shylarah

𝓣ℎ𝑒 𝓕𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝒻 𝓐𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑎 & 𝓕𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑛, 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡.

With Lady Sylvia manuevered out the door, and it locked behind her, Alyssana allowed herself to indulge in a moment of relief. She'd never liked the woman, and was glad to have her gone. But only a moment before she turned her attention to Walter, trying his best to speak over the uncomfortably mushy expounding of Finnegan. If she didn't know about the perfume she might have wondered what had gotten into him, for while he was a flirt this was far beyond his usual affectionate banter. As things stood, the more he said, the harder it was for Alys -- both the needle-sharp twinge of guilt and simple embarrassment on his behalf.

"If Finnegan knows the most, then I suppose we'll have to wait until he's feeling more like himself," she declared, speaking over Finny with the ease of a teacher who'd faced her share of intractable students. "No, there's no need to knock him out, Walter. ...Let me try to speak with him."

And so Alyssana settled herself again in the chair across from Finnegan. "What do I need to understand, Finnegan?" she asked, tone gentler, more patient. She'd already braced herself for the awkwardness of his answer, but if hearing him out would allow them to move forward with other matters, she felt obligated to endure it.

Don't Fear the Reaper (shy and Malice)

Setting is either Chicago suburbs or those of a Chicago-like city. I've set the month as probably early March. @Malice I hope this works as a starter. The footsteps can be your reaper, or maybe Lee just imagined them.

Don't Fear the Reaper (shy and Malice)

The day had started like any other. Cecilly finished teaching towards the end of the afternoon, and after the end of the last class for the day she tidied the studio before locking up. The weather was chilly, but most of the winter's snow had melted away, and she thought she smelled the hint of spring. Still, the wind gusted cold, and she pulled her jacket closer and buried her nose in her fluffy scarf until it died down, glad for the warmth of both. There was a smile on her face as she headed off down the street.

Cecilly was in her thirties, but years of dance and self-defense had her in superb shape. She was tall and solidly built, with short, dirty blonde hair that framed a round face. She wore a matched fleece outfit over her closefitting dance clothes to guard against the weather, and worn running shoes, but she wasn't at all self conscious because of it. Her stride was confident, and from a distance it was impossible to tell she was blind. In a world where a significant percentage of the population had some minor magic ability, she had been very lucky that hers compensated for the fact that she'd been born without eyesight. Instead, she "saw" the world in spaces and distances between things, sensing their locations. It gave her some advantages over the seeing at close range, but as things got farther away what she could sense dropped off sharply.

She heard the car coming, but it had a red light and she was already halfway across the street. Even if she'd known that it wasn't going to stop, there might not have been time to get out of the way. It was going far too fast, and she had just enough time to realize she was in trouble before her world imploded.

The sound of the car's engine moving away was muffled. There was something cold and hard and uneven digging into her cheek, and under her fingers. It took a long moment for her to realize that it was the asphalt of the street, that the rhythmic noises were the footsteps of someone approaching. She was far too disoriented to make them out in great detail, but she prayed they would help. Please God, I'm not ready to die. I don't want this to be the end. It was more the idea than actual words, but that was the thought that ran through her head. Please.

𝓣ℎ𝑒 𝓕𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝒻 𝓐𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑎 & 𝓕𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑛, 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡.

Alyssana had no interest in whether Lady Sylvia cared for her or not. The suggestion of the woman looking after Finnegan instead of Alys was met with a frown, but also a shrug. "It's all the same to me, but don't you think it would be better to let Walter decide?"

Walter suggested that neither lady be involved, and that was fine with her. She was, after all, at the perfumery to see Walter himself, and not his elder brother. If Walter wanted help she'd be there, and if he wanted to handle Finnegan on his own that was fine as well.

Finnegan started speaking, and Alyssana was quite frankly shocked by what came out of his mouth. He'd never spoken so to a woman so far as she could remember, harsh and honest and not a hint of flirting. The bit about her was no doubt due to his recent dousing, but the rest -- it was rather satisfying to see him taking Lady Sylvia down a peg.

And then he kept going, to her acute embarrassment. Oh, the gossips would have a field day if this got out -- and she had no doubt it would. Fortunately for everyone, Lady Sylvia had had enough, and cut in with mockery and a threat that meant little to Alyssana.

"If you do not care to be a part of this 'circus', then perhaps you had better leave," Alyssana said at last, after a silence left long enough to grow uncomfortable. She had no issue with it herself, but it was useful to know how much of a delay made the other person wonder if their remarks had hit home or not. There was no need for a retort beyond that. Whatever the outcome, she'd deal with it when it happened, and better to let Sylvia feel she'd scored than extend the matter further by bickering. Alyssana lacked the vested interest in her social standing to truly suffer from minor scandals, and if she wasn't invited to parties in one circle, the school circle more than made up for the lack.

"Well then," Alyssana said, once the door swung shut behind their uninvited guest. "Finnegan...I am sorry. I should have tried to get you clear. But it will wear off." She sighed. Was he safe to be left to his own devices? No, best stay where they could keep an eye on him. "Walter...you said something about a murder?"

When Royalty Collides (#YIKES)

> S P A R K S , A C I R A S I T
status: Pokemon master

> > "Yeah, you got it, your highness." Sparks had been tickled pink to hear that the princess was having a Pokemon Go! event. He was wearing a casual-tier cosplay in honor of his team -- goldenrod shirt and a faux leather jacket he'd probably end up taking off later. Even with blue hair and the matching highlights on his jacket, his outfit echoed Instinct's Spark enough to be recognizable to those in the know. Of course his own nickname long predated the game, but he hardly minded sharing.

As the guests filed into the library he finished setting up the projector and the quick slideshow he'd put together at Princess Lea's request. He waited several minutes after the appointed time to let stragglers arrive, and then dimmed the lights and started the show. He'd covered the basic premise of the game, and then went into the mechanics. The three different teams he knew by heart, Mystic with their analytical approach, Valor who believed in strength, and Instinct -- his favorite (but he was biased). The game itself was pretty easy to explain, but Sparks said that anyone with questions was welcome to ask an experienced player, including himself.

"The goal of course is to have fun," he said in conclusion. Trite, perhaps, but definitely true. "I suggest trying to hit up the pokestops in the gardens to get some eggs before starting to ramble. That way you can work on hatching them while you explore. Good luck!"

With the lights back on some people left right away, but as he'd expected the rest lingered. He put away the projector and waited to see if any of the royals needed help.

Black Rainbows: Synthetic Eden Organisation

"Not a better computer. Just a better monitor -- and even that took some doing." Rey hadn't even noticed the fallen medication -- or if he had, he opted to say nothing about it. Athena's arrival made him try very hard to focus on his work, rather than the fennec posing at the cubical wall. Jessamine was a cheerful distraction, and Crispin another. It was much easier to ignore Athena who, while pretty, kept pressuring him to draw her and didn't seem to have any intention of paying for the privelage. Between Crispin and Liz, Rey actually found a smile.

"There, I think that'll -- whoa!" Suddenly Crispin dived under Xell's desk, making Rey push himself aside to give him space and nearly topple himself out of his chair. Laughter rang out, and for a moment Rey thought it was at him, but no: someone was heckling Athena. She was more than capable of handling it, at least.

Then Xell leaped at Crispin, and this time Rey did get knocked out of his chair, landing hard on the floor. The dragon was going for a capsule that matched the ones Rey had politely pretended not to notice. Was it Xell's? Was Crispin really oblivious enough not to check the label on the pill, after picking it up from the floor? Best to let the two of them sort it out, though, instead of stepping in himself.

When Royalty Collides (#YIKES)

Valentine Blanchefleur and Akio Bai

It was the middle of the afternoon when a soft knock came at Akio’s door. It had taken Valentine quite some time to get her nerve up to seek him out, and she was in a way glad that he wasn’t out doing something. She would have been hesitant to interrupt otherwise. She still wore the jeans and graphic tee she’d selected earlier that day, though her camera was back in her room. As she waited for someone to answer the door she tried to figure out what she was going to say. An apology, of course. But what else?

Akio had been in his room, reading a book he had brought along on the cultures and traditions of Acrias. He wanted to be proper here and if he had done anything taboo his mother would have his head. He heard the soft knock on the door, finishing his sentence before placing the small gold ribbon bookmark in between the pages and walking to the door. He opened it up and saw Valentine. He smiled at her then bit his lip. “One moment please.” He said before shutting the door. He quickly walked over to the table where a new vase sat with the flowers that he had gotten Valentine, sitting inside. He grabbed the vase and quickly shoved it into a cabinet. He then walked back over to the door with a hope that nothing else in this room could trigger her to freak out and have another panic attack. The last thing he wanted was a crying princess and another bruise. He opened the door again, this time holding it ajar to let Valentine in. He then shut it behind her and pointed to the back glass door. “Do you want to talk on the balcony?” He asked her softly.

Valentine blinked at the closed door. Prince Akio had answered it and then immediately closed it again -- but perhaps he wanted to put away whatever he’d been doing before her arrival? She clasped her hands in front of her and tried to act like she wasn’t second guessing her every action. There, he was back. And with a question. It took her a moment to find her voice. “Okay.” She let him lead the way outside, looking out over the yard instead of at the man with her. That was easier. “I-I’m sorry,” she added, hands finding the railing and curling around it. “For earlier. ...Your face, does it hurt less now?”

Akio led her out to the balcony and leaned against the railing. His arms crossed on top of the railing bar. He looked out into the city that was visible from the view of his room. He then shrugged and sighed. “It’s ok. It never hurt that bad. It’s just a bruise. There is no need for you to apologize.” Akio had wanted an apology but not from her. If anything he should be the one apologizing to her. He had said some terrible things this morning and he didn’t know if Valentine had heard them but he felt bad for it nonetheless. He took a glance at her and then sighed. “I’m sorry for anything I may have done to upset you. Know that I didn’t mean it. I just want to make you and everyone else happy and some times that is a hard goal to live up to.”

Val knew the flowers had been accidental. She wasn’t so sure about what she’d heard before stopping the argument, but she’d not heard much, and Prince Akio had been upset. Still. “Apology accepted.” It was easier than telling him that she knew she was broken, that royalty didn’t get to be happy, that the last thing she wanted was a marriage and a crown. She looked down at the railing under her hands, tracing the stipple of encroaching rust with a finger. She ought to say something more, but what else was there to talk about?

Akio nodded, thanking her for her forgiveness. He then looked down, staring out at the grounds below him. He had to tell her that he didn’t want this. He had to tell her that he didn’t want to marry her. He had to be honest with her. If he was honest then maybe she would be too. He looked down and took in a shaky breath. “I’m gay.” He said to her softly, beginning to feel nervous and anxious.

Val blinked. At first she thought she’d misheard. Where had this come from, all of a sudden? “Okay?” Oh no, she sounded like an idiot, and a rude one at that. “I mean...I’m sorry you’re stuck with me, but....” And there she went making it worse. Val put her elbows on the railing and hid her face in her hands. What was he expecting her to say, anyhow? Instead of trying to finish her trainwreck of a sentence, Val let it end there.

Akio looked at her as she spoke, not expecting so many words to come out but also these words. He sighed and shook his head again. “No Val. I don’t think I will be… you’re sweet and all but I can’t- I won’t marry you. I want to marry for love.” He said and sighed. “Talulia would be happy to have an alliance and try to help your people but I can’t marry you Val. That’s not fair to either of us.” He said before pushing of the rail and going to sit against the wall. He didn’t want to upset her but marrying just for financial advantage and a pure alliance seemed stupid to Akio. He wanted to actually love the one he married.

“Royalty doesn’t get to do what they want,” Valentine mumbled into her hands. Of course the arrangement wasn’t fair to either of them. But if he’d had no intention of going through with it, then why agree to the engagement in the first place? Or was she just so broken that she wasn’t worth the trouble? She suspected the latter. She gathered her nerve. She wasn’t sad, not really, but it was hard to stand up straight, to turn around and look in Prince Akio’s direction. “I should go.”

((collab between @BurningWaterfa and me))

Magia, Amore et Bellum [ACCEPTING]

@Hellion woudln't she need access to their hardware? And I would think there's countermeasures in place....

Black Rainbows: Synthetic Eden Organisation

It's short but it's there.

Black Rainbows: Synthetic Eden Organisation

Rey had been in the office for some time when he heard a late arrival coming in. He poked his head out to see who it was -- Xell. Perfect! He quickly ducked back to his computer, put the finishing touches on a few lines of code, and jumped the whole thing to his ever-present flash drive. "Hey, Xell, you got a minute?" Rey started to ask, but the dragon was apparently deep in thought.

"Always like this?" Rey mused, scraping at months of dull memories. "I dunno. I don't think so. But whatever you're dealing with, it'll get better. Just gotta keep hanging in there." That was what he told himself, when the gray got too thick to handle. He knew things had been brighter, once. Now even his paintings kept featuring fog and gray haze.

He brushed off the darker thoughts with a shake of his head. "At any rate, would you mind if I borrowed your computer for a minute? Your monitor's at a different resolution than mine, and I want to make sure this page works right."