Guest Story: Apple (Fiction of the Apocalypse by @Rix_Scaedu)
Wednesday, 18 June 2014 14:40![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
faeapocliveToday's guest story comes from rix_scaedu.
Apple is Lemon's younger sister; Lemon can be found here in the Year 9 Guest Stories.
Want to write a guest story or a guest meta/demi-fiction? Just let me know! I'll be happy to provide any background information you need. :-)
Apple wasn’t sure how long the strange happenings had been in the news but she became aware of them at the end of the first week in June. She was newly emerged from Addergoole with a three year old and a one year old her sole responsibility and already looking forward to starting university in the fall. One of the attractions of that was that she wouldn’t be living under her parents’ roof; much as she loved them, she was finding it rather wearing.
Today, the news was full of a terrorist attack in Athens that had used a bomb laced with rowan and hawthorn and she was shopping for a car. Not alone, her brother-in-law, Hylakaros, was along as her adviser. They’d discussed what she needed it for, discussed what she wanted and they were clear on her budget. As far as Apple was concerned, the caryards weren’t going to know what had hit them.
At the third place they hit they found a car, well an SUV, that ticked all their boxes. “And nothing,” added Hylakaros quietly, “that I can’t fix with a few Words once we get it back to your Dad’s place.”
Apple let Hylakaros do the negotiating with the salesman, not because the salesman wanted to talk with the man she was with, and he did, but because if you have a big, smart, intimidating guy on your side, why not use him to your advantage? While the men were talking, Apple gently ‘pushed’ at the salesman to give them a good price that still gave him a commission and the caryard a reasonable profit. After all, she might want to come back here one day, although she did decline the extended warranty on the grounds that crossing the state to get the car serviced would be inconvenient.
As they walked to her new car, Hylakaros said quietly, “So, how much did you lean on him?”
“Enough that he didn’t ask nearly as much as he wanted to at first,” Apple replied quietly. “He is in business to make money, after all, so I didn’t try to make him take a loss on the deal.”
“Probably wise,” Hylakaros chuckled. “Now, if you’re determined to cross the state with the kids in tow to check out this school you’ve checked into for fall, we have a few more things to get you.”
“I won’t need weapons, it’s not like I’m going to Addergoole,” replied Apple.
“What I had in mind was more along the lines of emergency supplies for the trip. Water, a first aid kit, emergency food, a cooler, that sort of thing.” He grinned, “You don’t want to have a problem in the middle of nowhere and run into someone like me when what you need is help.”
“So I avoid what?” She looked him up and down. “Cowboy bars?”
“Any sort of gang bar. Anything or anyone who feels wrong. Pay attention to all your senses – most of the monsters wear masks but not all of them can Mask.” He opened the driver’s door for her. “Some of the ordinary humans I was paid to kill were truly unpleasant people.”
As he climbed into the front passenger seat Apple asked him, “Have you ever considered becoming a cop, now you’re on the straight and narrow?”
“Nah.” He did up the seat belt. “I’d have to cut my hair. Besides, I’m not that straight and narrow plus there might even be a few person of interest descriptions out there.”
“I see,” Apple turned the key in the ignition. “Oh good, it still works even now I’ve bought it.”
Hylakaros laughed.
When they got back to her parents’ house, Apple parked the car in the vacant space in the garage and went inside to see what her children had been up to in her absence while Hylakaros stayed in the garage so he could mutter Words at and over the vehicle in private. Her father was the first person she met when she walked inside.
“You’ve been successful then,” he smiled at her. “What did you get?”
“A silver 2010 Subaru Outback someone had already traded in.” Apple smiled back. “We got a good deal.” Her father raised an eyebrow. “Hylakaros negotiated and I only leaned on the salesman enough to make sure he got a reasonable profit, not a stupendous one.”
“Good. I wouldn’t like to see you putting businesses out of business. I spend so much time helping them get started.” Her father smiled again. “Your mother’s upstairs changing Frayda and I believe Willem is helping.”
Apple was just saying, “I’ll go upstairs then,” when her mother, a small blonde woman, came into the room carrying her granddaughter and followed by her grandson who was carrying a book and a teddy bear. “Mom, I was just coming to find you all.”
“Well we came to find you first,” her mother offered over the bay in her arms who was reaching for her mother and Apple took her. “Your brother called while you were out.”
“Where’s Tase now?” Apple bounced Frayda a little on her hip.
“He called from Westchester. He and his friends are deciding whether to go stay in the city or head up state first. You’d think that if they’re on a road trip they’d have already worked out where they’re going.”
rix_scaedu.Apple is Lemon's younger sister; Lemon can be found here in the Year 9 Guest Stories.
Want to write a guest story or a guest meta/demi-fiction? Just let me know! I'll be happy to provide any background information you need. :-)
Apple wasn’t sure how long the strange happenings had been in the news but she became aware of them at the end of the first week in June. She was newly emerged from Addergoole with a three year old and a one year old her sole responsibility and already looking forward to starting university in the fall. One of the attractions of that was that she wouldn’t be living under her parents’ roof; much as she loved them, she was finding it rather wearing.
Today, the news was full of a terrorist attack in Athens that had used a bomb laced with rowan and hawthorn and she was shopping for a car. Not alone, her brother-in-law, Hylakaros, was along as her adviser. They’d discussed what she needed it for, discussed what she wanted and they were clear on her budget. As far as Apple was concerned, the caryards weren’t going to know what had hit them.
At the third place they hit they found a car, well an SUV, that ticked all their boxes. “And nothing,” added Hylakaros quietly, “that I can’t fix with a few Words once we get it back to your Dad’s place.”
Apple let Hylakaros do the negotiating with the salesman, not because the salesman wanted to talk with the man she was with, and he did, but because if you have a big, smart, intimidating guy on your side, why not use him to your advantage? While the men were talking, Apple gently ‘pushed’ at the salesman to give them a good price that still gave him a commission and the caryard a reasonable profit. After all, she might want to come back here one day, although she did decline the extended warranty on the grounds that crossing the state to get the car serviced would be inconvenient.
As they walked to her new car, Hylakaros said quietly, “So, how much did you lean on him?”
“Enough that he didn’t ask nearly as much as he wanted to at first,” Apple replied quietly. “He is in business to make money, after all, so I didn’t try to make him take a loss on the deal.”
“Probably wise,” Hylakaros chuckled. “Now, if you’re determined to cross the state with the kids in tow to check out this school you’ve checked into for fall, we have a few more things to get you.”
“I won’t need weapons, it’s not like I’m going to Addergoole,” replied Apple.
“What I had in mind was more along the lines of emergency supplies for the trip. Water, a first aid kit, emergency food, a cooler, that sort of thing.” He grinned, “You don’t want to have a problem in the middle of nowhere and run into someone like me when what you need is help.”
“So I avoid what?” She looked him up and down. “Cowboy bars?”
“Any sort of gang bar. Anything or anyone who feels wrong. Pay attention to all your senses – most of the monsters wear masks but not all of them can Mask.” He opened the driver’s door for her. “Some of the ordinary humans I was paid to kill were truly unpleasant people.”
As he climbed into the front passenger seat Apple asked him, “Have you ever considered becoming a cop, now you’re on the straight and narrow?”
“Nah.” He did up the seat belt. “I’d have to cut my hair. Besides, I’m not that straight and narrow plus there might even be a few person of interest descriptions out there.”
“I see,” Apple turned the key in the ignition. “Oh good, it still works even now I’ve bought it.”
Hylakaros laughed.
When they got back to her parents’ house, Apple parked the car in the vacant space in the garage and went inside to see what her children had been up to in her absence while Hylakaros stayed in the garage so he could mutter Words at and over the vehicle in private. Her father was the first person she met when she walked inside.
“You’ve been successful then,” he smiled at her. “What did you get?”
“A silver 2010 Subaru Outback someone had already traded in.” Apple smiled back. “We got a good deal.” Her father raised an eyebrow. “Hylakaros negotiated and I only leaned on the salesman enough to make sure he got a reasonable profit, not a stupendous one.”
“Good. I wouldn’t like to see you putting businesses out of business. I spend so much time helping them get started.” Her father smiled again. “Your mother’s upstairs changing Frayda and I believe Willem is helping.”
Apple was just saying, “I’ll go upstairs then,” when her mother, a small blonde woman, came into the room carrying her granddaughter and followed by her grandson who was carrying a book and a teddy bear. “Mom, I was just coming to find you all.”
“Well we came to find you first,” her mother offered over the bay in her arms who was reaching for her mother and Apple took her. “Your brother called while you were out.”
“Where’s Tase now?” Apple bounced Frayda a little on her hip.
“He called from Westchester. He and his friends are deciding whether to go stay in the city or head up state first. You’d think that if they’re on a road trip they’d have already worked out where they’re going.”
