Sincerely Albumfic: "Mermaid"
Jul. 23rd, 2008 08:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ruThere, finally, FINALLY started on my Gesma albumfic, using Cory Sipper's album "Sincerely" for the songs. This has been sitting waiting for me to edit it for eons. Finally got around to it. <3
I work to stand straight in a natural world
Work to be noticed, work to be invisible
Once I was a mermaid in the deep and tranquil sea
Once I was a mermaid and I was merely floating
Now I fill a space in the natural world
But I don't have a car, I don't have a lover
It's tough to have faith in the natural world
When all I want is a hideaway for cover
Once I was a mermaid in the deep and tranquil sea
And now I have a name, it's kind of like a number
Sometimes it's "Baby", other times it's "Hey you"
I work to stand straight in a natural world
Work to be noticed, work to be invisible
Once I was a mermaid in the deep and tranquil sea
Once I was a mermaid and I was merely floating
But now I need a jet plane, now I need my brothers
Now I need a potion, now I need a lover
Now I need a car, I need a big car so I can sail away
Oh, I can't get used to this, I can't get used to this
Now I fight for space in the natural world
Walking on Eighth, heading out of downtown
Oh I need a car, I need a big car
Take me to the ocean, leave my clothes and I would sail away
Now I need a jet plane, now I need my brothers
Now I need a potion, now I need a lover
Now I need a car, I need a big car so I can sail away
Once I was a mermaid in the deep and tranquil sea
It was to be expected. It was a great, big world, one that Anika had never really given much intense thought to learning about much beyond the fact that there were eight other kingdoms and lots of people were leaving for them until she had been unceremoniously thrust into it. Despite recognizing that, the one thing she was never quite able to get used to were the questioning looks and the glances that said quite plainly, "From what rock in the middle of the Eighth Kingdom did you crawl out from under?" And so, when the woman managing the fruit stand gave her that look, Anika couldn't help but glare back, defensive and accusing.
"I didn't mean to offend, miss," the woman said, suddenly unsettled, "but, well, it's not a question we get often."
"It's a simple one," Anika replied flatly, "What sort of fruits are those?" She pointed at the box piled high with orange orbs, each about the size of an apple, bright like the sun, and smelling peculiarly sweet. The seductive scent had lured her from her search for supplies in the marketplace.
"Oranges."
Anika raised an eyebrow at the woman, certain she had heard wrong. She must've been hungrier than she thought. "No, not what color they are. I want to know what they're called."
"That is what they're called. They're called oranges."
She paused a long moment. How perplexing. Apples weren't called "reds", nor were grapes called "purples", so why would one call an orange an orange? Maybe, she thought, it was a habit of the more southern regions of the Nine Kingdoms. This was her first trip to the Third Kingdom, after all. For all she knew, the people harvested the leaves of the giant beanstalks and stitched them into undergarments.
"All right then, fine. How much are these...oranges?"
"A copper for two."
Anika dug into her money purse, pulling out a single brownish coin that had obviously seen better days. It seemed to be sufficient, however, as the woman accepted it gladly. Anika picked out two of the biggest ones she could find, pocketing one while contemplating the other in her hands. Its skin was electric orange and leathery, but bumpier then animal hide. She would have wondered if these fruits were truly edible if it wasn't for their sweet scent. Then again, she had seen Fifth Kingdomers eat chopped lamb's intestines with relish, so. She threw caution to the wind, preparing to hungrily tear into the orange as if it were an apple.
"Wait!"
Anika stared at the woman in mid-bite, her teeth making deep impressions in the rind. She lowered the fruit, preparing to icily ask the woman why exactly she felt the need to interrupt Anika's attempt at getting some food into her stomach, when the taste of the rind came off of her teeth and onto her tongue. She managed to get a "Why--" out before the need to make a face overcame her, recoiling at the bitterness. It wasn't until the need to hang her tongue out like a dog subsided that she glared accusingly at the woman. "You actually eat these?"
"Well, not like that!" the woman replied, biting her lip as if to fight back a laugh, "You don't eat the outside. It's a peel. The inside's the good part."
Anika looked down at the orange again. "That's a terrible waste."
"You can use the very outer part for breads and cakes and things, if that helps."
"Not a whole lot," the traveler replied plainly, regarding the orange again. Digging her finger into one of the tooth marks, she pulled off a chunk of peel, revealing an orange and white inside. With a bit of mumbling, she manhandled the peel off of the fruit, her hands only slightly sticky for her troubles. "Seems like an awful lot of work for a fruit," she murmured under her breath.
Eventually, she had the peel completely off, and was now faced with a smaller orb, bumpy and slightly gashed from moments where she dug too deep. She raised the fruit to her lips again, but paused, regarding the woman. "Now can I eat it?"
"Well, you can," the fruit seller trailed off.
Anika narrowed her eyes. "...but?"
"You might find it easier if you pull it apart. See, the orange has wedges, and--" Anika drew back as the woman reached out to show her. "Well, break it in half and you'll see."
Furrowing her brow, partly out of concentration and partly out of exasperation, Anika dug her fingers into the fruit again, at the apex, which seemed to her to be the most logical place to start. The fruit fell away easily into two halves, a bit more juice leaking out. "Lucky this thing doesn't have some etiquette with eating it," she mumbled, "It'd take half the day to eat it."
The woman laughed this time, relaxing as Anika fought with the fruit and was thus occupied. "True enough."
One of the segments pulled easily away, emitting a soft crinkling sound. This has to be one of the strangest fruits I've ever eaten, Anika thought to herself as she bit into it.
For a moment, her entire demeanor changed. An unfamiliar flavor burst over her tongue, sweet and tart at the same time, while the fruit itself proved to be one of the juiciest she had ever eaten, bursting almost explosively in her mouth. It was like taking a bite of pure liquid sunshine. Her eyes lit up in spite of herself. The rest of the orange quickly disappeared, leaving Anika juice-stained and slightly breathless, but satisfied.
The woman smiled, leaning her elbows on one of the wooden fruit boxes and cupping her head in her hands. "Well, how was it?"
The euphoria of the orange gone and Anika's regular breathing returned, her face reverted to its previous expression, icy and standoffish. She wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve.
"It's alright."
I work to stand straight in a natural world
Work to be noticed, work to be invisible
Once I was a mermaid in the deep and tranquil sea
Once I was a mermaid and I was merely floating
Now I fill a space in the natural world
But I don't have a car, I don't have a lover
It's tough to have faith in the natural world
When all I want is a hideaway for cover
Once I was a mermaid in the deep and tranquil sea
And now I have a name, it's kind of like a number
Sometimes it's "Baby", other times it's "Hey you"
I work to stand straight in a natural world
Work to be noticed, work to be invisible
Once I was a mermaid in the deep and tranquil sea
Once I was a mermaid and I was merely floating
But now I need a jet plane, now I need my brothers
Now I need a potion, now I need a lover
Now I need a car, I need a big car so I can sail away
Oh, I can't get used to this, I can't get used to this
Now I fight for space in the natural world
Walking on Eighth, heading out of downtown
Oh I need a car, I need a big car
Take me to the ocean, leave my clothes and I would sail away
Now I need a jet plane, now I need my brothers
Now I need a potion, now I need a lover
Now I need a car, I need a big car so I can sail away
Once I was a mermaid in the deep and tranquil sea
It was to be expected. It was a great, big world, one that Anika had never really given much intense thought to learning about much beyond the fact that there were eight other kingdoms and lots of people were leaving for them until she had been unceremoniously thrust into it. Despite recognizing that, the one thing she was never quite able to get used to were the questioning looks and the glances that said quite plainly, "From what rock in the middle of the Eighth Kingdom did you crawl out from under?" And so, when the woman managing the fruit stand gave her that look, Anika couldn't help but glare back, defensive and accusing.
"I didn't mean to offend, miss," the woman said, suddenly unsettled, "but, well, it's not a question we get often."
"It's a simple one," Anika replied flatly, "What sort of fruits are those?" She pointed at the box piled high with orange orbs, each about the size of an apple, bright like the sun, and smelling peculiarly sweet. The seductive scent had lured her from her search for supplies in the marketplace.
"Oranges."
Anika raised an eyebrow at the woman, certain she had heard wrong. She must've been hungrier than she thought. "No, not what color they are. I want to know what they're called."
"That is what they're called. They're called oranges."
She paused a long moment. How perplexing. Apples weren't called "reds", nor were grapes called "purples", so why would one call an orange an orange? Maybe, she thought, it was a habit of the more southern regions of the Nine Kingdoms. This was her first trip to the Third Kingdom, after all. For all she knew, the people harvested the leaves of the giant beanstalks and stitched them into undergarments.
"All right then, fine. How much are these...oranges?"
"A copper for two."
Anika dug into her money purse, pulling out a single brownish coin that had obviously seen better days. It seemed to be sufficient, however, as the woman accepted it gladly. Anika picked out two of the biggest ones she could find, pocketing one while contemplating the other in her hands. Its skin was electric orange and leathery, but bumpier then animal hide. She would have wondered if these fruits were truly edible if it wasn't for their sweet scent. Then again, she had seen Fifth Kingdomers eat chopped lamb's intestines with relish, so. She threw caution to the wind, preparing to hungrily tear into the orange as if it were an apple.
"Wait!"
Anika stared at the woman in mid-bite, her teeth making deep impressions in the rind. She lowered the fruit, preparing to icily ask the woman why exactly she felt the need to interrupt Anika's attempt at getting some food into her stomach, when the taste of the rind came off of her teeth and onto her tongue. She managed to get a "Why--" out before the need to make a face overcame her, recoiling at the bitterness. It wasn't until the need to hang her tongue out like a dog subsided that she glared accusingly at the woman. "You actually eat these?"
"Well, not like that!" the woman replied, biting her lip as if to fight back a laugh, "You don't eat the outside. It's a peel. The inside's the good part."
Anika looked down at the orange again. "That's a terrible waste."
"You can use the very outer part for breads and cakes and things, if that helps."
"Not a whole lot," the traveler replied plainly, regarding the orange again. Digging her finger into one of the tooth marks, she pulled off a chunk of peel, revealing an orange and white inside. With a bit of mumbling, she manhandled the peel off of the fruit, her hands only slightly sticky for her troubles. "Seems like an awful lot of work for a fruit," she murmured under her breath.
Eventually, she had the peel completely off, and was now faced with a smaller orb, bumpy and slightly gashed from moments where she dug too deep. She raised the fruit to her lips again, but paused, regarding the woman. "Now can I eat it?"
"Well, you can," the fruit seller trailed off.
Anika narrowed her eyes. "...but?"
"You might find it easier if you pull it apart. See, the orange has wedges, and--" Anika drew back as the woman reached out to show her. "Well, break it in half and you'll see."
Furrowing her brow, partly out of concentration and partly out of exasperation, Anika dug her fingers into the fruit again, at the apex, which seemed to her to be the most logical place to start. The fruit fell away easily into two halves, a bit more juice leaking out. "Lucky this thing doesn't have some etiquette with eating it," she mumbled, "It'd take half the day to eat it."
The woman laughed this time, relaxing as Anika fought with the fruit and was thus occupied. "True enough."
One of the segments pulled easily away, emitting a soft crinkling sound. This has to be one of the strangest fruits I've ever eaten, Anika thought to herself as she bit into it.
For a moment, her entire demeanor changed. An unfamiliar flavor burst over her tongue, sweet and tart at the same time, while the fruit itself proved to be one of the juiciest she had ever eaten, bursting almost explosively in her mouth. It was like taking a bite of pure liquid sunshine. Her eyes lit up in spite of herself. The rest of the orange quickly disappeared, leaving Anika juice-stained and slightly breathless, but satisfied.
The woman smiled, leaning her elbows on one of the wooden fruit boxes and cupping her head in her hands. "Well, how was it?"
The euphoria of the orange gone and Anika's regular breathing returned, her face reverted to its previous expression, icy and standoffish. She wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve.
"It's alright."
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-24 02:43 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-24 05:14 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-25 01:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-25 01:11 am (UTC)