#{{7}}

[fcrgottendreams-blog]

Breaking and Entering || Sage & Mark

@lilwp

“Are you serious?” Mark whispered as he put his chin in his hands, studying the security camera from his office. He was due a round about the hallways soon anyway, but the absolute flagrancy of the curly-haired woman currently picking the lock of the Baycourt, as if heedless of the security systems in place, blew his mind.

What did she honestly think she was going to get away with?

He was feeling...oddly charitable. And, strangely, he thought he recognized her face from his occasional stops at The Roast shortly before his evening shifts. Was she getting her rocks off from breaking into places? Did she intend to steal anything valuable?

After a few seconds, just as he knew she’d be getting the lock to pop open, Mark reached over and turned the automatic security system off with a long sigh. He’d speak to her, at least. He was feeling awfully self-destructive after the recent meeting he had with Muffy - the least he could do was amuse himself.

By the time the woman entered the lobby, Mark stood there, arms crossed over his chest and brow quirked, regarding her in silence.

[gracefulcharmer-blog]

Moonlight Meeting || Arcelia & Kuan-yu

@playingkoi

Makeup was a thing in the theatre, he was realizing the more weeks passed by with him in dress rehearsals for their upcoming performance, especially since they were bringing in a trainee here and there to make sure that things would run smoothly for opening night. That evening, after rehearsals, the head makeup artist had taken two new trainees through the full face they were attempting to achieve, and Kuan-yu, as expected, hadn’t been able to say no.

He’d been more amused by their faces at the conclusion when he’d told them he didn’t want to take it off. That had been worth the entire event. Why not wear eyeliner and the faint glittering gold effect across his cheeks until later?

Restless and warmed up from rehearsals and not eager to slip into the dormitory of the theatre, he found his way to the beach, rolling up the legs of his pants once he reached it and leaving his shoes where the path bled into sand. Who was going to take his shoes in this little town? He made his way toward the sea, staring straight at it, and only glanced to his side when he had nearly reached it, and saw...a...a woman with a tail? Sitting right in the rise and fall of the tide?

Kuan-yu stopped immediately, staring, lips parted. Every ounce of his manners told him not to bother whoever it might be, but... “...are you all right?”

[cobblerandcauldron-blog]

Flower Festival: Flowers for Friends

@obsidiansashimi @musicalsunshine

Delivered to the doorstep of Sebastian and Sam was a long, flat box wrapped in black, silk ribbon.

Inside, the couple would find a dozen lavender roses, varying in hue from deep to pastel purple. Their stems were kept long so that they could be trimmed and set into a tall, white vase that was carefully packed into the box with the roses.

A card inside the box read:

“To Sam and Sebastian, I’m told this Flower Festival thing is all the rage in Leuda too. People here in Arcadia won’t shut up about it. The guy at the flower booth tried to warn me that the purple roses might carry some heavy connotations, but I knew they were right for you two the moment I laid eyes on them. And so, here I present to you a dozen lavender roses for love at first sight. (Kind of scary, isn’t it?) But it’s true. I fell in love with you two the moment I met you weirdos back in Pelican Town. Sometimes you just know a friend when you see them.

Thanks for being the best buds a girl could ask for. I hope the purple flowers remind you of your purple-haired friend in Arcadia.

All of my love ( and all of my hate too, naturally :P ), x Abigail”

[flushedprose-blog]

We Meet Again || Jake & Elliott

@jake-out-the-humans

It had been some time since Angela was able to train with Elliott at the Battle Arena, and he was feeling the effects of it. They were both busy, and due to the number of businesses that he owned now, their schedules rarely matched at a time when they could visit the arena together.

Unfortunate. He ached to have her near, in a way that he still refused to fully acknowledge, even in the quiet of his own mind. But, if they couldn’t fight, he needed a way to burn off the frustration that rippled through him which meditation alone couldn’t drive away.

He docked his personal boat at the arena and climbed out, stretching his arms overhead as he stepped inside. He’d heard that recently it had come under new ownership, and he looked around for who looked like they might be in charge - someone who could point out some hungry foes for him to challenge, maybe even some that were there that day.

Instead, he came across his randomized partner at the recent paired tournament. “Jake? Interesting to see you here.” He gave him a thin, polite smile. He didn’t know enough about him to consider him a friend, necessarily, but he fought well, and that made him worth respecting in Elliott’s book. “Are you well?”

[chickenshxtboy-blog]

A New Way Of Seeing || Frey & Rick

@dearestfrey

Though Rick was more used to growing up with chickens - more active during the day than at night - he was fascinated by the amount of more nocturnal monsters that he’d never even gotten the chance to interact with. As a rancher who specialized in monsters in Arcadia, he was keen to continue expanding his fold - giving a safe space for monsters to grow and thrive, where he could study and love them - and that meant going out and taming a new species every now and again.

He didn’t have a specific prize in mind tonight, but with his taming gloves on and treats in his pockets, he set out to the Fugue Forest at night.

What struck him by surprise was how vivid the stars were overhead. Ever since his conversation with Molly, he’d begun to appreciate them more. Had they always sparkled with such ferocity? Were they always just waiting to be seen?

He lingered at the edge of the forest, one gloved hand on a tree, gaping with a wide open mouth above him.

[muscadelle-blog1]

Off The Beaten Path || Violet & Marlin

@thenervousnurse

Marlin, as far as he was concerned, was at the pinnacle of fitness now.

That was a lie. He wasn’t anywhere near good shape. Ropey muscles on his arms to lift farming tools and baskets of grapes and bottles of wine meant shit compared to the rest of his general endurance.

Today, however, he wasn’t pushing himself. No jogging. No hurrying. Just a leisurely stroll as the sun began to drift toward the horizon, making his way through town.

Ignoring the church. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

He passed the clinic where he’d had his surgery done and glanced toward it, thinking absently that perhaps they might be changing shifts soon. He looked away again. A path led away from town nearby, toward the plains that bled into farmland, and, deciding to see just how far he could go, he glided toward it.

[restless-to-climb-blog]

IRON CHEF - MAIN COURSE

@harbourpointe

There! That did it! Perfect!

Though Selena had limited cooking experience of her own, as compared to the other members of her extended family, she thought she might’ve finally hit on something interesting involving their special ingredient - cucumber - when she threw together a scallop, orange, and cucumber kebab.

She probably should have used a bit less seasoning, in hindsight. Maybe much less seasoning.

She took one look at the judges and...yeah, okay, less seasoning, shit, she fucked up.

[chickenshxtboy-blog]

Monster Socializing || OPEN

Sometimes, having a significant amount of acres just wasn’t enough to satisfy Rick.

He knew something about letting animals out to stretch their wings and talons and scratch up some yummy things in the ground. Chickens thrived when they had sunlight on their feathers and only needed to be kept sealed in their coop when it was raining, for example, or at night when harmful things might be able to come make a tasty meal out of them.

He was still new to owning monsters, but something told him that they operated under the same principle.

“All right, let’s go!” Rick held the hut door open. “Everybody here? Apple, Chamomile, Aloe, Pear, Onion, let’s move!” A bizarre parade of monsters came out in a cluster, and he shut the door with a sigh. “No, no! If we’re doing this, we’re going in an orderly fashion, c’mon!”

That was how ten minutes later, Rick was seen walking down the road surrounded by other farms with a neat line of a cluckadoo, a buffamoo, a chipsqueek, a wooly, and an orc following him, perfectly spaced apart.