I’ve posted a few snippets set in the tabletop rpg Blades in the Dark before, and since I’m currently playing in a campaign set in the system I thought it would be fun to write a snippet with my character! Isabel, more known as Sarge, is an ex-military grump who isn’t sure why she’s involved in so much weird shit and is reluctantly psychically linked to a ferret. She had a really bad day the session before last. Here we go:
Isabel woke up feeling worse than death. She couldn’t identify a part of her body that wasn’t sore. Apparently getting pushed off of buildings was a bad idea.
She moved, trying to sit up but a searing pain tore through her shoulder and the motion devolved into writhing on her mattress. Whatever that supposed doctor had given her the night before had obviously worn off. She slowly flexed her fingers and looked around for the sling the doctor had left. Making sure her arm didn’t move more than necessary seemed like a top priority. Had to be her right arm, too. She’d be shooting left-handed for weeks.
Shifting ever so gradually, she managed to sit up at the edge of the bed. As she reached for the sling, she saw Slink’s little fuzzy head pop up from behind some books that were strewn about her desk.
“What are you lookin- ah!” She gritted her teeth. Putting the sling on without moving her arm was every bit as hard as she’d imagined, and every little jolt smarted. She heard the gentle noise of ferret feet as Slink moved to the edge of the desk. A wave of sensation rolled off of him, a strange feeling she’d long-since identified as the ferret version of amusement. “Yeah, real fucking funny,” she mumbled, fastening the straps of the sling, and then leaning back against the wall. She already felt like she’d done a hard day’s work, and she wasn’t even out of bed yet. The next little while was going to suck…
Then there was the matter of the hostage. Demons, had that been a bad idea! Break-ins and selling contraband was one thing, but kidnapping a noble? If she hadn’t passed out cold the moment she got back to the lair, she would’ve thrown such a fit over bringing her back here. She couldn’t imagine this ending well…
“What do you think?” she asked. “Is this how I die? Executed for abduction?” She laughed bitterly.
Slink cocked his head to the side and gave her a long long. She felt a wave of formless concern, no doubt a response to her sending formless morbidity his way, and then he slunk down onto the bed. He curled up on her lap.
She sighed. Stupid ferret. Every time she was ready to disown him and be rid of this creepy psychic stuff, he did something endearing. Truth was, she wasn’t quite sure what life would be like without him anymore.
“Nah…” she said, scratching Slink between the ears. “They won’t arrest me. I can go down shooting even with my left…”
I kind of love her, to be honest. I may end up putting some version of her in a book some day.