Looks like Bob found the bucket!

At some point...

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:19:15 GMT

I'll get off my ass and work on things...

Grey Snow - 4 EPs Complete, others to be done at some point

I'm not entirely pleased with how EP 4 came out, but w/e. I figure over Winter break, if I'm not to busy helping my sister, that should be a good time to get a lot of writing done. Cuz I think... it's just a little ridiculous that I've been writing GS for 1 1/2 years and only have 4 chapters to show for it... Well I suppose there is all the GS stuff I've been writing on the side, but no one will see that for a while, if they do at all, so that's really no good to you all.

But I'm trying... Really I am!

Ah, BTW, the url for the GS site is now http://lilneko.net/stories/GS/

There's a storm on the way...

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 23:30:47 GMT

Something's brewing in the clouds... Just a matter of time until it strikes.

Better brace yourself for then.

</cryptic>

Occhi blu principali

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 05:43:38 GMT

Grey Snow - 3 EPs complete, EP 4 to be rebooted soon

So I finally put up a site for old GS. The site be here, for those so inclined. It has bits of character info, and such, as well as the single completed fanfic for the story. Sorry, still no link to EP 3, but I'm working on it. Shoot me an e-mail if you'd like to be on the ML. (ezzieturbine at gmail dot com).

As far as EP 4 goes... I'm really thinking I'll need to start it over from scratch. There's bits I can keep, btu I really hate it. I'm sorry about the long delay guys, but I really am trying to get my stuff together. Just wait a little longer, ok? ^_^

Crunch Time

Wed, 02 May 2007 17:47:35 GMT

Grey Snow - 3 Episodes Complete, EP 4 in Progress, f*** the Sketches
ENGL Stories #1 + #2 - Under Revision

End of the semester now, and things are pretty crazy. I'm on overload really. Only one week left of classes after this. So much work... However, I am still taking the time to give a thought to GS. I am about ready to start back up on EP 4. Thanks for being so patient, all 14 of you! I am still trying to do sketches, though I'm sort of combing them to make my life easier. Some characters I don't need to bother with *coughUrbancough* because of their... popularity in slash... (No more Urban x Doc, guys, seriously!)

In any case, I really am trying to get my butt in gear with this stuff. It's not fair to make my loyal fans wait so long. I still think it's funny that you all care so much about this crappy story. I guess it's entertaining though.

Anyways... enough pr0n writing for this silly series. I mean it. Though... it does make for good character definition...

Back to school time!

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 05:02:33 GMT

Grey Snow - 3 Episodes Complete, EP 4 in Progress, but on Hiatus, 4/20 Sketches Complete
Kuo Suku Zubujito - the day you see anything new on this before I finish GS is the day pigs rain from the sky... -_-
ENGL 396 Story #1 - Currently in Planning (Deadline: 2/15)

So, as of yesterday, the Spring semester is in progress. Creative Writing seems like it should be fun. It's a small class, but it's workshop style, and we have to bring in two short stories (15-25 pages 2x spaced) for critique and revision. I signed up for my first to be discussed on February 22, which means I actually have to have it finished by like the 15th, so I can turn it in the week before. At the moment I only have a vague idea for a story, so if anyone would like to give me suggestions, I am quite open to it!

Anyways, about Grey Snow... Well, in writing EP 4, I found I could get nowhere, and the things I wrote were just not interesting. I realized what my problem was, it was that I just didn't know enough about the people I was depicting! With a main cast of 20 characters, half the time I find myself forgetting names! (I've never been good with names anyways...) In order to remedy this, I decided to write character sketches. Just, little scenes in their lives that portrayed their characters. And I decided to do this for all 20. And therein lies the problem...

In any case, that's going to take forever, so instead of putting off EP 4 until I finished all of them, I decided I'll just do the ones necessary for the episode, then write it. HOWEVER, this cannot happen until I push out my first short story for class. GS is for fun, this is for a grade.

Wow am I behind...

Sat, 23 Dec 2006 03:34:42 GMT

Grey Snow - 3 Episodes Complete, EP 4 Still in Progress
Kuo Suku Zubujito - 2 Chapters Complete, But on Hiatus Until the End of GS
Ore no Kazupan - Wow, err, the claim has probably been cancelled by now... -_-

So NaNoWriMo was kind of a bust. I really tried, I really did, but I only got about 12000 words. Somewhere around halfway through the month I realized there was no way in hell I'd finish, so I gave up, like usual. I suppose I'll have to plan better next year. It's too bad too, cuz I rather liked the characters, as much as I hated them. Actually, I guess I just like Rik-Rik, the albino convict who dyes his hair green. I suppose I'll actually finish the novel some day.

In other news, GS EP 4 is taking a painfully long time to write, which is actually rather ironic considering it has characters I really like. I can't wait to finish these stupid focuses. Or perhaps I should just start work on another? It wouldn't be too bad to write these in a different order, though I did agonize over the order for a while... -_- Well, I'll just slog through it as usual.

In any case, I havent' been writing that too much, since I've been working on something else vaguely related as a present for a friend. Let's just say it's rather, well, smutty. Anyways, I'm almost done with it, so after X-Mas I will continue the things I'm supposed to.

Ah well, next semester, when I take Creative Writing, at least I'll be forced to write and finish stories more often. ^^;;;

Success!

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 19:07:08 GMT

Grey Snow - 3 Episodes Complete, EP 4 in Progress
Kuo Suku Zubujito - 2 Chapters Complete, CH 3 to be in Planning Soon
Ore no Kazupan - Eep... Heh heh...

I'VE FINALLY FINISHED CHAPTER TWO OF KSZ!!! FINALLY!!! AFTER SIX MONTHS!!! That being said, who knows when I'll start on chapter 3, so no one get your hopes up... -_-

Well, I'm supposed to be in class now, so let me get off... I was just so happy I thought I'd share the good news...

ナノリモ

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 04:48:52 GMT

Grey Snow - 3 Episodes Complete, EP 4 in Progress
クオスクズブジト - Handwritten Stuff Typed, but no Other Progress
Ore no Kazupan - I guess I should work on this before I get kicked off of 30_kisses... -_-;;;

So next month begins NaNoWriMo! I've been waiting for this for a good bit, since I missed it last year. I wanna do it and try my best to finish it, so that should make November interesting...

As far as stuff I'm already writing goes, the going with GS is rather slow. I haven't written much in the past few days, though I've been modifying profiles quite a bit. For example, did you know Doc's birthday just passed? It was on the 23rd of last month, so he's 21 now instead of 20. But anyways, EP 4. It has horses. And twins. And drugs...

...And Jenny. ^_^

no you can't have my number, cuz I lost my phone

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 00:05:48 GMT

Grey Snow - 3 Episodes Complete, EP 4 in Progress
Kuo Suku Zubujito - Eh heh heh heh...
Ore no Kazupan - No New Progress

So I finally started on EP 4 of Grey Snow today. Yay. As of this writing, I've only put down about a paragraph or so, but I'm glad to finally get started. Haha, I love Jenny... School work's ups and downs continue, but I'll be sure to try and get my writing in around it all.

afureru say you need me...

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 00:08:42 GMT

Grey Snow - 3 Episodes Complete, EP 4 in Planning
Kuo Suku Zubujito - Same as before...
Ore no Kazupan - 1 Kiss Complete, 29 to Go

So, not much new progress here. I'm sad because I realized today that GS is going to be between 15 and 20 episodes long, including the epilogue. Yes, yes, epilogue, meaning I already have a sort of outline for the rest of the story once the focus chapters finish. Let me tell you, it's not a very pleasant tale... Anyway, episode 4 should be fun, since it has lots of drugs and my favorite lunatic Jack o' Lantern. And there's Jenny. Jenny is awesome. Too bad I won't be able to write the Halloween chapter in time for actual Halloween though... Ah well...

My Copyright

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 15:33:20 GMT

So I registered me a little Creative Commons license for Grey Snow. No touching my story without my permission, biznotches!!!! ><

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 License.

Now I'm Doing Well...

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 15:41:10 GMT

Grey Snow - 3 Episodes Complete, In Preparation for EP 4
Kuo Suku Zubujito - Same as before, though I do have some handwritten stuff I should type...
Ore no Kazupan - No New Progress

So I finally, finally completed EP 3 of Grey Snow. It's not quite as engaging as the previous two episodes, but it's a bit more dramatic and intense, content-wise. Since I'm still experimenting with episode format, I think I'll refrain from alternating for EP 4, which just means that there'll two smaller, separate parts put together as one EP. Just think of it as one EP with two 15 minute sections and a commercial break in between.

Since I've become a bit paranoid about intellectual property, I'm only going to post my chapters at one place, which if you don't already know of, I won't be telling you about. Sorry, but that's just me. As a side note though, a friend of a friend intends to make a manga of Grey Snow, so maybe you'll get to see that...?

First Post Since... July???

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 05:00:36 GMT

Grey Snow - 2 Episodes Complete, EP 3 Nearing Completion
Kuo Suku Zubujito - 1 Chapter Complete, CH 2 Nearing Completion
Ore no Kazupan - 1 Kiss Complete, 29 to Go

Well, now that I've started school I've essentially had no time to myself. My time has been filled with class, homework, and volunteering. However, that hasn't stopped my writing. I'm actually very close to finishing GS ep 3, and I hope to be finished by tomorrow (this) evening. As far as KSZ goes, it's still officially on hiatus, but I try to peck at it now and then. Then of course there's Ore no Kazupan, which is the collective name for my challenge on 30_kisses. (I stole the name from a failed fanfic attempt from 2 years ago involving the same pairing.) I've only coompleted one kiss so far, but it's a fun diversion from GS and its dark and angsty undertones, so I'll try to work at it. Fortunately, there's a nice 2 month deadline in between each kiss, so I think I'm doing just fine.

Two Weeks Later

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 03:20:44 GMT

Grey Snow - 2 Episodes Complete, EP 3 To Be in Progress Shortly
Kuo Suku Zubujito - Still on Hiatus

Lately I've been so wrapped up in other things that I haven't been doing much writing, so mostly it's been pushed aside. Either this eening or tomorrow though, I hope to get a start on EP 3 of Grey Snow. I have kind of a general idea of what I'm going to do with it, and the rest will just sort of develop as it goes along, as always. Maybe after that I'll write them a little more anachronistcally to give myself some more freedom...

Grey Snow by Esmeralda Turbine
Episode Two - Royal Ashes
(© Esmeralda Turbine 2006-7)

Bartender. A bartender. That was to be his title until further notice. Sure, he could have chosen something better. He should have chosen something better. He was better than this. (Then again, he was better than all the choices, which were ultimately better than the alternative.) Unfortunately, this was the best option for right now.

He arrived at his new job fashionably late, dressed in his best (which appeared, sadly, only slightly better than most people's worst). He slammed the door open with a finesse that could only be attributed to a thug such as himself, startling the patrons of the café. (He remembered, just then, that the establishment transformed into a bar only in the evening, feigning as a respectful establishment during the day. How shameful.) The people seemed discomforted by his presence, and even grown men made a point to move out of the path of the light-haired, dark-skinned young man who came crashing through. Truth be told, he rather enjoyed all the attention---infamy suited him well.

"Excuse me, sir," called a smooth, captivating voice. "Can I help you with something?"

He paused his ruckus and turned. To his right, leaning on the bar, was an attractive young waitress; tall, with long black hair, sharp blue eyes, long legs and a short skirt, and an ample bosom---just his type.

"Sure you can, darling," he replied in his most seductive tone. "How much d'you charge?"

She stood and approached him slowly, coming very close, within whispering distance. He smirked triumphantly, licking his lips, but her expression did not match his. "First of all," she said quietly but firmly, "My eyes are up here. Second of all, I don't know who you think you're dealing with, but I am no such woman. And my name is Adele. Now you'd better damn well have business here, or you'd better set yourself back down in whatever gutter you crawled out of."

He threw up his hands in mock surrender and backed away a step. "Okay, ya win! I give up (for now)! Anyway, 'Adele', I'm here for the job, so show me to whoever's in charge here and---"

"I should have realized," Adele muttered, defeated. "A scoundrel like you? Of course you would be one of those delinquents." She paced back to the bar, pounding down on it a few times with a fist and cursing to herself. She turned back to him. "Look, you. You were supposed to be here over two hours ago. Are you Mr. Hobart?"

He kept his rude smirk, shoving his hands in his pockets cooly. "I'm whoever you want, darlin', but since you already know me, no point in sayin' it myself."

She buried her pretty face in her hands, cursing her fate. "Edson, why did you agree to this? I warned you against it, and now I have to work with this low-class bum who can't even speak to a woman wiith respect." She leaned back and sighed. "Well, at least there's Mr. Hunt, thank God for that."

Hobart rested his elbow on the counter next to her. "So who's this Hunt fella, eh? And how's he any better than me?"

"Well not that it's any of your concern---well actually I suppose it very much is---but Mr. Hunt is also starting here today. You'll be working with him, you understand? And if you need to know why he's better, well you can see for yourself when he comes back. I sent him out for some things."

His jaw dropped in incredulity at the remark. "You yourself sent him out? Where's the man in charge around here?"

She crossed her arms in front of her chest definitively and gave him a sideways glare. "The manager, if that's who you mean, isn't here right now. I'm in charge until he gets back this evening."

"Oh, lovely and powerful. I think I'm in love."

Adele showed him a specific finger and returned to her previous business, tending to the few customers with a sweet, "I'm sorry, were you waiting long?"

Hobart went around to the other side of the bar and rummaged through the shelves. For such a small, low-key place, there was some seriously high-class liquor. (Then again, the stuff he usually drank was a cheap and tended to taste only slightly better than piss, so anything would seem high-class). He was about to sneak a sip when the back door burst open, and he heard a painfully familiar voice.

"Oh Miss Adele, my sweet vixen, I'm back, and... You!"

Hobart grabbed one of the bottles and raised it threateningly, ready to attack. "What're you doing here, cur?"

Asher dropped the wooden crate and the flowers he had entered with, drawing his concealed knife from the inside of his vest. "Good to see you too, snowflake. I know why I'm here, so why are you here? What, are you following me, ya bastard?"

The waitress interrupted the two. "Why Mr. Hunt," she said sweetly, "Nice to see you've returned. By the way, this is Raleigh Hobart, your new coworker. Mr. Hobart, meet Ashby Hunt, someone who knows how to speak to me properly." She looked back and forth between them. Their poised weapons and serious faces spoke volumes about the situation. "Well," she said, backing away, "It seems as though you two already know each other. Is there something you'd like to tell me about?"

Asher slipped the knife back into its holder and put an arm around her shoulders, drawing her away from King (that is, Mr. Hobart). "I'm sorry about all this, Miss Adele. Oh, and my apologies to the customers. You do know why we're working here, don't you? The higher-ups decided that me and Snowflake were causing too much trouble and that they'd somehow change that by giving us jobs. It's just..." He stopped a moment and glared at his rival. "I had no idea I'd be working with this little son of a bitch. Pardon my rudeness, Miss Adele, but there's no way I'm having anything to do with him, working or otherwise."

King nodded at Asher's remark. "For once, we're thinkin' the same. I'd die happy if I never had to see yer face again."

Adele looked at them both, frowned, and pondered a moment, hands on her hips, then made a decision.

"Both of you, be quiet. I honestly don't care about whatever argument you have going on. Mr. Hunt, start tending to these patrons who you've caused such a scene in front of. Mr. Hobart, in the back and start washing. Neither of you bother me until the manager gets back."

The black-haired boy grabbed his packages from the floor, handing the bouquet to Adele. "As you wish, my darling. I will---"

"Not a word, Mr. Hunt."

He smiled charmingly, nodded, and tossed the crate to an unsuspecting King before tending to his duty. "Put that away for me, will ya?"

King cursed under his breath and carried the crate into the kitchen. It was there he saw the basin full of soapy water and the large pile of dishes. There was no end to how much he hated that Fox right now.

The café was run by a man known as Mr. Edson. If you spoke only of his lean physique and soft features, you wouldn't be giving an apt description of the man's nature. Those who knew this man, knew he was not one to mess with. However, two headstrong young men were out to prove that impression wrong.

Mr. Edson came in at 6:15, during the café's transition hour. Adele was busy behind the bar, checking to see that everything was in order, while someone unfamiliar was bussing the tables. He took off his hat and coat and hung them on a nail on the back wall, checking his appearance in a small mirror. He might not have been the youngest man, but he was good-looking nonetheless, and quite conscious of his appearance.

"Good evening, Miss Gardener," he said politely. "How are you?"

"Fine. Yourself?"

"Good as ever. So who's the boy there with his paws all over my tables?"

"That would be Mr. Hunt, one of those delinquent recruits, remember? The other one, Mr. Hobart, is in the back. Last I checked he was still washing."

"Is that it? Mr. Hunt!" he demanded.

Asher dropped his cloth and turned to him. "That's me. What about it?"

"Glad to see you've started work, though if I were you I'd straighten up my attitude. Keep in mind that I'm reporting your conduct to City Council once a week. Besides, they say the first impression is everything. If you haven't gotten the idea, I'm the manager around here. With that in mind---" he approached him and extended a hand "---it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ashby Hunt. I'm Lawrence Edson."

Asher met him with a hearty handshake, unfortunately with his damp hand. "So you're our slave driver, huh?" he said with a sarcastic drawl, ignoring the look of disgust on Edson's face. "Nice to meet you too."

With that he returned to his task. Edson turned back and headed to the kitchen, Adele raising her eyebrows at him and shooting a dismissive glance at Asher. He sighed to himself. One kid with attitude was bad enough, sure, but what about two of them? At least, the second one couldn't be any worse than the first, could he?

The first impression Edson had of King was a tall young man sprawled out, leaning against the wall next to the wash basin, fast asleep, with stacks of dirty dishes a mile high sitting on the counter to him. Edson grabbed a spoon and plate, and banged the two together. The young man twitched, opened his eyes half way, and said, plainly, "Fuck off," before covering his ears and moving back into dream land.

With no further thought, Edson walked over and kicked him hard in the side. King sprang awake, clutching his side. "You know what, Ass, that's it. I don't care what that girl says, I--" He jumped to his feet with fists poised, only to see not Asher, but a bespectacled, short-bearded, middle-aged man. He maintained his stance, demanding, "Who the hell are you?"

"Your manager, Lawrence Edson, though you will refer to me as Mr. Edson." He extended his hand, as he had to Asher. "I take it you are Raleigh Hobart?"

"What about it?" King dropped his fists, though he refused to shake the man's hand.

"As I mentioned to your friend out there, I am required to report your behavioral status to City Council every week, and if they don't think you're behaving well, you'll be locked up for a very long time. So, get your act together, Hobart." He began to exit, then called back, "And those dishes had better be washed by the time I come back here again."

King glared at him, grumbling under his breath, then reluctantly set to his task.

Compared to the sedate atmosphere it assumed earlier in the day, the Clementine Café & Bar grew quite lively when it made its transition to "Bar". Mr. Edson was at the end of the bar, chatting with a customer's wife, and on the stage at the other side of the room Greg was singing. Gregory, Greg for short, was a man in his early thirties who came there to sing every few days, and in all honesty Adele had a bit of a crush on him. She watched him dance around the semicircular stage as she blended drinks, humming along with the song he was crooning; "Just a Girl Like You," a classic love ballad. King was still in the back washing, while Asher stood next to Adele, attempting to emulate her technique. The man in front of him grimaced and begrudgingly accepted an obviously incorrectly mixed concoction.

More than once he tried to charm the higher-ranked employee with his wit. One such line he gave was, after seeing how bored she looked, "You know what you need right now, Miss Adele? A Grey Fox," which left him sorely disappointed when she replied that they didn't have the right liquor; a Grey Fox was also the name of a certain blended drink, and she had not seen or had not acknowledged the other side of the pun.

Asher watched as she made eyes at the singer, feeling more than a little jealous. He leaned on the bar in front of her, much to the chagrin of the person on the other side of the counter, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Hey there, Miss Adele, are you in there, sweetie?"

She snapped to attention, not immediately realizing what had happened. One moment she was having a lovely conversation with Greg over a cup of tea, the next she was staring at Mr. Hunt, with her dream lover clear on the other side of the room.

She sighed, "Did you say something, Mr. Hunt?"

"Please," he said slyly, "Call me Asher."

"I shall call you Mr. Hunt, and from now on you shall address me as Miss Gardener."

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, Miss Gardener," he acquiesced, with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "But, Miss Gardener, it looks like something's botherin' you. What is it?"

She nearly slapped him. "What right do you have to ask about my problems? I've known you only since this morning."

"Please, Miss Gardener, I didn't mean to offend! I just thought you seemed a little..." He brushed the hair away from her ear and leaned in close. "...distracted..." He moved to plant a kiss on her neck and was firmly rejected. As soon as he tried to explain, the room grew silent and all attention focused on Adele.

"Miss Adele," the singer called, "Why don't you come over here? This next one's for you."

Her face flushed. "Oh, oh really?" She slipped out from behind the bar, visibly flustered, and hurried to the other side of the room.

Asher couldn't help but hate the man as he watched him flirt with "his" Adele. What could she see in him? Why was he feeling so protective of a girl he just met? He turned around and started to mix drinks again, taking a glass for himself and shuddering at its sharp bitterness. Edson finally took notice of his behavior and stalked over, popped him on the back of the head and demanded that he switch places with Mr. Hobart, who claimed knowledge of proper bartending skills.

As he passed by King on the way to the kitchen, the two of them exchanged glares. Before they passed, however, Asher managed to slip in, "Keep an eye on that singer," knowing full well that his nemesis had a similar attraction to the waitress.

King at first dismissed the warning, thinking that Asher was trying to draw his attention away from the real problem: Asher. When he unwillingly stepped behind the bar and surveyed the room, however, he found he was sorely mistaken. Sure enough, the man on the stage was singing his heart out to the girl, brushing her cheek with his hand and staring deeply into her eyes as the half-drunken audience watched intently. When he came to the end he knelt and kissed her hand, in true chivalrist fashion, and the crowd went wild. It seemed as though their tips just flew to his box all on their own.

King, on the other hand, was disgusted by the whole display. Sure, he thought, that was the way to court a woman, but it wasn't the way to get straight to what you were really after. Courtship simply came with too many rules, conventions, and agony, three things he could not tolerate. What good did love do, anyway?

He shook his head and mixed up a Snapping Turtle for the off-duty cop at the first table. The man was already too smashed to recognize him, and if King wasn't being persecuted as a delinquent, at least he could be recognized for his skills. Those few years spent under the foster care of a bartender would not be put to waste.

Adele wandered back to her post, giddy as she could be. She stared at King for a moment, then declared, "Why Mr. Hunt, you certainly have changed in the last few minutes."

He rested an arm against the shelf and loomed over her, overpowering with his obvious advantage in stature. "Darlin'," he said softly, "I might be lots of things, but that cur ain't one of 'em. Do you need yer eyes checked or somethin'?"

She shook her head and stared at him, befuddled. "Oh, Mr. Hobart. What are you doing out here?"

He gave a hearty laugh. "Like I should explain myself to you! I'm here 'cause I wanna be, and fer no reason else. Now stick to what you were doin'. Stay in yer place like a good little girl, okay? Women are better to look at than to hear anyway."

That was more than she could stand. She slapped him hard across the face and stormed off, out the back door. He could have apologized, but he didn't particularly care enough, so he just went back to tending to the customers. If things continued this way, this was going to be a tedious job.

"Well, it would be a lie to say that you all did a good job today, but it'll do for now, I suppose. However, if I see any of this nonsense going on tomorrow, there will be consequences. Got it?"

As they closed up shop, Mr. Edson took the liberty of berating his new employees for their performance today. They had done all right, but desperately needed to learn respect and manners. However, the lecture only slid through one ear and out the other as the two young men watched him rant in silence, totally disinterested.

"With all that in mind, you two are dismissed for the day. I'll expect you back by 10 tomorrow morning, and don't be late!"

Just as they turned to leave, Edson burst, "Oh yes, that reminds me. These are for you." He reached into his pocket and held out two keys, which they accepted reluctantly. "Those are your room keys. You'll be staying at Denver House from now on. You know, the boarding house at the corner of Fifth and Greene streets? There will be an officer there to confirm your room and give you ground rules. Oh, and be sure to check in before one o'clock. I'd say that gives you about an hour. Now you are dismissed."

Asher rolled his eyes and slid the key into his pocket. Before he could leave, King shoved him out of the way, determined to be the first to go. He moved to retaliate, but very quickly saw the futility in the action. He could always pay him back later.

Just as he opened the door, Adele called to him, "Mr. Hunt, I do hope you'll straighten him out for me. That jerk Hobart needs to learn some respect!"

"Yeah," he replied with a smirk, "King Snowflake is a real ass sometimes. Well, most of the time. Have a good night, Lady Gardener, my vixen."

Adele blushed a little at his tone, waving coyly as he slipped out. She sighed to herself and gathered her things, bidding Mr. Edson farewell, then made her own way home.

Asher shivered at the cool air as he walked. Autumn was just setting in, but already the nights grew cold. He dug his hands deep into his pockets and kept his eyes peeled for street signs. He wasn't used to this part of town. It was neutral territory, but much closer to the industrial district than to the train yards, and the fog that began to roll in made his search no easier. Up ahead, he saw his enemy walking confidently; he knew where he was going, obviously. Asher followed the other covertly, and before long Denver House was in sight.

In the lobby of the boarding house, at the desk, sat the officer Edson had mentioned. Officer Kisinger was his name, and he had a kind, though authoritative look about him. He took Asher's name and checked it off on a list, directing him to his room, number 37; third floor, end of the hall, left side. Asher found it without much trouble, but was surprised when the door opened right into his face.

"Ow!" He clutched his nose. "Who's the bastard that did that? And why're you in my room?!"

Lo and behold! it was none other than Sir Blizzard himself, clad in only his trousers. He leaned against the door and glared at the shorter man.

"This is my room, jackass cur. Why the fuck are you following me?"

Out of instinct, Asher drew his knife. "Why would I follow you? Just get out of my room and we won't have to have a problem tonight."

"Like I said, it's MY ROOM. Or are you deaf?"

The Fox started to shoot more profanities before a thought struck him. "Those bastards..." he muttered. He looked to King inquisitively. "There's two beds in there, isn't there?"

King looked back inside. "Why should---Fuck! Oh, no way." The same idea dawned over him and they both came to a quick conclusion about the situation.

No matter how much they protested at the front desk, or how violently, no arrangement would be made to assign either of them to a different room. After a quarter hour, with tensions running high, the two begrudgingly returned to the third floor, end of the hall, left side. For a few minutes they bickered outside of the door, ending only when King felt a slight tug on the waist of his pants.

"Rolly?"

Asher peeked around behind him, noticing a short, androgynous child of eleven or twelve. "Button?"

"Hm? Oh hey, Mitch!" King spun to meet him, lifting the small boy off the ground into a fatherly embrace. "How was yer day? A comb? Is this fer me? Thanks." He set him back down and accepted the gift. "You know, I got stuck working with that idiot there. Do you have to work with any of those stupid Foxes?" Button nodded. "Oh, which one then?"

Before he could answer, someone stomped down the hallway towards them. The moonlight from the window at the end of the hall showed a frazzled redhead approaching.

King straightened up and smirked. "Well look, if it ain't the pansy. What do ya want, huh?"

Echo pointed accusingly. "That! The little brat stole my comb! And I am not a pansy!"

"Yeah yeah, pansy. Here, take it and go away." He tossed the comb to him.

Echo and Asher exchanged quick greetings, before he stomped back down the hall. King gave Button a quick pat on the back and walked him to his room. When he returned, the Fox was sitting on one of the beds, looking about the room. Neither of them spoke a word until Asher burst out laughing.

"You know, Snowflake," he chuckled, hopping off the bed, "I've never seen you so... caring..."

King grabbed him by the collar. "And what would you know about it, huh?"

Asher staved him off with his knife and regained his composure. He took a large step back, towards his bed. "Look," he said, "I won't talk about it, so long as you stay over there, okay?"

"Whatever, cur. Just stay out of my business, or yer life'll be hell."

"Whatever, King."

Life was tough for the boys of Bedford City, but they could make it if they tried. However, as long as these tensions remained, life would be nothing but a living hell.

Procrastination and You

Tue, 04 Jul 2006 19:35:35 GMT

Grey Snow - 2 Episodes Complete, Planning EP 3
Kuo Suku Zubujito - 1 Chapter Complete, CH 2 in Progress (Currently On Hiatus)

So here's my first post, if you'd like to call it that. I will try to keep a regular update on my progress. Right now, Grey Snow is my priority, since I have some good ideas for major plot events that I haven't shared with anyone yet (*glares*), as well as having the ending in mind. KSZ will remain on hiatus until I finish GS, and possibly a prequel to the latter. The characters are getting on my nerves, and anyway, I keep misplacing my USB key, which holds the only working copy of chapter 2.

( Grey Snow EP 1 )

Teste

Tue, 04 Jul 2006 19:22:34 GMT

Testing, testing