“I did a few times period with my Papa. I was terrible.”

“Good,” said Larkin as he set up the cribbage board. “Easier for me to win.” Helena arched her brow and sat down opposite him. “I think that was supposed to be an encouragement.” 

Larkin shuffled the cards and dealt them. 
“Consider it motivation,” he said. For a while they played in silence, say for the cadence of them calling their moves and the slapping of cards on the table. Helena managed to get a small run. She grinned. 

“Beginner's luck,” Larkin muttered as pegs were moved. 

“Or,” she said sweetly, “You underestimated me.”

Larkin looked up the Carmelite across the table, his lips twitching in the faintest hand of a smile. “Wouldn't be the first time.” The game continued with each of the two winning different hands. In the end Colonel Larkin won the game. 


“Another game?” Larkin asked. 
“Sounds good to me,” sister Helena replied. Larkin handed Helena the cards and she shuffled them, while Larkin reset the pegboard. As they progressed through the game Helena relaxed. The rhythm of counting and pecking became oddly soothing, almost like meditating. She remembered long evenings back home, her Papa was leaning back in his chair humming to the Country song on the radio and the two of them having Shiner Bocks (Once Helena was old enough to drink). The memory ached in her chest, but it was softened by this newfound companionship. 

“You know,” Helena said after a while, “I think I like this better than poker.”

“Poker is for liars,” Larkin replied, though his eyes were amused. “Cribbage is for soldiers. It teaches you patience.”


Helena smiled. “Then maybe that's what I needed.” They played another game as the village bells ring for Evensong. Neither seemed in a hurry to move. 

Helena continued to feel angst sitting next to Colonel Larkin, but it seemed to dissipate a bit. She wasn't sure she deserved it. Games meant laughter and ease. She knew she had to tell him at some point but now was not the time. She didn't know when the right time was. 


“Have you moved from that spot since our briefing, Sir?” Helena asked. 

“I did take a little walk, Sister,” Colonel Larkin replied. “There's a lot of paperwork involved in commanding an SG unit.”

“I'd imagine so,” said Helena. “I had a lot of paperwork in my Air Force days. Come to think of it, I had a lot of paperwork in Carmel as well.”

“Ah, paperwork, one of those unescapable things, like death and taxes.” 

“Indeed, Sir.” Helena paused. “You offered to play a game with me. Will you play with me?”

Larkin smiled. “I would be willing to play with you,” he replied. “Now let's see…you busted me at poker Friday night, and Fairbairn tells me you're a chess wiz.” He went to the team’s entertainment locker. He pulled out a deck of cards and a cribbage board. “Have you ever played cribbage, Sister?”

@Mim1986 @SkarletFever @DavidP @The-White-Tiger @ArtMew94 @Cushla @Sakuraflower @SL-Lion-CG

https://creator.nightcafe.studio/collection/1RcIHhIx2sobFmJfceiR

Chapter 34: The Weight We Carry, Part 9

So cute!!!! Piglets seem hypnotised by the music, lol.

Indeed, this model doesn't know much about terrariums, it looks more like a chapel in a garden, nevertheless it's a nice image!

@Brutal_Lee hm, this model does not quite yield the result ....

Design unique music-inspired visuals with our powerful AI generator. Free and easy to use!

Create your own music-themed art

This image shows a giant, old gramophone emerging from a lush terrarium, emitting colorful, glitchy smoke. Small, glowing-eyed pigs explore the detailed interior, rendered in a vaporwave style with volumetric lighting.

Antique Gramophone Erupts From Overgrown Terrarium

Musicarium

Generate your own creepy horror art, inspired by occult and surreal styles. Free and easy to use!

Create horror art with AI

This surreal image depicts a desolate, ash-choked landscape filled with skeletal trees and monstrous figures. Inspired by cosmic horror art, it features a sickly pulsating sky and eerie phosphorescent light.

Nightmarish Landscape with Corrupted Sesame Street Figures

Creepy horror Occult Sesame Street
Zdzislaw Beksinski Stephen Gammell Yossi Kotler

Generate unique witch doctor and ghost images with our free AI tool. Easy and fun to use!

Create your own witch doctor images

This image depicts a witch doctor in tribal paint and amulets, cloaked as a spectral ghost in a dimly lit jungle. Rendered in dark, atmospheric fantasy art with dramatic lighting.

Mysterious Witch Doctor Appears as Ghost in Ethereal Jungle

Witch doctor disguised as a ghost

Create your own futuristic concept cars, inspired by legends. Free and easy AI image generation.

Design futuristic cars with AI

This image shows an ultra-low, aerodynamic concept car blending Renaissance art and futuristic design. Rendered in ultra-realistic 8K with cinematic lighting.

Futuristic Da Vinci Ferrari Car in Museum

 An ultra-low  NASA concept futuristic concept car meticulously designed by Leonardo da Vinci and enzo ferrari inspired by the 1970 Lancia S...

Easily create your own unique images with our free AI image generator. Endless possibilities await!

Create your own AI images

A painterly oil illustration of a young girl in a red dress, holding watermelon. Features large green eyes, golden hair, and warm, golden hour lighting for a charming, summery feel.

Girl in Red Dress with Watermelon, Golden Hour Oil Painting

Suspended in her vast web before the glowing full moon, she strikes a poised and powerful stance. The storm clouds frame her silhouette, a dark enchantress whose elegance and danger are woven into every strand.

Design your own moon-themed web graphics easily and for free with our powerful AI image generator.

Create lunar web designs with AI

This concept art showcases a hyperdetailed pin-up woman in a spiderweb outfit, posing dynamically in moonlight. Features glowing webs and dramatic lighting.

Pin-Up Woman Poses in Glowing Spiderweb Moonlight

Web of the Moon

Use our free AI image generator to bring your ideas to life. Easy, fast, and fun!

This image shows a young girl with green eyes and golden-brown hair in a red dress, holding a slice of watermelon. The background is soft yellow, evoking a warm, summery, and innocent atmosphere with vibrant colors.

Girl in Red Dress Holds Watermelon, Painterly Style

Easily generate unique images with our free AI art generator. Unleash your creativity and bring your ideas to life.

Create your own AI art

This image features a young girl in a red dress holding watermelon, rendered in a soft oil painting style with painterly texture and doll-like features. The background is a warm golden-yellow, creating a happy, summery atmosphere.

Girl in Red Dress Holds Watermelon in Golden Light

I tried to answer your question on my feed, but it disappeared. The only part of the prompt I changed was "writing a script with a quill". I think the AI gets lost when you say holding a quill in hand. I think "holding" throws it off.

Once I got the "new and improved" version, I deleted the last one. The last version I tried said "holding the quill like he's writing a letter." You're probably right about the word "holding." I'll file that away for future use.

Generate unique Shakespearean caricatures and historical figures with our free AI tool. Easy and fun!

Create your own Shakespearean characters

This image features a whimsical caricature of William Shakespeare writing with a quill on a Renaissance-inspired stage, surrounded by his play characters. It depicts him with a large forehead and ruff collar.

Whimsical Shakespeare Caricature on Stage

Craft your own stunning silhouette art against golden light and cloudscapes. Free and easy AI image generation.

Create unique silhouette images with AI

A woman with flowers in her hair walks across a reflective surface mirroring a golden, cloud-filled sky. This fantasy realism digital painting features ethereal light and soft brushwork.

Woman Walking on Clouds Over Mirrored Sky

Mirror walk through clouds / silhouette meets golden light / sky doubles below

Generate your own photorealistic Mr. & Mrs. Bloxby images easily and for free with our AI tool. Try it now!

Create your own Mr. & Mrs. Bloxby images

This image captures Mr. and Mrs. Bloxby in a photorealistic style, standing on a rain-slicked Victorian street. The lighting is moody, creating atmospheric realism in this documentary-style portrayal.

Photorealistic Mr. & Mrs. Bloxby on Victorian Street

Erstelle ein fotorealistisches Bild von Mr. & Mrs. Bloxbyaus denBüchern von m.C. Beaton

Design your own high-end car and crypto visuals with our free and easy AI image generator.

Create luxury car and crypto images

This image shows women in business attire on a modern street in Kaunas with luxury BMWs, dollar bills, and crypto symbols. Rendered in a hyperrealistic digital art style, it emphasizes wealth and ambition.

Women with Luxury Cars and Crypto in Kaunas City

money,cash,dollar,crypto,bmw x5m,bmw m3, kaunas city, womens


Generate custom images of teachers, students, and classrooms easily with our free AI art generator. Start creating now!

Create your own teacher images with AI

Image uploaded by user

This digital painting features a young Chinese teacher in a whimsical character design, holding a pointer at a blackboard in an educational setting with warm, soft lighting and vibrant colors.

Concept Art Of A Young Chinese Teacher At A Blackboard

A lead in a large checkered pattern of light blue and white squaresTT-shirt, dark brown pants of a beautiful young Chinese teacher, sheTThe ...

 Concept art. Medium shot. Young Chinese teacher in a checkered t-shirt and dark pants holds a pointer at a blackboard. Medium shot. Digital...

No-Theme Thursday

foxes wearing detailed raccoon costumes made of soft fur and false tails, squirrels dressed as rabbits with plush ears and painted markings, cranes disguised as peacocks with layered feather capes, pastel forest in bloom, drifting petals, bright anime aesthetic, clean lines, expressive and cute.

Generate unique party images for any occasion with our free and easy AI tool. Unleash your creativity now!

Create your own party scenes with AI

This image shows adorable animals in elaborate costumes, including foxes as raccoons and squirrels as rabbits, set in a blooming pastel forest with drifting petals. Features a bright, clean anime aesthetic.

Cute Animals in Costumes in Pastel Forest

Preparing the party

Generate unique images of miniature cities within lion silhouettes. Try our free AI generator today!

Create your own lion cityscapes

This hyperrealistic digital painting showcases a detailed miniature city within a lion's silhouette, set against a lush forest with dappled sunlight. The art style emphasizes intricate detail and dramatic lighting.

Miniature City Reflected in Lion Silhouette, Forest Backdrop

A miniature city reflected in the silhouette of a lion, a stunning forest backdrop

Generate your own striking desert heat images effortlessly. Try our free AI tool today!

Create desert heat images with AI

A photorealistic image of a Tuareg nomad in a desert, wearing a unique hat made of swirling seawater with fish swimming inside. Sunlight creates shifting patterns on the nomad and dunes.

Create desert heat images with AI

The effects of desert heat

Tuareg Nomad in Surreal Seawater Hat with Swimming Fish

No comments yet

Creation Settings

Flux Schnell

🤖 NightCafe

🚀 Features

🔒 Secure Payments