Nadruwrini Story: One Night in Boy's Town
Nov. 4th, 2023 10:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_siobhanReply to dissectionist's prompt: Fairies should be involved in some way, preferably of the very queer kind.
It was Halloween and the ‘hood was hopping.
Loud music spilled into the street from every door. People in costumes roamed the streets, going from bar to bar. Everywhere you looked was wizards, superheros, witches, aliens, cartoon characters, all in bright colours and all laughing and happy.
Puck flickered out a tongue. The air tasted like cloves and anise. Sharp eyes tracked the movements of the humans as they walked through the streets, holding up traffic and frustrating the drivers. The driver shouted. The walkers laughed. Puck approved.
“Is he here?” Oberon asked.
“I can’t smell him,” said Puck. “He’s hidden himself well, among all these humans.”
“Then we’ll follow,” said Oberon. “Best to start where they gather in greatest numbers. He’s bound to have hidden himself in their masses.”
Puck pointed at a building with dark tinted windows and a sign that thayt read “The Spread Eagle” in a lurid red. They wove through the pedestrians to the front door. A bouncer who was almost tall enough to look Oberon in the eye stopped them for a mere second, but a mild glamour was all it took to gain their way into the club.
Inside it was packed solid, and they had to squueze their way through the crowd of bodies.
“I’ll go upstairs.” Oberon scanned the balcony. “You look down here.”
Puck hesitated. He looked around the edges of the room, looked to the bar, but he could see nothing but humans. Right. He was going to have to go in.
He stepped onto the dance floor.
In a split second he was caught up in the dance.
Music pounded in his head, in his chest, poured out through every limb. He was swept away by a river of sound and movement. Sweaty bodies pressed against him, he had an arm thrown across somebody’s shoulder, he was shouting, he was jumping up and down, he was...
Puck
Oberon’s voice yanked him out of the spell and he stumbled back out of the dance floor. His boss eyed him. “Any luck?”
“Ah. No.” Puck was panting. “There was nothing fae in there, all humans.”
“Very well. We will go to the next largest group of humans.”
Puck stumbled a little as they stepped out onto the street. Oberon raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Puck took a moment to orient himself and then pointed. This bar was called Dollywood and seemed to be staffed only by beautiful human women in blonde wigs.
The dance floor in this building had a walkway all the way around the outside. Puck and Oberon split up once again, circling the floor in opposite directions. Puck sniffed the air. The scent of the dance made his mouth go dry and for a moment he toyed with the idea of just... joining it again, forgeting their mission and just losing himself in the music and the movement.
He stepped back and shook himself. No time for that now. He had to focus.
But where was Oberon? He had circled the floor at least twice, he should have met up with his boss coming the other way. He spotted him immediately, so much taller than the humans in the room and he was in the dance floor, moving along with the humans. As Puck watched a group of women swept him along to the bar and gave him a small glass with a cloudy liquid in it. Puck hurried over but was too slow to reach him before he downed the human drink in a single gulp. The women all cheered and slammed their glasses onto the bar.
“We must go, so sorry, must go now Oberon, we have to go.” Puck was babbling as he pulled his boss towards the door. The women all waved and called out racous goodbyes. Oberon was glassy-eyed when Puck got him outside and leaned him against the building.
“Are you alright?” asked Puck.
“Yes. Yes... I. I’m fine.” Oberon rubbed his eyes with the heel of one hand. “Their dance is potent. Yes, we should move on. Where is the next one?”
They went to Remmington Steeles. They visited Woodies. They stopped at Progress and Beware Dorothy and The Bear Cave.
When they finally found Furlyn he was sitting in the back of a quiet tavern with only a soft piece of music playing in the background courtesy of the jukebox. He had three glasses in front him, each filled with a bright-coloured liquid and decorated with a paper umbrella. He slid two of them towards Oberon and Puck as they sat down.
“You have led us on a merry chase,” said Oberon, his voice stern. Puck sipped at the drink, made a face, then drank some more.
“I did. And very merry it was, wasn’t it?” Furlyn was grinning.
“Why? What was the point of all that?”
“Try the drink,” said Furlyn. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing harmful in it. Just the fermented grains and fruit that the humans have always made.”
Oberon sipped his drink while Furlyn continued. “I knew if I went back and told you to call off the invasion you wouldn’t believe me. So I thought to show you instead.”
“Show me what?”
“That they are not so different after all? That they have their own glamours? Tell me you didn’t feel exactly the same way tonight that you feel during one of our own bonfires.”
“This is their Wylde Hunt,” said Puck and Furlyn nodded.
“Exactly. Tell me, my Lord Oberon after everything you have seen tonight, what do you most want to do, right now, in your heart of hearts. Do you want to fight? Look inside and tell me.”
“I want...” Oberon paused and stared at his drink. Then a smile lit up his face. “I want to dance.”
Puck and Furlyn whooped. Then as one the three downed their drinks in unison and left the tavern arm in arm. When the bartender came by the table to clean up he found a silver coin resting on the wood next to the empty glasses.
dissectionist's prompt: Fairies should be involved in some way, preferably of the very queer kind.
It was Halloween and the ‘hood was hopping.
Loud music spilled into the street from every door. People in costumes roamed the streets, going from bar to bar. Everywhere you looked was wizards, superheros, witches, aliens, cartoon characters, all in bright colours and all laughing and happy.
Puck flickered out a tongue. The air tasted like cloves and anise. Sharp eyes tracked the movements of the humans as they walked through the streets, holding up traffic and frustrating the drivers. The driver shouted. The walkers laughed. Puck approved.
“Is he here?” Oberon asked.
“I can’t smell him,” said Puck. “He’s hidden himself well, among all these humans.”
“Then we’ll follow,” said Oberon. “Best to start where they gather in greatest numbers. He’s bound to have hidden himself in their masses.”
Puck pointed at a building with dark tinted windows and a sign that thayt read “The Spread Eagle” in a lurid red. They wove through the pedestrians to the front door. A bouncer who was almost tall enough to look Oberon in the eye stopped them for a mere second, but a mild glamour was all it took to gain their way into the club.
Inside it was packed solid, and they had to squueze their way through the crowd of bodies.
“I’ll go upstairs.” Oberon scanned the balcony. “You look down here.”
Puck hesitated. He looked around the edges of the room, looked to the bar, but he could see nothing but humans. Right. He was going to have to go in.
He stepped onto the dance floor.
In a split second he was caught up in the dance.
Music pounded in his head, in his chest, poured out through every limb. He was swept away by a river of sound and movement. Sweaty bodies pressed against him, he had an arm thrown across somebody’s shoulder, he was shouting, he was jumping up and down, he was...
Puck
Oberon’s voice yanked him out of the spell and he stumbled back out of the dance floor. His boss eyed him. “Any luck?”
“Ah. No.” Puck was panting. “There was nothing fae in there, all humans.”
“Very well. We will go to the next largest group of humans.”
Puck stumbled a little as they stepped out onto the street. Oberon raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Puck took a moment to orient himself and then pointed. This bar was called Dollywood and seemed to be staffed only by beautiful human women in blonde wigs.
The dance floor in this building had a walkway all the way around the outside. Puck and Oberon split up once again, circling the floor in opposite directions. Puck sniffed the air. The scent of the dance made his mouth go dry and for a moment he toyed with the idea of just... joining it again, forgeting their mission and just losing himself in the music and the movement.
He stepped back and shook himself. No time for that now. He had to focus.
But where was Oberon? He had circled the floor at least twice, he should have met up with his boss coming the other way. He spotted him immediately, so much taller than the humans in the room and he was in the dance floor, moving along with the humans. As Puck watched a group of women swept him along to the bar and gave him a small glass with a cloudy liquid in it. Puck hurried over but was too slow to reach him before he downed the human drink in a single gulp. The women all cheered and slammed their glasses onto the bar.
“We must go, so sorry, must go now Oberon, we have to go.” Puck was babbling as he pulled his boss towards the door. The women all waved and called out racous goodbyes. Oberon was glassy-eyed when Puck got him outside and leaned him against the building.
“Are you alright?” asked Puck.
“Yes. Yes... I. I’m fine.” Oberon rubbed his eyes with the heel of one hand. “Their dance is potent. Yes, we should move on. Where is the next one?”
They went to Remmington Steeles. They visited Woodies. They stopped at Progress and Beware Dorothy and The Bear Cave.
When they finally found Furlyn he was sitting in the back of a quiet tavern with only a soft piece of music playing in the background courtesy of the jukebox. He had three glasses in front him, each filled with a bright-coloured liquid and decorated with a paper umbrella. He slid two of them towards Oberon and Puck as they sat down.
“You have led us on a merry chase,” said Oberon, his voice stern. Puck sipped at the drink, made a face, then drank some more.
“I did. And very merry it was, wasn’t it?” Furlyn was grinning.
“Why? What was the point of all that?”
“Try the drink,” said Furlyn. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing harmful in it. Just the fermented grains and fruit that the humans have always made.”
Oberon sipped his drink while Furlyn continued. “I knew if I went back and told you to call off the invasion you wouldn’t believe me. So I thought to show you instead.”
“Show me what?”
“That they are not so different after all? That they have their own glamours? Tell me you didn’t feel exactly the same way tonight that you feel during one of our own bonfires.”
“This is their Wylde Hunt,” said Puck and Furlyn nodded.
“Exactly. Tell me, my Lord Oberon after everything you have seen tonight, what do you most want to do, right now, in your heart of hearts. Do you want to fight? Look inside and tell me.”
“I want...” Oberon paused and stared at his drink. Then a smile lit up his face. “I want to dance.”
Puck and Furlyn whooped. Then as one the three downed their drinks in unison and left the tavern arm in arm. When the bartender came by the table to clean up he found a silver coin resting on the wood next to the empty glasses.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-11-05 03:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-11-05 03:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-11-05 04:00 am (UTC)Feel free to interpret loosely, obvs. :D
(no subject)
Date: 2023-11-05 01:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-11-05 02:28 pm (UTC)Anyway this one has a real sense of being part of a wider arc, somehow. ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2023-11-05 04:16 pm (UTC)Oh, and I almost forgot to say, THANK YOU. I hoped you'd like it.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-11-05 04:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-11-05 08:30 pm (UTC)