SWCharacter Swap! Complete this weekly by March 9th at 11:59 UTC to earn 2000 points for your cabin.

Part 01 and part 02 ˊˎ-
⤿Character Mood Board
Part 01 Words: 254
Part 02 Words: 178
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Part 03 ˊˎ-
Partner: Vi / Elijah description
⤿ Slick stone lacked to grip on a pair of hands as there was barely anything to hold onto. Elijah panted. She didn’t know how high she had climbed but that was the least of her worries. What occupied her mind was getting to the top of this cliff. She grunted as she clutched onto a sharp ledge to pull herself up. Struggling to get to the top, a bead of sweat dripped down her freckled face. If there was one thing she was good at, it was risking death. It was thrilling in a way. Most people thought she was insane and eventually gave up trying to tell her what not to do. She let out a huff when she finally found herself standing on the edge of the mountain. Peering down, she realized just how far she was from the ground below. Her hands trembled at the thought.

Elijah made her way to a damp grassy patch and sprawled out on it, carelessly shifting on the morning dew. She let out a sigh of relief. “It can’t get much better than this.” She said out loud with a grin. She sat up after a while and smirked to herself. She could do anything up here with no one to tell her otherwise. So she let out a scream as loud as she could, letting the sound echo through the clouds. She laughed at herself. Then the sound of a squeaky beep caught her off guard. She glanced down at her watch with an eye roll. “Yeah, yeah shut up.” She shut off the alarm, forcing herself up to her feet once again. She stared out off the ledge in a longing stare. She wished she could live up here forever and have nothing to worry about. But life was unfair like that, she thought.

A roaring engine blasted across the narrow road with a reckless girl controlling it. People jumped out of her way in fear, some in disgust and others in pure surprise. She laughed softly at the people's responses. People observing was interesting at times. Piercing sun glowed on stacks of gold jewels that were by far to many to count in the blinding light. She stomped the gas with black leather boots and clutched the handles of a two-wheeled vehicle, boosting faster through the cobblestone road. It was a drenching with sweat kind of day, a kind of day Elijah didn't usually complain about all too much. It allowed her to be free unlike this slump of a dump where she worked. Brick walls lined the border and topped with gray concrete just like any other building in town. It was a simple town with simple structure and simple people who built simple things. She slowed down, hopping off of her only sort of transportation. She flicked her frizzy cinnamon hair, to let it fall crazily around her shoulders. Elijah knelt down and kissed the singular headlight, not caring who would judge her for it. Life is too short not to be weird. “Always a joy with you, Olivia.” She whispered.

A bell rang at the sound of her hand opening a door. Immediately, she was welcomed with hellos and the warmth of cozy amber melted with lavender. Freshly baked bread also occupied her nose.
“Hey, Eli! Late again as always, huh?”
Elijah whipped around the corner to the back of the building where the employees were allowed to go and she nudged Levi's arm.
“Cocky as ever, Levi?” She remarked with a smirk. She took her designated apron and went to the main computer in the back to clock into work. Here goes another day.
“Still riding that dangerous wreck of a motorcycle I see?” He asked as he peered out the side window.
“It's not dangerous. People are dangerous.”
“Hey I'm just looking out for your safety.”
“Right. Thanks for that.”
Levi chuckled at her with a shake of his head, “you know I'm kidding. I'm glad you're here. It's been annoyingly slow today.”
Elijah peered up at the clock on the wall and then looked back over at him. “Slow since the first ten minutes of opening? It's going to be a long day for you.” She pointed out.
He sheepishly grinned as he proceeded to make himself a free drink.

✧✧✧

Later that evening as the sun was at the horizon, Elijah approached a glistening waterfall that loomed over town square. It was a weirdly designed town, but hey they made it look good nonetheless. Her stoic face spread to a wide smile when she caught sight of a girl sitting on a sparkling stone. She dropped her helmet and jogged up to her.
The girl spun around and returned the smile Elijah wore and embraced her in a tight hug. “Eli! I'm so happy to see you!” She exclaimed.
Eli responded by squeezing her tighter and peering into her eyes, “race you to the mountain? Loser pays for dinner.” She challenged.

Words: 830
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Part 04 ˊˎ-
⤿The Meeting

Hooting of an owl echoed through streetlights and a clouded sky. Moonlight filled the cobblestone roads as people bustled around, still full of energy. Full of life. Full of memories yet to be captured. Click goes the sound of a Polaroid camera, squaring a reality of strangers. That was how Sylvan viewed the world; one vibrant picture to be studied. There were countless things to capture even in this small town. It kept himself busy. Although he wasn’t fond of encounters with other humans, he found a way to steal their smiles and happy moments from afar. Through a lens. He let a small grin tug at the corner of his lips, dimples appeared with it. He strode off with one hand in a pocket of baggy denim jeans and the other hand holding the light-weight camera. The owl hooted again, singing its own song. Sylvan scrolled through the files of pictures he stored on his camera as he walked the cobblestone paths. A black cat skuried out of his footsteps. He kept his head down, avoiding the stares he was so used to. He took in a quiet breath, step after step until one of his shoelaces came undone. He winced and whirled his head around to see if anyone would be there to judge him. When he felt safe enough, he kicked a leg over a small brick wall that lined the ocean to the town to retire his shoe. He then set his camera down on the ledge in front of him. His fingers fumbled and his face brightened with embarrassment. “You gotta be kidding me…” Sylvan whispered. It was honestly pathetic that he’d forgotten to properly tighten the shoe before heading out. He had probably been overthinking or unfortunately, overly proud of himself.
The previous night he’d won a chess tournament at the annual festival. Selfishly enough, he let his pride get in the way and suffered in the unfortunate luck of an untied shoelace. He shook his head in disappointment. “Pull yourself together.” He whispered again, finally getting back up to two feet. He leaned forward to pick his camera up, however it wasn’t where he had left it. Panic flowed through him like how a cold shower stole hot water in an instant. His eyes darted around with worry. At first he didn’t notice anyone looking suspicious. That was, until he realized to look for the most obvious person. There were a few benches lined up against the brick ledge and sitting on one was a girl. A girl who held a Polaroid camera and a bright grin on her face. Sylvan let out a long sigh and ruffled his black hair out of his face, deciding to approach her after a moment of silently arguing with himself.
“Looking for something?” A girl’s voice spoke from a bench near the brick ledge.
Sylvan’s eyes landed on her frizzy brown hair, sun-kissed face and his camera. He walked over to her, adjusting his glasses with a huff. Conversation was something he always avoided. Now he found himself forced into one. Tragic, really. “That’s mine, miss.” He spoke, trying not to sound too harsh. He’d never had anything stolen from him so he didn’t know the proper way to interact with the thief.
The girl wore a playful smile as she evidently skimmed through recent photos. “You took these?” She curiously asked, her eyes not peeling away from the screen.
“Yes, and if you wouldn’t mind returning it?” He asked, holding a hand out to receive the camera.
“Oh that just won’t do,” she said, her grin widening.
She wasn’t going to make it easy on him, he realized. He faintly rolled his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Allow myself to introduce you to me. I’m
Elijah, call me Eli if you’d prefer. I’m an employee of the local coffee shop just around the corner. We’re looking for a photographer to stir up more business.”
Sylvan chuckled and shook his head almost in disbelief. “I work alone, so I’m sorry but I’m not interested.”
“We’ll pay twenty an hour.” She insisted.
Sylvan squinted his eyes in thought at that remark. It was good pay, however, there had to be a catch. Nothing that good came without a price. A price that didn’t include pay, that is. “Really? That’s it? Just take some pictures of advertisements and you’ll pay me twenty an hour?”
Elijah nodded with a bright smile, “yup that’s it. Do we have a deal?” She reached her hand out that held the camera, looking up at him waiting for approval. A gesture to seal the deal quite literally.
Sylvan considered the pros and cons of the whole situation. Truthfully, the only con was going up to people and asking to take pictures of them besides the coffee shop. He sighed as he took the camera with a nod. “Fine. I guess I can’t really say no, huh?”
Elijah jumped with joy and clapped her hands. “Yes! That’s the spirit! Oh, and by the way, here’s the catch…you have twenty four hours to complete the job otherwise forget about the pay. We don’t have all the time in the world you know.”
He let out a soft laugh mixed with shock and amusement. “So stealing belongings from people and telling them what to do is your day to day routine?”
Elijah shrugged, hopping onto a glistening raven colored motorcycle. “I appreciate your business, Mr. Tillsdale.” She simply responded.
“How do you know my last name?”
“The tournament.” She told him, plainly.
Sylvan nodded his head slowly as she suddenly revved up the bike to ride away out of town. He had eyes on him. If she had been there that night, who knew how many people had really been watching him? The thought made his stomach turn in anxiety. Probably hundreds.

Words: 976

Words written for each part
⤿ Part 01: 254
⤿ Part 02: 178
⤿ Part 03: 830
⤿ Part 04: 976
☽‧₊˚ Total parts -> 2,238 ☽‧₊˚