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Wayfarer - Prose [Lalli & Reynir]
Title: Wayfarer - Prose
Characters/Pairing: Lalli & Reynir
Rating: E for Everyone
Length: 1.7k
Summary: Reynir visits Lalli in the dreamworld again. This time, he has a suggestion. Lalli has mixed feelings about it.
Other: This is the prose version of Wayfarer. For the poem version, go to Wayfarer - Poem. I guess these can be referred to as "Wayfarer I & II". The prose version is the original version, but I was unsatisfied with the first draft, so I decided to rework it as poetry for the gift exchange.
Wayfarer
Step, step, step. Lalli knew that sound, knew those footsteps, had heard them once before.
There he was again, going where he shouldn't, stepping where he shouldn't, poking into places where he wasn't wanted.
Lalli opened his eyes. Stared upward for a moment. Frowned. Sat up on his drifting raft, folded his arms, and looked straight at the red-haired figure who stood uncertainly in front of him.
At least the intruder had the decency to look embarrassed.
"Out," Lalli said sharply, practically biting the word.
Reynir's eyes widened. "But-"
"Get out. Didn't you hear me last time?"
There was a long pause. Judging by the look on his face, their last meeting in the dreamworld was still pretty fresh in Reynir's memory. He took one step back, then two - and then gasped and flailed for balance as he nearly fell off the wooden platform, long arms flying up to steady himself.
Lalli put his chin on his hands and watched.
It took Reynir a moment or two to regain his footing, but it came to him eventually, and Lalli wasn't sure whether to be disappointed about that or not. Reynir raked his fingers through his fringe with a sigh, and looked out toward the spot where he had stepped into Lalli's dream. The expression on his face suggested that he almost wanted to take the hint.
Almost.
"Look, Lúlli -"
"It's Lalli."
"...Lalli. Sorry! Right, well. This is important! I'm a mage! I think. Um. I don't know. And I don't know what I'm doing. I need help. And I'd like to talk to you, I really want to be friends with you, but I can't talk when we're awake, I mean, not so you'll understand me, and -" Reynir stopped, taking in a long breath, as if he needed to. "Are you even listening to me?!"
Lalli blinked. Then he stood, slowly unfolded himself, taking a moment to stretch before answering. "Yes," he said.
"...So. Um. What do you think?"
"Out."
"But-"
"Not here," Lalli explained. "You have your own place. Your own area." A pause. He waited. Reynir looked confused. Were foreign mages really that different? "...Right?"
"I - um. Oh. Yes. I do! I can take you there if you want-"
"Fine." Lalli went toward him. Stepped lightly onto the boards. Wondered, for a second, if he would regret what he was about to say. Well, he decided, it didn't matter. "Let's go."
It wasn't that they couldn't have had that conversation there, in the safety of Lalli's own area. In fact, he probably should have stayed. Kept them both there. Talked to him there, in the comfort of his space, the familiar marshy greenness. Onni would have thought so.
But Onni thought a lot of things.
Onni was too careful.
It didn't sit right with Lalli, any of it. Rubbed him all wrong. Got him feeling fidgety, feeling on edge. That was what it made him feel, having someone there that he hadn't invited. It was another thing again if he'd expected him. If he'd told Reynir to come. If Reynir had asked before stepping into his space. That was what Lalli told himself.
Maybe there was something else, too.
Maybe he wanted to experience it again. That thing. Walking on water. How weird.
They went through the openness together, under the blanket of stars, over the dark, clear water. Lalli followed Reynir, kept a couple paces behind him so as not to run into him. His insides jumped as he miss-stepped, then caught himself, finding the right place to put his feet.
"Slow down," Lalli said. Kept his tone sharp. Reynir's strides were longer than his, an inconvenience, a bother. It was something he should have remembered from the last time.
"It's okay! We're here-"
Smiling, Reynir turned, reached out a hand.
Grabbed him.
Pulled him inside.
Cool brightness. Grass, rock, emptiness, and sheep. Lalli stared, took it in, baffled.
"Where are all the trees?" he asked, sliding his gaze over the expanse of rising stone. It came out more like an accusation than a question.
"What? Um... we don't have a lot of those back home. Sorry?" For a moment, Reynir looked almost as if he regretted bringing Lalli along. His expression was open, as easy to read as tracks on snow. Then he smiled again, determined to make the best of it. "But at least we're here now! Come on, sit with me? Please?"
They sank down onto the grass. Lalli settled himself beside Reynir, taking care not to sit too close. Leaned against one of the strange heaps that pressed up through the earth and took in the scene of Reynir's dreamscape: grass, rock, cool air, fog. A different sort of place from the swampy tree-ringed environment of his own mind.
There was a dog. He stared at it. It stared back, its eyes sharper and more intelligent than an ordinary dog's would have been.
"That isn't your Luonto," Lalli said slowly, because he knew it wasn't, because he knew it couldn't be. "So, what is it?"
"My Lu-what?"
"Never mind." Lalli sucked in a breath. He wouldn't get any useful information from this guy. Did he even know anything at all? "You wanted to talk. So, talk."
"But where should I start?"
"Magic." Lalli glanced at Reynir, saw his mouth open in protest. Slipped in before Reynir could say anything. "Anything that's happened to you. Anything weird. Tell me about weird stuff."
Reynir fell quiet for a moment. Thinking. Lalli waited took in the sensation of the cool air on his face. Let Reynir take his time.
Then Reynir started talking.
He talked. Talked. Kept talking. It was annoying. He went at it slowly at first, and apologized too much, as if he didn't want to take up too much of Lalli's time, which as far as Lalli was concerned he should have been sorry for, anyway. But then he went on, the words tumbling from his lips. That he didn't understand what was going on, but that he knew things, somehow. It had always happened like that; kind of funny, really, how he'd have an idea of what would happen before it did. That he had never remembered his dreams until he made that stupid decision to stow away in the crate, thinking he was going to end up in Bornholm instead of this place. That ever since he'd arrived in the silent world he'd received warnings, strange things to remember, hints of things that might come to pass, slipping into his head through dreams.
Lalli let him go on. Listened. Kept his expression blank, kept his head slightly turned away so that Reynir would not see his face. How can I do this? Lalli thought. The prospect of having to mentor a weird foreign mage was not appealing at all.
Especially a weird foreign mage who talks too much, he thought.
Even a Finnish mage would have been bad enough. But something like this? Lalli could handle magic; that was one thing. But having to take that on, to have to work with someone -- no.
No.
He didn't want to.
Glancing at Reynir out of the corner of his eye, Lalli felt nothing but annoyed. He bit the inside of his cheeks, reminded himself that there were other things he needed to think about, things that he needed to consider, even if he didn't want to.
It wasn't a matter of wanting.
The words died down after a while. Reynir trailed off, fell silent. The silence lingered for a few perfect moments until he spoke again, voice forlorn and desperate and hopeful.
"Can you help me?"
"I work by myself."
"I - yeah, I know, but -"
Lalli turned his head. Looked at him carefully. Reynir had a drooping, deflated look, eyes downcast, fringe hanging in his face.
"I don 't know what I'm going to do," Reynir said softly.
"Why do you think I would?"
"Well, you always look like you know what you're doing."
"That's because I do know what I'm doing."
"Oh."
Lalli closed his eyes. Waited for more of a response, which didn't come. Listened to the movement of the air, the soft bleating of sheep.
This was not what he had imagined of this weird mage, not what he had expected from him, that first time he had seen him. He remembered that glimpse in the dreamworld, that sight seen through the mist, a flash out of the corner of his eye. A young man running on the water.
Maybe you can do more than you think, Lalli thought.
Out loud, he said, "I can't teach you anything."
"But -"
"Your magic's weird."
"Hey!"
"But I can watch you. Until you figure it out. I can do that."
Looking at him again, that kicked dog look brightened a bit, turning lighter as a smile slid across Reynir's lips. "Really? You'll help me?"
"I'll try to make sure you don't do anything stupid," Lalli said, correcting him. Then he paused, and added, "But only if you help me cross the water. Whenever I want." Even if Onni said that I shouldn't, he thought. Onni could stuff it.
"Of course!"
Reynir moved, and Lalli only just barely managed to dodge the hug by squirming to the side. He put up a hand, holding him off, glaring at him, wondering if he would come to regret offering anything. More time with this weird foreigner wasn't what he wanted at all.
"Don't make me change my mind," he said.
"Um - oh. Okay! Well -" Reynir hesitated, hands open, expression flickering as he tried to figure out what to do, shuffling through his options like a deck of cards. Finally, he settled on something. "Here, let's just shake on it," he said, thrusting out a hand, with an awkward smile to go with it. "Deal?"
Lalli stared at Reynir's hand, then lifted his gaze up to his face. Stared at him for a moment or two, taking in those unsure eyes, that nervous, hopeful smile that was becoming more nervous by the second.
He sighed. Reached out. Grasped Reynir's hand, gripped it firmly. "Fine," he said.
Don't make me regret this, Lalli thought once again as the nervousness on the other mage's face transformed into joy instead. It was the last thing he needed. The last thing he wanted.
But maybe, if they were both lucky, it would all work out.
End
Characters/Pairing: Lalli & Reynir
Rating: E for Everyone
Length: 1.7k
Summary: Reynir visits Lalli in the dreamworld again. This time, he has a suggestion. Lalli has mixed feelings about it.
Other: This is the prose version of Wayfarer. For the poem version, go to Wayfarer - Poem. I guess these can be referred to as "Wayfarer I & II". The prose version is the original version, but I was unsatisfied with the first draft, so I decided to rework it as poetry for the gift exchange.
Wayfarer
Step, step, step. Lalli knew that sound, knew those footsteps, had heard them once before.
There he was again, going where he shouldn't, stepping where he shouldn't, poking into places where he wasn't wanted.
Lalli opened his eyes. Stared upward for a moment. Frowned. Sat up on his drifting raft, folded his arms, and looked straight at the red-haired figure who stood uncertainly in front of him.
At least the intruder had the decency to look embarrassed.
"Out," Lalli said sharply, practically biting the word.
Reynir's eyes widened. "But-"
"Get out. Didn't you hear me last time?"
There was a long pause. Judging by the look on his face, their last meeting in the dreamworld was still pretty fresh in Reynir's memory. He took one step back, then two - and then gasped and flailed for balance as he nearly fell off the wooden platform, long arms flying up to steady himself.
Lalli put his chin on his hands and watched.
It took Reynir a moment or two to regain his footing, but it came to him eventually, and Lalli wasn't sure whether to be disappointed about that or not. Reynir raked his fingers through his fringe with a sigh, and looked out toward the spot where he had stepped into Lalli's dream. The expression on his face suggested that he almost wanted to take the hint.
Almost.
"Look, Lúlli -"
"It's Lalli."
"...Lalli. Sorry! Right, well. This is important! I'm a mage! I think. Um. I don't know. And I don't know what I'm doing. I need help. And I'd like to talk to you, I really want to be friends with you, but I can't talk when we're awake, I mean, not so you'll understand me, and -" Reynir stopped, taking in a long breath, as if he needed to. "Are you even listening to me?!"
Lalli blinked. Then he stood, slowly unfolded himself, taking a moment to stretch before answering. "Yes," he said.
"...So. Um. What do you think?"
"Out."
"But-"
"Not here," Lalli explained. "You have your own place. Your own area." A pause. He waited. Reynir looked confused. Were foreign mages really that different? "...Right?"
"I - um. Oh. Yes. I do! I can take you there if you want-"
"Fine." Lalli went toward him. Stepped lightly onto the boards. Wondered, for a second, if he would regret what he was about to say. Well, he decided, it didn't matter. "Let's go."
It wasn't that they couldn't have had that conversation there, in the safety of Lalli's own area. In fact, he probably should have stayed. Kept them both there. Talked to him there, in the comfort of his space, the familiar marshy greenness. Onni would have thought so.
But Onni thought a lot of things.
Onni was too careful.
It didn't sit right with Lalli, any of it. Rubbed him all wrong. Got him feeling fidgety, feeling on edge. That was what it made him feel, having someone there that he hadn't invited. It was another thing again if he'd expected him. If he'd told Reynir to come. If Reynir had asked before stepping into his space. That was what Lalli told himself.
Maybe there was something else, too.
Maybe he wanted to experience it again. That thing. Walking on water. How weird.
They went through the openness together, under the blanket of stars, over the dark, clear water. Lalli followed Reynir, kept a couple paces behind him so as not to run into him. His insides jumped as he miss-stepped, then caught himself, finding the right place to put his feet.
"Slow down," Lalli said. Kept his tone sharp. Reynir's strides were longer than his, an inconvenience, a bother. It was something he should have remembered from the last time.
"It's okay! We're here-"
Smiling, Reynir turned, reached out a hand.
Grabbed him.
Pulled him inside.
Cool brightness. Grass, rock, emptiness, and sheep. Lalli stared, took it in, baffled.
"Where are all the trees?" he asked, sliding his gaze over the expanse of rising stone. It came out more like an accusation than a question.
"What? Um... we don't have a lot of those back home. Sorry?" For a moment, Reynir looked almost as if he regretted bringing Lalli along. His expression was open, as easy to read as tracks on snow. Then he smiled again, determined to make the best of it. "But at least we're here now! Come on, sit with me? Please?"
They sank down onto the grass. Lalli settled himself beside Reynir, taking care not to sit too close. Leaned against one of the strange heaps that pressed up through the earth and took in the scene of Reynir's dreamscape: grass, rock, cool air, fog. A different sort of place from the swampy tree-ringed environment of his own mind.
There was a dog. He stared at it. It stared back, its eyes sharper and more intelligent than an ordinary dog's would have been.
"That isn't your Luonto," Lalli said slowly, because he knew it wasn't, because he knew it couldn't be. "So, what is it?"
"My Lu-what?"
"Never mind." Lalli sucked in a breath. He wouldn't get any useful information from this guy. Did he even know anything at all? "You wanted to talk. So, talk."
"But where should I start?"
"Magic." Lalli glanced at Reynir, saw his mouth open in protest. Slipped in before Reynir could say anything. "Anything that's happened to you. Anything weird. Tell me about weird stuff."
Reynir fell quiet for a moment. Thinking. Lalli waited took in the sensation of the cool air on his face. Let Reynir take his time.
Then Reynir started talking.
He talked. Talked. Kept talking. It was annoying. He went at it slowly at first, and apologized too much, as if he didn't want to take up too much of Lalli's time, which as far as Lalli was concerned he should have been sorry for, anyway. But then he went on, the words tumbling from his lips. That he didn't understand what was going on, but that he knew things, somehow. It had always happened like that; kind of funny, really, how he'd have an idea of what would happen before it did. That he had never remembered his dreams until he made that stupid decision to stow away in the crate, thinking he was going to end up in Bornholm instead of this place. That ever since he'd arrived in the silent world he'd received warnings, strange things to remember, hints of things that might come to pass, slipping into his head through dreams.
Lalli let him go on. Listened. Kept his expression blank, kept his head slightly turned away so that Reynir would not see his face. How can I do this? Lalli thought. The prospect of having to mentor a weird foreign mage was not appealing at all.
Especially a weird foreign mage who talks too much, he thought.
Even a Finnish mage would have been bad enough. But something like this? Lalli could handle magic; that was one thing. But having to take that on, to have to work with someone -- no.
No.
He didn't want to.
Glancing at Reynir out of the corner of his eye, Lalli felt nothing but annoyed. He bit the inside of his cheeks, reminded himself that there were other things he needed to think about, things that he needed to consider, even if he didn't want to.
It wasn't a matter of wanting.
The words died down after a while. Reynir trailed off, fell silent. The silence lingered for a few perfect moments until he spoke again, voice forlorn and desperate and hopeful.
"Can you help me?"
"I work by myself."
"I - yeah, I know, but -"
Lalli turned his head. Looked at him carefully. Reynir had a drooping, deflated look, eyes downcast, fringe hanging in his face.
"I don 't know what I'm going to do," Reynir said softly.
"Why do you think I would?"
"Well, you always look like you know what you're doing."
"That's because I do know what I'm doing."
"Oh."
Lalli closed his eyes. Waited for more of a response, which didn't come. Listened to the movement of the air, the soft bleating of sheep.
This was not what he had imagined of this weird mage, not what he had expected from him, that first time he had seen him. He remembered that glimpse in the dreamworld, that sight seen through the mist, a flash out of the corner of his eye. A young man running on the water.
Maybe you can do more than you think, Lalli thought.
Out loud, he said, "I can't teach you anything."
"But -"
"Your magic's weird."
"Hey!"
"But I can watch you. Until you figure it out. I can do that."
Looking at him again, that kicked dog look brightened a bit, turning lighter as a smile slid across Reynir's lips. "Really? You'll help me?"
"I'll try to make sure you don't do anything stupid," Lalli said, correcting him. Then he paused, and added, "But only if you help me cross the water. Whenever I want." Even if Onni said that I shouldn't, he thought. Onni could stuff it.
"Of course!"
Reynir moved, and Lalli only just barely managed to dodge the hug by squirming to the side. He put up a hand, holding him off, glaring at him, wondering if he would come to regret offering anything. More time with this weird foreigner wasn't what he wanted at all.
"Don't make me change my mind," he said.
"Um - oh. Okay! Well -" Reynir hesitated, hands open, expression flickering as he tried to figure out what to do, shuffling through his options like a deck of cards. Finally, he settled on something. "Here, let's just shake on it," he said, thrusting out a hand, with an awkward smile to go with it. "Deal?"
Lalli stared at Reynir's hand, then lifted his gaze up to his face. Stared at him for a moment or two, taking in those unsure eyes, that nervous, hopeful smile that was becoming more nervous by the second.
He sighed. Reached out. Grasped Reynir's hand, gripped it firmly. "Fine," he said.
Don't make me regret this, Lalli thought once again as the nervousness on the other mage's face transformed into joy instead. It was the last thing he needed. The last thing he wanted.
But maybe, if they were both lucky, it would all work out.
End