1. V

    Private Cashin' that paycheck

    Vyn saw Dusty twitch. Hand sweaty in the grip, it took a moment to find the right words. „They don't take without permission.“ Voice matter-of-fact. „Not really.“ She thought about how best to express it. Still careful. Still holding back. „We let them. Sometimes without knowing. Because we're...
  2. V

    Private Wind in the Woods

    She could feel the fear coming off the boy, but pretended not to. She didn’t have it in her to be kind this time. Just needed to see. Needed to know. Vyn trailed after, blue sash taunting. Like it was a thread she was meant to pull. Always nearly there, but just out of reach. It didn’t take them...
  3. V

    Private A Bad Place To Be

    Felt ashamed at that, she did. Xen was supposed to be the scared one. But now there she was, kicking snow and calling for a move. Vyn's turn to be the squeaky wheel. Shoulders tensed at the realization. Legs felt colder than they should've. And she didn't mention it. But she appreciated the...
  4. V

    Private Wind in the Woods

    It was a struggle to keep her hands still as she listened. Part of her believed that if she grabbed Roki and shook him, the secrets would come out faster. But she didn’t interrupt. Didn’t even blink much. Just stayed crouched, knee pressed below. And what Roki described seemed familiar. Because...
  5. V

    Private A Bad Place To Be

    Vyn crouched low, eyes tracing the crisscross of trails, half taken by the mud. Wagons. Hooves. Smaller things – dogs, maybe. Something larger, too. Prints too deep, sunk, melted and refrozen multiple times over. The span between the wheel tracks was wrong. Not the Elum gap. This had likely been...
  6. V

    Private Cashin' that paycheck

    She felt the grip tighten, afraid to return it in kind. Dove felt too light. Like even simple things could be crushing. So Vyn held carefully. It wasn't a binding or a spell. Still, felt like a weaving. Not of threads. Or shroud. Of hearts. When Dove leaned in to look at her face, she was...
  7. V

    Private Cashin' that paycheck

    Vyn didn't retreat. Didn't know how to. Just stood there, hand held. She didn't know how to move forward or back. Feet of iron. It was the knuckle massage that got to her. The soft insistence. Dove took her name with quiet ownership. Vyn hadn't meant to build a home in someone else's bones, but...
  8. V

    Private Cashin' that paycheck

    It was Vyn's turn to blush. Not for the hat. Its name was simple and fitting. Proper. A good first. Step slowed and breath became labor, heart a drum – loud and offbeat. She didn't have the courage to look at Dove, but a voice did come. „It's meant to be a gift.“ She said. „Or a promise...
  9. V

    Private Cashin' that paycheck

    Watched it all unfold without interrupting. The threats, pout, and bargaining laced with a tremble of old and felt sweat. She knew better than to laugh, but her lips betrayed her, corners twitching up. The hat had found its place, like it belonged there. Of course it did. „Too late now.“ She...
  10. V

    Private Cashin' that paycheck

    Vyn watched the feathers twitch, panic growing behind Dove's eyes. And for a breath, Vyn saw herself. Younger. Holding a spirit she'd never meant to invite, and looking up with the same frightened hope. She hated how familiar it felt. Hated how easy it was to say nothing. Let the silence stretch...
  11. V

    Private All teeth

    Vyn held to some hope before the beast took to its hind legs. At full stature, it made her swallow and shift back slightly. She'd seen bunnies do that. Looked cute back then. Looked absolutely terrifying at present. Her left hand reached back, not to the small blade at her hip, but behind her...
  12. V

    Private Mistakes made

    Vyn listened. Arms wrapped tight, head tucked. She didn't interrupt. Not even when it felt correct. The story made sense. Of course it did. A humanoid pale, and another of the beastkin. Rooms and names unfamiliar to her. That part bothered her. The idea of her name being bartered by strangers...
  13. V

    Private A Bad Place To Be

    “Handsome’s generous.” She didn’t need to look at the Pale for their intent to be shared. “You handle fire and the mugs.” Behind her, the creature was already in motion. Crude movements, bringing the tent down. “We’ll do the not fire.” She turned, only once, to watch Onion move. Slow. Careful...
  14. V

    Private Mistakes made

    Vyn sat up slow, pulling her knees to her chest. Rested her head there. Arms wrapped loose around them, like she wasn't sure if she was meant to stay that way. „Please.“ She didn't move after. Didn't blink. Just watched Silk, expectant. They both did.
  15. V

    Private A Bad Place To Be

    She held stance mid swallow as Xen went to all fours. A brow inched up as the woman…crawled to her. A poke to the belly followed by a snort of coffee, snot mixing with bitter. Bittersnot. That would be a good name for a Pale. Some of it missed the mug. The rest wasn’t so lucky. “Onion’s...
  16. V

    Private Wind in the Woods

    The beauty the script was lost on Vyn the moment she heard him say it. He saw. For all her years, she didn’t know to hide her surprise. It usually came to children. The Elum hardly ever saw it. An outsider, even one tied to them, might still sift what the rest of them had learned to forget. She...
  17. V

    Private All teeth

    The path narrowed. Old cart tracks vanished into the dry brush and low, leafless trees. Less road, more memory of one. It suited her mood. The Pale had gone. So had Makaela, veering sharp and proud down the other way. She remembered the night and the teeth in the underbrush. Wasn't sure if it...
  18. V

    Private Mistakes made

    The voice came too calm. Too casual for the hour. And it straightened her spine too quick, thick skull met bent beam overhanging the loft, reminding her of the error of her ways. Body gave up and toppled over, ass planting firmly onto the floor. „Shit!“ Was all she could muster, mid collapse...
  19. V

    Private There won't be a third

    The Wagon stood apart. Not far enough to be strange. Just enough to make the Nightline wonder while promising to meet the rest of them halfway. The horses were tethered loosely, content. The bison pair dozed in the dust. The great elk, always had trouble laying down, watched them approach...
  20. V

    Private Mistakes made

    She looked at Silk and wondered where the calm came from. Like a lullaby, the victory made her distant, detached. And it made sense. Fear was gangrene. If that thing ever touched you, you cut it out. Better to have fewer parts than have someone else lay claim to what was still yours. If it took...
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