A writing prompt exercise to use the following words: Elongated Critical Epitome Locksmith Dainty Monster Claw Rapture Swirl 500 words or less.
Characters from my unfinished Spaceship Story :)
Dartia sat, chin in hand, at the counter in the kitchen. He watched mildly as Nesris put dinner together, unmindful of her audience. She moved easily in the kitchen, her long years of life as a slave had not made her dainty, but solid and sure in the things she did. Dartia could have been admiring her, but his mind had wandered away to other things.
One of the elongated metal ceiling grates above the table suddenly rattled. Dartia turned to look at it, Nesris gave it only a momentary glance before returning to her preparations. After a moment the grate swung down on its hinge and a pair of legs followed it down. Kint landed on the table in a furious crouch, the fingers of his hands curled into nasty claws and a snarl on his face.
“The resident monster has arrived,” Dartia said calmly over his shoulder to Nesris.
“What would your mother say if she saw you standing on the table Kint?” Nesris answered without looking up.
Kint jumped off the table and crossed to the kitchen area. “What are you making. Dessert?”
“Yes, dessert. Picori Rapture, your favorite. Would you like to help me with the picori fruit swirl?”
Kint assented and Nesris got him set up to do the chopping and blending needed for the dessert’s cream topping. With Kint occupied and most of dinner baking or simmering she turned her attention to Dartia.
“You are the epitome of distraction today,” she told him.
He blinked and his eyes cleared of their distant stare. He smiled and shrugged. He opened his mouth to speak but the crackle of the intercom over their heads interrupted him.
“Alert,” Ion announced in his most automated of voices, “Greenhouse air purification filters have reached critical volume.”
“What’s going on?” Nesris asked the computer, concerned instantly about the little greenhouse kept the lower compartment of the ship.
“There is a malfunction in the relays,” Ion answered in his normal tone, considering and amused and vastly intelligent. “I’d fix it but the gardener is obsessively controlling and I’m locked out of the system.”
Nesris rolled her eyes. “Just override my lockout. You know how to do it.”
“I am a super advanced artificial intelligence, not a locksmith.”
“You’re a super advanced artificial intelligence that is directly linked into the ship’s systems. If you let those relays stay fused what other kinds of problems could occur to ruin your operating system?” Dartia scolded his friend.
Ion had no breath, but he muttered something none of them really understood before he clicked off the intercom. Dartia smiled brightly at Nesris. “I can watch all your pots if you want to go down and check it out.”
“Watch them boil over and burn and not notice a thing,” she kissed his temple as she passed. “Kint will take care of it.”
Nesris left the kitchen and Dartia returned his chin to his hand and distantly considered Kint as the boy prepared the night’s dessert.
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