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Border Banners

Malina’s people live in a comfortable kingdom that has not seen real war in generations. They have a thriving craft-person economy, they have a comfortable relationship with the one nation they share a border with, and they have a very nice monarchy – although, as the monarchs are Malina’s parents, she may be biased.

Their other border is a desert that nobody really thinks about, nobody really… even considers…

Until Malina is too bored at a party and goes walking.. into the desert.

Linguistics

Desert World Building

Question Re. Border Banners

Hello!

Hello mes amis, the sand cat is about to give Malina some answers!

So. What should he answer first?

Gimme questions and directions please.

Biting

Biting

This story is a follow-up to Fishing Day, is as dark as that one, and is from my Fishy Prompt Call, as the original story reached 7 comments (the last time I counted). Not sure I actually answered anything, but I carried on without any more on-screen murder, at least.

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The fish fought the line. She pulled, reeling it in carefully. There were police coming up behind her. She finished reeling in, carefully unhooking the fish. “Officers.” Her bucket had three fish in it already; she checked the size of this one and dropped it in with the others. “I heard screaming a little while ago. Is everyone okay?” Continue reading →

Purchase Negotiation 46: Normality

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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“Finally getting the hang of it, you think?”

Sylviane and Leander headed out of the fifth of the five classes she was – they were – taking this semester.

Leander pinched the top of his nose. “I’m getting there,” he admitted. “Uh. Office hours. Is that really a thing people do? I mean, like, do you-“

Dead gods help him. He was starting to sound like Inka.

“I do. Not every one, but generally at least one a week. We can do more if you think you need it.” Continue reading →

Saving the Cult (if not the World), Chapter Twenty-Seven

Had Jackson planned for this much interruption? She didn’t want to wait to find out.

Lina had lost physical contact with her team while she dealt with — with whatever that was. She grabbed for the nearest hands – Dylan and Jackson – turned, pulled a shield over them, and hurried down the path towards the exit.

She counted to a hundred in her head, all of them walking the fastest they could manage, before she asked Ethan “Why?” She hoped he could follow the rest of the question, because she wasn’t sure she could vocalize it, especially since he hadn’t vocalized much of what she was asking about.

“Because I thought – I had suspicions about my aunts – but I always told myself people were just really into the Organization. But if they can – that’s not what Dylan’s dad does. I mean, it’s close – Sorry, Dylan-“ Continue reading →

Purchase Negotiation 45: First Class

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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“Really kidnapped?” Inka had said that, asked it, at least four times already, and they weren’t even to class yet.

Leander was beginning to think the big problem wasn’t going to be surviving classes, it was going to be surviving Inka.

“Well, I mean, obviously not actually kidnapped, because Leander stopped them.” Sylviane patted Leander on the arm with obvious affection and something like gratitude, which made sense, when he was pretending to be her boyfriend.

Just doing my job.

He couldn’t say that to Inka, who was looking at him with wide eyes. Continue reading →

Saving the Cult (if not the World), Chapter Twenty-Six

“Are we?” Ethan had stalled again, no matter how many times that Lina tried to get them moving. “Are we part of the Organization?”

He was, Lina realized, asking her. “I’m the one that just found out about this thing a couple days ago,” she reminded them. “I’m not sure you should be talking to me about it.”

“You’re the one in charge,” Dylan countered. “There’s nobody else we can ask. Are you part of the Organization?”

“The question is more, do you want to run the Organization?” At least Jackson pitched his voice quietly.

“Kids!” A new voice called out, somewhere behind them.

Continue reading →

The Freshest Fish

The Freshest

This story is a follow-up to Fresh Fish from my Fishy Prompt Call, as it has reached 10 comments (As of the last time I counted). It is set in the city of Scheffenon in the world of Things Unspoken; The story of Scheffenon begins with N is for Nereids ; the story of Eliška begins with R is for Ritual. (I really oughta do another alphabet call…)

“I’m sorry, I have nothing but what you see. I have the freshest river fish, the freshest pond fishes. These here, these are delicious with an herbed butter. These here, they come from a spring where nothing else lives, just these fish, and they taste like the gods themselves would like to eat them.” Continue reading →

Purchase Negotiation 44: See

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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“I want to see you,” she murmured in his ear.

Leander blinked sleepily at Sylviane. The blankets had ended up on the floor. The pillows had ended up somewhere else – the couch over there, he thought.

“I’m right here,.” He’d never been more naked with someone, he thought. Unless she wanted into his mind, which –

which maybe he would not mind all that much, as long as she stayed out of the dark places. “I can’t be much more naked,” he joked.

“I want to see you,” she murmured. “Your Mask down, your face. The way you really look “ Continue reading →

Saving the Cult (if not the World), Chapter Twenty-Five

Lina hoped her perky little put-off would work on the terrifying old women. She needed it to work, Jackson’s scheduled-in interruptions or not. It had to work.

Of course, it didn’t. Ethan’s aunts were not going to let her get away with being friendly, chipper, and innocent. Which was a pity, because she more or less was all three of those things.

“Don’t even bother.” The left-hand aunt really wanted to frown, but her face wasn’t moving in that direction at the moment. “You can save that shit for the credulous masses.”

“I will then, thank you.” She turned her back on them. “Come on, Ethan. We’ve got a deadline.” Continue reading →