Glimpses 9 +10

Hoop - 9

“Kweh.”

“Hush, you.” Hoop patted the back of his yellow bird. Raised the beast since it was the runt of the hatchery, and the name, Big, had been assigned ironically. Now he towered above many of his kind and was the pride of the blue faction. Probably not in small part to the fact he’d formed a rare natural primal bond with the fowl.

For the third time, he lifted the spyglass up to his eye. Quick glances only. Rat pack gang members didn’t take too kindly to being spied on.

“And I walked up here thinking I finally pulled a quick one over Manfred.” The old driver muttered while shaking his head.  

A dirt-cheap lease for an old storefront. Barren lots cost more, at least in nicer districts. Manfred’s sharp words skinned his expectations like a cat in order to play him like a fiddle. Not that everyone who knew of the old guardsman didn’t hear he was cutthroat at his job, stepping on others as he made captain of his little squad, before he squashed violent crime more ruthlessly than the steps he took to climb where he was.  

“Perfect for the old man who wants to retire from the rough and wild streets for an easy retirement running a general store, Hoop’s General Store.” Hoop quoted the sales pitch.

“Kweh?” Big asked.

“Nothing. This is a rodent problem we can handle ourselves. Scaring them away will probably cause trouble. Good thing we have friends and neighbors.”

Blue faction probably wouldn’t be enough once he kicked the hornet’s nest. Rodger and his little puppet show. The tiger owed him a favor. No one ever crossed Daniel. All of Lady White’s renovations were sure to shake things up everywhere.    

This was an opportunity to sweep away the garbage and rot in the streets like the sun swept away clouds. Time to make the air a little sweeter and people proud to make Hazeldown their city.

“Get ‘em, Big!”

“Kweh!” The big yellow bird charged in, ready to teach them a lesson.

Dunphy- 10

Professor Dunphy embraced the madness.

“You can do it, Len!” He yelled with the crowd, throwing half his snacks everywhere and joining the crowd in the excitement.

The Ascendant Games competitions brought the biggest crowds. Not that the colosseum was ever not mostly full as the rotating scrying images played on the giant cube for the audience.  When not focusing on big games, the facets often played a summary of a contestant’s experience or a mix of a specific conflict or drama.

Crazy was part of the show, and when there wasn’t cheering to be had, there was documenting all the little things that leaked.  Snippets of information from evolved competitors relating to the world outside Naewauld and Hazeldown, revelations like half-step bodies and things the government didn’t want the populace to know about.

“Wooooooo!”  Who wouldn’t be excited when all your theories were being proved right and one of your favorite students was competing?

“Can you stop jumping up? I’m trying to watch here!”  Yelled the mountain of the man behind the skinny, wild-haired professor.

Len was on. He didn’t have time for complaints. [Paranoia], Dunphy let his skill smack the man behind him. Sometimes one had to be the villain to get what one wanted.

The man’s anger switched to confused concern as his eyes went wide. “Wait, I think I left the stove burning. Can you hold my seat for me?”

“No problem,” Dunphy answered, his eyes locked on Len, watching as his former student ordered Farthington ahead and pushed magic into one of his tattoos to create a protective shield. “No problem at all.”