Solstice Future - Montage Scene 5 - Family Discussion

I wrote this to kelkyag's second prompt.

“So, why ‘Rune’?”  Constantine asked that over coffee between just the three of them.  It was something that parents would normally know but because of their abnormal circumstances neither he nor Dagmar knew why their daughter had the names she did.

“Lovvey Street Orphanage used to name the unnamed babies who came in from a copy of the Limned Book,” Rune replied then drank from her coffee cup.  “When I was left there, the next unused word on the page was ‘rune’ so ‘Rune’ I became.”

“I was told,” commented Dagmar, “and my mother was told, that you were going to a foster family.  I was even told I couldn’t have you back because you were so settled with them.”

Rune and Constantine exchanged a look.  “Rune’s not so bad,” that young lady went on, “I refused to change it when you gave me the chance to, after all.  My childhood best friend’s name is a conjunction and one of the bigger boys’ name was a third person neutral pronoun.”  She drank more coffee.  “He isn’t by the way, neutral I mean.”

Her mother was diverted for a moment.  “How do you know that?”

“Observation.”  Rune shook her head.  “Don’t get me wrong, I like him but I’ve never felt sufficient desire to fight my way past the current lovely so I could paddle in those waters.”

“So,” her father sipped on his coffee, “are you seeing anyone at the moment?”

“No.”  She held the cup with both hands.  “Apparently now I’m too scary or something.  In some ways it was less complicated when I didn’t have a family.”

“You’re going to be the Sjeldnjar Ruhtig,” pointed out Constantine.  “That’s a big deal.”

“Too big a deal apparently.”  Rune looked pensive and her mother looked thoughtful.

“Anyway,” Constantine judged it an opportune moment to change the subject, “Rune, we were wondering if you would object if we, your mother and I, began to live together.”

“Why would my opinion be of any relevance?”  She looked at them both.

“Children often have views on their parents’ personal and sex lives,” pointed out Constantine while Dagmar took refuge behind her coffee cup.

“I don’t think it’s any of my business,” said Rune in a practical tone.  “I mean, obviously, I’m grateful that you had a sex life at the time I was conceived, but aside from that it’s nothing to do with me.  If you want to live together and you’ll both be happier, better and better off  together than apart, then go for it.”

Solstice Future - Montage Scene 5 - Family Discussion

I wrote this to kelkyag's second prompt.

“So, why ‘Rune’?”  Constantine asked that over coffee between just the three of them.  It was something that parents would normally know but because of their abnormal circumstances neither he nor Dagmar knew why their daughter had the names she did.

“Lovvey Street Orphanage used to name the unnamed babies who came in from a copy of the Limned Book,” Rune replied then drank from her coffee cup.  “When I was left there, the next unused word on the page was ‘rune’ so ‘Rune’ I became.”

“I was told,” commented Dagmar, “and my mother was told, that you were going to a foster family.  I was even told I couldn’t have you back because you were so settled with them.”

Rune and Constantine exchanged a look.  “Rune’s not so bad,” that young lady went on, “I refused to change it when you gave me the chance to, after all.  My childhood best friend’s name is a conjunction and one of the bigger boys’ name was a third person neutral pronoun.”  She drank more coffee.  “He isn’t by the way, neutral I mean.”

Her mother was diverted for a moment.  “How do you know that?”

“Observation.”  Rune shook her head.  “Don’t get me wrong, I like him but I’ve never felt sufficient desire to fight my way past the current lovely so I could paddle in those waters.”

“So,” her father sipped on his coffee, “are you seeing anyone at the moment?”

“No.”  She held the cup with both hands.  “Apparently now I’m too scary or something.  In some ways it was less complicated when I didn’t have a family.”

“You’re going to be the Sjeldnjar Ruhtig,” pointed out Constantine.  “That’s a big deal.”

“Too big a deal apparently.”  Rune looked pensive and her mother looked thoughtful.

“Anyway,” Constantine judged it an opportune moment to change the subject, “Rune, we were wondering if you would object if we, your mother and I, began to live together.”

“Why would my opinion be of any relevance?”  She looked at them both.

“Children often have views on their parents’ personal and sex lives,” pointed out Constantine while Dagmar took refuge behind her coffee cup.

“I don’t think it’s any of my business,” said Rune in a practical tone.  “I mean, obviously, I’m grateful that you had a sex life at the time I was conceived, but aside from that it’s nothing to do with me.  If you want to live together and you’ll both be happier, better and better off  together than apart, then go for it.”

New Beginning

I wrote this from aldersprig's fourth prompt.  If you need/would like context Trailer will explain the situation if not the location.
 

The fight ended with the armoured warrior and the chiton-clad brunette dragging their kelp clad and haired opponent out of the ocean, up the beach and well away from the water.  Out of her element and reduced to one against two, she surrendered.

"How dare you try to kill my mother!"  The brunette was storming, energy beginning to grow around her.  "You sneaking, devious-"

"Her assassin killed my father!"  The kelp girl was as angry but more controlled.

"My mother wouldn't-"

"She does."  The warrior interrupted.  "She did.  The Shadow Archer has been busy."  He sniffed the deep fug that passed for air on this shore but didn't release his hold on their prisoner.  "We're not where we started.  This isn't our world and it isn't hers either."

"What do you mean?"  The brunette gestured with one hand and an image appeared, about a man's height in length and half that high.  "There's our world, hers still in its path, and we're," the image shifted, "over there."  She looked at her companion in confusion.  "How did we get all the way out here?"

The prisoner was feeling about herself as frantically as she could while restrained, kelp doing things that normally hands would.  After a few minutes she held something up in front of her, a broken round bauble made of glass and seashell.  "You broke it!"  It was a wail.  "This was supposed to take me-."  She broke off and her expression changed.  "Father always said dealing with Xchoriex was risky," her voice was bitter, "she didn't say this one would take me home, she said it would take me where I should be."

"Here?"  The warrior wasn't holding the prisoner with both hands any more.  "We're the only ones here.  Can't you feel it?  There are no gods and no life."

"Everyone's dead?"  The brunette cocked her head as if listening.

"No," the kelp girl rejected that.  "Thanks to your mother I know what it's like to walk in the halls of the dead.  This is an emptiness that's never been filled."

"Except now, we're here," the warrior said slowly, "and we can't get back."

"What sort of world could we make," began the kelp girl wonderingly.

"Without Mother's strictures," added the brunette, dropping her hold on the other girl.

"Without Father's requirements."  The kelp girl straightened.

"Or a Master's hand?"  The warrior finished off.  He dropped the prisoner's arm and strode up the beach to where the sand ended and the rock began.  "I, Enares, take on the mantle of Earth: cradle of life, source of tools and supplier of wonder."  Somehow he seemed solider than he had before.

Kelp girl skipped back into the water and calf deep in the ocean proclaimed, "I, Xorha, claim the mantle of Water: life's structure, source of succour and supplier of destruction."  Her hair was still kelp but now she was wearing a robe of water, coloured in ocean, lake, stream and river tones.

The brunette gave the other two, particularly Enares a dirty look, then extended her arms and said, "I, Hephaete, accede to the mantle of Air: the spark without which life dies, source of growth and supplier of inspiration."  Her colours of her hair and chiton maintained their intensity but changed to sky blue.

"We're still going to argue," Xorha said conversationally, coming to the water's edge.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," replied Hephaete, her hair extending like a massive halo around her.

"So, do I keep the peace or help you make up?"  Enares had walked back down onto the sand.

Both goddesses smiled at him.

"We might let you," allowed Hephaete.

Xorha ended the sentence, "Do both."

New Beginning

I wrote this from aldersprig's fourth prompt.  If you need/would like context Trailer will explain the situation if not the location.
 

The fight ended with the armoured warrior and the chiton-clad brunette dragging their kelp clad and haired opponent out of the ocean, up the beach and well away from the water.  Out of her element and reduced to one against two, she surrendered.

"How dare you try to kill my mother!"  The brunette was storming, energy beginning to grow around her.  "You sneaking, devious-"

"Her assassin killed my father!"  The kelp girl was as angry but more controlled.

"My mother wouldn't-"

"She does."  The warrior interrupted.  "She did.  The Shadow Archer has been busy."  He sniffed the deep fug that passed for air on this shore but didn't release his hold on their prisoner.  "We're not where we started.  This isn't our world and it isn't hers either."

"What do you mean?"  The brunette gestured with one hand and an image appeared, about a man's height in length and half that high.  "There's our world, hers still in its path, and we're," the image shifted, "over there."  She looked at her companion in confusion.  "How did we get all the way out here?"

The prisoner was feeling about herself as frantically as she could while restrained, kelp doing things that normally hands would.  After a few minutes she held something up in front of her, a broken round bauble made of glass and seashell.  "You broke it!"  It was a wail.  "This was supposed to take me-."  She broke off and her expression changed.  "Father always said dealing with Xchoriex was risky," her voice was bitter, "she didn't say this one would take me home, she said it would take me where I should be."

"Here?"  The warrior wasn't holding the prisoner with both hands any more.  "We're the only ones here.  Can't you feel it?  There are no gods and no life."

"Everyone's dead?"  The brunette cocked her head as if listening.

"No," the kelp girl rejected that.  "Thanks to your mother I know what it's like to walk in the halls of the dead.  This is an emptiness that's never been filled."

"Except now, we're here," the warrior said slowly, "and we can't get back."

"What sort of world could we make," began the kelp girl wonderingly.

"Without Mother's strictures," added the brunette, dropping her hold on the other girl.

"Without Father's requirements."  The kelp girl straightened.

"Or a Master's hand?"  The warrior finished off.  He dropped the prisoner's arm and strode up the beach to where the sand ended and the rock began.  "I, Enares, take on the mantle of Earth: cradle of life, source of tools and supplier of wonder."  Somehow he seemed solider than he had before.

Kelp girl skipped back into the water and calf deep in the ocean proclaimed, "I, Xorha, claim the mantle of Water: life's structure, source of succour and supplier of destruction."  Her hair was still kelp but now she was wearing a robe of water, coloured in ocean, lake, stream and river tones.

The brunette gave the other two, particularly Enares a dirty look, then extended her arms and said, "I, Hephaete, accede to the mantle of Air: the spark without which life dies, source of growth and supplier of inspiration."  Her colours of her hair and chiton maintained their intensity but changed to sky blue.

"We're still going to argue," Xorha said conversationally, coming to the water's edge.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," replied Hephaete, her hair extending like a massive halo around her.

"So, do I keep the peace or help you make up?"  Enares had walked back down onto the sand.

Both goddesses smiled at him.

"We might let you," allowed Hephaete.

Xorha ended the sentence, "Do both."