Completed Prompts

Admiration
"Remember, Vincent. A royal must always..." Vince was quick to let his tutor's voice fade into white noise. Good stars, what a bore.

But, wait, something caught his attention over her shoulder. There! The warrior's son, out in the courtyard. Gliding through the open space with all the sureness and grace in the world, with his head held aloft. Chest high, arms crossed behind his back. Vince's eyes sparkled with interest for the first time that day. His thoughts strayed.

It was weird to find a role model in one of your peers.

It was even weirder when said peer was in a lower social class than you, too.

There was something... oddly compelling about the tom, that warrior's son. So devil-may-care. So at ease. So slick spoken.

So cool. Christopher was his name. Christopher did whatever he wanted. Stars above... Vince wished he had that luxury. Ooh, but if he did, the places he'd go...

Far away from this stuffy manor, that's for sure. And this town. And this country, while he was at it.

"Vincent!"

The hiss from his instructor brought him back to the presence. He scowled. And these lessons too, please.

Vince bets Christopher's already seen so much, even though Christopher was only a couple years older than Vince was. So world-wise already. And, the few times he's seen Christopher's face, his smooth expression was endlessly unflappable. Just a touch smug too, especially when he tilted his chin just so. And with a battle scar to boot, already!

Dang. Even after practicing the expression in his mirror multiple times, Vince still couldn't get it right. Christopher's smirk was a little easier to replicate. A little crooked, a little coy, and promising a host of problems. Still looked like a grimace on Vince, though.

And everything always seemed to go his way. Vince always has to use money to get what he wants out of people (maybe an added smile as well to sweeten the deal), but Vince has never seen Christopher spend a sickle to charm a hapless soul. That sort of cunning couldn't be bought.

Vince near despised his year mates and their boorish and vapid ways. They threw money where they could, which prevented anyone from saying otherwise to their stupidity. And his father expected Vince to play nice with these cats!

Vince hated that he couldn't be around more intelligent cats. More cats like... well, Christopher.

Christopher seemed to know what he was doing.

Vince would be untouchable with that sort of cunning and intuition. And popular with the mollies for sure. He definitely needed to get that chill look of Christopher's down by tonight. Maybe then, Vince could actually work up the courage to approach the budding warrior. (456)

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Seeds of Change
The grind of the seed under his teeth was a comfort in this high-stress situation.

There was nothing he hated more than visiting new towns. All these new cats. New faces. New unknown variables. He knew this job would mean good money and help him out towards his goal, but... great stars. Did it have to be in the middle of nowhere? And so far from the city?

He's already gone through 37 pistachios in his bag. That should leave him with roughly, ah... 54 left in the bag in his pouch. That's alongside the 3 large bags of 784 pistachios each in his travel case. 2352 plus 54, so that’s... 2406 in total. That should be enough, right? Maybe he should recount them, just in case.

Is it getting a bit hot in here? He adjusted his collar.

Wait no, no, he's outside. It's-- tch.

He cracks open another seed. 38.

The unnatural quiet in the town is jarring as well. 39. He relaxes a bit.

He's tempted to get a drink of water due to the salt in his mouth, but then he'd have to ask for some. Hm. 40.

Oh, the mayor's coming his way. 41. Alright, alright. He can do this.

42. That's a lucky number, right?

He brushed off his paws with a handkerchief before speaking. "Bastion, was it? Pleased to meet you. You've requested an accountant from the capital to help with recent shipments. My name is Casper. Casper Faolan."

He outstretched his paw to meet the mayor's. Oh, it wasn’t even shaking that much. On dear was he being noticeable? Maybe he needed another seed—

The tom was quick to grasp Casper’s paw. The mayor didn’t smile, but the firm, gentle grip kept him at ease. “Pleased to meet you as well. I look forward to working with you, Casper.”

...Maybe he didn’t need a seed quite so soon. (316)