Plugging on with the WIPs
Jul. 4th, 2011 08:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elingregoryI've made considerable changes to my story about the sculptors. It was okay - ish - but needed more oomph so it has more oomph plus a bit of eeeeww-factor.
Also I'm adding to my pirate novel again and have come to the conclusion that while I may not be able to manage sexy, I might make a stab at silly.
But not much point in telling when I could be showing.
'Alike As Two Bees' Snippet
“Well, that went well,” Nikias said when Eutychos and his son had trotted out of the yard. They really thought it had, too, until the darkest part of the night when they were woken by a crash and the rapid patter of hooves.
Tumbling out of his blankets, Philon ran into the yard, just as he was. The night was a dark one and the space seemed to be full of dark bodies. It wasn’t until a cloud cleared the half moon that they were able to catch the mules and drive them back into their pen.
"I told you to be sure to tie up the gate," Nikias snarled at Kosmas.
Kosmas looked shocked. "I did,” he protested. "I'll swear I did.”
Nikias just threw up his hands and sent them all to see what damage had been done. It was bad enough. The mules had pulled apart their stack of fodder and trodden much of it into the ground. The sack of beans had been upended too. But worse that that, some of them had managed to get into the place where the frieze panels stood and had jolted three of them off their stands. Nikias sent Galenos hurrying to bring the lamp and cursed at the crack in one of the slabs of marble. Philon's heart sank as they lifted the panels and exposed the faces. Two were chipped but could probably be made good with a little care. The panel showing the Dioscuri was broken right across the middle. In the flicker of the lamplight Philon studied the break, his arm around Anatolios’s shoulders.
"Do you think we can repair it?" Anatolios asked.
"I don't think so," Philon said with a sigh. "The crack would show. Eutychos won't accept anything less than perfect."
Anatolios compressed his lips to stop their quivering and put his arm around Philon's waist. "We can carve them again," he said. "Can't we? This time we'll get them right from the beginning. It won't take long."
"It won't." Philon gave him a squeeze then rocked slightly as Nikias patted him on the back.
"That's the spirit," Nikias said. "You are professionals. Of course you can do it again. Did I ever tell you about the time I was half way through a Poseidon - best work I'd ever done - and his arm just dropped off? Fault in the marble, my master said. Not my fault. So I set to and did it again."
“I can help with the roughing out,” Galenos offered, the grey in his beard picking up the moonlight. He grinned. “Just like I did with the Poseidon.”
"Yes, but we were going to fit the panels in a day or so," Methodios said. "There won't be time to carve this one again. Not and repair the chips. We’ll be behind."
"We'll manage," Nikias said. "We can hang the finished panels and the painters will just have to come back to do those. We’re not rushing our work for their convenience. Are those mules back in their pen? Kosmas? Have you tied the gate up tight, this time?"
"I swear I did it," Kosmas said. "Honest. On my mother's heart. I remember tying the knot. A double knot so that old mare can't pick it loose."
"Well, maybe it wasn't tight enough," Nikias said. "We'll be able to see what needs doing when it's light. Anatolios - bed. You too, Philon."
But Philon noticed a dark smear on the edge of one of the fallen panels and stooped to draw a finger across it. "I - I think this is blood." he said.
'On A Lee Shore' snippet
"Kit," Griffin sighed. "You taste of the sea. I like that."
"You mean of fish and tar and bilges?" Kit asked. His head was in the crook of Griffin's arm and he had almost got his breath back.
"No." Griffin snorted, a smile in his voice. "That would be me - until I've been able to have a proper wash, at least."
Also I'm adding to my pirate novel again and have come to the conclusion that while I may not be able to manage sexy, I might make a stab at silly.
But not much point in telling when I could be showing.
'Alike As Two Bees' Snippet
“Well, that went well,” Nikias said when Eutychos and his son had trotted out of the yard. They really thought it had, too, until the darkest part of the night when they were woken by a crash and the rapid patter of hooves.
Tumbling out of his blankets, Philon ran into the yard, just as he was. The night was a dark one and the space seemed to be full of dark bodies. It wasn’t until a cloud cleared the half moon that they were able to catch the mules and drive them back into their pen.
"I told you to be sure to tie up the gate," Nikias snarled at Kosmas.
Kosmas looked shocked. "I did,” he protested. "I'll swear I did.”
Nikias just threw up his hands and sent them all to see what damage had been done. It was bad enough. The mules had pulled apart their stack of fodder and trodden much of it into the ground. The sack of beans had been upended too. But worse that that, some of them had managed to get into the place where the frieze panels stood and had jolted three of them off their stands. Nikias sent Galenos hurrying to bring the lamp and cursed at the crack in one of the slabs of marble. Philon's heart sank as they lifted the panels and exposed the faces. Two were chipped but could probably be made good with a little care. The panel showing the Dioscuri was broken right across the middle. In the flicker of the lamplight Philon studied the break, his arm around Anatolios’s shoulders.
"Do you think we can repair it?" Anatolios asked.
"I don't think so," Philon said with a sigh. "The crack would show. Eutychos won't accept anything less than perfect."
Anatolios compressed his lips to stop their quivering and put his arm around Philon's waist. "We can carve them again," he said. "Can't we? This time we'll get them right from the beginning. It won't take long."
"It won't." Philon gave him a squeeze then rocked slightly as Nikias patted him on the back.
"That's the spirit," Nikias said. "You are professionals. Of course you can do it again. Did I ever tell you about the time I was half way through a Poseidon - best work I'd ever done - and his arm just dropped off? Fault in the marble, my master said. Not my fault. So I set to and did it again."
“I can help with the roughing out,” Galenos offered, the grey in his beard picking up the moonlight. He grinned. “Just like I did with the Poseidon.”
"Yes, but we were going to fit the panels in a day or so," Methodios said. "There won't be time to carve this one again. Not and repair the chips. We’ll be behind."
"We'll manage," Nikias said. "We can hang the finished panels and the painters will just have to come back to do those. We’re not rushing our work for their convenience. Are those mules back in their pen? Kosmas? Have you tied the gate up tight, this time?"
"I swear I did it," Kosmas said. "Honest. On my mother's heart. I remember tying the knot. A double knot so that old mare can't pick it loose."
"Well, maybe it wasn't tight enough," Nikias said. "We'll be able to see what needs doing when it's light. Anatolios - bed. You too, Philon."
But Philon noticed a dark smear on the edge of one of the fallen panels and stooped to draw a finger across it. "I - I think this is blood." he said.
'On A Lee Shore' snippet
"Kit," Griffin sighed. "You taste of the sea. I like that."
"You mean of fish and tar and bilges?" Kit asked. His head was in the crook of Griffin's arm and he had almost got his breath back.
"No." Griffin snorted, a smile in his voice. "That would be me - until I've been able to have a proper wash, at least."
