• Memory • Take the Lead I

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Luther
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Take the Lead I

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68th of Vhalar, 710

By the Empress and her court, she was stunning.

Tucked in the corner of the general store, blush hidden by a book and standing as far from the counter as he could, Luther's eyes lingered on the beauty who was busy bartering with his brother Magnus. Skin the color of caramel cloaked in a light blue dress, curly dark hair, warm eyes that hid a hint of mischief, and smile that could make a heart sing from across the room; the boy was truly smitten by the sight of her.

She looked near the same age as him, 15 or 16 arcs, though he had never seen her in the village before. In fairness, Luther tended to have his nose buried in his tomes whenever he and his brother made the trek out from their family's farm, so it could be that he had never noticed her before. Now, however, he could hardly tear his gaze from her.

Their eyes met, and she waved at him with a curious smile.

Luther's face burned with embarrassment as he turned his eyes to the page. He couldn't make sense of the words, his mind was too far gone with panic. Had she noticed him staring that whole while? Did she think him a fool for doing so? He was a fool regardless, and as blush crept from his neck to the tips of his ears, Luther sent a quiet prayer to the Empress for a quick and merciful death.

"Luther! Get your face out of that book and come say hello to my new friend!" Magnus called from the counter with a knowing smile. The woman may not have known, but Luther's brother had noticed his staring. And now he was determined to embarrass him further for it; the Wolfmother take the bastard.

Book closed and eyes glued to his boots, Luther took careful steps to his brother's side. A sharp elbow to his side forced his gaze upward, glaring eyes at his brother turning soft as he caught the woman's curious green. His turned dry, and betraying red threatened to claim his cheeks again. Forcing a nervous smile, Luther tried to form the words for an introduction.

"Hi," was all that he could manage.
word count: 384
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Luther
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Re: Take the Lead I

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"Make's an impression, doesn't he?" Her lips parted to reveal a biting tongue, twisting into a playful smile shared with Magnus at his expense. Luther wished she would share that smile with him, wished he was clever enough to make her laugh at a joke rather than at his expense.

"I'd make more than that if you'd allow me," he sniped back, as surprised as they at the innuendo which sparked from his crooked smile. Magnus responded with a fierce slap upside his head and Luther with a flame-red flush which raged across his face.

"I am so sorry-" Luther began.

"Excuse him, he's a moron-" Magnus followed.

Both boys were cut off by a full laugh peppered by ungraceful snorts. It was the deep kind of laugh, the kind that climbed its way up from the belly and filled one's whole body, and it warmed the woman's eyes in the most delightful way.

"Don't-" she managed, in-between fits of laughter. "Don't a-apologize! I-" She wheezed, desperately attempting to force air in her lungs. "I shot my mouth off, and he shot back. He's the sharp one out of your family, ain't he Magnus?"

"...Well-" He looked at Luther with the grin of a sibling ready to tear apart their blood.

"Yes," Luther interjected, refusing to allow himself to become embarrassed again; be it by his hand or any other's. "Though I am surprised my darling brother would admit that."

Magnus leveled a glare of contempt at Luther, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak he found himself interrupted again.

"He didn't, but clever recognizes clever. Madelyn, but my friends call me Maddie. Nice to meet you," she offered a hand, her half-lidded green eyes sending Luther into paralysis.

Damn his mind, Luther was all over the place. One-tick he had her laughing, and the next he couldn't make his mouth move. This Madelyn had him on heels, unbalanced and unsure of himself. He was usually quick with a quip or a smart remark, but something about this woman sent his systems into shock. His mind, sharp enough to prod the most patient priest into outrage with pointed questions, ground to a halt as soon as her green eyes stared into him.

A disappointed sigh slipped through parted lips "Clever tongue run dry already?"

"Sorry, the moron's name is-"

"Luther!" he blurted out, Magnus now groaning at being interrupted for the third-time. He took her hand. "Pleasure meeting you Madelyn. I'd call you Maddie, but that's to close to my brother's nickname."

"Oh really? I haven't heard it before. Enlighten me," she smiled, intrigued.

"Don't."

"Our mother call's him Mag-umpph!" Luther began, before his brother's hand clamped shut around his mouth. He struggled to escape, but his attempts were hampered by his own laughter and his being put into a headlock.

"-NIMONIOUS for taking his kid brother out shopping!" Magnus replied hurriedly, dragging Luther away from the counter before he could break free and embarrass him further. "Wow! Look at the time! Love to chat more, but I really should get him back for his nap. He gets cranky-OOF."

A wild elbow slammed into his brother's stomach, causing his grip over Luther's mouth to slip. With a sharp tug, the younger boy pulled free enough from his brother's restraint to shout farewell to his new friend.

"MAGGIE! OUR MOM CALL'S HIM MAGGIE!"

Magnus managed to wrestle his brother's mouth close once more, dragging the unwilling youth out of the shop and into the dirt path that the village claimed as a road. Luther's neck hurt from being dragged across town, but the fleeting sounds of Madelyn's full laughter more than made up for it.
word count: 654
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Luther
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Re: Take the Lead I

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"You are such a little shit," His older brother grumbled as he lead him by the scruff of his neck back to their cart. He was shouldering the sack of goods by himself, unwilling to let Luther carry them lest an 'accident' occur and they were forced to return to the general store.

"I think I'm in love."

"Well, congratulations. You've just been promoted to dumbass."

"Magnus, did you see her!" Luther raved, head feeling a lightness that both excited and terrified him. His guts tangled themselves into knots whenever his thoughts touched Madelyn. His skin still tingled from where their skin had touched in greeting, and his face felt aflame even after he had left the sight of her green gaze.The fifteen arc-old felt punch drunk, powerless, and completely lost as these new feelings overtook him. "How did I not know about her before this?!"

"Yes I did see her, and you did know about her before. Her family moved here a few arcs ago. The Greers? Come on Luther, you aren't this dense. Usually, anyway," Magnus' smirk turned into a grimace as he received a not-so-playful punch for his teasing. He leveled an even-glare at Luther, before palming his younger brother's face and shoving him backward into the ground. A simple reminder of who had gone through military training and who had elected to stay at home reading.

Luther landed with an awkward tumble, the youth still not used to his recently grown limbs. Brushing the dust off of his clothes and spitting the dirt out of his mouth, he considered shoving the boy in return for his fall, but reconsidered. As Magnus climbed into the cart, Luther planted his feet and crossed his arms.

"Brother?" Magnus called back, looking towards his unmoving sibling. Luther had an uncomfortable look on his face; a mixture of disgust, confusion, and fear. Magnus screwed his eyebrows together. He hadn't been too rough with his brother, had he? As much as he pretended otherwise, he did care about the youth and roughhousing was simply the way the Caedrosons bonded. "Come one little brother, you can't be that mad about a little shove?"

Luther waited a moment, looked up to the sky and then down into the earth. He kicked the ground, sucked in the air as if he had taken a blow, and finally breathed out a slow sigh. He met Magnus' eyes. "I need your advice."

Magnus laughed once in surprise, but then stopped when Luther's gaze hardened into a glare. 'Oh,' his brother thought. 'This was serious.'
word count: 439
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Luther
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Re: Take the Lead I

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Luther stewed in strained silence as he and his brother rode together in their family's cart. He had been doing so since he had asked his brother for advice, and intended on doing so until the man answered. He couldn't believe it had even taken this long for Magnus to respond. It was such a rare thing for Luther to ask for anything of his eldest brother, as the words exchanged between them were often barbed with brotherly insults. He had thought that fact would had made it obvious
enough for Magnus to take this seriously, but apparently not.

"Magnus. Please," he grumbled, defeated. His eyebrows shot up as his older brother laughed again, louder than he had before when he first asked.

"Damn! I was wondering how long I could enjoy the quiet before you asked again," Magnus grinned toothily, a smug and self-satisfied thing that differed starkly from Luther's now aggravated frown. He raised a hand to bat away his younger brother's infuriated punches.

"You are such an ass!" Luther shouted, disbelieving of Magnus' ability to take a joke that far. He huffed, leaning back into the wood of the cart as his punches proved ineffective. Of course, the one time he needed brotherly advice, Magnus would turn it into an opportunity to embarrass the boy further.

"I'm your older brother, that's my job. Besides, I had to get you back for telling half the village mother's nickname for me," Magnus tousled Luther's hair, one hand still remaining on the reigns. Luther tried to hide it, but there were the edges of a smile twisting at the corners of his deep frown. "Now, what type of brotherly advice do you need?"

Luther raised an eyebrow, an inquiring eye turned towards Magnus. "No more jokes?"

"I've had my fun. I promise," the elder brother crossed his heart for emphasis.

"Fine," Luther breathed, suddenly feeling embarrassed again. He pushed his hair back and turned towards his brother, as much as he could in he front of the cart at least. "I...I was wondering how one was supposed to go about courting someone like Madelyn."

Magnus did his best to stifle another laugh, but judging from the look on Luther's face he was not altogether successful. "Sorry! I'm sorry. It's just...sudden y'know? I mean one tick I can't get your head out of a book, and now you can't stop talking about this girl. You're growing up little brother. I'm...proud of you."

A surprised smile graced Luther's lips. He hadn't been expecting that. He and his eldest brother so rarely had moments where they weren't giving each other some kind of grief. So rarely had moments like this. It was...nice.

"Just don't come to me for a sex talk. Mom or Grandpa can handle that."

And now it was ruined.

"You are the absolute worst!"

"Just doing my job," Magnus smiled to himself, enjoying the waves of embarrassment that played out across his little brother's face. "Now, Madelyn isn't like most people. She's from the city originally, which means she'll want to be courted proper. Romantically. There's a festival coming up to celebrate the harvest, why don't you ask her if you can be her escort for the evening?"

Luther beamed for a moment, his grin bright and hopeful. That sounded like a brilliant idea! There would songs played, drinks had, and food enough to feed the entire village. As he thought about the celebration, however, Luther suddenly blanched.

"Magnus, a harvest festival will have dancing. I don't know how to dance! She'll laugh at me again. Plus, you know how ma hates us being at the village late, and then I'll miss lessons too. Maybe I should just stay at home. This was a stupid idea."

His doubts were met with a swift slap upside his head. Surprised and angry, Luther raised a hand to hit his brother back, but lowered it when he saw the serious look upon his face.

"Listen to me Luther. You are going to that festival and you will escort Madelyn to it. Grandpa can teach you about dancing, you just leave mom up to me."
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Re: Take the Lead I


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Thread Review

Luther

Not-A-Ghost-Yet Luther
Skill Points: +10 (cannot be used for magic)
Magic XP: None.

Renown: +5 (for causing a scene in a general store)

Injuries/Overstepping: None.
Wealth Points: None.
Loot: None.

Skill Knowledge:
  • Etiquette: Courting a city girl
  • Etiquette: Asking to be an escort
  • Etiquette: One insult begets another
  • Etiquette: Flirting between a farmer's son and merchant's daughter
  • Etiquette: Embarrassment can be turned into entertainment
  • Intelligence: Asking for a favor
Non-Skill Knowledge:
  • Madelyn: Works at the general store
  • Madelyn: A stunning woman with a sharp tongue
  • Madelyn: Last name Greer
Notes: n/a.

Well, this was adorable. Luther is such an innocent, but he handles it... okay. About as well as one can expect from a shy bookworm lad with a stronger older brother. The interactions between him, Madelyn, and Magnus all developed Luther in a way that set the foundation for cleverness but also a good-nature to it.

Perhaps in contrast to what comes for Luther later, he (and the scene around him) felt full of life. I enjoyed the dialogue, and especially the dynamic between him and his brother.

Overall, great job and enjoy your rewards!

PM me if you have any questions, issues or concerns.

Total Word Count: 2231 words.
Review Request Link: viewtopic.php?p=127431#p127431
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