003. best friends
Sep. 8th, 2014 01:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
junkstarsThe question is, whose? I want to say Lars, as he's had about zero development since I started here, but let's see what inspires me...
From the future: weeks later I've written this in three sessions and I'm not happy with it. Yes, it gives me a new character. Yes, it gives me some new things. No, I don't like how young everyone is. Perhaps as a starting point, but not...not for how things go. I need to think about it.
Also it ends abruptly because I decided I needed to move on.
title: prophetic dream
setting: during the college years, set early in the plot, if it remains plot
warnings: N/A.
characters: lars, lotte, eriol, charsa.
word count: 1,203 words.
notes: Ye gods this got too long. Lotte is new, this plot introduction angle is new. The club idea is new. I'm not sure I like any of it, but I'm keeping Lotte.
~
Lars holds out a hand to the fallen angel, eyes focused not on his rapidly-fading feathers or his dimming halo, but on the utterly weary expression on his face.
"Let me protect you," he says - and wakes up.
~
"You had a prophetic dream. No, say that again. I need to make sure you're making sense." Lotte holds a hand up to her forehead as she walks, rubbing it. Lars isn't crazy, she knows that, but this is too much.
"Lotte, I'm not lying!"
"A prophetic dream about an angel that you of all people is going to protect. Lars, you're losing it."
"I'm not running off to register as a seer, so no I haven't lost it. It's just that the dream felt so real..."
It's not the kind of thing Lotte can laugh at now, and she sighs, reaching out to punch Lars' shoulder.
"Call me when you find Mr. Angel-Face, alright?"
When, not if, and it's that easy to cheer him up: Lars grins at her, all smiles and sunshine and crazy ideas.
God help her but she likes him.
They split at the usual crossroads, Lars off to his classes and her off to her morning meeting.
~
"Eriol! Bad news," Lotte says, sliding into her seat. "I need your dream interpretation book now."
Her friend looks up from her notebook, pen stilling. "Why?"
"Lars had what he's calling a prophetic dream," Lotte says, and she fills Eriol in on the details, watching her friend's face drain of color. "...Did you dream of the same thing?"
Eriol nods, once. "Neither one of us are seers, and I've only met him once. There's no reason for this, except providence."
"Which is what worries you."
"Wouldn't it worry you?"
Lotte leans back in her seat, mulling it over, but before she can answer, Charsa slides into her seat, setting down three milkshakes in front of them.
"Did someone die?" She asks, grinning as Lotte waves a hand at her.
Lotte glances Eriol's way and isn't disappointed: "Someone might be about to."
"Like a stone," Lotte says. "Killjoy."
"I'm serious, Lotte."
"Charsa, let's force-feed her the milkshake before the world turns gray for all of us."
Charsa laughs and pushes Eriol's milkshake closer to her, closer and closer until Eriol deigns to take it - if only to keep Charsa from dumping it in her lap.
"I do not know why I put up with you two."
"Love," Charsa says helpfully.
Lotte snorts. "Try something more practical, Charsa, and then you might get her to agree. It's because we pay for the 'shakes."
"Not always," Eriol says. "Enough. Charsa, what did you find?"
And back to business. Lotte leans over as Charsa pulls an envelope out of her jacket's inside pocket and begins to put photographs over the table.
"It's something to do with street signs," Charsa says. "Every time the amulet vibrated, it was around one of these. I think I wound up photographing every street sign in town!"
"Interesting," Eriol says, picking up a picture. "That would indicate a locational spell, maybe..."
"Can we risk activating it now?" Lotte asks.
"No, of course not." Eriol puts the photograph down and selects another. "Not without research, proper protective sigils, and a street sign in our possession. One that isn't in current use, ideally."
"Good, because I'm not stealing city property for this thing."
"I wouldn't ask for that for something so mundane," Eriol says. "Now - can anyone tell me why a spell would link street signs with a small wooden amulet?"
~
They've been friends for months now, bonded over a common interest and challenge: magic. A phenomenon common enough for the basics to be taught in schools, but so many different applications that one would have to take a lifetime of classes to master even one branch of magic.
What they're interested in, specifically, is the puzzle that comes with buying amulets and other magical items in yard sales, antique stores, and similar sources: what the items do is rarely if ever marked, let alone known, and they enjoy unraveling the puzzle of what their finds do.
Hence the meetings.
Hence Lotte trudging to the library after her own classes to find not just the books she'll need for her homework, but also for local history, locational spells, and architecture.
It's a heavy load, and it's an uphill walk back to the cafe.
"The things I do for friends, I swear," Lotte mutters under her breath as she heaves the load up the slope.
~
"I have been thinking," Eriol proclaims as Lotte lays out the books on their table - it's their table, they have an agreement with the cafe, seeing as Eriol seems to live there - "And I believe I need to speak to Lars directly about his dream."
"...What."
"Do not look so shocked! I just need to talk to him, that's all."
"If you say so - can it wait? I don't want to lug these books back and forth too many times!"
"Ah, yes, of course," Eriol says, taking one book. "Sorry, Lotte."
"I'll text him," Lotte says. "Just as long as we don't wind up keeping these - I can't afford it."
"I understand," Eriol says, eyes already scanning across the pages. "Perhaps Lars can help you haul these books back, hm?"
"It's the other way around, Eriol - he won't let me haul any myself. When he decides to help, he takes over the whole project!"
Eriol lowers her book. "...Say again?"
"He's an all-or-nothing type of guy. Either he's in or he's out, so if he helps me with these..."
"I need to meet him," Eriol says. "...I really think I need to meet him."
~
Lars, when he walks in, doesn't look any different from normal - a little confused, perhaps, but nothing that merits the staring Eriol gives him.
"What?" He asks. "What is it?"
Eriol stands up and offers a hand wordlessly, to Lotte's surprise.
"Uh...hi?" Lars shakes it.
"Hello," Eriol says a moment later, gripping his hand. "Lars. We need to talk about your dream."
"If you say so," Lars says, having a seat next to Charsa.
Eriol visibly steadies herself and has a seat. "Lars, the name of the man in the dream is Berkant Thresher."
And three heads turn, staring at Eriol.
"The Berkant Thresher?"
"Are you serious?"
"How - ?"
Eriol holds up a hand. "First, Lars, I have shared the dream. I am only a watcher as you kneel in front of the man and swear to protect him. Second, all of you, I replicated my memory of his face and used a reverse image search. Their faces are identical. Third..."
"It's a prophetic dream," Lars says.
~
From the future: weeks later I've written this in three sessions and I'm not happy with it. Yes, it gives me a new character. Yes, it gives me some new things. No, I don't like how young everyone is. Perhaps as a starting point, but not...not for how things go. I need to think about it.
Also it ends abruptly because I decided I needed to move on.
title: prophetic dream
setting: during the college years, set early in the plot, if it remains plot
warnings: N/A.
characters: lars, lotte, eriol, charsa.
word count: 1,203 words.
notes: Ye gods this got too long. Lotte is new, this plot introduction angle is new. The club idea is new. I'm not sure I like any of it, but I'm keeping Lotte.
~
Lars holds out a hand to the fallen angel, eyes focused not on his rapidly-fading feathers or his dimming halo, but on the utterly weary expression on his face.
"Let me protect you," he says - and wakes up.
~
"You had a prophetic dream. No, say that again. I need to make sure you're making sense." Lotte holds a hand up to her forehead as she walks, rubbing it. Lars isn't crazy, she knows that, but this is too much.
"Lotte, I'm not lying!"
"A prophetic dream about an angel that you of all people is going to protect. Lars, you're losing it."
"I'm not running off to register as a seer, so no I haven't lost it. It's just that the dream felt so real..."
It's not the kind of thing Lotte can laugh at now, and she sighs, reaching out to punch Lars' shoulder.
"Call me when you find Mr. Angel-Face, alright?"
When, not if, and it's that easy to cheer him up: Lars grins at her, all smiles and sunshine and crazy ideas.
God help her but she likes him.
They split at the usual crossroads, Lars off to his classes and her off to her morning meeting.
~
"Eriol! Bad news," Lotte says, sliding into her seat. "I need your dream interpretation book now."
Her friend looks up from her notebook, pen stilling. "Why?"
"Lars had what he's calling a prophetic dream," Lotte says, and she fills Eriol in on the details, watching her friend's face drain of color. "...Did you dream of the same thing?"
Eriol nods, once. "Neither one of us are seers, and I've only met him once. There's no reason for this, except providence."
"Which is what worries you."
"Wouldn't it worry you?"
Lotte leans back in her seat, mulling it over, but before she can answer, Charsa slides into her seat, setting down three milkshakes in front of them.
"Did someone die?" She asks, grinning as Lotte waves a hand at her.
Lotte glances Eriol's way and isn't disappointed: "Someone might be about to."
"Like a stone," Lotte says. "Killjoy."
"I'm serious, Lotte."
"Charsa, let's force-feed her the milkshake before the world turns gray for all of us."
Charsa laughs and pushes Eriol's milkshake closer to her, closer and closer until Eriol deigns to take it - if only to keep Charsa from dumping it in her lap.
"I do not know why I put up with you two."
"Love," Charsa says helpfully.
Lotte snorts. "Try something more practical, Charsa, and then you might get her to agree. It's because we pay for the 'shakes."
"Not always," Eriol says. "Enough. Charsa, what did you find?"
And back to business. Lotte leans over as Charsa pulls an envelope out of her jacket's inside pocket and begins to put photographs over the table.
"It's something to do with street signs," Charsa says. "Every time the amulet vibrated, it was around one of these. I think I wound up photographing every street sign in town!"
"Interesting," Eriol says, picking up a picture. "That would indicate a locational spell, maybe..."
"Can we risk activating it now?" Lotte asks.
"No, of course not." Eriol puts the photograph down and selects another. "Not without research, proper protective sigils, and a street sign in our possession. One that isn't in current use, ideally."
"Good, because I'm not stealing city property for this thing."
"I wouldn't ask for that for something so mundane," Eriol says. "Now - can anyone tell me why a spell would link street signs with a small wooden amulet?"
~
They've been friends for months now, bonded over a common interest and challenge: magic. A phenomenon common enough for the basics to be taught in schools, but so many different applications that one would have to take a lifetime of classes to master even one branch of magic.
What they're interested in, specifically, is the puzzle that comes with buying amulets and other magical items in yard sales, antique stores, and similar sources: what the items do is rarely if ever marked, let alone known, and they enjoy unraveling the puzzle of what their finds do.
Hence the meetings.
Hence Lotte trudging to the library after her own classes to find not just the books she'll need for her homework, but also for local history, locational spells, and architecture.
It's a heavy load, and it's an uphill walk back to the cafe.
"The things I do for friends, I swear," Lotte mutters under her breath as she heaves the load up the slope.
~
"I have been thinking," Eriol proclaims as Lotte lays out the books on their table - it's their table, they have an agreement with the cafe, seeing as Eriol seems to live there - "And I believe I need to speak to Lars directly about his dream."
"...What."
"Do not look so shocked! I just need to talk to him, that's all."
"If you say so - can it wait? I don't want to lug these books back and forth too many times!"
"Ah, yes, of course," Eriol says, taking one book. "Sorry, Lotte."
"I'll text him," Lotte says. "Just as long as we don't wind up keeping these - I can't afford it."
"I understand," Eriol says, eyes already scanning across the pages. "Perhaps Lars can help you haul these books back, hm?"
"It's the other way around, Eriol - he won't let me haul any myself. When he decides to help, he takes over the whole project!"
Eriol lowers her book. "...Say again?"
"He's an all-or-nothing type of guy. Either he's in or he's out, so if he helps me with these..."
"I need to meet him," Eriol says. "...I really think I need to meet him."
~
Lars, when he walks in, doesn't look any different from normal - a little confused, perhaps, but nothing that merits the staring Eriol gives him.
"What?" He asks. "What is it?"
Eriol stands up and offers a hand wordlessly, to Lotte's surprise.
"Uh...hi?" Lars shakes it.
"Hello," Eriol says a moment later, gripping his hand. "Lars. We need to talk about your dream."
"If you say so," Lars says, having a seat next to Charsa.
Eriol visibly steadies herself and has a seat. "Lars, the name of the man in the dream is Berkant Thresher."
And three heads turn, staring at Eriol.
"The Berkant Thresher?"
"Are you serious?"
"How - ?"
Eriol holds up a hand. "First, Lars, I have shared the dream. I am only a watcher as you kneel in front of the man and swear to protect him. Second, all of you, I replicated my memory of his face and used a reverse image search. Their faces are identical. Third..."
"It's a prophetic dream," Lars says.
~
