Post by Vyn on Dec 26, 2007 13:57:27 GMT -5
Author: Vyn
Fandom: Suites of Decadence
Characters: Hatter & Daphne
Takes Place: Hatter is 12 & Daphne is recently pregnant - Parvana's birth.
Word Count: 959
(Keeping Secrets)
Everyone has their secrets, some worse than others, but the secret that Daphne and her husband kept was not your usual secret.
As far as the majority of her old customers knew, Daphne simply got up and moved away with the strange mixed Morganberry/Corvistownian doctor she'd met just recently. Who she left her house to, where she moved to, and why she moved at all when she had been quite happy with her nursery was a mystery to all. Save one.
Of all the unlikely candidates to give up her secrets to, she surrendered them to one soul: 12 year old Hatter. He was eccentric and very few found him easy to talk to, but Daphne had taken a shine to the odd boy from the very beginning. Each year since his first discovery of the brilliant orange Top Hat that had become his namesake, she bought him a new hat. This year, however, she had something far different.
Her stomach was swollen as she stood before him and, like he always did, he stared hard at the notable difference. "You've got a new baby. One of your own this time." He smiled, and Daphne smiled back.
"I do." Was all she said, and she slowly met his intense gaze. Even in her bipedal form the human lad was catching up to her in height, their gazes were nearly even.
Her silence was prompt for him to continue. It was a game they'd played many times before. They would sit with each other, eyes locked, until Hatter figured out the secrets that Daphne held. A new baby in her belly and... His brilliant two-toned eyes pulled away from her bright blue ones and he searched the house curiously. There were boxes near the door that he hadn't seen before. He blinked, his gaze lifting to hers again. Instead of smiling, he frowned.
"You're leaving. So I won't be getting a hat this year." It was more than that, he knew. More than his lack of a new hat, he was losing his Nana. She was the only one who knew him at all, the only one who recognized his quirks and his genius alike. She was the mother he'd never had. Slowly he bit down on his lip, his intense eyes staring deep into the older female. "I'm going to miss you."
His admittance of his feelings was probably the most unusual thing she'd ever heard and Daphne found herself on her knees, her arms around the little mechanic.
"I will miss you too, my little Hatter, but no, you won't be getting a Hat this year. I'm giving you something much bigger this year: this house. I know how you love to explore it and, once you're older, it will be yours to explore."
Hatter hugged his Nana back, looking unusually sullen for the boy that was usually so infallibly cheerful. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "Thank you, Nana, I'll take good care of it once I can make it mine." He pulled back and, at last, he beamed again. "Send me pictures, Nana! Of your special baby."
"Of course, my dear boy, and when I do, you can come and visit us. Would you like that?"
Hatter merely smiled, a knowing sparkle in his brilliant eyes. She never needed an answer at times like these. A smile, a frown, or even a certain twinkle in his eyes was all the keen-eyed woman needed. He loved her for that and for many other things. Not long after that, and he was spirited away back to his home in the palace that, to him, was more of a prison. Daphne left him then to, disappearing into her far away secret place.
It would only be a few months of being locked away in his 'ivory tower' when the letter from Daphne finally reached him. There was no pictures, but her baby had been born and she was eagerly awaiting him to come and visit. Without bothering to check in with his mother -she was always busy lately anyway- Hatter gathered a small trip's worth of clothing and provisions and convinced one of the family coaches to take him to the address enclosed to him.
It was in an isolated little village on the border between Morganberry and Corvistowne, an odd mix to be sure, but apparently Daphne's husband had lived there most of his life; the seclusion helped him with his studies, he claimed. Hatter didn't like it at all. He enjoyed his space, yes, but space got oh so very lonely sometimes and in the end all he wanted was a little company. Noise and distraction helped him think.
When he arrived, however, all concerns were immediately tossed aside. Daphne stood outside, holding a lovely little bundle of black and blue in her arms. Instantly he sprung from the car and rushed to her side, beaming as he often did in her presence. "Nana! Is that ---" He cut off mid-sentence as Daphne tilted the bundle and the tiny thing stretched, spreading out her wide butterfly wings. "...O!" He said no more and Daphne said nothing else either. In that long silence together, they watched the little butterfly as she cooed and stretched as babies were apt to do. He knew now why she was a secret. Because she had run the risk of being like him, of being something that others desired for not her person but for what she was beneath all that. He looked up, eyes a little sad but a smile upon his features. Daphne understood his unspoken thoughts and relayed this through a nod as she opened the door for him.
"Her name is Parvana, Hatter. When she's old enough to take care of herself, then the world can see her for the wonder she really is."
Fandom: Suites of Decadence
Characters: Hatter & Daphne
Takes Place: Hatter is 12 & Daphne is recently pregnant - Parvana's birth.
Word Count: 959
(Keeping Secrets)
Everyone has their secrets, some worse than others, but the secret that Daphne and her husband kept was not your usual secret.
As far as the majority of her old customers knew, Daphne simply got up and moved away with the strange mixed Morganberry/Corvistownian doctor she'd met just recently. Who she left her house to, where she moved to, and why she moved at all when she had been quite happy with her nursery was a mystery to all. Save one.
Of all the unlikely candidates to give up her secrets to, she surrendered them to one soul: 12 year old Hatter. He was eccentric and very few found him easy to talk to, but Daphne had taken a shine to the odd boy from the very beginning. Each year since his first discovery of the brilliant orange Top Hat that had become his namesake, she bought him a new hat. This year, however, she had something far different.
Her stomach was swollen as she stood before him and, like he always did, he stared hard at the notable difference. "You've got a new baby. One of your own this time." He smiled, and Daphne smiled back.
"I do." Was all she said, and she slowly met his intense gaze. Even in her bipedal form the human lad was catching up to her in height, their gazes were nearly even.
Her silence was prompt for him to continue. It was a game they'd played many times before. They would sit with each other, eyes locked, until Hatter figured out the secrets that Daphne held. A new baby in her belly and... His brilliant two-toned eyes pulled away from her bright blue ones and he searched the house curiously. There were boxes near the door that he hadn't seen before. He blinked, his gaze lifting to hers again. Instead of smiling, he frowned.
"You're leaving. So I won't be getting a hat this year." It was more than that, he knew. More than his lack of a new hat, he was losing his Nana. She was the only one who knew him at all, the only one who recognized his quirks and his genius alike. She was the mother he'd never had. Slowly he bit down on his lip, his intense eyes staring deep into the older female. "I'm going to miss you."
His admittance of his feelings was probably the most unusual thing she'd ever heard and Daphne found herself on her knees, her arms around the little mechanic.
"I will miss you too, my little Hatter, but no, you won't be getting a Hat this year. I'm giving you something much bigger this year: this house. I know how you love to explore it and, once you're older, it will be yours to explore."
Hatter hugged his Nana back, looking unusually sullen for the boy that was usually so infallibly cheerful. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "Thank you, Nana, I'll take good care of it once I can make it mine." He pulled back and, at last, he beamed again. "Send me pictures, Nana! Of your special baby."
"Of course, my dear boy, and when I do, you can come and visit us. Would you like that?"
Hatter merely smiled, a knowing sparkle in his brilliant eyes. She never needed an answer at times like these. A smile, a frown, or even a certain twinkle in his eyes was all the keen-eyed woman needed. He loved her for that and for many other things. Not long after that, and he was spirited away back to his home in the palace that, to him, was more of a prison. Daphne left him then to, disappearing into her far away secret place.
It would only be a few months of being locked away in his 'ivory tower' when the letter from Daphne finally reached him. There was no pictures, but her baby had been born and she was eagerly awaiting him to come and visit. Without bothering to check in with his mother -she was always busy lately anyway- Hatter gathered a small trip's worth of clothing and provisions and convinced one of the family coaches to take him to the address enclosed to him.
It was in an isolated little village on the border between Morganberry and Corvistowne, an odd mix to be sure, but apparently Daphne's husband had lived there most of his life; the seclusion helped him with his studies, he claimed. Hatter didn't like it at all. He enjoyed his space, yes, but space got oh so very lonely sometimes and in the end all he wanted was a little company. Noise and distraction helped him think.
When he arrived, however, all concerns were immediately tossed aside. Daphne stood outside, holding a lovely little bundle of black and blue in her arms. Instantly he sprung from the car and rushed to her side, beaming as he often did in her presence. "Nana! Is that ---" He cut off mid-sentence as Daphne tilted the bundle and the tiny thing stretched, spreading out her wide butterfly wings. "...O!" He said no more and Daphne said nothing else either. In that long silence together, they watched the little butterfly as she cooed and stretched as babies were apt to do. He knew now why she was a secret. Because she had run the risk of being like him, of being something that others desired for not her person but for what she was beneath all that. He looked up, eyes a little sad but a smile upon his features. Daphne understood his unspoken thoughts and relayed this through a nod as she opened the door for him.
"Her name is Parvana, Hatter. When she's old enough to take care of herself, then the world can see her for the wonder she really is."
