Rogue Sloth

Plenty of Sharks in the Sea [BuzzingBee & Dagger]

Campaign firm. Politician. Suddenly, Alex didn’t feel quite so bad about using Daniel for a free meal. Most people weren’t fans of the men and women who got involved with politics, but her opinion of them was even lower. To her, they were just the puppets of whoever needed an eager pawn to do their bidding, and she’d seen firsthand just how easily they could be bought. Her ex-boyfriend, Matt, had taken advantage of many a desperate campaigner in the past, offering to fund their tours or tamper with the votes to ensure their victories in whatever office they were vying for. They were almost as bad as the people she was hiding from, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from letting her disgust show on her face.

Easy does it. He doesn’t know what you know, and he doesn’t know who you are. Maintaining her composure, she plastered on her usual coy smile and laughed lightly at Daniel’s joke. At least now she knew why he hadn’t jumped at the chance to tell her where he worked. It was probably a good thing that she’d asked too, because the knowledge knocked her interest in him down a few pegs. Now that she was aware that he belonged to the army of minions of every damn mob boss in New York City, it was much simpler to look at him as just a man that she would hang out with for the night and never see again in her life.

Still, his unappealing occupation didn’t take away from the fact that he was handsome as all hell, so she didn’t have to pretend to enjoy it when he sidled closer to her.

When he asked what she did for work, Alex replied almost reflexively, “Well, if you really must know, I’m a model with Wilhelmina.” She flashed him her most stunning grin to really sell it. The answer was a lie, of course, but it was closer to the truth than most other jobs she could have picked. Wilhelmina was one of the two agencies that she had been approached by in the past. If she hadn’t been trying to keep her head down, she probably would have ended up working for them for real. Sometimes she regretted turning down their offer, since being a Wilhelmina model would have granted her access to some of the most prestigious runways in the western world, but alas, she wouldn’t last two months without taking a bullet to the head if she tried.

“I mostly do magazines. Fashion, swimsuits… lingerie,” she winked at Daniel suggestively. A quick Google search would reveal that there wasn’t a single catalogue with her photo in it, but that didn’t matter. She wouldn’t be sticking around long enough for him to start asking questions anyway.

The temperature around them was steadily plunging, but luckily, the steakhouse was right up ahead, so they would be free from the cold soon. As they walked towards the door and the sweet relief of central heating, Alex picked another trivia question to ask her companion, “So, have you always lived in New York or did you move here from somewhere else?”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Yeah things are wild here. I finally managed to get a post up though! Sundays and Mondays are almost always busy for me, so I didn't really do a lot of writing and then today found myself with 7 RPs to reply to xD It was a mini storm.

I'd say I'm doing as well as I can be. I've got a good support network for prayer and company, and even though things are absolutely crawling along, they're still moving, and that's the best I can ask for :)

Glad you've been doing well! Hopefully things at work aren't busy forever.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“Hey!” Cas gawked at Iris in mock offense. “I could totally be a chef if I wanted to. I’d just have to learn about the ingredients, learn to put it all together and cook it at the right temperature… Okay, yeah, I could never be a chef. I’m getting bored just thinking about it.” He wrinkled his nose. He knew he’d grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth, especially after he’d been outside the capital, but he was used to having other people around to make his meals for him, and that wouldn’t change overnight. Truthfully, if he ever found himself in a situation where he didn’t have access to servants who could cook him dinner, he was willing to learn how to do it, himself. However, he wouldn’t go out of his way to master the skill unless he had to. There were more than enough other responsibilities to keep him busy in his role as the crown prince. Cooking just wasn’t one of them.

When he brought up the idea of talking and her smile faltered, he felt certain that she wasn’t as okay as she was trying to lead him to believe. He watched her a little more carefully, idly trailing his hand down her arm when she attempted to claim that she was fine. Before, he hadn’t paid much attention to her behavior, but now that he’d pretty much called her out, he could see that she was having a hard time holding herself together. Inwardly, he kicked himself for being so oblivious to her discomfort. He should have been more attentive to her needs but instead, he’d gotten caught up in the fact that they were alone in a suite.

Now was as good of a time as ever to make up for that though, so he went along with it when she reversed the conversation onto him. He was still planning to get her to answer his question honestly, but if being the first person to open up would make it easier for her to follow suit, then he was willing to break down that wall. “Yes and no,” he replied, tilting his head slightly as he thought about the best way to explain his family situation to her. “My dad is my only immediate family. I told you that my mom passed a few years ago, and I’m an only child, but I have other relatives. They’re just, um… estranged.”

As he spoke, he settled down more comfortably into the sofa, leaning his head against hers and fixing his gaze on their reflection in the black screen of the TV. “Like I’ve said, my dad’s paranoia isn’t new. He’s always been afraid that everyone else around him is an enemy. That included his own siblings, so… after my mom died, he pretty much kicked all of them out of the house. They still live in the capital, but there’s bad blood between us and them, so I never see the my aunts, uncles or cousins anymore. My dad wrote all of them out of his will too, so legally, none of them can inherit the crown even if something happened to me.” He shook his head. “I still don’t fully understand why he did it. My relatives aren’t bad people, and there are a few of them who would make better kings or queens than I would. But, you know, what’s done is done, and my dad is the only one who can write them back into the will, so it’s up to him to mend the relationships.”

With a sigh, he reached for Iris’s hand and laced his fingers with hers as he braced himself to answer the second half of her question. “As for me… I don’t really know what to say. Things are tense between me and my dad, obviously, and even though I’ve got a psychiatrist who’s supposed to be helping me, I haven’t really had a chance to process everything that happened when we were in Bel Bicis. Instead, I got slapped with a diagnosis of being mentally unstable, which has just made it worse. I wish they would just listen to me for once. My dad especially… He always treats me like I’m still a kid, but I think I’m capable of more than that. At the very least, I’d like him to really take what I have to say to heart instead of just dismissing everything I tell him. It makes me feel like he doesn’t care… like I’m just a tool to him, to be molded into the successor that he wants to take over the monarchy, and that’s it.

“It also doesn’t help that he’s only gotten worse since we got back to the capital. He’s always been tough on me, I get that, but I wish he’d understand that what I just went through was really difficult, and I wanted his support.” He frowned as the pent-up emotions stirred while he spoke. “I didn’t tell you, but when we found all those dead bodies… there were two that have really been haunting me. A mother and her kid… When we found that apartment, I saw a photo on the nightstand in the bedroom. It was the same people, and—” He took a slow breath, startled by how abruptly the pain struck him. When he was thinking about other things, it was easier to forget about the trauma, but dredging up the memories sucked the air from his lungs and made his eyes sting with the threat of tears.

“I don’t know…” he whispered, losing the stamina to explain it any further. “It just made it more real somehow. And then we nearly got crushed when that bomb came, and then the rebels caught us, and I just have no idea what to do with all of it. Honestly, it’s been slowly eating me alive since we got back… I’m tired, I’m angry, I’m stressed, and I’m just really glad I’m here with you rather than at the house with my dad right now.” He pressed another kiss to her forehead, drawing her into his arms to take comfort in her touch. When he pulled back again, he managed a half-smile. “Okay, I just poured my bleeding heart out to you, so now it’s your turn. Tell me how you’re really doing, Iris.”

~Bonsoir~

Vail had tried to be diplomatic for the sake of avoiding a conflict in front of his relatives, but it seemed like Victoria was either unaware of how difficult her adjustment could be or genuinely didn’t care about the dangers of it. He studied her determined face quietly. Even though she was no longer human, it seemed like it was going to take time for her to lose her mortal mindset. Humans often rushed into situations without thinking through every detail, acutely aware of their race against the time and anxious to make use of every second they had. They were a fast-paced species because of their short lifespans. They didn’t have the luxury of waiting and planning and moving forward with a level head like his kind did.

Meanwhile, vampires were often much more patient and pragmatic. It was the reason why the Wynters had managed to levy themselves into a position of power so quickly. They had been biding their time for generations, waiting until the opportune moment to strike. The birth of Victoria, whose blood was like the nectar of the gods to their people, was the opportunity they had been seeking for over a century. Now, that advantage had been stolen away from them, but the rival clan was still years ahead of them in terms of strategizing. If Victoria rushed into England blindly, with little to no control over herself as a fledgling, she was going to get herself killed.

Fortunately, her half-brother proposed an alternative solution that both kept her safe and satisfied her desire to not waste any time. He relaxed and shot the other man a grateful look, appreciative that the burden of convincing Victoria to remain in Scotland had been lifted from his shoulders.

“The Wynters have no idea that I’m in communication with the Hygraces, so they don’t pay close attention to my movements,” Sylvia explained the reason why she was able to travel freely. “My family has yet to submit to them, but my father hasn’t spoken out either. Remaining neutral has worked to our benefit for the time being. Until the Wynters demand out loyalty, they leave us alone. However,” she smiled at the halfbreed. “I do know London like the back of my hand and would be happy to guide you if you. I’ll be leaving this place in the morning, and you’re welcome to come with me to look for those two humans.”

New World Contention [AnnaWinters & Summer]

Most of what Artemis was saying went over Azdrei’in’s head, since his English vocabulary wasn’t robust enough to catch every word she spoke. However, he was distracted anyway as he took over the controls of the ship to bring it down to land. Switching off the auto-pilot mode, he guided the craft past the oxygen barrier and into the loading bay, a large room filled with other ships of different shapes and sizes. Most were almost identical to his vehicle, with crescent shaped wings and teardrop-shaped bodies. Since they had come to colonize the planet, scouting ships were the most useful kinds to them by far. However, there were also larger cargo transports and a few vessels that could bus groups of individuals all at once.

He eased his ship lower to the dock, where another warrior stood and directed him to one of the empty spaces where he could land. He followed the gesticulated orders and brought his craft down in a slot between two other private ships, powering down the engine once the vehicle’s feet were firmly planted. As he got up from his seat, a flurry of mixed emotions struck him at once. There was some relief in being among his people again, since he felt comfortable in their presence, but he was also a little disappointed to be on the mothership when he could have been exploring the earth.

Reminding himself that he was here to serve a purpose, he unlatched the door and waited for it to open. The sound of voices beyond the craft drifted to his ears, a familiar hum of Lunvalgan language. When the hatch touched the floor, he waited for a moment until another warrior approached the opening. They exchanged a brief gesture in greeting, crossing their left arms over their midriffs, and the other male turned to Artemis. “This is the earthling?” he asked curiously, waving to beckon them out of the ship.

“Yes,” he confirmed, glancing down at her as well. Switching to English, he told her, “You are safe. Come.” Then, he pressed a hand to her back to usher her down the ramp as he stepped out with her. Already, he could feel the eyes of the other Lunvalgans on them. Those who were loading cargo onto the larger ships craned their necks to get a glimpse of the human, fascinated by the strange and foreign being in their midst.

“You learned its language?” the other warrior studied him with intrigue.

“I am still learning it, but yes,” Azdrei’in nodded. “She has valuable knowledge to share with our people, so it was a necessity. I plan to translate when she speaks with the Om’phaers.”

“I see,” the warrior mused, turning to her again in quiet interest. “Well, it is late, so the Om’phaers will see her tomorrow morning. I am here to escort both of you to your assigned quarters for the night.” He beckoned them again and strode toward a door at the edge of the loading bay that would carry them into the inner part of the mothership, where the rest of the colony lived.

Azdrei’in followed him, explaining the situation to Artemis in a quiet tone, “Because of the time, you will talk to our specialist doctors tomorrow. Now, he is showing us where we will sleep at night.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

No worries! Things have been absolutely crazy here. We're taking steps to get rid of the mice, but also even more family stuff came up that might mean I have to go back to be with my family for a little while. My grandma just got diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and may not have much time left, so my grandparents and parents are all a mess right now. I'm tentatively making plans to go be with them in October.

It also means our move in date may be pushed back even longer, which is kind of frustrating but honestly, I never know what to expect these days :/ 2020 just really sucks.

Writing is my stress-relief outlet, so I'll most likely still be writing about the same pace as usual, but yeah. My life is wack these days lol

Anyway, enough of my drama. How you been? xD

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

When Iris commented on the cost of the suite, Caspian just lifted his shoulders. Knowing how she was with expensive things, he was sure she would faint if he told her the exact number that he was paying for each night they stayed at the Sunset Veil. To him, the bill was nothing though. He had access to a sizable chunk of the Maydestone family’s wealth even though he wasn’t yet the king. Even if they stayed at the resort for a whole month, he could justify the expense because it couldn’t outpace the rate at which their riches grew when the Aspirian economy was flourishing. The royal family was the most well-off group of high borns in the country, so he had no qualms blowing sixty thousand credits to hide out from his father while he decided what to do next.

He doubted they would actually be there for an entire month though. Though it was within reason for him to stay put for that long, he was expecting to be there no more than a week. He just needed to get the point across to Atlas that he was serious about making his own decisions and choose whether he was going to go back to his duties as crown prince or flee the country. Alone in the resort with Iris, with no distractions or contact with the outside world, he had more than enough time to think through both options in seven days. However, there was no reason to start just yet, so he pushed the thought to the back of his mind for now.

He threw an arm around Iris’s shoulders as she sat next to him on the sofa. “Honestly, I have no idea,” he replied to her question. “It’s got egg yolk in it, but other than that, I’m not really sure. I’m not much of a chef, if you hadn’t guessed already, so I don’t know a lot about the ingredients that go in my food.” It was a peculiar thing to ask about, but he didn’t think too much of it. Plus, her question gave him an idea. Ever since they’d gotten back to the capital, they hadn’t had a chance to just… talk to each other. Now that they were pretty much stuck in the Sunset Veil until further notice, it was the perfect opportunity to really check in. He wanted to know how she’d been doing since she’d been arrested, and he missed hanging out with her without being in a rush. Granted, they’d had time to do that yesterday too, but they’d opted to waste the hours doing something more fun instead.

“Yeah, maybe,” he agreed when she suggested coming back when things were less hectic, smiling as she took his hand and kissed his cheek. He wasn’t sure how long it would be before they could even start thinking about doing something like that, but he knew he liked the idea of it. If things went well with his father, then perhaps they could swing another visit to the resort in a few months or a year or so. It was a far out timeline, but it was still better than nothing.

“In your dreams,” he pressed a playful kiss to her temple when she joked about beating him. “I’ve conducted more than one business meetings over billiards, babe. It’s a favorite game of politicians around here. I could win in my sleep.” Clearing his throat, he added more seriously: “But… what do you think about just talking. Instead of watching TV, I mean. We can go through movies anytime, but I feel like we haven’t had a chance to just catch up with each other in a while. I want to know how you’ve been doing after everything that’s happened.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

These posts are such monsters xD Anyway, it's your turn to write the next one, haha

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow and Percival searched every inch of the forest that they could cover while the sun crested over the horizon, but there was no sign of the missing baron anywhere. Both exhausted from two nights in a row of poor sleep and discouraged by the cold trail, the knight eventually brought their horse to a stop and sighed. “Maybe Naida and your attendant had better luck,” he suggested, peering over his shoulder with a frown. “It’s possible that Theroulde went the other direction when he escaped.”

Behind him, Crow leaned back on his hands and stifled a yawn. “Either way, we should head back to the camp. If we haven’t found him so far, I doubt anything will change if we keep looking.” He glanced at the trees around them in one last halfhearted search for the man, though he knew he wouldn’t see him anywhere. Otto was either long gone by now or had already been caught by his half-sister. He hoped the latter was true, but deep down, he suspected that the baron had managed to slip away from them.

He still couldn’t figure out why Otto had run though. As Percy turned his horse to go back to their campsite, the viceroy furrowed his brows, trying futilely to think of a reason why he would have been acting so strangely. Theroulde was a close friend of his father’s, so he would have thought that out of all of the knights, he’d have the most reason to ensure the success of their mission. For a while, he’d suspected that the baron had planned to usurp the assignment from him somehow to take all the credit for himself, but even that didn’t make sense anymore. If he had wanted to return to Brerra as the champion of peace who’d ended the war, that would have required going all the way to the Younisian castle. Instead, Otto had purposefully neglected to tell the Younisians that they were in the area and had run away when they were barely on the other side of the border.

I’m missing something, he thought with a frustrated shake of his head. Whatever is going on, Otto’s one step ahead of us. He must know something we don’t. And perhaps Rayner knew too. He found it hard to believe that the baron would take off and leave his son behind so carelessly. If the lieutenant was in on his father’s schemes, they were going to have to wring out as much information as they could from him.

When Crow and Percival returned to the camp, they were disappointed to find that Naida and Preston had gotten there ahead of them, empty-handed. “So, you two didn’t find him either, huh?” Naida asked, propping a hand on her hip.

“The snake got away,” Crow shrugged and slid down from the horse’s back to amble over to the others.

“Damn,” Naida frowned. “How did he do that anyway? He was on foot, and we were on mounts. We should have caught up to him even if he had a head start. It’s almost like he just… disappeared.”

“I have no idea,” the viceroy shook his head. “But that doesn’t matter. He’s gone, and as much as I hate to say it, I think we should keep moving… We have no idea what he’s planning, but he’s clearly not on our side. We need to get to the castle to get this stupid meeting over with.”

“Do you think he would do something to hinder us?” Preston asked concernedly.

“Who knows?” Crow exhaled, walking over to his tent while the others headed over to theirs to pack up the camp. “Maybe he just bolted because he didn’t want to face us after we found out he didn’t tell the Younisians we were here, but my gut tells me we shouldn’t stay in one place for too long.”

“And what about him?” Percival asked with a tilt of his head toward Rayner, who was still bound to the tree where they’d left him.

“I already told you, I don’t know what my father is doing,” Rayner shifted uncomfortably against the tree trunk. “And I don’t think we should be packing up right now. For gods’ sakes, my father isn’t an enemy! If we leave now, we’re going to leave him behind. He has no supplies of his own, so we should wait here until he returns!”

“If he really isn’t an enemy, he’ll catch up,” Crow replied unsympathetically. “I, for one, am not taking any chances, so he’ll just have to meet us at the castle.” And along the way, they could question the lieutenant further about what Otto was doing. Rayner seemed genuinely clueless to it all, but even if he truly didn’t know what the baron was up to, there was a chance that he could have overheard something important. At this point, he was hoping to hear anything at all that he could use to catch up on Theroulde’s movements.

He and the other nobles tore down their camp, put on their uniforms and readied their horses to continue on toward the Younisian castle. Just as they tied Rayner’s horse to Percival’s—the lieutenant’s hands had been bound with rope since they’d lost trust in him—they noticed movement in the nearby trees though. The two Younisian knights who had stumbled upon their camp earlier had returned on horses of their own.

“Is there something we can do for you?” Percy asked, stepping over to them amiably. Now that the Brerratic group had put on their regalia, they looked like true nobles, and there was no question that they were who they said they were.

The other knights brought their steeds to a stop at the edge of the clearing. “We’re here to escort you to the castle,” the one on the left answered. “My name is Edwin, and this is Osbert.”

“We’re pleased to meet with you under better circumstances,” Percival bowed his head politely. “Or, well… as good as those circumstances can be.” He glanced over his shoulder at their rag-tag group, comprised of one riderless horse and one carrying a man with bound hands.

“Yes, and we’re sorry we accused you of trespassing,” Edwin nodded in return. “We weren’t aware that thief had actually been given a title by your king.” As he spoke, his eyes drifted to Crow, who shrugged.

“I’m just as surprised as you are,” the former thief quipped, lifting himself onto his horse’s back.

Edwin grunted, “Anyway, whenever you’re all ready to leave, we’ll bring you to see our king.”

“We should be about ready now,” Percival said, glancing at the others for confirmation. Naida, Crow and Preston were all atop their mounts, and Rayner was secured firmly to his. The knight climbed on top of his horse as well, and once they were all prepared, the Younisians took the lead, directing them northwest through the trees toward their capital city.

Crow followed along toward the middle of the pack as usual, flanked on each side by Percy and Naida while Preston lagged at the back with Rayner. As they rode onward, Otto remained present in the back of his mind, and he watched the trees around them, wondering if they would indeed meet up with him at the castle or if the baron was working on something else while they headed further into Younis to negotiate for peace with the native monarch. He let out his breath in a low sigh, hoping Rayner was right about his father not being an enemy. They didn’t need anything else to worry about on top of their existing assignment.

New World Contention [AnnaWinters & Summer]

“I tell jokes,” Azdrei’in confirmed amusedly. “It is just not easy to do in a language I don’t know well.” After making her laugh, he suddenly found himself with another reason to master English though. He thought the sound of it was beautiful in spite of himself. Her laughter was lighter than that of his own people, melodic and almost contagious. It made him want to bring it out of her again. When they were on the mothership, he would have to spend some more time learning her language, both to translate effectively when she met with the Om’phaers and for his own selfish reason of talking to her and finding out if he could make her laugh again.

When she went on to tell him about a story that her people had created, he found it interesting that they would paint themselves in a villainous light. In Lunvalgan stories that were passed down between generations, their people were always described in a positive manner. There were a few rare occasions in which different groups would fight amongst each other, but it was even rarer for those fights to turn as bloody as the ones his leaders had seen in just a few short years of observing the human race. At least they are self-aware, I suppose, he mused. Earthlings may have been more violent than his kind was, but they seemed to know that they weren’t as peaceful as they should have been.

“I would not like loud spaceships,” he shook his head at her comment about how quiet his craft was. The ship wasn’t totally silent, but the steady thrum of the engine was reminiscent of white noise, monotonous and easy to forget when one wasn’t paying direct attention to it. He needed to be able to hear the internal parts working, so he could tell if something was wrong with the vehicle, but he also needed to be aware of his surroundings. If the ship had been loud, it would have cost him one of his six senses, which was potentially dangerous if he needed to hear a threat in the area.

Once Artemis affirmed that she was ready, Azdrei’in nodded and adjusted one last dial on the panel. The ship change course from gliding over the ruins to easing upward once more, carrying them toward the upper atmosphere. As it moved, it slowly gained speed, and he wrapped one arm over her lap to hold her steady while they breached the invisible barrier. The familiar sense of pressure made his stomach drop and pressed him into his seat, and he glanced at her to make sure that she was handling the increased force alright. He wasn’t sure if her kind was more sensitive to the sensation than his was.

Fortunately, she neither vomited nor fell unconscious, and in just a moment, they had passed into outer space. The ship’s artificial gravity had switched on at the same time, and he checked idly over the autopilot settings while she got up to walk about the cockpit. Once he felt sure that everything was functioning correctly, he unstrapped himself from his chair and stood up as well to stretch his legs, noticing that she was staring at the mothership that they were headed toward.

The ship that housed the rest of the colony was massive, reflecting the same smooth exterior as his private craft. It was made from dark metals from Ashad’te too, and every shape was reminiscent of organic life, even though it was made from inanimate material. It cruised just beyond the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, utilizing the planet’s gravitational pull to hover close without burning energy.

“That is where we are going,” he told her, stepping over to stand behind her while she looked out the window. Her question was difficult for him to understand since he didn’t grasp the word ‘float,’ but he took a guess at what she was referring to anyway. “You mean why are we not off the floor?” he rephrased it using words he’d memorized. “My spaceship pulls us down, just like Earth does. The home spaceship will too when we arrive.”

Leaving her to take in the sights of her planet and the mothership, he ambled back over to the controls and bent down to activate the ship’s communication system, waiting until the signal was received by the colony’s ship before he spoke in his own tongue, “This is Azdrei’in. I received an order to bring the earthling I discovered to the Om’phaers. I have her with me now, and I am on my way to the mothership. How long do I need to wait before I can board?”

“You may board at any time, Azdrei’in,” the warrior on the other end of the line permitted. “We were made aware that you would be returning, so the landing station is open.”

“Thank you. I will be there shortly then.” Ending the brief transmission, he turned back to Artemis, switching to English once more, “They are ready for us, so I will take us to the home spaceship now.” With that, he sat down in the pilot’s seat again to take over the controls and fly the craft the rest of the way to the mothership.