Reviews :
Awesome Stories May Occur : Hey there, friend, long time no see! Cory and I are hanging in there. We're both essential workers, though my job (Starbucks) has offered us catastrophe pay and I have 6 weeks paid leave. My husband, on the other hand, is a surgical tech at our nearby hospital and isn't directly on the front lines of what's happening, but he's in and out of the chaos every day. It's pretty scary, but we're doing everything we can to stay home - he only leaves to go to and from work and nothing else. As for me, I'm practically getting paid to write this story before you. I consider myself very VERY fortunate and I'm doing everything in my power to not take it for granted, to stay home and keep everyone safe.
As for your questions, YES! I got your requests. I've been picking at the sketch dump, but if I'm being frank, all this time off has really helped me get into older pieces of artwork I left to collect dust. I have a little less than 4 weeks left of quarantine, so I absolutely guarantee the sketchdump will be uploaded within these terms. Obviously WAY sooner than later - I'm about half way done with it :) As for Archived Chaos, I imagine their work to be a bit more gloomy rock alternative, but when it eventually branches off with Berri at the lead, it becomes a bit more exciting and not so gloomy. More pop rock. Your link unfortunately didn't work, FF is a butt sometimes. I'll be drawing proper band pictures, both with Gunner and post-Gunner.
I SO appreciate your kindness towards my artwork, I wish it were a bit more noticed. I put a LOT of effort into my pieces and making sure everyone has proper visuals for just what's going on in the story. I wonder if people forget my art exists, I get PMs and questions all the time of people asking what my version of Turbo looks like, or if I could better explain Berri :( I have a TON of artwork waiting for everyone on my IG, so I really REALLY value when it's noticed and appreciated, like such. Thank you for your kind words... And yes, Turbo is the very last person you want to make angry. Couple that with wrecking coding, phew...
And thanks for your support towards Cory. He's not directly dealing with sick patients, he's usually neck deep in surgical work in sterile environments. He's the brawn of his department, the heavy lifter, the muscle. So technically he could go a few floors up and punch this virus right in the face LOL! Thanks again, friend. So good to hear from you. I really hope you are doing well and staying safe - this goes for every single last one of my readers, too.
I left my response to this review public because I felt as if everyone could benefit from it, cause it pertains to stuff in the story, and things happening in RL. :)
Song Listened To :
Lost by Blake Rose
*Chapter 166*
"Y-Your car is... Wow," Berri choked a silent huff of a breath taken away; she could tell Turbo was doing absolutely everything to drive modestly, to be slow and careful, she softly eyed him and almost liked this version of Turbo better.
"Thank you," Turbo's deep voice pressed politely, the digital screens, dash and everything in between the Lumos' gorgeous, broad dash board was unlike anything Berri had ever imagined, a futuristic swathe of pure magic, it glowed dimly against their skin, alongside the warm, golden glow of Turbo's eyes.
"How could you ever afford something like this?" Berri cutely wondered, she knew full well just how he could afford it, being at Zed's right hand, though the two were now so far lost inside their cute bout of role-playing, Berri was stoked it carried on for so long.
"I earned it," Turbo's voice deeply volleyed in soft, raspy delight, nearly above a whisper, and although he kept his eyes on the road he traversed, his haunting, golden gaze softly glanced into hers with a knowing smolder, something that immediately caught Berri breathless.
Immediately taking note of Berri's catch of now empty, delirious words, he huffed a silent chuckle through his teeth, a wide grin of further victorious delight, and though he was well aware he had already won this precious gem's heart, his hand warmly sagged to Berri's lower thigh and gingerly gripped in a further show of proving that he had most definitely earned these rights, like stated. Berri felt her face burn up, she sagged her elbow into the nook of the door's arm rest, to her right, eased her chin into her palm, and shyly peered out her darkly tinted window in a flutter of falling deeper into swirling, romantic, girly thoughts. She smiled into her hand and shyly lulled her eyes closed as Turbo squeezed her knee a little and huffed a cute, knowing chuckle.
"I'm glad you like it," Turbo's gentle voice warmly concluded, the light before them turned green as he so softly pressed on the gas and eased forward; Berri was well aware he was acting tame for a reason, he had already showed off a bunch prior, and although she enjoyed the thrill of his fast driving, she felt honored that he took it slow, a further, proverbial show of just how well he played this game.
"What's the top speed?" Berri wondered daintily, she tried to keep her tone not so daring, hoping to convey to Turbo that she simply only wanted a verbal answer and not a physical show.
"Two hundred and fifty miles an hour," Turbo sweetly pressed, his voice humble and gentle, his golden eyes simply glanced in her direction.
"Ever hit it?" Berri pressed again, still in said curious, reserved show of simply wanting a verbal answer.
"Yes, ma'am," Turbo pressed humbly with a nod, he held his hand still remained glued to Berri's thigh as he slowly rounded a corner and drove confidently with one hand; his beautiful car handled like a dream, as if on a cloud in outer space, she was certain they were simply hovering over the asphalt.
"... Turbo, how many speeding tickets do you have on your record?" Berri asked with a giggle of authority, though she was floored that Turbo beamed a confident smile and inhaled a deep, raspy breath of regret.
"Four," He pressed, he cocked an eyebrow and gave her a look of continued sheepishness as he mumbled on, "Went to jail last year, criminal speeding."
"Why am I not surprised," Berri choked a small laugh and felt her heart jump as his gorgeous, glowing tower could be seen coming up; his low-sloped, aerodynamic windshield softly began to speckle with rain drops.
"Yeah, my... Boss bailed me out," Turbo choked a harder laugh as Berri now gaped and gave him a floored look of unmitigated surprise, and though she wanted to break character and sink into usual topic about palace life, things they were comfortable with, she sagged into her seat and warmly eased her hand on top of Turbo's hand, which still lovingly gripped her thigh.
"I'm sure he was pissed at you," Berri muttered with a wide, bashful smile, she was glad the hard blush across her face wasn't visible, "I'm surprised you weren't fired."
"Me too," Turbo mumbled, and as they pressed into the familiar back alley of Turbo's gorgeous sky scraper, he slowly eased past the typical span of the four dumpsters they usually pass, and with care, he pulled into his secretive nook of a massive teleportation pad. In this, Turbo's Lumos detected such arrival, splayed a few stats on the screen and ultimately pulled up a few options asking if Turbo would like to use said teleport pad, one that connected with the garage inside of his loft, high above the city. As Turbo cued the positive answer on the large screen, on his dash, they flickered to Turbo's dimly lit garage within the blink of an eye as he nonchalantly carried on, "He handed me my ass. This was a long time ago... I had one taste of freedom and abused it, can you blame me?"
"Not at all," Berri finally eased a shaky giggle and felt a weird wiggle of delight come over her, the raw fact that they were inside his warm abode, her second home, she almost felt tears of joy sting her eyes.
Turbo gently powered down his incredible car after putting it in park, and as he quickly got out of the car and rounded to Berri's door, he politely unhinged the heavy door and helped her out of the passenger side. Berri stood from the lower positioning she was in, and as they quietly eased away from his incredible vehicle, Berri cocked an eyebrow and peered back at it with gust, she bobbed a nod and tried to collect her thoughts as desperately as she could. The car looked other worldly, she could hardly believe she was just inside of it, and although Turbo didn't go tearing down the streets like what she imagined, she smiled as Turbo welcomed her from the garage into his loft and figured their next go around would be a lot wilder. Grateful for the slow ride, the gentle burn of their evening, she relished in the idea of Turbo being a slow moving being for once.
"Wow," Berri huffed in quiet, scheming delight as she sagged into Turbo's familiar home. She inhaled a deep breath and relished in the scent, her heart fluttered with the wild idea that she was able to be here all whilst definitely being needed in Castle Run. The rush of rebellion coursed through her, she sagged deeper into Turbo's lovely abode and tried to pretend this was the very first time she was seeing it. She eased to his island and held her hands to it daintily as she relaxed, though as Turbo gently lofted his keys to the glossy island and took off his thicker leather jacket, she cocked an eyebrow and bashfully looked him over, for the millionth time tonight, as she pressed on, "Got any other surprises for me?"
"Hmm, well... I have a pool on my roof, a third of Sugar Rush's code room downstairs, and uh..." Turbo cocked an eyebrow, sagged his masculine hands in a wider spread on his island's dark, glossy marble and gave Berri a smoldering look of further, smiling cheek, "A girlfriend that would murder me if she knew you were here with me."
Berri's smile easily broadened as she looked down to her twiddling fingers, she was well aware her face was forever tinted red, from here on out. She shook her head, shrugged a little and peered into Turbo's hook of smoldering, golden eye contact.
"She's lucky to have a guy like you," Berri warmly stated with a conclusory nod, she heaved a shaky sigh and continued to twiddle her fingers.
"Nah, I'm... I'm the lucky one," Turbo mumbled cutely, they both caught eyes in innocent warmth as their little game of role-play began to tenderly ease to the wayside temporarily. Turbo inhaled a slow, deep breath, broadened his chest and continued to peer to Berri in curious, glancing delight. Her cute, bare shoulders were scrunched in bashful stillness, the gentle kiss of her dark brown hair that eased to her collarbones, the tenderness in her softer grey eyes, he narrowed his golden gaze and spoke directly into her being, "She's... A gifted musician, her singing voice is other worldly. She's my best friend."
Berri bobbed a small nod, huffed a shaky giggle and looked down to her hands in shyness, once more, though Turbo persisted.
"She's the most beautiful creature on the face of this Earth," Turbo's raspy, warm voice eased to her in a lovely press above a whisper, he narrowed his gaze as her cute, bashful smile began to fall into a nervous little frown of creeping sorrow. Turbo gently shook his head and tried to be as calm as he could, his disposition was that of still water, his deep voice so carefully pressed on in delicate inquiry, "Why are you here, Blue?"
Berri's frown broadened as her eyebrows pined into a look of promised, potential crumpling. She inhaled a deep, trembling bout of air and exhaled an even shakier breath before her as she avoided eye contact with Turbo. She long-blinked back tears, shrugged her cute shoulders and remained still as she mustered the courage to finally speak, to gather the strength to carry on without needing to crumple into Turbo's arms every time something went wrong. Turbo's eyes glossed her beautiful figure, the peak of her fragile collar bones, the curve of her chest to the smaller dip of her waist and back out again to her voluptuous hips, he felt his heart thud with all sorts of different emotions, ones of delight, desire, though mostly, a hover of nervousness as they came to the reality of truly just why she was inside Sugar Rush and not safely inside Castle Run, like where she promised she'd be for the next two weeks.
"I'm tired of being stifled," Berri mumbled softly, "I wanted a stage to own. I didn't care which one... I promised myself I'd come see you, though, before I went back to Castle Run."
"It would've been okay if you didn't," Turbo stated in gentle humility, not in the way of wishing she didn't, though more so in the way of assuring her that she was free to come and go without feeling tied. She softly peered her gorgeous eyes into his, though he felt his heart squeeze at the raw fact that they were glassy with oncoming tears; she held strong, however, as he warmly continued on, "I would've been sad, but I would've understood. Sometimes y'gotta just be alone. I, of all people, understand that entirely."
"Thank you," Berri mumbled with a smile, though she sniffled and breathed through the not so subtle act of holding back tears; Turbo furrowed his eyebrows and narrowed his gaze in warm, suspicious curiosity.
"Why else?" Turbo prod gently, to which Berri shook her head, bit her bottom lip and looked off. Turbo stood up a bit straighter and remained still, knowing full well to not rush her with a swathe of potentially over-cumbersome coddling, "You KILLED that performance, the way you sang our song was... Wow."
"Thank you," Berri eased a small smile as her glassy eyes still aimlessly peered across Turbo's loft, to his dim living room.
"... I know you felt invigorated, you LOOKED it," Turbo choked a soft laugh, shook his head and continued to peer to her in warm curiosity, "... I know a feeling like that doesn't bring on this amount of struggling to hold back tears, my love."
Like clockwork, Berri lulled her eyes closed in mild annoyance at herself as a few spills of glassy tears eased down her rosey cheeks. She exhaled a trembling breath through her nose, tilted her head down in warm defeat and now peered her fully teary gaze down to Turbo's dark marbled island counter. Turbo remained still and so badly wanted to rush her, though he reserved and wondered if maybe she needed to get something off of her chest.
"I'm just tired of being held back, it's just something I have to push through... Get this contract with Gunner over with," Berri whimpered, she inhaled a faltering breath, stood up a bit straighter, tried to compose herself and gently began to wipe the tears from her cheeks, though new tears continued to thwart her efforts, "It just sucks because... Gunner and I could be great friends, this band is just what... Tore us apart. He's a good guy, he just... Handles stress so poorly, and it comes out in these weird waves of toxicity that he has no clue how to get a grip of."
"I understand," Turbo pressed warmly in soft, patient listening, he kept his golden eyes hooked tight to her, his undivided attention entirely hers forever, "Makes every situation, from here on out, really tense, huh."
"Really tense," Berri firmly agreed as she threw her hand up in a mild waggle of defeat, she finally peered her gorgeous, glistening, glassy eyes into Turbo's and mumbled on in nasally whimpers of desperately trying to collect herself, "And, I do EVERYTHING I can to remain patient, but when he starts to get snippy back at me, it's like..."
Turbo just barely eased a small, sorrowful, apologetic smile and relished in hearing all of her issues, knowing full well that his night was now set up perfectly so he could turn it all around and make it all right. With a deep inhale from his broad chest, his aura exuded all the power in Arcade, though his slow and tender movement about his kitchen's island was tentative and patient, something Berri's wet eyes only glanced to in half-noticed continuation of trying to wipe her face free of tears. She began to crumple, something Turbo did absolutely everything to allow to happen, he didn't want to constantly be interrupting her from potentially needing to get absolutely everything off of her chest. With caution, he finally eased into her presence and stood a foot or two before her, he stood still, furrowed his brow and hooked his attention tight to her as he allowed her to tearfully continue.
"And then the poor boys are just like... REALLY walking on eggshells, I mean, Throttle almost handed him his ass, tonight," Berri barked as her wet eyes firmly stared up into Turbo's, she inhaled a trembling breath that was on the verge of gentle, cute little cry hiccups as she finally shoved her hand into her forehead, thus crumpling her sweet, short, brown bangs. She grit her teeth and sharply pressed on in a show of full spiraling, "I just... RAN upstairs and, grabbed the disguise thing you gave me, and... I didn't look back, but now that I'm here, I'm almost wondering if maybe I should just go back, I just... Left without telling anyone."
"Should you?" Turbo wondered plainly with a shrug, he cocked an eyebrow and gave her a cute smile, as if to convey to her that they both knew the difference between the correct answer and the answer they both would eagerly choose, in this moment.
"I should," Berri mumbled as she crumpled, once more, she whimpered on so sweetly, something that had Turbo's chest tightening with the innocent draw and allure of desire, he tilted his head and gave her every last inch of his attention, "But, I won't. I don't want to... How do I... I-I mean... I HAVE to go back."
"Yeah, you have to go back," Turbo mumbled as he looked off, he allowed the air of disappointment hover over them, for only mere moments before he allowed his lips to curl into a cute, smolder of a little, devious smile, "... Eventually."
Berri raised her eyebrows and peered her glassy eyes tight into his, she exhaled a nasally, trembling breath and bit her lip in the tumultuous rile of emotion that coursed through her, though in the nonsense, she felt her face heat up as she narrowed her gaze and shook her head in shy confusion.
"Look, I... Know we just met, and this is going to seem really forward of me, but," Turbo mumbled as he looked down and to the side, aimlessly down to his kitchen island, and though Berri blushed, frowned and allowed her eyes to follow his idle stare in the movement of it all, she felt her heart jolt in tender surprise the second his golden, glowing eyes began to so slowly dip to that of a cute, peachy glow of desire he couldn't stifle even if he tried. He huffed a shaky chuckle and finally gave Berri his lovely eye contact, "I think you should stay the night, with me. I mean, it'd be really awful of me to throw you back to the city this late at night, and... It's raining, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
Berri held her breath and peered up into Turbo's eyes in frozen, teary surprise, the hard blush of delight splashed her face as she did what she could to now purse her lips and hide that wide smile that so badly wanted to burst forth.
"Let's see, a little bit about me and my abode, well... I've got drinks, I have yummy food, I have an incredible view," Turbo listed in a boyish tone of cute innocence, he gestured about his house before he warmly rested his hands to his lower chest and side-eyed Berri in knowing, smoldering delight, "Look, I got... I got a chest for you to lay your head on, you can talk my ear off all night, I-I have an awesome infinity pool upstairs, a BIG comfy bed..."
Berri finally beamed a wide, relieved grin and shyly looked down to her feet in whole delight, she could feel her heart wildly flutter at the lovely evening unfolding before her, and though she wanted to firmly resist all of it due to her's and Turbo's underlying disagreements, she finally exhaled a long, trembling breath and allowed the night to whisk every single worry away from her. She raised her brown eyebrows in cute surprise the second Turbo pressed a gentle step into her gravity, his fingers just barely hooked the side of her jaw as he kindly cued her head to be tilted up with gained, glassy eye contact.
"I know we hardly know each other, but..." Turbo softly mumbled a few inches from her face, and though Berri was now becoming well-versed in Turbo's soft, careful, tentative romance, she felt as if every single experience was brand new.
In the gentle collide of their impending kiss, Berri felt every single one of her walls finally begin to crumple. The way his strong, protective hands cupped her jaws, the gently tug of her body into his, she so easily allowed herself to just get lost in all of it. She was entirely certain staying in Sugar Rush, for the night, would have its own consequences, though somehow, she was perfectly okay with just dealing with all the Castle Run chaos come sunrise. These dark, night owl hours were strictly reserved for Sugar Rush's darkest, shyest head, what used to be a battle of wit, a tug of war for control, was now a released reign of forfeit into Turbo's brooding territory. A scary sense of finally allowing Turbo to lightly tread deeper into her heart, she gripped the chest of his soft, cute cream button down shirt, as if to beg him to be patient with her, through this venture. Although the two stirred in their passionate kiss with fervor, deep inhales through their noses on each other's cheeks, the gentle gape and sink of hot, wet lips in a slow draw of needy romance, Berri exhaled a trembling breath as Turbo so carefully broke the kiss and finally rested his forehead firmly into hers.
"Turbo?" Berri huffed shakily on the small gape of his wet lips, ones that sneakily curled into a knowing smile.
"Bailey?" Turbo quietly stated above a whisper, she crowned a wide smile, shook her head and lulled her eyes closed.
"Of... All the things you listed," Berri started as she fluttered her eyes closed, she raised her eyebrows and almost held her breath in the middle of her inquiry, as if she was even surprised she was opening up about a topic so fragile and sensitive to her. She felt the universe so tightly begin to squeeze the two together in a infinite melt, her heart pounded as she bashfully eased Turbo a warm question on the hover of his gently agape lips, just above the shyest whisper, "Y-You... Wouldn't happen to have an antidote for stress marks, would you?"
Turbo felt the blood in his body suddenly cease action, he lulled his peachy eyes closed and allowed Berri's tender, humble, innocent little request ring through his ears, and although he was absolutely aware it was the situation talking, and the alcohol already in his system that quickly reminded him to keep it together, he just barely breathed a shaky chuckle onto her cute, wet mouth and long-blinked in delirious surprise, a rile of delight that crowned the two eternally peachy. He was well aware this wasn't a rushing invitation, but a slow approach to a big bend in the road, a sweeping turn that required the utmost of care to traverse. He just barely bobbed a tiny, confident nod, tightened his lip with a cute, teasing show of determination and assured himself that staying playful and light hearted would keep the air between them easy and warm.
"Oh, yeah, I just bought some," Turbo playfully mumbled with a cute grin, to which Berri blurt a soft laugh, shook her head, eased a little out of his presence and held the sides of her heads, near her temples; they were, indeed, flared with the tiny, silver circuits of her billowed stress.
"I'm sure it wasn't cheap," Berri giggled, her face was nearly beet red, though Turbo inhaled a shaky breath and gently unhanded Berri in a now new show of cute uncertainty the both of them firmly radiated.
"It has your name all over it," Turbo's deep voice concluded with a nod as he nervously sagged his hands into his pockets, "How about... I make us some drinks and some dinner, we'll talk some more about what's on your mind, then maybe... Head upstairs for a swim?"
"I'd love nothing more," Berri eased through a conclusory sigh and a small nod, though as the two bashfully caught eyes, Berri was well aware she had just given Turbo a green light, one that he had been so patiently burning out at for what felt to be centuries now.
