Chapter 2-ish
Feb. 20th, 2014 05:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cryptogirlI'm a whole day early putting this up on account of steaming through this week's editing mountain. Today has been brought to you by incoherent rage at crap news pieces and finding a South American internet radio station that's full of 80s.
Right, angry people in the 80s, you say? Have some more book words. I'm 75% sure there's more of Chapter 2 and this was a section break, but I can't find my notes and my wrists hurt so nyerr nyerr.
Rael was sitting on the edge of the pavement, pulling his jacket around him against the cold. The night time chorus of chattering night owls and wailing sirens had begun in earnest, rousing the city to life once more. The wind had reached a howling midnight crescendo, sending chip wrappers and carrier bags flying into the hordes of under-dressed women tottering a wobbly path home through the icy drizzle. He had never seen the weather this fierce in all the time he had lived in Edinburgh. It was not exactly improving his bad mood. Cavan was standing with his back to him, looking towards the crossroads as if expecting something. Finally, Rael’s thin patience snapped.
‘Come on, what’s this all about?’
‘Hm?’
‘You're not going to explain anything? Who you are, why you're here, how you know who I am...I don't know, perhaps even why you've completely ruined my night out?’
‘Oh. Yes. Sorry about that.’ Cavan did not turn around.
Rael stood up, contorting his face in pain from the considerable bruise made by Cavan.
‘That's it? Just 'sorry about that'? That's all you're going to say?’
Cavan turned, arms folded and brows furrowed.
‘It's...complicated. Also, I had hoped I'd have more time to explain, but I was late-’
‘Oh, by all means don't let me keep you if you have to be somewhere else. I'll just go home and forget the fact that a complete stranger stole some girls from me, got me barred from a club and made me miss my brother. That's fine.’
A flicker of concern passed over Cavan's face.
‘Ah. Yes. Well, this concerns Solas, in a way. There was a reason he was late.’
Rael bristled at the mention of his brother's name. He walked over until he was millimetres from Cavan.
‘There you go again. You know his name too. How the fuck do you know that?’
Cavan did not flinch.
‘Yes. I was told all about both of you. Let’s just say someone told me. She said it was of the utmost importance that I find you. If I didn't…’
‘Have you taken my brother? Where is he? What the fuck is going on?’ Rael jabbed Cavan's chest on each word.
Several clubbers had stopped to watch the unfolding argument, murmuring into their kebabs.
’To tell the truth, I have no idea where he is. Actually, I have some idea. But we'd need to hurry. And sadly, that means I don't have time to explain anything else.’
Rael grabbed Cavan's coat and hauled him down to eye level.
‘No.’ Anger consumed him for a moment, his fist clenching as he contemplated trying the violent approach again. Rael paused to take a breath. ‘Here's what's going to happen. You're going to explain it all now. You're going to tell me who you are, where you came from, why you're here for me...the lot. I can wait here all night if I have to. So come on. Start talking.’
Cavan’s nose twitched in irritation. He could quite easily have passed a pleasant evening in the nightclub getting used to his human form again in a myriad of enjoyable ways. But instead he was faced with an onslaught of questions from this reprehensible specimen. He sighed, trying to find a polite way to convince him he was not the villain he apparently looked like.
The wind continued to rage and roar as the pair argued. Traffic lights bent and wobbled like crooked willow trees. Bins toppled and crashed, spilling their innards onto the road. A lone cyclist clattered onto the pavement, knocked sideways by the vicious gusts. The clubbers, more concerned about being blown away than the entertaining altercation, had fled to a flimsy bus shelter nearby in hope of a rare sighting of a night bus. The streets had now emptied, save for the drenched souls in the bus shelter. Cavan, like the storm, did not seem to show signs of relenting. Time had run out.
‘Please, Rael. We need to go. We have to go now.’
He hauled Rael up by the waist and started running over the crossroads towards the Grassmarket, dragging his feet along the cold pavement.
‘Let go of me!’ yelled Rael, struggling to release Cavan's grip.
Cavan did not stop. He could not stop. Realising that they were in more danger than he first realised, a fresh sense of urgency guided his steps. They sped past the Burke and Hare strip club, whose gleaming neon ladies had nearly detached from the window.
‘Ugh! Get off, you freak!’ Rael thrashed out uselessly against Cavan’s strong arms.
They passed the stretch of bars and the group of drinkers recently ejected from Biddy Mulligan's, shivering and soaked through. They had reached the gloomy arch of the George IV Bridge when Rael managed to break free. He whirled round, his furious eyes trained on Cavan.
‘I’m warning you, if you so much as lay a hand on me again-’ growled Rael. His hot breath steamed into the chilly air; his hand slowly reached inside his jacket.
‘Please listen to me, Rael. I don’t want to hurt you. I want to help you,’ said Cavan in a vain attempt to calm him down. He stretched out a hand towards him, but Rael tensed his limbs and moved back.
‘You can help me by leaving me alone.’
Rael’s eyes darkened. He watched Cavan for the slightest reaction, his fingers tracing along the edge of the knife in his pocket. Cavan cautiously began to approach him; in a flash he felt the knife’s sharp point on his chest. Rael’s hands trembled; partly from the cold, but mostly from fear. He wished their disagreement hadn’t come to this. His knife hadn’t seen the light of day for a long time.
‘Now, let’s not do anything hasty!’ said Cavan, meeting Rael’s glare with the most serene expression he could muster.
‘I’ll do whatever I want until you get out of my face!’ Rael jabbed the knife on Cavan’s chest to emphasise his point.
Oh, this is just ridiculous. I shall have to show him the hard way.
Cavan smiled.
‘Well then, you’ll just have to do your worst, won’t you?’
He spread out his arms, watching the rain lashing Rael’s furious face. He was clearly torn between letting his anger wash over him and backing away from the crazy man asking to be killed.
‘Have you lost the plot?’ yelled Rael. ‘Do you really want me to stab you?’
‘Why not?’ said Cavan cheerfully. ‘There’s a first time for everything.’
Rael gripped the knife more tightly, hesitating, steeling himself to do something that made his stomach turn. He felt his hand plunging the knife into Cavan’s chest and stepped back, breathing heavily, waiting for him to fall to the ground.
‘Ouch!’ Cavan broke into a bigger grin. ‘Oh, that really hurt.’
He put a dramatic hand on his forehead and pulled the knife out with a sickening squelch. Rael’s eyes were wild with rage and fear.
‘What the-’
Cavan shrugged off his coat, tore off his bloodied shirt and wiped his chest with it. He appeared to be no worse for wear for the attack. Rael’s mouth was wide open in astonishment.
‘What are you? Some kind of alien?’
Right, angry people in the 80s, you say? Have some more book words. I'm 75% sure there's more of Chapter 2 and this was a section break, but I can't find my notes and my wrists hurt so nyerr nyerr.
Rael was sitting on the edge of the pavement, pulling his jacket around him against the cold. The night time chorus of chattering night owls and wailing sirens had begun in earnest, rousing the city to life once more. The wind had reached a howling midnight crescendo, sending chip wrappers and carrier bags flying into the hordes of under-dressed women tottering a wobbly path home through the icy drizzle. He had never seen the weather this fierce in all the time he had lived in Edinburgh. It was not exactly improving his bad mood. Cavan was standing with his back to him, looking towards the crossroads as if expecting something. Finally, Rael’s thin patience snapped.
‘Come on, what’s this all about?’
‘Hm?’
‘You're not going to explain anything? Who you are, why you're here, how you know who I am...I don't know, perhaps even why you've completely ruined my night out?’
‘Oh. Yes. Sorry about that.’ Cavan did not turn around.
Rael stood up, contorting his face in pain from the considerable bruise made by Cavan.
‘That's it? Just 'sorry about that'? That's all you're going to say?’
Cavan turned, arms folded and brows furrowed.
‘It's...complicated. Also, I had hoped I'd have more time to explain, but I was late-’
‘Oh, by all means don't let me keep you if you have to be somewhere else. I'll just go home and forget the fact that a complete stranger stole some girls from me, got me barred from a club and made me miss my brother. That's fine.’
A flicker of concern passed over Cavan's face.
‘Ah. Yes. Well, this concerns Solas, in a way. There was a reason he was late.’
Rael bristled at the mention of his brother's name. He walked over until he was millimetres from Cavan.
‘There you go again. You know his name too. How the fuck do you know that?’
Cavan did not flinch.
‘Yes. I was told all about both of you. Let’s just say someone told me. She said it was of the utmost importance that I find you. If I didn't…’
‘Have you taken my brother? Where is he? What the fuck is going on?’ Rael jabbed Cavan's chest on each word.
Several clubbers had stopped to watch the unfolding argument, murmuring into their kebabs.
’To tell the truth, I have no idea where he is. Actually, I have some idea. But we'd need to hurry. And sadly, that means I don't have time to explain anything else.’
Rael grabbed Cavan's coat and hauled him down to eye level.
‘No.’ Anger consumed him for a moment, his fist clenching as he contemplated trying the violent approach again. Rael paused to take a breath. ‘Here's what's going to happen. You're going to explain it all now. You're going to tell me who you are, where you came from, why you're here for me...the lot. I can wait here all night if I have to. So come on. Start talking.’
Cavan’s nose twitched in irritation. He could quite easily have passed a pleasant evening in the nightclub getting used to his human form again in a myriad of enjoyable ways. But instead he was faced with an onslaught of questions from this reprehensible specimen. He sighed, trying to find a polite way to convince him he was not the villain he apparently looked like.
The wind continued to rage and roar as the pair argued. Traffic lights bent and wobbled like crooked willow trees. Bins toppled and crashed, spilling their innards onto the road. A lone cyclist clattered onto the pavement, knocked sideways by the vicious gusts. The clubbers, more concerned about being blown away than the entertaining altercation, had fled to a flimsy bus shelter nearby in hope of a rare sighting of a night bus. The streets had now emptied, save for the drenched souls in the bus shelter. Cavan, like the storm, did not seem to show signs of relenting. Time had run out.
‘Please, Rael. We need to go. We have to go now.’
He hauled Rael up by the waist and started running over the crossroads towards the Grassmarket, dragging his feet along the cold pavement.
‘Let go of me!’ yelled Rael, struggling to release Cavan's grip.
Cavan did not stop. He could not stop. Realising that they were in more danger than he first realised, a fresh sense of urgency guided his steps. They sped past the Burke and Hare strip club, whose gleaming neon ladies had nearly detached from the window.
‘Ugh! Get off, you freak!’ Rael thrashed out uselessly against Cavan’s strong arms.
They passed the stretch of bars and the group of drinkers recently ejected from Biddy Mulligan's, shivering and soaked through. They had reached the gloomy arch of the George IV Bridge when Rael managed to break free. He whirled round, his furious eyes trained on Cavan.
‘I’m warning you, if you so much as lay a hand on me again-’ growled Rael. His hot breath steamed into the chilly air; his hand slowly reached inside his jacket.
‘Please listen to me, Rael. I don’t want to hurt you. I want to help you,’ said Cavan in a vain attempt to calm him down. He stretched out a hand towards him, but Rael tensed his limbs and moved back.
‘You can help me by leaving me alone.’
Rael’s eyes darkened. He watched Cavan for the slightest reaction, his fingers tracing along the edge of the knife in his pocket. Cavan cautiously began to approach him; in a flash he felt the knife’s sharp point on his chest. Rael’s hands trembled; partly from the cold, but mostly from fear. He wished their disagreement hadn’t come to this. His knife hadn’t seen the light of day for a long time.
‘Now, let’s not do anything hasty!’ said Cavan, meeting Rael’s glare with the most serene expression he could muster.
‘I’ll do whatever I want until you get out of my face!’ Rael jabbed the knife on Cavan’s chest to emphasise his point.
Oh, this is just ridiculous. I shall have to show him the hard way.
Cavan smiled.
‘Well then, you’ll just have to do your worst, won’t you?’
He spread out his arms, watching the rain lashing Rael’s furious face. He was clearly torn between letting his anger wash over him and backing away from the crazy man asking to be killed.
‘Have you lost the plot?’ yelled Rael. ‘Do you really want me to stab you?’
‘Why not?’ said Cavan cheerfully. ‘There’s a first time for everything.’
Rael gripped the knife more tightly, hesitating, steeling himself to do something that made his stomach turn. He felt his hand plunging the knife into Cavan’s chest and stepped back, breathing heavily, waiting for him to fall to the ground.
‘Ouch!’ Cavan broke into a bigger grin. ‘Oh, that really hurt.’
He put a dramatic hand on his forehead and pulled the knife out with a sickening squelch. Rael’s eyes were wild with rage and fear.
‘What the-’
Cavan shrugged off his coat, tore off his bloodied shirt and wiped his chest with it. He appeared to be no worse for wear for the attack. Rael’s mouth was wide open in astonishment.
‘What are you? Some kind of alien?’
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no subject
Date: 2014-02-23 09:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-02-23 09:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-02-25 08:39 pm (UTC)Glad to hear it flows well! It's one of my top bugbears reading other people's stuff too...