All Hail the Shifter King
Title: Something About Fossils
Word Count: 403
Note: Non-canon, from a previous version of the novel. More a dialogue practice than anything, working on pacing and voice.
"Hey, nerdling," Jordan called, dropping his laptop bag on the long metal workbench. "What happened to your face?"
"Jordan!" Katrina snapped. "Don't call him... holy shit!" Her hands flew to her mouth as she saw Doran's swollen eye and the spread of bruising across his face. "What happened to your face?!"
"It's nothing," Doran muttered bitterly, keeping his eyes on his computer screen, a task that quickly became difficult as Katrina stormed over and hooked her hand under his jaw, lifting his head so he had no choice but to look her in the eyes.
"Nothing?" she asked. "Doran, this isn't nothing. Who did this to you?"
"Probably whatever girl he was trying to pick up last night," Jordan cracked, chuckling as he opened his laptop and plugged it in.
"Jordan!" Katrina grabbed one of the rocks off Doran's bookshelf and hurled it at Jordan, who nearly had to duck under the bench to avoid the three pound projectile.
"Um..." Doran raised his hand slightly. "Those are actually really rare fossils so if you'd just -"
"Who did this to you?" Katrina repeated, grabbing his face again, so tightly he winced.
"It... it wasn't... really a who," he stammered, looking away. "It was... um... a test subject."
"A what?" Jordan asked. "You have a live study going on?" He looked around the room, and when his eyes fixed on the door to the inner lab he pointed excitedly at it. "In there?"
"It's not really my study, it's Doctor Ramsay's, and I can't really talk about -"
"How the hell did a test subject give you a black eye?" Katrina asked.
"Um..." Doran picked at his fingers. "He doesn't really like -"
"Who cares about his black eye!" Jordan exclaimed, and ran over to slap his hands on the desk. "Doran, keys. Now."
"You know I can't -"
"I'll blacken your other eye, Doran."
"Doctor Ramsay will kill me if -"
"Or I will shove those fossils up your ass, one by one, so help me God," Jordan threatened, leaning over the desk. "I will, don't -"
"SHUT. UP." Katrina planted her hand on Jordan's face and shoved, hard, to get him away from the desk. "God, Jordan, what the hell is your..." She paused, thought for a moment, then narrowed her eyes at Doran. "He?"
"Wh... what?"
"He doesn't really like...?"
"Um... needles?"
"Doran?" Katrina tapped his forehead, frowning. "Who is 'he'?"
Word Count: 403
Note: Non-canon, from a previous version of the novel. More a dialogue practice than anything, working on pacing and voice.
"Hey, nerdling," Jordan called, dropping his laptop bag on the long metal workbench. "What happened to your face?"
"Jordan!" Katrina snapped. "Don't call him... holy shit!" Her hands flew to her mouth as she saw Doran's swollen eye and the spread of bruising across his face. "What happened to your face?!"
"It's nothing," Doran muttered bitterly, keeping his eyes on his computer screen, a task that quickly became difficult as Katrina stormed over and hooked her hand under his jaw, lifting his head so he had no choice but to look her in the eyes.
"Nothing?" she asked. "Doran, this isn't nothing. Who did this to you?"
"Probably whatever girl he was trying to pick up last night," Jordan cracked, chuckling as he opened his laptop and plugged it in.
"Jordan!" Katrina grabbed one of the rocks off Doran's bookshelf and hurled it at Jordan, who nearly had to duck under the bench to avoid the three pound projectile.
"Um..." Doran raised his hand slightly. "Those are actually really rare fossils so if you'd just -"
"Who did this to you?" Katrina repeated, grabbing his face again, so tightly he winced.
"It... it wasn't... really a who," he stammered, looking away. "It was... um... a test subject."
"A what?" Jordan asked. "You have a live study going on?" He looked around the room, and when his eyes fixed on the door to the inner lab he pointed excitedly at it. "In there?"
"It's not really my study, it's Doctor Ramsay's, and I can't really talk about -"
"How the hell did a test subject give you a black eye?" Katrina asked.
"Um..." Doran picked at his fingers. "He doesn't really like -"
"Who cares about his black eye!" Jordan exclaimed, and ran over to slap his hands on the desk. "Doran, keys. Now."
"You know I can't -"
"I'll blacken your other eye, Doran."
"Doctor Ramsay will kill me if -"
"Or I will shove those fossils up your ass, one by one, so help me God," Jordan threatened, leaning over the desk. "I will, don't -"
"SHUT. UP." Katrina planted her hand on Jordan's face and shoved, hard, to get him away from the desk. "God, Jordan, what the hell is your..." She paused, thought for a moment, then narrowed her eyes at Doran. "He?"
"Wh... what?"
"He doesn't really like...?"
"Um... needles?"
"Doran?" Katrina tapped his forehead, frowning. "Who is 'he'?"