⛅ Aeros | The Bookshop - CLOSED

[Exitium]

bork (marking for my writing entry,, editing soon before the 30th <3)

[appleschloss]

I'm entering the Bookshop!
Username + ID: appleschloss 42156
Prompt: "Write about the time your aero went to the market, did they find anything interesting? Or make friends along the way?"

Aero(s) Involved:

Dawn ID#66 | Eventide ID#77

My Entry:

"Come on! I wanna make sure we get there before all the good stuff is sold out!"

Dawn smiled as she held onto the basket her and Eventide had brought along for their day out. Eventide was very excited to be at the market. They had found some Cloud Coins while out recently and instantly begged Dawn to come to the market with them this weekend.

If Even found a few more Cloud Coins in their pouch when they got there, well, Dawn wasn't about to let them know where they came from. She was just excited to see them so happy.

Even pulled her along, wanting to stop at every stall. They were enraptured by the smallest things. Dawn wanted to grab a few fruits while they were out, nothing crazy, but she knew Even had their eye on something a bit more.

While they walked along, Dawn kept her eye out as well. She knew what kind of stuff Even liked. Eventually, she spotted something. While Even was over at a different stall, happily cooing over various handmade plushies, Dawn came across a stall that was selling a variety of unique rocks and carvings. She was looking them over when she spotted a perfect one. She glanced over her shoulder, setting the basket down by her paws. "Even, you should come see this."

Even's ears perked up. They glanced over at Dawn and said goodbye to the plushie creator before bounding over. "What is it? What'd ya find?"

Dawn tilted their head back toward the stall they were at. The owner there smiled kindly at them as Even's eyed the products there. Suddenly, they gasped.

"How much?" Dawn asked as Even stared wide-eyed at the carving.

She negotiated with the shop keep before passing over the cloud coins while Even gently scooped up the carving. It was a horned Aero surrounded by clouds and a moon.

"Its us!" Even exclaimed happily, unable to stop their tail from swishing back and forth.

Dawn beamed. "It is." Even was beaming the rest of the day, happily carrying around the carving until it found its place back at home, proudly on display.

[Tortured Poet]

I'm entering the Bookshop!
Username + ID: Nessiie + 608989

"Write about the time your aero went to the market, did they find anything interesting? Or make friends along the way?"

Wendy | ID #120

Wendy sat at her booth, her cheek rested on a paw. She's been here for three hours already and no one had even glanced at her shop! She offered a friendly smile to anyone who walked past, but was met with nothing but silence. She had spent a considerable amount of time on her product, little wooden trinkets she carved herself. There was everything you could think of, little wooden animals, to flowers, and even vases and picture frames! All of which was handmade using the trees from the forest that surrounded her small house. It wasn't often Wendy made it into town, but on market day she knew she had to be there! Aeros from all over gathered to shop, some for luxury, while others came to stock up on the fresh produce they needed to live. Usually, Wendy would leave with some change, but today it seemed no one was interested in her craft!

Wendy considered packing up and heading home when a loud gasp startled her. She looked up to see an older gentleman with a thick white beard and glasses. "What a marvelous selection you have here, young lady!" He announced, picking up a small wooden elephant and studying it. Wendy offered him a smile and straightened up, trying not to show her spirits were down just moments before. "Young lady, where did you find such flawless woodworkings around here? Might I say, the details in each piece are exquisite!" Wendy's face flushed at the compliments. She'd never had anyone react this way to her art! She laughed nervously before telling the man, "I made everything myself, actually. Thank you for the kind words!" The gentleman's eyes widened in awe at the statement, as if he had just met a celebrity. "I've been traveling for quite some time and I've never seen anything quite as beautiful as your collection here!"

Wendy didn't even know what to say, the man's words almost brought her tears with appreciation. She opened her mouth to thank him once again, but before she could speak the man asked, "How much for the whole lot?"
Wendy's jaw dropped and she shook her head. "Oh, you don't want everything sir, that's far too much!" But the gentleman simply looked at her expectedly. She calculated the prices of everything off the top of her head before telling the man a significantly lower price. The man seemed to notice what she did and frowned. "Tsk, Tsk, girl! You'd be practically giving it to me! That price is far too low for items of this quality! Say, will this do for the whole lot?" The man set down a bag with a heavy thud and Wendy opened it to reveal it was filled to the brim with gold coins.

Wendy pushed it back toward him. "I couldn't possibly take all of this from you, it's too much! Even a quarter of this would be enough!"

He simply shook his head, "Now girl, you take this and I'll have not another word!" Wendy noticed that another man had approached the older gentleman, dressed in fancy armor and a red cape fastened to his back. She recognized the royal crest etched into his armor. "Your Majesty, we must get going now, or you'll be late for your lunch with the Duchess!"
"Why, you're right, Captain. Say, will you help load my new decor into the carriage?" The bearded man said, waving an arm to Wendy's booth. He seemed to notice her widened eyes and offered a wink, once again shoving the bag of gold towards her as the captain began removing the items.
"You have a jolly day now, young lady! Pleasure doing business with you, I hope to visit your shop again!" he waved as he walked away with a chuckle. She watched as he climbed into a royal carriage that had rolled up, pulled by a beautiful white horse. A few more royal guards came to help load up. until there wasn't a single trinket left. Wendy, still in shock, had to sit down to recover. The king himself had not only appreciated her art, he had cleared out her entire stock! She was so happy she could pass out, and it took everything in her not to jump around like a lunatic.
Once she had composed herself, she reached around and flipped over the sign that hung in front of the booth from "Open" to "Sold Out!"
Grinning, she placed the heavy bag of coins in her back pack, and began the journey home back to her forest.

[Prussy]

I'm entering the Bookshop!
Username + ID: Prussy | 1031676
Prompt: "Write about the time your aero went to the
market, did they find anything interesting? Or make friends along the way?"

Aero(s) Involved:

[Drakkaeras] | # 46 | {he/him}

[Betula] | # 59 | {they/them}

My Entry:

Silence. But not an ordinary silence: the creaking of branches of lumbering oaks and spreading willows, rustling of soft grasses, chirping and twittering of birds in the treetops -- the kind you can only hear in the depths of an untouched forest; this is the kind of silence that the other inhabitants of the forest spend their time to, blessed that no one trespasses here without a special reason. Surprisingly, there are an unimaginable number of similar or even more majestic forests in the kingdom, but this particular place was uniformly called, um, not so much cursed as strange. Frighteningly strange, no matter how picturesque the wildflowers were, or how harmoniously the sun`s rays fell on the crown of the pines. There were rumours that some time ago something had settled here, which changed the aura of the forest, but these rumours belong to the dark ages. Dusted with centuries, the conjectures have turned into legends that lose their original form, remaining to delight the eye on the pages of some books. Many times young Aeros came here to debunk the sanctity of the forest, but it was all in vain: each one who reached the edge of the forest suddenly remembered more important things and hurried home, remembering the trip only afterwards, when they had neither the courage nor the time for another outing.
Only one being knew what kind of mystical force was scaring away unwanted guests from a rather perspective place for relaxation. And that creature was themselves, the ones who had chosen this place as their home. Okay, as temporary shelter, which is temporary only because of the reluctance to call this place home permanently and the fervent hope of returning to their homeland.
One step, two, four, ten -- they broke into a gallop, rushing swiftly between the bushes and skilfully dodging unexpected branches. The fascinating smell of nature hit their face; under its force, a burgundy mist fluttered at the tips of their ears, and their tail waved majestically like a delicate fabric, creating the effect of a living, black and scarlet constellation. A carpet of fragrant herbs quickly floated under their strong paws, changing to a crispy bed of branches and cones, and finally to the sandy-stone pavement of the path -- exactly at that conditional point where the impossible was about to happen.
They are about to leave the forest shelter.
This obstacle stopped their movement exactly on the border with the specified place.
They hesitated: it was foolish in many ways, because what if..
"No, it`s enough," they whispered to the trees nearby, "We have spent enough time here and it is of no use -- what good will it do us to wait for several more centuries, or to dare to meet the inhabitants who are more educated than birds and animals -- will there be any benefit from all this?"
The wind tilted the branch, blowing a few leaves down.
"That`s right: we know the outcome of the first scenario, so why not try the roles from the second?"
Somewhere in the distance, a bird chirped briefly. They nodded respectfully, as if the forest itself had just given its consent and blessing to this journey, and they set off, slowly, in search of someone else. In search of Aero.
...
In their home, they knew such terms as markets and stalls, but for the first time they witnessed with their own eyes how much of chaotic energy these concepts concealed -- there were Aeros everywhere: some hastily buying goods from the clothing stall, others just looking at the prices, frustratedly stepping aside. They were all different, like the life lines of trees. For a moment, they stood frozen, mesmerised by the fact of such a great variety.
"Here is a majestic white tiger, whose tails have covered almost the whole part of the alley. And here`s a miracle: a living creature formed entirely of water, looking around with a respectful glance, leaving damp tracks behind.. And there are more -- a breathing inflorescence of purple flowers, whose tantalising scent reaches here.."
There were simple ones, marked with iridescent rainbow patterns, and those that looked snake-like, and those that cautiously clutched their soft wings, moving away from the floral Aero. And there were also..
"Oh.." they gasped, more in confusion than in hurt, as they felt the crowd around them grow thicker and thicker, and more and more often they were inadvertently touched by passers-by.
"Excuse us, we are leaving-" but they cut off their apology, realising that no one was paying attention to their words; those who happened to bump into them only looked around in surprise and hurriedly walked on about their business.
"Is it true that even here.. no matter what the difference between the forest thicket and this ant hill, something has remained the same.." In order not to deepen further into the abyss of the fact of fate`s injustice, they were desperately looking for a free island in this sea of Aeros. It looked like the dance of a drunken bee, so much so that they had to weave between these restless Aeros. This wild whirling made them feel ill at ease; the evening lamps swirled around them, and the voices mingled into an indecipherable mess of sounds and words. This was definitely not what they expected from a newly opened place, and yet here they were, like a first-grader lost in the endless labyrinths of a school, disoriented, sitting on the stone floor, waiting for the buzz in their heads to calm down. In this disjointed wandering, a strange bright blue sparkle caught their eye nearby. It was quite familiar.
"That`s the Aero we lost in the crowd!"
And indeed, there was the very one he hadn`t thought of because of the sudden rise in the amount of Aeros. This one was unusual: it had a long, thin tail with a blue misty cloud at the end, which looked and behaved like a fierce fire; a small, striped tongue peeking out so cute from under it`s fanged mouth..
"Dragon Aero.." they thought in awe, as they gradually stood up on their paws. Their eyes moved to the produce nearby -- graceful pale light green wings with a golden framing.
"Beautiful," the dragon said, and his smile seemed to make fangs look even sharper.
"It really is" they said quietly, but not enough for the comment not to be noticed.
"Oh, woah!" the green Aero hopped up on the spot, throwing the bags down and pressing a paw to his chest "Uh, you frightened me pretty good, mate"
"S-sorry," they stumbled over their words, but Aero wagged his tail condescendingly "It`s okay, don't worry about it. I just didn`t expect to see anyone else here, and, uh," it was obvious that something had confused him, but they weren't sure what it was.
"Pronouns?"
"Pardon us?" now they were confused by this surprisingly short and uninformative question.
"What pronouns do you use?"
"Pronouns.." oh, they hadn`t even thought about this point: among the trees and butterflies, this was not a required entry. To be honest, they did not fully understand the concept of "he-she", and they felt somehow different from everyone else, perhaps then..
"They.." a slight pause "..them"
"Okay, I`ll definitely remember that. For me, it`s just he/him. Heh, I may have blue flames, but my pronouns are basic, ha-ha!" but seeing the lack of any reaction to the joke, he reduced his laughter to an embarrassed cough.
"Well, never mind. My name is Drakkaeras, by the way" he held out his paw for a greeting.
"Betula" they timidly gave their paw, which completely disappeared behind the green one.
"Hmm, it`s strange" Drakkaeras thought for a moment, "but I have a odd feeling that I`ve seen you somewhere before. A sort of déjà vu, you know?"
"Yeah.. strange.." Betula barely managed to say, adding to themselves, "Strange.. because you`re the only one who can see me.."

[Kittyuwu88]

I'm entering the Bookshop!
Username + ID: Kittyuwu88 + 1059930
Prompt: "prompt here"
Aero(s) Involved:

#34|she/they|Zaina

My Entry:

Sapphire decided she deserved a little treat…that being going to the market she assumed that there was some cloud coins in her fur the absolute best spot to keep them and headed out without another thought saf thought it would be best to stop by Rachelle‘s Boutique first since she did need some new pizzazz “Oh hello darling, you here to find something new Sapphire?” Rachelle chirped happily “um yeah… I’m just here to look around” she muttered “alright have fun dearie!” And with that saf trotted straight to the back rack which had a nice satchel the perfect size to carry around small things (like cloud coins) she sighed and mumbled, “That’s nice but… not pretty enough more practical then what I want” she turned to her left and spotted some collar’s and one in particular caught her eye saf raced over to the rack and low n behold… there was a beautiful blue heart charm collar “Oh my it’s perfect!” Sapphire immediately grabbed it and raced to the front to pay Rachelle chuckled at seeing one of her customers so exited she happily chirped, “Oh would you like to buy that? Let’s see… it will be…. 50c!” Saf set the collar on the counter and reached into her fur she shuffled around for a few moments before horror brushed over her…she had left the cloud coins at home panic rose up all throughout her… she had found the purrrfect collar and can’t even buy it! “What’s wrong dearie?” Rachelle Asked Sapphire awkwardly muttered, “I don’t have the money…” “Oh… well you can’t just have it for free now darling… but I will just this once it you can get the cloud coins before sunset tomorrow I’ll let you buy it then” saf lit up at the offer and mewed, “DEAL! I’ll get it to you as fast as possible!” And with that not even bothering to say goodbye she ran out ready and determined to find some cloud coins!

[Darya]

I'm entering the Bookshop!
Username + ID: Darya 967175
Prompt: #1 - "Write about the time your aero went to the
market, did they find anything interesting? Or make friends along the way?"

Aero(s) Involved:

Reed #37
&
Brief mentions of:

Briar #8

My Entry:

While it wasn’t totally unheard of the gentle clopping of hooves on cobbles stones turned more than a few eyes Reed’s way. He felt the heat rushing to his face and did his best not to duck his head, hiding his face from view. Luckily his fur was dark and hid the blush from view. He picked up his pace, which of course only made the noise more obvious, large ears flicking back as he moved and prayed they’d eventually lose interest in him. Honestly he wasn’t much of a social Aero, preferring the company of his garden over others, flowers never pointed out the shape of his tail or his horns or anything… But well… He was also frankly terrible at saying no and it was no surprise Briar had managed to steam roll him into doing her shopping for her.

So here he was, trying desperately to find the right shop or stall or whatever it was that had the item he was looking for. Some new cosmetic or something, honestly Reed did not pay that much attention to fashion but he knew Briar cared so he at least wanted to try to help her… Even if he resented being made her errand boy. Bright colors on a table caught his eye and Reed slipped his way into a throng of chattering Aeros, trying really hard not to poke anyone with his horns.

“The newest colors for the upcoming summer season, get this pallet while supplies last!” A vendor was hawking their wares from behind the stall, but the crowd was bigger than Reed had expected and despite their best efforts there were still several more Aeros between himself and the stall.

“Sorry I- Um… Excuse me.” His voice nearly inaudible over the excited chatting around him, he was quiet at the best of times and with this many other Aeros around him he was struggling to put even his usual amount of volume behind his voice. He was being jostled about and a sharp “ow” in his ear told him he’d just stepped on someone’s paw. He barely managed to mumble a sorry before he was caught up once more in the surge of movement of the crowd.

“Now now, pushing won’t get you anywhere.” The vendor said jokingly, their voice carrying easily over the group, but it didn’t seem to settle the jostling, especially not with their next words. “There’s only a few pallets left for today!” It was almost instantly pandemonium. If Reed has thought he was being pushed around by the crowd at first he was nearly swept up in the tide of fur. He felt panic surge through him, both because he was almost certain he was about to get trampled but because he realised there was a pretty big chance he was going to not get what he’d come here for!

“Excuse me-” He said a little louder but his voice was still easily drowned out. “Uhm, please let me through.” But no one was moving and he lacked the courage he saw in other Aeros as they shouldered their way through the crowd. He could hear the vendor calling out to some figured further back in the crowd to try and let them come forward and Reed tried to get their attention, forgetting what that would mean:

“You there with the horns!” Almost instantly two things happened at once. The first was that many many sets of eyes turned to look at him, and the second was Reed’s stomach jumping straight into his throat. He felt every single eye in the crowd was on him and he swallowed hard, unable to clear the sudden blockage in his throat. The sounds of his hooves felt like it was so loud everyone in the market could hear them as he shuffled towards the stall. The merchant gave him a kind smile as he mumbled his way through the whole transaction. Frankly he’d practically blacked out, the next thing he knew he was walking away from the stall and the crowd and the eyes, a bag slung across his shoulders with something rectangular bumping against his chest with each step. Reed was bleary nearly all the way back, not even really registering Briar’s excited chatter about how she’d been trying to get this pallet for weeks and hadn’t been able to make it to the stall before supplies ran out and how had he gotten it?

It was only once he was well and truly home, settled in his favourite part of his garden that Reed seemed to properly come too, and he almost wished he hadn’t, the memory of the whole ordeal flooding back into him and filling him with fresh embarrassment. Briar would really owe him for this one, but deep down, very deep down he had a little pride for facing what was still his own personal worst day and came out the other side.

[opaquii]

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[opaquii]

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@thenullchrysalis
I won't lie the part where America replies with "the what?" made me laugh out loud!
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@dragoness129
Galawhim liked that you added in the part with the amogus plushies, and the lantern imagery!
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[thenullchrysalis]

I'm entering the Bookshop!
Username + ID: thenullchrysalis - 1047850
Prompt: "Write about what your aero's biggest
goal is, is it doable? Do they need the help of their friends to achieve it?"
Aero(s) Involved:

Void - #180 and Ender - # 182
My Entry:

Tonight is the darkest night Aronia has seen in years. The skies are almost black without the light of the stars and moon, which are smothered by the thick, rolling storm clouds hovering ominously over the kingdom. The wind is bitingly cold, kicking up dead leaves as it prowls the lands as if on the hunt. The world is quiet save for the wind’s wailing as nature’s children rest, only able to wait until her wrath subsides.

But on this eerie night, there are two Aeros who remain awake, even into the latest hours of the eve. Neither can afford the rest which so tantalizing calls to them; should either succumb to sleep, the consequences would be dire. It is solely through their dedication to each other that they remain, persevering through the exhaustion dragging at their very marrow.

The two of them sit in their basement as they carry out their mission, determined expressions lit only by the screens before them. The light catches their bright eyes, one pair of neon purple and the other of pupiless green as they read through the webpage before them. Their brains are muddied from exhaustion, but they both refuse to back down from their task.

Even if one of them really, really wants to.

“Okay, so,” Ender starts, “now they’re asking about your goals.”

“My goals.” Void repeats, purple eyes narrowing.

“Yeah, like, what you want to do in life, or whatever.” Ender explains, though the tailend of his sentence is interrupted by an impressive yawn, which shows off his startlingly sharp teeth. Void takes two seconds to be distracted by that before mentally kicking himself. Tired brain must stay focused.

“Well, my goals are quite simple, my dear scribe.” Void says, leaning back in his well-worn office chair (which has seen better days, to put it kindly), ignoring its squeaking cries to be put out of its misery-- or maybe for some WD-40. Probably the WD-40, because a new chair is expensive and WD-40 is less expensive. Void’s face does the thing it does when he’s about to monologue, so Ender bites back a sigh and leans back against the pullout couch (which has also seen better days, but is in remarkably worse condition than the chair because they found it on the side of the road), balancing the bluetooth keyboard in his lap.

“This world is made of nothing but injustice and tyranny,” Void starts, steepling his paws, “and I cannot stand for it any longer.”

“You’re sitting.” Ender can’t help but interject.

“Semantics!” Void retorts. “Anyway. Ender, I am but a simple Aero. I live my life exactly like others, following the paths the same day and night, repeating the same rituals as time passes me by. . . But I yearn for more.” Void stands. Ender sits back because he already knows how this goes.

“All my life, I have only ever strived to fit in. To follow the crowd, to. . . “go with the flow”, as they say. But there is something in me which calls for more than the life of a sheep--”

“What’s a sheep?”

“I don’t know actually. Anyway, I cannot help but long to be who I truly am inside, to follow that calling in my heart.” Void places a paw on his heart to emphasize his point. His pet jellyfish float around him serenely, their luminous bodies only making the flames in his eyes brighter. Ender nods along like a good bestie. “But we live in a society that cannot accept the different. The odd. The weird. And I’m a weirdo-- I don’t fit in, and I don’t want to fit in. I mean, come on, have you ever seen me without Dave, Dave, Dave, and Dave the Jellyfishes? That’s weird.”

“We know what jellyfish are but not sheep?”

Void ignores Ender. Silly Aero, of course they do. “There are others like me, others who yearn for more, to be more, to show their true selves. And I intend to usher in a new era of change where Aeros like me can be free. Where we can show the world who we are and be proud!” Void is standing on the coffee table now. “But in order to do that, I need power. Control. I need--” He looks to the water-stained tiles of the ceiling dramatically, “to take over the world!”

The silence drags on for a few moments after that. Ender taps his paws on the keyboard lightly.

“I don’t think Rachelle is gonna hire you if you put that as your goals, man.” Void wilts. Dave, Dave, Dave, and Dave the Jellyfishes all lose a little brightness. “Also, you can just drink the well water, nobody’s stopping you.”

Void hops off the coffee table. It barely creaks ominously, which is a win. “But they look at me weird.” He complains, throwing himself onto the pullout, aiming for what seemed to be next to Ender but ended up being halfway in his lap instead. To his credit, Ender only lets out a disgruntled “oof” before adjusting to be comfortable again. He pats Void on the head consolingly.

“Well, to be fair, that is a weird thing to do.” Ender says. Void grumbles something incomprehensible but doesn’t protest past that, instead rearranging his limbs to something less dramatic and more comfortable. They sit in comfortable quiet, both staring at the screen and the blinking line of the empty “goals” section of Void’s work application. The world outside is much calmer and lighter now, the early hours of the morning gently taking over the night. Their tiny basement window barely lets in the light, but it shows enough to tell them both that they’ve agonized over this application way too long.

“Let’s just put your goal as ‘making a difference’, how about that?” Ender offers diplomatically. Void sighs overdramatically, but nods. It’s not the whole of it, but it’ll do. He’ll just have to tell her all the details in person. Ender, oblivious to this thought, sighs in exhausted relief and gets to typing so they can finally, finally go to sleep.

[Tortured Poet]

I'm entering the Bookshop!
Username + ID: Nessiie + 608989
Prompt: "Write about what your aero's biggest
goal is, is it doable? Do they need the help of their friends to achieve it?"

Rodan ID#248




Rodan sat at his desk, the large chair almost throne like. His tail swished as he stared at the screen in front of him. Numbers, data, names, flashed across the screen and he studied every bit of information that was given to him. His brows furrowed as as a small knock sounded at the door. "What do you want? It better be important!" He snapped, and a short aero stepped in, a lesser demon that Rodan recognized as his assistant. "Sir, its not looking good out in the field. Soul retrievals are down by over twenty percent since just last week!" The small demon announced, clutching a clipboard and a pen. They scribbled down some words then looked back up at Rodan expectedly. He simply huffed, "Tell me something I don't know. I've been watching the numbers all day. What are the Contractors doing out there anyways? Lucy's never gonna give me that promotion if we can't get this together!" He growled, slamming his laptop closed. "Tell me, how do we boost moral around here? No one's gonna make a deal with the devil if the devil's not trying to make a deal, right?" He asked his assistant, who nodded encouragingly. "Me and you, we're gonna put some fire back in those Contractors! If we can beat the Reapers, Lucy himself has no choice but to promote me!" He let out a low chuckle and linked his arm through his assistant's and marched out of the office. Reapers were in charge of collecting souls who passed on due to natural causes, and they sent those who deserved it straight to Hell, whereas Contractors were in charge of making deals for souls on behalf of Lucifer. They had to con and negotiate their way into possession of souls, which was arguably a harder job than whatever the Reapers had to do. And Rodan, he was the most cunning and deceitful of the Contractors, so good at his job that after just a few centuries he became head of the whole department! Rodan wasn't satisfied with just that, though, he always had too much ambition for his own good. His absolute biggest goal in life (well, death, really), was to be Lucifer's right hand man! What better way to get on the King's radar than to not only meet twice the quota of souls, but gather more than even the Reapers?

"Where are we going, Lord Rodan?" the assistant asked, to which Rodan gave him a sharp-toothed grin. "I think our dear Contractors would feel a little more motivated if they got to see the very best in action! We're collecting some souls today, my friend!" Rodan's assistant's eyes widened in both excitement and fear. "You haven't been out on the field in centuries!" Rodan whipped around, feigning offence. "What, you don't think I still got it?" he asked, before walking over to an intercom on the wall. "Attention Contractors! Yours truly, Lord Rodan, will be joining all of you out on the field today. Not to judge you, but to work along side you. Watch and learn! Too add a little bit of spice, if anyone seals more deals than me by the end of the day, I'll personally fund a free one decade long trip to Earth!" Rodan listened as cheers resounded around him, and he wasted no time getting to work. He began answering calls immediately, from poor dummies messing around with ouija boards, to answering clueless wannabe sorcerers casting demon summoning spells. No call was answered without a price, that price being a soul. Rodan was in his element, enjoying every second of the barter. You want a couple more years tacked on to the end of your life? Cool, Rodan will have your soul in about 85 years! You want to be a millionare? No problem, all Rodan asks for is your soul! It's not that big of a deal, right? But its a deal none the less, and one that's permanent once the contract is signed.

By the end of the night, Rodan took the headset off and laid it gently on the desk and wiped his brow. He took a moment to look at the numbers and his eyes widened. Not only had he beat his own personal record, his team as a whole beat the all time record of souls sold in one day! No demon came close to collecting as many as Rodan did, but combined the Contractors had collected more souls in twenty four hours than they had in the last month! Rodan took a glance at the Reaper's numbers and roared with proud laughter. They hadn't even gathered half as many souls as the Contractors! Lucifer would have to notice Rodan now!

Rodan paced back to the intercom as the day died down, and glanced around to see the entire office watching him expectedly, waiting for the results of today's little competition.
"Attention Contractors!" Rodan announced once more, "Unfortunately, no one's going to Earth." Disappointed murmurs broke out amongst the crowd, and a couple shouts rang out from the back. Rodan shrugged before continuing. "However, you all did such an amazing job today." He paused, and everyone realized exactly how significant a compliment from Rodan really was. "That I've decided that the whole department shall receive a pizza party!" The office turned from disappointment to joy almost instantaneously, sheers erupting from the thousands of demons that surrounded Rodan. If there's one thing demons loved even more than souls, it was pizza! Rodan grinned, "Party will be held tomorrow. Every one of you have a great rest of your night. Now get some sleep because after our little party, I expect nothing less than what we witnessed today, okay?" Shouts of agreement answered him, and with that, Rodan hung up the intercom and retreated back to his office.

His laptop screen lit up with a chime that signified an incoming email, and Rodan almost died again when he saw who the sender was. It read: "From: His Royal Majesty Of Hell, King Lucifer"
Rodan had never clicked on something so fast. He scanned the email and shouted with excitement. Lucy himself had personally asked him to meet him at his throne immediately. While Rodan had no idea what thqt entailed, he could only imagine his fate was about to take a turn for the better! Was Rodan's ultimate dream about to come true?