Cutting Cookie Perla removed her surgical mask and inhaled unfiltered air for the first time in hours. She waved goodbye to the skeleton crew left behind at the end of her day shift. A wall clock ticking in a silent waiting room read 5:57 PM. The night crew was already arriving to take over for her. It was the 27th of December, and Christmas bonuses on top of hazard pay had left Perla with quite a bit of extra cash. It was dark outside already, and cold as she stepped out. She had switched

Red’s Regrets 1: Meeting Adversity  Stuck on the wrong bus without recourse, Red fumbled in her bag until she found her laptop. She glanced out the window in her peripheral: pouring rain. She reached back into her bag. No umbrella. Damnit! It would be a long walk back, unless she wanted to wait at the station for another hour. Would she be late? It could be a close call, down to the whim of traffic that day. Why had she opted for the last possible bus, only to walk onto the wrong one in h

Aldya's Body 3: Bargaining in Blood Aldya checked his satchel, leafing through a ream of fresh-scrawled papyrus scrolls. He took a deep breath, opening the door with his braids and stepping out into the garden. No scent of the last evening’s dew, only young frost formed over the grass. He greeted the chill morning, yet for dawn to arrive, with a squint. He stepped onto the stone path winding from the silver-gated threshold into the woods beyond, following it as it serpentined through

Aldya’s Body 2: Dealing with a DemonDrops of hot liquid gold rushed from a pointed finger into a marble basin below, splashing up the sides and running down to form a shining pool. Soft warm light played off the glossy stone of the altar and filled up the room as the flow from the tap dried up.“Bold, to beckon me with blood, knowing well you would stand to lose more in our dealings. Still, the gesture is appreciated. I would have your name now, summoner.”“Cacodaemon Weilaf, I am Aldya. I

Aldya's Body: All Hallows' Eve Bradley walked out into the night, looking up at the faceless full moon hanging high in the air and smirking. Sallow moonlight scattered through the fog and settled between pale moss-blighted sycamores, casting the forest in disparate shadows. All was quiet. “Perfect.” Bradley said to himself, shattering the silence. He adjusted his black leather choker and the collar of his matching jacket. He blended into the evening gloom well, betrayed only by his

Dollhouse“So here we are. Isn’t this just… quaint.” Darien said, looking past his date and out the car window to the house beyond. Shiny off-white siding with a perfect pitched roof, and two rows of two pink-trimmed windows on both floors. The inviting double doors were flanked by old-fashioned oil lamps, illuminating the pearlescent facade. “Something out of a fairy tale, I swear.” He said with a stifled laugh as the uncanny quality of the building settled over him. He looked back t

Succs for You Damen held the ruby vial up to the light of the candelabra, swirling the deeper and duller red liquid inside. He inhaled deep and uncorked the vial. Walking in a slow and measured circle around the center of the room, he exhaled while intoning the foreign words and marking the perimeter with the contents of the vial. He released the last of his breath, along with the last word and the last drop of liquid, just as he came back to where he had started. He crushed the now empty v

Childe's Play: Alternative End“Alright, what do you say we head back to my place, before they have to -- Hic...! Before they have to open here?” Thoma suggested, slamming down his drinking cup on the table with a heavy thud. Tartaglia laughed and almost fell backwards into the screen door, saving himself by holding onto the edge and hoisting himself back up.He found himself inches away from Thoma’s face, and met it with a dopey grin. “Okay! Now that I think about it, I don’t believe yo

Childe’s PlayTartaglia leaned against a post on the side of the busy street, finding a spot away from the hawkers’ stands and carts to hear his own thoughts. “Hmmm, should I accept his invitation? So brazen… I think I might have to, if I want to uphold my reputation.” He said to himself. He ruffled his hair and shrugged. The Sun had long since set over the island of Inazuma, and the Commercial Street of Tenryou was lit up in equal measure by lanterns and the beaming faces of vendors an

Lady and the VampEDITOR’S FOREWORD:  This work is a transcription of recovered snippets from a young noblewoman’s diary. They have been transcribed, verbatim, preserving minor errors with correction and other notes in parenthesis. In the interest of full disclosure: much of the journal has been so worn by time, and evidently frequent use by its owner, that it was nearly lost in its entirety. Only after great consideration, and many iterations, has this final presentation been chosen for

Cowrie’s Birthday MealCowrie perched atop a tree off the gravel path, scanning a signpost stuck between the stones at a fork down the road. Large colorful letters were easy to read even a mile off: The Carnival is Coming to Town! Only one event listed below caught her golden eagle eyes, which wandered down to fresh dirt furrowed around the site where the sign had been stuck in. She slipped into her natural form, sitting with her tail wrapped around a high branch. “Free entry all-day for the