the_lioness | (no subject)

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*It's a warm afternoon, and the slight breeze almost tickles the back of Alanna's neck as she lifts her arm and aims. Her hand is steady, her eye good, and yet something still goes wrong when she pulls the trigger once, twice, five times in rapid succession.

Of the five pine cones lined up on a tree branch, five are still in position.

Cursing in a strange language, she swings Joe's gun on her finger. She sighs wearily and crouches down, dropping the gun and grabbing her bow and an arrow in one easy motion. She jumps up, aims and shoots in the time it took her just to figure out how to hold the gun, and her arrow pierces the center of the middle pine cone. The branch shakes slightly as the cone falls to the ground.

She sighs. It's not her aim, it's her focus. Alanna hates guns.*

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The warm breeze shifts slightly, now coming across Alanna's face and wafting red-hair gently off the back of her shoulders.

The two pines cones on either end of the branch explode in a shower of wood chips, one about five seconds after the other. There's dead air after that. Silence. And certainly no-one apparent in the vicinity.

*Although her eyes had drifted shut as the breeze shifted, they snap open again at the noise. She stays very still, years and years of experience sharpening her senses as she listens. It can't be Cuthbert or one of the other Gunslingers. They would alert her to their presence, surely.

The two remaining pine cones look almost forlorn. Alanna tilts her head and taps the tip of her bow against her thigh, reaching down for another arrow. She notches it and snaps the bowstring, a satisfied look in her eye as it takes out the pine cone on the right. Only one remains.*

The final target disintegrates in the same manner as the other two, leaving the bough trembling. A wisp of smoke may be visible on the edge of the woods behind Alanna for a few moments. It's a good two hundred and fifty yards distant however.

*Alanna's nostrils flare. It might be magic. No, it didn't have that feel or leave that sort of trace. She turns her head and looks around, her eyes narrowing as she spies the rapidly disappearing trail of smoke. Drawing herself up to her full, unimpressive height, she waits.

Her curiosity demands it.*

She doesn't have to wait long before a figure levers itself up from a prone position in the light undergrowth. It raises a hand, possibly in apology, and slings something long over it's shoulder.

It takes a few minutes of walking before Goldilocks actually reaches Alanna. As she comes closer it can be seen that she's a woman wearing a dark green tank top and charcoal gray cargo pants, with golden-blonde hair tied up and small round spectacles in place. She arrives eventually, and she has a pleasant smile for the knight when she arrives at the scene.

"Sorry. I couldn't resist."

*Alanna uses the intervening time to study Goldy carefully, her gaze direct. The cargo pants intrigue her. They look useful. Goldy's smile is met with a nod of acknowledgment and an equally pleasant grin.*

No need to apologize. I'm impressed.

Goldy pats the rifle butt affectionately. "Thanks."

"Seems to be too hot for the bunnies today."

Obviously, the bunnies are insane. I'm reveling in the warmth, myself. *Still assessing, she tilts her head. The rifle captures her interest, and Alanna gives Joe's worn pistol a rueful glance. Somehow it seems inadequate, despite the fact that she had seen what it could do in the hands of someone who knew how to use it.*

What sort of gun is that?

The curious thing about Goldy's last statement is that she established that the bunnies don't like the midday heat some time last week. And yet, here she is, in the midday heat. Albeit slightly muggy Scottish midday heat.

She gives the revolver an appraising eye and then brings the rifle round her arm to display it properly. She holds it out in both hands. "It's a high-powered hunting rifle. A Remingtion 710, to be specific."

She tilts her head slightly. "However, I get the feeling from your attire that the make and model may not be too telling."

*Alanna's lips twitch. That's something of an understatement. She studies the rifle curiously, thinking back to lion hunts with the Bazhir. In her opinion, such a weapon would take most of the challenge out of it, but she's certainly not stupid enough to voice this.*

Your feeling is alarmingly correct. *She smiles, patting her sword.* I'm Sir Alanna of Trebond. A Knight of Tortall and King's Champion. We don't have guns.

"Gold..." She pauses for the briefest of seconds, a slight flicker across her face. "Goldilocks. But Goldy works best."

"I'm kind of new around here, fresh from the state of Idaho on Earth, in the year 2002. I've been here just over a week, and it looks like I'm in for the long haul."

She pulls out a water bottle and offers it first to Alanna.

"I'm pleased to finally meet you. I've heard you're the Chief of Security here."

*Alanna snorts with surprise.* Deputy Chief, please. I could never sign on as Chief due to my duties at home. Nor would the position be offered to me for that and possibly other reasons. I'm a fighter, not a bureaucratic leader. There's a reason I'm Champion and leave such things to King Jonathan and our Prime Minister.

*She hesitates briefly before taking the bottle and drinking.*

Thank you, Goldy. Goldilocks... that's a lovely name.

*Alanna really likes it. In fact, she's thinking it would make a grand name for her next pet. The name itself means nothing to her. She has never heard Goldy's story.*

"Thank you." She smiles in gratitude. "My mother was inspired by hair, let's say."

( will you be mine )

She retrieves the bottle when Alanna is through, and takes a few gulps herself. "I know Bigby is in charge of everything, and I'm familiar with his work as a matter of fact. But a lady knight is still a fine choice to run the department from the less-administrative side."

*Her eye twitches a little at the mention of Goldy's mother.*

I think perhaps I should be happy that my Father was not inspired by hair. The Mother alone knows what Thom and I would have been named. I'm quite sure "fire" would have been involved.

Thank you. *Ego sufficiently stroked, she beams.* Despite what society might say, I find it foolish to leave everything to the men. You're familiar with Bigby?

*She bites her tongue before she says something she shouldn't.*

Goldilocks regards Alanna seriously as she stows the bottle again. "There were no bear jokes forthcoming when I said my name, so I presume your world has different fairy tales than Earth and several others."

She unslings the rifle now, and props it against the tree. "I'm the grown-up version of a girl from a short children's story called Goldilocks and the Three Bears." She reaches up as she speaks, and unties her hairband, letting rich golden tresses unravel down to her bare shoulders. "There are others like me, and we call ourselves Fables."

"Bigby Wolf is one of them, his orginal persona being the Big Bad Wolf from a few tales. He has a taste for pork and old lady, amongst other things."

*Eyebrow quirked, Alanna eyes Goldy's hair and stifles an unreasonable urge to take her own hair out of its clip and fling it about.*

I think Bigby explained it to me once. He was last in Fabletown, correct? We don't have much of either here. Pork and old ladies, that is.

"Fabletown is where we re-established ourselves on Earth after The Adversary invaded our homelands and forced us to re-locate. He was the Sheriff there."

She sits herself in the shade of the tree and pats the ground next to her. Evidently, there is a lot more to this story. "We're immortals, of a kind, based on the relative devotions people have to our stories."

Who was the Adversary?

*Intrigued, Alanna unbuckles her sword belt and sits next to her, letting her head fall back against the tree trunk for a moment. Exhausted, she sighs. At times like this, she wonders why she is having trouble sleeping. It would be so easy to close her eyes and drift off.

Maybe Goldy just has that relaxing sort of voice. Surely that's it.*

I see. Is yours a good story? If it is, I'm sure people are devoted to it. You certainly look healthy enough.

Goldy sighs as painful memories flood back. "The Adversary is a force of evil. They sacked our Lands and left us no choice but to retreat and hide in the mundane world of the people who know us only as fictional characters. They enslaved or slew those who didn't escape."

She falls quiet for a while, bringing her knees up and draping her arms around them as she watches the pretty knight and listens to her next question. She smiles again at the compliment.

"It's popular story, but it doesn't paint me in the best light," she concedes. "Basically, it all started once upon a time like every good fairy tale."

"My parents and I lived in the woods, and one day I strayed a little too far from home..."

She recounts the tale from the first person perspective, and though it is close to the tale heard by hundreds of children every night, she forgoes the elementary vocabulary and repetitive dialogue. She also adds reason to her actions and lends a more realistic element with some home truths. It may come over as slightly more macabre and gothic than the pretty pictures and aesthetically pleasing fonts would have children believe. But it's still a good story, and she tells it well.

And as she speaks, it must be said that Goldy has a certain smoothness in her intonation. Not quite honeyed or caressing, but pleasant and cool, like laying by the ocean and letting the spume of spent breakers wash around you. Or perhaps laying under a tree in a meadow and feeling the breeze return as sunshine dapples you through the leaves above.

( strawberries sugar and cream )

She hugs her knees a little tighter as she finishes and waits for Alanna's reaction.

*As Goldy begins to tell the story, Alanna pushes her back against the tree trunk and relaxes. Her eyes close at one point, but her smile and small gasp indicate that she is anything but asleep. More likely she is trying to picture the scene as Goldy's voice paints it so well.

The story ends, and Alanna remains quiet for a moment. Eventually she blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.*

I don't much like porridge. If I had been the little bear, I probably would have thought that you had done me a favor.

Goldy can't help but laugh at that unexpected response. It's soft and good natured, and her eyes never leave Alanna, though she covers her mouth. When she removes her hand, there's a tiny smirk in place. Small, but knowing.

"Boo liked to get his oats."

A little shrug follows. "I've never been averse either."

*Alanna turns her head and gives her a small smile.*

To each his or her own, I suppose. So how did you get from mischievous little girl with a penchant for exploring to expert markswoman? Because you clearly are an excellent shot.

Her demeanor cools a little, but again the compliment receives a gracious smile. "Just a hobby really. Hunting became an extension of my passion for exploring when I got older, and when we moved to Earth there were guns available for the sport."

"I've had plenty of years to hone my skills."

*Alanna starts to say something, but stops herself, nodding.*

Immortal. Right. It's funny that Bigby's never really told me his story. His original story.

*She brings her own knees up and rests her chin on them, watching the ducks on the lake. Sighing softly, she turns her head and smiles at Goldy.*

I'm not very good with a gun.

She wonders how many people at Milliways make the connection between Bigby and his stories. "He probably would if you asked, but they're not something he'd offer voluntarily."

"His tales are as popular as mine, if not more so, but he's not a good character in them. Past crimes were forgiven when we covenanted to each other in the new world, united by a common enemy. But they weren't forgotten."

Goldy follows Alanna's gaze over the water for a while, then she looks over her glasses and grins, but not in a mean way. "So I saw." Her eyes settle on Joe's pistol once more. "I presume you're working with them to broaden your skill set for security purposes. I can help you if you like."