Tag: Writing Workshop - Tumblr Posts

Filled with Rage and Coming Out of My Cage

⚠️ Profanity and slight violence ⚠️

The large office fell silent as Bonehead sat in a simple mahogany chair. Across the desk, Dominic Kingsley, known as Midas by his business associates and enemies, leaned back in his luxurious, cushioned office chair. Behind him, Vaude paced with his arms crossed. Though they couldn’t see his face behind the beaked mask, Midas and Bonehead could feel the rage that radiated off him. Vaude stopped abruptly beside the desk and glared down at the intruding islander.

“How dare you treat me and my partner with the amount of disrespect that you have the guts of showing.”

Vaude stalked closer to the man and leaned down. His beak bumped the center of the boney face below. Vaude’s gloved hand creaked with the force he used to grip the top of the chair. Bonehead froze in place. His fear rooted him where he was. Midas bent forward and rested his chin on a propped arm atop his desk. He was intrigued by how his naturally goofy, optimistic boyfriend turned into an intimidating force when angry.

“I really want to know what the hell was going through that head of yours. Who do you think you are, walking into our agency and attempting to blackmail the criminal prince of Apollo,” asked Vaude.

Vaude tried to continue, but Bonehead straightened his posture, and his blue flames burned brighter as he looked between the two men in front of him. He smirked and cut his way into Vaude’s rant.

“Some prince, if he has to have the chaotic dumbass of Apollo do his dirty work. What’s next? You gonna shove your hand up his ass and make him talk, too?”

Bonehead howled his laughter, but it was cut short when Vaude slammed his hand against the desk and rattled the stationery that lay there. Bonehead shrank in his chair, and his flames quickly dimmed again. Vaude grabbed a fistful of the smartass’ hoodie and pressed him further into the chair.

“Don’t you dare speak while I’m speaking. Man, you must be dumb as shit to drag Midas through the dirt like that. I oughta kill you!”

Midas heaved a sigh. Though this has entertained him, Midas couldn’t have his boyfriend tarnish his medical status because of one unfortunate scumbag. He snapped his fingers, and Vaude paused. The rage-filled bird looked over his shoulder at his lover.

“Vaude, dearest. Let him go, and we’ll have this sorted properly,” Midas glowered at the boney man across from him and continued, “I’ll make sure that he’s the one in the dirt. Permanently.”

Bonehead spluttered out some excuses and scrambled in his chair. Before he could run, Midas had pushed a button on his desk and a shadow and ghost henchman, Bob and Jeff, who Vaude had adopted as his son and son-in-law, dragged the offender off. Bonehead kicked and screamed the whole way, even after the ornate double doors closed after him. As the doors slammed, Vaude plopped into the chair Bonehead was in. He deeply exhaled and ran a hand down his beak. He reached out with his free hand, and Midas held it in his heavy, golden grasp. A chuckle from Midas broke the silence once more.

“Damn, beaky. I didn’t know you had that much rage in your tiny body. C’mon, I’ll draw us a nice, warm bubble bath, and then we can watch whatever you want on TV before we go to bed.”

The two exchanged a smile before they slowly stood and went about their evening. If people didn’t already fear the Agency because of Midas and his power, then they’ll learn to fear the small bird that accompanied the crime overlord of Apollo.

The Bird Leaves the Nest

⚠️ Mention of alcohol at end ⚠️

Vaude fell to his knees. They made a resounding crack as they met the hard, worn wooden floor of his shack. He clung to Wildcat’s pants leg like his life depended on it, and in a way, it did. His body hunched over her boots as a tsunami of tears flowed from him. His voice came out in broken sobs.

“Momma, please don’t go. I’ll do anything to keep you here.”

Wildcat looked down. A frown creased her lips as she looked over her shoulder at John, then back down to her adopted son. She rested a hand on Vaude’s arm and gently pried him off. Vaude looked up in disbelief as he scrambled backward on his hands and feet.

“I’m sorry, baby bird, I have to go on this mission. John needs me.”

John held her hand and gave it a small squeeze before they walked out of the crumbling shack. Vaude stood abruptly and stumbled after his mother and father. He cursed his limp under his breath and shouted after them, but his voice was too hoarse, and they were already gone.

Vaude was left alone once again. He limped over to his chair in front of the fireplace and plopped down. He reached beside him and picked up a brown glass bottle from the crate that served as a makeshift table. For the next few nights, Vaude distorted his memories with the bootlegged swamp liquid.

Posting this as a seperate drabble from my RP blog @fn-devilles

After seeing the battlefields and wreckage:

Vaude stared, eyes wide and beak agape. He shook himself back to his senses.

“Actually, I change my mind. F*ck this, I want out of this hellscape.”

Vaude quickly turned on his heel and jogged back down the hill. He returned to his sister and braced his hands on his knees, out of breath.

“Lizzy, we—“

Vaude wheezed and held his chest.

“We need to find a safer home. I don’t know where, but Condo Canyon isn’t it. Too many IO forces.”

Elizabeth marked the page of the book in her hand and placed it beside her on the large rock she sat upon. She folded her hands neatly across her lap as she looked up to meet Vaude’s panicked face.

“I suppose this means you’re officially on our side, one hundred percent?”

Vaude nodded. He wobbled to Elizabeth and plopped beside her. Tears brimmed his eyes.

“There’s no use staying here. All I wanted was a happy, peaceful life with Dom, but it’s not going to happen in the loop. I was foolish to think otherwise, all those years.”

Vaude wheezed again as he tried to hold back his tears. Elizabeth reached into the bag that was settled against Vaude’s back. She pulled out a canteen of water and a rag and handed them to her brother.

Vaude gulped down half the contents in the canteen, then blew his beak into the rag. Elizabeth rubbed circles on his back as they sat on the rock and looked out over what was once a promising place to call home.

“You’re not foolish, Vaude. You’re strong enough to have dreams while everything crumbles around you. I’ve seen it myself. No matter how many times your hopes are crushed by catastrophes and the evil of this world, you still manage to pick yourself up and keep pushing forward.”

Elizabeth smiled and patted her brother on the head.

“It’s one of the things I actually like about you.”

Vaude squawked with indignation as his sister burst into a fit of laughter. When she noticed him pouting, Elizabeth quieted down. She softly smiled and pulled Vaude by the shoulders into a side hug.

“No matter what happens next, we can get through this. We’ve been through worse.”

The twins rested their heads together and watched as the sun descended on the destruction that spanned across Artemis.