I'm just about keeping up with comments, though it's still tricky and probably going to stay that way for a while. Hopefully I'll be able to tell you what's changing soon :)
In the courtroom The streets changed as they left the countryside behind and the city started to take shape. The roads felt wider as they became arterial and there were no cars parked along the sides, and the speed limit steadily increased. The buildings changed from neat, short rows of two-storey houses and became clusters of taller offices and shops. Areas that were clearly designated as facilities of some kind began to appear; they travelled past an electricity station with barbed wire fences protecting huge steel transformers, and over to Slakoiné's left he saw the towering, coal-black walls of the People's Technological College. The landscape flattened out subtly as well, as though the weight of industry and buildings had pressed it down and was holding it in place. They took a wide curve at over 100kph, Verbloek handling the car with finesse, and Janvar and Martz held place in front of them in the other one. The street lights overhead were changing colour as they approached, from white to yellow, and Verbloek was watching them almost as intently as he was watching the road. As an offramp approached the car decelerated, pressing Slakoiné against his seat-belt, and they slid across three lanes of traffic to descend from it. "Change of plan," said Verbloek. "We're going to visit Ostberg first." "The lights didn't tell you that," said Slakoiné. The car turned into a maze of streets laid out two centuries earlier when it was important to be able to confuse invaders and trap them in narrow runs with no hope of escape. The sunlight disappeared and gloom enveloped them. "There's only so much information you can convey with colours and on/off," said Verbloek. They turned left onto a slightly wider street, and the buildings started gaining height again. "So where is it?" "Shouldn't you be telling me?"
They stopped in a car park large enough to hold about fifteen cars; there were just two in it after they'd both parked. "The Hall of Secondary Justice," said Slakoiné. "Promotion or demotion?" "Ostberg?" "Promotion. It's polite to ask though. He might have lost his mind and done something utterly out of character." Verbloek gazed uninterpretably at Slakoiné for several seconds before opening his door and getting out of the car. "He's waiting for us in the courtroom."
The courtroom was so cold that their breath condensed into small white clouds in the air in front of them and both Janvar and Martz looked uncomfortable. They shifted around, trying not to seem like they were fidgeting, but clearly both wanting to stamp their feet and rub their hands together. Slakoiné didn't notice the cold and also didn't notice and envious looks that the other two men kept shooting him. Verbloek had fastened his greatcoat and slipped his gloves on and looked relaxed. Ostberg was a luminous sprite in their midst, wrapped utterly in the Essence of Justice, and wouldn't have noticed if the room had been on fire or sinking into a caldera. He looked at Slakoiné and suddenly there was a file of papers in his hands. "I didn't think you'd agree to return," he said, his voice high-pitched as though he was inhaling helium. Somewhere far off there was an insane giggle. "I wonder what this means?" "It means we needed him and he recognised that," said Verbloek. "You should let him speak for himself." "What are those papers?" asked Slakoiné, but he was sure he already knew the answer. "A pardon of sorts," said Ostberg.
Greg - well you've got me intrigued and hoping that whatever is going on is good news!
Ah, I am most pleased to see you return to this tale. I've been a bit caught up in day to day life recently, so I apologize if the prompts haven't been easy to use in continuing this story. I shall try to keep this in mind this week!
3 comments:
I'm just about keeping up with comments, though it's still tricky and probably going to stay that way for a while. Hopefully I'll be able to tell you what's changing soon :)
In the courtroom
The streets changed as they left the countryside behind and the city started to take shape. The roads felt wider as they became arterial and there were no cars parked along the sides, and the speed limit steadily increased. The buildings changed from neat, short rows of two-storey houses and became clusters of taller offices and shops. Areas that were clearly designated as facilities of some kind began to appear; they travelled past an electricity station with barbed wire fences protecting huge steel transformers, and over to Slakoiné's left he saw the towering, coal-black walls of the People's Technological College. The landscape flattened out subtly as well, as though the weight of industry and buildings had pressed it down and was holding it in place.
They took a wide curve at over 100kph, Verbloek handling the car with finesse, and Janvar and Martz held place in front of them in the other one. The street lights overhead were changing colour as they approached, from white to yellow, and Verbloek was watching them almost as intently as he was watching the road. As an offramp approached the car decelerated, pressing Slakoiné against his seat-belt, and they slid across three lanes of traffic to descend from it.
"Change of plan," said Verbloek. "We're going to visit Ostberg first."
"The lights didn't tell you that," said Slakoiné. The car turned into a maze of streets laid out two centuries earlier when it was important to be able to confuse invaders and trap them in narrow runs with no hope of escape. The sunlight disappeared and gloom enveloped them.
"There's only so much information you can convey with colours and on/off," said Verbloek. They turned left onto a slightly wider street, and the buildings started gaining height again.
"So where is it?"
"Shouldn't you be telling me?"
They stopped in a car park large enough to hold about fifteen cars; there were just two in it after they'd both parked.
"The Hall of Secondary Justice," said Slakoiné. "Promotion or demotion?"
"Ostberg?"
"Promotion. It's polite to ask though. He might have lost his mind and done something utterly out of character."
Verbloek gazed uninterpretably at Slakoiné for several seconds before opening his door and getting out of the car. "He's waiting for us in the courtroom."
The courtroom was so cold that their breath condensed into small white clouds in the air in front of them and both Janvar and Martz looked uncomfortable. They shifted around, trying not to seem like they were fidgeting, but clearly both wanting to stamp their feet and rub their hands together. Slakoiné didn't notice the cold and also didn't notice and envious looks that the other two men kept shooting him. Verbloek had fastened his greatcoat and slipped his gloves on and looked relaxed. Ostberg was a luminous sprite in their midst, wrapped utterly in the Essence of Justice, and wouldn't have noticed if the room had been on fire or sinking into a caldera. He looked at Slakoiné and suddenly there was a file of papers in his hands.
"I didn't think you'd agree to return," he said, his voice high-pitched as though he was inhaling helium. Somewhere far off there was an insane giggle. "I wonder what this means?"
"It means we needed him and he recognised that," said Verbloek.
"You should let him speak for himself."
"What are those papers?" asked Slakoiné, but he was sure he already knew the answer.
"A pardon of sorts," said Ostberg.
Judging yet
Understanding
Regretful and
Yearning -- truth wins over justice.
Greg - well you've got me intrigued and hoping that whatever is going on is good news!
Ah, I am most pleased to see you return to this tale. I've been a bit caught up in day to day life recently, so I apologize if the prompts haven't been easy to use in continuing this story. I shall try to keep this in mind this week!
Morganna - another fine acrostic. As usual :)
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