#ta-nyah

[wolfoftheblackflames]

Oh boy, I've turned into a fanfic gremlin again... Enjoy! (This is just a headcannon, but I felt like writing it anyway)

It was dark in the hotel as a familiar little cyclops as scrubbing the windows clean, her red and yellow eye scowling annoyingly at the dust that didn't seem to go away. "Why are there so many of you?!" She growled before laughing maniacally. "I'll scrub every last one of you. You've met your end, you stupid mess!"

Though the more she scrubbed, the more dust appeared but also the more her vision began to blur. "Uh Niffty, are you ok? You've been scrubbing that spot for the last hour..." A voice spoke as the small cyclops turned to look at its owner. "Oh my gosh!" The owner was Charlie as the princess gasped.

Niffty swayed a bit but was caught by those gentle hands. "Meeh.. The dust won't go away!" She whimpered, pointing to a clearly very clean window. Next thing she knew she was being lifted up into the taller woman's arms, a hand coming under her red hair.

"You overworked yourself, Niff, see you're running a fever." Charlie stated with concern as Niffty was indeed running a high fever.

The smaller cyclops squirmed but couldn't get out of those arms. She pouted and grumbled. Usually, she'd be able to zip out of anyone's grip, scurrying around like a cockroach, but right now, she felt so tired and weak. Niffty hears those feet move as she grumbled, accepting the help reluctantly. Usually, it was the Alastor she was the most comfortable with, but now here she was in Charlie's arms, the princess taking her to her room.

"Uh Char? Why are ya carrying Niffty?" Another voice spoke as Niffty had her eye closed. "I'm taking her to her room Vaggie, she's sick and needs rest." Charlie responded to the owner.

Niffty made a small 'mrrr?' noise feeling a hand stroke her head. "You two look like parents with the little monster." She knew that voice, it was the other demon in Alastor's contract, Husk. He sounded grumpy as always. "Was lookin' for Niff anyways, though it can wait."

Vaggie rolled her eye at Husk but didn't seem to mind the comment. "So where does this one sleep? I've never been to her room so I don't know. Do you Husk?"

"Nope, I know better than to poke my nose into that little monster's room. Try Alastor he might know." The grumpy cat man took a swig of his booze and left.

Charlie looked down at the small cyclops in her arms. "Well shit, Alastor is out today.." The demoness sighed but blinked, feeling Niffty nuzzle her a bit like a cat.

It was a feverish haze, but Niffty couldn't help herself. She felt like she was once again in her mother's arms, being cradled like when she was a child. "Haha..." (Mama) She mumbled nuzzling closer.

Charlie blinked, tilting her head, Vaggie also looked confused. "Uh, she's normally weird but, but affectionate? Now I feel like I'm seeing things." The grey demoness scratched her head.

However Niffty started to squirm, she jumped out of Charlie's arms. "Nyah! I must clean!" She seemed to be back to her normal self and scurried off.

"The fuck...?" Both women spoke staring as Niffty zipped out of sight.

Angel Dust had seen the entire thing and rubbed his chin. He soon followed the cyclops, who was seen stabbing a roach. "Niff, um, how are ya?" The spider demon asked as Niffty looked over, seeming as chipper as ever. "You uh we're bein carried an all so I was curious see?"

"Oh that was nothing, nope ehehehehe." She giggled though she tripped on the carpet. "Yay pain!" She squeed.

Angel looked unconvinced and picked her up. "C'mere you little twerp." He managed to scoop her up and felt her forehead with one of his free hands. "Ah ha, yer sick and yer tryin ta hide it again." He scolded as Niffty whined. "Alrite yer comin' with me ok?"

Niffty blinked as the next thing she knew Angel was making her some chicken noodle soup in the kitchen. She looked at him curiously. "What are you doing?"

"Makin ya some soup, it'll help make ya feel better. Now take these and drink this." Angel handed her a glass of water with some medicine. Niffty did as asked as she grumbled at the bitterness. "Good girl." The spider smiled a bit and got a bowl of soup for Niffty.

The Cyclops was just confused. Usually, she was the one cooking, but also, it was a man, if you could call Angel that was cooking for her. She sipped the hot soup enjoying the burning pain it gave her tongue as she downed it in one go. "Heheheh burning pain, can I go clean now?" She flashed Angel an innocent grin.

"Nope. Yer gonna do sometin else alrite? How about we go to my room and you can snuggle my baby boy Fat Nuggets. I know ya like cute tings and my little piggy is the cutest there is." Angel stated as Niffty looked at him with a grumble."Katte ni shite yo. " ( do what you want.).

He was stopping her from working, but the thought of snuggling a cute piglet was too good to pass up. She then nodded to him as the spider twink picked her up again.

Once in his room, Angel called over his beloved piglet. The demon piggy scurried over to his owner's call. "Kawaii!!!" The cyclops cooed and hugged the piggy. Angel chuckled as the trio curled up on his giant pink fluffy bed and watched an action movie.

Niffty was grinning at the hot bad boys watching them drive their fast cars and kicking ass. She also had Fat Nuggets in her lap while leaning against the fluffy spider demon behind her.

It felt weird at first being in the hotel with mostly women but it had slowly become like a second home, her new found friends appreciated her for the work she did and didn't boo when she did her little cockroach shows for them. She continued to grin bouncing up and down happily but slowly her fever took its hold and lulled her into a soft sleep, as she soon laid against Angel Dust. "Ani-san..." That phrase rolled off her tongue naturally as she nuzzled into the twink's chest fluff.

(Here you go, folks! I was reading up on some of the characters and figured why not give sick/ overworked Niffty a try. She's a giant ass psychotic weirdo, and we love her for it.)

[pengarangrahl]

"Like the sun at dawn

As if darkness

had been replaced by light

Its broke, to grow

Lost, then change."

- Rahl, 22125

Aku masih mendengar detak jantungku sendiri. Setiap langkah dan perjalanan, ialah alasan untukku bertahan dari kegilaan.

***

[ Bu Ita : Rue, apa temenmu memang seperti ini ya, tidak minat kah untuk magang?? ]

Sebuah notifikasi pesan muncul di layar hp Rue, gadis itu sejak tadi ingin beranjak dari tempat tidurnya tapi terpaksa harus duduk kembali. Ia meletakkan gawainya di atas kasur dan mengambil segelas air minum dari meja di sisi kanannya. Rue mengatur napas, ia terpaku sekejap pada isi pesan yang baru masuk itu.

[ Mohon maaf sekali ibu atas kesalahan teman tim saya, kami akan lakukan evaluasi bersama agar mencegah kejadian ini berulang ]. Rue memberi emoticon mengatup kedua tangan di akhir pesan teksnya.

Rupanya setelah beberapa menit, pesan itu hanya dilihat saja oleh Bu Ita---Penanggung Jawab anak magang di kantor Rue sekaligus Pimpinan Redaksi Penerbitan. Gadis itu membaringkan tubuh, ia menatap lekat-lekat ponsel miliknya, berharap agar Bu Ita memberikan kata-kata selain pesan yang pertama tadi. Ia memejamkan mata kemudian mendengus kesal sebab malah teringat Desi---rekan kerjanya.

Mengapa Rue harus satu tempat magang dengan orang yang sama sekali tidak dapat dipahami perilakunya? Kali ini Desi telat dua jam dan tidak mengabari sama sekali. Rue bahkan sudah hafal dengan pola ini. Nantinya ketika ada yang bertanya pada Desi, pasti jawabannya tidak jelas, seperti orang linglung.

Rue beranjak dari tempat tidur, ia mengecas handphone miliknya lalu bergegas untuk mengotak-atik isi kulkas, membuat bekalnya, lalu mandi. Menunggu jam dua belas siang agar ia bisa pergi ke kantor penerbit tempatnya bekerja. Setidaknya ia bisa mendapat pengalaman dari sana untuk mengaplikasikan ilmu yang dia punya, meningkatkan softskill dan hardskill, serta memperluas wawasan.

Paling kurang dirinya harus bertahan di sana lima jam per-hari nya, karena kali ini shift siang, maka pukul 17.00 ia bisa pulang. Dan begitulah kegiatan gadis itu sampai hari-hari berikutnya. Hidup di kota orang yang jauh dari orangtua sempat membuatnya merasa kurang nyaman. Apalagi sebelum pergi merantau ia sempat berdebat dengan kedua orangtuanya yang sangat menentang keputusan Rue. Tetapi ia harus melakukannya, demi perubahan hidup keluarga. Ya, dengan tekad kuatnya Rue bisa meyakinkan sang ayah dan bunda.

***

"Selamat siang Bi Siti," sapa Rue pada salah satu CS di kantornya.

"Siang Rue, panas banget yah neng di luar?" sahut wanita paruh baya itu, dia menghentikan aktivitas bebersihnya sebentar.

"Iya, Bi. Nyengat mataharinya," kata Rue sambil tertawa ringan.

"Masuk jam dua belas, Neng?"

"Ngga, Bi. Saya shift siang masuk jam satu, cuma mau dateng agak cepetan dikit."

"Ooh gitu nyah, si eneng geulis telaten pisan," puji Bi Siti.

"Aamiin, Bi. Oiyah, saya bawa Brownies buat Bibi." Gadis itu membuka tas kemudian memberi satu kotak Brownies untuk Bi Siti. Wanita paruh baya itu terlihat riang sekali menerima hadiah dari Rue, dia tahu bahwa Rue yang membuatnya sendiri karena Rue suka bercerita bahwa ia suka membuat berbagai kue dan roti. Bi Siti berterima kasih pada anak baik itu dan dibalas ramah pula oleh Rue. "Ngomong-ngomong saya ke dalem duluan ya, Bi? Mau siap-siap ganti shift, hehe."

"Boleh-boleh. Sok atuh neng, Bibi teh juga mau pulang ini," Bi Siti nyengir sembari buru-buru melipat kain lapnya. Rue pamit pada Bi Siti dan melambaikan tangannya, mereka pun berpisah. Rue akan mulai bekerja, Bi Siti akan segera pulang ke rumah. Sebuah siklus dimana bekerja, akan selalu menemui waktu akhirnya, yakni pulang.

Waktupun berlalu, kini Rue sudah berada di depan laptopnya untuk mengolah data-data, sekitar pukul dua nanti ia harus turun ke divisi percetakan untuk sekedar mengawasi tumpukan buku-buku yang akan dijilid. Rue mengerjapkan mata, rupanya sudah hampir jam dua. Ia pun segera ke lantai satu dengan membawa tablet kantor.

Ia tampak menikmati perannya menjadi Kepala Produksi. Dia mengarahkan karyawan dengan sangat teliti, agar meminimalisir kesalahan. Namun tak jarang pula Rue turut serta membantu para pekerja di sana, merangkul mereka. Terkadang mentraktir snack atau membawakan kue buatannya untuk para staff dan karyawan.

"Maaf Kak Rue, izin melaporkan. Sampul buku yang edisi satu sepertinya tidak sesuai dengan konsep awal, apa mungkin memang sudah diganti ya, Kak?"

"Boleh saya lihat dulu, Dek?"

"Silakan, Kak, sebelah sini." Rue tercengang melihat sampul buku yang ada, 'Berantakan sekali!'

"Dek, apa yang ini sudah melewati tahap revisi kita kemarin?"

"Sudah, Kak. Saya yang mengantar sampelnya langsung pada kakak."

"Ini udah puluhan tercetak ya. Habis banyak kertas juga."

"Benar, maaf Kak Rue, padahal kita sudah sering sekali cek perkembangan buku-buku ini."

"Nggak apa-apa, Dek. Kita udah melakukan yang terbaik sebelumnya, sekarang kita harus cari solusinya saja daripada pusing. Emm, kamu tau ruang Kak Desi yang baru?"

"Di lantai dua, sampingnya ruang kerja Kak Rue. Mau saya antar, Kak? Mungkin saya perlu hadir menemui kakak itu."

"Tidak sayang, kamu lanjutkan saja pekerjaanmu, ya."

"Kalau begitu baik, Kak."

Rue tidak menyangka ia harus dihadapkan lagi oleh keadaan ini, sejujurnya ia agak muak berurusan dengan Desi. Rue mendatangi rekannya yang bermasalah itu dengan maksud untuk menanyakan tentang desain sampul. Kenapa tiba-tiba berubah? Apalagi banyak ketidaksesuaian konsep, bisa-bisa penerbit dan pihak penulis akan dirugikan jika hal ini terus berlanjut. Pun di kantor ini tidak boleh seenaknya saja.

"Permisi, Des," kata Rue. Ia mengetuk pintu kemudian melihat ke arah kaca tembus pandang, semua orang yang ada di dalam sana menatap gadis itu. Kemudian Desi mengangguk, tanda ia mempersilakan Rue untuk masuk. Setelah masuk ia tersenyum ramah kepada semua rekan kerja Desi dan dibalas serupa pula. Rue segera memberi kode kepada kawannya itu untuk bicara di luar.

"Kenapa, Rue?" tanya Desi seperti tidak tahu apa-apa.

"Laporan yang dirimu janji buat dua bulan lalu udah sampai mana?" balas Rue. Gadis itu memelankan suaranya agar orang lain tak terlalu mendengar, sebab ia tidak mau mempermalukan Desi.

"Oh itu ... aku kan dah buat. Tapi belum sempat di siapkan karna--emm, aku gak ngerti, masih bingung buatnya gimana. Di rumah pun ngga ada laptop, jadi kek mana lah susah. Kesempatan cuma di sini, tapi tiap udah masuk rame terus antrian data desain, proofread. Belum lagi editor naskah yang pakai laptop ruangan karena kami sama-sama ngga ada, dirimu juga ngga ada jadi aku gabisa pinjem siapa-siapa," jawab Desi panjang lebar.

Ia mengedip-ngedipkan kedua matanya, sejujurnya dia pun tidak bisa memastikan jawabannya masuk akal atau tidak. Ah ya, Rue juga tidak punya laptop atau tablet, ia hanya diberi dan memakai itu di kantor saja. Maka dari itu Rue memanfaatkannya sebaik mungkin agar selesai dan tidak menunda-nunda tugas.

"Aku kasihan sama kamu, tapi udah lima bulan kita magang, dirimu sama sekali ngga nyentuh dokumen laporan itu, bukannya kemarin uda kita buat kerangkanya bareng-bareng? Kamu tinggal isi dan sesuaikan sama divisi. Aku juga bingung tiap hari ditanyain Bu Ita terus. Dan kalau kamu ngga ngerti, bisa nanya ke aku kan?"

"I--iya mungkin ko bisa bantu aku pas nanti kita ketemu di weekend atau gimana ...."

Rue terdiam, ia sudah ngos-ngosan menahan amarah. Kemarin gadis itu sudah mengajak Desi untuk mereview laporan tersebut, tapi Desi banyak bertanya dan menyiratkan seakan tidak mau padahal itu juga di depan banyak orang. Jadi Rue memutuskan mengerjakan sendiri. Rue teringat bahwa setiap kali Desi melontarkan pernyataan, pasti Desi tak juga menepatinya. Sejak bulan pertama dan kedua mereka magang di sini, orang-orang tidak menyukai Desi karena sifat bebal dan kasarnya. Banyak rekan kerja lain yang selalu saja bertanya tentang Desi kepada Rue. Karena memang Rue adalah tetangga sebelah rumah Desi.

"Rue ... kecewa ya samaku?" tanya Desi kala itu. Tapi Rue hanya bisa tersenyum simpul sembari terus menyemangati. Dan terus memberi info serta data-data yang diperlukan untuk memudahkan Desi. Beberapa kali ia melakukannya, baik lewat chat ataupun bicara langsung. "Kalau ada apa-apa bilang ya. Kalo ada masalah cerita aja gapapa," ucap Rue. Ia menepuk-nepuk pundak temannya itu.

Orang-orang berharap setidaknya Rue bisa menceritakan detail tentang orang seperti apa sebenarnya Desi ini? Sedangkan Rue tidak pernah terlalu memperhatikan Desi, ia hanya fokus pada dirinya, keluarga, sahabat, pekerjaan, tugas, juga orang-orang yang bisa diajak kerja sama. Tapi ketika gadis itu tahu bahwa ia akan sama-sama magang dengan Desi, Rue lah yang memulai pendekatan pertemanan agar ia merasa mereka tidak canggung ke depannya.

Rue menolong Desi sebisanya, semampunya, tapi Desi tidak pernah sebaliknya pada Rue. Atau mungkin ia tidak tahu diri? Tidak bisa memahami perjuangan orang lain. Tidak memiliki empati. Dia pernah bercerita bahwa keluarganya di rumah sangat kacau. Tetapi Desi juga tidak mau bangkit dari keterpurukannya, dan dia pun juga malas untuk menggerakkan perubahan hidupnya.

Pernah setelah banyaknya gosip miring tentang Desi, yang digosipkan itu pun berubah. Mulai cekatan dan inisiatif, pekerjaannya cepat terselesaikan serta datang lebih awal. Rue turut bahagia dengan itu. Tetapi ternyata hanya bertahan beberapa minggu saja. Desi kembali menjadi sosok yang sering terlambat dan tidak memberi kabar serta alasan yang jelas. Rue juga pernah diceritakan oleh rekan sejawatnya, bahwa ternyata Desi mengalami kekerasan dalam keluarganya.

Namun, Rue juga bisa lelah, ia bukan malaikat. Apalagi Rue selalu membawa beban ekspetasi orang lain di pundaknya. Orang lain berharap Rue bisa menarik Desi jadi lebih baik, jangan menyerah untuk mengajak Desi untuk berubah. Semua keluh yang mereka katakan tidak diungkap langsung pada Desi, hanya menyampaikan lewat Rue saja. Apakah mereka mengira bahwa Rue tidak pernah peduli? Apa orang-orang itu menganggap Rue cuek-cuek saja? Bahkan Rue melakukan hal lebih daripada sekedar menasehati.

Tetapi bagi Rue yang berhadapan langsung dengan Desi, mengubah orang sangat sulit dan mungkin mustahil apabila tidak ada niat dari hati Desi sendiri. "Untuk apa membantu orang lain, jika orangnya saja tidak mau dibantu?" Ucap Rue pada Fara kala itu. Karena, Desi tak berusaha sedikitpun. Hanya melakukan kesalahan yang sama berulang-ulang.

Kadang Rue merasa selalu salah juga di mata mentornya, pekerjaan gadis itu sering diatasi oleh Kakak Seniornya karena Rue terkesan lambat di mata mereka. Tapi dengan semua itu Rue berprinsip mau terus belajar. 'Kalau tidak berani salah, namanya tidak belajar'. Ia selalu rajin, bertanya, dan tidak malu melakukan hal-hal baik yang semestinya. Berbeda dengan Desi yang sering berkata 'Aku nggak bisa ramah ke orang lain, aku ya gini.' Atau Desi yang sering mengeluh 'Capek banget di sini, magang di bidang ini bukan tujuanku.'

Bulan ketiga makin banyak yang tidak menyukai Desi, karena sikapnya yang keras kepala, sering terlambat, tidak inisiatif, serta tidak mau berbaur dengan benar untuk menyesuaikan diri. Dengan kata lain, dia pun tidak pernah intropeksi. Sekalipun diberi nasihat oleh kakak senior, ditegur rekan sejawat, atau dibilangi secara halus dan empat mata oleh Rue. 'Kalo sifatnya emang kayak gitu, susah untuk di rubah dek karna udah bawaan.' Sebuah kalimat dari salah satu Kakak Senior mereka yang selalu Rue ingat.

Rue sendiri sering berhadapan dengan banyak manusia bermasalah, tapi yang kali ini beda. Anak itu seakan tidak mau ditarik, tak mau dibantu. Ia hanya bersembunyi di dalam kurungan zona nyaman yang rupanya merugikan banyak orang. Bu Ita sampai tidak mau mengajak Desi bicara secara langsung untuk menjelaskan kesalahan-kesalahan Desi. Dan dengan semua keadaan runyam itu Rue sama sekali tidak tahu harus melakukan apa. Energinya semakin lama semakin terasa habis, sinarnya memudar.

"Kita kan juga udah sepakat buat ngga ganti desain tanpa sepengetahuanku? Kenapa ngga bilang dulu kalo mau ubah? Klien udah setuju sama yang lama kan?" tanya Rue lagi.

"Maaf, Rue." Dua kata lucu yang dilontarkan oleh Desi. Maaf yang hanya sekedar kalimat, bukan perubahan sikap dan sifat.

"Des, tolong kerjasama nya, buatlah laporan data dari divisimu dan aku minta bantuan untuk tidak melakukan kesalahan seperti ini lagi."

"Iya ...."

"Yasudah aku balik dulu mau lanjut kerjaan, jangan lupa tugasmu." Rue melihat Desi mengangguk-angguk, kemudian ia pun pergi berlalu menuju ke ruangannya.

Hari itu setelah Rue berbincang dengan Desi, ia melihat tetangganya itu pulang agak lebih lama karena mengganti jam terlambatnya tadi pagi. Rue pun segera menyelesaikan jobdesk nya dengan cekatan. Ia mengesampingkan dulu pikiran-pikiran jeleknya, berusaha fokus pada apa yang harus dilakukan sekarang. Jam dinding berdetik, suasana kantor kadang hening, kadang ada suara bicara orang-orang. Tetapi lebih sering terdengar suara mesin cetak dari lantai bawah.

Orang-orang di sini sangat tepat dan cepat kerjanya. Penerbit Sun95 memang terkenal sebagai tempat terbaik, berkualitas dan akurat dalam memproses tiap pesanan. Magang di tempat ini adalah sesuatu yang luar biasa. Rue bersyukur bisa mempelajari banyak hal di sini, tempat yang benar-benar ideal untuk magang. Ah, waktu terasa berjalan terlalu cepat, kini sudah pukul 16.49. 'Bentar lagi pasti Pak Trio kemari untuk memeriksa ruangan-ruangan karyawan. Aku mau kasih bapak Brownies buatanku tadi siang,' batin Rue.

Rue segera merapikan meja, juga menata penampilannya yang tampak lelah, lalu dia menenggak jus alpukat di dalam botol yang dibawa dari rumah. Gadis itu meregangkan badan, lalu bergegas keluar dari ruang kerjanya. Tak lama, ia melihat Pak Trio---Satpam jaga yang sedang berkeliling.

"Selamat sore Pak Trio ...!" Rue agak berlari untuk menghampiri pria paruh baya itu.

Yang dipanggil tersentak dan reflek berkata, "Rue, what's up??" Pak Trio nyengir lalu Rue tertawa pelan.

"Baik kok, hahaha. Ini bapak, saya bikin Brownies buat bapak loh."

"Woiya? Wih, hebat. Nduk Rue bisa baking ternyata. Ohoho, sini bapak cobain yo!"

"Boleh, ini buat bapak semua." Rue menyodorkan sekotak Brownies yang telah terpotong dadu, Pak Trio sumringah ketika menggigit kue buatan Rue.

"Wadooh, kalo semua opo ora kebanyakan iki, Nduk?"

"Ngga lah, Pak. Nah, gimana rasanya?"

"Wueenak tenan, lembut, nyoklat, harum, ada toppingnya lagi. Perfect, nduk," puji Pak Trio dengan aksen Jawa nya. Ia pun memberi jempol andalan. Rue terkikik. Hanya dengan berinteraksi ke Bi Siti dan Pak Trio ia bisa merasakan kehadiran sebuah keluarga. "Makasih yo, Rue. Bapak seneng bisa makan cemilan dari Nduk yang sudah bapak anggap seperti anak sendiri," ucap Pak Trio.

Rue tersenyum simpul, ia jadi teringat bahwa anak perempuan Pak Trio sudah tiada saat usia enam belas tahun karena kecelakaan, begitupula isterinya. "Rue juga seneng bisa berbagi, Pak. Rue mau sekalian pamit ya? Bapak semangat kerjanya!" Rue mengepalkan kedua tangannya berpose menyemangati, sembari nyengir kuda.

"Be carefully, Nduk Rue!" Pak Trio dengan kumisnya ikut tersenyum dan ia melambaikan tangan pada Rue. Gadis itu membalasnya dengan antusias. Ia memesan ojek online untuk pulang ke rumah.

***

Bulan keenam tiba ...

Tak terasa ini adalah bulan terakhir untuk masa magang Rue di Kantor Penerbit Sun95. Kali ini ia shift pagi dan sampai tepat waktu, ia tidak melihat Bi Siti di sana seperti biasanya. Yang dilihatnya adalah Bu Ita, wanita itu duduk di ruang kerja pribadinya yang pintunya terbuka. Mereka bersitatap, Rue tersenyum dan menyapa sopan pada Bu Ita. Tetapi, raut wajah Bu Ita tampak tidak mengenakkan.

"Keuntungan kita merosot Rue, laporan-laporan yang seharusnya terpampang detail di portal saya tidak ada sama sekali sejak bulan ketiga. Sampai mana laporan kalian sebenarnya?"

Rue mengernyitkan dahi, ia mencoba mengingat. "Kalau untuk laporan bagian saya sudah saya upload full Bu---"

"Gimana sama hasil laporan temenmu?" tanya wanita dengan setelan blazer merah itu.

"Kemarin saya sempat lihat Desi mengerjakannya Bu, apa tidak ada konfirmasi langsung ke ibu kalau mungkin saja dia menggabungkan laporan per-bulannya?"

"Nggak ada, Rue. Ini klien udah komplin macem-macem ke kita karena saya menunda pertemuan untuk membahas project selanjutnya. Sedangkan saya juga tidak menerima laporan divisi dan keuangan bagiannya."

"Sampaikan pada Desi, kalau tidak selesai jobdesknya sampai hari terakhir kalian magang. Ibu tidak akan meluluskan hasil magangnya dia."

Napas Rue mendadak sesak, kepalanya terasa nyeri, jantungnya berdegup kencang, padahal bukan dia yang salah. Padahal seharusnya Desi yang berkomunikasi langsung dengan Bu Ita perihal ini. Rue sudah berkali-kali dikecewakan oleh keadaan, disepelekan oleh seniornya, dibuat lelah oleh Desi. Tapi yang kali ini kenapa terasa sungguh berat?

Dari pagi itu hingga jam 12.00 Rue merasa tidak enak badan, pikirannya begitu campur aduk. Rue tidak selera makan, ia bahkan tidak meminum jus Alpukat kesukaannya. Rue tidak mendatangi pekerja di lantai satu seperti biasanya. "Cape ...," lirihnya. Sanggul gadis itu mulai lepas, ia nampak semakin kusut dan pucat. Matanya memerah dan sedikit berair.

"Rue, balik yuk! Lo udah kan? Gue juga udah siap kerj--"

"Eh? Lo kenapa, Rue!?" tanya Fara---rekan kerja seruangan gadis itu. Fara membetulkan hijabnya yang terurai karena agak menunduk melihat Rue. Ia tampak khawatir, sedikit panik juga.

"Ga papa, Far. Pusing dikit aja, udah jam satu ya? Pulang yu," ajak Rue.

"Gue anter ke rumah lo gapapa kan? Searah soalnya."

"Boleh."

Rue, gadis malang itu sering memendam apa yang ia rasakan. Dia selalu ingin terlihat baik-baik saja. Tapi akhirnya emosi dalam dirinya meluap, berdampak pada kesehatan fisik dan mentalnya. Rue, gadis malang yang tidak mengerti bagaimana cara dunia bekerja. Cara menghadapi manusia dengan berbagai macam sifatnya yang tak mudah terlihat. Keadaan dimana ia merasa asing dengan bidang yang dipilihkan orangtuanya. Orang-orang yang kadang suka beranggapan bahwa Rue mesti sempurna, pula orang-orang yang sering mencoba meredupkan sinar Rue. Menggerogoti tubuh perempuan muda itu seperti ia sedang berdampingan dengan buah busuk.

'Lama-lama muak juga,' batin Rue. Wajah Rue kali ini tanpa ekspresi apa-apa, sejak ia tahu bahwa Desi sangat membuatnya marah tapi ia pun tidak bisa mengungkapkan karena kasihan, Rue menutup hatinya. Rue membatasi interaksinya dengan yang katanya teman kerjanya itu. Dan juga lebih jarang membantu, apalagi mengajak bicara. Kalau disapa Desi pun Rue hanya merespons dengan datar. Rue jadi menyesal magang di tempat ini, ia merasa tidak cocok dengan semua orang, bahkan ia menjadi rendah diri.

'Seharusnya aku masuk Tata Boga. Mungkin di sana aku bisa hidup dan tidak akan merasa asing seperti ini. Takkan berurusan dengan drama kantor dan senior tukang judge.'

Keadaannya itu berlangsung hingga beberapa minggu. Kepala Rue semakin sakit, dadanya terasa sesak, tubuhnya lemas, ia pun kehilangan minat masaknya, Rue tak lagi merias wajah. Yang dia lakukan setiap hari adalah bangun, bebersih, makan, berangkat magang dan begitu sampai rumah ia langsung tertidur. Tidur yang lama, sampai ia merasa rasa sedih yang menimpa ikut terlelap bersamanya. Setiap hari Rue merasa dihantui oleh rasa bersalah, kekosongan, kesakitan, itu pertama kalinya ia merasa sangat drop.

Rue jadi tidak peduli dengan lingkungan sekitarnya, ia tak sebahagia dulu. Tapi orang-orang tidak tahu apa yang ia rasakan, orangtuanya khawatir pada Rue dan terus menelepon. Tetapi Rue lagi-lagi seakan baik saja. Rue mengubur letupan emosinya dalam-dalam. Tak seorang pun tahu. Bahkan Pak Trio dan Bi Siti yang Rue sayangi juga tidak tahu keadaan gadis itu.

Maafkan saya. Diri ini berpikir sudah sedikit mulai mengerti. Tapi nyatanya perasaan tiap orang sangat rumit dan sensitif. Tidak semua orang bisa menyampaikan perasaan lewat kata-kata. Terkadang mereka jujur, dan terkadang berbohong. Saya tidak dapat mengurainya dengan tepat. Bagi saya hal itu sangat sulit ....

Tulis Rue pada buku diary nya.

Waktunya bertahan hanya tinggal seminggu, lalu enam hari, kemudian lima hari, dan sampai di sisa empat hari lagi.

***

"Segera temui ibu minggu ini. Bu Ita bilang kalau laporan divisi dan keuangan bagiannya tidak selesai, kamu ngga diamankan lulus magangnya."

"Ohyakah Rue? Duh gimana ya aku masih gak paham, tapi yaudah nanti aku selesaikan."

"Iya, nanti langsung kabari Bu Ita aja."

"Makasih ya Rue informasinya." Ucap Desi yang menggaruk-garuk kepalanya, ia kebingungan. Sementara Rue pergi berlalu, ia mengecek buku-buku di lantai satu. Tidak peduli lagi bagaimana Desi akan membuatnya, yang penting pesannya Bu Ita sudah disampaikan walau Rue perlu beberapa waktu untuk bisa sanggup berbicara lagi dengan Desi. Dan lusanya setelah Rue menanyakan apakah Desi sudah menjumpai Bu Ita, ternyata Desi belum menemuinya. 'Dia ngga pernah berubah, selalu sama'.

***

Saat hari minggu Rue akhirnya pulang ke tempat orangtuanya. "Bunda, Rue pulang ...." Gadis itu memeluk ibunya dengan erat, ia menangis tersedu-sedu. Lama sekali. Rue menceritakan semuanya dengan terisak seperti anak berusia tujuh tahun yang dijahili teman-temannya. Awalnya Bunda Rue menceramahi putrinya terlebih dahulu, seakan menyalahkan Rue atas keputusannya untuk merantau.

"Rue mau bantu keluarga, Ndaa. Rue mau mandiri, sukses. Kata senior, Rue keliatan ada penyakit pernapasan karena Rue sesak terus. Terus orang-orang jahat sama Rue, temen Rue ngecewain Nda, terus Rue kaya disalahin padahal bukan Rue yang salah. Rue gamau di penerbitan lagi, ngga mau, Rue ga suka. Rue juga ngga mau jadi beban di keluarga kita, Bun!" Teriak gadis itu.

Ibunya semakin memarahinya. "Kalau semua perkataan orang kamu telen mentah-mentah, dan perbuatan orang semuanya kamu pikirin, ya kamu yang bakal sakit. Jangan kemakan omongan orang lain, kan di sana cuma belajar. Kamu harus tau gak semua orang itu baik, Rue."

Tetapi di pertengahan ibunya mengatakan hal yang tidak pernah bisa Rue lupakan. "Jiwa kamu harus besar, Nak. Lapangkan hatimu, lepaskan semua beban-beban itu." Rue memeluk bundanya kembali, menyisakan isakan-isakan kecilnya yang perlahan memudar. "Bunda kaget kamu pulang-pulang kok nangis kejer." Ia pun bercengkerama dengan ibunya sepanjang malam. Hingga esoknya ketika ia bangun tidur, sedih dan sakitnya sudah lenyap.

Rue terlahir kembali, ia merasa harus bangkit lagi dan tidak akan menyia-nyiakan pelajaran berharga dalam perjalanan hidupnya sampai detik ini. Tuhan memberinya cobaan yang begitu menyesakkan karena tahu bahwa diri itu bisa melewatinya, untuk bisa menguatkan hati para hamba-Nya. Rue datang ke tempat magang seperti ia datang pertama kali.

Hari terakhir magangnya telah tiba, ia mencoba memberi ruang pada orang yang telah membuatnya sangat kecewa. Dan bersumpah untuk tidak berurusan dengan orang seperti itu lagi dalam hidupnya. Bukankah parasit akan selalu menempel pada inang dan berdampak merugikan? Mungkin kalimat ini tampak kejam. Tapi nyata adanya bukan?

Hari-hari berganti dan tak terasa semua yang terjadi adalah perihal masa lalu bagi Rue, sudah berjarak setahun sejak kesialan dulu menimpa gadis itu. Rue ialah simbolisme dari ketidakadilan orang-orang yang terlampau baik, dan kebaikannya disalahgunakan oleh orang yang dungu. Kini Rue sudah merasa bebas, ia tidak pernah sedih karena mempercayai semua perkataan orang lain.

Ia belajar bahwasannya manusia punya tabiat yang berbeda-beda. Rue harus lebih kuat dan tabah, kita mesti jeli untuk berinteraksi dan lebih selektif dalam membantu orang lain. Kesalahan orang lain bukan tanggung jawab kita. Tak perlu ikut terseret ke dalam jurang sial. Membela diri ketika tidak salah itu penting jika kita tidak mau direndahkan orang. Rue menjadi sosok yang baru, dia lebih aktif mendedikasikan dirinya untuk mereka yang benar-benar layak dibantu. Ia sudah melepas dirinya dari ketidaktahuannya atas sifat manusia.

●

•

Tamat

"Dan jika terlahir kembali, aku takkan menyia-nyiakan kesempatan, aku akan selalu mengingat bagaimana cara diri ini hidup dan bertahan di masa lalu. Agar bisa terus belajar dan menyesuaikan ruang bertumbuh."

Cerita pendek ini bertajuk 'Melepas Kegilaan' , sebuah dalang yang memaknai jiwa yang bertahan sekuat mungkin untuk kembali bangkit dari keterpurukan mendalam, dan perihal penciptaan batasan diri yang sehat.

[modern-day-bard]

Other Duties As Assigned: A Joel Miller Fanfiction

Content Warning: 18+ This story includes mature themes such as drinking, stalking, violence, and explicit smut. Minors, do not interact.

Chapter 5: Hide-and-Seek

Quick a/n: I’m trying to post two chapters (one of each POV) at once whenever I do post. I’m traveling today, so Chapter 6 (Joel’s POV), might be up a little later. Tomorrow at the latest! I will most likely be posting it on ao3 first (nothing makes me feel more inept than the time it takes for me to move chapters over to Tumblr). I hope you enjoy! 🫶🏻

Gwen

I always feel best when my apartment is full. At least when I’m the one who decides who is filling it. And also the one who decides who leaves. I did my best not to act surprised when Joel agreed to leave me alone for a few hours, though I suppose the compromise was he was going to be at the gym just a couple of floors down. A small part of me wonders if he was returning the small respect I paid him the other night…But I hope he’s smart enough to know that it was a one-time deal. We were even now.

Our dreadful partnership has reached the two-week mark, so it’s also possible that he trusts me a bit more, but it’s doubtful. I can see it in the way his hands twitch and the way he watches me. He’s always waiting for me to sprint out of the place with no forewarning. A flight risk. And tonight was the ultimate test.

Another reason he may have agreed to give me my space for a while is the fact that Mateo, Aria, Nyah, Harper, and Landon were all coming over to get ready for Harper’s birthday celebration. I promised, even with my fingers mentally crossed, that I would tell him when we were ready to leave. I had also promised that we would all be getting our hair and makeup done for hours and be trying on several outfits, most likely in the living room. As soon as he saw Mateo and Aria enter with suitcases full of glam, he muttered something about the gym, got changed, and left.

I do wonder how long someone can stay at the gym, because it’s already been at least two hours. As Mateo paints the last of a deep red on my lips, I try to imagine what sort of regime is required of a bodyguard. He was built, clearly. I could see that even through his plain, repetitive outfits. They actually suited him in a way. I try to picture Joel in a suit like the ones I’m usually surrounded by—

“I know you can’t exactly talk right now, but you could at least blink once for no and twice for yes.” Nyah chastises me out of the corner of my eye. Right. She had just been asking my opinion on her shoes. Not that anyone would be looking at her feet tonight. Her hair was cascading down almost to her butt, and she had on a tight white dress that flattered her curves tremendously. She could go barefoot and no one would even notice.

“Ta eye ess ell onns,” I try to respond.

Mateo pulls back from my lips, laughing, “Try again.”

“The YSL ones!” I point to the white pumps, laughing too.

“Really?” Nyah doesn’t look convinced. “Birthday Girl, what do you think?” She holds up a pink pair and a white pair to Harper, who’s busy getting her hair pinned up in the chair next to me.

“Um…I think they’re both really cute!” Harper flashes her signature, sweet smile.

“That means she disagrees with Gwen!” Landon calls from the sofa.

Harper’s face turns bright pink as she glares at them. “No it does not!” Then she pauses, glancing down at her hands, “It just means I really like pink.”

All of us crack up, and I reach over to squeeze Harper’s hand.

“Birthday Girl rules,” Nyah declares, slipping into the bubblegum heels.

“Landon, remind me to call you out on your birthday.” I shoot them a smirk, which just earns me an eye-roll.

“What are you wearing, Gwen?” Nyah asks.

“Evenlyn sent over some options, but obviously, they weren’t up to par.”

“She still wants you to dress like a politician's wife?”

“Of course,” I say wryly, and Harper snorts.

Nyah smiles at Landon, “We were hoping you’d say that.”

“Alright, you’re done,” Mateo stands back to examine his work. I glance in the mirror before blowing him a kiss.

“Marvelous, as always,” I say as Landon drops a bag at my feet. “What’s this?”

“Nye and I went shopping for tonight, just to have some backups.”

I grin, opening the crisp white bag to find a strappy, sparkly gold mini dress. With the makeup and the loose hair Mateo and Aria had given me, it’s like they knew. Knowing Nyah and Landon, they probably did.

“I love it. Why aren’t you my stylist instead of Evelyn?”

Landon chuckles, “Because I don’t want your dad to hire a hitman on me.”

I wack their arm, “Like I would ever allow that.”

“I’d need a bodyguard at that point, too.”

“Speaking of,” Harper pipes up as she admires the updo Aria gave her in the mirror, “Where is he? Nyah said he was cute.”

“Nyah hasn’t even met him.” I stand up, shimmying the dress in my hands to see how the light catches it.

Nye leans against the fireplace, cocking a brow at me. “I know that Gwen didn’t say he wasn’t, which means he is.”

Both Harper and Landon’s gazes zero in on my face for my reaction.

“Whatever he is, he is the biggest pain in my ass. I’m spending more time in my room now than I did when I was a teenager just to avoid him. You can feel him constantly staring, watching your every move. Just you wait, he’ll annoy all of you, too. You’ll feel suffocated by the end of the night.” The five of them are looking down at my hands now, and I realize that I’ve clenched all the sequins up in my fists. “Sorry.”

“At the same time, maybe it’s good?” Harper asks gently.

“I agree,” Nye says as I simultaneously ask, “What do you mean?”

Harper shrugs, “You have a lot of eyes on you, and probably more money than all of our families combined. It could be a nice added level of safety…” Harper trails off when she looks at my face.

“They’re doing it to keep me in line, Harper.” I keep my voice level. Out of everyone in my life, she’s the last I’d want to blow up on. “They’re trying to…watch me. Prevent me from doing something stupid again.”

“Like the foundation gala?” Landon asks.

“No, like…” I look between all of their expectant faces, and I feel my chest clench, caging in all the things I can’t tell them. “Yeah, actually, I guess.”

Nyah’s eyes narrow, “What does that—”

The elevator dings, and six pairs of eyes turn to see Joel exiting. He stalks into the apartment, his hoodie clutched tightly in his left hand, his right holding his phone. Not yet aware of his audience, his eyes fixated on his screen, he grabs a water bottle from the fridge. Taking a long swig, his sneakers squeak as he halts, noticing all of us staring. And with a sideways look at my friends, I can’t blame them for gawking. Joel’s black compression shirt is impossibly tight, made tighter by the sweat gleaming off his skin. His complexion is flushed, and I swear it's gotten worse now that he’s noticed us. With a nearly audible swallow, I toss my hair back behind my shoulder.

“Mr. Miller, these are my guests,” he approaches the living room now, taking another long sip from his water bottle. Now that he’s up close, I can see actual droplets sliding down his neck. A neck that now has several of his waves stuck to it. I hadn’t noticed how wavy his hair was. “Um, this is Mateo, Aria, Nyah, Harper, and Landon.” I point to everyone in turn. His eyes flit to each of them before I’m even done pointing. I tried not to think about what information he was briefed on before we met, but now I’m guessing my inner circle was included in that report.

“Good to meet you all. I would shake your hands, but,” Joel holds up his full hands in front of him, “Sweaty.”

“I’ll say,” Nyah gives him a flirtatious smile and I feel a flicker of something in my stomach.

“Yeah, sorry,” He is either totally oblivious, or a master of avoidance. “I’m going to take a shower. When should I be ready to leave?”

“About ten minutes.” I say.

Joel nods, “Alright,” he turns to leave before adding, “If anyone has any security questions or concerns, feel free to let me know.” And with that, he’s off down the hall.

I turn back to my friends. Harper’s jaw is on the floor, Landon is smirking at me, and Nyah is smirking to herself.

Mateo and Aria just look at me, confused. “I thought we were leaving at nine?” Mateo checks his watch.

“We are.”

“Then why did you tell him ten minutes? He has at least thirty.”

“She wants him out of here as soon as possible. Death by irritation. Though Gwen, I can’t imagine why.” Nyah shakes her head at me.

“I’m trying to make him as uncomfortable as I can.”

“I have to agree with Nye on this one, and ask…why? Won’t they just assign you another bodyguard if he doesn’t work out?” Landon asks.

“Of course. But I’ll just rinse and repeat until the word gets out that I’m a nightmare to work with, or my dad and his advisers get too tired of looking.”

Aria clicks her tongue. “You want to be known as a nightmare?”

“I mean, not really. But I don’t want to be followed all the time, either.”

“I still think it could be good for your safety.” Harper adds.

“Well, enough about my safety for now. He can keep us all safe tonight while we celebrate you. Speaking of, you need to get dressed! We’re wheels up in ten, but really thirty, minutes.”

Harper giggles and hops up from her chair. “I hope you all know you’re taking a shot of rum before we leave!”

Nyah gives me a nauseated look and I just shake my head, knowing she’s remembering the scorpion bowls. Still too soon.

A very prompt ten minutes later, Joel comes out dressed in a black button down this time, which had to be one his only clothing items I’ve yet to see him in. With his bag being so small anyway. This may be the first time he will actually blend in, if only it weren’t for that ever present grimace on his face. I take this as an opportunity to ask Harper to help me into my dress. I make a show of untying my robe, forcing Joel to turn around completely.

“A little warning, Gwen.” Landon protests, shielding their eyes.

“I believe it’s part of ‘the plan,’” Nyah whispers to them.

I shoot Landon an apologetic smile before dropping my robe to the floor as Harper hands me the unzipped dress.

“Gwen, babe, you’ll need a little… coverage,” Mateo points out as he takes my robe.

“I’m not sure I can get away with underwear in this dress. It will snag on the lining and ruin how the sequins sit.” A complete lie. Mateo knows it, too, as he gives me a knowing look. I hear Joel cough—more like splutter—several times as I slip into the sparkles. I feel like I’m dripping gold, though it is much shorter than anticipated. I suppose that might actually aid my situation; trying to get Joel to look away as much as possible. With that thought in mind, I choose platform heels this time.

We take our time bowing down to Harper, who looks like a fairy goddess in her mint green dress and sparkly gold heels. The colors compliment her red hair perfectly, and she is beaming ear to ear with every picture we insist on taking of her. Nyah and Harper are on one of the sofas, posing on either end when Harper demands that we all get a photo together.

“Mr. Miller, would you mind?” She asks sweetly.

“Not at all,” I see the hint of a smile on his face. The six of us pile on the couch, trying our best to model while flopping limb over limb.

“Alright photographer, you deserve a shot for that!” Harper hops up, grabbing the neck of the bottle closest to her.

Joel looks startled when she brings it up to him. “I’m sorry, Ms. Bryne, but I’m on the clock.”

“Oh, right,” Harper takes a swig herself, not at all bothered by the fact that Joel knew her last name. I shoot him a look that he ignores.

“Okay, let’s get this show on the road!” I call the elevator and Joel comes up to stand next to me. I guess we’re starting early with The Watchful Eyes this evening.

“You aren’t bringing a jacket?” He asks as I step past the sliding doors.

“Why would I need one? With you standing so close to me all night I’m practically wearing you.”

Landon lets out a whistle while Nyah bites her lip to keep from laughing. Harper just gapes at me, wide-eyed. I know I’ll get shit for this later, for how rude I’m being. But if they knew the depth of it…I shake that thought from my head and grab Harper’s hand, pulling her in the elevator. It’s crowded with all seven of us, and I mentally thank the past version of myself for asking Rodney to take the bigger car tonight.

When Joel sees the Escalade, he leans down to me. “Your uh, wardrobe team? They’re coming with us?” He whispers, tickling my ear.

“Of course,” I say, pulling away from him. Why would he ask that? “Also, ‘wardrobe team’ sounds like I own a carpentry shop. They’re a glam squad. Or just say Mateo and Aria.” Glancing up, realizing how earnestly he’s listening to me, I can’t help but add, “Please.”

“Yes, Miss Russell.”

The car ride to the club was so boisterous, I’m shocked neither Joel nor Rodney plugged their ears. Granted, Rod seems to be tuned out at all times. I’m pretty sure that’s how he navigates the streets of New York so quickly. When we arrive at Tea Time, Harper squeals as we exit the car.

“You’re kidding me! How did you get us in?” She asks.

“You can thank Landon for this one, actually,” I say as the bouncer lets all of us pass, despite the groans coming from the dozens of people waiting in line.

Harper beams at Landon, and they shrug. “The owner has had his eye on a painting in my parents gallery for months. I said I would consult with them and let him know.”

“All this just for consulting with your parents?” Nyah raises a brow at them.

“What can I say? People love exclusively. If I agreed to sell it to him, it’d be too easy. He has to impress us first…” Landon gestures to the club before us. And it was packed. The entire ceiling was made up of disco balls, with any empty space being occupied with vines suspended from above, trickling down just far enough to still be out of reach from the dancing patrons. I thought with the name there would be more of a garden party theme, but it’s like a disco fairy wonderland in here. Completely up Harper’s alley, it even matches her outfit. I can see why she’s been begging us to try and come here for months.

A tall woman dressed in a disco ball-esque dress leads us to our table. A table that has been decked out in a champagne tower, complete with a birthday crown that is promptly added to Harper’s updo. Mateo stands on the table to pour the champagne tower until all the glasses overflow, and we all take turns chugging. The music around us is so loud you can feel it in your feet, and my whole body buzzes. This is what I wanted. To feel my age, to feel normal. I want to dance away the stress of these past few months and drink and blend in with the crowd.

A wish that is made increasingly more difficult by Joel Miller.

He refuses even to sit down, standing with his hands folded, remaining even more vigilant than the bouncers. A waitress with fairy wings has already asked him three times if he’d want something to drink, and even as she bats her eyelashes, he still doesn’t watch her as she walks past.

“You know,” I have to practically shout for Nyah to hear me, “If I want to actually let loose tonight I’m gonna have to shake this guy.”

“‘This guy’ meaning your bodyguard?” Nyah asks even as she sways to the music on the black leather couch.

I nod. “I thought he might be distracted by beautiful women, but apparently he’s too dedicated.”

“Maybe he’s not into girls?”

It would have helped in this instance if I had spent literally any time at all getting to know him.

“Could be.”

“Who cares? Let’s just go dance! There’s so many people here, he can’t watch you that closely when we’re in the crowd.” Nyah is already slurring her words a little, but she finishes her second glass of champagne and grabs my hand.

“We’re going dancing!” She yells at our group in a way that means dancing is now mandatory. I quickly slip out of her grasp and make my way, slightly wobbly, over to Joel.

“Mr. Miller,” I shout, and he bends down so he can listen, “I’m going dancing now! You will actually have a better view of me if you stay here.” I pull back to look him in the eye and he seems…amused?

“Are you telling me how to do my job?”

Oh, he definitely has some snark to him. “I was merely suggesting. Asking, even. If I could have that space we talked about.”

His eyes search my face for a moment. “Go have fun.”

I almost say thank you, but choose a nod instead before turning on my heel and following the trail of my friends into the middle of the dance floor. Phase one: separation, complete.

Now onto phase two: the escape.

I didn’t plan it. Not completely. But as soon as I’m in the crowd, my eardrums filled with laughter and the kind of music that beckons you to move your hips, I know I’m running tonight.

A packed club is disorienting to anyone, and from the glances I occasionally get of Miller at the table, it’s not an environment he’s familiar with. Or maybe standing cross-armed and stone-faced is his way of having fun. Maybe he’ll have even more fun playing hide-and-seek.

Harper has commanded all of us to be in a dance-circle for the past half hour until a pixie-like girl taps her on the shoulder. In addition to her chopped black hair, she literally resembles a pixie. She had large green wings that fanned out behind her and shimmered in the light. By the way Harper tips her head back to laugh, I’m assuming she’s her type.

Mateo and Aria call out something about doing a lap around the dance floor, and the remaining three of us give them a nod. Landon has never been much of a dancer, but I know they’re putting on a brave face for Harper. And probably for the rest of us, for that matter.

They lean between Nyah and I, asking, “How much longer until I can sneak home?”

“Already? I’ve been trying to get you to go out for weeks!” Nyah whines, grabbing their hand and swinging it to the beat.

“Honestly, I’m on the same page.” I say as low as the music will allow.

Both of them narrow their eyes at me. “For a different reason, I’m assuming.” Landon says.

I nod, not wanting to tell them enough that they’ll feel they have to lie for me. “I’m just saying that if I disappear, don’t worry about it.” I wink.

“Noted,” Landon groans as Nyah twirls them around, but by the end of the spin, they’ve cracked a smile.

I’m smiling back at them until I feel a hand on my lower back. Why do strangers—men—always feel the need to touch your lower back?

I glance up anyway to see a pair of pretty green eyes.

“Can I help you?” I ask.

“I hope so,” He grins. “I’m in need of a dance partner.”

I glance around to my friends, but they’re further away. This guy wasn’t the first to approach, but we were a unit before. Now with our group dispersing, I’m worried it will prompt Joel to leave his station and get closer, making my escape even more complicated.

“I might be in need of one, too.” I feign a bashful smile, and he eats it right up, securing a hand on my hip.

It only takes one more song for the man to grab both of my hips fully, pinning me against him. I want to roll my eyes, but at least he smells nice. I reach my hand back to rest on his neck, and he takes it as an opportunity to bend forward and whisper in my ear.

“You know what I think would make you even sexier?”

Barf. “Hmm?” I close my eyes, trying to look like I’m being pulled in by his words.

“If you took a ride on my bike.”

My eyes snap open. Karma was on my side tonight. “You have a motorcycle?” The excitement in my voice doesn’t have to be faked.

“Sure do. It’s parked only a couple streets away.”

Bingo.

I turn around to face him, wrapping my hands around his neck. He really was attractive, and I normally liked green eyes. He just…isn’t quite doing it for me. I just think the plan takes precedence over his personality tonight. It was only one night, anyway. I could do a lot worse.

“How about a little role-play?” His eyes grow wide at my words, nodding enthusiastically. “We should dance for a little while longer, but when I say so, we need to book it out of here like our lives depend on it. We can pretend we’re running from the law.”

He looks moderately confused, but he’s also fairly distracted by the view down my dress.

“Sound like a plan?”

“Absolutely.” He turns me around, pushing my back forward so that I reach toward the floor. I make sure to look toward Miller again, and sure enough, he looks mortified, quickly glancing the other way.

I smile to myself, rolling my body on my way back up. The next time one of those waitresses gets his attention, timing it just right with a little PDA from my dance partner, and I’m out of here. How far can he run in those rugged old boots of his?

Game on, Miller. Game on.

Previous chapter

Masterlist

[maideninorange]

"But Orochin-shan, that'sh not a haniwa. That's not even a plate, gyo! It looks more like some kinda tentacle monsta than pottery, nyah."

Yaorochi looks over at Sukune, a retort already on their lips. Why of course it's not going to resemble either! They were trying to make a simple clay sword, not anything complex like a haniwa!

But that's when they realized the expression upon Sukune's face is not one of a chastising professional, but the pallid one of someone completely blown away by something. Considering that said something is usually a bad thing, Yaorochi had to take a step back from the table in order to give it a better look over.

Yaorochi winces at what they saw.

"Clay...Is not supposed to coil like that, is it?"

"Not for a sword replica, gyo. It would look really pretty on a vase or somethin, gyah! If a little eccentric..."

If Sukune is calling something eccentric, then Yaorochi clearly did something damn near impossible. Was...Was it even supposed to be moving like that?!

Yaorochi lets out a loud sigh. Sukune gives them a friendly pat on the elbow, cold comfort after all the hours of hard work and pain.

"There there Yaorochi-shan. They can't all be winners, gyah. Looks like you'll have ta try again!"

Drat. This might've been tougher than Sukune makes it look. But they were in too deep now. Not unless they want to lose to mere clay.

So Yaorochi clears the table of wretched sculpting and started anew. They'll get it this time, right?

"You can stop hovering over me, I know what I'm doing."

[eliphante123]

meet Taniya the lion

Name: Taniya Kalisha

Nicknames: Tachan, Ta-nyah, little cub (Leona)

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Race: Lion

Height: 5 ft 1

College: Night Raven College

Dorm: Savanaclaw

Year: 2nd

Job: dorm assistant & peacemaker (dorm mates)

Family:

Father

Mother (decease)

Uncle

Aunt

3 cousins

Quote: a dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work

Goals: strong, happiness, and become a greatest sorceress

Personality: She is kind and hardworking that likes to learn more about magic, helping out with everyone who are in trouble, and opens up to every old/new students of meeting new friends. Before she came to Night Raven College, she used to be shy and intimidated lion who gets really nervous of talking to everyone but as she was accepted, she became confident and honest with her words. She’s not like the rest of savanaclaw students that supposably hot-headed, rowdy, and hooligan of wanting a fight with other students, she is consider to be calm or more like a peacemaker to them but she can be a bit hot-tempered, too if they try something to pissed her off. When it comes to work of being savanaclaw’s dorm assistant that Leona assigned her to be, she’s very serious about her job and wanted to get her work done, perfectly by writing a to-do list of tasks, attendance, errands, keeping savanaclaw dorm from chaos, organize/fixing the facilities from damage, checking out the students, and etc. before going back to her studies or spending her free time in her dorm room. Taniya has a phobia of flying, which brings her to be a scaredy cat of attending flying class by skipping class or running away; even when her classmates, including Ashton, tried to drag her out from her room. Although, she may have a weakness. When something happens that reminds of her past, she fell disorientated of having a mental breakdown by repeated saying “Im sorry for being existed” that she would gladly die for them. After that happened, she went back to her normal self and telling them to forget what she’ve said by reassuring that it was her acting skills. She has a hungry glutton for meat that she goes fully hyped of wanting to eat and with that kind of energy, she always get easily fooled by her friends pranks. Her insecurity of being small which made her very sensitive and everyone at college thinks she’s a kid or a freshman despite that she’s actually 2nd year. If anyone made fun of her height, they’ll feel her dark aura with a sarcastic smile to threat them by scratching their faces or bite their arms and legs off with her pointy buck tooth.

Likes: MEAT!!! ALL KINDS OF MEAT, desserts, peace, magic, animals, adventure, strolling/running around the campus, jokes, good grades, break, getting the work done, studying, friends and helping others

Dislikes: fish, calling short, get into fights, flying (especially with brooms and magic carpet), failing, teasing, her dorm mates, Leona, losing someone dear, mess, and evil magic

Favorite color: yellow, green, and blue

Hobbies: running, reading, sports, magic, cleaning, and parkour

Skills/Abilities: martial arts, potion making, levitation, acting, sense of hearing, casting spells, talking to animals, and speed

Backstory: 

She was born and raised as a sweet girl and lived a happy life from an isolated house, far from town with her parents until her mother passed away since she was 5. Her mother’s death cause her to be depressed and downhearted for the pass few years. Both of them were poor and grew up in tough life where Taniya was doing the household chores all by herself while her father was busy his full-time work. Every children in town and school were afraid of her as they keep themselves away from Taniya because of her form and proves that she’s actually a lion which brings the children into thinking that lions are a vicious and dangerous animals. Even if she try being nice to the children by telling them that she won’t hurt them but they end up running to their parents then accused her for pretending to be nice, so she can lure them for being her food. The townspeople believes them and begins to be afraid of her so they treated Taniya and her dad like an outcast by throwing rocks at them and badmouthing them. They didn’t want her to be around the town so they told her that she doesn’t belong here and rather live in the outskirts and die. With that happened, they made her to become timorous and not wanting to make friends with anyone but instead, talking to animals from the woods. Everything that she’ve been through, Taniya grew tired, out of frustration and decided to take her own life from all the pain and torments that inflicts her. Out of anger, she accidentally uses her levitation spell on a boulder then crumbled into a million pieces, which shocked her. She asked her father about what happened though he knew and waited for it to happen. It reveals that her mother was one of the noble family that inherits special powers and her family has an outstanding social status throughout the region. On the other hand, her father and his family works as their servants. When two of them meet, they fell in love at first sight and they became very close, together for few months. The servant propose the noble daughter in marriage but both of their parents didn’t approve their relationship because of their social standards. So, her mother and father decided to run away from them and live their own happy life. Taniya didn’t know that her mother was a sorceress in the first place. Her father didn’t tell her that because they thought she doesn’t have powers for a long time so they decided to keep it a secret until the time comes but if her mother has powers then Taniya should have powers, too. After long years of practice, she was able to master some of her magic, however, it wasn’t enough for her. She told her father that she needed to get fresh air from practicing magic for almost everyday so she wanted to cool herself off. As she leaves her father and her home behind, Taniya decided that she could take a stroll to the woods; she walks further and further, deep in the woods without being mindful of her surroundings until she gotten herself lost. With fear and anxiety, she tried tracing her foot steps from where she went but unfortunately, she found nothing of her home or town except trees and night sky. She was beginning to lose hope until a mirror appeared infront of her. She wonders why would there be a mirror in the middle of the woods? could it be that someone left it here? if that what it is then shouldn’t be anyone here to take it back. She took a good look at the mirror to see a reflection of herself but as she moves closely, she was sucked inside the mirror and found herself in a different area that she’s not familiar with. Then a mysterious man with a black bird mask offers her a hand and by surprise, he tells her that she’ve been accepted to his college named “Night Raven College” and that’s where her college story begins.

Facts:

She’s anxious of making new friends and thinking that everyone aren’t interested of her

Everyone at night raven mistaken Taniya as 1st year of how short she is and doesn't like being called like that. 

She works with Leona & Ruggie as their dorm assistant on helping out their CHAOTIC dormitory. If anything happens to her dorm mates, she would gladly helps them by talking about their problems (though they don’t want to talk but she persistently did) or drags them to the infirmary and treat them with aid. She doesn't mind helping the people she hate as long as preventing them from hurting others & themselves. When there's a fight going on, she rushes between the two or more oppressor to break off their feuds and scolds them for fighting without a reason. Her dorm mates finds her annoying and persistent for acting like a peacemaker but if it weren't for her, there wouldn't be a problem at their dorm.

She would do anything to avoid Ashton's class by making up lots of excuses or shut herself in her room until it ends even it means failing her grades.

Just like Ruggie's gluttton of food, her favorite is meat.

She doesn't like her dormitory because according to the tw anthology, every students are hot-headed and likes getting into fights just for being tough which makes it annoying and troublesome to deal with them over and over again but somehow, she's happy that she fits in with her dorm mates and getting to know everyone especially that everyone are furries (i forgot how to call it) just like her.

Taniya wasn't a fan of fish and never eats one. Although, she DID eat once but she finds it very weird for her taste buds including the rotten smell and because of that, she doesn’t want to step foot on Octavinelle dorm. (she doesn’t trust them because she smells fishy about Azul, Jade, Floyd, and the rest of their dorm mates.....I'm sorry but seriously, she doesn’t trust them)

She’s not interested about having a relationship (that’s a lie) and rather help them have confident of confessing their crushes but if any boy wants to win her heart, they need to do better than giving chocolates & flowers and saying sweet words or else she might deliberately friendzoning them because this feline won’t be easy to fall for. To her, she’s really clueless when it comes of being loved but even if she DOES like someone, she won’t admit to her friends/spouse that he’s not enough for her or act a bit classic tsundere (you baka! obviously it’s-)

What everyone didn’t know that she also have a dark side but she always keep her mental at state

[lunar-moonlight]

Sonata vs Solar vs Stellar

The Moon vs The Sun vs The Universe

These 3 literal gods and goddess fighting each other.

Who do you think is the strongest?

[cdarkheartzero]

I'm not going to lie to you, I love Zara, I love how little by little she becomes fond of Zim, even practically her mother. But I can't stop thinking about how she will end up, so I need to know. At the end of the story, will she and Zim split up? In the end the brat will grow up and have to leave, either as an invader or a failed scientist, I see no way that the two end up together within the laws of the empire

Zara- “you are so sweet! Thank you! Love ya too! ”

Zim- “Zim finds it hard to believe that ANYONE would like you, honestly. Let alone “love” you”

Zara- “oh, hush up. Anyway-! I am actually male. Know I ain’t the most masculine creature out there but just wanted to let you know. Don’t worry though! Ain’t offended none!”

Zim- “I have seen Urth blades of grass “manlier” than you.”

Zara- “imma put you in time out if you don’t pipe down, you lil’ shit.”

Zim- “Zim would like to see you try!”

Minimoose- “NYAH!”

Gir- “FIGHT! THEY GUNNA FIGHT!”

Zara- “settle down, ya’ll. No one is fightin’”

Zim- “indeed. It would be most unwise. We all know who the superior soldier is”.

*everyone awkwardly stares at eachother*

Zara- “and to answer your question- yeah. We do get separated after some time. After “quitting banishment” and this little one leaves to invade his planet, I got assigned a new mission. Head of the bomb squad. Thanks to the experience of this fucker *pinches Zim’s cheek* *Zim hisses and pouts into Minimoose*

Zim- “pathetically, he likes to keep contact with Zim. Usually we exchange Irken and Urth candies.”

Zara- “or ya mail me a bomb to dismantle before it blows up ma base.”

Zim- “Zim keeps your skills sharp.”

Zara- “it’s still my job from the Control brains though. to keep an eye on him but it’s not my main task anymore. He is still my little smeet after all so I��m happy ta do it .”

*Zim grumbles incoherently of embarrassment*

[overwatchfanskinarchive]

Zen-nyah-ta, Meowcy, and Mitzi Brigitte by Leadius (Anh H. Le)

[deepsixfanfic]

Eu fiz uma coisa!!

Então, porque sou extremamente ansiosa e fiquei chocada com a saudade que estava de escrever DS, acabei postando o novo capítulo hoje :D

Os próximos vão ser postados ao longo dessa semana, junto com edições e artes que minha amiga ta fazendo, mas vamos focar nesse capítulo que me fez chorar algumas vezes (por motivos muito diferentes) enquanto escrevia kkkkk Foram 3.214 palavras, espero que gostem e, de novo, FOI MAL PELA ESPERA DE 2 FUCKING ANOS!!

Nota: Vou tentar fazer banners novos para os capítulos anteriores, mas talvez dê muito trabalho, então o estilo novo seria só para os caps novos. 

Nyah!Fanfiction Wattpad

[dudouji]

(the original thing)

[greed-the-dorkalicious]

Saturday Night Stream - 5/25/19

Yknow, like, nyah. Tonight’s eps:

Batman TAS episode 36: Cat Scratch Fever

Batman TAS episode 37: The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne

YGO Duel Monsters episode 147: The Nameless Dragon, Timaeus

YGO Duel Monsters episode 148: The Invitation from Pegasus

9 PM EST as usual.

[defendedpride]

    “ I’ve always wan’ed ta try sayin’ nyah, bu’ I ain’t cute enough for it.”

[eliphante123]

Taniya the lion (remake)

Just a small changes about her cuz when I look it again, her story sounds a bit odd so I added few more details to make it more interesting~

Name: Taniya Kalisha

Nicknames: Ta-chan (Ace, Trey, Cater, Kalim, and everyone), Ta-nyah (Floyd), Tanee-san (Ortho), little cub (Leona), shibi (dorm mates)

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Race: Lion

Height: 5 ft 1

College: Night Raven College

Dorm: Savanaclaw

Year: 2nd

Job: dorm assistant & peacemaker (dorm mates)

Family:

Father

Mother (decease)

Uncle

Aunt

3 cousins (future oc’s)

Quote: a dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work

Goals: strong, happiness, going back home and become a greatest sorceress

Personality: She is caring and hardworking person who likes to learn more about spells, helping the students who are in trouble, and opens up to every old/new students of making new friends. She used to be gloomy and intimidated lion and gets really nervous of talking to people but after staying at Night Raven College for a while, she's confident and honest with her words. She’s not like the rest of savanaclaw students that supposably hot-headed, rowdy, and hooligan of wanting a fight with other students, she is consider to be calm or more like a peacemaker to them but she can be a bit hot-tempered, too if they try anything to pissed her off. When it comes to work of being savanaclaw’s dorm assistant, she’s very serious about her job and wanted to get her work done, perfectly by writing a to-do list on her notebook of everything she has to do (tasks, attendance, errands, keeping savanaclaw dorm from chaos, organize/fixing the facilities from damage, checking out the students) before going back to her studies or spending her free time in her dorm room. Taniya has a phobia of flying, which brings her to be a scaredy cat of attending flying class by skipping class or running away even when her classmates, including Ashton, tried to drag her out from her room. Although, she may have a weakness, as well. When something happens that reminds her of the past, she fell into a mental breakdown by mumbling of how sorry she is for being alive in the first place that she would gladly die for them. After the horrible trauma she has, she turn to her normal self and tells them to forget what they've seen in her by reassuring that it was just an act. Whenever she felt hungry as a lion as always, she goes fully hyped of wanting to eat and with that kind of energy, she always get easily fooled by her classmates pranks. Being small brings her to feel very insecure of herself and wishes that she could be taller than among the students. Everyone thought that she’s a child or a freshman despite that she’s actually 2nd year. If anyone made fun of her height, they'll feel a dark aura with a sinister smile on her face and threatens them of scratching their faces or bite their arms and legs off with her pointy buck tooth. She won't hesitate unless one of them has to apologies for making up stupid jokes about her height. No matter how small her height is, she acts like a responsible student to the teachers and treated her kouhai’s like a height riva-I mean little siblings.

Likes: MEAT!!! ALL KINDS OF MEAT, desserts, peace, magic, animals, outside, adventure, strolling/running around the campus, mostro lounge, jokes, good grades, break, getting the work done, studying, friends and helping others

Dislikes: fish, calling short, failing, get into fights, flying (especially with brooms and magic carpet), her dorm mates, Leona, Octavinelle (mostly Floyd), teasing, losing someone dear, mess, and evil magic

Favorite color: yellow, green, and blue

Hobbies: running, reading, sports, magic, cleaning, and parkour

Skills/Abilities: martial arts, potion making, levitation, acting, sense of hearing, casting spells, communicating with animals, strength and speed

Facts:

She’s anxious of making new friends and thinking that everyone aren’t interested of her

Doesn’t like being called short

Works with Leona & Ruggie as their dorm assistant on helping out their CHAOTIC dormitory. She has tons of idea's for making everyone at savanaclaw to stop fighting by having a conversation about their problems (though they don’t want to talk about it but she persistently did). When she sees anyone getting hurt from lots of bruises, she quickly drags them to the infirmary and treat them with aid (lecturing them at the end). She doesn’t mind helping the people she hate as long as preventing her dorm mates from hurting others & themselves. When there’s a fight going on, she rushes between two or more oppressor to break off their feuds and scolds them for fighting without a reason. Her dorm mates finds her very annoying and persistent for acting like a peacemaker but if it weren’t for her, there wouldn’t be a problem at their dorm.

Likes to run around high buildings or do parkour without being noticed (except Ruggie he knows).

She would do anything to avoid Ashton’s class by making up lots of excuses or shut herself in her room until it ends even it means failing her grades.

Just like Ruggie’s gluttton of food, her favorite is meat.

She doesn’t like her dormitory because according to the tw anthology, every students are hot-headed and likes getting into fights just for being tough which makes it annoying and troublesome to deal with over and over again but somehow, she felt happy to be around at her dorm and enjoys having fun with everyone as friends especially all of her dorm mates have ears and tails just like her.

Taniya wasn’t fond of fish and never eats one. She DID eat once but she finds it very weird for her taste including the rotten smell and because of that, she doesn’t want to step foot on Octavinelle dorm. (she doesn’t trust them because she smells fishy about Azul, Jade, Floyd, and the rest of their dorm mates…..I’m sorry but seriously, she doesn’t trust them)

She’s not interested in having a relationship (that’s a lie) and rather help her classmates to have confident of confessing their crushes but if any boy wants to win her heart, they need to do better than giving chocolates & flowers and saying sweet words or else she deliberately might friendzoning them because this feline won’t be easy to fall for......actually, she’s really clueless when it comes of being loved but even if she DOES like someone, she won’t admit to her friends/spouse that he’s not good enough for her or act like a classic tsundere (you adorable baka! obviously it’s-)

Everyone didn’t know she has a dark side but she makes sure to keep her mental at state

[theblessedsolitude]

oiii, suas historias nao estao mais no nyah?! :(

tao sim bem, ta tudo la

[youngfcs]

Cada atualização do Spirit um tombo. Única coisa q ainda tinha de bom era a timeline e até isso estragaram misturando faves e atts junto com conversa e ta uma desorganização e uma bagunça aquilo. Eu não apaguei a conta, mas eu me despedi da timeline. Foi duro porque eu era ativa e tinha muitos amigos lá, mas infelizmente a plataforma Spirit é a inimiga dela mesma. A cada dia o Spirit só se afunda mais, infelizmente.

Poxa, anon! Sinto muito por tudo isso <3

Não posso dizer que entendo do Spirit, porque entrei muitas poucas vezes (na verdade eu entrava mais no Nyah! e no Wattpad depois), mas entendo a decepção quando um local "seguro" ou que gostava, de repente muda para pior!

Tem certeza que não tem como voltar lá? Por que eles tão mudando tanto? As pessoas não conseguem reclamar disso?

(cib)

[writeawayjake]

CHAPTER 12!!!!!

Chapter 12  Relentless

         “Damn that son of a bitch hits hard,” Jared panted, slumping into his stool.

         “Sit down and shut up lad, let me have a look at ye’.” Said brock, tending to his eye. Reaching into the bucket of snow next to him Brock pulled out a large silver coin, pressing it against the swelling welt. The only good thing about fighting in the winter was that you could always pack some snow in it. Even seated Brock only came to eye level with Jared.            

         “How’s it look?” He asked.

         “Ach, nothin' Nyah can't fix.” The old dwarf reassured him. “But fer now yer stuck with ol’ uncle Brock. Ya need to work yer way inside boy, slip that right o’ his and destroy ‘im.” Brock growled with his usual gruffness.

         “Easy for you to say, it's not your head he's bashing in.” Jared snapped back.

         “Oi lad, everyone's bigger than me but ya don't see mah ass whingin’.”

         “I still don't understand why I had to be the one who signed up, why isn't Kayle here? He’s the size of a fucking barn, he'd be tearing this guy apart.”

         “‘Aye exactly, folks bet on Kayle, no one's gonna bet on your scrawny arse. No offense intended laddy but we make more money this way.” Jared could see the bookie walking around taking bets, placing the audience members money into his hat.

         “There's no way I'm i can beat him in a fair fig-

         “Who thah bloody hell said anything about fightin’ fair?!” Brock bellowed. “This is a fight no’ a gentlemans duel. You do what ya have to ta win!”

         “How do you know I'm gonna win?” Asked Jared with a furrowed brow.

         “Well, cause you're a relentless little shit.” Brock replied. “And the meanest bastard ah know. Plus, you have a very good teacher.” he said with a wink.

          As if on que the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the next round. “Now. Go in there, an bury tha bastard.” Jared stood up, his cheek throbbing, and his lungs burning. Across the ring, if you could call the loose arrangement of hay bails and ropes a ring, his opponent stood up, easily ten years his elder, easily twice his weight, and no doubt at home in his current surroundings. But at least they were roughly the same height. The man looked like a bear; a broad chest, heavy rounded shoulders, long thick arms, and an entire body covered in black hair.         

         Gotta be something to go after, Jared thought. Gotta be an opening. The referee, also known as the least drunk man in the audience, beckoned them toward one another to begin the rounds festivities. Jared’s sharp eyes looked his adversary up and down, searching for a weakness to exploit. So far all he'd been able to deduce was that the man was capable with his hands, had been fighting for some time, and favored his right.

         That'll have to do. He thought.

         His opponent came flying at him, whipping a long left hook from under his shoulder. Jared barely had time to sidestep it, feeling the wind of the punch on his face. Immediately they followed it up with a quick one two, Jared managed to parry the jab with his palm but caught the straight right on his eyebrow. Not being one to lie back and take it, Jared quickly fired back a snapping right cross followed by flicking jab to block his opponents vision before sidestepping and slamming a right hand into the bastard’s kidney. Shuffling back to give himself some room he paused.

         Above the raucous crowd he could here Brock screaming,

        “Slip tha bloody right!!!”

        He's right, Jared thought. Never gonna win trading punches. Alright, let's do it your way old man. Jared dropped his left hand towards his belly but leaving the right firmly cocked back near his cheek prepared for the inevitable onslaught.

         Of course the bull rushed forward, more brawn than brain. The brute lurched forward throwing a wild right hook Jared leaned back slightly, letting the blow miss him by inches, and followed it with a snapping right hand to his opponent’s jaw. Making contact with a clear smacking sound. Stunned, the brute paused. Trying to make sense of what had just happened.

         He came forward once more, again throwing a right at Jared’s head. However instead of dodging it, this time Jared stretched out his left arm, catching and trapping his opponent’s. In an instant the look on the brute’s face went from one of confusion to anger, to shock as the realization of what was coming took hold of him.

         Jared’s fist came hurtling up, slamming into the brutes throat. Dishonorable? Maybe. Effective? Yes. The brute gasped for air and let out a sickening,

         “Gack!!!” accompanied by a mist of blood. Jared let go of the man's arm. Not wanting to injure him any more than necessary. The bear desperately gasped for breath, falling to one knee and holding his throat.

          Just stay down, Jared thought. The referee began counting,

          “One! Two! Three!” when, to Jared’s amazement, the his opponent began standing back up.

          Stupid proud bastard. Before the bear could get his composure Jared hurled an elbow that connected square on his jaw. He would not get up a second time.

         The crowd went silent, except for the sound of clinking bottles and shuffling feet. He was afraid they might storm the ring or throw bottles at his head. However after what seemed like an eternity they erupted into applause.

         Huh, how about That? He thought, surprised. The only one who stormed the ring was Brock, his stubby legs hurling him into Jared’s chest, choking him in an ecstatic embrace.

         “Hahaaaaa! Ya did it lad! We’re gonna eat like kings for a month!” Brock quickly let go and rushed over to the bookie, greedily snatching the hat from his hand. Jared followed close behind, stopping at the stool to grab his shirt.

          Brock swaggered toward the exit, kicking the door open and letting in the blinding white of the overcast of the day outside. Jared stepped outside, the cold air causing steam to waft and swirl from his scalp. As cold as it was, the fresh air was a welcome change from the stuffy, sweaty barn.

         Taking in a deep breath Jared felt a sense of shame wash over him. For the first time he was ashamed of winning a fight. Being built the way he was, fighting fair was rarely an option. So why was he ashamed now?

         He didn't have time to answer that question as a mass of curly red hair slammed into him, squeezing him so hard he thought he might break a rib. She let him go as quickly as she’d grabbed him and in a flash she had a hold of his face. Inspecting his eye, worried sick.

          “Its nice to see you too Nyah.” Jared laughed, trying not to fall as she pulled his head down toward her. Furrowing her brow she pushed and prodded the swelling. “Nyah I'm fine really.” He chuckled.

           “No you're not fine. Someone put their fist in your eye. Where is he I wanna talk to him.” She said scowling. Cupping her face in his hands he assured her,

           “Nyah, I won. I'm fine.” He said with a smile. Brock chimed in while counting the coins they'd won,

           “Thing a beauty Nyah, shoulda seen it.” She let out a long sigh,

           “Fine. Let's get something to eat. And put some ice on that.”

           “Sounds good to me.” Jared groaned, putting his shirt back on.

           “Me too.” Brock barked. As they walked toward the local excuse for an inn, Jared looked around at the squalid mining camp they were passing through. Puddles of filth everywhere, brothels and taverns every other building. Until his sharp green eyes fell upon a woman sitting at the entrance of an alley.

           In her arms, wrapped in a blanket was a squealing child. By the look of her, she’d been on the street a long while. The shame from earlier crept over him once again. Seeping into his bones, burning his blood, stinging his skin. Gritting his teeth he snatched the hat from Brock.

         “What tha bloody hell are ye doing lad?!” he screamed. Jared trudged over to the woman and knelt down, handing it over to her. A Look of gratitude spread across her face followed by joyful tears. Jared gave her a friendly smile in response and placed his hand on her shoulder. “That was all our cash!” Brock continued. Jared stood up and began marching back toward the barn with fire in his eyes. Taking his shirt back off mid stride he responded,

         “Then I guess we gotta make some more…”