Currently, I'm working on the sixth book in my WoP (World of Panin) series. I've been working on it for awhile, and probably won't be done with it anytime soon, but I'd still like to start a new project for NaNo that I'm referring to as More Than Survival. I don't have too much planned for it, but I have a loose plot, and lots of ideas. If anyone has any questions about it, I'd love to answer them, but other than what I just typed up, I don't really have anything else to say on that subject.
Really, though, I'd love to get back to blogging more regularly, so expect more blog posts in the future, and bug me about them if you want. It might help to remind my scatterbrained self to write something up more than just a few times a year.
(Also, in an attempt to motivate myself, I'm going to try and start posting a weekly poll question. This week's question is Who do you feel sorry for the most? If you have any suggestions for questions, or other weekly things you might like to see here, let me know! :D)
Annnnd, here's a small part of the fifth book from WoP.
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Pushing
past all the strangers, Bryin wandered around looking confused. He didn’t
exactly know what to do, and Sage was nowhere in sight. As the minutes ticked
by, and Bryin accidentally walked across the dance floor, bumping into the
waltzing couples, he made his way to the farthest wall and stood back watching
all the people. Most everyone was interacting with everyone else, engaging in
conversations or dancing, and Bryin felt out of place. Normally he loved socializing
with people, but today he was feeling off. In fact, he was beginning to forget
what the party was even for.
But when he noticed Darvel against
the same wall he was leaning on, he quickly remembered. Bryin scooted closer to
Darvel, a frown slowly creasing his face.
“Please don’t tell me I look like
that.” Bryin said, noting that Darvel’s clothes were exactly like his, only
different colors. Even their hair was styled the same.
“You know,” Darvel muttered, casting
a side-glance at Bryin, “I’m getting the sudden urge to insult you, but there’s
nothing I can say without insulting myself as well.”
Bryin rolled his eyes, a smile
threatening to show. He realized Darvel had said something mean like always,
but it was also pretty amusing.
“Ha, ha.” Bryin said, satisfied with
achieving a sarcastic tone. “You’re really funny Darvel. But I think you’ve
taken this whole joke way to far.” He gestured to the party going on around
them. “Maybe it’s time to break the news to everyone that you’re not really getting
married.”
“Pfft. What? You worried I’m not
gonna pay attention to you after I get married?” Darvel gave Bryin’s cheek a
gentle pat. “It’ll be okay. If you ever need me, I’ll always have time to give
you a punch in the face if you need it.”
Bryin scowled lightly. “That’s not
what I’m talking about, Darvel. I doubt anyone who really knows you will
believe that you’re actually getting married. It’s not like you to do something
like that.” Bryin tapped his chin, then
held up a finger before Darvel could say anything. “Oh, wait! I know! Adela
totally asked you to marry her. That’s the only explanation for this whole
thing!”
Darvel glared hard at Bryin. “Just
shut up. I’m not joking about getting married. And I’m the one who asked her.
Just because I don’t like you doesn’t mean I’m not capable of liking other
people.”
“Okay, okay.” Bryin held up he hands
as a sign of defeat. “Gosh, all I meant by that was it’s weird to think you’re
getting married. I mean, you’re only eighteen…”
“And your point is?” Darvel raised
an eyebrow at Bryin. “I was only seventeen when I moved out of the castle and
got a job and started taking care of Katrina.”
“Yeah, and most seventeen year olds
on Earth wouldn’t want to do that sort of thing at that age.” Bryin crossed his
arms. “At least I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t want to. And they certainly
wouldn’t want to get married a year later.”
“I don’t know where you’ve been for
the last three years, but this isn’t Earth.” Darvel crossed his arms,
unconsciously copying Bryin. “Besides,” Darvel said, his eyes wandering to
watch Adela across the room as she talked to a few other people, “I really do
care about her, so it shouldn’t be that hard to believe that I would want to
marry her…”
“Ew, Darvel…” Bryin made a face and
put a hand over Darvel’s eyes. “Stop looking at her like that, seriously… It’s
gross.”
Darvel slapped Bryin’s hand away,
scowling. “What’s gross? I was just looking at her.”
“It’s not gross that you were
looking at her, it’s gross the way you were looking at her.” Bryin shook his
head. “Sort of like the way I would look at a bag of gummy bears.”
Darvel gave Bryin a look that said
he was less than amused. “I… I don’t even know how to respond to that…”
“Well, I guess I do have that sort
of effect on people.” Bryin flashed Darvel a grin, and an awkward silence fell
between them.
As they stared at each other, Darvel
cleared his throat and looked away. “You… Um… You seem to be doing okay even
after everything that happened…”
“Oh, don’t worry. I know how much
you would hate it if I was okay, so…” Bryin rolled up the left sleeve of his
dress shirt and revealed his sliced up arm. “Sorry, though. Sage says the cuts
are healing very well so far.”
Darvel winced, knowing that a few
days ago he was very close to the point of doing that to himself. “I don’t
think I realized you were at that point. Are… Are you okay now?”
Bryin shoved Darvel lightly. “Hey, don’t
ask me that. We both know it’s not like you to care about me. You shouldn’t
even be the slightest bit sympathetic. You hate me, and… I’m okay with that
now. Besides, I won’t even think about how much you hate me when I’m off
sailing the seas as a pirate.”
“What are you going on about now?”
Darvel sighed, wondering if maybe he shouldn’t have asked Bryin that question.
“Nothing really. I… I just got in to
contact with Calix, and he said he would meet me so I could join the pirate
crew.”
“So… You’re going to find a ship…”
Darvel bit his lip slightly. “When are you running off to do that?”
“I dunno…” Bryin shrugged and turned
to watch all the couples dancing. “Soon, I think. Probably in like, three days
or something like that. I just need time to get everything together without
Sage or the rest of the family noticing what I’m up to.”
Darvel nodded slowly, obviously thinking
something through. “Well, then… Would you mind if… If I came along with you?
P-please?”
“You can come, but are you sure
you’re not an alien?” Bryin started walking towards a long table filled with
different foods. Pausing, he turned to glance back at Darvel. “I mean, ever
since we rescued everyone from those wizards, you’ve been being a little nicer,
and it’s not really like you, if you know what I mean.”
“Whatever.” Darvel huffed at Bryin
and watched him walk off, all the while knowing Bryin was right. Since then, he
and Bryin had held at least two civil conversations, and he was beginning to
notice that he didn’t really hate Bryin like he used to. What’s more, he was
having a hard time validating his reasons for hating Bryin, and he also didn’t
see why becoming king had been such a big deal to him.
Adela walked over to him, and
introduced him to a few of her friends, and a few people she had just met, and
he began to guess that she was the reason he was different. It was because she
and Katrina loved him, and had wanted to be his friend. They gave him the kind
of attention he never believed his family gave to him, and it wasn’t until that
moment that Darvel had become aware of that.
