D.D. Ward is Writing

“What are you reading?” Lynn asked. I looked up as Lynn entered The Lady of Refreshment. I smiled and closed the magazine and held the cover towards her. “Yssian Fashion Quarterly? Huh,” She said. “I never thought of this era having magazines.” “Me either, but I took a different route this morning and I found a shop that sells books and magazines. They’re pricey compared to what we would have paid back in our old lives, but nothing I can’t afford.” “Could a commoner afford them?” Lynn asked. “Yes, but it wouldn’t be a smart purchase I don’t think.” I smiled and sipped my green tea.  Lynn looked at the cloth bag sitting beside my purse. “It looked like you bought more than a magazine. May I look?” “Of course,” I waved at the bag. Lynn reached into the bag and began to pull items from it and read. “A Survey of Agarthan Fashion. No surprises here, Ren. The Fashion of Lady Paquin. Again, what I’d expect. The House of Gordon and Grant. What’s this? Oh, it’s a fashion house. I see.” “Wha...

Winter had arrived. Lynn and I sat inside The Lady of Refreshment Cafe. The Cafe was nearly empty, and we sat in a corner booth behind a potted bush of some sort. We had been chatting about our respective relationships. And then Lynn decided that idle chatter had gone on long enough.  “So, have you three consummated the relationship yet?” Lynn asked, clasping her hands beneath her chin and leaning forward. “Lynn!” I gasped. “What? It’s only fair. You know exactly when Leon and I consummated our relationship. I deserve the same courtesy from you.” “I walked in on you two doing the dirty! It was an accident!” “Once is an accident. You managed to do it twice!” I stared at my green tea, and then poured half into the bush. I set the tea cup back on the table and reached into my fur cloak. I produced a flask and filled the space in the tea cup with liquid from the flask. I screwed the cap back on and returned the flask to my cloak pocket.  “What is that?” Lynn asked. “Lemon, mint, c...

“So, have you made offerings to the Twice Dead Gods yet?” Lynn asked me. I shook my head, “Fiona doesn’t venerate them. She only follows the Old Religion. So I’ve made offerings to the Fair Folk, but that’s it.” “Doesn’t Amy venerate the Gods?” Lynn asked. “She does. But she’s never pressed. I suspect Lady Karen wasn’t very religious before I took up residence in her brain.” Lynn snorted, “I should be so lucky. As head of the household, I have to make offerings and read invocations and all that. It’s unnerving.” “At least neither of us were religious before we got here. I can’t imagine a Christian dealing with a world where the dominant religion is so different.” Lynn nodded, “And one where magic is real. That makes it harder to dismiss the gods, doesn’t it?” “It makes the fair folk hard to dismiss. I’ve seen their powers in action. I’ve seen them give blessings. I can’t call myself an atheist here.” “The Fair Folk aren’t gods though.” Lynn said. “Close enough for government work,” I a...

“Ren? Have you noticed how chill everyone in this world is with violence?” Lynn asked. I considered this as Lynn took a sip of her coffee. We sat in a cafe, called The Lady of Refreshment, just off the town square of Octavo City. Lynn and I had taken to meeting to discuss things we had noticed. We talked about the world of Ossedei and how it differed from Earth, where we had grown up. “I don’t know,” I answered, “I heard a lot of screaming and panicking when I killed my father.” Lynn nodded, “But when the deed was done, everyone accepted Leon’s judgment in our favor and moved on. You and your little team had killed the Baron and his brother, and the rest of the nobles accepted it. Nobody seemed traumatized. Nobody seemed to suffer from post traumatic stress. I haven’t had to deal with emotional damage from any nobles since I took power as Baroness.” I took a sip of my tea, “I hadn’t noticed that at the time. But I don’t think you’re wrong. What are you thinking?” “Well,” Lynn said, “My...

  Lynn and I sat at a table in front of The Lady of Refreshment. The cafe was quiet, the morning rush had passed and lunchtime hadn’t arrived yet. I blew on my green tea. Lynn cradled her mug of coffee between her hands to warm the exposed skin. Frost still clung to the stones of the city, from cobblestones to city walls. Winter hadn’t arrived yet, but it peeked over the walls in anticipation.  “How can you wear cap sleeves in this weather?” Lynn asked, eyeing my bare arm as I lifted the tea to my lips.  “That’s why I’m wearing the cloak,” I answered. I set down my tea and hefted the fur lined collar of the cloak.  “But you have to reach your arms out of the cloak to drink. I can see the gooseflesh on your arms from here. You’re freezing.” Lynn stared at my arm as she spoke. “Fashion has a price.” I shrugged.  Lynn continued to stare at my arm. I tried not to shiver, she would already be smug about this as things stood. She kept staring.  “You’re staring,” ...