The artist in thee
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Might be a good idea. It's on the top of Page 39, so it's pretty easy to find. Working on Chapter 6 as we speak, so hopefully you're all excited about it.SharPhoe said:
After reading the first two chapters, I would say so. I'm very interested in this intriguing relationship between yourself and Putin...NewClassic said:
EDIT: And after reading Chapter 5, I'm actually rather flattered that I was mentioned. Thanks, Nuke.
Shameless self promotion? Sweet I guess I'll show off my 3d modeling I do.
Note: These take quite some time to do and I'm just starting out modeling.
Note: These take quite some time to do and I'm just starting out modeling.
I wouldn't really consider it shameless self-promotion. There's a community of artists here who are mostly just sharing here. Its an open forum for critiques and advice, and yes, to shower your fellow artists in compliments. Sharing art and helping each other out with artistic development is a far shot from shameless self-promotion in my books.Frank_Sinatra_ said:
I guess that's true. I prefer to call it self promotion then it makes me feel like my work isn't too bad. XPFightgarr said:
Part 6? I thought you'd never ask! (Part 5 can be found here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.72805.3406581].)
Part 7 is now up, found here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.72805.3432595].
Looking forward to Part 7, and getting into the bigger changes in the story.
When I rule the world, there will be a law. No one will be allowed to call until at least 6 AM. My phone rang angrily in my ear, and I vaguely considered obliterating it on principal. Especially since I didn't have to go in today until noon. The ringing stopped, and I nuzzled my pillow again. The ringing resumed, and I considered how hard it would be to get the phone through the glass in my window. It quieted down, and I hoped I could at least sleep in. Still, I was in a good mood from Cahlee, and what's the worst that could happen?
"Nuke," Puppet was carefully weighing his words, but they spilled so much venom he may as well have been stabbing me with a knife. "The door was unlocked this morning. A regular said you had gone back in after closing, and you were the only person that could've unlocked the door to begin with. Someone came in during the night, and since the register was empty, stole the drinks instead. I'm afraid to say your next check is going to be spent on getting those drinks paid for. Past that, that's a pretty bad breach of what I expect from my employees. You're fired, Nuke. Effective immediately. Don't come in this afternoon." He hung before I could respond. I thought back, and after I bumped into Cahlee, I never locked the door again.
Crap!
I got up from bed, and got in the shower. Given how angry Puppet's been lately, the likelihood of appealing that decision right now was only slightly better than winning the lottery without ever buying a ticket. I tried to ignore my sinking mood, and finished showering rapidly. I got a quick breakfast, and managed to leave the apartment by 7:15 AM. The library was already open, and I was burning daylight.
I kept a version of my resume online, and quickly had it updated and printed. It was still early, and I had enough time to go job hunting. I knew an agency from when I had first moved to the city, and figured now was as good a time as any to start looking for a new job since next check wasn't coming. The end of the month seemed a lot more menacing.
Surprisingly, there were a pretty bountiful amount of writing jobs around, and I made sure to get my resume out and about. After talking with the attendant for an hour, I decided there were more productive things I could be doing.
I found myself wanting to go to the cafe, but wondered if that'd really be such a good idea. Well, no harm in it, I guess. When I got to the cafe, I was surprised. I knew the cafe had been broken into, but I had no idea to what degree. Not only had the drink fridge been emptied, it had been done violently. Glass was all over the floor, and water was dripping from the broken hosing exposed in the back of the machine. I frowned, and knew what I should do.
Even though I wasn't allowed back in the storage area anymore, I bypassed the employees only sign and retrieved the dolly. Puppet wasn't in for the moment, for which I was thankful, and Erana didn't seem to get bothered by me roving around in the back. I managed to hoist the machine, and wheel it out to the alley. Not the best place for it, full time, but certainly better than leaking on the floor. After I got the machine out of the way, I returned the dolly to the storage room and found the broom.
Glass still littered the tile in select places, and I knew there'd be a hazard for sandaled customers. After getting a majority of the glass picked up, I did another thorough sweep just in case. Everything looked clean, which was good enough for me. My next trip to the back replaced the broom with a mop, and I set to cleaning the tile of dripped water. The mop was old, but I managed to basically dry the area off. I left a "wet floor" sign out just in case, and replaced the broom in the back. I wonder if there's anything I can do?
I settled on grabbing the employee notebook, used for writing notes about purchases and oddities in the shift, and wrote out a short apology to Puppet. You can't really apologize for blatantly costing the company a lot of money, but you can try. I figured an apology was better than nothing, and I poured my heart out onto the paper. It's the least I could do, really. I closed the letter with a flourished signature, and left the building.
When I got back to my apartment, Caime was waiting outside the front door for me. "Hey Nuke, remember your offer from a few days ago?"
"The one about rooming with me? Yeah, you taking me up on it?"
"Yeah, living on one's own terms feels too much like being a hobo for me."
"I hear you, man. Just shower first. You're welcome to anything in my bathroom, and I have an unopened razor and toothbrush in the cabinet if you want to use either."
"Probably a good idea," Caime said, scratching at his long-overgrown face. "You sure I can use your shaving cream?"
"Sure, man. Knock yourself out."
I made a small lunch, roast beef sandwiches using leftovers from the dinner with Puppet and Kari. We were out of drinks, so I figured I'd go grab something cool from the vending machines down below. On my way back to the elevator, I spotted Combined at the desk. "Hey Combi, I don't suppose you know anyone from waste management in your old job from the city, do you?"
"Maybe," he said, appraising my intentions, "any particular reason?"
"I accidentally broke a fridge, and figured I could apologize to the owner by getting it carted off for him."
"I'll make a few calls, where's it being picked up from?"
I gave him the address of the cafe, telling him that it'll be near the dumpster in the back alley. He was lifting a phone to his... Helmet? He was lifting a phone to his helmet as I left, and brought the drinks back up to my apartment. Caime was out of the shower when I got back up there, and handed him one of the drinks I was carrying. He thanked me and continued eating. I sat down, and we ate in relative silence for a minute.
"Hey Caime, I hate to bring this up, but I lost my job today and may need help with rent. Is there any way you could maybe help with rent for a little while? If not, that's cool."
"Uh... Well, I was planning on getting a job with my half-brother's company, a resale outlet for business goods."
"Business goods?"
"Like the big copy machines, wireless printers, filing cabinets, that kinda thing."
My brain sparked, "Does he do drink fridges too?"
"Maybe, want me to call him?"
"Please."
A short call later, I found out he had a machine similar to the old one, although this one a little bit larger, for an obscenely good price. It was certifiably stupid for me to do so given my lack of income, but felt I owed Puppet a lot better lot in life than what he had gotten. I cut a check for the fridge and asked if it could be delivered to the cafe. He said he'd take care of it, and I gave Caime the check to give when he went to his job interview later that afternoon. Seems like all the clerical stuff had been taken care of, and I was at a loss for what to do with my day.
It was about 1 PM, and I figured I could do with some productivity. I decided to check my notebook for the address of the shelter, and see about getting another cat for Manveru to play with. The pound was a long walk from my apartment, but I made it there in decent enough time. The selection of cats was particularly vast, and a new ordinance in the city allowed for the adoption fees involved with caring for an animal much lighter than it had been previously.
The cat section was surprisingly diverse, and I found no shortage of cats to choose from. I looked around, played with several of them, but eventually decided that I had no idea which would be best for Veru. The employee that was with me was really polite, and offered to let me bring my cat by to play with the others, see who he'd get along with the best. I thanked him for his help, and decided I'd do that tomorrow.
I got back to my apartment to the answering machine light blinking at me. Caime was no where to be seen, and I figured he had gone off to his job interview already. I pressed the play button on the answering machine and fixed myself a glass of milk. The first was a message from Caime's half-brother, saying the machine had been delivered and installed free of charge. Apparently someone had done me a great service and filled the machine with drinks as well. I made a note to call him back to thank him.
The second message was a voice that filled me with dread, Puppet's. "Hey Nuke. I got to work a few minutes ago and Erana said you had come in and cleaned up the store. A trash crew came and picked up the old machine, and someone arrived a moment ago to replace the drink machine with a new one, pre-filled. I'm fairly certain you've had a hand in this, and I felt like I should call and apologize for what I said this morning. And... Uh... Thank you for cleaning up the mess.
"Most employees would just leave me to rot, and I guess I owe you an apology for how much you've done, even after being fired. I can't rehire you, I'm afraid. But, an apology over the phone doesn't quite do you right. My wife said we should invite you over to dinner, and I agree. Call me back if tomorrow's okay."
I looked at my phone, and wondered who I should call back first. I called Puppet a second later. We talked for a minute, I told him I was on for dinner tomorrow, and we hung up after an awkward few seconds. I could here the muted, "Thank you, Nuke." before he closed the line. I called the supplier back, and thanked him for the kind service. He thanked me for the check, and used me as a reference for Caime's application in the same call. I answered each question as honestly as I knew how, and ended the call feeling like I'd done something well.
The TV became my entertainment for the evening, supplying a full fifteen minutes of mind-mushery when Caime got back. "How'd it go?"
"I'm confident," he said, going into the back to change into something more sleep-friendly. He settled in the living room with Veru and me, and we watched bad television until 6:45 PM, when Legend of the Drunken Master came on TV.
I heard a knock on my door at around 7 PM, and was surprised to see Baby Tea and Srsly outside of my door. I let them in, and we sat down to watch cheesy kung-fu in groups. Tea and I danced around the living room in overly hyper action movie poses during the commercials, and we bantered back and forth about the occasionally bad dialog or unintentional perversion that slipped out of the occasional line.
During the movie, Veru took an obsessed liking to Neezilla, shunning my lap for hers any time she was seated. I watched them play during the commercials, and wondered how long BTea would have to weather Neezilla asking if they could keep him.
At about 10 PM, thoroughly exhausted but stoked about my entertainment for the evening, I decided we should do this movie thing more often, and hugged BTea and Neezilla goodnight. Caime settled on the couch, and I passed out before my head hit the pillow. I dreamed about dancing drink machines, and I'm not too sure what that says about me...
"Nuke," Puppet was carefully weighing his words, but they spilled so much venom he may as well have been stabbing me with a knife. "The door was unlocked this morning. A regular said you had gone back in after closing, and you were the only person that could've unlocked the door to begin with. Someone came in during the night, and since the register was empty, stole the drinks instead. I'm afraid to say your next check is going to be spent on getting those drinks paid for. Past that, that's a pretty bad breach of what I expect from my employees. You're fired, Nuke. Effective immediately. Don't come in this afternoon." He hung before I could respond. I thought back, and after I bumped into Cahlee, I never locked the door again.
Crap!
I got up from bed, and got in the shower. Given how angry Puppet's been lately, the likelihood of appealing that decision right now was only slightly better than winning the lottery without ever buying a ticket. I tried to ignore my sinking mood, and finished showering rapidly. I got a quick breakfast, and managed to leave the apartment by 7:15 AM. The library was already open, and I was burning daylight.
I kept a version of my resume online, and quickly had it updated and printed. It was still early, and I had enough time to go job hunting. I knew an agency from when I had first moved to the city, and figured now was as good a time as any to start looking for a new job since next check wasn't coming. The end of the month seemed a lot more menacing.
Surprisingly, there were a pretty bountiful amount of writing jobs around, and I made sure to get my resume out and about. After talking with the attendant for an hour, I decided there were more productive things I could be doing.
I found myself wanting to go to the cafe, but wondered if that'd really be such a good idea. Well, no harm in it, I guess. When I got to the cafe, I was surprised. I knew the cafe had been broken into, but I had no idea to what degree. Not only had the drink fridge been emptied, it had been done violently. Glass was all over the floor, and water was dripping from the broken hosing exposed in the back of the machine. I frowned, and knew what I should do.
Even though I wasn't allowed back in the storage area anymore, I bypassed the employees only sign and retrieved the dolly. Puppet wasn't in for the moment, for which I was thankful, and Erana didn't seem to get bothered by me roving around in the back. I managed to hoist the machine, and wheel it out to the alley. Not the best place for it, full time, but certainly better than leaking on the floor. After I got the machine out of the way, I returned the dolly to the storage room and found the broom.
Glass still littered the tile in select places, and I knew there'd be a hazard for sandaled customers. After getting a majority of the glass picked up, I did another thorough sweep just in case. Everything looked clean, which was good enough for me. My next trip to the back replaced the broom with a mop, and I set to cleaning the tile of dripped water. The mop was old, but I managed to basically dry the area off. I left a "wet floor" sign out just in case, and replaced the broom in the back. I wonder if there's anything I can do?
I settled on grabbing the employee notebook, used for writing notes about purchases and oddities in the shift, and wrote out a short apology to Puppet. You can't really apologize for blatantly costing the company a lot of money, but you can try. I figured an apology was better than nothing, and I poured my heart out onto the paper. It's the least I could do, really. I closed the letter with a flourished signature, and left the building.
When I got back to my apartment, Caime was waiting outside the front door for me. "Hey Nuke, remember your offer from a few days ago?"
"The one about rooming with me? Yeah, you taking me up on it?"
"Yeah, living on one's own terms feels too much like being a hobo for me."
"I hear you, man. Just shower first. You're welcome to anything in my bathroom, and I have an unopened razor and toothbrush in the cabinet if you want to use either."
"Probably a good idea," Caime said, scratching at his long-overgrown face. "You sure I can use your shaving cream?"
"Sure, man. Knock yourself out."
I made a small lunch, roast beef sandwiches using leftovers from the dinner with Puppet and Kari. We were out of drinks, so I figured I'd go grab something cool from the vending machines down below. On my way back to the elevator, I spotted Combined at the desk. "Hey Combi, I don't suppose you know anyone from waste management in your old job from the city, do you?"
"Maybe," he said, appraising my intentions, "any particular reason?"
"I accidentally broke a fridge, and figured I could apologize to the owner by getting it carted off for him."
"I'll make a few calls, where's it being picked up from?"
I gave him the address of the cafe, telling him that it'll be near the dumpster in the back alley. He was lifting a phone to his... Helmet? He was lifting a phone to his helmet as I left, and brought the drinks back up to my apartment. Caime was out of the shower when I got back up there, and handed him one of the drinks I was carrying. He thanked me and continued eating. I sat down, and we ate in relative silence for a minute.
"Hey Caime, I hate to bring this up, but I lost my job today and may need help with rent. Is there any way you could maybe help with rent for a little while? If not, that's cool."
"Uh... Well, I was planning on getting a job with my half-brother's company, a resale outlet for business goods."
"Business goods?"
"Like the big copy machines, wireless printers, filing cabinets, that kinda thing."
My brain sparked, "Does he do drink fridges too?"
"Maybe, want me to call him?"
"Please."
A short call later, I found out he had a machine similar to the old one, although this one a little bit larger, for an obscenely good price. It was certifiably stupid for me to do so given my lack of income, but felt I owed Puppet a lot better lot in life than what he had gotten. I cut a check for the fridge and asked if it could be delivered to the cafe. He said he'd take care of it, and I gave Caime the check to give when he went to his job interview later that afternoon. Seems like all the clerical stuff had been taken care of, and I was at a loss for what to do with my day.
It was about 1 PM, and I figured I could do with some productivity. I decided to check my notebook for the address of the shelter, and see about getting another cat for Manveru to play with. The pound was a long walk from my apartment, but I made it there in decent enough time. The selection of cats was particularly vast, and a new ordinance in the city allowed for the adoption fees involved with caring for an animal much lighter than it had been previously.
The cat section was surprisingly diverse, and I found no shortage of cats to choose from. I looked around, played with several of them, but eventually decided that I had no idea which would be best for Veru. The employee that was with me was really polite, and offered to let me bring my cat by to play with the others, see who he'd get along with the best. I thanked him for his help, and decided I'd do that tomorrow.
I got back to my apartment to the answering machine light blinking at me. Caime was no where to be seen, and I figured he had gone off to his job interview already. I pressed the play button on the answering machine and fixed myself a glass of milk. The first was a message from Caime's half-brother, saying the machine had been delivered and installed free of charge. Apparently someone had done me a great service and filled the machine with drinks as well. I made a note to call him back to thank him.
The second message was a voice that filled me with dread, Puppet's. "Hey Nuke. I got to work a few minutes ago and Erana said you had come in and cleaned up the store. A trash crew came and picked up the old machine, and someone arrived a moment ago to replace the drink machine with a new one, pre-filled. I'm fairly certain you've had a hand in this, and I felt like I should call and apologize for what I said this morning. And... Uh... Thank you for cleaning up the mess.
"Most employees would just leave me to rot, and I guess I owe you an apology for how much you've done, even after being fired. I can't rehire you, I'm afraid. But, an apology over the phone doesn't quite do you right. My wife said we should invite you over to dinner, and I agree. Call me back if tomorrow's okay."
I looked at my phone, and wondered who I should call back first. I called Puppet a second later. We talked for a minute, I told him I was on for dinner tomorrow, and we hung up after an awkward few seconds. I could here the muted, "Thank you, Nuke." before he closed the line. I called the supplier back, and thanked him for the kind service. He thanked me for the check, and used me as a reference for Caime's application in the same call. I answered each question as honestly as I knew how, and ended the call feeling like I'd done something well.
The TV became my entertainment for the evening, supplying a full fifteen minutes of mind-mushery when Caime got back. "How'd it go?"
"I'm confident," he said, going into the back to change into something more sleep-friendly. He settled in the living room with Veru and me, and we watched bad television until 6:45 PM, when Legend of the Drunken Master came on TV.
I heard a knock on my door at around 7 PM, and was surprised to see Baby Tea and Srsly outside of my door. I let them in, and we sat down to watch cheesy kung-fu in groups. Tea and I danced around the living room in overly hyper action movie poses during the commercials, and we bantered back and forth about the occasionally bad dialog or unintentional perversion that slipped out of the occasional line.
During the movie, Veru took an obsessed liking to Neezilla, shunning my lap for hers any time she was seated. I watched them play during the commercials, and wondered how long BTea would have to weather Neezilla asking if they could keep him.
At about 10 PM, thoroughly exhausted but stoked about my entertainment for the evening, I decided we should do this movie thing more often, and hugged BTea and Neezilla goodnight. Caime settled on the couch, and I passed out before my head hit the pillow. I dreamed about dancing drink machines, and I'm not too sure what that says about me...
Part 7 is now up, found here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.72805.3432595].
Looking forward to Part 7, and getting into the bigger changes in the story.
I like the integration of elements the hat and background, and how that comes back in further down. I think I could use a tine bit more spray going on though, it feels a bit too concentrated.Zemalac said:Not really sure who this is, but I like the look of her.
Just another little thing with the style I've been working on.
What better way is there to celebrate this thread's 1,400th reply than with Part 7? (Part 6 can be found here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.72805.3408537].)
Part 8 can be found here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.72805.3444173].
Hope you enjoy,
When I woke up, I had a brief moment of disorientation. I didn't have anything to do all day, and I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I showered, found it odd to dress in something other than a suit, and had breakfast with Caime. I had a nagging doubt in the back of my head that I should be hurrying, but I knew I didn't have anything I needed to hurry for.
"Hey Nuke," Caime began, "do you believe in that 'only one true love' thing?"
"Uh... In my experience, no. Every time I fall stupidly in love, I still have this feeling in the back of my head that there's more out there. I look around, see traits that I like in other people, or just don't exactly mesh with the better-half I have at the time. It tends to give me the feeling of there not being a single, catch-all individual who scratches every metaphorical itch I will ever have.
"Although if I were being completely honest, I like the idea. I really want to believe it, so I do. I do believe that even as illogical as it may be, I do believe there's a finer half for me out there somewhere, frowning about the idiocy of the internet and wondering why the technical merits of an aural language don't follow sound-based regulations. Although knowing my luck, she's Russian and only speaks French, Manderin Chinese, and an odd dialect of Romanian."
"So, you think long term relationships can last out?"
"Uh... I guess. I mean, Neese and BTea have bee-" There was a knock on the door. "Hold that thought."
I answered the door and saw a very sad face in front of me. I should charge more for having someone crying at me before I've even had the chance to offend them. "Nukezilla, Tea broke up with me!"
"Oh Neese," I said, frowning and tugging her inside. "Come sit down, and please stop crying."
She buried her face into my shoulder, Caime saw who it was, failed to conceal a smirk, and mouthed I'll just leave you two alone on his way out. I glared at him, and he closed the door on his way out.
After what had to have been a few hours of letting Neezilla cry it out, it got quiet enough to actually talk about what happened.
"We got in an argument after we came back from your apartment last night. Something about scheduling conflicts. Before I knew it, he was letting me down easy, talking about how we needed a break. I got mad, and we started really fighting. The 'we need a break' turned into something worse. He told me to leave, I got pissed said it was my apartment, and he needed to leave. I went into my bedroom to cry. I wanted to apologize, something, I guess I passed out instead. He was gone this morning, and isn't taking my calls."
"Oh God Neese, I'm so sorry." We stayed like that a while, me trying to comfort her, and her coming to her own conclusions. She was better than me like that. I just fell apart, she pieced things together. By the end of another thirty minutes, she was done crying, and helping herself to a cup of coffee from my kitchen. "Thanks Nuke, you really helped me out."
"I dunno how. You came to all the right answers on your own."
"Maybe. I'm going on vacation for a while. Clear out my head, you know?"
She smiled, thanked me for the coffee, and left.
Halfway done with the dishes for the morning, I got a call from a local writer's group. Mostly working for non-profit, they keep a few writers on retainers for small writing projects. Usually things like fliers or brochures, they provide the job, and take 10% commission for the referral. I figured that was fair digs, and agreed. After mulling out the paperwork, I hung up the line and wondered what kind of jobs I'd be doing for them. Sadly, it sounded a bit too freelance, and I probably couldn't have made a living off of it. Ah well, looks like I was still on the prowl.
I took to the streets, keeping an eye out for any 'Now Hiring' signs, coming up empty handed except for a single place that was hiring. Ironically, it was Puppet's cafe. I sighed, and went in to grab a drink. The place was, as usual, quiet in the late afternoon. I spent some time with Sky, blathering aimlessly about nothing.
Puppet came by to remind me that we were closing soon, so I'd have to wrap up my afternoon with Sky. "So after two hours on the road, he slammed his hand on the steering wheel and said he forgot the tickets. Long story short, we ended up in a public library, dressed in full anime garb, one of us with giant paper-mache devil's wings, printing out tickets."
She laughed, "Oh man, that's awesome." She checked her phone, and frowned, "Max texted me an hour ago. I should probably go visit him."
I frowned, "Stupid llama."
"Stupid llama," she confirmed, we hugged, she waved goodbye, and left. I wasn't long to follow her out. I didn't have anything else to do, so I went back to my apartment.
My answering machine was blinking angry-red in the dark apartment. I pressed play, curious. "Hey Nuke, it's Dave. Kari's making pasta tonight, so we should start dinner around 7:30. Come by as soon as you can."
Oh crap. What time is it? I checked my watch, 7:15. I hurried from the apartment, taking one flight at a time on the fire escape, and vaulting the rail. I slammed into the concrete, taking the shock in stride, and took off running down the alley. I'd be lying if I said Puppet lived far away, but it's certainly not the distance you could cover in less than fifteen minutes on a Sunday stroll. Even discounting the time it takes to go down eighteen flights of stairs.
I tore into the neighborhood at a sprint, got to Puppet's house, and dropped on the porch to catch my breath. It took me a minute to finally breath well enough to speak, but I was still catching my breath. I knocked on the door, and hoped my breathing would even out before he answered the door. Kari got it, "Oh there you are. C'mon Nuke, Puppet's just laying dinner out."
Kari's an amazing cook, and I was enjoying myself thoroughly. We were talking about cooking for a while. "So Nuke, you're something of a cook right?"
"Yeah Kari. I'm not too good though. The roast the other night was pretty bad."
She shook her head, "No, it was good."
"If not a bit dry," Puppet said.
"Yeah, I usually make some gravy with it, but I ran out of time for dinner. Sorry about that."
"S'alright Nuke." Puppet said. "You know, we've been worried about you lately. Have you been alright lately?"
"Yeah," I lied, "I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"Fine." I said, closing the point by returning to my food.
"Seriously Nuke." Puppet continued, "You're usually alert, but lately you've been zoning out more and more. You seem distracted. You even forgot to lock the door, something you've even prevented me from forgetting to do several times. You're not you Nuke. I've thought about it, and you can come work at the shop again. But you have to do nothing all week. You can start again on Sunday. Afternoon."
I mulled on that silently, and we finished the rest of the meal in silence. I thanked them both, hugged them both, and went back to my apartment at a pensive pace. Maybe I did need to relax...
I got back to my apartment and picked up my phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey Neezilla?"
"Nuke?"
"Um... Do you want to come over tonight?"
"Sure, I guess."
Neese got here, and we spent the evening cracking jokes and curled up on the couch. Even something so trivial as television just seemed a little bit better with company, and I found myself laughing a lot more than usual. The evening wound down far too quickly, and Neese was getting ready to leave.
My mouth starting moving, and my pulse accelerated far too quickly, "Hey Neezilla, will you go out with me?" My mouth said it before I even finished thinking about asking.
She froze in place, hand gripping the door out of my apartment. She turned around, kissed me firmly, and said "Yes." The weight of the world seemed to slide off of my shoulders.
Huh. Maybe Puppet was right.
"Hey Nuke," Caime began, "do you believe in that 'only one true love' thing?"
"Uh... In my experience, no. Every time I fall stupidly in love, I still have this feeling in the back of my head that there's more out there. I look around, see traits that I like in other people, or just don't exactly mesh with the better-half I have at the time. It tends to give me the feeling of there not being a single, catch-all individual who scratches every metaphorical itch I will ever have.
"Although if I were being completely honest, I like the idea. I really want to believe it, so I do. I do believe that even as illogical as it may be, I do believe there's a finer half for me out there somewhere, frowning about the idiocy of the internet and wondering why the technical merits of an aural language don't follow sound-based regulations. Although knowing my luck, she's Russian and only speaks French, Manderin Chinese, and an odd dialect of Romanian."
"So, you think long term relationships can last out?"
"Uh... I guess. I mean, Neese and BTea have bee-" There was a knock on the door. "Hold that thought."
I answered the door and saw a very sad face in front of me. I should charge more for having someone crying at me before I've even had the chance to offend them. "Nukezilla, Tea broke up with me!"
"Oh Neese," I said, frowning and tugging her inside. "Come sit down, and please stop crying."
She buried her face into my shoulder, Caime saw who it was, failed to conceal a smirk, and mouthed I'll just leave you two alone on his way out. I glared at him, and he closed the door on his way out.
After what had to have been a few hours of letting Neezilla cry it out, it got quiet enough to actually talk about what happened.
"We got in an argument after we came back from your apartment last night. Something about scheduling conflicts. Before I knew it, he was letting me down easy, talking about how we needed a break. I got mad, and we started really fighting. The 'we need a break' turned into something worse. He told me to leave, I got pissed said it was my apartment, and he needed to leave. I went into my bedroom to cry. I wanted to apologize, something, I guess I passed out instead. He was gone this morning, and isn't taking my calls."
"Oh God Neese, I'm so sorry." We stayed like that a while, me trying to comfort her, and her coming to her own conclusions. She was better than me like that. I just fell apart, she pieced things together. By the end of another thirty minutes, she was done crying, and helping herself to a cup of coffee from my kitchen. "Thanks Nuke, you really helped me out."
"I dunno how. You came to all the right answers on your own."
"Maybe. I'm going on vacation for a while. Clear out my head, you know?"
She smiled, thanked me for the coffee, and left.
Halfway done with the dishes for the morning, I got a call from a local writer's group. Mostly working for non-profit, they keep a few writers on retainers for small writing projects. Usually things like fliers or brochures, they provide the job, and take 10% commission for the referral. I figured that was fair digs, and agreed. After mulling out the paperwork, I hung up the line and wondered what kind of jobs I'd be doing for them. Sadly, it sounded a bit too freelance, and I probably couldn't have made a living off of it. Ah well, looks like I was still on the prowl.
I took to the streets, keeping an eye out for any 'Now Hiring' signs, coming up empty handed except for a single place that was hiring. Ironically, it was Puppet's cafe. I sighed, and went in to grab a drink. The place was, as usual, quiet in the late afternoon. I spent some time with Sky, blathering aimlessly about nothing.
Puppet came by to remind me that we were closing soon, so I'd have to wrap up my afternoon with Sky. "So after two hours on the road, he slammed his hand on the steering wheel and said he forgot the tickets. Long story short, we ended up in a public library, dressed in full anime garb, one of us with giant paper-mache devil's wings, printing out tickets."
She laughed, "Oh man, that's awesome." She checked her phone, and frowned, "Max texted me an hour ago. I should probably go visit him."
I frowned, "Stupid llama."
"Stupid llama," she confirmed, we hugged, she waved goodbye, and left. I wasn't long to follow her out. I didn't have anything else to do, so I went back to my apartment.
My answering machine was blinking angry-red in the dark apartment. I pressed play, curious. "Hey Nuke, it's Dave. Kari's making pasta tonight, so we should start dinner around 7:30. Come by as soon as you can."
Oh crap. What time is it? I checked my watch, 7:15. I hurried from the apartment, taking one flight at a time on the fire escape, and vaulting the rail. I slammed into the concrete, taking the shock in stride, and took off running down the alley. I'd be lying if I said Puppet lived far away, but it's certainly not the distance you could cover in less than fifteen minutes on a Sunday stroll. Even discounting the time it takes to go down eighteen flights of stairs.
I tore into the neighborhood at a sprint, got to Puppet's house, and dropped on the porch to catch my breath. It took me a minute to finally breath well enough to speak, but I was still catching my breath. I knocked on the door, and hoped my breathing would even out before he answered the door. Kari got it, "Oh there you are. C'mon Nuke, Puppet's just laying dinner out."
Kari's an amazing cook, and I was enjoying myself thoroughly. We were talking about cooking for a while. "So Nuke, you're something of a cook right?"
"Yeah Kari. I'm not too good though. The roast the other night was pretty bad."
She shook her head, "No, it was good."
"If not a bit dry," Puppet said.
"Yeah, I usually make some gravy with it, but I ran out of time for dinner. Sorry about that."
"S'alright Nuke." Puppet said. "You know, we've been worried about you lately. Have you been alright lately?"
"Yeah," I lied, "I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"Fine." I said, closing the point by returning to my food.
"Seriously Nuke." Puppet continued, "You're usually alert, but lately you've been zoning out more and more. You seem distracted. You even forgot to lock the door, something you've even prevented me from forgetting to do several times. You're not you Nuke. I've thought about it, and you can come work at the shop again. But you have to do nothing all week. You can start again on Sunday. Afternoon."
I mulled on that silently, and we finished the rest of the meal in silence. I thanked them both, hugged them both, and went back to my apartment at a pensive pace. Maybe I did need to relax...
I got back to my apartment and picked up my phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey Neezilla?"
"Nuke?"
"Um... Do you want to come over tonight?"
"Sure, I guess."
Neese got here, and we spent the evening cracking jokes and curled up on the couch. Even something so trivial as television just seemed a little bit better with company, and I found myself laughing a lot more than usual. The evening wound down far too quickly, and Neese was getting ready to leave.
My mouth starting moving, and my pulse accelerated far too quickly, "Hey Neezilla, will you go out with me?" My mouth said it before I even finished thinking about asking.
She froze in place, hand gripping the door out of my apartment. She turned around, kissed me firmly, and said "Yes." The weight of the world seemed to slide off of my shoulders.
Huh. Maybe Puppet was right.
Part 8 can be found here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.72805.3444173].
Hope you enjoy,
So, I'm taking a class this year about narrative in drawings. My individual assignment is up to me, but I decided that it would be about me discovering new and fun uses of mundane objects. This is to be the first in a series of illustrations about the same type of thing. This one looks at the screen from the top of my terrarium, which I ended up using as a tool to make DJ scratching so I created an image based on that fantasy.
I made some changes to a few pieces.
Just changed the composition around a little here. Moved various elements around to make the whole thing tighter.
Added more splatters and stuff to the background, a little bit to the foreground. Looks more...complete, I suppose.
And something else that I'm working on.
I'm having trouble positioning the city in the background. I want to give the impression of great height and an endless sky, but I also want to have this city there. It's tricky, getting it just right.
Just changed the composition around a little here. Moved various elements around to make the whole thing tighter.
Added more splatters and stuff to the background, a little bit to the foreground. Looks more...complete, I suppose.
And something else that I'm working on.
I'm having trouble positioning the city in the background. I want to give the impression of great height and an endless sky, but I also want to have this city there. It's tricky, getting it just right.
You've managed to improve both of those pieces in my eyes. How do you do those cracks?Zemalac said:
As for the piece you're having trouble with, just make the city smaller and lower down. Its the only way to get it the way you want it. It should solve both issues. For added effect, give it some vertical perspective. Don't make it the horizon either, give some space between it and the skyline. It should solve your problem. If that doesn't work, give a little curve to the horizon. It makes it look really high up if you can see curvature.
The destroyed one is rather good. You should scan it and colour it. Your robot drawings have a good sense of shape and space. The coloured one feels flat, character-wise, escpecially with the eyes not reflecting any light. The right side of teh background could use some work towards the back as well. It doesn't quite feel like a space yet. The window/light source is really cool, though.Singularly Datarific said:
Really nice. The only crit I can think of is that the strings of the violin (or is it a viola) look a bit awkward in terms of perspective. But the drawing feels soft, clean, and very tightly handled. You've definitely got some skill.Aqualung said:
...I can't believe I didn't think of just making the city smaller. I thought of making the entire piece larger to fit it in, but not the other way around. Heh.Fightgarr said:
As for the cracks, well, I admit to cheating a bit there. They're done with a brush I downloaded a while back--part of some grunge-style set. Useful things.
You can't really tell right now (though you will by the time I'm done with it, hopefully), but the city is on the top of a mountain. I'll try to highlight that a bit more when I'm working on it again.WanderFreak said:
Thanks, both of you; this has been a big help.
I have a special gift with Part 8. Specifically, the first of what I hope can be several "Guest Chapters." These will be coming out independently from my (nonexistent) posting schedule, and will take place in the same universe as the rest of the chapters. Anyone who wants to write one is welcome to PM me about it, and we can get something arranged. So, without further ado, a special post of the Escapist Romance.
And part 8! (Part 7 is here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.72805.3432595].)
Part 9 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.72805.3465566].
Hopefully that's enough to hold you vultures (I love you all, promise.) over until Part 9.
[user]Neesa[/user]:
I opened my eyes and yawned. I sat up and looked over at the clock, "Ugh. Stupid internal clock." I stretched and looked around my room, wincing a little from the pain in my head. I had no idea why I woke up with headaches, but they were annoying. Suddenly, my cellphone rang. I think I almost had a heart attack from it being so loud. I crawled across my bed to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hey there, love." The voice on the other end said to me. I was slightly confused as to who it was since I didn't look at the caller ID.
"Hey?" I scratched my head as I laid back down to close my eyes before the headache got worse.
"You don't even recognize your own boyfriend's voice?"
"Nuke?"
"Haha, good morning."
"Morning... Why are you calling so damn early?"
"Cause I have a surprise for you. I hope you're dressed cause I'll be there in 10 minutes."
I looked down at my tank top and shorts and frowned, "No. I literally just woke up a few minutes before you called."
"Well, start getting ready. Leave the front door open. I'll let you know that I'm in."
"Alright. Lemme go get dressed then. See you in a few."
"Bye."
The phone clicked and I sat back up. I muttered to myself as I walked to the bathroom to take a quick shower. After about five minutes or so, there was a knock on the bathroom door.
"Babe, I'm here."
"Okay. I'm coming out in a few." I muttered to myself as I rinsed off and grabbed my towel. I turned off the water and wrapped the towel around my chest. I headed out my bathroom to my room where Nuke was sitting on my bed. I perked my eyebrow and pointed to the door. He laughed as he got up off the bed and headed out the door. He stopped and kissed my cheek and left the room. I shook my head and closed to door to get dressed.
After five minutes of staring at my closet, I peaked my head out the door, "Uh, what should I wear?"
"Jeans and a tee are fine."
"Okay, making sure." I moved away from the door and headed towards the closet again, staring at the plethora of t-shirts on top of my closet.
"I have way too many shirts..." I muttered to myself. I reached for one of my college tee shirts and a pair of jeans. I stared at the mirror and decided to put on some eye liner and a matching bandanna. Nothing to over the top was good, I suppose. I gave myself one last look over and headed out the room to the living room.
"Okay, I'm ready."
He turned off the television and walked over to me. I looked at him with a weird smile on my face. He grabbed my hand my hand and off we went.
"So where are we going exactly?"
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."
"Ugh, fair enough." I honestly don't like surprises all the time. Probably from all the bad scenarios that come to mind as well as horrible past experiences. He pressed the elevator button. We stood in silence until the door opened. A few people brushed past us as we stepped inside. I pressed the button for the lobby and the door closed. I looked over at him and leaned against him, still tired from being dragged out on her day off from both work and class.
"You okay?" He looked down at me with a concerned look in his eyes.
"Yeah, just kinda tired from last night. Studying and work can be a hassle." I closed my eyes for the short elevator ride.
"Aw. Trust me, you'll enjoy this. I promise." The door of the elevator opened with a bunch of people standing around giving us awkward looks.
I rolled my eyes as we stepped off the elevator to the front door. The sun was bright... too bright. I frowned. I really wished I brought my shades with me.
"Ugh, it's way too bright out here."
"Oh, pfft. You're not some vampire."
"I could be and you'd never know until it was too late." I flashed my teeth at him and started to laugh. He shook his head and turned to the left from my building. I shielded my eyes from the sun until the shade from the trees took over the block. The scenery was starting to look familiar. Way too familiar for my liking.
We turned a few corners and stopped by a nearby park. I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked across the seemingly empty park. He pulled my arm as an indication to keep walking. We cut across the grass to a small spot by a row of trees. There was a blanket laid out underneath them with a covering over it. He leaned down and pulled the blanket off of it to reveal Tupperware. I looked at him curiously then back down at the Tupperware.
"It's breakfast." He said with a slight chuckle.
"Oh, duh!" I gently smacked my palm against my forehead and laughed. He folded the cover and insisted I sit down as he started to open up all the food. "Did you cook all this or did you stop by the cafe earlier for it?"
"I cooked it this morning." He started separating the food in a plate for us. I looked over all the food and just smiled. There was a little of everything, from bacon to different types of fruit. I thought it was the sweetest thing.
"Oh you didn't have to do this." I said as I looked up at him, a slight look of shame must've been across my face.
"I wanted to do something special. I know things have been an emotional roller coaster for you lately. So I wanted to help you unwind." He handed me a plate and went back to his plate. I sighed a little but smiled. It was really sweet that he was helping me deal with a bad breakup. I guess I didn't give much time to let myself heal emotionally, but Nuke was helping the process. I shrugged it off and began eating. It was quiet, only the sounds of our utensils and the occasional burp and laugh.
I leaned back against a tree next to him and stared off into the distance of the park. I must have zoned out because I didn't hear Nuke call me until he gently pushed me.
"What's wrong?" He said as he wrapped his arm across my shoulder.
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just spaced out, I guess. Sorry." I felt really silly for zoning out like that.
"It's okay. Just wanted to make sure you didn't turn into some lifeless zombie."
"Oh shut up." I laughed and playfully pushed him. This felt totally different, but in the good sense. I don't feel like I had to walk on egg shells around him. I could finally let my guard down a little for a change. "Thanks a lot, Nuke?"
"Hm? What for?" He looked back at me as he started to pack all the Tupperware containers back into a bag.
"For being you."
"Aww. Don't make me blush."
"I'd like the see that."
"Yeah yeah. Oh well, I have good news."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Well, Puppet gave me my job back at the cafe."
"That's great!"
"Yeah, he wants me to start back up on Sunday afternoon." He frowned afterwards.
"Ew, that's gross. But, a job's a job. Rent's not gonna pay itself. Even if I wish it did."
"I hear you. C'mon, there's one more thing I want to do." He put his hand out to help me on my feet. I grabbed it and he yanked me up to my feet. I brushed myself off and looped my arm through his and nodded.
"Lead the way, oh fearless leader."
"Off we go." He rested his hand on top of mine as we left our original dining spot.
We headed farther across the park towards the little man-made lake in the middle of the park. I stared at the beautiful scenery as we walked down a path towards a vine-covered bridge. I tried to burn the image in my head to draw later when I got back to the apartment. We crossed the bridge and stopped in the middle.
"Why'd we stop?" I looked down over the bridge to see my reflection in the water.
"Well, there's a legend that says if you bring your love one here and kiss them in the middle of the bridge, they'll be together forever."
"Really? I thought it was if you proposed to them you'd be together forever."
"Semantics."
"Not even." I laughed for a moment before he interrupted my laughter with a kiss. My hands fell to the side as we stood in the middle of the bridge and kissed. For some reason, I started to cry. He pulled away from the kiss and started to worry.
"Neese, what's wrong babe? Did I do something wrong?" He pulled me into a tight hug as I cried into his shirt. I took a few deep breathes to calm myself down. I looked up at him with my tear stained face and a goofy smile.
"I just couldn't help but think how cheesy this all was... But I loved it." My words came out broken in between each sniffle. "Thank you for such an enjoyable morning, Nuke."
"You deserve it." He hugged me again. Everything seemed to stopped. I wanted to relish this moment. The bright sun glistening off the lake. The birds chirping in the trees. Nuke and I standing in the middle of a bridge melting all my emotional scars away. I grabbed his hand tightly and smiled. He smiled back at me and began to lead us off the bridge to head back to my apartment. I wonder what's in store for us in the future.
I opened my eyes and yawned. I sat up and looked over at the clock, "Ugh. Stupid internal clock." I stretched and looked around my room, wincing a little from the pain in my head. I had no idea why I woke up with headaches, but they were annoying. Suddenly, my cellphone rang. I think I almost had a heart attack from it being so loud. I crawled across my bed to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hey there, love." The voice on the other end said to me. I was slightly confused as to who it was since I didn't look at the caller ID.
"Hey?" I scratched my head as I laid back down to close my eyes before the headache got worse.
"You don't even recognize your own boyfriend's voice?"
"Nuke?"
"Haha, good morning."
"Morning... Why are you calling so damn early?"
"Cause I have a surprise for you. I hope you're dressed cause I'll be there in 10 minutes."
I looked down at my tank top and shorts and frowned, "No. I literally just woke up a few minutes before you called."
"Well, start getting ready. Leave the front door open. I'll let you know that I'm in."
"Alright. Lemme go get dressed then. See you in a few."
"Bye."
The phone clicked and I sat back up. I muttered to myself as I walked to the bathroom to take a quick shower. After about five minutes or so, there was a knock on the bathroom door.
"Babe, I'm here."
"Okay. I'm coming out in a few." I muttered to myself as I rinsed off and grabbed my towel. I turned off the water and wrapped the towel around my chest. I headed out my bathroom to my room where Nuke was sitting on my bed. I perked my eyebrow and pointed to the door. He laughed as he got up off the bed and headed out the door. He stopped and kissed my cheek and left the room. I shook my head and closed to door to get dressed.
After five minutes of staring at my closet, I peaked my head out the door, "Uh, what should I wear?"
"Jeans and a tee are fine."
"Okay, making sure." I moved away from the door and headed towards the closet again, staring at the plethora of t-shirts on top of my closet.
"I have way too many shirts..." I muttered to myself. I reached for one of my college tee shirts and a pair of jeans. I stared at the mirror and decided to put on some eye liner and a matching bandanna. Nothing to over the top was good, I suppose. I gave myself one last look over and headed out the room to the living room.
"Okay, I'm ready."
He turned off the television and walked over to me. I looked at him with a weird smile on my face. He grabbed my hand my hand and off we went.
"So where are we going exactly?"
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."
"Ugh, fair enough." I honestly don't like surprises all the time. Probably from all the bad scenarios that come to mind as well as horrible past experiences. He pressed the elevator button. We stood in silence until the door opened. A few people brushed past us as we stepped inside. I pressed the button for the lobby and the door closed. I looked over at him and leaned against him, still tired from being dragged out on her day off from both work and class.
"You okay?" He looked down at me with a concerned look in his eyes.
"Yeah, just kinda tired from last night. Studying and work can be a hassle." I closed my eyes for the short elevator ride.
"Aw. Trust me, you'll enjoy this. I promise." The door of the elevator opened with a bunch of people standing around giving us awkward looks.
I rolled my eyes as we stepped off the elevator to the front door. The sun was bright... too bright. I frowned. I really wished I brought my shades with me.
"Ugh, it's way too bright out here."
"Oh, pfft. You're not some vampire."
"I could be and you'd never know until it was too late." I flashed my teeth at him and started to laugh. He shook his head and turned to the left from my building. I shielded my eyes from the sun until the shade from the trees took over the block. The scenery was starting to look familiar. Way too familiar for my liking.
We turned a few corners and stopped by a nearby park. I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked across the seemingly empty park. He pulled my arm as an indication to keep walking. We cut across the grass to a small spot by a row of trees. There was a blanket laid out underneath them with a covering over it. He leaned down and pulled the blanket off of it to reveal Tupperware. I looked at him curiously then back down at the Tupperware.
"It's breakfast." He said with a slight chuckle.
"Oh, duh!" I gently smacked my palm against my forehead and laughed. He folded the cover and insisted I sit down as he started to open up all the food. "Did you cook all this or did you stop by the cafe earlier for it?"
"I cooked it this morning." He started separating the food in a plate for us. I looked over all the food and just smiled. There was a little of everything, from bacon to different types of fruit. I thought it was the sweetest thing.
"Oh you didn't have to do this." I said as I looked up at him, a slight look of shame must've been across my face.
"I wanted to do something special. I know things have been an emotional roller coaster for you lately. So I wanted to help you unwind." He handed me a plate and went back to his plate. I sighed a little but smiled. It was really sweet that he was helping me deal with a bad breakup. I guess I didn't give much time to let myself heal emotionally, but Nuke was helping the process. I shrugged it off and began eating. It was quiet, only the sounds of our utensils and the occasional burp and laugh.
I leaned back against a tree next to him and stared off into the distance of the park. I must have zoned out because I didn't hear Nuke call me until he gently pushed me.
"What's wrong?" He said as he wrapped his arm across my shoulder.
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just spaced out, I guess. Sorry." I felt really silly for zoning out like that.
"It's okay. Just wanted to make sure you didn't turn into some lifeless zombie."
"Oh shut up." I laughed and playfully pushed him. This felt totally different, but in the good sense. I don't feel like I had to walk on egg shells around him. I could finally let my guard down a little for a change. "Thanks a lot, Nuke?"
"Hm? What for?" He looked back at me as he started to pack all the Tupperware containers back into a bag.
"For being you."
"Aww. Don't make me blush."
"I'd like the see that."
"Yeah yeah. Oh well, I have good news."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Well, Puppet gave me my job back at the cafe."
"That's great!"
"Yeah, he wants me to start back up on Sunday afternoon." He frowned afterwards.
"Ew, that's gross. But, a job's a job. Rent's not gonna pay itself. Even if I wish it did."
"I hear you. C'mon, there's one more thing I want to do." He put his hand out to help me on my feet. I grabbed it and he yanked me up to my feet. I brushed myself off and looped my arm through his and nodded.
"Lead the way, oh fearless leader."
"Off we go." He rested his hand on top of mine as we left our original dining spot.
We headed farther across the park towards the little man-made lake in the middle of the park. I stared at the beautiful scenery as we walked down a path towards a vine-covered bridge. I tried to burn the image in my head to draw later when I got back to the apartment. We crossed the bridge and stopped in the middle.
"Why'd we stop?" I looked down over the bridge to see my reflection in the water.
"Well, there's a legend that says if you bring your love one here and kiss them in the middle of the bridge, they'll be together forever."
"Really? I thought it was if you proposed to them you'd be together forever."
"Semantics."
"Not even." I laughed for a moment before he interrupted my laughter with a kiss. My hands fell to the side as we stood in the middle of the bridge and kissed. For some reason, I started to cry. He pulled away from the kiss and started to worry.
"Neese, what's wrong babe? Did I do something wrong?" He pulled me into a tight hug as I cried into his shirt. I took a few deep breathes to calm myself down. I looked up at him with my tear stained face and a goofy smile.
"I just couldn't help but think how cheesy this all was... But I loved it." My words came out broken in between each sniffle. "Thank you for such an enjoyable morning, Nuke."
"You deserve it." He hugged me again. Everything seemed to stopped. I wanted to relish this moment. The bright sun glistening off the lake. The birds chirping in the trees. Nuke and I standing in the middle of a bridge melting all my emotional scars away. I grabbed his hand tightly and smiled. He smiled back at me and began to lead us off the bridge to head back to my apartment. I wonder what's in store for us in the future.
And part 8! (Part 7 is here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.72805.3432595].)
When I wasn't so worried about money and rent, the week became a lot easier. Rent got paid with the "Drink Replacement" check, and I managed to put a little back into my savings account. The next day, I pulled a surprise date with my cute little Neezilla, and Sunday came far too quickly. At the hellish hour of 5 AM, my alarm clock took off and flew around the room. I'll admit a certain level of selfishness because I enjoyed pretend-sleeping through my alarm to watch her chase my alarm around my room.
After a minute of flailing and a far too pleasant view, I got out of bed, took the copter-bot from her, and planted it on the base. She pouted at me, "You were awake from that whole thing, weren't you?"
"And miss you chasing around my bedroom in your underwear, lit only by the moonlight? I consider myself a little crazy, but I know art when I see it."
She blushed a little, pushing me back on the bed, "Meanie."
"Fine, tomorrow you can watch me chase it around."
She smiled, "Hell no, I'm going to sleep again. You can suffer for it."
"Eh, it's not suffering if I enjoy it."
"You're the only weirdo I know who leaves their alarm on on Sundays anyway."
"Psh, for all you know, I could be a preacher in my spare time."
"With some of the things we've done all week, I'd consider you more naughty than holy."
"Patron Saint of Lust and Vices, my assistant is an alcoholic. Projectile vomit and all."
"That doesn't seem very saintly."
"Let us spray."I answered, and got up. After a soft kiss, I went off to shower.
I'm okay to admit that I lack a particular panache for remembering certain key details. For example, this is the third time I've forgotten to dress myself in the bathroom after a shower, and bumped into Caime wearing only a towel.
"Morning Nuke," he said, glancing down at my terry-cotton skirt, "Is that a bath towel, or are you just happy to see me?"
"Both," I answered, closing the door to my room. I dropped my towel, and continued humming the song in my head as I considered whether or not to wear a suit to work. It would've been out of character for me to not do so, but then again, I'm sure I came off as stiff and uninviting when I did so. I frowned, still indecisive.
"Not that I mind, but any particular reason you're wandering around your bedroom naked?"
Like I said, key details. "Forgot you were in here, honestly. Just deciding what to wear."
"You sound like me. Don't you always wear a suit to work?"
"Yeah, but I'm afraid I'll come off as cold to the customers."
"Who cares? If they judge based on wardrobe alone, then they've earned a lack of service."
I frowned, "I dunno."
"Dress for the job you want..."
"You're not actually using that adage on me."
"Yes I am. Now get dressed and let me get back to sleep."
"Yes ma'am," I replied. After picking out a particularly comfortable suit, I went back out to the living room and started up on breakfast. I ended up making extra everything, with plenty to spare for Neese, and asked Caime if he needed anything.
"Yeah, a key to the apartment. If I get locked out like last time, I'm going to be pissed."
"Ah, good point. I'll go get a copy made now."
After walking fruitlessly around the city for at least an hour, I gave up and decided to call in some help. "Hey Puppet," I called out as I opened the door to the cafe, "where does one go about getting a key made in this city?"
"A keyblade," said a random patron, SHK, "have you tried Traverse Town?"
"Ha ha, smartass." I replied.
"Try Maet," Puppet said, "he was doing something like that in college."
"Any idea where to find him?"
"Down the road. Three blocks, maybe?"
Cool, short walk. "I can swing that, thanks Puppet."
I turned, opened the door, got a half-block there, and the heavens opened. I took off running, scrambling under and overhang and cursing the sky for her fickleness. In response, she spewed more water at me. Ingrate.
After fifteen minutes of shivers from the rain and getting my legs soaked, I decided to throw caution to the wind and run the rest of the way. Turns out that Maet was actually ten blocks, and I was shivering and dripping bullets by the time that I walked into his air conditioned shop. I walked up to him, asked if I could have copies of my key made. He grinned, "Sure Nuke. How many?"
"Uh..." Why was I having copies made again? Ah right. "Two."
"Sure thing. They'll be done in a few minutes."
True to his word, Maet had them done in very good time. I paid for them, pocketed them, and left to get back to the apartment before work. It was almost noon, and I'd have to be at work soon. I ran in, handed Caime his key, and was surprised to find Neesa still in bed.
"You slacker." I said, accusingly.
She mumbled and me, and threw the pillow from my side of the bed, "You woke me up too early. I had trouble getting back to sleep."
I pulled the pillow from my face, and tossed it back on the bed. "I know, but it was cute."
"Whatever, you boob."
"Proud of it," I said, sticking the key on the night-stand. "This is your key, you are welcome to come and go as you please."
She smiled weakly at me, and pointed to the door. "Now shoo, I need to get up and get dressed."
"As if I haven't seen it before."
"Out." She repeated, sternly. I frowned, and left.
I got back to the cafe thirty minutes early, and clocked in early anyway. I came out of the employee store room ready for work. "Hey Puppet, I'm in. You can clear out early."
"Good," he replied, clapping me on the shoulder, "I'm tired."
"Alright, I've got it covered here."
He looked me in the eyes, appraising, "Have you gotten your rest this week?"
I grinned childishly, "In a manner of speaking."
He frowned, and it clicked. "That's 'the smile.' Did you finally ask LaCoil out?"
"Neesa actually."
"Good on you man." He smiled, and turned to go sign out. I'm not sure what, but something told me he was staring at my ass as he left. I ignored the baseless feeling, and got to work cleaning the counter.
The work day felt unusually long, and I couldn't keep my mind on-task. In the dead minutes, my mind floated to Neesa. I couldn't help it, I was pretty obsessed. I rubbed my temples, staring blankly out into the emptiness. Neosage burst in my point of view. "Nukenukenukenukenukenuke."
"Did I hear a 'neuk' in there?" I asked.
"Maybe. B-b-but I asked Erana out today!"
"Ooo! And?"
He blinked, "And what?"
"...She said?"
"Oh, she said yes!"
I clapped him on the shoulder, "Congratulations man. You two going to dinner and a movie or something."
"I dunno." He answered.
I rolled my eyes. Kids. "You've got to plan this kinda thing out man. Go set up a reservation at someplace nice, and bring her there."
"Like, on a date?"
"Kinda the point, yeah."
"Oh. Well, I'll think about it. Thanks Nuke."
"Anytime, Neo."
I zoned out again, and watched the patrons come and go while I let my thoughts hang on my new girlfriend. Maybe I should plan another date soon. Before my thoughts ran too far with that idea, I saw a familiar face walk in and start waving at patrons. "Hey Sky," he said, "have you see Nuke?"
She wasn't ready for someone, and looked up confused. "Who, the llama?"
"Wait," Xitel said, "Nuke's a llama now?"
"No, Max is a llama. Nuke's behind the counter."
Xitel turned, and almost slammed nose-first into me. "Nuke!"
"Xitel!" I replied, hugging him. He returned the hug, and we spent the evening catching up.
The work day ended while I was still talking with Xi, and eventually had to close up shop. I cleaned out the various machines, got the counters and tables wiped, the chairs up, the window spot-checked, and lastly shooed the last customer out. After everyone was outside, I called out "Last call!" into the empty room, signed out, killed the lights, and locked up on my way out.
Xitel followed me back to my apartment, and we talked for a while. "Hey, I'm back in town for a few years."
"Really? England isn't working out for you?"
"Actually, my wife and I are moving here."
"Ooo, neat. When'd you get married?"
"Last year. How about yourself, finally settled down with someone?"
"Not exactly."
He looked down the hall, "That explains the single bedroom. Does this complex have any two-bedrooms?"
"Probably," I said, looked at him, "Why, children on the way?"
"No, I just like having a spare bedroom for guests and an office for business gunk."
"Probably a smart plan, I can talk to the landlord for you."
"That sounds awesome. Thanks Nuke."
I grabbed the phone from the cradle, dialed, and waited for a few rings. "Higs?"
Xitel stared blankly, "Higs is your landlord?"
"Are there any two-bedrooms open right now? Uh-huh. Mmkay. Alright, sure. Thanks man. Yeah, referral. Take it out of his deposit. Yeah, thanks man."
He looked at me. "Huh?"
"He'll be here to talk tomorrow morning. I've waived the application fee due to a referral, and you're getting a discount on the deposit."
"Cool." He said. "Thanks much man."
"Anytime."
Neesa poked her head out of the bedroom, and saw Xi.She ducked her head back in, and I took that as a sign to wrap things up. "Sorry, dude. But I've got some stuff to do. Come by the coffeeshop tomorrow afternoon. I get off at one, and we can do something cool."
"Sounds good. I'm off to my hotel. Take it easy."
"You too."
I crawled into my bedroom, and collapsed. After a week of slacking, a full day really took it out of me. Neesa laid her head on my chest, "Tired, love?"
"Among the many." I said, explaining how my legs were sore from running.
"Ew. I hope you don't catch a cold."
"Oh, that'd be great."
"Poor baby," she said, kissing my cheek.
We settled into one-another's arms, and I eventually passed out that way. Pretty quiet day, given the events, but I slept really well. Maybe tomorrow would be less busy...
Maybe.
After a minute of flailing and a far too pleasant view, I got out of bed, took the copter-bot from her, and planted it on the base. She pouted at me, "You were awake from that whole thing, weren't you?"
"And miss you chasing around my bedroom in your underwear, lit only by the moonlight? I consider myself a little crazy, but I know art when I see it."
She blushed a little, pushing me back on the bed, "Meanie."
"Fine, tomorrow you can watch me chase it around."
She smiled, "Hell no, I'm going to sleep again. You can suffer for it."
"Eh, it's not suffering if I enjoy it."
"You're the only weirdo I know who leaves their alarm on on Sundays anyway."
"Psh, for all you know, I could be a preacher in my spare time."
"With some of the things we've done all week, I'd consider you more naughty than holy."
"Patron Saint of Lust and Vices, my assistant is an alcoholic. Projectile vomit and all."
"That doesn't seem very saintly."
"Let us spray."I answered, and got up. After a soft kiss, I went off to shower.
I'm okay to admit that I lack a particular panache for remembering certain key details. For example, this is the third time I've forgotten to dress myself in the bathroom after a shower, and bumped into Caime wearing only a towel.
"Morning Nuke," he said, glancing down at my terry-cotton skirt, "Is that a bath towel, or are you just happy to see me?"
"Both," I answered, closing the door to my room. I dropped my towel, and continued humming the song in my head as I considered whether or not to wear a suit to work. It would've been out of character for me to not do so, but then again, I'm sure I came off as stiff and uninviting when I did so. I frowned, still indecisive.
"Not that I mind, but any particular reason you're wandering around your bedroom naked?"
Like I said, key details. "Forgot you were in here, honestly. Just deciding what to wear."
"You sound like me. Don't you always wear a suit to work?"
"Yeah, but I'm afraid I'll come off as cold to the customers."
"Who cares? If they judge based on wardrobe alone, then they've earned a lack of service."
I frowned, "I dunno."
"Dress for the job you want..."
"You're not actually using that adage on me."
"Yes I am. Now get dressed and let me get back to sleep."
"Yes ma'am," I replied. After picking out a particularly comfortable suit, I went back out to the living room and started up on breakfast. I ended up making extra everything, with plenty to spare for Neese, and asked Caime if he needed anything.
"Yeah, a key to the apartment. If I get locked out like last time, I'm going to be pissed."
"Ah, good point. I'll go get a copy made now."
After walking fruitlessly around the city for at least an hour, I gave up and decided to call in some help. "Hey Puppet," I called out as I opened the door to the cafe, "where does one go about getting a key made in this city?"
"A keyblade," said a random patron, SHK, "have you tried Traverse Town?"
"Ha ha, smartass." I replied.
"Try Maet," Puppet said, "he was doing something like that in college."
"Any idea where to find him?"
"Down the road. Three blocks, maybe?"
Cool, short walk. "I can swing that, thanks Puppet."
I turned, opened the door, got a half-block there, and the heavens opened. I took off running, scrambling under and overhang and cursing the sky for her fickleness. In response, she spewed more water at me. Ingrate.
After fifteen minutes of shivers from the rain and getting my legs soaked, I decided to throw caution to the wind and run the rest of the way. Turns out that Maet was actually ten blocks, and I was shivering and dripping bullets by the time that I walked into his air conditioned shop. I walked up to him, asked if I could have copies of my key made. He grinned, "Sure Nuke. How many?"
"Uh..." Why was I having copies made again? Ah right. "Two."
"Sure thing. They'll be done in a few minutes."
True to his word, Maet had them done in very good time. I paid for them, pocketed them, and left to get back to the apartment before work. It was almost noon, and I'd have to be at work soon. I ran in, handed Caime his key, and was surprised to find Neesa still in bed.
"You slacker." I said, accusingly.
She mumbled and me, and threw the pillow from my side of the bed, "You woke me up too early. I had trouble getting back to sleep."
I pulled the pillow from my face, and tossed it back on the bed. "I know, but it was cute."
"Whatever, you boob."
"Proud of it," I said, sticking the key on the night-stand. "This is your key, you are welcome to come and go as you please."
She smiled weakly at me, and pointed to the door. "Now shoo, I need to get up and get dressed."
"As if I haven't seen it before."
"Out." She repeated, sternly. I frowned, and left.
I got back to the cafe thirty minutes early, and clocked in early anyway. I came out of the employee store room ready for work. "Hey Puppet, I'm in. You can clear out early."
"Good," he replied, clapping me on the shoulder, "I'm tired."
"Alright, I've got it covered here."
He looked me in the eyes, appraising, "Have you gotten your rest this week?"
I grinned childishly, "In a manner of speaking."
He frowned, and it clicked. "That's 'the smile.' Did you finally ask LaCoil out?"
"Neesa actually."
"Good on you man." He smiled, and turned to go sign out. I'm not sure what, but something told me he was staring at my ass as he left. I ignored the baseless feeling, and got to work cleaning the counter.
The work day felt unusually long, and I couldn't keep my mind on-task. In the dead minutes, my mind floated to Neesa. I couldn't help it, I was pretty obsessed. I rubbed my temples, staring blankly out into the emptiness. Neosage burst in my point of view. "Nukenukenukenukenukenuke."
"Did I hear a 'neuk' in there?" I asked.
"Maybe. B-b-but I asked Erana out today!"
"Ooo! And?"
He blinked, "And what?"
"...She said?"
"Oh, she said yes!"
I clapped him on the shoulder, "Congratulations man. You two going to dinner and a movie or something."
"I dunno." He answered.
I rolled my eyes. Kids. "You've got to plan this kinda thing out man. Go set up a reservation at someplace nice, and bring her there."
"Like, on a date?"
"Kinda the point, yeah."
"Oh. Well, I'll think about it. Thanks Nuke."
"Anytime, Neo."
I zoned out again, and watched the patrons come and go while I let my thoughts hang on my new girlfriend. Maybe I should plan another date soon. Before my thoughts ran too far with that idea, I saw a familiar face walk in and start waving at patrons. "Hey Sky," he said, "have you see Nuke?"
She wasn't ready for someone, and looked up confused. "Who, the llama?"
"Wait," Xitel said, "Nuke's a llama now?"
"No, Max is a llama. Nuke's behind the counter."
Xitel turned, and almost slammed nose-first into me. "Nuke!"
"Xitel!" I replied, hugging him. He returned the hug, and we spent the evening catching up.
The work day ended while I was still talking with Xi, and eventually had to close up shop. I cleaned out the various machines, got the counters and tables wiped, the chairs up, the window spot-checked, and lastly shooed the last customer out. After everyone was outside, I called out "Last call!" into the empty room, signed out, killed the lights, and locked up on my way out.
Xitel followed me back to my apartment, and we talked for a while. "Hey, I'm back in town for a few years."
"Really? England isn't working out for you?"
"Actually, my wife and I are moving here."
"Ooo, neat. When'd you get married?"
"Last year. How about yourself, finally settled down with someone?"
"Not exactly."
He looked down the hall, "That explains the single bedroom. Does this complex have any two-bedrooms?"
"Probably," I said, looked at him, "Why, children on the way?"
"No, I just like having a spare bedroom for guests and an office for business gunk."
"Probably a smart plan, I can talk to the landlord for you."
"That sounds awesome. Thanks Nuke."
I grabbed the phone from the cradle, dialed, and waited for a few rings. "Higs?"
Xitel stared blankly, "Higs is your landlord?"
"Are there any two-bedrooms open right now? Uh-huh. Mmkay. Alright, sure. Thanks man. Yeah, referral. Take it out of his deposit. Yeah, thanks man."
He looked at me. "Huh?"
"He'll be here to talk tomorrow morning. I've waived the application fee due to a referral, and you're getting a discount on the deposit."
"Cool." He said. "Thanks much man."
"Anytime."
Neesa poked her head out of the bedroom, and saw Xi.She ducked her head back in, and I took that as a sign to wrap things up. "Sorry, dude. But I've got some stuff to do. Come by the coffeeshop tomorrow afternoon. I get off at one, and we can do something cool."
"Sounds good. I'm off to my hotel. Take it easy."
"You too."
I crawled into my bedroom, and collapsed. After a week of slacking, a full day really took it out of me. Neesa laid her head on my chest, "Tired, love?"
"Among the many." I said, explaining how my legs were sore from running.
"Ew. I hope you don't catch a cold."
"Oh, that'd be great."
"Poor baby," she said, kissing my cheek.
We settled into one-another's arms, and I eventually passed out that way. Pretty quiet day, given the events, but I slept really well. Maybe tomorrow would be less busy...
Maybe.
Part 9 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.72805.3465566].
Hopefully that's enough to hold you vultures (I love you all, promise.) over until Part 9.