no sense in sour grapes

[bitterchill]

Ari has been Yellow's vassal for a long time now. Enough sleeps to have been a few decades, maybe. He's gotten to know this world quite well in that time. He's almost fond of it; not as nice as Vancouver, maybe, but better than most of the Nevernever, and Yellow is better than most of the Sidhe. He's wormed his way into some very nice privileges, as well. (It helps that most of them are either innocuous or directly beneficial to Yellow himself, like learning sorcery or never wearing clothes again.)

Currently he's exercising one of those for a trip to the library for a book on harmonics. Or, rather, he's returning from it. With the book. It's a good book, lots of useful words about things.

Comments

[feel_so_free]

"Mkay. I can do that, I bet."

[bitterchill]

"If you drop me behind the treeline, I'll go in business-as-usual and you can get the name. Say something when you've got it so I know when to drop Yellow."

[feel_so_free]

"Okay."

[bitterchill]

Once so dropped, Ari invisibles Secret, then walks into the house holding the book and grinning. "Found it! They took the collateral, like I thought."

[feel_so_free]

And in sneaks Secret, and she makes her careful way to the flowerpot, holding her wings still so as not to trail incriminating dust.

[bitterchill]

Ari maintains distracting conversation with a mostly bored Yellow. (If it were anyone but Ari, this level of chipperness would be suspicious. It is not suspicious for Ari.)

[feel_so_free]

Digdigdig. There's the paper! She brushes dirt away so she can read it properly.

[bitterchill]

The paper reads, in a barely readable scrawl, "ARIEL."

[feel_so_free]

"Goooot iiiiiiiiit," sings Secret.

[bitterchill]

Before Yellow has a chance to say anything, there's a granite spike in his throat. (Ari realizes that Yellow couldn't actually do anything by talking. This is primarily just payback.)

As the fairy gurgles, Ari calls back to Secret, "Any objections to me just sealing him half a mile underground forever?"

[feel_so_free]

"Nah," chirps Secret.

[bitterchill]

As Yellow sinks down into the stone, Ari kneels down and kisses his forehead. Then he breaks his neck, and Yellow is swallowed by the earth.

Ari stays sitting for a while, afterwards.

[feel_so_free]

Secret sits next to him and, rather on impulse, hugs him.

[bitterchill]

Ari hugs her back.

"He was a real asshole, honestly," he says, not crying very much. "Just- what an asshole."

[feel_so_free]

"Yeah, I bet," she agrees, cuddling him.

[bitterchill]

"Well," he says after a few minutes. "That's thirty years over. Now for the next bit, I guess."

He stands up, stretches, and looks around. "D'you want to live here, or move somewhere, or what? I've always liked the idea of the Forever Snows, but if you can't stand the cold then we might as well stick around."

[feel_so_free]

"I dunno what I think about cold, but I don't mind finding out."

[bitterchill]

"Fair enough. Let me get my stuff together, then."

[feel_so_free]

"'Kay."