Too Subtle // k!ah

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cosetty
Hunter

51 POSTS

last seen Sept 2, 2015 10:36:04 GMT -5

Too Subtle // k!ah Jan 19, 2015 19:31:06 GMT -5

Post by cosetty on Jan 19, 2015 19:31:06 GMT -5

In the eighth line of a poem--she sang,

She didn't sing, the sea sang, then stopped.

There was something off about the way her father looked this morning before going out to sea. Aelinor couldn’t tell you how he looked different, only that he did. He still had the same scar on one eyebrow; the same shadows across his face. He spoke with the same calming baritone that settled the world back on its axis. Visually, nothing was different, but somehow Aelinor’s stomach twisted ever so slightly when he walked out the door. Something was different, she just didn’t know what. Aelinor wasn't the best at decifering subtle facial cues. All had seemed normal this morning, just the same as every other day. She woke and made a bagged lunch for her boys, and pretended not to know her father could hear her singing under her breath from the next room. She handed over the bag, bid Father farewell, and off he went. Yet, this feeling in her stomach definitely wasn't normal. Am I ill?

She didn't particularily feel ill. Her eyes were clear and bright. She wasn't light-headed or feeling faint or having trouble breathing. There was only a new weight in her gut- strange and altogether unwelcome. Aelinor struggled to carry on with her normal chores. She kept getting distracted by reflected slants of light in shop windows, or the shrill cry of a gull overhead. It was hard to buy bread when her thoughts went to the boat every few minutes.

"Snap out of it, Aelinor!" she said to herself, growing frustrated with her pinballing anxieties. She needed to focus if she was to get anything done. Her father would return tonight, like always. She would make dinner for herself and her brother, like always. And everyone was going to be absolutely fine, like always. She had no evidence to suggest that anything else would happen. Just dehydrated. I was just dehydrated before.

She forced the feeling to the back of her mind, and systematically went about her chores. It wasn't everyday that she could go grocery shopping, she couldn't waste time lingering. As usual, the mental math involved with grocery shopping always gave her a sense of usefulness. She could do this. She could calculate how many potatoes she could get after purchasing the milk. She could calculate if lettuce or spinach was cheaper per unit. It was just simple cost-effectiveness formulas: multiplication, division, subtraction. Easy. It felt good to be useful instead of staying home and worrying her bottom lip for absolutely no reason.

Words: 412
Notes: Hi! I usually like to post around 400-500 words, but I'm okay with various lengths as long as a. quality and b. I have something to work with. I'm sure that won't be anything to worry about though. This thread is currently OPEN. I don't really have an idea of which direction it's going to take, I just wanted to break out there with some actual rp posts. It's also my first post since returning after a few year hiatus, so I'm a little rusty. If you don't think this thread is a good fit for your character, but would like to plot, send me a PM. I'd love to hear from you. Ok, this is long but it's warrented since it's the first one uwu ok thx bye

Last Edit: May 4, 2015 15:24:01 GMT -5 by cosetty

k!ah
Retired Staff

4,636 POSTS
Pronouns: She/Her
last seen Nov 8, 2024 23:35:48 GMT -5

#expensivetrash

Too Subtle // k!ah Jan 27, 2015 20:34:54 GMT -5

Post by k!ah on Jan 27, 2015 20:34:54 GMT -5

My eye twitches ever so slightly as i walk through the store, my hands shoved into the pockets of my jeans, locked away, not able to touch, to take a single thing. I wasn't allowed to steal, I tell myself, Stealing would make mother angry, stealing was bad- but i wanted to take something so bad! I couldn't help it. I couldn't stop the way my fingers twitched in their material prison, I couldn't stop the way my mind spun with words, words that egged me on, words that encouraged me to take that apple, to take that hairdryer to take that harmonica.

I had to make it stop. I had to make it stop.

Taking a deep breath I cover my hands with my eras and count to three. I do this over and over and over again until I am no longer thinking about the glory of walking out of a store, a small possession tucked into the depth or my pocket, until I am no longer thinking about the guilt, the anger and the tears that would come with my act of unkindness. one. Deep breath in. Two out. Three in. One out. Two out.

After a moment I stand in silence and allow my hands to fall from my era s and to my side. A smile dances on the edge of my lips because I am so sure that I have won, I am positive that I have beaten myself.

Then I feel the object in my hand. It was a small thing, something that I could easily hide in the pocket of my jacket. I smile as I look down at the small item, it was a whistle. A small shiny black whistle and with a quick glance over my shoulder I push the object into my pocket before casually walking over the the shop exit. I don't even look at the people behind the counter as I walk out, my body feeling with pride as I hear the door close behind me- but quickly dying as I hear a rush of footsteps followed by a bell of an opening door and yells from behind me.

"Shit," I curse before running off in the direction of home.

Suddenly I take a sharp left and run into a grocery store close by, it was busy so when i entered the store I slowed to a calm walk, pulling off my jacket as I went, I urned my cap around so that it was facing forward and dipped the tip so that it almost hid my eyes. I walk with my head down my eyes scanning the floor, then i come across another pair of feet and i look up just as my perusers enter the store. I quickly slide behind the person, using their body as a shield. After a moment i look up at them to see that it was a girl and I give her a small smile, my eyes gliding over her shoulder to see behind her.

"Well well, Linda is that you?!" I say as though greeting an old friend. I reach out and place a hand on her shoulder my smile growing. "Its been ages, how have you been?" I flash a wink in her direction, hoping that she would play along with me, even if it was just for a few moments.

B a r n a b a s R i v e r s

✮ UPAT ✮

cosetty
Hunter

51 POSTS

last seen Sept 2, 2015 10:36:04 GMT -5

Too Subtle // k!ah Feb 3, 2015 20:03:53 GMT -5

Post by cosetty on Feb 3, 2015 20:03:53 GMT -5

In the eighth line of a poem--she sang,
She didn't sing, the sea sang, then stopped.

Aelinor stood in front of the vegetable stand, examining the various fresh herbs in stock. There was a different selection depending on the season. Winter usually didn’t have the nicest pickings, only what the Capitol shipped in from other districts. There was a few sprigs of basil that looked quite nice though. Could she fit that in the budget and still get the same amount of flour? The grocery was very busy, occasionally people would bump into her lightly. The basket on the crook of her elbow was beginning to feel heavy. A dull pressure made her arm sore, and the jostle of the crowd gave no relief. She sighed, deciding against the basil.

She moved on to the next section, picking out the two ripest tomatoes she could find. One of them had a small bruise, but she could always cut that section off. She mentally ran over the grocery list twice, double checking the items in her basket to the list. She was focusing so hard on her list that she didn’t notice when another person slipped into the space next to her. It was normal, after all, to be near other people in a crowded grocery store. She just assumed that another customer was interested in the tomatoes.

Suddenly, someone was talking to her, and she only noticed with the hand on her shoulder. Aelinor visible jumped. Her eyes snapped to the figure next to her. It was a boy, with a baseball cap pulled down over his face, so his eyes were covered in shadow, if not completely obscured. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end in alarm, and she was positive that her face was beginning to flush in her anxiety. “I’m? I’m sorry?” she managed to get out between breaths. her brow furrowed in confusion.

He seems definitely sure that he knows me. Aelinor, however, had absolutely no idea who he was. And that, of course, made her flustered. “Oh, I’ve been well, but I’m- I’m sorry, I’m not Linda.” She cleared her throat awkwardly, not knowing where to look. She didn’t know if she should look at the boy or anywhere else, so her eyes kept flicking between the two.

Words: 371
Notes: Sorry this took so long!!! And it's short. I'm terrible x-x

Last Edit: Mar 4, 2015 22:45:23 GMT -5 by cosetty