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 Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:37 pm
Solo Surprise Visitor (11/22/15) Count: 1300
Lounging on her couch, blanket wrapped around her, a movie on the TV, and her sheltie curled up on her legs was a perfect way to enjoy a cool autumn evening. At least in Gwen’s opinion it was. The sun had set awhile ago and only a small lamp on the table beside her and the blue glow of the television lit the room. In fact, Gwen was just beginning to doze off when the doorbell rang jarring her from her sleep and sending her dog into a barking frenzy. “Who could possibly be stopping by?” It wasn’t like she had made any friends since arriving in the city, well, none close enough that she expected them to visit her.
Unwrapping herself from her cocoon of blankets, Gwen made her way over to the door hesitantly. “Reilly, shhh.” And little did the chastising do. The little sheltie continued his barking at the door, tail wagging vigorously.
A familiar voice called through the door. “Come on Sis, it’s not getting warmer out here.”
“Dallen?” Caution gone, Gwen unlocked the door and flung it open to find her younger brother standing there with a bag thrown over his shoulder and a grin on his face. Reilly wasted no time in pawing at the young man, bouncing on his hind legs happily.
“Hey there, Reilly.” Dallen laughed and knelt down to appease the dog with a scratch on his head before standing back up to face his still shocked sister. “What, no ‘Nice to see you?’ or ‘How have you been?’ not even a hug?”
Gwen blinked. “More like, what the hell are you doing here should be the question.” None-the-less she stepped forward to give him a hug.
Dallen happily returned the hug before readjusting his bag on his shoulder. “Well, Dad said you weren’t coming home for the holiday. He has to work at the bar and I figured I’d make it a week vacation and come visit you.”
“What...alright, get inside and put that bag down. No reason for us to be cold.” She ushered her brother through the door, and shooed Reilly back in before closing the door and locking it behind her. “Now...what about classes?”
Dallen dropped the bag by the couch before turning to face Gwen again. “It’s only two days I am missing and I am doing well in all of my classes. No need to worry about me. A lot of students miss these next two days to be with family.” He shrugged. “Besides, I don’t get to see you as often now that you moved down here.”
Gwen sighed and ran a hand through her red hair. “You realize that I wasn’t intending to do anything for Thanksgiving, right?”
Dallen flashed another grin at her. “Well, looks like you are now! This is perfect, we can go shopping together and cook ourselves up a small feast.”
Gwen raised a brow and crossed her arms. “And since when do you cook?”
“Since I’ve had to survive on my own, thank you very much.” He retorted.
“Fine. Fine. We’ll do Thanksgiving. Nothing elaborate though since it’s just the two of us.” She paused. “You realize it would be easier to just order take-out.”
Dallen waved a hand at her. “I think we can handle a dinner for two. Come on sis, I came all the way down here to see you after all!”
With a sigh she resigned herself. “We’ll go shopping tomorrow then. For now, let’s get you set up in the spare bedroom. I’ll go get the extra blankets for you and pillows. You know where the room is at, right?”
Dallen grabbed his bag. “Yep!” He winked at her before heading off towards a door just off the entrance.
Gwen looked down at Reilly who had made himself a nest in the blankets that now lay discarded on the couch. “Well, I guess I won’t be missing this holiday after all.” With a smile she walked over and scratched the little dog under his chin before heading off into her own bedroom to grab the necessary blankets and linens.
Opening her closet she stood on tip-toes to glanced up onto the shelf above her clothes. She cursed the blown out bulb that made it near impossible to see in the darkness of the closet. Reaching up blindly she felt around until her fingers brushed across a soft, fuzzy piece of cloth. Grabbing hold of it she pulled it to the edge of the shelf and was rewarded with the linens piled on top of the blanket toppling down on her.
A chuckle at her doorway halted her barrage of curses and she turned to see Dallen there. “You know you could have helped instead of watching me struggle.”
He put his hands up in mock surrender. “Hey, I just got here in time to see you knock all that down on yourself.” He walked over and scooped up the pile of of sheets that had fallen. “At least it was soft.”
Gwen gave him a face that said ‘that was beyond the point’ before tugging and pulling the blankets down into her awaiting arms. “Come on. Let’s get that bed made so we can relax.” She let him lead the way to the guest room.
“Here you take one end.” She handed him one side of the fitted sheet and the two of them stretched it out over the full size mattress and smoothed it down.
“So how have you been, sis? You haven’t called much since moving down here.” Dallen grabbed the flat sheet when Gwen handed him a side of it.
“Well I’ve been busy getting set up down here and you’re busy with school and all.” She said as she gave the sheet and flick before they laid it out carefully and folded the top of it down.
“Mm hm. Nice excuse.” Dallen said as she grabbed a blanket himself and threw it on the bed hastily. “I bet you’ve been having a rough time of it down here and not wanting to talk to me about it.”
Gwen didn’t respond right away. Instead she worked at fixing Dallens’ hasty job of laying the blanket out. “It’s not been that bad.” She muttered as she the last blanket.
“Don’t put that one on. Just lay it at the end of the bed. And I figured as much.” He eyed Gwen. “Have you managed to find a job yet?”
Gwen sighed. “No. I told you I wanted to open my own place down here.”
“Yes, but you need a job here until then.” He retorted.
“Look, this is why I didn’t call you. I don’t need you reprimanding me. Who’s the oldest of the two of us?”
“Oldest doesn’t matter, sis.” He walked over and held his arms open for her.
Gwen hesitated a moment before walking over and letting herself be enveloped in his hug. “It’s been tough. I’ve not made any friends yet and this city is...different.”
Dallen laughed. “Well different is good! Come on. Let’s go have some hot chocolate cause I know you have a stash of it somewhere and you can tell me all about it. Alright?”
Gwen nodded into his shoulder. “Alright.” She pulled back and smiled. “Thanks.”
“Hey, it’s what I am here for! I am no longer that annoying little brother who pestered you all the time.” His goofy grin returned to his face.
“Oh no. You’re still that little brother. You’ve just learned new ways to pester me.” But Gwen returned the grin. “Ok, so, Hot chocolate. I have a few different kinds.
“I knew it.” The two of the laughed as they walked out of the guest bedroom and off to enjoy each others company and catch up.
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:45 pm
Solo
A Quiet Night's Muse (2/4/16) Count: 1186
Plopping the tea bag into a mug, Gwen grabbed the kettle off of the stove and carefully poured the steaming liquid into the stoneware vessel. It didn’t take long at all for the black tea to begin to steep and Gwen plopped a healthy teaspoon of sugar into the mug followed by some milk. She stirred the liquid after returning the milk back to the fridge and putting the sugar away. A tap of the teaspoon on the side of the mug and Gwen placed it in the sink before carefully grabbing the mug and taking it into the living room. There she had a nice little nest all put together for herself on the couch with blankets, pillows, a sketchbook, and now her tea which she placed on the table beside her. No sooner was Gwen comfortable did Reilly hop up to curl up beside her, sighing heavily as only a dog could, causing the woman to laugh. “Such a tough life you have, little man.” A scratch behind the ear rewarded Gwen with a soft appreciative groan which cause her to chuckle again.
It was already 10pm but Gwen had no where she needed to be, and since she had gone on not one, but two interviews earlier in the day for jobs, she wanted to reward herself for the hard work. So, a night relaxing was in order. Isaiah, her new roommate, was nowhere to be found. Gwen had assumed he’d gone out on one to one of his social gatherings. She had been disappointed to find him gone, but there was nothing she could much do about it. He had told her that he would not be around all of the time the very first night he had stayed.
On a whole, she was confused by Isaiah, and it wasn’t his fault. His company was awakening feeling and wants that, for so long, had been lying dormant deep within her. She really didn’t know how to react to them and in the process was probably making a horrible impression to the man. The problem lied in the fact that she was afraid. Gwen knew she was afraid and didn’t know what to do about it.
Grabbing her sketchbook, she leaned against the back of the couch, legs curled off to the side, making enough of a table for her to work off of. She was only working on filling in things on a sketch she had made a few days ago. This particular one was of a small pond in the city’s park. It looked almost haunting with the skeletal, leaf-less trees by its’ bank. All she needed to do now was darken some things, fix shading, and add little details. Easy enough work that let her mind continue to wonder to it’s previous subject.
Knowing she was afraid was, in a way, good. She knew what her problem was. At the same time, she had no clue how to tackle it. The fear that she’d end up right where she was before, so many years ago, was crippling. She had worked far too hard to end up back there. Not to mention, Isaiah seemed quite content with his current life. Being promiscuous as he was, Gwen couldn’t imagine him being with just one person. Of course, that didn’t mean she didn’t wonder what it would be like.
She sighed. Her pencil worked on filling out the shadow of a tree over the water. The whole picture itself had a cold feel to it. In a way, it soothed Gwen. The blank expanse of the water, only disturbed by the gentle ripples from an unseen breeze, felt representative to herself. There was so much potential there, but steady and calm wasn’t going to change the picture. It would take a pebble, tossed with intention, to change the scene. Right now Gwen was holding the pebble, but in a way, it was like she forgot how to throw.
Sighing she grabbed the remote for the TV and pushed the power button. Once on, she flipped to a channel that played instrumental music. It was one of her favorites to put on when she was working on art. The music tended to help soothe and focus her.
With the background music playing, Gwen turned back to her sketch. She pushed trailing thoughts off to the side as she forced herself to focus on the image in front of her. Carefully she worked on the clouds from the mainly overcast picture, adding depth and a bit of color to them. Over all the image itself wasn’t spectacular with it’s lack of any animals and mostly sporting trees, grass, and water. Still, she worked diligently on it.
An hour or so later, Gwen had finally finished working on the sketch. She had stopped work multiple times to give Reilly attention, once to get another mug of tea, and a few other times to try and re-focus herself on the work and not that missing company of the night.
I wonder what he is up to. She mused as she curled up a bit more comfortably. Reilly placed himself in the crook of her legs, head on one of her covered ankles. The sketchbook had been moved to the coffee table in front of her, still open to the image she had been working so diligently on. She looked at it from her nested state and sighed. I am sure he’s enjoying himself, whatever he’s up to.
With a yawn, she nestled into the blankets and pillows a bit more. Grabbing the TV remote again she began to flip through the channels. At this time of night there wasn’t much on worth watching, so she resorted to leaving on the game show network. It may not be the most exciting channel but it was at least something to watch. Of course, one of her least favorite game shows was on. She wrinkled her nose a bit, but didn’t change the channel again. She placed the remote on the arm of the couch and tried to relax.
Why can’t I just tell him how I feel? She mused quietly to herself. I mean, I am not in -love- with the guy, but there’s something… Still Gwen knew she couldn’t do it. Lessons long learned were making it difficult. Plus, she was afraid of judgement. What would Isaiah think of her if she told him about Matthew? Surely not good thoughts. And she didn’t want pity.
Frustrated she rubbed her face. “You need to stop this.” She murmured to herself, causing Reilly to open an eye at her abrupt break of silence. The little sheltie dozed back off again quickly enough though.
Gwen’s train of thought continued back and forth that way for the night. It wasn’t until she’d finally dozed off on the couch that she was free from the never ending cycle of thoughts. Her dreams that night were non-existent, and in the morning the young woman would curse herself for the awkward position she had fallen asleep in.
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:47 pm
Solo
Headaches and DecisionsCount: 1086
Gwen walked in the front door before closing it behind her and resting against it. Blue eyes gazed over the living room illuminated by the street lights outside. A glance at Isaiah’s bedroom door confirmed that he was most likely out which she took as a blessing tonight. Though she much preferred the company of her roommate she needed to figure things out. Like, what the hell all of that was that happened in that alley.
The headache that had begun to build on the ride home gave a painful throb, reminding her that she needed to tend to her poor head. Not to mention a spry little sheltie was whining at her feet trying to get her attention. Pushing away from the door she slipped her coat off, hanging it on the coat rack, before walking over to a lamp and flicking it on. She winced at the light. “Damn, I hit my head harder than I thought.” She looked down at Reilly who had continued his persistent whining until she reached down and gave him a quick scratch on top of his head.
Making her way into the kitchen, Gwen turned the lights on and made her way to the freezer after tossing her wristlet and keys onto the kitchen table. Digging around rewarded her with a frozen bag of peas. It would do the trick. Snapping the fridge door shut, she pushed her hair behind her ears. She paused to grab herself a glass of water before walking into the living room and placing her glass and peas on the table. Blankets were still strewn on the couch from her earlier lazing about and all she wanted to do was crawl under them but instead she walked into the bathroom.
Carefully she reached back to assess the damage done to her skull. The bump was very raw but thankfully, after running her fingers around it gingerly, didn’t find any indication of blood. She decided to take that as a good sign and ignore the possibilities of anything worse. She stopped to stare at herself in the mirror noting she looked a pale, which was saying something coming from a pasty white irish girl. Grabbing painkillers out of the medicine cabinet, Gwen didn’t even bother to remove her make-up. She was too tired and her head felt like it wanted to split open.
She downed three pills with some of her water in the living room before changing into some pajamas and curling up on the couch, covering herself up like a cocoon, head resting back gently against the bag of peas she had propped on the back of the couch. Groaning she sat there, a hand over her eyes and the other gently scratching Reilly’s back who had made himself comfortable right against her.
What the hell happened tonight? In truth, Gwen still wasn’t sure if everything she experienced tonight had been real or not. The question though was, how else had she hit her head so hard? It wouldn’t make sense if it hadn’t happened. Well...it didn’t really make sense if it did.
Then there was that Camelot fellow. He seemed real enough. And why would I imagine a guy I’d only ever seen once before in passing?
The more she thought about it and began to break down the night, the more she was beginning to think she -was- one of these Knight people. Oh, God.
Pulling her hand off of her face, Gwen looked around the room without moving her head. She needed to ground herself from the insanity that had occurred. Looking at her apartment in detail was helping since it was a very solid thing she could touch. It was real. Alright, assuming this was all real tonight, why should I even take part in this fight? I haven’t known about it this entire time. Why now? Why should I get involved now?
She sighed. The contents of the pea bag had all managed to shifted either up or down forcing her to give the bag a shake and reposition it. The cold felt so good against her poor head.
Then there’s also the thing where I need to keep this all a secret? Right. Cause I bet that’s an easy thing to do. Reilly shifted next to her drawing her focus away from her inner thoughts. The little dog positioned himself away from her a bit, probably too warm practically squished between her legs and couch. Of course that meant her right hand had nothing to do and instead of moving it, she left it sit where Reilly had previously been.
I don’t know if I can even do this. I am not a fighter. What good would I be in a war? At that point her head began a persistent throb. Another groan escaped her at the impressive pain that seemed to radiate from the injury and encompass her entire head. The painkillers were not working fast enough for her. If the damn things even did much against the headache.
She rode through the wave of pain, her mind slowly returning to it’s original train of thought as she began to relive the evening’s events to the best of her ability. If nothing else, that Camelot guy seemed sincere and willing to help. Not to mention he had be adamant that she wouldn’t be able to just completely ignore all of this. Why, exactly she wasn’t sure. She could do a pretty good job as brushing things off if she needed to. Still, something in his eyes told her that there was more to it than just seeing the wrongs going on around the city. It was at that moment she resolved to at least go and talk to him again and see what all of this Knight business was about.
Closing her eyes against the light of the room, Gwen tried to will herself to relax. She didn’t even care if she fell asleep on the couch at that point. As long as she got some rest she felt she could tackle the new day. Whatever it would hold for her.
A rustling at the door, and the sound of a key entering the lock was not something Gwen had been expecting to hear but she refused to turn her head away from the frozen cold of the peas that were doing their job of numbing the hurt area of her head.
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Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 3:25 pm
Solo
Of Fields and Code1042 (Without the code response sent to me. 1206 with it)
Sleep was a blessed thing that Gwen enjoyed indulging herself in on lazy days and there was no better lazy day than a cloudy, rainy one. With Isaiah at his pawn shop, Gwen had decided to take advantage of the quiet and crawl into bed for a nap. All wrapped up in her many blankets, creating her typical cocoon to sleep in, it didn’t take long for sleep’s sweet embrace to whisk her off. Unfortunately for Gwen, her nap was going to be anything but sweet and restful.
Falling into a dream state, Gwen found herself standing amongst a green field laden with small, red flowers all around her as Hy-Brasil. Oddly enough, as she looked all around her, she could see nothing but the field and a thick fog that seemed to surround her. In a way, she almost felt as if she had been called to the location, as if someone or something had wanted her attention. Still, nothing broke the serene picture that was the sunny field of flowers she was standing in.
Curiosity began to grow as Hy-Brasil felt a small pull at her. Without realizing what was going on, she traipsed through the flowers, pausing every now and then to stop and study the fragile looking plants, before continuing on her way. Eventually, she found herself right as the cusp of where the fog began and the field ended. It was oddly similar to a wall. She had the distinct feeling that she would not be able to pass through it should she try.
A pulsating orb of energy, about the size of a baseball, hovered just outside of a strange, concealing fog. It seemed to have a presence—like it was more than just a light. While it did not share the same mist-like appearance as the Code Piece on Olympus, there was no denying that this orb of light was one in the same. Although smaller, it still seemed powerful.
Eyes grew wide as the orb in front of her and she took a step back as she studied what was in front of her. Somehow, deep inside, she knew this was important, that this was. The Code. The name popped into her head before she realized it and instinctively she began referring to the orb as such. But...what was it? What did it do? And why was it here?
Once again that odd sensation of knowing…of some unknown instincts kicking in Hy-Brasil was able to vaguely answer her own internal questions. The Code was important to her as a Page of Earth and to her Wonder. She wasn’t sure of specifics or why, but she knew that this entity, for what better way to describe it, was something she should certainly be aware of. And possibly, if it so desired to answer back, speak to.
With that bit of knowledge, the Page took a deep breath to center herself. If she was going to ask it something in hopes of a response she knew what she wanted to know. Especially since she knew it was linked to her, the Wonder she had yet to visit, and her new duty in the ridiculous war she was now in. "What's the point to all of this Knightly business? What makes me the 'lucky' one to be awakened as Hy-Brasil?" Because surely, there had to be better choices.
"The point of all this business," the Code said, flickering slowly, "Is to fulfill your role in the Universe. You are tasked with doing what is in the best interest of Hy-Brasil, are you not? …So you must do what you can to protect it."
It sounded cold, and calculating. "If you are even capable of such. Luck has nothing to do it. You were simply the best candidate. Though I doubt it, looking at you."
The Code seemed to sigh.
"You might as well hand this place over to the Negaverse and spare us both disappointment."
And there it was. ‘Spoken’ to her in plain words. Even this...this Code had doubts in her. Taking a step back from the blue orb, Hy-Brasil shook her head slightly. Sure, she had felt that she wasn’t adequate. That there surely had to be someone better, but to have it so blatantly slammed into her face was not what she had expected to hear. She thought for sure that it would have tried to ease her fears not make them worse.
Turning, the Page ran from the orb. She darted across the field only to eventually stumble and fall into the tall flowers and grass, completely disappearing from sight.
Gwen woke with a start. Her heart was racing as she sat up in bed and pushed her hair from her face. She was surprised to find herself covered in sweat but didn’t move to free herself from the multitude of blankets she was wrapped up in. Blue eyes moved to the drapes where the cold, grey light of the rainy day seeped into the room as she tried to resettle herself. Whatever that had been. It had seemed so real. Never before had she had a dream like that. She could practically still feel the touch of the grasses and flowers on her legs. Was that another thing I can chalk up to this new job of mine?
Running a hand down her face Gwen heaved a sighed. “It has to be.” She murmured quietly to herself.
Sitting there, Gwen ran over the ‘dream’ in her head again and analysed the words said to her. A part of her lamented at the truth she felt, but another part of her bristled at the insinuation that she should just give up. That the Wonder, which she swore she needed to visit post haste, should be just handed over. Gwen wasn’t sure the significance of all of that but deep down she knew she couldn’t do that. Not without fully exploring what all of it was.
It was moments like this that Gwen wished she had someone she could go to to talk about all of this. Someone she trusted and didn’t feel like they would pressure her one way or the other. She just wanted an honest conversation to dissect her experiences. Unfortunately, she didn’t have someone she was close to and who was also all caught up in the craziness. A part of her wished she could go to Isaiah about it, but he’d probably think she was crazy.
Extracting herself from her blankets, Gwen scooted out of bed. A glance at her clock confirmed it was 4:30. I was sleeping for almost two hours. Such long naps were an oddity for Gwen. She tended towards short cat naps, not long comas. Plus, she didn’t feel at all rested. Time wasn’t on her side though to sit and ponder over everything. She needed to get dinner going and she felt the need to shower now. So, doing her best to push the ‘dream’ to the back of her mind she set to the shower. Hopefully the water would help wash away some of the anxiety that was beginning to build up inside of her.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 2:19 pm
Solo
Sterile Room1104 Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
The sound was soft but held a steady beat that slowly became harder and harder to ignore. All Gwen wanted was to fall back into her undisturbed slumber but the grating sound of a machine continued to draw her back to consciousness. She was dazed and a bit confused as she lay there, eyes still closed, and wondered why the hell her alarm sounded so different. She didn’t remember changing it and she certainly didn’t remember setting it...
A flash of memories. A sword in her gut. Blood. Being carried by Scholomance.
Her eyes flew open, breath rapid in distress, as she looked around the stark minimally furnished room she was in. The whirring and beeps of instruments hooked up to her continued their monotonous tones, picking up her stress and indicating it with a faster tempo. Heaving a sigh through her nose she closed her eyes and worked to calm herself. I am in the hospital. Everything is fine.
She ran through that mantra a few times before slowly opening her eyes at the sound of someone entering her room. An older woman, obviously a nurse by the scrubs she donned, leaned over Gwen, brushing red hair away from Gwen’s face. The nurse was easily old enough to be Gwen’s mother and, in a way, that comforted Gwen. True, it had been years since she felt the comforting touch of her mother, but she never really forgot it. Those memories were ones she would never lose.
“It’s alright dear. Just relax.” The woman said as she withdrew her hand and fussed with Gwen’s blankets. “Your surgery went fine. You’ll be back on your feet in no time.” The woman offered Gwen a warming smile before walking over to check a few instruments.
Laying in the bed, Gwen attempted to shift herself and was amazed at the fact she felt very little pain. Unfortunately though, her movements caused a soft wash of nausea to overcome her and Gwen closed her eyes against it and willed the spell to end.
As if sensing what was going on, the nurse disappeared into the bathroom that was part of the two bed room, which Gwen was happy to note the other bed was empty, and quickly returned with a paper cup full of water. Holding the cup out, Gwen eyes it before shifting herself again to free her right arm from the blankets and take it from her. “Thanks.” She croaked out from a dry throat. Tentatively she sipped at the liquid as the nurse watched.
“You were quite lucky you were brought in when you were. If you hurt at all let me know and we’ll look into upping your pain medicine. Just be careful of the IV’s.” Again the woman reached forward to pet the top of Gwen’s head before taking the cup when Gwen indicated she was done with it. “I am MaryEllen.” She offered with a smile. “Now, I have to go get some other things taken care of. If you need anything there’s a button right there you can push.” She indicted a small red button that hung alongside the bed. “The remote for the bed is here.” She lifted the small remote that connected to the bed and would adjust it to however Gwen pleased.
After the woman left, Gwen was left to her own devices. She took the time to study the room. It was very similar to the one Isaiah had been in. Only the bare necessities of furnishings existed and all of it as sterile and unappealing as she remembered it being. The bed next to her was blessedly vacant. That probably means the hospital isn’t too full right now which is good.
Her eyes slowly shifted to a small table that sat beside her bed where the nurse had placed the paper cup of water. There, beside the cup, sat a familiar pink and grey cased cell phone. Bless whoever put that there. She had assumed it was lost or kept elsewhere but someone had the hindsight to think she’d want to contact people.
Licking her lips Gwen laid there staring at the device wondering if she truly wanted to move to retrieve it. It, would require a bit of a stretch considering it sat on to her left, and said arm was currently secured to her torso by some odd sling. It would be easier to just lay there and fall back into a sleep.
But she needed to text Isaiah.
That single thought was enough to spur her into moving. It wasn’t an easy affair by any stretch and resulted in Gwen laying in the bed panting at a strong bout of nausea raced through her along with the subtle pang of pain from her midsection. Still, her reach had been successful and the phone lay on her chest.
Riding out the nausea took longer than she wanted and she was not going to attempt to grab the cup in hopes that the water would quell it. Slowly it subsided enough that she dared open her eyes again to turn her attention back to her phone. Pushing the menu button brought the screen to life and Gwen glanced at the battery life which showed a mere 37% was left. More than enough to toss out a text to two but not enough to warrant wasting any more battery for anything else. Flicking a thumb over the screen Gwen glanced down at the IV in her right hand as she felt the odd sensation of the needle move. It didn’t hurt. It was just...strange to feel and the sensation continued on with each stroke and tap of the screen until she had a short message typed out.Quote: To: Isaiah
Sorry I didn’t call. Alright, but in hospital. Quote: To: Isaiah
I need to see you.
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2016 2:56 pm
Solo
Does It Matter?643
((Backdated to right after Suspicion in Injury))
Weary and drawn, Gwen fumbled with the keys to her apartment. A little yip from inside indicated Reilly had already sensed she was there and prompted the girl to move a bit faster to keep the little sheltie from going into full blown bark mode. Grabbing the appropriate key from her key chain, Gwen shoved it into the lock and turned the deadbolt before opening the lock on the actual handle. With a soft swoosh sound she pushed the door open to find Reilly tip tapping around in circle, tail wagging excitedly.
The little dog always managed to help raise her spirits. Shutting the door behind her and tossing her keys onto the table next to the door she knelt down to give the dog some love which he very happily reciprocated with licks on her hands and face.
Greetings done, Gwen rose and walked into the tiny living room, dropping her purse on the couch before depositing herself on it with a heavy sigh. So many things had happened in a single morning and, though some of it was enough to make her extremely happily, other things weighed down on her heart.
She had just returned from visiting Isaiah in the hospital and seeing him in that state was horrible. It was never nice witnessing someone you cared about being stuck in a hospital and connected to all sorts of devices and machines. He had looked so tired and, if it hadn’t been for the morphine they were pumping into him, Gwen was sure he would have been in extreme pain with the injuries he sustained. It hadn’t taken much for her to find out what he was suffering from once she asked a nurse after Isaiah had fallen asleep. She may not have much knowledge with burns but Gwen could only imagine how long it would take to fully recover from something of the sort especially when skin graphs were being talked about.
Then there was the bit of info he revealed about the war. That was a very troubling factor on her mind considering he hadn’t given her a straight answer about which side he was on. Not that it was terribly surprising. Drugged up or not Isaiah had sense about him and was probably being careful. Still she worried. What if he was with the Negaverse? Did that really matter to her?
Her mind drifted to the memory of him laying in bed talking about Sid and relationships before dropping the question of wanting to ask Gwen out. It had been an awfully wonderful surprise, and one that she thought might have been induced by the painkillers, but his gaze had told her otherwise.
Gwen smiled softly at the memory. It won’t much matter either way what side he’s on. She thought in determination to convince herself. Either way it won’t change my feelings for him. And that was certainly true, but there was that bit of doubt in her mind that worried it might change his opinion down the road. And, if it came out, what would she be willing to do to stay by his side?
That was an answer she wasn’t prepared to answer yet.
The sound of panting next to her face drew Gwen out her thoughts as she looked over at the dog. “I...forgot to feed you in my rush this morning didn’t I?” She questioned as she reached over to scratch the dog under his chin. “Let’s get you taken care of before I hop in the shower and gather stuff up to take to the hospital.”
The dog seemed to understand what she was saying and leapt off the couch and hurried into the kitchen. Gwen chuckled before pushing herself up from the couch and following her scampering pup.
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Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 2:55 pm
Screw This
Holiday prompt response
WC: 528
There were so many people. The holiday rush was in full swing what with Christmas mere days away. Try as she might to have avoid the chaos, Gwen had found herself, once again, last minute shopping. In fairness, it wasn’t like she had avoided doing it. In fact, she had started and was nearly complete. Her only problem was she had no idea what to get Isaiah considering her last gift to him, his birthday gift, had apparently been a colossal failure. She was stuck on ideas with him. Plus, it didn’t help that their relationship was rocky. Very, rocky.
To put it bluntly, Gwen was putting way too much pressure on herself to find the right gift as if it would fix the entire problem going on.
Popping into small stores was a nightmare though. People jostled, bumped, and flat out ran into her to get to the deals and sales going on. She could barely get a decent look at anything without practically being run over by some over eager shopper. “This is ridiculous.” She grumbled angrily. “How am I supposed to find anything with all of these crowds?”
After a woman nearly knocked Gwen over on the way towards a jewelry counter, she was done. “This isn’t worth it.” She grumbled and began to maneuver herself out of the shop. It was an aggravating escape, but once out onto the streets, the openness of the space felt like a blessed retreat. Of course, she was still stuck with the fact that she had nothing for Isaiah.
“I don’t even know what I am looking for.” She sighed as she began walking up the sidewalk. Every now and then she peered at windows, but if she got too close to them she put herself in the danger zone of being bumped and battered again.
The thought crossed her mind that perhaps she could treat him to something like a concert or show or something? But that gift idea didn’t seem quite like Isaiah. She hadn’t ever seen him go to such things, nor had he ever expressed interest.
Then a thought struck her. She could look into something a little more on the adult side. It would require her to shop online though and risk it not arriving in time. But really, it only took a glance into a store for her to realize that she’d much rather take the risk of the gift arriving late than possibly dieing while christmas shopping. With the rate that people were being with their abusive nature, it’s surprising no one had been seriously injured. At least, she hadn’t heard anything.
Online shopping would be safer shopping plus she would have a wider arrangement to choose from, even if she didn’t much like shopping online.
Yes, that’s what she would do.
Without a backwards glance to the chaos that was the store around her, Gwen hurried back to her job, where her car was still parked. She was over all of the craziness of this holiday. Once it was over things would return back to normal, which meant people weren’t rude and pushy.
Until then, she’d hibernate in her apartment.
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2017 9:51 am
Making a Plan
WC Total: 2668 (5 solos)
(Backdated to January 17th)
The Sun shone from above as grasses and flowers, threatening to bloom soon, waved in the gentle breeze that floated over the rolling knolls. The land itself looked like the ocean as the vegetation bent to the winds call, only to rise back up again. It was a beautiful scene to behold, and one that was very welcoming to anyone coming from the cold of winter every where else on Earth. The island would certainly not be considered tropical in temperature, but it was very comfortable, even with the humidity that sometimes came along with the fact that the Wonder was surrounded on all sides by water, with both ocean and fog.
Taking the time to enjoy the warmth and simple beauty of the Wonder, Hy-Brasil wandered through the near hip height grasses that grew around an ancient celtic castle. The structure was one of the few things that stood the test of time and it was showing its’ age. The squire studied the walls of the castle as she walked, checking for any damage that may result in a collapse. So far though, she’s found nothing that looked terrible. The castle had been built to last, obviously. It seemed that most of the more intense damage had been to anything that was wooden or was near a busted window or roof that allowed rain in. Structurally speaking, it looked good, but then again, she certainly was no masonry expert. She’d never laid hands on stone before, but she assumed that cracks were the biggest threat, and hadn’t found anything significant. Maybe her visits to the Wonder had been helping? Scholomance had mentioned that to her during his visit.
She came upon one of the main entrances. Here the stone was shoddy and crumbling. The gate, which she assumed had once stood firm, was barely hanging on to the frame which threatened to topple soon. There was nothing she could do about that besides hope that the Wonder would work to repair itself with time. There was the chance that Cashel could guide her but, she wasn’t comfortable with it. So, for the time being, she skirted her way through the gate without moving it any more than needed and slipped into a side entrance of the castle.
Little by little she had begun to clean up some of the rooms. It was a tedious process as the dust, grime and mold were not kind to her and usually resulted in sneeze fits. When it all got to be too much she’d call it quits and go bother Cashel. Her mentor was practically holed away in what she called ‘his tower’ now. In actuality, it was the main research tower. She had just come from there when she’d gone out to check the perimeter of the castle on her mentors insistence. “He’s such an old man.” She mused. “Reminds me of Dad.”
With care, she climbed the stairs that spiraled up the research tower. A few pieces had broken off, making the stairwell a bit precarious to ascend, but Hy had traveled up and down it enough now to know where best to place her feet. Plus, she had made sure to go about cleaning any debris up to avoid anything that may cause her to slip. Since Cashel tended to inhabit the top floor, the climb up was always a mighty one.
“Why can’t you do your work on a lower floor?” She huffed when she reached the top of the tower. The stairs opened up right into the top floor, no door separating it from the stairs. Just a half wall was built of stone to keep anyone from accidentally side stepping into empty space and tumbling down the stairs.
“I need to make sure you stay in shape, somehow.” A gruff, heavily irish accent responded to the Squire. The man, Cashel, was busy ‘playing’ around with a glass beaker. Inside some strange concoction that looked an unappetizing brown in color swirled as he mulled it over, and gave it a swirl or two. The man’s long, brown hair, touched heavily with grey, was tied back at the nape of his neck, the tail sitting just between the blades of his shoulders. His face was kind, with steel grey eyes, a non-dominating nose, bushy eyebrows and what seemed to be permanent wrinkles on his forehead. He certainly wasn’t a frail looking man and had probably been quite buff in his prime. His shoulders were large and chest wide. Very much he encompassed the fatherly figure and had compassion for those he interacted with, even if he tended to be distracted most of the time.
Hy-Brasil sighed as she walked over to a chair, pulled it out from under the desk it had been pushed under and sat down roughly. The wood creaked under the strain, but held. “You damn well know I’ve been working out, so traipsing up and down stairs isn’t going to help anything besides aggravate me.” It was the truth, he could have easily moved himself down a floor or two. Each level was the exact same.
“I just prefer…” He started and Hy continued and finished what he was going to say “...the light from the windows up here.”
Cashel gave her a look and Hy grinned back with a shrug. “Sorry, but I’ve heard it so often.”
Cashel turned to look at some notes he had. “Well then you should know better than to ask me to move to a different level.” He paused, the beaker in one hand, his other hand skimming over words on a well worn book. Silence dominated the tower between the two of them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.
Hy-Brasil took the time to drink in what the room had. It seemed every time she was there she found something she hadn’t noticed before. There was just so much...stuff. Books, tomes, scrolls, glass, bowls, mortar and pestals, desks, shelves, bookcases, you name it, the room probably had it. The amount of stuff could make the room feel claustrophobic at times times.
Cashel took a pinch of something from a bowl and dropped it into the brown liquid he had made. “So, have you upgraded your signet ring like you mentioned?” He didn’t look at her but instead focused on his concoction that didn’t look like it was doing much of anything to Hy-Brasil.
“Hmm?” She paused in her visual exploration of the room and turned her attention back to her mentor. “Not yet. I need to talk to a fellow Knight about helping me do that.”
Cashel didn’t even pause. “The one you had brought here?”
“Yes, why?” She answered, curiously.
“No reason.” He swirled the liquid again before carefully placing it in a rack to rest.
Such a fatherly answer. Asked a question, but remain mysterious about why he asked. Being around Cashel did make Hy miss her own father. It had been quite some time since she had last seen him. Talking on the phone just didn’t seem like enough. Maybe a trip to New York would be in order during the summer. She could catch up with old friends and her brother too.
She crossed her legs and slouched a bit in the chair. “Right. So, what are you working on now?”
“A new formula to help numb a localized spot on the body when it’s applied.” He paused for a moment. “It’s meant to completely remove any sort of sensation and instead of having to wait for it to wear off, I am hoping to create a counter formula that will lift the effects within minutes of being applied.”
Hy-Brasil wasn’t at all savvy when it come to medical things. In fact, she was the sort who didn’t much care for the idea of needles but tolerated them when needed. So, her knowledge to how such a formula could be useful was lacking. At best she could imagine it would be good for people who need to get stitches, but that was the best she could come up with. One thing she had learned with Cashel though, was to not ask why he was making something, else she’d likely be given a long winded story of some sort. Instead she gave an audible sound as if she understood and left it at that.
She turned her attention back to some of the books on the shelves. Most seemed to have no titles on their spines, at most they had numbers or letter, but nothing to really tell a potential reader what was contained within. Most of the books Cashel read were hand written. Actually, a large percentage of the books Hy had stumbled upon were handwritten and many were in, what she assumed, was a form of Gaelic. There had been a small handful she’d found stacked on one another in a small dusty side room off of the main hall that had been in a language she’d never seen before.
“Cashel, the top floor of the library, what sort of books are up there?” She questioned him. Like the books in his research room, they either didn’t have any titles on their spines, or were so deteriorated she couldn’t read them.
Cashel’s brow furrowed for a moment before he responded. “There are still books there? I had thought after the roof gave that everything would be ruined up there.”
“I haven’t gone through anything up there yet to see if anything survived. But what was that floor housing?” Her foot bounced slightly as she turned her attention back to her mentor.
Heaving a sigh Cashel ran a hand through his greying red hair. “That, my dear, would have held a large majority of the history books housed here. If nothing survived on that floor, I fear that we may have lost some very valuable information. If I had known that there was damage to that roof I would have tried to save some tomes, but alas, I wasn’t aware until I went in search of something and by then it seemed too late.”
Great. Stuff she would have been interested in reading if she could decipher the text. “Do you think there’s any chance some may still be alright?”
With a shrug, Cashel settled himself in another of the rickety wooden chairs in the room. “It’s possible, but I don’t think it would be likely. The elements are not kind to paper and ink. I wouldn’t rule out the chance that a few may be saved, but it’ll take quite a lot of work to sift through what is salvageable and what isn’t.”
Time wasn’t a problem. Gwen could spend some time helping to sift through all of the books. Though, first, she’d need to see about covering up that roof, and she had no clue on how to do roof repairs. Maybe she could find something to drape over top? A tarp? Would that look ridiculous on an old castle? Of course it would. But what else could she do? She didn’t know anyone who could repair it for her. Perhaps it was something she’d just have to let the Wonder deal with itself. Maybe just visiting as often and for as long as she could would speed things along.
“Alright.” She finally said, her foot ceasing it’s endless bobing. “I’ll try and get things sorted out up there. I’ll find an empty room to use to sort what I find. I don’t want to just...throw stuff away, so for the time being I’ll just store what isn’t legible. Anything that is able to be saved I’ll find a new home for until that top floor can be saved.” The floor below the first one also sported water damage. She’d have to go through them all eventually. It was certainly going to be quite the endeavor on top of just taking time to clean up rooms that weren’t beyond her ability to tidy up.
Greying brows rose at his successor’s determination. “I have to admit, my dear, your perseverence is astonishing. Most would find such a job to be tedious and daunting.”
A shrug and a smile was flashed at the old man. “I don’t mind. It will make me feel like I am actually doing something to help the Wonder. I...I don’t like the idea of sitting idle. I want to see it back in its glory if at all possible. It’s such a fascinating place and I feel...at home, here.” Though, feeling at home at her Wonder shouldn’t be such a surprise to her, but it was terribly comfortable and reminded her so much of her childhood. She felt like she could lose herself in the rolling knolls and fields, plus the distant sound of the waves crashing on the pebble beach...it was like heaven.
“Well, my dear, that will certainly help, and you may find some useful information while you sift through all of those old books. I very much expect that you find -something- of interest at least.” Cashel commented, a gentle smile on his face.
Hy laughed softly. “That’s assuming I can read anything. I doubt there is a single book written in modern English there.”
It was Cashel’s turn to shrug. “Then bring them to me and I’ll do my best to help you along. I can’t promise it’ll be a perfect translation, but it will be better than a bunch of symbols you don’t understand on a piece of paper with you staring at it blankly.” He chuckled as Hy gave him a look at the mention of staring blankly at pages. “But yes, bring them to me and I will lend you my aid.”
“Alright. That works for me. I can even transcribe stuff so I can keep it on hand if I feel it’s really important.” Well that was a way to get past the language barrier. There was also the option that she could try and see if she could learn some Gaelic, but she also knew how terribly hard it could be to learn. At this point, she wasn’t sure it would be worth her time. For all she knew, those books weren’t actually gaelic but something that looked similar. Or, they were gaelic, but a much more ancient version of it. Then all that time she spent learning a new language would be wasted. No, it would be better just to utilize Cashel when needed. Especially since the old man was offering his services. “Just….make sure not to get too absorbed in your research to not be able to help?” She said half teasingly.
That comment elicited a full hearty laugh from the man. “I make no promises but I will do my best. After all, as the current Knight of Hy-Brasil it is my duty to make sure you learn whatever you can so you can take over the full responsibilities here.”
That brought up another question for the squire. “Speaking of, what am I suppose to be doing here? Besides cleaning and learning?
Cashel began to grow visibly antsy in his seat and eventually rose to move back to his research. “That, my dear, will need to wait for another day. I need to tend to some more of my research.”
Is Cashel hiding something from me? She wondered, but didn’t push. The man was already moving about to begin yet another project. Perhaps that antidote for what he had just made? Who knew. “Right. Well, I need to be heading back anyway. I will make sure to come back for a weekend next time I come.”
Cashel nodded, indicating he heard her but didn’t state anything. So, Hy-Brasil left via the stairs she had come from. She intended to take one more stroll outside of the castle to soak up the warmth and sun before returning to the dim, and cold world she had left behind for her visit.
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Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 11:58 am
Such is Life
WC: 1140
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
People fought for their lives no matter what side they favored. There was always something going on somewhere and, quite literally, no rest for the weary. Even after spending a large part of the evening fighting off horrific, unnatural beasts or other people who opposed her ideals, Gwen still found the beeping of her alarm to be the greatest enemy of all. Sleep was becoming a wayward friend. One she saw for only short periods and infrequently. There had been several nights where sleep eluded her all together, forcing the ginger to continue on without it’s sweet embrace. Life as a knight was tough. Tack onto the fact that her daily life wasn’t all that exciting and was somewhat stressful...well... yea, Gwen was feeling the strain.
A hand reached out from the mound of blankets while a groan, muffled by pillows, announced the woman’s disdain for the piece of machinery. Fumbling around, refusing to open her eyes just yet, she eventually caught the edge of the clock and pushed the snooze. The ear piercing sound halted, giving her sweet bliss for another ten minutes.
Retreating her arm back to the heavy warmth of her covers, Gwen rolled away from the nightstand while pulling the blankets up over her head. The offending sunlight was already beginning to peek into the room and with the seasons changing the ball of light in the sky was getting stronger each day. Normally, Gwen enjoyed the glare of the sun, but not in the morning. Not when she was reminded of how little sleep she had gotten.
Laying on her side, half awake and half dozing, she let her mind wander to what it willed. And, in typical fashion, she found herself staring at her mind’s image of Isaiah. She curled in on herself, knees moving to her abdomen as she snatched an extra pillow, one that had been occupying what had been Isaiah’s side of the bed, and clutched it to herself, closing off the blankets once again to put her in relative darkness.
It had been a few days, a week?, since the distress call had gone out. Days since she’d heard anything from him since walking him home. Gwen had no idea how he was doing. Was he still in pain? Were there any side effects he was dealing with? Was he still safe?
Instantly a vision of seeing him slump forward as his starseed was pulled, practically dead and she sucked in a breath, eye’s opening in response to free herself from the image. She clutched the pillow just a bit tighter as if it would stave off the memories she didn’t want to deal with. But, as seemed the case more often than not anymore, her mind had other things in store as she began thinking about the senshi, Scylla as she fought for Scholomance, stuck by his side, spoke soft, gentle words as she lay on the ground unmoving... kissed his hand.
“Dammit.” She cursed as she threw the covers off of herself. She was not going to ruminate on this! After all, she had agreed. Agreed to an open relationship. Gwen had promised to give it a shot. She just hadn’t realized how difficult it would be for her to cope with.
That she wasn’t good enough.
That she was being replaced...
Rubbing at her eyes, she crawled out of bed. Her entire body still aching from all the exertion she was giving out each and every day without the proper amount of rest. But, she didn’t have the time. There was too much to do, and though she wanted to curl up and just sleep the entire day away life was not going to give her that opportunity. Despite what happened, she needed to get to work, continue her daily life.
Life didn’t stop for anyone. Not until they were dead, and even then continued on without a care.
Depositing her nightgown in the hamper, Gwen grabbed on of the bath towels stored away in her closet and padded out to the bathroom, giving Reilly a quick morning belly rub before closing the door behind her. She spent her shower time working to rid herself of the negative memories and thoughts. Letting hot water ease tense and aching muscles. So, when she finally emerged from the now steamy room, she felt a bit more optimistic about the day.
Towel wrapped around herself she walked into the kitchen to start a kettle of water and to make sure Reilly had food and water before returning to the bedroom.
No sooner had she entered the room did the familiar ding of a text message alert her. Stopping midway to her closet, she walked around the bed to the nightstand to snatch up the phone, unplugging it from the wall.
It was from Isaiah.
Unconsciously she chewed her lip before opening the message. It wasn’t long. Just telling her he wanted to talk and to meet him at Shore’s Bridge. It was an odd place to meet. Normally he opted for more public locations anymore.
Her heart sank a bit at the message. Instantly her mind began buzzing about what could possibly be going on. Why there? Was that other woman going to be there too? Perhaps he was done and over dealing with Gwen and wanted end it?
No. Stop it Gwen. Just stop. She mentally chided herself. She needed to remain calm. Just because she imagined it was for the worst didn’t mean it was so. Perhaps they were finally going to chat things out, smooth it all over, reconnect and get back to being themselves again. That was also a possibility!
Taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out she typed up a quick affirmative that she’d meet him. Sending the message off she immediately got up. Gwen couldn’t let herself just sit there or else she’d continue to turn over idea after idea and she couldn’t afford that. Especially with the clock blaring the time at her in bright red numbers.
“s**t!” She had wasted too much time and needed to be out the door in ten minutes. In haste she grabbed her gym bag and shoved the closest, clean gym clothes she could find inside along with another fresh towel before hurrying to her closet to change and pick out clothing to meet Isaiah in. She’d need to shower and change at the gym after work if she was going to look half presentable and be on time.
With only a minute or two to spare, Gwen grabbed her keys, slung her purse and gym bag over her shoulder and hurried out the door. Another packed day ahead of her with and likely a near sleepless night as well.
Such was her life.
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