Orange 1, Strawberry 9
Author: Marina
Story: Shifts universe (Shifts)
Challenge: Orange 1 (here comes trouble), Strawberry 9 (puddles)
Toppings/Extras: Sprinkles, Malt (pfah - puddles : Oriana, Eleazar : werewolf by night)
Word Count: 1,158
Rating: PG
Summary: The Kopens go for a walk just after the rain and run into someone they partially expected.
Notes: Leg two of our team’s 1k marathon, and also a malt :D
Light from the lampposts soaked the empty streets in a deep golden yellow, making them seem as if they were lined with gold instead of dripping wet from the recent storm. Oriana caught sight of an appealingly deep puddle several feet ahead and broke pace with her brother in excitement. “What are you-" Eleazar began, faltering as she leapt headlong into the puddle. “Ori, those are your new boots.”
“So?” She cast a grin over her shoulder. “One little jump in a puddle isn’t going to ruin them. Besides, I can always buy a new pair. I probably will anyway.”
“Of course,” he murmured, crossing his arms, but a little smile filtered onto his face to temper the sarcasm. She playfully kicked the water toward him, and he jumped back. “None of that, please.”
Oriana laughed and hopped back to somewhat dry ground. “I love this weather,” she said.
Eleazar merely grunted. He liked rainy season only when he could be indoors with a hot drink and his research, and the recent storms had been a serious obstacle to their current assignment. He saw no point in saying so aloud, however. “Do you want to stop for dinner on the way back to the hotel?”
“Ooh, yes. I could definitely go for a burger right now.” She hooked her arm through his companionably.
“You always want burgers,” he teased.
“We don’t come here that often, and they’re the best at that one place,” she said firmly. “I am making the most of my opportunity.”
“We’d have to go out of our way to go by there.” He glanced back, and his steps faltered briefly. A man wearing a black trenchcoat and dark sunglasses leaned against the thick trunk of a nearby oak, partially obscured by the tree and just casually enough that he might have gone unnoticed if Eleazar had not been looking for him. “Actually, I’d prefer to go straight back,” he said.
Oriana frowned at him. “Oh, come on. It’s not that far out of the way, and it’s not even raining right now-"
“Just keep walking, Oriana,” he said lowly, taking her by the elbow and steering her along.
“What’s wrong?”
“He’s here.”
Her eyes widened in apprehension. He tugged on her arm, more forcefully than was necessary, to keep her from turning around. “Keep walking. If we pretend we haven’t seen him, he might leave us alone.”
“Is he following us?” she whispered, almost as though someone were wringing her vocal chords to force the sound out.
Eleazar gritted his teeth against the hatred that rose in his throat like bile. “I don’t know.”
After they crossed the next street, putting nearly a block between them and the oak, he glanced back again. The man had moved. He now stood under a streetlamp, tipping his face toward the sky as Eleazar turned. “That’s definitely Johnson,” he said quietly, as his lingering doubts faded. “And he’s definitely following us. We’re going to have to run.” He eyed the street before them, mentally assessing the quickest, safest path back to the Travelodge. “Take my hand and hold on. I think I’m going to have to phase.”
Oriana nodded and complied. He could feel her shaking through her leather gloves. “Don’t let go,” she said.
“I promise. Come on.”
They broke immediately into a sprint, kicking up water in loud splashes. Eleazar tried not to think about the unstable slipperiness of the pavement, keeping a firm grip on Oriana’s hand and putting all his trust in it. If they kept hold of each other, they would make it. He knew that as clearly as he knew his own name.
He began to lead her around a corner one block before they normally would have turned right, aiming for the alley behind the hotel. Oriana made the mistake of looking back just as he turned, slipped, and skidded three feet into another substantial puddle. Her terrified shriek echoed against the brick buildings.
“Oriana!” Eleazar wobbled quickly to her aid. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, just help me up,” she said breathlessly. “We can’t stop, got to go-"
He could still hear splashing, and he swiveled slightly to see that Earl Johnson was now running as well, straight toward them. Without thinking, he lifted his hand and shot a fireball straight back at their pursuer, dragged Oriana to her feet, and began running again without checking to see if he had hit his target. “Hang on,” he said to her, plunging them both through the wall of the nearest building.
They emerged in a dimly lit restroom that was freshly polished and smelled of lavender. “Of course we phased into the ladies’ room,” Oriana said, forcing sarcasm into her tone as she leaned against the wall and tried to catch her breath. “You couldn’t have gotten us into the men’s room, at least? Two minutes, I guarantee there’s going to be a line of women needing to powder their noses.”
Eleazar quickly crossed the room to lock the door. “It could be worse. We might have phased right into a room crammed full of people, or into an occupied restroom.”
“Is this the Mexican restaurant?” she asked.
“I think so, yes.”
“Fantastic. Let’s pick up a quesadilla on the way out.”
He turned sharply, wondering how she could possibly still be thinking of food after what had just happened. The reprimand died on his lips when he saw her white face. “Are you all right?”
“Just fine,” she said shortly.
“Oriana.”
She looked away. “Look, Elie, it’s nothing I haven’t told you before. Repeating the same things over and over isn’t going to make it stop.”
Eleazar ran his hands through his hair, at a complete loss as to what to say. Offering to break Abraham Wellingstone’s nose would not help, nor did he think Oriana would believe him if he said that everything would be fine. “Clearly, Rupert’s having us followed,” he said, after a weighted pause. “We can do something about that. We’ll wait a few minutes, then go back to the hotel for the computer and call Isabelle to see if she has anywhere we might stay tonight.”
“What about the kids?”
“We’ll just have to trust Molly and Richard to keep an eye out for a day or so.” He held up a hand to stave off her frustrated response. “We have to. We were just out for a walk, Ori. We haven’t even talked to any of them yet. We’re just going to have to go about this another way.”
Oriana closed her eyes and released a heavy sigh. “Right, of course.”
Eleazar padded quietly back to her side and propped himself against the wall. The barest hint of a smile touched the corner of her mouth, but she did not acknowledge his movement otherwise. He glanced at his wristwatch. “Two more minutes.” Tucking his hands under his armpits, he relaxed, and waited.
Story: Shifts universe (Shifts)
Challenge: Orange 1 (here comes trouble), Strawberry 9 (puddles)
Toppings/Extras: Sprinkles, Malt (pfah - puddles : Oriana, Eleazar : werewolf by night)
Word Count: 1,158
Rating: PG
Summary: The Kopens go for a walk just after the rain and run into someone they partially expected.
Notes: Leg two of our team’s 1k marathon, and also a malt :D
Light from the lampposts soaked the empty streets in a deep golden yellow, making them seem as if they were lined with gold instead of dripping wet from the recent storm. Oriana caught sight of an appealingly deep puddle several feet ahead and broke pace with her brother in excitement. “What are you-" Eleazar began, faltering as she leapt headlong into the puddle. “Ori, those are your new boots.”
“So?” She cast a grin over her shoulder. “One little jump in a puddle isn’t going to ruin them. Besides, I can always buy a new pair. I probably will anyway.”
“Of course,” he murmured, crossing his arms, but a little smile filtered onto his face to temper the sarcasm. She playfully kicked the water toward him, and he jumped back. “None of that, please.”
Oriana laughed and hopped back to somewhat dry ground. “I love this weather,” she said.
Eleazar merely grunted. He liked rainy season only when he could be indoors with a hot drink and his research, and the recent storms had been a serious obstacle to their current assignment. He saw no point in saying so aloud, however. “Do you want to stop for dinner on the way back to the hotel?”
“Ooh, yes. I could definitely go for a burger right now.” She hooked her arm through his companionably.
“You always want burgers,” he teased.
“We don’t come here that often, and they’re the best at that one place,” she said firmly. “I am making the most of my opportunity.”
“We’d have to go out of our way to go by there.” He glanced back, and his steps faltered briefly. A man wearing a black trenchcoat and dark sunglasses leaned against the thick trunk of a nearby oak, partially obscured by the tree and just casually enough that he might have gone unnoticed if Eleazar had not been looking for him. “Actually, I’d prefer to go straight back,” he said.
Oriana frowned at him. “Oh, come on. It’s not that far out of the way, and it’s not even raining right now-"
“Just keep walking, Oriana,” he said lowly, taking her by the elbow and steering her along.
“What’s wrong?”
“He’s here.”
Her eyes widened in apprehension. He tugged on her arm, more forcefully than was necessary, to keep her from turning around. “Keep walking. If we pretend we haven’t seen him, he might leave us alone.”
“Is he following us?” she whispered, almost as though someone were wringing her vocal chords to force the sound out.
Eleazar gritted his teeth against the hatred that rose in his throat like bile. “I don’t know.”
After they crossed the next street, putting nearly a block between them and the oak, he glanced back again. The man had moved. He now stood under a streetlamp, tipping his face toward the sky as Eleazar turned. “That’s definitely Johnson,” he said quietly, as his lingering doubts faded. “And he’s definitely following us. We’re going to have to run.” He eyed the street before them, mentally assessing the quickest, safest path back to the Travelodge. “Take my hand and hold on. I think I’m going to have to phase.”
Oriana nodded and complied. He could feel her shaking through her leather gloves. “Don’t let go,” she said.
“I promise. Come on.”
They broke immediately into a sprint, kicking up water in loud splashes. Eleazar tried not to think about the unstable slipperiness of the pavement, keeping a firm grip on Oriana’s hand and putting all his trust in it. If they kept hold of each other, they would make it. He knew that as clearly as he knew his own name.
He began to lead her around a corner one block before they normally would have turned right, aiming for the alley behind the hotel. Oriana made the mistake of looking back just as he turned, slipped, and skidded three feet into another substantial puddle. Her terrified shriek echoed against the brick buildings.
“Oriana!” Eleazar wobbled quickly to her aid. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, just help me up,” she said breathlessly. “We can’t stop, got to go-"
He could still hear splashing, and he swiveled slightly to see that Earl Johnson was now running as well, straight toward them. Without thinking, he lifted his hand and shot a fireball straight back at their pursuer, dragged Oriana to her feet, and began running again without checking to see if he had hit his target. “Hang on,” he said to her, plunging them both through the wall of the nearest building.
They emerged in a dimly lit restroom that was freshly polished and smelled of lavender. “Of course we phased into the ladies’ room,” Oriana said, forcing sarcasm into her tone as she leaned against the wall and tried to catch her breath. “You couldn’t have gotten us into the men’s room, at least? Two minutes, I guarantee there’s going to be a line of women needing to powder their noses.”
Eleazar quickly crossed the room to lock the door. “It could be worse. We might have phased right into a room crammed full of people, or into an occupied restroom.”
“Is this the Mexican restaurant?” she asked.
“I think so, yes.”
“Fantastic. Let’s pick up a quesadilla on the way out.”
He turned sharply, wondering how she could possibly still be thinking of food after what had just happened. The reprimand died on his lips when he saw her white face. “Are you all right?”
“Just fine,” she said shortly.
“Oriana.”
She looked away. “Look, Elie, it’s nothing I haven’t told you before. Repeating the same things over and over isn’t going to make it stop.”
Eleazar ran his hands through his hair, at a complete loss as to what to say. Offering to break Abraham Wellingstone’s nose would not help, nor did he think Oriana would believe him if he said that everything would be fine. “Clearly, Rupert’s having us followed,” he said, after a weighted pause. “We can do something about that. We’ll wait a few minutes, then go back to the hotel for the computer and call Isabelle to see if she has anywhere we might stay tonight.”
“What about the kids?”
“We’ll just have to trust Molly and Richard to keep an eye out for a day or so.” He held up a hand to stave off her frustrated response. “We have to. We were just out for a walk, Ori. We haven’t even talked to any of them yet. We’re just going to have to go about this another way.”
Oriana closed her eyes and released a heavy sigh. “Right, of course.”
Eleazar padded quietly back to her side and propped himself against the wall. The barest hint of a smile touched the corner of her mouth, but she did not acknowledge his movement otherwise. He glanced at his wristwatch. “Two more minutes.” Tucking his hands under his armpits, he relaxed, and waited.