[Fic] Trees of Green, Red Roses Too
Apr. 11th, 2021 09:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chirurgiqueTitle: Trees of Green, Red Roses Too
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Relationship: Brain & Ava
Rating: PG
Content notes: unreality
Words: 895
Summary: Daybreak Town is a beautiful world. The hill overlooking it is the perfect place to discuss any kind of destiny.
The wind ruffled the grassy hill as Brain and Ava sat there in silence. Brain laid back, his hat pulled down low and shading his forehead.
It was a beautiful day. There was quiet birdsong in the distance, and the air was just warm enough that the cool dew on the grass was welcome at Brain’s back. The tiered colours of the eternal dawn edged their way into his sight, visible beyond the brim of his hat as a slim crescent. By his elbow were Ava’s gifts — or maybe it was more appropriate to call them homework — the union leader book of rules, and the infamous Book of Prophecies itself. The one that was supposed to go to the ruler of this world’s chosen pawn, evidence of its destiny circled in red between its pages. Evidence that could stand to wait a while to be uncovered. Plausible deniability and all that.
Brain raised his chin a little so that he could glance at Master Ava. She hadn’t moved since he had last seen her, with her knees and hands folded neatly, looking out over the city. She sat as comfortably and as peacefully as her smile was wistful. She looked as lost in thought as anyone could be.
> If you shut down now, you and any other people using this terminal could lose unsaved work.
“Can I ask a question?”
“Of course.” Her reply was immediate, though she didn’t look over.
He picked a clover flower and brought it across to his face, rolling the petals between his fingers. “Are you really here?”
Ava spoke in that careful, measured way, as if trying to chose the perfect words. “A great many things aren’t really here.”
Brain rolled his eyes. “I know. But are you?”
“I’m always with you.”
“Aphorisms, huh. Very constructive.”
He sat up, pushing his hat back into its proper place, and looked where she was looking. For a split second, the shape of the Daybreak Town clocktower was duplicated, mirrored up into the endless sky.
“Does it help if I tell you that you already have everything you need?”
“... I guess it does.” He pushed on his knees and stood up creakily. “Can’t believe you’re giving me mysteries to solve when I’m just trying to check up on you. A little rude, no?”
“I’m sorry.” She paused, and when she spoke again it was less pensive and more mock-annoyed. “I don’t know why I’m apologizing. You love mysteries.”
He laughed. “I do.”
> Shut down anyway?
Brain took a step forward and stood at the cliffside, facing the city, hands bracing his back. He pretended to be interested in how the distant hills and river were no longer rendering, and didn’t turn to look at Ava when he said, “You know, Ephemer thinks you were the one who chose us.”
He heard Ava exhale, but she didn’t seem ready to comment at this time. So he did turn to face her. “And he was pretty adamant that you would never use us. It seemed pretty important to him, too. Like he was gonna keep it in his heart.”
Ava twisted her hands together in her lap. “Did you tell him the truth?” Her voice was quiet under the weight of it.
“I told him we couldn’t know and shouldn’t care.”
That surprised her so much, or relieved her so much, that she actually laughed.
Brain grinned back. He was glad for the chance. “I’m serious.”
“You? That’s my job.”
“I know, what has the world come to?”
Ava brought a hand up under her mask, maybe to wipe a tear.
Brain turned back to Daybreak Town. It was too bad the constellations of roofs poking up through the sea of window boxes and morning mists couldn’t be seen anymore, but the artefacting had its own sort of beauty to it, too.
Brain put his hand to his chin. “But you know, I meant it when I said that I believed in him. In them.” He closed his eyes and shrugged. “They should have faith in their own plans. ’Cause I’m pretty into mine.”
> System will shut down in 9 minutes 59 seconds.
Ava stood, and came to stand with him at the cliff. Maybe she wasn’t going to cry after all.
“So what are your plans?”
He smirked and raised an eyebrow. “What, do I have to run them by you?”
“You don’t have to do anything. I’m just interested in what you’re thinking.”
He sat on the edge of the cliff, as if already tired of standing, and gestured to the city below. “I’m thinking that getting back home from here sounds like way too much work.”
Ava chuckled softly to herself, and sat on the edge beside him. “Is it really that far?”
“Far too far to walk, that’s for sure.” He planted his hands in the grass at his sides and leaned back. “We need, like, a gondola.”
They looked out together, judging the distance. What was left of the clocktower was spooling out into strips and lines.
“Is that so?”
Brain nodded absentmindedly, thoughts somewhere else. “Gondolas are cool. And maybe, like... windmills.”
Ava smiled one last time. “I’m curious to see where this is going.”
Brain grinned, and looked up. The dawn was gone. There was only sky blue.
“Me too.”
> The system is now shutting down.
Written for the prompt “Future” for Day 7 of KHUx Week. May your heart be your guiding key. Thanks for reading!
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Relationship: Brain & Ava
Rating: PG
Content notes: unreality
Words: 895
Summary: Daybreak Town is a beautiful world. The hill overlooking it is the perfect place to discuss any kind of destiny.
The wind ruffled the grassy hill as Brain and Ava sat there in silence. Brain laid back, his hat pulled down low and shading his forehead.
It was a beautiful day. There was quiet birdsong in the distance, and the air was just warm enough that the cool dew on the grass was welcome at Brain’s back. The tiered colours of the eternal dawn edged their way into his sight, visible beyond the brim of his hat as a slim crescent. By his elbow were Ava’s gifts — or maybe it was more appropriate to call them homework — the union leader book of rules, and the infamous Book of Prophecies itself. The one that was supposed to go to the ruler of this world’s chosen pawn, evidence of its destiny circled in red between its pages. Evidence that could stand to wait a while to be uncovered. Plausible deniability and all that.
Brain raised his chin a little so that he could glance at Master Ava. She hadn’t moved since he had last seen her, with her knees and hands folded neatly, looking out over the city. She sat as comfortably and as peacefully as her smile was wistful. She looked as lost in thought as anyone could be.
> If you shut down now, you and any other people using this terminal could lose unsaved work.
“Can I ask a question?”
“Of course.” Her reply was immediate, though she didn’t look over.
He picked a clover flower and brought it across to his face, rolling the petals between his fingers. “Are you really here?”
Ava spoke in that careful, measured way, as if trying to chose the perfect words. “A great many things aren’t really here.”
Brain rolled his eyes. “I know. But are you?”
“I’m always with you.”
“Aphorisms, huh. Very constructive.”
He sat up, pushing his hat back into its proper place, and looked where she was looking. For a split second, the shape of the Daybreak Town clocktower was duplicated, mirrored up into the endless sky.
“Does it help if I tell you that you already have everything you need?”
“... I guess it does.” He pushed on his knees and stood up creakily. “Can’t believe you’re giving me mysteries to solve when I’m just trying to check up on you. A little rude, no?”
“I’m sorry.” She paused, and when she spoke again it was less pensive and more mock-annoyed. “I don’t know why I’m apologizing. You love mysteries.”
He laughed. “I do.”
> Shut down anyway?
Brain took a step forward and stood at the cliffside, facing the city, hands bracing his back. He pretended to be interested in how the distant hills and river were no longer rendering, and didn’t turn to look at Ava when he said, “You know, Ephemer thinks you were the one who chose us.”
He heard Ava exhale, but she didn’t seem ready to comment at this time. So he did turn to face her. “And he was pretty adamant that you would never use us. It seemed pretty important to him, too. Like he was gonna keep it in his heart.”
Ava twisted her hands together in her lap. “Did you tell him the truth?” Her voice was quiet under the weight of it.
“I told him we couldn’t know and shouldn’t care.”
That surprised her so much, or relieved her so much, that she actually laughed.
Brain grinned back. He was glad for the chance. “I’m serious.”
“You? That’s my job.”
“I know, what has the world come to?”
Ava brought a hand up under her mask, maybe to wipe a tear.
Brain turned back to Daybreak Town. It was too bad the constellations of roofs poking up through the sea of window boxes and morning mists couldn’t be seen anymore, but the artefacting had its own sort of beauty to it, too.
Brain put his hand to his chin. “But you know, I meant it when I said that I believed in him. In them.” He closed his eyes and shrugged. “They should have faith in their own plans. ’Cause I’m pretty into mine.”
> System will shut down in 9 minutes 59 seconds.
Ava stood, and came to stand with him at the cliff. Maybe she wasn’t going to cry after all.
“So what are your plans?”
He smirked and raised an eyebrow. “What, do I have to run them by you?”
“You don’t have to do anything. I’m just interested in what you’re thinking.”
He sat on the edge of the cliff, as if already tired of standing, and gestured to the city below. “I’m thinking that getting back home from here sounds like way too much work.”
Ava chuckled softly to herself, and sat on the edge beside him. “Is it really that far?”
“Far too far to walk, that’s for sure.” He planted his hands in the grass at his sides and leaned back. “We need, like, a gondola.”
They looked out together, judging the distance. What was left of the clocktower was spooling out into strips and lines.
“Is that so?”
Brain nodded absentmindedly, thoughts somewhere else. “Gondolas are cool. And maybe, like... windmills.”
Ava smiled one last time. “I’m curious to see where this is going.”
Brain grinned, and looked up. The dawn was gone. There was only sky blue.
“Me too.”
> The system is now shutting down.
Written for the prompt “Future” for Day 7 of KHUx Week. May your heart be your guiding key. Thanks for reading!
