Category: Drama
Elizabeth d’ Fiero
Elizabeth d’ Fiero has been the celebrity darling since her appearance with the Duke of L’angiers at the Royal Wedding. She is sought after for her keen observations of the elite.
“You see, darling, all that needs to happen for the people of the realm to allow atrocities to occur right before their noses is to turn it into a show! A wonderful, beautiful comedy of errs will make the bad medicine of reduced concern for honest policy go down like a warm drink.”
Blending her usage of shaming terminology with unpopular terms for other demographics, the Countess is open in her opinions of the way which power really affects the course of history.
“It’s all true, of course. The bread and circus meant to keep the little people busy. The folksy backwater types who prattle on about conspiracies not being ‘real’ enough, simply do not have any grasp on the depths of apathy which people like, well, like me, darling, have for the people like them.”
Agent Sophie
Agent Sophie is known for her attention to detail and her perserverence in the field. Junior agents often are interested in working with and learning about the world through partnerships.
“You see, it’s time to throw the ball. Ball. Ball. See? Ball. Ball. Now. Throw.”
Certainly not known for gruffness or fierceness, Agent Sophie is a big fan of the simple things, and occassional directness in conversation.
“Now let’s throw the ball. Ball. Now. Let’s throw the ball. Ball.”
#13 & #14 Las Hermanas de La Sombras Vigilantes
They are driven by revenge. People might credit them with cleaning up the streets of the world’s murder capital, one criminal after another. But public safety’s just a side effect. It’s revenge they’re after.
—-
A deeper exploration to an idea I had a very long time ago. I’m calling them Magda & Isa respectively. Originally, I had this on my list of things, but at first thought I wouldn’t do it when I noticed there were several other Day of the Dead styled characters. But the more & more I thought of it, the cooler & cooler I thought it would be to have murderous sister vigilantes. So here we are. I don’t know why I made one extra girly, while giving the other one a mariachi sort of get up. I’m happy with these, even if I feel like weak sauce having to count the duo individually. I think the thing I regret more is putting them off, & not cleaning & coloring this one for full effect. If I ever do go back & color, this might be the first one.
Marsanne Muscadelle
Several years after her debutante ball, Marsanne Muscadelle reminds us that still still loves three things:Â Black Friday, fine Italian dresses, and a deep glass of rich, flavorful red wine.
“When I grind my shock prod into your ribs, and you hit the ground crying, your tears will be cut short by my bare feet grinding down on your skull.”
Known in more delicate circles as an old-fashioned, small town hospitalier and a fine connoisseur of subtle cedar and chocolate undertones (as long as it has fine long legs) Ms. Muscadelle remains available to only the most cultured of suitors, and does not make herself too open to proposal.
“I will unload this clip into your heart.”
Mandarin Peel
Mandarin Peel uses her nature abilities to blend into a crowd for the purposes of espionage.
“Communication not so hot. For your safe, please don’t bring the stranger girt into your room. The girt is dangerous, it will hurt your life.”
Formerly a Chinese supermodel, now one of the most sought-after espionage practitioners, Mandarin is now also known as the “Avenging Ghost.”
“Please let me look after your luggage and money. Take care the thief, don’t change money with stranger person.”
Destroyer
The woman known as the Destroyer is very much known as the one who will make you cry.
“I don’t like to have to accept people, my only role in life is to upset the flow of others, I will beat you, bruise you, and leave you begging to be able to deal with your shit on your own terms again.”
Universally known as the meanest person around, the Destroyer will completely disable you first with her severity, then make fun of your inability to understand the depths of her rage, and finally she will use the episode to slander you before others.
“Don’t just think that because I am pretty and blond that I would be automatically pleasant. I will disabuse you of your expectations.”
#21- Vahhryn Zenthhfyr
Vahryn is the oldest of the previous generation of Zenthhfyr boys. He was average height but broad-shouldered, and though he had only a slightly better than average handling of Skykraft, he was often one of the more daring pilots, and as he grew the community all noticed that he was also one of the bravest young men in the community in general. He was always a moderate sort of person. He didn’t pick fights, but he often became involved in them by trying to stop others from fighting or stand up for someone being picked on. He never won drinking competitions simply because he never had a fondness for excess drinking.
He flew well enough, but was never overly fond of it, seeing it as a sort of chore amongst a life full of chores. His order-centric nature landed him the constant task of reeling in his younger brother Yoren, who had a tendency to fly off the handle and push himself too hard.
Vahhryn was not a particularly passionate person, and perhaps that was part of the reason he never married. He had one or two women who swooned over him as his twenties passed by, but the infatuation never seemed to last long enough to satisfy either party, and despite the insistence of his family that ‘such a nice young man get married and make more nice proper children,’ he simply never saw it as a necessity.
He was an excellent farmer and Shepard, though, which was enough to keep the community from raising too much of a fuss over him, since he helped keep everyone fed. He was well known for nursing sick animals and returning stray children or lambs others had trouble finding. It was that trait that eventually cussed his death.
When a large storm swept across the sky, he was part of a large group of searches flying through the storm to try and capture stray chickens and help animals that had been trapped on the cliffsides threatened to be knocked off into the void below at any moment. With the storm still raging and pushing rain sideways all night, Vahhryn continued looking for stragglers. he eventually returned home shaking with cold with a last man holding on to his craft, who had been knocked off the edge without a parachute. The man would have surely died without Vahhryn’s help, but Vahhryn collapsed into bed that night, and by the next day, his family was trying desperately to treat his high fever and pneumonia.
The last person to speak with Vahhryn before he died was Yoren, who Vahhryn had asked for. He pleaded with his brother to stop being so reckless. “Surely, you will injure yourself or someone else… please stop scheming as well. The community will only take so much of it. One day they’ll banish you.”
Yoren blew off his brothers words and demanded that he stop speaking nonsense and get better. But the next morning, Vahhryn had died.
#20 – Khris Lendehr
Khris is in his middle-age now. 30 years working in the countryside below Himmerd has tanned his face grown crisp wrinkle and dstrong hands like leather blacksmith’s gloves. He left Himmerd decades ago of his own accord when he fell in love with the daughter of a Shepard with a drastic fear of heights. Never having been much of a Pilot himself, he finally decided to move down to the ground, knowing he’d have little contact with his family. He first heard about events stirring in Himmerd when a passing relative chatted with him about the events surrounding Yoren Zenthhfyr five or six years back. But he had no idea that those events would lead to the eventual attack on Himmerd, and when his relations begin visiting him more often, and he receives word about the terrible events in the sky above him, he is torn by the desire to continue protecting his children and grandchildren, and a desire to aid his old family.
Eventually he decides to walk a middle road, begin a quiet investigation amongst the loose network of feudal lands outside the city-states surrounding the Deep Sea, seeking information about Yoren’s whereabouts. He is the first to find out about Yoren’s change to Jyorn, and his connection with the court of Scania.
#19 – Job Flug
Job is a man that seems too high-strung at first glance. He finds keeping his wife in line a constant trial, but at times he enjoys the time away from her, because she also takes the drama away with her. To an outsider, their marriage seems to be held together by nothing more than a large dose of physical passion and an intense willpower to ‘make it work’, But the two of them grew up together, and he knows she appreciates his grounded outlook on life, as well as the tenderness he’s shown to their children. He is part of the small crew Bromella manages across the Himmerd fleet who handle general repairs and maintenance to the larger skykraft, but his greatest specialty is navigation, which often keeps him flying back between the boats and trying to conduct communications between everyone by semaphore.
The situation with the attack on the Island has caused a constant rift in his relationship with his wife, as their situation is uncertain, and the house-boat that he had built for his family has since had to be shared with several other refuges, keeping the two of them on constant edge at the invasion of their privacy. Though another two boats have been built in the months since the attack, the pinch on their free space and free time has only been marginally relieved.
He is tall, wiry, and as his wife loves to tease him about, he’s already going very gray, and beginning to show streaks of white in his hair, despite only just turning thirty.
#18 – Henry Holbein
Henry Holbein is the current patriarch of the Holbein family and business. He spends most of his days walking to and fro between the various packaging and preparation houses his family owns, quelling a sibling squabble, or simply walking to give his various servants, vassals and family members a harder chance of finding him and forcing him to make some silly decision about a problem that shouldn’t have even been brought to him.
He is even known amongst some of his employees for throwing off his better clothes and pretending to be an average worker in order to avoid the more tedious aspects of his status. A day or two every week spent maneuvering bales of dried fish or lugging 4×4’s around to aid the various carpentry crews has not only helped him keep some of his youthful muscles and stave off the 60-year-old beer gut (which grows despite his efforts), but also helped him keep an ear to the ground around the city and a good image in the eyes of all the townsfolk beholden to him.
He is a shrewd but compassionate man, and though he is most often quiet and reserved, he never allows others to talk over him. The thing he hates most in life is having to visit his father, the man who would still be Patriarch if he weren’t bedridden and in a state so poor but continuous that everyone wishes he would die for everyone’s sake.
He sees a kindred spirit in Salvitore when he first meets him, and after seeing the spark in Salvitore and his daughter’s eyes upon meeting, finds it a perfect excuse to convince Salvitore to stay with their family as a layman and advisor.
Henry’s most distinctive physical trait is a big bushy mustache that is slightly reddish in contrast to his naturally dark brown hair. The mustache also curls just a tiny bit at the corners of his lips, making his dimples show more.
#11 The Uzbek
The services offered by the man simply known as the Uzbek, do not come cheap. But if you have the means, there isn’t a better surveillance package available on the market. Often used to help monitor deals or snoop on targets, the Uzbek uses up to 8 flying camera drones & brain augmenting implants to operate as a walking panopticon. There’s very few places he can’t see, capable of even hacking most existing surveillance set ups on the fly. The Uzbek is capable of seeing all.
But that’s all anyone knows about the man. It’s unclear whether or not the Uzbek is even Uzbeki. All that’s known is that he started surfacing in Tashkent about fifteen years ago.
—-
Did this guy rather quickly on a whim. Originally, in my list of jump off ideas I had “The [Nationality] – Espionage Cyborg” & originally thought it be a nondescript man who transformed into a big mean cyborg killing machine close to what I had with the Red Hammer I posted last year at the end. But instead, I opted for a bit of a smaller scope & decided to make him a surveillance guy. I had in mind the Gargoyle characters from Snow Crash that do nothing but collect data. But with the way technology is, I wasn’t about to encumber this guy with stuff when he probably has maybe six, tiny devices on his person capable of all of that. But ultimately, I wanted a sketchy cyberpunk spy kind of vibe going on here.
Why Uzbekistan? Because I don’t think they get much love is all.
This is #11 for me. I have all the way through 20 on my photobucket & ready to slowly post. But I am at work right now & it’s a little hard. So instead of one big flood, I’ll post here & there throughout the day. I might not make all 30, but I think I might make it pretty close.
Bonzai Guacamole
Bonzai Guacamole has been sworn by duty and country to return the wayward princess to her throne. His strict adherence to this duty though, leaves a wake of devastation and loss of property.
You might ask yourself how does a kung-fu assassin move? By his sense of smell.
#28 Tree Face
The Tree Face is a slumber parasite. He digs his roots deeply into your dreams to feed.
#16 and #17 – Zandrosia Holbein and son, Gunther
Zandrosia has a sweet poise about her like a daisy standing straight an tall amongst tulips. That same poise is often pronounced greater around her fellow nobles when she speaks, because Zandrosia is not one to hold her tongue. As the second-youngest daughter of a Drennish Merchant-noble, she has never had reason to hold her tongue either, because their family commands a distinguished fleet of fisherman that supply most of the region with dried fish for the long winters, and from there they expanded to a wide variety of staple foods that have kept their family prosperous and growing, And the Holbein women have seen to it that the family grown LARGE. Children are always running around playing, being tutored, or being told not ot trip up their elders so much.
Zandrosia is no exception. She was nearing eighteen without taking an interest in any of the business-interest/ suitors her father continuously pointed her way, and with no other romantic interest entering her life. When she was introduced to the then-freelancing Salvitore, she felt instantly enamored by his calm studious demeanor, and he was immediately entranced by her loud, honest giggling. It only took one night of hushedly whispering about business, commerce, plants and science on the balcony of her father’s party-home before her father set to work arranging their marriage, and solidifying his business ties to Salvitore. Though the two of them both know fully that her family intended her as a prize for their lifelong business arrangement, Salvitore and Zandrosia make up for it by being completely devoted to each other.
Salvitore not coming from a prominent family himself, they opted to keep her name for the marriage papers, and their children as well. Their first was born a little less than nine months after their marriage (yes… less… you read that right), and named Gunther after her grandfather. Gunther is a quiet child like his father, and normally Zandrosia feels no pain seeing her husband go off on business trips or reasearch expeditions, until recently, when their son has taken a stronger liking to him, and has taken to day-in-day out tantrums when left with the family’s nanny, forcing Zandrosia to watch after him personally when her husband is away.
They have had two other children since, a girl and then another boy. Their quickly growing family is one of the highlights of Salvitore’s life. A small spark of light that keeps him from ever regretting his leave from the Academy.
#27 – Deforester
In the Canadian wilderness… once every million years or so… the Deforester is unleashed from the netherealm, and it eats it’s way though the woods, devouring the trees. Eventually there won’t be any trees left to produce oxygen, and the creature will die. But will the human race survive?
#15 – Queen Adrienna Vasa
Adrienna is a shrewd, pretty, and above all else, realistic woman. She the outcomes as much as possible before taking any action, and commands a small diligent group of spies within Scania to make sure she knows the actions of the nobility in her country before they would move against her. Just two generations ago, her grandfather Gustav Kjelder single-handedly convinced the nation to move against the budding worker’s unions and appoint him lawful monarch after a single brilliantly executed political and military campaign. But during his children’s generation, a plague swept through the country, taking with it one third of the population, exacting a higher toll on the nobles and his own family than any other. When the plague finally dissipated a few years later, he was dead, and the country was left with two infertile daughters, no sons, a single promising granddaughter, and many nieces, nephews and siblings poised to knife Adrienna in the back. By coaxing, bribing, and arranging the nobility to her side, she fended off her usurpers and claimed the throne despite her born gender, though her grasp on the country is tenuous at best, with the rest of the sea-lying regions progressing ahead of Scania in trade and magical prospects. When the sorceror Drahomir comes to her doorstep offering his lands and services in exchange for her aid in his future political projects, she accepts. When he wants her hand in marriage as well, so carefully avoids the topic for almost a decade, taking the man to bed, but not to church, to often seal their bargains and plans.
When Drahomir presents Jyorn to the court and tells her his plans for Himmerd, she is delighted with both. When Jyorn proves himself a capable mercenary and striking court figure, she welcomes him to her bed as well, though they both know full well their relationship will never been solidified within court politics, royal lineage, nor Drahomir’s claims on her.
#13 – Hestanna Flug
(This started out as a drawing of Hestana working on something, and turned into Hestana in a sky-craft, and an excuse to design a little. After a visit to the Natural History Museum of Seattle, I’m now imagining all the littler skycraft designs as various insect-like designs, like waterbeetles, ladybugs, etc. Made from reed and clear material akin to vinyl that they create from the sap one of the plants native to Himmerd. The materials are as light as possible, but also have to be rigidly constructed to hold up to wind, air speed, etc)
Hestana takes after her Aunt Bromella, which is no surprise since her mother was Bromella’s sister. That makes Hestana Kendric’s cousin, and his very best friend. They grew up racing and competing with each other, seeing who could explore the island first or master some new trick or skill first. When they were first allowed a small training ‘bug’, they would end up in childish brawls over who could use it first, when, how long. It wasn’t long before Their parents agreed that they each needed a skycraft or they would never stop fighting. But the moment they each had their own, they spent any moment they had excuse to get away from their chores exploring the sky and surroundings of Himmerd. Hestana is about 2 years older than Kendric, so she sees the relationship as a protective-older sister. She is married to a gruff man named Job (a marriage Kendric insists shouldn’t work, but does). Hestana’s giggly exploring nature leads her into constant fights with Job, but in the end, they both love each other dearly, if for no other reason than they’re both too bull-headed to live with anyone else. Though she has already had one child and is trying for another, her motherhood has never grounded her (to her husband’s dismay), in fact, it has inspired her to be even more of a show-off to impress her daughter.
Her other distinction is in small-craft building. Though her mother shoved her off to apprentice with Bromella early on when she first noticed her ability with tools (and Bromella’s disappointment in Kendric’s ability to focus on any manual task), Hestanna has always abhored maintenance, and loved the joy of creating new things. As soon as the other islanders took note of her ability to make sturdy elegant single-person skycraft, she never had a lack of requests, and shirked off any other chores as often as possible to ‘indulge the community’. She is constantly tweaking her personal ‘bug’ as her flight demands change or she gets new inspiration. A day she isn’t in the skies is a lost day, to her.
#12 – Paranoid C
(yes, this is a minecraft character…)
Ever since she’d moved to this new location, she couldn’t keep the monsters at bay. Her remote island home seemed like adream now, despite the dark chasm next to her house. Despite the dark Endermen who stared back at her every night. When she saw sheep and cattle grazing on the tall hillsides after crossing the ocean, she thought life would be simpler. But even doors weren’t keeping them out now. Zombies had come by and bitten her in her bed, and Skeletons waited around every corner to shoot at her. She felt luck that a creeper had not found his way in yet, because even keeping a sword with her in bed wouldn’t save her from a midnight explosion…
#21 – Professor Luna Nocturne
I wanted to make a non-magical Nocturne, so I chose to make #6’s mother. She still loves her husband though he passed away years ago.
#27 Ellie Iselin
Name: Ellie Iselin
Birthday: May 2
Guardian: Uncle
Location: middle-of-nowhere, Nevada
Handlename: candidCultivator
Typing style: uses semicolons in place of other forms of punctuation [and square brackets];
only capitalizes proper nouns, like Nevada and Las Vegas;
Fetch Modus: VORTEX (also called HEART)
A network-like modus, in which most nodes are leaf nodes or parent nodes with at most two children at the same level. Items are placed at random around a single node which acts as a central hub. There is a limit to how many items can be stored in there (the first item added which is not the hub node is ejected at terrifying and potentially damaging speeds), but items can be retrieved regardless of order of entry. Do not try to remove the hub node. No, seriously. Do not try to retrieve it. NOTE: not responsible for any property damage or bodily harm caused by ejection of item(s).
Kind Abstratus: SPECTERKIND
First a toy replica of the MOON SPECTER belonging to a specific herione who will remained unnamed.
Upgraded it by combining its Captchacode with one for a metal pipe. Doesn’t have any special attacks, but does still light up and make sounds. Is also much better for hitting things with.
Tends to use in conjunction with her powers, but not necessary at all.
Title: The Smith of Dreams
Kernelsprite:
Tier 1: Two taxidermied parakeets, and one live parakeet which was lonely without the other two
Effect: 3 pairs of wings and a tendency to chirp. Is torn between isolating themselves and socializing.
Dream: UNKNOWN
Planet: The Land of Foam and Sand
Consorts: Shy, plum doves
Associated Element: Air
Associated Item: Stone
Denizen: Erebus
Abilities:
Can freely navigate dreams without being asleep. Capable of entering Dream Bubbles, making them, and observing them from outside. Can remove items from dreams, making them real. Dreamed of Prospit and Derse before the Game without a proper dream self (currently missing).
Biography:
When she was very young, her parents died in a FREAK METEOR CRASH and was raised by her uncle ever since. That’s the story he tells her at the very least, so it probably is true. She lives with him in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, NEVADA because her uncle has been BANNED FROM EVERY CASINO IN LAS VEGAS and can’t bear to live in any other city. He does not collect TAXIDERMIED PARAKEETS so much as he raises parakeets and has them stuffed when they die. As creepy as it is to be stared at by several pairs of glass eyes, it could be worse. It could be much worse.
She is interested in COMPUTER SCIENCE and CRYPTOGRAPHY, but is rather poor at both. Her love of ANIME and MANGA is the worst kept secret in the world. Recently, she has been falling out of love with them, but she will keep two animes close to her heart: ONE WHICH WILL REMAINED UNNAMED FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS and CRANE BOY, a unique take on a common folktale. It is how she made her closest friends. SPICY FOOD is the bane of her existence, as are caffeinated beverages. HERBAL TEAS are the best. Shut up, Tolya! She’s totally right. Even Nahid agrees, right, Nahid? Nahid? Come back!
She is the FIRST PLAYER to play SBURB. She entered the Medium when the CRUXITE DAFFODIL bloomed.
#27 Ben
Ben the monkey boy…he gets a mid-night craving for bananas all the time..
Wow…no more weekend marathon paintings..my brain is completely deprived of any sort of creativity or patience. I think I need to rest.
Day 27: Liam Maloney
Liam is half human and half wind maker. His father crossed into Floom about 20 years ago, and a year or so after, fell in love with a wind maker by the name of Rudalpha. Liam is not interested in working, he would much rather spend his days lazing around in a self powered hot air balloon eating cheese and crackers.
Pea Gardenia
Princess Pea Gardenia is the reluctant heir to the Mole Kingdom’s throne. When she becomes queen of the mole people, she will be waited on hand and foot and need for nothing. Sounds Great! Except the queen weighs over 2 tons and is responsible for birthing the entire royal court. So you can understand why she’s run away.
#27 Corey Calihan
Corey is the oldest Calihan Brother. He’s worked hard and has done well for himself. He means well but often gives Jace and Rex a hard time with his false interest in their “Karate” School (which makes Rex batty because they don’t teach “Karate”) He’s not a bad guy but he’s passive aggressive and frustrates his younger brothers to no end… he knows nothing about the business of running a martial arts school but often offers unsolicited advice on how to do it. What makes Corey the most frustrating though is that he is a good man and he loves his family and can be very generous, they’d just all be happier if he didn’t always have the last word.
#22 Pierre
He never quite knew how to answer when people asked him if he was French. Maybe, somewhere along the line, he guessed he must have had some in the gumbo that was his swapland bloodline. A little French, a little Seneca, a little African, and yeah, maybe eve a little Anglo for good measure. Who knew? His people weren’t exactly the type to keep tidy records, anyway. His name, well, apparently one of his grandpaps carried it- and on up the line to who knows what unlucky frenchie got hisself stranded with the gators and the spanish moss, knee deep in the muck that was his family legacy.
Not that he should speak so ill of his roots. His granmama would tan his hide, she heard him talikn’ that way, but he was miles from swamp, and planned on being so for the rest of his natural life. Blame the teaspoon of Anglo in him, but he’d had about all he could handle of the hot and humid. He liked winters, places that had weather, land that was dry enough to track on easy as you please, with predators you could hear walking up to you.
But there were times when his past caught up with him, when he could hear his grams talking in his ear like she was standing right there beside him. Like every time he laid eyes on little Mouse. I spite of that, or maybe even because of that, he hadn’t been able to stay away from here ever since she set up her little table across the street from the club he worked at evenings.
He’d scoffed the first time she set up, with her little palm reader’s sign and trinkets laid out over tattered a tattered velvet cloth that did little to hide the wheeled trunk under it. He had been prepared to walk right past her, maybe even told her to take a hike on personal principle, but then he did walk up to her. Walked up to her, smelled the cheap liquor on her breath, and was about to lay down some hard local law on her when he looked in her eye. And picked up one of the little square cloths tied to a string, and was frozen dead still for the space of a couple heartbeats.
“That’s for love,†she said, words softened but not slurred. “Not what you need.â€
She shuffled trough some of the little scraps and picked up a different one, trading it for the other. Pierre hoped she didn’t see his hands shaking.
She didn’t seem to when she answered. “Here- this is what you need. Makes you hard to spot in a crowd. Won’t hide you in a room less than three, or if someone knows you and is looking, but even then it can fuck up their aim.â€
He’d taken it, swallowing, not saying a word, and handed her the five she asked for in return. He wasn’t that surprised when it had come in damn handy. He’d rolled in on and broken up a shakedown in a corner of the club that night, the fuckers acting like they never seen him coming, one bastard swinging wide and loose with a broken bottle that should have by all rights ended up in his gut.
He knew it was more than just luck for a variety of reasons. He’d known she was for real the minute he made contact, grams had passed at least that much of her skills down into his blood. And the little scrap disintegrated like ash right after his men had dragged the bastards in question out back for some serious talking.
The next day, he showed up with a bottle of something quality, as was proper, but the girl wouldn’t drink it alone. She held on to it, uncorked, until he got done with his night, and they shared a drink, watching the sun come up cold and bright in the steel blue sky. From then on they had an arrangement. She gave him the heads-up when she had what she called an inkling, handing off trinkets like they were baseball cards, and he kept her in cheap liquor, since she refused to drink the good stuff without him.
Even though he might have thought it, he never told her she seemed awful young to be a drunk. And even though sometimes he could feel the questions on the tip of her tongue, she never asked him how he knew what she was at. She never even asked him if he was French.
#21 Mouse
Mouse was certain that at some point in her life she must have had another name, but this was the one that Bear and the Old Lady gave her, so that was the one she figured she’d stick with. The Old Lady liked to argue that it was the name she had given herself, as she had been found nibbling away at their larder for weeks before they finally took her in, daring those fuckwit parents of hers to go ahead and try taking her back. They didn’t try, just as happy to keep collecting welfare on her and not even have to see her little face.
Mouse had been four at the time. She didn’t remember much of that, but when she was old enough to ask questions answered, the Old Lady gave her the honest truth. What mouse did remember of the time before was Cold and Hungry, so as far as she was concerned it had always been the Old Lady and Bear. They kept her warm and never hungry. They shoved so much love into to her that she had no choice but get to know it, and in time, get to loving back.
But that was before, and Mouse was a full-grown woman now, by anybody’s reckoning, although for the past year or so, Bear would probably argue that she wasn’t acting in any way like one. But they weren’t here, were they? And that was the problem. They had sent her off on her own after a lead on some top-dollar truffles that had turned out to be a gold mine, worth the shitty weather that holed her up in a cave for a few days. And by the time she got back home, they were gone.
Well, not completely gone, they’d left their bodies there for her to find. But the parts that mattered they had taken away, both holding cups half-full of overkill whose bitterness she could smell from across the room, even over the odor of rot. She left that minute, locking up the beautiful hand built home they called the shack tight enough to serve as their mausoleum. Safe enough that no hungry critters could come in and tear them apart from each other’s arms, but easy access for all the bugs that would come in to send them back to mama earth, as they would have wanted, as was right and proper.
That they took their own lives didn’t burn- that was their right, she believed that as much as they both did. That they didn’t let her know it was going down, well, that’s what had her grabbing the gallon of cheap whisky the Old Lady kept for making tinctures. It was the only thing she took with her. She was good and drunk by the time she hit the town road, and she stayed that way, not quite drunk enough to be mortally stupid, but drunk enough not to give a fuck about much of anything.
Bear would be frowning at her something fierce, she could almost see it out of the corner of her eye, telling her to get her head out of her ass. But why, she figured? Not like he was really there anyway. Not like he was really there at all, she thought, drowning it out with another deep swig. Burning out the tears before they had a chance to fall.
#30Characters Chatter…