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Hey, I wrote fic!
Everything Tilts
Fandom: L’Engle (A Swiftly Tilting Planet) / Firefly
Rating: Inoffensive
Word Count: 675
Notes: The process from plot-bunny to completed fic took exactly one hour. I'm sure there are things I could change, but I'd rather just post the thing.
Slightly edited because I misquoted the rune the first time.
A boy sat on the (crate of protein supplements) big flat rock in the cargo bay, kicking his heels. “Zillah,” he said. “You shouldn’t be here. You need sunlight.”
“Not Zillah,” she said, but she had flying dark hair and a billowing skirt. “Not Beezie. Just—”
“It’s just that the earth is tilting. Listen.” A cloud of butterflies moved past the star-watching rock. Chuck’s eyes followed them, unfocused, a beat behind.
“Earth-That-Was. Not relevant.” River moved down the staircase in a quick dance, stepping toe by toe. A butterfly settled on her arm and was gone. Relenting, she added, “Everything tilts.”
Chuck stood up, wiping his jeans with his hands, and the thing behind him was a crate of protein supplements again. Impatiently, “Bran needs you in Vespugia.”
River picked a ripe dandelion from the grass (just steel) and blew, watching the spores fly. “Need me here. Serenity.” Her smile flashed, sweet and warm. “You can stay. Captain won’t mind. I won’t tell him you’re here.”
But that was when the proximity alarm started ringing, and the Alliance search party requested permission to board.
**
“You seem to be carrying contraband after all, Captain Reynolds,” said the leader of the Alliance force, holding Simon’s arms behind his back.
Simon didn’t move in the soldier’s grip, but his eyes flickered about the bay.
“Listen. Say it. In this fateful hour—” Chuck was standing on the catwalk. Simon didn’t seem to see him at all. Neither did any of the soldiers guarding the cargo bay.
River, hanging just under Chuck, under the catwalk itself, whispered, “On Serenity. In this fateful hour.”
“You don’t say, officer,” Mal answered, ignoring the uniformed man holding a gun to his neck, not to mention the soldiers threatening the rest of his crew in other corners of the bay. “I knew I didn’t like that shirt.”
“I call on all heaven with its power,” said Chuck.
“I call—” River breathed.
“You don’t suppose you have any more contraband, do you, Captain Reynolds?” The first soldier’s grip tightened on Simon’s wrists, and Simon went pale.
“—on all heaven. With its power,” River finished.
Simon looked upwards and his eyes locked on her. The first soldier followed his gaze. “You want to come down from there now, River Tam.” Four weapons trained themselves on River’s head.
River moved one hand slowly to touch the section of catwalk under Chuck’s feet. For a long moment their cracked, shifting, unstable minds met. Not much time, River said silently. Time is fluid, Chuck answered. Now, River thought, and Chuck gave her all of the words.
“And the sun with its brightness,” River said.
“The crazy talk isn’t helping you, little one,” warned the soldier holding Simon.
“And the snow with its whiteness. And the fire with all the strength it hath.”
“Don’t—” Simon stifled a cry, as one of the soldiers cocked his gun.
“And the lightning with its rapid wrath, and the winds with their swiftness along their path—”
It might have been a ventilation malfunction that caused a wind to rise and blow the weapons out of the soldiers’ hands, but nothing quite explained Mal’s sudden acquisition of a gun aimed at the soldier guarding Simon.
River laughed, delighted. “And the sea with its deepness, and the rocks with their steepness—”
Chuck was sitting on the star-watching-rock again. “I have to go,” he said. “Make sure you get to Vespugia.”
Without jeopardizing her balance under the catwalk, River waved to him. “And the earth with its starkness,” she smiled.
“I’m sorry for bothering you, Captain Reynolds,” said the Alliance commander, letting go of Simon and leading his troop off the ship for all the world as if he’d never seen any sign of fugitives on Serenity.
“That’s all right,” said Mal. “As long as you don’t harass law-abiding folk like ourselves next time.”
When they were gone, River jumped lightly down to the floor. She wrapped her arms around Simon's neck, murmuring into his ear. “All these I place, with God’s almighty help and grace, between us and the powers of darkness.”
Fandom: L’Engle (A Swiftly Tilting Planet) / Firefly
Rating: Inoffensive
Word Count: 675
Notes: The process from plot-bunny to completed fic took exactly one hour. I'm sure there are things I could change, but I'd rather just post the thing.
Slightly edited because I misquoted the rune the first time.
A boy sat on the (crate of protein supplements) big flat rock in the cargo bay, kicking his heels. “Zillah,” he said. “You shouldn’t be here. You need sunlight.”
“Not Zillah,” she said, but she had flying dark hair and a billowing skirt. “Not Beezie. Just—”
“It’s just that the earth is tilting. Listen.” A cloud of butterflies moved past the star-watching rock. Chuck’s eyes followed them, unfocused, a beat behind.
“Earth-That-Was. Not relevant.” River moved down the staircase in a quick dance, stepping toe by toe. A butterfly settled on her arm and was gone. Relenting, she added, “Everything tilts.”
Chuck stood up, wiping his jeans with his hands, and the thing behind him was a crate of protein supplements again. Impatiently, “Bran needs you in Vespugia.”
River picked a ripe dandelion from the grass (just steel) and blew, watching the spores fly. “Need me here. Serenity.” Her smile flashed, sweet and warm. “You can stay. Captain won’t mind. I won’t tell him you’re here.”
But that was when the proximity alarm started ringing, and the Alliance search party requested permission to board.
**
“You seem to be carrying contraband after all, Captain Reynolds,” said the leader of the Alliance force, holding Simon’s arms behind his back.
Simon didn’t move in the soldier’s grip, but his eyes flickered about the bay.
“Listen. Say it. In this fateful hour—” Chuck was standing on the catwalk. Simon didn’t seem to see him at all. Neither did any of the soldiers guarding the cargo bay.
River, hanging just under Chuck, under the catwalk itself, whispered, “On Serenity. In this fateful hour.”
“You don’t say, officer,” Mal answered, ignoring the uniformed man holding a gun to his neck, not to mention the soldiers threatening the rest of his crew in other corners of the bay. “I knew I didn’t like that shirt.”
“I call on all heaven with its power,” said Chuck.
“I call—” River breathed.
“You don’t suppose you have any more contraband, do you, Captain Reynolds?” The first soldier’s grip tightened on Simon’s wrists, and Simon went pale.
“—on all heaven. With its power,” River finished.
Simon looked upwards and his eyes locked on her. The first soldier followed his gaze. “You want to come down from there now, River Tam.” Four weapons trained themselves on River’s head.
River moved one hand slowly to touch the section of catwalk under Chuck’s feet. For a long moment their cracked, shifting, unstable minds met. Not much time, River said silently. Time is fluid, Chuck answered. Now, River thought, and Chuck gave her all of the words.
“And the sun with its brightness,” River said.
“The crazy talk isn’t helping you, little one,” warned the soldier holding Simon.
“And the snow with its whiteness. And the fire with all the strength it hath.”
“Don’t—” Simon stifled a cry, as one of the soldiers cocked his gun.
“And the lightning with its rapid wrath, and the winds with their swiftness along their path—”
It might have been a ventilation malfunction that caused a wind to rise and blow the weapons out of the soldiers’ hands, but nothing quite explained Mal’s sudden acquisition of a gun aimed at the soldier guarding Simon.
River laughed, delighted. “And the sea with its deepness, and the rocks with their steepness—”
Chuck was sitting on the star-watching-rock again. “I have to go,” he said. “Make sure you get to Vespugia.”
Without jeopardizing her balance under the catwalk, River waved to him. “And the earth with its starkness,” she smiled.
“I’m sorry for bothering you, Captain Reynolds,” said the Alliance commander, letting go of Simon and leading his troop off the ship for all the world as if he’d never seen any sign of fugitives on Serenity.
“That’s all right,” said Mal. “As long as you don’t harass law-abiding folk like ourselves next time.”
When they were gone, River jumped lightly down to the floor. She wrapped her arms around Simon's neck, murmuring into his ear. “All these I place, with God’s almighty help and grace, between us and the powers of darkness.”