A Fluffy Tale (Gen)
Dec. 29th, 2011 11:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
my_b7_fic(Merry Ficmas for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
vilakins)
It had taken a few years before Vila realized that being a thief wasn't the only way to self-esteem. Of course, it had helped that his last caper was the biggest and best of all, stealing all of them out from under the Federation's nose. Blake and Avon had been keeping up a not-quite-quarrel ever since the botch-up on Gauda Prime. Blake had been paranoid enough to wear 'You Got Me' protective gear, and nearly everyone else had been zapped by the Blake's Not Ready for Primetime Players. Arlen was still mad at Vila for knocking her out, and Klyn had slapped Avon silly for shooting her with the half-charge 'bounty hunter' gun Blake had arranged for him to get and what's his name, the tech who wandered in at the wrong moment, had actually not been shot at all, but had the good sense to kiss the floor when Avon's bunch invaded Blake's base. So they were all alive, and the main problem was that they were blaming each other for all the total cock-ups that had ever happened in pretty much the history of the universe. Vila had finally got totally fed up at the squabbling and blamed it all on Orac.
He'd been surprised when Orac had confessed. It had been following a campaign against them because it hated them, blaming them for Ensor's death. When Vila pointed out that it was really Servalan's fault for chasing them on Aristo, Orac reassessed its prime directive and as apologetically as an egotistical computer can behave, had offered to actually help them. After the rat-in-a-box brought down the Federation and arranged Servalan's execution for genocide and assorted other crimes against humanity, they all opted for career changes and a peaceful life on Gardenos.
Avon and Soolin, much to everyone's surprise, bonded and went into business as fashion consultants, with Avon designing the clothes (some of which were suspiciously Servalanic) and Soolin handling makeup and hairstyle creation.
Tarrant and Dayna sort of bonded, but they kept their options open. They worked part time as models for Avon and Soolin, and part time they ran an express delivery system.
Blake took over the largest employment agency on the planet and was actually pretty good at finding out where people's talents lay and in talking employers into hiring them.
And Vila had set up a combination pet shop and rescue operation. He didn't make a lot of money, but the bills were always paid, there was always something left over to bank, and he could afford a large building set up to keep the animals that couldn't be adopted. He actually made a profit on that; he didn't charge people for visiting, but the donation buckets usually got something, and then there were the souvenir shirts and calendars and mugs and mousemats and... everything with images of the most attractive animals.
The business was doing so well he was considering hiring someone to help. He was giving a special order iguana for Avon, a four-footer, black with silver spines and golden eyes—he thought Avon would regret the purchase once it began eating his garden- a head of cabbage when he heard the door chime.
"Be right there! Look around, see if there's anything you like!" Vila wasn’t worried about petty theft, not only did he have the most advanced security system, but his trained guard geese were on duty.
"Vila!"
Vila recognized the voice. He turned, dropping the cabbage into the iguana's pen. "Kerril!" He ran to the front of the store and hugged her. "Kerril! How did you ever find me!"
Kerril grinned and kissed Vila. "We got bored and left Homeworld for a holiday. This morning there was a message for me at the hotel, telling me you were here."
"Orac." Vila grinned and looked heavenward, or Star Twoward, anyway, where Orac was orbiting somewhere and keeping things running smoothly. "Orac, I forgive you everything." Vila hugged Kerril. "We have to talk over old times. I'll shut up the shop and we can have lunch at the fanciest restaurant on Gardenos."
"That would be wonderful, Vila, but I think the twins would rather go to MacNibbles."
"Twins?" Vila looked down and recognized his own smile in duplicate little girl faces.
"Could I have a kitty, daddy?" the twins said in unison.
"You can have anything you want," Vila said, kneeling to put his arms around them. He buried his face in their sweet-smelling hair, and felt the tears well up in his eyes. "Anything at all, love."
vilakins)It had taken a few years before Vila realized that being a thief wasn't the only way to self-esteem. Of course, it had helped that his last caper was the biggest and best of all, stealing all of them out from under the Federation's nose. Blake and Avon had been keeping up a not-quite-quarrel ever since the botch-up on Gauda Prime. Blake had been paranoid enough to wear 'You Got Me' protective gear, and nearly everyone else had been zapped by the Blake's Not Ready for Primetime Players. Arlen was still mad at Vila for knocking her out, and Klyn had slapped Avon silly for shooting her with the half-charge 'bounty hunter' gun Blake had arranged for him to get and what's his name, the tech who wandered in at the wrong moment, had actually not been shot at all, but had the good sense to kiss the floor when Avon's bunch invaded Blake's base. So they were all alive, and the main problem was that they were blaming each other for all the total cock-ups that had ever happened in pretty much the history of the universe. Vila had finally got totally fed up at the squabbling and blamed it all on Orac.
He'd been surprised when Orac had confessed. It had been following a campaign against them because it hated them, blaming them for Ensor's death. When Vila pointed out that it was really Servalan's fault for chasing them on Aristo, Orac reassessed its prime directive and as apologetically as an egotistical computer can behave, had offered to actually help them. After the rat-in-a-box brought down the Federation and arranged Servalan's execution for genocide and assorted other crimes against humanity, they all opted for career changes and a peaceful life on Gardenos.
Avon and Soolin, much to everyone's surprise, bonded and went into business as fashion consultants, with Avon designing the clothes (some of which were suspiciously Servalanic) and Soolin handling makeup and hairstyle creation.
Tarrant and Dayna sort of bonded, but they kept their options open. They worked part time as models for Avon and Soolin, and part time they ran an express delivery system.
Blake took over the largest employment agency on the planet and was actually pretty good at finding out where people's talents lay and in talking employers into hiring them.
And Vila had set up a combination pet shop and rescue operation. He didn't make a lot of money, but the bills were always paid, there was always something left over to bank, and he could afford a large building set up to keep the animals that couldn't be adopted. He actually made a profit on that; he didn't charge people for visiting, but the donation buckets usually got something, and then there were the souvenir shirts and calendars and mugs and mousemats and... everything with images of the most attractive animals.
The business was doing so well he was considering hiring someone to help. He was giving a special order iguana for Avon, a four-footer, black with silver spines and golden eyes—he thought Avon would regret the purchase once it began eating his garden- a head of cabbage when he heard the door chime.
"Be right there! Look around, see if there's anything you like!" Vila wasn’t worried about petty theft, not only did he have the most advanced security system, but his trained guard geese were on duty.
"Vila!"
Vila recognized the voice. He turned, dropping the cabbage into the iguana's pen. "Kerril!" He ran to the front of the store and hugged her. "Kerril! How did you ever find me!"
Kerril grinned and kissed Vila. "We got bored and left Homeworld for a holiday. This morning there was a message for me at the hotel, telling me you were here."
"Orac." Vila grinned and looked heavenward, or Star Twoward, anyway, where Orac was orbiting somewhere and keeping things running smoothly. "Orac, I forgive you everything." Vila hugged Kerril. "We have to talk over old times. I'll shut up the shop and we can have lunch at the fanciest restaurant on Gardenos."
"That would be wonderful, Vila, but I think the twins would rather go to MacNibbles."
"Twins?" Vila looked down and recognized his own smile in duplicate little girl faces.
"Could I have a kitty, daddy?" the twins said in unison.
"You can have anything you want," Vila said, kneeling to put his arms around them. He buried his face in their sweet-smelling hair, and felt the tears well up in his eyes. "Anything at all, love."
