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 Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 7:30 am
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 8:55 am
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D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Days Without You
There was no telling precisely what happened between them.
For weeks, Skadravi traveled through the desert with his girlfriend, and then for even more weeks afterward, they ventured through the previously unexplored (by them) lands of the other half of their heritage. Matori was everything they'd wanted and hoped for. The days were bright and sunny, the people were open and friendly, and they were together. They were together all day and all night, enjoying everything this new land had to offer them and everything they could give to each other.
For a while, that was all anyone could ask for. If it went on like that forever, Dravi thought he'd be just fine with that. Unfortunately, it couldn't. As the supply of tradeable goods they'd taken from the Haven started to diminish, Skadravi started to wonder if they couldn't be just a touch more efficient with their spending.
It was a new practice for Khalel, who was fairly accustomed to her noble father's seemingly endless pockets. Too many nights they spent in the most scenic and expensive inns they could find. Too often did Khalel see an extravagant cloth or string of colored pearls she wanted for her person. And much too frequently did they stop in the market to taste whatever delicacy could be whipped up for two people who'd never enjoyed Matori cuisine.
He was sure they were being duped as often as not. Two dumb teenagers willing to spend anything to keep themselves entertained. Or one woman that was, anyway, and Skadravi couldn't have told her no if his life depended on it. He loved to see Khalel happy, and if she wanted to spend everything they had, he was of a mind to let her.
It was a lifestyle he wasn't used to, but one he was determined to keep up for the woman he loved.
Hardly more than three weeks into their excursion, he got a job. The pay was terrible, the hours were long, and he was exhausted always, but since he had no skills to speak of and was fairly desperate for just about anything that would bring in some coin, Dravi did what he had to do. He had no idea what his girlfriend did during her day, but he suspected it was mostly an effort to undo all of his day's work.
As long as she was happy, he didn't care.
But apparently, she wasn't. In his effort to keep up with her spending habits, Skadravi was also neglecting all of her other needs. They weren't together, anymore. He was gone all hours of the day and night. He was tired and unhappy, and she was alone and having to learn how to do things she'd never had to before. Never mind that he wasn't even earning enough money for them to keep doing what they'd been doing for the first leg of their voyage. He could not keep up with it.
Dravi still didn't understand what precisely happened between them. But Khalel left him, all the same. For all his work, for how hard he'd tried, for everything he'd wanted to give her, she still left him. For all of two days afterward, he kept doing what he'd been doing. The change didn't seem as great, so long as he kept disappearing to work for hours upon hours at a time.
But after just two days, it... didn't seem necessary, anymore. It felt like wasted effort in a place he just did not even care about, anymore. Skadravi left the large city of Edrao.
It might have made more sense for him to leave Matori altogether, but that would mean going back through the deserts of Oba alone and still having nowhere to go, afterwards. Instead of leaving the islands, he moved in deeper, to the smaller, but still bustling town of Besaji.
Not that he knew of anything that was there for him, either, but options were limited, and it would have to do.
x
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Results: Dravi loses his girlfriend.
Word Count: 666 |
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 12:13 pm
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D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
The Perkals
As days ticked into weeks that ticked into months concerning the time Skadravi had spent in Matori, he started to think maybe he was becoming more accustomed to the windy beach landscape. Initially, he hadn't the foggiest idea what he'd do while he was here. Or, well, initially after his girlfriend left him, that is. For a time, he thought he'd be perfectly content to do nothing, as he usually was. Roam the beaches with his bushi familiar, unconcerned about food, shelter, belongings, or hygiene.
Life would work itself out. It usually did. This unfortunately, left him an absurdly unproductive amount of time to think. And while this had never been a problem before, it suddenly seemed like he had a lot more things vying for his mental attention.
Probably best to ignore those and let them work themselves out in their own time. Like life. So instead of doing the norm, he sought out something else to occupy his thoughts with.
Keniza Perkal was quite literally the oldest living Earthling Skadravi had ever known. She was about half his height, scrawny, and though he couldn't say for sure, she seemed to be very near both blind and deaf. And frankly, all of this made her some kind of wizard. Despite her usual claims that she 'couldn't see him,' their initial meeting had happened purely on accident. From his spot on the beach, he'd watched her knock a young Matori woman from a docked boat and into the water. When the woman dragged herself from the surf, she didn't bother returning to Keniza's side. Instead, she'd spat curses and strode off.
Keniza had turned straight toward him, looked him dead in the face, pointed her walking cane at him, and demanded to know if he was "just going to stand there or was he going to make himself useful?"
He'd scrambled to aid her in unloading her very fishy haul from the boat that day, and though they'd never come to any formal agreement (Dravi didn't dare try and bring one up), she'd somehow decided if he showed up, helped her haul in her nets, and then also carted their finds to the market, she would reward him with a place to sleep and five percent of the day's findings (usually somewhere between two coins and six fish). Skadravi thought it was delightful!
Except when it wasn't. Keniza was sort of rude most days.
Today was no exception. She walked about a foot ahead of him while he carried a great many paper-wrapped packages of very smelly ocean water-breathers. She snapped at him to "hurry up with those long legs!" When he trotted up a little closer, the complaints began. "Those Jauharian insectopods been skulking 'round here," she griped. "Already found themways into my stand. Don' even eat the fish, just lay their eggs on top of 'em like they'ze was a nest! You get rid of 'em today, boy."
Dravi nodded quickly and crisply. It wasn't enough.
"You understand me?" She demanded.
"Yes ma'am!" Honestly, there could not be another person on this world like her.
It wasn't a long walk from the docks toward the market, but it was one in which Dravi had to manage his decreased visibility due to his armload of fish, the somehow quickened pace of his very short and nearly blind employer (he wanted to ask how on Tendaji she managed, but didn't expect Keniza would appreciate the question), and the milling crowd of noonday people. They didn't exactly go out of their way to avoid him, despite Skadravi being near half-a-head taller than most. It would've been a stressful journey.
If Dravi was one for such things. He wasn't going to stir up a pot of annoyance unnecessarily, but if it came, he wouldn't be especially offended by it. The woman at his side was full of loud opinions and complaints, and she always would be, regardless of what he did.
So even if the young hybrid couldn't immediately see her, he felt the tension ripple through the air, near palpable and had the briefest second to wonder what he'd done to offend her this time. Except when Keniza barked, it strangely wasn't in his direction. "You there! Boy!" She stormed away from him, and Dravi trotted to keep up, curiously peering around his packages.
The first thing he noted wasn't the state of the woman's stall. Rather, it was the smattering or pale, sickly green orbs doted around the market square. He wasn't the only one to notice them. Many of the other stall owners were attempting to sweep the orbs into buckets for disposal or plucking them up by hand, with limited success. They were apparently sticky and looked quite oozy, even on site. Skadravi's nose crinkled. Then he was looking back toward his employer, the cracked wood of their stand, and a very sheepish looking Water boy that Dravi had never seen.
Keniza didn't pause to ask who the culprit was. "Is this how youngsters spend their days?" She snapped, jabbing the offensive young man in the arm with her cane. "Ruining the labors of a poor old woman? Wrecking the market experience for all these shoppers? You proud of yourself, boy?" She demanded of the interloper.
"But Grandma, I-"
"You." Dravi didn't have to see her to know when she addressed him. He stepped to her side, layered the packages of fish in the shade of a building, and looked the young male head-on. All Water-folk looked about the same to him, but this pair, as his gaze swiveled between them, they actually looked... even more so? Despite their obvious age and gender differences. He didn't have long to dwell on it. Keniza tapped Dravi's leg with her cane. "You two fix this mess up. Don't you waste no time. Got the whole rest of the day ahead of us." She scoffed loudly and hobbled along to find a place to 'rest her bones' that wasn't covered in foreign creature ooze.
Skadravi's attention wandered back to the other boy, younger than Dravi himself, and now suitably sour at the encounter. "Did you really call her 'Grandma," he questioned, as if he hadn't been around to hear it with his own ears.
"Aye," the boy grunted, tone clipped, as he nudged at a piece of wood from their stand and scooted a jelly-like egg across the ground and away from it.
He didn't seem to be the most friendly sort. Must run in the family. "Doesn't get along with you either, huh?" Dravi prompted. "What brings you out here, if you don't even seem to get along with her that well?"
The unnamed boy glanced in Skadravi's direction, grunted, then continued on with his task. The hybrid man took the interim of silence to also pick up on his work ethic. The sludge eggs needed to be removed and the stand put back in order. A youngster wasn't about to handle all that himself. So Dravi set to the task of making their stall structure stable once more. It wasn't especially difficult, as there really weren't that many pieces to contend with.
As Dravi chucked a snapped bit of wood sidelong, the boy muttered, "I only leaned on it a bit. I was just waiting for Grandma to get here, and I only leaned on it a bit..."
Ah. Skadravi scritched the back of his head. "Hey, you gotta know she's not really mad at you, right?" He asked with a c**k of his head. "She's temperamental like that all the time. I wouldn't think anything of it."
"Well, you don't have to live with her..." Dravi blinked, and the boy swept away the last of the insects' remains. "I do, and that attitude starts to wear on you, after a while. She's mean all the time. And loud, and ungrateful. You can't make her happy, no matter what. It feels like she doesn't even want us there, most of the time..." Dravi couldn't find it in himself to refute the claim, because for as much as he knew Keniza, it all sounded very possible. The boy shrugged. "I'm Laos, by the way."
"Nice to meet you. Name's Dravi." He extended a friendly hand, and after only a brief moment of debate, Laos took it, and they shook. "Hey, don't let her get to, though, y'know? Granny or not, she's still just one person. Don't let her put you down. You'll pull through."
They spent the next hour discussing and laughing over the various absurd tasks they'd been assigned by the old woman. Despite Laos' initial reservations, he seemed much more friendly by the end of it, and when Keniza returned, the young man was in much higher spirits.
Skadravi tended to the stall while the pair of Perkals discussed... whatever Laos had come out here for, and he tried not to be too obvious in his attempts to listen in. It seemed to involve Laos' father and some great upset that this caused his mother, and- gah, he really couldn't hear them well enough.
Either way, Laos departed, and Keniza returned to their stall. When she did, Dravi had the unnerving impression that she was looking him over, harder and more intense than she ever had before, and gods damn it all, she really couldn't possibly have that bad eyesight, to give him shivers like this. When she spoke, it was in a low, wary tone. "You get along good with my grandson?"
Dravi shrugged, and hoped he didn't sound like he was extremely wary of this line of questioning. "Yeah, guess we got on fine. He's a good kid."
More silence, much more than Skadravi thought he'd ever had from the woman, but in the end, she cracked her skinny shoulders, fixed him with her too-near-dead-looking orange eyes, and grunted. "You'll come over for dinner, tonight. You know where the house is. Won't let you in if yer late. And by the gods, you better dress nice and smell good, boy."
It felt like one of those times where he really wanted to refuse, but didn't have much choice in the matter.
x
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Results: Dravi makes friends with his new employer and her family.
Word Count: 1695 |
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 8:38 am
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D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Gussied Up
Most days after work (which was apparently an all day, every day type of deal, though he hadn't known as much at the time of agreeing to it), Skadravi wanted to do little more than crawl by the tattered canvas flap of his shack and flop down onto a mess of floor blankets. He wasn't accustomed to working hard, definitely not for more than one or two days in a row, and the strenuousness of it really did feel like it was starting to wear on him.
Keniza didn't have patience for boys who weren't prepared to pull their weight (and hers) full time, so saying as much to her wasn't really on the table. And doing what she asked when she asked seemed to be one of the reasons she kept him around at all.
He hadn't been able to refuse her 'invitation' for dinner, and while he might've thought at first that she was only teasing about his smell and appearance, teasing wasn't really something she excelled at. After spending the day hauling fish and then cleaning up egg slime, he probably smelled rather rank, anyway.
So rather than make his way immediately into bed once his chores were done, Skadravi instead sought outside aid in the same marketplace where he spent a large portion of his day. After a month of working with Keniza and her wares, many of the other merchants (and shoppers) knew his name and face, if nothing else. After all, a tall, muddy-looking hybrid boy wasn't especially hard to miss. More importantly, he knew a few of them, and the woman in question was just preparing to lock for the evening herself when he approached.
Admittedly, he wasn't sure if he knew her well enough to ask for favors, but he didn't have a great many options. "Ada," Skadravi greeted as he stepped up to her establishment, broad grin already in place.
She was an old woman, though nowhere near as old as Keniza, herself and also significantly less constantly in an appalling temper. Her business had its own storefront and an actual structure to boot, rather than the makeshift stall Dravi and Keniza sat up each day. He was fairly certain the building doubled as her place of residence, though he'd never stopped to ask. When Ada spotted him, she moved from her shop's entryway to meet as he approached, and smiled a smile of her own. "I didn't think you lingered about the market if you could help it, Skadravi. Do you need something?"
He really ought to be polite and try and engage her in a bit of small talk before diving right in, but Dravi couldn't imagine that she hadn't already spent her day talking to everyone else, and he wasn't entirely sure what time he was required to be at his employer's residence by. He didn't beat around the bush. "It just so happens that I can't help it, today," Dravi informed her sheepishly, as he scratched the back of his neck. "I- erm, got orders from Keniza to be real-presentable-like, so I could join her family for dinner tonight. She's never offered before, so it's a bit weird, but I can't say no to her, either."
"Well, it seems you ought to get started on that. I wouldn't keep her waiting, if I were you."
The first hints of color started to rise to Skadravi's cheeks. "Right, right, I wasn't planin' on it, but... I dunno much about how to fix myself up all nice like, and since you, errr..." He peered over her shoulder, toward the door of her shop. "You help girls do their hair and smell real nice all the time, so I'd hoped-"
Ada crossed her arms and quirked a brow at him. "They usually pay me for my trouble, and they tend to come around before closing hours."
"I didn't say I wouldn't pay," Dravi assured hastily. "It might just take a couple days, and it'd prolly come in small increments, but..."
The older woman looked at him, yellow gaze scrapping upward from his bare, dirty feet to the unmanageable tangled mop of dark umber curls on his head. Skadravi tried not to look terribly embarrassed. He didn't know what precisely she expected of him, but she scoffed and shook he head all the same. "Come in, then," Ada grunted as she turned toward her boutique, waving a beckoning hand for him to follow. "If I've ever seen a charity case, you fit the bill. I'll help you out because you and I both know if you don't meet expectations, you won't have a job, anymore, and everything will go all to pieces from there."
He thought he heard her mutter, 'Keniza, that conniving old bat, putting poor boys in these situations...' but he couldn't be sure, so rather than comment on it, Dravi simply beamed and trotted after her with a word of thanks.
He couldn't say he'd ever actually been inside her shop before, as Ada's services were not generally of interest to him, but it was very neat all the same, with rows upon rows of vials of shampoos, soaps, and perfumes and another corner with fabrics and trinkets.
"There's a bath in the back," Ada informed him as she stuffed a few bottles into his arms. "The water will be cold, but you ought to be quick about it anyway. This one for your hair," she told him as she gestured to first one bottle, then the next. "This one for your body. I suggest you scrub. And by the gods, do not put this filth back on once you've finished," she demanded, plucking at the end of Dravi's shirt. "Off you go, hurry up."
Off he went. Skadravi couldn't say for sure how he felt about bathing in a woman's home, but, she'd invited, and he didn't have time to consider another plan of action. He stripped, and stepped into the properly freezing water.
Ada'd been right about that being encouragement enough to hurry things along. At the same time, he wasn't entirely sure when his next opportunity for this thorough a scrubbing to be. He wanted to take the time to appreciate it, but in the end, impatience won out. Her soaps smelled strangely spicy, with some hint of citrus that he hoped was more manly than feminine. Either way, it would have to do. He selected a towel, wrapped it around himself, stepped from the water, and peered around the corner for Ada.
She spotted him immediately. "Finished?" She didn't wait for a nod. "Come out, then, let's get you dressed."
If he'd been blushing before, it returned with a vengeance now. "Like this?"
"I swear I'm not interested in ogling your little boy bits. Come on. I don't want to give the entirety of my evening to you, and you're wasting my time." She sounded clipped enough that she probably wasn't teasing, so, still clutching at his towel, Dravi joined her in the main foyer room.
"I've picked out a few things for you," she informed him before he even made it to her side. "They'll suit you much more than the drab you've been wearing." Apparently his current attire was unacceptable. She folded an armload of fabric into his arms. "If you're going to live here in Matori, you ought to dress like it. Put them on, go. Hurry up."
Skadravi scrambled to do as she'd bid. Though he was still hesitant on if Matori colors actually suited him. They were certainly brighter than his usual wear. The fabric was softer, or just newer, more likely. The drape of a blue-green sash was patterned brightly and adorned with colorful ornamentation. He didn't think it suited him for everyday purposes. And the shirt... "It's a bit... tighter than I'm used to," Dravi complained once he returned to Ada for inspection.
"But it looks well enough," she retorted. "And you were told to be presentable, not comfortable. Your hair, next."
Dravi grinned and had to cover a chuckle. This woman was bought to learn a thing or two about what was and was not possible. Ada went at it with a brush, despite his look. She rubbed oils into the frayed ends of his hair and combed it into something that likely wasn't what she intended. There was a brief pause, at one point, and with his back to her, he knew she was seeing the ends of his scars poking through the edge of his shirt. But she didn't comment, and he didn't feel the need to explain. In the end, Ada didn't do much besides pull it back into an unfortunately tight horsetail. One that he'd remove as soon as he was out of sight.
Once finished, the old woman gave him a final look-over, top-to-bottom, front to back. "It'll do," she decided at length. "Not much pleases Keniza, but she'll know you tried, and that ought to count for something."
"I really appreciate it," Dravi murmured, hoping he sounded sincere enough to make her believe it. He was grateful, of course, but that probably didn't count as much as he would've liked. That didn't mean he didn't fidget in his tight shirt and airy undergarments and boots. What a pain shoes were...
Ada waved him away. "You'll have to tell me all about it, of course, when you get the chance. I suggest you get going. That old bat doesn't like to be kept waiting."
He bowed, muttered another slew of thanks, then did as she bid.
x
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Results: Skadravi needs to get gussied up.
Word Count: 1595 |
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Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 10:28 am
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D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Anticipation
He didn't know precisely how he expected the night to go, but for all the months he'd worked with Keniza, he'd never once been invited to her abode for anything, especially not a free meal. He'd never before met any of her grandchildren, either, and she'd never told him he needed to be 'presentable.' Skadravi wasn't a gambling man, but he'd bet that things were liable to only get stranger.
And so they did, starting with Keniza's housemates. He was welcomed into their home not by his employer, but by another woman, who appeared to be just a few short years older than Dravi himself. She was short and lean, with dark hair and the most stunningly vibrant eyes he'd ever seen on a Matori female. But it was the playful upward tilt of her full lips and the mischievous light in her bright eyes that made Vecari Perkal the most interesting specimen of the night.
She wasn't a chattery thing, but what Vecari lacked in vocal communication, her family more than made up for. Keniza explained that Laos, the boy from the market, and Vecari were two of the b*****d offspring from her wayward son. The pair had different mothers, and there were probably 'gods know how many other women' who hadn't sought Keniza out to take over childcare practices. The elder Matori didn't sound especially pleased by this.
"Boy, help me carry the food to the table- not," she gestured to Laos, who'd stood from his place on the floor as if to make his way after her. "you. Stay, Laos. Skadravi, come."
He obeyed, strolling after the older woman as she led him from their dining room to the kitchen area beyond. He figured she would instruct him further on what to place where and how to handle things once he stepped past the threshold after her, but she didn't. Keniza just stood there, with her age-old misty gaze directed at the wall. "So, I uh... I ought to get the meat out of the broiler, I suppose. Those pots look a little too heavy for you to be lifting-"
"No."
He blinked. "If you need help reaching something on the higher shelves, you just lemme know what you're looking for-"
"No."
Dravi tipped his head, scratched at the back of his neck, and waited another span of seconds for further instruction. When he moved to step around her to do anything that seemed like it would be of use, she slapped a hand to his chest, and stalled him in his tracks. "Then what would you like me to do for you?"
It was yet another handful of seconds before Keniza grunted. "She will be just like her father..." Her voice was soft. The hybrid bot wasn't entirely sure if he was meant to hear it at all, but then she shuffled about, turning to face Dravi fully and pinning the full-force of her nearly-blinded stare on him. "And that is a trouble I am much to old for now. She'll run amok, causing turmoil and mischief, and she'll find herself taken away by the guard. I won't be able to help her, then."
Skadravi blinked again. "I'm still not real clear on what I'm supposed to do here...?" He admitted hesitantly.
"Help her," Keniza hissed. "I've worked with you for months, now. You're charming, hardworking, reliable, and you will be easy enough to keep an eye on, unlike any other rabble she might take an interest in. Make her like you. Calm her down. Keep her out of trouble."
It was such a rare instance when Skadravi felt bold enough to question the old woman, and though he thought he knew what she was getting at and had a vague understanding of her reasons, it wasn't quite enough for him to stay his tongue. "You could just ask her to behave a bit better. Let her know you're worried and that you care for her. Doesn't seem like there's enough reason to bring an outsider-"
"Do you think I haven't tried that?" There was enough venom in her tone that Dravi had to glance away. "I'm tellin' you to do this cause this is the solution I done come up with, and you will do it." The combination of inquisitiveness and refusal must've shown on his face, because she continued without a beat. "I'm an old woman. Been Around a long time. Know lots of people. Got many friends. You like living in Matori? You like having a job and a place to sleep at night?"
Wary hesitance lanced through Dravi's chest as he stared at the elder Matori woman. She gave him a prompting jab in the ribs in demand of an answer, so he nodded mutely.
"Good. Do things right, I'll see that you're happy." Another jab, this time in warning. "Muck it up, and you won't be. That's my promise to you."
x
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Results: Is this... blackmail?
Word Count: 820 |
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2017 9:25 am
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G R O W T H x S O L O
Back to Basics
"Dravi. Skadraaaviii-" There was a dust of breath over his cheek then the edge of his ear. "Wake uuup." She dragged each word out, the tone of Vecari's voice perfectly mimicking that mischievous glint he'd seen in her eyes upon their meeting. The ends of her long hair tickled across his chest, and her slender fingers teased ever-so-lightly against his abdomen. Despite this, he knew it was early, and he knew even more so that he did not want to be awake for any of the older girl's antics. He sighed out a soft breath and adamantly refused to open his eyes.
All of this could've been avoided if he still slept in his shack. But Keniza, true to her word, decided Skadravi would be much happier with an actual bed and four real walls. Those 'four real walls' happened to be inside the Perkal family home. She could go on as much as she liked about his happiness, but Dravi wasn't dumb enough to think he lived here for his own enjoyment.
The proximity meant she could watch him like a bird of prey, and see to it that he did everything imaginable and more to keep Vecari out of trouble.
Or she would make his life miserable, or something like that.
Despite having been at this task for months now, long enough to have gained a bit of trust from all of the family, he still wasn't entirely sure on the rules of engagement, here. But he was pretty sure it boiled down to just the most basic ideas of, 'keep Vecari out of jail' and 'don't get her pregnant.' The only reason he suspected as much was because the girl was in his room now, and most nights prior, and Keniza knew she was, and that apparently wasn't worth the offense Skadravi initially feared.
Which suited him just fine. Admittedly, it would've suited him better if Vecari was less of a tease and just a fraction more... interested in what Dravi would've liked to come after the teasing playfulness, but he supposed he ought to be happy with what he had.
Vecari let out a quiet huff when he didn't respond more actively to her. Then came the sting, sharp and unexpected to the side of his jaw. Skadravi yipped softly and jolted upright. He rubbed the spot where she'd bitten him and hoped he looked suitably annoyed when he grunted out, "I'm awake." Sure enough, a sidelong glance to the window proved the it was indeed early. The sky was still dark.
Not that Vecari seemed to mind. She grinned, and had the bright, chipper demeanor of someone all-too-comfortable in the dark hours of morning. "Wanna go out?"
"Right now?" He grumbled, scratching lazily at the back of his neck and keeping his gaze trained on the lands beyond the window. It was more likely late rather than early. The stars were still out... Not really the time to be 'going out,' in his opinion.
Vecari didn't care about that, either. "Yes, right now, but..." She shrugged and adopted the most nonchalant, completely uninterested gaze she could muster. "You don't have to, if you don't wanna. I can go by myself." They both knew he wouldn't let that happen. These weren't the hours anyone wanted to be out alone. Skadravi frowned. Though he was usually an easy-going, amenable lad, he wasn't hugely fond of being suckered into inescapable situations.
They left the house together, anyway.
Dravi couldn't say precisely how the woman in his company got to be the way she was. They didn't often (or ever) talk about her past, so he only knew the things Keniza had hinted at before. But he did know that Vecari was older than him with much less work ethic and, while he wouldn't have considered himself a mature man, he certainly outclassed her in that regard, as well. The only thing he could think of was that she was really very desperate for attention, though likely not so much as from Keniza as from her own father. Making friends and running amok with an Oban hybrid probably furthered that goal. He never thought to ask to be sure, though.
The market street, the same one where Dravi spent a large portion of his day, was all but dead at this time of night, with the only sound coming from the rustle of palm leaves in the wind.
Vecari too, kept her voice low, not wanting to disturb any of the shopkeepers that kept their home and business together. "I saw the most wondrous thing while I was out yesterday," she informed him in a quietly thrilled hum. "It was a beautiful, bright orange and gold necklace, with the most stunning gemstones I'd ever seen. Have you heard of imperial topaz?"
That ought to have been his first clue that this night wasn't going to end well. He had heard of imperial topaz, in fact, it'd been the last thing he tried to take from his stepfather, before... Dravi rubbed warily at the tip of a scar edging just over his shoulder. "Mm, I have," he admitted warily. "It's really not so pretty, though. There are plenty nicer things that-"
"I want it."
The statement was so simple, so concise, yet it carried a great deal of dread into Dravi's stomach. He was supposed to be keeping her out of trouble, supposed to be helping her make good choices and be an upstanding citizen, and, most importantly, he didn't want a repeat of last time. "A lot of people want a lot of things, and it doesn't always happen that you get-"
She dipped ahead of him, and spun quickly on one foot to face him as she linked her arms behind her back. "Look, I said I want it. I'd be happy to get it myself, but if you make me do that, Grandma won't be pleased. And, if I have to go into one of those shops, I'll make a ruckus. I'm not very good at breaking in, you see. Someone could hear. Someone could come check it out, and if they did, I might not be fast enough to get away. I could get caught. You could leave me, but you'd be in a whole mess of trouble, so you will get caught too. Then we'll both be in trouble, and you'll have a lot more to deal with than you thought possible. I could get it myself, but you don't want to take that risk."
There were so many things he ought to say, so many things he could probably do to keep himself out of this unfairly turbulent shitshow. But he couldn't think of them. Instead, all Dravi felt was this rising, boiling anger surging up in his chest, dark, clawing, and far stronger than anything he'd felt in a long time.
It felt suspiciously like that hate he'd felt toward his stepfather in those moments of trapped fear and resignation.
"Fine." The word slipped out in a soft hiss. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but at least he knew how to pick locks. At least he could be quiet. At least it wasn't the shop of anyone he'd actually grown to like over his time spent on this island. At least it was over quick.
There was no one around, there was no form of security besides a locked door and trust, and even as Dravi slipped into the shop and took Vecari's current item-of-interest, he couldn't help but think this was as much the shopkeeper's fault as it was his. Really, they ought to have some kind of animal guard or something. But he knew this was a close-knit village. Everyone knew most people who shopped and worked here, and no one expected their friends and neighbors to steal from them.
By the time both Dravi and his female companion were back outside and far enough away that they could speak normally, Vecari was bouncing in anticipation. He hadn't yet handed over her necklace. "Oh, can I have it now? Is it very heavy? You'll have to tell me what looks best with-"
"No."
The word came out so sharp and clipped that the older girl's excitement was gone in the blink of an eye. She rounded on him, irritation making her face much less attractive and tugging down hard on the corners of her lips. "Why not? You can't not give it to me. I'll tell-"
"Oh, you can tell whoever you like," Dravi snapped back. "But if I were you, I wouldn't, because from what I hear, more often than not, you get caught and walk away with nothing." She stilled and blinked at him in confusion, clearly taken aback by his rebuttal. "To me, it sounds like you're looking for a fall guy and probably need all the help you can get when you actually want to be successful. You couldn't do anything without me. Your grandma would be watching you, the guard would be on you, and you wouldn't have anyone to take the blame for you. So if I were you," he repeated tersely. Vecari had the decency to glance away. "I'd consider this a down payment for anything else you might want in the future."
Seconds ticked by. The two of them stood there, with Skadravi glaring at her and Vecari with her head down, until the realization of what he said dawned on her. She glanced up quickly. "'In the future?'"
He didn't dignify it with an answer, but already her excitement was starting to bubble up again. She could lose one piece of jewelry. She'd lost plenty before, but being given the future was a far better reward anyway. Dravi grunted and brushed by her as he walked ahead. "I'm going back to bed. It's too early for all this."
With her spirit lifted back to max capacity, Vecari bounded to keep up with him. She grinned as she threaded her arm about his and leaned her head against his shoulder.
What a fun bonding exercise.
x
x
Results: Skadravi has been a good, honest, hardworking guy since his last attempt at thievery ended up going pretty poorly. He was determined not to make his girlfriend suffer by repeating past mistakes, and he tried very hard to give her everything he could with just perseverance and a good attitude. She ended up leaving him, anyway, and that pretty much sets the scene for his current mood and mindset.
He's never been assertive or aggressive, and when backed into a corner, he's more likely to just take whatever comes than do anything about it. Except for this time. When no options are good options, Dravi is getting tired of being used and walked on. So while he does eventually give into Vecari's wants, he also establishes a different dynamic between them, in that he's not going to give her everything for nothing in return, as has been the case with most of his past blunders. It also sets him up to sometimes just allow himself the luxury of the easy way. He works hard and is a good guy, but he just doesn't need to put forth so much energy that it exhausts him.
Word Count: 1684 |
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