Young Writers Society

ChamomilePendragon wrote:

SilverNight wrote:

ChamomilePendragon wrote:"Okay, leaving milk out is an UNFORGIVABLE CRIME," Yamren declared. "Destiny would be well within her rights to stab you."

"But stabbing someone is messy." Ruby made a face. "And I know you all come running to me for something as small as a paper cut. If Jay got stabbed by Destiny, I would not be having a good week."

"...That, and I'd be dying," Jay added.

"Stabbing is very, very messy," Yamren agreed, and though her tone remained light-hearted, her eyes flashed with abject horror before settling into a carefully neutral mask. "And Jay dying is also a bad thing."

Jay pointed to Yamren while looking back at Ruby. “See? Yamren gets that it would be bad for me to die.”

Ruby laughed quietly, shaking her head slightly. She was looking directly at her medical kit again, but her gaze was distant once more.

SilverNight wrote:Jay pointed to Yamren while looking back at Ruby. “See? Yamren gets that it would be bad for me to die.”

Ruby laughed quietly, shaking her head slightly. She was looking directly at her medical kit again, but her gaze was distant once more.

Evelyn's amber eyes watched Ruby closely a long moment, but she still said nothing. Stop being so silent Evelyn, what am I supposed to do with this?

SilverNight wrote:Destiny nodded slowly, trying to smile weakly. "Yeah, I'd like that."

She'd gone over to Adrian's house to visit Finn a couple times in the past several days, and it had made her feel better, but this was a different kind of missing him. It was wanting him back home so their family would be whole again. It was wishing their conflicts would be resolved without any more heartache. It was longing for him to feel at home with the rest of them because it was hurting him to be away just as much as it was hurting the rest of them. Destiny closed her eyes, sighing as she thought of him.

Silently, while her daughter couldn't see her, Natalia looked over, a well-worn look in her old eyes. She inhaled deeply and looked ahead. Maybe it wouldn't be much longer. Finn would come back home and feel better she hoped. Michael was here, David wasn't far... Somehow she still missed Michael. He was here, but they'd had so little time... The pre-winter chores would be done soon. There'd be little more to do in the house than sit by the fire roasting apples and nuts and just-- talking.

She wanted to do that... To just rest her head back and close her eyes with Michael and her family close and be content knowing things were peaceful...

"Someday you'll smile, Michael, and not feel bad about it." He'd turned his leaf-green eyes to her dark ones.

"Someday you'll laugh and not feel guilty."

They were both long over-due for someday. She didn't like how their families had been drug along the someday-trail with them. Though she supposed that was inevitable.

Stringbean wrote:

SilverNight wrote:Destiny nodded slowly, trying to smile weakly. "Yeah, I'd like that."

She'd gone over to Adrian's house to visit Finn a couple times in the past several days, and it had made her feel better, but this was a different kind of missing him. It was wanting him back home so their family would be whole again. It was wishing their conflicts would be resolved without any more heartache. It was longing for him to feel at home with the rest of them because it was hurting him to be away just as much as it was hurting the rest of them. Destiny closed her eyes, sighing as she thought of him.

Silently, while her daughter couldn't see her, Natalia looked over, a well-worn look in her old eyes. She inhaled deeply and looked ahead. Maybe it wouldn't be much longer. Finn would come back home and feel better she hoped. Michael was here, David wasn't far... Somehow she still missed Michael. He was here, but they'd had so little time... The pre-winter chores would be done soon. There'd be little more to do in the house than sit by the fire roasting apples and nuts and just-- talking.

She wanted to do that... To just rest her head back and close her eyes with Michael and her family close and be content knowing things were peaceful...

"Someday you'll smile, Michael, and not feel bad about it." He'd turned his leaf-green eyes to her dark ones.

"Someday you'll laugh and not feel guilty."

They were both long over-due for someday. She didn't like how their families had been drug along the someday-trail with them. Though she supposed that was inevitable.

"Maybe it'll be over in a week," Destiny said quietly. "It'd be really nice to celebrate Jay and Finn's twenty-first birthdays as a family instead of separate."

SilverNight wrote:"Maybe it'll be over in a week," Destiny said quietly. "It'd be really nice to celebrate Jay and Finn's twenty-first birthdays as a family instead of separate."

Natalia nodded with a quiet, "Mhm..."A bird whistled somewhere ahead and she looked up. Her shoulders rose with a deep breath and a short sigh, as if she were clearer her head of some weighted thoughts, then she looked over at Destiny with a soft touch of a smile. "Where do we find those mushrooms?"

[If you have anything in mind, feel free to go ahead with it. Otherwise, you want to do a small timeskip to them getting back? Or should we be nice and actually write out some of the happy togetherness before going to more drama?]

Stringbean wrote:

SilverNight wrote:"Maybe it'll be over in a week," Destiny said quietly. "It'd be really nice to celebrate Jay and Finn's twenty-first birthdays as a family instead of separate."

Natalia nodded with a quiet, "Mhm..."A bird whistled somewhere ahead and she looked up. Her shoulders rose with a deep breath and a short sigh, as if she were clearer her head of some weighted thoughts, then she looked over at Destiny with a soft touch of a smile. "Where do we find those mushrooms?"

[If you have anything in mind, feel free to go ahead with it. Otherwise, you want to do a small timeskip to them getting back? Or should we be nice and actually write out some of the happy togetherness before going to more drama?]

[Happiness, for once XD]

"Hmm." Destiny paused, breathing in the forest air deeply. "Well, I think those oyster mushrooms would be this way..."

Together, the two of them tracked down what they were looking for. Destiny was right-- sure enough, there were cream-colored mushroom caps growing in a shelf formation out of several tree trunks, with the stems barely visible. She stopped by one of the clusters, examining it for a few moments before looking up and nodding slowly. "It looks safe," she said. "And look, their gills are open." Pointing to it, she pulled out a small knife to harvest the mushrooms. "That means they've already released their spores, so that more mushrooms can grow. We don't have to worry about overharvesting."

SilverNight wrote:

Stringbean wrote:

SilverNight wrote:"Maybe it'll be over in a week," Destiny said quietly. "It'd be really nice to celebrate Jay and Finn's twenty-first birthdays as a family instead of separate."

Natalia nodded with a quiet, "Mhm..."A bird whistled somewhere ahead and she looked up. Her shoulders rose with a deep breath and a short sigh, as if she were clearer her head of some weighted thoughts, then she looked over at Destiny with a soft touch of a smile. "Where do we find those mushrooms?"

[If you have anything in mind, feel free to go ahead with it. Otherwise, you want to do a small timeskip to them getting back? Or should we be nice and actually write out some of the happy togetherness before going to more drama?]

[Happiness, for once XD]

"Hmm." Destiny paused, breathing in the forest air deeply. "Well, I think those oyster mushrooms would be this way..."

Together, the two of them tracked down what they were looking for. Destiny was right-- sure enough, there were cream-colored mushroom caps growing in a shelf formation out of several tree trunks, with the stems barely visible. She stopped by one of the clusters, examining it for a few moments before looking up and nodding slowly. "It looks safe," she said. "And look, their gills are open." Pointing to it, she pulled out a small knife to harvest the mushrooms. "That means they've already released their spores, so that more mushrooms can grow. We don't have to worry about overharvesting."

Natalia smiled at her proudly as she knelt down in the leaves to open her basket. She cupped her hands to take the first few as Destiny cut more. The tops of the mushrooms were smooth, almost silky. Natalia inspected one a moment and set the others in a little pile beside the roots.

"I never would eat these," she said reminiscently. She gently stroked her thumb over the mushroom cap and held it to her nose curiously. With a faint smile to herself, she set that one down too and got ready to take a few more. "They were common back home and I remember my mother tried so hard to make me try them, but I just couldn't." She chuckled faintly and shook her head.

Stringbean wrote:

SilverNight wrote:

Stringbean wrote:Natalia nodded with a quiet, "Mhm..."A bird whistled somewhere ahead and she looked up. Her shoulders rose with a deep breath and a short sigh, as if she were clearer her head of some weighted thoughts, then she looked over at Destiny with a soft touch of a smile. "Where do we find those mushrooms?"

[If you have anything in mind, feel free to go ahead with it. Otherwise, you want to do a small timeskip to them getting back? Or should we be nice and actually write out some of the happy togetherness before going to more drama?]

[Happiness, for once XD]

"Hmm." Destiny paused, breathing in the forest air deeply. "Well, I think those oyster mushrooms would be this way..."

Together, the two of them tracked down what they were looking for. Destiny was right-- sure enough, there were cream-colored mushroom caps growing in a shelf formation out of several tree trunks, with the stems barely visible. She stopped by one of the clusters, examining it for a few moments before looking up and nodding slowly. "It looks safe," she said. "And look, their gills are open." Pointing to it, she pulled out a small knife to harvest the mushrooms. "That means they've already released their spores, so that more mushrooms can grow. We don't have to worry about overharvesting."

Natalia smiled at her proudly as she knelt down in the leaves to open her basket. She cupped her hands to take the first few as Destiny cut more. The tops of the mushrooms were smooth, almost silky. Natalia inspected one a moment and set the others in a little pile beside the roots.

"I never would eat these," she said reminiscently. She gently stroked her thumb over the mushroom cap and held it to her nose curiously. With a faint smile to herself, she set that one down too and got ready to take a few more. "They were common back home and I remember my mother tried so hard to make me try them, but I just couldn't." She chuckled faintly and shook her head.

"Oh..." Destiny thought for a moment. "Well, is there a kind of mushroom you do like that we could look for?" She didn't want her mother to have to eat something she didn't like. She pinched the stem of one of the oyster mushrooms as she spoke and twisted it, but decided cutting them off was easier and went back to harvesting them with her knife.

SilverNight wrote:"Oh..." Destiny thought for a moment. "Well, is there a kind of mushroom you do like that we could look for?" She didn't want her mother to have to eat something she didn't like. She pinched the stem of one of the oyster mushrooms as she spoke and twisted it, but decided cutting them off was easier and went back to harvesting them with her knife.

[/quote]
"Don't worry," her mother said with a small laugh. "I've learned to try them since then."

Stringbean wrote:

SilverNight wrote:"Oh..." Destiny thought for a moment. "Well, is there a kind of mushroom you do like that we could look for?" She didn't want her mother to have to eat something she didn't like. She pinched the stem of one of the oyster mushrooms as she spoke and twisted it, but decided cutting them off was easier and went back to harvesting them with her knife.

"Don't worry," her mother said with a small laugh. "I've learned to try them since then."

She brightened. "Okay, that's good." Destiny looked at what they'd gathered so far. There were plenty of other trees nearby with the mushrooms growing on the bark, although they'd already gotten a fair amount. "How much more do we want, then?"

"How much do you think Jay will eat?" she asked half seriously with a doubtful look. "Between him and all the other boys in the house, we may need half the forest."

Stringbean wrote:"How much do you think Jay will eat?" she asked half seriously with a doubtful look. "Between him and all the other boys in the house, we may need half the forest."

"...Oh dear," Destiny said, after she'd thought about that for a moment. "Okay, we'd better get some more of these, then."

Standing up, she went over to a fallen log nearby. There were also oyster mushrooms growing on its side. "Oyster mushrooms grow easily on dead trees," she explained. "Which means that some of the trees in this area must be dying, if there are so many mushrooms growing on them. It's a good thing we'll be seeing new ones this spring."

Natalia looked up the tall, narrow trunk of a maple close by and nodded. "We could use the firewood later," she noted as she looked back and twisted one of the mushroom stalks loose.

Stringbean wrote:Natalia looked up the tall, narrow trunk of a maple close by and nodded. "We could use the firewood later," she noted as she looked back and twisted one of the mushroom stalks loose.

Destiny smirked, amused. "Well, sounds good, as long as it's not Jay doing the chopping. It's dangerous to give him an axe," she joked as she pressed her knife against a tiny, short mushroom stem.

Natalia laughed shortly. "Do I want to know?" She made a space beside the first bunch of mushrooms for the ones Destiny had just picked.