“Is there any news?” Ilyana sounded cautious. Tori sat on her bed, legs crossed, and papers spread around her. Sketched copies of maps had grids drawn over them and each section that was searched had been shaded in lightly.
Other papers were charms that were drying for additional energy to help the fatigued knights to keep up their str...
2022-04-16 05:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostOh, fuck. Now what happened? Tori took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and suppressed her initial irritation that unnecessary drama was happening, and she would now be involved in it. “Madam Voss, please take a deep breath. I need you to clearly explain what happened first.”
“Yes, yes, of course!” Despite Tori...
2022-04-14 05:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostEven as an adult, there was something about stationary and organizational items that excited her. In her original world, she was the only one of her crafting friends who actually had their supplies and tools organized. She chalked it up to habit, as being organized and able to track where things were was a skill needed for her job.
That ca...
2022-04-12 05:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostTori sneezed. She narrowed her eyes and rubbed her nose. She looked around the plaza and the flowering plants in the gardens and pots. Her lips pulled into a frown. She didn’t think this body had seasonal allergies. Wait, is someone talking smack?
“Should we go whale watching first or should we do a cruise around the islands a...
2022-04-10 05:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostHer brother’s green eyes went from Piers to her. All at once, Sebastian’s concerns regarding her closeness to Piers flooded into her head. The scene now before him was something he didn’t want to see. Tori remembered Sebastian’s trembling, terrified face at the thought of her marrying Piers and being made a target for assassins.
Sh...
2022-04-08 05:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostDespite her best attempts, Tori kept finding herself glancing at Fabian. He didn’t seem at all upset when they returned to Horizon. He didn’t act out of the ordinary during classes and she’d caught sight of him with Gideon doing reviews in one of the study rooms of their dorm on her way to a review session with Ilyana.
As much as she...
2022-04-06 05:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostIn the back of her mind, Tori couldn’t help but think about the showdown theme to a classic western. She sat in front of Ewan on their outrigger canoe. A few paces to their left was another canoe, with Gideon in front and Fabian in the back. She narrowed her eyes as they bobbed up and down.
Her fingers twitched around the shaft and grip ...
2022-04-04 05:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post“There is a shop in the fifth district that is closing.” Guild Master Skuldsen sat with Tori out on the lounge chairs, just past the deck where another surprisingly tense game of bingo was happening. “It may fit your needs.”
“We will need quite a bit of storage space, as well as open areas for the machines,” Tori said. The fift...
2022-04-02 05:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post“Where have you two been?” Albert looked almost frantic as she and Ilyana rushed down the steps to get to their seats at the front row.
“It’s a long story,” Tori said as they scooted past him. “I’ll explain after the entrance ceremony.”
“Did we miss anything?” Ilyana asked, reaching for Sonia’s banner.
“...
2022-03-31 05:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostIlyana wasn’t talking. Tori knit her brows together and leaned forward.
“Ilyana?” Tori glanced at her brother and then moved closer to her friend. “Are you all right?”
Ilyana’s eyes were still fixed on Kasen. She nodded her head quietly. “He...helped me...pinecones.”
Tori squinted. “That’s great....” She l...
2022-03-29 05:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post“She just bowed to them and then left?” Miss Vissage crinkled her eyes and lowered her cup of coffee before looking towards where Tori and Piers were seated further away. A small table was between them, along with a piece of paper torn from Axton’s story guide.
Axton looked at his two friends as he sat at the head of the main table w...
2022-03-27 05:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe fastest way out would be to exit through the small side door leading to a back hall, opposite the main entryway of the ballroom. It was where Piers and Axton slipped in and out unannounced. Unfortunately, Tori wasn’t sure which of the side doors they had entered through and, for security's sake, most of them were likely locked and she coul...
2022-03-25 05:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostTori froze with Ilyana beside her. She was prepared to deal with Dimitri, Montan, and Alessa by herself, but didn’t expect Axton and Piers to arrive. With other problematic love interests, it wasn’t a problem. Piers had a good handle on Gideon. Dimitri and Fabian wouldn’t say or do anything against her as long as Axton or Piers were there....
2022-03-23 05:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostWhile his usual training sessions with the knight cadets were relegated to drills and conditioning, the weekend-long training exercise in the mountains east of the city left Fabian feeling energized. He often grew bored with drills, and thus he found his training with Master Pete much more useful.
However, that weekend with the knight cade...
2022-03-21 05:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post“So...this tent was empty last night,” Tori said as she, Piers, and Axton stood at the furnished, but unoccupied tent that was between Axton’s and Ewan’s. “This was supposed to be Axton's tent. Axton, your tent was supposed to go to Piers.”
“I thought they told me tent eight,” Axton said. “I counted eight down from the en...
2022-03-19 05:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostHello!
I apologize for being so quiet and not responding to the comments. Aside from taking a break from writing, I also had PTO from work for two weeks, so this week, I was catching up on all my emails, on ERP, and all the other fun work-related things. I probably should've taken my break after fiscal year end.
You guys...
2022-03-18 19:14:07 +0000 UTC View PostThere was an excitement in the air, and Tori was quite certain it was mainly hers at the prospect of personally beating Gideon. She liked the Empress, but had no issues destroying her in a race, especially when it meant making Gideon a loser.
Tori knelt down to remove her boots. Once they were off, her pale, bare feet hit the coarse sand, ...
2022-03-17 05:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostTori silently acknowledged her pettiness as they split up into small groups in front of the carriages that were taking them to the delta. The knights and footmen accompanying them were putting their belongings into the back of the carriages, except for the last one.
She was still irritated that Piers had colluded with his parents to sneak ...
2022-03-15 05:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostWhen she got to her room, two maids were waiting to attend to her, as well as a large tub with hot, but not scalding water. Tori removed her layers of padded training clothes at once and as soon as she took off a piece, a maid took it from her. She was then ushered into the bath and she sank into the water, letting herself relax for a moment. 2022-03-13 06:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
As her best friend and roommate, Ilyana wanted to have the utmost confidence in Tori’s swordsmanship. She’d seen Tori at practice before, as well as saw her do light sparring, but she hadn’t actually seen Tori in a formal match. All she knew of Tori’s abilities came from secondhand information, given to her by Ewan, who had witnessed Tor...
2022-03-01 08:45:13 +0000 UTC View PostTori couldn’t sit still. She wanted to try all the crystals on the bracelet, though looking at them, she wasn’t sure what to do with some of them. The carnelian and ice calcite she had worked with for over a year; she was quite used to working with them. The terracrystal she’d been focused on for farming, so she felt comfortable with it. 2022-03-01 08:20:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Ilyana slapped her hands on the table and her eyes narrowed. “Do you know what she wants? Is she trying to find out Sonia’s riding competition choreography for St. Germaine? I know they took part in last year’s Three-Day Competition!”
Tori lifted her hand to try to calm Ilyana.
Nanny Rey shook her head, but kept a serious loo...
2022-03-01 08:15:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe snowstorm took another night to pass, but, as Tori feared, the road in both directions not only had a substantial amount of snow that needed to be moved, but there were several fallen trees that had to be cleared. To even get to the said fallen trees took time.
They didn’t leave the inn for another four days. In addition, while the s...
2022-03-01 08:10:01 +0000 UTC View PostTori couldn’t remember seeing that much snow at once outside her window. Growing up in California, she’d only see that much if she headed up the mountains during winter. She’d never had to wake up to snow, shovel it, or somehow defrost her car before using it, as she was told by friends from Canada and Minnesota. To her, snow was a novelty...
2022-03-01 08:06:00 +0000 UTC View PostShe was the last one to attend dinner. Tori needed a moment to collect herself and lessen the redness in her eyes before she stepped out of her room and faced her family. She put on a bright face and skipped down the stairs to get to the dining hall.
With both her Auntie Lucia’s family, her Uncle Lorenzo, and Uncle Rom present, as well a...
2022-03-01 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostSebastian tilted his head to the side and gave her a quizzical expression. “What are you talking about?”
She settled against the chair, but didn’t take her eyes off of him. “Before we left, you didn’t protest when I embraced my friends.”
“I don’t have a problem with you telling your friends good-bye and that you’ll ...
2022-02-27 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostMost of their discussion returning back to Lycée revolved around Gideon’s annoying interest in their game. Sonia and JP weren’t interested and would wander around if they were hanging out with them. Piers had watched plenty of times, and despite having the occasional judging look at one of their game play decisions, he never made a comment ...
2022-02-25 08:21:47 +0000 UTC View Post“Are you two insane?”
Gideon almost didn’t register the sharp, irritated voice he heard as he began to wake up. There was a dull throbbing in his head that was slowly fading as he lifted his head. He felt something around his mouth and he tried to open his eyes.
“I told you he was coming.” Piers was still there and Gideon c...
2022-02-23 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostEvery time Tori saw her rank was above a love interest, she was filled with a sense of accomplishment. When the midterm ranks were released, and Ilyana, who unsurprisingly retained her number one spot, was lauded as a hero by many. Even if their rank had not increased, their individual scores had improved.
Tori fell back to her third rank,...
2022-02-21 08:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostWhat the hell is going on?
The person in front of her, telling Dimitri to release her was one of the last people she’d expect to be doing so.
“Your Highness?” Dimitri appeared taken aback. He didn’t seem to expect Gideon to appear, and get between them, either.
Tori looked at Gideon. If she was reading him righ...
2022-02-19 08:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post