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31_days2006-05-21 12:30 pm
alyxbradford.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2006-05-21 12:30 pm
[21 May] [various] Relative Morality
Title: Relative Morality
Day/Theme: 21 May - I chose to do wrong in the hope that right might come.
Series (Character): His Dark Materials (Marisa Coulter), Harry Potter (Rowena Ravenclaw, Bellatrix Black-Lestrange), Wicked (Elphaba), Star Wars (OC), Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Helga Sinclair), The Scarlet Pimpernel (Marguerite Blakeney), Arthurian legend (Morgan le Fay), original fiction
Rating: PG-13
Notes: The reason there are so many fandoms is because this is a 10x100, with one drabble to each character.
Marisa
The air smells so strongly metallic that she can taste it. Her fingers tighten in the golden monkey's fine fur as she looks at the blade, keener than the edge of sarcasm and far more cutting. "Leave me," she says to the attendants, who obey immediately.
The monkey's eye turn up to her. "You actually want to be alone with that thing?"
"I needed to hear myself think." She takes one step towards the silver guillotine, but then shies from a second. "If I'm going through with this -- if we're doing this -- I must be completely convinced. Completely."
Rowena
Rowena has a book in her lap. Rowena always has a book in her lap.
She isn't looking at it when Helga comes in the room, though, but rather staring into the nearly-cold embers in the fire pit.
"I never meant for this," says the lilting voice. "Truly."
"I know." Dear Helga.
"It was supposed to help us. Not hurt -- not this."
"I know." Dear, compassionate Helga, she understands. She knows it was never intentional, this rift that's risen between the other two on her account.
Rowena brushes a tear from her fire-warmed face. "I'll fix it. I will."
Rhiana
He's waiting, as he said he would be, a dark-clad figure against the grey stone of his palace walls. "You came."
"You left me little choice."
A tiny shrug moves his broad shoulders. "You could have refused."
Rhiana dismounts and steps towards him, holding her chin high and keeping her eyes tear-free, with all the dignity she can muster. He cannot see fear, or weakness, or she will lose what little leverage she has left. "This is not for you," she declares, pride keeping a tremble from her voice. "I give myself to you, not for you. Never for you."
Elphaba
"She won't. Stop. Crying!" Elphaba yells, to no one in particular, holding her hands to her temples and threading her fingers through her thick black hair. "Little wretch! If she'd just give me the shoes back!
Elphaba collapses against a wall, sliding down to the stone floor in a puddle of black skirts. "I just wanted to scare her. Not hurt her. I didn't want that. I didn't want to have to drug her. And I really I didn't want her here. I just wanted the shoes. What sort of a person steals a dead woman's shoes? Who does that?"
Cassandra
"I won't let you do this."
Cassandra twirls the hilt of the vibroblade between her fingers for a moment before safely sheathing it and putting it in her pack. "It isn't your decision to make, Jamen."
Hazel eyes ablaze, he strides the length of the room, roughly grasping her shoulders. "You can't—Cass! I can't even – you're talking about throwing yourself to them!"
"And you know why. Information spilled in pillow talk might save dozens, even hundreds of our men." She tries to jerk away, but he holds her fast, forcing their locked gaze. "That's worth selling my soul for."
Helga
"It's the chance of a lifetime, Helga," Rourke says, making the mistake of smoothing back her blonde hair. She slaps his hand away, but he can see a falter in the hardness of her eyes. "An opportunity no one else has ever had, nor ever will."
"But, Lyle, I still don't understand why we have to keep the crystal a secret. Surely there's nothing—"
"There's no reason to tell anyone more than they need to know."
His fingers brush her cheek, and she doesn't slap him away this time; he can see capitulation in the unclenching of her jaw.
Alysandra
"But you can't, Mar—Alys—oh!" Desi presses a hand to her forehead. "I don't even know what to call you now!"
"Alysandra will do," the redhead replies. "I'm not your delicate cousin anymore." She takes Desi's hand, pressing it. "And I know what I'm doing. I'm distraction enough for him. I can buy you the time."
"But... after all he's... Lys, he's liable to tear you to pieces."
"One way or another," Lys drawls, trying to feel as drolly amused as she sounds.
"I can't ask you to make a whore of yourself for me."
"And you never did."
Bellatrix
Even with Sirius' hands around her throat, Bellatrix manages to snarl out, "Just because you've thrown your life away doesn't mean anyone else is inclined to."
"Thrown it away! You're the one who's turned into-- who's become such a monster!" he roars back, shaking her again.
"Everything I have done," she hisses, "I have done for the good of our kind. Our kind, Sirius! Or have you forgotten even that?" Her obsidian eyes spark dangerously. "You're the one who's sold out, you're the one who's lost sight of what's important! At least I haven't turned traitor to my own blood!"
Marguerite
"Marguerite!" Richard yells desperately, pounding down the hall after her. How one tiny woman can run so fast -- and in those slippers! -- is beyond him. "Percy said -- he specifically said -- for you to stay here!"
"I can help him," Marguerite insists, tying on her shawl. "I'm the only one who can get to him in time, the guards won't think to stop a Frenchwoman, or if they do, it won't be until after I'm past them—"
"But Marguerite!"
"No, Richard! I don't care if it's dangerous!" Her voice breaks. "I have to help my husband!"
Morgan
The girl's eyes shine a brilliant azure, brighter than the lake's waters. 'She trusts me,' Morgan thinks, forcing herself not to spoil the dignity of her pose by toying uncomfortably with her gown, 'as I once trusted Vivian.' The thought gives her an internal shudder. 'Am I as ruthless as I accused her of being? Or just as desperate?' A breeze stirs her hair, trying to answer. 'It must be done. No way around it, and no way but this.'
Steeling her resolve, Morgan bends to press a kiss to Nimue's smooth white brow. "Go now, dear one. Find him."
Day/Theme: 21 May - I chose to do wrong in the hope that right might come.
Series (Character): His Dark Materials (Marisa Coulter), Harry Potter (Rowena Ravenclaw, Bellatrix Black-Lestrange), Wicked (Elphaba), Star Wars (OC), Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Helga Sinclair), The Scarlet Pimpernel (Marguerite Blakeney), Arthurian legend (Morgan le Fay), original fiction
Rating: PG-13
Notes: The reason there are so many fandoms is because this is a 10x100, with one drabble to each character.
Marisa
The air smells so strongly metallic that she can taste it. Her fingers tighten in the golden monkey's fine fur as she looks at the blade, keener than the edge of sarcasm and far more cutting. "Leave me," she says to the attendants, who obey immediately.
The monkey's eye turn up to her. "You actually want to be alone with that thing?"
"I needed to hear myself think." She takes one step towards the silver guillotine, but then shies from a second. "If I'm going through with this -- if we're doing this -- I must be completely convinced. Completely."
Rowena
Rowena has a book in her lap. Rowena always has a book in her lap.
She isn't looking at it when Helga comes in the room, though, but rather staring into the nearly-cold embers in the fire pit.
"I never meant for this," says the lilting voice. "Truly."
"I know." Dear Helga.
"It was supposed to help us. Not hurt -- not this."
"I know." Dear, compassionate Helga, she understands. She knows it was never intentional, this rift that's risen between the other two on her account.
Rowena brushes a tear from her fire-warmed face. "I'll fix it. I will."
Rhiana
He's waiting, as he said he would be, a dark-clad figure against the grey stone of his palace walls. "You came."
"You left me little choice."
A tiny shrug moves his broad shoulders. "You could have refused."
Rhiana dismounts and steps towards him, holding her chin high and keeping her eyes tear-free, with all the dignity she can muster. He cannot see fear, or weakness, or she will lose what little leverage she has left. "This is not for you," she declares, pride keeping a tremble from her voice. "I give myself to you, not for you. Never for you."
Elphaba
"She won't. Stop. Crying!" Elphaba yells, to no one in particular, holding her hands to her temples and threading her fingers through her thick black hair. "Little wretch! If she'd just give me the shoes back!
Elphaba collapses against a wall, sliding down to the stone floor in a puddle of black skirts. "I just wanted to scare her. Not hurt her. I didn't want that. I didn't want to have to drug her. And I really I didn't want her here. I just wanted the shoes. What sort of a person steals a dead woman's shoes? Who does that?"
Cassandra
"I won't let you do this."
Cassandra twirls the hilt of the vibroblade between her fingers for a moment before safely sheathing it and putting it in her pack. "It isn't your decision to make, Jamen."
Hazel eyes ablaze, he strides the length of the room, roughly grasping her shoulders. "You can't—Cass! I can't even – you're talking about throwing yourself to them!"
"And you know why. Information spilled in pillow talk might save dozens, even hundreds of our men." She tries to jerk away, but he holds her fast, forcing their locked gaze. "That's worth selling my soul for."
Helga
"It's the chance of a lifetime, Helga," Rourke says, making the mistake of smoothing back her blonde hair. She slaps his hand away, but he can see a falter in the hardness of her eyes. "An opportunity no one else has ever had, nor ever will."
"But, Lyle, I still don't understand why we have to keep the crystal a secret. Surely there's nothing—"
"There's no reason to tell anyone more than they need to know."
His fingers brush her cheek, and she doesn't slap him away this time; he can see capitulation in the unclenching of her jaw.
Alysandra
"But you can't, Mar—Alys—oh!" Desi presses a hand to her forehead. "I don't even know what to call you now!"
"Alysandra will do," the redhead replies. "I'm not your delicate cousin anymore." She takes Desi's hand, pressing it. "And I know what I'm doing. I'm distraction enough for him. I can buy you the time."
"But... after all he's... Lys, he's liable to tear you to pieces."
"One way or another," Lys drawls, trying to feel as drolly amused as she sounds.
"I can't ask you to make a whore of yourself for me."
"And you never did."
Bellatrix
Even with Sirius' hands around her throat, Bellatrix manages to snarl out, "Just because you've thrown your life away doesn't mean anyone else is inclined to."
"Thrown it away! You're the one who's turned into-- who's become such a monster!" he roars back, shaking her again.
"Everything I have done," she hisses, "I have done for the good of our kind. Our kind, Sirius! Or have you forgotten even that?" Her obsidian eyes spark dangerously. "You're the one who's sold out, you're the one who's lost sight of what's important! At least I haven't turned traitor to my own blood!"
Marguerite
"Marguerite!" Richard yells desperately, pounding down the hall after her. How one tiny woman can run so fast -- and in those slippers! -- is beyond him. "Percy said -- he specifically said -- for you to stay here!"
"I can help him," Marguerite insists, tying on her shawl. "I'm the only one who can get to him in time, the guards won't think to stop a Frenchwoman, or if they do, it won't be until after I'm past them—"
"But Marguerite!"
"No, Richard! I don't care if it's dangerous!" Her voice breaks. "I have to help my husband!"
Morgan
The girl's eyes shine a brilliant azure, brighter than the lake's waters. 'She trusts me,' Morgan thinks, forcing herself not to spoil the dignity of her pose by toying uncomfortably with her gown, 'as I once trusted Vivian.' The thought gives her an internal shudder. 'Am I as ruthless as I accused her of being? Or just as desperate?' A breeze stirs her hair, trying to answer. 'It must be done. No way around it, and no way but this.'
Steeling her resolve, Morgan bends to press a kiss to Nimue's smooth white brow. "Go now, dear one. Find him."