Laurus Nobilis (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
laurus_nobilis) wrote2006-04-26 11:24 am
laurus_nobilis) wrote2006-04-26 11:24 am
Anecdotical [XXXHOLiC; English]
Title: Anecdotical
Rating: G
Genre: Genfic / humour
Characters: Clow and Yuuko
Pairings: Only if you squint.
Summary: Long lives include a lot of long stories.
Notes: Written for Insert Phrase.
Anecdotical
One of Clow's many quirks, Yuuko discovered when they started working together, was the habit of taking notes about almost everything. She didn't really understand it. He was very proud of his memory, after all; so it wasn't that he feared forgetting things. Even so, he spent plenty of time writing, every time that he tried a new spell or they came back from one of their travels through a strange world. It was almost a ritual.
The first few times, Yuuko's curiosity had got the better of her, and she hadn't bothered to hide it. She thought it was interesting to find out what he wrote about. This became even more fun when she realised that, in fact, reading over his shoulder and asking him silly questions was one of those priceless ways to get him worked up without any effort whatsoever.
Then again, that was only the first few times. By now it was beginning to get tiresome.
"Is this really necessary?" she sighed. "Who's going to read all these things, anyway?"
"I have told you many times already, I'm doing this for myself. I like to put my thoughts in order," Clow replied, without taking his eyes off the page. "Besides, people will read my notes. I have more than enough relatives who will find them useful someday. Not to mention that I can, and will, make sure that every book ends up where it should be read."
"And that nothing ends up where it shouldn't be read," Yuuko snorted. "Admit it."
"That goes without saying," he said, nodding. "Now, if you'd just let me finish –"
"You said that an hour ago. Come on, how much more can you write about that world?"
"I thought it was rather interesting."
"I thought it was much too similar to some places here," Yuuko muttered, frowning. They had never left a dimension in such a hurry before. It was a dangerous place and, what made it worse, there was nothing they could do about that.
It hadn't been a matter of overthrowing a tyrant or defeating evil this time. Those things seemed easy in comparison. But even people like them couldn't – shouldn't, she thought, although perhaps Clow would disagree with her – try to change a whole society's way of thinking.
"That's what I meant. It's amazing, that a close mind is one of the few things that so many civilizations have in common," he said, twirling his quill between his fingers. "They said they were fighting against heresy, but they could have given it any other name… After all, heresy is only another word for freedom of thought."
Yuuko looked at him for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly; there was something suspicious about the way he had said that. She sat down in front of him and rested her head on her hands. It was time for a long story – if she managed to weasel it out of him.
Except that she changed her mind in the last second. That would be too much work, and she didn't feel like making the effort. Subtlety hadn't worked during the past hour or so, after all. Perhaps being blunt was the best approach.
"Where were you during the sixteenth century?" she asked.
Clow blinked as he looked up, as if the words had awakened him from a trance. He collected himself immediately, though, and tapped her nose with the back of the quill.
"That is none of your business, young lady."
"No, I mean it. I want you to tell me," she insisted. "Because you're really good at saying stupid things that nobody wants to hear, you see. I wonder how you made it alive."
"If you must know," he replied, glaring at her, "yes, I was in Europe back then. Italy, to be precise. But I didn't get in trouble."
"You didn't?" Yuuko asked, with a meaningful look and a sneer to match. He rolled his eyes at her.
"Not that kind of trouble, at least."
"I could have sworn you did," she said, now serious, "what with being foreign and all. Didn't they bother you with that?"
"There were plenty of foreigners in Venice," he replied. "Besides, if anyone asked, I was raised in my father's religion. I could prove it, too."
"Pretty standard answer, that one," she said thoughtfully. He shrugged.
"It worked."
"Oh," she said, somewhat disappointed. Clow must have noticed that, because he raised his eyebrows and put down the quill at long last.
"What?" he asked. "Did you want me to get in trouble? That's not very nice, you know, even coming from you."
"Don't be an idiot about it," she snapped. "You're here, aren't you? I just thought you might have one of those crazy tales of yours, that's all."
For a moment, he didn't reply, and simply looked at her with an unreadable expression. Yuuko was beginning to wonder if she had really offended him, improbable as that was, when he finally spoke again.
"That was a mistake," he said. He was still serious, although she was glad to see that he didn't appear to be upset.
"Obviously," she snorted.
"No, I mean your other mistake." He was beginning to smile, now; she forgot all of her worries in a matter of moments and changed them for new, different ones. That grin couldn't be a good sign. "For all intents and purposes, you've just admitted that you enjoy listening to me talk."
Yuuko paled.
"That's not true!" she exclaimed. "I never said that. Don't think you can start rambling endlessly now –"
"Why not?" he interrupted her, looking triumphant. "You like those 'crazy tales of mine', my dear friend, so much that you even ask about them. This is very useful information indeed."
"… I don't like how that sounds," she muttered.
"Oh, but you will like what comes next. Admit it," he replied, and Yuuko cursed his careful choice of words. "Did I ever tell you about that ball in Vienna? Or perhaps you'd prefer to hear about the time when I nearly blew up a pub in Dublin. No, wait, I know! There was this library…"
She groaned and buried her head in her arms. It was going to be a long, long day.
Rating: G
Genre: Genfic / humour
Characters: Clow and Yuuko
Pairings: Only if you squint.
Summary: Long lives include a lot of long stories.
Notes: Written for Insert Phrase.
One of Clow's many quirks, Yuuko discovered when they started working together, was the habit of taking notes about almost everything. She didn't really understand it. He was very proud of his memory, after all; so it wasn't that he feared forgetting things. Even so, he spent plenty of time writing, every time that he tried a new spell or they came back from one of their travels through a strange world. It was almost a ritual.
The first few times, Yuuko's curiosity had got the better of her, and she hadn't bothered to hide it. She thought it was interesting to find out what he wrote about. This became even more fun when she realised that, in fact, reading over his shoulder and asking him silly questions was one of those priceless ways to get him worked up without any effort whatsoever.
Then again, that was only the first few times. By now it was beginning to get tiresome.
"Is this really necessary?" she sighed. "Who's going to read all these things, anyway?"
"I have told you many times already, I'm doing this for myself. I like to put my thoughts in order," Clow replied, without taking his eyes off the page. "Besides, people will read my notes. I have more than enough relatives who will find them useful someday. Not to mention that I can, and will, make sure that every book ends up where it should be read."
"And that nothing ends up where it shouldn't be read," Yuuko snorted. "Admit it."
"That goes without saying," he said, nodding. "Now, if you'd just let me finish –"
"You said that an hour ago. Come on, how much more can you write about that world?"
"I thought it was rather interesting."
"I thought it was much too similar to some places here," Yuuko muttered, frowning. They had never left a dimension in such a hurry before. It was a dangerous place and, what made it worse, there was nothing they could do about that.
It hadn't been a matter of overthrowing a tyrant or defeating evil this time. Those things seemed easy in comparison. But even people like them couldn't – shouldn't, she thought, although perhaps Clow would disagree with her – try to change a whole society's way of thinking.
"That's what I meant. It's amazing, that a close mind is one of the few things that so many civilizations have in common," he said, twirling his quill between his fingers. "They said they were fighting against heresy, but they could have given it any other name… After all, heresy is only another word for freedom of thought."
Yuuko looked at him for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly; there was something suspicious about the way he had said that. She sat down in front of him and rested her head on her hands. It was time for a long story – if she managed to weasel it out of him.
Except that she changed her mind in the last second. That would be too much work, and she didn't feel like making the effort. Subtlety hadn't worked during the past hour or so, after all. Perhaps being blunt was the best approach.
"Where were you during the sixteenth century?" she asked.
Clow blinked as he looked up, as if the words had awakened him from a trance. He collected himself immediately, though, and tapped her nose with the back of the quill.
"That is none of your business, young lady."
"No, I mean it. I want you to tell me," she insisted. "Because you're really good at saying stupid things that nobody wants to hear, you see. I wonder how you made it alive."
"If you must know," he replied, glaring at her, "yes, I was in Europe back then. Italy, to be precise. But I didn't get in trouble."
"You didn't?" Yuuko asked, with a meaningful look and a sneer to match. He rolled his eyes at her.
"Not that kind of trouble, at least."
"I could have sworn you did," she said, now serious, "what with being foreign and all. Didn't they bother you with that?"
"There were plenty of foreigners in Venice," he replied. "Besides, if anyone asked, I was raised in my father's religion. I could prove it, too."
"Pretty standard answer, that one," she said thoughtfully. He shrugged.
"It worked."
"Oh," she said, somewhat disappointed. Clow must have noticed that, because he raised his eyebrows and put down the quill at long last.
"What?" he asked. "Did you want me to get in trouble? That's not very nice, you know, even coming from you."
"Don't be an idiot about it," she snapped. "You're here, aren't you? I just thought you might have one of those crazy tales of yours, that's all."
For a moment, he didn't reply, and simply looked at her with an unreadable expression. Yuuko was beginning to wonder if she had really offended him, improbable as that was, when he finally spoke again.
"That was a mistake," he said. He was still serious, although she was glad to see that he didn't appear to be upset.
"Obviously," she snorted.
"No, I mean your other mistake." He was beginning to smile, now; she forgot all of her worries in a matter of moments and changed them for new, different ones. That grin couldn't be a good sign. "For all intents and purposes, you've just admitted that you enjoy listening to me talk."
Yuuko paled.
"That's not true!" she exclaimed. "I never said that. Don't think you can start rambling endlessly now –"
"Why not?" he interrupted her, looking triumphant. "You like those 'crazy tales of mine', my dear friend, so much that you even ask about them. This is very useful information indeed."
"… I don't like how that sounds," she muttered.
"Oh, but you will like what comes next. Admit it," he replied, and Yuuko cursed his careful choice of words. "Did I ever tell you about that ball in Vienna? Or perhaps you'd prefer to hear about the time when I nearly blew up a pub in Dublin. No, wait, I know! There was this library…"
She groaned and buried her head in her arms. It was going to be a long, long day.