Damage Control
Quote from Adriana on June 4, 2024, 2:54 pm***
"They still in there?" Tara asked, on one end of the closed-line radio.
"Yup," Clay said, leaning back in the driver seat and rubbing his face.
"You gonna break it up?" she asked, bemused.
"No. Maybe should, but, she needs someone she can trust right now." he said.
"Yeah.." Tara's voice came with the sound of a long breath trailing behind it. Clay could tell she was smoking. He tried to get her to stop, but it was an old and dead argument.
Besides that, the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. The cigarettes were the last thing on his mind. With Reknab still uprooted and the citizens displaced between the neighboring cities, combined with the tension from Rock's, the night was coming too fast and too heavy. Everyone was breathing light.
***
"They still in there?" Tara asked, on one end of the closed-line radio.
"Yup," Clay said, leaning back in the driver seat and rubbing his face.
"You gonna break it up?" she asked, bemused.
"No. Maybe should, but, she needs someone she can trust right now." he said.
"Yeah.." Tara's voice came with the sound of a long breath trailing behind it. Clay could tell she was smoking. He tried to get her to stop, but it was an old and dead argument.
Besides that, the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. The cigarettes were the last thing on his mind. With Reknab still uprooted and the citizens displaced between the neighboring cities, combined with the tension from Rock's, the night was coming too fast and too heavy. Everyone was breathing light.
Quote from Kaqurei on June 29, 2024, 6:36 amShe liked seeing him smile like that. It was contagious.
"Oh, don't even get me started," she said, rolling her eyes for show. Her heart was racing, and she felt a little light headed. The two forbidden emotions she'd never before allowed to marry: her romantic interest in another, and her intense fandom for wild telenovelas. Like characters in the latter, she was about to break all the rules in the name of love.
"One of my favorites recently is La dueña. It's actually a remake of a Venezuelan show called La Doña, but it is soooo good. Telenovelas, they always start out with a beautiful perfect person living a beautiful perfect life, until something terrible happens to them, right? In this case, the main character, Regina, she is betrayed and abandoned at the altar on her wedding day. She swears she will never love again, and she goes to live at her family's ranch in the country. Her foreman there, he's such a tool, and a murderer, and everyone in town believes that it was Regina who ordered him to do it. Because she has become so cold from her broken heart. They hate her for it. But not Jose. He falls in love with her. But she must protect her heart, and will not let him get too close. And then her horrible jealous cousin Laura comes to live with her, and hatches a scheme with Mecario (the murdering foreman), who falls in love with her, but she falls in love with Jose, and wants to keep him from Regina, but Mecario wants to keep Laura from Jose and decides he's going to destroy him. But you see, it was Laura who beguiled Regina's fiance into abandoning her at the altar! She doesn't really love Jose, she wants to take away anything good that Regina has."
She stopped, almost breathless, and looked to Val for the same sort of judgement he'd feared she'd give him over his animes. She looked bashful a moment, and twittered something of a laugh. "It sounds so silly--but my whole block will gather at the cafe to watch the latest episodes, and everyone is so excited and we all wonder what will happen next. There's always a twist. Twists always get twistier. They're soap operas, basically."
She liked seeing him smile like that. It was contagious.
"Oh, don't even get me started," she said, rolling her eyes for show. Her heart was racing, and she felt a little light headed. The two forbidden emotions she'd never before allowed to marry: her romantic interest in another, and her intense fandom for wild telenovelas. Like characters in the latter, she was about to break all the rules in the name of love.
"One of my favorites recently is La dueña. It's actually a remake of a Venezuelan show called La Doña, but it is soooo good. Telenovelas, they always start out with a beautiful perfect person living a beautiful perfect life, until something terrible happens to them, right? In this case, the main character, Regina, she is betrayed and abandoned at the altar on her wedding day. She swears she will never love again, and she goes to live at her family's ranch in the country. Her foreman there, he's such a tool, and a murderer, and everyone in town believes that it was Regina who ordered him to do it. Because she has become so cold from her broken heart. They hate her for it. But not Jose. He falls in love with her. But she must protect her heart, and will not let him get too close. And then her horrible jealous cousin Laura comes to live with her, and hatches a scheme with Mecario (the murdering foreman), who falls in love with her, but she falls in love with Jose, and wants to keep him from Regina, but Mecario wants to keep Laura from Jose and decides he's going to destroy him. But you see, it was Laura who beguiled Regina's fiance into abandoning her at the altar! She doesn't really love Jose, she wants to take away anything good that Regina has."
She stopped, almost breathless, and looked to Val for the same sort of judgement he'd feared she'd give him over his animes. She looked bashful a moment, and twittered something of a laugh. "It sounds so silly--but my whole block will gather at the cafe to watch the latest episodes, and everyone is so excited and we all wonder what will happen next. There's always a twist. Twists always get twistier. They're soap operas, basically."
Quote from Indy on July 9, 2024, 2:38 pm"Heh, doesn't sound far off from mine..." I loved the way she smiled, and even the nervous laughter - and though there were many reasons why I'd love to stay in the diner all day discussing those reasons, there were several good reasons not to.
The first was the corner of an ominous car parked across the street. Probably normal. Probably. Either the local mafia was knocking, or it was someone from the force.
Neither option boded well.
"Well.. want to get going before our twist gets twistier too?" I managed a short laugh, catching Henry's gaze from across the room.
"Heh, doesn't sound far off from mine..." I loved the way she smiled, and even the nervous laughter - and though there were many reasons why I'd love to stay in the diner all day discussing those reasons, there were several good reasons not to.
The first was the corner of an ominous car parked across the street. Probably normal. Probably. Either the local mafia was knocking, or it was someone from the force.
Neither option boded well.
"Well.. want to get going before our twist gets twistier too?" I managed a short laugh, catching Henry's gaze from across the room.
Quote from Adriana on July 15, 2024, 12:04 pmThe next time Val looked, the "ominous car" would be gone.
Clay departed and left to the two to their lunch, taking it on trust that they would show up at the meeting place before long.
The next time Val looked, the "ominous car" would be gone.
Clay departed and left to the two to their lunch, taking it on trust that they would show up at the meeting place before long.
Quote from Indy on July 19, 2024, 10:36 pmThe drive home was quiet but not too quiet. A pleasant mix of silence with ponderous questions on telenovela and anime plotlines alike. It seemed as though the earlier discomfort had vanished just long enough for the newer discomfort to emerge from the horizon: Chapman's house, swathed in the woods on the hillside.
I parked the car and waited for Lyra to exit. Then I glanced seriously at the front door and for all it promised that night.
The drive home was quiet but not too quiet. A pleasant mix of silence with ponderous questions on telenovela and anime plotlines alike. It seemed as though the earlier discomfort had vanished just long enough for the newer discomfort to emerge from the horizon: Chapman's house, swathed in the woods on the hillside.
I parked the car and waited for Lyra to exit. Then I glanced seriously at the front door and for all it promised that night.
Quote from Adriana on August 25, 2024, 10:31 amWhat stood before them was the picture of suburban life, and still it was so much more.
It had two stories painted in baby blue. Peering down on the car in the driveway were four windows--two on top, two on bottom--in perfect symmetry. There was a garden bed under each lower window, lovingly groomed, with the small flowers of pinks and oranges standing together, defiant of the storms and cold fronts. Warm, yellow lights adorned each side of the doorway.
If houses could tell stories...
The walls within had seen life and love, heartbreak and tears, joy and agony. Countless visitors had passed under the threshold of that humble door. They had seen both first breaths, and last breaths. They had heard countless prayers of thanksgiving and supplications. Man, human and werewolf, had been welcomed without discrimination (but not lacking distinction).
Standing there before Val and Lyra was a way-point between worlds, a symbol of guidance and direction.
... and there before the onlookers, it was suddenly engulfed all in flames.
What stood before them was the picture of suburban life, and still it was so much more.
It had two stories painted in baby blue. Peering down on the car in the driveway were four windows--two on top, two on bottom--in perfect symmetry. There was a garden bed under each lower window, lovingly groomed, with the small flowers of pinks and oranges standing together, defiant of the storms and cold fronts. Warm, yellow lights adorned each side of the doorway.
If houses could tell stories...
The walls within had seen life and love, heartbreak and tears, joy and agony. Countless visitors had passed under the threshold of that humble door. They had seen both first breaths, and last breaths. They had heard countless prayers of thanksgiving and supplications. Man, human and werewolf, had been welcomed without discrimination (but not lacking distinction).
Standing there before Val and Lyra was a way-point between worlds, a symbol of guidance and direction.
... and there before the onlookers, it was suddenly engulfed all in flames.
