Archive | December 2013

The Problem, an Introduction to a story

Dec12

The Factory and the Town was beginning to have problems.

Easton was the fifth of the Factories, the fourth of the Towns connected to Centon City and to the villages by the Silver Road. The other Towns had settled into the factory work, to the shackles of the Silver Road, to the puffing of the smokestacks and the red dust that landed on everything. There had been no reason for the governors or the administrators to believe that Easton would be any different, and, indeed, for the first five years it hadn’t been.

The strange things had begun with unicorn sightings in Easton. There weren’t supposed to be unicorns in the Towns; most townfolk believed the unicorns to be nothing but a myth. The new Administrator had been appointed for the factory, a new Mayor was elected for Easton, and the factory burnt more coriander and planted cilantro all around the buildings.

That was, unfortunately, only the beginning of their problems. The coriander kept the unicorns out of the town square and out of the Factory, yes. The new Mayor and the new Administrator kept order in Easton and the Factory respectively, yes. Curfews kept the Villagers and the Townsfolk from mingling too much, yes. But the factory workers hadn’t all been born in Easton, and you couldn’t stop people from moving out of the Town, at least, not yet.

It had started with rumours, whispers, hints. It had started with gossip over coffee at the market, conversation over clotheslines, stories sent home in the mail. It had started with people talking to each other.

It ended up with guerilla warfare.

In between, there was a mess on the hands of the Mayor and the Factory Adminstator, and a lot of misunderstanding to go around.

But it came to a head when one young woman with a rounded belly knocked on the gates of Easton.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/616347.html. You can comment here or there.

What’s Going On?

Dec12

Be a Part of My World, an auction – your name, or a name of your choosing, forever emblazoned on the walls of my upcoming webserial.

Lexember is here! What words in Reiassan do you want to see/learn?

Three-Sentence Fic Fest – leave a prompt or answer one!

I’ve been writing Addergoole Drabbles to this request post, which is open until I have 25 requests!

Drabbles include:

Inflicting Change; Luke and Mike have had it up to here with Regine. Yr20.
An Arrangement; Minerva’s new Keeper’s crew isn’t so happy about things. Yr16.
Being Wanted; Maureen has a hard job some days
Santa; Leithe wakes up to surprises. Yr10.
The Twins Are Asleep; Kai and Mabina get their kids to sleep before the party. Yr6.
Summer Snuggles; Jaya and Arna, Yr9/10
Merry Christmas, Lee; Lee tries to give his Kept a good Christmas. Yr11.
And Then There’s You; Agmund Fridmar and Love

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/616084.html. You can comment here or there.

Inflicting Change

Dec11

To Sky’s request to this call for Addergoole prompts.

Between Years 19 and 20 of the Addergoole School

Luke’s voice still wasn’t up to par, but he had gone to the wedding, of course. His Student had invited him – and she and Hayden deserved this, more than Luke had words for, even when his voice was properly working.

When he came back, Mike was waiting for him. “I’ve been thinking.”

It had been the years for it. Regine had been meddling more than normal; she had pushed them to meddle more than normal. What had resulted was a cluster fuck that, if they were lucky, the students affected would eventually forgive them for.

“Me, too. I’ve got an idea.”

They didn’t need much more conversation than that; they had known each other for quite a while. A few more words, a plan, and then it was Mike (who still had a voice, who had not been shouting at Regine until he was hoarse) who presented it.

“You need Students.”

“I have had Students in the past.” Regine’s normally-calm-and-collected voice and still body posture did not change much, but there was a tilt in her head and a minute quaver in her voice.

“You had one Student, Regine. We mean a full cy’ree – at least four students – every year.”

“This will take time from my other projects.”

“This school is your project.” Mike’s voice rose up a little louder, a littler firmer. Luke watched with interest. It hadn’t been the Daeva doing the shouting – but he had a feeling he’d missed some things along the way.

He’d missed a lot, this year; he’d gotten enmeshed in one Student’s concerns.

He coughed, and tried for a quiet voice, because nothing louder was going to work anyway. “You need Students because you’re too far from the problems. You need to be emotionally invested.” He sounded like Maria. Well, there were worse people to sound like.

“I do not become emotionally invested. It is part of my strength.”

Mike fielded that one. “It’s become the school’s weakness, Regine. You focus on the theoretical and ignore the human.”

“We are none of us human.” Her voice was beginning to have inflection, and Mike’s was losing it.

“And that, Regine, is the problem in a nutshell. Students. A real cy’ree, four or more. Every year.”

“And if I do not?”

They had been expecting this. Neither of them answered. A heartbeat passed. Another. Another.

“Very well.” Regret and something that Luke could not identify tinged her voice. “Four or more Students. Every year, beginning this September.”

It was only a beginning, but it was that, at least.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/615687.html. You can comment here or there.

An Arrangement

Dec11

To kiarrith‘s prompt to This Call for Addergoole Prompts.

All new characters.

Third week of School, Addergoole Year 16

Minerva slipped into the suite after her magic class – Yaku! Water, her new favorite Word – to hear the tail end of a conversation she was likely meant not to hear.

“…do about Minerva?”

She froze, and then just as quickly unfroze and found a place to hide. The closet. The closet was right there.

“I don’t think there’s anything we need to do about her.” Oh, good. Calum was angry. Minerva touched the collar around her neck – call it a choker or a necklace all you wanted, it was still a collar. Calum was angry and one of the girls wanted to do something about Minerva. Again. She curled a little further into the back of the closet, behind a winter coat she’d had no use for yet.

“Something has to be done. Calum, I know you’re fond of her, but she doesn’t really fit in, does she?” Kenna had that tone in her voice that meant she was going to bend the facts until they fit. Or bend Minerva – or Calum – until they fit.

“And she’s miserable.” Tzefira this time, with a coaxing, cajoling tone in her voice. “She doesn’t like being left out any more than we like leaving her out.”

She was? She didn’t? They didn’t? But if this was a two-on-one intervention, Calum’s crew-mates were really sick of her being around. And if it was two-on-one, Calum didn’t stand a chance. He might not wear their collar, but it hadn’t taken Minerva long to figure out who really pulled the strings around here.

“She doesn’t seem miserable to me…”

“Well, she wouldn’t, would she?” Tzefira was so very persuasive. “Did you want to look miserable, when you were ours?”

“No, no, but you still knew.”

“Well, dear…”

She had to say something. Calum would yell. Tzefira and Kenna would yell. But it was that or get kicked out. Minerva stood up, pushing the coats out of the way.

Nobody noticed her at first. Tzefira was going on about how they knew better than he did. It let Minerva step forward until she was standing at the table.

Kenna was taller than Minerva – and that didn’t happen often at all – but they were all sitting, and she was standing. “Why don’t you want me here?”

They didn’t deal well with direct, she’d noticed. Kenna coughed. “It’s not that we don’t want you here, it’s just that you don’t fit here happily. We think you’d be better off somewhere else.”

“Calum has to grow up sometime, you know.” The worst they could do was get rid of her, and they were going to do that anyway. “He can’t be your pet forever.”

“Of course not.” Tzefira recovered faster than her crew-mate. “We released him. We know he needs to be his own person. But don’t you want to be your own person, too?”

Good one. Minerva thought it ought to have hit home, but it didn’t. She shrugged instead. “Right now, I like being Calum’s – when you let him have me.”

“Minerva.” Calum’s voice didn’t have warning so much as pleading. She ignored him, as much as it sent twists into her stomach.

“I like being his, but you don’t want him to Own someone, because it brings home that he’s not yours anymore – not to you, because you both know the truth. But to him. Him being in control of someone reminds him that he’s the one in control.”

Tzefira was smiling. That was unexpected. “You think so?”

“I know so. That’s why you don’t want me here. Not because I’m miserable – I’m not, Calum. Not because I don’t like being left out – I don’t mind, and neither do you. But because it draws a line in Calum’s brain.”

The two women shared a look. “You want to be his pet, even knowing…” Kenna’s gesture was entirely unclear, but Minerva took her meaning anyway.

“Even knowing how it works between you two and him. Yes.”

“Why?” Tzefire leaned forward; this answer was the important one.

Why, indeed? Minerva licked her lips. “I like what you guys have here. I’d like to have it some day. But right now, that’s not what I want. Right now, I want a nice, comfortable collar and a Keeping to get me through this first year of school. And… I like him. I really do. Doormat status and all.”

“Minerva!” This time, it was a warning. She sat down and watched the three of them, waiting.

The Characters
Tzefira‘s the only one with a wiki page so far

Calum
The character is male
5 ft. 11 in. tall.
muscular build.
cropped short perfectly straight black hair.
brown eyes.
light skin.
movement is notable in some fashion

CHANGES
unicorn related Change
Significant physical Changes include skin tone , facial feature(s) , hands and/or feet
Innate ability can consume thoughts in some way.

Kenna
The character is female
6 ft. 1 in. tall.
curvy/stocky build.
hip length+ tight curls Irish red hair.
grey eyes.
ebony skin.
movement is notable in some fashion

CHANGES
djinn related Change
Significant physical Changes include hair color , eye color
Innate ability can control space in some way.

Minerva
The character is female
6 ft. 0 in. tall.
slim build.
shoulder length wavy blue-black hair.
black eyes.
dark skin.
hands is notable in some fashion

CHANGES
naiad related Change
Significant physical Changes include eye color , height , hands and/or feet
Innate ability can destroy thoughts in some way.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/615456.html. You can comment here or there.

K is For… a belated Lexember start post!

Dec11

(Idea borrowed from this blog post of Micah’s).

It’s Lexember!

Stop in and add yourself to my Reiassan lexicon at the Be a Part of My World auction.

And then come back here… and tell me what words you think I should create for Reiassan, steam-era, swords-and-sorcery-era, or mid-range Rin & Girey era (Although the language doesn’t shift all that much 😉

Here is the wiki entry on language.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/615194.html. You can comment here or there.

Be a Part of My World: An Auction for Edally Academy (my upcoming webserial)

Dec9

I have opened up an auction post for my upcoming webserial, Edally Academy.

Edally is a Steampunk Boarding School, set in a fictional semi-fantasy setting on a continent called Reiassan. It’s a setting I’ve used often for fantasy stories in earlier eras of the setting (see the Reiassan landing page), as well as exploring the steampunk era.

The auction offers up a wide range of people, buildings, and things within the setting and the story to name – the House of the school the protagonist is part of, the Head of her House, the classroom Hall she studies in, the food she has for dinner.

Proceeds from this auction will work as a start-up fund for the webserial – art, advertising, domain name, server space, and so on.

Even if you’re not interested in bidding, please boost the signal.

Thanks!

Being Wanted

Dec9

To rix_Scaedu‘s request to this call for Addergoole prompts.

The thing that students didn’t understand, Maureen mused, and then, in her mind, corrected herself. One of the things students didn’t understand is that a two-year-old was still plenty aware enough to notice things, and a three-year-old even more so.

One of the things two- and three-year-olds noticed was when some of their peers left the school, and others didn’t. They noticed when Adorlee and Aceline’s mother came to visit, and Harvey and Miliana’s mother didn’t. They noticed gifts and new clothes and special attention paid – and it gave them a standard against to measure the attention their own parents gave them.

Shiva’s three had packed up their belongings and cheerfully hopped into a car with their mother. Mea’s four had done the same. Mabina’s had never lived in the creche; Eriko and Callista took their children and fled.

Ivette’s children and Xaviera’s older two watched this with interest, never asking why they weren’t going, what was going to happen. And then Anwell came for Ivette’s Lidah, and then Adrian for her son (his son) Oliver, and that left of that year Harvey and Miliana.

They didn’t say anything that year. They went back to playing, and that was fine. They didn’t say anything the next year, when Wren and Rowan, Lydia and Eris, Genevieve and ‘Lisha all took their children, or the next year, when Manira left hers.

It was the end of year eleven, when Miliana was seven, that she crawled up into Maureen’s lap and asked the impossible question. “Lady Maureen?”

“Yes, sweetness?” She was a beautiful girl. Her parents were both lovely; it remained to see whether the poison in both of them would be carried in her as well.

“Condwiramur and Sprout’s mom, and Laima and Ama’s, they came and took them. But not everyone’s mom or dad takes them.”

“That is true.” Maureen had had this conversation before. Not many times, but she imagined the number would keep going up.

“My mom doesn’t love me, does she?”

“I do not know what is in the core of your mother’s heart, Miliana, and no-one but she can truly know that. What I know is that she and I spoke when she left, and the felt that you would be better served – safer, warmer, happier – here, where you had grown up. She wanted you and Harvey to be happy and safe, Miliana.”

Those weren’t the words that Xaviera had used, but they would do. Maureen finished with some that were entirely her own. “And we wanted you to be cherished, and warm, and safe. We wanted you here, in the creche, with us.” Maureen placed a careful kiss on the girl’s forehead. “We wanted you here.”

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/614646.html. You can comment here or there.

Santa

Dec9

To stryck‘s request to this call for Addergoole prompts.

Leithe first shows up here.

Christmas Morning, Year 10 of the Addergoole School

Leithe opened the door Christmas morning – Shang’s door, though he kept saying it was their door – to a stack of brightly-wrapped packages.

“Shang? Did you order… presents?” She tried not to sound hopeful. She tried not to feel hopeful. He wasn’t very good at this whole thing, and she still wasn’t sure he understood that he was supposed to be trying.

“Order? No, uh.” She heard something shuffling around in the room. “I didn’t order any. Why?”

“There’s a stack of presents out here. My name, your name.” She glanced down the hall. “Everyone has them.” In the other direction, she saw Orlaith picking up a stack from outside Accalon’s door. “Not all the same, I don’t think. But everyone has something.”

“Hunh. Well, it is… nope, no ticking. You can bring them in, if you want.”

“I wonder if they’re from my parents. The ones to me, I mean. My parents don’t really write or anything but maybe they sent presents…” She was doing that thing where she kept talking. She pressed her lips together, picked up the presents, and brought them back into the room.

She had to struggle with them – the presents were heavy, and bulky – and was surprised when she found Shang helping her, taking the bulkiest ones from her. “Here. Here, you didn’t say they were that big. What… Idu Unutu… hunh. No poison, no bombs. Over here.”

Over here surprised her again; there was a tiny fake tree on his desk, that hadn’t been there before, and four small presents underneath.

In the hallway, someone was shouting. “Someone got me the Supername CD I wanted. Santa got me the CD I wanted!”

Leithe looked at the presents in her arms, labelled From Santa. Then the looked at Shang.

“Are you smiling? Are you crying?” He looked nervous. That was new.

“Both?” She was pretty sure she was doing both.

“Is that good?”

“I… yes?” She rubbed at her eyes. “Yes. I think so.”

“Good…. that’s good. Merry Christmas, Leithe.”

Outside, another voice was shouting about a rare strand of black pearls. Leithe shut the door.

“Merry Christmas, Shang.”

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/614246.html. You can comment here or there.

And Then There’s You

Dec6

To [personal profile] rix_scaedu‘s commissioned prompt in the My-Hobbies-Ran-Into-Each-Other-And-I-Blew-My-Gas-Money-Budget Emergency Fundraiser

After: Fridmar & Love
“That was a lovely speech you gave Ana.”

“You were not intended to hear it. Come in, then, Mikhaíl, rather than keep talking in the hallway.”

“Oh, but that’s all I wanted to say.” Looking innocent and entirely unbelievable in it, Mikhaíl the Linden-flower stepped into Agmund’s office and shut the door. “It was a lovely speech.”

“It was what she needed. Sit, then.”

“Woof.” Mikhaíl levered itself gracefully into chairs that had not been designed for its tail. “Yes, of course. What she needed, what Doug needed. A pity she doesn’t trust me, but, considering her antecedents, I’m not surprised. And I am Doug’s grandmother, as much as he glowers and tries to forget it.”

The Daeva wanted something, and Agmund would have no peace until he gave it. Whatever it was. “Doug glowers because he hurts. He glowers less when Anastasia is around.”

“You’ve noticed that, too? Of course you have. But yes, your answer was good, perfect for the situation and for both of them. All three of them, but that’s another story.”

Agmund did not rise to the bait. For one, he knew what the Daeva was talking about. For another, it wasn’t why Mikhaíl was here. “Da. It makes them happier.” Twist that one, horn-head.

“And a happier teacher is, in general, a useful teacher. Better for his Students. Better for his co-workers.”

“Maybe Luke we should be getting a girlfriend next.”

“Mmm.” And now it was the Daeva’s turn not to show anything. “Maybe. But it was not Luca I was thinking of.”

“Never it is Luca you are thinking of.” And if Mikhaíl could read the sarcasm or not, there would be a message there.

“Mmm.” The Daeva’s eyes focused on the wall for a heartbeat, and then back to Agmund they swung, undeterred. “What about you?”

Agmund had been expecting the attack. “And what about me? Doug is not my type, nor I his.”

“Of course not. Men.” Mikhaíl’s hand wave covered all of the gender in one dismissive gesture. “Agmund, when is the last time you loved, yourself?”

Agmund had been expecting this, and still didn’t want to answer it. He tried a dodge, knowing that in this form of combat, Mikhaíl was more skilled. “I do not ask you about masturbation, Mikhaíl. Do not ask me.”

“Very cute, Agmund. When’s the last time you loved someone else?”

“This is also not your business.”

“And here I am asking.” The Daeva leaned forward, undeterred.

“I am not in love with you, Mikhaíl. You are not my type, either.” Drop it, his tone said.

No way, Mikhaíl’s eyes said.

“Of course not. But there was Xanthia…”

“No, there was not. There was never Xanthia, because there was Hemlock for Xaviera.”

“What about Penstemon?”

“Rather occupied, and not interested. And again, you presume.” He leaned back and pushed against his desk. Go away, nosy Daeva.

“I know you, Agmund.” Mikhaíl leaned forward. Not going anywhere, grumpy bear.

“You know what you choose to see, what you think you see. There is nobody, Mikhaíl.”

“And if there truly was, I would go away.”

“This I will believe when I see it.” Agmund wanted to relax, but it felt as if Mikhaíl was circling for another angle of attack. Did the Daeva know?

“And then there is Fairuza.” Yes, damn its eyes. It knew.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/613959.html. You can comment here or there.