fic: Night Ascending
May. 5th, 2010 09:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bonnefoisTitle: Night Ascending
Day/Theme: 4 . 18. In the night sky
Series: Neverwhere
Character/Pairing: Marquis de Carabas, Richard, Ingress, Anesthesia.
Rating: PG-13
Word count 1379
Author's note: part of the Good Enough Ficverse/series.
If someone had once told him that he would fancy a man from another land who overall he could count what he knew of him on one hand, and half of it was purposely contradictory, then he would think them not quite sane. Then again, it was no less crazy then falling through the cracks to London Below, meeting angels and earls, and then, when he'd finally returning to a sane life, wanting to go back.
So Richard Mayhew decided to do a very stupid thing: he decided it was high time to break out of his routine and go on yet another...what would you call it – quest? Adventure? It wasn't really a new thing. He'd gone on that trip to the Orkneys when the girl who'd been his highschool sweetheart, who he was convinced he was going to marry threw him over just as school was ending. What was her name again? Moira? Miriam? Mary? He thought his life was over then.. and now he could barely remember her. The whole trip to London Below had eased the wounds of his break with Jessica. It was hard to feel sorry for himself, and think of nothing but her when he was fighting for his life with every minute.
Of course, in all those cases he was away from the love in question. In this case, the enigmatic person who had managed to somehow catch his attention would be there, sleeping by him, working with him and being well, The Marquis. It was easier to explain his ways by going Well, it's him we're talking about than actually explaining them.
When he came across the Marquis, he was struck by the little things he noticed. The almost feline grace, the quirk of his smug half smile – the kind which seemed so very knowing. He felt another wave of attraction and bit his tongue.
"What, cat got your tongue?" De Carabas said smoothly.
"Something like that," Richard said. And it was in fact, the truth. He pulled his jacket a little tighter, though it wasn't that cold. The Marquis raised a brow, and waited. He was beginning to catch on to Richard's mannerisms too as it was.
"I'm going to find a girl," Richard said.
"Behind the old Bluebell sign is where they should be around now, " The Marquis said absently. He did not look up from the pockets he was sorting through, searching for some unnamed thing. For a moment, Richard thought the nonchalance seemed oddly forced.
Richard wrinkled his nose. "Not that kind of girl. She was a ratspeaker. Went by the name of Anesthesia.."
He paused a moment, as if waiting for the Marquis to react. He didn't.
"She disappeared on Knightsbridge. They said that sometimes they come back."
"Anything is possible," The Marquis replied.
"Do you know something?"
The Marquis regarded him. His hair was unkempt, like shadows over his skin. "I might."
"I'd pay, of course. And you don't have to come with me if you don't want"
"Really, do you think I'd just let you run off by yourself to go and get killed? You haven't even put your life elsewhere, and you still owe many favors – and one of the favors was to stay and be my companion."
"It's been a while since we had a grand adventure," The Marquis said.
"Yeah, I think it's been all of two minutes since we were last on the run," Richard said.
"It makes you appreciate life," De Carabas replied.
"I've been dreaming about her, Anaesthesia I mean. I think if we find her, we'll be able to help Door find her sister. I didn't speak up before as I owed you a debt but...I have to do this. I should've done it earlier."
"The lady Door, you say?" Richard could almost see the machinations beginning to form in his head. One could never have too many favors from an opener. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
Richard really thought there would be some sort of resistance there. Then again, he should've known better.
*
Ingress was a shy girl, one not entirely good at opening yet. Witnessing the downfall of her family, their bodies torn apart, bloodied had only made almost mute. They'd tried to get her to open things for them many time, the pair and the angel. Still, something within her had balled up and shuddered, her talent becoming a shelled turtle in her breast.
And then, they stopped coming at all. She was hungry and tired, barely able to sleep because of the nightmares that assailed her. Not only that, the water stores in this place had worn away. It was a stone place, cold, like a prison. There weren't any windows, and it dank and cold. Night and day, she couldn't tell the difference down here. It was just long waiting until they killed her, or made her try to pull tricks like the animals in a circus.
But they were gone now, either forgotten about her, or of the idea to leave her to starve. So Ingress took what little courage she had and tried to coax the door open. Her mother had always said that one should visualize the place one wanted to go. That memory reminded her of home, and she felt another pang.
To her surprise, the door opened. She stepped out and into a long, dark corridor with shadows that seemed to ripple, as if they were breathing.
All she could do was to keep walking.
*
There were bones scattered across the place. The most tragic of them were the rat skulls with their little eye holes. It was one thing to take a human, but a rat? Anesthesia shook her head at the mere thought. This really was an evil place, to take a rat.
She'd been here a while, but not seen anybody else. Nor anything, really. She felt like she should be hungry and thirsty, but all she felt was cold and a bit empty.
She became aware that she was no longer alone, and now was joined by the presence of a young girl.
"Hi there," she said.
"Where are we?" the girl said. She was a demure little thing with her head bent all shy and scared. Anesthesia had come across wild things like her. Maybe a fawn, or a rabbit like she'd seen on the nature programs on the telly back when she'd been in London Below.
"I don't rightly know. One minute, I was on Knightsbridge with Richard and the next, I was here."
She left out the story of the living nightmares she had encountered there, for the poor thing looked like she'd seen enough nightmares in her life already. She was a pale little thing with bird bones and a constantly bowed head. Anesthesia patted her on the shoulder. She flinched away from the touch.
"You don't need to worry, I'm not gonna hurt you," Anesthesia said with smile.
"Did they come here, the two?" she said, with an edge of terror in her voice.
"Nobody comes here. I haven't even seen the people whose bones they were. They seem real those. Not the fake bones, like in a movie."
"A movie?"
"You know, they play on those little boxes, the telly–"
"I think my father read us a book about one of those before," she said solemnly. "Is it like the dictaphone?"
"Could be. I've never seen a dictaphone. My name is Anesthesia."
She held out her hand to shake. The girl drew back and looked alarmed. "Temple and Arch, you don't need to draw back. I'm not a monster."
"I don't like this place," she said suddenly. She looked around, jerky and nervous, like anything might pop out of the corners. Not that there were any corners, mind.
"I don't much like it either. It's dark and dank and creepy." And whenever she closed her eyes to sleep, the dreams came with such force that she would wake up screaming. But she didn't tell the girl that. Let her hope for a little longer.
Day/Theme: 4 . 18. In the night sky
Series: Neverwhere
Character/Pairing: Marquis de Carabas, Richard, Ingress, Anesthesia.
Rating: PG-13
Word count 1379
Author's note: part of the Good Enough Ficverse/series.
If someone had once told him that he would fancy a man from another land who overall he could count what he knew of him on one hand, and half of it was purposely contradictory, then he would think them not quite sane. Then again, it was no less crazy then falling through the cracks to London Below, meeting angels and earls, and then, when he'd finally returning to a sane life, wanting to go back.
So Richard Mayhew decided to do a very stupid thing: he decided it was high time to break out of his routine and go on yet another...what would you call it – quest? Adventure? It wasn't really a new thing. He'd gone on that trip to the Orkneys when the girl who'd been his highschool sweetheart, who he was convinced he was going to marry threw him over just as school was ending. What was her name again? Moira? Miriam? Mary? He thought his life was over then.. and now he could barely remember her. The whole trip to London Below had eased the wounds of his break with Jessica. It was hard to feel sorry for himself, and think of nothing but her when he was fighting for his life with every minute.
Of course, in all those cases he was away from the love in question. In this case, the enigmatic person who had managed to somehow catch his attention would be there, sleeping by him, working with him and being well, The Marquis. It was easier to explain his ways by going Well, it's him we're talking about than actually explaining them.
When he came across the Marquis, he was struck by the little things he noticed. The almost feline grace, the quirk of his smug half smile – the kind which seemed so very knowing. He felt another wave of attraction and bit his tongue.
"What, cat got your tongue?" De Carabas said smoothly.
"Something like that," Richard said. And it was in fact, the truth. He pulled his jacket a little tighter, though it wasn't that cold. The Marquis raised a brow, and waited. He was beginning to catch on to Richard's mannerisms too as it was.
"I'm going to find a girl," Richard said.
"Behind the old Bluebell sign is where they should be around now, " The Marquis said absently. He did not look up from the pockets he was sorting through, searching for some unnamed thing. For a moment, Richard thought the nonchalance seemed oddly forced.
Richard wrinkled his nose. "Not that kind of girl. She was a ratspeaker. Went by the name of Anesthesia.."
He paused a moment, as if waiting for the Marquis to react. He didn't.
"She disappeared on Knightsbridge. They said that sometimes they come back."
"Anything is possible," The Marquis replied.
"Do you know something?"
The Marquis regarded him. His hair was unkempt, like shadows over his skin. "I might."
"I'd pay, of course. And you don't have to come with me if you don't want"
"Really, do you think I'd just let you run off by yourself to go and get killed? You haven't even put your life elsewhere, and you still owe many favors – and one of the favors was to stay and be my companion."
"It's been a while since we had a grand adventure," The Marquis said.
"Yeah, I think it's been all of two minutes since we were last on the run," Richard said.
"It makes you appreciate life," De Carabas replied.
"I've been dreaming about her, Anaesthesia I mean. I think if we find her, we'll be able to help Door find her sister. I didn't speak up before as I owed you a debt but...I have to do this. I should've done it earlier."
"The lady Door, you say?" Richard could almost see the machinations beginning to form in his head. One could never have too many favors from an opener. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
Richard really thought there would be some sort of resistance there. Then again, he should've known better.
*
Ingress was a shy girl, one not entirely good at opening yet. Witnessing the downfall of her family, their bodies torn apart, bloodied had only made almost mute. They'd tried to get her to open things for them many time, the pair and the angel. Still, something within her had balled up and shuddered, her talent becoming a shelled turtle in her breast.
And then, they stopped coming at all. She was hungry and tired, barely able to sleep because of the nightmares that assailed her. Not only that, the water stores in this place had worn away. It was a stone place, cold, like a prison. There weren't any windows, and it dank and cold. Night and day, she couldn't tell the difference down here. It was just long waiting until they killed her, or made her try to pull tricks like the animals in a circus.
But they were gone now, either forgotten about her, or of the idea to leave her to starve. So Ingress took what little courage she had and tried to coax the door open. Her mother had always said that one should visualize the place one wanted to go. That memory reminded her of home, and she felt another pang.
To her surprise, the door opened. She stepped out and into a long, dark corridor with shadows that seemed to ripple, as if they were breathing.
All she could do was to keep walking.
*
There were bones scattered across the place. The most tragic of them were the rat skulls with their little eye holes. It was one thing to take a human, but a rat? Anesthesia shook her head at the mere thought. This really was an evil place, to take a rat.
She'd been here a while, but not seen anybody else. Nor anything, really. She felt like she should be hungry and thirsty, but all she felt was cold and a bit empty.
She became aware that she was no longer alone, and now was joined by the presence of a young girl.
"Hi there," she said.
"Where are we?" the girl said. She was a demure little thing with her head bent all shy and scared. Anesthesia had come across wild things like her. Maybe a fawn, or a rabbit like she'd seen on the nature programs on the telly back when she'd been in London Below.
"I don't rightly know. One minute, I was on Knightsbridge with Richard and the next, I was here."
She left out the story of the living nightmares she had encountered there, for the poor thing looked like she'd seen enough nightmares in her life already. She was a pale little thing with bird bones and a constantly bowed head. Anesthesia patted her on the shoulder. She flinched away from the touch.
"You don't need to worry, I'm not gonna hurt you," Anesthesia said with smile.
"Did they come here, the two?" she said, with an edge of terror in her voice.
"Nobody comes here. I haven't even seen the people whose bones they were. They seem real those. Not the fake bones, like in a movie."
"A movie?"
"You know, they play on those little boxes, the telly–"
"I think my father read us a book about one of those before," she said solemnly. "Is it like the dictaphone?"
"Could be. I've never seen a dictaphone. My name is Anesthesia."
She held out her hand to shake. The girl drew back and looked alarmed. "Temple and Arch, you don't need to draw back. I'm not a monster."
"I don't like this place," she said suddenly. She looked around, jerky and nervous, like anything might pop out of the corners. Not that there were any corners, mind.
"I don't much like it either. It's dark and dank and creepy." And whenever she closed her eyes to sleep, the dreams came with such force that she would wake up screaming. But she didn't tell the girl that. Let her hope for a little longer.
