Post by Kari Muffin on May 21, 2010 3:16:26 GMT -5
Lots of little stories to progress my characters. And for fun. Forgive me for any weird typos. Of the wonderful characters I have devloped this evening we have Xiven, Radz, Josephine, Harold, Falks/Ben and Lythero.
Word Count: 574
Rewrote/revamped an old fic... that I'm fairly certian I never posted.
Love Is...
Emeraude was staring at Xiven again.
"What?"
"You know what."
"You're worried about my life choices and you want to know why I'm madly in love with Apocalypse."
"Yes..."
"You should have figured it out by now."
"Humor me. You need a break from your work anyway. And you're getting a headache."
Xiven set down her quill. Leaning back in her chair she eyed the woman who was leaning on the desk. Her elbows propped her head up. There was a crazy reason why Xiven had managed to develop a power that allowed for her to exist. And it must have been fate. "Why do you want to know so badly?"
"Because everyone hates the fact that he's abusing you and you don't seem to listen. You're the most powerful politic in the world according to society, you can go out and sleep with whoever you want to, you can make a family with someone far kinder and... did I mention he keeps screwing everyone and having children? I want to know why you put yourself through all that bullshit."
Xiven closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. "Yeah... fine. Fine."
Emeraude made herself comfortable as he waited for an explanation.
"It hurts when he keeps sleeping around, I admit to that. But Pale he..." Why the hell was she explaining herself to anyone? She could love whoever she wanted to. She could do what she wanted to within reason. So why was everyone asking her about her choices? "We've been through a lot. And when the going got tough we fought, we screamed, we almost gave up but we came back to each other. It wasn't a mistake. He didn't give up on me."
"And... that's it?"
"No, that's not it. Even though he sleeps around, I know he will always be there for me. He's someone I can trust."
"How do you know that when all he does is sleep around with all sorts of women? He makes promises to them, has their children, makes more promises and just.... he's disgusting."
"He hasn't abandoned me yet."
"Close enough. He's been screwing just about everyone."
"But he doesn't come home for them. And I know... I know that he loves Rhi. Probably more than he loves someone like me. But all I can ever hope for is that he'll continue walking through the door. It might not be love... it might simply be devotion. It might simply be a hopeful wish, but so help me... I don't know what I would do without him. I know I wouldn't be half the person I am now without him."
For a while there was nothing but silence between the pair. The Avington woman had shifted her position to leaning her cheek on one hand. She was carefully watching the woman in front of her. "You know why I picked you, right?"
Xiven shook her head as she buried her face in her arms.
"Mostly it was because of your magic, I mean... not many people could pick up one someone like me. Then it was your wonderful figure. I've never seen a Torquehelm as pretty as you. And then it was your kindness. You might be a Heart but... you're the only one I've ever met who could sway my opinion about the suit. Even if it is only for a few moments." She leaned forward, putting her head on the desk as she moved closer to Xiven. "I think I might get it.... at little bit. I'll stop bothering you, okay?"
"Okay."
Word Count: 801
Eurwen stared at her brother. At least that's what Radz could assume form the awkward silence that was forming between them.
"I leave you alone and suddenly you have a jar filled with... I don't even know."
"You left me alone for an hour. What did you expect to happen?" He figured if he had any eyes he would have rolled them at this point. Instead he just looked in the general direction of where his sister was. And from the sound of her tail thrashing he was staring right at her. She always did feel guilty when he managed to hit his mark.
"So I imagine it's from that creepy pot I left you by? You put the items in it and this came out instead..." she tapped the glass with her nail.
He carefully brushed it with his wings. "Well, why don't we find out?" He sat down as he spoke pulling the jar closer to him. Even though he was blind he could figure this out on his own. It wasn't fair that his sister got to do all the experiments.
She made an unsure sound. That rarely happened. "I don't want to be part of this."
"Fine, I'll do it by myself."
"You go do that. Have fun."
He could hear her walking away, almost slamming the door behind her. How nice of her. It just meant that he had a chance to investigate without having her interrupt. No two sense to go by.
A small part of him wished that he had been born with front limbs beyond his wings. They would have made everything so much easier. As it was he had to do the investigation with his less than sensitive wings tips and feet. It was a slow and laborious process, but he could feel that there wasn't something quite right with the jar. Besides it being ornately decorated it seemed to have places that weren't quite... right with the pattern of the jar. It seemed to be well crafted and perfect expect for particular spots.
He sniffed at one of them on the bottom of the jar, pressing his nose against it. Was it something that could be opened? He angled the jar awkwardly between his feet so he could try to pry whatever it was open.
It was difficult in ways he couldn't describe. Honestly even if he had hands he figured this would be a difficult task. After an hour worth of struggling he took a bit of a breather. Placing the jar upright (as far as he could tell) he screwed open the top. His nose wrinkled at the smell. Was something being preserved in the jar? Should he reach in and test it? Why not? No one was bothering him and it didn't seem like a bad idea.
Another balancing act ensued so he could properly grab something from the jar. After a few moments of awkward fishing around he managed to grab something....
He actually had no idea what he was grabbing as he pulled out the object from the jar. It felt weird. Almost like he was squeezing someone's tail. How odd. He sniffed it again. Pickled something. His ears pulled back as he felt a rather odd sensation from his tail. Something wasn't normal... it seemed to be terribly heavy and--growing?!
The mouse hybrid could feel the panic welling up. Of course he happened to stumble onto something magical without anyone around. Of course the Jar was filled with strange things. For a moment he wanted to flail as he felt a bit of blood trickle down his cheek.
And then he realized that was grabbing a hold of the jar so he could hold it properly. His brow furrowed. He might as well take advantage of this right? He went back to fiddling with the awkward hatch that he was trying to open earlier. His tail was careful not to spill what it was holding. After a few moments of pawing he managed to open the trap door.
He wasn't prepared for the little mouse skull that popped out. He definitely wasn't prepared for the tiny skull to turn into powder. His nose wrinkled. What....? What just happened? Carefully the mouse hybrid set the jar down. After making sure the powder was all in one place he put the lid back onto the jar. He had fooled around enough as it was... hopefully the tail thing wasn't permanent. Though it would be terribly useful for lab experiments. Now if only he could manage to find some magical item that would get him sight.
His tail placed the jar back on the shelf. Sliding it behind a few things. He would keep it safe, that way he could study it later, and his sister would keep her hands off of it. Radz smiled at the thought. Something for him and only him.
Word Count: 605
Josephine shared her name. She didn't really like the idea of being named after someone. Her sister wasn't. Her sister had a normal name. At least normal for the family.
The girl found herself staring up at her namesake. She was old, older than most of the people she had ever seen. Mother had said that she was a wolf, but at the moment she was in her human form. It was clear that she was wearing ample amounts of make up, but obviously nothing could hide all of the wrinkles.
The woman's nose wrinkled. "She is not a Josephine."
"Really? I thought you would be happy to have a namesake that's a pure wolf."
"She's a Club. She's a-I don't even know what she is. And what is with those things sticking out of her shoulder?" The woman snorted, turning on her heal. The little wolf took note of the stilettos she was wearing. Bright red. It seemed to be a theme of the Highlanders....
And she was a Heart. So why would she like her? Josephine's tail drooped as she found herself staring at the floor. She wasn't good enough. Mother didn't think that was the case, then again her mother didn't seem to take anything seriously. More often than not her airy Aunt Sage had to fill in the blanks.
"You can't even screw the right people. Find a damn Highlander and have children with them. And then, maybe I would approve of naming someone after me." The old woman had taken her cane and pressed it against the wolf-squirrel's chest. Apparently she didn't seem to care that children were watching.
Little Josephine didn't like her namesake. Why was she so angry? Why did she want a Highlander from Mother so badly? Why wasn't she good enough? "Just because I'm not a Highlander doesn't mean I'm a failure."
There was a moment of awkward silence. Little Josephine wasn't sure what to do. Was she going to get hit by the cane? Was her mother going to scold her?
When the older woman turned around she used her cane to walk over to the girl. Leaning on it heavily as she looked down. "Even if you were a Highlander you'd have to earn my respect."
"But you'll never respect me because I'm not a Highlander."
"You're probably right."
"That's... not fair."
"So what? It's not fair that you have my name."
"I'd happily let you take it back. It's a awful name for old ladies."
The older woman sharply poked the young girl in the nose with her cane. "I ought to throw you out of a window."
There was a squeal of surprise as the wolf backed up to grab her nose. That hurt. That hurt a lot. This old lady was mean. Why had her mother picked this as a namesake?
"Awww. Aunt Joe, don't be so mean. She's still not properly trained in etiquette. No need to be so violent." Rosemary said as she walked over to put herself between her daughter and the older woman. Of course Rosemary was pushed away by the woman with the cane.
"I'm going to be better than you. I'll grow up and be amazing. Just wait!"
"I'd like to live to see you disappoint me," the woman said with a snort. "But I'm afraid I can't live until I'm two hundred."
The girl stared at up at the Highlander. How was she supposed to respond to that? "Then just live long enough to see me in stiletto heals so I can trample through the Highlanders and earn the family name. Even if I'm not a Highlander... I will earn it."
The woman shifted awkwardly under the gaze for a moment. "You might be worth it."
Word Count: 693
Broken Memories
He found himself staring at the crowd of people.
Why couldn't he remember? Why could he only remember a few things? Why couldn't he remember who he was?
Harold didn't notice as the waitress set his cup of coffee down. She had been doing it for the past two weeks. Every time he came by he would order the same cup of coffee with the same amount of cream, so after a while she had brought him his order automatically. She knew that he had a girlfriend. The woman never seemed to be far away from him or so it seemed. It was hard to believe that an Esterberry as pretty as him would be dating a Golfram.
The woman waited for a moment to see if he would acknowledge her.
He was far to busy struggling to get through his thoughts.
Odami Lyssn. That was her name. He had finally remembered it. So why was he still so terribly haunted by her? His eyes narrowed as he watched people skirt by. She had been something important to him. At least from what he had gathered.Considering he couldn't remember his parents and yet he could remember details about her family. He could remember seemingly everything about her and yet nothing about himself.
What bothered him the most was the screaming. Every time he tried to sleep all he could do was hear the faint screaming. It sounded like her. And no matter how he pretended it didn't bother him it was still there.
He didn't want Felaria to worry. Things were just going right for them and he didn't want to put a damper on it. A small sigh escaped him at the thought of her knowing the full extant of what was bothering him. She already knew something was bothering him. It was impossible to miss the restless nights and the distracted look on his face.
When Harold shifted he knocked the coffee slightly, managing to spill some on his lap. The sudden heat caused him to jump with surprise, only spilling the coffee in the other direction. A curse escaped him as he tried to sop up the coffee that he paid for. Had he actually gone and ordered it already? He hadn't thought so.
"Oh dear, are you all right?" the waitress asked as she hurried over with towels.
"Yes I'm fine," Harold said hastily as he soaked up what was left of the coffee from his lap. Did he even have time to go home and change before he had to run those papers to his temporary job? Wasn't he supposed to make dinner for Felaria tonight?
"Are you sure?" the woman asked as she suddenly started to pat down Harold with a few clean towels. "That was fresh coffee..."
Harold paused in mid motion. It wasn't every day that a woman attempted to pat him down when he was fairly certian that he had gotten all the coffee. And he was sure that if Felaria was around there would be a potential argument. And that might be putting it nicely. "Are you normally this friendly?"
It was clear, even through the fur, that the woman was turning bright red. She dropped the towels and apologized profusely before running off. Harold was left standing at the table holding towels, smelling strongly of coffee, being stared at by everyone in the general area and overall feeling awkward.
Today was just a blast.
A sigh escaped Harold as he used the towels to sop off what was left of the coffee. He pulled a bit of money out of his pocket to pay his tab and the poor girl's tip before departing.
It was still bothering him, of course. And the thought of it showing to Felaria was starting to bother him even more as he made his way to his deliver his article. It was a temporary job, but they paid him decently for writing reviews and a random assortment of things "only an Esterberry would touch." They didn't ask too many questions, he didn't have to get involved with people, and it wasn't too much of a strain. More importantly it left him time to do his own research and spend time with Felaria.
Every moment was precious.
Word Count: 820
The boy in the straight jacket had been staring out of the window. He wasn't sure of what to do. He didn't want to take off the jacket... but he wanted to be able to use his hands. And Benedict always had to open doors and write... and do everything. It was a little unfair to his brother, wasn't it?
"Falks!"
He jumped with a slight squeal of surprise. His head snapped around to see his brother's. His eyes were wide in their normal state of perpetual panic and fear. "W-what?"
"Don't panic, but we should get going."
There was a moment of silence as Falks processed the words. His eyes widened even more in realization that the light was fading. His heart skipped a beat as he slowly backed up, his hair standing on end.
"Don't... panic," Benedict repeated.
Of course it didn't work. As soon as he realized what was happening he set off in a bolt of a run. All his life he had managed to balance properly and this was no exception as he ran down the halls in the palace of Hearts. Unlike most times he was running, however, this time he ran head long into someone.
He came crashing backwards, his brother dodging the full weight by moving to the side. He still hit the floor pretty hard, and when he fell forward he fond himself looking up at someone's... underwear?
He had run into the worst possible person.His heart skipped a beat when Benedict spoke. "Xiven! Are you all right? Falks panicked about it getting dark."
Xiven was almost completely sprawled out. The only thing that had prevented her head from slamming into the ground was the appearance of Emeraude to catch her. Xiven thanked her lucky stars that the cyclone was so terribly fond of her. "I'm fine," she said as she let the woman help her up.
Emeraude shook her head, "You're lucky Xiven is such a kind person. Most Nobles would have your head chopped clean off by now."
"Sorry Xiven," Flaks squeaked with a sniff. He had turned away blushing slightly. His sister was the Queen of Hearts. He was nothing but a pathetic Club, and she really could sentence him to death. "I'm really sorry."
"Don't do it again," she said as she righted her skirt. She went to offer a hand, only to realize tha the didn't have any hand to grab her's with. "Do you need help getting up?"
Emeraude scoffed behind the Queen as Falks and Benedict stared up at the woman. Benedict said something, but Falks didn't really hear it. In a moment he blurted out something he had only thought about. "What's it like to be free?"
It was easy to register the surprise on Xiven's face. Even Emeraude was surprised and tilted her head at the boy. Xiven was the first to break the silence as she knelt down besides the boys. "Come on, let's go and talk in a place that's more comfortable."
Falks was unsure of what to think. Why was she being so kind all of a sudden? If he had asked a question like this to their mother she would have scoffed at them, or said something to change the subject. But Xiven was different. For whatever reason.
She lead him to her room, taking a seat in one of the chair where he and his brother studied. "So what do you want to know?" she said as the green haired woman took a seat on the arm of the chair.
Falks took a seat on his bed. Benedict peered over his shoulder. Even he was curious about what was going on. Falks hesitated for a moment, staring at the ground and up to his sister. The most powerful woman in the world was being kind to him. His toes curled for a moment. "What's it like not to worry about the curse?"
Xiven smiled, "I don't think about it, I don't have to. The real question is why do you ask?"
"W-what do you mean?"
"Falks...."
"Would you undo my binding?"
Xiven stood and crossed the room. "If you turn around I'll be more than happy to undo the straps for you."
It was that easy? Weren't there enchantments or something? Then again she was the Queen of Hearts.... Still. For a moment Falks was unsure if she was being serious, but he turned around and waited.
His ears panned backwards when he heard the unbuckling of the straps. Moments later his jacket was loose. Nothing horrible happened.
He could move his arms. They felt funny. He wiggles his fingers without restraint. So this was what it was like to be free?
"T-thank you, Xiven."
"It's not a problem," she said as she patted him on the shoulder. "Now, the real question is can I leave you and Benedict alone?"
"But it's dark outside...."
The women and Benedict sighed.
Word Count: 300
Lythero was sulking. However common it was recently. On the bright side he was male, on the down side he was still a damned squirrel. A fluffy tail wasn't all that intimidating.
Nothing about him was intimidating. When people looked at him all they could do was say that he was cute. This damn body had some wonderful power about it that was terribly convenient like that. On the bright side people under a particular rank didn't bother him... on the downside it was just plan annoying.
The squirrel found himself unable to call anyone to arms. The Tulgey in the Wood wanted nothing to do with power, the Tulgey inside were tainted. He would need more than just Tulgey power to achieve his goal.
He looked up from his alcohol filled glass to glance around the room. The city was filled with nothing more than filth. Disgusting regions that made his fur stand on end. He could take his human form... but there was the ridiculous outfit that it was wearing. The thought made him cringe. He was nothing but a ridiculous joke.
And then he saw something in the corner of his eye. The bright white and pink made him freeze. Several women had walked through the door. One of them was a Tulgey. Pure. Untainted. Wings that were semi-transparent? A perfectly kept elegant outfit. Grace like no other card in the room.
His heart skipped a beat. She was a wolf too. A wolf with an extra fluffy tail but... none the less he could see the wolf in her.
He strained to hear the conversations from where he was sitting. Her name was what? Sage? That was a perfect name.
That was a perfect place to start. He would eventually make her his.
Word Count: 574
Rewrote/revamped an old fic... that I'm fairly certian I never posted.
Love Is...
Emeraude was staring at Xiven again.
"What?"
"You know what."
"You're worried about my life choices and you want to know why I'm madly in love with Apocalypse."
"Yes..."
"You should have figured it out by now."
"Humor me. You need a break from your work anyway. And you're getting a headache."
Xiven set down her quill. Leaning back in her chair she eyed the woman who was leaning on the desk. Her elbows propped her head up. There was a crazy reason why Xiven had managed to develop a power that allowed for her to exist. And it must have been fate. "Why do you want to know so badly?"
"Because everyone hates the fact that he's abusing you and you don't seem to listen. You're the most powerful politic in the world according to society, you can go out and sleep with whoever you want to, you can make a family with someone far kinder and... did I mention he keeps screwing everyone and having children? I want to know why you put yourself through all that bullshit."
Xiven closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. "Yeah... fine. Fine."
Emeraude made herself comfortable as he waited for an explanation.
"It hurts when he keeps sleeping around, I admit to that. But Pale he..." Why the hell was she explaining herself to anyone? She could love whoever she wanted to. She could do what she wanted to within reason. So why was everyone asking her about her choices? "We've been through a lot. And when the going got tough we fought, we screamed, we almost gave up but we came back to each other. It wasn't a mistake. He didn't give up on me."
"And... that's it?"
"No, that's not it. Even though he sleeps around, I know he will always be there for me. He's someone I can trust."
"How do you know that when all he does is sleep around with all sorts of women? He makes promises to them, has their children, makes more promises and just.... he's disgusting."
"He hasn't abandoned me yet."
"Close enough. He's been screwing just about everyone."
"But he doesn't come home for them. And I know... I know that he loves Rhi. Probably more than he loves someone like me. But all I can ever hope for is that he'll continue walking through the door. It might not be love... it might simply be devotion. It might simply be a hopeful wish, but so help me... I don't know what I would do without him. I know I wouldn't be half the person I am now without him."
For a while there was nothing but silence between the pair. The Avington woman had shifted her position to leaning her cheek on one hand. She was carefully watching the woman in front of her. "You know why I picked you, right?"
Xiven shook her head as she buried her face in her arms.
"Mostly it was because of your magic, I mean... not many people could pick up one someone like me. Then it was your wonderful figure. I've never seen a Torquehelm as pretty as you. And then it was your kindness. You might be a Heart but... you're the only one I've ever met who could sway my opinion about the suit. Even if it is only for a few moments." She leaned forward, putting her head on the desk as she moved closer to Xiven. "I think I might get it.... at little bit. I'll stop bothering you, okay?"
"Okay."
Word Count: 801
The Cookie Jar
Eurwen stared at her brother. At least that's what Radz could assume form the awkward silence that was forming between them.
"I leave you alone and suddenly you have a jar filled with... I don't even know."
"You left me alone for an hour. What did you expect to happen?" He figured if he had any eyes he would have rolled them at this point. Instead he just looked in the general direction of where his sister was. And from the sound of her tail thrashing he was staring right at her. She always did feel guilty when he managed to hit his mark.
"So I imagine it's from that creepy pot I left you by? You put the items in it and this came out instead..." she tapped the glass with her nail.
He carefully brushed it with his wings. "Well, why don't we find out?" He sat down as he spoke pulling the jar closer to him. Even though he was blind he could figure this out on his own. It wasn't fair that his sister got to do all the experiments.
She made an unsure sound. That rarely happened. "I don't want to be part of this."
"Fine, I'll do it by myself."
"You go do that. Have fun."
He could hear her walking away, almost slamming the door behind her. How nice of her. It just meant that he had a chance to investigate without having her interrupt. No two sense to go by.
A small part of him wished that he had been born with front limbs beyond his wings. They would have made everything so much easier. As it was he had to do the investigation with his less than sensitive wings tips and feet. It was a slow and laborious process, but he could feel that there wasn't something quite right with the jar. Besides it being ornately decorated it seemed to have places that weren't quite... right with the pattern of the jar. It seemed to be well crafted and perfect expect for particular spots.
He sniffed at one of them on the bottom of the jar, pressing his nose against it. Was it something that could be opened? He angled the jar awkwardly between his feet so he could try to pry whatever it was open.
It was difficult in ways he couldn't describe. Honestly even if he had hands he figured this would be a difficult task. After an hour worth of struggling he took a bit of a breather. Placing the jar upright (as far as he could tell) he screwed open the top. His nose wrinkled at the smell. Was something being preserved in the jar? Should he reach in and test it? Why not? No one was bothering him and it didn't seem like a bad idea.
Another balancing act ensued so he could properly grab something from the jar. After a few moments of awkward fishing around he managed to grab something....
He actually had no idea what he was grabbing as he pulled out the object from the jar. It felt weird. Almost like he was squeezing someone's tail. How odd. He sniffed it again. Pickled something. His ears pulled back as he felt a rather odd sensation from his tail. Something wasn't normal... it seemed to be terribly heavy and--growing?!
The mouse hybrid could feel the panic welling up. Of course he happened to stumble onto something magical without anyone around. Of course the Jar was filled with strange things. For a moment he wanted to flail as he felt a bit of blood trickle down his cheek.
And then he realized that was grabbing a hold of the jar so he could hold it properly. His brow furrowed. He might as well take advantage of this right? He went back to fiddling with the awkward hatch that he was trying to open earlier. His tail was careful not to spill what it was holding. After a few moments of pawing he managed to open the trap door.
He wasn't prepared for the little mouse skull that popped out. He definitely wasn't prepared for the tiny skull to turn into powder. His nose wrinkled. What....? What just happened? Carefully the mouse hybrid set the jar down. After making sure the powder was all in one place he put the lid back onto the jar. He had fooled around enough as it was... hopefully the tail thing wasn't permanent. Though it would be terribly useful for lab experiments. Now if only he could manage to find some magical item that would get him sight.
His tail placed the jar back on the shelf. Sliding it behind a few things. He would keep it safe, that way he could study it later, and his sister would keep her hands off of it. Radz smiled at the thought. Something for him and only him.
Word Count: 605
I'll Be Better
Josephine shared her name. She didn't really like the idea of being named after someone. Her sister wasn't. Her sister had a normal name. At least normal for the family.
The girl found herself staring up at her namesake. She was old, older than most of the people she had ever seen. Mother had said that she was a wolf, but at the moment she was in her human form. It was clear that she was wearing ample amounts of make up, but obviously nothing could hide all of the wrinkles.
The woman's nose wrinkled. "She is not a Josephine."
"Really? I thought you would be happy to have a namesake that's a pure wolf."
"She's a Club. She's a-I don't even know what she is. And what is with those things sticking out of her shoulder?" The woman snorted, turning on her heal. The little wolf took note of the stilettos she was wearing. Bright red. It seemed to be a theme of the Highlanders....
And she was a Heart. So why would she like her? Josephine's tail drooped as she found herself staring at the floor. She wasn't good enough. Mother didn't think that was the case, then again her mother didn't seem to take anything seriously. More often than not her airy Aunt Sage had to fill in the blanks.
"You can't even screw the right people. Find a damn Highlander and have children with them. And then, maybe I would approve of naming someone after me." The old woman had taken her cane and pressed it against the wolf-squirrel's chest. Apparently she didn't seem to care that children were watching.
Little Josephine didn't like her namesake. Why was she so angry? Why did she want a Highlander from Mother so badly? Why wasn't she good enough? "Just because I'm not a Highlander doesn't mean I'm a failure."
There was a moment of awkward silence. Little Josephine wasn't sure what to do. Was she going to get hit by the cane? Was her mother going to scold her?
When the older woman turned around she used her cane to walk over to the girl. Leaning on it heavily as she looked down. "Even if you were a Highlander you'd have to earn my respect."
"But you'll never respect me because I'm not a Highlander."
"You're probably right."
"That's... not fair."
"So what? It's not fair that you have my name."
"I'd happily let you take it back. It's a awful name for old ladies."
The older woman sharply poked the young girl in the nose with her cane. "I ought to throw you out of a window."
There was a squeal of surprise as the wolf backed up to grab her nose. That hurt. That hurt a lot. This old lady was mean. Why had her mother picked this as a namesake?
"Awww. Aunt Joe, don't be so mean. She's still not properly trained in etiquette. No need to be so violent." Rosemary said as she walked over to put herself between her daughter and the older woman. Of course Rosemary was pushed away by the woman with the cane.
"I'm going to be better than you. I'll grow up and be amazing. Just wait!"
"I'd like to live to see you disappoint me," the woman said with a snort. "But I'm afraid I can't live until I'm two hundred."
The girl stared at up at the Highlander. How was she supposed to respond to that? "Then just live long enough to see me in stiletto heals so I can trample through the Highlanders and earn the family name. Even if I'm not a Highlander... I will earn it."
The woman shifted awkwardly under the gaze for a moment. "You might be worth it."
Word Count: 693
Broken Memories
He found himself staring at the crowd of people.
Why couldn't he remember? Why could he only remember a few things? Why couldn't he remember who he was?
Harold didn't notice as the waitress set his cup of coffee down. She had been doing it for the past two weeks. Every time he came by he would order the same cup of coffee with the same amount of cream, so after a while she had brought him his order automatically. She knew that he had a girlfriend. The woman never seemed to be far away from him or so it seemed. It was hard to believe that an Esterberry as pretty as him would be dating a Golfram.
The woman waited for a moment to see if he would acknowledge her.
He was far to busy struggling to get through his thoughts.
Odami Lyssn. That was her name. He had finally remembered it. So why was he still so terribly haunted by her? His eyes narrowed as he watched people skirt by. She had been something important to him. At least from what he had gathered.Considering he couldn't remember his parents and yet he could remember details about her family. He could remember seemingly everything about her and yet nothing about himself.
What bothered him the most was the screaming. Every time he tried to sleep all he could do was hear the faint screaming. It sounded like her. And no matter how he pretended it didn't bother him it was still there.
He didn't want Felaria to worry. Things were just going right for them and he didn't want to put a damper on it. A small sigh escaped him at the thought of her knowing the full extant of what was bothering him. She already knew something was bothering him. It was impossible to miss the restless nights and the distracted look on his face.
When Harold shifted he knocked the coffee slightly, managing to spill some on his lap. The sudden heat caused him to jump with surprise, only spilling the coffee in the other direction. A curse escaped him as he tried to sop up the coffee that he paid for. Had he actually gone and ordered it already? He hadn't thought so.
"Oh dear, are you all right?" the waitress asked as she hurried over with towels.
"Yes I'm fine," Harold said hastily as he soaked up what was left of the coffee from his lap. Did he even have time to go home and change before he had to run those papers to his temporary job? Wasn't he supposed to make dinner for Felaria tonight?
"Are you sure?" the woman asked as she suddenly started to pat down Harold with a few clean towels. "That was fresh coffee..."
Harold paused in mid motion. It wasn't every day that a woman attempted to pat him down when he was fairly certian that he had gotten all the coffee. And he was sure that if Felaria was around there would be a potential argument. And that might be putting it nicely. "Are you normally this friendly?"
It was clear, even through the fur, that the woman was turning bright red. She dropped the towels and apologized profusely before running off. Harold was left standing at the table holding towels, smelling strongly of coffee, being stared at by everyone in the general area and overall feeling awkward.
Today was just a blast.
A sigh escaped Harold as he used the towels to sop off what was left of the coffee. He pulled a bit of money out of his pocket to pay his tab and the poor girl's tip before departing.
It was still bothering him, of course. And the thought of it showing to Felaria was starting to bother him even more as he made his way to his deliver his article. It was a temporary job, but they paid him decently for writing reviews and a random assortment of things "only an Esterberry would touch." They didn't ask too many questions, he didn't have to get involved with people, and it wasn't too much of a strain. More importantly it left him time to do his own research and spend time with Felaria.
Every moment was precious.
Word Count: 820
Does it Hurt?
The boy in the straight jacket had been staring out of the window. He wasn't sure of what to do. He didn't want to take off the jacket... but he wanted to be able to use his hands. And Benedict always had to open doors and write... and do everything. It was a little unfair to his brother, wasn't it?
"Falks!"
He jumped with a slight squeal of surprise. His head snapped around to see his brother's. His eyes were wide in their normal state of perpetual panic and fear. "W-what?"
"Don't panic, but we should get going."
There was a moment of silence as Falks processed the words. His eyes widened even more in realization that the light was fading. His heart skipped a beat as he slowly backed up, his hair standing on end.
"Don't... panic," Benedict repeated.
Of course it didn't work. As soon as he realized what was happening he set off in a bolt of a run. All his life he had managed to balance properly and this was no exception as he ran down the halls in the palace of Hearts. Unlike most times he was running, however, this time he ran head long into someone.
He came crashing backwards, his brother dodging the full weight by moving to the side. He still hit the floor pretty hard, and when he fell forward he fond himself looking up at someone's... underwear?
He had run into the worst possible person.His heart skipped a beat when Benedict spoke. "Xiven! Are you all right? Falks panicked about it getting dark."
Xiven was almost completely sprawled out. The only thing that had prevented her head from slamming into the ground was the appearance of Emeraude to catch her. Xiven thanked her lucky stars that the cyclone was so terribly fond of her. "I'm fine," she said as she let the woman help her up.
Emeraude shook her head, "You're lucky Xiven is such a kind person. Most Nobles would have your head chopped clean off by now."
"Sorry Xiven," Flaks squeaked with a sniff. He had turned away blushing slightly. His sister was the Queen of Hearts. He was nothing but a pathetic Club, and she really could sentence him to death. "I'm really sorry."
"Don't do it again," she said as she righted her skirt. She went to offer a hand, only to realize tha the didn't have any hand to grab her's with. "Do you need help getting up?"
Emeraude scoffed behind the Queen as Falks and Benedict stared up at the woman. Benedict said something, but Falks didn't really hear it. In a moment he blurted out something he had only thought about. "What's it like to be free?"
It was easy to register the surprise on Xiven's face. Even Emeraude was surprised and tilted her head at the boy. Xiven was the first to break the silence as she knelt down besides the boys. "Come on, let's go and talk in a place that's more comfortable."
Falks was unsure of what to think. Why was she being so kind all of a sudden? If he had asked a question like this to their mother she would have scoffed at them, or said something to change the subject. But Xiven was different. For whatever reason.
She lead him to her room, taking a seat in one of the chair where he and his brother studied. "So what do you want to know?" she said as the green haired woman took a seat on the arm of the chair.
Falks took a seat on his bed. Benedict peered over his shoulder. Even he was curious about what was going on. Falks hesitated for a moment, staring at the ground and up to his sister. The most powerful woman in the world was being kind to him. His toes curled for a moment. "What's it like not to worry about the curse?"
Xiven smiled, "I don't think about it, I don't have to. The real question is why do you ask?"
"W-what do you mean?"
"Falks...."
"Would you undo my binding?"
Xiven stood and crossed the room. "If you turn around I'll be more than happy to undo the straps for you."
It was that easy? Weren't there enchantments or something? Then again she was the Queen of Hearts.... Still. For a moment Falks was unsure if she was being serious, but he turned around and waited.
His ears panned backwards when he heard the unbuckling of the straps. Moments later his jacket was loose. Nothing horrible happened.
He could move his arms. They felt funny. He wiggles his fingers without restraint. So this was what it was like to be free?
"T-thank you, Xiven."
"It's not a problem," she said as she patted him on the shoulder. "Now, the real question is can I leave you and Benedict alone?"
"But it's dark outside...."
The women and Benedict sighed.
Word Count: 300
Watching
Lythero was sulking. However common it was recently. On the bright side he was male, on the down side he was still a damned squirrel. A fluffy tail wasn't all that intimidating.
Nothing about him was intimidating. When people looked at him all they could do was say that he was cute. This damn body had some wonderful power about it that was terribly convenient like that. On the bright side people under a particular rank didn't bother him... on the downside it was just plan annoying.
The squirrel found himself unable to call anyone to arms. The Tulgey in the Wood wanted nothing to do with power, the Tulgey inside were tainted. He would need more than just Tulgey power to achieve his goal.
He looked up from his alcohol filled glass to glance around the room. The city was filled with nothing more than filth. Disgusting regions that made his fur stand on end. He could take his human form... but there was the ridiculous outfit that it was wearing. The thought made him cringe. He was nothing but a ridiculous joke.
And then he saw something in the corner of his eye. The bright white and pink made him freeze. Several women had walked through the door. One of them was a Tulgey. Pure. Untainted. Wings that were semi-transparent? A perfectly kept elegant outfit. Grace like no other card in the room.
His heart skipped a beat. She was a wolf too. A wolf with an extra fluffy tail but... none the less he could see the wolf in her.
He strained to hear the conversations from where he was sitting. Her name was what? Sage? That was a perfect name.
That was a perfect place to start. He would eventually make her his.