Daily Excerpt!

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An Orc Opera Act 1

[taram-42.livejournal.com]

The Headmaster stepped onto the dais and raised her hands for silence. The student body obediently went quiet and all eyes were on her.

“Thank you for coming, Omphalos Students. We have a special cultural treat for you today. A roving band of Players has arrived in town and we have hired them to present to you the Tragedy in Norymnova. It is an original play about a sordid love affair between a young Norymnovan elf and her Deorain lover.” She swept across the stage, gesturing dramatically, “Enjoy.”

Three orcs stepped onto the dais and the students around Mia tittered quietly. Orcs were burly creatures, almost as big as cyclops. They kept to stone strongholds in mountainous desert regions closer to Iteraea. Yet one was in a dress that wouldn’t have been out of place in Norymnova. And the orc in a dress Mia was pretty sure was male. In fact, none of the orcs looked female. To top it all off, each orc was wearing an absurd amount of make up that was obvious to all, even the students far in the back of the audience. The three spoke in unison.

“Here we are, three elves of Norymnova!”

The student body openly laughed.

“I am Srilla, beautiful maiden and summoner!” The one in the dress stepped forward, curtsying. Another orc ran on to the dais from off on the side, holding out a straw colored wig and stuffed it on ‘Srilla’s’ head then dashed off again.

“I am Radi!” roared the second orc in a silk suit, “Rebel elf who yearns for Armaiti!”

“And I am Gaut, daemon of Srilla!” slyly spoke the third orc, who was wearing a strange purple puff costume.

Mia and Tont glanced at one another, extremely confused, and the orcs continued on.

“Oh strong and handsome Radi,” swooned Srilla, “I am torn for the fighting is moving ever closer to my home!”

“Sweet Srilla,” said Radi, who stepped close and stroked Srilla’s cheekbone, “I am the strongest and most loyal elf. Come live with me in a new city, a land of hope and promise, called Deorain.”

“I cannot!” Srilla pulled away dramatically, the back of her hand touching her forehead, “I have so much here! My Daemon! My life! My city! My family! I would never be welcome in a place such as Deorain! My life would be forfeit should I ever practice magic again.”

“Then do not! I know you have talents as a Weaver, my love.” Radi pulled Srilla back towards him, “Would our life together not be enough?”

“You ask me to stop using what is a part of myself.” Srilla started to sob dramatically.

“I cannot! Why not accept Armaiti and follow her guidance?” Radi pleaded.

“Leave me be! I cannot make my mind up. I am anguished. ANGUISHED!” Srilla ran to the corner of the dais, waiting until Radi had stepped off, and then, to the wonder of all the students watching, broke into song, lamenting the tough decision that ‘she’ had to make. Be with her lover? Or pursue her craft to the best extent of her abilities.

Mia looked around for the source of music and found it in a small collection of other orcs with instruments. They even had a conductor. She blinked a few times, not quite believing what she was seeing.

At the end of the song, the daemon Gaut stepped onto stage with Srilla. In a raspy voice, he spoke, “Master Srilla, would you leave me? Abandon me to the darkness beyond? Here you give me life, give me the chance to explore a new world.”

“Oh precious Gaut,” Srilla replied, “Please do not make this decision harsher than it is. I cannot bear to be apart from either of you!”

Gaut slinked his way closer, looking devious, “Perhaps Master could always be with her lover and her loving servant.” He produced a vial that had been painted green on the bottom. Mia assumed the vial was supposed to contain some kind of poison.

“Take this, my master, and with your lover drink it! You will be together with me, forever!”

Srilla took the vial and held it close to ‘her’ chest. “I will my precious servant. Thank you!”

Gaut slunk off the dais and Srilla left as well, returning with a tray with two glasses. Radi joined ‘her’.

“Oh my lover, Radi, I have made my decision, let us celebrate this momentous day. We will be together forever!” Srilla passed Radi a goblet and took one herself.

Re: An Orc Opera Act 1 - the rest

[taram-42.livejournal.com]

“To my dear, sweet Srilla! We will have a home together in Deorain. You will want for nothing!” Radi lifted the goblet up and ‘drank’ from it. Srilla did the same.

“Oh lover, I am not going to Deorain. Our lives end here, together forever!” Srilla leaned into Radi lovingly as they both began to choke.

“Srilla! What treachery!?” Radi choked out the words as Gaut returned.

Gaut watched them both as they died, and Radi, in his last breaths, cried out, “I am betrayed! Armaiti! Save me!”

Srilla fell dramatically and Gaut caught her, holding her tenderly as Radi convulsed then stood. “I am cured by Armaiti!” He turned and knelt by Srilla. “Oh my lover. I loved you and always will love you, but I will not die by your hand!”

With that, Srilla and Gaut stood next to Radi and the three of them bowed. “Curtain!” they shouted simultaneously.

The students stood in stunned silence. Then one in the crowd began to clap, and other joined until the air was filled with the sound of cheering.

[prettydiscovery.livejournal.com]

Once he was out of Harfang’s eyesight and hearing, Tom hurried to his own apartment, feeling slightly claustrophobic. He shakily unlocked his door and stepped inside, and quickly closed it behind him. He immediately began pacing around his small flat, his mind reeling as it struggled to deal with this bit of information.

It was just something being spread around. Even if it was in development, it might never be completed. Tom used every logical thought he had to try to dispel his fear, but it wouldn’t go away. He was like that all day—pacing, occasionally sitting down to brood, and then pacing again—and then for most of the evening. His thoughts were preoccupied with planning about what could be done to get him out of this situation, because there seemed only one thing worse than being made a Muggle to him—and that was death.

He decided, in the end, that he only had two choices. Either Grindlewald had to be stopped and destroyed, and the ritual along with him, or he had to become useful enough to Grindlewald that they wouldn’t ever use the ritual on him. The most likely plan, to him, seemed to become a useful person to Grindlewald—though that rubbed him the wrong way, as he submitted to no one, especially a fellow Dark Lord. However, sometimes sacrifices were necessary. How to actually do that, however, escaped him…

Until, late into the evening, it came to him. A regime such as Grindlewald’s needed spies. And he had an acquaintance who was in the resistance movement. His only shot, it seemed, would to join the resistance movement, become a spy later on, and then play both sides to see who would win. With his intelligence, he was sure that he would come out on top.

He let out a shaky breath of relief, feeling much better now that he had a plan, and he made himself a quick meal before heading to bed. After all, he needed sleep before he implemented his plan. He had plans to get it in motion as soon as the next day.

[fenrischained.livejournal.com]

“How was it thou met the princess?” It was the first question that came to mind.

He shrugged, tucking his thumbs under the straps holding his pack to his back. “Luck. Her luck, I mean. Happened to be passing through Casleain Derg when she escaped. She was injured, and the wound had got infected. When I came across her, I barely recognised her, but she was feverish and could hardly stand, let alone flee. I bandaged her up, and carried her across the border to a village where the wise woman owed me a favour.” Looking up at me, he quirked an eyebrow at my expression. “Does it surprise thee that I am capable of mercy, Ade?”

There didn’t seem to be much point in lying, nor was I particularly inclined to hide my feelings from him. “Frankly, yes. The rumours I’ve heard paint thee as a man not much for pity.”

“The rumours thou’st heard also paint me as a demon eight feet tall who can trample soldiers underfoot,” the Seachran pointed out, with a chuckle. “For pity’s sake, man, thy people still think Seachran is my name. Don’t trust everything thou hearest.”

“What is thy name, then?” I challenged.

He was uncharacteristically quiet for a long moment, looking up at the endless, darkening sky. He didn’t reply, in the end. Instead, he sped his pace, walking ahead of me to rejoin Roshan and Aednat. “Given how many people we’ve got to set up for, I think we should probably stop for the night.”

[femme-slash-fan.livejournal.com]

Liz had indeed been the one to check on her first and she had been the one to bring the food up from all three meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was clear she cared. She cared a lot. Liz was the one person who, despite being a scientist and knowing plenty about a lot of things, was always willing to learn more and, for once, Liz had been the one to know when Toos needed comfort, spending time by Toos’ side for hours on end. She never left her when she needed more company.

[serpents-eye.livejournal.com]

Suzan leaned further into me as we sat on her bed, and stroked her hand down my thigh. It felt nice, a very coupley gesture. “Why don’t we every have sex?”

I sat there for several seconds, trying to get my brain back track, from where it had gone astray with a high pitched screech at those words.

“I mean, we’re dating now right?” she said.

I sat there gaping like a fish, without a single idea in my head of what to say to such a thing. Finally I blurted out “We can’t!”

She looked puzzled. “Why not? You’re a guy right?”

Was I?

“And I’m a girl, so what’s the matter?” She continued.

My brain took a hike, and all I knew was that my heart was crashing against my chest in panic. Her room looked a little washed out. “We aren’t married.” I said, after several minutes of silence. “Besides, I don’t want to have a baby.”

She huffed, and got off the bed to stand in front of me. “I’m not asking you to have a baby with me. God, you are so dumb.”

I was confused. Wasn’t that what she had just suggested we do? She wanted to have sex. I knew a few people who had babies without being married, but I didn’t even want a baby. Sometimes I didn’t understand Suzan.

“I just wanted to have sex. I’m tired of being a virgin,” said Suzan.

I didn’t understand. Sex was for making babies. What other purpose could it have? I told her this.