[starshine,]

aldrich struck the anvil with a hard CLANG, the metal ringing through the workshop. the sword was almost ready to be put up for sale. he heaved a sigh, and placed the metal into the fire once more.

the blacksmith was covered in soot, ash, and dust. his overalls and brown leather boots were covered and his hands were rough and callused. he glanced at the anvil, beginning to wear after a year or so of using it everyday, it had began to show that he needed to replace it soon. he checked the fire, and nodded curtly before waiting just a few moments to take it out and let it cool in the bucket of cold rainwater sitting near. aldrich began to shape another piece of metal.

the older kalon had an apprentice, eldon, who seemed to go missing every night and morning, but would return during the evening, to help him with his metal making and crafting. eldon was very mysterious, always gone and never really, there. the apprentice was very subtle and calm, and rarely spoke a word to the older blacksmith, he was always lost in his own head, humming a tune or when he thinks he is alone, singing softly to himself. although the blacksmith loved the smaller boy, he didn't think being a blacksmith was the right job for the young boy. eldon was never really good at the craft anyway, and the only reason he was apprenticed to aldrich was for the money for his family. eldon got approximately 8% of the money aldrich earned, which was only a few coins. he glanced around once more, checking for the small, quiet kalon, but he was, once again, no where to be seen.

eldon stopped at the crossroads, where he hung a quick left and paused at aldrich's. he swung open the cherry wood door and smiled brightly before continuing on with his chores. aldrich glanced at him quickly, surprised to see the young lad burst through the doors. he shook his head briefly and moved his head slowly back to the sword he was wrapping and shining for presentation through the glass of the shop.

-

eldon had finished his chores, and moved his eyes frantically to and fro the shop, looking around for his master before quickly scampering into the back room. he shoved some boxes away from the secret trapdoor hidden beneath the floorboards of the workshop, and eldon quickly pulled it open, moved some boxes in front of it and shut it without noise, he climbed down the creaky ladder and into the dimly lit workroom, filled with paints and canvases, blank and full. he smiled again, his eyes lighting up enthusiastically as he rushed over and set his jacket down on the small table, picking up a paintbrush and testing it, moving it from hand to hand, then grabbing an almost finished painting. he began working.

aldrich jumped from his chair and placed the newly crafted and shiny sword on the velvety display case near the front of the shop. the old kalon paced around the shop, looking for his apprentice, and having no luck. he had sworn he had seen him just a few moments ago. of course, this was normal, he was always going missing and aldrich began to get used to it, but he still grew suspicious every passing day. he checked the backroom once more, swiping dust and cobwebs from the door frame and walking in a few steps. he jumped, startled by the sound of quiet singing coming from, what seemed to be, underneath him. he plastered the side of his face to the floor and heard the soft melody,

Alas my love you do me wrong
To cast me off discourteously;
And I have loved you oh so long
Delighting in your company.

Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves my heart of gold
Greensleeves was my heart of joy
And who but my lady Greensleeves.
(Greensleeves- King Henry VII)

a tune most everybody knew, he hummed along slightly as the figure kept singing. he snapped back into reality quickly and realized what he was in there for. he rummaged around, looking for something that could lead to the singing coming from below. he noticed faintly a floorboard out of place and slowly picked it up, he saw something, a handle most likely and grabbed it, yanking it up. the ladder was dimly lit by the flickering candles. he began to descend.

eldon stopped, his ears twitching as he heard the trapdoor open, he froze in place. aldrich had discovered the secret he had been keeping for almost a year. he flinched and kept his eyes on his hands as the blacksmith walked closer to eldon, stopping to look at the paintings. aldrich cracked his knuckles lightly and paced slowly towards the boy, his eyes trained on him. eldon turned his head, aldrich's blue-grey eyes boring into his skull. he looked up, his hands shaking and his lip quivering, trying to get words out but he could not, and aldrich only smiled a small smile, his eyes flooding with realization. he stepped away from eldon and waved his arm around the room, "this is where you've been going all this time?" aldrich said, his voice deep and throaty. eldon looked around, and nodded sheepishly. aldrich gave a small chuckle, "who would've thought.." his voice trailed off and he was hit with a memory from long before this time.

aldrich laughed, his eyes gleaming, his sister sat cross-legged on the ground and smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling with mischief and laughter. she scooted closer, "remember, you can't tell dad about this place, ok al?" she said, speaking in a rushed tone and with a whisper-like volume. aldrich nodded, although it would be hard, he would take this secret to his grave.

aldrich shook his head, the memory fading into a nothing but longing for the past. he looked at eldon, the harshness in his eyes had turned to a soft glow, and he looked down, giving a deep sigh. he walked over to the stool where the still-frozen eldon sat, and bent down to look him straight in the eyes. "do you love art?" he asked, his face maintaining a solid expression. eldon nodded, his eyes still locked on aldrich's. "is this what you want to do?" he asked, eldon glanced down, his head moving slowly up and down, to tell the truth, he hated being a blacksmith apprentice, but it was one of the best paying jobs and his parents needed the money, which was the only reason while he did it. aldrich tilted the apprentice's chin up with his hand, to stare straight back at him. "you will continue to work for me, but, you will also work down here. you will continue on with your day and pretend like this never happened, i never came down here, you still love art, and you still continue to do art." he ordered, standing up and walking back towards the ladder, "and dream your dreams, live up to your full potential, never let someone like me drag you down." he said, he glanced back, and smiled slowly, giving him a warm feeling inside as his mentor ascended the ladder and closed the trapdoor.

aldrich smiled to himself as he worked that day, his eyes brighter than usual, his soul feeling lighter. he looked at his hands, again rough and ashy black, he chuckled to himself. passion is a feeling, one that could lead to a happy ending. a passionate person is someone who will work hard to achieve their goals, he looked back to the storage room, where he could see eldon climbing out of the basement hurriedly. he looked back at his work and began molding the metal once more, his mind focused and now at ease.

[SilentMelody]

day three: the tiger || "tell about something your kalon is passionate about."

ròuzhì is passionate about gardening and flowers. she has dedicated her whole life to caring for plants, and she doesn't ever plan on stopping. this kalon believes that flowers are reincarnations of others, including her ancestors. she watches and cares for them precisely to make sure that they don't die. at one point, a youtan poluo bloomed in her garden and to this day ròuzhì believes that it was the reincarnation of buddha.

ròuzhì is passionate about her religion and enlightenment. after the youtan poluo blossomed within her presence, she's been a stronger buddhist. the humble gardener and florist believes that one day she may reach enlightenment, hopefully teaching her children the ways of buddhism too.

lastly, ròuzhì is passionate about her family and the love of her life. she met incarse at her shop when a fight broke out, and she cared for him despite her fears of violence. since then, they've been in love and caring for a wonderful family. mac and shèngkāi are one of a kind kits.

kalon: ròuzhì || mentioned: incarse, mac, and shèngkāi || word count: 171 words

[iBrevity]

"Tell about a something your kalon is passionate about."
|| Medea || Bahiti || Clytemnestra


When Medea enters a room there is an uncomfortable awareness of her. She is neither tall nor short, striking nor plain; she simply has a way of being that's different, that feels almost wrong. Queen Clytemnestra's advisors turn away from her entrance and mutter among themselves, but Medea ignores their trivial gossip. She crosses the room with an easy, languid gait, and on her shoulder her raven Jason eyes the advisors with obvious malicious intent.

Clytemnestra, as oblivious to her council's dislike of Medea as she has always been, smiles warmly at her and her bird. She spontaneously hired the woman some months ago now, and has never once regretted the decision. Medea settles gracelessly into a chair beside her, and there is a slight scratching of feathers as Jason shifts closer to her ear. There is a bout of whispering then; Clytemnestra, looking at the two of them out of the corner of her eye, cannot rightly tell who it is that is speaking. Her councilors come to her with wild stories of Jason croaking words, of tall tales that Medea and him can actually understand each other. Clytemnestra wonders if there is any truth to the rumors.

When Medea bursts into startled laughter Clytemnestra can only smile helplessly, even as her advisors return to their vicious muttering. Medea strokes a calloused hand down the length of Jason's back and chides him in Greek, though her affectionate grin betrays her. Jason nips at her ear and resettles his feathers, looking as smug as a bird can manage. Medea catches Clytemnestra watching them and raises one insolent eyebrow and Cly immediately colors, turns again to her council.

"Has anyone seen Bahiti?" She asks.

"I passed her in the hall," Medea says, switching flawlessly from the unusual Greek dialect she uses with Jason to the modern one Clytemnestra and her people speak. Medea leans back in her chair far enough to kick her feet up on the table, and balefully ignores the look she garners from the council. "She'll be here soon."

Medea has a way of knowing things that Clytemnestra does not question, so she believes innately that Bahiti will in fact show up at any minute. The room remains in an uncomfortable, stilted silence for only another few seconds, and then Bahiti sweeps in through the open door and everyone subconsciously straightens up.

Where Medea has a softer, gentler beauty Bahiti is all sharp angles and glittering, dangerous eyes. She is far taller than Clytemnestra and Medea both and moves with such elegance that she scarcely makes a sound as she crosses the room. She inclines her head once to the council, who instinctively nod back; and then she takes the open chair to Clytemnestra's right, and crosses her legs at the knee to allow her cat Omorose to climb into her lap.

Omorose matches Bahiti in the same way that Jason matches Medea, as if the girls and their pets are two sides of the same coin. Omorose settles graciously over Bahiti's knees and Bahiti produces the clipboard she carries around on Clytemnestra's behalf, and a pen to take the minutes of their meeting. In a voice that is as staccato sharp as her features she says mildly, "We may begin."

This meeting, like many of Clytemnestra's royal meetings, loses her interest in five minutes flat. She tunes out from her council member's repetitive worries, and splits her time looking from Medea to Bahiti and their respective companions. Her smile is dreamy and soft; she does not, in fact, realize she is smiling at all until Omorose flicks her tail and purposefully catches her eye. Clytemnestra flushes pink, somehow certain that the cat knows exactly what she was thinking.

Although Clytemnestra has still not found the proper words to confess, she is in love with the two girls who bracket her. They have not known for her longer than a few months each but Clytemnestra has known them since she was a child. She has always been one for dreams, an infant who was happy to sleep for as long as her mother would allow it; but as she grew, and she woke with her dreams still fresh in her mind, she realized there were a few familiar faces that she saw every time she closed her eyes.

She fell in love with the girls as she got older, and through her adolescence they were her constant companions. She knew their names, their pets, their lives; for as little as either have told Clytemnestra of their histories, she knows from where each came. She knows that Medea has a deep, unsettling fear of the woods, and that she will stall at a long oak shadow and shiver. She knows that Bahiti hates to leave even a scrap of food on her plate, and that she must resist her urge to stab the errand boy who clears their dinner dishes each night. She knows them far better than either suspect, but is reluctant to try to explain it. Clytemnestra never thought that the girls who occupied her dreams were real people, never once even entertained the idea. When Medea meandered into the castle's front courtyard and Clytemnestra spied her from her bedroom window, she had promptly dropped the little glass globe she'd been studying. Her surprise only grew when Bahiti arrived some few days later, and her excitement to find and hold these women consumed her.

It was a rude awakening when she realized that, despite Clytemnestra's persistent, endearing dreams, not Medea or Bahiti knew her. They did not recognize her, and when she tried to hug Medea upon their formal introduction Jason lunged to bite her face. She was more cautious with Bahiti, sidled into an embrace rather than reached for it, but her and Omorose regarded Clytemnestra with such open disgust that she withdrew. Whatever had granted her these dreams, they had not shared.

So Clytemnestra hired them both, and tucked them into her side to whatever extent she could. Medea became her personal advisor, Bahiti her aide, and begrudgingly, reluctantly, both became her friend. She must still stop herself when her hand reaches automatically to tuck a strand of hair behind Bahiti's ear, or to soothe an upset feather in Jason's narrow, dark wings.

She smiles again to herself, steepling her hands in her lap, and daydreams about what might be. She is determined to do this; if she cannot love them as she always has, she will be their steadfast friend. She would do anything for them, should either ask, queen or no; and although it pains her sometimes to have them so untouchably close, she would have it no either way. Clytemnestra loves deeply and earnestly, and she is passionate in her belief that whatever is meant to happen will inevitably happen.

[credit]

Dᴀʏ 03: Tʜᴇ Tɪɢᴇʀ
" [ eager, courageous, fighter ] "

Tell about a something your kalon is passionate about.

Mariazell sat upon the couch in his small home with a rather decent cup of tea within his paws. He sipped it lightly while tapping his foot in content. There were about 15 rabbits that surrounded him upon the couch, just sitting back and relaxing just as much as he was. His mate, Fern, was out and about doing his daily duties. With one of the smallest rabbits within his lap, he set down his cup and instead,picked up the small mammal and hugged it close. It's fur was around the same color as his mates,which is partially why he adored this one a little more than the others. The Austrian kal gave a sigh of content as he thought about the passion he felt towards his lovely Fern, and that's when he started to brainstorm ideas on how to physically embody his passion. Mariazell tilted his head trying to think when it was soon interrupted by a small rumble that erupted from within his stomach.
"Oh my, I guess all of with all of this thinking I had forgotten to eat this morning!" he exclaimed while removing himself from the bunny inhabited couch.
He began to pull out multiple ingredients in order to make one of his favorite from his homeland of Austria, Kaiserschmarrn. When he actually began his baking endeavor it seemed as if a symphony began to play as each individual piece to this rather large puzzle came together to form one magnificent masterpiece.

It was about an hour before the kalon completed his baking. He wiped off the small bit of sweat that formed about his brow due to the intensity of the pastry. He closed his eyes and took a single bite, nearly bringing tears to his eyes. "Wunderbar!" he cried out in complete happiness. "I-I should probably save some for fern.."
As he left the kitchen, the pastry plate laid out on the counter with a small note on the side.
"Made with love, Maria~"

[gone----]

Day 3
Gino & Sterling

They lived in two separate worlds.

One was the son of the company CEO, a well off young man, stern, with a piercing gaze ready to shut down anything that crossed his path in the office. He sat in a spacious office with a mahogany desk and a sky view over the city that was like none other. A view of the city and the skyline, a view of how the sun rose and fell each day- though the man didn't pay very much attention to such. He was much too busy with his work to really care. His desk was filled with constant stacks of paperwork to finish, neatly stacked at the right side of his desk. He had folders of plans to read through, meetings to accept or decline- most days were filled with busy work and tenseness. His time was precious.

The other had a different type of job- not on the same place as the corporate ladder. He was nothing but the son of the company's secretary, someone with little to no power and often scheduled what he could and did coffee runs when his father was working. He didn't have much of a place within the company, most people had consistent jobs and such, while he worked under his father's shadow- while his father worked under the company's manager's (and so on from there).

They seemed so different, and yet, their passion for each other's company was the same. Each day, they'd strive for each other's companies; no matter how tiring their lives could have become, it hadn't mattered. Each showed up to the their respective positions, savoring the brief passing hellos, goodbyes, and how are you's as they did. And when lunch rolled around- well, they'd enjoy each other's company, away from the eyes of the corporation.

"Gino, Mr. Lim has scheduled a meeting with you during your lunch break today- he refused a reschedule-"

"That's fine, tell Sterling I'll be there as soon as lunch starts."

Yes, indeed, their passions were each other. In the way that each caught the other's eye, how captivated they were in the moment, and how determined they were to survive each passing day, within the corporate culture. Up above the skylines of the city, Sterling couldn't live without Gino's vivaciousness; and Gino felt the same of Sterling's nonchalance. (They grounded one another, but neither will admit it).

[cyrevan]

Prompt Day 3: Tell about a something your kalon is passionate about.
________________________________
Interviewer: Welcome to Nightly News! It’s that time again: time for our weekly citizen interview, where we find a random person willing to participate and ask them a few questions. Say hello, Salem!
Salem: Hello, camera.
Interviewer: So, Salem, would you say you have any hobbies or passions?
Salem: Oh yeah, definitely! You see, I really like to zentangle. I’ll do it on paper of course, but also on notebook covers, phone cases, and anything a permanent pen can make marks on.
Interviewer: Sounds interesting. But what exactly is zentangling?
Salem: It’s doodling, sort of. Basically, you create intricate patterns of all sorts to form one bigger whole. It’s called zentangling because it’s supposed to bring you to a calm state of mind.
Interviewer: And does it do that for you?
Salem: Oh yeah. Zentangling is my main method of relaxing myself, so I always make sure to have a pen on hand just in case I get stressed or angry.
Interviewer: Thanks for answering the questions, Salem! We’ll be back next week with a new random citizen to interview. Now, tune in for the weather report.
*click*
________________________________
188 words

omghhgh this one was bad sorry ;w;

[angelshy]

tiger and rabbit raced one another, both very fast animals, but tiger was a bit faster.
tigers are fighters, and love pushing themselves for a cause.

tell about something your kalon is passionate about.

ethan is easily v passionate about his lil' floof of a kitten named pringles cx

[heartleafed]

»chevalier   »passion   ─   DAY 3; THE TIGER


» "Fabien!" He calls, "Fabien come on now!" Chevalier -well, no, he's Auguste here- is sitting beside the florist, getting impatient with his sons tardiness. "He's not usually like this i swear," he asides, smiling at Ameer while swaying a little.

"You really, really love him huh?" He'd only been here maybe an hour, soaking in the sights of the small mansion which was stirring with the buzz of an party yet to happen.

Chev laughs, "Oh more than anything or anyone else I've ever known." There's a pause, his smile grows wider, warmer. "Though had you asked me that ten years ago I can't say I'd have said the same."

It was true, before his son was born he couldn't remember anything he had poured his heart into this much. Himself aside that is. He was young, absolutely unsure of anything he was doing, but the day Fabien fell into his lap was the most sobering moments of his entire life. He had never once given any thought to children, or anything that would keep his life in any way cemented to one place. But the second Fabien was handed over to him, it was like a switch flipped and flooded him over with a passion he'd never thought it was possible to feel.

Suddenly Chev was thrown out of his head by Fabien flinging himself into his father's arms. Nearly ten years flash by in a moment, once again bringing a rush if warmth into him as he holds his son.

"This is wonderful father!" Chevalier beams, happy all the work he'd put into the party hadn't gone unnoticed. Flowers, banners, gifts, guests, music, food, anything and everything a ten year old could want and then some. This, this was all he wanted from this day, from his life, from anything. If ever he felt his life coming into focus, it was now.

[beautea]

" prompt three " ft. althea
───────────────────────

to this day, she never understood why.

there was a constant drive in everything. to fight, to survive, to resist everything so much, if only for one more breath left in the rat - race of life. and althea could partially understand, but something else didn't. why did it matter ? she didn't ask for a quick laugh, or to confuse when she inevitably asked someone else, but it was just so open to interpretation. in her centuries of life, to the best of her ability, she had tried to save countless lives. the healing ability provided assistance in absolutely dire situations, but most of the lives she saved had been without it in order to conceal what she had. but, most of the people she had saved really hadn't needed her help; in fact, she believes most of the reason why so many of them lived was solely because they didn't want to give in. there was such fight behind their eyes, a careful balance of fear mixed with the one clear thing racing through their mind, that they weren't going to lose today. that they were going to be alright. and it shocked her that that thought alone was what got most of them through, the determination of those she had helped. it astonished her, confused her, fascinated her. and that is why she always had to ask them after they had recovered enough energy to meet with her. sometimes she would revisit them years after she had helped them, sometimes it was only a month. sometimes they weren't where she thought they would be, and sometimes they had been looking for her, if only to give her thanks for her help. but she always tried to come back in some way, to ask them " why ? why did you want to live so badly ?"

of course, the answers were varied. some told her it was out of fear of leaving what they had behind, fear of the afterlife, if such even existed. others said that it was a primal instinct to survive, even if they didn't have much to go back to at home. they had simply listened to the drive and fought against death.

but what she remembered the most were the ones who told her that they had lived because they were determined to. that they had family back home, friends that were waiting to see them, even a pet that needed their care. it astounded her that their answer wasn't a variation of " I was afraid ", but instead was a variation of " I wasn't going to let it happen ". they said it with such certainty, such pride, that she had wondered if she had even needed to help them in their time of need. and with those who answered her question in such a way, she had always walked away with a sense of peace. although she was struck with such mixed confusion on her own reason for survival, she found tranquility in knowing that others didn't even need to think twice about their own reason. they knew exactly why, and that was the end of it.

her passion was to finally find the precise, precious reason behind the drive to survive.

[whimerri]

day 03
____

featuring Nutmeg
____



Nutmeg is passionate about reading!