Excellent, Mornara! Will try it in a bit.

I love fun little writing exercises like this.

Only the slightest vibration in the air indicated the change.
The woman searched the room for movement, sound, anything. There were none. The room and everyone in it remained completely motionless.
She leaned back in her chair, and closed her green eyes to the sight. She breathed, concentrated on the rise and fall of her chest, pulled her hand through her loose hair.
Across the table her fiancée sat with his mouth open in the middle of a sentence. He looked slightly foolish, but then, so did everyone.

The woman rose from her chair, and headed towards the restroom. She walked calmly, quietly, the soft soles of her ballerina shoes making no sound. She kept her eyes down as she passed the personnel and guests of the restaurant. The emotion on display discomforted her, and she wanted to give them a hint of privacy.

She entered the booth in the farthest corner. A couple stood pressed up against the wall; they too halted in the middle of action. The girl couldn’t be more than 16. The woman shuddered as she peeled the man’s fingers away from the knife he held against his prey’s throat. She thanked her gift, knowing that without it, she couldn’t have fended off such a man any better than this girl. She traced her fingertip across the girl’s tear-stained cheek.
Despite her other talents, though, strong was still not one of them. She struggled to drag the man out of the booth and into a closet at the far end of the hallway. She kicked him in the groin, hard, and wished she had the guts to do more. Then she locked the door and dropped the knife in a trash can.

Back at her table, she sat down, and let time resume its course.

----

Not sure whether I kept to the previous one or not. Hmm, at least I tried.

I'm going to do the first one if that's still acceptable

A tall and thin man, looking to be in his younger twenties walks into the room. His sandy colored hair is a mess, hanging down from beneath an orange harley-davidson hat with sunglasses resting on the brim.  He pauses just inside the door and glances over the room with blue-green eyes that seem to take in everything.

He takes a little longer to consider everyone and then walks to an empty table and sits down, immediately slumping down to appear less noticeable.  His appearance, handsome, with a well defined and strong face and a prominent nose.  A body built like a soccer player, with strong muscular legs, but thin arms and bony shoulders under a tight black shirt.  His jean shorts seem to have something in every pocket and hang down to his knees, covering most of his scarred legs, which along with his build leads directly to the assumption of his having played soccer most of his life. 

He smiles as he notices you looking at him across the room.  A smile that you can tell means he doesn't enjoy the attention.  You turn away, but you can't forget the intensity in those eyes.

An interesting exercise. The first part wasn't too bad, though I always think first about what's in my head, not how others see me. The superhero part was weird. These are "off the cuff" without rewrite except to eliminate words above the quota. I don't like the second one much. Maybe too much in 300 words?

200 word exercise (gulp)

She is tired. The set of her shoulders and the angle of her head speak plainly of weariness. She walks across the room, her movement faintly reminding you of a sailor’s rolling gait. You realize her stiffness of movement results from painful joints.

Her chestnut hair is pulled back in a clip. Her glasses frame her grey eyes. Nose and chin overlarge, it is her eyes that reveal. She smiles. Her face lights up as her eyes crease into crow’s feet. You understand that beauty in this woman comes from personality and intelligence. What seemed plain and unremarkable a moment before is transformed into something more.

When she shakes your hand, her grip is firm. She meets your eyes without hesitation. How odd, then, that she retreats to a corner, limiting herself to one-on-one conversations. As you watch, you see spasms of discomfort etch her features, though she never stops smiling and seems a joyful person.

She enjoys good conversation and dislikes crowds. Holding herself to her corner, she smiles, chats, and laughs with those who approach her, yet does not approach others. You get the sense that she is an enigma, even to herself.


300 word exercise

The gunman is sure she will be a pushover. As he reveals the weapon, she does nothing to defend herself. She calmly does as he asks, moving with him as an impromptu hostage. He is certain she will remain easy to control.

Then the gun is revealed and the shouting begins. He points his gun directly at another. The woman’s body suddenly coils tight. As he threatens to shoot, the pushover whose arm he clutches becomes a wildcat, raking and clawing, demanding all his attention.

She is too short to reach the gun so he holds it above him. Surprised, he is pummeled with fists, feet, and knees as she seeks to harm him or hold his attention so he cannot harm others. He thinks to remove the threat by bringing the butt of the gun into sharp contact with her skull. Instead, she wraps her arms around him and lets her weight drop. Together they tumble to the floor, the gun skidding away as he tries to break his fall.

He shoves her aside and scrambles for the gun. She fights, this little hellion, calm until he threatened another. She squirms and kicks until she has put them in a standing spoon position. Angry now, he brings the gun around to end her attack. She grabs his hand, forcing the gun into her belly as he pulls the trigger.

Time stops. He realizes too late that the bullet meant for her has somehow passed through him. The gun falls from nerveless fingers. Straightening, she shrugs him off like a coat.

There is a hole in her shirt. He wonders how she was not harmed. She lifts her shirt enough for him to see the rapidly healing, bloodless wound. And then he knows no more.

Okay so are my posts usually going to kill a thread dead? If so I will refrain from posting on the forum.

No, no, no refraining please!

This thread lives in fits and starts, and it's been running for a while. So post away!