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Beauty-Beast 35: Owned

May6

First – Previous – Landing Page – Next

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He stayed exactly where he was.  The hand on his neck felt like it was protecting him.  Encompassing him. Holding him, but not restraining him.

“You’re very good.  I want you to know that.  I am very happy with you.”

He felt like he might float away, if it weren’t for the strength of the hand on his neck.  He pressed his forehead a little closer to the carpet and said nothing.

“Ctirad. Okay, come on, my darling.  Sit up and let me cuddle you a little bit.  I’m sorry. I’ve been pushing you too far. Come here, Ctirad.”  Warm arms enveloped him as he sat up like he was on strings. A forehead pressed to the top of his head.  “I’m sorry.”

“You said.  You said you liked me.”  That hadn’t been what he said, Ctirad corrected himself.  He’d said he valued him. He’d said he valued him more than Ermenrich did.  “You called me
 no. You likened me to the Hope Diamond.” Continue reading →

MerMay 1: Fourteen, Fifteen…

May5

Her lungs were burning.  Her ears were popping.  Her face felt like it was going to explode.  Her throat felt like it was on fire.  She couldn’t take it any longer.

Audrey held on to the weight and counted to twenty.  She could do twenty more, maybe fifteen more, eleven-twelve-thirteen oh god. Four
 teen, Fif-teen.

She popped up out of the water, trying not to scream.

It wasn’t working. Continue reading →

A New World: Two Kael

May4

First: A New World
Previous: Dinner, and Things to Chew On

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She ate her food slowly, but with gusto.  It may have been only one long night to her, but it still seemed like a long time since she’d had a taste of home.

Dennor Hightower was staring at her.  She looked up from her food and waited, patiently.

“Kael,” he repeated slowly, “is not a Lerienoijen name.  You said Lerienoijen.  How many scholars know that word?”

“I don’t know.  How many?”

“I know three.  One of them is me.  And I’ve never heard of you.” Continue reading →

Spoils of War IV: House

May3

First: Spoils of War I: Surrender
Previous: On the Road

The road was smooth, the horses were smooth, and every step was still jarring into wounds that Nikol hadn’t even realized she had until she mounted.

They traveled for half the day with no good prospects, both of them tight-jawed with pain neither of them were going to admit and not feeling much like talking.  They were moving through what had once been a suburb and was now a burned-out husk; from the looks of things, at least three separate fires had gone through here over the last several decades.  Nothing was left now except half of a convenience store, its plastic sign melted into a lump of green and white.

That wasn’t going to get them any food.  And the tiny gathering of people they found on the outskirts of town didn’t look like the sort that had much to give them, even if Nikol had anything she was willing to trade. Continue reading →

Mer-May

May3

Warning: Pinterest

In honor of Pinterest getting sub-boards (YAY!) and Mer-May and… things… I offer this prompt call.

Either:

Check out my Addergoole Changes Pinterest board and/or the Mermaids sub-board (I’m still moving stuff…)

or my Tumblr tags Addergoole Change and/or Addergoole Changes

(or just do some google image searching)

Pick an image, and prompt me with it.

Text along with the image is welcome (“what is he plotting?” “Why is she there?” “This should be in Things Unspoken…”)

No promises I’ll get to them all, but I’ll try to do at least a few a week all May.

(Aquatic creatures are clearly the preference but not required)

The Hidden Mall 31: Stay Alive đŸč

May2

First: The Hidden Mall – a beginning of something
Previous: Aberrant!

“What do you mean?”  Liv-1 stared at her. “Wait.”

“No.  No
” Liv-2 sounded horrified.  Nauseous. “That means all the moving around, all of the trying to find a door home.  It was useless?”

“Not useless.” Liv-old put a hand on each young Liv’s back and pushed gently. “Look.  All that running around means sometimes you can move more than you think you can. The younger ones, they can’t do it without a partner.  But it’s good. The more you move around the more you know this place.”

“But you’re
 how do we get out?  How do we get home?” Continue reading →

Rainclouds in the Bear Empire

May1

First: Running in the Bear Empire
Previous: Magic in the Bear Empire
Next: Weather in the Bear Empire

đŸ»

That night, they camped under the dubious shelter of a quick lean-to in the middle of a dense stand of pine trees.  The weather cooperated in precipitation, if not in temperature, and Deline woke to find herself pressed against Carrone for warmth.

They were quiet as they walked, working out all of the kinks and sore spots from sleeping on the ground, and when a trader passed them, he left them well alone.  Deline imagined they must look like they were in a horribly foul mood, dangerous people you didn’t want to get too close to.

The gendarme who came upon them several hours later clearly wasn’t worried about that. He glowered at them and asked them questions about a recent robbery nearby and several other issues – thankfully, none of which they’d been involved in. Continue reading →