Deeply enjoyed Ashton and Laudna RP-ing their way through getting that ring back.
POV: you own and run a pawnshop in dieselpunk hell
At first you think it’s just the wind rattling the shutters but the knocking is too regular, and then you hear, above the clatter of the storm, a woman’s voice, begging shelter.
This isn’t a temple or an inn or a bar but your fathers raised you proper and this storm’s settling in to be a bone-stripper, no doubt, so you crack open the door just enough and two people slip in, swaddled in cheap yellow cloaks that are instantly recognizable even under the red-brown dust caked into the rough weave.
They’re polite enough in thanking you and seem genuinely pleased to be out of the wind, and you’ve never had particular trouble with the Call yourself but you haven’t gotten where you are by being careless so you watch them as they relax, looking around the shop curiously.
They spend fifteen minutes inspecting your wares and antagonizing each other, idly pawing through your selection of rings before surprising you by actually buying something, bickering all the while.
You pride yourself on having a good salesman’s eye for folk but you can’t get a read on this pair at all - are they flirting? Are they siblings? Do they despise each other?
You can’t pin it down, and before you can even really try they breeze out the door like there isn’t a fucking sandstorm doing its level best to scour the rust off this scrap heap.
The wind howls for hours after they leave, deep into the evening without pause, and your thoughts swirl almost as violently.
That ring was nothing special, platinum or no. They paid with good gold and barely tried to bargain. They didn’t even try to lift anything, and yet you cannot shake the deep, unwavering certainty that some way, some how, you’ve been had.
"“Good Morning”
“How was your day?”
“Be careful”
“Text me when you get home so I know you’re safe”
“Sweet dreams”
“How are you?”
“I hope you’re feeling better”
“Have a good day today!”
“I miss you”
“Good night”
“Can you come over?”
“Can I come over?”
“Can I see you?”
“Can I call you?”
“You’re beautiful”
“Want something to drink?”
“Watch your step”
“Let’s watch a movie”
“What are you up to?”
“How is your day so far?”
“It will be okay”
“I’m here for you”
“Do you need anything?”
“Are you hungry?”
“I just wanted to hear your voice”
“You just made my day”
…
You don’t have to hear “I Love You” to know that someone does. Listen carefully. People speak from the heart more often than you think."
