Boulevards. (~={Fanfiction}=~)
Sun, 06/30/2013 - 13:39
#52
Eating =/= health
Author's Note : =/= means not equal to. Just so that we can avoid some misunderstanding if anyone has trouble.
Anyhow...
~~~
*knocknocknocknockKNOCKKNOCKKNO-*
Vin opened the door, and socked Travid on the forehead. The young man fell flat on his butt, and rubbed the injured spot gingerly.
"I already heard the knock the first time...
Woah, got some injuries on you. Uni kicked your butt or something?"
The young man shook his head, and scratched at his blood-caked eyebrow. "No, just six buff guys trying to mug me. I don't think I'm cut out for fighting..."
Vin nodded in agreement. "You were a better Recon than an average grunt, anyways. Wouldn't be surprised if you forgot hand-to-hand if you've neglected it for months."
He held out his hand, and Travid took it. A pang of envy hit the young man as he saw the baker's defined arm flex as it pulled him up, and sighed in self-wallowing.
"Did they get your money?"
Travid shook his head.
"Just wish you could lift like me? I don't lift, if you're thinking about getting muscles like me."
Travid sighed again, apparently even more sad. Vin tisked in thought, and, after a moment's passing, snapped his fingers.
"Alright, just wait at a table, I might lift up that mood of yours with a few treats of mine...
...and since your rent is...like what, two or three days from now, I'll put it on the house. For your sis and mother. I heard the family's adopting a little boy."
Travid nodded his head. "Yeah, he's just two months old. His mother is a pretty young girl, only 17. Figured that we'd keep him until his mom could take care of herself...erm..."
The baker was gone in the kitchen.
After a few minutes passed, the door opened, and a lady, definitely reaching her prime age, walked in. She had an apron around her, the flowery scents indicating its recent washing.
"Excuse me, sir, but do you know where's Vin?"
Travid pointed back to the kitchen. "He's getting some things. Are you his..?"
"Apprentice?" she cut in. "Yes, I just started several hours ago. Still a lot of learning to do, but I'll see if I get any better within the next couple of months."
Travid nodded, and laid his head down on the smooth, cold wood. His thoughts wandered off to other things, like supporting his family, paying rent, and so forth...
...and he slept.
Sun, 06/30/2013 - 16:56
#53
Zzz
Apparently Travid can sleep at anytime
Sun, 06/30/2013 - 21:18
#54
I believe so.
Mon, 07/01/2013 - 06:37
#55
So true
Yay for sleeping! ~ Skype's exact words..... Exact words
Tue, 07/02/2013 - 01:43
#56
Yes.
Wed, 07/03/2013 - 01:03
#57
Catching Z's...
When Travid came to, a small box filled to the brim with sweets sat in front of him. It was night now, the golden sun now hidden by a solemn blanket of clouds. Of course, the Moorcroft province was always eerily cold, but the rays of the sun gave it a simple wintery chill. At night, the very land itself evoked a sense of insecurity.
A perfect place for students to hang out and kick back. This feeling of being watched weighed down more heavily on adults, and so the child predators, gang-members, and the like would be spooked out of the town. Even delinquents were scarce around here; it was said that their memories were being read by the security staff, so any troublemakers would be escorted by a Grimalkin back to an elevator. Of course, if a person did try to attack another in Moorcroft, the Grimalkins would want to join the feeding frenzy, and so both victim and suspect would die horribly.
Which was why every household had their lights on 24/7 in Moorcroft.
So Travid, like many people, didn't feel exactly safe in the province right now. He pulled out one of the pastries, a Forbidden Fruit bun, and wolfed it down greedily. Indeed, the fruits were forbidden to most because of its effects : making one feel a pang of gluttony, as well as a sweet satisfaction, and a feeling of knowledge. Students and workers would eat these fruits often to motivate their work, which was surprisingly effective. Thanks to the Devilites, even Gremlins' work habits increased exponentially.
Travid's motivation, of course, was to eat more and more. He took his favorite : a Royal Core and Frost Gel eclair, and whittled away at it as a beaver does to a tree. He swallowed the Ecto Drop Pie with two bites, and he was done.
He climbed onto the platform with a sense of content, and so he travelled upwards, back towards Haven.
His sister, brother, and mom would be waiting for him.
Thu, 07/04/2013 - 12:51
#58
Shoulda said this earlier...
STOP KNOCKING ON WOOD. HURHURHUR
Thu, 07/04/2013 - 17:02
#59
Back home.
Travid's footsteps on the ever-shining cobblestone streets of Haven felt satisfying. Euphoria, for the lack of a better word, was what walking brought to him.
Him walking home with a box of his family's favorite pastries, knowing that he'd have a mother and a sister to delight with Vin's latest batch. On the house, no less.
However, a feeling of anxiety crawled up his head, and soon, his leisurely ramble was plagued by worry. He didn't know what would happen to them while he was away, even if his sister had been training to enter the Order, as he had done. After all, he had the guts to protect them, and his sister never touched combat. His mother was an aging woman who had only recently left her prime. If there were going to be intruders at the home, they would be unprotected. And there was also the baby to worry over...
Soon, his pace became a trot, a lope, and then a full on sprint. Through boulevards, streets, bypassing cul-de-sacs, and other roads, he only stopped when he flung the door open, panting.
His sister, a beautiful sixteen year old girl that was his pride and joy, and his mother, the wiser, seasoned version of the former...
...they were both safe. Mom, clad in her usual one-piece dress and apron, was making another soup, this one probably filled with chunks of snipe meat and Chromalisk ribs. She smiled warmly at him, and went back to work.
Lil' Sis, her name was Claire, she was in the middle of tinkering with her own gun, a refurbished Catalyzer. She also gave a heart-melting smile to her eldest sibling, but her face soon turned into worry. For a second, Travid thought his very being at home was the cause, but she turned his face, and inspected his wounds.
"You're hurt! My god, what happened..? Was it someone from the mob bosses?"
He shook his head, and giggled a bit. "No, just a bunch of street thugs. Tried to mug me on the way home..."
He then held up the box, and giggled a bit more. "Brought home some of the buns Vin made. Our favorites! By the way, can Leon eat solid foods yet?"
Claire shook her head.
"No, he's still on baby food," she replied, and took a deep breath. Suddenly, she slapped him straight across the face with her hand, leaving a bright red mark on his cheek. Her eyes were glittering with part-relief, part-anger, part-unknown. She gave him a bear-hug, and began to sniffle and cry on his shoulder. "You worried the heck out of me..."
Of course, his sister, over time, had gone through mood swings and changes, left and right. The next day, she'd probably return to her usual calm and collected self.
But for now...
"Claire, you're crushing me."
[Author's Note : I am so evil for making families out of characters.]
---
At the end of the day, when "night" came, Travid closed the curtains, and shut off the lights. The crumbs of the buns were swept off, and the floor was mopped. The blue carpet had been vacuumed by the cleaning sprite, the one that made roundabouts every day in the complex, and all was fashionably dapper. Travid shared the sofa with Claire, and Mom cuddled with the baby, Leon. The amber rays still penetrated through the thick cloth, but it served more as a night-light in the otherwise shadowy room.
His family's silent, dark warmth was all that he needed to sleep. And he slept.
And for once, he dreamed. A rare occurrence for soldiers like him, who usually relived nightmarish battles.
Sat, 07/06/2013 - 01:09
#60
Night is hell.
Unfortunately, for the baker, he did not have dreams.
Ever.
He only had memories to relive, to come back and feel every sensation with an almost unreal clarity. Every breath he breathed was a breath in the real world. Every pain, every pleasure, all of those affected him just as severely in the world outside. In that sense, he was known for sleepwalking, but at least he didn't have any bad memories...
...until that night.
Something about that employee reminded him of a distant person he knew long ago. Take away some forty, fifty years of his life, and he was back on Isora, in an apartment. Although it was only one storey, there were two bedroom, a living room, a single kitchen, closets...
...for a small family of a father, a mother, and a son, it would fit.
The father was a prodigy, as most of his generation was. They aged normally until they were in their late pubescent periods, and then development stopped altogether. No gray hairs, no wrinkles, no blemish of time would effect them. This kept their brains fresh, too, and they remained eager to learn, mentally active for an indefinite amount of time. As the father would stay indefinitely smart, he also kept his childish flaws, too.
Above all, he was a sloth. He didn't want to work for his career goals, and so he remained a simple electrician. In truth, his dream was to develop a new strain of wheat, one that could survive in much hotter conditions than the contemporary climate allowed. If it weren't for his youthful impulses, he wouldn't have been in his position.
His sloth would also land yet another wound to his life. He was lazy in his worth ethics too. Sometimes he slept, slacked off, or daydreamed on the job.
So, he took a drug to speed up his mental process. He began to work more and more efficiently, and life seemed to have smoothed out.
However, the side effects made him an angry man. He was soon abusing the drug, taking more than prescribed to enter a sort of world that moved like a snail. His wife, who was a calm, kind woman, wouldn't possess those qualities if she was extremely intelligent. Although she was above average, even her mind could not rival his in his heightened state, and so she was constantly belittled and pestered for her "slowness".
She knew that the family would be undone by the drug, and she disposed of them.
The husband understood...
...but the side effects only amplified. He wouldn't stop thinking, and then suddenly crashing. He became more irritable than ever, and he was a man not unlike those found in a domestic violence case.
It came to a point that one day, he had brutalized his family.
It was the third time he had relived this memory, and immediately he was thrown into a state of deep sorrow. It came to the point where he opened up his dossier, and took a scrap of Miracloth, and wrapped it around his head, covering his mouth. He then covered the rest of his face with a pillow, and he choked.
---
Elizabeth heard a violent thumping noise through the wall that night, causing her head to turn away from a small shrine she had constructed in her very room. The 47 incense sticks had all shifted slightly in the ash, prompting the woman to prop her ear on the wooden planks. She listened more intently, and another episode of violent struggle caused her to jump in surprise.
She bit her lip in worry, and paced about the room for a few seconds. She clenched her fist in resolve, and unlocked her window. Carefully, she slid onto the windowsill, and lowered her foot along a pipe on the wall. Making sure that only the ball of her foot was pressed onto the metal cylinder, she then allowed the rest of her body to drop down the weight. One step after the other, one dubious creak after another.
Lower the heels down, bend the knees, lean forward...
...and she leaped over to Vin's windowsill. She grabbed at the sill, had her fingernails bounce of the pane, and managed to hang on by her left hand. Tediously, she pulled herself up, and peered into the room.
Vin was jittering on the floor, a pillow wrapped over his head.
Impulsively, she punched through the pane, and unlocked the window. Carefully, she pulled back her bloodied hand through the broken glass, and opened the window.
Within seconds, she threw the pillow off of his arms, ripped off of the gag, and shook the baker nervously.
A bead of cold sweat was running down her forehead, and her grip became tighter. She shook more vigorously, and small whimpers of anxiety were coming out of her throat.
The baker opened his half-closed eyes, and wrenched himself out of her grasp.
He, at first, was shocked, but he then calmed down after realizing what had happened. He nodded his head, and stood up. He then waved her over, and walked down the flight of steps.
"Let's see if I can get your hand patched up, and then I'll explain what just happened..."
Sat, 07/06/2013 - 01:37
#61
How can you end without a beginning?
\o/
Sat, 07/06/2013 - 01:43
#62
Well...
Since two chapters were right next to each other, I tied them together :P
Sat, 07/06/2013 - 03:43
#63
How can you end without a beginning?
Huhwhat?
...I don't get it. If you answered the subject line... It wasn't a question. Its my quote... Although, people give really interesting insights.
Sun, 07/07/2013 - 21:33
#64
Bump
I can't write if I don't have juice ;A;
Mon, 07/08/2013 - 02:18
#65
/gives Vinny juice NAO.
Mon, 07/08/2013 - 07:16
#66
Fish. I like fish.
Wonderful story! One of the better fan fictions here in my opinion. It's also great to see the activity in this thread. Keep up the great work! :D
Mon, 07/08/2013 - 14:34
#67
Festering Wounds.
"I was...a drug addict," Vin explained hesitantly. Several glass shards were on the bed, staining the snow-white linen with hemoglobin. He was in the middle of wrapping Elizabeth's hand with a thin length of Miracloth, making sure the wrap was tight.
"I had a girlfriend and a two-month son. Our family was falling apart, and she tried to get me off the drugs. When I went into withdrawal, the hospital was too far away when it happened, I...yeah."
Elizabeth only froze in shock.
Vin finished the wrap.
"Anyhow, sentenced for manslaughter, thanks to my lawyer, and I was gonna be carted off to some other planet for lifelong labor. I snuck off, and ended up here, on Cradle."
Elizabeth still froze.
"And the only ship to get here was the Skylark, 45 years ago. I was 19 at the time."
He then noticed something on Elizabeth's arm. A small, brown, clean mark. It seemed awfully familiar to a scar...
Without warning, he pulled up her left sleeve, which revealed 47 cuts. Vin looked up to her face, alarmed, but Elizabeth only remained still. She didn't know how to react to this situation. Was Vin still sane? Could he hurt her in the future? How was she going to explain the sca-
Next thing she knew, Vin was pouring a bit of alcohol on hand, causing pain to spasm up and down her arm. Impulsively, she recoiled, but Vin held on firmly.
"Thank you for saving me, because every time I think about it, I feel like a sack of maggots. I'm disgusted by my own self for that.
Now, you can quit right now, I'll pay you 100k for thanks, and we can say this never ha-"
"No," Elizabeth replied.
Vin looked up, a bit surprised.
The woman shook her head. "I'm not going to leave you wanting to kill yourself."
The baker nodded, and released his grip.
"Go back to sleep. You can tell me about those scars later, if you want to."
Mon, 07/08/2013 - 14:35
#68
Depressed
Why are the stories about overused violence getting such popularity? FUUUUUUUUU-
But I guess this site was kinda geared for that anyways.
Tue, 07/09/2013 - 02:13
#69
I suddenly have this kind of thing that makes me feel some twists coming up.
Tue, 07/09/2013 - 22:24
#70
MeeM
Elizabeth was not so immune to shipping as I thought...
Oh, wonderful chapters by the way, and your portrayal of Elizabeth. Her personality is like a chocolate cake that has vanilla frosting on the outside. Sweet and enjoyable, but sometimes a little too saccharine on the outside, yet rich and complex but a little bitter on the inside.
Wed, 07/10/2013 - 00:12
#71
Meh~~~
I really lost my juice when I looked at everyone else's writing works.
All the same hack-n-slash Cradle adventurin' that suddenly hits a hiatus, leaving everyone disappointed. Which are SOMEHOW still popular
Did I mention the same tropes are used again and again?
No matter, I MUST SURVIVE THE MAELSTROM OF CLONES. I'VE DONE IT IN THE GAME [Carver + Valiance.], SO I CAN DO IT HERE. YOWZA!
Wed, 07/10/2013 - 06:03
#72
@Vinnydime
I was enjoying the non-violence here. Your writing is sufficiently unique that you need not fear for competition from your more violently-inclined fellows.
Wed, 07/10/2013 - 18:25
#73
Time skip!
And so, after Elizabeth's hand had recovered, she went back to working at the bakery as usual. She said nothing about her scars, and Vin needn't ask about it. After all, he didn't want to make her feel any more awkward than their current situation was, and so life continued without any abruptions.
Nai, after eating the pastry, joined Travid in his lab rat adventures by tasting and eating any and every new concept Vin had plated out. No matter how scrumptious or unsavory it was, the two managed to wolf down everything Vin threw at them, and always came back for more.
Nai's learning continued, and although his body didn't change much, he gained a lot more fighting skills.
Uni was pretty busy, as she usually was, helping the Order bolster its defenses against cyber-attacks. She wasn't able to visit the bakery much, but she trid to take breaks as often as possible. Well, more like secretly escaping the Arcade while waiting for the anti-virus to update...
Claire finally entered into the Order, and was a Recruit. She learned about teamwork, but not much else was new to her, considering she was born right on Cradle. Mother, unfortunately, pulled a couple of muscles, and also strained a few tendons. The two kids take care of Leon, who started to wake up more often.
Gwen and Xindao still get into arguments now and then. While her brother had been worrying about her, she was busy cleaning up the streets of Haven of any "uncouth delinquents", which included drug lords, crime bosses, gangsters, and so forth.
It wasn't a bad couple of weeks, really. Life was pretty normal, save for the few changes with Nai, Elizabeth, and Vin. Otherwise, everyone continued their daily routines.
But then again, it was only the beginning of Autumn when this happened.
And there was still the Dark Harvest Festival to be celebrated. There would be the difficult process of conjuring up Black Kats and Margrel again; pumpkins were to be harvested, measured in contests, and then eaten; and plenty of tricks from the Punkin King himself would be going about Cradle again.
It was going to be a busy time for everyone.
[End of Introduction]
Thu, 07/11/2013 - 05:28
#74
Yaaaaaay!
Lol... i sometimes have the same prob as Uni.
Waiting for the anti-virus to upload.
Once Travid gets to the bakery I would like to order a slice of Ectodrop pie, an eclair filled with royal core and iced with frost gel, and a Forbidden Fruit seed bun. This should rejuvenate Travid well enough. And a medium box of Forbidden Fruit seed bun for the rest of the family.