I finished with a sigh. “It is my fault; he should not have been alone. You trusted me to take care of him and I failed.” The hitch in my voice surprised me. I realised then just how very much the elder Banshee's approval means to me.
Silence hung between us for an eternity. I was not surprised that he was angry with me; I was furious with myself.
“How did he meet this female?” he asked finally.
That I could answer, having asked Duo the same question. “Apparently, she complimented his hair one day in town, and he felt sorry for her. She looks – and acts – like a mouse, always in the shadows, all dull and insignificant.”
“You saw her?”
“At the sheriff’s station; yes.”
“And she is still alive?” I couldn’t read what he was saying. Was he hoping that she was or that she wasn’t?
“Yes,” I said simply.
“Good. I want five minutes with her.” His expression was dark.
“I’m sorry, Teal,” I said softly. “I have failed both of you.”
He blinked at me. “Heero, I won’t say that it’s all right; I’m too upset right now. But you are not super-human – pardon the expression – you can’t be everywhere, every minute. For one thing, Duo wouldn’t stand for it.” He scrubbed his hands over his face wearily. “When I see you, I may have some choice words, but right now, I’m just glad he’s safe again and not hurt any worse.”
I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realised I was holding. “Will you come?”
“I- I can’t right now. Dammit,” he muttered to himself. “There have been some nasty storms in the area. Merry Brook has suffered a great deal of damage and the roads are mostly impassable. I can’t take Dael out in these conditions.”
“I could send a porter,” I offered hesitantly, but he shook his head slowly.
“There are injuries here, and several deaths... I am... needed...”
Just the way he said it scared me. “Teal, not your mother?”
“No... Her sister and the sister’s granddaughter...”
“Teal, I’m so sorry! Of course, you must stay.” I gathered my scattered wits. “Is there anything we can do? Any help we can send? I know Q would be more than willing...”
“No, Heero; thank you.” He rubbed at his eyes again. “We have enough help; it’s just the emotional fallout now... Dammit, I wish I could be in two places at once.”
“I wish you could be also,” I sighed. “Too bad we don’t have a time turner.”
He gave me an indecipherable look and just shook his head. “Later, Heero. Have Duo call me. I need to hear his voice.”
“Of course.” His image vanished and the flames settled back to their usual height.
He hadn’t yelled at me; he hadn’t blamed me; he hadn’t even been noticeably angry with me. I should have felt relieved. I only felt even more craven and ineffectual.
...tbc...
Anywho... Next partlet. Um... This is in response to a question someone asked... Keep in kind, please, that these parts - or any in the whole of BFB - are not necessarily stacked together, story-wise; there may be a few minutes between or there may be a few days. I can't give you a definitive answer on it, either, because depending on where *I* am in my writing at any particular time, the length of timeline between partlets and sections may change. I don't like to make little notes like "two days later" or "twenty minutes later", because honestly I may write something later that necessitates a longer time between events, and then I have an "oopsy". Yeah, I'm anal that way. Maybe it's the rain. My north end is getting rather mossy...
BFB - 086b - Strange Days IV
The anticipated explosion of Banshee self-reliance came this morning. His sense of time has finally returned and with it he realised that I have been sitting with him all this time rather than going into the office. He was very... vocal about *his* need to have *me* return to my usual routine, so here I sit. I have done my best to keep my mind on my work these past couple of hours, but it is difficult. I am... jumpy. Everyone in the large room has been avoiding me almost fearfully.
A soft chime sounded from the far side of the room; a call on our Magical line. Inazuma was leaping that way even before the chime faded. It’s nice to see that my lectures have done some good.
The River Elf is not a slacker, but he’s young, almost as young as Duo, and tends toward being scatterbrained at times. His father is a Third Son, so Zuma has been rather indulged. It isn’t that he doesn’t do his job; more like he just needs an occasional nudge to send him in the proper direction.
Inazuma has been very good this week, though; taking on new assignments without hesitation and following up as best he can on Duo’s cases. He adores Duo; he seems to look up to him as he might to an older brother, in spite of Duo being several years younger.
Something in his face catches my attention as he turns from the brazier. His eyes find mine and he looks... strained. He waggles his fingers, meaning, I suppose, that the call is for me. But he meets me halfway as I cross the room.
“Heero,” he whispers anxiously, “It’s Duo’s uncle.”
Teal. Crap. I still haven’t figured out how to tell him. I guess I will just have to hope that he does not have the ability to reach through the fire for me.
“Thank you, Zuma. Take a break. And take the others with you, please.” The others in the room must have been listening; they were out the door instantly and I was left alone to face Duo’s uncle.
He was not gentle.
“Heero,” he snapped immediately. “Why isn’t Duo answering his phone? And why is he not at work?”
“Teal... We’ve had a problem,” I began, only to see his face go dead white. “Duo is okay,” I said quickly, cursing my delivery. He glared at me.
“Dammit, Heero!” he snarled. “I want to know what the hell is going on!”
~ Well, that makes two of us, doesn’t it? ~ hissed that voice in the back of my head. I slapped it down and took a breath.
“First, Duo is okay; do not worry about that. There was... an incident. We don’t really know the ‘why’ of it yet...” And I proceeded to tell him what had happened. He didn’t interrupt me, but his shock and anger showed clearly in his darkening eyes and the hard set of his mouth. I looked into those eyes and spared nothing, certainly not myself.
“And that’s where we are now,” I finished with a sigh. “It is my fault; he should not have been alone. You trusted me to take care of him and I failed.” The hitch in my voice surprised me. I realised then just how very much the elder Banshee's approval means to me.
Silence hung between us for an eternity. I was not surprised that he was angry with me; I was furious with myself.
“How did he meet this female?” he asked finally.
That I could answer, having asked Duo the same question. “Apparently, she complimented his hair one day in town, and he felt sorry for her. She looks – and acts – like a mouse, always in the shadows, all dull and insignificant.”
“You saw her?”
“At the sheriff’s station; yes.”
“And she is still alive?” I couldn’t read what he was saying. Was he hoping that she was or that she wasn’t?
“Yes,” I said simply.
“Good. I want five minutes with her.” His expression was dark.
“I’m sorry, Teal,” I said softly. “I have failed both of you.”
He blinked at me. “Heero, I won’t say that it’s all right; I’m too upset right now. But you are not super-human – pardon the expression – you can’t be everywhere, every minute. For one thing, Duo wouldn’t stand for it.” He scrubbed his hands over his face wearily. “When I see you, I may have some choice words, but right now, I’m just glad he’s safe again and not hurt any worse.”
I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realised I was holding. “Will you come?”
“I- I can’t right now. Dammit,” he muttered to himself. “There have been some nasty storms in the area. Merry Brook has suffered a great deal of damage and the roads are mostly impassable. I can’t take Dael out in these conditions.”
“I could send a porter,” I offered hesitantly, but he shook his head slowly.
“There are injuries here, and several deaths... I am... needed...”
Just the way he said it scared me. “Teal, not your mother?”
“No... Her sister and the sister’s granddaughter...”
“Teal, I’m so sorry! Of course, you must stay.” I gathered my scattered wits. “Is there anything we can do? Any help we can send? I know Q would be more than willing...”
“No, Heero; thank you.” He rubbed at his eyes again. “We have enough help; it’s just the emotional fallout now... Dammit, I wish I could be in two places at once.”
“I wish you could be also,” I sighed. “Too bad we don’t have a time turner.”
He gave me an indecipherable look and just shook his head. “Later, Heero. Have Duo call me. I need to hear his voice.”
“Of course.” His image vanished and the flames settled back to their usual height.
He hadn’t yelled at me; he hadn’t blamed me; he hadn’t even been noticeably angry with me. I should have felt relieved. I only felt even more craven and ineffectual.
...tbc...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-01-09 10:15 pm (UTC)Are the relatives that died in the flooding people that Duo was close too? O.O The poor baby... he doesn't need that on top of everything else.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-10 12:48 am (UTC)The relatives are Teal's relatives; Duo has never met any of them.
BTW, I crocheted a poncho in one day! And all while reading on-line. I really need a life... ~.~
no subject
Date: 2005-01-10 03:41 am (UTC)I think I managed two whole medallions and that's it. I've done very little else other than e-mail today. I'm almost caught up. >_> Or I was... *raspberry*
no subject
Date: 2005-01-10 01:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-10 02:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-10 03:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-10 01:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-10 02:39 pm (UTC)