Prompt#78 - Travel
Oct. 26th, 2005 09:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
azraelz_angelTitle: A Life Well-Lived
Disclaimer - I do not own any of these characters and/or settings. If it looks familiar - I probably didn't invent it.
Rating: FR18
Author's Note: This is a companion piece to my story Running into Death for the FFA.
**
Chapter One - Prompt#78 - Travel - Highlander Cross
**
Holiday Travel
**
Christmas was a busy time for everyone. Families cruised through the airport terminal around me. Mothers watched their children play on the plastic seats. Fathers talked on their cell phones, or played with their laptops. Even traveling holidays weren’t a good enough reason to not work.
I watched, silently from my seat alone, looking around at the people. No one sat alone in the airport. They sat in pairs, or families, or groups of friends, but no one else was alone. I sighed, slightly sad, but shrugged it off. I had great plans for the holidays. Granted, it wasn’t something I would normally do, but it would be an experience. I wasn’t going home to family. I had no desire to return home and join in on the Christmas atmosphere.
A coven in New York had extended a holiday invitation to all fellow practitioners. I had happily accepted the invitation and would be spending a week with them. The women I had spoken with seemed pleasant and eager to meet with me.
I had a few books for my classes next semester in my backpack, and my spring schedule and notes in my hands. The next semester looked pretty promising. And with the Wiccan group on campus taking place – it should be an eventful semester.
Someone slamming into me brought me out of my daze. I stumbled backwards, letting out a small eep of fright, and landed hard on the thin, unyielding, carpet floor. My pack fell away and my papers scattered.
I looked up – through the curtain of my loose hair – and gasped. The man standing over me was the same man from the alley last night.
**
My stupid compulsive need to roam the night air had led me to an alley with a decent sized brawl. Three men were attacking a single one. It took me a moment longer than it should have to see the three men for the monsters they really were.
I stepped into the alley mentally preparing myself to help this man. I stepped up next to the man and started chanting.
“Get out of here,” the man yelled at me. I looked at him in shock.
“No. You need help,” I replied – confused as to why this man didn’t want my assistance.
“No, I don’t,” he insisted. The conversation was enough to cause a punch to break through his defense. He stumbled back, clutching his jaw, and put himself in between me and the monsters.
“They’ll kill you,” I cried out, and much to my surprise he pulled a long sword from his coat and turned his gaze on me.
Gone was the mild-looking man fighting against the monsters in the dark. In his place stood a monster of a different kind. *Death* loomed behind those eyes.
**
I stared at the man, not quite sure what to do. More than anything I did not want to see those eyes go cold again.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered and then he raised his voice. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he added, offering me a small, tight smile. He looked obviously sincere about the collision.
“I – I know…it’s okay,” I finally managed to get out.
He extended his hand as he closed the distance between us. I stared at his hand, flashing back to the sword he had held in it only last night. Finally, just as he was about to pull back, I reached out. I allowed him to pull me to my feet, but immediately put a little distance between us.
“Are you all right?” he asked me as I brushed myself off.
“Yes. You just s-startled me is all. And…w-well k-knocked me down,” I replied and looked up at him to offer him a small smile. I ended up blushing instead.
“Yes, I did, and I’m sorry.”
“Y-you died l-last night,” I whispered, unable to hold it in, and cutting directly to the chase. His eyes widened just enough to confirm what my senses were telling me. “What are y-you?”
“Last time I check I was human,” he responded with a smirk.
“Of course…um…” I internally scolded myself. Of course this man wasn’t just going to open up and confess his true nature to a complete stranger.
“But, I’m not exactly normal,” he offered a small concession. I was already nodding, knowing that to the case.
“Me neither,” I gave him the answer he probably had already expected.
The next few moments were passed in awkward silence. People milled around us, occasionally bumping into us as they continued their travels. Holiday travel was non-stop. Two strained strangers in a crowded airport certainly wasn’t enough to stop them. Finally I bent down to retrieve my backpack and scattered papers. Carefully I separated them into two stacks, one for each of us.
He offered me a small smile as he took his stack and looked down at the top sheet.
“You’re a witch!” he exclaimed under his breath. I couldn’t help the panic that rose inside me. No one had guessed my true nature…and now this man or whatever he was had gotten it immediately.
“Yes, what are you?”
“A Watcher,” he responded after a moment’s hesitation. I frowned, disappointed he didn’t share more with me. He was more than this Watcher that he claimed to be. Energy pulsed off of him. This man was not a normal human. It didn’t matter though. He could lie all he wanted – we both knew I knew he was more.
“I’m…uh…Tara Maclay,” I finally gave him my name.
“Adam Pierson,” he immediately replied with no hesitation.
“It’s been a pleasure r-running into you, Mr. Pierson. H-have a safe journey…and a pleasant travel,” I offered him. He responded in kind and again there was a moment of awkward silence.
“Now boarding Flight 211 to New York, now boarding Flight 211 to New York,” an announcement came over the airport’s intercom system.
I walked away, shaking my head slightly at the weird occurrences. Hopefully the rest of my travels would not be as adventurous.
**
Disclaimer - I do not own any of these characters and/or settings. If it looks familiar - I probably didn't invent it.
Rating: FR18
Author's Note: This is a companion piece to my story Running into Death for the FFA.
**
Chapter One - Prompt#78 - Travel - Highlander Cross
**
Holiday Travel
**
Christmas was a busy time for everyone. Families cruised through the airport terminal around me. Mothers watched their children play on the plastic seats. Fathers talked on their cell phones, or played with their laptops. Even traveling holidays weren’t a good enough reason to not work.
I watched, silently from my seat alone, looking around at the people. No one sat alone in the airport. They sat in pairs, or families, or groups of friends, but no one else was alone. I sighed, slightly sad, but shrugged it off. I had great plans for the holidays. Granted, it wasn’t something I would normally do, but it would be an experience. I wasn’t going home to family. I had no desire to return home and join in on the Christmas atmosphere.
A coven in New York had extended a holiday invitation to all fellow practitioners. I had happily accepted the invitation and would be spending a week with them. The women I had spoken with seemed pleasant and eager to meet with me.
I had a few books for my classes next semester in my backpack, and my spring schedule and notes in my hands. The next semester looked pretty promising. And with the Wiccan group on campus taking place – it should be an eventful semester.
Someone slamming into me brought me out of my daze. I stumbled backwards, letting out a small eep of fright, and landed hard on the thin, unyielding, carpet floor. My pack fell away and my papers scattered.
I looked up – through the curtain of my loose hair – and gasped. The man standing over me was the same man from the alley last night.
**
My stupid compulsive need to roam the night air had led me to an alley with a decent sized brawl. Three men were attacking a single one. It took me a moment longer than it should have to see the three men for the monsters they really were.
I stepped into the alley mentally preparing myself to help this man. I stepped up next to the man and started chanting.
“Get out of here,” the man yelled at me. I looked at him in shock.
“No. You need help,” I replied – confused as to why this man didn’t want my assistance.
“No, I don’t,” he insisted. The conversation was enough to cause a punch to break through his defense. He stumbled back, clutching his jaw, and put himself in between me and the monsters.
“They’ll kill you,” I cried out, and much to my surprise he pulled a long sword from his coat and turned his gaze on me.
Gone was the mild-looking man fighting against the monsters in the dark. In his place stood a monster of a different kind. *Death* loomed behind those eyes.
**
I stared at the man, not quite sure what to do. More than anything I did not want to see those eyes go cold again.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered and then he raised his voice. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he added, offering me a small, tight smile. He looked obviously sincere about the collision.
“I – I know…it’s okay,” I finally managed to get out.
He extended his hand as he closed the distance between us. I stared at his hand, flashing back to the sword he had held in it only last night. Finally, just as he was about to pull back, I reached out. I allowed him to pull me to my feet, but immediately put a little distance between us.
“Are you all right?” he asked me as I brushed myself off.
“Yes. You just s-startled me is all. And…w-well k-knocked me down,” I replied and looked up at him to offer him a small smile. I ended up blushing instead.
“Yes, I did, and I’m sorry.”
“Y-you died l-last night,” I whispered, unable to hold it in, and cutting directly to the chase. His eyes widened just enough to confirm what my senses were telling me. “What are y-you?”
“Last time I check I was human,” he responded with a smirk.
“Of course…um…” I internally scolded myself. Of course this man wasn’t just going to open up and confess his true nature to a complete stranger.
“But, I’m not exactly normal,” he offered a small concession. I was already nodding, knowing that to the case.
“Me neither,” I gave him the answer he probably had already expected.
The next few moments were passed in awkward silence. People milled around us, occasionally bumping into us as they continued their travels. Holiday travel was non-stop. Two strained strangers in a crowded airport certainly wasn’t enough to stop them. Finally I bent down to retrieve my backpack and scattered papers. Carefully I separated them into two stacks, one for each of us.
He offered me a small smile as he took his stack and looked down at the top sheet.
“You’re a witch!” he exclaimed under his breath. I couldn’t help the panic that rose inside me. No one had guessed my true nature…and now this man or whatever he was had gotten it immediately.
“Yes, what are you?”
“A Watcher,” he responded after a moment’s hesitation. I frowned, disappointed he didn’t share more with me. He was more than this Watcher that he claimed to be. Energy pulsed off of him. This man was not a normal human. It didn’t matter though. He could lie all he wanted – we both knew I knew he was more.
“I’m…uh…Tara Maclay,” I finally gave him my name.
“Adam Pierson,” he immediately replied with no hesitation.
“It’s been a pleasure r-running into you, Mr. Pierson. H-have a safe journey…and a pleasant travel,” I offered him. He responded in kind and again there was a moment of awkward silence.
“Now boarding Flight 211 to New York, now boarding Flight 211 to New York,” an announcement came over the airport’s intercom system.
I walked away, shaking my head slightly at the weird occurrences. Hopefully the rest of my travels would not be as adventurous.
**
