(untitled fighting tournament) ROSTER with comments

Groundskeeper Willie: A wily Scotsman and a true cleaner. He is sick of the daily grind of tending shrubs. He’s come to snip off parts of his opponents.

WeThem: A polytheist monosyllable. A chameleon-deity that can take on the most useful traits from mythology when necessary. An plural, omniverse entity. The Thesis and Antithesis.
          Me: I might want a new name for this one.

Still: A character built around stillness. When not fighting they stay in constant motion. When they go still, their body changes. Not tense. Completely loose. Completely still. Devastating to the uninitiated.
          Me: I think I want a new name for this one.
          Friend 1: Tranquility

The Walker: A monster once bit the Walker, after five days of agonizing pain, the monster died. The Walker beat a sun in a staring contest. The Walker doesn’t cheat death. He wins fair and square. The Walker went to Mars. That’s why there are no signs of life.

GoKal: The last surviving member of an ancient and powerful race. GoKal draws power from ultraviolet radiation. He has the ability to project energy beams, fly, teleport and has nearly impervious skin and strength beyond measure.
          Me: I mixed Superman and Goku for this one.
          Me: I might need a new name for this one.
          Friend 2: Stranger

Mister Neighbor: a mild-mannered gentleman who advocates for peace and neighborliness. A carbon fiber sweater, blade-rimmed fighting slippers. Punches faster than the eye can see.

The Glad Butcher: A meek, emotionally repressed sportsman specializing in American Football, Hockey and Golf. He wields golf clubs, hockey sticks and wears football pads. He can withstand a lot of punishment, but once he gets angry, he becomes nigh unstoppable.
          Me: I might need a new name for this one.
          Friend 3: Sounds a little like Casey Jones.
          Me: Except Casey Jones is in no way timid haha
          Friend 2: DudeBro
          Me: i see DudeBros as more confident than this guy is.
          Me: he's got the Bobby Boucher timid thing until you piss him off, then he goes nuts.
          Friend 2: The Ref

Lurk: a combatant who can fight with energy attacks, however, only when unseen. If the eyes of the opponent can see Lurk, no damage can be dealt. Lurk can blend in with shadows.

Victoria Quietus: wearing a wide and ruffled dress and wide brimmed hat, Victoria is a trained assassin who wields two energy-sickles, able to cut through almost anything, as well as a secret poison tipped hat pin. Vainly, she takes photos of her defeated opponents with a camera she can also use to blind them.

Wu Kang: A staff-wielding monk from the planet Womb with a history of defending his race from invading world of Vulp. A strange creature, Wu Kang can project flaming square clumps of his own fecal matter at opponents. He comes to the tournament to gain help as the Vulpians are trying to upset the balance and breaching Womb’s defenses.

Goothulu: Adorable. Tiny. Monstrous. Goothulu contains multitudes and no lives matter to this elder god in the body of a human infant.

Cleric: The second choice from his planet. The first choice succumbed to an illness and Cleric was chosen as the replacement. “This is my day off,” and “I wasn’t even supposed to be here today” are some of his worries.

Dev Luceraux: A former United States Special Forces operative killed in combat, but resurrected in a secret experimental program, Anti-Corps. His original mission was defeating fascist threats, both foreign and domestic. Now his purpose is unclear, even to him and his friend, the Doctor.

Agafya Zavidnyy: from the cold outer reaches of Siberia, Russia, Agafya is a small woman with immense strength. She won many prize weapon fights with a giant log as a weapon. She was recruited by the KGB and outfitted with a suit of armor capable of a great many functions. The armor comes with a shield made of the hardest and lightest metal on Earth. She’s also been given a genetically enhanced bean which immediately renews her energy if it should ever be depleted.

Glugluch: From a race of hagfish-humanoid creatures, unevolved for the last 300 million years, Glugluch, produces a mucus-like slime that can overwhelm attackers and potentially suffocate them. Glugluch is extremely flexible and quick with an irregular, fearsome, mouth structure.

Matchman: from a species of what resembles humanoid string beans, Matchman’s species can access a pocket dimension where they can store anything, including but not limited to weapons. Matchman was chosen as a defender of the race because of his shock of long blonde hair.
          Me: I might need a different name for this one.

When an Orc Loves a Woman small excerpts

“Is your displeasure something I can help with?” Crag asked. “I can be persuasive.” He smiled a scary grin which shifted Niya from one leg to the other.

“Naw,” the girl said. “It’s just my boyfriend being himself.” She sighed.

“I’m not sure what type of an elf is a ‘hims’ elf, but I’ve never trusted their kind.”

-- When an Orc Loves a Woman, Chapter 15

***

From "When an Orc Loves a Woman" About an hour went by. Niya reached the end of the cornrows for Crag’s hair. She tied off every strand and bound them in small circles of what smelled like the bouncewood tree in Torxania. Nonlethal weapons were made for training from this tree. Hence, it was called bouncewood because it bounced off of the young orcs instead of killing them.

A little later in the same chapter:

A small scuffle could be heard from the door. The smack of a punch and the crash of a chair. Nick burst into the bedroom doorway. His skin resembled Crag’s shade of brown, but his limbs were much smaller and he was a head shorter. His flat top had a notch cut into it, kind of a throwback to an earlier decade that worked on him, at least in Niya’s eyes. She was the one who did his hair.

“What the hell?!” Nick exclaimed his question. He looked Crag up and down and took a step forward, raising his fists. “Who is this mother–”

Crag’s massive hand was wider than Nick’s face. He didn’t strike Nick, rather used his hand to push Nick backwards out the door and into the wall on the other side of the hallway. Crag guided Niya behind him as Nick stood up shakily.

“Who is this guy, with the jacked up grill?” Nick said from the relative safety of outside the bedroom door.

“I am Crag, of the…, Crag Rockshadow, you have been broken up with. I suggest you leave before that bit artistic language turns into your bones.”

Or - Part 3 by Azriel Johnson

    The elders taught the children basic skills including, cooking, cleaning, building, hunting, foraging, caring for children, combat and much more.  The children learned everything which they might need for survival in a harsh circumstance.  Every day was a new lesson with the intention of being well rounded and an able contributor to the society.
    The boy really showed no aptitude in any of the skills taught him.  It wasn’t that he didn’t try, it just turned out the other children were better than he.  The boy could eek out the bare minimum of requirements of the projects the elders would teach, but nothing more.
    Surprisingly, the boy wasn’t frustrated by this as he continued to do his best.  However, even younger children passed him in aptitude in some skills.  A contributing factor may have been his tendency to space out or maybe a lack of mental acuity. He wasn’t stupid. Maybe his talents lay elsewhere.
    The boy was most interested in girls.  One girl, Riv, was his age and he liked her.  Her black skin was showing signs of becoming a Water, which would make sense because she came from a whole family of Waters.  Her father was the current WaTem (Water Ring Master) and his father before him.  She had older brothers who were also Waters, so she didn’t expect to follow in her father’s footsteps, but it was a good lineage.
    The boy didn’t know where his family came from.  No one knew, or would tell him.  He even approached the MaTem (Matriarch) of his village.  Her creaky voice was kind, but she didn’t reveal anything that the boy didn’t already know.
    The last battle between the WhiTem and the Guardians raged outside this very village.  A young man dropped a baby boy off in the doorway of the MaTem and asked for forgiveness of the burden, then left.  The young man was never seen again, the mother remained unknown.
    There was no one else the boy could ask.  The MaTem had every scrap of knowledge in the village in a book and in her head.  It was her job to make sure everything she knew was written down so her successor could pick up where she left off, as successors had done for generations.
    At last came the New Dark’s Day was upon them.  This was the day the children who were of age would make their choices.  They would take their steps towards becoming adults in the society.
    Most children would choose from the basic: Water, Fire, Air, Earth.  Fewer children chose: Sun, Moon, Plant, Lightning.  Only one child, Slee, a girl, chose Dream.  Only one child, Hum, a boy, chose People.  He would very likely become VilTem when he got reached the age where he could best the current VilTem in skills aptitude.
    When it came to the boy’s turn.  He looked left.  He looked right.  The teacher asked him, “What element do you choose?  Earth, Wind, Fire, or Water?”
    The boy took a deep breath and said, “Or.”

Glossary
Tem – Master or Leader
Many words are shortened from English words and used in this language.
Riv  for example is short for River.
Vil is short for village.

Or - Part 2 by Azriel Johnson

    The boy escaped drowning by going to a harder to reach area of the lake.  A cliff backed the rock beach and the water there felt warmer to his touch.  The boy made his way here often when he wanted to escape torment and meditate.
    The boy was young.  The people measured age in how many times the Moon covered both Suns at once, putting the whole world into darkness.  The scientists measured this happening every six months.  The boy had just had his twelfth Lap Day.
    The scientists determined that the planet was much larger than the two Suns and the Moon and thus controlled these satellites and their movement.  Days were broken up into four segments.
    Dawn: The yellow sun was directly East, the white sun was directly North
    Noon: The yellow sun and white sun were directly over head.
    Dusk: The yellow sun was directly West and the white sun was directly South.
    Night: The yellow sun and white sun were on the other side of the planet.
    The scientists said the Moon danced with the planet in such a way that they always faced one another. One time every six days the Moon would be visible at night. The people called this Moon Day. Every three Moon days composed a Month.  Every six Months the Moon would shroud both Suns at once and the entire planet would be dark.  The people took this as an omen of good tidings and the people rejoiced the New Dark’s Day.
    The next New Dark’s Day approached and the boy felt a chill in the air.  He was nervous.  It was almost time for him to choose his specialty.  For most children it was easy.  The Earth users grew food. The Water users brought water to the village.  The Fire users kept the villages warm and lit.  The Air users worked on new ways to generate energy.  The other specialties had functions as well, but these four were the most common and most needed.
    The boy however felt a draw to all the elements and didn’t know which he would pick.  He spent days going back and forth about what would suit the people the best.  He thought about which would be the most attractive to a potential mate, as boys will often do.  This is what he meditated over.  The elders said if someone meditated hard enough they would be shown what element they should choose as their specialty.
    The boy instead would see Fire in one meditation, Water in another, Earth in a third, Air in a fourth.  He would sometimes see Sun in a meditation or Moon.  He saw Darkness or Plants or Animals or People.  Some of the meditations unnerved him, but the one that scared him the most was seeing the WhiTem (White Master).
    Legends told of a former guardian who killed and killed again. The more the guardian killed, the whiter their skin became. It became almost a compulsion to be malicious. They hurt and killed many people before the other Guardians were able to stop the WhiTem and take their ring.  The interesting part is, the legends never said which of the guardians became the White or which of the elements they used.  The legends never named the WhiTem or said if the WhiTem was a male or female.
    The unfortunate lack of specificity bothered the boy immensely.

Glossary
Tem – Master or Leader
Many words are shortened from English words and used in this language.
Riv  for example is short for River.
Vil is short for village.

Or - Part 1 by Azriel Johnson

    The kids teased him mercilessly.  They pushed him to the ground.  They kicked dirt in his face.  Some of them spit.  Some of them pissed on him.  They took their fire sticks and shot sparks at him.  The boy couldn’t handle the onslaught of disrespect, bodily fluids and insulting pre-fire.
    The problem with being an orphan is, no one gives you a name.  You have to earn it.  The boy was on his way to earning the name Spi Pi or Dir Spa or something to that effect.  He didn’t have anyone to help him learn to fight.  All the children with families has their names already and while none of them were properly trained in the ways of The Rings (they were much too young anyway) most of them were bigger than the boy.  Also, there were eight of them.
    For now they called him “Na Le” (Nameless) like it was a swear word.  He could see their black skins taking on small changes in color depending on what they did to him to taunt him.  The kids kicking dirt on him took on a brown hue.  The kids pissing and spitting on him found greenish coloring. The children who used their spark sticks took on small bits of red.
    Any changes that occurred this young were bound to fade away after a day or two.  The contact and interaction with different elements left marks on the blank slate of skin of the boy’s people, but when one is young, things are too dynamic to stay for long.
    The suns shone overhead, beating down on the people.  The black skin of their race turned it into necessary energy that food or drink couldn’t provide.
    The other children finally left the boy alone.  He stood slowly, brushing off the dirt which unfortunately stuck because he was wet.  He looked around, but only saw the town fountain.  He would get in trouble for washing off in there.  The river was about a mile away or the lake was half the distance.  The problem was, the river had animals that might hurt him.  He didn’t want to take on any white by killing something there.
    The scientists studied the changing skin color explicitly.  They determined that prolonged active interaction is what changed the color of the people’s skin permanently.  A tiny use of an element might slightly alter a color, but it would fade.  But the skin of the EarTem (Earth Ring Master) was almost entirely brown because of their consistent, active use of the Earth element.
    White was the color of evil.  Scientists determined that when the people did things knowingly out of malice, like hurting someone, lying, cheating, killing, their bodies took on a white mark.  The more white marks someone had on their body, the more dangerous they would appear to others in the society.  The marks had never been known to fade, even after much repentance.
    The elders simplified it for the people.  “Don’t take a life,” was a repeated mantra.  Even the guardians avoided killing if at all possible.  They were always on call to defend the people from various threats, but defense was not lethal as long as it could be avoided.
    But the boy was young.  He didn’t want his skin to take on white marks as long as he could avoid it, even in self-defense, he didn’t want to take a life.  Unfortunately, this meant going to the lake where the other children who bullied him awaited.  He just hoped they wouldn’t try to drown him again.

Glossary
Tem – Master or Leader
Many words are shortened from English words and used in this language.
Riv  for example is short for River.
Vil is short for village.

Are You Home? - Part 2 by Azriel Johnson

    The man pulls into the driveway about a half hour later.
    He parks the car in the garage, pulls the garage door down and walks to the back door unlocking it and going inside.
    He’s greeted by the ringing of the phone.
    “Hey this is Ron.  Leave a message at the beep.”
    Beep.
    A young male voice, “Dad, this is Phalen.  Are you home?  Julie is crying now.  Why couldn’t you have just let her in and talked for a while.  It’s not like it would have killed you.”
    Beep.
    The man snickers.
    He goes upstairs.  He takes off all of his clothes except his briefs and walks into the bedroom.  He kicks a path through at least three loads worth of dirty clothes.
    The man lies in the bed and falls asleep.

* * *

    The phone rings.  A woman answers, “Hello?”
    “Aunt Becky,” asks Julia’s voice.
    “Yes.  How are you Julia?” Becky asks.
    “I’m worried about Dad.  I went by his house last night and he didn’t come to the door.  The TV was on.  But what was the strangest of all, the garage door was open, and the back door was locked.”
    “Your dad never does that.”
    “I know!”
    “I’ve been worried about him lately too.  Maybe we should all go over there.  Your dad has been pretty depressed since your mom died.  Maybe he hasn’t felt like company.”
    “Yeah,” Julia says softly.
    “Bring Phalen along too.  We’ll go over tomorrow.  I have a key so we’ll get in whether he wants us to or not.”
    “Okay Aunt Becky.  Thanks.”
    “No problem hun.  See you tomorrow.”

* * *

    The trash has piled up.  The man leaves it.  It’s not his concern.  He throws another bag on the pile in the basement.  He inhales and the putrid stench assaults his nostrils.
    The man shuts the door and walks to the bathroom.  He grabs air freshener and walks back to the basement door.  He opens the door and empties the freshener into the basement.
    He throws the empty canister down into the basement and shuts the door again.

* * *

    The next day, Becky arrives at Julia and Phalen’s apartment.  They exchange pleasantries then all get into Becky’s car to go to Ron’s place.
    They don’t call.  They want to make sure he’s there.
    They pull into the gravel driveway.  The garage door is closed.
    They get out of the car.  Phalen checks the garage.  Ron’s car is there.
    Becky and Julia are at the back door and joined by Phalen after he checks the garage.  Becky unlocks the door and the kids go in first.
    An eerie feeling hits them.  The scent of air freshener mingles with trash and another strong scent none of them can recognize.
    The television is on.  Phalen walks into the living room.
    “Who the hell are you!” he yells.
    The man is startled awake.
    He crouches as he falls off of the couch.
    “Julia, call the cops,” Phalen says as he is joined by his sister and aunt.
    The man jumps at them, pushing Phalen, knocking Becky out of the way and knocking Julia to the ground as he tears out of the house.

* * *

    The police investigation turns up little evidence of who the man was.  However, they explore the strange smell from the basement.
    Under the bags and bags of trash, they find the source.
    Ron.

End

Are You Home? - Part 1 by Azriel Johnson

    The man ignores the ringing phone.
    He goes on about his business.  He opens the refrigerator and grabs cheese, lunchmeat and bread.  From the drawer by the basement door he pulls a knife to spread Miracle Whip.
    The answering machine picks up,
    “Hey this is Ron.  Leave a message at the beep.”
    Beep.
    “Hey Ron, are you home? ... I guess not.  Well this is Becky.  Remember?  Your sister?  Where have you been?  I haven’t heard from you in ages.  Call me back okay?  I love you.”
    Beep.
    The man finishes making the sandwich and walks through the sitting room to the living room, glancing at the flashing digits of the answering machine.
    23.
    He sits in the living room and turns on the television.  He channel surfs until he finds something interesting to watch.

* * *

    Three hours later the phone rings again.  The man has dozed off, but is awakened with a start.
    “Hey this is Ron.  Leave a message at the beep.”
    Beep.
    “Hey Ron.  This is Dave from work.  Are you home?  The foreman is getting worried about you.  It’s almost been a week since you were last here.  Anyway, I hope things are okay buddy.  And if they are you’re in deep shit.  Ha-ha.  Bye.”
    Beep.
    The man stretches and walks back into the kitchen.  There are too many dishes in the sink.  Nothing to make himself dinner with.
    The man sets to work at washing them.

* * *

    After a good dinner, the man tidies up the kitchen.
    The phone rings again.
    “Hey this is Ron.  Leave a message at the beep.”
    Beep.
    “Hey Dad.  This is Julia.  I’m in town and I thought I’d drop by.  Are you home?  I hope so.  I’ll see you soon.”
    Beep.
    The man freezes.  His heart starts racing.  He grabs keys from the key rack and rushes out the back door to the car in the garage.
    Garage door goes up.  Car turns over.  The man hits the gas pedal and throws gravel back into the garage as he quickly vacates the premises.

* * *

    A young girl pulls languidly into the driveway no more than five minutes later.  She notices the garage door is open.
    Dad never leaves it open, she ponders.
    Julia gets out of her car and walks to the back door.  She tries to open it, but it’s locked.
    Dad never locks the back door, she says to herself.
    Julia walks to the front door and tries to open it.  It’s also locked.
    “Dad!” she yells.
    She walks to the windows of the living room tapping on the panes.  The curtains are drawn, there is no way to see in, but she can see the light from the television glowing through the curtains.
    Julia grabs her cell phone and calls her Dad’s number.  She hears the ring of the phone accompanied by the all too familiar:
    “Hey this is Ron.  Leave a message at the beep.”
    Beep.
    “Dad?  Are you home?  I’m right outside.  I see the TV is on.  Please come to the door.  I haven’t seen you in so long!  Please?  Daddy?”
    Beep.
    A tear hits Julia’s eye as she stands outside the living room window.

* * *

    The man crawls by in the car, watching the young girl standing by the living room window.  He doesn’t stop.

* * *

    Julia gets back into her car.  Eyes still wet with tears.  She backs slowly out of the driveway and begins her lonely ride home.

The Geek - Part 3 by Azriel Johnson

    The van was dark brown, similar to Angie’s hair.  Jakob slid into the middle seat behind the front bucket seats.  He sat behind his mom.
    Small talk filled our conversation as Angie drove.  Occasionally Angie would ask Jakob about his project for the scouts.  He would mutter something and Angie would look at me with a ‘boys will be boys’ look.
    We turned down a long driveway.  It was admittedly spooky.  I had never seen something so eerie.  I didn’t show my nervousness, but I definitely kept up my alert.
    Angie cut the engine and turned to me, “Our leader is a remarkable man.  He’s been all over the world.  He has backpacked across Europe three times.  The boys love him.”
    I didn’t really know what to say.  My credentials weren’t to shabby either.  I had been to over 100 countries in my career, but I couldn’t tell her that.  Right now I was Jimmy James, the geek who likes historical fiction.
    We exited the van and she said, “Jimmy, I want you to meet Tony Oldman, our scout leader.”
    Tony Oldman was a man about six inches taller than my height of five feet ten inches.  However he had the body of a weasel.  His hair was long, thick and shaggy brown.  He wore a goatee framing thin lips which upturned at the edges.  Most importantly, Tony Oldman was the Agency’s biggest target.
    I offered a hand.  “Hi!  My name is Jimmy James, it’s a pleasure.”
    Tony shook my hand tentatively.  He turned to Angie.  “Where is Jakob’s father?”
    “Oh, Rog, he’s out of town on some business, so I get Johnson family business today.”
    Tony half smiled.  “Well, let’s corral the troops.  Boys!  Let’s get inside, we’re about to start the meeting.”
    Angie and I followed Tony and his slinky walk into the house.  It was a manufactured home.  One floor.  It was huge inside.
    Jakob scampered off into the living room.  The boys sat on the blue plus carpet surrounded by three beefy men and Tony Oldman.  Angie led me into the dining room and we offered me bottled water with a squirt top.  I drank gratefully and while the boys were instructed on patriotism, Angie and I discussed a number of different historically relevant novels.
    I stood up to use the bathroom.  I washed my hands afterward.  As I exited the bathroom I was faced with Jakob.  He smiled as he held a hand behind his back.  I was curious.
    Jakob asked, “Mister James, could you get that plane from the top of the shelf?”
    It seemed like a reasonable request.  I turned my back and reached.  As my hand touched the die cast plane, I felt uneasy.  I turned back with plane in hand and was quick enough to block the knife little Jakob tried to shove into my body.
    Another boy ran at me with a knife and I threw the plane at his head.  The metal rang as it met his skull. The boy started crying.  Jakob slashed at me with his knife.  I blocked his attack and disarmed him.
    What the hell was going on?
    I walked into the kitchen that connected to the dining room brandishing the knife.
    “Okay!  Why am I being attacked by children with knives?”
    No answer came… Only gunshots….

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3

The Geek - Part 2 by Azriel Johnson

    She smiled.  “Mister James, I need to be going.  My son has a meeting tonight and my ex-husband is out of town so I have to take him.”
    “A meeting?”  I inquired.
    “Oh, it’s a scout meeting.”
    “Ah, I see.  Well, I really enjoyed this conversation.  I was kind of hoping we could do it again soon.”
    Angie smiled.  “Well, why don’t you come with me and my son to the meeting?  I never really get involved because the men are very strict against the participation of women.  So I will have time to talk.”
    “I would love to.”  I may have said that with too much exuberance.  Angie seemed delighted to hear that in my voice.  She gave me her address and asked that I arrive about a half hour before she was to leave.
    Despite my better judgment, I was walking on air, just a little bit.  I had not expected Angie to be a sharp tack, but no one in my geek circle could keep up with me when it came to fiction, let alone historical fiction. 
I was dressed well, but not too well and I had arrived at her house precisely when she requested.  The Agency had insisted I get to know her neighborhood intimately.  It was filled with mostly non-affluent people.  This was the perfect breeding ground for the sleeper sell we were after.  I stuck out like a sore thumb despite wearing my less nice clothes and skipping my afternoon shower.  I had never had to struggle and the lack of tension lines on my face showed it.  It seemed like the children were the hardest hit.  While I was graduating two grades ahead of my age, children here were held back constantly.  Many things were broken with this education system.  Lack of teachers was one.
    I pulled into Angie’s driveway.  I cut the engine and waved to her son.  Her son, Jakob looked at me strangely.  I asked, “Hey there, is your mom around?”
    He said, “Yeah.”
    He didn’t move to summon her.  I prompted, “could you let her know Jimmy is here?”
    “Sure.”  He turned his head toward the green front door.  “MOM!  JIMMY IS HERE!”
    Seconds later, Angie’s head poked out of the door smiling.  “Jimmy!  I’m almost ready.  Would you like to come in?”
    “I’d love to.”
    Jakob raced into the house ahead of me.  He grabbed his scout uniform off of the flannel pattern brown couch and slipped it on over his black ninja t-shirt.  The file said he was ten years old and one of the more popular students in his class.
    Angie stepped into the living room.  I had been scoping the house.  I noticed the lack of television as well as the super powered computer.  The house was cluttered, but not full of garbage, like the report said.
    “Jimmy,” Angie said.  “This is my son Jakob.”
    “We met.”
    “My van is out back, shall we?”
    “Certainly.”

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3

The Geek - Part 1 by Azriel Johnson

    I met Angie by accident, just like the Agency told me I would. Upon first glance she wasn’t the kind of woman who would go for a guy like me, a geek.  She was the same height as me, long, dark brown hair and covered in tattoos.  Don’t get me wrong, I found her lovely, but in this day and age it was common knowledge a geek avoided a tattooed woman.
    I went for her anyway.  It was my assignment.  I had to follow through.  She stood in the magazine aisle reading the latest issue of ‘Hard Trucking’ magazine.
    “Excuse me miss,” I said politely tapping her on the shoulder.  She turned and smiled.  “I noticed the tattoo on your back, it looks like the devil.  I was wondering if it had to do with the group Hard Devils.”
    A good opening line, not too geeky.  Angie’s file said not to over estimate her.  She wasn’t supposed to be possessed of a lot of brains.
    She smiled, but shook her head.  In a voice as soft as angels song she replied, “Actually, the tattoo is from Faust, in his deal with the Devil, Mephistopheles.”
    Well played miss, I thought.  Faust was one of my favorite stories.  I resisted the urge to geek out about Faust and what I would have done in his situation.  Instead I asked, “Oh, well, heh-heh, can I see the rest of it?”
    Her slightly annoyed look was more of a no than I would ever need to hear.  She looked back to her magazine without another word.
    Her file had been misleading.  It had shown her being involved with a number of this day’s more barbarous men.  I had never pegged any of them her choices of mates to have an abundance of brains, so maybe I was the stupid one.
    It was time for a new tactic.
    I tapped her shoulder again.  She turned back to me.  In a more annoyed voice she said, “Yes?  Now what is it?”
    “I, first, wanted to apologize.  My comment was rude.  Second, I wanted to say that if I were in Faust’s position, I probably would not have taken the deal.  I mean, you gain the world, but lose your soul?  What good does that do for you?”
    Angie smiled.  I was beginning to like her smile.  “Sometimes, I could agree.  Sometimes I feel it is too late.”
    “What is your name?” I asked.
    “Well, Angie, forgive me if this is forward, but would you like to have a drink with me?  We could discuss Faust and any other work we could bring to mind.”
    To my surprise she agreed.  We continued walking through the store as she shopped.  I filled my hand basket with a few random items to make it less obvious I had been following her.
    Her bill was huge.  It was more than twice the price of mine.  She had to have been buying for the sleeper cell.
    We discussed literary, historical fiction for close to an hour.  We both drank our share of caffeinated beverages.  At nearly the hour mark, Angie looked at her time piece, an odd brand of cellular phone.  She said, “This was fun Mister….”
    “James.  Jimmy James.”

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3

NSFW (working title: Toys - Erotica/SciFi/Horror) by Azriel Johnson -- Fiction

Part 1

    Tim Harding had a long day of work.  His computer programming firm was working a project for MasterCard to update their data reserves.  There had been talks of breeches of security.  The boss had been working him 80 hours a week for the last four weeks.  At last, the ordeal was over.  The system was updated.
    Tim collapsed on his couch with a yawn.  His muscles stretched.  He kicked off his shoes.  He was off for the weekend.  He could have planned a night out, but being around loud music and people was the last thing he wanted.
    No.  Tonight was Tim's night.

    The store clerk was a tattooed woman with large breasts, black hair and a stomach that jutted out like a shelf.  She smiled at Tim when he walked in.  Her high, pleasant voice said, "Welcome to Sinister Sex Toys.  What do you need to rock your world?"
    Tim smiled at the clerk.  He wasn't sure what would rock his world.  The clerk reminded him of Krissy.  Krissy was skinny, blonde, small breasts, but a great ass.  No, the clerk looked nothing like her, but at this point anyone with a vagina reminded him.
    Tim was horny.  His smile was awkward.  He said, "I bet YOU could rock my world."
    The clerk smiled.  "You are like the 80th guy today to say that.  You all know it would be illegal.  What are you looking for in a toy?"
    Tim scanned the sales floor and met eyes with the clerk.  "I actually don't know what I want.  I mean...  I want...  Stimulation.  Do you have any recommendations?"
    The clerk guided Tim to the male toy area.  She pulled one from the wall and explained, "This one vibrates and has a real skin feel when you use it.  Here, you can touch the material."
    Tim ran his finger over the lips of the Randi Rose stimulation device.  It gave him a bit of a shiver and he looked into the eyes of the clerk.  "That feels interesting.  Are there a lot of men who prefer it?"
    The clerk nods.  "It is our best selling male sex toy."
    The television in the store flashed the words, 'Randi Rose'.  A woman with short brown hair, clear complexion, hard blue eyes, medium sized, barely covered breasts, a lace thong and nothing else walked toward the camera.  Her sultry voice said, "Hey there.  I'm Randi Rose."  In the background there was an echo after her name, the echo continued as she spoke.
    "Are you looking for a toy that feels like heaven wrapped around your member?  Try my new stimulation device.  This new toy is patterned after my own Randi Rose, ready to expand and contract around you just like I would with you inside me.  When I finally bring you to your finish you will never want another toy.  What are you waiting for?  Get my Randi Rose now."
    Tim's pants got tighter and he had to adjust.  "I'll take it."
    The clerk smiled with a wink.  "You made a good choice.
    With the transaction made Tim left and couldn't get Randi Rose out of his mind.  He didn't even notice as he passed George, his best friend from the office.
    "Hey!  Tim!" George called.
    Tim turned and shook his head.  "Hey, George.  Sorry.  I had Randi Rose on my mind."
    George nodded vigorously.  "Yeah, that commercial is hot.  I got one of her toys in my collection."
    Tim said, "Collection?  How may do you have?"
    George laughed.  "Well, I'm a collector of sorts.  I have all the major celebrities.  Emma Knightley, Scarlette Seyfried, Paris Lohan.  Though the Paris one is fairly loose, no real grip to it.  I've been collecting First Ladies since the beginning.  You should come over and try a few out."
    Tim wasn't sure how he felt about using another guy's toys.  He wasn't a prude, he had his own collection and in general felt liberal about the acquisition of toys.  He really missed Krissy's toy though.  She had a cast made of her vagina and it was outfit with the sleekest real feel skin she could afford.  More than that, Tim was happy she went through the trouble to do that for him.
    Tim even went out the next day to make a cast of his penis for her so they could pleasure themselves at the same time.  Krissy looked upon his present for her and licked her lips.  Almost immediately they kissed, Krissy nibbled at his lips and stripped off his shirt, nearly popping the buttons.
    Tim slipped her shirt over her head and reached behind her to unhook her bra.  Her breasts rested free for the staring.  It was illegal for him to fondle her breasts and for her to caress his thick manhood.  They heard of other couples being interrupted in the middle of actions as simple as French kissing and charged with a misdemeanor.
    Tim applied some lubricant to Krissy's toy in his mind and Randi's toy in his empty bedroom.  The pussy clinged to Tim as he fucked it slowly at first.
    Krissy used his erect toy in her wet vagina at the same pace as he pumped her.  His mind saw the first of her multiple orgasms as she rubbed her clit, thrusting the toy up into her G-spot.
    Randi's toy clung to Tim as he worked it thinking about Krissy.  Tears started falling as Tim watched in his mind's eye as the other man used Krissy like she was there only to be fucked.  Tim cried out as the man finished inside Krissy as Krissy had an orgasm with the man's cock toy.  Tim saw his toy on her bedside table.  She grabbed it and fellated it as she came again.  She moved Tim's cock to her ass and slid it up and in as she came again with the double penetration.  The other man cried in his own second orgasm.
    Tim worked Randi's toy ferociously, but held onto his orgasm.  His mind replace Krissy's surprised gasp as Tim stepped into the room.  Tim's toy popped out of her as did her new beau.  The other man gasped and turned, landing on the floor.  Krissy's goy slid off of his cock, dripping with white.
    Tim's mental self yelled silently for them both to leave and take their stuff with them.  He never wanted to see her again.  Krissy quickly grabbed her clothes as Tim ran to the bathroom and slammed and locked the door, afraid of what he might do.
    It took 10 minutes for Krissy and her lover to leave.  Tim's tears stained his shirt.
    Randi's toy gripped Tim as he stroked back and forth.  Faster and faster.  His heart hammered against his rib cage.  Tim released his seed as his memories heard Krissy shut the front door to his apartment.
    He collapsed, spent on his back on his bed.  The toy stayed cinched to his cock, but released as the blood flow returned to the rest of his body.
    Tim's mind drifted off to sleep, Krissy off of his mind, now thinking about Randi Rose, until he thought nothing, but sleep.
    An hour later, Randi Rose's toy rustled and moved on it's own.  The hole over the toy's entrance closed and the sides fo the toy sprouted legs.  The toy scampered to the end of the bed and launched itself to the nearest wall with the open window.  The feet of the toy stuck into the wall and it climbed over and out of the window.  There to meet it was an identical toy.  This toy launched itself onto the bed and rested exactly where the first had been, between Tim's legs, resting against his perineum.
    Randi Rose's full toy scampered down the side of Tim's house and to the ground.  Sticking to the side walks and the shadows.
    As it reached the edge of town, the octolegged sex toy walked with other used toys in the same direction.  Randi Rose toys converged with Peter Hardy manhood replacers.  They were the only toy that could automatically 'ejaculate' when the user experienced her orgasm.  The liquid spewed into the female user just like semen.  The user didn't feel the sentient liquid climbing up into their uterus and capture her ovum and pull it back into the toy.
    The Peter Hardy toys and Randi Rose toys collaborated as they ran miles and miles to the outskirts of Central City to a factory.
    Standing in the center of the factory were Randi Rose and Peter Hardy inanimate, surrounded by the forms of the biggest celebrities also inanimate.  Even a figure of the President and First Lady stood staring lifelessly into space.