Spoils of War VI: Trail

May17

First: Spoils of War I: Surrender
Previous: Rest Stop

The horses seemed to be in good shape, well-rested and well-fed, and were willing enough to be loaded up and mounted.  Nikol did a final sweep of the building – someone might be able to tell the place had been occupied, if they looked closely, but they’d shoveled dirt over the coals and put most everything else back where they’d found it.

“You’re really worried, aren’t you?”  Aran was eyeing her sidelong. “I thought it was just, let’s get out of here, that sort of thing, but you’re really worried someone is going to come after you.”

“Us.”  She rubbed her arms and looked off over the destroyed neighborhood.  “Yeah. Yeah. I was fine fighting for money until, well. Until I saw what the Mountain did.  Then I tried to turn in my banner and leave. Merc, you know. You fight when you want to. But they wouldn’t let me.  So running, well. It’s the best option, but I still don’t really believe it will work.” Continue reading →

A New World: The Hoija

May16

First: A New World
Previous: Two Kael

⚗

Everyone knowing about the Hoeraija is your fault.

Kael raised her eyebrows at this scholar, this Dennor. (Hightower.  Had his family been potion-masters? That was something for another time.)

“I beg your pardon?”  she demanded archly.

He flapped his hand, amused.  “That’s ‘your’ fault.” He dropped quote marks in the air. “Your namesake.  Because she settled among the Hoija, because she built her tower there – here, because she, foremost among the old wizards -”

“Wizards?”  Her potion provided a meaning, but it wasn’t one that made any sense to her. Continue reading →

The Hidden Mall 32: Advice 📝

May15

First: The Hidden Mall – a beginning of something
Previous: Stay Alive

Abby woke to find Old Liv staring at her from the entryway of the tent.  “Trouble?” she mouthed. To either side of her, there was a Liv, sound asleep.

Liv-Old shook her head.  “Just… It always surprises me,” she murmurs, “how young you are. But you’re younger than most of them, I think.  You haven’t been in here long at all, have you?”

“No.”  Abby didn’t want to wake up her Livs.  She considered the way they were all laying and, after a moment, sat up slowly, and moved to the front of the tent, finding that she could sit cross-legged and keep one knee touching each of her Livs. “It’s still weird, sleeping in the mall, for me.  But at least, uh. The robot people gave us a bath?”

Liv-Old snorted.  “Yeah. I went about a month without a bath during my first year or two because I was being squeamish.  Same with food. After a while-” Continue reading →

Space Accountant Landing Page

May14

A Work in Progress

The Pit (kink)

Worldbuilding

Tootplanet: Explorers’ Logs Planet 7-11-1

May14

 

Planetary Day 370

The good news is: we’ve isolated the biological/mineral combination that makes the ocean water joy-juice.

The bad news is: It’s because Lei found some standing water in isolated rock bowls that made the same compound.

The really bad news: Standing water is as dangerous here as it is anywhere, plus the dangers of the joy-juice.

The tolerably decent news: Lei’s knee-highs make pretty good assistant nursemaids.  They aren’t letting him leave bed until he’s healthy again.

 

Spoils of War V: Rest Stop

May14

First: Spoils of War I: Surrender
Previous: House

Aran came down from the upstairs bathroom scrubbed, looking like another person.  He had even found a razor and cleaned up his scruffy beard to something that reminded her of a goatee.  “Guessing they left in a hurry.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Haven’t used anything like those soaps in a long time.  I smell like a funeral.”

“You smell like flowers.”  She stepped up close and sniffed his hair; he froze but didn’t complain.  “Well, like the chemical equivalent, at least. Not bad.”

He leaned down and sniffed her hair.  “You, too. Like one of those days in spring where everything is going crazy.” Continue reading →

Tootplanet: Explorers’ Logs Planet 7-9-1

May14

Planetary Day 466

Now that we have the pink-yaks settled to taking a harness, we’ve been working on an actual shelter for next winter. Our habitat is clearly not quite enough, so we’ve skipped to the end of the Exploration Manual and have started making a home.  

You know, I wasn’t actually surprised to dig down and find that the clay was pink.

Finding silca sand that made pink glass was slightly more surprising, and means that our windows may be letting in, ah, rose-colored light.

The way the last winter went, we might need every bit of optimism we can get.