Care

Words: 2569
Rating: 10+
Warnings: Bugs, light violence/injuries
Notes: Sponsored by Ciel! He donated to me but didn’t give me a prompt, so I just tried to write something he’d enjoy!

 

Lurel hummed to himself as he walked through the town, tossing a fresh-picked apple and trying to trick-catch it: behind his back, reverse-gripped, half-juggled. It was a very good day, breezy and warm, with some thin clouds keeping the sun from being too bright. And it was a year since they’d broken ground on the village. Construction on the communal buildings had been done for a few weeks, the village wall was completed four days ago, and only a few houses were left to build.

A few people called greetings to him, and he halted his song to respond to each of them. A year ago, he never bothered with others, but now? He’d learned the importance of his neighbors. All of them had, really.

Lurel rounded the corner into the village square, and brightened immediately as he saw the heavy build and scaly tail of his love. He slowed his walk to an amble, trying to not be noticed without having to sneak, and got to one knee behind the lizard-folk. “Merist, sweet!” he said. “I have come to rescue you from this dullery.”

“How many times,” Merist said, heavy drawl extending his vowels, “do I have to ask you not to interrupt my work?” He slapped the ground with his tail, raising some dust, and turned. “If you must bother someone, it must be-” He stopped, quickly raising a clawed hand to his snout. He coughed, but Lurel knew it was to hide a laugh at the sight of him presenting an apple with all the pomp of a hero pledging his fealty. “It must be Yariv,” he finished, once he could be sure of his composure.

Amateurs

Words: 2083
Rating: 8+
Warnings: None
Notes: Sponsored by an anonymous contributor, who didn’t give me any prompt, but did spend enough that I wanted to do something! So have a first meeting between Kai and most of his crew.

 

Six copper coins clicked onto the desk. Myrtle put her hands on her hips, glaring at Mal. “What is this?”

“Your pay,” the old information broker said. “A fair wage for fair work.”

“It’s information direct from Master Harris!” Myrtle protested. “It’s worth much more than that!”

Luke put a hand on her shoulder, offering his support. “We had to stake out the shadow-court for three hours for this.”

“Information about an operation our dear Rogue is running in two days, against a target that has no idea they’d be in the line of fire, with only three people in the meeting that could know to ask about it,” Mal said, ticking the points off on his spindly fingers. “It’s highly unlikely I’ll be able to sell it, and that’s half the use of information.” He nudged the coins closer to them. “Six coppers. Take it or leave it.”

Moon Viewing

Words: 2520
Rating: 10+
Warnings: Bugs (briefly), a few vaguely sexual comments
Notes: Again, it’s been a while! Retail hell makes writing regularly difficult. This one’s a commission from Jay, no setting or anything specified so I just went with what I wanted!

 

The night was calm, the sky clear, the stars bright. People filled the town square, merry and excited, everyone proud of work done well. The harvest was in, the storehouses full, and there was enough good weather that a few more vegetables might ripen before they frosted.

The backstreets were quiet, empty of beggars or thieves tonight. No one brought in laundry late on a festival night, or was fetching water for one last pot of tea. But there was one boy flitting through the shadows, careful not to get caught in the flickers of light from the central bonfire. He made his way to the well in the corner of town. Most nights, guards stopped there as they patrolled the walls, but now they were in the square with everyone else. It was perfect for a secret meeting.

Tax Collection

Words: 2975
Rating: 8+
Notes: Oh wow it’s been a while! But here’s a finished piece, the “origin” for a character that’s been knocking in my head for a while. She might be better as a now-and-then joke, but I wanted to get this out at least.

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“The boss wants to see you.”

Ursula paused in hanging up her rain-soaked cloak, a pit in her stomach. “I just got back. Doesn’t he want me to make a report first?”

Jorn, her coworker, shook his head. “Almost as soon as you left, he said to grab you as soon as you came in.” He glanced about, then lowered his voice. “I think he’s about to move you to Legends.”

The pit became a knot. Ursula nodded, and placed her cloak on its hook by the door. “Of course he is. I’ve made too many enemies.” She clasped Jorn’s shoulder as he put his own cloak on. “Thanks for warning me.”

Gratitudes

Words: 4678
Rating: 8+
Notes: This feels like something I could twist a different way and turn into a longer story, but I just wanted to explore a bit of the life of an “ordinary” person in this verse.  Not really a story, just a snippet.

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Most days were the same, for Tomasi.

She’d wake up, clean her face, dress in her simple grey uniform. She would plan for breakfast, but never wake up early enough to actually eat it. Slip on her shoes, throw on her fringed cloak, and lock up her apartment. A stop by her neighbor to exchange a bronze coin for a lunch basket, a brief hello to the landlady in the kitchen, a pat on the head for the building’s cat, and then she’d be on her way.

Maren’s Coronation

Words: 5348
Rating: 10+
Warnings: Some unintentional misgendering
Notes: And a final gift piece. This friend wanted a conman and atrocious alias, so here we go. I added in my own loved trope of platonic touching, and created one of the pieces I’m more proud of- it’s definitely awkward in spots, but I think it works quite well for what I want.

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“Are you sure about this, Grange?” she asked, peeking around the corner.

“Of course, Kal.” He patted her on the back. “You just go up to those guards, declare yourself, and away we go to riches and fame. You’ve got this!” He adjusted his helmet and rested his hand on his sword, casually, like any bored bodyguard.

“Alright.” Kalrian took a deep breath, fluffed her skirt so it lay nicely, then strutted around the corner with her shoulders back and her head high.

The palace guards eyed her- and Grange, with his equipment- warily. “What business do you have here?”

Theft and Rescue

Words: 3574
Rating: 10+
Warnings:  None
Notes: Another gift for a friend! This one wanted a heist with some dramatics, and a “normal” character as the viewpoint. I really like this crew so I’ll probably do more with them.

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“Is she done yet?”

“Hold your horses, Kai.” Myrtle glanced at him, arms crossed and fingers tapping impatiently. “This isn’t like hacking through a grunt.”

“Ngh. You need to practice with Sela more, then.”

Myrtle shrugged, her feathers ruffling slightly at the implication that she hadn’t done enough with her sister. “Just be patient.”

Kai kept silent for a minute, but patience was not his strong suit. He opened his mouth to say something else, just as Sela blinked and turned towards them. “It’s done!”

The Sorceress’ Apprentice

Words: 1704
Rating: 7+
Warnings: None
Notes: This was originally a gift for someone! He wanted something focused on a joke character, and it turned into one of my favorite shorter pieces.

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They were pinned. There was nowhere to go, no time to move, no solution to this puzzle. The sorceress floated in the air above them, her aura crackling with energy, lightning sparking from her staff.

She loomed over the hero and his apprentice, baring her teeth in a grin. “This is the end for you, knight.” She raised her staff, ready to bring it down on them. She swung. But she halted, not an inch from striking the knight. “Then again, it would be a pity, with such a flawed squire with you. Replace them, or polish them, but do not insult me with this try again.” She cackled and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the knight and his apprentice laying against a pillar.