#starlla

“This is a story about a woman named Starlla.”

A woman dressed in a pink shirt with a white shooting star on it, dark blue jeans, and black shoes sat at a desk in an inclosed office. The computer that sat in front of her was turned off. Her waist length copper hair was tied back and her green hazel eyes stared down at her lap. A silver chain with a cross, a small pink heart shaped diamond in the center of it, hung around her neck. A black smart watch was strapped to her left arm.

“Starlla worked for a company in a big building where she was employee #427. Employee #427’s job was very important. She sat at her desk in room 427 and checked security codes and firewalls for other companies. Orders for projects came to her on her monitor on her desk telling her what to work on next. This is what employee 427 did everyday, every month, of every year and although others might of considered it soul rending, Starlla relished every moment a new project came to her as though she had been made exactly for this job and Starlla was happy.”

Starlla said nothing as that rich voice filled her enclosed office. Truth be told, she wasn't happy. Not today. She honestly didn't want to do this today. But, she knew how much the Narrator loved playing this game with her. So, she’d suck it up and let him have his fun. This is what made him happy, after all.

“And then one day something very peculiar happened. Something that would forever change Starlla. Something she would never quite forget. She had been at her desk for nearly an hour when she realized that not one single project had been sent for her to work on. No one had shown up to give her a project, call a meeting, or even say hi. Never in all her years at the company had this happened. This complete isolation. Something was very clearly wrong. Shocked, frozen solid, Starlla found herself unable to move for the longest time. But, as she came to her wits and regained her senses, she got up from her desk and stepped out of her office.”

With a sigh, Starlla stood up and walked out of the room. She glanced at the other desks in the area. All untouched and clean. Nobody has used them in a long time. Probably never will.

“All of her co-workers were gone. What could it mean? Starlla decided to go to the meeting room. Perhaps she had simply missed a memo.”

Not wanting to put up a fight today, she did what the Narrator said. She trotted down the hallway and came to the room with the two doors. 

“When Starlla came to a set of two opened doors, she entered the door on her left.”

Okay, this time she didn't want to listen to him. She wanted to try to get herself more in the mood to play this game. Maybe taking a detour would help her mood? Only one way to find out. She took the right door instead.

“This was not the correct way to the meeting room and Starlla knew it perfectly well. Perhaps she wanted to stop by the employee lounge, just to admire it.”

This was doing nothing to get her into the game. Dang it. It seemed she needed to try harder. While she didn’t want to do anything stupid and dangerous, there had to be a way to lift her mood.

When she walked into the blue themed room she expected the Narrator to say his usual lines of annoyance. But, instead she was greeted to the sight of the man himself. He was tall with short gray hair with gold highlights. Rectangular glasses sat in front of his beautiful gold eyes. A black three piece suit and dress shoes with a gold colored tie is what he chose to wear today. A gold pocket watch chain could be seen on his suit jacket connecting to his pocket. 

Even though she felt depressed today, she still blushed at the sight of the older man. A look of concern painted his face. “Is everything alright, my dear? You aren’t very active today.”

The woman lightly sighed. “Sorry Nathan, I’m really trying. I’m just…..not very chipper today. You don’t have to worry about me, though. We can still-”

She was cut off when Nathan walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. “Of course I’ll worry about you. I love you so much, my darling. You don’t have to play today if you don’t want to. Is something bothering you? Do you want to talk about it?”

She returned the embrace and buried her face in his chest. “I don't feel good today, that’s all. It has nothing to do with you, work, or anything.”

“Do you want to cuddle while I read to you?”

Starlla could’ve cried at the sweet gesture. She didn’t deserve him. He was too good for her. “…..Yes, please.”

With that said Nathan led her to the couch and sat her down. Before she could get comfortable he bent down and began unlacing her shoes. This took her by surprise. “Um, Nathan? What are you doing?”

“Making you more comfortable, my dear. I thought it would help you relax if your shoes were off.”

He did have a point. Taking off her shoes was a good idea. “Thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome.” 

After he took off her shoes he sat down next to her and took his off too. “Let’s both get comfortable. Forget about our little game today. Let’s relax and enjoy each other’s company.”

He placed his shoes next to hers and laid down on the sofa. Starlla had to scoot over a bit to make room for his legs. Before she could say anything she found herself being levitated off of the couch. Instead of saying anything she stayed silent since she knew this was Nathan’s doing. 

She was gently placed on top of him and he stroked her hair as she laid her head on his chest. In a brief flash of glittery, golden, light a yellow and pink quilt was draped over both of them.

Nathen wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. “Comfortable, sweetheart?” She nodded. “Good. What story would you like to hear today?”

She thought for a moment. “Something relaxing. A fairytale?”

“Sounds good. Do you want to hear that spin-off novel from Frozen?”

“Yes, please.”

He kissed her on the head. “Of course.” 

With that said he summoned the book and kept it floating in the air. Now he could read to her and not let go of her. He made sure she was comfortable before starting the story.

In the offices, a door that was usually kept locked turned red and opened. Two femininely dressed men stepped into the room. 

The older one had short gray hair and golden eyes. Yellow earrings hung from his ears. He wore a white shirt, yellow tie, black trench coat that was yellow on the inside, black slacks that went up to his abdomen, and black high-heeled boots. He tightened the slights tightly around his middle to make his hips look wider. Makeup was applied to his face and black lipstick. His nails were painted black as well. His name was Black.

The other man was shorter and looked a bit younger than his companion. His short brown hair was styled back. Yellow arrow earrings decorated his ears and a black choker with yellow lace was tied around his neck. He wore a strapless black dress, black gloves that went past his elbows, and a white feather boa. His shoes of choice were black high heels with yellow on the bottom of them. His brown eyes glanced around the room. His name is Stanley.

“I’m so excited!” Exclaimed Stanley. “I’ve been waiting for this all week! I hope-”

Black held up a hand. “Hold up, sweetheart. Something doesn't feel right.”

He gave his partner a puzzled look. “What do you mean? Is something wrong?”

Black was silent for a moment. “More like different. I don't think we’re in the right place.”

“Really? That's unusual. Maybe we can still make it before the fun starts.”

Just as Stanley turned around Black spoke up. “Hold on. Let's explore. I would like to meet this place’s Narrator and Stanley. I don't think we’ve met them before. This place is very different.”

Stanley blinked before answering. “Okay. Maybe they’ll want to join us. The more the merrier.”

The two of them walked through the offices and came to the set of two opened doors. Stanley spoke first. “Which way should we go first? The left one?”

Black hummed in thought. “I haven’t heard this one's Narrator just yet. Let’s take the right one. Maybe this Stanley is exploring and went off the path.”

Back in the employee lounge Starlla was fully relaxed on Nathan, listening to him read and his heartbeat. Just as he was turning the page he froze. Something was incredibly wrong. He felt two unknown presence’s in his domain.

Starlla felt him stiffen and looked at him. “Honey? Is everything okay?”

“.....I feel two intruders in my domain.”

She sat up. “What? How did they get in here?”

Nathan could hear the sounds of heels clicking down the hallway already. He gently pushed Starlla off of him and slipped on his shoes. The laces began tying themselves as he grabbed the quilt. “Hide under here. I don't want to take a chance. If these people are aggressive then things will get ugly fast. This is my domain. Leave everything to me.”

She nodded. “Right.”

Nathan draped the quilt on the corner of the couch, making a pocket for Stella to hide under, and motioned her to crawl inside. As she did that he took her shoes and hid them on the side of the sofa. 

He turned to the open doorway as Black and Stanley stepped inside. Nathan crossed his arms and glared at the unexpected guests. While he wanted to immediately toss these people out, he’ll restrain himself. He didn't want to get violent with Starlla in the room. “Who the hell are you and how did you get in here?”

Black spoke first. He put on a friendly face. “Hello. I’m Black and this is my partner Stanley. We were going to visit some friends to have some fun, but it seems we ended up in your place instead. Sorry about that. We were hoping to meet you and your Stanley.”

When Black spoke Nathan was shocked to hear his voice come from this man. What the hell?! Why did this man have his voice?! Not to mention why did he kinda look like him?

Shaking those thoughts from his mind Nathan spoke firmly. “Instead of turning back and leaving you both decided to roam around my domain without my permission? You’re trespassing on my property. Leave. Now.”

Stanley spoke up. “We don’t mean any harm. We merely want to meet you and your Stanley.”

Nathan wasn’t having any of this. He could feel his anger levels rising by the second and his self restraint was becoming more challenging to hold onto. He uncrossed his arms and tightened his hands into fists. “I don’t know anyone named Stanley! Even if I did I wouldn’t introduce him to people who trespass on other people's private property! If you two don’t leave right now I’ll throw you out myself!”

Things were getting heated quickly. Black tried to think of a way to get this man to calm down. But, he did have a point. They were walking around in his game without his permission. He has the right to be angry. The best thing to do was to respect his wishes and leave.

Black took a breath. “We’re sorry for trespassing. We really don’t mean any harm. We’ll leave.”

Under the quilt Starlla listened to the entire conversation. One of the men sounded exactly like Nathan! How was that possible?! Was it just a coincidence or something? Deciding to push her luck, she bent down and peeked outside.

As Stanley was about to turn around to leave he happened to glance at the quilt draped on the couch. He caught movement underneath it and saw someone peek out. He smiled and gave a small wave. “Oh. Well, hello there.”

Black and Nathan both looked at him. He pointed to the quilt. “I take it your Stanley, or whatever his name is, is under there?”

Nathan growled and his eyes briefly glowed. “Leave now!”

Seeing as she has given herself away, Stella crawled out of the quilt and stood up. Both Black and Stanley were taken back at the sight of her. This version of Stanley was a woman?!

Starlla gave an awkward wave. “Um. Hello.”

Black recovered from his shock and smiled brightly at her. “Hello, darling. I’m Black and this is Stanley. It’s nice to meet both of you. We apologize for coming uninvited.”

She lightly smiled back. “Thank you for apologizing. I’m Starlla and this is Nathan.”

“Starlla.” Said Nathan stiffly. “Don’t encourage them to stay longer. They need to leave. They shouldn’t have been able to get in here in the first place.”

Stanley smiled sheepishly. “I guess it was dumb luck?”

“I think we’ll listen to your Narrator and take our leave.” Said Black. “With your permission, may we come back and reintroduce ourselves properly?”

Nathan was silent for a moment. He wanted to say no, but he saw Starlla giving him puppy dog eyes. Dang it. He hated it when she did that. Obviously she wanted to get to know these two men more. He couldn’t say no when she was giving him that look.

He sighed. “Very well. You two may come back.”

“Wonderful!” Exclaimed Black happily. “I’m already looking forward to it! Have a wonderful day you two.”

Stanley waved. “I’m looking forward to our next meeting as well. Take care!”

Starlla waved bye at the two men and looked at Nathan. “Glad they were friendly. They seem very nice.”

He hummed, feeling himself simmer down now that they were gone. “Perhaps. I’m glad they didn’t destroy anything and hurt you.”

She giggled and kissed his cheek. “You’re so overprotective. But, I appreciate it. Want to continue where we left off?”

“Nathan? Is the tea ready?” Asked Starlla on her smart watch. 

“Yes, dear.”

“Good! I’m almost finished setting the table and snacks.”

Both Nathan and Starlla were busy getting everything ready for their tea party. They set up a table in the middle of a forest clearing. Clouds dotted the sky. A slight breeze could be felt. Flowers decorated the ground.

Starlla dressed up for this little social event. She wore a high collar pink dress with white flats and tights. Her hair was pulled up in a bun and a pink fascinator hat with white flowers was pinned to it. She even put on a bit of makeup. 

For Nathan, he decided to wear something other than his usual fancy suit. His attire consisted of black slacks, black dress shoes, black button up shirt, and a black waistcoat with a gold swirl design on it. He had his usual gold pocket watch in his pocket. 

The table Starlla was setting up was big enough for about four people. A white table cloth was draped over it and a vase with a few wild flowers was placed on it. A three tier tray with tea cakes, macarons, and sandwiches decorated it. 

Starlla glanced up to see Nathan carrying the tea tray. They both chose a white tea set with red roses decorating it. The tea they chose was jasmine. They have a few backup teas ready just in case their two guests don’t like it. 

Nathan set the tray down on the table and looked at his pocket watch. “Black and Stanley should be arriving any minute.”

Starlla looked at him. “That’s good to hear. I’m glad they came back to get your phone number.”

“Yes. I’m thankful they didn't wander around looking for me and waited at the door instead.”

Starlla grinned happily. “They’re really nice. I’m excited at the thought of making new friends!”

Nathan smiled at his beloved's excitement. “Yes. Expanding one's friendship circle is always exciting.”

“We’re here!” Called a familiar voice. The couple turned to see their guests walking up to them.

Black was dressed in a black dress shirt, black slacks and boots, black tie, and a suit black jacket with a deep red design on it. Stanley wore a sleeveless deep red dress that had black lace acting as the sleeves and collar and black kitten heels. He even wore a black sun hat with deep red flowers decorating it. 

Starlla waved at them. “Glad you two could make it.”

Black grinned. “Thank you for inviting us. It’s been a while since we’ve been invited to tea.”

Nathan pulled up a chair for Starlla. “Let’s not waste any time. The tea will cool down.”

When everyone sat down Nathan poured everyone's tea. “Thank you for coming. It's nice to be able to talk in a calmer environment.”

Stanley took a careful sip of his tea. “I agree. It was surprising to wind up in your game. I wonder how that happened.”

“I did a thorough check on everything. Nothing was out of the ordinary. I’m just as clueless as you are.”

Black snagged a macaron. “Have you asked your Time Keeper?”

Nathan blinked. “My what?”

“Your Time Keeper. You know, the person who takes care of everything behind the scenes and the settings.”

This confused both Nathan and Starlla. Time Keeper? Starlla spoke this time. “We don't have a Time Keeper. Nathan is the one who takes care of everything. It's his domain, after all.”

“Time Keeper is also one of my alternate titles for my primary job.” Added Nathan.

Black swallowed his cookie and gave the couple a puzzled look. “Primary job? You mean Narrating your game isn’t what you always do?”

He shook his head. “No. Both Starlla and I are guardians. Our job is to maintain multiple different dimensions and whatnot. One could compare us to maintenance workers. I work with time and Starlla takes care of the environment. In simple terms, we make sure everything doesn't blow up.”

Both Black and Stanley gave the opposite couple a confused look. A Narrator and his main character having another job?! They’ve never heard of that before. It was sure looking like this Narrator and female Stanley were going to be different. 

Stanley spoke up. “How do you do that?”

“Similar to how a computer tech checks the coding on a computer.” Answered Starlla. “Sometimes things get out of whack and the area and/or world needs a tune up. With so much magic being thrown around things are going to get broken. It's up to people like us to fix it.”

“What happens when things get broken?”

She took a sip of her tea. “Things start to get freaky. For example, cars coming to life and trying to eat people.”

Nathan sighed. “Yes. I remember that all too well, unfortunately. That was one big hot mess to clean up.”

Sensing the topic going down a serious route, Black tried to change the subject. “So, is that how you two met? On the job?”

The couple looked at each other. Nathan spoke. “No. The very first time we met she was a kid.”

Starlla giggled. “I remember that. Some of my classmates were tormenting me by taking away my wand. They thought they were better than everyone else because they were capable of using some basic magic without theirs.”

“Did you get it back?” Asked Stanley.

“Yes. Nathan came to my rescue and got my wand back for me.”

Black grinned. “Aw. That’s so sweet. You two were destined for each other.”

The couple blushed and Nathan took a nervous sip of his tea. Starlla giggled again. “I think so too. The next time we saw each other I was all grown up and getting myself prepared for this job.”

A curious thought crossed Nathan’s mind. “Speaking of meeting, how did you two meet?”

Black thought for a moment. “It’s kind of hard to explain. We weren’t born in the traditional sense. The two of us found ourselves in our game and that’s it. We met others like us over time and made friends.”

“You mean the two of you weren’t born, but created?”

“Exactly. All we know is that we woke up in our game. We have knowledge that a being called Kat created us.”

Nathan hummed in thought. “Interesting. I don’t hear something like that very often. You said there are others like you? How many?”

“Lots.” Piped Stanley as he grabbed a sandwich. “There are plenty of others like us. Each one is different and unique.”

This caused Starlla to grin. “That sounds wonderful. I would love to meet them.”

“One step at a time, my darling.” Said Nathan. “I really don’t want a bunch of strangers in my domain all at once.”

“We could introduce you to everyone a little at a time.” Suggested Black. “I could call or text you asking your permission to introduce you to one of our friends.”

He nodded gratefully. “I would greatly appreciate that.”

A thought crossed Starlla’s mind. “Speaking of that, if you ever want your domain checked we can do that for you. We’ll be more than happy to give it a tune up.” 

Black smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind. I think everything is fine now. But, I’ll give you a call if I think something is wrong.”

Stanley spoke next. “By the way, you mentioned something about magic earlier. What do you mean by that?”

She blinked. “Well, it’s what you just said. Magic.” She held up her hand and a pink ball of light appeared in her palm. “Like this. Both Nathan and I were born in the mystical realm. There are lots of people who are like us.” She unsummoned the ball of light and put her hand down. “Some have jobs like we do, others become soldiers, and so on.”

“Sounds like a completely different world.” Commented Stanley.

Nathan chuckled. “It is.”

Starlla lightly sighed. “It's impossibly complicated too. If one were to ask me about our history I’m not sure where to start.”

“Those stories are for another time.” Said Nathan. “Let’s dive into that when the four of us get to know each other better. Tell me, what do you two do in your spare time?”

Black shrugged. “We don't really do anything specific. When we have free time we travel to a city and do whatever. I guess we do whatever interests us during that time.”

“Living in the moment.” Mused Starlla. “I can respect that.” She grinned. “You both have such beautiful souls.”

Black, who was taking a sip out of his teacup, nearly spit out his tea. A deep, heavy, blush appeared on his face. “What? We have what?!”

She giggled. “A beautiful soul. You’re both kind and beautiful people. Both inside and out. Your souls are gorgeous.”

All Black did was continue to blush and grabbed a tea cake. Stanley, who was blushing as well, chuckled. “He’s not used to compliments like that. People tend to only compliment his appearance. Same goes for me. I speak for both of us when I say thank you.”

The woman grinned. “You’re welcome. I meant every word I said.”

Nathan smiled as well. “I agree with her. You’re both incredibly beautiful people. Mystics like us can see into a person's soul if we choose to. With that said, we don’t always need to do that to determine who is friend or foe.”

Black swallowed his tea cake and poured himself some more tea. “That’s certainly very interesting.” He took a sip. “If you don't mind me asking, why did you create your Stanley-” He looked at Starlla. “-I mean, Starlla Parable? You both sound incredibly busy. Why create your game?”

“I created the Starlla Parable as a way for both of us to relax and destress.” Answered Nathan. “I love to write and read stories. What better way to unwind than to play a game that involves me narrating a story.”

“I joined in because I also love to read and write.” Added Starlla. “Getting to be the main character in my boyfriend’s story game sounded too exciting to pass up. We always have lots of fun when we play.”

“Do you two live there?” Asked Stanley. 

She shook her head. “No. We both live in our own homes.”

Black smirked. “You two don’t live together?”

The couple both blushed heavily. Nathan struggled to speak. “No! We-we don't do that. I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to it. But…”

“We’re waiting for marriage.” Sputtered Starlla. “We want our partner to prove their loyalty to us by marrying us before we do anything, well, permanent.”

Black lightly laughed at their reactions. “Relax you two, I was only teasing. I respect and admire your decision to wait until marriage. That’s honorable.”

Starlla took a breath to calm herself. “Thank you. I can tell you like to have fun.”

He grinned. “Who doesn’t?”

Some time passed and the two couples all chatted and enjoyed their tea and snacks. When everything was done Nathan teleported the dishes, chairs, and table away. Both Starlla and him would clean them up in a bit.

Black stretched. “That was amazing. I enjoyed that greatly. We should do that again.”

Stanley nodded. “I agree. I had lots of fun.”

Nathan smiled. “I’m glad you two enjoyed yourselves. I had a good time as well.”

Starlla nodded happily. “Me too. I’m so glad you two came.”

“Us too.” Said Black. As he and Stanley turned to leave they both waved. “Have a good night. I’ll contact you when I can find one of our friends to introduce you both to.”

Starlla waved back. “We’re looking forward to it. Have a goodnight as well and be safe going home.”

Nathan waved bye as well and turned to his girlfriend. “I’ll admit, I was thinking I wasn’t going to enjoy this. But, I was wrong. I had fun.”

She giggled. “I knew you would. You need to learn to let people in more.”

He sighed. “I don’t know about that. I’m just glad to have you by my side.”

Starlla kissed him on the lips. “Same here, my beloved. Now, let’s get everything cleaned up and have some cuddle time.”