#drabbleries

[scribbleries]

"What's that?" Rowan asks one day over lunch.

Audrey quickly closes the book and throws her a questioning stare. "My textbook."

Rowan purses her lips and peers at the cover. No title. No embossment. But it looks really, really old. "Is it a top secret book?"

The other girl shrugs. "It's a storybook."

"Really? That's nice! May I read with you?"

Audrey gives her a smile and puts it away into her bag. "I can tell you all about it later."

Rowan grins. "Alright!"

.

.

Among the excited chatter of the next class lesson and the eruption of a food fight though, the thought of reading the book is forgotten.

[queuebird]

inception locked out pirate mockumentary

Prompt: Locked out

Genre: Pirate Mockumentary

Length: up to and including 400

Dominic Cobb draws the chair up, scraping against the wooden floorboards, and settles into it with a sigh, stretching his peg leg out in front of him. It’s a gorgeous day out, sun shining and seagulls calling to each other above. A brisk, salty breeze picks up, ruffling Cobb’s sun-bleached blond hair as he takes off his tricorn hat and sets it by his feet.

COBB: Of course, of course. I’m always happy to talk to the media. 

He raises his eyebrows.

COBB: Oh, the--?

Cobb twists in his seat and squints at the scene on the deck behind him. Two legs are sticking out of a dead whale’s blowhole just outside the railing, the whale itself up against the side of the ship, and muffled yelling is coming from the whale. A couple of Cobb’s crew members are standing around it, laughing.

COBB: Oh, yeah.

Cobb also laughs, amused. 

COBB: Just a bit of friendly...fun. For the new kid.

Cobb shifts.

COBB: No, I wouldn’t say hazing, exactly.

He pauses.

COBB: It’s all in good fun, really. She likes it here. Yep.

He reaches out and gives the handrail a fond pat.

COBB: I work hard to make the Mal de Mer a good place, a fun environment to be.

Cobb shakes his head at our suggestion.

COBB: Sure, it has its dangers--but what job doesn’t, nowadays? We’re a small crew, but we’re close-knit, and we manage well, the seven of us.

He twists to look back at his ship and points.

COBB: Ariadne, in there. Then--Yusuf, Saito, Robert. Arthur and Eames are...locked in the hold.

He twists back and makes a face.

COBB: For...for, uh. Being ann--disobeying, uh, orders?

He gestures dismissively.

COBB: It doesn’t matter. They’re being suitably...punished. Under...

He puffs up.

COBB: ...under my excellent captainship.

He deflates and narrows his eyes.

COBB: Yes, I do have the key. Don’t listen to Saito.

He looks perturbed and adjusts his eyepatch.

COBB: Great, yes. Exactly.

Cobb makes a broad wave with his arms, encompassing the whole ship, and the people, around him.

COBB: You--yeah, see? We’re--you know, human, just like you all. We make mistakes. And we deserve the same level of respect.

Behind Cobb, a commotion breaks out on deck as the pair of legs slips fully inside the whale, and two men, hair messy and clothes loose, poke their heads out of the hold curiously.

[scribbleries]

On the Art of Concealment (Drabble)

   Audrey had asked Jacob once, during one of his visits, if he told his friends that he fights monsters.

   Jacob had smiled and ruffled her hair, telling her “They’d be scared of me.”

   She takes in a steady breath and looks away from the monster that’s been tangled up in the tree limbs, watching them with starving intent.

   “A shame we can’t find a dragon here,” Charlie sighs.

   “Chin up,” Barnaby says and pats his shoulder. “You never know what you’ll find here! Right, Aud?”

   Audrey smiles, and secretly casts a protection charm over themselves. No one’s getting scared tonight.

[scribbleries]

Smile (Drabble)

     There was a time when he’d only had his father to look up to. So it made sense that he would call upon his wisdom in times of trouble.

     “Chin up, son, and smile,” Father had told him once.

     So Jacob smiled at the jeering Gryffindor before he punched them in the face.

     The Gryffindor was expected to recover from the high fall off their broom in a week. A week’s detention was given to the young Castello. That didn’t bother him. Jacob’s fellow Slytherins cheered and called him a ‘barbarian pureblood’.

     He smiled at his friend.

     Duncan, involuntarily, shivered.

[queuebird]

impromptu drabblery: hairy

Prompt: Hairy

Genre: Meet cute

Length: Exactly 100

T, The Social Network, Mark, Eduardo, & Dustin

Mark bursts out of the bathroom. “Why the fuck is there hair all over the goddamn--”

Dustin pops up from behind the couch.

“Hi Mark,” he says guiltily.

Mark narrows his eyes and edges around the couch.

There’s a guy lying down next to Dustin.

And a cat.

“What. The fuck.”

“Uh,” Dustin says. “Mark, Eduardo. Eduardo, Mark.”

The guy looks up. He smiles. “Hi Mark.”

Mark stares.

“Sorry about the hair. We had to brush her pretty hard. She’s super sweet, though, she won’t be any trouble.”

“I can’t fucking believe this,” Mark says, and retreats to his room.

[queuebird]

arthur/eames hairy meet cute

Prompt: Hairy Genre: Meet cute Length: Exactly 100

“You’re not Nash.”

“Apologies,” the man says. “He’s off today. I’m Eames. What’ll you have?”

Arthur settles into the chair. “Just something shorter, it’s getting everywhere.”

Eames’s fingers touch his curls, tentative, then start combing through them. “Certainly.”

Eames’s voice is oddly soothing.

Arthur’s eyes close.

...

“Arthur?”

Arthur blinks awake, then feels his face burn. “Oh, I’m sorry--”

“I hope you don’t mind, I left some curls. I’m fond of them.”

Arthur looks in the mirror. “Oh,” he says. “It’s wonderful. Thank you, Eames.” He tilts his face toward him. “Maybe I’ll ask for you next time.”

Eames smiles.

[queuebird]

impromptu drabblery: dancing

Prompt: Dancing

Genre: Mousie’s Cards Universe

Length: Up to and including 250

G, The Social Network, Mark/Eduardo

“There’s a ball tomorrow,” Mark says.

“Is there?” Eduardo says.

“Yeah. You didn’t hear?”

“Are you going?”

Mark scoffs, and Eduardo laughs. “That’s what I thought.” Eduardo quiets. “Still--might be fun.”

“Might make me want to stick needles in my eyes.”

“You should get used to it. It’s your future.”

“I’ll be a Jack who doesn’t hold balls,” Mark says dismissively.

“Your family’ll love that.”

Mark shrugs. “I’m with someone within the Suit. That’s all they want.”

...

Eduardo always thought it was funny that Mark was born a Heart.

“Mark Zuckerberg,” he laughed, “known for flagrant displays of emotion.”

“Not like you,” Mark said. “You couldn’t be more textbook Heart if you tried.”

Eduardo tilted his head, considering.

“Yeah,” he murmured, and Mark leaned in to kiss him again.

...

Eduardo ropes him into dancing--the two of them in Mark’s room, Eduardo humming the melody echoing up from the ballroom, Mark concentrating on not stepping on Eduardo’s feet. When he looks up, he’s caught in Eduardo’s gaze, and suddenly they’re kissing again.

When his hands drop from Eduardo’s face, Mark notices it for the first time--black smudges on his fingertips. He stares at them, then at Eduardo. The smeared remains of hearts at his temples.

Eduardo looks sick, and frightened--an expression Mark hasn’t seen since they first met, Eduardo at the banquet, being berated by a father he never speaks of anymore.

“I’m sorry,” Eduardo says.

“Wardo,” Mark begins, but Eduardo backs away, clatters out of the room, leaving Mark alone.

[scribbleries]

"Merry Christmas!”

Audrey shouldn’t look so surprised. She shouldn’t be surprised. In between Ben’s stammering and Penny’s cheering, Rowan steps forward and pulls their friend into a hug.

She feels hesitant hands on her shoulders, as if scared that she’ll shatter upon contact. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah…” Audrey pulls away and laughs. “Sorry, I guess I just wasn’t paying attention this past week!”

Rowan can’t accept that excuse. In between the studying, Quidditch, and the Vaults, her friend was always on top of things. She can’t just forget a whole holiday!

But she doesn’t notice the tremble in Audrey’s hands.

[stormofsharpthings]

Ahhhh! This is perfect, Q! So much fun and yes I love love LOVE the name of the ship too! Go Mark!

inception locked out pirate mockumentary

Prompt: Locked out

Genre: Pirate Mockumentary

Length: up to and including 400

Dominic Cobb draws the chair up, scraping against the wooden floorboards, and settles into it with a sigh, stretching his peg leg out in front of him. It’s a gorgeous day out, sun shining and seagulls calling to each other above. A brisk, salty breeze picks up, ruffling Cobb’s sun-bleached blond hair as he takes off his tricorn hat and sets it by his feet.

COBB: Of course, of course. I’m always happy to talk to the media. 

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