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 Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2024 10:20 am
Quote: Prompt 11 (Burning Bright): This time of year there are candles popping up in just about every shop selling anything. Maybe you stopped by one of these shops yourself, or maybe a friend wanted to get you a thoughtful gift, but somehow you’ve come into possession of a pair of candles. They don’t seem to be anything spectacular upon first glance; they are pretty and well made and have a pleasant fragrance. They would be pretty decor on their own, but once you light them, they really shine. Nonstop. For twenty four hours. No matter what you do, you cannot put the flame out. No wind, no water, no fire extinguisher– nothing–will extinguish the flame. You just have to wait until it burns itself out. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem very flammable so you don’t have to worry about other things catching on fire in the meantime. Wherever you keep the candle will have a pleasant smell for several days after the flame extinguishes.
It was foggy again on Jupiter, and there was a bit of a chill in the air. There was a storm in the distance but it hadn’t gotten any closer so Belmont wasn’t worried. Part of the castle wall of his Wonder had taken some damage over the years so he’d been busy patching it up the last few weeks. He’d already done his best for the roof, though there were certainly parts of the castle that had too little of one for it to even count.
It wasn’t wet or dank today and that meant it was a good day.
Combined with his repeated trips here and the extra care he’d been giving to the place, it was already in much better condition than when he’d first arrived.
And he’d only fallen through the floor four times.
No injuries, though. He told himself he’d be more careful and he was, kind of. Even if he wasn’t falling through holes he was jumping down them.
He’d brought a stash of candles, some new and some half used, all gathered from thrift sales. His Wonder was too big to not spend wisely. It was a bit chilly, and there was an old smell in the room they were working in. It wasn’t unpleasant, per se, but the aroma of various candles was very welcome. Despite the various scents, they all came together to create something that reminded him of a warm spring day.
Very welcome, given the Winter in Destiny City.
Today’s work consisted of rebuilding a cracked wall. A few stony bricks had been knocked out, and it looked like blunt force must have pushed some of them out of place and cracked the rest of them. Maybe it was just movement over the years, but given how tumultuous Jupiter was, it wouldn’t have surprised him to hear they’d had a hurricane throwing trees this way.
He’d mixed mortar and was doing his best to replace the gaps with original stone, but they’d had to improvise a bit. It wasn’t a work of art but it was functioning, and he’d made sure Targoviste knew what he was doing in case she needed to do the same on her Wonder. Though, he’d already offered to help.
The room had high windows that were boarded up; he couldn’t see if they were damaged but there was a ladder across the room and he’d brought tools to pry the wooden slats off. This room had a few doors leading to several storage closets but he hadn’t even begun to sift through them. The rug had been rolled up and pushed in the corner but it needed a good cleaning.
Candles were on many flat surfaces, and the room had a spooky, ageless feel to it.
He smacked the brick trowel against the wall a few times, like that would finish the job. The metallic sound echoed briefly and he sighed, contentedly, and put the tool down so he could wipe his forehead on the back of his sleeve.
“There, done. What’s my time? I told you it wouldn’t take long.”
Just a few hours. And now, finally, they could get to the lunch they’d packed.
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2024 7:21 pm
Targovishte grinned at Belmont and shook her head, stifling a yawn. “Two hours and forty three minutes. Honestly, I was expecting to have to wait a lot longer than that. You’ve really improved your speed, Belmont.”
It was impressive, even though her words were teasing, she honestly was impressed by how things were coming.
Their wonders had been…not trash but…they hadn’t been good...and they were getting better. She couldn’t stop the yawn that escaped this time as she stretched and made her way over to the packed lunch, beginning to dole it out, placing the blanket on the floor first. “Come on, my stomach has been complaining for the last twenty minutes at least, I’m so excited for this sandwich.”
She had splurged for a fancy deli one, getting a platter meant for four, but…with the way they were working, she didn’t really doubt that they could plow their way through it.
“What do you think is next, Belmont? Any ideas on what projects we should start?”
The platter was removed and Targovishte placed plates on either side of the blanket, then pulled out a large container of lemonade and two cups.
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Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2024 12:10 pm
Belmont settled onto the ground and flopped backwards so he could lay on his back and rest for a moment. He was eager for the food–and the lemonade was tempting–he wanted to just relax for a moment, too. He was hot and ached but he wasn’t complaining.
“I don’t know, I guess a little bit of everything. There’s a lot to do I think but if I think too much about it I spend more time trying to prioritize and figure it all out. I’d rather just get some things together and start one project for right now.”
He shrugged and didn’t seem too distressed by it. “I’ve just got a lot going on right now so I think I’ll feel better when I can get a little more done. Sort of feels like the more I do the more there is to do.”
He laughed about it but closed his eyes as he rolled his shoulders from where he lay.
“What about you, do you have any ideas for what you want to start on?”
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Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2024 7:10 pm
“I want to visit Targovishte. I’m…thinking that I’m ready to get myself over there, I just…I’m still a coward, I think. Like, we’ve done so much with Belmont, and I just feel like I’m going to end up being disappointed by what I find on my Wonder but…lord am I putting it off for way too long. I’m a Squire for goodness sakes.”
She took some of the food and had a nibble, staring off into the distance.
“I love how much we’ve done with Belmont though. And I love it here. It’s not my Wonder but it feels like home. And I’m lucky to have you as a friend. I think we should do a project at a time too, ah. But!”
She grinned. “Right now, I just want to eat and let you catch your breath. You work so damn hard, you know. Sometimes you just gotta chill.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2024 7:14 pm
Belmont turned his head to face her and he nodded approvingly. “You should go visit Targoviste. We could,” he said, quickly enough that it was clear it had been something on his mind, too.
They’d been able to see her Wonder, just beyond the bridge, but his curiosity for the place had only grown. Of course, she’d told him that he should catch his breath and chill but how was he supposed to do that when she was teasing him with her Wonder?
“My breath is caught,” he insisted, and sat up like he meant to prove it. He reached for a glass of lemonade and downed half of it with no effort.
“I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with your Wonder. It’s going to be different from mine but that doesn’t make it a bad thing. I’m sure it’s got its own set of secrets just waiting to be discovered.”
A little breeze billowed through, carrying with it the smell of dirt and mist. Belmont was used to it. Some of the candles flickered out, but one only seemed encouraged to blow brighter. He was aware of it but didn’t think much of it and redirected his attention back to Targoviste. “Besides, our Wonders are so close to each other. They’re practically connected. An extension of each other, yeah? So maybe in a way my Wonder is a part of yours. You’ve helped me out here, you should let me help you out at yours, too.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2024 7:16 pm
Grinning, Targovishte bit back a teasing remark about his breath being caught and instead just laughed.
“I’ll go. One of these days I’ll go. And of course you’ll come with me.” They were in this together. Repairing things together. Fixing things up.
“The one thing I just..don’t really understand is why mine just looks like…rubble? Like…I don’t know. Maybe I’m just afraid to really find out and afraid to do anything that…might disappoint me?”
It sounded stupid, spoken aloud. But, if anyone was going to understand, it was Belmont. He wasn’t wrong, they were connected…and that was cool. Like, really cool.
“The castle and the ruins. It’s. I wonder why they decided to make the bridge in the past. That’s something I wish I could figure out, like…I don’t know. I wish that our Wonders came with instruction manuals or a way we could learn why things are the way they are…you know?”
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Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2024 7:20 pm
“To be fair, a lot of mine was falling apart now but I don’t think it was like that in the past.” In some ways, the castle was still barely more than ruins. But it was getting stronger. He’d put a lot of effort into repairing holes and fixing walls but more than just what he and Targoviste could do, it seemed like the Wonder was doing something, too.
He’d noticed large scale repairs that seemed to happen between one visit and the next. He didn’t think there was anyone else here working on things but it just felt right to trust that the Wonder was doing its best to help out.
“I don’t think your Wonder is just rubble. Or that it was ever supposed to be just that. It wouldn’t surprise me if something bad happened here and these are just the last remaining strongholds. Plus, Jupiter’s storms are pretty intense.”
He wasn’t putting too much thought into it but he had spent time considering it before.
“Maybe our Wonders had something to do with each other. I mean, if I were going to cross a river like this one…No offense, but I’d feel better knowing there was a Knight on both sides. If anything ever went wrong, you’ve got two people to rescue you. Double security. Kind of makes me wonder if there was a bad accident here at some point that made people think they needed this much security but I don’t know. I haven’t found any helpful books or had any helpful memories like some Knights do.”
Maybe when they got things cleaned up more, but for now he didn’t mind the speculation. He did want answers, he just didn’t mind that he wasn’t getting them now.
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Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2024 7:22 pm
“Well…maybe not.” Targovishte hadn’t really considered the weather...but it was a very fair point. Wasn’t that one of the biggest issues on this planet? Wasn’t the planet itself known for like…a giant storm?
Wrinkling her nose, she looked at Belmont. “This is…off topic, and just where my mind decided to wander to, but…do you think someone has a Wonder that’s in the huge storm on Jupiter? I think it’s like, the red spot or something? That would suck. Like, massively suck.”
If they thought their Wonders were a mess…that one…there might not be any way to fix it up.
“We’ll have to make plans to go. Now you’ve got me really craving to learn about Targovishte a bit more…and I’m glad. So,” Reaching out, she gently bumped his shoulder with her fist. “Thanks. As always.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2024 7:23 pm
Belmont grinned when she bumped his shoulder and decided that now was a good time to reach for a sandwich. He probably shouldn't have inhaled it but half of what he picked up was gone in a single breath.
It gave him a few seconds to ponder her words at least.
“I don’t know about the Red Spot,” he mused. “I mean, it’s huge so probably. Who knows, maybe there’s something really important hidden in there? If I needed to conceal something on my world, I’d definitely choose the stormiest, most dangerous section.”
Thinking about it got his heart skipping a beat and he wondered what he’d have to do to prepare for a trip into the stormiest, most dangerous part of Jupiter.
Maybe when he was a Knight.
“Anytime you want to go to Targoviste, hit me up. I’ll make time.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2024 7:24 pm
“Perfect. Sounds like a plan. Same with you, just grab me whenever you want to come to Belmont.” Which…was what happened most of the time anyway so he didn’t really need reminding. But still. Validation was important, and as Targovishte watched her friend inhale a sandwich, she struggled not to laugh out loud.
She didn’t comment on the Red Spot but…it was in her head…maybe one day they’d try to find it. Maybe one day they’d be able to find it but…right now?
Right now they were here to eat and work…and then go home and sleep.
Easy peasy.
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