chu_totoro (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
chu_totoro) wrote2009-11-08 09:32 pm
chu_totoro) wrote2009-11-08 09:32 pm
Entry tags:
nano snippet #3
This snippet actually goes before snippet #2, because I am too embarrassed to include snippets of my rapidly degrading writing, and also because I do not have that much more writing on hand to snippetize because I am slowly but surely falling behind! I went from 1,000 words behind to 3,000, to 5,000, and now I've caught up a bit and am down to 2,000 words behind, but behind is behind.
The Yamanashi trip was fun though. Our hotel had some nice "hot springs". And grape flavored drinks.
Incidentally, the only reason there is a chicken in my story at all is because someone posted a Nano dare on the forums which had something to do with having a chicken run across the scene without any especial plot significance.
Liam never intended on actually calling Three Three, or, even worse, thinking of Three as Three, but somehow he found himself doing exactly that. Three often got his way like that. It was a talent of his, the way running and stealing was a talent of Liam’s and looking earnest was a talent of Jesse’s. Four specialized in charming outsiders. It was why he was the one most often sent on shopping ventures and trade-and-sell bargains, and why he was not with the rest of them now. No doubt this very moment he was striking up a conversation with a clerk behind the counter about the latest news, the poor fellow utterly convinced that he was no more than another Nipponese businessman, stopping by to pick up a few daily essentials on his weekend off.
The chick squawked again, waddling pitifully from here to there. Liam forced himself up into an upright position.
“Why you – ” he growled.
“Screeeech!” With a pitiful squeak, the chick’s head snapped back on its head and it fell to the ground, lying very still. Liam stared at it blankly for a second before registering what had happened.
“Jesse! What was that for?”
“It was bothering you, wasn’t it?” Jesse was tossing the empty pencil pouch with one hand, up and down, up and down.
“You didn’t have to kill it!”
“Dinner,” said Three from the corner with a wry grin. Liam shot him a dirty look.
“Fuck you,” he said succinctly, and rolled over onto his side so he wouldn’t have to look at the others.
“Hey, let’s have a game of cards,” Three continued, entirely unperturbed.
“I don’t think Liam wants to play.” Stupid Jesse.
“One can do whatever he wants, but while he’s pouting, won’t you play with me?”
“A game of two?” Liam could hear the suppressed laughter behind Jesse’s voice. It was too much for him. He rolled back around with an irritated growl.
“If you guys have something to say to me, then say it to my face!”
“Cards?” asked Three. Jesse grinned. Liam rolled his eyes.
“Fine,” he agreed. “But what’s the wager? Four’s not back yet.”
Three had already begun shuffling and was now dealing the cards with a fast, even hand. “Loser gets to pluck the chicken,” he said as he dealt.
“You were serious about that?”
“Of course.”
Liam shrugged, sat down, and played. Two hours later he and Jesse sat side by side, staring at the dead chicken on the ground.
“Do you have any idea how to pluck a chicken?” Jesse asked.
“Not any more than you do.”
They both stared at the chicken in silence.
“Why does Three always win those things?”
“Bummed if I know. What I’d like to know is, how did we both manage to lose so spectacularly that we TIED?”
“Crikey.”
An awkward silence. Neither of them said anything, but they could both feel Three’s laughing gaze burning into their backs like a hot iron of shame.
“Hey, Liam.”
“What?”
“That chicken, you know, it kind of – resembles the color of your hair.”
“Fuck you.”
Three must be silently pounding the ground behind them in laughter now. Liam thought he could feel the vibrations of his fist through the ground. Filled with sudden resolve, he sat a little straighter and took a deep breath.
“Okay,” he said. “Okay. It’s just a chicken. All we’ve got to do is – is pull the feathers off, right? How hard can it be?” With a trembling hand, he reached out towards the dead chick and, closing his eyes, took ahold of the small body all at once.
“AUGH!” The chicken felt [insert description here], and he flung it aside immediately, eyes flying open. It careened across the floor, spinning wildly, and thudded into Jesse’s pants.
“Fuck, watch it! – oh, nasty.” The chicken had left a wet spot on Jesse’s pants. Not only that, it had broken off half a leg in the process and now lay in an awkward angle, all splayed out, the leg lying half a foot away from the rest of the body.
A snort. Liam turned to see Three laughing, honestly pounding the ground this time. There were tears coming out of his eyes. It did not do much in the way of improving his mood.
“You guys – you guys are just too much!” he cried, wiping at the corners of his eyes. “It’s only a chicken, for Christ’s sake.”
Liam opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut again as an important thought suddenly struck him.
“Say,” he began, slowly. “Those cards – were they minted?”
edit: oh yeah, look at this awesome wordcount widget:
The Yamanashi trip was fun though. Our hotel had some nice "hot springs". And grape flavored drinks.
Incidentally, the only reason there is a chicken in my story at all is because someone posted a Nano dare on the forums which had something to do with having a chicken run across the scene without any especial plot significance.
Liam never intended on actually calling Three Three, or, even worse, thinking of Three as Three, but somehow he found himself doing exactly that. Three often got his way like that. It was a talent of his, the way running and stealing was a talent of Liam’s and looking earnest was a talent of Jesse’s. Four specialized in charming outsiders. It was why he was the one most often sent on shopping ventures and trade-and-sell bargains, and why he was not with the rest of them now. No doubt this very moment he was striking up a conversation with a clerk behind the counter about the latest news, the poor fellow utterly convinced that he was no more than another Nipponese businessman, stopping by to pick up a few daily essentials on his weekend off.
The chick squawked again, waddling pitifully from here to there. Liam forced himself up into an upright position.
“Why you – ” he growled.
“Screeeech!” With a pitiful squeak, the chick’s head snapped back on its head and it fell to the ground, lying very still. Liam stared at it blankly for a second before registering what had happened.
“Jesse! What was that for?”
“It was bothering you, wasn’t it?” Jesse was tossing the empty pencil pouch with one hand, up and down, up and down.
“You didn’t have to kill it!”
“Dinner,” said Three from the corner with a wry grin. Liam shot him a dirty look.
“Fuck you,” he said succinctly, and rolled over onto his side so he wouldn’t have to look at the others.
“Hey, let’s have a game of cards,” Three continued, entirely unperturbed.
“I don’t think Liam wants to play.” Stupid Jesse.
“One can do whatever he wants, but while he’s pouting, won’t you play with me?”
“A game of two?” Liam could hear the suppressed laughter behind Jesse’s voice. It was too much for him. He rolled back around with an irritated growl.
“If you guys have something to say to me, then say it to my face!”
“Cards?” asked Three. Jesse grinned. Liam rolled his eyes.
“Fine,” he agreed. “But what’s the wager? Four’s not back yet.”
Three had already begun shuffling and was now dealing the cards with a fast, even hand. “Loser gets to pluck the chicken,” he said as he dealt.
“You were serious about that?”
“Of course.”
Liam shrugged, sat down, and played. Two hours later he and Jesse sat side by side, staring at the dead chicken on the ground.
“Do you have any idea how to pluck a chicken?” Jesse asked.
“Not any more than you do.”
They both stared at the chicken in silence.
“Why does Three always win those things?”
“Bummed if I know. What I’d like to know is, how did we both manage to lose so spectacularly that we TIED?”
“Crikey.”
An awkward silence. Neither of them said anything, but they could both feel Three’s laughing gaze burning into their backs like a hot iron of shame.
“Hey, Liam.”
“What?”
“That chicken, you know, it kind of – resembles the color of your hair.”
“Fuck you.”
Three must be silently pounding the ground behind them in laughter now. Liam thought he could feel the vibrations of his fist through the ground. Filled with sudden resolve, he sat a little straighter and took a deep breath.
“Okay,” he said. “Okay. It’s just a chicken. All we’ve got to do is – is pull the feathers off, right? How hard can it be?” With a trembling hand, he reached out towards the dead chick and, closing his eyes, took ahold of the small body all at once.
“AUGH!” The chicken felt [insert description here], and he flung it aside immediately, eyes flying open. It careened across the floor, spinning wildly, and thudded into Jesse’s pants.
“Fuck, watch it! – oh, nasty.” The chicken had left a wet spot on Jesse’s pants. Not only that, it had broken off half a leg in the process and now lay in an awkward angle, all splayed out, the leg lying half a foot away from the rest of the body.
A snort. Liam turned to see Three laughing, honestly pounding the ground this time. There were tears coming out of his eyes. It did not do much in the way of improving his mood.
“You guys – you guys are just too much!” he cried, wiping at the corners of his eyes. “It’s only a chicken, for Christ’s sake.”
Liam opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut again as an important thought suddenly struck him.
“Say,” he began, slowly. “Those cards – were they minted?”
edit: oh yeah, look at this awesome wordcount widget: