#esklinray

[otdiaftg]

ARTIST HIGHLIGHT

Esklinray

She/Her. Digital artist. Instagram: vk, twitter: esklinray ❣️glad to see everyone❣️

Art used with permission by Esklinray. Thank you @esklinray for you're wondrous art!

[otdiaftg]

The King's Men - Chapter Fifteen (17)

Day: Thursday, March 21st / 22nd* Time: 1:55 PM EST

Andrew leans forward to get in her face and jabs a finger into her temple. "You are a tumor," Andrew says. "I should have cut you out and thrown you away when you were still benign. Now it's too late, so here we are. Don't you dare fucking speak," Andrew says, voice savage, when Katelyn opens her mouth. Katelyn clamps her lips together and finally darts a terrified look at Neil. Andrew seizes her chin and forces her attention back to him. "Do not ignore me. Your life hinges on how well you can listen. Can you listen?" She nods frantically, but Andrew doesn't let go. "The conditions for your survival are simple: do not ever mistake this for acceptance and do not ever, ever speak to me. You are part of his life but you will never be part of mine. If you forget that I will remind you, and you will not survive the lesson. Do you understand?" Andrew waits for her to nod again before letting go. He considers his hand a moment, then wipes his fingers off on his jeans like he could erase the feel of her skin. He gives Katelyn a long look, then pushes off the wall and steps back out of her space. "I hope you two are miserable together."

Art used with permission by Esklinray. Thank you @esklinray!

*Due to the Leap Year, I have opted to highlight the day rather than the date to keep the events in occurrence to the 2007 year. I will continue to mark both days accordingly.

[otdiaftg]

The Raven King - Chapter Fourteen

Day: Thursday, November 23rd Time: 6:45 PM EST

Afterward they collapsed anywhere they fit in the den. Neil didn't think he'd eat again for at least a month, but somehow the others had room for wine. Nicky, who'd never seen Neil willingly imbibe alcohol, was still optimistic enough to offer Neil his glass. "Even on a holiday?" Nicky asked when Neil refused. "He's underage," Abby said. "So are Aaron and Kevin, but you're not stopping them," Nicky pointed out. "I'm not encouraging them, either," Abby said. Kevin had watched the exchange where he was sitting against the entertainment center. When Nicky sighed and subsided, Kevin spoke up in French. "I will watch you. If you want to drink tonight," he added when Neil looked at him. "I won't let you say something you'll regret." "You'll be drunk inside an hour," Neil said. "Then who'll stop me?" Kevin gave him a cool look. "I would stop drinking." "Rude," Nicky said, sitting up and looking between them. "What did you just say? I can't understand you. That's not fair." "Think about that the next time you use German at my practices," Wymack said. "That's different," Nicky complained. "I only see that look on Neil's face when someone tries to do something nice for him, but we all know Kevin's as bratty as they come. What did you say, Kevin, and do I need to defend Neil's honor or what?" Kevin didn't waste his breath responding. Neil answered, but he meant the words more for Kevin than he did Nicky: "I'm fine. Thank you, though." Kevin accepted that with a shrug and went back to drinking. Nicky looked between them again, realized he wasn't going to get an explanation, and subsided with a put-upon sigh. The room sank into comfortable silence.

Art used with permission by Esklinray. Thank you so much @esklinray

[otdiaftg]

The King's Men - Chapter Twelve

Day: Saturday, March 9th / 10th* Time: 1:45 AM EST

"I know your father's going to ask, but I have to know now," Lola says. "You listening, Junior? Hey." She thumps his back with the hilt of her knife. "Where's the bird, hm? We've had some time to dig around since we figured out where you were, but there's no sign of her anywhere. Tetsuji says you told them she's dead. He was sure you were telling the truth. Me, I'm not so trusting." "She's dead," Neil chokes out. Lola grabs a fistful of hair to yank him upright. She'd put her knife aside so she can hold him with both hands, and her free hand clenches around his throat so tight he can barely breathe. She pulls him back against his chair, pinning his head to the headrest. Romero plucks the lighter out again, and Neil puts up a desperate fight. "She's dead," he says, almost wheezing through Lola's brutal grip. "She died two years ago after he beat her in Seattle. Do you think she'd have let me go to Palmetto if she was still alive? I signed up because I had nothing left." "Do we believe him?" Lola asks Romero. "Might as well be sure," Romero says. "Right that," Lola says, and holds fast to Neil so Romero can crush the lighter to his face once more. Lola's strangling grip on his throat means the best Neil can manage is a pained whine. He thrashes mindlessly against his restraints. Lola is speaking again, but he can't understand her over the roar in his ears. His world narrows down to the fire in his face. Romero puts the lighter away, but he pushes it in all the way so it'll reheat. Lola loosens her grip enough that Neil can breathe but doesn't let go completely. "Try again, Junior," Lola says. "Answer me and make me believe you. Where is Mary?" "She's dead," Neil says, voice raw with pain. "She's dead, she's dead, she's dead." Lola looks to her brother. "You believe him now?" Romero lifts his shoulder in a noncommittal shrug. Lola considers Neil again, then smacks his burned face as hard as she can. She leans further forward between the seats to get the lighter when it is ready and retreats back to her original cushion with it. Having the lighter behind him out of sight is worse than the pain they'd already put him through and Neil fights to yank his hands free. He tears his wrists open on unyielding metal but he can't stop. "Don't," he begs. "Lola, don't." "I've got questions," Lola says, voice oddly muffled. Neil guesses she is holding the lighter handle between her lips, because she uses both hands to roll his sleeves up. She runs her hands down his bared forearms, fingernails scratching faintly at his skin. She withdrawals a moment later, and her voice sounds normal when she speaks next. "Let's start with your teammates again. Tell me everything you told them."

Art used with permission by Esklinray. Thank you @esklinray!

*Due to the Leap Year, I have opted to highlight the day rather than the date to keep the events in occurrence to the 2007 year. I will continue to mark both days accordingly.

[otdiaftg]

The King's Men - Chapter Ten

Day: Thursday, February 8th Time: 4:45 PM EST

The conversation with Kevin the night before still bothered Neil the next day, so he asked the Foxes' goalies about it on break Thursday afternoon. Renee turned her phone over in her hands as she considered it. Andrew didn't even acknowledge the question. "It's an interesting idea," Renee said, "and it seems to be working for him. Asking someone to change his mindset and approach is a tall order, though, especially so late in the season. Then again," she said after a moment, "you did change racquets mid-season." "A racquet is one thing," Neil said. "I don't think I can do this." "If you don't want to, don't," Renee said, as if it was that simple to turn Kevin down. "If you want to try, we will help you any way I can." "No," Andrew said before Neil could answer. "Stop copying him." "I'm trying to get better," Neil said. "I can't improve on my own." Andrew flicked him a bored look and said nothing else. Neil gave him a minute then planted himself in front of Andrew when he realized Andrew really wasn't planning on elaborating or explaining. Renee quietly put her phone away and looked between them. Her gaze lingered on Neil, but Neil didn't return it. He searched Andrew's calm expression for answers. "Why shouldn't I copy him?" Neil asked. "You are never going to play like he does," Andrew said. Before Neil could take that as an insult against his potential, Andrew continued. "He is a fool whose style is numbers and angles. Formulas and statistics, trial and error, repetition and insanity. All he cares about is finding the perfect game." "Is that so bad?" "Don't ask stupid questions." "Don't make me." "A junkie like you can't be that cold," Andrew said. "I'm not a junkie." Andrew just looked at him, so Renee broke in with a careful, "I think he means to say Kevin is very analytical, whereas you're passionate. You both care about winning, but not in the same way." Andrew said nothing to confirm or deny that interpretation, so Neil stepped out of his way. Andrew continued on, done with this conversation.

Art used with permission by Esklinray. Thank you @esklinray!

[otdiaftg]

The King's Men - Chapter Eleven

Day: Thursday, February 15th Time: 4:00 PM EST

Neil couldn't escape the spotlight forever. Wymack and Kevin both watched over the reporter's head when Neil was finally singled out for an interview. Neil answered Kevin's warning stare with a placid look and attempted to remain civil for as long as he could. It was easy at first, since most of the questions were about the Foxes' progress. It was inevitable they'd finish up with a question about Riko and the Ravens. Neil tried for something neutral, but the interviewer took a good-natured jab at his newfound discretion. "The last time I said something no one wanted to hear, my school got vandalized," Neil said. "I was trying to prevent collateral damage this time. But you know what? You're right. I can't afford to be quiet. Silence means I condone their behavior, and that's a dangerous illusion. I'm not going to forgive or tolerate them just because they're talented and popular. Let me answer that question again, okay? "Yes," Neil said. "I am a thousand percent sure we are going to face the Ravens in finals this spring, and I know for a fact we are going to win this time. And when the nation's best loses to a nine-man 'know-nothing' team— when they lose to a team their own coach likened to feral dogs—Edgar Allan is going to have to change things up. Personally I think they should start by demanding Coach Moriyama's resignation." The noise Kevin made wasn't human. The interviewer and his cameraman both shot startled looks over their shoulder at him. Kevin didn't stick around long enough for them to ask but bolted down the hall out of sight. Wymack, despite having complained numerously and at length about Neil's attitude problem, flashed his teeth in a fierce smile. Neil answered the interviewer's curious stare with a blank look and waited for the signal that he was done. As soon as the camera was off he headed back to the court

Art used with permission by Esklinray. Thank you @esklinray

*At this point, Neil would still have his face tattoo, but the Pure Attitude in this art piece fit too well for me to not add it.

[otdiaftg]

The King's Men - Chapter Two

Day: Wednesday, January 3rd Time: 12:50 PM EST

"It's just..." Neil grasped for words, too-aware that the conversation across the room had quieted down a little. The upperclassmen were trying to listen in without being obvious. Neil settled for the vaguest explanation he could and hoped his teammates would mistake the pronoun for Riko. "I've never understood why he likes knives." Such simple words should not have gotten the reaction they did. Andrew went still and looked up, but he didn't look at Neil. He looked at Renee, so Neil did, too. She'd stopped mid-sentence to stare at Neil, but the Renee studying him wasn't the Foxes' redeemed optimist. Her sweet smile was gone and the too-blank look on her face reminded Neil of Andrew. Neil instinctively tensed for flight-or-fight. Before his body figured out what to do Renee shifted her inscrutable gaze to Andrew. They stared each other down, soundless and still, oblivious to the bewildered looks their teammates sent between them. Andrew didn't say anything, but Renee lifted her chin. Andrew hummed in response and put the knife away. "He will lose his taste when he has one in his gut," he said. Neil looked at Renee again in time to see Other-Renee disappear. A calm mask melted away the death on her face and Renee picked up right where she'd left off. She didn't acknowledge what had just happened or the obvious questions on Dan's face but gently bullied her friends into rejoining the conversation.

Art used with permission by Esklinray. Thank you @esklinray!

[otdiaftg]

The King's Men - Chapter Five

Day: Friday, January 12th Time: 9:25 PM CST

When the Foxes filed off the court, Renee headed for Riko. She wasn't the sort to pick a fight, so Neil stopped to stare after her. Riko didn't take the hand Renee offered, but Jean did. The handshake lasted a little too long, but Neil didn't know which one of them was slower to let go. Neil thought of Jean's odd reaction to Renee at the fall banquet, the lingering look and the uncomfortable introduction. It was the memory he'd been looking for last week when going through his messages at Reddin. Jean accepted Riko and Tetsuji's cruelty because he had no one outside of the Ravens. With nothing else to live for and no reason to fight, he bowed his head and focused on surviving. Renee was the first bright thing to catch his eye. "He's interested in her," Neil said, not quite a question. Kevin was watching them too. "It doesn't matter. It won't work." Renee told Neil last fall that Ravens weren't allowed to date. Tetsuji didn't want his team distracted from the game. Renee knew that, but she was over there anyway. Neil might be over-thinking her intentions, but he was willing to exploit any angle they could find. "Maybe not," Neil said, "but it could give us an edge. Do you still know his number? Give it to her and see what she can do between now and finals."

Art used with permission by Esklinray. Thank you @esklinray!

[otdiaftg]

The Raven King - Chapter Fifteen

Day: Sunday, December 17th Time: 1:32 PM EST

"Try not to get us both killed on your first day, you ignorant child." "Us?" Neil asked. "Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you," Jean said, thrusting the jersey at him again. Neil refused to take it, so Jean caught hold of his coat with his free hand and yanked Neil close. "You lost the right to be an individual when you stepped into the Nest. The consequences of your actions are no longer yours alone to bear. Ravens operate on a pair-based system, which means from now until you leave I am the only ally you have. My success is your success," Jean said. "Your failure is my failure. You are to go nowhere unless I am with you. If you break this rule we will bother suffer greatly for it. Do you understand? They want us to fail. They want to take starting line-up from me. I will not let you jeopardize my rank."

"I have some bad news for you," Neil said. "I can't outscore Raven strikers." "It is not them you need to outplay," Jean said. "You are not a striker anymore. You never should have been one in the first place. The master is moving you to defense where you belong. He will want to know why you abandoned your position. I hope you have a good explanation for him." "It wasn't my idea," Neil said. "Coach Hernandez had a full defense line. It was offense or nothing at all and I just wanted to play." "It was a bad idea," Jean said. "Now you have to unlearn all of your bad habits. Now try on your gear so we know it fits." "Not in front of you," Neil said. "That modesty will be the first thing we break you of," Jean said. "There is no room for privacy in the Nest." "I can't believe you put up with this," Neil said. "At least Kevin ran. What's your excuse?" "I am a Moreau," Jean said, as if Neil was being stupid on purpose. "My family has belonged to the Moriyamas since before they came to the United States. There is nowhere else for me to go, just as there is no place for you but here."

Art used with permission by Esklinray. Thank you @esklinray!

[otdiaftg]

The Raven King - Chapter Three

Day: Friday, September 1st Time: 12:30 PM EST

Andrew was on his heels as he went down the hall, with Kevin no doubt right behind him, so Neil didn't let himself slow. He braced himself for Allison's possible reaction and stepped into the locker room. Neil had seen Allison at her best, dressed to the nines with flawless makeup and curls. He'd seen her fresh off the court, red-faced and sweaty and human. He'd never seen her like this. Allison's platinum-blond hair was perfectly styled and everything she wore was trendy and expensive. At first glance it was like nothing had changed, but more than a split-second look showed the fight had gone out of her. She sat with her fingers laced together and hands locked between her knees, her shoulders slumped and expression dead. Her eyes were hooded and she stared at the floor, seemingly oblivious to the arrival of her five teammates.

It was an age before Allison moved again, but she didn't look at Nicky. Her smoky gray gaze lifted unerringly to Neil's face. Neil stood silent and still just inside the locker room door and waited for her judgment. It never came. The seconds dragged by, endless and awful, and Allison's expression didn't change. She didn't look angry like he thought she should or sad like he was sure she would. She was just—there. She was breathing, but she was lifeless, a marionette whose strings had been cut.

Art used with permission by Esklinray. Thank you @esklinray !