Purse

Ivy slid into the little seat at the coffee shop table. She always arrived a few minutes early to her appointments - she was obsessed with being prepared.

Natalie was almost always the next to arrive, being the very picture of punctuality. She slid into the seat next to Ivy. “Still waiting for Liz?”

“Aren’t we always waiting for Liz?” Ivy sarcastically asked as she sipped her iced cocoa.

“I’m here!” Liz took a deep, gasping breath, “Look! I’m even almost on time.”

Natalie raised an eyebrow, “I see you stopped for coffee on the way to your coffee date with friends.”

Liz’s face flushed, “Well, you can never have too much coffee, right?”

Ivy laughed, “Any coffee is too much coffee.”

Both Natalie and Liz sighed at their friend.

“Does anyone have some chapstick?” Liz asked.

“Just a sec,” Ivy unslung her purse and started rummaging in it. “Mmm, it’s usually right here on top,” she said as she slid her arm impossibly deeper into the medium size bag.

“It’s not that important,” Liz started.

“Maybe I left it in the other bag” Ivy muttered as she reached in even further, her shoulder disappearing. “Ah ha! Here it is!” she exclaimed as she withdrew her arm, only to reveal a new purse, that looked suspiciously larger than the first.

“I’m sorry, what?” Natalie started.

“It’s just a purse guys.” Ivy said as she flipped the chapstick to Liz. “Want one?”

Hunted

Tameka blinked, her world looked as though someone had overfed a sugar plum fairy too much candy, shook her up, and let her vomit color everywhere. There was no rhyme or reason to the gobs of bright color, it just was. It annoyed Tameka. She was used to clean whites, delicate pastels and rustic earth tones. But that was back home.

Tameka brushed her way through the crowded bazar, a sense of urgency pushing her feet a little faster than normal. She was looking for a way out when a puff of steam rose in front of her face, the smell of spices making her mouth water. She hadn’t eaten in three days. Or was it four?

She sidestepped the stall and nearly ran over a pet dragon. It hissed at her and scuttled backwards between its owners legs. A little child with dark skin and electric blue hair bent down and scooped the spooked lizard into their arms. Tameka didn’t stay around to see any further reaction. She was pressed for time and if she didn’t make her flight, she couldn’t save him.

The Jäger stood leaning against a stall and watching the crowd. Tameka’s heart froze - they were hunting her. Luckily her legs kept moving and she slipped behind the Jäger and into another fast moving stream of bodies.

Up ahead she saw her exit, the sun was streaming through the open doorway and Tameka saw the airship.