sixwordstories | (no subject)

...Are you alright?

Try not to light yourself on fire by not paying attention to that, hm?

Mhmmm? Yeah. I"m fine.

[It's a fancy candle made to look like the strata of some sliced earth.]

Holiday.

[It's a fancy candle made to look like the strata of some sliced earth.]

Normally that wouldn't be a worry for me.

[He snorts and then holds his hand out above the flame. It's weird feeling the heat like that.]

But right now it's good advice, I suppose.

What holiday? That's a nice candle!

Night of the Veils. It's one from my world.

And thanks. I spent forever making it.

What's Night of the Veils?

You made that? Wow! My experience is just dipping them from tallow.

On the shortest night of the year the veils between the realms of the living and the dead thin enough that the dead can come and visit. You make candles so that the spirits you wish to see can find their way to you.

And yeah, I did. But like I said, I spent forever making it. You should see the kitchen table at the apartment.

Does it work on this world too?

Oh, it must be a mess!

I honestly don't have any idea.

I honestly don't know if it works on my world either.

I must be interrupting your attempt to try. I'm sorry, I just wanted to chat. I'll clean the table off if needed.

You're not interrupting.

It's just... one of those things I do and I don't know why I do them any more... but I do them anyway... because it's what you're supposed to do.

I understand. Those things can stick with you a lifetime.

...Did you see your movie?

[Phoenix joins him with a lit candle of his own. It's in swirls of four colours; red, violet, blue, and green; each corresponding with one of the Kayori clans.]

Hey. [His voice is soft.]

Exactly. I mean, even back home we don't know if it actually works or not... but it's nice to think so.

[His eyes light up gleefully.]

Twice.

And I'm going to see it again.

Hey.

[The somber thoughtful look falls away to delight at seeing Phoenix. Yes, it's a serious sort of holiday but... its one to be with family and Phoenix is family. It's also just so nice to be happy to see him after their fight that he just can't help smiling.]

[He places his own candle in front of him, sitting cross-legged next to Alec... who gets a wry little half-smile.]

We do this in your future.. it's kinda nice to do it with you now.

Vahl mentioned we do this in my future.

[He floped against Phoenix, wanting the contact.]

[He puts an arm around Alec and snuggles him up, warming him.]

Yeah. Vahl seems taken with the idea, but he wanted to be alone for this one.

[Yes. Good. Heat... oh if only Alec could leech the heat off of Phoenix... well... no. but...]

S'its fair. He's had a lot of shit happen to him recently.

[He can adjust his body temperature as much as Alec needs?]

That and he's got some unresolved issues over his little brother, who died. I don't think he's done grieving over that.

Can I go with you? It would be nice if it was a group thing, but I kind of want to see it.

[He just doesn't want to suck Phoenix dry ... of heat.]

[Vahl had a little brother? That's news to Alec. But he's realizing that there's a lot he doesn't know about things right now with Phoenix and Vahl and everything else.]

I didn't know he had one.

Sure!

We can work something out.

I need to get Vahl to see the first three... you don't really need to see the prequels for it but... you do need to see the first three.

[...]

[Fire in the veins. It's all good.]

He died in the Hell War. The sad thing is... Corvo - that's his brother, Tansy, Kizzie and Rowan, they all died believing Vahl was the enemy, the one who'd tortured my generation. Of the five of us, I'm the only one who lived to find out the truth.

[He squeezes Alec and increases his own body temperature.]