shirley jackson warrior

Over a decade later… the fic i should always have written

it's shaped like this both main characters serve state or religious functions involving death, somehow (she's like a vestal virgin but for death; he's a... coroner? executioner?). if the rome-ish route: she's patrician, he's plebian. they are familiar with each other through whatever (gestures) office they serve. he thinks she is a frustrating nightmare woman. she finds him sort of pathetic. major secondary characters are 1. the cass, if you will, a woman in his orbit who is a distant love object DECIDEDLY not into him (who has some subordinate role to the frustrating nightmare woman) 2. his dad, who gets offed in the first "book" (????? i'm referring to it as "parts" because it will frighten me otherwise) and 3. the nightmare woman's idiot brother who is, somehow, a celebrated senator/whatever PART ONE: he stands accused of his dad's murder, or something like that. she proves him innocent. everyone revises everyone else's social standing over the course of the book: SHE is surprised to find herself defending him so passionately, HE does an immediate reverse from "she's a frustrating nightmare woman" to "frustrating nightmare woman (FOND)" PART TWO: he is in her debt. SHE stands accused of murder, HE is determined to prove her innocent. SHE ISN'T LOL!!! and yet he must discharge the debt before he does anything else with his life. this sort of life-debt is a big stupid thing in their society. anyway HE clears her name but does an immediate reverse from "frustrating nightmare woman (FOND) " to "VILE SORCERESS??? to whom i am CHAINED by FATE. guess she was kinda justified though*" the cass character has been here the entire time, trying to get as far away as possible from these freaks (she does) ^ these were reversed at first but i think they need to be this way to emphasize a feeling of betrayal immediately followed by him doing a thing he thinks he HAS to do that he ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT, nonetheless arriving at a place where they can see each other plainly PART THREE: the cass character and/or possibly her spouse stand accused! the duo clear their names. he reassesses his relationship to the VILE SORCERESS yet again, complicated by her being his Benefactress and also i must emphasize a murderer but also their constant trading of an idiotic life debt. HE realizes he never really knew that much about the cass character, but also Her (VILE SORCERESS). weird feelings about Her (VILE SORCERESS) being one of the very few people who actually seems to like him (for you see, he is a frustrating nightmare man in addition to a total worm)