deemoyza | 7 Days, 7 Stories - Days 1 & 2 (Reply)

I've decided to unofficially participate in GYWO's 7 Days, 7 Stories this year. I hope to use the challenge to draft out vignettes for my Baker's Dozen collection, which I've been feeling a bit guilty about abandoning right after I started it. I did manage the rough draft of one vignette yesterday, but for today I ended up writing a triple drabble treat for Multifandom Drabble, which absolutely still counts.

Since I can't share the drabble right now, have a snippet of the Baker's Dozen vignette.

Context: Selphie has had a horrible New Year's Eve and needs to talk to Quistis. Unfortunately, she doesn't have Quistis' home phone number, so she decides to set off the alarm at the bakery to get her attention.

Of course, Quistis wouldn't investigate personally. Selphie should have known that. Of course, the alarm company would send the police.

And of course, the police department would send Squall and Nida.

"Selphie, come out calmly with your hands up," Nida said through the megaphone.

"Put that darn thing away, Nida, I can hear you just fine!" Selphie flipped over another table and completed her barricade.

"Then come out, please."

"Not until I talk to Quisty. Have you called her yet?"

"We don't call the owner until the situation is secure," Squall said.

"It is secure!"

"You're not secured."

"Only 'cause you're both too clumsy and slow to catch me. Now call Quisty! I need to talk to her."

Squall sighed. "Fine." He pulled out his phone and began to dial.

Meanwhile, Nida shook his head. "Why'd you do this, Selphie? I thought Ms. Trepe was your friend."

"She is. But I can't get a hold of her, and I need to talk to her, and I thought this was the best way."

"Really? You thought breaking and entering was the best course of action?"

"Don't judge me, Nida. I've had a rough night."

Nida didn't say anything else to her, instead turning to Squall and trying to muscle in on the conversation he was having with Quistis. At one point, Nida managed to wrestle the phone away from Squall and began providing more details. Selphie crouched behind the table, her heart pounding, and traced designs on the tile to calm herself. As she dragged her finger along a fine line between tiles, a flyer caught her eye.

Happy New Year from the Downtown Dollet Business District! , it read, followed by the names of the businesses along this street. Qake was there, as well as Sant'Angelo Books, along with several other little stores and services, all of which had been fighting to hang on as much as Qake had, all of which shared, in some part, in each other's successes and failures.

A community.

These were the businesses and people Quistis was worried about, not just herself. These were the people Selphie had let down through a careless mistake. These were the people who made this district run, who brought it to life and kept it that way, who gave back to the community as much as they took in, if not more.

Yet Selphie was not a part of that cycle. Despite her cheerleading, despite her generosity, she was still just a consumer, and not an active participant. Maybe she should change that.

Maybe that was exactly the change she needed.