A little late this week...

[calic0cat]

I've been busy helping beta-test the next version of the eFiction script, so I haven't gotten a whole lot of writing done this week. But, I do have something to post. It's just not going to be what anyone's been waiting for. It's the first part of a new GW 1x2 and, while I know more-or-less what's going to happen, it's very much a WIP (though not a very long one - probably 20 pages or less). I'm rating it FRM (R) for now, since I'm not sure how cooperative my lemon muse is going to be, but it may go to an FRAO (NC-17).

This is actually a plot bunny that I've had hanging around for at least a couple of years and, with Halloween coming up, it seemed like a good time to do something with it. It's a fusion with Jayne Castle's (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) Harmony universe ("Bridal Jitters" short story and the After Dark and After Glow books), though I've deliberately chosen to set it in a different city (named according to the established pattern for the world). It's not a Halloween story per se, but there are reasons that it fits a Halloween theme pretty well, which you'll see as things progress (I hope!). For those unfamiliar with the books in question, they're sci fi/fantasy romances. I'll try to work all the relevant background detail into the story as I go, but I don't want to do an info-dump so it may take a few chapters for readers to really figure things out.



Harmony: Counterpoint City, 200 A.C. (After Curtain)

Hearing an all-too-familiar voice, Heero grimaced and broke off his conversation. "Damn it, Barton, I thought you said she'd declined the invitation."

Trowa turned and swept a searching look around the room, frowning as his gaze landed on the woman in question. "She did. Guess she changed her mind. Sorry, Yuy."

"Who are you talking about?" Quatre interjected, following the direction of his spouse's gaze.

"Relena Peacecraft," Heero muttered, retreating to the dubious cover offered by an upright quartz sarcophagus. "Sorry, Quatre, but I won't be staying for the unveiling."

"But, Heero, I really wanted you to see the museum's newest acquisition," Quatre objected. "After all, you're going to be heading up the team that Winner Enterprises is funding to follow up on its discovery..."

Heero just shook his head in silent refusal as he began to cautiously work his way towards the nearest exit. He wasn't about to risk getting cornered by Relena and trapped into playing her escort for the evening. As heir-apparent to Odin Lowe, current boss of the Counterpoint City Ghost-hunter Guild, he couldn't afford to be openly rude to a member of one of the city's most influential families, but he was beginning to think that nothing short of that would make the damn woman understand that he was simply *not interested*. Treating her in a cool, distant manner only made her more determined to 'draw him out', while begging off on the grounds of pressing business simply resulted in her going over his head and getting Odin to officially request that he escort her to various functions all over the city of Counterpoint. It was almost enough to make him consider moving to Cadence or Resonance.

The worst part of the whole thing was that she was actually quite a nice person, someone that he'd be more than happy to count as a friend... *if* she would just give up her ridiculous notion that she would make the perfect wife for the future Guild boss, that is. He had no intention of contracting a one-year Marriage of Convenience with her, let alone a permanent Covenant Marriage.

For one thing, she was the wrong gender to interest him in that regard.

Quatre trailed Heero through the crowd, still trying to persuade him to stay. Distracted by the need to keep a careful eye on Relena, Heero only caught occasional snatches of what Quatre was saying.

"...introduce you to Duo Maxwell, the tangler who discovered the piece and who you'll be working with..."

Finally safely at the exit, Heero interrupted firmly, "Sorry, Quatre, not tonight. Not with *her* here. The team meeting is only two days away; that will be soon enough." Looking over Quatre's shoulder, he addressed Trowa. "You'll be stopping by the Guild tomorrow with the details and the signed contract for the Guild's services?" Trowa nodded. "Until tomorrow, then." Heero inclined his head to Quatre. "Good night."

As he quietly slipped out of the museum and retrieved his Slider from its parking space, he decided that he might as well put his unexpectedly free evening to good use. Since he wasn't going to be meeting Duo Maxwell in person tonight, he would just do a little good old-fashioned research instead. With the Guild's resources at his disposal, he would know everything on Harmony that there was to know about the man before they even met.

***

"Shit." Duo yanked his braid out of the way just in time to avoid getting it caught in the closing door of the Slider. Sliding the key into the ignition, he forced himself to take a couple of deep breaths and settle down. It was time that he could ill afford - he was already running late - but getting in an accident wouldn't get him to the museum any sooner and, with the way his luck was running tonight, that was a real possibility.

Being late wasn't going to make a very good impression on his new employer, though. And he needed this job. Really needed it. Opportunities like being on a major ruins exploration and excavation team sponsored by Winner Enterprises didn't exactly drop in his lap on a daily basis. Hell, he'd *never* had a chance at a job like this one before; most sponsors wouldn't even consider hiring an ephemeral-energy para-resonator who hadn't been accepted into the Society of Para-archaeologists, regardless of how strong his para-rez talent might be.

And the Society of Para-archaeologists would never accept someone who hadn't gone through full, formal university training in archaeology. No matter how good his skills as a tangler might be.

If he *had* somehow managed to scrape up the money to go through the university, the Society still might not have allowed him in. It was known for being a somewhat elitist organization, and an orphaned street kid raised by the Sweepers - a slightly disreputable, loose-knit group of ruin rats - just didn't quite measure up to its usual standards.

Even if he *was* the first person to discover worked dreamstone in the catacombs of Old Counterpoint. Hopefully, the exploration and excavation team would find a lot more in the vicinity of his discovery. Duo could hardly wait for the team's mission to get underway in just a few days.

But first, he needed to get to the museum's unveiling of the dreamstone unguent jars.

With that thought in mind, Duo rezzed the key with a small surge of psi power focussed through his amber necklace. The old Slider reluctantly rumbled to life and he pulled away from the curb, heading for the museum. Hopefully, Quatre Winner would cut him a little slack, in light of the reason for his lateness.

Casting a quick side-glance at the well-wrapped parcel on the seat beside him, Duo grinned. Yeah, that gorgeous little dreamstone box should go a long way towards buying him a little forgiveness. It was proof positive that his previous discovery hadn't been the fluke that some people had claimed it was. That, in choosing to sponsor *his* team, Quatre had made the right choice. And, better yet, that Milliardo "Zechs" Peacecraft, 'honoured' member of the Society for Para-archaeologists and his main competitor in the race to find worked dreamstone artifacts in Old Counterpoint, was looking in all the wrong places.

Duo's grin grew broader. Trumped by the ruin rat. Again.

Zechs was going to be seriously pissed.

***

Comments

[calic0cat.livejournal.com]

Ah hah! So there is someone who's familiar with the books! I've actually got a plot bunny or three for her Amaryllis/Orchid/Zinnia universe as well, if I ever get around to doing anything with them. I hope you'll enjoy my "take" on this universe...

[mythologian.livejournal.com]

yeah that was one of the things that always stuck with me, she would create these really fasinating worlds but her ability to make a unique plot wasn't as good. Pretty much all of her books were formulaic in the sense that after you read 1 or 2 of a certain setting you could always guess easily what was going to happen in the next one in the same setting, not that that kept me from reading them anyway ^_~