ebb
Senior Member
[class="body"]
display: flex;
align-items: center;
align-content: center;
max-width: 60%;
margin: 0px calc(30% - 90px);
padding: 20px 5%;
[/class]
As if he knew he was being thought about, Leighton slid into the booth next to Eliana and Arden, looping arms with a dark haired girl Arden had never seen before. In contrast, Leighton had dusty brown hair that looked dull in comparison to Eliana’s. His ears were lined with earrings and he exudes the same confidence many upper city citizens did. “Eliana is bored,” Arden over pronounced, laughing at the hollow sound of his own voice. “I’m bored too, take us somewhere.” he pleaded, propping himself onto his elbows. “Take us on a tour of the sights, let’s play tourist, I want to see Central Tower and then-...” He lost his train of thought so he took a deep sip of champagne, whatever he’d taken earlier sucking the moisture from his mouth. Using the implant that started at his ear and ran along his jaw, he prompted the sleekly designed panel that glowed with his personal info and contacts. Selecting a payment option, he covered everyone’s drinks, hardly pausing to notice the price. Leighton whispered something to his new friend before leading the way out the door.
The sidewalk was equally as packed, hoards of partiers walking and stumbling down the avenue in groups of four or more. Any less and you’d get suspicious looks. If you didn’t know how to make friends then you were quickly pushed to the outskirts of society and named a goblin - a lonely creature hunched in a dark cave. The upper city dwellers were social creatures by nature, no surprise considering the gods created them to keep the natural order in balance. The yin to the lower city’s yang. “It’s a beautiful night,” Leighton murmured, eyes barely leaving the dark haired girl. “Beautifulll,” Arden echoed, pretending to be oblivious to Eliana’s attempts to hold his arm- they’d been engaged for so long that it was old news. Plus, it wasn’t like either of them had a choice in the arrangement. A troop of military personnel paraded by, the emblems on their jackets standing out in Arden’s brain as he watched with keen intention. Metal. Glassy. Perfect.
Arden hummed one of the old hymns used as an anthem of their defensive forces. He was so focused he could barely-
Arden blinked. He was in the back of a car, having (hopefully) only momentarily blacked out. The city whizzed by with its soft spires and open streets, hazy in the nighttime air. The only thing smearing the city were the peeks of the lower city that festered beneath like a dirty wound. He used to feel bad for the people living down there, having to work tirelessly for pocket change, but over time he realized that society had to work that way. It gave them peace of mind, to know what their purpose was - just like it gave Arden peace to know his purpose was to build social ties with important people and be a cog in the machine of the city’s economy.
He adjusted the cold metal implant jutting through his nose, the mod was designed to enhance his living experience by releasing pleasant aromatherapy throughout his day. Every time streetlight reflected against his eye, hints of rainbows cascaded and sparked on either side of his vision. This was less of a mod, and more of a mistake. A year ago, he’d overdone it and ended up halfway into a coma, needing a handful of patches on his brain and a surgery that cost more than the high end vehicle they were driving in. One of the after effects was his eye’s reactions to small sparkly lights, which he was experiencing heavily now. He smiled into the wind, having never minded the affliction.
Pulling up next to the vehicle, a cart of mid city show girls flapped giant fluorescent fans, laughing and whispering to each other. Leighton was transfixed. Arden would’ve stared too, but he was preoccupied. Across the street, there was a multi story structure, and stuck to the side was the same insignia he’d noticed before - the unmistakable swooping geometry of the military mark. Climbing over the side of the open convertible, he slipped away unnoticed by his buzzed friends, heart thumping in his chest.
Watching a group of soldiers approach the entrance, he slipped in after them, possessed by a wild sense of curiosity. Life got so boring, why not do something a little daring? What was the worst that could happen to someone like him?
Arden’s mouth tasted metallic. Struggling to his knees, he gripped his head like he was trying to keep it from splitting in two. The throbbing in his head was incomparable and sharp, his mouth dry and chalky. Coughing, he rolled onto his side, groggily wondering where the rest of the night had gone, and which one of his friends had such a cold and stony bedroom floor. It took him a few moments to realize he wasn't, in fact, in someone’s bedroom. The sound of voices and street hubbub were a dead giveaway. Arden climbed up quickly.
Immediately, his body rewarded him with overwhelming nausea and he stumbled to the side of the building, emptying his stomach onto the pavement. His eyes traced the side of the building upwards, and upwards, and upwards. Still wearing a high quality duster from the night before, he tucked the thick, expensive material around him, as the air was frigid compared to the sun kissed gardens of the high city.
Where was he? He gaped, swiveling around and using the building as a crutch. He was at the entrance to an alley, dark and cramped and completely against every high city building code.
He wanted to throw up again.
Grabbing the sleeve of a passerby, he demanded answers. “Excuse me,” he ordered with as much clarity as he could muster. “Where am I? I have five appointments lined up and if I miss them there will be consequences.” He checked his watch, with was now hairlined with cracks. “Fuck..” He groaned. It was a limited edition piece, nobody used watches anymore. Even more annoyed, he continued. “I don’t know how I ended up in such a filthy disgusting slum but this really isn’t funny.”
saturday shorts
[/div]
display: flex;
align-items: center;
align-content: center;
max-width: 60%;
margin: 0px calc(30% - 90px);
padding: 20px 5%;
[/class]
Arden
[div class="body"]“Let’s go, it’s getting late. And I’m bored,” Eliana whined, her sugary blond hair bouncing off her shoulders. For all her appearances, Arden knew better than to underestimate her thinly veiled cruelty. She’d been a professional fighter for year and skinned animals for pleasure, skilled and determined. He pretended not to hear her over the music, reverberating so loud it made his fingernails hurt. Around them, sets of black sunken tables laid under a large windowless room, lined with sheer glittering curtains crested with artificial butterflies that flapped rhythmically. It was one of the most popular clubs in the area, and even Arden had trouble at the door despite his connections. Clusters of night folks chattered, laughed, or zoned out like Arden was. He had a clear mental map of the space when he first walked in, but things were getting fuzzy. Earlier that night, he’d played a game with his friend Leighton where he’d been gifted two ‘party favors’ at random - knowing what you were getting into was boring and overrated. Now all he knew was the forgiving cushion of the seat and Eliana’s searing glare.As if he knew he was being thought about, Leighton slid into the booth next to Eliana and Arden, looping arms with a dark haired girl Arden had never seen before. In contrast, Leighton had dusty brown hair that looked dull in comparison to Eliana’s. His ears were lined with earrings and he exudes the same confidence many upper city citizens did. “Eliana is bored,” Arden over pronounced, laughing at the hollow sound of his own voice. “I’m bored too, take us somewhere.” he pleaded, propping himself onto his elbows. “Take us on a tour of the sights, let’s play tourist, I want to see Central Tower and then-...” He lost his train of thought so he took a deep sip of champagne, whatever he’d taken earlier sucking the moisture from his mouth. Using the implant that started at his ear and ran along his jaw, he prompted the sleekly designed panel that glowed with his personal info and contacts. Selecting a payment option, he covered everyone’s drinks, hardly pausing to notice the price. Leighton whispered something to his new friend before leading the way out the door.
The sidewalk was equally as packed, hoards of partiers walking and stumbling down the avenue in groups of four or more. Any less and you’d get suspicious looks. If you didn’t know how to make friends then you were quickly pushed to the outskirts of society and named a goblin - a lonely creature hunched in a dark cave. The upper city dwellers were social creatures by nature, no surprise considering the gods created them to keep the natural order in balance. The yin to the lower city’s yang. “It’s a beautiful night,” Leighton murmured, eyes barely leaving the dark haired girl. “Beautifulll,” Arden echoed, pretending to be oblivious to Eliana’s attempts to hold his arm- they’d been engaged for so long that it was old news. Plus, it wasn’t like either of them had a choice in the arrangement. A troop of military personnel paraded by, the emblems on their jackets standing out in Arden’s brain as he watched with keen intention. Metal. Glassy. Perfect.
Arden hummed one of the old hymns used as an anthem of their defensive forces. He was so focused he could barely-
Arden blinked. He was in the back of a car, having (hopefully) only momentarily blacked out. The city whizzed by with its soft spires and open streets, hazy in the nighttime air. The only thing smearing the city were the peeks of the lower city that festered beneath like a dirty wound. He used to feel bad for the people living down there, having to work tirelessly for pocket change, but over time he realized that society had to work that way. It gave them peace of mind, to know what their purpose was - just like it gave Arden peace to know his purpose was to build social ties with important people and be a cog in the machine of the city’s economy.
He adjusted the cold metal implant jutting through his nose, the mod was designed to enhance his living experience by releasing pleasant aromatherapy throughout his day. Every time streetlight reflected against his eye, hints of rainbows cascaded and sparked on either side of his vision. This was less of a mod, and more of a mistake. A year ago, he’d overdone it and ended up halfway into a coma, needing a handful of patches on his brain and a surgery that cost more than the high end vehicle they were driving in. One of the after effects was his eye’s reactions to small sparkly lights, which he was experiencing heavily now. He smiled into the wind, having never minded the affliction.
Pulling up next to the vehicle, a cart of mid city show girls flapped giant fluorescent fans, laughing and whispering to each other. Leighton was transfixed. Arden would’ve stared too, but he was preoccupied. Across the street, there was a multi story structure, and stuck to the side was the same insignia he’d noticed before - the unmistakable swooping geometry of the military mark. Climbing over the side of the open convertible, he slipped away unnoticed by his buzzed friends, heart thumping in his chest.
Watching a group of soldiers approach the entrance, he slipped in after them, possessed by a wild sense of curiosity. Life got so boring, why not do something a little daring? What was the worst that could happen to someone like him?
✖✖✖✖✖
Arden’s mouth tasted metallic. Struggling to his knees, he gripped his head like he was trying to keep it from splitting in two. The throbbing in his head was incomparable and sharp, his mouth dry and chalky. Coughing, he rolled onto his side, groggily wondering where the rest of the night had gone, and which one of his friends had such a cold and stony bedroom floor. It took him a few moments to realize he wasn't, in fact, in someone’s bedroom. The sound of voices and street hubbub were a dead giveaway. Arden climbed up quickly.
Immediately, his body rewarded him with overwhelming nausea and he stumbled to the side of the building, emptying his stomach onto the pavement. His eyes traced the side of the building upwards, and upwards, and upwards. Still wearing a high quality duster from the night before, he tucked the thick, expensive material around him, as the air was frigid compared to the sun kissed gardens of the high city.
Where was he? He gaped, swiveling around and using the building as a crutch. He was at the entrance to an alley, dark and cramped and completely against every high city building code.
He wanted to throw up again.
Grabbing the sleeve of a passerby, he demanded answers. “Excuse me,” he ordered with as much clarity as he could muster. “Where am I? I have five appointments lined up and if I miss them there will be consequences.” He checked his watch, with was now hairlined with cracks. “Fuck..” He groaned. It was a limited edition piece, nobody used watches anymore. Even more annoyed, he continued. “I don’t know how I ended up in such a filthy disgusting slum but this really isn’t funny.”
saturday shorts
[/div]