Total Request Live (Ask Questions or Suggest Things and I Will Write Stories)

[Paupers Run]

Yes, but I only really know of it through PushingUpRoses.

[Django Durango]

So I am working on both of the remaining prompts in this thread, but they will probably not be done until January. They're both turning out to be conversational finesse situations (which take more work) and like everyone else, I've got holiday shit going on besides.

So yeah, let me get Christmas and New Year's out of the way and I'll get back to work.

[Paupers Run]

Y'know what, post Cunning's story first whenever you can. I feel like I keep cutting him in line with my prompts.

[Django Durango]

How did Cairo and Sable end up joining the Syndicate?

Just Sable 'cause hers happens early enough in Syndicate history to be interesting. I might go back and make this longer later, but I'm tired of sitting on it and this should give you a general idea of the circumstances.


"There's one more stop on the tour. If you'll follow me back into the elevator," the tour guide said as he pressed the call button.

"This place is pretty cool," Summer said to fill the time while they waited for the elevator to come up. "I didn't think we'd ever see stuff like this after the dotcom bubble. And y'all're making actual money this time around?"

"Heh, yes, we're doing quite well," the tour guide said. The elevator arrived and they both got on. The doors slid shut and the elevator descended.

"So Summer," he broached, "I'm afraid there was an ulterior motive in offering you a tour of our headquarters."

"Aw fuck, this isn't like that thing where the police say you won a drawing for a boat and then they arrest you when you come to get it, is it?" Summer asked. She was making a joke, but the fact that she was stuck - trapped - in an elevator rose a few ranks of importance in the back of her mind.

"Well, to be honest, it is a little like that," the tour guide said. "except instead of arresting you, we'd like to offer you a job."

Summer stared. She couldn't quite process what he'd just said. She had been joking, but it kinda sounded like this guy knew she made her money by robbing gas stations. Summer debated internally how to respond to this. She didn't want to just assume that's what he was saying though. hat if she was misunderstanding the situation? She didn't want to tip her hand. She had to say something though.

"What?" she asked after a too-long pause.

The tour guide chuckled.

"Yeah, this is always the hardest part. We actually used to track people like you down through the app and approach them in public because we thought it was safer that way. A lot of us ended up getting shot though so now we ask people to come here."

Summer blinked at this admission and then asked, "What?" again.

"Right, sorry," the tour guide said. "To cut the crap, we know you're a gas station bandit. We'd like to offer you an opportunity to pull robberies for us."

That took all the ambiguity out of it. They knew. Summer wasn't caught yet though. The elevator had to open sometime and when it did, she could just dart out and make her escape.

They were already at the second floor and a moment later, the floor number display read "1".

But the elevator didn't stop. It kept descending.

"What the fuck? Does this elevator ever stop?" Summer asked.

The tour guide chuckled.

"We're going to my office in the subterranean levels."

"They give tour guides offices?" Summer asked.

"I'm not really a tour guide," he said in a stage whisper, as if she should've picked up on that already and he was reminding her.

"Okay, but wouldn't it have been easier to wait until I was trapped in your office to tell me you were gonna... blackmail me?" Summer ventured a guess.

"We tried that, but people tend to bolt up and run for it the second you tell them you know they're a bank robber and then we'd have to chase them down. We found the elevator ride was better because you can't run anywhere. It's just long enough for us to state the situation, let you get the panic out of your system, and then calm down," the not-tour guide explained. "And we're not blackmailing you either. We're offering you a job. You're welcome to turn it down."

The elevator finally stopped and the doors slid open.

"If you'll come with me to my office, I can tell you more about it," the not-tour guide said brightly stepping out of the elevator and waiting for her.

Summer hung back. Should she? It could still be a trap. Although if it was, Summer still thought there had been better opportunities to spring it. On the other hand, she was intrigued. She'd never been offered a job before and -

The elevator doors were shutting. Summer hopped over the threshold before the doors could shut her in.

The not-a-tour guide snickered.

"Yeah, okay," Summer said.

[Django Durango]

So, I think it's Cairo's turn for a spotlight heist without Sable. However, I want to change things up by giving a pitch sentence or two, and you can build the story around that. Here goes:

" 'Oh for God's sake, would you idiots stop with this diet Bonnie and Clyde bullshit?!' Phryne spat out to her teammates as Cleo started emptying the smaller safe. 'Newsflash, it ain't gonna save your marriage!' "

"Would you two stop already with the Bonnie and Clyde shit already?" Phryne spat out to her teammates. "Roleplaying on the job ain't ain't gonna save your marriage!"

Sure, Pumpkin and Honey were annoyingly saccharine in their displays of affection and sure, maybe they were so overt about it because they had something to prove. Nonetheless, Cleo thought Phryne was more the problem here. Phryne had been so focused on her disgust for the two lovebirds' behavior that the civilians she was meant to be subduing were testing their boundaries. Cleo saw one inching away, trying to sneak out of sight when Phryne was busy sneering at the other two, who were winking and blowing kisses to each other but otherwise had their civilians under control. Another of Phryne's civilian's eyes kept darting around, looking for an opening to cause trouble no doubt.

"Why do you think their marriage is in trouble?," Cleo said as she zipped up the duffel bag. "It's rather presumptuous."

"Yeah, we just got back from our honeymoon, for fuck's sake," Honey said.

Phryne glowered.

"I almost wonder if you're not projecting a bit," Cleo said. "Maybe you have some baggage that's distracting you?" Cleo lobbed the duffel bag to Phryne, whose expression went even more sour, but who was grateful for an excuse to extricate herself from this call-out. She was quick to take the bag out to their waiting van.


Since it took me a month to get one little story out, I think it's safe to say that we're now in the dormant phase of the creative process and it's time to take a break from requests. I'll be locking this thread for now, but TRL may be back in the future.

Thanks for all your requests!