Rylan quit his job at the greasy burger joint and with school finished, the time had come to strike out, take charge of his career, be the boss. While his sister is career-minded like Aria, Rylan thought of himself similar to their father. Creative writing had been a strength in school and posed a possibility for Rylan, picking his sisters brains to crunch some numbers, he set himself up as a freelance writer, that way he could pick the juiciest and highest paid jobs, keeping the money for himself. Work had been hard to come by, he needed to build a reputation and for the most part, wrote short articles for free to push himself in the competitive industry, Aria questioned his decision, encouraging him to look for a ‘sensible’ job.
Bowling took precedence over looking for employment, his cocky “I can do this on my own” attitude meant his sister picked up the bills, and tensions with his mother grew. Rylan had new issues, his team “Mischief Makers” were sinking in the bowling league and a rival Newcrest team were looking to seize the trophy. The opposition had a beautiful blonde woman called Emilie, she had the sweetest smile, she focused on the game, knocking up an impressive score for her team. He looked at the matching outfits, team unity and strategy his team lacked. “Mischief Makers” were competitive with each other, they dressed as they felt and performed pranks on the opposition hoping to throw them off their game. Putting slime in the holes of bowling balls or the floor, random cheers as they took a shot, except today, seeing Emilie stopped Rylan in his tracks, her presence distracting him from him his normal high standards of play.
Emilie occupied Rylan’s thoughts over the next few days wishing he had asked for her number instead of kicking himself for losing the match. Aadhya complicated things, he agreed to take her to the spice festival, she referred to it as a “date”. Although they got on well, Rylan saw her as a friend rather than a romantic interest, they had known each other as friends all through high school and his feelings had remained the same.
San Myshuno was busy, the vibrant colours enticed them, festival food at the heart, tickling their senses, mouths watering at the thought of hot samosa’s. Aadhya flashed flirtatious glances, made sweet comments and offered encouragement to take up the spice challenge, a plateful of the hottest curry. Rylan cringed, the throng of people, their mouths full, he imagined flames expelling from them, sweating from the heat. Shaking his head he brought them a safer choice, spiced lentils stuffed in pastry, fried, a side of Raita, flavours he could handle. They sat close to the guitarist, enjoying the tunes, Rylan could see Aadhya wanted to push their relationship towards romantic intention, but all he could think was Emilie, he diverted their conversation, maintaining neutral subjects.
Intrigued Rylan suggested trying the bubble blower, its effects varied depending on the flavour. Being a first-timer, Aadhya suggested sticking to plain, handing him the hose. The intoxicating effects dazed Rylan, coughing bubbles as it hit the back of his throat, liquid snorted from his nose. Aadhya laughed, Rylan slipped off the cushioned seat in a stupor. He stumbled over his feet, reaching his hand towards the bench, laying down, he attempted to sleep off the effects.
By the Grace of Sim Gods 