Otto's First Date story

[THE LADY OF MIDNIGHT]

So I thought it would be fun to have a writing contest going again!

Abaratian's avatar inspired me on this one

Everyone use your creative skills to write a short story on how Otto Houlihan's first date occurred. Or.....you can chose a different character as long as its a main character from the series and they can't be on a date with another main character unless its something like Boa and Finnnegan or that type of thing where they are already "together" persay... so you can do one for Mischief and his wife... that'd be funny.

Rules:
1. Don't plagerize - thats lame
2. PG 13 content so anyone who joins the forum can read
3. It can be as long or short as you want


Entry form

Character chosen:
Scene:
Time Frame: (general idea of when this is happening)


Let me know if you have any questions!

Post by December 30th!
Thanks

[Abaratian]

Sorry, just to clarify...

Should he be on a date with another Abarat character, or should it be an original character?

I'm so going to try to do this, but it'll probably have to wait until my finals are done.

[THE LADY OF MIDNIGHT]

It can be an Abarat character if it works, like I said mischief and his wife or like Boa and Finnegan.

If you are doing Otto though it should be an original charachter, because as far as I know the books don't mention any love interest for him.. do they?

[Abaratian]

I was just imagining crazy crack pairings. Is this supposed to be more humorous or more romantic, though?

[THE LADY OF MIDNIGHT]

You can go either way, romantic or funny. Whatever feels right to you
Just as long as things are pg 13, which they should be on a first date anyways it shouldn't matter hahaha

[THE LADY OF MIDNIGHT]

Ohhh I love the idea of this one but no one entered....

[carrionsprincess]

Otto Houlihan was almost 30 years old and he’d never been on a date. Not really anyway. Dalliances here and there with young maids and peasant girls had kept him contented, for he was a servant of Midnight, and what use had he for a woman other than touch? Certainly there was no use for love on a place where his own master was marred for saying the word years before. So what exactly he was doing here, ducking into an upscale restaurant on Idjit?

He had been looking for the Hereafter girl, that’s why he’d first come to 1 am. Chasing after the object of his Lord’s growing obsession. He didn’t understand it, but an order was an order and he would obey it. And so he’d traveled the streets of Idjit’s town, taking care to avoid the lightning, and searching fervidly for a shaggy haired brat and her geshrat so he could finally be done with this mission. And that’s where he met her. Or technically him, first. The man was some sort of Lord or mayor on the island, Otto didn’t particularly care for specifics. All he cared was that the man was flashy and reeked of self-importance, and seemed like the type who would be all too pleased to impress the Lord of Midnight by assisting in capturing the Hereafter girl. With that thought in mind, he’d taken two steps towards the man when he suddenly found a knife to his throat. His attacker was behind him, the blade pressed to his neck with such force that he froze, knowing he had been bested, and yet he’d never even thought to keep his guard up. The nobleman looked up and the commotion and had the audacity to laugh at Otto’s plight.

“Viktoria,” the man called out, “he was only coming to speak with me.”

Slowly the knife moved away from his neck, and when his attacker slid away, he was surprised to see that it was a woman, sheathing a knife against the leg of her pants. Noting his surprise, she gave him a smirk, which flashed white teeth and gave her complexion an almost serpentine aspect.

“What a shame, Criss-Cross Man,” she taunted slowly, “I’d thought you’d be more of a challenge.” Her jeweled eyes both mocked and dared him as she tossed her hair over her shoulder haughtily.

“I didn’t want to make you look bad in front of your master,” he shot back coolly, trying his best to appear as though he’d known she was there all along. The cold laughter that hung in her eyes as she moved to stand next to the nobleman, however, said that she wasn’t buying it.

The man, as it turned out, was in fact the noble in charge, and declared to Otto that he would be all too happy to assist his Lord of Midnight, and would send descriptions of the girl to each of his men, as well as instructions to bring her to him alive. Duty being taken care of, the nobleman seemed to be in no hurry to leave, and happily chatted to Otto about things he didn’t particularly care about. And through it all, the woman who intrigued him so stood slightly behind her master, stiff and straight in a soldier’s stance. She was attractive; he’d have to give her that, with long raven hair that hung straight to her mid-back, and eyes that were garnet red, and underneath her loose fighting clothing, he thought he could detect some very flattering curves. As though knowing his thoughts she caught his eyes and smirked once more.

From her noble’s happy chatter, he discovered that the ‘fine young woman who you just met’ was his guard. He declared her the finest assassin on the entire island, which surprised Otto once more. He’d known the woman was a warrior, but female assassins were very few. He was suddenly struck with an intense desire to get to know this her more. When the noble finally shut up, he moved away almost reluctantly, unwilling to say goodbye to her just yet. He could tell she felt the same when she turned from following the noble for a moment and sauntered up to him.

“What do you say we give you another chance to prove yourself to me, eh Criss Cross Man?” She was close enough to him that he could smell the spice of whatever she wore. He realized briefly that she was almost as tall as he was. “Meet me when I get off duty, at the Shadow Wood.” And then with one more slow predatory grin, she’d turned and stalked after her charge.

Unbelievable, he thought to himself, standing in the lobby of the posh Shadow Wood, wondering just what he’d gotten himself into. He’d never in his life met a woman like her, and he wasn’t sure yet if that was a good or a bad thing. Yet he’d still gotten ready to go to dinner, dressing up in fancier clothes, and making his hair slightly neater. At the moment however, she was nowhere to be found. He’d already scanned the faces at every table, and had been standing in the lobby long enough to know that she hadn’t just been in the bathroom while waiting for him. Wondering if perhaps she had planned to meet him outside, or even if he’d been stood up, he pushed open the door and walked back into the Night air. There were a few groups outside the door, and he pushed around them, but no sign of Viktoria.

He was searching around the side of the building when she suddenly appeared, emerging from the shadows like she’d just been created from them. He should have been wondering what she’d been doing in an alley outside the restaurant, but he didn’t have time to think. He was too preoccupied with the black dress she was wearing, the way it V-necked and ended at mid-thigh, and the way that all the material in between clung to, he’d been right, some of the most killer curves he’d ever seen. Following her body down, he saw that she had nice legs as well, encased in long leather stiletto boots that laced above the knee.

“You didn’t really think that I was the ‘dinner and drinks’ kind of girl, did you?” she purred as she approached him, that predatory look in her eye once more. And then, moving quicker than lightning, she pulled a knife from her boot and leapt at him. Not expecting her attack, he had just enough time to quickly parry her and knock her arm aside. She landed like a cat, unruffled by his attack with the exception of the few strands of hair that fell forward into her face.

“Come on Criss-Cross Man! Show me what you’ve got.” And that was all she said, moving forward to strike at him once more. He dropped back, reaching into his pocket and cursing himself again for letting his guard down around her. All he had was a pocket knife. But that was enough when she swung at him the next time, as he caught the blade against his own, moving forward in his own offensive strike and slamming the heel of his hand into her sternum, sending her backwards. It was a strike forceful enough to temporarily incapacitate even someone of his caliber, and yet she came back swinging as though nothing had happened. As he parried her thrusts and cuts, making a few jabs and hand-to-hand attacks of his own, he wasn’t completely sure if this was her really just testing him or if his life was on the line. He hoped it was the former as, as he was forced to admit when he felt her blade slice through his left cheek in a shallow cut, he wasn’t winning. He just didn’t have the proper weapons, and though he was quick, he lacked her serpentine agility; not to mention the fact that although she herself had been hit several times hard enough to leave bruises, her hair was in disarray, her dress torn, and she too was panting from exertion: she kept coming at him with a reserve of energy that he just couldn’t match. He continued to put up a fight for a while longer, even succeeding to knock the knife from her hands, until in a swift motion, she lifted her boot and nailed him, with both sole and stiletto, flat in the chest with enough force to send him sprawling backwards.

As if signaled by some unseen cue, the fight was over. He pushed himself into a sitting position, feeling the aches from where she kicked him and where his body met the ground, and touched the place where his cheek still stung, finding his fingers slightly bloodied when he pulled his hand away. Having retrieved and sheathed her knife, she looked down at him. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes held a wild intensity as she looked down at him, with what was probably the first sign of interest she’d shown him yet.

“You’re good, Criss-Cross Man,” she purred, her grin once again snakelike. She looked him up and down almost hungrily. “Next time you’re in Idjit, look me up.” And with that she turned and sauntered into the night.

Alone once more, he sat there for a few moments staring in the direction she’d gone before picking his sore self off the ground and heading back towards the town and the hotel room that awaited him. Along the way, moving through the dark, he once again touched his stinging cheek, muttering curses under his breath about the utterly insane woman he’d just been with. So this is what it was like to date? Well then.

From now on, he decided, the only girl he’d be chasing would be his master’s Hereafter brat.





LENGTH!!! Sorry ^^;

[requiax]

Koy, Efreet.

Otto Houlihan adjusted his collar, took another sip of firewhiskey. The barkeep sauntered over, gills wiggling and picked up his coins from the counter.

"Another empty Night, eh, Otto?"

The young man nodded. Work had been slow in the small town of Koy, and fishing had never been his dream job anyways. His father had been quite disappointed in his life goal of drinking instead of continuing the family business. But who gave a flying fish about what his father thought.

A tentacle whipped more firewhiskey into his glass. "There's a hunting expedition leaving soon, if you want to catch it."

He shrugged. He had grown into a tall, beefy guy at a young age, and had consequently spent most of his years heads above everyone else. This left him quiet, and to some, even haughty.

"Well--" The barman continued, talking and spitting into a shot glass. He really hated this guy.

Otto heard the creak of the bar door opening, and a hush fall over the raucous men. He kept his back turned, uncaring; that is, until he felt cold fingers grip his shoulder.

He turned into a fishbowl. A nightmarish worm stared back at him hungrily. "You would sit there with a dumb look on your face when your Prince stands in front of you?"

The barkeep gurgled and Otto reacted accordingly. (There might have been a slight bit of bumbling). Christopher Carrion eyed him carefully as he spoke, judging, then, "Why don't we move to a quieter place?"

Otto nodded, his confusion allowing him to be lead like a dog. "There's a restaurant just outside that I've heard has a delicious cod rendition."

. . .

He had never had the disposition for live fish, but he had to admit it was seasoned well. As he popped the eyeball into his mouth--it was quite chewy--he looked across the rickety table at the Prince of Darkness. A single candle illuminated him, his ghastly eyes wide and staring. He, of course, wasn't eating, and watched the young Efreetian with a deadly uncanniness.

They hadn't talked about anything enjoyable. Weather mostly. His job prospects.

"Not much to do in Efreet, is there?"

"Nope." Otto shook his head.

"You should come to Gorgossium. It's much more exciting. No sleepy quaint village sillyness."

"I like the idea of Midnight. When I gather enough money--"

"Nonsense, I could get you there easily."

The conversation paused as he choked on a fish rib.

"Would you like to live in my palace?"

The young man's eyes widened while Carrion continued to sit completely still. His large hands lay flat and unmoving on the table, unnervingly. Otto gulped. "Don't you think we're moving a bit too fast?"

"What? I thought this was what you wanted."

"It is, I'm flattered. I--"

"Waiting for something better to come along are you?" His Prince's expression didn't change, but the frightening lights in his collar flickered.

Otto shook his head rapidly, but Christopher looked away, beckoning the waiter over with a crooked finger. A gold coin later and they were outside, shivering in the chilly weather.

Carrion pursed his harrowing lips, "Have you decided yet? Are you with me or against me?"

"Is that an ultimatum?"

The Prince and his nightmares all blinked back simultaneously. "You'll have everything you ever wanted."

"I'm with you, of course."

Carrion pulled his cloak tighter around him. "Good to hear it." He proffered his arm, "Shall I walk you home?"

Otto lapsed into silence. At least his Prince was tall enough to look him in the eye.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow around this time."

Otto shrugged, his shoulder brushing against his master's.

"You'll make a great assassin."

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So I wrote that in 30 minutes because I just wanted to submit something. o.o I guess it's humour. :/ hahaha

Otto Houlihan and Christopher Carrion (First Date? or Interview?)
Koy, Efreet
Who knows? While Boa is still alive perhaps.

[carrionsprincess]

Love it!! I squealed laughing when I first saw who you were pairing together!

[THE LADY OF MIDNIGHT]

Thanks guys for entering! That means a lot! I can't wait to read them!
Let's see if we can get at least one more entry before I close up the contest.
You guys are wonderful & creative!

- The Lady of Midnight