There was always a chance of injury when sparring. Particularly when sparring with someone that you were particularly competitive with (like ones brother). Hadyn didn't even remember how it happened, other than a series of complicated moves, and progressively annoyed Jordan. He'd lost his knife, but thanks to Elisha's training over the past year, ( Read more... )

While normally, Tally's Monday night would be occupied with a beginning sword class, today it's been cancelled in favor of caroling. That's right, the Jack of Diamonds tried to get a group together to go with her, but even if no one else shows, she'll go on her merry way, knocking on doors to offer a few (off-key) notes of festive cheer. She's ( Read more... )

It's a couple days before Christmas - less than that, really, considering most of today has flown by. Blythe needs to take a break from worrying about the status of the Deck and the inability to get supplies. There are presents for everyone waiting to be wrapped. The solution seems obvious. So anyone coming to visit the Ace of Hearts today will see ( Read more... )

I don't know about this one.It was a few weeks ago that Alasdair first came up with the brilliant plan to find an apartment and/or house in Town and move out of the Castle, but honestly? This is the first week he's had a chance to look at places. There have been papers to grades, exams to mark, Christmas shopping to frantically finish so he didn't ( Read more... )

Chicago had been grand; so much food, a lot of family time that surprisingly wasn't laced with cold expressions and frowns, shopping (he had to get a whole new suitcase to bring home the clothing Audrey and Aunt Debbie had simply insisted he needed), yet more food, and then the countless presents. However grand Chicago had been though, coming home ( Read more... )

Every year on December 15th, Rachel has ordered flowers from one of the more discreet florists. Every year for twenty-one years, she has taken these flowers to the cemetery despite hell or high water. Every year for twenty-one years, Rachel has celebrated her switch to the Diamonds by visiting the graves of the ones she's lost.

And even with the ( Read more... )

Somehow, at some point, Jordan had become the person people complained to. And so when it became evident that something was wrong with travel outside, no less than four people complained to him about it - including a Castle guard who was returning from visiting his brother, one of the Hearts' border guards ( Read more... )

"What do you mean, they're not working? Bloody outposts have been there forever!"

Thank God for old-fashioned land lines; there's something satisfying about slamming down a receiver that a mobile just can't top. Doesn't mean he's not still stuck on Deck when he'd scheduled a trip back home to escape the cold pick up fresh produce you can't get this ( Read more... )

( you can never go home again )

It's that time of year. Riley might not be appropriately dressed for the weather, but she knows it's wintertime. And that means it's time to hand out invitations for the James Family New Year's Dinner. She's going door to door with a ton of envelopes stuffed in her bag, then hanging around places in Town to catch those whom she's missed ( Read more... )