The Leaves (6) : With the changing seasons, there are piles of leaves all around Destiny City. It’s a difficult job to try and keep up with them all, and sometimes the allure of these leaf piles is impossible to ignore. Who doesn’t want to relive the childish joys of their youth? And no one’s around to see, right? So why not jump into a pile of leaves? Oh–because, when you do, you jump through one pile and come out of another somewhere else across the city. The leaves all seem ordinary, but there’s a few odd seconds between when you jump into the leaves and when you jump out; it feels like falling, tumbling, somersaulting through the air. It’s not scary, just odd. You see walls of leaves–brown and orange and yellow and red–and they crunch magnificently. Overall, it doesn’t seem menacing, just a bit of trickster fun. If you try to jump in a pile of leaves again, you might wind up somewhere else entirely–or right back where you started.
Finding time for friends was difficult these days.
Between working part time on campus between classes as a teachers aid in the English department, going to school full time for a 20 credit semester, gymnastics, and commuting time between the three of them, Selena often came home too exhausted to so much of anything aside from getting a quick bite to eat and going to bed early. It made her mother worry but this was her last year in college and soon she would have her bachelor's degree.
For now, though, she put aside those responsibilities, and on her way home, she swung by Bryia’s aunt’s house for a short visit.
Knock knock
Selene rapt her knuckles on the sliding glass door to get Bryia’s attention. “Hey, your aunt said I’d find you out here.” She leaned her shoulder against the door frame while watching her friend rake a bunch of maple leaves into a larger pile.
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2022 4:44 pm
Rake the leaves, it's good for you. Bryia could hear her aunts words in her head. Could you help me with the dishes? Put your cloths away. You need to take out your... She paused for a moment, probably best if we did take out the trash more often.
The sound of knocking drew her attention, "oh hey." Walking back to the house she grabbed a bottle of water and took a drink. What should she say? It had been a bit since they'd last saw each other. Bryia spun the 'wheel of responses' in her head and it landed squarely on 'smartass.'
She took a seat on one of the chairs on the patio, she extended the rake to Selene. "Want to give a disabled girl a hand?" She asked leaning back in the chair with a coy smile, holding the bottle to her lips to take another drink.
Brycia
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Shanyume
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2022 5:00 pm
Selena let out an undignified snort.
Her knee-jerk response toed the line between inappropriate and crudely funny given the circumstance but she bit her tongue and kept the thought to herself. However, the look she shot Bryia, with the raised brow and half smirk, was enough to let her friend know exactly what she almost said.
“But you’ve already got so much done. I feel like I’d be taking away from your achievement if I stepped in now.” Selena jested but took the rake anyway and walked out to the yard. “Is this what you’ve been doing all day or did you procrastinate until your aunt made you come out here?”
Brycia
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2022 7:31 pm
Bobbing her head left to right, "Little of column A and a little of column B."
Lifting herself out of seat she started taking a few steps toward the pile. "Not like it's my house to take care of." She began raking the last of it into the large pile.
"So, what brings you by?"
Brycia
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Shanyume
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2022 10:34 pm
It was obvious that Bryia was in a mood and while Selena would love to poke the bear and remind her that while she didn't own the house, she did live there.
Same expectations applied to her own home. So long as she was still going to college and taking classes, she didn't need to pay rent. But there were chores that needed to be done weekly as compensation and she was expected to at least help with food. However, during the summer months when she could work full time, Selena was expected to help contribute towards house bills.
"Figured you'd want to get out of the house. Maybe go get something to eat and hang out for a bit." It was a Friday at least so the need to get back at a certain time was a little less urgent since they could both just sleep in the next day.
Selena walked over to the garden tools and picked up the pair of bear claws to help move the leaves into the yard waste bin knowing that this was probably the part that Bryia was dreading the most. "What are your thoughts?"
Brycia
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2022 4:39 pm
Getting away from the house did sound a lot more enjoyable the raking the yard. Food would just be a plus all around.
As Selene went to place some of the leaves in the bin Bryia quickly flipped the rake over, gabbing a small bit of the pile she quickly tossed them into the air so they would drop down right onto Selene. "I thinking I'm "Falling" in love with that idea." she laughed to herself
Shanyume
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Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2022 10:41 am
Selena’s eyes went wide as she drew in a startled gasp, “You did not...” The look in her eyes was almost murderous when she turned around and looked at Bryia.
Retribution was swift as she took the armful of leaves she was going to toss into the bin and instead threw them at her friend caring little of the consequences that this leaf fight might bring upon them both. Selena didn’t stop there. She didn’t get mad, nor did she just get even.
No-
She leaned over and grabbed another arm full of leaves with the bear claws and threw another shower of yard debris at Bryia “You’re gonna get it,” she laughed. Leaning down for a third scoop something felt unexplainably off, like she was perpetually falling forward.
“Bryia!” she called out, thinking she had perhaps been pushed or worse, was on the verge of fainting with how it felt like she was tumbling forward, somersaulting through the air as leaves rained down around her.
When things settled, Selena looked around realizing that she was no longer in Bryia’s backyard. But rather, someplace unfamiliar and likely far away. “Bryia?” she looked around wide-eyed thinking that she might have blacked out and was actually dreaming.
Brycia
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2022 1:55 pm
Bryia flinched away from the shower of leaves that was thrown at her face, brought her hands up to protect her face from the small twigs and other yard debris and instead kicked the pile of leaves at Selena rather than risk the repercussions of leaning over to throw them at her. The two actions collided in a flurry of falling leaves between them and for the first time in a long while she felt like she had something to laugh about with her friend.
Since the accident, things between the two of them had changed. Jokes had turned into pointed comments that from anyone else might have earned a double bird and firm ‘******** you’. But this last year had taught her to just let these things slide, take it for what it was and know that people were ignorant idiots that lacked the common sense to use their brains before opening their mouths to speak.
The fit of laughter and sharp shrieks was suddenly cut off when Bryia went to kick another mound of leaves and found her footing had no ground to stand upon. “Oh shi-” her words cut off as she fell down into the pile of leaves, through it, tumbling as if she was thrown into a Fall version of a snowglobe with leaves instead of flakes.
Bryia she heard Selena’s voice sounding as confused as she felt. “I’m here” She replied before opening her eyes and realizing the tree above her was not the one that grew in her aunt’s yard.
“Where are we?” she asked.
Shanyume
Brycia
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Shanyume
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Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2022 8:53 am
“I honestly have no idea,” Selena replied sounding just as confused as Bryia.
After pulling herself out of the pile of leaves, she brushed any remaining debris off her pants and shirt, then pulled a twig out of her hair before offering a hand to her friend. “Thankfully that’s what phones are for.” With her other free hand, Selena withdrew her phone from her back pocket to at least make sure she still had a signal so they could check Google Maps for their location.
Just as she unlocked the screen the phone began to ring, “It’s your aunt…” They’d been gone not even a minute and already she was calling to figure out where they are. “Do you want to speak to her, or should I?”
Brycia
Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2022 4:39 pm
Quickly putting her arms out Bryia shook her hands, last thing she wanted to do was explain what happened. What did happen anyway? They had just been in the yard and now they were... who knows where.
Magic being real was still something that would catch her off guard from time to time. One might think having magical powers prevents this but one would be wrong. As Selene's phone rang Bryia attempted to not-so-subtlety sneak away.
