#some of these people complaining that they threw hundreds into scatter sights need to go get help for gambling addiction

[smelted-applejuice]

Babysitting Duty.

Parings; c!Sapnap x Reader (PARENTAL), c!BadBoyHalo x Reader Pronouns; she/her Desc; You’ve never been great with kids, you dont know why your boyfriend thought it would be great for you to babysit. You haven’t even met the kid!

requests are open!! -

[YourName] was asleep peacefully in her warm bed, not a worry in the world, until there was a loud banging on her door. She did her best to simply ignore the noise, but then she heard keys and the front lock unlock, and then she knew exactly who it was. [YourName] groaned, placing a pillow on top of her face and flopped onto her stomach, hoping if she simply ignored her boyfriend, he wouldn’t bother her too much. Maybe Bad had left something last time he visited and he was simply picking it up!

Her thoughts would be proven wrong when she heard her bedroom door open and weight on her back. “What the-” [YourName] groaned, she felt the pillow get picked up and thrown beside her, “Wakey, wakey!” Bad’s voice said gently. [YourName] tried to bury her head into her bed but felt her hair get pulled, “What the hell!?” [YourName] yelped. Bad gasped “Sapnap, you know better, no tugging hair.” he scolded picking up whatever weight was on your back. [YourName] went through her mind trying to figure out who Sapnap was.

[YourName] gasped, “Bad, if I lift my head and your child is in my room, I swear.” she deadpanned. Bad’s nervous laughter filled the room as [YourName] looked over, and there was Bad with a young toddler in his arms, “Bad! You should’ve told me-” [YourName] complained moving quickly and sitting up. She was obviously still in her nightclothes, but it didn’t stop Bad from placing the active toddler into his girlfriend’s lap, “I’m not even good with kids.” [YourName] said, glancing down at Sapnap who was slobbering on his hand.

“Nonsense, dear! You just need practice, and this is a perfect opportunity.” Bad cooed, [YourName] huffed but then realized what he meant. “What?! No! No way am I babysitting! I’ve never met the kid so I don’t know his interests, or what time he likes to eat!” [YourName] said panicked, Bad shrugged “He’ll tell you! He can’t talk, but he knows how to sign ‘eat’!” he said trying to ease his girlfriend’s worries “It’s not as bad as you think, dear!” he finished placing both of his hands onto her shoulders. “Want to explain why I am placed on babysitting duty?” [YourName] asked looking tired, her eyes were lidded and she had her arms wrapped around the slobbery toddler.

Bad swayed side to side, placing his hands behind his back as he did so, “Well, ya know- uhm..” he stumbled over his words for a moment. “I told Skeppy he could have the next two weeks off from babysitting Sapnap, but I didn’t account for the fact I still was needed in the Nether..” Bad confessed, [YourName] chuckled and shook her head trying her best not to laugh at him. “Know what, it’s fine, I don’t mind babysitting Sapnap- just nervous.” [YourName] replied in hopes it would relax her boyfriend’s worries about his son, “Anyways, he will be my step-son of the sorts one day.” she added winking toward Bad who nodded despite the flustered look he had on.

[YourName] offered Sapnap back to Bad so she could get ready for the day. Bad sat at the end of [YourName]’s bed and watched as she exited the bathroom fully dressed and then sat down to do her hair, “If I end up liking kids because of this..” she mumbled as she did the last touch-ups. Bad couldn’t help but chuckle at the soft conversation she would have with herself, it was always such a sight to see. He kept his hands on his son’s waist as Sapnap blanched on his thighs and slightly jumped in his spot gurgling at [YourName].

“Good, he likes me” [YourName] joked, happily taking the toddler out of her boyfriend’s hands. She placed Sapnap on her hip as she walked with Bad to the front of her house once more. “I’ll be back in a few hours, I promise. Before dinner.” Bad explained, kissing Sapnap’s head before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss upon [YourName]’s lips. [YourName] smiled and nodded, “Alright, we’ll see you then, be careful.” she reminded, watching her boyfriend leave before shutting the door.

Bad had truly come in clutch, on her couch were all of Sapnap’s necessities, puffs, food, toys, god he had it all! “Your daddy does not play games with you, huh?” [YourName] mumbled placing Sapnap on her living room floor, she gave the kid some toys and rushed to her kitchen to put her breakfast in the microwave and returned just as fast as she left. “Good, haven’t set anything on fire- I’m watching you kid, I’ve heard stories.” [YourName] said jokingly glaring at the toddler, Sapnap simply giggled and hid his face before returning focus on his ghast toy.

[YourName] shook her head, grabbing her food and returning to the floor. She and Sapnap would chill on the floor for a few hours, but after watching Sapnap nearly melting the plastic off of one toy and throwing a hissy fit, he finally gave in to his needs and placed his fingers together before pointing to his mouth with them. [YourName] sat there for a second squinting her eyes trying to figure out what the child was trying to say.

“HUNGRY! YOU’RE HUNGRY!” [YourName] said, snapping her fingers as she stood up quickly, she grabbed some food out of Sapnap’s bag. Sapnap watched [YourName] with a deadpan look as she scattered around to get a good spot to feed him, he crawled over and knocked some puffs off the table and kept himself busy until he was picked up and moved to a different location. Sapnap pouted at first, reaching for the little puffs he had dropped, [YourName] just scoffed, “No, Sap, they’re dirty, gross, disgusting… Uhm.. The feeling people feel when your daddy says ‘language’ at them.” she rambled.

She knew Sapnap had no idea what she was talking about, but still, one-hundred percent went with it. She couldn’t help but smile when she successfully fed Sapnap some warmed-up chicken bits, and it made her, even more, happier when Sapnap lightened up with each bite. He got some peach yogurt too which seemed to make up for the loss he had earlier with his puffs. After he was done, [YourName] took him out of his spot and let him crawl out the rest of his energy.

Finally came the part of babysitting she always dreaded, it was changing a diaper. She laid Sapnap out, and after many attempts of him escaping she got him to relax. “Pee on me, I dare you, you’re gonna see a whole different side of me, man.” [YourName] mumbled wrapping up Sapnap and changing his onesie, she picked up the kid and placed the dirty diaper in the trash can. Sapnap showed no signs of being tired and it was a little after eleven, nearly noon. He must’ve been up for, at most, an hour before coming over, so it’s been a good almost five hours.

“When do you nap?” [YourName] asked, scrambling around the kitchen making herself lunch, she glanced at the kid who just threw his head under her chin. “Mmm, now?” She asked, he shook his head, so [YourName] just nodded and finished up her lunch. It wouldn’t be until after she ate and did a few chores that Sapnap began to get fussy, so it was most definitely nap time! “Look, I could go for a nap too, Sap. Let’s get our nap on.” [YourName] said trying to compromise with the toddler.

[YourName] gently placed Sapnap down and placed a pillow next to him before crawling under her covers with Sapnap and letting the child cuddle up to her. [YourName] couldn’t fight the smile on her face as she gently ran her fingers through his black hair. “You’re so sweet..” She whispered placing a kiss against his hair, and within minutes the two were out. Sapnap would move onto his back while [YourName] kept a gentle hand on him at all times, too anxious to let the child go even as she slept.

About an hour later, Bad would come back. He had finished up earlier than he thought and thought he would get Sapnap off [YourName]’s hands now. After a few knocks and no answer, he unlocked the door himself and made his way through the house. Sapnap’s bag was opened and toys were scattered around the living room, and in the kitchen, the plastic baggy and tub that held Sapnap’s lunch were emptied, so he knew his child was well fed and played with. After more looking around, he made his way into the back and smiled at the scene in front of him.

He wished he had the ability to photograph the moment, it made him melt from the inside out just seeing [YourName] and Sapnap bond how they have today. The messy house told the whole story and he was overjoyed. He simply stripped of his boots and took his weapons off along with his glasses and crawled in behind [YourName], he held her close while [YourName] backed up against him embracing the added warmth Bad provided. Bad smiled at [YourName]’s hand lifting up and down, hearing Sapnap sigh heavily he leaned over and kissed his girlfriend’s cheek, placing his hand gently on top of her’s. He would fall asleep, the view in front of him coaxing him into the most peaceful nap he had have in a long time.

#dream smp x reader #mcyt x reader #sapnap x reader #bbh x reader #badboyhalo x reader #badboyhalo #sapnap #mcyt

[afreesworn]

Prompt #22 | Extra Credit

“Wait, hold on. This is extra credit?”

The incredulity in Shaelen’s tone was also mirrored on Nabi’s face. She stared bewildered at the layout on the table; a large-gridded board sat at its center and a screen of some sort was set up in front of the head chair. Wide eyes went to the various items that were arranged before her, although one in particular caught her eye. It was a small crystalline figure on the board, and the sunlight from the window catching it just so, it scattered shards of color around it.

“Are you complaining? The assignment sounds easy.” Ghoa hummed, leaning over the table and plucking up an exotic coin from the assortment. She pursed her lips, silvery eyes taking in all the details of the foreign engravings on the golden currency. “I don’t recognize this, teacher. I’m going to guess… is it from Radz-at-Han?” 

“Not bad,” rumbled the older Xaela who took the head seat, an amused expression tugging at his lips as he set his glasses down. “It was recovered in Uznair.”

With a coy smile, Ghoa placed a hand upon her cheek as she peered up at their geography teacher. “Oh, I would love to hear about your adventures there!” She then caught herself, glancing to the others. “None of us have been there,” she added quickly as if to justify her gushing. She leaned an elbow on the desk, canting her head coquettishly. 

Batuhan answered with a patient nod. “You may learn more about it, the setting for this quest is set in Thavnair.” He gestured to the rest of the ornaments on the board. “Ghoa, that will be your figurine. Everyone pick one to represent yourself. This task will require strategy and teamwork, as well as tactical maneuvering on the board.” 

Nabi glanced from the Xaela to the rest gathered around the table. It was a motley collection of students, there were faces she recognized although many of them she didn’t know well. She had agreed to attend the after school activity for extra credit, and also because Shaelen had to make up some classes she had missed. But she hadn’t expected to see Ghoa here, the most popular girl in school, and the wealthiest one to boot. The Mankhad traveled with a different crowd, where as Shaelen and Nabi had a more humble background. Shaelen had snickered something about how Ghoa was only here because of the teacher running the activity, but Nabi paid it no mind. Mister Batuhan was popular amongst many of the students, for he had the most unconventional way of engaging his class. These actual relics from foreign lands were just one example. Imperial studies usually only taught about the Empire and its policies.

The squeak of leather drew her attention across the table, to the viera who was picking up a wooden carving of a lion. Nabi couldn’t help but stare at the tall female, she was always a fierce but strange sight to behold. Pjel was usually dressed in some racing gear or another when not in school uniform, even sporting padded armor over her chest and elbows to casual gatherings, with thick leather boots that were laced all the way up to her knees. One might think that she just came off the racing tracks, but really it was just her bicycle that was chained outside. Nabi wasn’t sure how and when the viera managed to change out of her uniform into the layers of leather on her now, but the teacher said nothing of it. Pjel maintained her aloof self as she turned over the carved miniature in her hand, coppery eyes inquisitive about what was being proposed. Nabi wondered if she had failed a class or something that she needed to be here.

“Huh! This is a bullet!” Shaelen announced with an impressed huff, holding up a small oblong metallic cylinder in her fingers. She always did show interest in anything mechanical, Nabi recalled. If all the classes taught about magitek or arms, she wouldn’t have missed so many to be held back a year. But as it was, Shaelen only showed up at school when she wanted to. Fortunately, something about this geography class piqued her interest too, since she was here. 

Shael arched one brow at their teacher. “Are you even allowed to bring this to school, Mister Batu?”

“It was made over a hundred years ago.” The older Xaela seemed unconcerned, his hands starting to arrange various items hidden behind the shield set in front of him. “If you could read the engravings chiseled on it, you might discern what civilization it comes from.”

Nabi blinked, then looked back to the board, where only two more items were left. Aside from the glass sculpture, there was a curious rock next to it. It was dark red, but with thin rivulets of gold running through it. It was rough and unpolished, but it still drew her eyes. She began to reach for it, when another hand snatched it away. She blinked and turned, to find Jude standing there. He gave the stone a quick look over before setting it in front of him. Nabi must have been staring at the item a bit too long, for his eyes eventually turned to her. He reached in front of her and took up the last ornament left, handing it to her.

“No way this thing be mine,” he scoffed, extending the object in her direction. “‘Sides, it suits ya better.” The last bit was grumbled under his breath. His gaze didn’t stay on her, an impatient twist pulling at his lip as he looked off to the side.

Nabi blinked and looked at the offering, now that she had the opportunity to study it closer. And it was beautiful. It was a delicate thing, a butterfly carved from crystal, its wings holding a myriad of colors as it sat upon a single glass flower. Her eyes began to reflect the refracted light from the figurine, and she smiled horn to horn in delight. She nodded and took it carefully from his hand, cupping it between her fingers as if to provide a nest for the precious ornament.

Jude turned away from her as soon as he was relieved of the item, but Nabi still lingered, watching him take up his stone. He was like Shaelen in that he was an upperclassman that was also held back a year due to absences. No one knew why he never came to school, but then again, none others seemed to care. Jude was always off alone by himself, or at the back of the school where some students went to obtain smokes. Shaelen warned Nabi away from that area, even though she herself had once belonged to that crowd. 

Despite the ever present frown that never seemed to leave his face, Nabi was never intimidated by Jude. They had once been in line together at the cafeteria, and when they reached for the same fruit, he quickly withdrew, letting her have it. Even after she insisted that he should, for he was ahead of her in line, he just grumbled and turned away, insisting he didn’t want it in the first place. From that day, Nabi thought of Jude as a distant person, but not unkind.

“Good,” Batuhan regarded the students with a look of satisfaction, considering their individual choice of their avatars. “Now, these are the skills and abilities you will be working with and the scenario for the group.” He began to hand out each one of them a piece of parchment with numbers and details written on them. “Review them carefully before we start. You will need to work as a team to complete this task, but it is up to you how you use what you have at your disposal.”

“Hmph.” Jude let out an audible grunt as he sat down, slumping over his chair and crossing his legs on the table. Shaelen flipped her chair around, straddling it as she began to read what was given to her. 

“Ey… a sharpshooter. I can dig this.” Shael chortled as she leaned over to look at Nabi’s statistics. “Huh! An academician. That’s fitting for ya.” Although after a brief scan, she threw a skeptical side eye in Ghoa’s direction. “At least we’re given our preset skills. Else I dunno what Miss Fancy Horns there would be doing. Throwing money at people?”

Ghoa let out a haughty snort, one hand rising to subtly rearrange the baubles that decorated her horns. “You just might be surprised at what I can do.”

A slow grin was starting to bloom on Nabi’s face. She looked from Ghoa to Pjel then Jude. This was going to be exciting. She had never had a chance to talk to them or work with them on anything really, and now they were going on an ‘adventure’ together! Even if it was just an imagined scenario! She sat down eagerly on her chair, carefully setting the butterfly on the board then holding up her sheet with both hands. She squinted to read through each line carefully. Her mind was starting to spin wildly, imagining the dungeon they were going to traverse and the traps and monsters they would be fighting. When she peeked up from behind her sheet, there was already a blueprint of a room that was being drawn on the grid in front of them, Batuhan placing their individual miniatures at its entrance.

“Last thing,” the Xaela teacher opened his hands and out rolled multiple small objects from his palm. Nabi thought they were rocks at first, until she saw numbers carved on them. Did some of them have twenty sides to it?

“We will be using dice to determine the likelihood of your success.” A slow smile split Batuhan’s lips as he took his seat behind his screen. “Now, let’s start by rolling initiative.”

(( Forgive me for just snatching up your characters in this! @anchor-management @jaliqai-and-company @shaelstormchild @wood-warder @sentryandco ))

#ffxivwrite2019 #Prompt | Extra Credit #Another AU piece #This time high school! #The idea came to me after we were joking around about it #Sort of a Breakfast Club vibe? #But with D&D?? #Anchor and Shael are both Judd Nelson #Pjel is both the Jock and Ally Sheedy #Ghoa is Molly Ringwald obvs #Nabi is the nerd #Batu the principal except cool #also Jude = Anchor for those who forgot #it's his real name anyway #these extra credit days inspires me to think about AU #I don't know why #I will write about current timeline soon I promise #RP post #Nabi Kharlu #Shael Stormchild #Ghoa Mankhad #Batuhan Kharlu #Pjet Qoet #Anchor Saltborn #C&F AU

[pippastrelle]

“A Not-So-Simple Story in Deapriffe”

I’m posting the first 3 chapters of my WIP book! I’d love it if anyone could give it a read.

It is the story of a factory worker in a city that has spent decades under the thumb of a gang, as well as the daughter of the gang’s boss. When their perfectly typical days lead to their lives colliding, they are left with an opportunity to fight back once and for all.

This is a project with taking a bad bad film and making it good. DM me with the original film and if you’re correct, I’ll do a free drawing of whatever character you want!

CHAPTER ONE | Chapter Two | Chapter Three

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Chapter One: A Not-So-Unusual Morning

[4k words]

Deapriffe was a city that knew when to die. It was just past nine o’clock on a Wednesday morning and the lines of freshly-opened shops around Lord Way were shuttered. The contents of one deli’s food delivery lay half-scattered across the damp pavement. Bars had locked over every home’s door. Windows hid behind plates of steel and wood. On the roads, every car had careened to the side, their engines cut and their drivers huddled under the dashboards. The blue sky was crisp and pals, yet shadows dirtied every corner. The lampposts were unlit, the shops’ neon signs had dulled, and the billboard stretching over the face of the area’s central high-rise glowed black.

Above the usual litter skittering in the breeze, a distinct rattling chimed through the wide, barren roads and through every thin residential alleyway. Tucked around the corner from the main road, in front of a line of terraced flat buildings, was a skinny, pink-coated parent, called Mx. Jenkins by most. They wrestled with the bars on their front door. Their shopping bags lay half-a-street behind them in a gutter.

The last person to get inside Mx. Jenkins’ flat building had, in their hurry, slammed the iron gate shut onto the padlock, bending it around the bars. Even as Mx. Jenkins wormed their trembling fingers into the gap, they couldn’t wrench it free. Tears stung their eyes. Their breathing becoming harder and harder to steady, they gritted their teeth and gave a great tug on the bars. The hinges screeched. Mx. Jenkins slapped a hand over their shriek and leapt back against the brick. Their eyes darted. They watched. They waited. Then, they edged back to their jammed gate once more. The rattling began again and, a road over, a woman followed it closer: a burly, well-suited woman, known in her line of work as ‘Thresher’.

Thresher’s black and white suit cut a clean line through the vast, emptied roads: its signature pattern only one of the reasons she and the rest of her organisation had earnt the name ‘Sharks’, as well as where Thresher had acquired hers. She reached the corner behind Mx. Jenkins and her tread slowed. Her thick silver watch and encrusted cufflinks glinted in the chance light while a large fist steadied the gun holster on her belt. She peered around the corner as their back was turned to her, their eyes boring into the broken padlock as their fingers wriggled around the metal. Thresher didn’t waste time.

She darted out from past the corner, rushing them. Mx. Jenkins snapped around at the footsteps. They couldn’t scream before Thresher clamped her broad hand over their mouth and grabbed their arm to drag them against the wall. Mx. Jenkin’s elbow snapped back, yet it hit a wall of fat and muscle. They bucked away. They cried out. Still, they remained muffled and immovable in Thresher’s grip. Thresher glanced around, gritting her teeth.

“Ssh! Ssh! Don’t worry! Don’t worry!” she told them, her voice hushed, high, and quick. “You’ve got to calm down or you’re going to be caught. The other Shark’s just on Lord Way.”

Mx. Jenkin’s faltered for one half-second. Then, they kicked back at Thresher with their boot’s heel. Wincing, she kept her hands pressed around their arm and mouth as she turned them around. Their eyes bulged, quivering at her. She attempted a comforting smile.

“No need to worry! I’m going to get you out of here. But it’s really important you don’t run or scream. Please! We can’t risk the other Shark finding you. We’ll…” Thresher’s eyes landed on the padlock. “Oh! I can get you inside. Quick! I’ll shoot the lock off. Don’t run. Just- Just cover your ears. You’ll be fine in a moment!”

Thresher released her hand from Mx. Jenkin’s mouth and, mercifully, they did not make a sound. Rather, their face had gone completely slack, all attempts at comprehension failing.

Thresher spared a glance at the main road. She kept hold of their arm. It took more effort to do with one hand but she took out her pistol, cocked it, and aimed. Mx. Jenkins slapped their hands over their ears just in time. Thresher blasted the padlock off the shutter. The gunshot cracked through every inch of the emptied road as the bullet splintered the lock and doorframe. Mx. Jenkins leapt back, barely kept on their shaking legs by Thresher. Thresher ripped the barred gate open off the door and hauled them up to the door’s keypad.

“Go! Go! You can get a new lock later,” she whispered, her voice pitching. “We’re leaving soon anyway. You’ve got to be safer next time! You can’t trust I’ll be there to save you.”

Mx. Jenkins fumbled with the code. The second the keypad blinked green, Thresher shoved them through their flat door.

“THRESHER!”

Thresher threw the gate closed after Mx. Jenkins. She darted away from the flat and holstered her pistol. Now, it was one out of a hundred.

“THRESHER, COME ON, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?”

She allowed herself a single sigh. “FINLEY?” she called back, deeper.

A large young man appeared on the junction at the end of the pavement: Thresher’s twin brother. Finley Vaughan scowled and rolled his eyes, a bag from Regent’s Wine hiked over his shoulder. He wore the same style of suit as Thresher: the colours as crisp as the tailoring with distinct white panels running down the blazer’s front. Even though Thresher and Finley weren’t identical, with matching suits, matching bulk, and their father’s prominent nose, she was a clear reflection of her brother. Although, a reflection as seen through a puddle: more squashed, with splashes of freckles, and with muddier hair.

Finley marched down the pavement. “Thanks for ditching me at the shop. What were you doing, leaving me like that?”

Thresher shrugged. “You and Mum always complain about the wine I pick.”

“That’s because you always go for the cheap crap!”

“So, you know why I ditched you.”

He smacked her in the back of the head.

“I heard a gunshot. Who’d you see?” Finley said, looking around and grinning.

“Don’t get excited. I was just bored. Doing some target practice.” Thresher waved her hand at a random florist’s down the road. Its mottled green and pink hanging sign creaked, unlit, above the door. “I missed.”

“Of course you did. Try aiming for that car over there. Maybe then you’ll hit it,” he said.

As Thresher looked for the car in question, Finley grabbed his own gun and fired.

“AH!” Thresher didn’t get to cover her ears. Even after over twenty years surrounded by them, she could only get so used to gunshots going off unprompted right in front of her. She rapped the heel of her palm against her ear, trying to get the high whining to go away. Meanwhile, Finley squinted at the florist’s.

“Did I get it?”

She glanced up. “Doesn’t look like it.”

Finley went to load his gun a second time but Thresher pulled his hand down. “Come on. Mum’s going to be pissed if we waste bullets,” she said.

“The only person she’s getting pissed off at is you, Dolphin,” he replied, matter-of-factly. He slotted his gun back onto his belt then grabbed the back of Thresher’s blazer, dragging her with him to their pick-up point.

“GRRK-! Finley!” Thresher turned her choking into a laugh as she tried to ease herself out of her brother’s grip.

Finley returned the challenge: his smile the warning all younger siblings knew. Even with one hand holding the wine bag, he wrangled his thick arm around Thresher’s neck and got her stumbling around at his chest level.

“Hey, we can get Mum some flowers,” he said. “Maybe that’ll make her forget you made us late.”

He stepped towards the florist’s shuttered doors and Thresher wrenched herself out of his hold, cutting across him towards the florist’s. She grabbed a bouquet from the display outside and thrust them at Finley before he made it a third step nearer.

“Mum loves lilies!”

Her imploring eyes grated against Finley’s. The mirth in his expression melted. “You’re lucky we’re late…”

He resumed a fast pace down the road. Thresher stopped first to neaten her suit. Then, when she followed, she kept herself just behind.

CCTV cameras watched the two Sharks leave, just as they had watched them arrive. Thresher and Finley piled into a shining white car waiting for them on the main road and any remaining traffic parted for them as they started away, out of the shadow of Lord Way’s billboard.

Perched atop every street corner, the cameras in the area whirred inside their bowls of reinforced glass, searching the streets a final time. The roads remained empty. So, the billboard flickered and an advert for spring fashion blew up the high-rise’s face, dousing the roads in bright blues, greens, yellows, and pinks. The time blinked back into its typical place at the bottom-right corner. A thin news crawl appeared next to it.

SHARK SIGHTING: 2 GUNSHOTS – 1 ATTACK – 0 CASUALTIES.

The screen’s light dawned onto Lord Way. Drivers poked their heads out past the dashboards. They glanced around before pulling themselves back into their seats. Down every road, engines sputtered to a start and the clattering of opening window shutters and squeaking barred gates joined them. Cautious whispers began to return to the streets, then with gossip, then with complaints as Deapriffe’s people rushed back to their schedules.

From his third-floor flat window, Ahmed Al-Faisal watched the rabble reform and his easy smile returned to him. He sat back against the wall, cross-legged on his bed as he finished off his cereal. He supposed it was about time he leave for his work at nine.

Much to the withering stare of his partner Kalyani, Ahmed considered his morning routine an art. In less than ten minutes, he’d changed into his day clothes, neatened his hair and beard, pulled on his prosthetic right foot, collected both his black pride ring and work lanyard, and waltzed out of his flat building’s lift onto the pavement outside. His taped-up headphones blasting, he bobbed along his way to the local bus stop.

Even with the delays on everyone’s face and tongue, the usual sights remained. The morning breeze was cool against Ahmed’s face. Roadside puddles caught the sun whenever it peeked out from behind the clouds. Vivid adverts relit in the shop windows to invite the fresh stream of customers trickling inside from the main pavement. Meanwhile, the ever-present flock of pigeons waddled around all of their feet. As a multiracial person with a distinct gait from his prosthetic foot, Ahmed could rely on catching a few eyes on his way and he liked to count the number of smiles the crowd shot him back. He considered it a personal victory when he got one from a bodyguard shadowing a brisk businesswoman. Ahmed stopped once to pop inside a nearby coffee shop and, after he had the breakfast bagged and in hand, he jumped onto the bus for his commute proper to the factory on Deapriffe’s edge.

Clarke’s Motors was small for a car factory. Still, the main factory still stretched out across an expanse of trees several football pitches big, with the employee car park in front and a test track behind. The air was thick with the smell of grinding metal and oil – the same smell had stuck to Ahmed’s hair and clothes for as long as he could remember. Lines of buildings with peaked roofs packed between a ring of tall, brick offices and steel windows. Every window and door around the back of the offices remained locked, as they had been for years – the brick around them only just supported by scaffolding. Nonetheless, it had succeeded over two decades of steady business in Deapriffe: a feat the Sharks didn’t allow everyone.

The workers’ entrance around the side opened with an electronic lock. Ahmed pulled a playful grimace as he took his key card from his lanyard, anticipating the angry red timestamp. Instead, the automatic door opened with a simple click. A knowing smirk travelled up his face. Kalyani had signed him in already.

Everyone had left the men’s changing room by the time Ahmed arrived so he didn’t waste much time there. He hopped into the break room in the uniform navy t-shirt and cargo trousers with the springy shoes still in his hand, bumping into one other person: a round-faced, bespectacled woman called Debora. The break room was a lounge cluttered with sunken sofas and noise from the assembly shop on the other side of the thick door. The appliances on the kitchenette rattled a permanent tune for the lounge.

Debora turned from the kitchenette’s sink, her hands black with spilled oil. Her thick eyebrows gave her a near cartoon image of surprise before she burst into laughter. “God, Ahmed! Did you just get here?”

Ahmed raised his loaded hands in his defence. “This time, I have an excuse!” He dropped the shoes and coffee shop bag onto one of the sofas. “My whole area was shut down this morning for a Shark sighting.”

Debora’s eyes shot wide. “What!?”

“It was just a trip into town. No-one got hurt,” Ahmed assured her. “’Round my area, they’re pretty common.”

Debora edged back to the sink. Shaking her head, she knocked the tap on with her elbow. “You’ve got to wonder what on earth the world is coming to…You know, the kids gave Marcus and me a heart attack the other week. They left the entrance to our cellar escape wide open!” She scrubbed her hands with an increasing fervour. “We keep telling them it’s for emergencies only, but you try stop a six- and an eight-year-old from playing with a trapdoor.”

“You’ve got a good area, don’t forget,” Ahmed said, leaning to catch Debora’s averted eye. “You’ve had, like, zero Shark sightings total. You’re not near any major shops. It’s not like the Sharks have any reason to go near you. Heck, Kalyani and I are in the centre and even we’ve never–”

The door to the assembly shop slammed open. Debora jumped. Two security guards walked in: the two most notorious security guards in the whole factory.

Barry and Ari – a pair who rhymed their names at random – worked for the boss Clarke directly. They demonstrated the one downside of a company renowned for never having a Shark attack: the security guards had nothing to do. Barry and Ari had the builds of people who’d long since given up on rugby. They wore the standard button-up shirts, protective vests, and heavy belts of the company’s security guards, but neither had bothered with half the required equipment and both had left enough buttons open to expose their casual shirts underneath. Barry, a shorter, blonder man, twirled his baton around, glancing around with bored eyes while Ari, his features dark and cutting, strutted into the main room.

“What’s the all the chatter about?” Ari asked.

Barry leant back against the doorframe, smirking. “Sharks, right?”

Debora glued her eyes to the floor.

“Reminds me of a story…” Ari pulled a face of exaggerated recollection. “You guys all hear about Woodville? A suburb on the east side of Deapriffe? Whole place, completely shot-up, not even three months ago. Could’ve been payback against one. Most are betting it was just target practice.”

Ahmed laughed. The light roll of his eyes drew the attention away from Debora’s shudder. “Everyone’s got a friend who’s got a cousin who’s got a Shark story. I swear I haven’t met anyone who’s actually seen them.” Ahmed looked past Ari and raised a shoe at Debora. “I’ll join you guys in assembly in a minute. This won’t take me long.”

Debora nodded hurriedly. Flashing him a look torn both ways between gratitude and concern, she scrambled past Barry out of the break room. He stepped out of the doorframe to let her pass. Ari started forwards too, strolling closer to Ahmed to stop with his heavy boot on Ahmed’s bare prosthetic foot.

“Easy, easy,” Ahmed said, keeping his tone amicable as he tried to ease his creaking foot out from under Ari’s.

“Why? It’s not like you can feel it.”

“True, but I’d hate to have to go bugging Clarke for a new one.”

Barry sneered. “Clarke’s not here.”

“What?” Ahmed looked up from his laces. “Where’d he go without you two?”

“None of your business,” Barry snapped.

Ari crossed his arms, glaring down at Ahmed. “’Bout time you got here, Al-Faisal. If you keep coming in at a time like this, the company’s going to have to do something about it.”

Ahmed met the glare with his unflappable smile. “Haven’t technically been late yet,” he said. He grabbed his coffee shop bag and got to his feet. “But you’re right. It’s time for me to get to it. Have a good day, guys. Give your feet some rest sometime.” He slipped around Ari and entered the assembly shop proper.

The first thing that hit anyone who visited was the wall of noise: a floor of machines grinding, heavy metal clanking into place, buzzers keeping everything on track, and the chatter of navy-clad workers pushing the whole system along. Wire fencing partitioned the shop, separating stations from stations and humans from machines while rattling furiously under the din. Rising higher still then were the rows of scaffolding. Workers manned the suspended hydraulics from whatever weren’t supporting the crumbling brick at the back of the factory.

Ahmed waved through the fencing at his passing crewmates. When he’d been younger, he’d waved to the mechanical arms making car parts too, the fluidity of their movements convincing him they were alive. That day, one of the human colleagues Ahmed passed was a spiky-haired young man in the conveyance team. He ferried parts from area to area with a pair of large, turquoise headphones locked over his ears, which had earnt him the uncreative nickname of ‘Headphone Guy’.

“Good morning so far?” Ahmed signed.

Headphone Guy’s face flicked with surprise at seeing Ahmed. Then, he mimed a gun against his head and played dead against his trolley. A nearby woman frowned at the sight. She followed Headphone Guy’s eyeline to Ahmed and jabbed her hand back at the assembly line. “HEY, AHMED! READY TO TAKE THIS LOAD OFF ME?” she hollered.

Ahmed laughed – a loud, hearty laugh that boomed through even the clamour; no-one at the factory could have worked there without recognising it. “ONE SEC! GOTTA SEE KALYANI!” He raised the coffee shop bag and waited for the woman to give the conceding jerk of her head before starting towards the company offices.

Ahmed entered a grand foyer through a large, reinforced door that joined the offices to the factory. The doorframe masterfully cut off all the assembly shop’s noise. It transported him into a more elegant world. The ceilings, windows, and doors around him all stretched high while the hanging lights and artwork glowed in warm colours, complementing the elaborate woven carpet and the wooden panelling. Ahmed swung the coffee shop bag behind his back and crossed the empty foyer towards the cosier secretary’s office opposite, poking his head inside with a, “Gooood morning!”

Sitting at the polished desk, as detailed by the brass nameplate by her computer, was Kalyani Venkayya. She was a small, fat Telugu woman who had grown up around the same community as Ahmed’s dad. She had short hair and her lavender shirt cut perfectly smart as always but she’d pulled her legs up onto her chair while she worked. She almost fell off in her hurry to correct herself. She straightened as if sticking an iron rod down her back and slapped on a welcoming smile before she finally recognised Ahmed on the threshold.

“Oh, thank goodness.” She sank into her chair. She set the motheaten jumper in her hand to the side. Kalyani preferred buying her clothes from the men’s sections of shops and she’d readjusted all of them herself. On her breaks or in the absence of any phone calls or meetings to arrange, she usually carried on with whatever extra sewing she, Ahmed, or their neighbours had. “So! You avoided Ari and Barry!”

“Not avoided, but not beat up by! Thanks to you.” Ahmed reached over her desk to give her a one-armed hug.

Kalyani returned it but her face fell in exasperation. “I’m begging you. If you’re late again tomorrow, they’re not going to listen to what the official sign-in sheet says.”

“Yep, I got that impression.” Ahmed gave a melodramatic sigh. “And on today of all days when there was an actual Shark sighting outside our road.”

Kalyani nodded. She kept a sideways glance up at him. “Yes. I’m sure that would been quite the issue for the enby who was sleeping until eight forty.”

“Eh, I’ll give you that.” Ahmed reclined against her desk. “But I got my eight hours sleep! And I’ll end up doing the same amount of work as everyone else anyway so I don’t see the point in stressing about it. Plus…” He flashed her a grin and took the coffee shop bag out from under her desk. “It gave me time to get you breakfast!”

Kalyani’s face lit up. “Pain au chocolat?”

“Your favourite.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much! That’s…” She turned away. Suddenly, the trees outside the window had become very important.

“Got something to tell me?” Ahmed asked in an innocent, sing-song voice.

Kalyani met his eyes and pressed a hand to her heart. “Ahmed, I’ve been in deep, romantic love with you since the moment we met.”

He laughed. He prodded her in the shoulder, rising a smile from her as well. “Fine, keep your secrets!”

It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence around Clarke’s Motors for Ahmed and Kalyani to pronounce their undying, romantic love for each other, particularly whenever one of them wanted to change the topic. Early in their relationship, most people had assumed they were serious. That had led to a few colleagues approaching Ahmed with grave faces as they informed him Kalyani had kissed a man in the conveyance team, to which Ahmed had responded cheerily with the guy’s name, as well as what he and Kalyani had had for breakfast the next morning. Neither Ahmed nor Kalyani blamed people for assuming they were dating; it was an easy mistake to make, just like thinking Ahmed was a man, but a mistake all the same.

Ahmed recognised that most people didn’t know what it meant but the black pride ring on his middle finger was his way of expressing he was asexual – he wasn’t physically attracted to anyone of any gender. Kalyani’s pride ring, meanwhile, was white for her aromantic – she’d had to realise later in life that romantic relationships weren’t supposed to be entirely performative and that most people genuinely wanted one. She and Ahmed wanted different things in that department. Still, they’d lived together as life partners for three years and they didn’t intend on breaking apart.

“How about this?” Kalyani said. “I made sure I have breakfast tomorrow and you come into work early with me.”

“Perfect! We can have breakfast together.”

“Yeah.” Her face glowed. She tapped her fingers against the coffee shop bag. “Thanks for getting this for me. You’re the best. Now, get working before you get us both fired.”

Ahmed laughed. Kalyani pretended to bat him away from her desk. “Kalyani, there’s no way Clarke’s gonna fire me. I grew up here! And trust me, the only way he’d ever fire you is if he wanted this place to go under.” He glanced back at her as he drifted towards the door. “Do you know where he’s gone? He left without Ari or Barry.”

Kalyani frowned. She consulted her computer. “Hm…It looks like I can’t tell you, sorry. It’s not down as a company matter. Maybe he thought he didn’t need them.”

“Good point…I guess he doesn’t go home with them.”

Kalayni’s eyes widened as an email popped up on her screen. “Oh! Got to get back to it!”

“Alright. See you! Love you!” Ahmed called as he left.

“Love you too.” Even Kalyani couldn’t hide her smile beneath the chiding look as she shooed him away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Two | Chapter Three

#my writing #wip #writing #story #chapter #original fiction

[clairetherose]

Draecember 2017 Day 4 - A Memory

((((( I know, late again. I will get these out on time when the semester ends. Anyway! I went all depressing last time, so have heartwarming, this time! )))))

Evening was falling, and Kelci was perched lazily on the balcony outside the house belonging to herself and her wife, in Pandaria. From inside, the smell of something cooking wafted out to her and she smiled. “That smells good!” She called in, turning to look toward the kitchen, her once-blind eyes trying to sneak a look at Hiwa cooking. “You sure you don’t need my help?”

“You stay out, you food thief!” Hiwa called back, “I know your evil plot; you’re going to try and eat everything while I’m cooking! You won’t fool me again!” The Kaldorei poked her head around the corner of the door frame and gave Kelci a playful grin, then stuck her tongue out and disappeared. “Besides. I want it to be a surprise!”

Kelci sighed heavily. Her plan was foiled. “Caught me!” She giggled back, leaning against the wall and tapping her hoof against the wood beneath. After a few moments passed, she closed her eyes, simply feeling Hiwa’s Chi. “Hey, I love you. You’re my world.” She wasn’t sure why she said that, but it popped into her head.

The cooking sounds stopped, abruptly. Even though she knew what was happening, Kelci played along, waiting just long enough to open one eye. Barely an inch from her face was her wife’s, grinning at her. “You’re too amazing for words, so I brought this instead.” She said, then kissed Kelci deeply without any hesitation.

Kelci, of course, wasn’t about to complain. When their lips parted, Hiwa had one of the Draenei’s horns gripped in her hand, gently. More of a reflex than anything else. “Now stop being distracting so I can finish dinner.” She commanded with a smirk, and leaned in for one last peck on the cheek before heading back into the kitchen, shaking her head and laughing.

With her wife firmly occupied, Kelci’s mind instead began to wander, back to the very first time they met. It was years ago, before her eyesight had been returned to her, at a bar in Stormwind.

The Monk began to doze off…

Kelci sat at a table in the Pig and Whistle tavern, in Old Town. Across the table, her best friend Amelia was leaning back in the opposite chair, taking a rest. Though both sat as members of the Volfram council, Amelia was far more experienced than Kelci was, at leadership. While the human woman appeared relaxed, Kelci had a tingle of nerves keeping her on edge. The notices had been posted around Stormwind, telling people that Volfram was recruiting, but so far, only one person had answered the call. Amelia took care of his interview in short order, and he had been inducted already. He was downstairs, likely getting drunk at the bar.

Kelci sighed, settling her hands in her lap, gently. It was hard for her to properly take stock of the tavern around them, what with her blindness. Even with her ability to sense Chi, there were enough people that everything became muddled. She would have had trouble dealing with so many, usually, but there was a very large mug of tea before her. Tea always calmed her. Amelia was also abstaining from drinking, as she often did. She didn’t like to drink very much, whereas for Kelci it was more out of necessity. Any alcohol clouded her mind and threw off her Chi; a single drink for her was like being near blackout drunk, for anyone else. Just tea, for now.

“Amy?” She asked, feeling out for her friend with her sense. There she was, as warm and welcoming as always. It made Kelci smile.

“Hm?” Amelia had been dozing off, almost. “Oh, sorry Kelci, what is it?” She shifted in place. Kelci heard the scraping of the chair’s legs on the wood floor, the creak of it adjusting to Amy’s new position. Her friend’s voice came from higher up, as well. She wasn’t slouched, anymore.

“Can I do the next one?” The Draenei asked, hopefully, “I need to learn to be a proper council member eventually, don’t I?” She was hopeful to live up to the responsibility. Even though she’d sat on Volfram’s council since its inception, she had never felt like she contributed as much as the others. Whether that was her inexperience, or her inability to see, she wasn’t sure. It was almost a certainty that they felt pity for her, and she could feel it on their voices and in their Chi.

Sure enough, as Amelia spoke, there was that same familiar tone of remorse as she observed the Draenei. “Oh, of course! I’m sorry to have been hogging them so much,” She let out a low laugh at herself, “I didn’t even realize I might be taking something from you. Go right ahead, okay?” And there it was again; just that slight hint that Amy felt sorry for Kelci, even if she wasn’t doing so on purpose. The tiniest of wisps in her Chi. Kelci knew her much too kind to be willfully condescending, but with all the factors that seemed to be in the Monk’s way, it was more than likely a subconscious reflection of what she saw.

Kelci smiled, though, not wanting to make anything of it. Amelia had good intentions, and was still a good friend to her. “You’re fine, don’t worry about it,” She smiled back, “I’m just putting my name down for the next one.” She mimicked writing in mid-air, then snickered at herself, “Yeah, because I could actually put my name down for anything. I guess we’ll just have to see who walks in.” She smirked, “Or at least, you will.” It had been a long three hundred years since she lost her eyesight, but even ten of those years ago, she would never have been joking about it like this. Her training as a Monk had renewed her lease on life, and she found it easier to enjoy a spare joke every now and then, at her own expense.

Amelia joined in Kelci’s mirth, happy to see that her friend wasn’t actually upset with her. She’d seen Kelci angry only once before, and didn’t want a repeat of it. The girl could be scary, even without her sight. “Alright, then. Next one’s yours, but I’m on spotting duty. Am I your seeing eye dog?” She joked, snickering quietly. She rarely made references to the curse that occupied her, but seeing Kelci in such a good mood was inspiring her. Knowing that her friend was limited, she turned her eyes toward the door, scanning the faces of those who came into the Pig and Whistle.

After a little while, intermingled with chitchat about this or that, Kelci sensed something. A feeling unlike the others in the bar; Chi closer to Amelia’s. It felt a tinge wild, as if a beast was waiting behind, but still kind and welcoming. And unmistakably Kaldorei. “Someone approaches,” Kelci commented, sure there was no other reason for someone like that to brve this particular bar. And sure enough, before Amelia could protest, the Night Elf woman climbed the stairs to reach them.

“You guys Volfram?” She asked, with one of the notices clutched in her hand. “I hear you’re looking for people.” Unsure of who to address, she looked between the two women, finally settling on Amelia, who shook her head and pointed to Kelci. The Elf followed her direction and grinned at the Draenei, instead, “What can you tell me about you guys?”

Kelci was almost surprised to be addressed, and she blinked. It was a holdover from when her eyes used to work. “Ah, well. Like you identified, we’re called Volfram. I think the closest thing to what we are is more like a family, than anything else.” Though she was trying her best to face the woman, Kelci’s aim was off. With how crowded the bar was, her sense was less precise than it might usually be, so she was facing off to her side, a little. “I’m Kelci, and this is Amy. What’s your name?”

“Hiwasawa Shadeleaf,” The woman replied. An odd name, for an Elf, but Kelci could hardly recognize that. “But just Hiwa is fine. Also; are you… blind? You’re staring at a post on the railing. And yeah, it’s an attractive post, but c’mon. Hot Night Elf here.” She snickered, hoping that wasn’t too mean.

Kelci, of course, laughed back. “I mean. Yeah.” She gestured at the scattering of scars all around her eyes. “Or did gray and lifeless not quite give it away? Really too bad, I wouldn’t have minded seeing what a ‘Hot Night Elf’ is.” She adjusted her facing, “Hang on, is this better?” She asked, still off-kilter a bit. Something about this woman made her playful.

Hiwa grinned, delighted that this woman was such a good sport, “Nahhh, but almost. Now you’re… making sexy eyes at a chair. Is that what Draenei are into? Huh. Never been jealous of a chair, before.” She tapped her fingers on the table to make it easier to locate her. “Gray for sure, but hardly lifeless. I can see determination in them. And just a hell of a lot of strength.”

Kelci was thankful for the tapping, but the overt flirting was a bit much and her cheeks went a darker shade of blue. What was it about this woman? She finally met her target right on, the combination of sensing her Chi longer and audio queues helping her zero in. “Ha! Got you. Now. I should probably at least pretend I know what I’m doing, here.”

Amelia, for her part, was mostly silent, but smirking like a mad person. It was rare to see Kelci engage with someone like this, especially to see her so receptive to flirting. This had been a fantastic idea. She elected to simply let the two be.

“Oh, darn, now I have to see your face.” Hiwa cackled back, “Lucky me.” She tapped the table again, then leaned forward on her elbows, “I believe you were supposed to interview me, not just flirt.”

Kelci jumped in her chair. Hiwa was right. “Oh, uh. Yeah. So!” She proceeded to give the Kaldorei a brief rundown of what their group stood for, what it wanted to accomplish. Hiwa, for her part, kept the flirting to a minimum during the explanation. There was a time and place, and this was mildly official. When Kelci had finished, she nodded.

“Well that sounds like exactly what I’m after. What do you need from me?” Hiwa sounded excited to have stumbled on something so fitting for her.

Kelci beamed, “Oh, perfect! Just some questions about your abilities, really. What you can do for us? Though… unless my sensing of your Chi is off, I have a general idea. Still, I think it would be better to hear it from you.”

Hiwa cleared her throat. Time to shine and impress the cute goat. “Well, I guess what I do the best is mend the wounded. But I’m pretty scary when I turn into a cat and turn things into kebabs with my claws. So, yeah, if you guessed Druid - spot on!”

Kelci giggled at the idea of a cat making kebabs. “I want to be around for that, one day. It sounds… hilarious, really.” She gestured in Amy’s general direction, but just missed completely. “Both Amy and I are healers, as well, at least primarily. But there’s no shortage of wounded, these days. That would  be a more than welcome skillset. Next question! Tell us about yourself, at least briefly. You don’t have to share anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

That question made Hiwa pause, just a little bit. She had to debate how much to tell. “Well, up until recently, I was with a sorta military group. But it disbanded. Probably for the better, really, too many had died. Your ad mentioned family. I wanted something like that, again.” This was a far more introspective Hiwa than a few minutes ago. The woman had some depth, too. Kelci felt her stomach churn.

“You’ll fit right in. Third question.” Kelci nodded, more than pleased with the answer. Her first real interview and it was going so well. “Just… tell us your goals. What is it you want from us? We aren’t obsessed with gaining power or conquest.”

Hiwa snorted, “Good, I’d be worried if a nice girl like you wanted to conquer anything.” She gave Kelci a sultry smirk, realizing a moment too late how fruitless that effort was. “…I guess I want the same. Somewhere to belong and feel needed. A family, really.”

Kelci returned a warm smile, even if she couldn’t see the smirk. “Perfect, as far as I’m concerned, you’re in, so long as Amy’s alright with it.” She waited for an affirmative murmur from Amelia, then continued. “I just… have one more question for you. Would you like to go out some time?” She’d made her mind up about that roughly five minutes ago, but wanted to be proper first. Hiwa seemed a great fit for her, and didn’t even appear to care about her blindness. Just perfect.

It took Hiwa only a split second to reply, “Damn right I will. I’m free day after tomorrow, all day. Did you have an idea?”

Kelci was overjoyed. “Not yet but I will! Here, Amy can give you an official communicator and tabard, and I can use that to contact you. I… can’t wait. It’ll be fun.”

Hiwa seemed equally delighted. Kelci could sense her Chi going all aflutter, even if outwardly she was cool and calm. “Perfect! It’s a date!” She chimed, ecstatic with how things had turned out.

Both of them were giddy with anticipation, and for good reason. Though neither knew it at the time, they would someday be married. This was only the beginning.

Back in the present day once more, Kelci was shook awake by Hiwa. Her eyes blinked open and she saw her wife staring at her, arms folded. That same amused smirk painted her face. “Were you daydreaming?” She asked.

Kelci yawned, “Apparently I dozed off. Had a wonderful dream, though. It was about the day we first met.” She rose and embraced Hiwa, bumping their foreheads together.

“Oh how delightfully cheesy.” The Elf exclaimed, hugging her tightly. “Now come on. Dinner’s ready. I made your favorite.

Together, they moved away from the balcony and the fading light of early evening. Two souls intertwined, and perfect for one another.

#draecember2017 #draecember #draecember day 4 #draenei #warcraft #roleplay #night elf #lgbtq #wife and wife #heartwarming #writing