[Mkguild] Life As We Know It I

[Jack Moore]

AN: I know I posted this once...so long ago it's long forgotten. I also
hated what I was posting, so after asking Chris O'Kane I was told I could
re-post this story, now in a way I actually like. I think it's better this
time.

Life as We Know It - I


;I’ve been here before.' Chamomile opened her eyes.  'This street, I was
here in the Yule wasn’t I?'
It was night.  Above Chamomile were clouds, there was a feeling in the air
of a storm coming.  It would rain very soon.  Chamomile welcomed it.  Maybe
if I stared into the sky with my mouth open, I’d eventually drown.
Another day lead to another round of testing.  And another round of testing
lead to another failure.  Round and round it all went.
'How much longer until the curse hits me?'  She rubbed her eyes.  'Even if
it does I’ll keep working.'
A Corgi passed by, bumping against her shoulder.  That briefly snapped
Chamomile out of her stupor.
“Uh excuse me sir—“ The corgi turned around, her skirt spinning as she did.
  Chamomile swallowed.  “Err, ma’am.  I apologise.  You see, I-I’m new here
and I was hoping to ask you something.”  The corgi raised an…eye ridge.
Eyebrows were one of the first things to go when your face was consumed by
fur.
“I was uh hoping to ask about-uh about your curse-cursing-cursed state.”
She swallowed again.  “Uh about how you ended up in this situation, how
long you had been curse.”  The Corgi’s claws tapped the ground as a look of
irritation spread across her muzzle.
“Lady I’m busy. Ask someone else.”
“No wait!” Chamomile stammered as the Corgi turned.  “I-you have thick fur,
I have to ask you!”  An answer only someone severely sleep deprived would
give.  The Corgi turned and started walking.  “Can I please have a wad of
your fur!”  Now she started running.  Chamomile sighed.
“Too many days and nights like this.” Chamomile sat down against the side
of a building.  “That was so dumb Cham, that was so dumb.”  She rubbed her
aching temples.  “When was the last time I slept?”
'Not since Blackhorne Keep.' Chamomile’s head began to droop.  Her memories
slithered in from the back of her mind.  'And now I can silence them.  I
know I can do it.  But I have to keep working.  If I quit now, it’s all
over.'  A smile settled over Chamomile’s face.  'I can fix everything.  I
can fix the past.'
“No fur today?” Chamomile snapped back to life.  “No surprise.  People
don’t like ya asking for their fur.”
“I can’t help what I need.” Chamomile mumbled.  “I need fur samples.”  She
stumbled over to the speaker, an older Tapir male.  His name was Valez.  He
sat on a stool, legs ending in stumps, with a Nine Men’s Morris board
between him and another stool.  “I have to do this.” She collapsed in the
empty seat.
“You are asking complete strangers when they got cursed and then asking
them to give you hair.” Valez said.  “What do you expect them to do?”
 Chamomile shrugged.
“I expect them to open their minds.  Everything I do I do for them.”  She
was never clear on just what it was she was doing, but that was for the
best.  “I don’t know how much longer I can do this.” Chamomile mumbled.
“You need to sleep more, or play more games.” Valez said.  “I can set up
the bored if you would like.”  Chamomile honestly would have liked to do
anything else in the world.  Including jumping off of the top of the Keep.
But she agreed to his request.
Soon the eighteen pieces were laid out.  Chamomile formed a mill early on,
but that was her only victory in the game.  Her mind couldn’t focus,
instead it went two different directions.  First back to the Inn, where her
experiments waited.
'And back to that day.' She shuddered.  'Why-why did I agree to that?'
 Because when Nasoj marched on Blackhorne she had seen something in him.
Order.  This was the man who would order the world.
'One mistake.' Chamomile missed an easy mill, allowing Valez to capture.
She didn’t notice.  'I’ve made one mistake and now I have to pay for it.
This experiment has to work…or else…'
“And that leaves you with two men.” Valez said.  “In short, I win.”
 Chamomile looked up, but didn’t seem to comprehend.  She nodded slowly.
“Sorry.  My uh my-my mind i-is else where.”
“I noticed.” Valez said.  “Usually you defeat me in this.  Chammy, in the
few days I’ve seen ya, I can see ya stammer when upset.  What’s going on?”
“The end result of a thousand,” she rubbed her eyes, “Of a thousand
sleepless nights.  I want to sleep, but I can’t until my task is done and
every day my end pulls further away.”  She looked down at the board.  Eight
white pieces against her two black pieces.  'I relate to this too much.'

“I’ve learned never to ask what a stranger’s business is, but I’m kinda
worried.”  The old tapir tried to look Chamomile in the eye, but she looked
down.  “Today you’ve been even more crazy than usual Chams, and I’m worried
you’re going to burn out.”
“Thanks.” Chamomile said.  “I appreciate being called crazy.”  She took one
of the black pieces off of the board, leaving just one.  “How often do you
feel surrounded?”
“Excuse me?”
“Surrounded.  Like you’re one voice in a crowd, working towards an
impossible end.  Everyone wants to stop you.”
“Never.” Valez said.  “The gods are on my side, I got nothing to worry
about.  It’ll all work out.” A few days ago she’d have rolled her eyes at
that.  Now she was too tired.
“I’ve got everyone against me.  The entire Keep, the forces of the
universe…” Nasoj and his forces.  “And that’s why I’m here.  I have to fix
everything.  Some how.”  Valez nodded.
“What are you here to try and fix?” Valez asked.  “I mean, if you want to
share.  I’d love to hear about it.”
“I’m afraid not.” Chamomile said, standing up.  “It’s getting late, I think
I need to get some sleep.”
“Wait!” Valez grabbed her arm..  “I’m sorry to pry, but you’ve been nice
enough to play Morris with me.  You will be okay, right?”  Chamomile forced
a smile.
“I will be okay.  I’m not planning on quitting any time soon.” She shook
Valez off and began the trek back to her room.  'I have to do something, I
have to fix my mistakes…before this week ends I will fix my mistakes…'
“Or I will die.” Chamomile whispered.  “I will die.”  Her shoulders somehow
slumped further.  Still she pressed on until she returned to her quiet Inn
room.
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