stupid doodles i did this week because lack of creativity and self-pity because school is stressful. xD
a small stupid mini comic of my october story. xD (this is just for that holiday in february)
*she followed them through several hallways btw (its on an airship), the wall didn't suddenly flip. xD
the captain doesn't like chocolate actually, in the real story. ;-;
lol
i keep forgetting her freckles ugh
and this didn't happen. u_u
this did though:
so clingy. e_e (okay this didn't happen i'm exaggerating.)
lol
Story Excerpt 2:
another excerpt from my October-story, this time longer (sorry to those who only come here for the art, I promise I'll have something next week... hopefully. C:>)
anyways
this is from chapter one, so if you join it with the other excerpt I put up a while ago, it's what happened before. :) (i actually cut out a few parts so it won't be so long. :P)
and also this is kinda
most of the dialogue is practically useless so again if you don't want to waste your time, skip this.
~~
Chapter 1:
I was always a quiet child. No, used to be. I used to be a quiet child. But perhaps this isn't the best way to begin. Perhaps I should start with the ball several nights ago. Dancing and twirling around with a man I didn't even know. Or was it yesterday? I hardly know anymore. I hardly care. Bryce had me dress up in one of those fancy dresses and practice one of those fancy dances. Or perhaps 'forced' is the right word? We were never on good terms. He wanted money, I wanted freedom and books. I only wanted to spend my days reading. I didn't want to pretend to be some pilot's fiancée just for the sake of payment. Aristocrat Shay wanted the military tactics of Aristocrat Henry. What better way than hook a girl to an unsuspecting pilot, get him drunk, and pin the information? Shay was paying my brother a lot, too. And I was the only girl to do it. We were called the Torn Pirates, outcasts with no state. We only had our mini airships for keeps to do other peoples' dirty work. More like mercenaries. We didn't want to belong to Shay, Henry, nor Xander's domains. I blamed Bryce. He blamed me. It never ended. He was the ringleader, I was his younger sister. He was twenty one, I was eighteen. Big deal. "I'm not doing it," I'd said. How was it then that I found myself in front of the legendary Raven in a ball gown? He had commented that I was beautiful. Big deal. Bryce threatened to banish me to the slums if I didn't do it. He was capable, too. Big deal. Everything was a big deal to me. Can't deny that. I just couldn't find a good starting point. Maybe it should be from the beginning; all these thoughts must have gotten dull and boring. The beginning:
"And when he's drunk, you go in and pry. Piece of cake." Bryce said, towering over me with his lean figure and shoulder-length black hair. His loyal cronies - all shorter than him - stood at his heels, peeking at me from behind Bryce's shoulders. They wanted to see my reaction almost as much as they wanted to see me in a ball gown. I, of course, was cornered. Holding a heavy book under my arm, I only shook my head. "I'm not doing it." At that Bryce narrowed his brown eyes and pinched his thick black eyebrows together. "Normally I wouldn't ask. Not only are you expensive to keep, you're also unreliable. But you're the only girl here." Up to the point this was true. Because we were outlaws without borders, we lived far from the eyes of any of the Aristocrats. High in the depths of the Lisami Mountains; above the clouds. A group of rouge men. I never cared for their thievery and looting. I was only interested in whatever books they bought back. Reading was always the best way to live in a different world. I was a dreamer. Never really thought about life. Never really thought about anything. Always tipsy with fiction. I hadn't a choice then. Sucking my bottom lip, my feeble response was: "I'm not the only girl. You have Cook Milly."
"Milly eh?" Bryce shook his head with an oath and frowned until lines furrowed his brow. He leaned a little closer, trapping me against the wall. "Samantha, you know that is out of the question. Milly is a fat, ugly pirate for Pete's sake. Think anyone'd fall for that?"
"Naw!" His cronies answered for me, all very enthusiastic. They found it amusing.
I blinked, feeling my own anger surge. "Does it matter? You men find anything attractive. Dress a tree in a skirt and it's attractive." Anything to tick him off and cause a fight. I loved arguing. Anything to find someone to blame for my problems and our dead parents.
Bryce was clearly angry now. The other pirates behind him laughed at my comeback. If my brother weren't in front of my face right now, I'd add on to their amusement and say: "What? It's true." They always held me as the laughing stock. I used to join them in their ransacking adventures years ago. But that was before Bryce took control and became ringleader. He was most ruthless. Heck, he didn't even let me do what I want. Claimed I was too expensive to keep and I should be thankful he was even buying - er - stealing food for me. As if I was asking him to do all that. And now he wanted me to earn my keep. Our region was ruled by three main Aristocrats. Shay, the fiery redhead who only wanted to get his hands on his rivals' war tactics. Aristocrat Henry, the wide-shouldered, fat blonde one, who only held elegant parties and boasted about his all-powerful military. Last but not least, Aristocrat Xander, an old bony geezer who didn't really want anything to do with anyone. Neutral and quiet. Keeping cool-headed and allied with both Shay and Henry, who were constantly at each other's throats. And now Shay, who seemed desperate, turned to us to get get him Henry's tactics. Sure, dump it on the pirates. It was too large a sum for a reward, too. He was practically choking himself over it. Of course, my brother couldn't turn him down. He gave us an impossible down payment, which was about enough to buy half a country. Not really, but it was insane amount. And after we bickered for an hour or two about how I wasn't doing it, Bryce won with his threat. He meant it this time, too. I had two days to brush up on my dancing skills and noble female manners before Henry's annual ball that summer. I was to meet a pilot; a man named Rance Kornel. Also known as the daring and powerful Raven, one of Henry's prized aviators. All the while I was to pose as his fiancée, the charming Ana, daughter of a high-ranking official. As if I could do that. There wasn't a hint of elegance in me. I lived the rouge life. With sweat and men's clothes. I didn't know how nobles acted. All in all, it was just downright insane. They were betrothed, and it was said Rance hadn't seen her before. Bryce's job was to keep the real Ana from coming to the ball, making it look to be on accident, and instead shove me into her silver laced slippers with an invitation in my hand. My job was to flirt, get Rance drunk, and casually steal information from him. Which Shay was going to pay us generously for, adding to his down payment. And how was that going to work, when I was socially awkward? I was fated to fail. Either banishment by Bryce, arrested for treason when I'm caught, or success. The chance for the latter to occur was very slim. It was a long shot.
~~~
[Here she just describes some details about a bedridden old lady, Theresa, who was kinda like a parent to her. Theresa just disproved Bryce's idea and told him not to let Sam do it but he ignored and blah blah blah. So then Cook Milly just helped her dress in that fancy dress and tied the corset too hard and Sam cursed because she's a pirate and she's used to it so Milly told her off because she should learn to act like a noble to fool Rance and then Milly just said she hated military men cause they're just fake (she has no idea btw, she's just trying to find a way to insult them. xD) so yeah not important. Long story short they got Sam into an airship and off to the ball and she's like ">:/" the whole time.
~~~
I walked off to the air docks alongside Cook Milly. "Hold up your skirts, youn' lady!" The woman exclaimed as I pulled ahead of her, the ends of the dress trailing on the wooden floorboards. I didn't want to hear any more complaining. And it was chilly. Who cares if the skirts were dirty? Heh. I didn't, that's for sure.
Bryce had already set off to block the path of the girl I was to impersonate. Neither her nor her family will be able to make it to the ball tonight. I was to arrive in her place at exactly eight PM sharp, with her stolen invitation in hand. Ana Fedora. My brother hadn't even wanted to talk to me. He knew exactly what I'd say. And honestly it would be a waste of breath for both of us.
"Ya ready, Sam?" A young blonde pirate asked as he steadied the small airship for me. "Or should I say, Miss Ana Fedora? Have fun on your date tonight."
"Shut up." I sent a swift kick to his calf - which only caused him to laugh mockingly - and climbed aboard. I felt defeated, like a slave. But maybe that was all I ever was. The sun was beginning to set behind the clouds. I would've watched, but we were too high in the mountains to see a proper sunset anyway. Most of the time it would be only clear skies and cold winds. Birds rarely came up this high. There was only an eagle's nest here and there as a sign of life, but nothing else. Besides us that is. Our home was bare. And because of that, we had to live by stripping off other peoples' property. Big deal. Why couldn't I just imagine I was someone else in a faraway kingdom, who actually had some freedom? Who was not a slave. Who could not be threatened. Who didn't live under anyone. Be my own boss. Oh, as if. Me? Samantha Arkadi? No. That was absurd. Too absurd. I closed my eyes wearily, listening to Milly wishing us luck and the blonde laughing as he shoved the airship into gear. I had picked the furthest seat, the one at the back of the vessel. The pilot and navigator were in front, pushing buttons and pulling levers to get us on track. Big deal. Soon I'd be making the acquaintance of the Raven. Soon I'd be charred for treason. Soon I'd sell my soul to save my hide. Big deal, big deal. If only I knew it back then. If only I knew how easy living in the slums would be compared to what was coming. This was the end of my line. And what did I have to say about it? Big deal.
Chapter 2:
Henry's building was huge. It was at least five stories high, and seemed to be made of the finest white stone. Perfectly trimmed trees and shrubs decorated the exterior and I could hear faint music playing as soon as I passed the gates. A light hot breeze blew, causing the butterflies in my stomach to flutter around again. The corset definitely wasn't helping with my breathing.
It's only one night, just two or three hours. But the butterflies were not easily calmed. I swallowed, held my already-weak breath, and marched to the wide, exquisite doors of the building. "Ah, welcome Miss." The adorned young doorman smiled, "May I have your invitation?"
With some difficulty, I mustered a nervous grin and held out Ana's invitation. "Ah, Miss Fedora." He bowed, "Welcome. We hope you will enjoy the ball this evening."
"Th-thank you." I replied quietly, my voice refusing to leave my throat. Forgetting my manners and my curtsy, I practically tore back the invitation out of his hands, slightly surprising the doorman. With a final tense smile, I entered the doors, cursing lightly under my breath. I was making a fool of myself! The doorman probably thought me very rude. I just hoped he forgotten my eager move just now, for my sake. I dusted the ends of my elegant violet dress and raised my head. The ballroom was beautiful. Built to handle at least three hundred couples, not only was the room vast, but it was also stylishly decorated. Two large staircases led to a higher curtained platform on the second floor. This had to be where the higher ranking nobles and important people sat. Turning my head, it appeared I had arrived early. There were only two lavishly-dressed women at one middle table, chatting excitedly. Thankfully they didn't seem to even notice me. Glancing the other way, I decided to take the darkest, furthest corner. The further away I was from people, the better. At least, until the Raven got here. That also terrified me. He'd know there wasn't an ounce of nobility in me. But I didn't have to worry about that now, I guess. Bryce told me the Raven was stupid. Hopefully it was true. No, I prayed it was. Walking over to the last, darkest table, I sat down and slapped the invitation on the surface, making sure Ana's name was showing. The ballroom was quiet save for the light music that was playing. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting colorful shadows on the walls and lighting the dance floor. I took a deep breath to calm myself. The doors slammed open and several guests arrived, each with clothes better than the other. Top hats and fancy tailcoats and dainty dresses. Slowly, the tables filled. Some of the guests, which I assumed were officials, took to the second floor. I stared at the purple-curtained balcony of the next level in an attempt to find something else to think about other than my hide. There was Henry! Middle-aged with short cropped blonde hair and a small mustache, he took a momentary glance below before disappearing behind the curtain. He was always known as the Aristocrat that loved to throw parties, and absolutely loved to eat. I didn't think he was such a bad person. His military was definitely for show, that much was true. Heck, I didn't have time to think about that now! I took another deep breath and sweeped my gaze to the right. Almost full. The ballroom was almost full. It was fine. Maybe he wasn't coming. The tables next to mine were beginning to get crowded. Thankfully nobody paid me any attention, or so much as a second glance.
All of a sudden, both doors slammed open loudly, sending a shudder down my spine. Every head turned (besides mine, which was automatically fixed, of course). About seven camo-clad men entered, two of them in formal black garments. One of the two seemed to be of higher rank, judging by the trinkets pinned to his chest. I shivered, not knowing why. What a nervous wreck I was. And they didn't even look my way yet. Or at least, the one that would be my date. If he was going to be from this group anyway. Hopefully not. The decorated man stood idle for a full minute, not even bowing to the other guests (who had now begun to whisper amongst each other in hushed tones). He had short black hair, which was mostly hidden under a black cap. I was too far to notice much else. Not that I cared. This was obviously not the Raven. I pressed a hand to my hot face in an attempt to try to calm down. Please don't make the makeup run. My cheeks felt like fire and my ears roared. I cursed, tightening my shaking hands into fists. Pull yourself together! With one quick movement, the man leaned on the shoulder of one of his comrades, a soldier with a long charcoal ponytail, and whispered something in his ear. I dithered, feeling very cold all of a sudden. I was burning up and freezing all at the same time. Shh. Calm down. The soldier nodded and said something inaudible, which seemed to satisfy whatever his commander wanted. Not bothering to even glance towards the tables, the decorated man took to the stairs and soon disappeared. Well, looks like someone woke up early. His behavior was definitely coarse. The long-haired man in black smiled at the guests and bowed slightly. He then turned to his soldiers and said something, leading the remaining men to salute and troop out the doors. By now the other guests were disinterested, and turned to talking or drinking. He stood next to the staircase for a minute, cocking his head slightly. I bit down on my painted lip to focus. Act natural. Could this be...? Casually, the man slithered between the tables. He appeared to be looking for something. Or someone. Yes. I was dead. I hastily took a drink of water from my glass as he stepped closer to my table, pretending not to notice him and focused my eyes on the goblet. God, please blind him. "Good evening, Miss." A deep voice said rather pleasantly. A chain of curses passed through my head. Oh. No. I swallowed and muttered a prayer. Trying my best to smile, I looked up and set my glass back on the table. "G-good evening, Sir."
Chapter 3:
"Miss Fedora, by chance?" He glanced momentarily at my upturned invitation. "Ana?"
I nodded, trying to plaster a fake grin while still holding my breath. Should I stand? No? How am I supposed to act?! Darn it."Sorry I'm a little late. Rance Kornel." The young man's beautiful green eyes flashed, as if trying to pierce through my defenses and my lies. And my act. He was tall. From where I sat, more than twice my height. I shuddered, stunned. Not good. Not good at all.
"P-pleased to meet you ah..." My God, what was I supposed to say?
Rance stared at me quietly for a second, rubbing his chin, raking his gaze across my face. I immediately lowered my head. What if he noticed? There wasn't any guarantee that he never met Ana, it was all rumors. What if...?
"U-uh..."
"Ah, pardon my manners Love, but never in all those months we've been betrothed, I'd imagine you were that beautiful!" He quickly said, adding a nervous chuckle. I never felt as stupid as I did then, flashing bright crimson and practically burning. It wasn't because of the complaint, honest. "So uh, well. May I?" He gestured towards the chair on the other side of the table. "O-of course, Sir."
Swiftly, Rance took a seat. He still towered over me. Well not tower tower, but still.
"Uh, so where is your father?" Rance asked, taking a casual sweep of the ballroom, "He was invited, right?"
"Uh--" I held my breath. Not that. Ask anything but that! I took a breath. "He was, Sir. But he had some business, so he couldn't come. My mother was also... sick."
"Ah. I see." The Raven replied, still piercing me with his look, "I wished to see them tonight. Hopefully your mother will get better soon. That aside, I have to say, you're downright beautiful." He leaned his elbows on the table and smirked, "Unlike any other girl I've seen."
Not that feeling again... "T-t-thank you..." my chin was plastered to my chest, heart vibrating. Why did they have to pick me this man?
"Haha! You're shy too. I like that in a woman."
I swallowed. Someone save me...
"So, why did you pick this table in the corner?" He asked, tapping the wall with his knuckles, "It's kinda dark back here. Or was it surprise me?"
I nodded, a little crudely. How the heck do I flirt when he was doing all the talking!? "Y-yes, Sir."
"Oh, enough with this formal talk, call me Rance, please." The young man grinned, a little too brilliant. Don't get into it. That's it. This guy was going to be tough.
"After all, we're going to be married soon. I'd be pretty boring if you make it a barracks too. Leave formal talk for the soldiers."
I shuddered, feeling sick all of a sudden. My stomach twisted. "Y-yes Si- I mean Rance." His name felt weird on my lips. Felt fake. I pronounced it so tenderly, but I was jumbled on the inside.
"Obedient too. Dang. I like you already." Rance gleamed, "Wait, how old were you again?"
"E-eighteen."
"Hm? I could have sworn you were twenty two."
"N-not at all..." I replied, still trying to wear a smile. My cheeks felt hot. Too hot.
"Hm, must have misheard. Either way, it doesn't matter. Remember how old I am?"
I shrugged, unable to hide my confusion. Why was he asking me that? Could it be he figured me out?
"Twenty four. Eh, I wouldn't say it's too old. Especially if it's a beauty like you."
I was surprised. He didn't look that young to me. But then I've never been a good judge of ages.
Rance scratched the back of his head. "Man, your eyes are so pretty. I've never seen brown eyes as deep as those, they really mirror your personality."
What was with this guy and complaints? "Um, thank you?" How was I going to be sure he wasn't staring into my soul through the windows of my eyes? I kept my head low. This was the worst mess I'd been in.
I stared at my lap, pretending to find the ruts and valleys in the dress fabric interesting. Something brushed against my chin, causing me to gulp down a breath. Rance raised my face to meet his eyes once again. "Aw please Ana, don't look away. You're too pretty."
I cursed in my head again. Awkward. Deadly awkward. "A-alright." I managed a small smile, but didn't dare look him straight in the eye. Trying not to shiver was already becoming a task.
"Heh. Too shy for your own good, huh? That's alright, I like that. There's nothing to be embarrassed about, we'll be married soon. Please calm yourself."
If only it was that easy. I nodded, taking another nervous whiff at my glass, which was dangerously near finishing. Wouldn't do good if that happened. It was a great distraction.
Just focus on the mission. Let him fall for you, get him drunk, and steal the information. After that, you're home free. Just hurry. Sitting there twisting under his gaze is only going to make things worse.
"U-uh, Rance?" I took a chance, raising my chin a little higher and trying to put on a friendly expression. All while clutching the skirts of my dress with shaking hands.
"Hm?"
"You... You are in Henry's military right? I'm curious, why did you become a soldier? What do you enjoy most about it?"
Rance was quiet for a second, a somewhat amused expression on his face. "Ah, that, that's because I get engaged to beautiful girls like you."
I stiffened a fake giggle, "Come on! That's not true!"
"Cross my heart." He scratched his finger against his vest to illustrate, pretending to be serious. Bryce might as well have been right. Rance was stupid. Maybe even too stupid.
Before he could say another word, a waiter stopped by our table. He lowered a tray with two elegant glasses and a dark bottle. That was my cue. Rance nodded at the middle-aged man, dismissing him. "I don't suppose," He said, pouring clear liquid into one of the glasses, "you'd like a drink?"
I shook my head quickly. "I don't drink."
"Ah, you're underage, sure, but this is Henry's turf. You can do what you like here."
So he was a tempter. Especially with that smile. I have to control myself. I shook my head. Not in a good place to lose my mind right now. I'll bet it didn't even taste good. "No. I'd rather not." I was surprised at how calm my voice was, since my insides felt like they were twisting.
"Heh, fair enough. You don't have to hold back though, it's very good quality."
I smiled only as he downed the glass within seconds. Maybe that was going to be the easiest part of the mission. It didn't take long, especially after I kept pouring him more every time the glass emptied. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind. It was almost like he didn't notice me. After a while, Rance's eyes dimmed slightly, and he seemed to lower his guard. "So uh, Rance?" I began after taking a deep breath. Here goes nothing. "I'm curious, what is your strategy? How is it that Henry has the best military? It just can't be the vast numbers of recruits."
"Ah, that," Rance replied slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose, still smirking, "That's only because of me, my dear. The whole point. I am the strongest and smartest pilot he has, so our victory is no surprise at all."
"Oh." I poured more alcohol in his glass. For Heaven's sake, how does that tell me anything?? He was too stupid. And even worse when he was drunk. I tried again. "How about your weapons? And your vehicles? Those things are important, I imagine. What does Henry use?"
Rance chuckled, clearly intoxicated, "Oh you know, things. The usual. Battle airships, frigates, galleons, stuff like that." He paused, taking another sip, "But honestly Ana, it's not the ships, it's the talented people piloting the ships. Get what I mean?"
I nodded, grinning. So far I had no good information. He seemed to have drank too much. Of course he did. I poured some more. "But surely, you have another reason. The gun type, for example?"
"Ah, the guns. Yes, we have batteries, machine guns, all built in. Grand design, really."
If I were not pretending to be Ana right now I'd ditch him. How does that help me?
After several more futile answers, I decided I'd done my part. Bryce will get mad, but that wasn't my problem. I felt tired and tense, it wasn't easy to just sit here politely pretending to be someone else. Rance apparently wasn't done talking. "So anyway, more importantly, what do you do in your free time? Cook? Sew?"
I snapped out of my thoughts, weak. "Huh? Oh no, I was never good at sewing. We have maids at home who cook, so I don't do that either."
"Ah, so you just sit there? Must be boring." Rance drank slowly from his goblet.
I shook my head. "No, I read."
At that he looked surprised. "Oh? That's good! Not many girls like to read, they prefer gossip, you know. I'm sorry, was that out wrong?" He checked himself, "I meant not many are interested in reading."
I shrugged. "I guess I have a passion then."
Before Rance could reply, the waiter returned with a tray of food. He set down two plates on the table, with food I didn't even know existed. But it looked delicious. Smelled even better. And I had been worrying all day, I forgotten I hadn't eaten this morning.
Rance had already started, taking small, polite bites using a fork. As much as I wanted to leave, I'd probably never get to eat anything like this again. Just this once. Picking up a spoon, I scooped up a large chunk of meat and, after taking a quick glance at Rance, stuffed in into my mouth. It was much too large, but this was how pirates ate. I didn't want to 'act lika lady.' Not that I even had to. Besides, I was hungry too. Even though I had shoveled in my dinner, the taste still lingered on my tongue. Tangy and deep. It was good. Obviously much better than anything Bryce offered me. Within two minutes, I had finished my plate, while Rance's was still full. There goes his intoxication, but it wasn't like I gained anything from it anyway. He didn't even seem to care either way. That was how simple-minded he was. Definitely stupid. I sweeped my gaze across the other side of the room. Music had started to play, louder than before. If I had to leave, now was my chance.
_____________________________________________________
this is pretty stupid and poorly-written. ;-; i'm counting it as a draft cause it just sucks. :/
and the drawings pretty much suck too. :/ i'm very bad at humans.
So yeah sorry for wasting your time. if anybody got that far. xD just wanted to put this here. ;-; not something important so.
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