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  Brigantia July 5, 2023 at 10:12am

  
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  Saltmoss February 23, 2023 at 8:54pm

   Watching the near blinding blue light bolt across the floor directly beneath him nearly threw him off balance in a fit of shock— the skittish creature unsettlingly watching the movement… but they were steadfast enough to stay on both feet, and gave Raiya a look of grateful confusion as they disappeared from sight. The phantom pains of adrenaline began again, quiet and still as a mouse, the chlorophyll rushing to their head and clouding their hearing.

  The talking on the porch persisted for a good moment. It felt more like they were the snooping children trying to eavesdrop on a parent's conversation than anticipating a sudden dangerous arrival. It was almost ominous how placid and casual the voices outside were. Was it… a false alarm? Maybe Saltmoss did lose them and he was just paranoid now. As the thought was sewn into their mind with each passing, undisturbed moment— embarrassment permeated through their invisible bubble. 

  And as the feeling peaked, the door creaked open to a large hooded figure struggling to make his way through the door. He turned and ducked his head to fit himself through the doorway, horns clunking against the wooden frame as he situates himself inside. From her spot behind the desk, Raiya would be met with the towering, seven and half foot tall visage of the stranger Saltmoss was trying so desperately to avoid. Shaking his head and brushing himself off, a gruff voice from beneath the hood laughs at himself jovially. The horns hinted at it, but now that she could see his face in full view— a patchwork of muddy brown fur across a goat's snout would confirm he wasn't human.

  "Haven' had t'deal with that fer awhile, sorry abou' that! Didn' mean t'cause a ruckus there,"

  Pulling off the hood, his nose wrinkles slightly at the smell of incense, his eyes sweeping over the store in curiosity… and he looks for just a little too long. For a horrifying second, Saltmoss could've sworn they made eye contact. But he turned back to look at the shopkeep a split second later, as though nothing happened— and the stranger's smile sustained. There was a potent energy in the air, one that seemed to clash with the serenity of the store. Something moved behind his eyes that was bigger than him, bigger than the building itself, but his patient demeanor disguised it well. Interrupting his train of thought with Raiya's obligatory, chirpy customer service— he chuckled again, less boisterous this time. 

  "Oh, I'm no patron, lass— my business here is more urgent, if I could have a moment of yer time? I won' be too long, I promise. Jus' wanna ask a couple questions,"

  Shoving a hand into the pocket of his cloak, he pulls out a crinkled paper— the bottom is torn off and the word at the top is blotched out in ink, but she should immediately recognize the creature in the picture: the one huddled by the shelves deeper in the store. 

  "Have ye seen him? Poor lad thinks he's in trouble an' won't come home. Breaks my heart t'think he could be in danger." 
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  Saltmoss February 14, 2023 at 4:53am

  The leshy was hyper aware of the clicking of shoes against the tile floor, jerking his head away from the product and expectantly watching the mouth of the aisle for a figure to appear— and appear she did. Shamefully, despite her well off demeanor, the first thing he noticed was her ears. And then, bright blue peering back at him, almost pervasively. There was a jaggedly instinctive smile that was nervously pulled onto Saltmoss' face when she cleared her throat, trying to mimic her feigned hospitality. But even the politeness in his grin couldn't hide the abject anxiety in his eyes and body language. Saltmoss was bouncing on his heels so much, one could easily mistake him for trembling. 

  "Oh, OH you're the shopkeep! Oh yes, yes, I could really use some help."

  His eyes flicked between her and the door before continuing, just to be sure no one had heard his initial guffaw. They spoke in a deathly quiet whisper,

  "I need something that could hide me for, err…"

  He checked the imaginary watch on his wrist, attempting to humorously display his desperation to buy back time Saltmoss just didn't have. A nervous laugh bubbled up from his throat, and his smile sustained as he glanced back up at her pleadingly,

  "Ten minutes? I'll pay now. Right now. Everything I have. If they see me, I'm dead."

  The sound of heavy footsteps and mumbled conversation on the wooden porch of the shop nearly rendered Saltmoss further onto his knees to beg for his life, ducking his head down even lower behind the shelf in case that someone walked in. For a few seconds, they lost themself straining their ears and staring in horror at the door, and only then did their smile waver in the glimmer of what could be the final moments of this chase. Their phantom of a rabbit heart flared up again when they looked up to Raiya. 

  "Please."
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  Saltmoss February 9, 2023 at 3:48am

  The sound of boots slamming against wet cobblestone through an alleyway, the echoing still ringing in their ears. The familiar shouts of marauders screaming something that sounded akin to their name, but fear kept them from remembering the last few seconds in the dark. They could practically feel the fingertips on their shoulders when they rounded the corner—

  The street was crowded, which wasn't terribly odd at this time of night. In this part of the city, populated and jubilant, drunkards and patrons and social butterflies walked briskly about the street. Window shopping, drinking, laughing obnoxiously loud— nothing could seem to halt the lively atmosphere as the sun began to set. Not even the group of vagrants barreling down the street could stop the night for long enough. 

  "SALTMOSS!"

  Zipping and pushing through crowds of people, ducking through legs and climbing over tables, the plantkin was desperate to move forward by any means necessary— anything to make sure they couldn't get that close to him again. Offense was quickly taken by every street goer he shoved into, and one nearly grabbed him by the scruff of the neck when he attempted to shove her closer to the pirates. It was a life or death chase of swimming through bystanders, met with the many different shades of surprise, concern and anger. As long as the voice behind him never got to show its face again, Saltmoss didn't care what anyone thought of his brutish behavior. 

  Rounding another corner down the street, taking the few blissful seconds out of their line of sight long enough to hide— the plantkin quickly ducks behind a couple crates sitting on the stoop of a shop. They clamp their hand over their mouth, and watch the shadows of the lamplight swim over the stone road beside them. The visage of silhouettes, dancing and laughing, were interrupted by the towering frame of Uncle Morosa. Saltmoss made themselves small, as small as they possibly could— even with the accordion strapped to their back. It was moments like these where they could swear they have a pulse, because the drumming in their head was maddening. They strain their ears, past the bustle of the city,

  "... It's close by. I don' see any movement in th' street."

  The giant figure shifts to look at two others.

  "Find it. But don' kill it. We need t' talk with the lad, if nothing else."

  Bum bum. Bum bum. Bum bum. The ghost of a frantic heartbeat haunts him when he hears the words. As the dark shapes dissolve further into the street, Saltmoss scampers into the building— the chime of a doorbell rings above their head, and there's a homey, familiar smell that wafts through. Despite the gentle 'welcome' this shop seemed to embrace him in, he quickly interrupted that fleeting sense of comfort with a resolute SLAM of the door, the welcome bell clunking painfully at the force. Saltmoss descended further inside towards the rows of shelves, keeping their eyes peeled for the door yet hunching down to pretend to 'browse' through all the product— praying no one heard. Their breathing was quick and shallow.

  'I thought I outran them for good.'
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  Tempest February 2, 2023 at 1:13am

  The Elf’s actions, beyond what their visitor could see, actually made Tempest visibly fluster some, having been a while since he actually held a woman to any extent, even if it was just for the purpose of rescuing her. His right arm wrapped around her shoulders and leaned into it as they ventured away, a more genuine smile plastering itself across his face. This would undoubtedly make a certain someone stare out of sheer jealousy.

  Once they had rounded a corner and headed to another section ahead, where a few piers could be seen. Now out of earshot, an audible exhale of relief was given, soon turning slightly so he could glance at Raiya’s face.

  “Dunno, he’s kinda creepy though. But let’s go!” With that said, he’d continue on with their trek up a ramp, which would lead them back up onto the boardwalk. Since they came dangerously close to having a witness, perhaps it was wiser not to change while people were around, even if he could dive underwater first. 

  By the time they went about their journey on foot past all the shops, the sun was already beginning to descend into the horizon, casting an orange and golden light in their vicinity. What a spectacular sight to conclude their day, despite being soaking wet. Luckily for Raiya, he tugged on the water molecules when no one was paying attention to pull it from her outfit, instantly drying it.

  . . .

  Nearly two days went by since their initial encounter. By now, it was well into the afternoon during opening hours when the doors swung open at the press of a palm, where none other than Tempest had set foot inside. Some water droplets from ongoing rainfall were shaken off until his coat would be hung on a wall, /if/ there was a place for it.

  “Got something awesome for ya Rai!”

  Making his way over to the counter, an eight by eight-inch cube made from tiny, dark, unsaturated bricks with a window on all fours sides was pulled from a cushioned cardboard box. With the item in hand, the sea drake gently placed it down, quickly searching around for a stool and placing it to sit on. 

  “Found an old thing from Gleeon’s collection of magic stuff. It’s called the Nautilis Cube, and has some weird pocket dimension thingy inside filled with water that’s like a giant aquarium. Big enough for my chonky ass to swim!”
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  Nika Love December 20, 2022 at 7:33pm

  You and I have something in common, we both have stories locked inside. Yet, like guilty children,  we sneak away time and again to breath life into them. Need they be of fantasy, lust, fear, or something closer to reality, we keep them in places where so few know where to look. Where even fewer are invited. So allow me this selfish desire for you to reach forward, and find the stories that hide here inside my heart.
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  Multi Muse ✩彡 November 4, 2022 at 7:05pm

  
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  Kyrah LaRouge July 21, 2022 at 4:20am

  {/pats pocket and goes happily about my day :)/}  missed u too
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  Tempest June 25, 2022 at 2:47am

  "Oh~ One of these days I should stop by to check out the shop, I heard it has a lot of cool magic stuff on sale." Despite her subtle attempt at shrugging him off passively, this mystery man was only probing further. For whatever reason, he was rather persistent in trying to engage in a conversation with Raiya.

  It was at this moment when her visitor stepped closer so they'd be standing beside each other, shoulder to shoulder. Now facing the open ocean, he took a deep exhale, only to extend an arm and open his hand for an offer. "Names Aramos." The stranger promptly introduced himself with a firm smile plastered across his sharply sculpted face, hoping she'd do the same.

  Just when the Elven woman was likely getting tired of this unforeseen encounter, mild splashes could be heard coming from their right, behind the man. Two familiar hands rose up to take hold of the wooden ledge before a figure hauled himself up: Tempest, in his human facade. Unsurprisingly his azure strands were soaked, clinging to him. Thank gods he transformed before coming up because chances were he probably noticed the man.

  "Sup mate!" In order to play cool, the sea drake in disguise greeted him with his own warm smile, soon making his way over to a certain woman as the water was tracked behind him. In this form, all he had on was a pair of onyx swim trunks, most of his bare figure exposed to open air.

  "Oh, hi."

  Once in between the two, the reptilian braided and twisted most of his hair, a bit too close to where their visitor was standing. Some of that water got on his pants and dress shirt. This made him raise his voice slightly out of disgust and briefly scrunched his own face in response. "Hey!!" He'd say, half-aware that this was deliberate. 

  When this hipster of a male approached Raiya, the corners of Aramos' lips drooped down into a slight frown. Tempest placed one arm around his Elven friend and bought her close. "Don't mind us bro, we're just on our way." He'd say smugly, eventually claiming Raiya’s hand with his own and stepping closer towards the edge, as if ready to jump in with her. Chances were he heard what was going on.

  "See you later I suppose…"

  That being said, the older man turned and began his trek away from them. Once he was out of earshot, her aquatic friend could finally speak quietly. "Hope he never shows up while you're open. Shall we~?"
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  Agnes June 9, 2022 at 9:45am