Tin Man Grand Prix fic #3: Memory Technique
Title: Memory Technique
Rating: PG
Summary: DG gives Glitch the tools he needs to remember.
**
Though it was near the setting of the suns and the fading light cast a soft, pale glow over the vast expanse of half-dead and overgrown vineyard surrounding the palace, Cain was not surprised when he found Glitch’s room dark. What did worry him was that it appeared to be empty.
A slight breeze shook the heavy curtains that were pulled partly open and the movement caught his eye. Frowning, Cain realized the doors were open. Setting the dinner tray he had been delivering down on the abandoned bed, he detoured over to the linen closet to gather a couple of extra blankets before making his way to the balcony.
“Hey, you shouldn’t be out here,” Cain said as he found the errant advisor exactly where he suspected he would be, sprawled out on his balcony floor with his back leaning against the wall.
Glitch glanced up with a small smile, his pale face highlighted by the dim evening light. “Why is that?”
Cain gave an impatient growl even while he set about wrestling with the blankets he had brought out. Shaking one open, he crouched down next to Glitch’s side. “Lean forward,” he directed his friend, settling the soft fabric snugly around Glitch’s shoulders. “And to answer your none-too-intelligent question, you shouldn’t be outside because you’ve been sick for days. You should be in bed, where we left you.”
“It’s perfectly warm out here,” Glitch shrugged into the blanket with one hand while his other clutched the items on his lap. “I needed the fresh air. Besides, I’m feeling a hundred percent better today.”
“Uh huh,” Wyatt eyed him dubiously, unfurling the second blanket and draping it over Glitch’s outstretched legs. “So, you’ve managed to keep down the lunch DG brought up for you?”
A slight reddening of pallid skin answered his question. “I haven’t been ill, if that’s what you’re asking,” Glitch mumbled and turned back to the sketchbook in his hands, pencil lazily flicking new lines of lead into what looked like trees.
“Which only makes me wonder, did you actually eat any of the lunch DG was kind enough to bring?” Cain asked with a knowing frown, shifting so he was seated next to Glitch against the wall,
“I had some of that lovely sweet tea with honey,” Glitch answered with a distant expression, his hand still sketching absently.
“Glitch...” Cain sighed. Knowing he was getting nowhere, he turned his attention to what Glitch was doing. “What is that, a forest?”
Glitch held up the drawing proudly. “It’s the Papay orchards,” he replied, pointing with his pencil. “See how the trunks are all in neat lines? And the way the bougainvillea are creeping up the limbs?”
Studying the page, Cain found himself impressed by the accuracy of the depiction. Clean, sweeping curves of trunks and branches, vines snaking their way around and small details such as tiny round blossoms and fat leaves added depth and realism to the picture. “It’s really good,” Cain told him softly, his finger tracing one of the trees, leaving a smudge of lead on his finger. “What brought on this artistic endeavor?”
“DG told me that drawing things was how she remembered her past,” Glitch answered with a vague wave of his hand, nearly losing the pencil. “She reminded me of what I said when we were going through the fields, about helping them with their crops. But I can’t remember the names of the things to use, the parts of the...the machines I would need to get water to the orchards. So she suggested that if I drew them out, the things I was picturing but couldn’t name, maybe you guys would recognize them.”
“That’s a really good idea,” Cain nodded approvingly. He reached over and flipped a couple of pages back, seeing finished sketches of farming equipment and engineering tools.
“What’s a good idea?” DG’s voice came from behind them and they both looked up to see her head sticking out of the open door. “There you are, Glitch! I was worried when I saw you weren’t in your room. Good thing Mr. Cain talks so loud.” She stepped over the men’s legs and sat on Glitch’s other side, adjusting the blanket around his shoulders as she settled against him.
“Cain says your idea about drawing out memories was good thinking,” Glitch informed her with a lopsided grin. He settled back with a sigh, eyes half-mast while he added small rocks to the drawing now resting in his lap. Bringing his other hand up to stifle a yawn, he let his head rest on DG’s shoulder.
The three friends sat quietly, two of them watching the second sun set while the sound of lead scratching became more and more infrequent.
When the pencil dropped and rolled across the floor, Cain simply leaned forward and picked it up without a word. Leaning back against the wall with his shoulder pressed against Glitch’s comfortably, he looked over the sleeping man’s head and met DG’s eyes.
DG gave him a small smile. “Is he doing okay?” she asked softly, raising a hand to brush a few wayward curls from Glitch’s warm forehead.
“Don’t think he’s eaten anything today, but he says he feels better,” Cain replied in an equally quiet tone. “Figure he’s been out here for a while; you know how he hasn’t gotten used to living indoors again. Makes him feel caged, he says.”
“Considering when I first met him, he was in a cage, I don’t blame him,” DG said with a wistful look at the man resting heavily against her. “Should we wake him up and move him back to bed?”
Cain considered the warmth of the summer evening and shook his head. “We can let him sleep for a bit, take him inside in a while.” He picked up the sketchbook and showed DG the drawing Glitch had been working on. “He’s quite an artist.”
“Yeah,” DG breathed, looking at it with wide eyes. “Maybe he’s the one who taught me,” she said slowly, turning to look at Cain over Glitch’s head.
“Could be,” Cain said, setting the book back on Glitch’s lap and resting his hand on one of the sleeping man’s blanket-covered legs. DG’s hand came up to match on Glitch’s other leg and they kept their friend company in the vanishing light.
**
Rating: PG
Summary: DG gives Glitch the tools he needs to remember.
**
Though it was near the setting of the suns and the fading light cast a soft, pale glow over the vast expanse of half-dead and overgrown vineyard surrounding the palace, Cain was not surprised when he found Glitch’s room dark. What did worry him was that it appeared to be empty.
A slight breeze shook the heavy curtains that were pulled partly open and the movement caught his eye. Frowning, Cain realized the doors were open. Setting the dinner tray he had been delivering down on the abandoned bed, he detoured over to the linen closet to gather a couple of extra blankets before making his way to the balcony.
“Hey, you shouldn’t be out here,” Cain said as he found the errant advisor exactly where he suspected he would be, sprawled out on his balcony floor with his back leaning against the wall.
Glitch glanced up with a small smile, his pale face highlighted by the dim evening light. “Why is that?”
Cain gave an impatient growl even while he set about wrestling with the blankets he had brought out. Shaking one open, he crouched down next to Glitch’s side. “Lean forward,” he directed his friend, settling the soft fabric snugly around Glitch’s shoulders. “And to answer your none-too-intelligent question, you shouldn’t be outside because you’ve been sick for days. You should be in bed, where we left you.”
“It’s perfectly warm out here,” Glitch shrugged into the blanket with one hand while his other clutched the items on his lap. “I needed the fresh air. Besides, I’m feeling a hundred percent better today.”
“Uh huh,” Wyatt eyed him dubiously, unfurling the second blanket and draping it over Glitch’s outstretched legs. “So, you’ve managed to keep down the lunch DG brought up for you?”
A slight reddening of pallid skin answered his question. “I haven’t been ill, if that’s what you’re asking,” Glitch mumbled and turned back to the sketchbook in his hands, pencil lazily flicking new lines of lead into what looked like trees.
“Which only makes me wonder, did you actually eat any of the lunch DG was kind enough to bring?” Cain asked with a knowing frown, shifting so he was seated next to Glitch against the wall,
“I had some of that lovely sweet tea with honey,” Glitch answered with a distant expression, his hand still sketching absently.
“Glitch...” Cain sighed. Knowing he was getting nowhere, he turned his attention to what Glitch was doing. “What is that, a forest?”
Glitch held up the drawing proudly. “It’s the Papay orchards,” he replied, pointing with his pencil. “See how the trunks are all in neat lines? And the way the bougainvillea are creeping up the limbs?”
Studying the page, Cain found himself impressed by the accuracy of the depiction. Clean, sweeping curves of trunks and branches, vines snaking their way around and small details such as tiny round blossoms and fat leaves added depth and realism to the picture. “It’s really good,” Cain told him softly, his finger tracing one of the trees, leaving a smudge of lead on his finger. “What brought on this artistic endeavor?”
“DG told me that drawing things was how she remembered her past,” Glitch answered with a vague wave of his hand, nearly losing the pencil. “She reminded me of what I said when we were going through the fields, about helping them with their crops. But I can’t remember the names of the things to use, the parts of the...the machines I would need to get water to the orchards. So she suggested that if I drew them out, the things I was picturing but couldn’t name, maybe you guys would recognize them.”
“That’s a really good idea,” Cain nodded approvingly. He reached over and flipped a couple of pages back, seeing finished sketches of farming equipment and engineering tools.
“What’s a good idea?” DG’s voice came from behind them and they both looked up to see her head sticking out of the open door. “There you are, Glitch! I was worried when I saw you weren’t in your room. Good thing Mr. Cain talks so loud.” She stepped over the men’s legs and sat on Glitch’s other side, adjusting the blanket around his shoulders as she settled against him.
“Cain says your idea about drawing out memories was good thinking,” Glitch informed her with a lopsided grin. He settled back with a sigh, eyes half-mast while he added small rocks to the drawing now resting in his lap. Bringing his other hand up to stifle a yawn, he let his head rest on DG’s shoulder.
The three friends sat quietly, two of them watching the second sun set while the sound of lead scratching became more and more infrequent.
When the pencil dropped and rolled across the floor, Cain simply leaned forward and picked it up without a word. Leaning back against the wall with his shoulder pressed against Glitch’s comfortably, he looked over the sleeping man’s head and met DG’s eyes.
DG gave him a small smile. “Is he doing okay?” she asked softly, raising a hand to brush a few wayward curls from Glitch’s warm forehead.
“Don’t think he’s eaten anything today, but he says he feels better,” Cain replied in an equally quiet tone. “Figure he’s been out here for a while; you know how he hasn’t gotten used to living indoors again. Makes him feel caged, he says.”
“Considering when I first met him, he was in a cage, I don’t blame him,” DG said with a wistful look at the man resting heavily against her. “Should we wake him up and move him back to bed?”
Cain considered the warmth of the summer evening and shook his head. “We can let him sleep for a bit, take him inside in a while.” He picked up the sketchbook and showed DG the drawing Glitch had been working on. “He’s quite an artist.”
“Yeah,” DG breathed, looking at it with wide eyes. “Maybe he’s the one who taught me,” she said slowly, turning to look at Cain over Glitch’s head.
“Could be,” Cain said, setting the book back on Glitch’s lap and resting his hand on one of the sleeping man’s blanket-covered legs. DG’s hand came up to match on Glitch’s other leg and they kept their friend company in the vanishing light.
**