100?!

It's official! This is the ONE HUNDREDTH blog post here! Can you believe it? I can't! I feel like this needs a celebration of some kind... So, for the ebook at Smashwords, I'm giving you 50% off. For $5, Into the Flames can be yours! Will be good until April 10, 23. Code: EU92N!

This last week has been filled with stuff. The gnome I'm making on commission is going well. So far, he has outfits for summer vacation, Fourth of July, fall, and the Thanksgiving one is underway. I'll be starting on a Halloween costume and a snowman outfit soon, hopefully. From there he'll have a Santa outfit, something for New Years, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, spring, Easter, a regular gnome outfit, and maybe another Halloween costume. We'll see. I only have until the 11th to get all of it done. Luckily I crochet fast lol Next week I might have some pictures. 

The writing stuff is happening! Camp NaNo is approaching, and it's making me nervous. I really want to get it done. I tend to work better under pressure. Maybe this will be the push I need to get it there. I've been trying to update the sidebar with writing progress, but I'm not always great at it. I try to be, and I always have the best of intentions, but let's be honest... I'm not fantastic on updates. I'm pretty happy I've kept this weekly post going for as long as I have. I write them each week. (While typing this, it's 11:18am EST, on Wednesday the 29th.)

Soon-ish, and by that I mean in May-ish, excepts from Matchstick will start coming out! I need to make sure I'm ready for that. I try to keep the excerpts clean, but one or two quick pass edits don't always clean it up the way it would be for publication. Plus, this early in the process, there is likely to be a lot of changes to it overall. 

Did someone mention spring? I think it might be here, in theory. There's a thing I've seen around about Michigan weather. We have 11 seasons:

Winter
Fools Spring
Second Winter
Spring of Deception 
Third Winter
Mud Season
Actual Spring
Summer
False Fall
Second Summer
Actual Fall

This is... accurate. Painfully so. We are entering into mud season now. I'm good with it. I'm over the cold and the snow. I've been over it since January. However, I know I live in Michigan, and I know we get snow in April sometimes. *angry grumbling* I'm still over it. I miss sitting on my porch to work. My cats miss prowling around on the porch keeping a careful eye on all the birds. 

There is another thing about Michigan seasons that's also painfully true: We have two seasons, winter and construction. The construction barrel is our state flower. I'm not looking forward to it. I'm glad the roads are finally getting fixed, but like, can we pick one or two? Last year, they had ALL THE FUCKING ROADS, closed. The way they were closed made going any where an expedition. When your detour has a detour, you know it's bad. A 10 minute trip turned into a 35 minute drive while screaming you just needed creamer as you cry into the steering wheel. One day a road was open, the next it was closed. No warning. No rhyme or reason. Just chaos all the time. 

My sister's wedding shower was last weekend. It was a good time! There was also a TON of food left over. We have been eating meatballs twice a day since Saturday. I think, I think, they will all be gone tonight. Don't get me wrong, I love meatballs, but like... there has been a lot of them. 

Ok, I'm off to eat a meatball sub and get some writing done!

Until next week ♥

Annabell's Final Academy Months

 

“Ms. Young, come see me after classes today,” Mr. Clemmons said as I walked past his classroom.

“Sure thing,” I called over my shoulder.

I was already pushing it to make it to anatomy on time. I spent too long on the range. I really hated some of the classes. I’d rather spend all my time in weapons training.

I just barely made it in the door on time. Once the doors close, they're sealed. If you didn’t make it in, you missed the class. That wasn’t tolerated here. I thought Blade training had been extreme; this was a different level. Missing class by even seconds meant a meeting with Ms. Roch. She was terrifying. She never yelled, but her presence soaked into your being in a way I’ve never experienced before. I only had to go once. That was more than enough.

“Glad to see you made it, Ms. Young,” Ms. Hellen said.

I flashed her a smile and moved quickly to my seat. Today we were covering bones. I could barely focus. She droned on and on about them. Weak spots, fracture points, striations if you are doing the breaking and mending, field fixes, and survival if you were the target of the breaking. It was all important. I knew I should be paying attention, but weapons were where my heart was.

Finally, the class ended. That was it for the day. I could spend the rest of the evening on the range. First, I had to stop by Mr. Clemmons office. He was one of the advisors. Once you completed the training, his recommendations were heavily weighted for your rankings. Better ranking meant more trust and better placement. It still felt weird to be in a secret school for Garrote training, but I was good at what I did. They all told us the field was different. I could see it to a certain extent, but that is what the training is supposed to prepare us for. I had become an expert at compartmentalization. I’m sure that’s why they called me.

“Hey, Mr. Clemmons,” I said as I walked into the room.

“Ms. Young, please take a seat.”

I dropped my books on one of the tables and pulled a chair up to the other side of his desk. I hoped this didn’t take long.

“I’ve been looking over all the notes on your cohort. You will be done with training by summer. When I got to yours, I was surprised to see your weapons logs are severely lacking.”

“Lacking?” I gasped. “I spend more time in the stadium than anyone else! I’ve been practicing to increase my draw speed, which is already the fastest in my cohort! I…”

“Annabell… That’s enough,” he said, putting his hand up. “I can see here you are leaps and bounds above your peers in precision with a handgun, rifle, bow, and crossbow. You have set record times in stripping, cleaning, and reassembling every firearm we have given you. You have also logged more hours in the stadium just this year than most do in three.”

“So, what’s the issue?”

“You haven’t logged any hours with a spear or a sword. Your hours with throwing knives and stars are pitiful, and I don’t see anything here about improvised weapons.”

“I’m not skilled in those, but as long as I have a gun, it’s not a problem.”

“What if you don’t?”

“I’ll make sure I do,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“As a Garrote, you must be infinitely prepared. Any number of things could happen to leave you unable to use one of your guns.”

“There isn’t anything I can say to convince you, is there?”

“No, there isn’t. As it stands now, you would take a very large hit to your ranking because of the deficiencies in your weapons knowledge. Your marks in most classes are very good, and a couple are serviceable. It looks like you need more hours in the simulator.”

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. I was one of the best students this year. I should be ranked as one of the best. Just because I couldn’t handle a sword very well shouldn’t detract from that.

“Now, now. Don’t tear up on me. Here’s what I’m suggesting: I will train you personally after hours if you’re willing. You will have a bright future ahead of you, and I don’t want to see that tarnished.”

“You would do that?” I said softly.

I had never seen him be this kind before. He was known as a hardass. He yelled a lot, demanded perfection, and very rarely smiled. Occasionally you would see him nod in approval with barely a half smile, but that was about as warm as he got.

“I don’t do it often. I refuse to waste my off time on students who are not serious about progress. I see the drive in you. What you are lacking is guidance. You are very dominating for a person so small. You charge in, make quick decisions about how your time would be best spent, and divert your energy there. It’s a good quality to have in life, but not so much in training. Give me your best, and I will help you hit top marks on your weapons final.”

“I will, Mr. Clemmons. I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t. Take your things back to the dorms, rest up, get something to eat, and I will meet you in the stadium at 6:30 sharp.”

 

I had never eaten so quickly in my life. I brought the biggest jug I had to fill with water. I ducked out of the cafeteria as soon as I was allowed and practically ran to the stadium. It was 6 when I got there. Just enough time for me to get warmed up and lay out some weapons. I wasn’t sure what he would make me do, but I knew to be proficient with a sword, the weight of it was important. I watched one guy learn the hard way that swinging around a too-heavy sword makes you look much worse than using a lighter one.

As I was finishing my stretches and getting ready to grab weapons, Ms. Roch walked in. Her eyes flared slightly as she marched over to me with cat-like grace. She fixed me with the stare that made your soul run cold.

“It is after hours. Students cannot be here without permission. Explain yourself,” she said. 

Her words felt like barbs. The students all speculated it was some trick of spirit magic. I didn’t care how she did it; I just couldn’t stand it trained on me.

“Well, I had talked to… uh,” I started.

“It’s alright, Jacelyn,” Mr. Clemmons said as he entered. “I had planned to put the session in the system before we started, but it seems Ms. Young is early.”

She kept her gaze on me a few seconds longer. I swallowed hard, and my hands started to sweat. She turned to Mr. Clemmons.

“Will this be regular?”

“Yes. Most likely until she graduates. I will try to keep the times updated for you. However, I’m not as on top of things as Ms. Young seems to be. If you see her here, it’s probably at my request, and I will be happy to verify if need be.”

“Very well. You are a lucky student. Clemmons must see something in you. Don’t take it for granted,” she said before turning on her heel and gliding back outside.

“I should have known you would be early. From now on, you can access the stadium whenever you want, day or night, as long as your other marks don’t slip. The caveat: outside of student hours, you cannot use guns, bows, or crossbows. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Then let’s get started.”

He grabbed a few of the smaller knives and demonstrated. He tossed it up a foot or so, caught it by the tip of the blade, and flung it across the room at a target. He hit it dead center. The first time I tried to catch it, I sliced my finger. He used his air magic to close the wound, but it wasn’t completely healed. I would be done for the night if we told the healer I had been injured. It took almost an hour for me to hit the target at all. Mr. Clemmons was more patient than I'd ever seen him. I, on the other hand, kept cursing my inability to get it right.

“Your emotions are blocking your talent, Annabell. Block them out. It’s just you and the blade. Make it an extension of your being.”

I nodded and closed my eyes. I pushed away the anger and the frustration. I pulled everything I had ever learned about meditation together. I wasn’t sure how long I stood there. He didn’t interrupt me at all. When I opened my eyes, I tried again. I hit the target. I didn’t hit dead center, but closer than I had before.

It took less and less time between throws for me to get it. I spent every minute I could on it for two weeks. I could hit the center about 80% of the time now. Mr. Clemmons was ready to move on to other skills. He said I could always practice knife throwing more, but we only had four months before rankings would be decided, and I needed to raise my proficiency in other areas.

 

I spent every moment I could in that stadium. I took in everything Mr. Clemmons said. I would not let anything hold me back from ranking high. After four months of grueling training, I got a genuine smile out of him. He looked proud. It felt like the greatest achievement of my life. I couldn’t wait until the ranks were posted. It could be anytime now. I heard a commotion in the hallway and bolted out.

“They're posting them now!” someone called out.

I took off. I needed to know if all the work I put in kept me in the top 10. There was a crowd of students around the giant poster Ms. Roch was pinning to the wall. I squeezed through to her right. As she stepped away, I scanned the names.

Second. I placed second. I couldn’t believe it. My blood was pounding through my veins, and I had to blink several times. I expected it to be high, but I knew my classroom marks needed work. I scanned the marks for all 50 students. I blew almost all of them out of the water on practicals. The only thing stopping me from the top spot was that woman destroyed my classroom marks and came in just a little below me on practicals.

I still couldn’t believe it. I slipped out of the throng of students and took off toward Mr. Clemmons's room. I barely remembered to check if he was teaching before I flung the door open.

“Second,” I yelled. “I ranked second!”

“I heard,” he said with a smile. “I’m proud of you, Annabell.”

“I couldn’t have done it without your training, Mr. Clemmons. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”

“You did all the work; I just gave you guidance. You and you alone made this accomplishment,” he said. “I’m not your instructor anymore. We are colleagues now. You can call me Jason.”

“I still very much appreciate your help, Jason,” I said, trying it out.

I flung my arms around him and gave him a quick hug. He was surprised and didn’t know what to do with his hands. When I stepped back, he still looked concerned.

“I’m sorry, I should have asked first,” I said.

“It’s fine. I’ve just never had a student, current or former, hug me before. Congratulations, Annabell. You will achieve great things.”

Please Don't Stop the Music

♫ I just came here to party, but now we're rockin on the dance floor actin naughty ♫

Ahem, sorry. I have a new playlist and it's GREAT! I'm just sitting here on my couch, with a plate of pizza rolls, dancing. That song was first up, and it's been so long since I've heard it that I started it over. I'm feeling much better than last week. Still not super great, but the power of a new playlist is strong. Welcome to my head ^.^

The new playlist comes with NEWS! It's official, I've started writing the second book of SoF. I was struggling with the vibe a little. It just wasn't hitting right. Then I realized I was totally slacking. I didn't make it a playlist. All my books get their own. Some of the songs make it there because of lyrics, some of it is vibe, and sometimes I can just feel them for a specific scene in my head or with a certain character. Honestly, I don't know if my playlists would make sense to anyone but me. It's fine. ANYWAY. SoF book two finally got a name. Having the playlist made all the difference!

Matchstick

I'm crazy excited about it in a way I don't know if other people will see, but again, that's fine. For anyone that does get it... hopefully they are like me and it will make them geek out a little.

I have another nail update! They didn't turn out quite how I wanted them to, but I still really like them. I think that is the story of my life when it comes to my nails. I have grand ideas, and then... remember I have almost zero artistic talent. 

I have other news too! I decided I'm going all in on Matchstick. I'm using it as my goal for CampNaNo in April. Basically, I'm hoping to have the writing done by the end of April. No pressure right? Which also means I'm adding a new tag on here for CampNaNo. Might as well add stats while I go. With two camps and NaNo, I'm going to be busy. Maybe this will be the push I need to write faster. Editing is still a long, tedious, and seemingly never ending process, buuuuut if I can get the writing done faster maybe I can keep to a two books a year publishing schedule?? Does that sound crazy? It feels crazy.

I feel like there was something else I was going to say it. I'm sure I'll remember it later. Like five minutes after this actually posts... Well off to write more things 

♫ I'm a scholar and a gentleman, and I usually don't fall when I try to stand ♫

Until next week ♥

An interview- Onyx

 

“Good morning! Thank you for taking the time to sit down with me. How are you doing today?”

“It’s a beautiful day,” he said with a smile as he sat on the couch. “I feel great. What about yourself?”

“I’m doing very well, thank you. Shall we get started?”

“Please,” he said, gesturing to continue.

“How do you take your coffee?”

“Brewed strong with a splash of caramel macchiato creamer, but I do drink it black pretty often, too,” he said as he propped his ankle up on his knee.

“What dictates the choice?”

“Convenience mostly. If I’m at home, the creamer is available. Drinking it black is just easiest if I’m out on a job. No stirring required, and I don’t have to give additional instructions if someone else is grabbing it for me.”

“Where is your favorite place?”

“That’s tricky,” he said, drumming his fingers on his thigh. “There are a few places that bring me some peace. The place I spent the most time in is a little spot in the woods by train tracks. It’s recently become even more special. However, I really like bookstores. Every city I go to, I find at least one bookstore to decompress in. Grab a coffee and a book. You can just get lost for a short time. So, I guess it depends on the context of the moment.”

“That spot in the woods sounds great! What made it become more special to you recently?”

“A date with a very special girl,” he said as a smile lit up his entire face.

“Want to elaborate?”

“She is just someone very important to me. Seeing how much she loved it there… Well, it just brought me a sense of home, ya know? Have you ever experienced that?”

“I can’t say I have, but it sounds perfect.”

“It really is,” he said, leaning back and stretching his arm out over the back of the couch.

“What’s your favorite book?”

“Depends on who’s asking,” he laughed. “I usually tell people Tom Sawyer is my favorite. Sounds very adult and mature, right? I actually like anything with vampires in it. Sawyer is still a good book, don't get me wrong, I’m just fascinated by vampires. Seeing the different way they are portrayed, the lore they pull on, and how in the world they could exist.”

“I like the dichotomy of being a member of a secret sect of people while doubting there could be others.”

“Well,” he said with a Cheshire grin. “Being one of the secrets in life makes you more open to others. If something like vampires existed, we’d be the ones to know.”

“What if they do exist and know about the elementals but have the same mentality you have with humans?”

“That would be interesting, wouldn’t it? One of the reasons I like to read about them.”

“If you discover any proof, be sure to let me know.”

“Will do,” he said with a wink.

“What’s your favorite movie?”

“Hmm,” he started, tipping his head to the side. “I don’t know that I can just pick one. I tend to like comedies. With everything else in my life, it’s nice to just let go and do something fun. Happy Gilmore is a go-to. So is American Pie.”

“I’m not sure what I expected, but that wasn’t it.”

“I’m full of surprises,” he said with a grin.

“What’s a hobby you have?”

“I like cars. I like building and restoring them when I have time. I taught myself how to work on them when I was a teenager. It’s harder now, though. So much of it is computer-based. I still do it. When I get the time, I pick up the newer tools meant to help diagnose cars now.”

“What got you started?”

“I don’t really know. I always found it interesting. It was just something I wanted to do. I took an automotive class in high school, which gave me the needed stepping stones to teach myself the rest.”

“What skill do you have that might be surprising?”

“I took choir in high school, too. So I can sing pretty well. I’m not going to be winning any awards for it, but it’s a cool skill to whip out from time to time.”

“Any chance there will be a display of that in the not-too-distant future?”

He slid his foot back to the floor and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. A child-like grin grew.

“There is a very distinct possibility. We’ll see how it goes.”

“I’m looking forward to it! What does the perfect vacation look like to you?”

“Time to relax with people I care about.”

“What about the location or activities you’d want to do?”

“None of that matters so much with a vacation. Sure, time on a beach is great, fancy hotels are great, but just having time without the pressures of my job with people I like to be around is a vacation in and of itself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to say no to a day on the beach sipping Mai Tais, but it’s not a requirement for a good vacation.”

“What about a perfect date?”

“Hiking to somewhere beautiful, cooking over a fire, and spending the night counting stars.”

“That sounds lovely.”

“I haven’t ever been able to achieve that. Either time wasn’t on my side, or I just didn’t feel like it would be appreciated.”

“What about now?”

“We’ll see,” he said, leaning back and grinning.

“Well, thank you so much for your time. I’ll let you get back.”

“It was a pleasure,” he said as he stood and stretched. “Let’s do it again sometime.”

“I’m sure we will.”

He sauntered off and slipped out the door.

The Art of the Scramble and Other Nonsense

 Aaaaaaaah... I hate day light savings time. It's stupid, and I feel sleep deprived. Maybe it's because I'm stubborn or crazy or who knows, but it bothers me for weeks. Next week I'll still be sitting here wishing I had that hour back. It snuck up on me this year too. I wasn't expecting it and then BAM missing an hour. 

Don't mind me. I'm just salty. 

I'm also behind. Not by a lot or anything. I had hoped to be DONE with Rage edits by the time I went to bed on Monday. That is not what happened lol I had to finish it on Tuesday. Which isn't horrible, but I don't like being behind. C.O. would ask me what the worst part of having it take one day longer is. When I grumble at him something along the lines of "that I've lost a day..." he would tell me it's only one day. I'm ok, everything is ok, and I can't change it now, so I shouldn't sit around stressing about it. He would say it nicer than that. 

I'm trying. 

The trying would probably be a little easier if I could have my appointments with him back. He went to a different agency, so I had to do a little bit of internet stalking to find out where. I'm in the process of getting back in to see him, but there have been delays. I do not like delays. The delays make me want to rage and spiral and demand things work EXACTLY HOW I WANT THEM TO. 

I'm taking a deep breath and remembering that C.O. would not want me to be spiraling. So this is me. Trying not to be spiraling. (As an aside, he is aware I found him and is totally fine with it. He's seriously the best therapist I've ever had.) Hopefully soon I will have my appointments back. I feel like I'm co-dependent on my therapist. Is that normal? lol

I'm trying. I really am. This week has been particularly hard. I'm having trouble with my psychiatrist's office. There's a whole thing. It's a long complicated story, but the gist of it is: I ran out of my meds on Friday because I wasn't given enough to make it to the next appointment.  I didn't have my meds for FIVE DAYS. I got them back last night (zero help from my Dr. My pharmacist is just amazing and took the time to look back through my history and found an old script that still had refills, but it's a lower dose). I am now in the market for a new prescriber.  I cried when she told me she found an old script I could have filled. Going cold turkey off your meds is brutal. As of 3pm EST on 3.16, my Dr. still has not called in a refill. That's how insane this all is.

In happier news, Alexandria has been helping me read the Ascendance series! I dedicate about an hour of time in bed at night to read. It helps me sleep better, and it gives me my reading time back. I love reading, but sometimes I feel like I have so much else to do that I can't just sit and read. Allocating that hour has done wonders for me. I'm back into a rhythm with it, and it's awesome. 

Isn't she precious? Don't you want to just kiss her little face and touch her little nose and pet her little toes?? She loves me, I swear lol I let her lay just about anywhere she wants to and give her all her favorite scratches, and she lets me be a little obnoxious sometimes. It all works out. 

So, basically, this week has been scrambling to catch up while taking deep breaths and trying to be ok with it while doing a lot of reading with my Peanut. 

I think that's about it this week. I'm getting rambley. Shocking. I know. 

Until next week ♥

Into the Flames Excerpt 5: Dreams

 

“I thought pink was your favorite color ever?” I asked her. 

“It is! That doesn’t mean my bedroom should be painted pink. It needs to have versatility,” she said. 

“You watch way too many DIY shows.”

“Well, I’ve decided I want to be an interior designer. If you keep the walls  more neutral, except a feature wall, you can add all your personality with the accessories.”

“So you’re saying I shouldn’t have painted my walls so dark.”

“You can, and a darker blue is easier to work with than a bright pink. The darker color definitely doesn’t make your room look smaller,” she said with a grin. 

“What if I wanted it to look smaller, all in my grand expert design?”

“If you want to live in a cave, then you’ve made the right call.”

I rolled my eyes at her, and we moved more of her stuff out of the room. Hayden and I liked painting, so our parents left us to it. As we got out the last of the stuff, I carried the drop cloths and paint in. Our rooms weren’t that big, so it wouldn’t take long for the two of us to get it done. 

“This frosted gray matches my eyes and can easily be styled with anything you want,” she said as she poured the paint into the tray. 

“Whatever you say, baby sister.”

“How long am I going to be called ‘baby’?” she asked with a sigh. 

“For however many years you’re younger than me,” I said as I flicked a little bit of paint at her.

She got me back a few minutes later. She snuck up on me and painted a line right up my jaw and over my cheek.

All excepts are taken from a lightly edited first draft. They may be changed or removed entirely from the completed book. 

All the Small Things

Naming things is hard for me. I really hate it. I can create an entire universe and get super passionate about it like:

Ask me to name said world or character and I will just stare at you. So, when trying to decide the name of this weeks post, I sat here staring at my screen for a while. It was just about all the small things that were cropping up. Which, of course, got me singing some Blink 182. You're welcome. 

Since I'm always excited about them, I have a new nail update! I'm cat obsessed, and that is the current theme:

I've fallen a little behind with my editing. I was doing so well too. My sister had been wanting to move, and one of the townhouses in her complex had an opening. The place took what felt like forever to say they were approved and told her they would have a week. Great, right? Yea, well, they gave her the keys two days later and basically said, "haha jk, you have two days." It was like two and a half days, but still. We spent the middle of last week scrambling to make it happen. My mom, Naomi, and I were over there helping her. Let me tell you... Her apartment has vinyl floors laid over concrete. My dumbass thought it was a great idea to walk around barefoot all day while helping her pack. My body informed me the next day that I was definitely too old for that. We got it done, though!

Friday I was so sore and tired from all the scrambling that I accomplished getting my nails done, changing all the icons on my phone (new month, new phone screen!), and accidentally napping. That was it. I'm getting everything back on track as much as I can lol 

Tuesday is my cleaning day. I hate cleaning, I like the house clean. So, I lump all the cleaning together in one day. I mean, spot cleaning still happens. I just sweep, clean the appliances, clean the bathroom, vacuum, etc on Tuesday. Cleaning all day and grocery shopping so close to getting my knees and hamstrings to feel normal after the move was not a good call. But I did it. It is done. I am very tired and ready to spend a lot of time sitting with my laptop editing and writing. 

So, I am a little crazy and my brain just loves to give me more things to do. I've started what I'm calling A Guide to Athric (the world the Justified series is set in). It's a history of the place mixed in with a short story that threads its way through it all. It's not my top priority right now, but I do set time aside each week to work on it. There may be more updates about that coming soon-ish. 

That's probably enough rambling for today. I have a lot of stuff on my plate to get done.

Until next week ♥

When Gus Met Cassidy

 

It was another long and hot day. The training schedules were brutal, and Gus could never understand why. There hadn’t been a war in over 500 years. As much as he hated it, there had been some benefits. One of the leading families had been impressed by his skill. He had been offered a position with them. At first, he was managing their house and staff, listening to the staff from other families gossiping and other menial tasks. It had been a few years now, and he had earned his place at the table.

The Monroe name used to command respect, but after his father died, his mother fell apart. They still had their wealth, but being seen in every tavern in the city from open to close had destroyed what was left of their reputation. Gus was going to restore it. He now took meetings on behalf of Mr. Talsa. When he spoke, it was known he was speaking on behalf of the Talsa family. He still had to finish his training at the academy. If he could make it just one more year, he would never have to wield combat magic again.

Gus turned his attention back to the task at hand. He was restoring the family home himself. His mother was still spending all her time with whatever alcohol she could find, but he was now in charge of the estate. He wiped his forehead on his sleeve and went back to sanding. Once he buffed out the rough spots, he could move on to staining. All he had left to sand was the top of the railings.

“If only you had some kind of tool at your disposal that could mold that wood at the flick of a finger,” called a familiar voice.

“I like to work with my hands,” Gus replied with a smirk. “What are you doing on this end of town, Jeremy?”

“Thought I’d come by and check on you. No matter how many times you tell me you like working with your hands, I just can’t wrap my head around it.”

“It feels like more of an accomplishment this way,” Gus answered, tossing Jeremy a piece of sandpaper attached to a block. “See for yourself.”

Jeremey balked at the idea. Gus chuckled and went back to work sanding. He didn’t think it was so strange that he wanted more than just powerful magic. Sure, with a few waves of his hands, he could have the wood bent and melded to his liking in seconds. Where was the pride and accomplishment in that? He had to throw magic around violently all morning four days a week and again at the request of the Talsa family if they needed it six days a week. While at home, he just wanted to create something with his own hands.

To Gus’s surprise, Jeremy started sanding. Gus thought about commenting but refrained. It would be better to just let him have the experience. They worked in silence for another hour. The railing was almost perfect. The soft scrapping of the sandpaper had brought calm in to settle around them.

“Ok,” Jeremy said with a sigh. “I get it. It’s kind of nice. There is a little more pride in the finished product. BUT this way took hours!”

“You’ve only been here for around an hour.”

“It feels like three. And my arm hurts.”

“You get used to it,” Gus said with a grin. “Builds character.”

“I have all the character I need. Can we at least get a beer? If I’m going to be forced to stay here and do hard labor, I should at least be compensated with a nice beer.”

“No one is forcing you to stay or to do mild labor.”

Jeremy scoffed. Gus knew he would never admit to wanting to stay. So he punched him lightly in the arm and went to grab him a beer.

“I love you. You are the greatest person that has ever walked these streets,” Jeremy said as Gus handed him the beer. “You will always have a special place in my heart.”

“Has anyone told you that you’re dramatic?”

“I take pride in it,” Jeremy said before taking a long drink.

“Alright then, Drama King, are you going to help me stain the porch or not?”

“I guess. If you’re going to twist my arm."

 

They were almost done when a call from Mr. Talsa came in.

“Is there any way you can take a meeting for me tomorrow morning? I just got called away to Prush, but this is important.”

“It shouldn’t be an issue. I just need to let the academy know.”

“I’ll take care of it. They need to know it’s on my request, though, I’ll tell them it’s an order,” he said with a chuckle.

“I appreciate it. They can’t very well say no to you.”

“The benefits of my friendship,” he said. “You’re really helping me out here. I won’t forget it.”

“It’s my pleasure to help.”

They ended the call, and Gus turned to finish up but realized Jeremy had taken over. He was concentrating intensely on getting it right. He felt a sense of pride well up in him. Jeremy had become a lot like a little brother. Helping him find his way made Gus feel like he was making a real difference in the world. This was the first time he actually offered to help with something this close to manual labor. He knew better than to expect this level of investment all the time.

“I think it’s done,” Jeremy said as he looked around.

“I’d say so,” Gus answered.

“What might it take to get a hot meal?”

“I think I can make that happen,” Gus said, slinging his arm around his shoulders. “You did good, kid.”

“Kid?” Jeremy laughed. “You’re like four years old than me!”

“And decades smarter.”

 

He was going to be a little early for the meeting, but early was always better than late. He slowed his horse down to meander through the streets. He got the details of the meeting shortly after he got up. It was a routine meeting. Meet, kiss ass, make a pitch, and then wait for them to call. Talsa was in the process of developing some new tech. Gus didn’t understand it all, but he didn’t need to. That wasn’t his job here. All he knew was that it preserved a small amount of magic from creation to perform whatever task. It was genius. The magic wouldn’t last forever, and you’d have to pay to have it recharged. Something about the magic from the power grid wouldn’t give it the enchantment that made the things work.

Usually, Gus was just there to talk up the company and the family, answer general questions, and make the potential client feel special. He could do that easily enough. Afterward, Talsa met to discuss tech details and broker a deal.

His mind continued to wander as he looked around. Something, or rather, someone, caught his attention. She was beautiful. She was walking along one of the balconies above him. She was in an elaborate dress that seemed much too formal for this early in the morning. She wasn’t paying any attention to the street. She was talking to a young woman walking next to her. She laughed and took off running. He had never seen anything like it. She was just so free.

She spun around and called out to her friend. She must have felt him watching her because she turned and looked right at him. She raised her hand, and he thought she was waving to him. That’s when he collided with a sign and managed to knock himself off the horse. The wind had been knocked out of him, so he just lay there for a minute to assess.

“Are you alright?” a voice called down.

“Probably,” Gus answered.

“Should be more careful,” he heard as he sat up.

He looked around and saw the woman leaning against the railing, trying to contain a smile. He raised one hand to her as he jumped back up to his feet. He was going to have a lump on the side of his head. He looked up to the balcony again. The woman waved, letting her smile shine through.

Before he could say anything else, she turned and continued on with her friend. He had a meeting to get to.

I get a LOT of help when I sit on the couch to work

The Weather Outside Is...

 Horrible. Terrible. I'm over winter. I realize it's February in Michigan. I also realize winter isn't going anywhere for months. We literally get snow in April. The snow can be really pretty. If it could just refrain from landing on the sidewalks, driveways, and roads... that would be ideal. I'm just grumpy. I know. All the pressure changes have been doing crazy things to my allergies and my head. I'm ready for 75 and sunny. 

I've been watching a lot of home reno shows lately. I like seeing everything come together, but some of the choices made are... weird. Like, one of the design options added a bathroom to the house, but it would put the master suite and the pre-teens bedroom on different floors of the house. Y'all, they turned it down! How do you turn a full sized spa like bathroom?? I was stunned. 

I feel like the Twittering is going well, but I'm not so great at the LinkedIn lol So that one is going to exist, but probably not get used much. The blog posts have been steady. So yay me keeping on top of a thing!! 

Ok, I'm off to more editing related things. Until next week! ♥