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Entry tags:
fic: Above II
Title: Above II
Day/Theme: 5. 18. at the end of the secret path (late, heh.)
Series: Neverwhere
Character/Pairing: Ingress, Anesthesia
Word count: 840
Author's note: Part of the Good Enough ficverse. I split this into two as it came from a request and I wanted the part that came from her request to be able to be read as a stand alone feature. Sorry for the lateness; Life Happened. Thanks to Joss for betaing.
*
The tunnel ended abruptly. There was a feeling, nauseous, like falling. When they opened their eyes, the place had changed. No longer was it the dark, waking nightmare of a place, but a normal one – or at least normal to most folk. Anesthesia had to rub at her eyes to make sure it was really true.
"Where are we?"
"We're...Above," Anesthesia said, her voice almost reverent. "We're really Above...."
Ingress blinked at the light. They were surrounded by garbage bags and the fetid smell of refuse. They walked from the alley. Traffic was thick at this hour, and a stream of black taxicabs and the red double-decker buses that tourists just ate up.
"Be careful, they won't see you," Anesthesia warned. "And just because people can't see you here doesn't mean they can't hit you."
Ingress took this in, wide-eyed . She watched the cars with extra care as they walked. It was only a little later that she piped up with the question that had been bothering her.
"How will we eat?" Ingress said, worried. For the first time in a long time, she was showing an appetite.
"Like I said, they won't see us at all," Anaesthesia said with a wry grin. "We can pluck it right up and they won't notice a thing."
"Not at all?" Ingress asked.
"Nope! We can eat our fill and never have to pay with favors or the like."
"Why don't more people live Above, then?" Ingress asked.
"Because it gets awful lonely being a non-person. Having people look right through you. Besides, it makes you lonely for when you had a family and friends, and then you want to go try and make them see you–and really that can only lead to pain."
Ingress nodded, seeming much wiser than her years. She'd probably aged a hundred years with all the pain she'd endured, poor thing. Well, Anesthesia would see to it that she got her–and both of them–home.
"C'mon, we'll go get something to eat, maybe show you a bit around the Above and then go back Below where we belong."
Ingress nodded and took the offered hand.
*
As Anesthesia predicted, it wasn't very hard to get food. They could just walk up to the street vendors and find whatever they wanted. Ingress had looked in wonder at Big Ben, and the busy London streets she'd never seen in anything but books before. Anesthesia had even stopped down at an open air market and gotten her some candy. She was smiling, really smiling, and it warmed Anesthesia's heart to see her relax for once. Poor little thing; she'd had such a hard life so far. Anesthesia wondered deep down if she'd even have a home to return to when they got there.
She wanted to get out before nightfall, though. It got cold here, and it was no good sleeping on vents and huddling together. Then again, they might be safer up here considering most folk wouldn't see them. Still, Anaesthesia wanted to be back with the Ratspeakers. Oh, wouldn't they be surprised to see her again!
Maybe she'd even run into Richard again. Anything was possible, after all...
They'd been walking towards a good place to make an entrance. Ingress still had issues with this opening, so it seemed like she worked better if there was some actual arching or door-like structure to work with. Maybe it helped the image in her mind, or whatever. Anesthesia still wasn't sure how this opening thing worked. But before they could try for another place, someone stepped in front of their path. He was looking at them, and not through them. Anesthesia squinted. He seemed awful familiar.... Then it hit her.
"Darren! It's been ages!" Anesthesia said. "I hadn't seen you since you went off to work for Lord Such and Such."
Darren's mouth twitched into a smile. It grew a little brittle at the mention of Lord Such and Such."
"Viscount Tremont is a thorough master. I'm afraid I've barely any time to spend with plain old Ratspeakers anymore."
"We're uh, just taking the scenic route, aren't we?" She smiled back at Ingress. "Oh, do I need to introduce you?"
"Portico's daughter. Charmed to make your acquaintance," Darren said.
"Why don't I guide you?" Darren said. "I won't even charge a favor, given that we're old friends and all..."
"Oh, that'd be nice, Darren. Thank ya," Anesthesia said. "See, Ingress? We'll be right as rain and back before you know it."
Darren smiled at this, a lingering smirk that neither caught as they went back into the darkness of Below.
Day/Theme: 5. 18. at the end of the secret path (late, heh.)
Series: Neverwhere
Character/Pairing: Ingress, Anesthesia
Word count: 840
Author's note: Part of the Good Enough ficverse. I split this into two as it came from a request and I wanted the part that came from her request to be able to be read as a stand alone feature. Sorry for the lateness; Life Happened. Thanks to Joss for betaing.
*
The tunnel ended abruptly. There was a feeling, nauseous, like falling. When they opened their eyes, the place had changed. No longer was it the dark, waking nightmare of a place, but a normal one – or at least normal to most folk. Anesthesia had to rub at her eyes to make sure it was really true.
"Where are we?"
"We're...Above," Anesthesia said, her voice almost reverent. "We're really Above...."
Ingress blinked at the light. They were surrounded by garbage bags and the fetid smell of refuse. They walked from the alley. Traffic was thick at this hour, and a stream of black taxicabs and the red double-decker buses that tourists just ate up.
"Be careful, they won't see you," Anesthesia warned. "And just because people can't see you here doesn't mean they can't hit you."
Ingress took this in, wide-eyed . She watched the cars with extra care as they walked. It was only a little later that she piped up with the question that had been bothering her.
"How will we eat?" Ingress said, worried. For the first time in a long time, she was showing an appetite.
"Like I said, they won't see us at all," Anaesthesia said with a wry grin. "We can pluck it right up and they won't notice a thing."
"Not at all?" Ingress asked.
"Nope! We can eat our fill and never have to pay with favors or the like."
"Why don't more people live Above, then?" Ingress asked.
"Because it gets awful lonely being a non-person. Having people look right through you. Besides, it makes you lonely for when you had a family and friends, and then you want to go try and make them see you–and really that can only lead to pain."
Ingress nodded, seeming much wiser than her years. She'd probably aged a hundred years with all the pain she'd endured, poor thing. Well, Anesthesia would see to it that she got her–and both of them–home.
"C'mon, we'll go get something to eat, maybe show you a bit around the Above and then go back Below where we belong."
Ingress nodded and took the offered hand.
*
As Anesthesia predicted, it wasn't very hard to get food. They could just walk up to the street vendors and find whatever they wanted. Ingress had looked in wonder at Big Ben, and the busy London streets she'd never seen in anything but books before. Anesthesia had even stopped down at an open air market and gotten her some candy. She was smiling, really smiling, and it warmed Anesthesia's heart to see her relax for once. Poor little thing; she'd had such a hard life so far. Anesthesia wondered deep down if she'd even have a home to return to when they got there.
She wanted to get out before nightfall, though. It got cold here, and it was no good sleeping on vents and huddling together. Then again, they might be safer up here considering most folk wouldn't see them. Still, Anaesthesia wanted to be back with the Ratspeakers. Oh, wouldn't they be surprised to see her again!
Maybe she'd even run into Richard again. Anything was possible, after all...
They'd been walking towards a good place to make an entrance. Ingress still had issues with this opening, so it seemed like she worked better if there was some actual arching or door-like structure to work with. Maybe it helped the image in her mind, or whatever. Anesthesia still wasn't sure how this opening thing worked. But before they could try for another place, someone stepped in front of their path. He was looking at them, and not through them. Anesthesia squinted. He seemed awful familiar.... Then it hit her.
"Darren! It's been ages!" Anesthesia said. "I hadn't seen you since you went off to work for Lord Such and Such."
Darren's mouth twitched into a smile. It grew a little brittle at the mention of Lord Such and Such."
"Viscount Tremont is a thorough master. I'm afraid I've barely any time to spend with plain old Ratspeakers anymore."
"We're uh, just taking the scenic route, aren't we?" She smiled back at Ingress. "Oh, do I need to introduce you?"
"Portico's daughter. Charmed to make your acquaintance," Darren said.
"Why don't I guide you?" Darren said. "I won't even charge a favor, given that we're old friends and all..."
"Oh, that'd be nice, Darren. Thank ya," Anesthesia said. "See, Ingress? We'll be right as rain and back before you know it."
Darren smiled at this, a lingering smirk that neither caught as they went back into the darkness of Below.