Loksfjoer

Nobody Will Believe It [SporkoBug and Calle]

Benjamin nodded to show he had heard Dia, but he wasn't sure what to say. Maybe they would run into Marc and he had mixed feelings about that. He had to admit Marc was one of the nurses who listened and he had an actual conversation with him.
"If we run into him, we could try talking to him," Benjamin said. He noticed another nurse, but didn't spot any keycards. There probably was some kind of policy about keeping them safe as this was a closed-down institution.
"I hope she'll find Ray..." he muttered. "We need to get out of this place.
A worker cleaned the floor, she too didn't have any obvious keys on her.
"Do you suppose we can have someone call Marc? Would there be a reason for a patient to request a specific nurse?"

Writing contest - Once upon a time

We are at 2 entries and 8 days left for the deadline.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

After leaving the dressing room with MacKensie Fenna noticed some cloaked figures standing together, but when they saw them they turned around. She had seen them before. When going from the hotspring to changing room there had been several connected corridors, several of which they had visited that day. Some had been labelled as "Staff Only", and from one of those she had seen these robed figures coming up the stairs. They had waited until MacKensie and Fenna had passed and for a moment she had made eye contact with one of them. It had lasted only a moment, in which she had noticed strange symbols on the man's forehead. It hadn't been important enough to bring up with MacKensie at that time.

Again she thought about the symbols as she walked towards the exit with MacKensie, they were familiar. Suddenly she remembered: the Magi-tech computers. That's where she had seen them, on the loading screen.

When MacKensie asked if they would go back to the Mended Drum, Fenna agreed. The day was almost over, it was a good moment to return to the inn.
As they walked and talked about budgets, Fenna explained about the boots she had ordered. Then the question about the bolts came.
"Of course, I can make you some fire bolts this evening," she promised and accepted the bolts MacKensie offered.

As MacKensie left to go to the Bazaar, Fenna paused to think about what she would now. Straight to the inn? Fenna decided to go to the park first, where she had left Sil. Maybe the falcon would still be there. In the fading light, she entered the park and Sil flew down from one of the trees. "I'm happy to see you too," she said, smiling at the bird. "I'm going back to the inn."
Sil spread her wings and flew up, going in the direction of the inn.

When Fenna arrived, Sil was sitting on the roof. She ordered a simple meal, even though the higher-priced meals were suggested to her. Of course they'd try to make the most of adventurers and wanted them to spend their money here, but Fenna stayed true to her budget. Eating was a necessity, but that didn't mean she had to spend a lot of money on it. In the end, if her stomach was full it was good enough.

A Trainers Ambition [SporkoBug and Calle]

When Bear was tired he put the two Pokémon down again and sat down. Kim joined them. "Had a good time?" she asked Sparky and Missy.

Netherlu turned to Gavin and nodded. "He can be harsh, but we all understand he has his reasons. And that it's foolish to engage in a discussion with him. Some things I say here I wouldn't say with others." He sat up straight. "Anyhow, is there desert? I heard a lot of good things about deserts."

"I didn't pack any, because deserts don't last long unrefrigerated. I promise to buy you some in the next city." Andy turned to Gavin. "You've walked around long enough, what's your favourite desert?'

Michael looked up when Frosiien joined him. "No!, not at all!" he assured her. "I'm just doing some cleaning. I saved a bowl for you if you're hungry."
When Michael heard the gasp he looked around, it didn't sound like his Pokémon and he hadn't heard anyone get close before that.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Fenna listened to what the flustered MacKensie shared with her as she laid out all her thoughts and fears. While Fenna couldn’t tell her what to do as that was simply not her place, there were a few insights she shared.

“Normal?” Fenna repeated when MacKensie asked if any of it was normal. “You’re not in a normal situation. People who go through hardship together form a bond, and I can see the appeal in both men. They have their strong suits, each in their own way. So I understand your conundrum and the frustration that comes with it." This place had done a good job at keeping the war far away, and the privacy of this space made it easy to talk about personal things. "That being said," she continued, "your feelings are understandable. Sometimes someone can like two people. Take my sister, she had a crush on someone while being in a relationship and thought a lot about staying or leaving and the pros and cons. In the end she decided to stay with her boyfriend and to my knowledge she never cheated on him, but she had doubts about who would be best for her.”

When asked about her husband and how she had realised he was the one, she thought back to the beginning of her relationship with him. She had already mentioned where she met him – a concert of a band they both liked – but not why she chose him. “He wasn’t my first love,” Fenna said. “Some people have love at first sight and that is great, but my love at first sight didn’t turn into something lasting, he was cute, smart and politically we aligned. He was a good catch, so to speak, and I did enjoy spending time with him, but he had his hobbies and I had mine. When I met my husband. It just… clicked, you know. We shared interests and a sense of humour, and his eyes lit up in a certain way…” Fenna smiled when she thought about those eyes. “What makes someone the one is different for everyone, we all look for different things in our partners. For me, it was the things we could do together and the things we could laugh about.”

In the end, the hour went by fast and when left the hotspring she felt relaxed and ready to take on the world. It was time to get dressed again. “I know I already said this, but thanks for this. I needed it. And you’re always welcome to talk about anything that is troubling you, okay?”

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

I'm working on my post. I have an idea for what I want and if the words would come out the way I want them, that'd be great.

Writing contest - Once upon a time

The first entry has been submitted, and there is still plenty of time to work on yours!

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Fenna hadn't walked through the park long before she heard someone call her name and saw MacKensie. She waved back as she approached the younger woman. When she asked how she was holding up she thought about what to answer for a moment. "It was tough," she said. "Reading that message yesterday made me feel a lot of things, but I'm doing better now. I feel more focussed on my goal." She paused and showed a smile. "How are you doing?" She put a hand on MacKensie's shoulder after her answer, appreciating the honesty in it. She accepted a couple of the nuts, that reminded her of the cashew nuts back home.

"I don't have anything planned," she answered her friend's question, and followed her, curious about this perfect place to spent the afternoon. When she mentioned the spa, Fenna stopped. How much would that cost? She had factored in some money to spend on nice things, but she had places like the hot herbal beverages shop in mind. MacKensie was adamant, and wouldn't take no for an answer, but Fenna remained reluctant. Until MacKensie mentioned it would be her treat; while she didn't feel entirely comfortable someone would spend a lot of money on her, it took away the main concern she had. "Okay then," she said and she turned to Sil. "Why don't you stay in this park? Maybe you can catch some rodents."

Sil flew up and picked a tree branch to sit on, watching the two rangers leave before she turned her eyes on the ground below to try and spot some small rodents.

The Bazaar was still a busy place, but Fenna noticed a difference since the last time she had walked here. People still went about their daily lives, but the last time this was a place filled with small talk, excited voices, laughs. The people were a lot more serious today and the conversations were mostly whispers about the siege and the war, and the doubts these people had.

They found the spa and went down beautiful lit steps and into the large reception area. The stone and wood had warm colour, and the potted plants in marble vases were a nice touch. As MacKensie asked about the services and prizes, Fenna tried to bring up they didn't really need this or that, but MacKensie ignored her and filled up the afternoon with the best of the best the place had to offer. Fenna knew better than to ask if MacKensie was certain she wanted to spent that kind of money, there was no stopping her. And, truth to be told, Fenna started to look forward to it.

The massage with a scented oil made her relax muscled she hadn't even realized had tensed up. The face mask made her face feel cleaner than it had done in ages and the music that played in the background added to the relaxation. There were snacks and drinks between all booked treatments, until they started the last one: 1 hour of soaking in the hotspring.

Fenna closed her eyes as she leaned back, this was heavenly. She lazily opened an eye when MacKensie spoke. "Thank you for taking me."
She didn't regret ordering her new boots, they were practical and would be useful, but being here reminded her that sometimes it was okay to take a breather and just enjoy herself. She didn't even want to think about what she would do when the hour was up, she was here now and that was all that mattered.

This was a place for small talk and happy memories, and that's what Fenna shared with MacKensie. And of course, love. She talked about when she met her husband and the first time they had gone to a sauna. And that led her to a question. "I noticed how some of the members of our party act around you. You don't have to answer this, of course, but I was wondering how you feel about the members of the party and if you perhaps like a little more?"

She'd listen to anything MacKensie wanted to share on the subject, and didn't press for any information she was uncomfortable sharing. This was a place for lighthearted conversation after all, but also for some girl-time, without any of the guys listening.

Nobody Will Believe It [SporkoBug and Calle]

"I don't know, but I don't think she has one," Benjamin said. "She is a patient who is allowed to help if I understood correctly, so I doubt they would have given her a key." He crossed his arms as he thought about it. "Shall we go for a walk? Maybe we can see someone who is careless with their key."
He had seen staff before, but he hadn't paid much attention to where they kept their card keys.
"We can also prepare the best escape route while we're at it," he continued.

Paranormal Activities [SporkoBug and Calle]

Shadow magic? Mike followed Harriet and looked around, but there was no sigh of his friend. When she stopped, Mike almost bumped into her. He wasn't sure what kind of shadow magic existed or who could use it. Again he realised he knew very little of all of this.
He took his phone when Harriet asked and called again. Nothing.
"It goes to voicemail after ringing a few times. His phone is on, but he doesn't pick up." He lowered the device. "Can you detect what kind of shadow magic happened?"