Fic: An Unexpected Reward 1/1
Nov. 8th, 2008 09:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amediaStory Title: An Unexpected Reward
Author: Amedia
Rating: G
Characters/Ship: Cain and Glitch
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Imagiquest Entertainment. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Summary: Cain and Glitch have a curious encounter in the forest.
Warnings: None.
Word count: 1074
Author's note: Thanks to TODS, who beta-read this on extremely short notice!
The story is in response to this![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
tm_challenge picture prompt:
Most of the Longcoats had given up peacefully after the restoration of the Queen, and many had been pardoned and returned to their former occupations. As expected, however, there were a few holdouts.
Glitch and Cain were tracking one such holdout in the forests near Finaqua, after a surprise encounter when they were on their way to a meeting at a nearby village.
"I think we should call for backup," said Cain as they proceeded deeper into the uncharted forest. "There's a comm unit in the car. You know the Queen would have my head if something happened to you."
"Oh, come on, it's just one. We can take—hey!" Glitch ducked suddenly as a bullet pinged off a branch near his head.
"Now do you see what I mean?"
Glitch looked startled. "I suppose. That was awfully close." They had turned to retrace their steps when Glitch suddenly yelped and ran forward.
"Stop that! Stop that at once!" he yelled.
The startled young renegade was prepared to fight a proper standoff with sensible enemies. He was not ready for a madman to come whirling down on him without regard for life or limb, and moments later he was disarmed, flat on his back, and being rapidly trussed up.
Cain caught up just in time to see that Glitch didn't need any help. "What was that all about?" he asked.
"He was trying to climb this oak tree," Glitch explained. He freed up a hand to point by putting his foot on his captive's neck. "See that branch blocking the way? He was going to try to chop it off with that rusty old machete."
Cain looked down at the young man, who was beginning to squirm until Glitch moved his heel just slightly and the young man decided it would be better to breathe than to struggle. "You're a lucky fellow," Cain said. "We could have let the tree have you. This is a magic forest, you know."
"It would not have been a pleasant death," Glitch said.
"No, it wouldn't," said a new voice. Cain and Glitch turned; their captive moved his eyes. A dark-haired woman stood just the other side of the tree with a hand on its trunk. She was neither old nor young; wise otherworldly eyes looked at them from an unlined face. She wore a multilayered gown of filmy white. Cain and Glitch instinctively bowed to her; even the young Longcoat blinked respectfully.
She smiled down at him. "So much foolishness, even for one so young," she murmured, and waved her hand. He went limp immediately, his eyes closing. Glitch removed his foot. "He will sleep until you are ready to take him back," she said.
"That was a neat trick!" said Glitch. Then, recovering his wits and manners, he said more formally, "I mean, thank you very much."
Cain nodded. "Yes, thank you, ma'am."
"You are welcome. I appreciate your concern for my realm."
"Your realm?" Cain asked.
"Are you, like, the goddess of the forest?" Glitch asked wide-eyed.
She laughed. "Nothing so grand, my dear. You may call me the Muse of Love. Yes. I think that's how your language may best describe me. I tend the grove just over there." She pointed a short distance away.
Glitch looked at the area she had pointed out. "Are those what I think they are?"
She smiled. "Yes indeed, they are. Come, let me show them to you."
They followed her a few paces behind and Cain pulled at Glitch's sleeve. "What are those trees?"
"Those are Iphisianthe trees. When they are in flower, the scent of the blooms is a powerful short-acting aphrodisiac. When they go to fruit, eating the fruit has the same effect. In winter I think you can make a tea of the bark, but it's somewhat weaker. I've heard of this grove. It was, er, a popular spot for honeymoons and other … assignations before the war."
They followed the Muse through a dense grove of ordinary trees, and then came out into a clearing ringed by beautiful trees with glossy leaves, branches heavy with reddish-purple fruit. The air seemed sweeter and richer, and both Cain and Glitch felt calmed and happy, feeling a joyful magic pervading the place.
At one end of the clearing was an elegant bedstead, piled with green pillows and a bedspread that looked like colorful leaves. The muse pirouetted around it, her filmy garmets billowing as she did, the topmost layer floating above her head. Finally she stopped and smiled at them, her face radiant.
"I was glad for the oak that you didn't let that young man hurt it. It would have suffered dreadfully from what he intended to do. But I confess that I was even more relieved for my special trees. If your prisoner there had escaped the oak and come in here, he could have done incalculable damage. These trees are hard to grow and very sensitive to malicious intent."
"We're glad we could help prevent that," Cain said, feeling a bit awkward.
Glitch seemed quite at ease. "Do you really sleep out here?" he asked, pointing to the bed.
She laughed, and the trees' leaves rustled as if they were joining in. "Of course not. That's for my guests." She smiled knowingly. "It's a very fast-acting aphrodisiac, you see."
"Oh!" said Cain. "I, um, see what you mean."
Glitch snickered and poked Cain's ribs. "The tops of your ears are turning pink," he said happily.
"I would like to offer you both a token of my gratitude," the Muse added. She smiled sweetly at them. "Each of you may return with a friend of your choice for a free and completely private afternoon of enjoyment." She handed them each a smoothly rounded nugget of wood about the size of an egg, polished to a pearlescent gleam. "Or you may pass these along to whomever you wish."
"Oh!" Cain and Glitch looked at each other, delighted.
******
The Gen Ending
Cain and Glitch looked at each other, delighted. Each had the same thought. "These will make the perfect wedding presents for DG and Jeb!"
The Het Ending
Cain and Glitch looked at each other, delighted. "We'll have to talk to our respective lady friends and make sure we don't choose conflicting dates," Cain said. Glitch nodded.
The Slash Ending
Cain and Glitch looked at each other, delighted. "Can we use one of them now?"
Author: Amedia
Rating: G
Characters/Ship: Cain and Glitch
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Imagiquest Entertainment. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Summary: Cain and Glitch have a curious encounter in the forest.
Warnings: None.
Word count: 1074
Author's note: Thanks to TODS, who beta-read this on extremely short notice!
The story is in response to this
tm_challenge picture prompt:Most of the Longcoats had given up peacefully after the restoration of the Queen, and many had been pardoned and returned to their former occupations. As expected, however, there were a few holdouts.
Glitch and Cain were tracking one such holdout in the forests near Finaqua, after a surprise encounter when they were on their way to a meeting at a nearby village.
"I think we should call for backup," said Cain as they proceeded deeper into the uncharted forest. "There's a comm unit in the car. You know the Queen would have my head if something happened to you."
"Oh, come on, it's just one. We can take—hey!" Glitch ducked suddenly as a bullet pinged off a branch near his head.
"Now do you see what I mean?"
Glitch looked startled. "I suppose. That was awfully close." They had turned to retrace their steps when Glitch suddenly yelped and ran forward.
"Stop that! Stop that at once!" he yelled.
The startled young renegade was prepared to fight a proper standoff with sensible enemies. He was not ready for a madman to come whirling down on him without regard for life or limb, and moments later he was disarmed, flat on his back, and being rapidly trussed up.
Cain caught up just in time to see that Glitch didn't need any help. "What was that all about?" he asked.
"He was trying to climb this oak tree," Glitch explained. He freed up a hand to point by putting his foot on his captive's neck. "See that branch blocking the way? He was going to try to chop it off with that rusty old machete."
Cain looked down at the young man, who was beginning to squirm until Glitch moved his heel just slightly and the young man decided it would be better to breathe than to struggle. "You're a lucky fellow," Cain said. "We could have let the tree have you. This is a magic forest, you know."
"It would not have been a pleasant death," Glitch said.
"No, it wouldn't," said a new voice. Cain and Glitch turned; their captive moved his eyes. A dark-haired woman stood just the other side of the tree with a hand on its trunk. She was neither old nor young; wise otherworldly eyes looked at them from an unlined face. She wore a multilayered gown of filmy white. Cain and Glitch instinctively bowed to her; even the young Longcoat blinked respectfully.
She smiled down at him. "So much foolishness, even for one so young," she murmured, and waved her hand. He went limp immediately, his eyes closing. Glitch removed his foot. "He will sleep until you are ready to take him back," she said.
"That was a neat trick!" said Glitch. Then, recovering his wits and manners, he said more formally, "I mean, thank you very much."
Cain nodded. "Yes, thank you, ma'am."
"You are welcome. I appreciate your concern for my realm."
"Your realm?" Cain asked.
"Are you, like, the goddess of the forest?" Glitch asked wide-eyed.
She laughed. "Nothing so grand, my dear. You may call me the Muse of Love. Yes. I think that's how your language may best describe me. I tend the grove just over there." She pointed a short distance away.
Glitch looked at the area she had pointed out. "Are those what I think they are?"
She smiled. "Yes indeed, they are. Come, let me show them to you."
They followed her a few paces behind and Cain pulled at Glitch's sleeve. "What are those trees?"
"Those are Iphisianthe trees. When they are in flower, the scent of the blooms is a powerful short-acting aphrodisiac. When they go to fruit, eating the fruit has the same effect. In winter I think you can make a tea of the bark, but it's somewhat weaker. I've heard of this grove. It was, er, a popular spot for honeymoons and other … assignations before the war."
They followed the Muse through a dense grove of ordinary trees, and then came out into a clearing ringed by beautiful trees with glossy leaves, branches heavy with reddish-purple fruit. The air seemed sweeter and richer, and both Cain and Glitch felt calmed and happy, feeling a joyful magic pervading the place.
At one end of the clearing was an elegant bedstead, piled with green pillows and a bedspread that looked like colorful leaves. The muse pirouetted around it, her filmy garmets billowing as she did, the topmost layer floating above her head. Finally she stopped and smiled at them, her face radiant.
"I was glad for the oak that you didn't let that young man hurt it. It would have suffered dreadfully from what he intended to do. But I confess that I was even more relieved for my special trees. If your prisoner there had escaped the oak and come in here, he could have done incalculable damage. These trees are hard to grow and very sensitive to malicious intent."
"We're glad we could help prevent that," Cain said, feeling a bit awkward.
Glitch seemed quite at ease. "Do you really sleep out here?" he asked, pointing to the bed.
She laughed, and the trees' leaves rustled as if they were joining in. "Of course not. That's for my guests." She smiled knowingly. "It's a very fast-acting aphrodisiac, you see."
"Oh!" said Cain. "I, um, see what you mean."
Glitch snickered and poked Cain's ribs. "The tops of your ears are turning pink," he said happily.
"I would like to offer you both a token of my gratitude," the Muse added. She smiled sweetly at them. "Each of you may return with a friend of your choice for a free and completely private afternoon of enjoyment." She handed them each a smoothly rounded nugget of wood about the size of an egg, polished to a pearlescent gleam. "Or you may pass these along to whomever you wish."
"Oh!" Cain and Glitch looked at each other, delighted.
******
The Gen Ending
Cain and Glitch looked at each other, delighted. Each had the same thought. "These will make the perfect wedding presents for DG and Jeb!"
The Het Ending
Cain and Glitch looked at each other, delighted. "We'll have to talk to our respective lady friends and make sure we don't choose conflicting dates," Cain said. Glitch nodded.
The Slash Ending
Cain and Glitch looked at each other, delighted. "Can we use one of them now?"
