9 January 2023

I have been struggling so hard this week. I didn’t even write anything the 15th and 16th. Some of it is time; there’s been a lot going on in my personal life lately, and not just because of schoolwork. Or even mostly because of that. But there’s also issues with my motivation and energy levels, as well. I’m still not sure what to do about that.

Anyway, here’s a little clip from Adeline’s story. I kinda tried to push forward despite whatever block I’m dealing with. For me, at least, it shows in the writing; not my proudest efforts.

The jeweler offered a price, and after confirming it with Zad, Adeline accepted. She handed over the jewelry and took the money, and the trio began to head out.

Just as they opened the door, the old man called out to Zad. “This is big risk your family take. Next time in Luskra, if you make it, I give you special deal. Tell your father.”

Zad seemed more than a little surprised, but he nodded. “I’ll tell him.”

Soon the three were walking down the street. Adeline asked, “Where do we go now?”

“Well, you’ve got a few options.” They stopped at an intersection, and Zad pointed down the road to the left. “The Grand Market is up that way; I’d recommend at least going to visit once before you leave. They have all kinds of things for sale, and all kinds of performances and street shows, too.”

He gestured up ahead, further down the road they’d been walking on. “If you want to take a ship, follow this road down to Harbor Street and turn right. It’ll take you straight there. Not sure how much they’ll ask for, though. You could always try looking for another merchant caravan, I guess, but most of them will be at the market anyway.”

6 January 2023

Felt like working on Adeline. I realized I couldn’t remember exactly where I was trying to go with the scene with the jeweler, so I picked another section of the story to work on.

I actually don’t know a lot of the circumstances of what’s going on around this scene. I know the basics; Kenna Magleby, the other protagonist, is part of a squad of law enforcement-type peeps. Adeline has been arrested for helping her father (unwillingly, but they don’t know that yet, per se) in his illegal kidnap and slave trade; Kenna was one of their victims during that time, though she eventually escaped. Needless to say, There’s some history there, and Magleby’s being affected, though I need to do more research to understand how better.

Adeline watched the members of the squad that had arrested her. There was a tension in the air between them; was there something else going on?

Privately, she was afraid it was somehow her fault. She remembered the blonde one in red. Magleby, they called her? She’d been with her brother the last time Adeline had seen her, and Magleby seemed to be at the center of it all, along with the younger man in blue.

Eventually, one of them, a shorter woman with ruffled brown hair, came over and watched Adeline for a while. When she finally spoke, she asked, “You must have really done a number on her for her to be this spooked by you. What the heck did you do?”

As best as she could with the manacles, Adeline signed, “I don’t know.”

The woman–Rayner?--seemed surprised by that. “You don’t know?”

Adeline shifted to give herself more slack with the chains. “Father took care of most of that. And I think the worst usually happened after they got sold. I don’t actually know what she’s been through.” She looked away, her expression clouded with guilt. *”I… didn’t want to know.”

There was another pause, then Rayner asked, “Your father. Was he the one who did this to you?” She tapped against the side of her cheek.

Adeline nodded. When Rayner didn’t reply right away eventually Adeline added, “Not long after he found us, I tried to warn someone to leave.”

Rayner nodded, as if that was the answer she’d been expecting. She glanced over at Magleby and cursed under her breath. “This ain’t gonna be pretty.”

“Why? WHht’s going on?”

Rayner stood up. “Let’s just say there’s a lot of hurt mixed up in all this, and suddenly it’s got nowhere to go. Here’s hoping she gets her head on straight before she does something she regrets.”

24 December 2022

I finally got back to my Adeline story. This is the big project I’ve been working on more or less since I realized I wanted to become an author… and I’d definitely bitten off more than I could chew. Technically, I did finish a draft of one version of the story… but that one’s kind of crap and doesn’t really look anything like the story the way it is now.

Adeline is one of two main protagonists, and has just escaped an abusive home, alongside a foreign slave (Ting) her father and his friend were getting ready to sell. Ting actually has magical abilities she cannot control, tied to death and rot. They’d just met the Dorwitts, a family of traveling merchants, very loosely based on the idea of gypsy caravans. Summer’s Fall is August; Harvest’s Rise is September.

Soul’s Day, 31st of Summer’s Fall, 473

It’s hard to believe it’s already been almost two weeks since I left home, Mama. Or that it’s the end of Summer’s Fall already. I feel free, more than I have in a long time.

I think you’d like the Dorwitts. They’re fun, and they’ve been teaching me a lot of different things. Mostly more sign language, so I can talk with them better, but also things like keep track of your money, or how to juggle. Even though she didn’t want us to stay at first, Vy’s even been teaching me some tricks to get the most whenever I have to sell some of the jewelry you left.

Lianne said I should pick something out to keep for myself, to remember you by. I think I might keep that small necklace you used to wear a lot.

Most of the time Ting just watches. I think she’s scared of herself, still. But it’s not as bad as it was; I think the gloves really helped. And she’s always there practicing when they’re teaching me how to sign; I think she might be better than me, soon.

Rasbin says we’ll reach Luskra around three days from now. That’s kind of sad, in a way. I don’t want to say goodbye to the Dorwitts so soon. But I think Vy was right to be scared. Just letting us travel with them is dangerous.

Around ten to eleven days after Adeline and Ting joined the Dorwitts, three days into Harvest’s Rise, they arrived at the gates of Luskra. It didn’t have large or particularly imposing walls, but the city itself was a sprawling, massive thing. The sheer quantity of people crowding around the gate pressed in on Adeline and made her feel trapped; she could only imagine what Ting must be going through. She reached over and grabbed Ting’s hand, and flashed her a quick smile. Weak as it was, it did seem to help Ting calm down.

After they got through the gate and past the worst of the press, Rasbin pulled their caravan off to the side. He patted Adeline and Ting on the shoulder. “Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. Do you remember how to get to that pawn shop I recommended?”

Even though Adeline nodded, she couldn’t quite hide her uncertainty. She’d known Luskra was bigger than Caldwell, but she never imagined any place could be this big. Even if she remembered everything right, she wasn’t sure she could make sense of the city enough to follow Rasbin’s instructions.

Rasbin gave her an appraising look, then clapped Zad on the back. “Why don’t you go with them? Make sure the old coot doesn’t try to pull one over on them? We’ll be at our usual spot in the market.”

Zad stumbled forward and shot his dad a withering look. Then he straightened and nodded his head down the street. “C’mon, I’ll show you the way.” 

He lead them down a couple large roads, then turned down a smaller street to a quiet but dignified shop. Adeline and ting followed him inside, where a short Jingese man with a neat, white goatee stood behind the counter. He opened one eye and looked at Zad. “Ah, the young Dorwitt boy. When did your family return?”

“Just came in today.” Zad tipped his head back toward the girls. “Actually, I’m here to help these two. They have some jewelry to sell, and Dad said to make sure you didn’t scam them too hard.”

“Oh-ho.” the old man studied the two for a while, and especially lingered on Ting’s gloves, before he bowed to them. “Cao Wei at your service. What can I do for you today?”

Adeline stepped up to the counter and began to pull out jewelry pieces from her satchel. Once she’d pulled out everything but the necklace, she signed, “How much could I get for all of this?”