Tolls and Trolls

' Oh God! I'm late!' Miska thought as she quickly ran down the halls, ignoring the stares from the people around her. ' Rin is going to have my head, I just know it!'

She took a left, then a right, and then another right; only a few more hallways to go and she would reach her destination, hopefully on time. Just as she turned the final corner, she noticed something - someone, to be more specific - blocking the hall where Rin's office resided. Miska gritted her teeth in irritation as she came to a halt.

" Why hello there, love," the white-haired android said in a lilting baritone, his arms stretched out the whole width of the hall. " And what brings you here today, on this wonderfully beautiful morn-"

" TREA," she replied, taking a couple of steps forward until she was a foot away from him. " Move."

" Aww, but it's been so long since you last visited me-"

" Unwillingly, I might add. I'm not here to 'visit' with you, as much as you would like to believe that I am."

The smile of TREA's face lessened slighty. " Oh, my dear Miska. Your words wound me more than any weapon could!"

" Look," she said with a sigh, rubbing her temples as she felt the last bit of her patience evaporating. " I have a meeting with Rin. If I'm late, I'll never hear the end of it, so will you please move?"

" Hm," he hummed, looking up in thought.

His smirk widened and she saw an all-to-familiar, mischievous twinkle in his ice-blue eyes.

' Uh oh, that's not a good sign.'

"I'll admit your request is more politely phrased, unlike the previous one, but I have to wonder if you've never been read any children's stories when you were younger," TREA stated, blowing a strand of hair from his face.

" Um," Miska started, her eyebrows furrowing. " What exactly does that have to do with anything?

He sighed, shaking his head in dismay. "Don't you remember? In fairy tales, under every bridge there's a troll and every troll demands a toll. You get my point, right?"

" But-but this isn't a bridge!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up in dismay. " Although I will admit that you may be a troll..."

" Bridge. Hallway. Same difference, right?" he asked, shrugging.

" This is ridiculous. What exactly is your 'fee', then?"

TREA leaned down slightly and turned his head so that his left cheek was facing her. " A kiss. Right here."

Miska's mouth dropped. After a moment, she pulled herself together with a shake of her head and replied, " That's extortion!"

" ...yes."

" Not to mention manipulation!"

" Now, my dear," TREA said with a soft smile. " It's not manipulation! Think of it as...persuasion."

" What makes you think I would go along with this little game of yours? I can just run under your arms and pass without having to pay your little 'toll'," she pointed out smugly, folding her arms over her chest.

His smile widened. " If you think you can get past me, by all means."

' Damn it,' she thought with a scowl, glaring at the android. ' I can't get past him without it taking up even more time. He's too fast for me. He knows it and I know it.'

Releasing a heavy sigh, she took a step, then another. And another. Eventually, she was almost flush against TREA, her arms wrapping around his neck as she tip-toed to reach him.

" Fine, have it you way," she muttered, her lips almost brushing against his cheek.

When her lips pressed against the skin of his cheek, Miska's eyes widened; she expected him to be cold and plastic-like, not warm and smooth. The grip on his neck tightened as she closed her eyes, pressing her lips even more firmly into his cheek. Taking in a deep breath, she could smell his scent, and try as she might, she couldn't find a comparison for it. It wasn't like all those cheese romance novels where X character smelled like peppermints, forest, or even the rain. Nevertheless, if she had to pick his scent out from a million others, she'd be able to do it.

She was half surprised when she pulled away from her kiss to find TREA's hands hadn't move from their spots on the wall of the hallway. Miska looked up at him in determination.

" Now, will you let me pass?"

His hand reached up to touch the spot where her lips had been moments before and he smiled, stepping to the side and taking a large, sweeping bow.

" Of course, love. Until we meet again," he replied, walking down the hall and then disappearing from sight as her turned the corner.

Miska rolled her eyes as she ran to Rin's office, quietly hoping that the woman inside wouldn't be too upset with her. With her hand on the knob, she opened the door, a single thought fluttering through her mind as she entered the room.

' Maybe not all tolls and trolls are that bad...' she decided with a smile.





Yeah, story in the artist's comments because, for the life of, I cannot figure out how to post both a text AND picture submission and I'm way too tried to fiddle with dA any longer.

Anyway, this little snippet has absolutley ZERO to do with Souler, with the exception of the characters. Actually, this was bouncing around in my head while I was trying to write Souler and wouldn't be silenced until I wrote it down. Now that I have, I'm really tempted to incorporate in some way, shape or form....


Or I could leave it as stand alone piece. I don't know.


As for piccy? Yeah, I know. Background = EPIC FAIL. We already know I can't do backgrounds to save my life, so moving along.


Surprisingly, this is one of the few pics I've done that I can actually say I really like.


Anyway, I hope you enjoy!


Miska, TREA, Rin and story ©