pyraxis: Lin (Lin)
pyraxis ([personal profile] pyraxis) wrote2009-11-14 01:55 pm

NaNoWriMo day 14 (and Brigit's Flame)

Qi is actually the name of one of the two main people in my NaNo project. I shall hope I can get away with this excerpt just for fun.





Character study, Lin and Qi

(click to enlarge)

Acrylic on canvas paper, 9x12, Dec 2007


Word count: 19,415
Today's goal: 23,333

Title: none yet (The Other Side of Water?)
Community: [info]brigits_flame November week 2
Prompt: "key"
Rating: G
Word count: 400



A silhouette at her door interrupted Lin from her thoughts. She watched it from the corner of her eye for a full peg, her hands still working busily at her packing, before it spoke.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking matters into my own hands,” Lin said.

Qi stood motionless at the edge of the bustle, observing. Hot sunlight from the high arched windows hazed through motes of dust, making it hard to see clearly into the shadows. Lin moved deftly nonetheless, not needing to stop to read inscription markings.

“Lin,” Qi said, “I am coming with you.”

“No, You have to stay here and take care of Ua.”

Qi's hesitation hung in air glowing with heat. Dust motes lit on glass and sun-blasted stone.

Lin let her bundle drop heavily onto a table and turned to face the younger woman. “Our world is dying! The city is flooded with refugees. Word came in yesterday that the Mzao river is barely a trickle down south now. That means another thousand people and four times that many beasts to feed through the dry season. Our stores can't handle it. Not after the drought.”

“You're going after your sons,” Qi said.

“I am.” There was an edge in Lin's song now.

Qi heard it and bowed her head. It was an old disagreement.

This time Lin wouldn't let it go. She walked over to Qi, faced her directly. “I have never asked anything of my sons that I haven't also asked of myself. I may not have a kifu around me anymore, Qi, but I am just as tied to this place. And unlike them, I can't allow myself to let go.

“They have anything they can dream up in the kifu. Anything magic could give them. I have chains to hold and a country to run, and a people who would hate me if they knew the truth of what I have to do.”

Instead of singing an answer, Qi laid her hand on Ua'lin's arm. Lin lowered her wards enough to feel what her lover felt. Warm flesh and coiled energy. Fire twisting through muscles kept carefully relaxed. Qi returned silent steady pressure.

Lin placed the sagama Ua down on the table before Qi and closed her eyes for a moment.

“No,” she sang. “You have to stay here.”

[identity profile] yonjuunana.livejournal.com 2009-11-15 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
I hope I get to learn the full story sometime. :)

Also... Hahahahaha, some things about the way you draw Lin, something about her eyebrows and the length and shape of her hair, look like my mom. XD

[identity profile] yonjuunana.livejournal.com 2009-11-15 06:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Cool, yeah, I'd be happy to edit it.

[identity profile] yonjuunana.livejournal.com 2009-11-16 04:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Hahahaha, okay. There are 5 pages left in the current chapter of Space Explorer. I'll see if I can get them done by the 30th. Not exactly Nano, but a good mini-challenge and it would give me a nice page buffer to work with. :D
liminaltime: (Default)

[personal profile] liminaltime 2009-11-17 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
Actually, would you be interested in letting me read the whole thing, too?
liminaltime: (Default)

[personal profile] liminaltime 2009-11-17 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
Send it my way when you're done, and if you need a proofreader... well, I am wicked good at catching mistakes.
liminaltime: (Default)

[personal profile] liminaltime 2009-11-17 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
I see... I could also read without proofreading if need be!
ext_924: (Default)

[identity profile] darthneko.livejournal.com 2009-11-15 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
This is, if you'll pardon the cliche, very lyrical. I really liked it. And the accompanying picture is wonderful, full of so much expression!

[identity profile] blythe025.livejournal.com 2009-12-09 10:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi, as you can see I'm way behind. I was supposed to come by for ROAR last month, but, well, I'm here now.

I enjoyed this piece to the story. I like the sense of purposefulness in the way Lin speaks and acts. She's a very strong character, as well as Qi. I'm definitely impressed that this is your Nano novel. Well done.