Many of us agree that we shouldn’t open this magical door, but… I can’t deny the temptation.

 
Timeline/World: Through the Looking Glass – Lost in Translation
Characters: Seraphiel Sedes
Race: Angel – High Council
Age: Unknown, physically about 20
Current residence: Heavens
Final Word Count: 794 words
 

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At times, we run inconspicuous tests on some of the residents. It is mainly to ensure that certain of our rules are followed and, well, it just seems like it is one of those things. Them failing that test that isn’t presented as a test isn’t the end of the world. We only talk to them briefly about things, we see if there is something we could have done that would have made it easier for them to make it through the test and, in the long run, it also lets us know who we can trust in certain areas and who we just can’t.

One of the tests that had been done quite a few times in the past is the door test.

There’s nothing special about the door. It’s just a random door—to a public space that is safe to be entered—on which we place a small panel stating that the door is magic and should not be opened. Many know that there are spells and other things that can go wrong, even up here. A door that was just a plain, boring old door one day very well could be cursed or blessed or anything in-between the following day and no one would really know any better. It is uncommon but it has happened in the past.

So, we mark the door as being magical and under investigation and that it should not be opened for any reason and then, well, then we watch.

Or, more simply so, there are markers placed on the door, not unlike that of security systems the folks on the earthen realms use, and we know who touches the door as well as who might have opened it. It wouldn’t really be an inconspicuous test if we had someone standing or even sitting not very far from the door at all times during the twenty-four or so hours that the test is running.

Most of the time, we pick a door that is close to a high-traffic area, it means that more people than not will see it and, you know, most of the time, very few actually touch that door. Some pause, read the panel, try to look on either side of the door as though to perhaps sense that something might be different about the door and then they shrug and keep on their ways. The only ones who truly know that this is a test at all are the few of us setting up the test and those who have been tested before and who have failed that test, though, even then, we don’t bring up the door, merely that we wish to talk to them.

On this particular test, the door was placed in an area that was near the dormitories where our newly reborn tend to sleep. We figured that this was as good a test as any. It really does give us an insight into what they might do if they come across something that they don’t understand at this point.

For most of the day, things went well. At one point, I was told that a group of them had gathered near the door, quietly discussing the pros and cons of opening this wonderfully magical door. What harm would it do in the long run, really? Some stepped away when it became clear that a handful of that bigger group was beginning to be swayed by the words of a single soul telling them that the temptation was certainly sweet and, truly, what harm could it do, in the long run? It makes me shake my head somewhat to think about it.

By the end of the test, the door had been opened three times. Over the course of a full day, that is a very minimal number, especially for how close to the quarters of our newcomers it had been set. Those who opened the door have been scheduled to have a slight talk with but otherwise, that’s all there really is to the whole thing. We’re not about to punish people for thinking that it would be cool to open that door, they kept away from the temptation that was the whole thing and that’s all there really is to it.

At times, it’s not even a door. It might be a bench that we’ve marked as currently being worked on as it has caused issues—with elementals and even a few strife-born, things seeming to gain a mind of their owns isn’t an unknown—and so people seem to understand that it’s not completely out there that even a bench or a lamp post, of all things, might have been cursed and shouldn’t be touched.

We have to get creative, in the long run.

If I get cold, I’m stealing your hoodie for warmth and no one can stop me.

 
Timeline/World: Until Tomorrow – Family Values
Characters: Skyler Quinn-Speziale
Race: Human
Age: 21
Current residence: Warwick, New York
Final Word Count: 776 words
 

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Some of the fans are weird. I don’t really mind the fans, not that I play for the fans, I just play because I can and because I love fútbol but I had an interaction with a fan not that long ago that left me shaking my head, even now when I think about it, it leaves me to wonder and it makes me wary of leaving anything anywhere while I’m on the field.

Whenever I can, I leave my things with Jenny and that’s possibly my safest option, really.

Out of nowhere, right after one particular game, there she was. I’m not sure how she managed to sneak around though it’s not all that hard depending on where you look. It was a somewhat small city, a little game a little out of nowhere but it was still a very fun game. At times, I feel like I have to point out again and again that I don’t play the game for the fans and the cheering. I do it because playing brings me just so much joy.

I can’t complain that I also still get to play with the people I’ve always played with. It’s the people we play against that change every time now. I can’t predict their moves, I can’t claim to know that person inside out and it’s been a huge learning process.

Anyway. It had been a good, hard game. We’d barely won by a couple of goals, and we were heading back out after the game to the little bus that awaited us to take us back home. We could have used cars, but you know, buses just make it easier.

Even before we were outside, there she was. I’m not the one she latched onto because I was nearly dead centre of the group with San, but she latched onto Juan, chattering up at him as though they were age-old friends but the startled look on his face and the fact that he kept on trying to not so subtly pull his arm from her, he was clearly not all that comfortable with her.

All of us got startled by her presence, really. She talked about mindless things mostly. What she’d had for lunch that day, what she was thinking of having for dinner, how the weather had been outside and, just as we were making it outside where the rest of the fans were and a bit of security, she claimed that if she got cold, she would steal his hoodie—which he’d been wearing mind you at that point—and no one could stop her.

At that point, he’d thankfully—so I feel—managed to free himself from her hold and she was pouting at him in a way that I’m sure she imagined had worked on other people but clearly didn’t seem to work for him and it only made me want to get away faster.

As we stepped outside, I heard someone call out a name—Julie, I think it was but I’m not sure—that name sounded completely exasperated and I lost track of the rest. We all split up for a little bit, talked to the fans some and then just kept going on our way. The bus was so close I could almost taste it and I’m not going to lie, once the games are done, I end up sort of crashing. We practice a lot, but the games are harder, you can’t really plan for what’s going to happen during the games and we play hard.

I often end up napping while we’re on the bus as we head back home. I know that most of the team chat for a little bit but on longer trips, I’m pretty sure that of us are zoned out on the way back; it can’t be that bad of a thing. We’ve used up a lot of energy and we’re just relaxing on the way back home. We’ve celebrated a bit in our own way but none of us need to go out there and party; at least, none of us from our little corner of the world.

There’s only one fan I’m truly interested in and she’s the only one I need in my life. This one fan I get to go home to every single day. I know that she comes to the games as much as she can, but it doesn’t always work out as far as schedules are concerned and that’s okay too, I’m not going to hold that against her. There are things that are much more interesting to hold against someone you love if you catch my drift.