Myshuno: Emptiness
Oct. 9th, 2011 05:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katrisimsPrompt: Nicholas at the Bookacy Greek House Greek House after Cho has left for Alphabetia (by docnerd)
Words: 929
Universe: canon Alphabetia (or Sim State University) a little bit after the end of chapter 33, but there's nothing that you wouldn't already know
Warnings: curse word here and there, excessive gloom, very slight implications
So my second prompt already? Wow, this is going better than I expected. I might even score a Myshuno some time this century. In other news: only a week left of my renovation unless anything disastrous happens, yay! Also, I'm still working on chapter 34 and it's going a lot smoother than any of my recent chapters, which is nice. Currently 46 slides written. Also, not to be too distractionless (it'd probably be horrible if I had no distractions and could concentrate on what I'm trying to do, right?), I started an undocumented, just-for-fun apocalypse on my laptop. But fear not, apocalypses are so hard that I tend to give up in the first generation anyway.
But yeah, lot's of gloom this way. May I present: "Emptiness", starring Nicholas Charvat.
Nicholas sat at the dining table, trying to concentrate on his assignment. He really should be doing this, the final exam was approaching and he hadn't done enough. Not when his mind kept getting distracted like this, not when the anxiety hit home regularly like a tidal wave. She was married. Goddammit, maried. He couldn't believe it, not even though it'd been weeks already.
Nicholas looked around. Even if it wasn't for this... all this... mess that was going on in his head, he wouldn't really have understood why anyone would like to be a placeholder, at least in a place like this. Alone, for a full generation, in a house that was so big that your voice echoed from the walls when you were alone. Not that you had anyone to talk to, either. True, many of Nicholas' old friends had kept in touch. Like Ryker, there was rarely a week when he didn't hear from him. And Cyrus phoned regularly, and Chris, she was a real treasure as a friend. Even Cho herself had called a few times – Nicholas guessed she probably had no idea. But still, all alone in that huge house, stuck in there, stuck in his life.
Nicholas got up. He could as well forget about the assignment for tonight, it wasn't going to happen. He was worried, but there was no sense forcing it. Before this, he'd always been one to do his assignments and term papers, and even enjoy it, but now he'd actually asked one of the pledges to write his term paper. He couldn't scrape together the concentration. Maybe with some luck he'd pass the exam.
He hadn't even noticed he'd wandered to the living room. He picked up the guitar but changed his mind and put it back. He sat on the couch and turned the tv on, at least that way he didn't have to listen to the silence. This was the couch on which he'd held Cho after... He glanced at the closed door which led to Cyrus' old bedroom. After That Thing happened. He hadn't opened that door since the others had left. He knew there was nothing in there, the room was completely clean, and ghost and vampire free, but he found he still couldn't bring himself to open the door.
Nicholas got up from the couch but left the tv on. He didn't feel like calling anyone, so maybe he could practise some poker hands or something. He climbed up the stairs and quickly turned towards the poker table so he didn't have to look at the closed door of the red bedroom. That was another door that had stayed closed and would stay closed for the next generation. Once or twice Nicholas had thought that he'd have to call for cleaning help before the new generation came and the amount of dust would choke them, because he wouldn't be able to go into those rooms. The new generation. Cho's children with Eric. Nicholas cursed at himself for following that train of thought and dealt another hand.
So many nights in this lounge upstairs. Playing poker with Charlie, chatting about assignments with Cyrus. All those toga parties, dancing close in the kitchen... Stargazing on the lawn together, those beautiful deep convesations that should have lasted forever. All those nights... No. Not the red bedroom, that's off limits. She's married. Forget about it. And it's over, all of it. The good times are over, better just get used to it.
Nicholas shuffled the cards again. He really should just do it. Just get the rest of his studies done and leave, have his own place somewhere, definitely not close to the Legacy main house, and have a job. He should call Cyrus. Surely he'd be able to arrange someone else to placefold, right? Or not Cyrus. He was Cho's brother. Maybe he could call Chris, she would understand, and she could tell Cyrus, and they could arrange it somehow... Nicholas glanced at his watch. Half past ten. There was still time to call Chris tonight. She'd be awake. He'd been meaning to call yesterday, or maybe the day before that, but... He dealt another hand.
Surely there was nothing worse than living in this... this limbo for the next generation. Nicholas didn't really know how it worked, but he assumed he'd lose track of time somehow, and suddenly, the next person who'd ring the doorbell would be Cho's oldest daughter or son, whichever it was. The daughter or son who'd probably already been born, he realized. They'd show up on the door, and then it'd be time for him to graduate. And when he'd get there, fresh out of college, the woman he loved might already be old and gray. Together with that professor of hers.
Finally, Nicholas stacked the cards away. Fifteen past eleven. Too late to call Chris today, it'd have to wait until tomorrow. Nicholas didn't really feel sleepy at all – although he was tired all the time these days – but he supposed his best alternative would be to get changed in his pajamas and try to get some sleep anyway. He got up, pushed the chair under the poker table and crossed the lounge over to his bedroom door. Or his, well, basically the only room he could even imagine sleeping in, maybe if you counted out Claire's room. He looked out in the yard, avoiding the quiet corner where Charlie still rested, then changed into his pajamas. Tomorrow he'd make that call. He locked the door. Tomorrow.
Words: 929
Universe: canon Alphabetia (or Sim State University) a little bit after the end of chapter 33, but there's nothing that you wouldn't already know
Warnings: curse word here and there, excessive gloom, very slight implications
So my second prompt already? Wow, this is going better than I expected. I might even score a Myshuno some time this century. In other news: only a week left of my renovation unless anything disastrous happens, yay! Also, I'm still working on chapter 34 and it's going a lot smoother than any of my recent chapters, which is nice. Currently 46 slides written. Also, not to be too distractionless (it'd probably be horrible if I had no distractions and could concentrate on what I'm trying to do, right?), I started an undocumented, just-for-fun apocalypse on my laptop. But fear not, apocalypses are so hard that I tend to give up in the first generation anyway.
But yeah, lot's of gloom this way. May I present: "Emptiness", starring Nicholas Charvat.
Nicholas sat at the dining table, trying to concentrate on his assignment. He really should be doing this, the final exam was approaching and he hadn't done enough. Not when his mind kept getting distracted like this, not when the anxiety hit home regularly like a tidal wave. She was married. Goddammit, maried. He couldn't believe it, not even though it'd been weeks already.
Nicholas looked around. Even if it wasn't for this... all this... mess that was going on in his head, he wouldn't really have understood why anyone would like to be a placeholder, at least in a place like this. Alone, for a full generation, in a house that was so big that your voice echoed from the walls when you were alone. Not that you had anyone to talk to, either. True, many of Nicholas' old friends had kept in touch. Like Ryker, there was rarely a week when he didn't hear from him. And Cyrus phoned regularly, and Chris, she was a real treasure as a friend. Even Cho herself had called a few times – Nicholas guessed she probably had no idea. But still, all alone in that huge house, stuck in there, stuck in his life.
Nicholas got up. He could as well forget about the assignment for tonight, it wasn't going to happen. He was worried, but there was no sense forcing it. Before this, he'd always been one to do his assignments and term papers, and even enjoy it, but now he'd actually asked one of the pledges to write his term paper. He couldn't scrape together the concentration. Maybe with some luck he'd pass the exam.
He hadn't even noticed he'd wandered to the living room. He picked up the guitar but changed his mind and put it back. He sat on the couch and turned the tv on, at least that way he didn't have to listen to the silence. This was the couch on which he'd held Cho after... He glanced at the closed door which led to Cyrus' old bedroom. After That Thing happened. He hadn't opened that door since the others had left. He knew there was nothing in there, the room was completely clean, and ghost and vampire free, but he found he still couldn't bring himself to open the door.
Nicholas got up from the couch but left the tv on. He didn't feel like calling anyone, so maybe he could practise some poker hands or something. He climbed up the stairs and quickly turned towards the poker table so he didn't have to look at the closed door of the red bedroom. That was another door that had stayed closed and would stay closed for the next generation. Once or twice Nicholas had thought that he'd have to call for cleaning help before the new generation came and the amount of dust would choke them, because he wouldn't be able to go into those rooms. The new generation. Cho's children with Eric. Nicholas cursed at himself for following that train of thought and dealt another hand.
So many nights in this lounge upstairs. Playing poker with Charlie, chatting about assignments with Cyrus. All those toga parties, dancing close in the kitchen... Stargazing on the lawn together, those beautiful deep convesations that should have lasted forever. All those nights... No. Not the red bedroom, that's off limits. She's married. Forget about it. And it's over, all of it. The good times are over, better just get used to it.
Nicholas shuffled the cards again. He really should just do it. Just get the rest of his studies done and leave, have his own place somewhere, definitely not close to the Legacy main house, and have a job. He should call Cyrus. Surely he'd be able to arrange someone else to placefold, right? Or not Cyrus. He was Cho's brother. Maybe he could call Chris, she would understand, and she could tell Cyrus, and they could arrange it somehow... Nicholas glanced at his watch. Half past ten. There was still time to call Chris tonight. She'd be awake. He'd been meaning to call yesterday, or maybe the day before that, but... He dealt another hand.
Surely there was nothing worse than living in this... this limbo for the next generation. Nicholas didn't really know how it worked, but he assumed he'd lose track of time somehow, and suddenly, the next person who'd ring the doorbell would be Cho's oldest daughter or son, whichever it was. The daughter or son who'd probably already been born, he realized. They'd show up on the door, and then it'd be time for him to graduate. And when he'd get there, fresh out of college, the woman he loved might already be old and gray. Together with that professor of hers.
Finally, Nicholas stacked the cards away. Fifteen past eleven. Too late to call Chris today, it'd have to wait until tomorrow. Nicholas didn't really feel sleepy at all – although he was tired all the time these days – but he supposed his best alternative would be to get changed in his pajamas and try to get some sleep anyway. He got up, pushed the chair under the poker table and crossed the lounge over to his bedroom door. Or his, well, basically the only room he could even imagine sleeping in, maybe if you counted out Claire's room. He looked out in the yard, avoiding the quiet corner where Charlie still rested, then changed into his pajamas. Tomorrow he'd make that call. He locked the door. Tomorrow.
