Challenge #1 [Entry 1/2] - Introduction

#DWA

Cover and background by Fuluv

  “Are you sure you are ready to ?” the leader asks. Her turquoise hair and glasses makes her seem less like a leader and more on the sidelines, but based on her serious composure and stern attitude, I know she is anything but.

   I gulp. “Er- yes!” I reply. “I solemnly swear to help and The Black Velvets through the good times and bad times, victory and failure, and everything in between.” I recite the oath that I now know by heart by hours of practicing this very moment in the mirror. The leader’s still expression quickly turns into a warm smile.

   “Well, that’s settled! Great to have you on the team!” she says. She hands me a cap and introduces herself. “My name is Nici, and you are?” she looks at me expectantly, waiting for a reply.

   “Ah! Uh- my name is Amino- wait, infinity- wait argh!” I keep on stumbling to find the right words to say. Oh, what was thinking ing the war! I can’t even say my own name. “Sorry, my name is-”

   “-don’t worry about it. Most people are shy when they the war anyway.” she cuts me off. For the leader of a side of a war, she seems pretty laid back. “I’m sure that soon enough you will be one of the most sociable of the force. Let me show you around.”

   “Is this normally the job of the leader? Shouldn’t you be talking about strategies and how to best win the war?” I ask. I hope I didn’t offend her.

   “Well, usually there are other people who have this job, but I feel like I really need to get to know my soldiers before sending them off into the war.” She replies. “These are the living quarters. There isn’t really much to do here but sleep, so let’s move along to the profile.” Profile? I wonder what that is. The living quarters were surprisingly empty, I guess most people are out in the war. “Here is the profile.” We enter a loud room full of people who are either talking to each other, or focusing on work. The room is made up of sections, dividing the artists and the writers, which are divided into even more sections for each person.

    “If I can recall from your application, you’re an editor, right?” she asks me. I nod. “Then you would probably hang out here.” We reach a room filled with color and pictures of characters. “This is the Editing Lab, where people experiment different methods of editing, get criticism from other editors, and just hang out together. When I am not the leader of The Black Velvets, I spend most of my time here.”

   We weave our way through the small crowd until we reach the corner of the room. Sitting there in the corner is a girl with brown hair dyed green at the ends. “Hey.” she says quietly, sitting with her legs crossed on the floor, working on something. Probably an edit.

   “Hey! This is the newest member of The Black Velvets. She’s an editor, and you guys seemed like you would really hit it off.” Nici explained. “Anyway, I have to go now. It is nice meeting you!” And with that she left the room.

   The girl looks up at me, pushing her blue framed glasses up to her nose in the process.

    “This is really awkward.” I blurt out.

    “Yeah.” she agrees. We both sit there for a few moments until her face lights up with an idea. “I have a conversation topic! This feels so forced, but do you know anything about the history of The Black Velvets?” she asks. I shake my head. “Do you want me to tell you about it?” she asks. I nod. “You’re not much of a talker, are you?” I nod again, with a nervous smile. “Well, what happened was…”