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Blind us where we stand
MOD SQUAD FAIL.
Series: Kingdom (sometime in October)
Characters: Val, Loni,Prince Eric Brian
Of the great many overwhelming insecurities Val harbored that late night, he found that Loni accompanying him in her purely Loni fashion shifted from being a stealth liability to a pure emotional relief. He accepted that he was crazy beyond saving, but at least he wasn't alone in it.
Val squinted up at the apartment above them, as he did roughly once every five minutes. He considered asking Loni for the pair of binoculars strung around her neck, though he wasn't quite sure how well they would work anyway: they were plastic and matched her hair in color, and he was certain he recognized them from one of his cousin's old Barbie safari sets. The hat managed to be gaudier, wide-brimmed and set in a zebra print. Val felt downright natural in his black trenchcoat by comparison. He kept his collar flipped up every time he leaned beyond the cover of brick far enough to look up at the so-called Brownstone, up to an apartment that seemed to have an entire wall of glass windows. Apt, Val supposed, considering their target.
He couldn't see very well, but he saw enough to feel content of Brian's safety. Sighing, he pulled back behind the corner of the bank, and paced a few steps beyond, his hands stuffed into his pockets. "Just so you know, I've never done this kind of thing," Val assured her, maybe for the third time that hour.
"I've never done this either," she replied, though her tone was just a touch too enthusiastic for his comfort. Now she inched towards the corner for a peek. "It's a little scary. Would he notice us?"
"He hasn't looked up from his computer in a long time." Only a small portion of his concern was about Brian noticing them. He was a bit more wary of the lights in his neighbors' apartments, especially the one Val understood to be Tasha's. "Not like I care about how long he spends on a computer. He can spend his time however he wants. I'm only here because something is...different about him. Right? Though not different bad." Val looked to Loni. "He's not a bad guy."
"No! But he is different," Loni whispered, looking around the side of the building for herself. "I don't know anybody like him." She sighed, and then pressed her cheek to the brick. Her eyelashes fluttered upward towards those great windows, imitating a particular love-lorn mermaid in the process.
Val set his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes. "I don't know about you, but I thought this was about Hunting."
"You mean, this isn't for fun?" She ribbed him, and he broke his stern pose to pay her back for it. In the process, they accidentally stumbled beyond the shelter of the bank's wall, though Val realized this quickly, and yanked her back.
"I would never watch Brian for fun. And don't tell Clover otherwise." He let go of her, but kept his hand outstretched, palm up. "Give me your hat."
She took it off before she even asked, "Why?"
"I want to try it on," he said. A smile broke his previously stern expression. "To see if it matches my jacket better than yours."
Loni drew back, hugging the hat to her apple green coat. "Val! That's terrible! If you put it like that, then there is just no way-"
A blare of noise and a sudden vibration at his side startled them both, especially shaking Val nearly out of his own skin. He slapped at a pocket of his jacket, then dug his hand in. "Just my phone. But at this hour?"
"Who is it?" she asked as he took it out. But the name of the caller, flashing brightly in the darkness, answered her question fast. "Brian?"
"No way." Val whipped his head around and up, to the wide glass panes of Brian's apartment. Their target was standing now, next to his desk, his hand raised like a visor and his eyes narrowed as tried to peer down at them through the window. Val felt Loni's fingers at his hand, going for the phone. "No, please, don't answer that!"
He shifted back, and only evaded Loni for a few moment, though ultimately she flipped open his cell just in time to hear the drone of the dial tone. She pouted her displeasure at Val, then searched his phone for a redial option. "You know Val, that might have been important."
"I'm sure he has a few important calls to make now. The cops. Tasha. And everyone else, so they know we are freaks..." Val glanced down both sides of the alley, looking for anybody else who could have noticed them. "We should get out of here, Loni." He turned back to her, but she was still absorbed in his phone. "Loni?"
He reached out to shake her shoulder, but saw her attention was on the phone, and so he looked over her shoulder instead. A text message flashed now, replacing the missed call notification. What's up?
Loni responded, this time having none of Val's protests or elbowing shoves. Can't tell! Secret! she replied.
"Oh Loni." Val sank back against the brick wall, shrinking into the collar of his jacket. "That kind of answer is totally not absolutely suspicious at all."
He pressed his palm to his forehead. And when the cops asked him what he was doing loitering and spying on someone, he wouldn't be able to come up with a decent excuse. Something feels strange about this guy, officer, so sometimes I find myself lingering around his apartment late at night when I absolutely should be studying for my exams and applying to colleges instead, but you don't get it, sir, he's just stuck in my head and sometimes I can't stop worrying about him so I have to look and make sure... Oh God, Val despaired, just the sound of that-
"Val? He's not suspicious, look!" Loni said, handing Val back his buzzing phone. Brian's response was direct, simple. Want some coffee?
"Is he serious?" Val looked up to ask Loni what she thought, only to see her push herself away from the brick and throw herself around the corner. She ran across the quiet street, and at the doorway, despite the dark, she hunted for the buzzer to Brian's apartment.
Val followed her, head bowed forward as he walked. He sighed so greatly that it might leave his shoulders permenantly sagged. He warred over the etiquette of this, wondering if it was still too late to run off. But when he saw Loni with the door open, waving towards him, he felt slightly better. It was rude to spy, Val knew, but perhaps ruder to turn down an invitation when you were practically at their front door. Val straightened out his posture, took off his overcoat, and folded it over his arm. It was too damn warm for that thing anyways.
Official last day of work is now March 27th. Woo. Otherwise in a bum mood, will find a way to fix it.
Series: Kingdom (sometime in October)
Characters: Val, Loni,
Of the great many overwhelming insecurities Val harbored that late night, he found that Loni accompanying him in her purely Loni fashion shifted from being a stealth liability to a pure emotional relief. He accepted that he was crazy beyond saving, but at least he wasn't alone in it.
Val squinted up at the apartment above them, as he did roughly once every five minutes. He considered asking Loni for the pair of binoculars strung around her neck, though he wasn't quite sure how well they would work anyway: they were plastic and matched her hair in color, and he was certain he recognized them from one of his cousin's old Barbie safari sets. The hat managed to be gaudier, wide-brimmed and set in a zebra print. Val felt downright natural in his black trenchcoat by comparison. He kept his collar flipped up every time he leaned beyond the cover of brick far enough to look up at the so-called Brownstone, up to an apartment that seemed to have an entire wall of glass windows. Apt, Val supposed, considering their target.
He couldn't see very well, but he saw enough to feel content of Brian's safety. Sighing, he pulled back behind the corner of the bank, and paced a few steps beyond, his hands stuffed into his pockets. "Just so you know, I've never done this kind of thing," Val assured her, maybe for the third time that hour.
"I've never done this either," she replied, though her tone was just a touch too enthusiastic for his comfort. Now she inched towards the corner for a peek. "It's a little scary. Would he notice us?"
"He hasn't looked up from his computer in a long time." Only a small portion of his concern was about Brian noticing them. He was a bit more wary of the lights in his neighbors' apartments, especially the one Val understood to be Tasha's. "Not like I care about how long he spends on a computer. He can spend his time however he wants. I'm only here because something is...different about him. Right? Though not different bad." Val looked to Loni. "He's not a bad guy."
"No! But he is different," Loni whispered, looking around the side of the building for herself. "I don't know anybody like him." She sighed, and then pressed her cheek to the brick. Her eyelashes fluttered upward towards those great windows, imitating a particular love-lorn mermaid in the process.
Val set his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes. "I don't know about you, but I thought this was about Hunting."
"You mean, this isn't for fun?" She ribbed him, and he broke his stern pose to pay her back for it. In the process, they accidentally stumbled beyond the shelter of the bank's wall, though Val realized this quickly, and yanked her back.
"I would never watch Brian for fun. And don't tell Clover otherwise." He let go of her, but kept his hand outstretched, palm up. "Give me your hat."
She took it off before she even asked, "Why?"
"I want to try it on," he said. A smile broke his previously stern expression. "To see if it matches my jacket better than yours."
Loni drew back, hugging the hat to her apple green coat. "Val! That's terrible! If you put it like that, then there is just no way-"
A blare of noise and a sudden vibration at his side startled them both, especially shaking Val nearly out of his own skin. He slapped at a pocket of his jacket, then dug his hand in. "Just my phone. But at this hour?"
"Who is it?" she asked as he took it out. But the name of the caller, flashing brightly in the darkness, answered her question fast. "Brian?"
"No way." Val whipped his head around and up, to the wide glass panes of Brian's apartment. Their target was standing now, next to his desk, his hand raised like a visor and his eyes narrowed as tried to peer down at them through the window. Val felt Loni's fingers at his hand, going for the phone. "No, please, don't answer that!"
He shifted back, and only evaded Loni for a few moment, though ultimately she flipped open his cell just in time to hear the drone of the dial tone. She pouted her displeasure at Val, then searched his phone for a redial option. "You know Val, that might have been important."
"I'm sure he has a few important calls to make now. The cops. Tasha. And everyone else, so they know we are freaks..." Val glanced down both sides of the alley, looking for anybody else who could have noticed them. "We should get out of here, Loni." He turned back to her, but she was still absorbed in his phone. "Loni?"
He reached out to shake her shoulder, but saw her attention was on the phone, and so he looked over her shoulder instead. A text message flashed now, replacing the missed call notification. What's up?
Loni responded, this time having none of Val's protests or elbowing shoves. Can't tell! Secret! she replied.
"Oh Loni." Val sank back against the brick wall, shrinking into the collar of his jacket. "That kind of answer is totally not absolutely suspicious at all."
He pressed his palm to his forehead. And when the cops asked him what he was doing loitering and spying on someone, he wouldn't be able to come up with a decent excuse. Something feels strange about this guy, officer, so sometimes I find myself lingering around his apartment late at night when I absolutely should be studying for my exams and applying to colleges instead, but you don't get it, sir, he's just stuck in my head and sometimes I can't stop worrying about him so I have to look and make sure... Oh God, Val despaired, just the sound of that-
"Val? He's not suspicious, look!" Loni said, handing Val back his buzzing phone. Brian's response was direct, simple. Want some coffee?
"Is he serious?" Val looked up to ask Loni what she thought, only to see her push herself away from the brick and throw herself around the corner. She ran across the quiet street, and at the doorway, despite the dark, she hunted for the buzzer to Brian's apartment.
Val followed her, head bowed forward as he walked. He sighed so greatly that it might leave his shoulders permenantly sagged. He warred over the etiquette of this, wondering if it was still too late to run off. But when he saw Loni with the door open, waving towards him, he felt slightly better. It was rude to spy, Val knew, but perhaps ruder to turn down an invitation when you were practically at their front door. Val straightened out his posture, took off his overcoat, and folded it over his arm. It was too damn warm for that thing anyways.
Official last day of work is now March 27th. Woo. Otherwise in a bum mood, will find a way to fix it.
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I JUST
NO WORDS
EEEEEE
Seriously, Loni is spot on here, and I really love Val's running commentary throughout. Especially weaving in his thoughts on the whole Brian situation, and how the guardians find themselves drawn to him in different ways. And the bits with the hat were so charming and so THEM it made me clap my hands in delight. Or at least I would if I hadn't been scrolling down frantically for the next bits ;).
Loni's text response is my second favorite bit. It just captures everything about her in three words. I don't know how you managed it, but that's precisely what she'd do. PRECISELY.
But my favorite bit is this what follows:
Val, you are utterly adorkable. You get such a firm look at his character there and it is entirely too entertaining for words. Just supremely well done. <3
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OMG I giggled so hard (most embarrassing at work! XD). I love everything about Team Fabulous and their Seekrit Misshun -- they are just adorable here. And Brian... yeh, you nailed him. ^_____^ (Prince Eric... *snicker!!*)
Yay for last day officialness, too! Let me know if there's anything I can do to help with your mood. (...OMG I just thought of something, but it'll have to wait til tonight... *shifty look*)
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You know what I love? Snappy dialogue, and the kind of fashion improvisation you'd expect to see on Ru Paul's Drag Race, and this story had both. Thank you.
Gonna continue stalking blogs looking for Kingdom stories this month. Terribly sorry old bean.
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(If you are, Angie or I need to tell you the adventures of Alex-Morgan and Valtiana)
Thank you ;-; I try to do my best with dialogue, and I'm happy you enjoyed it.
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...unless it is available online somewhere? INTERNET SLEUTH, AWAY.
(I am so in love with Bebe Zahara and Nina Flowers it is not even funny. Well, it is a little funny.)
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OH MY GOD I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING THIS WEEKEND.
I will let you know when I am ready to receive your
hot lovingsAlex-Morgan and Valtiana.no subject
THE FIRST EPISODE WILL SHOW YOU EXACTLY WHY.
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(I also, in great bias, love the throw away lines to Tasha's reaction because, yes, she is going to show up behind you kids with a big baseball bat. What's that, Val? You want to ask Prince Eric to the ice cream social?)
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(If Val is Sebastian, that makes Tasha the Chef? ahaha)