nocowardsoul (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nocowardsoul) wrote2015-07-16 12:15 pm
nocowardsoul) wrote2015-07-16 12:15 pm
Entry tags:
Gentleman Bastard fanfic draft
One of my bad habits is that instead of making a new text file, I open an old file and add the list/fic/meta to it. So sometimes I open something and go, "Oh, that's where the Beyond the Western Sea Hogwarts AU is." What follows here is a draft of my 2014 rarewomen fic, "Second Impressions" when it was in Nazca's POV instead of Sabetha's. I think it might be better this way.
ETA: The "three pounds, six shillings" was a placeholder, obviously.
Pachero and Anjais played cards with some of the older juvies. Nazca dragged over a chair and sat next to them. "Can I play?"
"We're in the middle of a game, sister."
"So no?" she said.
"No," said Pachero.
"Maybe later," said Anjais.
Nazca wandered around the tavern some more until she found Bertell. "Can I play with your darts?" she asked.
"No. Capa's orders."
"Hmmph," said Nazca. Bertell ruffled her hair.
She heard the tavern door open and looked to see who it was. "HEY," she shouted. "Hey, pezon!"
Locke Lamora stopped in his tracks, and the girl with him did too. Nazca knew her name was Sabetha, but they hadn't met before. She made a come here gesture.
Locke stepped forward. "Good evening," he said. "Sabetha, this is Nazca."
"Hello," said Sabetha.
"Hello."
"I like your shoes."
"Me too," said Nazca. "Locke, follow me." She elbowed her way through the crowd of adults til she got to the Barsavi brothers's table.
"This is my pezon, Locke Lamora" she told them.
Anjais and Pachero looked at him. "Well, he's your size," said Pachero.
"A bit less, actually," said Anjais.
She said, "I don't see you with any bigger pezon."
Sabetha laughed gently.
Anjais appeared to notice her for the first time. "Good evening, Madam Belacoros," he said.
"Good evening." She glanced briefly at Locke, then Nazca, then she said to the boys, "He's a good thief."
Out of the corner of her eye Nazca saw Locke's mouth open slightly.
Pachero said, "We'll believe it when we see it."
"I'll have him steal something," said Nazca. "He's sworn to me, so he has to follow all of my orders, don't you, Lamora?"
"Sure," said Lamora.
"Father said he's gracious."
"Oh, gracious," Pachero replied. "Most necessary quality in a knife. What made you do a stupid thing like promising yourself to our little tyrant?"
She folded her arms. "I'm not a tyrant."
Locke considered his answer for a bit. "I was drunk."
Sabetha, Anjais, and Pachero laughed so much that it made Nazca smile.
"Look, sister," said Anjais, "when we start building a gang, we'll get some real badasses, not little teasers who've never won a fight."
"Actual murderers," Pachero added.
"I've killed people," said Lamora.
The other four children all stared at him. From Sabetha's expression, she hadn't known any more than Nazca had. He pulled at the neck cord he wore, taking out a shark tooth.
"Fuck," said Anjais.
"You have a deathsmark!" Nazca clapped her hands.
Sabetha shook her head in disbelief (or so Nazca assumed, when she thought back on the day Locke met her brothers and she met his sister).
"I didn't do it on purpose!" Lamora fretted.
She thought that maybe he disliked having confessed it. She took his hand and said, "You should meet my mama. You too, Sabetha."
"We're here to pay taxes," the older girl replied.
"Oh, come here." Nazca, still holding his hand, weaved her way through the tables and benches of the Last Mistake.
The garrista who had been visiting Father before was gone. "Good evening, Your Honor," said Sabetha and Locke almost in unison.
"Good evening, Gentlemen Bastards," said Father in a voice he used with people he was fond of. He was great friends with Father Chains.
Nazca climbed into his lap. "Did you know they were coming, Papa?"
"Someone might have told me."
"Three pounds, six shillings," said Sabetha as she handed the purse to the Capa.
"I like him now."
"Oh?"
"He's a murderer."
"Indeed," said Father.
"And Belacoros says he's a good thief, but I'm still thinking of what I can have him steal."
"You are absolutely forbidden from having him kill anyone."
"I won't. I promise." She even kissed his hand like the garristas did.
She asked Sabetha, "Is your hair long when it's down?"
"Yes."
"I had long hair, but it got so tangled I couldn't brush it and Mama cut it all off. She says curls are a pain in the ass."
ETA: The "three pounds, six shillings" was a placeholder, obviously.
Pachero and Anjais played cards with some of the older juvies. Nazca dragged over a chair and sat next to them. "Can I play?"
"We're in the middle of a game, sister."
"So no?" she said.
"No," said Pachero.
"Maybe later," said Anjais.
Nazca wandered around the tavern some more until she found Bertell. "Can I play with your darts?" she asked.
"No. Capa's orders."
"Hmmph," said Nazca. Bertell ruffled her hair.
She heard the tavern door open and looked to see who it was. "HEY," she shouted. "Hey, pezon!"
Locke Lamora stopped in his tracks, and the girl with him did too. Nazca knew her name was Sabetha, but they hadn't met before. She made a come here gesture.
Locke stepped forward. "Good evening," he said. "Sabetha, this is Nazca."
"Hello," said Sabetha.
"Hello."
"I like your shoes."
"Me too," said Nazca. "Locke, follow me." She elbowed her way through the crowd of adults til she got to the Barsavi brothers's table.
"This is my pezon, Locke Lamora" she told them.
Anjais and Pachero looked at him. "Well, he's your size," said Pachero.
"A bit less, actually," said Anjais.
She said, "I don't see you with any bigger pezon."
Sabetha laughed gently.
Anjais appeared to notice her for the first time. "Good evening, Madam Belacoros," he said.
"Good evening." She glanced briefly at Locke, then Nazca, then she said to the boys, "He's a good thief."
Out of the corner of her eye Nazca saw Locke's mouth open slightly.
Pachero said, "We'll believe it when we see it."
"I'll have him steal something," said Nazca. "He's sworn to me, so he has to follow all of my orders, don't you, Lamora?"
"Sure," said Lamora.
"Father said he's gracious."
"Oh, gracious," Pachero replied. "Most necessary quality in a knife. What made you do a stupid thing like promising yourself to our little tyrant?"
She folded her arms. "I'm not a tyrant."
Locke considered his answer for a bit. "I was drunk."
Sabetha, Anjais, and Pachero laughed so much that it made Nazca smile.
"Look, sister," said Anjais, "when we start building a gang, we'll get some real badasses, not little teasers who've never won a fight."
"Actual murderers," Pachero added.
"I've killed people," said Lamora.
The other four children all stared at him. From Sabetha's expression, she hadn't known any more than Nazca had. He pulled at the neck cord he wore, taking out a shark tooth.
"Fuck," said Anjais.
"You have a deathsmark!" Nazca clapped her hands.
Sabetha shook her head in disbelief (or so Nazca assumed, when she thought back on the day Locke met her brothers and she met his sister).
"I didn't do it on purpose!" Lamora fretted.
She thought that maybe he disliked having confessed it. She took his hand and said, "You should meet my mama. You too, Sabetha."
"We're here to pay taxes," the older girl replied.
"Oh, come here." Nazca, still holding his hand, weaved her way through the tables and benches of the Last Mistake.
The garrista who had been visiting Father before was gone. "Good evening, Your Honor," said Sabetha and Locke almost in unison.
"Good evening, Gentlemen Bastards," said Father in a voice he used with people he was fond of. He was great friends with Father Chains.
Nazca climbed into his lap. "Did you know they were coming, Papa?"
"Someone might have told me."
"Three pounds, six shillings," said Sabetha as she handed the purse to the Capa.
"I like him now."
"Oh?"
"He's a murderer."
"Indeed," said Father.
"And Belacoros says he's a good thief, but I'm still thinking of what I can have him steal."
"You are absolutely forbidden from having him kill anyone."
"I won't. I promise." She even kissed his hand like the garristas did.
She asked Sabetha, "Is your hair long when it's down?"
"Yes."
"I had long hair, but it got so tangled I couldn't brush it and Mama cut it all off. She says curls are a pain in the ass."