Wrier's unblocked; prologue

"Hey, Charlie, did you die?" Despite the warm clap on the back that Devon supplied with this statement, it stile made Charlie jump. Devon leaned back from Charlie's desk and eyed the stacks of paper with great curiosity."What'cha working on so hard? You have a deadline coming up don't you?"

Charlie put his hand on one of the stacks before Devon could remove any of the paper, "Yes I do and you're making meeting it very difficult."

"Yup," Devon put his finger on the stack and pulled out one of the center peices, "It's my job."

Charlie grabbed for the paper, "You're job is supposed to be an editor. Not a thieving novelist." Charlie tried to grab the paper again but was foiled, "Great now I'm going to have to find where that goes in the pile."

Devon snatched the rest of the pile and started paging through it,"Uh-huh."

"Give me that."

"Nope."

Charlie pushed out his chair. Devon ran to the other side of the desk.

"Devon!"

Devon waved the pile like a fan, "why are you surprised? I've been doing this to you for years."

"I know, and it wasn't any more fun when it was my homework than when it's my manuscripts."

"Isn't this due in a week or so?" Devon asked, again paging through it.

"Ten days, give it back, it isn't finished."

"Indeed...who talks like this. 'I think there is not a chance of you're not being intrigued', where do you come up with this stuff?"

Charlie put his head down on the desk, his dark curls kept from falling on his desk only by the ponytail that held them back.

Devon smacked the back of his friend's head with the stack of paper, "You've been working too hard, Chuck, take a break, drink some coffee."

Charlie's hand groped around on the desk till it landed on the handle of his mug, "I have, about three cups today."

Devon whistled, "You really need a break, go out, do something."

"Can't," Charlie raised his head and rubbed his temples, "I'm not happy with the way this scene is going and none of the changes I make satisfy me."

"That's rough," Devon dropped the sheets back on the desk and assumed a Shakespearean pose, "Oh, writer's block, where is thy sting."

Charlie looked up at Devon with a slight smile, "And you ask me where I come up with this stuff."

Devon shrugged and picked up another stack, "With me it's talent, with you it's-"

"Woods! Terrace! Why aren't you working, I don't pay you to sit and chat."

"There goes Lucifer, talk to you later, Chuck."

"Sure," Charlie picked up the half written page from in front of him.

"Kayana ran, but there was no way to escape the claws of the griffin. She could hear Jorden shout at her to keep going. Weren't the griffins supposed to be friendly? Her muscles ached, but she had a job. The jeweled sides of the beacon cut her hand as she ran toward the hill. She could feel the talons inches from her back. An arrow wised past her, she hoped it was from Lance's bow and not a griffin rider. No if it had been from a griffin rider it wouldn't have missed. The sound of the griffin swooping down from above her. A whimper that bore the marks of a cry escaped her throat as she tripped and fell.
The sound of Rayrel's sword meeting the claws of the tawny half-beast as it came toward her served to bring Kayana's head back to the task she was needed for. Rayrel practically picked Kayana up by the collar of her shirt and threw her further along, accompanying this action only by a stern, "move it."
Rayrel ran backward alongside Kayana some distance up the hill till he was forced to engage another griffin.
Kayana ran faster, but her breath lodged and her legs locked when a griffin alighted in front of her, the only thing standing between her and the hilltop."

Charlie let the page fall back to the desk, "What do you want me to do to you?"

Charlie jumped as a dictionary landed on the desk beside him, "That should be obvious, have you listened to the characters? You of all people should know that the author has only as much control of the story as can be spared from the characters."

Charlie sighed out of relief, "I don't suppose you can hear them any better than I can, Suki?"

Suki smiled and picked up her dictionary, "Nope, no one can hear them as well as the author, besides, I don't do novels, or did the "manga coordinator" on my name tag escape you?"

Charlie smiled and picked his coffee mug up, "I'm going to go get another mug."

"You should make that a double."

Charlie walked across the office to where the coffee maker was. Gary, or the coffee man as everyone called him, was again at his station, though he was technically supposed to be in the printing room.

"Hello, Mr. Woods. Got that next novel finished yet?"

Chalie took the pot, "I wish."

"My daughter would really like to have a signed copy once it's done."

"I'm sure she would."

"Do you mind my asking, Mr. Woods-"

"How long have you known me?"

"Around a year, Mr. Woods."

"A year,eh? Then why don't you just call me Charlie?"

"I couldn't do that Mr. Woods, I mean you're Charlie Woods, the author of The Chaste Moon and The Honor of Thieves, and-"

Charlie walked away with his full mug while Gary continued to expand upon his knowledge of Charlie's works, seemingly without interruption or comprehension that he had lost his audience.

When he returned, Karrie was leaning on his desk. Charlie ran a hand over his hair, "Is everyone going to want to talk to me today?"

"Rough day?"

"Yup."

"Unhappy with a scene?"

"Yup."

Karrie pushed herself away from his desk, "Why don't you give me what you are happy with, I can type it up and come back for the rest later."

Charlie smiled as he picked up a stack from the desk, "Isn't that the way we always end up doing it? Oh, there is a page out of place-"

"Don't worry about it," Karrie took the papers with a smile, "I'll figure out where it goes and make Devon suffer for it later."

At nearly six feet tall, Karrie could almost look Charlie in the eyes and moreover was very well acquainted with his interaction with Devon.

"Just don't make him suffer too much, I don't want to have to feed him though a letter hole in the janitors closet for a week, again."

Karrie smiled, "don't worry, the janitor comes in tomorrow, and I don't think starving him for an evening would have too much of a negative effect on him."

Devon draped his arms over Karrie's shoulder, "And the children wonder why we fight."

"I sight harassment!"

Charlie burst out laughing.

Karrie grabbed onto Devon's ear and pulled him along behind her, "Well, you've proven yourself useful for something...I'll see you later, Charlie... Now we'll see is you work as well as a door stop."

"Charlie! Save me!"

Charlie chuckled and sat down again. "Listen to the characters, eh?" He looked down at the page, "so what do you guys want?"

Charlie heard a small popping noise. He didn't think much of it at first, though he did wonder why they were making popcorn in the middle of the day. That was when he noticed what was happening. The letters of the words on the page were actually jumping off the page to hover a few inches off the desk. Charlie stood, almost knocking his chair over in the process. The letters floated to surround and started spinning around him. And explosion of light occurred and Charlie was no longer in the office.