Rum Raisin 11-15 (and many other flavors)
Master Work: Sparksong
Challenges/Toppings/Extras: Rum Raisin #11 (messenger), Kiwi-Strawberry #19 (fanfare) + Sprinkles + Pocky
Rating: G
Title: Meeting
Summary: News travels, particularly war news.
Notes: Follows S.O.S.
Battle on the southwest border, invasion from Anwyn imminent. I reviewed the message in my head again. Once the order of information was as good as possible, I went over tone and pace and the proper decorum until I was sure that while the content might be upsetting, the delivery wouldn’t be (how to be as in as pleasing as possible to both my employer and the recipient was something of a specialty of mine).
It was always nervewracking, waiting. But there were the trumpets and my announcement, and the grand doors slid open noiselessly, granting me the lord’s presence.
Master Work: Sparksong
Challenges/Toppings: Rum Raisin #12 (guide), Vanilla #17 (stranded) + Cherry (all dialogue) + Pocky
Rating: PG-13 (f-bomb)
Title: Complications
Summary: It’s hard out there.
Notes: I think it’s Julian and Conri here, but if I think about it more it could also be an unusually swear-y Meivu and a long-suffering Julian.
“Okay, so run through it again just so I can be sure everything went wrong that could.”
“We don’t have any money. Our valiant steeds, stolen by some idiot who probably thought he could cross the plains with mountain-bred horses. The food here sucks. Our escort has bailed because of some storm he can ‘sense in his bones’, and oh yeah, because we don’t have any money to pay him.”
“When do we have to be in Anwyn?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Can’t we just go back?”
“Nope. Without horses we can’t cross the pass, even without a storm coming in.”
“Fuck.”
Master Work: Sparksong
Challenges/Toppings: Rum Raisin #13 (victim), Chocolate #5 (mercy), Rocky Road #26 (unholy place) + Hot Fudge + Cookie Crumbs + Chopped Nuts + Pocky
Rating: PG-13
Title: Caged Bird Redux
Summary: From the outside.
Notes: Wow that is a lot of challenges. Unknown villain POV version of Caged Bird. I keep coming back to this AU…
She had come in proud, all warrior, determined to fight to the end.
But like all humans, she couldn’t handle the bitter loneliness.
By the end of the first month, even distant scraping noises (as we extracted information from another prisoner, though she couldn’t know this) sent her into a frenzy.
She made a noose three months in, and went catatonic when we took it.
When we killed another; she watched with apathy.
We thought it was apathy.
But it was calculation.
In the chaos following, she showed us more mercy - in quick deaths - than we ever had for her.
Master Work: Sparksong
Challenges/Toppings: Rum Raisin #14 (benefactor), Chocolate #12 (understanding), Chocolate Chip Mint #27 (dangerous) + Pocky
Rating: G
Title: Maneuver
Summary: Zahra was born to handle the necessary evils.
Notes: Oh dear. I kept wanting to write in dark chuckles and gleeful hand rubbing. Not that kind of necessary evil, no.
“…so if you want this to go, hmm, smoothly, should probably take my advice.”
“I should, should I?” It took willpower to stop herself from growling, but Zahra managed to sound more weighing than challenging. If this… patron… knew anything about her, he would beware an easy deal, but as he had already pulled out his pipe - and made comments about her “ragtag band” besides - she couldn’t imagine him having a clue. Hot water indeed.
“Ah, we understand one another.”
She was desperate, but he couldn’t know that.
She smiled. “Perhaps.” I see you. Little mouse, can you see me?
Master Work: Sparksong
Challenges/Toppings/Extras: Rum Raisin #15 (stranger), Red Hot Cinnamon #12 (blaze/inferno) + Pocky
Rating: M
Title: The Laughing Demon
Summary: The night the tower burned.
Notes: Fills in some gaps in S.O.S. but I don’t know if it counts as Cookie Crumbs since it’s just a “this is what he was doing while he was out of frame for a few minutes” situation. *shrug* I’m not happy with this one either.
He came with fire.
It had been a quiet night, until the laughing demon came with a grin and a knife through his captain’s throat… and he saw his own mortality reflected in amber.
But the demon just smiled and held a finger to his lips, before slipping out the door.
And he shuddered with relief - too shocked that he had been spared to sound the alarm - until the door glowed red and flames licked under the crack.
He screamed then, the shouts of his fellow soldiers echoing in the night.
Heat and smoke and screaming and fire fire fire
Challenges/Toppings/Extras: Rum Raisin #11 (messenger), Kiwi-Strawberry #19 (fanfare) + Sprinkles + Pocky
Rating: G
Title: Meeting
Summary: News travels, particularly war news.
Notes: Follows S.O.S.
Battle on the southwest border, invasion from Anwyn imminent. I reviewed the message in my head again. Once the order of information was as good as possible, I went over tone and pace and the proper decorum until I was sure that while the content might be upsetting, the delivery wouldn’t be (how to be as in as pleasing as possible to both my employer and the recipient was something of a specialty of mine).
It was always nervewracking, waiting. But there were the trumpets and my announcement, and the grand doors slid open noiselessly, granting me the lord’s presence.
Master Work: Sparksong
Challenges/Toppings: Rum Raisin #12 (guide), Vanilla #17 (stranded) + Cherry (all dialogue) + Pocky
Rating: PG-13 (f-bomb)
Title: Complications
Summary: It’s hard out there.
Notes: I think it’s Julian and Conri here, but if I think about it more it could also be an unusually swear-y Meivu and a long-suffering Julian.
“Okay, so run through it again just so I can be sure everything went wrong that could.”
“We don’t have any money. Our valiant steeds, stolen by some idiot who probably thought he could cross the plains with mountain-bred horses. The food here sucks. Our escort has bailed because of some storm he can ‘sense in his bones’, and oh yeah, because we don’t have any money to pay him.”
“When do we have to be in Anwyn?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Can’t we just go back?”
“Nope. Without horses we can’t cross the pass, even without a storm coming in.”
“Fuck.”
Master Work: Sparksong
Challenges/Toppings: Rum Raisin #13 (victim), Chocolate #5 (mercy), Rocky Road #26 (unholy place) + Hot Fudge + Cookie Crumbs + Chopped Nuts + Pocky
Rating: PG-13
Title: Caged Bird Redux
Summary: From the outside.
Notes: Wow that is a lot of challenges. Unknown villain POV version of Caged Bird. I keep coming back to this AU…
She had come in proud, all warrior, determined to fight to the end.
But like all humans, she couldn’t handle the bitter loneliness.
By the end of the first month, even distant scraping noises (as we extracted information from another prisoner, though she couldn’t know this) sent her into a frenzy.
She made a noose three months in, and went catatonic when we took it.
When we killed another; she watched with apathy.
We thought it was apathy.
But it was calculation.
In the chaos following, she showed us more mercy - in quick deaths - than we ever had for her.
Master Work: Sparksong
Challenges/Toppings: Rum Raisin #14 (benefactor), Chocolate #12 (understanding), Chocolate Chip Mint #27 (dangerous) + Pocky
Rating: G
Title: Maneuver
Summary: Zahra was born to handle the necessary evils.
Notes: Oh dear. I kept wanting to write in dark chuckles and gleeful hand rubbing. Not that kind of necessary evil, no.
“…so if you want this to go, hmm, smoothly, should probably take my advice.”
“I should, should I?” It took willpower to stop herself from growling, but Zahra managed to sound more weighing than challenging. If this… patron… knew anything about her, he would beware an easy deal, but as he had already pulled out his pipe - and made comments about her “ragtag band” besides - she couldn’t imagine him having a clue. Hot water indeed.
“Ah, we understand one another.”
She was desperate, but he couldn’t know that.
She smiled. “Perhaps.” I see you. Little mouse, can you see me?
Master Work: Sparksong
Challenges/Toppings/Extras: Rum Raisin #15 (stranger), Red Hot Cinnamon #12 (blaze/inferno) + Pocky
Rating: M
Title: The Laughing Demon
Summary: The night the tower burned.
Notes: Fills in some gaps in S.O.S. but I don’t know if it counts as Cookie Crumbs since it’s just a “this is what he was doing while he was out of frame for a few minutes” situation. *shrug* I’m not happy with this one either.
He came with fire.
It had been a quiet night, until the laughing demon came with a grin and a knife through his captain’s throat… and he saw his own mortality reflected in amber.
But the demon just smiled and held a finger to his lips, before slipping out the door.
And he shuddered with relief - too shocked that he had been spared to sound the alarm - until the door glowed red and flames licked under the crack.
He screamed then, the shouts of his fellow soldiers echoing in the night.
Heat and smoke and screaming and fire fire fire