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 Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2016 2:40 pm
(Soonish) October 27, 2016 It wasn’t that she hadn’t decorated her apartment already - she had. Keely just wanted to add to everything, the little kids were due out of school in a few hours, and she had found some last minute decorations from last year and had decided to add them. The entrance to her apartment, which the trick or treaters would see was all decorated. With webs and gore and more it was going for the real horror aspect of the holiday.
It wasn’t that she disliked the cute, fun, aspects also with candy corn, pumpkins, black cats, and other things including not so frightening witches and all. She did but she also liked the horror that the holiday was known for as well. Being the adult she was, and having her own apartment, Keely couldn’t help but decorate the place as she pleased; in ways her parents wouldn’t ever.
While looking around she decided to get the bowl she was going to use for the candy this year, it was a glass bowl placed inside of what looked like a cauldron. It didn’t fit in with her decorations exactly but it also didn’t clash, which was good enough in her opinion.
With that set on the table beside her door, where she kept her keys typically, Keely went to get the bag of candy she had bought. She had a big bag of some really nice chocolates she’d bought for the children, in the hopes they’d like them. Also...she just maybe splurged a bit because the extras would be hers - all hers!
When she went to get the bag she found it right where she’d left it, on the kitchen counter top, but...it was empty. She knew she’d been sneaking a few here and there...but enough to finish the bag? Had she really? She hadn’t had anyone over who could have had any so she had...hadn’t she. As she stood there, in her kitchen, tapping her foot she shook her head. There was no way she could go to the store for candy, everyone was sure to be sold out.
Biting on her lip she went for the front door, grabbing her keys on the way, and locked up the door behind her. She was going to see if her parents had any she could get. They always over bought, her mother had a bad habit of such, and they didn’t get a lot of children either. Combine the two things and she was sure she could snitch a bag or so of candy for her own trick or treater's...and no one would ever know she’d eaten all her own candies.
When she got across town to her parents house it was to find the place all decorated, even the front lawn, and her father happy to let her in - provided she gave him a hug first. Throwing herself into her father's arms, as was typical of Keely, she laughed as he ruffled her short white hair and asked how his darling Kee was doing. Responding, while stepping back from him and stepping inside, she was doing well but was in a bit of a tight spot...and then, with a sheepish look, she told her father just what she’d done - what she’d eaten.
Listening to him laugh at her she calmly, though her lips were twitching in a smile, told him to go ******** himself and he was being mean, as he had started to tease her that it was a good thing she was active or she’d get fat. Rolling her eyes she let him lead her into the kitchen where her mother was, working on some sort of dinner.
Going right for the stove top she took to lifting tops of pots and pans, sniffing at everything and inspecting it all. Pork with apples and spices, very good, and there looked to be some spiced drink being made as well...something with alcohol in it. Steamed broccoli and carrots were in another pot being made and there were a few other things. Her parents were making a big dinner - and just for the two of them…
By the time Keely left she’d just make it back to her place in time, but she had food in tupperwares for herself and a bag of candy. Her mother more than happy to share everything, she was sure her mother would toss in the kitchen sink if possible, but seriously her mother had made more than enough food and had bought way too much candy; and lucky for Keely was it was the same thing she’d bought...and eaten.
Happy with how things had turned out, and the smells of a good hot home cooked meal filling her car, she headed home so she could unload her goods and eat while answering the door and passing out candy to the children. She had gotten dressed earlier in the day….a vampire court jester. A bit of an odd combination but she liked it - she made it look good. This was a day for pranks and fun and also for scares and horror...she was the best of both! Word count: 861
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2016 10:52 pm
(Soonish) November 5, 2016 It wasn’t that she hadn’t decorated her apartment already - she had. Keely just wanted to add to everything, the little kids were due out of school in a few hours, and she had found some last minute decorations from last year and had decided to add them. The entrance to her apartment, which the trick or treaters would see was all decorated. With webs and gore and more it was going for the real horror aspect of the holiday.
It wasn’t that she disliked the cute, fun, aspects also with candy corn, pumpkins, black cats, and other things including not so frightening witches and all. She did but she also liked the horror that the holiday was known for as well. Being the adult she was, and having her own apartment, Keely couldn’t help but decorate the place as she pleased; in ways her parents wouldn’t ever.
While looking around she decided to get the bowl she was going to use for the candy this year, it was a glass bowl placed inside of what looked like a cauldron. It didn’t fit in with her decorations exactly but it also didn’t clash, which was good enough in her opinion.
With that set on the table beside her door, where she kept her keys typically, Keely went to get the bag of candy she had bought. She had a big bag of some really nice chocolates she’d bought for the children, in the hopes they’d like them. Also...she just maybe splurged a bit because the extras would be hers - all hers!
When she went to get the bag she found it right where she’d left it, on the kitchen counter top, but...it was empty. She knew she’d been sneaking a few here and there...but enough to finish the bag? Had she really? She hadn’t had anyone over who could have had any so she had...hadn’t she. As she stood there, in her kitchen, tapping her foot she shook her head. There was no way she could go to the store for candy, everyone was sure to be sold out.
Biting on her lip she went for the front door, grabbing her keys on the way, and locked up the door behind her. She was going to see if her parents had any she could get. They always over bought, her mother had a bad habit of such, and they didn’t get a lot of children either. Combine the two things and she was sure she could snitch a bag or so of candy for her own trick or treater's...and no one would ever know she’d eaten all her own candies.
When she got across town to her parents house it was to find the place all decorated, even the front lawn, and her father happy to let her in - provided she gave him a hug first. Throwing herself into her father's arms, as was typical of Keely, she laughed as he ruffled her short white hair and asked how his darling Kee was doing. Responding, while stepping back from him and stepping inside, she was doing well but was in a bit of a tight spot...and then, with a sheepish look, she told her father just what she’d done - what she’d eaten.
Listening to him laugh at her she calmly, though her lips were twitching in a smile, told him to go ******** himself and he was being mean, as he had started to tease her that it was a good thing she was active or she’d get fat. Rolling her eyes she let him lead her into the kitchen where her mother was, working on some sort of dinner.
Going right for the stove top she took to lifting tops of pots and pans, sniffing at everything and inspecting it all. Pork with apples and spices, very good, and there looked to be some spiced drink being made as well...something with alcohol in it. Steamed broccoli and carrots were in another pot being made and there were a few other things. Her parents were making a big dinner - and just for the two of them…
By the time Keely left she’d just make it back to her place in time, but she had food in tupperwares for herself and a bag of candy. Her mother more than happy to share everything, she was sure her mother would toss in the kitchen sink if possible, but seriously her mother had made more than enough food and had bought way too much candy; and lucky for Keely was it was the same thing she’d bought...and eaten.
Happy with how things had turned out, and the smells of a good hot home cooked meal filling her car, she headed home so she could unload her goods and eat while answering the door and passing out candy to the children. She had gotten dressed earlier in the day….a vampire court jester. A bit of an odd combination but she liked it - she made it look good. This was a day for pranks and fun and also for scares and horror...she was the best of both! Word count: 755
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Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 1:40 pm
(Soonish) December 6, 2016 She hadn’t planned on going shopping this close to the holidays, it was insane to do so, but one of her favorite sporting goods stores was having a sale on boots. It wasn’t that she didn’t have boots, she had a lot of boots, but it was too tempting of a deal to let go of. Timberland boots were expensive, a hundred and eighty dollars, so any sort of sale on them was welcome even if she did have a pair already.
The drive to the sporting goods store was short, at least relatively speaking, though it wasn’t short enough for her, it never would be, but when she was inside the store it was worth the time it took to get here. The place was full of people, no surprise there, with people buying gun ammo, looking at guns, looking at camping equipment and other things. She however headed right for the shoes and boots, where several other people were.
Finding a working, and flagging them down, she asked about the sale to make sure she’d seen right before asking for black Timberlands in the size she needed, since she already knew her size, and waiting for the size seven boots to arrive she sat herself down and took the time to relax, something she rarely ever did, and watched the people milling around shopping and trying things on.
Some woman, with her partner, was trying on a coat while he did as well. They were both looking over the other and complimenting the coats, from what she could tell, and checking price tags. It seemed, as she continued to watch them, that they’d be purchasing the coats.
Taken away from her new target, some child and their father, as the worker approached her with the boxed boots and asked if she wanted to try them on. “No, I’m good. I have a pair in tan at home.” So she knew the size and knew they’d fit. “I’ll be taking these.” Taking the box with a parting thank you.
Moving to the check out she was happy to have them, he had mentioned them being the last pair in her size, so with the box tucked under her right arm she approached the register and set them down as she waited for the older man in ahead of her to be rung up. He looked to be getting some sort of riffle. Likely, from the look of him, a hunter of some sort.
That was one thing she’d never understand, unless it was honestly hunting for food, as killing an animal for sport seemed...so many levels of wrong she didn’t even know where the begin. She understood eating animals, though she wished they were treated better, but the act of killing something for fun...that was something she’d never understand. Though it didn’t apply to the whole war going on in this city. She could understand fighting and even killing someone in the Negaverse, who knew if she’d ever have to kill someone. But that was for survival and it was a war.
Pushing the thoughts away, they weren’t very positive, she was smiling when she stepped forward and presented the box for ring up and pulling her wallet from the purse she had, something cheap and rather flimsy, she handed over the money as she counted it out and taking her bag, and receipt, left the store. The older man she noted was getting into a four wheel drive truck that looked a bit dirty...like it had gone through mud recently and hadn’t been cleaned yet.
Smiling just a bit more, thinking how she’d been right in her guess, she headed for her own little car and putting the bag onto the passenger side seat she moved around the car and climbed into the driver's side and started the car and headed home. It hadn’t been too bad, but perhaps that was because she’d had a clear cut destination in mind and hadn’t wandered about like people tended to do? She’d gone in and gone right for the boots and gone right to check out and nothing in between. That was how holiday shopping should be done she figured.
Turning on the radio as she hit the main roads, heading home, she had to change to something that wasn’t so...holiday cheer. She didn’t need more holiday songs, they would drive Keely insane. Word count: 737
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 7:49 pm
(Soonish) December 8, 2016 She’s heard about the rabbits, who hadn’t by now? But she hadn’t been out enough, or maybe just not in the right places, and so hadn’t seen any of these white little rabbits that were infesting the city, according to the news anyway. She could see the problem with them, having heard about the side effects of being bitten by one, but she had yet to encounter someone who’d been bitten - a good thing.
Despite the dangers posed by these bunnies, and how bad a feeling she got from them, Keely wanted to find one and observe it. So that night she had pulled on a coat after powering up and then she took off into the cold dark night intent upon finding one of these rabbits, or maybe a few, so she could observe them.
When Gorner went out in search of the bunnies she had no intentions of grabbing one, or touching one if one were to approach her. She knew better from the reports on the tv, plus what she caught from people in school. Deciding the cluttered, and busy, city streets wouldn’t work for rabbit hunting the page headed for the fields at Destiny City University. The fields were big, with some trees around the edges, that catered to the various sports played by the students of the university. She figured they might come out here to get food plus no traffic or any dangers.
When she arrived it was cold out, freezing, and she was never more glad for her coat than right now. She just wished for some better footwear. It wasn’t insulated and warm...and no socks. But it was better than nothing she supposed, could still be better. Moving through the snow she kept her pace slow and her eyes peeled, she didn’t want to miss one of these rabbits. Maybe she could find something out about them if she found a few and could sneak up on them...or in some way observe them?
As she got closer, moving across the soccer field, to some trees and a bit of woods. A thin strip of it which kept two of the fields separated, she spotted one little rabbit...then another and a third then. Heading for the group, slow and silent, her pale eyes watched them to make sure they didn’t run off or seem ready to do so. As she got closer, and none had run off yet, she knelt down so she was closer to being on level with them. She didn’t get close in any other way, wanting to avoid being bitten, but they just seemed like..normal rabbits.
Nothing strange or odd, aside from these things being out here in the cold and the bites they gave to people. The effects of those bites were why she backed up when two of them decided to investigate her - close up. Nearly falling backward in her haste to put some distance between herself and them, she was glad she managed to at the last moment keep her balance, she moved toward a tree and got up into it so she could observe from there. “There, can’t get me now.” She whispered down to them, ignoring how cute they looked while looking up at her with adorable glossy eyes and cute little wiggling noses. She knew that despite being cute they were not so innocent, did they know their bites did that to people? And how the hell did a rabbit bite do that? There was something wrong with them...they weren’t normal but what were they? Where were they from?
Focused on watching them they seemed to go about normal things, once the two realized they couldn’t get up to her. Soon enough they were walking, hopping, off to some bushes and then gone...hole to their home in the bush? When she got down, to get close and look, she wasn’t surprised to see a hole in the ground and a bunny peering up at her. The bunny looking at her was a surprise and had her jolting back as if burned. Stumbling she turned quickly and took off before she could be bitten - she was not dealing with that. No damn way in hell was she gonna get bitten by one of them things.
Deciding she’d seen enough, though she hadn’t learned a single thing, she took off...maybe find some more to observe...but not these ones. They were too curious about her - yup. Word count: 748
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2016 11:00 pm
(Soonish) December 21, 2016 She’d seen them on tv shows, those sappy holiday love movies, and made for tv movies that made you feel like you were getting cavities. She had never thought they were real, had never heard of nor seen them, but as Keely went to open her door she was shocked by what she saw. Standing there with little santa hats on and dressed warm, yet festively, were carollers. Shocked by the sight she held up a finger and hurried to get her phone, she needed a picture, or a video perhaps, so she could send it to her mother.
Returning with her phone she hit the record button and held her phone, to her chest, as they started singing. Some were, in her opinion, a bit off key but they made up for it with spirit and their bright smiles. The group was ten strong more slightly more women than men but it was a fairly even grouping in that regard, there was also a nice range of vocal range. The group was all bundled up and holding little song booklets so they could keep to the songs, it was like in some of those sappy made for tv movies her mother loved to watch around the holidays.
When they finished so too did her recording, her phone found itself slipped into the stocking hanging from the table by her door, as she asked them in for something warm to drink - they had to be cold.
After a few moments of insisting she had them seated, her door shut, and was going to make hot chocolate, tea and coffee as she planned to warm the group up. They had been busy, they said as much as they spoke amongst each other and to her, sharing the holiday spirit with any who would listen to them. They were most pleased, or so it seemed, when little children would squeal, laugh, giggle, and smile as they sang all with bright smiles on their faces though some children were shy. It didn’t surprise her to hear that some people were surprised about seeing them, asking them if they did it every year or were new and other questions, she also wasn’t surprised that people wanted to join them next year.
It was, as she heard, a bit late to join them now but next year...next year it seemed their little merry group would be expanding and would cover more of the city. It was nice to think about, very nice indeed, and as she hurried about her kitchen she brought the drinks over to the group and sat herself down to listen to them talk. Joining in every so often she had no problem informing them that she couldn’t sing - in fact she sounded like a dying animal...or at least a wounded one. She had no ear for music, at least as far as she could ever tell, but that was ok. She’d never been too terribly bothered by it, as she’d been taken more by sports than music in school and it was a love which continued even now.
When the drinks were done the group slowly started to get up, stretching and smiling, laughing, as they bid Keely a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year - something she wished them all as well. They had been nice, very warm, and as she led them to the door and held it open she thanked them for the visit. Wishing them a safe remained of the day, and hoped they kept warm, she closed the door finally, as they headed down for the stairwell.
How she had not noticed, or rather heard, them she knew - easily. She had her headset on and so hadn’t heard them singing, and she was the last door on the floor, so she was the last visited here. At least they were inside a large building but they were no doubt heading back down to the first floor and out to the street to continue their singing for others. Word count: 675
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2017 10:52 pm
(Soonish) March 21, 2017 After all the insanity of winter Keely could only hope that spring would be better, less chaotic. As much as she loved a good rush...she did not need the madness of winter again. Between snow locking people into, and out of, places and attacking plants and bunnies she really had to wonder about this city. If things continued like this, and that frequently, she might not have to continue spending money on extreme activities. She’d have all she needed just by living in this city and being a knight.
“And I wonder where the cops are...or something bigger…” Something like the national guard or something else. Why weren’t they involved in the madness going on in this city? It was supposed terrorists so shouldn’t they be dealing with it? Or was there some reason for the utter lack of involvement and care? “Could they all be tainted?”
As she spoke aloud, it was easier for her to keep track of her thoughts when talking aloud to herself, she moved about her small apartment with a swiffer in one hand as she cleaned the wooden floors. “I should also get a carpet for the living room...some throw rug for under the coffee table…” That was an idea...something nice and plush. The only room in her apartment that had carpet, of any kind, was her own bedroom and that she’d had to have put in. The floor otherwise was a nightmare in winter and not something she wanted to deal with, but who did?
Keely knew she had switched topics rather oddly, almost out of nowhere, but the thought that such an important thing like the national guard being tainted was very scary and just not something she wanted to think about. It wasn’t that she wanted to avoid the possible truth, nothing like that, it was just depressing and scary and all sorts of negative things which she didn’t really want to deal with. “Not that they could do much anyway. Bullets don’t work so easily against magic.” Not with some of the magic various senshi and knights used not to mention youma and then the teleporting skills of the Negaverse. Maybe it was for the better? But the fact remained - they were absent. There had to be a reason.
It felt like they were really all alone and trying to balance being civilians and soldiers of a sort, a magical sort. “Civilian life comes first though.” Shaking her head as she shuffled into her kitchen, which she’d already swiffered clean, and made for the fridge to get a drink. What she had pulled was a bottle of beer, from a local microbrewery, it wasn’t some dark beer but something fairly light in color but pleasing to the tastebuds...or at least hers anyway.
Going for the bottle opener she tossed the cap, once it was opened, and putting the bottle opener away she took the first mouthful before setting the bottle down, ignoring the condensation already dripping down the outside of the bottle as it sat on her counter top. She had cleaning to still do and that was what she went back to doing. Stopping every so often to take a sip, and to even grab a second drink.
Once she had finished the cleaning, she didn’t have a large apartment, she went to sit on her couch and watch a movie, or something on tv, so her half finished drink found itself migrating from the kitchen counter top to the coffee table in her living room as she surfed the tv for any decent movies before she’d check netflix. It was just a normal day...no being a knight - just being Keely today. She’d power up tonight...or tomorrow night. But right now being a civilian came first, and so did finishing the beer. Word count: 640
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Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2017 2:16 am
(Soonish) March 21, 2017 Valentine’s day was not a day for her to spend with another person, she wasn’t dating anyone at present, but it was a day for her to spend with many other people. She wasn’t the sort to spend a lot of time alone and on her own, it just wasn’t how she was, rather she had spent the day divided between several things.
First she’d had two classes during the day, she’d had to shove more than one couple out of her way on the way to class, which wasn’t that bad. Both classes had gone as you’d normally expect, neither one affected by the holiday, despite the few love sick gossiping twits in her classes. But after that she’d gone to the lunch followed by a light lunch, she was never into eating heavy foods after a good workout...it tended to leave her with an upset stomach and she was not a fan of that really.
After lunch she had decided to do some rock climbing, indoors, where she ran into a few people she knew well. The time rock climbing turned into something of a contest, at least for the first half hour or so, before one of her usual friends and his girlfriend turned up to enjoy some climbing together. The group she knew would be outdoors climbing once warmer weather set in, or as two already said they had started climbing outdoors. She was considering some warmer clothing so she could start climbing outdoors sooner, not that she didn’t like indoor climbing it was just outdoors climbing real rocks was more fun.
Spending nearly three hours climbing the indoor rock walls had Keely both hungry and thirsty, not that she hadn’t hit up the vending machine for water twice in the time she was climbing, but for dinner she had decided to end her day at a pub for some food and a few drinks. It was a good way to end a good day, a holiday normally for couples but celebrated well on your own as well - at least in her opinion.
Then again the day was likely as good as it was because she had run into friends and had made some new ones, or at least new acquaintances. She had met a few people at the pub that she took a liking to and shared some laughs with over over a few rounds of pool at one of three pool tables in the pub.
She wasn’t the best at pool, never had been and wouldn’t even claim to be good, but she enjoyed it and that was what mattered - especially today. She was out, by herself, to have fun and enjoy the whole day! Nothing was going to ruin that for her, even the few times she really messed up...scratching twice, sinking the eight ball too soon, hopping a ball over the table...nearly hitting someone when said ball hopped the table. Yup! She had fun despite it all and the people she was playing with didn’t seem to mind, though she wasn’t sure if that was just the personalities or the fact they all seemed a bit drunk….maybe both.
The simple fact was...was that when Keely got home finally she was smiling and happy, having had a great Valentine’s day. She settled in with some ice water, seeing as she’d already had a few drinks that night, and put on a movie. It was between movies that she took a shower before returning to her couch where she fell asleep at some point during the second movie. Worn out but having had a good day. Word count: 607
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Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 6:10 pm
(Soonish) April 4, 2017 (Back dating to the night of the Reaper Rising event.) Keely had been on her way to her parents, planning to head with her father to the mall for some shopping. Her mother's birthday was coming up and so father and daughter were supposed to go out shopping together in order to help each other find something for the woman.
It was on the way to her parents, she was around five minutes away, when the lights in the city started flickering and it wasn’t just a few - but all of them that she could see. They flicked once...twice...three times and then nothing - just darkness. “The hell?!” Hitting the steering wheel with her hands in frustration. What the hell was going on?! Shouting more words, more obscenities, Keely hit the wheel again before slamming on the gas pedal in an effort to get to her parents as fast as she could rather than remain on the road with traffic lights not working.
It wasn’t that she was a bad driver, she was good in fact, she didn’t trust other idiots on the road especially with a blackout in the area. No one would know who would go and people would want to go first and she just saw it all becoming one giant cluster ******** and quickly at that.
Speeding, figuring the cops were busy with more important matters, she made it through two intersections with lights before turning onto her parents street and parking.
Hopping out of her car she hurried to the door and knocked, loud enough to be easily heard, and waited to be let in. When the door opened, revealing the smiling face of her mother, though it wa slit from below by a flash light, she stepped inside. “You look like you’re fit for halloween and scaring little children.” Teasing her mother gently as she headed into the living room as her mother asked if she had a clue what had happened.
“I didn’t see any accident or hear anything. I didn’t see or hear a transformer go either.” The white haired woman rattled off rather quickly as she moved to take a seat by her father. “It seems the trip out shopping will have to wait. You know how people get with the first snow of the year...well take that and make it worse…” She said this with a shrug of her shoulders. “Idiots, most of them anyway. I figured since I was close I would come here rather than braving the way back home.” She would just spend the night, or however long it took for the lights to come back on. “How about a game while we wait? Something to pass the time…” She offered up, watching her father nod and mutter something about cards and getting a deck
Well, this was nice. It had been awhile since they’d had a blackout when she’d been home. Whenever they happened she and her parents would always sit about the living room and play some sort of game in order to pass the time. It kept them from complaining or missing the power - it passed the time. It left them having fun, as they would purposefully cheat in the games all in order to make it more fun and entertaining. And if it wasn’t outright cheating it was just enough to make someone question you and leave everyone laughing. It was good - it always was.
So when her father came back with the cards she was happy to take them and shuffle them. Her mother going to make something for them all the drink, as the stove was gas run and so was still working. “Hot chocolate works for me mom.” Milk and some whip cream would go with it and she’d be happy to pass the time with her parents. Word count: 630
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 11:19 pm
(Soonish) October 27, 2017 Her apartment, and the other sin the building, were without heat and hot water and the reason was thus far unknown. Her landlord had arranged for someone to come in and check but they couldn’t come in at short notice, as much as Keely disliked that, she was able to head to her parents place and stay the night and longer if need be - they’d been more than happy to take her in till the issue was sorted.
She had, on the way to her parents, told her cousins so they knew that if they needed her she wasn’t at her own apartment but rather at her parents place. She was hoping the problem at her apartment building would be solved quickly, and easily, but she didn’t want to take a chance so had packed up what she’d need for a week - just incase.
All those things, mostly clothing, were filling the closet of her old room while she was tucked into bed sleeping...or trying to - trying was the keyword here. Half an hour ago some odd sound had woken her from her sleep, light as it had been, and the noise continued and kept her from returning to sleep.
Finally deciding to investigate, incase some animal or something else was up on the roof, Keely slide out from under her covers and slipped her feet into the slippers she had waiting for her - the floor was cold. Shuffling her way from her room and down the hallway she wasn’t too surprised to find her father downstairs going to investigate as well, he had always been a light sleeper. Whispering to her father that she was going out with him, even though she wasn’t dressed for it, she wasn’t letting him go out on his own just incase it was something dangerous.
Together the two headed outside and made their way outside far enough that they could look up to the roof...and see...nothing. There was nothing there. “I heard something - you did too...right?” She whispered, glancing over to her father, and wasn’t surprised by his nod of agreement. “So I wasn’t hearing things….but then what made the noise.” She whispered again, watching him shake his head and shrug at the same time.
“I don’t like that…” She really didn’t, she also knew her father didn’t as well. “We should head in.” As if to confirm her statement she gave a shiver and a shudder from the cold. “Yeah...inside.” Nodding her head, to further confirm her words, she headed back across the lawn and inside. She did hope, however feeble it was, that her father would at least get some sleep...she wasn’t sure if she could. Even though, as she got inside, she noted the lack of that odd scritching noise and what sounded like whispers of some sort.
It was silent, as it should be, and that bothered her at the moment. She really hoped she could find sleep tonight...though she did sort of doubt it given what had just happened and how dangerous she knew the city was. She’d talk to her cousins as soon as she could, tell them what had happened, she knew from them both that nothing in this city was just coincidence and little things which seemed innocent weren’t always innocent.
Climbing the stairs, right behind her father, she wished him a good night as he headed into his and her mother's room. That done Keely headed back to her room and sliding her feet out of her slippers, they really were nice and warm, she climbed back under her covers and bundled up like some sort of burrito. Word count: 612
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2023 8:02 pm
(Soonish) August 6, 2023 She’d gone all but once to her wonder, though she wasn’t sure what was so wondrous about it. The Castor knight had too many things going on in her life to take the time to go there, especially as often as some went to space, she worked hard in order to climb up the ladder at work. She had done it though, after years of working her a** off, she had finally made district leader. She’d worked hard to make lead and then store manager and now she was higher than that. It meant she got a bit more time to herself, just a bit, but she wasn’t going to be working at a register all the time anymore.
She was excited for the change of things, especially the pay, as it had gone up from around 100k a year to 150k a year which would allow her and Derrick to do more. The extra money she’d be bringing in, plus any sort of bonus she might get at the year's end, would be used by them both for things they planned together.
Having arrived home, earlier than expected, she’d left a note for him that they’d have dinner together. She was just going out for a walk. She made sure to hint that she’d be powered up, rather than going for a jog or something, so he understood. But she wasn’t sticking around the city either.
She had decided to focus on her wonder, standing in a secluded part of the city's park, as she was intent upon checking out the place. She hadn’t really done much of that the only time she’d been there and she might as well give it a proper go over just to see if there was anything actually worth her time with the place.
The trip there was quick, as teleportation always was, but it was a bit shocking to the system really. The place was also cold, too cold for her clothing, and she hurried her way into the cave where she’d arrived. Her wonder was a cave, or rather a mine, with tracks into the place and the carts one would use to bring up what they’d mined from down deep into the planet. At least in here it wasn’t as cold as outside, as the winds weren’t an issue in here, it kept a rather stable temperature.
The whole of the cave was ice, so finding her footing was no easy task but once she got close to the rails it was easier. She could use those to keep her footing on her way down the path, which she did as she walked between the rails. She didn’t know what she’d run into, if anything, but she kicked bits of ice and stone as she went.Gorner was hoping there would be something down here, something to make her want to come back, as she walked around a cart which had once brought crystals up to the surface.
As the path continued on its slow downward path, her feet slipped here and there, as she continued. The flashlight she had in subspace was finally pulled out so she could see, as it was getting terribly dark down here, and as it lit up the place it really was a sight to behold. While it was cold down here, she’d have to bring warmer clothing next time. She could admire the place as the light bounced off the ice and shone in places, shivering the knight held her arms close about herself while managing to shine her light still, this place would be visited again but in better clothing.
For now she did continue, but for how much longer she didn’t know, as she walked along between the rails she pondered bringing boots with spikes on the bottom so she could have better footing down here. She was certain she could get them from work, and if not she’d find them elsewhere, they would be useful here and a pair for Derrick might be worth investing in as well.
Further down she went, slow and steady, till she started to see bits of something which wasn’t ice. It was dark and upon touch was found to be stone, so she was getting away from the ice and going deep enough down that the ice had yielded to stone and ground. She would have said earth but this wasn’t earth so it didn’t seem fitting here. But as more and more ground showed up, till there was no more ice, the knight knew she was down to where people had started to mine - she was sure of it.
Down here where there was no ice other things, like crystals, and other minerals could be found. But what had been found down here? Looking around at the beams which kept the mine open, and from falling onto her, she hoped they held as they had for so long. Would there be a cave in at some point though? Would she run into a place where the ceiling had given and the ground above had fallen in?
That was a risk, and she knew it, but everything seemed in order as far as she could tell. Nothing looked cracked, bent, or to be giving to pressure. Perhaps it was magic, something lingering, which was keeping things from caving in? It had been like this for long that she was nearly certain it had to be due to magic of some sort, there was no way this weight could otherwise be kept up for so long, things eventually happened and supports gave.
Continuing her walk, for what seemed an hour or more, Gorner finally stopped as her flashlight caught on something. It wasn’t ice, she’d long passed the ice, but whatever it was shone like a rainbow where her light hit it. Approaching the bit of stone wall she reached up, getting on her tip toes to reach it, and let her hands run along the smooth clear crystal, or whatever it was, she knew it was clear and crystal like. Was it what her armor contained? She wasn’t sure but it shone like a dazzling rainbow. If this is what the mine contained she would need to come back with a pickaxe, from above, so she could grab a sample and see if it couldn’t be identified by someone. The question would be who?
Who could she trust, who wouldn’t ask questions, and would help her figure out what was in this mine - if it was something which could be identified even.
She could go back up and grab a pickaxe, she’d passed some on her way down here, but she really was too cold to continue on and remain down here for much longer. The trip back up would be all that she could handle, she was tempted to just teleport from here to home to be honest, but she could make the walk back up. She’d grab a piece of crystal once she returned with a coat over her uniform so she wasn’t freezing.
Turning around Gorner slowly made her way back the way she’d come, watching her step once she hit ice again, she swore to herself that she’d get spikes to put on the bottom of her shoes before she returned again. She was going to order them and have them rushed so she could get back here just a little bit quicker, so she could grab a crystal from down here, she was sure now that she’d return and that there was some worth to this wonder.
The trek back up was slow, she was cold and moving was slower, but she did get there eventually. Having grabbed the pickaxe on the way she left it by where she’d first entered the cave so she could grab it on her way down. It wasn’t a bad thing to have easy, and quick, access to when she next came. For now she’d head home and grab a hot shower, as well as change into something comfortable to lounge about in, before talking to Derrick about her promotion at work. She’d gotten the promotion a week ago but she’d had to go through some training first. It was why she’d kept it under wraps, wanting to make sure it would work for her and that she could manage this new position.
She didn’t want to tell him and have something fall through, which she had worried about, it was a big position and it seemed intimidating at first if she was to be honest. It just seemed so big but that was perhaps because whenever their former district manager came in to visit she felt like this big looking presence was watching them all. It was nerve wracking.
But he’d retired and she’d been offered the position and she’d taken it, it would help her and Derrick and their future together, now she was secure in the spot and sure she could do it. So it was time to tell him the good news.
First though - a hot shower! That in mind she teleported herself home and once safe to power down she did just that. Now for home and that shower.
Word count: 1,541
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Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2023 4:24 pm
(Soonish) August 20, 2023 She’d never noticed her hair getting longer till it was long, and she suddenly realized it one morning in the mirror, but it wasn’t a bad thing. It was just different, she’d always kept her hair fairly short, but Derrick hadn’t minded and while Keely wasn’t the sort to go for loose curls or waves or even what others considered pretty hairstyles she did learn to do things with it.
Youtube was full of videos with all sorts of hair styles being done, so others could learn to do them as well, and she’d sort of gravitated to braids. Not just simple little braids, though it had started out as such, but soon it had turned into viking braids as dubbed by youtube. All sorts of braids and a messy quality to the hair. She didn’t tease her hair much, she didn’t like how it left her with knots to try and get out, but she did like how intricate the looks were.
So she’d binge watched videos, picked her favorites, and worked on learning them on herself in the bathroom. Taking hours she’d sit on the counter top working on her hair, screaming when frustration mounted too high to handle. She’d thrown a brush or a comb a few times as well, nothing had been broken though, but she had learned to do the various braids and styles with her long white hair.
It might look messy to some people, most people even, but Keely loved the styles and wore them to work without much issue. She had gotten a comment or two from stuck up snobs who thought she looked dirty, or trashy, but she did tend to mix the hair styles with very nice business attire so she knew she looked far from dirty and trashy.
With the climb up to manager, from a lead, she had more money coming in and could afford to go to a salon and let them trim her hair, to keep up with split ends, so her hair would grow nice and healthy. She’d let her hair dry in various styles so it wasn’t in her face as it dried itself.
Now as a district manager she had, for an instant, worried about her look and what people might think of her. Would they take her seriously or laugh her off? But the thought had fled rather quickly - who cared. Her opinion, and Derrick’s, were the only ones which mattered when it came to her appearance. So that worry was, again, pushed aside as she stepped out of her car and headed towards the front doors of the store.
This was a store she hadn’t been to before but she was needing to go in and check on things. They had caught a cashier stealing and the head of the pr department for the district was already here and waiting at the doors. She was to meet with them, and others, head handle this situation since it was now her business to deal with these sorts of things. Dressed in dark blue pants, and matching vest, she had on a light blue silk shirt and was ready to get down to business. No matter how she looked they would know she was serious when it came to getting business handled. She would prove herself.
Word count: 553
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Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2023 6:07 pm
(Soonish) August 20, 2023 Keely was sure something was going on in the city, though she wasn’t entirely sure what, as it had started rather innocently. She had been passing an antique store on her way to the salon, she needed a trim on her hair and her eyebrows could use a wax, when she’d given pause at the sight of a very nice intricate mirror in the window.
It was a style she couldn’t picture in her apartment, not really, but it was still very nice and ornate. There was a certain charm to such heavy duty mirrors, as well as how sturdy they seemed, but she could swear she saw a shadow or something in the mirror move. It looked like it was hoving behind her; but nothing was behind her. There were no people there for it to reflect aside from herself, behind her or otherwise, so what was it showing? She wasn’t entirely sure but she’d also been in a bit of a rush, as usual, to get to the salon. Never mind that she was nearly twenty minutes early for her appointment.
Hurrying on off she made it, with fifteen minutes to spare, for her appointment and sat about waiting ten minutes in a chair before the one set to do her hair came over to discuss what she wanted down. For this part Keely did have to take her hair down from the numerous braids and let it all down to the middle of her back, where it was wavy from the style it had been in all day.
Thanking the hair dresser for the compliments about her hair, and how soft and healthy it was, Keely let them hurry off to finish what they’d been doing before they could take her. Another person grabbed her after a short bit and took her to wash her hair, since it would need a quick wash before it could be cut and dealt with.
It was mid way through washing her hair that Keely started to consider letting them dry her hair and perhaps do a simple fishtail braid, something so simple but nice, she didn’t mind the ideas it appealed to her even. She may like the braids she did but Keely did not like how long they took to do. She wasn’t lazy but rather the time doing her hair could be used on other things - a lot of other things. So the idea of letting someone else do a simple style with her hair, rather than styling it herself once home, held a lot of appeal for her. And after a moment's hesitation she did speak up to the one washing her hair, telling them her slight change in plans.
She would, as she said, tell the one actually doing her hair as well but she really did need to put the idea out there and make it final so she couldn’t change her own mind on the idea. Once it was out there she was not going to back down, even if she didn’t like paying to have someone dry her hair, she was set in going for it. It would save her time anyway and she could get home and get some cleaning done rather than doing her hair and then trying to clean some.
Her hair trim, once it was washed and brushed out, had gone well and having her hair dried by someone else went quicker than when she did it. She was not the most coordinated when it came to using a hair dryer and a brush at the same time; she tended to clunk herself in the head with either or. When the braiding was done she was more than pleased and ignored the pain which came with getting her eyebrows waxed, at least the underside, as she was too busy being pleased with her hair had turned out.
Her hair was long and not so easy to manage with a brush and hair dryer, it was almost too long for her arms to manage, it was why braiding took so long and she let her hair air dry. She was thinking of perhaps getting Derrick into braiding her hair once in awhile but she had a feeling he might not want to spend so much time braiding her hair, which she sort of wanted to let grow even longer if for no other reason than to see how long it could get.
Time went fast, or well faster than she expected, but it still took longer than she liked. It always took longer than she liked but it was less work for herself, and for that she was pleased, she also couldn’t go and trim her own hair. So it was worth it even if it was time lost that she’d never get back, and could have used on other things, as she hurried down the street she was certain something was watching her, maybe even following her, as she took another path to her car she still felt it.
Looking over her shoulder, ready to shout at whatever or whoever was following her, she saw nothing. “The ********…?” The words were past her lips before she even caught herself. No one, and nothing, was there it was all empty and silent aside from the rustling of leaves.
The walk to her car would be longer with this route she was taking, she knew it, but she’d also thought she’d lose whatever feeling she was getting. If someone, or something, was following her she figured they’d get lost or give up on her this way. But she wasn’t that lucky and she was getting ready to throw down with whatever was out there; only nothing was out here.
Shaking her head she turned and continued on her way, she knew something was watching her, she was sure something was out there behind her. She could from the corner of her eye see nothing but her senses told her otherwise. This was magic, she was certain of it, because when was it ever not magic in this city? This city was cursed, or something, it seemed and sometimes it really did annoy her yet at the same time it had in a way given her Derrick and their relationship. She was certain that without the magical part of their lives they would not have ever met.
That however did not mean she liked the magical part which made you feel like you were being stalked, not one damn bit, or where the holidays were never safe and entirely enjoyable. Even if she didn’t get involved in any fights during the holiday season something had to happen, even if it was just some creepy gift being sent to her. Nope, this city was out to get her once again and she knew it. Hastening her pace to where her car was parked, cutting down an alleyway, the pale haired figure kept her pace quick but didn’t break out into a run. Whatever was watching her wasn’t making any moves, though she swore she saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye and it moved, she didn’t see anything solid and sure.
The longer trip to her car had Keely sending a text to Derrick to let him know that something magical was going on. She said she wasn’t a hundred percent sure but she was sure enough to tell him, and she knew he’d figure that, as she typed out that something was going on with shadows. She felt like she was being watched and followed even; at least she didn’t feel like she’d be attacked. Hitting send as she turned a corner and headed towards the lot she’d paid to park her car in, some underground lot, Keely hurried her steps as she drew closer to the entrance to the lot and headed inside. Past a few cars towards a counter where she could pay how long her car had been there, hanging over a ticket which said when she’d parked her car, she would have to wait as a worker went to get her car from two levels down where it had been waiting nearly two hours for her.
When her car finally arrived Keely thanked the man who had driven it up to her, a rather tall and broad shouldered man, and with a nod of her head she climbed into her car and plugged her cell phone in so she could play some music on her way home. She needed to, for the moment anyway, forget about the shadows and being followed. She’d deal with this when she got home and could talk to Derrick about it. She didn’t want to dwell on it and worry herself too soon, since it might not be anything to worry about at all.
“I just hope this is all harmless, like Halloween and Christmas.” As they were both mostly harmless. “Better yet, maybe the Star Festival.” Because that was harmless, totally harmless.
Word count: 1,503
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Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2023 5:46 pm
(Soonish) September 3, 2023 Keely had been letting her hair grow for a while now, months at least maybe a year or more, she had lost track of how long she’d been growing her hair for. Oh, she still got trims to handle the deadends but she wasn’t cutting it short like in the past. She’d decided to just let it go and see what happened.
What had happened was simple - it had grown. But more to the point was that her hair had started to get really long; down to her waist, and she had over time gotten bored of letting her hair loose or pulling it back into a simple ponytail or braid. She wanted to do more with her hair, a lot more, and her hair was too heavy for hair sticks it seemed.
The problem she faced, as she grew bored with styling her hair, and sought something new had led Keely to looking things up on youtube in the hopes of finding ideas for what to do with her hair. Some styles were given up rather quickly, certain styles of braids, as she had a somewhat sensitive scalp and other things which just didn’t appeal to her. It wasn’t that she was picky, she really wasn’t, but some things just didn’t interest her for one reason or another.
What she had finally landed on and liked was viking hair styles, not something she had been looking for in particular, it was soon a rabbit hole which Keely had fallen down. The styles, and there were so many, caught her attention. Really it seemed easy and rather up to you how you wanted to braid things and where you wanted to put them. There was a lot of freedom with the braids, which was good because it all looked intimidating to her. It wasn’t something she was going to back down on, that wasn’t in her nature, but neither was taking her time.
It was not taking her time which caused the first problem, not taking her time in braiding led to knots and tangles as she slipped with sections of hair, as Keely soon discovered she did need to take her time a bit more than she’d normally like to. So Keely had worked on it slowly, starting simple, and over time she had wound up with Derrick helping her with styling her hair. Keely was happy with trying new things with her hair, it kept her from growing bored and just hacking it all off.
So with more and more to do with her hair, and growing comfortable in doing her hair, Keely had no problem going to work with her hair in various braided styles much to the surprise of co-workers though several had complimented her hair. It somehow fit her, though she did go for the simple and now boring fishtail braids when she went indoor rock climbing, as she wasn’t the sort to do girly styles as she’d dubbed some hair styles. The new styles stood out in stark contrast with the attire she wore for work, as she was a manager, which was of a more professional style but she supposed it worked well enough as no one had complained about it yet. She had been a bit self conscious the first few times but that had faded rather quickly, as she just didn’t care.
Now she was much more confident in how she looked, it helped that Derrick approved of it and his opinion mattered most next to her own. That was how things had been going on for months now, even her hair stylist who trimmed her hair, liked to see the styles she came in with at each appointment. It really was something she had taken to enjoying, she even had a bit of pride in what she managed to do with her hair, as she knew not everyone could get their fingers to do the braiding she was doing with her hair.
The thing Keely didn’t tell her co-workers was that her partner could braid her hair as well as she did, that he would watch youtube videos with her, as he’d help her try something new with her hair till she got it just right. It was something they both spent time doing together. She wasn’t sure most of her co-workers would understand and it really wasn’t something they needed to know, even when one had asked who did her hair because they couldn’t have done it themselves. She hadn’t told them that Derrick had done her hair that morning, while she’d sat on the toilet seat cover so he could work his fingers through her hair and braid it for her. Her shoulder had been too roughed up, from a fight, and she couldn’t do it herself that morning.
It was actually good to know he could do her hair, to trust he could do it, for those mornings after a fight when she couldn’t manage it herself. She had someone who could brush her hair and do it for her, so she could still go to work presentable, and she knew she’d do whatever she could for Derrick if he was unable to due to injuries. He just didn’t have long hair he needed to worry about. But she also somehow had a feeling he enjoyed helping her out.
Thinking about things as she stood in the bathroom, in front of the mirror, she was working a wooden comb through her hair as she took her hair down since she was home and could shuffle about in loungewear with her hair loose and free of any sort of confines. She had dinner to work on and wanted to pour a glass of wine for herself while she cooked.
Tonight was a good night, as most nights were, even if work might be hard and the Negaverse was still an issue. Each night was a good one if you asked her. After all, she had a home, a partner, and a they both had good jobs. Life was good.
Word count: 1,011
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Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2024 12:29 pm
(Soonish) April 21, 2024 She had, upon powering up, gotten a notice that she was needed at ehr wonder. She was, according to the note, to find her piece of the code and set things right because apparently things were wrong. The note was rather to the point and told her just what to do - that it was important. That was why she headed for her wonder, rather than patrol as she’d planned, because apparently she needed to find some code. She wasn’t even sure what the code was, or what a code was. Was it plural or what?
Arriving at her wonder she took the time to change her foot wear, so she could get around her wonder without slipping on the ice and getting hurt. She kept the ice shoes in subspace, for ease of pulling out to use, and once they were on her feet the white haired knight headed off into the darkness of her wonder. The whole time she’d been putting on the shoes she felt a sense of urgency, like she needed to do something, she needed to be moving and not just standing here working on a pair of shoes. But she needed them - so she didn’t get hurt. She stuffed down that feeling, wanting to make sure she was safe, as far down as she could. It could all wait. From subspace came a flashlight, because she knew she’d need it whenever she went to her wonder. She had started to keep it after her last trip to her wonder.
As she started her walk into the darkness, her flashlight cutting through it easily enough, Gorner was not expecting to see a line of light leading the way. “To where…I must go?” She whispered assuming this new thing, this path of light, was leading her to this code. Following after the light she kept her pace slow, not wanting to slip on the ice, her flashlight moved around as she took in the walls, so far nothing really stood out about this place. It was a mine, that much she knew, but she saw nothing else other than the tracks on the ground leading deep into this artificial cave.
It took ages, or so it seemed, before the walls seemed to change and Gorner was able to see a shimmer in the walls that ran like a river through the rock and cut a glimmering river of blueish clear crystal that shone rainbows when her light hit it right. She was further than she had been the last time, she knew it, she was certain a lot of time had passed and she could only hope her partner wasn’t worried. He knew she’d gone out but not where she’d gone, this hadn’t been planned, she hadn’t thought to tell him about the change in plans.
Following the glowing path, and the shimmering river of crystal which was getting wider and brighter, the white haired knight continued till she hit a central sort of area. Deep down into the ground the path converged with several others and there was a round table made of stone, bench seating followed the circular table, and above it floated something…it looked like a busted slab of something. The light had ended there - at the table.
“The code…” A whispered word, or two words really, as she made for the bench and sat herself down at the table in order to look up at the code hovering there. Leaning up to poke at the thing it took her some time, trying to puzzle out what to do or say, before she just fell silent and stared at it. Finally she just closed her eyes while focusing on the thing hovering above her.
It was while she sat there, eyes closed, that the knight was hit with feelings which slowly gave way to memories which were not her own. The memories were not her own, some voice in the back of her mind said as much, but they certainly felt real and like they were her own. They weren’t so streamlined, like you’d expect, but rather they were snippets of various times and events. Nothing made sense.
When she came out of the trace she could still remember the bits and pieces, which made no sense when put together, they didn’t neatly piece together because they weren’t in order and didn’t even deal with the same thing. Perhaps in time, with more visits, she’d manage all the missing puzzle pieces and make a picture out of the parts she had currently.
Standing, slowly, the knight stretched her stiff joints and wondered just how long she’d been here. It was longer than she thought, she was certain of that, she felt tired but that sense of urgency and need had fled as well. Something peaceful had replaced it, something felt right and settled, and while she wasn’t certain she understood it she knew she’d done whatever she had come here to do. She’d fulfilled the need of the note she’d received. That done and deciding to not go back to patrol the city, but rather to return to the city and power down before returning home, Gorner did just that - return home to Destiny city.
Word count: 871
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