Saints, it’s like watching a road accident. I can almost hear the squealing horses and splintering wood in the background as Alana moves Ruby off her lap, the young woman actually obeying this time, no doubt able to sense the trouble coming like the rest of us. The two sisters face one another,...
2023-12-29 06:03:03 +0000 UTC View PostAfter the demonstration of my abilities, Rolly volunteers to entertain the crowd with an impromptu show. An impressive display, I’m sure, but I only catch glimpses. My attention is absorbed by the ladies of the Temple.
Shake mostly, who also ignores the show in favor of watching me. She s...
2023-12-26 07:38:12 +0000 UTC View PostThe party-goers were easy to mine information from. Endless glasses of relatively strong drinks combined with a strange mixture that supposedly filled one with energy, something that sounded suspiciously like a stamina-boosting potion that a few reckless knights used during long campaigns but tho...
2023-12-26 07:38:08 +0000 UTC View PostIt took much longer than Yulia expected to settle Allen for the night. Her son had been bursting with energy since the start of their trip and she didn’t know what was to blame. It could be the new and interesting sights. The spring sun, bright blue sky, and green surroundings were enough to ke...
2023-12-17 23:28:33 +0000 UTC View PostChildhood fears are a strange thing. When you’re young, the simplest things seem impossibly complex and the easiest obstacles insurmountable.
As a child, Gordon and the Grimoires were worse than the imaginary monsters that lurked in gloomy corners or within the unfathomable darkness benea...
2023-12-17 23:28:27 +0000 UTC View Post“Just making a point, sister. I try to strangle her and she takes pleasure in my touch. A difficult opponent.”
“Perhaps she simply enjoys being choked,” Shake says in a tone that makes me a little nervous. Who enjoys being choked? Ah, well. I suppose I have no room to talk. I enjoy ...
2023-12-14 05:34:29 +0000 UTC View PostI bob my head to the angry music as the crowd shuffles around. There are fewer challengers than I would have guessed. Plenty of people are interested but not many want to take the swing themselves.
The members of the Temple are eager to participate, except for Mouse-Tail. Some more than mos...
2023-12-14 05:34:28 +0000 UTC View PostAlana is reluctant to let go of my arm. I have to pass her to Kierra, who expertly pries the slightly drunk blonde off me and scoops her up. Since they’ve been training together, they’ve gotten much closer. I don’t know if what they have is love but there is certainly a strong camaraderie t...
2023-12-10 06:02:42 +0000 UTC View PostAlana munches down on a few of the small “finger” sandwiches on the counter and takes a few more pulls from her bottle before she’s willing to face the party. As we exit, Gajin enters the room carrying three large drums under his arms. Earl brings him a stool as he climbs onto the stage and...
2023-12-10 06:02:36 +0000 UTC View PostThe kitchen is a secret trove of delights. It’s where we keep the barrels and crates delivered by Howie, the servants watering them down before taking them out to the drinks table. Snacks and desserts cover the counters, ready to go out at a moment’s notice, filling the air with savory smells...
2023-12-07 05:43:06 +0000 UTC View Post“Oh? This is surprising.”
Jac was relieved that Kierra seemed happy to see her. Or, at least not upset. She was as surprised as anyone else when Lou introduced her foreign bride to the family and doubt she made the best impression. Her attitude wasn’t deplorable by any means but she w...
2023-12-07 05:43:02 +0000 UTC View PostIf Jac had to describe the last few weeks with one word, she would call them interesting. It would be tempting to call them horrible but that would be an unfair summation that only applied to her time in the dungeons of the palace. She still had nightmares about being trapped in a cold, disgustin...
2023-12-07 05:42:56 +0000 UTC View PostI lower Bell to the floor and subtly squeeze Alana’s hand before moving toward the door. My latest guests look like they rode straight from Quest without stopping to sleep or take a bath. I’m not used to such a rumpled appearance from Jac. She’s always so attentive to her looks. And her man...
2023-12-04 02:56:00 +0000 UTC View PostWhen we enter the house, the small stage is full of bodies and instruments. In the center of the bustle is Talia, a spot of stillness, standing straight as a fence post with her eyes shut. I watch as Cynthia’s date approaches with a drink. She opens her eyes as he says something and holds out h...
2023-12-04 02:55:56 +0000 UTC View Post“Thank you.” Cynthia accepts the glass offered by Earl, grimacing as she sniffs it. “This is a bit…strong.”
“It’ll wake you up,” I offer.
“What’s in it?”
I shrug. “Don’t know, but I know it works.”
“I suppose I’ve entrusted you with my body ...
2023-11-29 19:16:31 +0000 UTC View PostWith Lane trailing behind us, his head bowed in thought, we rejoin the tour, finding everyone else standing around a large flower planted in a secluded area, separated from the nearest flowers by its own smaller hedges. Oh, I remember this one. One of the more fun varieties in this part of the ga...
2023-11-29 19:16:26 +0000 UTC View PostSaints, but Alana is perfect.
A sentiment I’m sure she’d disagree with, given that she once questioned why I was even attracted to her. She takes the word too literal. Perfection isn’t a constant state, as nothing and no one is always perfect. To me, perfect is used to describe a brie...
2023-11-25 07:53:29 +0000 UTC View Post“Are you normally this eager, Lou?” Cynthia teased, though her voice hitched at the end as her dress was hiked up. She gasped, and Alana right alongside her, as a hand forced her legs to part before sliding over her chest to lightly grab her by the throat.
“Always.”
Alana snic...
2023-11-16 18:08:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe appeal of seeing rare specimens from another continent trumped the general ambivalence for an event as mundane as garden viewing, the tour drawing a sizable number of the party’s attendees. Alana was rather surprised by the holdouts. If asked, she would have said that the pirates and smuggl...
2023-11-16 18:07:56 +0000 UTC View PostAlana discretely looked around the room, taking in the smiling people and quiet conversation. When Lou said she wanted to throw a party, Alana imagined…well, something very different from the current sedate gathering. Nothing as crass as a house-wide orgy, though if she were being honest that o...
2023-11-10 02:07:37 +0000 UTC View Post“Where did you get this shirt? You must introduce me to your tailor. It’s classy yet…provocative.” Several minutes and several more drinks later and the situation has deteriorated. Well, it depends on who you ask. I think things are going good. People are talking, eating, drinking, laughi...
2023-11-07 14:33:20 +0000 UTC View PostOnce everyone’s settled and being attended to by Geneva, I hang back and examine my options. So many fun directions this can go. “What do you think?” I whisper as I lean toward Alana, who is beside me.
“Brothers first,” she whispers back. “They’re distracted by the food now bu...
2023-11-07 14:33:06 +0000 UTC View PostHowie is an excellent brewer but what makes him one is not the strength of his drinks but rather the strange effects they can induce. Effects that not even my particularly resilient constitution is immune to. Some of these effects can be beneficial, like the Shroom Sanity the guilds wanted to buy...
2023-11-05 23:28:11 +0000 UTC View PostThe women rode in one carriage and the men in the other. Originally, Alyssa intended to ride with Jack and Lane, leaving the two couples to socialize and sparing her the uncomfortableness of being trapped in small confines with a flirting Cynthia. Unfortunately, she’d have to be blind to not no...
2023-11-05 23:27:40 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: For those who don't remember, the characters Brutus, Cynthia Oriole, and Lane Macklemore have appeared before. Brutus was first introduced alongside Alyssa when Lou and Kierra were brought before Dunwayne after Aurelius' acussation of Lou abusing the mental affinity (Arc 4). He also ...
2023-11-03 11:57:59 +0000 UTC View PostThe next to return is Earl.
While Alana and Talia conspire in the bedroom to ready my wife-t0-be for the night’s festivities, my steward arrives with a wagon full of purchases. Most of it is food, enough to feed a small army from the look of it. There are also several empty wooden crates,...
2023-11-03 11:57:55 +0000 UTC View PostOur options for decorating are limited with such short notice, but the servants dive into the task with gusto. The house, always clean, is scrubbed from top to bottom until it gleams. Cushions are brushed and sprayed with faint perfume. A gust of wind banishes the dust along the ceiling and hidde...
2023-11-03 11:57:51 +0000 UTC View PostThe house becomes a whirlwind of activity as everyone readies for the impromptu party. Nomad and Anna handle the inside of the house while Gajin focuses on readying the gardens, the activity distracting him from his grief. Most everyone else is outside the house, running their respective errands,...
2023-11-03 11:57:47 +0000 UTC View PostMy suggestion garners a variety of reactions. Kierra is of course completely supportive. I try to convince her to stay out of it, as it may force the Hall to cut ties with her as well. The suggestion annoys her. She’s made it clear that she is only at the Hall for me. I almost think she wants t...
2023-10-29 07:54:42 +0000 UTC View PostUnfortunately, the harsh realities of our situation are quick to reassert themselves. Our humor wanes, leaving me with an unconscious master caster on my floor. More importantly, I’ve just been kicked out of my home, my attendance at the Hall has been revoked, and I am now a wanted woman. Saint...
2023-10-29 07:54:36 +0000 UTC View Post