NaNo 0wnz my w33k3nd.
Nov. 24th, 2004 06:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cygna_himeBreak! Break! Also...the end of Chapter 8, produced by declaring that I had to write 100 words every time I went to a new page on the Web. ph33r.
8.3, 1126 words.
As Pol Gin reappeared, immaculate as ever but with less than his usual panache, in his own home, he failed to notice the long piece of ivy curled around a window, until a voice called from the throne,
"There you are at last, Gin! I had been wondering when you would return from wherever you were."
With a start, Pol Gin looked up, and saw the younger of his sisters looking back at him from her position curled up on his throne, her long skirts draped over one arm. "Nal? What brings you here so precipitously?" His keen eyes could not have failed to notice the unmistakable tracks of tears running down her cheeks, and yet Pol Gin wisely said nothing. Mai Nal was a gentle person, usually, but it was a good idea to take no chances.
"I was...lonely, I guess," she said. "Things have been happening so fast, and what with one thing and another, I didn't want to stay alone any longer, so I came here. You don't mind, do you? Big brother?" The affectionate term was delivered with a childlike seeking for approval, directed at Pol Gin where he still stood on his threshold.
"No, of course I don't," he answered automatically. "I am delighted to see you, Nal, quite honestly. I was merely distracted by some news I have received. My displeasure with my other affairs does not extend to you in the least." Smiling, he seated himself on the broad throne beside his sister. "It is fantastic to see you, little darling. Simply fantastic."
"Gin...oh, Gin, dear one, you're so wonderful! So, so wonderful." With a little sob, Mai Nal buried her face in her brother's neck and clung to him.
"There, Nal, there. You need not fret yourself." Even as he murmured soothing words into Mai Nal's ear, Pol Gin was wondering. There was more to his sister's tears than mere loneliness, of that there could be no mistake. What it was, he could not guess, but there was a simple way to find out. "What happened, Mai darling? You can tell me."
"Don't call me that." Her voice was muffled against his shoulder. "You know I hate it."
"But it is so much more fitting for you! Very well, I shall continue to call you Nal if you really prefer it. In that case, Nal, what has bothered you so?"
"I told you; I was lonely, nothing more."
"You, lonely? Dearest, you have never since the world began been lonely. I seem to recall you saying, one day some time ago, that all you needed were your trees and flowers, and then you would be happy. I fail to believe that you could suddenly be lonely, unless--" All of a sudden, Pol Gin understood. His arm clenched around her reflexively. "Which one was it? Which of them was so thoughtless as to fight with you?"
"Sol." With a long, shuddering breath, Mai Nal began, "He was being so stupid, running here and there with no thought for himself, seeming to think it was any of his business why Fan has been gone. I tried to tell him not to bother, that it was not good for him to meddle in other people's affairs, but he didn't listen. He never listens, but this time--the things he said--I'm not stupid, I'm not!" She was all but shouting.
"Hush, dear, of course you aren't. Sol didn't know what he was saying."
"I was angry too, so angry, and I said so many horrible things. I said he wasn't my son anymore, and that he should go away forever if that was what he wanted, and...oh, Gin, why did I have to say those things to him? I didn't mean them, and now he may not ever come back!" She burst into violent tears, and Pol Gin gently rubbed her back as she sobbed, saying all the soothing things she wanted to hear.
"It's fine, Nal, it's perfectly fine. Sol will return when he takes it into his head to do so. It isn't necessary for you to be the perfect mother, dearest. Everyone fights at one time or another. It will be all right, I promise."
She sniffed. "I suppose. It's just that I didn't want to be a perfect mother, or any other kind for that matter. You know that. I always thought, though, that my children could come to me with their problems, like a friend. And now it seems I was wrong. Sol doesn't trust me."
Pol Gin chuckled dryly. "We are a pair, are we not? Neither of us can seem to keep our children fond of us, though we try harder than ever."
"We?" Mai Nal blinked the last tears from her eyes and looked up at him. "Are you having problems, too?"
"Yes, and they are very similar ones, at that. Apparently, my fondness--strictly paternal, I hardly need to assure you--for Tir has met with disapproval. I was informed in no uncertain terms to cease and desist, on the grounds of undue influence--by Ter, yet!"
"Ter was lecturing you about being too fond of Tir?" Mai Nal giggled weakly. "It is funny, it really it. Of all the people to say it!"
"So very true." They laughed together, forgetting for as long as they could the troubles that plagued them. At last, Pol Gin said, with a more winsome smile than the smirk he usually affected, "While no one else may trust us with their problems, it seems we still have each other!"
"Yes, we do, don't we," Mai Nal replied, looking at him with a speculative glint in her eye. "I have you...and you have me. I never was a very good mother, but I rather fancy myself as--"
"No!" The word burst from his lips explosively, stopping her words in their tracks. "Don't say it, Nal. I can't handle that as well, not yet. It could be that, later, once all this is over, you can say it. But not yet, not now. I have no answer to give you now; it may be I will have one later."
She pouted appealingly. “Must I wait?”
“Yes, I am afraid so.” Pol Gin sighed, for her benefit as well as his. “I must ask you to wait for me, Mai, until I can be free to catch you. I am sorry.”
With no great unkindness, he lifted her from the throne and bowed politely. She left in comparative silence, and didn’t realize until she was back in her ancient oak forest that she had let her brother call her Mai. And Pol Gin remained on his throne, staring into nothingness, for the rest of the long night.
A brief planning session for Chapter 9, and then away I go again!
I can do this. I can, I can, I can. Sleep is for the weak.
8.3, 1126 words.
As Pol Gin reappeared, immaculate as ever but with less than his usual panache, in his own home, he failed to notice the long piece of ivy curled around a window, until a voice called from the throne,
"There you are at last, Gin! I had been wondering when you would return from wherever you were."
With a start, Pol Gin looked up, and saw the younger of his sisters looking back at him from her position curled up on his throne, her long skirts draped over one arm. "Nal? What brings you here so precipitously?" His keen eyes could not have failed to notice the unmistakable tracks of tears running down her cheeks, and yet Pol Gin wisely said nothing. Mai Nal was a gentle person, usually, but it was a good idea to take no chances.
"I was...lonely, I guess," she said. "Things have been happening so fast, and what with one thing and another, I didn't want to stay alone any longer, so I came here. You don't mind, do you? Big brother?" The affectionate term was delivered with a childlike seeking for approval, directed at Pol Gin where he still stood on his threshold.
"No, of course I don't," he answered automatically. "I am delighted to see you, Nal, quite honestly. I was merely distracted by some news I have received. My displeasure with my other affairs does not extend to you in the least." Smiling, he seated himself on the broad throne beside his sister. "It is fantastic to see you, little darling. Simply fantastic."
"Gin...oh, Gin, dear one, you're so wonderful! So, so wonderful." With a little sob, Mai Nal buried her face in her brother's neck and clung to him.
"There, Nal, there. You need not fret yourself." Even as he murmured soothing words into Mai Nal's ear, Pol Gin was wondering. There was more to his sister's tears than mere loneliness, of that there could be no mistake. What it was, he could not guess, but there was a simple way to find out. "What happened, Mai darling? You can tell me."
"Don't call me that." Her voice was muffled against his shoulder. "You know I hate it."
"But it is so much more fitting for you! Very well, I shall continue to call you Nal if you really prefer it. In that case, Nal, what has bothered you so?"
"I told you; I was lonely, nothing more."
"You, lonely? Dearest, you have never since the world began been lonely. I seem to recall you saying, one day some time ago, that all you needed were your trees and flowers, and then you would be happy. I fail to believe that you could suddenly be lonely, unless--" All of a sudden, Pol Gin understood. His arm clenched around her reflexively. "Which one was it? Which of them was so thoughtless as to fight with you?"
"Sol." With a long, shuddering breath, Mai Nal began, "He was being so stupid, running here and there with no thought for himself, seeming to think it was any of his business why Fan has been gone. I tried to tell him not to bother, that it was not good for him to meddle in other people's affairs, but he didn't listen. He never listens, but this time--the things he said--I'm not stupid, I'm not!" She was all but shouting.
"Hush, dear, of course you aren't. Sol didn't know what he was saying."
"I was angry too, so angry, and I said so many horrible things. I said he wasn't my son anymore, and that he should go away forever if that was what he wanted, and...oh, Gin, why did I have to say those things to him? I didn't mean them, and now he may not ever come back!" She burst into violent tears, and Pol Gin gently rubbed her back as she sobbed, saying all the soothing things she wanted to hear.
"It's fine, Nal, it's perfectly fine. Sol will return when he takes it into his head to do so. It isn't necessary for you to be the perfect mother, dearest. Everyone fights at one time or another. It will be all right, I promise."
She sniffed. "I suppose. It's just that I didn't want to be a perfect mother, or any other kind for that matter. You know that. I always thought, though, that my children could come to me with their problems, like a friend. And now it seems I was wrong. Sol doesn't trust me."
Pol Gin chuckled dryly. "We are a pair, are we not? Neither of us can seem to keep our children fond of us, though we try harder than ever."
"We?" Mai Nal blinked the last tears from her eyes and looked up at him. "Are you having problems, too?"
"Yes, and they are very similar ones, at that. Apparently, my fondness--strictly paternal, I hardly need to assure you--for Tir has met with disapproval. I was informed in no uncertain terms to cease and desist, on the grounds of undue influence--by Ter, yet!"
"Ter was lecturing you about being too fond of Tir?" Mai Nal giggled weakly. "It is funny, it really it. Of all the people to say it!"
"So very true." They laughed together, forgetting for as long as they could the troubles that plagued them. At last, Pol Gin said, with a more winsome smile than the smirk he usually affected, "While no one else may trust us with their problems, it seems we still have each other!"
"Yes, we do, don't we," Mai Nal replied, looking at him with a speculative glint in her eye. "I have you...and you have me. I never was a very good mother, but I rather fancy myself as--"
"No!" The word burst from his lips explosively, stopping her words in their tracks. "Don't say it, Nal. I can't handle that as well, not yet. It could be that, later, once all this is over, you can say it. But not yet, not now. I have no answer to give you now; it may be I will have one later."
She pouted appealingly. “Must I wait?”
“Yes, I am afraid so.” Pol Gin sighed, for her benefit as well as his. “I must ask you to wait for me, Mai, until I can be free to catch you. I am sorry.”
With no great unkindness, he lifted her from the throne and bowed politely. She left in comparative silence, and didn’t realize until she was back in her ancient oak forest that she had let her brother call her Mai. And Pol Gin remained on his throne, staring into nothingness, for the rest of the long night.
A brief planning session for Chapter 9, and then away I go again!
I can do this. I can, I can, I can. Sleep is for the weak.
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Date: 2004-11-24 04:17 pm (UTC)Write, write, write!
(my own preferred method is, when I'm at the end of a page, to say 'come one, let's just finish this one page'. When I'm at the top of one, I think 'come on, I can't just let it finish at the top of the page and leave so much blank white paper!'. I stop only for exhaustion or to temporarily appease my short attention span by looking at web pages. Like this.)