Posted in General, Writing

Chamomile

Posted on by jazzylynne

“Sorry for ruining the mood…”

“Hey, it’s perfectly fine. I’ll go make you some tea for now.”

Jenny hugs the blanket she was given, watching the man she came here with head to his kitchen. Randy, she hopes. After what happened, she wanted to at least get his name right. Leaning back against the couch, she thinks about how she got there.

It was a night like any other, especially for a freshly on-break college student. She was finally letting loose for a bit, spending time with her friends at their usual haunts. With this newfound freedom, they all decided to cruise for a bit to find someone else to spend time with. That’s when Jenny caught sight of Randy. There was something about him that made her feel weirdly at ease, especially when they started talking. Her friends seemed to agree, leaving her alone with him after a while when they’d usually hover close by the whole night. The two hit it off great, and with all the surprisingly high quality drinks the place always provided, the mood was just right for them to spend some quality time together. Or at least that was the plan.

Jenny sighs, probably for the fifth time that night, sitting up and looking around the unfamiliar apartment. It was similar to her own; they ended up being in the same building after all. Though it was also the kind of place that looks like a controlled mess. ‘Birds of a feather’ really hits the mark sometimes. She looks towards the kitchen, just in time for Randy to come her way. He sets two cups on his coffee table, sitting next to Jenny. Not too close, she notes, but not too far from her either.

He looks at Jenny, making sure she’s still comfortable before settling into the couch. “I didn’t know what kind you’d like, so we’ve got chamomile and matcha.”

“Thank you…” Jenny leads forward to grab the cup of chamomile, sipping it slowly as she finds her words. “Not just for the tea. For…noticing something was wrong.”

Randy nods, picking up the cup of matcha. 

“Of course Jenny. You were shaking a lot.”

As soon as they had gotten to the bed, and as soon as he had climbed over her, it was clear just how tense she had gotten. Even just leaning closer to her made the bed jitter even more, so Randy stood up quickly to give her some space. Before she knew it, she was wrapped up tightly in a soft blanket and led to the living room. She guessed it was to get her to a more open space. Truthfully, she was incredibly thankful. Taking a sip of his own tea, Randy reaches towards Jenny, and when she doesn’t move away, he places a hand on her back, rubbing in gentle circles.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t pry, but…if you need someone to talk to, I’m all ears.”

Jenny nods, taking another sip of tea before sitting up to look at Randy. He gave her such a soft look, it felt like she could talk about anything at that moment and he’d quietly listen until she was done. The embarrassment this situation unfortunately made her feel was overpowered by just…the knowledge that she could talk about it.

“Thank you. This…well, I’m sure you can sorta guess what happened to get me to react like that. It’s just…it happened a long time ago, so I thought I was over it by now.”

Randy moves to hold Jenny’s hand now, giving it a light squeeze. “Right?”

She squeezes his hand back, continuing. “But…but I’m not over it. And it sucks. It sucks to feel like this with someone I vibe with so well.”

Jenny starts to talk about what happened. Nothing too specific, her friends couldn’t even get that out of her, but enough for Randy’s face to change just as much as hers probably was telling the story. Even with the chills coming over her, remembering that excruciating moment, the warmth from the blanket and from the hand holding hers was enough to get her through it. By the end, they had finished their tea and were sitting much closer to each other.

“Thank you for telling me, Jenny. I…I’m really sorry that something like that happened to you.”

Jenny shrugs. “Eh, it’s been a long time now. I’m in a better place.” Leaning her head against his shoulder, she continues. “Especially right now.”

Randy smiles, wrapping an arm around Jenny. “I’m glad you feel so comfortable with me, the vibe check your friends put me through made me more than a little nervous about messing up.”

She giggles, leaning into him more. “Heheh, sorry about that. It was my first time seeking someone out on my own in a while, so they were especially worried.”

Jenny gets pulled into a proper hug now, which she gladly reciprocates.

“I can see why. I hope I made it worth coming out tonight, Jenny. Even with it bringing up some bad feelings.”

Jenny hugs Randy just a bit tighter. “Definitely. I couldn’t have picked someone better to have a sudden episode with, I’d say.”

Posted in Weekly Writing Prompts, Writing

Weekly Prompts #1

Posted on by jazzylynne

The Villain I Appear To Be

Prompt: You adopt a stray cat. The gifts it leaves on your bed are getting more concerning.

https://pikapoka99.tumblr.com/post/674010585582714880/you-adopt-a-stray-cat-the-gifts-it-leaves-on-your

“Hey, Cammy! Over here!”

Justin waves down his friend, beckoning her to the last booth seat by the windows. She comes over, holding her backpack close to her chest as she has a seat.

“It’s been a while, huh…”

“I’ll say. None of us could get a hold of you all week!”

He takes the time to look over his friend. Cammy looked pretty ragged, and she was littered with scratches all over her face and arms. She offers an apologetic smile as she carefully places her backpack on the seat next to her.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Stuff has been…weird.”

Justin tilts his head.

“Weird?”

Cammy nods, patting the backpack.

“Did I ever tell you about that cat I got recently?”

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The initial few weeks Cammy spent with Mittens were peaceful enough. The black tuxedo cat was a mess when she found him on the streets near her school, with little wounds all over his body. Despite that, though, he still acted sweet and calm towards her, almost like he’d never been on the streets at all. It was an instant hit to her heart, and Cammy spent as much time (and money) as she could doting on the little angel. Mittens seemed to have appreciated the affection and started to show it back. In his own way, of course.

Mittens was a cat after all, so Cammy found herself getting many small, fortunately still breathing critters tossed on her bed. It was sweet, even if she went to sleep dreading waking up to mice staring up at her every morning. She even had a towel dedicated to transporting them back outside after a while. Mittens seemed to noticed that the gifts kept getting returned, however. A few days passed without Cammy getting anything from him. Then, she started to notice different trinkets being left by door. Rocks, bottle caps, small chains; if it was shiny, Mittens was going to collect it for her. She definitely liked these more than the small zoo she was starting in the backyard. A whole day was set aside, dedicated to decorating a treasure box to keep it all in. Mittens helped, kind of. It was a poorly planned jump on the table, right into all the paint. The added paw prints added something to the whole piece though, so Cammy considered it a win.

For a long time, the usual faire from Mittens was stuff clearly dropped or thrown away, so nothing too concerning. That changed recently. The first instance of it didn’t raise any alarms. It was a simple silver ring, nothing engraved on it. It was easy to accept as something lost during a day out, so Cammy thought nothing of it when she thanked Mittens for it. Things got shakier soon after, each gift taking longer to come her way. He brought bangles, a chain bracelet with charms to match, more intricate rings, and things became very worrying when he somehow procured a necklace with her name on it. It was harder to brush off the clear thievery going on with her new cat now, but saying that out loud made her sound crazy so she’d have to handle this alone somehow.

First, she needed to get proof of what was going on to…confront him, she guessed. She went the simple route of affixing a camera to Mittens’ collar. It was quickly made apparent that he was covering the camera with mud. After coating it with a waterproof film, she thought she’d finally get at least some answers. But she noticed that the camera would cut out for a minute or so a few times a day. Suspicious. She took some time early one morning to go over to a neighbor’s house, to see what was up, only to find that Mittens would cut off the camera, put it on one of his “accomplices”, and have that cat wander around while he went off to do who knows what. Cammy was starting to question her reality at this point, but she pressed on. It was around this time that her friends started to wonder if something was wrong with her. She moved to doing classes online for the time being, and between her essays she was hard at work coming up with some way to catch Mittens in the act. She even considered catching one of his many comrades, but something about cornering and interrogating a cat to get answers did not sit right with her.

After many failed attempts at surveillance, and one too many bags of precious stones later, Cammy soon started to notice something more concerning. Somehow. Outside her house, she saw what looked to be several cats, all of which were…burly? Buff? Either way it was concerning, and during the times they came around, Mittens was nowhere to be found. She could only suspect it had something to do with the evolving gifts he’d been getting her. It’s not every day that you get want can only be described as cat-sized art gallery pieces. Unlike the jewelry she’d started to wear, she had a feeling those pieces were better left in her closet. As if it hadn’t been already, the situation escalated just yesterday. Cammy watched Mittens come back towards the house, but then saw the buff cats from before coming up next to him. There was even more now, and before she knew it, she couldn’t even see her cat anymore. The next thing she knew, she was outside herself, diving into the cat swarm to get Mittens out of there. Holding the shocked feline over her head, she leapt over the angry cats and ran into her house as fast as she could, slamming her door closed with her foot. She laid on her floor for a while, with Mittens worriedly licking the wound she’d gotten because of him. Looking up at the worried feline, it was clear that he was still the same affectionate cat she’d picked up all those months ago. She had to wonder…how did a cat so sweet get roped up such a mess?

So she asked.

“How did we even get here?”

“…it…I’m sorry…”

That woke her up. Cammy jumped up, looking wide-eyed at the feline.

“You…why am I not surprised that you can talk too!?”

Standing up, she picks Mittens up, facing his towards her.

“I want an explanation, right now.”

“Y-yeah, of course!”

Mittens starts to tell her a tail, er, tale, about how he got into this situation. Before Cammy had found him, he had already had a run in with those cat-thugs from before. His mother was apparently a famous painter in the cat world, a thing Cammy wasn’t aware was a thing, and her fame pretty quickly got to his father’s head. After passing away, his father went and sold a bunch of her paintings, including the ones she’d made for Mittens and his littermates. In order to get them back, he needed to get information on where they were. The jewelry he’d been taking was used as payment for the information he’d been getting, but he was setting pieces aside for Cammy because he was so grateful for her help. This didn’t sit well with the informant he’d been working with, and he was ratted out right after he managed to get two of the paintings back. That’s when all that happened earlier went down.

“I’m really sorry about all of this, Miss Cammy. I should’ve been more careful.

Offering a comforting pet to the worried tuxedo, Cammy thought for a moment. She was not expecting there to be a whole cat society, let alone one with this much going on behind the scene. She couldn’t help being pretty interested in learning more. So, she did the only thing she could think of.

“Well…I’m sure dealing with this stuff would be a lot easier with thumbs.”

“What do you mean…?”

Picking up the slightly confused cat, she continued.

“How about I help you with this problem of yours?”

“Really?! Are you sure?”

Cammy nods, getting a cheer and hug from Mittens. Then, she got on the phone with her advisor. This was going to be a long break from school.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Justin was left in stunned silence by the time Cammy was done. He looks at the backpack, a cool sweat along his brow.

“That’s…not something from his ‘escapades’, right?”

“No no, don’t worry.”

Sighing in relief, he leans back against the chair.

“It’ll help with hiding it though.”

“…you really need a normal hobby.”

Posted in General, Writing

Too Close – Chapter One

Posted on by jazzylynne

The sun had barely started to rise, but the Pavlov household was already in disarray. The mother of the house, Farrah, was busy wrangling in the youngest three children. Triplets, all born together, and all with the same amount of unrestrainable energy. The father, Gavin, was fairing a bit better. He was already outside with the oldest four. While three were busy training, the youngest, Marvin, was twenty minutes into a motivational lecture.

“Now, you young folk may think that it’s easier these days. There’s not many monsters runnin’ into town, which is good. But that kinda naïve bliss will lose you an arm if you ain’t careful!”

He hits the attack dummy next to him with his sword, causing the dozing teen to jump awake. Gavin sighs, continuing.

“When you join that guild, you’re gonna be in the belly of the beast! You need to be ready for that, Marv. We don’t want you coming back in a box.”

“I know dad, I’m not going out there with my head in my rear or anything.”

Marvin stands up, stretching the lingering tiredness away.

“I’ve even been getting better with this thing just so I can head out there like you did.”

He pulls the rapier from his side, posing with it.

”I’m telling ya, I’m taking this seriously.”

Rolling his eyes, Gavin places his hands on his son’s shoulders. Seeing the worry on his face, Marvin pats his father’s hand.

“I promise I’ll be careful. I wouldn’t be a Pavlov otherwise.”

Gavin takes a moment to look over his son. The boy- no, the man before him, had grown so much as the years had gone on. All the struggled he’d had to face from a young age, from being as small as he was compared to even his younger siblings, had already started to show. He pulls his son into a tight hug, gaining an eager, if slightly shaky, hug right back.

“Be safe out there, son. You’ve got a whole house waitin’ for ya, after all.”

“I will dad, I promise.”

Putting his rapier away, Marvin goes back into the house. Having Farrah check over his bag, he soon gives her and the triplets a hug goodbye. He wasn’t sure they’d be nearly this little when he sees them again, so he takes a moment to look them over before heading back outside. His older siblings were waiting right at the door, all of them quickly sweeping him up. His eldest brother was crying too hard to really say much, but he was sure to get a pretty strong hug in there. The younger two were taking turns shoving different extras into his bag, mostly potions and charms. By the time they freed him, it felt like his bag had gotten twice as heavy. Eventually, Marvin could make his way out of the front gate. Waving goodbye to his family, and hearing them yelling back from almost a block away, he makes his way to the carriage station.

Despite taking the dragon-drawn option, the trip to the guild hall was almost an hour long ride. Marvin didn’t mind the time too much though; his bag was in desperate need of reorganizing. It also gave him time to put his rapier away. While he appreciated how much thought his father put into choosing him a sword he could actually lift, it did little to draw him in as much as his true weapons of choice did. First to be brought out was a silver pistol. While seemingly standard gun at a glance, the purple rings coloring the surface told a different tail. Coupled with the LED screen in place of a barrel, one would be hard pressed to find something like this at a regular gunsmith. After a brief reassembly process, the next weapon, a rifle, was now ready as well. The rifle had a very similar design, the purplish gunmetal not being too off in hue compared to the smaller weapon. The two were made to be a pair. Replacing his scabbard for a holster, he attaches the pistol to his hip, while affixing the rifle to the band hanging on his person, flipping it to his back. He settles into his seat fully now. It was easier to relax now that he felt truly armed.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The hour went by peacefully, and the guild hall was soon coming into view. The striking appearance of the building could draw the eye of even the most well-travelled noble. The brick walls on the outside were a stark white broken apart with bright and warms colors. Some were gems affixed to it by famous mages, other were painted stones offered up by the young children many adventures brought with them. The build itself was also quite unique. Many new rooms and sections had to be added to accommodate the growing amount of members, which lead to many of them being products of the eras they were built in. It was a sight to behold, and a testament to just how important this place was to the people of Kelique. It was weird to imagine himself potentially frequenting this place so often now.

The carriage lands on the streets near the building, the handler letting the passengers out there instead of the station. A quick glance at the packed corral showed the reason why. Marvin takes a minute to stretch, stepping out of the way of the other passengers. While the ride didn’t take much of a toll on him, the stretches were more for calming his nerves. He looks over to the guild hall again. The area in front was packed with adventurers, all clamoring to get a prospective party together. Part of him was confident in his abilities, and that he’d find a decent party to start with. However, he couldn’t help the uncertainty he was feeling. Still, he straightens himself up and starts walking to the crowd. He’s here now, and he was determined to put his best foot forward. Weaving his way through the crowd, he finds a spot near the building entrance that was relatively clear. It’d take some time to find a group to try and enter, so he takes the chance to really look at everyone who came to join. From fresh graduates of the royal academy to elven warriors from the outskirts of town, the people there were as colorful as the guild hall itself.

Marvin felt himself relaxing at the sight; with this many different faces, it couldn’t be hard to find at least a friend, party or not. He pushes off the wall to start conversing with people. It take a bit to get the hang of breaking the ice, but soon he was chattering right along the other prospects. Eventually, he’s somewhat stuck with two people at his hips: a human named Angelica, and a dark elf named Dresden. The three find their way back to the entrance, sitting against the wall to talk more to one another. Angelica was from the northern part of the country, being from a family of swordsmen much like Marvin. Despite being one of only a few women in her family though, she seemed to cherish the blade more than anyone. It shows even as she sits there, absentmindedly cradling her longsword as she speaks to her new companions.

Dresden was from the southern region, not a common homestead for the kind that live in Kelique. After chatting some more, he reveals that he’s actually a only half dark elf. At first they assumed the other half was human, but he further shares that he’s a quarterling. Moment of surprised silence aside, the other two listen to Dresden talk about his home life. Originally traveling alone with his dark elf mother, he found himself some time ago being ushered into a family of halfling nobles when his father found and reconnected with them. Turns out a good old fashioned misunderstanding was what kept them apart for so long, and they have not stopped rekindling that flame for about ten years now. While he was happy for them and loved them both, he wasn’t shy about admitting that joining the guild was more of an escape than anything. Marvin cringed at his parents’ romantic antics occasionally too, so he couldn’t help sympathizing with Dresden’s romcom-centered angst.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

About a half hour passed since the three started talking, and in that time the crowd had gotten less chaotic. It was a lot easier to add members to one’s party based on who they needed now that everyone had groups themselves together by class. Noticing this, Angelica stands up, dusting herself off a bit to start looking for more member for their own group. Three wasn’t going to cut it when they got further into the forests, she explains Before she gets too far, though, an alchemist comes up to her, almost bouncing with each step. Dresden and Marvin stand up as well now, watching their friend talk to the mystery person for a while. Then, Angelica comes back in a bit of a hurry.

“Guys, guys! We have an offer!”

The alchemist approaches them next, offering his hand to Marvin first. He gives it a firm shake as he speaks.

“Hi there! I heard you all were looking for a party?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. We are.”

“Excellent!”

Now shaking Dresden’s hand, the excited man continues.

“I’ve got a three person party right now too. Would you guys wanna put our groups together?”

The two bemused men look over to Angelica briefly, then back to the alchemist. Dresden answers.

“That’s a nice offer, though it’d probably be good to know who we’re partnering with.”

“O-oh! Right, sorry about that. Let me restart.”

The alchemist, straightening himself up, properly introduces himself. His name was Harold Hirai, and he recently moved to Kelique when his father joined the knight’s order, quickly moving up the ranks to become vice captain. Claiming that he admired his father for being able to get to that point with just his strength alone, he wanted to further his own abilities in order to make a name for himself as well. Forming a party was his way of furthering his research, since he would be able to collect more information about the flora and fauna Kelique had to offer.

“You should meet the other two, come on!”

He eagerly leads the way to a spot farther away from the meeting area, with the three companions soon catching sight of two other adventurers sitting on a bench. On the left was Maverick, a human dark mage, and on the right was Faron, a satyr introduced as a “jack-of-all-trades”. The two wave at the new arrivals somewhat awkwardly; they don’t seem nearly as talkative as their de facto leader.

“Alright, now that we’re all acquainted, we should go get added to the registry.”

Harold comes back up to Marvin again, smiling at him.

“I’m really looking forward to working with you guys!”

Posted in Writing

A Soreness So Familiar It Soon Becomes Unquestioned

Posted on by jazzylynne

CONTENT WARNING: Self Harm, Body Horror, Abuse

The sun shines in through the window of my room, shining light on the every growing destruction of the bedroom. Obsidian sits in the middle of it all, eyes as red as the claw marks covering her arms. They’re from her own claws, though nothing on her body feels like her own anymore. She can see herself in the mirror on the vanity, despite her doing her best to shatter it. The girl she knew, the human she knew, was no longer there. 

Her face was dotted with scales, trailing up to the four horns now pressed through her forehead and scalp. Her hands also had scales, though the claws she now had felt more tolerable compared to the larger changes. Her upper back ached, the large draconic wings she’d tried to remove numerous times still on her back proudly. Mockingly. Though it may have been bearable if not for the tail. A fur covered mass, similarly covered in scales, and similarly resistant to being cut off. She gave up on the first regrow, so her lower back isn’t nearly as sore. These things weren’t going anywhere. There was no hope in being herself again.

So she wept. She cried and screamed and swore. She grabbed the remnants of the bed and slammed it against the wall, sending cotton and foam flying. The vanity was next, each leg getting ripped off and sent towards the door she was sure someone was watching her from. She’d felt like she was being watched since she got into this tower. She couldn’t get comfortable, though with this mess of a body, comfort was a lifetime away anyway. She couldn’t even go home looking like this, like an affront. The wardrobe was next to find its way into the air, the appearance not being the only thing to change about her. Another change had already been discovered yesterday; the scorch marks covering the floor and walls showed it. When she ran out of things to break, she turned on herself. She dug her claws into her legs today, hoping that maybe this time she wouldn’t feel pain. That maybe, just maybe, this whole thing was just a bad dream, and that she’d wake up at home with her mom waking her up and asking her what she wants for breakfast. She’d say she wanted waffles, because her dad makes the best berry syrup this time of year and waffles were perfect to pair with them.

But it did hurt. It was a searing pain, and she covered the floor with more blood the more she desperately dug in.

This wasn’t a dream.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Laying on the ground, Obsidian looks towards her door as it creaks open. Standing there was Draco. The very biped that caused all of this. The anger that had subsided was starting to grow again. She pushes herself off the floor, sighing as he walks towards her.

“What is it, what do you want now-“

Draco grabs her now, using one hand to pull her up by her arm and the other to place something on her face. She struggles, though is too exhausted to move much, and finds herself unable to open her mouth anymore. She’s been muzzled.

“This is just a precaution, I’ll take it off soon.”

So this is how things were going to be. Obsidian felt her legs give out again, a chill running through her body. The husky continued, still holding her arm.

“I know this is hard for you, Obsidian. But don’t you think you’ve overreacted? This room I set up for you is a mess now.”

Making her stand up again, he starts to lead her out of the bedroom. Her muffled protests fall on deaf ears, and the two are soon standing in a dining room. Obsidian, made to have a seat, looks over the items on the tabletop. Rather than being filled with food, metallic pieces of various purity lay on each plate. At the sight, her teeth start to ache. She quickly stands up, holding the sides of her face, though the muzzle stops her from alleviating any pressure. Draco picks up one of the plates, coming over to her. The pain gets even worse the closer he gets, but he stops her from moving further away.

“You’ll feel better if you eat these, but you’ll have to promise not to break anything else. Then I’ll take the muzzle off.”

Obsidian nods frantically, tears lightly running down her face by now. At this, the muzzle is taken off, and she bites down on one of the metal pieces. The more she chewed, the more relief she felt. She tosses a few more pieces into her mouth, more tears starting to fall as she does. Even without Draco’s next line, she felt that this was it for her.

“You’re a dragon now, a young one at that, so you’ll have to teeth for quite a while.”

He puts a hand on her head, the gentlest action of the evening, but one that feels the most painful. 

“Everyone is worried, you know. They’ve been asking about you, especially after hearing you from outside.”

Moving to the table, Draco pulled out the seat Obsidian was sitting in before, beckoning for her to come over. She comes back over, sitting and chewing on more of the metal.

“You can’t hide forever, Obsidian. Adapting will be hard, but if you keep this up you won’t even be able to go home, let alone finish your mission.”

“…home?”

Obsidian looks over to the husky, glaring at him.

“How am I supposed to go home like this, Draco?! Look at me! Look at what you did to me!”

“Obsidian, you need to calm down.”

“How am I supposed to calm down when I-“

Draco comes over to Obsidian again, muzzle in hand. He grabs the back of her neck, keeping her still as he places it on her face again.

“You need to calm down, Obsidian.”

He sits next to her now, sighing quietly. He looks forlorn now.

“I only did what I had to do in order to keep you alive. You went into shock from the stab wound.”

He puts a hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch.

“We had no other choice, you were so close to dying…”

“….”

Obsidian grips her arms, looking down. She wasn’t unaware of the circumstances. She just felt so… off about it. Like there was something, anything else that could’ve been done. As if reading her thoughts, Draco continues.

“It would’ve taken too long to try and bring you somewhere else, so I had to act fast. I didn’t…think you were this uncomfortable with dragons.”

What? This wasn’t about dragons! Obsidian wants to say just that, even as a muffled protest, but the sadness on Draco’s face makes her hesitate. He gives a sad smile, continuing.

“Juniper and I, we’re the only dragons around here. So, while we felt regret over almost losing you, we were also pretty excited to have a new member of our little crew to relate to. Neither of us expected your reaction…”

Biting her lip, Obsidian looked away. She didn’t know what to say to that; she’d been in so much pain that the last thing on her mind was how people would take it. It made sense, though, for them to take it that way. She can’t even look at herself in the mirror right now. Of course they’d feel hurt. Draco pats her again, his tone shifting to a more cheerful one.

“Don’t worry too much about it. We’ll be spending a lot more time together from now on, so we can get over a hurdle like this.”

He smiles at her, a happier one now. It felt good to have a chance to make amends, at least.

Finally taking the muzzle off, Draco gets up from the table and starts to head out of the room.

“I’ll go get you a new bed, so get some sleep tonight. We’ll start getting you used to your ‘new self’ tomorrow.”

Obsidian winces at the term, but nods regardless.

“Thank you…”

He smiles at her again before leaving, and Obsidian lays her head on the table. ‘New self’. She was really stuck like this. She wanted to cry, but nothing was coming out anymore. At least she wasn’t alone. She felt stuck, but at least she has a place to stay. At least she wasn’t dead. 

Over and over, with each line of reason, she convinced herself that things were going to be alright.

Posted in Writing

Reconcile

Posted on by jazzylynne

Coming home in the early afternoon, Joseph hangs his coat on the rack beside the door. Looking around at the seemingly empty home, he sighs quietly and heads to the kitchen. He was hoping to catch his brother Caleb when he came home, but he was probably in his room again. This past week, he’d started noticing the teen avoiding him. He had no idea what he did to cause it, but he was determined to find out. For now though, he resigned himself to cooking lunch for the two of them. He had a feeling that the boy hadn’t made himself anything yet, and neither of them were the type to just make sandwiches on a winter day like this.

Ever since he’d started college, his mom began to worry about his younger brother. With the lack of time on his hands, Joseph barely had any time to leave his dorm to come visit, or to even call to check in at times. With that in mind, he decided to take some of his classes online instead. With a more flexible schedule, he’d been making an effort to come home once a week to spend time with them both. It hasn’t seemed to do much, though. Caleb didn’t spend much time with them nowadays. He was either in his room or out all day, coming home in time for dinner but not for much else before he was off to bed soon after. Anytime they asked if something was going on, he avoided the question and brushed them off. Their mother had long since stopped asking, instead just letting him know that she’ll be there when he’s ready. While Joseph understood why…he didn’t want to give up just yet. He cared a lot about his brother; he changed up his whole schedule just to be there for him, after all. If something was wrong, he was going to get to the bottom of it. Granted, those efforts hadn’t come to much yet, but he wasn’t going to give up.

Finishing up their lunch, which was a simple veggie stew, Joseph takes out their serving tray and gets to work. The way to a sibling’s heart is a nice meal, or at least that’s what works on Caleb. He wants to make this as special as he can, even if adding one of the flowers from the vase at the window is a bit overkill. After finishing the display with a plate of toasted bread and a glass of juice, he makes his way upstairs, careful not to spill anything on anything else. He knocks on the door a few times, listening for any sort of response. As usual, though, he didn’t get one. He sighs, but doesn’t let this get to him. Setting the top that came with the bowl on top of it, he pulls out a notepad and starts writing. He’d been doing this for a while now. Whenever he couldn’t get a hold of Caleb, he’d slide a note under the door. Letting him know when it was time to eat, asking if he needed anything, or just letting him know he’s home if he’d like to talk, it’d end up on a note under the door. Sliding today’s note into the room, he sets the tray on a side table in the hall. He’ll catch him when the dishes need cleaning hopefully. Heading for the stairs, he pauses. From the bathroom he hears something hitting the floor with a clack. Curious, he ventures over to the end of the hall. He knocks but doesn’t get a response here either. Or, well, not a verbal one. He hears more things hitting and rolling across the tiles. 

“Uh…Caleb? You alright in there?” He cracks the door open, peeking in to see his brother on the floor. He’s holding several bottles of foundation and concealer and doing his best to avoid facing his older brother. Not sure what else to do, Joseph walks up and crouches behind him. He notices now that Caleb is shaking. He places a hand on his back, doing his best to keep his tone even. “Sorry, did I scare you? Are you hurt?” The teen shakes his head, though he still won’t face his brother. 

“I…I’m fine, I’m fine.” Caleb reaches up to the counter, putting the bottles onto it. “I didn’t think you’d be back so soon…” Standing up now, only a glimpse of his face seen in the mirror before being covered by a towel. “Why’d you just come in here anyway? You didn’t even knock.” The strain in his voice was clearer now, making his brother come closer. 

“I heard things falling in here, I was worried about y-”

 “Well I’m fine! Just go already!” Cutting his brother off, Caleb’s raised voice sounded more panicked than anything. He tries to push his way to the door, but Joseph quickly grabs his arm. 

“Caleb.” A pause. “Please, tell me what’s going on.” Another, longer pause. With a deep breath, Joseph continues. “Why are you hiding your face?” 

“I’m not, I just…” Caleb pulls his hand away, backing up. “Just…leave me alone! Why do you even care?!” Joseph answers almost immediately. 

“Because I’m your brother!” He places a hand on Caleb’s shoulder, easing his voice. “I didn’t change up my whole schedule just to end up leaving you alone. I care about you, Caleb. I want to help you.” 

The teen steps back again, a quiver prominent in his voice. “I’m perfectly fine! I don’t know what you’re trying to get by bothering me so damn much!”

“Caleb, I’ve known you your whole life. I know how you act when you’re quote unquote fine.” Joseph reaches forward, grabbing his brother’s hand. “Please, tell me what’s wrong. I don’t want to let you deal with whatever this is alone.”

Caleb is quiet now, racking his brain for whether he should admit it. Eventually, he lowers his hand, taking the towel with it. His face was covered in makeup, though it was quite smudged now. He didn’t meet his brother’s eyes, instead choosing to look down at the messy towel. “There. Go ahead and laugh or freak out or whatever…” With his head down, he doesn’t notice the soft smile on his brother’s face.

“You were practicing, Cal. I wouldn’t get on your case over that.”

Looking up in confusion over the statement, he gets a rag to the face. Joseph takes his time cleaning the foundation and lipstick off, Caleb finally speaking up when he goes to wash the makeup off of the cloth. “You’re…cool with this?”

Chuckling, Joseph turns to his brother again, cleaning the rest of the makeup off. “The only thing I’m not cool with is the shade you used. You’re way too pale for it.” Placing the rag on the sink, he comes back to his brother. “How about I help you pick a new foundation? I think that you’ll have way more fun with the right stuff.” 

It takes Caleb a moment to register this, all of this. As soon as he does though, he pulls his older brother into a tight hug. “I…I’m sorry. For hiding this, and yelling at you. I was just scared. I didn’t know what you’d say or how mom would react.” The relief washing over him brings with it tears, which try as he might, started to trickle faster than he could wipe them. “I don’t…don’t know why I’m like this, even. Putting on makeup like some weirdo…”

At that, Joseph pulls him into another hug, somehow tighter than the one before. “Hey, you’re not some weirdo. You’re doing something you enjoy, and no one worth your time would judge you for that. Especially not mom.” He brings the rag over once more, helping to wipe the tears away. “I think she’d even be impressed! The towel messed it up, but I could tell you put a lot of work into it.”

Caleb smiles, a genuine smile Joseph hadn’t seen in a few months. “Thanks, Joseph.” He wipes the last of his tears away, looking at his brother properly. “I’m kinda glad you were so nosy. I think I would’ve taken this to the grave otherwise.” Tears start to well up once more, but he manages to hold them back. Instead, he starts to put his makeup together and into a small carrying case. When he reaches his foundation, he flips it, looking at the price tag on the bottom. “I’ll take you up on that offer, by the way. I kinda…bought this in a rush yesterday anyway, so if it’s not gonna work anyway I’d like my money back.”

Joseph looks at the label as well now, eyes widening. Thirty-nine dollars spent on the wrong shade. “…Caleb, did you get this for the design or something?”
“…maybe.”

“Okay, now I’m judging you.” Leading the way out of the bathroom now, Joseph heads back to the tray he’d left on the table. “Come on, let’s eat. I’ll take you back to the mall when we’re done.” Handing his brother the tray, he laughs at the growl Caleb’s stomach gives in response. Heading downstairs, the two eat at the dining table together, spending it catching up properly and excitedly planning their list for their shopping trip later.

Posted in General

Blog Update #2

Posted on by jazzylynne

Hello all, it has been a while. This post will be a short one, I just wanted to give an explanation as to why the posts have been taking longer than anticipated.

Despite my best efforts to work around the setbacks, I was unable to complete everything as quickly as I’d hoped, both due to not having the proper internet and a lack of free time until recently. However, that has changed recently, and I will hopefully be able to have something out at least once a month. That being said, I will not be setting up any dates this time, because even if I did have the time for it, the dates picked were way too ambitious.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the second part of Abducted! The story is not over yet, though, so I hope you stay tuned for part three! Ciao for now!

Posted in Writing

Abducted: Part 2

Posted on by jazzylynne

It doesn’t take us long to reach the warehouse, though it does take me a while to convince Ribbon to wait outside while I scope things out. Elliot was safe, that was for sure. Something was off about this place though. A quick fly around the place and I see that all the windows are blacked out. Not by wood or curtains, it was just…darkness. It recoils when I place my hand on the glass. This…this was no ordinary kidnapping. We need to act fast. I gesture for Ribbon to climb up to one of the platforms. In the meantime, I place both hands on the window now. When it draws back again, I slide the window open and coat the area around it with light. I can get a better look at the inside now, but I really don’t like what I see. The top floor clashes severely with the mess on the bottom: a clean looking (and clearly illegal) gun shop doesn’t fit well with a dreary cultist’s wet dream. Ribbon comes in through the window suddenly, also having a look around. “Is…is Ellie…” Hopper looks at me, hoping I’ll answer them without having to hear the whole thing. “No, he’s alright. We’re here on time.” They sigh in relief, though the fearfulness comes back with a loud thud. Something’s hit the floor.

Ribbon quickly lunges off of the platform, landing in the shadows. It wasn’t a soundless landing as she makes a thud of her own. It draws the attention of someone in one of the barely lit rooms below, coming out armed and ready. He looks around the room, demanding to know who’s there. Unfortunately for him, she shows herself. Before a scream can even hit the air, he’s slammed to the ground harshly, hopefully only getting knocked out before Ribbon drags him into the shadows. Two more men come out, and this time I show myself instead. Stepping up onto the railing, I dive to the floor below, pulling up and flying up to them. I land a kick to the first man’s abdomen, sending him to the ground. The other opens fire, the bullets catching between my feathers. I toss them at his face while he frantically tries to reload, following up with a spin kick to the back of his neck. The first man starts to get up again, but before he can, Hopper jumps on him, slamming his face against the concrete floor. Ribbon comes over and grabs them both, and the three of us quickly go back into the shadows before the others come up. As she sets them in a pile, I try to think. What should we do now? We won’t be able to sit by for long, they’ll notice them not coming back soon enough. On top of that, this place is not okay. There’s this…familiar feeling to it, and not the pleasant kind. Come one, focus, we need to get Elliot out of here before-

…something happened. Something just happened to Elliot.

The noise in my head is stopping me from thinking, so I don’t. I hardly register my friends’ calls as I speed through the rooms. The farther I go in, the bigger this place reveals itself to be. I land and slide to a halt at a dead end, doing my best to steady my breathing. Think, think! You need to find him, you need to figure out where he is. I grip the floor, forcing myself to think, to find him. Finally I have a clear picture of where he is, and just in time for Ribbon to catch up with me. And grab me before I can fly to the room. Fantastic. “Let me go Ribbon, I don’t have time to waste here!” She turns me toward her, sighing deeply. “We don’t have time to waste, you stupid pigeon. There’s clearly something wrong with this place, if you run off like this you’re going to get hurt.” She starts to walk down the hall, holding me under her arm. “Now cool it and show us where to go. I’ll hit less walls than you’ve been.” Walls? “I have not been hitting any walls.” Hopper pipes up now, jumping down in front of us. “Yes you have! Your wings are messed up because of the dents.” They then point down the hall, and Ribbon turns me so I can see. All along the walls, there are massive dents and holes down the length of them, each with a feather stuck to the cracks and under the debris. “….” I quickly point in the direction of the room with Elliot in it before my body catches up with the room and also realizes that hitting all those walls and messing up my wings is extremely painful. I have to cover my mouth with my hands for the whole walk.

We reach the room with minimal disturbance, though that’s due to Hopper going off ahead. It seems all that time spent with Ribbon paid off; every corner we turned, there was a new unconscious guard to walk around. I can finally stand on my own, the pain in my wings now a mild discomfort. The rabbit peeks through the door first, slipping through quietly. It’s not long, though, before we hear a thump against the wall, and a squeak. Ribbon now barges in after dropping me. Stumbling a bit, I manage to run in just in time to raise up a shield in front of her. Black sludge hits it and starts to spread over us. I quickly swipe it away, sending the sludge to the already blackened walls. Ribbon looks around and soon finds Hopper, running over to scoop them up. I raise another shield around them, stronger this time, and search the room. Whoever attacked us is in the back of this place, I can tell. The deeper in I go, the more tense I’m starting to feel. I knew it, I know who did this. At the back of the room, I finally see them. Elliot in a chair, tied up and asleep, and someone in the shadows behind him. “Well now, you came here fast! I thought I’d have a bit more time, but it hasn’t even gotten dark yet!” The man comes forward sporting a cheerful smile. Noticing the scars around his eyes, I can’t help but sigh. I was right, it’s him. “What, you’re not happy to see me? And after I went through such trouble to give you something fun to do!” I step forward, tightening my hand into fists. “What did you do to him, why is he hurt?” He cocks an eyebrow, humming a bit. “Whatever do you mean? I wouldn’t hurt a fly!” He glances at Elliot. “Well, I wouldn’t. I’m not sure about the guys I hire-” That was all I needed to hear before punching him square in the face. He takes my kid just to screw with me and then has the nerve to not even keep an eye on his lackeys? “I’m going to clobber you Lancer.” He ducks before I can punch him again, catching my fist with a black tendril. “Now now Haven…” The tendril tightens, and before I can react, it yanks me into the air, more tendrils catching me and tosses me hard against the floor. “A sucker punch like that was cheating!” I stand back up, wiping a bit of blood off of my mouth. “And the tendrils are somehow fair?” More rise up around him. “I’m a demon, I’m not supposed to be fair.” One by one, each appendage bears down one me, each more annoying to deal with than the last. While I dodge and block most of them, the ones I miss start to take their toll. The darkness seeping in from the wounds coupled with the walls surrounding us still being covered is bad news for me. I have to get out of here, and soon. The bastard is getting more aggressive, so I don’t think I can dodge for much longer. Grabbing and tossing them aside seems the better choice right now. 

Alternating through rolling out of the way and tossing the squirming shadows back, I start to notice something. The shadows are attached to Lancer’s back directly, and each time I tug on them he moves as well. I don’t think he’s noticed it, though, so if I’m going to take risks I should act now. When the next attack comes, I grab the tendril and yank it towards myself, slamming it to the ground. As more come my way, I do the same to each of them, bringing the demon closer to me. After clearing the distance more than halfway, the idiot finally notices what’s happening. The tendrils start to reel back accordingly, but luckily, I wrap one of them around my arm just in time for him to yank me forward too. With another quick motion, I tackle Lancer to the ground, holding him as tightly as I can. “Ribbon! Get Elliot!” Gripping the wriggling demon even tighter now, I watch as Ribbon bound towards our boy, slicing away the stray tentacles in her way and scooping the child up effortlessly. She speeds to the door now, working on cutting through the shadows still keeping us in this room. She’s not doing much damage though. Looks like I’ll have to help.

Hissing at both the renewed pain in my wings and the claws currently digging into my sides, I wrap my wings around Lancer. The effect is instant. A bright light flashes between us, and he goes limp in my arms, now out cold and mildly scorched. The wounds on my body burn as well, but at least I’m still standing. I make my way over to Ribbon, the shadows now retracting from the building as a whole. It takes some effort to climb on, but it takes even more to keep myself leveled when she takes off. Tearing down the melting shadows and concrete walls alike, she makes a path right for the exit, coating us all in dust from the rampage. She wouldn’t be a monster if she wasn’t a tad reckless I guess. Picking up Elliot, who’s thankfully still asleep, I cover him with one of my wings to keep the debris away. Time to make up with some excuse, to make him ending up back home seem more natural.

Posted in General

Blog Update

Posted on by jazzylynne

Hello and good day everyone, I hope you’ve had a somewhat decent start to the year. It has been a while since I’ve posted something here, so I apologize for it just being an update. I’ll be laying out what’s been happening on my end of things, and also announce some projects and when I expect to have them posted.

Life Problems

Late last year, my family’s life was basically turned upside down, and now we’re pretty much starting from scratch again. As a result, we have a lot less people and things on our side, including a consistent internet connection. I can still write, for the most part, but my posting has been inconsistent and will continue to be for a while. 

On that note, being uprooted has not had many positive affects on me. I’ve been busy with real life issues, and when I do have time for myself, I can hardly get myself to draw let alone write during it. I don’t want things to continue like this, though. I’m going to push past the depressing parts of my life and look forward. I’m going to do my best to keep going, and I hope you all will stick with and support me as I go through all of this.

Now then, I want to leave things off on a higher note than just that. So, here’s a list of what I’ve been working on!

  1. Abducted Part 2
  2. Unnamed Story Scene
  3. Unnamed Writing Prompt
  4. Monochrome Mayhem: Chapters 1-5

I hope you all will enjoy what I put out! Here’s hoping I keep up with the schedule, heh. Anyways, that’s it from me. See you all again soon!

Posted in Writing

Apart

Posted on by jazzylynne

I take a glance at the clock for the fifth time tonight, sighing to myself. She’s been in the bathroom for a while now, about ten minutes. Getting a bit worried now, but nothing ever goes well when I go prying. It hasn’t been too long anyway. She’s been drinking the whole time, that coupled with all the loud music and somehow even louder shouting could make anyone’s stomach turn. I take a sip of my punch and head over to the DJ stand. Had a request for him: some RnB music for a more mellow dance, one anyone too woozy could still enjoy themselves to. Gotta look out for the guests, y’know? Though…it was more to keep me calm than anything.

I knew Stacy was a player of sorts. The kind of girl that leaves a trail of broken hearts wherever she goes. I mean, who wouldn’t fall for her? She’s outgoing and beautiful and can carry any room she’s in. Playful and cute and just plain wonderful to be around. She’s the kind of girl I wanted to be, and the kind of girl I just…wanted to be mine. Her last partner only stayed for a month, so when she opened up again, I practically pounced at the chance. I wanted to get to see her more, get to really know her. I wanted to cherish her, as lame as that sounds. It’s been four months since then, and things have been great! For the most part. She’s snarky and funny, but also incredibly sweet. The time we spend together is great, but brief. She’s started getting more gigs recently and even got a modelling call. I didn’t want to hinder that for her, so I’ve been waiting patiently for a chance to do things together. Thankfully, this party she planned was just the chance to have some fun again. Or it should have been. Naturally at a party like this, she’d would want to socialize with more than just me, but she’s barely been around me at all.

Thirty minutes now. The music has since picked up again, and as I down my fifth glass of punch, I notice a crowd was starting to form around the bathroom door. Looking around, Stacy is nowhere else in the room. A chill runs up my spine and going to investigate only makes it worse. Someone came over and heard weird noises from the bathroom, particularly some…moaning. Easy, easy, calm down. It’s been four months now, we’re doing great. It’s probably two of our other friends fooling around. We’ve got a lot of adventurous couples around here.I slide my way through the crowd now, knocking on the door. “Hey, whose house do you people think this is? Get out here!” I hear a particularly loud yelp, a thud, and then a long silence.

After a while, there’s shuffling and zipping. 

And then, the door creaks open.

The light hurts my eyes, but the image is clear. Stacy with messed up hair, an unbuttoned shirt, hickeys on her chest. The works. The other girl runs past past me but I still catch the lipstick marks all over her. A bright yellow. Stacy likes how loud it is. Her eyes fall on me. She’s starting to come over. I don’t even register what she’s saying. My punch is out of my cup and in her face as soon as she’s close enough. She stands there, damp and shocked. She’s even glaring a bit. The nerve. I storm off and head out of the apartment. My stomach is turning, my head is spinning, and my throat is tight. I can barely see through the hot tears welling up in my eyes. I should have known. That it wouldn’t be that easy, that I wasn’t going to be enough.

But I didn’t.

I’m such an idiot.

Posted in Writing

Abducted: Part 1

Posted on by jazzylynne

Prompt: When their kid gets abducted, it’s up to their guardian angel, the monster under their bed, and their favorite stuffed animal to save them.

Elliot is a special young boy. A small child with a big heart, and a brightness about him that shined on everyone he met. No matter how big or how small, he offered up the same amount of kindness and light to each other them. It was rather comforting in a way. After so many decades, helping child after child and seeing so many tragedies play out, Elliot was a breath of fresh air to be around. I had a bad feeling, though. He seemed to be kind to a fault at times, and the danger of that would eventually rear its head. That was fine, though. That’s why I’m here after all, and I was not intending to fail him.

I wasn’t able to do anything immediately when he wandered away from the park. Divine intervention wasn’t allowed when lessons were involved. I had to sit idly by while the poor boy was scared out of his wits in a stranger’s car, not knowing where he was going or how long he’d be gone. I’ve always hated this part. Having to watch them go off, unaware of their fate, and being unable to do something before they get hurt. As soon as they reached that warehouse, though, I got to work.

Making my way back to the house, I stop next to Sandra, Elliot’s mother. She’s on the phone, with either the police or her sister. The words are hardly coming out, though, and she’s trembling terribly. Carefully, I come closer to her and place a hand on her shoulder; I couldn’t stop this, but I could help make it easier on her. The touch itself goes unnoticed, but the effect comes through. The shaking stops, and she can bring herself to take a deep breath now. With another soft pat, I leave her to her call, heading up the stairs. As soon as I reach Elliot’s bedroom, I crouch in front of the bed, being met with two pairs of eyes. The smaller pair moves closer first, revealing the gray plush bunny they belong to. This little one is named Hopper. They picked him up from a fair a year ago, and aside from myself they’re with Elliot almost all the time. I pick them up, and after a quiet yawn they look around the room. They give me a puzzled look when it dawns on them. “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be with Ellie? Where is he?”

“Something happened, didn’t it?” A voice calls from under the bed, the owner showing herself soon after. Her name is Ribbon, according to Elliot. A tall and somewhat lanky creature with messy fur covering her body. The ends had been cut messily a few days back, mostly around her face, revealing a scarred muzzle housing a permanent grin. She comes up to me while tightening the bows holding her hair up. “What happened at the park?” I look between the two before speaking, keeping my voice as calm as I can manage. “Elliot was taken earlier. He’s at a warehouse right now.” Hopper looks shocked. “What!? What do you mean, where were you?!” Ribbon sighs, talking them from my hands. “There better be a good reason that you let this happen, feather brain.” I shake my head. “Believe me, I don’t like the reason myself. But I’m not allowed to step in when he’s learning something.” The grin looks more like a smirk as she glares at me. “Seriously? You chose your protocol over our best friend, great.” I shake my head again, feeling the annoyance rising a bit. “I couldn’t choose anything! If I could, I would have scooped him up and slashed that van’s tires. Unfortunately, it’s been decided that caution is being taught the hard way this time…” Ribbon goes to say something, but the words don’t come. She sighs again, looking down at Hopper. The little rabbit pipes up, mimicking her sullen look. “Did you just come here to give us the bad news, then?” Once again, I shake my head. “Of course not, we’re going to get him.” I reach into the closet and grabs Elliot’s favorite blanket, folding it up. “They only said I couldn’t interfere when he’s learning. It’s been a half hour now.” I turn to the two. “That’s more than enough time, wouldn’t you agree?” Ribbon’s grin gets wider and she quickly makes her way to the window, Hopper quickly moving to her shoulder. She opens it and lands on the ground below on all fours. Hopper moves onto her back now, and the two look up at me. “Come on feather brain, let’s go!” I laugh a bit and hop out the window myself, landing behind the now much happier bunny. “Please don’t go in there teeth bared, we’re not supposed to exist you know.” She quickly leaps over the fence in the backyard, walking down the back road. “Yeah yeah yeah, just tell me where the warehouse is.”