Word: Hoggery

hoggery

[haw-guh-ree, hog-uh-]

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noun, plural hog·ger·ies.

1. piggery.

2. slovenly or greedy behavior

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               Josh walked into his store with his head held high.  He had finally done it.  He had not only opened his own business, but he had managed to get it moderately successful.  While he would not be making millions any time soon, he was able to safely say his business had staying power.  He even had managed to pick up several regular customers.  It had been hard work, but the results were worth it.

               He opened the store and strode behind the counter, waiting for the first customers.  He knew they probably would not come in so early, since not even his employees came in so close to opening, but he found it best to maintain a hopeful attitude.

               The first person through the door gave him pause though.  The man was as wide as he was tall, and dressed in an expensive suit that would be flattering on a man in better shape.  His hair was slicked back, he wore a watch that looked like it was more expensive than some houses, and he carried himself with a confidence one his size should not be allowed.  And he made Josh nervous.

               “May I help you, sir?” Josh asked, politely.  Paranoia was no reason to ignore customer service. 

               The man looked around the store before settling on Josh.  “Possibly.  I want to speak with the store’s owner, if he’s available.  If not, the highest manager currently present.”

               “I’m the store’s owner.”

               A wolfish grin crossed the man’s face.  “Really now?  Always good to see an up and coming young entrepreneur.”  The man approached the counter and extended his hand.  Josh shook it out of social obligation more than anything.  “My name is Tomas Reglin.  Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of me, I try and keep out of the limelight as much as possible.”

               “Nice to meet you, Mr. Reglin?” Josh asked.  The other man ignored the question in the younger man’s voice.  “What, uh, what can I do for you?”

               “I notice you’ve been doing fairly well for yourself.”  Josh could not help but show a bit of pride at that.  “Especially for such a small business.  Quite commendable, if I do say so myself.  Which is why I’m buying this place.”

               Every mental process in Josh’s mind froze.  “What?”

               “I’m buying your business.  I can promise a very generous sum, and if you’re really attached to this place I can even keep you on as a manager, and I’ll even consider your employees.  I’m sure some of them will have to be replaced, but most of them should be acceptable.”

               “What?” Josh asked again.

               “What would you think about, say, five million?  I assure you it’s more than you’d make in several years.”

               “I…why?  Why buy this place?”

               “Why?  Simple.  It’s what I do.  You see, young man, I’m a businessman, in the purest sense.  That is, I’m in the business of business.  I buy places like this, make a few key modifications and let the profits roll in.”

               “I see.  With all due respect Mr. Reglin, but I’d rather not sell.  I like this place, and I like being my own boss.  Plus, I worked hard to make this place what it is.”

               “I see, I see.  Of course, you’re entitled to such thoughts, but I do hope you know what it means to not sell to me.”

“Oh?”
               Mr. Reglin leaned on the counter.  Or at least, he attempted to.  His sizable gut prevented it from having any real impact.  “You see, many people refuse to sell at first.  But those people tend to see a substantial dip in their customer base soon after.  They always sell, and at a significantly lower price than my original offer.

Josh’s blood ran cold.  The threat was obvious.  And he now knew what kind of position he had just been placed in.  He did not want to sell, but if what Mr. Reglin said was true, he might have no choice.

“Why would you do this?  It’s not like a small place like this had much to offer.”

“Oh I know.  But it’s a fairly successful business, and that means profits for me once I own it.  And more profits makes me very happy.”

Greed.  Pure, undiluted greed.  That was what was about to take away his dream, and he could do little about it.  He could try and refuse and weather whatever storm was set against him.  But he was not successful or established enough to do that.  Not against a man who replaced his conscience with money.  That did not mean he had to like it.

“Can I have some time to think it over?”

“Of course, of course.  I’ll give you until the end of the month to come to a decision.  Here, my card, and a list of some of the businesses I own.  Feel free to call them and see what they say about me.  Call me when you make up your mind, and if I don’t hear from you, I’ll be sure to remind you of my generous offer.  Have a good day.”

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I don't think I'd be able to be a business owner.  I just don't have the drive, temperament or skills to do that. I'd probably end up crashing hard. 

Word: Sirenic

sirenic

or si·ren·i·cal

[sahy-ren-ik or sahy-ren-i-kuh l]

adjective

of or characteristic of a siren; melodious, tempting, or alluring

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               “Hey, do you hear that?” Paul asked. 

               He clung to the rail of the boat, listening carefully to the sound that had just met his ears.  His friend, Ted, came to and listened.

               “Hey, yeah.  Sounds like someone singing.  Pretty well, too.”

               “Sounds like a bunch of girls.  We should check it out.”

               “Definitely.”

               They looked to the small raised platform that housed the boat’s steering and navigation equipment.  An older man stood there, hands on the wheel.  Paul waved the captain down.  With a grumble, the captain slowed the vessel and joined the two young men on the deck.

               “What is it?” He asked.  His voice was deep, but hoarse.  It matched his appearance perfectly. 

               “We hear some ladies singing.  They sound pretty hot, so we want to check ‘em out.” Ted said.

               The captain stiffened.  “S-singing?  You hear singing?  Where is it coming from?”

               The two boat passengers showed him the rough direction of the sound.  The captain’s face turned white and he made his way quickly to the wheel.  He did not start the boat though.  Paul and Ted went up to join him and saw the old man checking an old fashioned paper chart.

               “Oh no.” He said.  “We went too far.  We shouldn’t be here.  We need to leave.  Now.”

               “Why?” Ted said.  “We’ve got plenty of daylight left.  We can go visit the ladies and head back to shore later.”

               “No, you fool.  We must never get closer to that singing.  It’ll spell our deaths.”

               The two young men looked at each other in confusion.  How could a bunch of singers lead to their deaths?  The captain saw their question in their faces before they asked.

               “Those aren’t women you’re hearing.  Well, not human ones anyway.  Those are sirens.  Nothing good will come of following that song.”

               “Sirens?  Seriously?” Paul asked.  “You do know those don’t exist, right?  It’s all myths and stories.”

               “Oh, trust me, those stories are more real than you know.  Sirens exist, and they’re dangerous.  And we got within spitting distance of a group of them.  Trust me, we if we go any further, all we’ll find is jagged rocks followed by sharp teeth.”

               “Wait, aren’t sirens like, mermaids or something?” Ted asked.

               “No.  They’re completely different.  Only thing similar between sirens and mermaids is that they live in the ocean and are deadly to the unwary.  Mermaids use their looks to get people to dive in, where they’ll be drowned.  They can get a dozen men before anyone knows what’s going on.  Sirens, on the other hand, use their voices to lure ships to treacherous waters.  They can take entire ships easy.  I wouldn’t want to run into either, but it’s the sirens that we have to worry about here.”

               “So, how do you know this is a siren’s song, and not just a really good human girl singing?”

               “Because I’ve heard them.  Heard sirens before.” The captain said.  “I’ve been on ships and boats before this one, boys.  And a few of them came this way, or other places like them.  I was lucky that I only signed on with experienced captains that were aware of the dangers.  It let me know what’s going on now, and helped me build up a resistance to their songs.”

               The two young men looked at their older captain with disbelief in their eyes.  All they heard was a few fine singers, and that was promising for them.

               “Remember this sound, boys.  Remember it well.  If you’re ever at sea and hear this sound, get out of there.  Turn your ship around and get away as quickly as you can, before someone becomes too entranced and guides the ship to them.  Only reason I haven’t gotten us out of here is because it’s just the three of us.  But we’ve lingered here enough.  In a way, we were lucky you two have good hearing.  If we had gotten closer, where the song would be louder, even my resistance might not be enough.”

               The captain started the boat and guided it away from the siren’s song.  Ted and Paul grumbled about it, but did nothing.  Neither of them knew how to steer the boat, and so could do nothing to take command of the vessel.  But both of them were already making plans to come back on a different boat, with a captain that was more adventurous. 

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Anyone remember this song?  I think it's appropriate here, don't you?  Okay, maybe I'm wrong, but still.

Word: Adrenalize

adrenalize

[uh-dreen-l-ahyz]

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verb (used with object), ad·re·nal·ized, ad·re·nal·iz·ing.

to stir to action; excite: The promise of victory adrenalized the team.

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               Hecin sat up suddenly, ignoring the grass that had clung to his rough shirt.  His eyes were open wide and a big smile was on his face.  He looked to the other four members of his social circle.  They were all ignoring him, and remained doing what they had been.  That stopped when Hecin spoke up.

               “You know what we should do?  We should become adventurers.”

               The others looked at each other and resumed their activities without a word.  They had long since learned to ignore such fanciful words from their friend.  When he got no response, Hecin continued.

               “I mean it, we should.  I mean, think about it.  The five of us would be an amazing party.”

               The largest member of the group, Baltist, replied.  “No we wouldn’t.  None of us have fought before, or even trained for fighting.  Hell, none of us have even held a weapon.  We’d be slaughtered on our first fight.”

               “True, but that’s only for now.  We can get experience in the field.  Besides, we’re practically build for a party.  You, for example, would make a splendid warrior.  Linnia has good eyes and steady hands.  She’s practically built for an archer.”

               The girl in question looked up at the mention of her name.  “No, I’m not.”  She said.  “I’d be a terrible archer.  I’d never be able to draw anything bigger than a short bow.”

               “You’ll just have to train then.” Hecin said, undeterred.  “Klyn is small, quiet, and smart.  He’d make for a fine rouge.”

               The small, thin boy looked almost ashamed that he had been picked for that roll.  “I don’t want to steal anything.” He said simply.

               “Not that kind of rouge, sure.  I mean the kind that sneaks around dungeons to find the monster and disarms traps and stuff.”

               “I might be able to do that?” Klyn admitted reluctantly.

               “And the best of all, Bellis would be our mage.”  Hecin patted the girl on the shoulder.

               “I’m not a mage.” She said.  “I barely know any magic at all.  Just, like, cleaning spells and stuff.”

               “More than most people can do.  Did you know only a handful of adventuring parties have a mage, or anyone who can use magic?  We’d be ahead of curve with that alone.  Besides, I’m sure you’ll learn lots of spells on the road.”

               The girl sighed.

               “I notice you haven’t mentioned yourself yet.” Baltist said.  “What role would you be filling, pray tell?  I know you wouldn’t be a healer.”

               “Of course not.  I’m not nearly pious or patient enough to be a healer.  No, I’m steady on my feet and have the best balance.  I’m a spearman.”  He said proudly.  “We have everything a good party needs.  A strong, tough man on the front, a mage and archer in the back—”

               “I told you I can’t be an archer.” Linnia insisted.  Hecin continued as if she had not spoken.

               “A scout making sure we don’t fight more than we can handle, and someone to attack from behind our warrior.  Plus, mages make everything so much better, no matter what spells they use.”

               The rest grumbled.  With the exception of a healer, it was a decent party makeup.  Still, it was difficult to get behind his words when none of them had any idea of how to go about doing said jobs.

               “Oh come now, think about it.” Hecin said.  “Traveling the world.  Vanquishing great beasts.  Finding long lost treasures.  Fame and fortune.” He said, moving his arms energetically and dramatically.  “Songs would be sung about us.  Ladies…and Gentlemen…would want to be with us.”

               “R-really?  We’d be popular?” Klyn said.  The small boy had trouble catching the eyes of the fair sex, and his mind was already racing with Hecin’s proclamation.

               “Don’t listen to him.” Linnia said.  “Women won’t fall for you just because you’re an adventurer.”

               “Oh really?” Hecin said.  “What would you do if a famous adventurer came up to you right now and asked for your hand?”

               Linnia stuttered and muttered.  Bellis’s eyes seemed distant and a distinct pink color came to her cheeks as she thought.  A color that was soon worn by both girls.

               “Point taken.” Linnia muttered. 

               “See?  We can be famous.  Known the world over for our deeds.  And fortune like we can’t even dream of.  Magic items, piles of gold and gems.  We can have it all.”

               The others thought about it for nearly a minute.

               “Maybe we can start small.”  Bellis said.  “A few gathering quests, maybe hunt some slimes or insect monsters.”

               “A-And use the funds to hire trainers and such.” Baltist said, scratching the side of his face.  “You know, learn how to fight properly before going up against anything really dangerous.”

               “That’s the spirit!” Hecin cheered.  “We’ll take a few days to gather supplies, and then head out to the nearest city!  My friends, fame and fortune await!”

               They collectively let out a great cheer at the boy’s words.  Each had their head filled with fame, fortune and power.  They each quickly quieted the tiny bits of doubt still lingering in their minds, and continued to dream.

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 Not sure if I should continue this or not.  I used to try continuous stories in the early days of the blog, but I haven't done that recently.  Maybe I should try and pick it back up?  Depends on the words I get, I suppose.