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justheretobreakthings · 5 years

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Ride the Wind

Written for Day 23 of @keithgenuary: Keith’s Father

Word Count: 1,897 Summary: Keith’s dad takes him on his very first hoverbike ride. Read on AO3

“We’re having pancakes?” Keith asked, pausing to lean his head through the railing of the staircase as he bounded down them and sniff at his dad’s breakfast.

“Nope,” his dad answered, moving a finished pancake from the skillet over the stove and onto a plate. “Pancakes are for city folk. We are havin’ flapjacks.”

“What’s the difference?” Keith asked.

“Simple: flapjacks are better.” His dad grinned. “You gonna eat some, or would you rather just smell ‘em from the stairs?”

“I’ll eat some!” Keith said. He hurried down the stairs and clambered up onto one of the stools beside the kitchen counter, hungrily eyeing the plate that his dad laid in front of him. The instant his dad passed him a fork, he was digging into the breakfast. “How come you made pancakes?” he asked through a mouthful.

“Don’t talk when your mouth is full,” his dad replied.

Keith swallowed his bite before retorting, “You do it.”

“Not when I know you’re watchin’ I don’t,” his dad said. “And I dunno, I just wanted to. We got the day together today, kiddo, may as well carb up and getting our energy up for it, right?”

“What’s ‘carb up’ mean?”

“It means eat flapjacks. Keep carbin’ up.”

“Okay,” Keith said. He let his legs swing contentedly beneath his stool as he returned his focus to his breakfast, and his dad pulled up to the stool beside him with a stack of pancakes three times as high as Keith’s and did the same.

When they were both nearing the end of their plates, Keith spoke up again. “Can we go to the libary today?”

“Library,” his dad corrected him. “And not today, no.”

“Why?”

“Because I got things planned here at home. Besides, we just took a trip into town two days ago.”

“Yeah, but that one was boring,” Keith groaned. “You were just in that one store the whole time.”

“Well, that’s because I was gettin’ somethin’ important.”

“What?”

“A present,” his dad replied nonchalantly.

“For who?”

“For you.”

Keith instantly perked up at that, wide eyes swinging to stare at his dad’s face as the man idly chewed his breakfast. “For me?”

“Mm-hm.”

“But it’s not my birthday.”

“Aw, shoot, you’re right. My bad. Welp, guess I’m just gonna have to take it back to the store, then.”

“Wait, no, no, don’t do that!” Keith cried, throwing his hands up and rapidly shaking his head.

“You sure?” his dad asked.

“Yeah!”

“Hm.” His dad furrowed his brow and rubbed his chin for a second as if in deep thought, then shrugged. “All right, I’m in a good mood. Guess I’ll give it to you anyway.” He stood from his chair, stretched, and picked up his own plate and then Keith’s to take to the sink.

“Where’s the present?” Keith asked, sliding off of his own stool.

“Hold your horses, kid,” his dad answer, and Keith stood impatiently fidgeting while his dad washed up. Once the faucet was finally turned off after what felt to Keith like hours, his dad gestured for him to follow.

They made their way outside and into the work shed, where his dad approached a high shelf and brought down a big and bulging paper bag stamped with a ‘Mike’s Motorsport Services’ logo. He handed the bag to Keith with a hint of a smile, and Keith pulled from the bag child-sized pairs of goggles and leather gloves. “What are these for?” he asked, tilting his head as he examined them.

“Well,” his dad said, “Remember when I told you that you could start takin’ rides on the hoverbike with me once your legs were long enough to reach the passenger pedals?”

“Uh-huh?”

“Seems you been growin’ awful fast over the past few months.”

Keith’s eyes widened. “Wait, I - I’m gonna get to ride on the hoverbike?!”

“If you wanna.”

“Yes, yes, I wanna, I wanna ride it!” Keith cried, bouncing on his toes in his excitement. He could scarcely believe it. All his life he had admired his dad’s bike deeply, always eager to help him polish it or watch him give the occasional demonstration of its speed and handling, but he had never gotten to experience it as a rider. Whenever they drove into town, they always took the pickup truck, so the closest Keith had gotten to imitating the sensation was rolling down the window.

His dad pulled his own riding jacket and a somewhat dusty passenger harness from another shelf before he led him back out and over to where the bike was kept parked, and he eased the tarp off to unveil it. Keith eagerly pulled his new gloves onto his hands and goggles over his head as his dad pulled on his jacket and harness. “Need help?” his dad asked as Keith fumbled with the strap in his excitement. He nodded, and within seconds the goggles on and he was ready to ride.

“Okay,” his dad said as he hauled Keith up onto the seat of the bike. He sat down in front of him and reached his arms back to situate Keith into the harness. “You see the pedals down by your legs? You gotta go ahead and get your feet in them.”

Keith hastily complied as his dad continued, “We got the passenger handlebars here and here - ” He pointed them out. “ - but if you feel like they’re stretchin’ your arms out too much, my jacket’s got a couple handhold loops in them, so you can grab those. You gotta hold on tight, all right?”

“All right,” Keith said. “We gonna go?”

“Rules first. Stay leanin’ forward into my back, don’t want you to go flyin’ while we turn. And if you feel like you’re slippin’ or like we’re goin’ too fast, you just holler for me to stop and I’ll stop.”

Keith blew a dry raspberry. “There’s no such thing as too fast,” he said.

His dad laughed. “Okay, kid, if you’re sure. You ready?” At Keith’s nod, his dad faced forward and started the ignition. Butterflies erupted in Keith’s stomach as the lifted off the ground and hovered in place, the hum of the bike surrounding him like a purr.

“All right,” his dad called from in front of him. “Let’s get this baby movin’!”

And they were off. They started slow as they moved away from the house, and for half a moment Keith was almost disappointed - people could go this fast on regular bicycles if they wanted - but before he had time to even consider pouting over it, they were gaining speed, and he tightened his grip on the loops at his dad’s waist and peered over his shoulder to watch their house shrink into the distance.

They drifted along cliffsides and zigzagged through brush, the wind roaring in Keith’s ears as his unruly hair flapped around him, and he stared in awe at the desertscape rushing past him, sometimes straining to see over his dad’s shoulder and watch as they seemed to approach cliff walls as if ready to crash, only to start careening parallel to them, leaving a storm’s worth of dust in their wake.

He whooped as the hoverbike made a particularly steep drop and they faced a wide, flat stretch of sand before them. “Okay, Keith,” his dad called over his shoulder. “Are you ready to go fast?”

Keith’s eyes widened; he had been certain that they were already going fast, but if there were a faster option his dad still had yet to show him, then he would settle for nothing less. “I’m ready!” he shouted, steeling his hands and feet in the pedals and handholds.

“Here we go!” Again they started off a little slower, but gradually the bike gained speed, the hum of its engine growing higher in pitch, Keith’s starting to sting from the force with which his hair whipped at it. The surrounding desert blurred as they sped across it, and Keith’s insides rolled with exuberation, energy growing along with the bike’s speed.

At one point, they were moving so fast that Keith could have sworn they weren’t even hovering anymore; they had to have been flying.

His dad eventually slowed when the stretch of desert ended in a dropoff, and he made a wide turn to start riding along the cliff’s edge instead. “Jump the cliff!” Keith shouted, undeterred by the slowing.

He could feel his dad bounce with a quiet laugh. “Not happenin’, Keith,” he answered.

“Why not?!”

“‘Cause your dad ain’t an idiot!”

“He can be sometimes!”

Another laugh. “How did I manage to raise you into such a brat?!” he shouted back. Keith just smiled and gave his dad a squeeze before laying his head against his back and watching the desert fly by.

It wasn’t long before they turned around and started racing back toward the house, and the wind and blurring desertscape and mechanical hum were almost starting to grow relaxing, to the point that when they did finally slow to a stop beside the shed, he was reluctant to let go and climb down from the bike.

“So,” his dad said once his feet had hit solid ground again. “What did you think of your first hoverbike ride?”

“It was awesome!” Keith cried. “Can we do that again later? Can we do it every day?”

“Now, not everyday,” his dad answered. “This bike here is a little bit of a fixer-upper, don’t wanna overwork her.”

“It was so fast,” Keith said, gazing at the bike in awe. “I bet you could ride it anywhere and get there in no time.”

“Well, it’d sure be fun to try.”

“I bet you could ride it all the way to outer space.”

His dad laughed. “Might be a stretch, but if anyone could pull it off…”

“Hey, dad?” Keith asked as they turned to start toward the house again. “Next time we take the hoverbike, can I drive?”

“Absolutely not,” his dad said.

“Aww,” Keith whined. “Why not?”

“Because you ain’t old enough, kid. You gotta be sixteen before you can start drivin’ a hoverbike. So you still got near ten years to wait.”

“Ten years?!” Keith repeated. “That’s forever!”

“Eh, it ain’t that long a wait. And in the meantime, you still like bein’ my passenger, right?”

Keith smiled up at him as they entered the house. “Sure do!” he answered.

“In any case, I promise you the very moment you turn sixteen, I’m gonna teach you how to be the best hoverbiker the world’s ever seen.”

“You mean it?”

“‘Course I mean it, when has your old man ever made a promise he didn’t keep?” He stretched, pulled off his jacket, and dropped onto the sofa in the front room. “Now you go ahead and wash up, you’re so dusty I can barely see you.”

“You’re dusty too,” Keith pointed out.

“Grown-ups are allowed to be dusty,” his dad retorted. “Go on and wash.”

“Okay,” Keith said. He started toward the stairs, then paused, and turned hurry back toward his dad and tackle-hug him around the legs. “Thanks for my present, dad.”

“You’re welcome,” his dad answered, ruffling his hair. “And as much as I enjoy a hug, since when did that count as washin’?” Keith giggled and rushed to bound up the stairs, avoiding a playful swat to the head from his dad as he left.

#keithgenuary #vldgen #keith #keith's dad #vld fic #my writing #fic: ride the wind

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secretadventuresociety · 3 years

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Episode 31 Recap

Get hype, SASholes! I’m Bren, resident SAStorian and manic goblin dream girl. Welcome to Episode 31: A Long Day’s End.

A Challenger Approaches!

With Mother (hopefully) vanquished and Kerti’s whereabouts unknown, our heroes hear fleeting whispers of ‘they’re coming, she’s coming’ whistling in the icy wind flowing through the cave. Sharing a Let’s-Put-A-Pin-In-That glance, the trio check in with each other because-- lest we forget-- they have just survived a run-in with an evil being who was masquerading as Kü’s mom. Sorry, did I say run-in? I meant battle for their lives. Anywho! They all seem to be physically unscathed, though that emotional trauma will last forever. IYKYK. Kü, of course, is the most affected, though his worries go straight to Kess, who Mother had just tried to strangle and not in the sexy way. Pearce attempts to make light of the situation by telling Kü it couldn’t have been too bad because Kess didn’t black out and see her friend, Ashe.

Which, speaking OF ash, the group starts smelling smoke. All of their combined hackles raise-- each probably thinking of a different entity. They really do be running into a lot of fire-related individuals, so this makes sense. When they actually SEE physical evidence of smoke trailing from further in the tunnel, they realize they might not be alone in this cave. Pearce elects Kü to lead them to the source, stating that he has darkvision and that will be to their tactical advantage. I mean, true, but this is also the helmetless kobold who just lost his ‘mother’ for the second time. I’m begging SOMEONE to give him a break. God, Lathander, DM, anyone?? As they go deeper, however, thin sheets of ice on the ceiling seem to be letting blue-tinted morning sunlight in. This literally lightens the mood until they come to a ledge-- one set up with a VERY recent campsite.

The party can tell right away that this is where the smoke has originated from, and looking closer, they spot a figure. A DANCING figure. What appears to be a four foot tall, staff wielding, gymnast built, olive skinned, winged individual is currently stirring an alluring pot of food while having the best time of his life. Understandably afraid, Kü attempts to summon his Blight Bow-- and nothing happens. Instead, he and Pearce decide to ambush the stranger, one going to the left of him and the other going right. Kü is spotted, and in defense, he grabs a broken liquor bottle (that he has been holding onto since the BEGINNING of this campaign, y’all), and chucks it at the head of his presumed assailant. In this instant, everyone braces for a fight, INCLUDING our guest star, Pongu, played by the fantastic Sonny-- who fans may recognize from the Hollaback Charity&D stream!

The Three Mardostateers

Kess instinctively heals herself as she notices her companions go into a fighting stance; having stayed away from the ledge. She was sure the humanoid meant no harm, but it’s hard to preach benefit of the doubt with a hotheaded gunslinger and a manipulated kobold. Instead of retaliating, Pongu tries to diffuse the situation. He laughs off the projectile Kü hurled and tells the group that they didn’t have to throw things if they wanted food; he has plenty to share. It’s then that the exhausted and hungry group smells the bounty for the first time. It is heavy with spices and looks like some sort of chunky soup. As we all know, food is the way to the heart, and apparently to the trust bone, too. Kess joins our apprehensive duo and the trauma of the past two days comes tumbling out of them.

Pongu listens intently, and when they’re done, calls over a beautiful, starry owl (named Nalani) over to him. Kü startles, having instant predator flashbacks. With a smile, the fairy tells his companion that this group needs some extra love, to which the creature replies (only to Pongu himself) that they both have a lot to give. Pongu notices Kü’s changed attitude and requests that the owl take some time away from camp to reform himself into something less intimidating, like a cat. The kobold relaxes as the animal leaves, and Kess changes the subject. She begins to question Pongu about his presence in the cave-- and mentions that she thought it belonged to someone she knew. Pongu assures her that he is just passing through, and had chosen the cave to take respite in.

The fairy goes on to explain that he is from the Feywild, and that he has been searching all over-- sailing the seas-- and winding up on the material plane for the ingredients for a perfect fey wedding cake. He used to be an adventurer long ago-- now at an estimated 300+ years of age-- but now is a professional chef and ‘fixer of things’. This draws Kü’s interest, and he wonders aloud if Pongu might be able to repair his mother’s skulll-- but quickly has this hope dashed when Pongu asks if the kobold has all of the pieces. Pearce, feeling Kü’s disappointment, offers to go back and see if there’s anything left, but is denied. Having gotten Pongu’s life story, the group feels the need to share as well. They first attempt to lie (except for Kess) and say their names are Uk and Ferdinand [I will let you guys which one is which] and that they are all three from Mardosta. The truth quickly comes out, however, and Pongu takes it in stride, excitedly asking if Kess (the true Mardostan native) can get him rare spices from the area.

A Lesson in Bonding

Taking a moment for herself, Kess separates from the group and goes to the neighboring hot spring. She discards some of her clothing and jumps in-- drifting to the bottom. Once she reaches the soil there, the druid draws on her inner power and grows a flower. It is still black with a white iris, but the floret adapts to its watery surroundings-- taking on an aquatic formation. Kess takes no time to marvel at it, instead using the rest of her depleting energy to focus on the plant and attempts to contact Ashe. After a bit, she realizes there isn’t going to be a response. So, the changeling flips off the bloom and pushes herself to the surface, dressing once more and cursing under her breath.

In Kess’ absence, Pearce and Kü warn Pongu about Skugamor and give him a head’s up about Kerti (who we really haven’t gotten to know yet). The gunslinger sighs and half-heartedly complains that everyone has voices in their heads except for him. The fairy listens gratefully while taking out a Santa-Claus-worthy bag of toys to keep his hands busy. He explains that he likes to fix up old toys and give them new homes-- and Kü asks if he has a paddleball related plaything. Pongu brightly hands him a Bilboque (I really didn’t want to write cup-and-ball. But you guys made me anyway. Good job) and takes to it instantly.

Sensing how worn out the adventurers are, Pongu casts Tiny Hut, creating a dome with a starry ceiling and a light scent of flowers swirling through the air. Pearce sees Kess step into the space and he greets her, hugging her to him as she spirals in a panic attack. He tells her that everything is going to be okay, and that he feels that is true because he has not been this comfortable anywhere but Mardosta. The contact soothes the changeling, and she steps back from Pearce and truly looks at him for the first time after their ordeal. Her eyes widen at the state of his hair; and the gunslinger grabs his things to run to the hot spring himself to shower. Pongu stops him, saying that he thinks he could fix the dirty, snow-wet mess, and Pearce relents. The fairy uses Shape Water as a kind of gel to mold the unruly locks-- and when Kess lets Pearce check it in the shine of her canteen, the gunslinger huffs off; happy with his look but pissed that he has nothing to be pissed about.

Look at the Stars

Using his misplaced anger as motivation, Pearce begins to craft more bullets for Iris from the components he purchased at the Night Market. He ends up making fifteen functional bullets, only wasting one defective try at the beginning of the process. The gunslinger thinks of his father and how Pearce used to watch him go through the same activity, and the fire of his rage is stoked by the realization that he actually learned something from the deadbeat. What was it that Smash Mouth said? When the hits start coming they don’t stop coming? Whatever it was, I’m THERE in this DnD stream. Someone make them stop.

As Pearce is artificing the daddy issues away, Kü tries to bring his Blight Bow out one more time. When it still doesn’t happen, the kobold admits to Kess that he has Good News and Bad News. The good news is that he believes Mother to be truly gone, and the bad news is that this means that his powers seem to be gone. Kess reassures him that they’ll figure things out; and Kü distracts himself by catching Pongu up on their exploits so far-- from Evercrest’s dying king to the vampires of New Hexton. The kobold then switches gears and asks the fairy about his parents-- with whom Pongu seems to have a semi-okay relationship. Kü tells him that he’s just trying to feel out where his trauma is-- and that he wants him to be as broken as he is. Big ouch.

Kess takes over at that point, trying to explain LifeWell water to their new friend. A combination of exhaustion and frustration overwhelms her in the middle of it, however, so she excuses herself to sleep it off. She ends up under a constellation of a scorpion, and Pongu suggests to Pearce that he choose one that meant something to him to watch over him as he slept. The gunslinger curls up underneath an arrow (yes, weapons are soothing, just ask my barbarian) and Kü doesn’t even bother looking up-- as soon as his head hits the floor, he drifts off into a deep rest. Pongu watches over them for the four hours they stay unconscious, making them a special (giving them ingame boosts!) bready treat. When they wake up, Kess eats hers and Pearce tosses Kü his-- who catches it deftly in his waiting maw. They take in Pongu now making pancakes for the group, and realize they have some decisions to make.

Case Closed

After throwing out their veritable to-do list, Pearce bangs the butt of his gun against the cave floor, commanding the attention of the other three speakers. He makes an executive decision that they should all go check on the Shadowmore family. They have no idea if they are still safe from Skugamor, and Kess needs to speak with them before they either stay for the Mardosta ball or move on to their next task. The Nobodies look toward Pongu, gauging his interest in joining them for a time. The fairy packs up the leftover food from the night before-- leaving a note that anyone who comes by it is welcome to it-- and agrees to travel with the trio. Kess warns Kü before she shifts back into her owl form, which turns out to be large enough to carry her humanoid companions.

They make a long, cold flight back-- and all seems quiet at the Shadowmore manor. The group makes their way to the fourth floor (you remember, the PARENT wing) and finds it empty. Searching frantically, they finally see them standing in the greenhouse, marvelling over Kess’ new and hydraulic flower. Norse turns around and exclaims her thankfulness for her daughter’s safety, counting the number of still-alive-friends with her, and greets the sunny newcomer. OMG. Did you see what I did there? Sunny cause Pongu is a literal ray of light but also-- Sonny?? His player?! That was COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONAL! WITNESS ME! Fine. I digress. The party catches the elder Shadowmores up to speed just before Brienne, our lovely tabaxi detective, strides into the greenhouse. Pongu introduces himself as Brienne looks over him curiously, and the investigator sighs, grateful that she doesn’t have to question yet another for Xarus’ murder. Hearing of this foul play for the first time, the fairy looks over to his new friends and says, “There’s a lot of death around you three, huh?”

The Nobodies stammer in unison, attempting to laugh off this outburst. Brienne pays it no mind, pushing forward to ask to speak with the group. She tells them that Xarus was found with poison in his system, and had a snapped neck-- probably from strangulation. The tabaxi had spoken with onlookers at the Underfrost as well as the cooking staff at the Shadowmore estate, who both told her that they experienced a similar phenomenon with shadow magic. It’s then that they come clean, handing the detective the page on Skugamor (which Brienne RIGHTFULLY chides Kess for stealing) and Kü recounts his almost-lifelong-ordeal under her influence. With a small, conspiratorial smile-- Brienne concludes that Xarus’ death must have been a suicide. She tells the group that if they did not take care of Skugamor that she would be unable to protect them-- but if the entity was really and truly gone, she was more than happy to close the case. She bids them farewell, and as they all let loose a breath they didn’t know they were holding (hello, YA roots) and Pongu smiles widely at them. He professes that he will be there for this courageous party until they no longer need him.

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TL;DR

Give a BIG SAShole welcome to Pongu and Sonny! You can find him on Twitter: @SonnyPlays and tell him Bren sent ya!

Wait, where’s my starry owlcat!? How do you pspspspsps a fey being?!

Things are looking up for the Nobodies. Be a shame if something happened...

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Don’t Pearce your pants in anticipation, but you can catch the next session over at twitch.tv/lochness on September 22nd at 7:30CST/8:30EST! If you’d like to watch THIS episode, follow the link below:

https://youtu.be/pXQxmi9dGbg

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