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efryndiel2014-08-18 04:29 am
laenavesse) wrote in efryndiel2014-08-18 04:29 am
Entry tags:
[ ficlet ] ToX: Campfire Stories: Gentleman of the Mines
Canon: Tales of Xillia
Title: The Gentleman of the Mines
Characters: All with Alvin telling the story
Rating: PG (some graphic imagery)
Summary: Everyone is sitting around the campfire and Alvin suggests telling some "campfire stories." Except they're more on the creepy scary side instead of ghostly.
Notes: This is one of two little stories I wrote for an RP hah. I've altered it a little to fit a more canon setting. Although it technically has the whole group, Alvin is the one telling the story. There's no particular time frame. Also, the story format changes a bit once Alvin starts telling the story.
crossposted to![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
laenavesse
----------------
"All right guys," Alvin grinned. "Who's up for some campfire stories?"
"Oh, me! Me!" Leia waved her hand excitedly. "After all that walking and fighting, I could use a bit of fun instead."
"Sounds good to me," Jude nodded as he started to set out the ingredients for that night's dinner. "But I can't say I really know any good ones..."
"Hm. Campfire stories you say?" Milla pressed a finger to her chin, her brows furrowed slightly in thought. "I've read about them. You tell fictional tales to try and scare those who are listening. The contents are usually about ghosts and monsters. They seem to be popular, but I can't really see the appeal. After all, ghosts do not exist and we fight monsters every day."
Rowen chuckled. "No, my dear. It's not so much the content as the atmosphere of telling the story itself. There's nothing better to build camaraderie than sharing a fear with someone else--or to make fun of those who do. Ah, I remember hearing young soldiers try to scare each other with such stories. Such a wonderful youthful past time."
Milla tilted her head slightly. "I see. Then you must have a number of stories you could share."
"Oh I have a few, indeed," he smiled. "But I think I'd prefer to play the role of listener this time around."
While they had been talking, Elize had kept to herself, Teepo held closely to her chest. "Um...will they be really scary?"
"They have to be!" Leia exclaimed. But upon seeing the young girl's pale face, she quickly relented and added, "But don't worry, they won't be that scary, right, Alvin?"
"What, me?" the mercenary.
"Well if it's Alvin, then his stories will definitely be a bunch of lies," Teepo said, the toy's voice dry as usual.
"I think I might know one about a doll who mysteriously vanishes—"
"Alvin!" Leia glared at him.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he half laughed as he raised a placating hand. "So are you guys ready then?"
------------------------------
[[Note: this is narrated by Alvin. Cast interjections are in italics.]]
Not too far from the peaceful, quiet coastal town, Leronde, were some abandoned mines called the "Old Vicalle Mines." The folks around town would say it was because of poor structure and thus dangerous for miners. But that's not the real story.
"What? Wait, hold on," Jude interrupted. "Don't you think the people who are actually from Leronde would know this?"
"Well, everything I say is a bunch of lies, right?" Alvin said with a slight sarcastic shrug. "So does it really matter?"
"Yeah, shush, Jude!" Leia said with a smack to his arm ("Ow!") "You're ruining the mood and it's just a story. If it's a good enough, maybe we can spread it around town and start our own legend!"
Alvin just shook his head before continuing. "Anyway...
The mines were owned and developed by a young gentleman named Lawrence Vicalle. He was a well liked fellow, always wearing a fashionable brown suit and giving people a friendly greeting whenever they met. But then one day he went missing, and all the townspeople quickly gathered and formed search parties. Some believed he went to the mines, so a small group of four went to look.
Just outside the entrance, the men found a shoe with what looked like small flecks of blood. Now, monsters weren't as common in the area back then, but there had been wolf sightings. A few men feared he had been attacked, but that's when they noticed the drag marks. Maybe it was the work of bandits hoping to get a nice ransom. So armed with torches and a few swords, the men steeled themselves and continued into the mines.
The marks stopped a few feet in, and there were no traces of footprints or any other signs of either the victim or the attacker. Like all mines, there were several paths to take, so the group split up to try and cover more ground.
"Nooo," Teepo wailed, "splitting up is always such a bad idea!"
It wasn't long after when the first scream was heard. Immediately one of the men turned around to go back, but then there was a second and then a third. And then...silence.
At this point, Alvin lowered his voice, his gaze just over the flickering flames. By this time night had truly fallen, and the only sounds were the crackle of wood as the fire continued to lick at its meal. All were sitting and listening, Elize clutching onto Leia's arm.
The remaining man stood there frozen, both his torch and sword shaking in his hands. At the slightest hint of sound he would turn in a panic, swiping at nothing but air. And then he heard something more distinct—a soft shuffling sound. Then the movement of a shadow caught his eye. He was about to run when he heard a faint, familiar voice greet him.
"Hello there!"
Vicalle! he immediately thought. He began to relax in relief, but when he turned he froze again. It was not Vicalle, but a tall, gangly figure instead. It was slow moving, its long legs shuffling steadily toward him as its equally abnormally long arms dangled and swayed. And then he saw the blood, the bits of human flesh on its skin, the hair, the one shoe—the brown suit. Right before his eyes these bits of clothing were absorbed into this creature's body. It had no face—just a mouth. A bloody one.
"Ew, gross, Alvin!" Leia squirmed.
He just grinned as he got up and started to walk around, moving as if to emphasis the story.
He ran. He ran and ran, but no matter where he went he would hear that shuffling and that voice. Eventually he managed to find his way back to the entrance. By now he hadn't heard anything from his pursuer, so believing he was safe, he took a moment to catch his breath. But then...
------------------------------
"Crunch!" he shouted as he came around and grabbed both Leia and Elize, effectively hugging them from behind.
"Aaah!" the girls screamed, Teepo also yelling as he flailed around the group. "Alvin you jerk—you big fat—jerk!!"
Laughing, he released them and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well?"
"Damn you, Alvin!" Leia yelled as she reached back to smack his leg. "You almost gave me a heart attack! And look, you almost made Elize cry!"
"I...no...I...I'm okay..." the young girl breathed. "It...it was scary but it was kind of fun..."
"I'm with Leia—you really went too far with that, Alvin" Jude frowned as he looked over at them.
"...Hm. I thought it was rather effective," Milla said, seemingly oblivious to the small commotion across from her. "Pretending to be the monster in the story adds a bit more dimension to it. Even I was a bit surprised."
"Alvin as the monster..." Rowen stroked his chin for a moment before he nodded with a smile. "A fitting role for him, I would think."
Alvin just stared at them. "Oh come on!"
The older man chuckled. "All that aside, I must say I was impressed. Taking those Gentleman monsters and creating a story based on their environment. I should have expected no less from you, Alvin."
"Indeed," Milla nodded as she looked over at Alvin and smiled. "I can now see why humans enjoy such simple past times. Perhaps I'll try next time."
By this time, Alvin had a look of a defeat and he just shook his head as he made his way back to his seat. "I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or what." He was leaning towards "or what" at the moment.
"Consider it an example of where your skills and talents could be put to better use," Rowen merely answered before standing. "Now, who wants some tea?"
Title: The Gentleman of the Mines
Characters: All with Alvin telling the story
Rating: PG (some graphic imagery)
Summary: Everyone is sitting around the campfire and Alvin suggests telling some "campfire stories." Except they're more on the creepy scary side instead of ghostly.
Notes: This is one of two little stories I wrote for an RP hah. I've altered it a little to fit a more canon setting. Although it technically has the whole group, Alvin is the one telling the story. There's no particular time frame. Also, the story format changes a bit once Alvin starts telling the story.
crossposted to
----------------
"All right guys," Alvin grinned. "Who's up for some campfire stories?"
"Oh, me! Me!" Leia waved her hand excitedly. "After all that walking and fighting, I could use a bit of fun instead."
"Sounds good to me," Jude nodded as he started to set out the ingredients for that night's dinner. "But I can't say I really know any good ones..."
"Hm. Campfire stories you say?" Milla pressed a finger to her chin, her brows furrowed slightly in thought. "I've read about them. You tell fictional tales to try and scare those who are listening. The contents are usually about ghosts and monsters. They seem to be popular, but I can't really see the appeal. After all, ghosts do not exist and we fight monsters every day."
Rowen chuckled. "No, my dear. It's not so much the content as the atmosphere of telling the story itself. There's nothing better to build camaraderie than sharing a fear with someone else--or to make fun of those who do. Ah, I remember hearing young soldiers try to scare each other with such stories. Such a wonderful youthful past time."
Milla tilted her head slightly. "I see. Then you must have a number of stories you could share."
"Oh I have a few, indeed," he smiled. "But I think I'd prefer to play the role of listener this time around."
While they had been talking, Elize had kept to herself, Teepo held closely to her chest. "Um...will they be really scary?"
"They have to be!" Leia exclaimed. But upon seeing the young girl's pale face, she quickly relented and added, "But don't worry, they won't be that scary, right, Alvin?"
"What, me?" the mercenary.
"Well if it's Alvin, then his stories will definitely be a bunch of lies," Teepo said, the toy's voice dry as usual.
"I think I might know one about a doll who mysteriously vanishes—"
"Alvin!" Leia glared at him.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he half laughed as he raised a placating hand. "So are you guys ready then?"
------------------------------
[[Note: this is narrated by Alvin. Cast interjections are in italics.]]
Not too far from the peaceful, quiet coastal town, Leronde, were some abandoned mines called the "Old Vicalle Mines." The folks around town would say it was because of poor structure and thus dangerous for miners. But that's not the real story.
"What? Wait, hold on," Jude interrupted. "Don't you think the people who are actually from Leronde would know this?"
"Well, everything I say is a bunch of lies, right?" Alvin said with a slight sarcastic shrug. "So does it really matter?"
"Yeah, shush, Jude!" Leia said with a smack to his arm ("Ow!") "You're ruining the mood and it's just a story. If it's a good enough, maybe we can spread it around town and start our own legend!"
Alvin just shook his head before continuing. "Anyway...
The mines were owned and developed by a young gentleman named Lawrence Vicalle. He was a well liked fellow, always wearing a fashionable brown suit and giving people a friendly greeting whenever they met. But then one day he went missing, and all the townspeople quickly gathered and formed search parties. Some believed he went to the mines, so a small group of four went to look.
Just outside the entrance, the men found a shoe with what looked like small flecks of blood. Now, monsters weren't as common in the area back then, but there had been wolf sightings. A few men feared he had been attacked, but that's when they noticed the drag marks. Maybe it was the work of bandits hoping to get a nice ransom. So armed with torches and a few swords, the men steeled themselves and continued into the mines.
The marks stopped a few feet in, and there were no traces of footprints or any other signs of either the victim or the attacker. Like all mines, there were several paths to take, so the group split up to try and cover more ground.
"Nooo," Teepo wailed, "splitting up is always such a bad idea!"
It wasn't long after when the first scream was heard. Immediately one of the men turned around to go back, but then there was a second and then a third. And then...silence.
At this point, Alvin lowered his voice, his gaze just over the flickering flames. By this time night had truly fallen, and the only sounds were the crackle of wood as the fire continued to lick at its meal. All were sitting and listening, Elize clutching onto Leia's arm.
The remaining man stood there frozen, both his torch and sword shaking in his hands. At the slightest hint of sound he would turn in a panic, swiping at nothing but air. And then he heard something more distinct—a soft shuffling sound. Then the movement of a shadow caught his eye. He was about to run when he heard a faint, familiar voice greet him.
"Hello there!"
Vicalle! he immediately thought. He began to relax in relief, but when he turned he froze again. It was not Vicalle, but a tall, gangly figure instead. It was slow moving, its long legs shuffling steadily toward him as its equally abnormally long arms dangled and swayed. And then he saw the blood, the bits of human flesh on its skin, the hair, the one shoe—the brown suit. Right before his eyes these bits of clothing were absorbed into this creature's body. It had no face—just a mouth. A bloody one.
"Ew, gross, Alvin!" Leia squirmed.
He just grinned as he got up and started to walk around, moving as if to emphasis the story.
He ran. He ran and ran, but no matter where he went he would hear that shuffling and that voice. Eventually he managed to find his way back to the entrance. By now he hadn't heard anything from his pursuer, so believing he was safe, he took a moment to catch his breath. But then...
------------------------------
"Crunch!" he shouted as he came around and grabbed both Leia and Elize, effectively hugging them from behind.
"Aaah!" the girls screamed, Teepo also yelling as he flailed around the group. "Alvin you jerk—you big fat—jerk!!"
Laughing, he released them and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well?"
"Damn you, Alvin!" Leia yelled as she reached back to smack his leg. "You almost gave me a heart attack! And look, you almost made Elize cry!"
"I...no...I...I'm okay..." the young girl breathed. "It...it was scary but it was kind of fun..."
"I'm with Leia—you really went too far with that, Alvin" Jude frowned as he looked over at them.
"...Hm. I thought it was rather effective," Milla said, seemingly oblivious to the small commotion across from her. "Pretending to be the monster in the story adds a bit more dimension to it. Even I was a bit surprised."
"Alvin as the monster..." Rowen stroked his chin for a moment before he nodded with a smile. "A fitting role for him, I would think."
Alvin just stared at them. "Oh come on!"
The older man chuckled. "All that aside, I must say I was impressed. Taking those Gentleman monsters and creating a story based on their environment. I should have expected no less from you, Alvin."
"Indeed," Milla nodded as she looked over at Alvin and smiled. "I can now see why humans enjoy such simple past times. Perhaps I'll try next time."
By this time, Alvin had a look of a defeat and he just shook his head as he made his way back to his seat. "I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or what." He was leaning towards "or what" at the moment.
"Consider it an example of where your skills and talents could be put to better use," Rowen merely answered before standing. "Now, who wants some tea?"