#[spoiler alert they didn't go down the same path]

[quietvigil]

[Starter for @tearenola - Led Astray]

It was far from the first time Ginko has escorted someone else through the Uro passageways for one reason or another. Those deep, winding tunnels through the layers of the world are treacherous, but not without their uses— the Uro mushi's method of hiding from unenclosed spaces can bridge the span of japan in its entirety, if only the right path were to be found through the twisted spaces.

…However, it was the first time he's had someone run off from him. Perhaps he should have kept a closer watch on his tag-along; he'd noticed the wound-up energy in the soles of the other man's step, bouncing and dragging in equal measure down the precarious angles of the pathway, but had erroneously mistaken it to be a simple desire to get out of the tunnels… not to trap himself further in.

"Hey— come back!" Ginko's shout echoed in time with the beat of his temporary companion's footsteps as they left the staked path with a yell, disappearing around the corner in a flash of blue and black. Callused fingers curled around the thin metal chain that marked the route to their destination, a sudden trepidation having gripped him.

Damnit, damnit, damnit.

Ginko, for the first time in a very, very long time, had strayed from the path. He chased the sound of footsteps through winding turns and deep drops, chambers playing with the sound and distorting it with every breath and echoing pulse. It was nearly impossible to tell where the other man had gone after a few sharp twists, and the further he went from the charted area, the worse both of their odds became—

His eye had caught a stream of light shining down from the corner of the passageway in the middle of his marching thoughts, glinting in the corner of his mind. There shouldn't be other passways open from the inside this close to the main path, but— if they had gone anywhere...

The tiny crack of an exit he had come across almost looked too small for him to squeeze through, at the time. His shoulders still ache from the contorting and twisting he had to do to work his way out of the passageway, the edges of his medicine box scuffed by black packed dirt and stone that still stubbornly lingers beneath his fingertips.

The world Ginko resurfaces to in pursuit of the other man is… utterly alien by all definitions. Tall buildings that gleam in the hot, humid sun, a thin copse of trees that struggle to blot out the roar of— of something beyond, passing people and blurred shapes in cuts of cloth that ring remarkably similar to his own. The area he's in is enclosed by astoundingly expensive-looking wrought black iron and fields of stone, all carefully maintained from the encroaching vegetation. And more importantly…

His charge is nowhere in sight. There are some people milling about the area, and a scant handful of baffled stares weigh heavy on the back of his head. Surely someone here would have noticed? Ginko pauses for a moment to try and wrest some of the black dirt from his person, deep scuffs dug into the weave. It looks like he's just dragged himself out of one of the graves— which, uncomfortably, may not be too unapt a description, judging by the shape of the tree roots he'd wormed his way out of. They seem to have grown up and over top of something not too dissimilar in relative size to the odd engraved stones that litter the small enclosed field, which upon closer inspection certainly appear to indicate some sort of final resting place, albeit not in a... style he's seen before.

"…Hey, you," It only takes him a moment to narrow down the closest bystander— an individual with straw-like hair and something metal catching light from the bridge of their face. (They're hardly like anyone he's ever seen before, foreign in every sense of the notion— where is he?)

"—Have you seen a man about this tall," Ginko gestures about level with his eye, a new unlit cigarette dangling from his offhand as he catches his breath— "long brown hair, blue kataginu..?"

Please let them have gone down the same path.

[geralallfandoms]

hi hi. could i request mark sloan x a reader that survived the plane crash? mark stopped fighting because lexie died, so something with him surviving bc the person he loved did so he has something to fight for would be so good. preferably w a happy ending or fluffy!! other than that up 2 u! love ur writing :)

Another requests yey🕺 omg I love the idea!! Please tell me if you like It , if it's what you expected or if you would like me to change something! I would really love to hear your opinion and if you liked it!!🫂 Tysm, I hope you enjoy it!

REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!!

°The selfish man°

TW: Blood, wounds, plane crash, death, shock, spoiler. (I hope I didn't forget anything)

Song I heard while writing this:

It all happened too soon.

From one moment to the next, laughter turned into screams, happiness into fear, tranquility into silence. In less than a few seconds the path of history had completely changed.

Most of those on that plane were unable to understand in time what had happened. In the blink of an eye, nature surrounded them.

After the great sound of the machines, after the plane fell onto the green grass, after it dragged itself along, taking with it trees and everything else in its path, silence reigned again.

While some were still unconscious, others were already aware of their surroundings.

The sky was the first thing you saw when you opened your eyes. Everything was confusing, and the ringing in your ears prevented you from hearing your surroundings, so you couldn't understand why you were in a forest.

You could see movement at your side, you slowly tilted your head to see how Christina moved things, maybe she was looking for something. You didn't know. You didn't know why you were in the woods, still sitting in an airplane seat.

"Reader! Hey! Hey- can you hear me?! React!" Christina screamed over and over again in your voice. The shock and adrenaline kept her alert and energized, but you couldn't understand her, you couldn't hear her.

After a while, you saw how she simply walked away from you and walked towards Meredith, who was sitting on the floor, a few meters away from where you were.

While everyone else seemed to be 100% sure of where they were or what had happened, you struggled to maintain consciousness.

But the darkness, the whispers telling you to stop fighting, got the better of you, and you decided to relax.

___________________________________________

You wished that the hand touching your shoulder and your face was your mother's, that she had simply come to let you know that breakfast was ready, that in a few minutes they would go to the beach to spend the day.

But when you opened your eyes, the first thing you saw were worried faces. Faces of... your friends?

"Reader...hey hey here I am...do you know who I am? Can you talk?" Dereck asked while holding your face in his hands.

"She's fucking deaf..." Christina said as she pointed to your bloody ears.

You wanted to tell them that you weren't completely deaf, that you could hear them faintly, but that the pain didn't let you think, speak.

Pain?

"We can't get her out of that chair..." The blonde girl said...Meredith?

You tried to understand what they were talking about, and why their faces looked so scared, but you just tried to relax, not panic. Although really, you were terrified of knowing what they were talking about, of looking down at where the pain was coming from.

Tears were pooling in your eyes and all you could think about was Mark. Where was he? What had happened to his seat, which was next to you. What had happened to Lexie, who was in front of you.

Minutes passed, or maybe it was hours? You didn't know. But you were conscious enough to realize that you were still in the airplane seat, with your seatbelt on, that you were in what was left of the plane, that you had an iron rod going through your stomach, that your ears hurt, that you couldn't move or feel your left leg, on the same side that the bar was, you could now tell that night had already fallen, that Meredith, Christina and Derek were near you, with a campfire.

You could now tell that Mark wasn't there. You couldn't see him anywhere.

"Ma-mark..." You said in a whisper, but loud enough for Derek to hear.

"You can't do this to her. You can't do this to your girl. Mark! You have to react. She has a fucking bar running from side to side of her body, she may not feel her legs, but she's awake. She's been awake for four hours, she's fighting. You can't leave her." Derek told Mark, who had refused to leave Lexie alone, who had died in front of him a few minutes ago.

"I can't leave her...Derek please...it's little Lexie..." He said trying not to look where you are.

"I know it's not easy but, fuck... I know you're not going to like it but someone has to tell you. She doesn't feel anything anymore, she doesn't suffer anymore, okay? You can let her rest, we'll give her a burial...Mark, it's Reader. Your Reader. She's suffering there, alone, she doesn't know what's going on, she hasn't spoken in four hours, she's disoriented and in shock...you can't do that to your girl..." Derek said before turning around and walking away.

"I'm here..." Mark said, who upon hearing your voice, quickly stood up and approached you. "My girl...you're okay, I'm with you..."

Mark had a bandage on his arm, and one on his torso. Because after thinking about what Derek had told him, he couldn't help but approach where Reader was. Because when he saw her awake, looking at the sky, calm, fighting to remain conscious, he knew he couldn't do that to her.

He knew he couldn't let himself die. He couldn't leave her alone. He knew she was fighting for him and it would be too selfish of him not to do the same

So he turned around and walked over to the others, confessed the pain in his chest and let them help him. He decided to keep fighting for her.

"A-are yo-you...oka-okay?" It was the first complete sentence you had managed to say all day.

Mark couldn't help but smile as he saw how, even in the condition you were in, you cared more about him than yourself.

"I'm fine honey...don't worry. Don't get stressed okay? I'll stay with you..." He said moving your hair from your face while his other hand slowly took yours.

"Thank you...f-for...ke-keep fighting..." You said, caressing his hand.

Mark was speechless.

"I know...I know something's not right...I-I can see it on your face..." You took a deep breath and continued. "I know you...I know th-that you are tired...but you are still here..." You said between ragged breaths, trying to ignore the pain.

"I will never be able to understand how you manage to guess everything... my sweetness, I am so sorry..." Mark said as he approached you until your foreheads were touching. "I've been selfish...but I won't leave...I promise..."

And Mark kept his promise, because days later, when rescue finally arrived, Mark was still with you, watching over your fever, your breathing, feeling every beat of your heart.

Because even though he had lost little Lexie that day, even though darkness and death had clouded his thoughts, he couldn't abandon you. And he never would again.

He never abandoned you. Not when you had to get hearing aids to hear better, or when you had to go to your therapies to regain mobility in your leg. He was always there.

And would be for the rest of his life.

°

°

°

And that's all! I hope you liked it! Remember that I'm delighted to read your opinions!!🫂

[bimboothefool]

Reader was taken kidnapped by Wally and taken to his world. But what Wally didn't expect is that all the other characters would start to remember memories with the reader as a child and discover the truth of their colorful world.

( Now it's up to you to decide what will happen! Will they help the reader get back to the real world or will they become so attached to the reader that it would help Wally keep them there with them FOREVER. )

ℌ𝔬𝔫𝔢𝔶 ℑ’𝔪 ℌ𝔬𝔪𝔢

𝔗𝔞𝔟𝔩𝔢 𝔬𝔣 ℭ𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔰: Kidnapping, Yandere Behavior (You know the drill keep this shit in fiction.), Stockholm Syndrome, Amnesia, Possessive Behavior, Wally manipulating the others, and Gaslighting

𝔄𝔲𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔯’𝔰 𝔏𝔢𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔯: Thank you so much for this request and I apologize for taking so long so much came up, but regardless thanks for the request let’s jump right in!! Keep in mind it could either be read as platonic or romantic regardless spoiler alert they don’t see you grow up.

- Wally was surprised to see you after all these years. Same thing with the rest of the crew, your eyes are definitely different instead of that whimsy you’ve once held. You’re rather cautious, it still wows them how different you are now.

- Wally did believe for the time being that he’s the only one who truly remembers you and for a while that’s true. But once you’re in their world things started to change.

- Eddie and Frank are the first few to notice that you looked oddly familiar. When he asked specific questions about your childhood it started to click for him.

- Sally and Julie are shocked that you remembered the lines of a play or the rules of a game. They start to ask themselves the same questions why do you look so familiar yet different.

- Howdy, Poppy and Barnaby are a bit unnerved when you remember stuff like the residents orders or certain joke punchlines. Even certain recipe ingredients. How come you know those things.

- They all meet together to discuss the possibility of how they felt so familiar with you, but this is seemingly their first time meeting you. They all come to the conclusion that they’ve met you before. [Excluding Wally since he fully remembers you.]

- For a while they’re all happy to have you back, but you’re getting homesick. You constantly ask questions on how to get back to your world. But they’re not even sure if it’s possible.

- But only Wally knows a way in and out of their world and keeps it out of your grasp. He even starts manipulating the others.

- “We have them back, why let them go now? Don’t you all miss having our best friend?” He asked the others as they’re all conflicted. Sure they miss you and love you, but was keeping you here really right?

- This could go one of two ways. The first being they do buy into Wally’s twisted line of thinking, why go back to such a troubled and dangerous world? You can stay here and everyday is nothing, but joy and laughter.

- They’ll start gaslighting you into buying into this logic as well, which really freaks you out and you start lashing out. They see this as you throwing a tantrum.

- Another way this can go down, they aren’t sure and start asking you why you want to go home. And you explain that yeah your world isn’t perfect, but it’s still your home.

- Soon they all start talking about how to get you back home, out of Wally’s watchful eyes. You all start to unraveling and untying the mysteries of their world and Wally’s existence.

- Either way it’s ultimately up to you to really choose your own path on how things will play out.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my stuff please feel free to check out my other stories from other fandoms, along with reblogging and commenting on it! If you like my art and wanna commission me for some art, head over to my kofi!

[bookwyrminspiration]

Transcript of The Trade, the Marella KOTLC short story (Including the author introduction)

Note: OG pictures taken by Kenna!, provided by @fintan-pyren. Some words are obscured and the transcript may contain errors. Neverless, I hope this is useful to anyone who may need/want it :)

Hello, wonderful Keeper readers! Some of you might already know that I love to sneak a little something extra into the paperback versions of my books whenever I can (since I don't think hardcover readers should get to be the only ones who sometimes find fun bonuses). For those who didn't know that: surprise! :)

I knew I wanted to include a story from Marella's POV this time. Not only is she on the cover (looking fierce and fabulous!) and a fan-favorite character, but she also had some key scenes in Stellarlune that we only got to "hear" about. The Keeper books are limited to Sophie's POV, so I can only include moments where Sophie is present--and since Sophie didn't go with Marella to her meetings with Fintan, we only learn what Marella tells Sophie later. But what if there was something Marella didn't share?

Over the next few pages, you can watch one of Marella's conversations with Fintan play out in real time and hear all Marella's thoughts and reactions to what's happening. I've called this story "The Trade"--and I've worked in lots of fun little extra details (some of which might even turn out to be important later...*wink*).

For those wondering, this story is based a [sic] scene in chapter 31 of Stellarlune--and if you haven't read Stellarlune yet: SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! Reading this first will probably be confusing and will also give away a few tidbits too early. You'll be much happier if you start by reading Stellarlune and then come back here for all the Marella fun once you're done!

Happy reading! [shannon's signature]

~

"Ugh, I hate this place," Marella muttered, shaking the freshly fallen snowflakes out of her gilded blond hair much harder than necessary and yanking her thick velvet cape tighter around her narrow shoulders.

She said the same thing every time she had to trudge through the knee-high snowdrifts and found herself staring at the icicle-crusted entrance to the now familiar cave.

Didn't matter how many times she'd gone there--or how important her visits were. She was never not going to dread making the long, slippery trek down to Fintan's frozen cell.

The cave looked like some sort of open-mouthed snow beast waiting to devour everything in its path--which was probably intentional, since the prison was designed to be as miserable as possible.

Especially for someone like her.

The goblin guards even gave her pitying stares as they moved aside to reveal the endless icy path that wound down and down--and down a whole lot more--to a place where the tiniest glimmer of heat had long since been swallowed up by the suffocating cold.

No amount of clothing could keep Marella warm in the heart of the prison She'd actually tried wearing so many layers that she'd looked like an overstuffed gulon--and she still couldn't stop shivering. And the whole "body temperature regulation" thing wasn't exactly possible when she had to use so much concentration to make sense of Fintan's ranting.

it wasn't fair.

Everyone else got to train their special abilities in fancy rooms at Foxfire, with Mentors who weren't creepy, unstable murderers.

But they weren't Pyrokinetics.

Marella was lucky the Council was letting her use her ability at all.

They could just as easily label her Talentless, kick her out of their snobby academy, and ban her from ever sparking another flame.

Or they could decide she was too dangerous and lock her away.

in fact, Marella wouldn't have been surprised at all if the Council was already building an icy cage just for her--but the thought still made her shiver and wish she could've manifested as...

Nope.

She stopped herself from finishing that sentence.

If life had taught her anything, it was that there's no point wanting things that were never going to happen.

Instead, she focused on the thin beams of sunlight streaking through a gap in the gloomy gray clouds. The light was far from warm, but if she really concentrated, she could feel a hint of lingering heat tangled among the brightness.

She called the warmth closer and soaked it in--let it pool under her skin, pounding with her pulse, swelling with every heartbeat. Growing hotter and hotter and hotter until...

Snap!

A flick of her fingers sent a small tangle of flames sparking to life above her left palm.

"Feel better?" Linh asked as Marella let out a long, slow sigh.

Marella nodded--though she definitely could've done without the whispered that were now hissing around her head.

The flames had a soft, crackly voice. And they always made the same plea.

Feed me.

Feed me.

Feed me.

Fire craved fuel--constantly wanting more, more, more--and it would've been so easy for Marella to let the fire swell bigger and bigger and bigger.

But that was the kind of thing that would lead to a lifetime of shivering in an underground ice cube, so she forced her gaze to shift to Linh, who stood in a small, snowless circle surrounded by a halo of hovering snowflakes---none daring to touch her long silver-tipped hair or shimmery purple cape.

Marella knew how hard Linh had fought to achieve that level of control, and how tentative Linh's hold over her ability still was. But the fact Linh could stand in a sea of frozen water and do nothing except keep the falling snow from settling on her flushed pink cheeks was very...

Annoying.

Then again, everyone annoyed Marella a little.

Her dad used to call her "fiery" long before he realized how accurate that description truly was.

But it wasn't Marella's fault!

People tended to be annoying.

Especially a Hydrokinetic who was currently looking all peaceful and pretty and perfect while making snowflakes flutter and spin in intricate patterns.

That didn't mean Marella wasn't also grateful that Linh was willing to tag along to her Pyrokinetic lessons. it was nice to see a friendly face after hours of Fintan's rambling. Plus, it seemed like a good idea to have someone with water powers around while she practiced setting things on fire.

They were even finding some pretty cool ways to work together. Fire and water might be opposites--but that didn't mean they couldn't be combined. Marella had actually figured out a way to ignite Linh's rain, and she couldn't wait to use that little trick on the Neverseen--assuming those black-cloaked losers ever showed up again.

For a fearsome, unstoppable rebellion, they sure spend a lot of time hiding.

"Are you going to start by asking him about the cache or do the lesson first?" Linh asked, reminding Marella why they were there.

Marella shrugged. "Depends on Fintan's mood."

Sometimes he was already babbling about some fancy new fire trick when she arrived, as if he'd started the lesson without bothering to wait for her. Other times she couldn't get anywhere with him until she'd let him go on and on and on about how foolish the Council was, or how badly he'd been wronged, or how much he missed the feel of a flickering flame--and she didn't necessarily blame him for the last one.

Part of her wanted to hold on to her fireball forever.

Make it her smoky little pet.

Instead, she curled her fingers into a fist and snuffed it out--but she didn't let all the heat dissipate. She called a single tingling glint deeper, letting it sear through her veins and settle into her heart.

She knew it was a risky move, even with all the defenses she wrapped around it. But she couldn't bear the cold emptiness of Fintan's prison without a least a tiny fleck of warmth tucked away.

A secret spark whispering, I'm here. You're not alone.

"Okay," she said, weaving a few strands of her hair together to clam her twitchy fingers. She'd picked up the nervous habit years ago--after her mom's accident--and the tiny braids were kind of her trademark now. "i guess I should stop stalling and head down to deal with Sir Creepysparks, huh?"

Linh smiled. "Probably. Unless you want to rehearse what you're going to say."

"Nah. I'm just going to offer him an ugly flower--that doesn't exactly need a big speech. Oh, but that reminds me..."

She reached into her cape pocket and pulled out the spiky dark blue Noxflare--which looked more like a dying weed than a super-rare flower--and held it up to the guards. "Mr. Forkle already checked this before I brought it here, to make sure it's safe for me to offer to Fintan. but I figured you'd want to check it too."

"We do," they agreed in unison as one of the biggest, deadliest-looking guards took the Noxflare from Marella and brought it over to the other goblins.

A lot of mumbling about potential kindling and fire hazards followed.

Eventually, the guards decided to quick-freeze the Noxflare into a block of ice in case there was any heat stored inside.

"Whoa," Marella said when the scary guard returned with the flower-filled ice cube--which had turned out as big as her head. "How heavy is that thing?"

The guard studied Marella's skinny arms. "I can carry it for you if you'd like."

"That's probably be smart." Marella was pretty sure she'd drop it, or her fingers would freeze off during the long walk--and using telekinesis would drain her mental energy. "But can you stay out of sight? I was planning to tell Fintan he can only see his weird flower thing if he gives me access to his memories, and that's kinda ruined if there's a giant goblin holding it right next to me.

Not that it made the plan any less pointless.

Fintan was obviously going to turn her down.

He's already made it super clear that the only trade he was interested in was for his freedom--which was never going to happen.

Marella doubted a dying flower frozen in ice was suddenly going to make him be like, You know what? Who needs out of this horrible prison when I can have that!

But she was out of other ideas.

And Sophie wanted her to try the Noxflare thing, so...

Whatever.

Marella didn't care about Sophie's current power trip the way Stina did.

As long as she didn't have to be the one coming up with all the plans--or almost dying all the time--Marella was fine following orders. Especially if she got to say I told you so when they turned out to be a huge waste of time.

"Sure you don't want me to come with you?" Linh asked as Marella pulled thick gloves onto her hands. "Fintan likes me."

Marella wasn't sure if "like" was the right word, since Fintan didn't seem to like anybody. But he'd definitely been impressed with Linh.

He'd demanded to speak with "the Hydrokinetic" after Marella mentioned she practiced her pyrokinesis with Linh, so Marella had convinced the goblin guards to let Linh down into the prison. And when Fintan asked for a demonstration of Linh's ability to ensure she wouldn't "hinder his training," Linh had stirred up all the ice shards on his floor and made them rain around him like he was trapped inside a snow globe--which actually made him applaud.

Apparently, most Hydrokinetics struggled to manipulate water in its solid form, and were limited to liquid water or water vapor.

But not Linh.

Of course.

Marella was pretty sure that Linh was more powerful than any of her other friends.

"Well, if you need me, you know where to find me," Linh said as Marella forced her feet to carry her into the cave. "I'll just be here, making another snow menagerie." She flicker her wrist and wove the hovering snowflakes into a soaring alenon.

"Ugh, at least make some ugly creatures this time," Marella called over her shoulder. "I want to see a row of snow ghouls when I get back here. Or a giant Princess Purryfins!"

Linh gasped. "Princess Purryfins is not ugly! I'm going to tell her you said that!"

Marella laughed. "I'm sure you will."

She would've teased Linh more about her ridiculous obsession with her pet murcat, but the frigid air from the prison hit Marella hard, and she had to lock her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering.

As least she didn't have to make the journey by herself this time.

Marella could hear the scary goblin guard keeping pace several steps behind her as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim blue light cast by a series of glowing spheres dangling from the ceiling. The downward slope grew steeper with each winding curve, and Marella was always tempted to try sliding down the icy floor instead of walking--but she'd probably end up crashing into one of the weird ice thrones outside Fintan's cell. And she knew better than anyone that injuries couldn't always be healed.

Plus, the trudge gave her a chance to add extra defenses to the heat she'd tucked away in her chest.

She often wondered if Fintan had hidden a few sparks of his own when he was arrested. After all, he had to know the Council would put him on ice for the rest of eternity. Wouldn't he try to preserve what little heat he could?

But Marella had stretched out her senses a zillion different ways and never felt the slightest tingle of warmth when she was around him. So either there was nothing to find or Fintan was that good.

She had a horrible feeling it was the latter, and he was waiting for just the right moment to reveal his grand plan--but that wasn't the kind of thing she should be thinking about before having to face him.

Still, she spent the next few turn trying to figure out what she'd do if she were right.

Her feet turned numb while she plotted, and her bones were officially aching by the time the path widened-- the only warning that they were getting close to Fintan's cell.

A few curves later, his cage came into view: a stark, icy bubble in the center of a circular cavern.

The round wall was reflective on the inside, so even though Marella could see Fintan pacing along the edge of his frozen barricade, he wouldn't be able to see her until she triggered the sensor by sitting in one of the freezing thrones positioned at the only point Fintan could peer through.

He looked extra tired that day--his sky blue eyes sunken by more shadows than usual, and he kept muttering under his breath about incompetence as he tucked his messy blond hair behind his pointy ears with a bit more force than necessary.

Marella glanced back at the scary guard, making sure he'd ducked into the shadows near the back of the cell before she made her big appearance. Then she took a deep breath and pressed her hand against her heart, reaching for her secret spark of warmth one last time before plopping into the closest ice throne.

"Awwwww, looks like you missed me," she said, tossing back her hair and flashing her brightest smile.

She liked to start her visits by showing Fintan she wasn't afraid of him--even if she totally was.

But Fintan didn't glance her way.

"I'm not in the mood for games," he warned as he continued his slow march around his cell.

"Neither am I" Marella assured him, deciding that was her cue to start with the cache. She sat up taller, trying to look extra confident as she added, "But I do have an awesome trade to offer you!"

Fintan sighed. "If this is about my cache, I already told you what I'm willing to accept. Unless you're here to grant me a day of freedom--"

"I'm definitely not. But! I found something you should like even better." She paused, hoping the extra bit of anticipation would somehow make her offer should more exiting when she told him. "Noxflares!"

Fintan scrunched his slender nose. "What are Noxflares, and why would I care about them?"

Marella tilted her head, trying to tell if he was faking.

She hadn't expected him to jump around or applaud or anything--but she had expected him to at least know what Noxflares were.

Then again, his mind had been shattered and pieced back together so many times, his memories had to be in shambles--and Ancient minds tended to be a total mess anyway, since they were crammed with thousands of years of information and the past and present blurred together.

"Would it help if I told you I stopped by your old estate on my way here?" she asked, "Your garden could use some gnomish help, by the way. All the plants have turned into a giant dying tangle. But I dug around and managed to find this scraggly vine with dark pointy flowers--and I hear that plant is special to you, so I picked a few and--"

"You picked my Noxflares?" Fintan snapped, rushing to the wall of his cell and pressing his palms against the ice. "You must let me see them!"

Marella's lips curled into a huge smirk. "I thought you didn't know what they were."

Fintan gritted his teeth so hard, it sounded like cracking ice.

"Hey, I'm not saying I won't share. Buuuuuuuuuuut it'll cost you--and I'm pretty sure you can already guess what I want." She paused for another beat before she added, "Just so we're clear: I'll show you one of your Noxflares if you open your cache and show me what's inside."

Fintan's jaw tightened even more and his hands curled into fists.

But he didn't say no.

He didn't say anything--which was definitely new.

Marella had already offered him a long list of trade suggestions that she, Linh, Maruca, and Stina had all come up with--some really cool ones! And Fintan had shot down each one down before she could even finish the offer.

She couldn't believe he looked so tempted by an ugly flower.

but as the silence dragged on, Marella started to wonder if she'd misread the situation.

maybe she'd pushed him too hard--taunted him too much--and now Fintan was letting her sit there in the cold, knowing the icy throne was turning her butt and legs numb.

She was trying to decide if she could make standing up look like a power move when Fintan told her, "Fine. You have a deal--but since you're only offering one Noxflare, I'll only show you one memory."

Marella barely stopped herself from blurting out, SERIOUSLY?

"Orrrrrrrrrrrrrr," she said instead, wanting to kick herself for not bringing more Noxflares with her. The whole thing had just seemed so silly--and the first few she'd picked had crumbled to dust. But the vine had lots more flowers, so she could fix the mistake super easily. "How about I go back, grab eight more Noxflares, and then you show me all nine memories?"

Fintan grinned. "Tempting. But one Noxflare is really all I need."

Need?

Marella wasn't a fan of that wording.

But before she could ask him what he needed it for, he added, "My offer expires in ten seconds," and started counting down.

By "six" she decided that one memory was better than nothing.

"Fine," she said, pulling the cache from her pocket and holding the marble-size orb up to the light. "But you go first. How do I open this thing?"

No way was she going to risk letting him back out--especially since he probably wasn't going to be happy when he saw his precious flower was stuck in the middle of a giant ice cube.

Fintan held out his hand. "Give me the cache, and I'll open it."

Marella laughed. "Hard pass."

"Ah, but you don't have a choice. I'm the only one who can access the memories. And I need to make physical contact with the cache in order to do so."

Marella squinted at the tiny gadget.

She didn't know much about caches--aside from the fact that only Councillors used them and that each colorful inner crystal held a single Forgotten Secret. But she did know that Dex had already tried everything he could think of to open the cache and failed--and he was one of the best Technopaths ever.

"Do I need to start counting down again?" Fintan asked. "I believe we'd gotten to five..."

Marella chewed her lip. "Uh, how do I know you're not going to destroy the cache or try to hold it for ransom or something?"

Fintan's smile was colder than his cell. "You'll just have to trust me."

"Yeah, I don't see that happening."

Fintan shrugged. "Then our deal is off."

Marella rolled her eyes. "Come on. Even if I wanted to, it's not like I can open your cell door and hand the cache to you."

She wasn't even sure if his cell had a door. The wall looked like one big solid piece of ice.

"You've proven to be very resourceful during our lessons," Fintan reminded her.

"Yeah, but--"

"It's your call," he interrupted. "If you want a memory, you'll have to trust me."

She snort-laughed--but before she could get another word out, he repeated, "You'll just have to trust me." And she could tell that was the only response he was going to give.

She turned to the scary guard, who had started pacing in the shadows. "Is there a way to pass Fintan a small item?"

"Ah, you have a hidden goblin escort--I knew you were resourceful!" Fintan clapped his hands. "And yes, there is a way to pass me my cache, otherwise I wouldn't have suggested it. Any guard can open the disgraceful tube they pass my horrid, frozen bits of food through. The cache should fit nicely."

The guard gripped his sword. "I cannot allow any unauthorized item to enter his cell."

Fintan clicked his tongue. "Clearly you're not considering the fact that I've already had plenty of chances to make this trade--and turned them all down. Do you think I would do that if the cache was even remotely useful to me?"

The goblin couldn't argue with that logic.

Neither could Marella.

And when Fintan went back to counting down, she told the guard, "The Black Swan knows I've been trying to make this trade--and they're working with the Council now. No one would let me do this if they thought the cache was dangerous."

Then again, they'd never discussed the possibility of handing the cache over to Fintan--but surely someone must've considered that during all their endless talking and obsessive overplanning...right?

Besides, if anything went wrong, she could always remind them that this was Sophie's idea.

"I don't like this," the scary guard growled. But Marella gave him her I-totally-know-what-I'm-doing glare until he set the frozen Noxflare down with a particularly dramatic thud, snatched the cache, and spent an eternity squinting at the tiny crystal, spinning it all different ways. "If anything happens, my priority will be subduing the prisoner--not protecting you. Are you certain you want to take that risk?"

Marella absolutely wasn't.

But...this might be their only shot at seeing one of Fintan's Forgotten Secrets.

Plus, she had her tiny little spark buddy she could call on if she needed. Surely she could use that to...

To what?

Take down a superpowerful, much more experienced Pyrokinetic with a history of murdering poeple?

But...did she really want to wimp out?

Sophie wouldn't.

And yeah, Sophie had, like, a permanent bed in the Healing Center. But Marella was pretty sure their whole group would vote "DO IT!"

There were also a dozen other armed goblins who would rush down as backup.

And Linh could attack Fintan with her cutesy snow animals.

It'd almost be worth it to watch Fintan get swallowed up by an ice wave shaped like Princess Purryfins.

"I can handle myself," she decided, using a tone that hopefully sounded intimidating.

Fintan's gleeful laughter echoed of the ice.

The scary guard muttered something about the arrogance of elves as he reached toward the top of Fintan's frozen cell and felt around for a specific spot. A faint clicking sound followed, and a tiny round door slid open--far out of Fintan's reach.

"I can neutralize you within seconds," the guard reminded him as he held the cache up to the opening. "By numerous means. Some far more painful than others."

"Yes, I'm well aware of the absurd lengths the Council has taken to keep me contained," Fintan assured him. "But I don't plan on giving you a reason to use any of them. Not today, at least."

The guard bared his supersharp pointy teeth, and Marella wanted to shout NEVER MIND, JUST KIDDING! But she let the guard shove the cache through the tiny opening--and then it was too late to change her mind.

All she could do was watch the glass orb make its slow descent, rolling around and around and around--down some sort of invisible path etched into the wall of the cell.

Her stomach backflipped with each rotation, and she felt more than a little vomit-y when the cache dropped low enough for Fintan to catch it. But he simply held it up and studied it.

Then he coughed on it.

And sneezed on it.

"Ewwwwwww," Marella groaned when he followed that up by drooling on it. "You know, there are better ways to give it your DNA."

"Yes, I'm aware." Fintan cleared his throat and launched a slimy blob of spit at the cache. "I also know your little Technopath friend is going to ask you how I accessed the memories, so feel free to give him a detailed list." He wiped the cache dry with his fingers and then ran it through his greasy hair before sneezing and coughing on it again. "Some of these methods are vital. Some are distractions. None can be re-created without me--but it'll be fun if he tries, don't you think?"

He laughed so hard, it brought tears to his eyes, and he smeared them across the cache before sneezing and spitting on it again--making Marella very glad she had gloves to keep her hands clean once he returned the cache.

Assuming she actually got it back...

She tried to make out what he was saying when he started mumbling a bunch of stuff into the crystal, but the words were all mushed together. He also tapped the cache in so many different places that she doubted even Sophie and Keefe with their fancy photographic memories would be able to re-create the patterns. And he looked so smug as he did it all that Marella decided to look as bored as possible--which was why she was barely paying attention when the cache flared to life, projecting a small hologram of Fintan standing alone in a wide, empty field.

"Huh," Marella mumbled. "Gotta admit, I was expecting something a little more exciting than a tiny glowing Fintan in the middle of nowhere doing...nothing."

"Then you should learn to be more observant." Fintan pointed to the swaying grass around the hologram's feet, and after a few seconds, Marella realized there was a vine of blooming Noxflares. "I figured I'd show you what Noxflares can do, since you're so generously bringing one back into my life."

Marella squinted at the tiny flowers, waiting for something to happen.

And waiting.

And waiting.

"So...they...blow in the wind?" she asked.

Fintan sighed. "No, they do this."

The hologram of Fintan waved his arms, and all the Noxflares erupted with searing white flames.

"Yeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaah, still not seeing why this needed to be a super-hush-hush Forgotten Secret," Marella grumbled as the Fintan hologram flicked his wrist and added purple fire to the white.

Sure, the flames were pretty--but all flames were beautiful.

"Try thinking like a Pyrokinetic!" Fintan snapped. "Tell me, are there any other flowers that could remain intact under such an inferno?"

Marella couldn't think of any.

And the Noxflares still didn't burn when the Fintan hologram added yellow flames to the fiery mix.

but other than clearly being fire-resistant, Marella didn't see the Noxflares actually doing anything--and the hologram of Fintan must've been equally unimpressed.

He frowned at the flaming petals and dragged a hand down his face, mumbling "something's missing."

"Still not seeing the point of this," Marella noted. "I mean..."

Her voice trailed off as the tiny Fintan waved his arms again and blasted the Noxflares with pink flames--which made the flowers spray sparks in every direction.

The effect was breathtaking.

Kind of like the sky during the Celestial Festival.

But that still didn't necessarily scream, THIS MEMORY IS IMPORTANT.

"How come the grass isn't catching fire?" she asked, grasping for anything that might be significant. "Do the Noxflares protect it or something?"

"No, I was protecting it. A pyrokinetic should always be in control of their flames."

He sounded so smug Marella was tempted to remind him that he let five Pyrokinetics die when he tried to teach them how to call down Everblaze and they all lost control--but that would probably make him throw one of his tantrums and send her away.

She needed the cache back first--and to hopefully find something useful in this boring memory. But sadly, all Fintan's hologram did was stare blankly at the stars and mumble "something's missing" again before the image flashed away.

"That's it?" the scary guard demanded, beating Marella to the complaint.

"Yeah, so...you put on a little fire show all by yourself with some spark-shooting flowers," she added, trying to sum up what she'd seen. "You were clearly disappointed by that little show. And then you must've remembered you needed to..."

She waved her hands, cuing Fintan to fill in the blank with whatever was "missing."

But he just stood there, staring at the cache with the same glazed look he always got whenever he started rambling about the beauty of fire--and Marella wished Linh had come with her after all.

Linh could pelt him with snowballs or something to snap him out of it.

But then she realized...

"You never figured out what was missing--did you?"

Fintan blinked and met her gaze. "Noxflares are full of possibility. But they need to burn."

"That doesn't answer my question," Marella noted.

Fintan shrugged. "Context was not part of our bargain."

"yeah, because I figured when I saw the memory, it would be obvious why it's this big Forgotten Secret. How does you setting some flowers on fire and then realizing you did it wrong matter to anyone?"

"I did nothing wrong," Fintan assured her, with a particularly haughty smile--butt Marella wasn't buying it.

There was a tightness around his eyes that was way too familiar.

Her dad had that same tightness every time her mom was having one of her "bad days," and she knew exactly what it meant.

Disappointment.

Frustration.

A hint of helplessness.

So she marched over to the guard and grabbed the frozen Noxflare from the floor--too irritated to even notice how heavy the ice must've been as she hauled it back.

She plopped it in front of Fintan's cell. "Ta-da! One ugly flower, as promised--and I'm sure you're not surprised that I had to freeze it before i brought it down here."

"I'm not." Fintan dropped to his knees and gazed at the Noxflare like he was seeing a long-lost friend.

He pressed his hand against his cell, trying to get as close as he could. "Such power. Such...promise."

"Uh-huh," Marella agreed, letting his stare and stare, hoping it would help him let his guard down.

When his eyes turned a little teary, she went in for the kill.

"But there is something still missing, isn't there? That's why you saved this memory--to remind yourself to keep looking."

A whole lot of painful silence passed before Fintan slowly nodded.

Marella wanted to feel triumphant.

But all she'd done was prove the entire trade had been pointless.

There was no game-changing clue.

No dirty little secret about the past.

Certainly nothing to help them stop their enemies.

And she had a pretty strong hunch the other eight memories in the cache would be just as ridiculous.

"The answer is out there," Fintan murmured. "I can feel it. I just can't grasp it. Perhaps..."

"Perhaps?" Marella prompted when his eyes locked with hers.

Fintan stepped closer to the ice, keeping his voice low, like he didn't want the guard to hear him. "Perhaps a different Pyrokinetic is meant to find the truth. One who's already convinced the Council to trust her."

Marella laughed. "The Council doesn't trust me."

"The fact that you're here for a pyrokinesis lesson says otherwise--particularly since the lesson is with me." He started circling his cell again, mumbling under his breath and nodding. The only words Marella caught were "possible," "improvising," and "best option."

After three more times around the cell, he stopped in front of Marella again, leaning even closer to the icy wall as he whispered, "I believe it's time for me to offer a trade of my own."

"A trade," Marella repeated, not missing the way the scary guard gripped his sword.

Fintan glared at him. "This conversation is between me and my prodigy. She stands here of her own free will, shielded by who knows how many different kinds of protections--and she can leave anytime she pleases. Your presence is no longer needed."

"You still have her gadget," the guard argued.

"I suppose I do. but that can be easily remedied." Fintan set the cache on whatever invisible ledge it had slid down in the first place and gave it a good shove, sending it spinning up the path toward the top of the cell.

The guard had to scramble to catch it when it launched out of the ice bubble.

"See?" Fintan said, shifting his gaze back to Marella. "I can be trusted."

"Pretty sure the only thing I can trust is that you'll do what's best for you," Marella countered.

"As long as you get what you want, why would you care? After all, no matter what, I'm still stuck in here, aren't I?" He waved his arms around his little ice bubble, which suddenly looked way less secure than it had during her other visits. "Oh, relax--all I'm asking for is a little information."

Marella crossed her arms. "Right--and information has never gotten anyone hurt or killed."

"It's not that kind of secret. It's..." He frowned. "Honestly, I don't know what it is--and for someone my age, with my connections, that says something, doesn't it? I doubt any of the Vackers even know the full truth."

"Then how am I supposed to find it?" Marella demanded.

"As I said, you've proven to be quite resourceful. Particularly when you team up with your little friends." He scowled at the guard again before motioning her to step closer--until her ear was practically pressed up against the ice.

A voice in the back of her head kept screaming, WHY ARE YOU LISTENING TO HIM?

But...she was curious.

And there was nothing wrong with hearing his offer, was there?

Fintan's breath fogged the ice, obscuring his face as he whispered, "All I ask is that if you ever find out what's missing from the Noxflares, you share it with me."

"Why?" Marella glanced at the frozen flower, wishing she could see something more than just ugly shriveled petals.

"Because I want to know," Fintan said simply. "And because I can give you what you want in return."

"The rest of the memories in your cache," Marella clarified.

Fintan nodded. Then his lips curled into a smile. "And one other--something you've long wondered about, even though you probably don't admit it to yourself."

Marella raised one eyebrow, refusing to show any more interest than that.

Fintan cupped his hands around his mouth and pressed them to the ice before he whispered, "I know what happened to your mother."

Marella sucked in a breath.

"Yes," Fintan added. "I'm talking about her 'accident'--if we can really call it that. I know why she fell. And why her injuries were so incurable."

Marella stumbled back, collapsing into the nearest throne and hugging herself to stop her body from shaking with tremors that had nothing to do with the cold.

A tiny, terrified part of her had always thought the story she'd been told about her mom's fall hadn't totally made sense.

But everyone--everyone--was convinced it had been an accident.

Even her father.

And if it wasn't...

She leaned toward Fintan. "I don't need your games."

"Oh, this definitely isn't a game. But it's the only way you'll ever know the truth, and before you start overthinking everything, consider this: You have all the power here. Make the trade, don't make the trade--it's totally your call. You also don't have to make a decision right away. I'm trapped in this prison. I'll never find the answer on my own--and I'll never know if you find the answer unless you decide to tell me. So there's zero pressure. No one even knows we've had this conversation--and don't worry about the guard. See how frustrated he looks? That's because I made sure he only heard what I wanted him to hear. The rest is our little secret."

Our little secret.

Fintan was probably the last person she should have a secret with.

And yet...he had a point.

No one knew he'd made her this offer--and it wasn't like she'd come to any decision.

She didn't even have the information Fintan wanted anyway!

And with the way their investigations always seemed to go, she'd probably only find a whole lot more questions.

So there was really no point in telling anyone about this.

She could tell them whens he needed to.

If she needed to.

That wouldn't be wrong...would it?

It didn't feel wrong--or it wouldn't have if Fintan's smile wasn't so creepy.

"I'm not agreeing to anything," she said, wanting to make that very clear.

"You're not," Fintan assured her. "So how about we put this out of our minds and get started with our lesson? I'm sure your Hydrokinetic friend is wondering why you haven't come up to practice yet."

Linh was probably starting to worry.

She'd probably also built enough snow animals to make a frozen Sanctuary.

"Fine," Marella said, standing up and dusting ice off her cape. "What do you want me to work on today?"

"How about I teach you how to make those colored flames you saw in the memory," Fintan suggested. "You know, in case that ever comes in handy."

He winked, and the guard groaned and held out the cache to Marella. "Sound like I'm no longer needed."

"You aren't" Fintan agreed.

The guard growled--looking scarier than ever--and turned to march away. But he spun back after a few steps. "He's right that I don't know what he offered you. But I can tell you're tempted. And I hope you're smart enough to reject it. Never make a deal with someone who has nothing to lose."

"I'm not," Marella promised.

And she wasn't.

She hadn't made any decisions--except to keep this to herself. But that didn't mean anything.

She was just trying to avoid a ton of drama and arguing and having people give her advice she didn't need.

Plus, everyone has secrets.

Shoot--the great Sophie Foster had more secrets than anyone.

So it was fine.

Everything was fine.

Nothing had changed.

Time to focus on controlling her fire.

And yet, for the rest of the lesson, the tiny spark in her heart burned hotter and hotter and hotter. Whispering a new plea.

Trust me.

Trust me.

Trust me.

[alans-snz]

Enjoy this C/el/ls A/t W/or/k drabble short fic inspired by @dsnzfb 's wonderful snzario from the other day. I initially wrote a bit of it and wanted to turn it into a drabble, but it turned instead into a mini fic, so here ya go!! Enjoy!! And I am going to bed now since it's after 4 am. But this man put in this scenario was living rent free in my brain so much I had to write this before going to sleep!!!

Snz'er: Wh/i/te Bl/o/od C/el/l U/-1/14/6 (my beloved, shown here)

Minor spoilers for C/el/ls A/t W/or/k season 1. Continued below the cut.

Giving a gentle sigh, U-1146 finished his usual patrol around the body. Although things had been peaceful lately, being a part of the first line of defense meant he always had to stay alert. Regardless of how "normal" things might seem, he could never be too wary of any antigens possibly invading the area, whether it was through a breakage in the vascular endothelial cells, a viral infection, or anything foreign that dared cross paths with him, for that matter.

Today, everything seemed almost...too peaceful. When he experiences such a quiet day like this, especially when it comes to such a sensitive place like the epidermis, he always is extra careful and pays more attention to his receptor. After all, its job is—

"Da-ding!"

46 spun on his heel and frantically looked around. Complete silence except for the occasional hustle and bustle of red blood cells. Hm...how odd...

Speaking of, as he searched for the culprit his receptor was detecting, he noticed AE3803 taking a break on a bench nearby to stock up on more glucose. She looked up from her ice cream, smiled, and waved to him, before slowly lowering her hand, looking confused at his sudden search. He decided it would be good to head over there while he tried to sort out the current situation. Besides, it's possible she may have seen something he missed. No harm in asking! On his way over to her, he subconsciously rubbed his nose lightly.

"Snf! Red Blood Cell. Good to see you again," he stated with a nod, carefully holding his hat as he softly nodded as a gentle greeting.

"White Blood Cell! Same to you!" 03 piped up and smiled once more, but it didn't last long, as her expression and tone turned concerned quite quickly. "You seemed to be searching for something, and I noticed your receptor is up. Is everything okay?"

46 carefully nodded and turned slightly. "It seems an antigen is hiding somewhere nearby. Actually, that's why I came over here." He turned back to her, his expression determined, yet still sweet and calm. "I wanted to ask you if you'd seen anything odd." He stood there patiently while Red Blood Cell thought for a moment. However, after a short silence, she only ended up slowly shaking her head. "I see," 46 continued simply. The two of them stood there quietly while 46 eyed the surrounding area once more.

Eventually, 03 narrowed her eyes and looked down at her ice cream as if in deep thought before eventually breaking the silence, "You know, I've been meaning to ask...How do you go searching for hidden antigens anyway?"

46 couldn't help but crack a smile. Seeing he always expressed interest in Red Blood Cell's job, it was always fun to explain his own tasks to her as well. "Well, it's all in this," he said simply, pointing at his receptor. "Any time something is hiding, it's often easier to detect by taking into account when it does and doesn't react." He paused and sniffled softly.

03 gently nodded. "That's so fascinating. I'd love to hear more about how it works!"

"Sure! So when it stops reacting, I...I..." Suddenly, 46's train of thought became occupied elsewhere. He could feel a prickling sensation swiftly building in his sinuses, feathering so quickly through them that he automatically scrunched his nose, his mouth fell slightly agape, and his brow furrowed.

"...You...?" 03 asked in confusion, seeming very intrigued on how this worked and very confused on why 46 suddenly stopped speaking. Little did she know, this reason would become obvious very quickly.

"...I...hh-have t-to...sne—hehh!—sneeze!" He quickly brought his wrist to his nose as his eyelids fluttered and he inhaled sharply. "Heehh...! Hiht'TSSschyuu! Hah'AS—shuu!" His shoulders shook with the force, and although they didn't sound too intense, he struggled to keep himself from bending forward slightly from the intensity. He paused, shook his head, opened his eyes, and sniffled harshly from behind his wrist, seeming to consider whether any more sneezes were lurking in his sinuses before daring to bring his wrist down from his face.

"Snrf! O-oh no, hhiih!..." That sniffle instantly riled his sinuses up even more, and he quickly found himself gasping behind his wrist and snapping his eyes shut yet again. "Haaah'YTsSchhyuu! Hih!...iht'KSSs—chuu!—uungh..." This time, both sneezes made his whole body quiver violently, and he let out a soft groan after the final one. He rubbed his nose vigorously with the back of his wrist before letting out another sniffle. "Snf! Urgh, 'scuse me."

"...Is that usually a part of your process?" Red Blood Cell asked in confusion. White Blood Cell chuckled in response and gently shook his head as he lowered his hand. He also took a mental note that his receptor had gone down afterwards, similarly to that other day when he first learned his receptor will react shortly before he sneezes.

"Not usually, but sometimes, yes." He disconnected his receptor and held it in his hand. "I always have to take my receptor's reactions very seriously and jump into action, regardless of what I'm doing at the time. Since it also tends to detect when something is bothering my nose though, it can be frustrating to start searching for an antigen, then find out I just had to sneeze." He couldn't help but laugh a bit at the idea. "Though silly, it's a welcome change of pace to realize everything is still peaceful in this body, and my receptor just wanted to alert me to my body's irritants too." He smiled softly.

While incredibly odd and unusual, it was in fact relieving for White Blood Cell to experience this situation again. While peace in the body is refreshing, having false alarms from his receptor being affected by his own body as well is one of the unusual trade-offs he would happily take if it meant he could keep this body and all his fellow cells safe!

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC Lucien’s Sacred Mountain date + calls + moments translation

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️

This post contains a detailed spoiler for a date that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

'I know that there must be things in the world that are unknowable.'

'I never set my heart on those illusory protections and blessings, only hoping for those silent bystanders to witness our smooth and winding journey through life.'

'But if there truly is something that can hear the sound of prayers, I hope they can give her a miracle.'

[Pre-Evolve phone call- All path is fortunate]

(T/N: IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO HEAR THIS CALL FIRST so the date will make more sense)

[Date – Video ver]

(T/N: As always, I always recommend watching the video for a more comprehensive experience. Personally, I really like how tender and affectionate he sounds in this one and the bgm choice is good to set the mood~ Don’t forget to turn on CC!

If the direct video doesn't work - [Use this link]

(Besides, tumblr doesn't allow us to use an old text editor anymore so I can't add up more than 30 pics in this post. Tumblr post alone won't capture the change in background and sprite as usual(for reference I always have like 60+ pic in one post LOL))

[Date – Transcript ver]

[Part 1]

Lucien: MC, how are you?

The whole world is incredibly dizzy; waves of nausea and headaches erode my will, making breathing a little uncomfortable.

I lie in bed in a daze, trying to lift the corners of my mouth under his worried gaze, and I accept the medicine he hands me.

MC: It's just a little bit uncomfortable, but resting for a while should make it better.

MC: As expected, I shouldn't take flights directly next time. A train would be a better option even if it's slower…

After swallowing the medicine, I comfortingly tilt my head against him, feeling his warm fingertips brush against my cheeks and spine, guiding me as I slowly lay back down.

Lucien: (with a trace of guilt in his tone)…I'm very sorry.

MC: What are you sorry for?

MC: This was a decision and journey we both made together. I won't accept you shouldering all the responsibility on your own.

=Flashback Start=

MC: Hehe, this little pig looks even cuter than in the picture!

A month ago, I enthusiastically helped Lucien replace the phone case with a new one I bought for him.

After putting it on, I happily picked up my own phone, leaning against the side of the cabinet, and showed it off to Lucien who was washing dishes.

The two pink and chubby PUPU piglets are symmetrically posed, looking adorable and charming.

Lucien: (chuckle) Your taste has always been quite good.

MC: But if your colleagues see Professor Lucien using such a cute phone case, won't they think you're childish?

MC: Will I ruin your image?

Lucien: Whether it's childish or not, I don't think it can be reflected in a small phone case.

Lucien: Besides, their judgment doesn't hold much significance to me either.

Lucien: Forming the same scenery with another 'little piglet' appears to bring more happiness.

MC: Then let our brilliant Professor Lucien accompany me to be a 'happy little piglet' for a few months~

I couldn't help but laugh and noticed that Lucien's phone suddenly vibrated. A work approval notification popped up on the screen.

MC: It says that your colleague has arrived... take a look.

Lucien: Just go ahead and take a look for me.

He spoke casually, skillfully squeezing some dishwashing detergent onto a dishcloth, and then picking up a plate next to it to continue washing.

Receiving the "instructions," I naturally tapped open the message on the screen.

MC: It seems like a researcher named... Luo Ke wants to apply for a two-day vacation, saying he wants to travel to Tibet…

Lucien: Please approve it for me.

Seeing his familiar attitude, I didn't ask further questions. I simply pressed the "approve request" button silently.

Meanwhile, Lucien blinked slightly, his hand movements slowing down as he seemed to be contemplating something as well.

MC: You're not going to ask a few more questions about such a distant trip?

Lucien: This isn't his first time going there; he must have been there at least... more than ten times.

Lucien: Every time he's waiting for particularly important experimental results or article review feedback, he runs over there.

The last plate was placed in the dish rack, and Lucien wiped his hands. He took the phone and opened someone's social media feed for me.

Over the past few years, there were only a few posts, but almost all of them were various types of snowy mountain landscapes.

Lucien: It's evident that the place must have quite an appealing charm.

Lucien: It's probably indeed a miraculous place…

He paused, his tone tinged with a curiosity born from long-term observation.

MC: So, after he goes there, does he always have positive outcomes?

Lucien: Not necessarily.

Lucien: Moreover, I believe those favorable outcomes within the expected range reflect his dedicated and meticulous work ethic, which significantly reduces errors.

Lucien: However... (chuckle) Many times, science does indeed encounter unforeseeable things.

Hearing him say that, I also became curious.

Our gazes met, and we captured remarkably similar emotions in each other's eyes.

MC: How about we go there too—!

=Flashback End=

MC: But I've been exercising so diligently, taking the oral solution as prescribed, and yet I still got altitude sickness. It's frustrating.

MC: I saved time by taking a plane, only to spend it all on the bed…

Lucien: (chuckle) It's alright, we're not in a hurry to leave. Let's rest a bit more.

He adjusts the pillow, making me lie more comfortably, then leans down to gently kiss the corner of my mouth.

Lucien: Don't worry, I can always be your "oxygen" whenever you need it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Part 2]

MC: I'm revived—!

After a night of rest, I feel much more refreshed the next day.

Lucien: Don't push yourself too hard. If you're feeling uncomfortable anywhere, make sure to let me know promptly.

MC: Got it. Once I get in the car, I'll cling to the oxygen tank.

I smile and sit in the passenger seat of the off-road vehicle that Lucien had rented in advance. Holding a small oxygen concentrator, I playfully shake my head at him.

Lucien also smiles, and we officially embark on our impromptu journey of curiosity.

Because of our unique random drawing system, we aren't heading to various popular attractions.

One of the destinations is Namtso Lake, where Luo Ke often goes, and the other is a snowy mountain selected by me through a random number selection.

The straight highway stretches forward, piercing through the distant expanse of blue sky.

The vast wilderness extends, and large masses of cumulus clouds join the surging herd of cattle, painting an exceptionally magnificent "Running Bulls".

The distant snow-covered mountains gradually impress upon the retina, resembling a distant and graceful maiden. The staggered peaks have been carved with fine craftsmanship, creating soft and graceful diagonal lines.

The deep and light sapphire blue blends from beneath the mountain peaks to above the sky, mingling in the middle and accentuating the pure white with a sense of sanctity.

I can't help but take a breath, letting this indescribable beauty fill my entire field of vision.

MC: When I was watching the video, I could probably guess why someone would choose to come here so many times.

MC: But now I completely feel it.

MC: The scenery on the way to Namtso Lake is also incredibly beautiful!

Lucien: Perhaps I should remind this classmate that our journey has only just begun.

He lightly presses the accelerator, and the vast land in the uninhabited area gradually sheds all its splendor, revealing its simple exterior.

And a vast expanse of blue quickly appears before my eyes.

MC: Are we almost there?

The vast world brings everything close as if it was always this near.

Lucien: Don't rush, there's still some distance to go.

Lucien: The place Luo Ke visited before is now closed, so we need to find another convenient place to stay.

The winding road leads us along the snow-capped mountains, revealing their magnificence even more. We drive alongside them, receiving a sense of being overlooked quietly.

After going through a somewhat bumpy road, Lucien temporarily parks the car on the side of the road and opens the carried drone.

And I carefully step out of the car, the cool and thin air making me slightly breathless, but it doesn't diminish my enthusiasm in the slightest.

While adjusting the frequency of my breaths, I take a few steps toward the vast bay of the lake.

Layer upon layer of mountains stands above the sea of blue, towering into the clouds.

The world seems to have turned into a sacred palette, where the Creator has reserved the purest colors for this place, bringing serenity to all things.

It's an exceptionally wonderful feeling, everything in front of me seems so distant and immense.

And my small self becomes like a grain of sand on a tidal flat, a drop of water in the lake, gazing up and silently embraced within it.

I unconsciously slowed down my breath. I turn my head and notice that Lucien had appeared by my side at some point.

His gaze is distant, reaching toward the far horizon. The subtle snowy backdrop frames him as if it's also blending him into this pure scenery.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Lucien turns his face and looks into my eyes.

For a moment, neither of us speaks, as if words are the least significant part of our gaze.

His fingertips gently stroke up, like delicately traced kisses.

I don't know if it's because of this ethereal world, but I feel a certain piousness in his touch.

MC: Being able to come here with you and see these landscapes, there's nothing better than this.

Lucien: I should say, it's you who brought this unparalleled beauty to me.

MC: So your sleeping bag is for sleeping directly in the car?

MC: I thought you were only going to use it for a quick nap in the car.

As the sky darkens, after Lucien finds a place to park the car, I watch in surprise as he takes out a spare coat and sleeping bag, then folds down the back seats of the off-road vehicle.

Lucien: (chuckle) That was the original plan. I just changed my mind suddenly.

Lucien: Don't worry, its thickness is enough to keep both of us warm.

MC: I'm not worried about that at all. I was just wondering why Professor Lucien suddenly wanted to change the plan.

He simply smiles and hugs me, both of us slipping into the sleeping bag together.

Lucien: Although we came here out of curiosity, this journey belongs to us.

Lucien: I also want to be with you, to see more of the extraordinary beauty together.

MC: But it's not easy to see the scenery.

The air is chilly, and in the pitch-black darkness, I can't help but snuggle closer into Lucien's embrace.

Lucien: (chuckles) I suppose all beautiful things require sufficient time and effort to gradually form.

Lucien: Regardless, it's a pity that you didn't get to see the sunset at Namtso Lake, and even the stars have hidden themselves.

There's a rare touch of regret in his tone. Thick clouds obscure most of the sky, hastening the arrival of the night.

Outside the car window, there's an absolute silence. The heavy darkness fills the entire scene, not even a single starlight is visible.

It's as if everything has been gathered within this car, with the only exception being the gentle, faint interplay of light and shadows emanating from the car's display screen. The world outside has shut itself off, closing its windows to our view.

MC: But I did get to see such a unique night.

I lift my head from his shoulder with a smile, gazing into the hidden depths of his eyes.

MC: Spending the night like this in the wilderness is quite special too.

Lucien: I'm also glad to share such a miraculous experience with you.

Lucien: Although I've seen many landscapes, this kind of darkness appears especially beautiful.

MC: You're exaggerating. Professor Lucien can come here on his own too, right?

Lucien: (chuckles then speaks in a coquettish tone) It won't be the same.

He hugs me even tighter as if we too have melded together like the night.

Lucien: You have given them real significance, making them a sort of destiny.

Lucien: (softly) I think, there's nothing better than experiencing all of this together with you.

Even though everything is incredibly dark, I seem to see him more clearly, and he seems to see right through me as well.

MC: So many good things have happened around us. Maybe we've been blessed all along.

MC: Do you believe that?

Lucien: There's a possibility for the existence of everything that can't be proven, just as there's a possibility for their nonexistence.

MC: As expected of the rigorous Professor Lucien.

I smile and bury myself deeper into his embrace, feeling his familiar body temperature warming me amid this boundless cold.

MC: Then I hope I can see the miraculous "Golden Mountain" with you tomorrow morning.

MC: I hope that while we whisper our wishes, the snowy mountains can hear them and allow us to witness even more beauty together.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

But the snowy mountains seem to only want to listen to our whispers.

The thick clouds densely conceal the endless expanse of snowy white behind them, and the morning air is bone-chillingly cold.

The thin air forces me to hold onto the small portable oxygen device, shivering while stubbornly keeping my eyes wide open.

The scene in my field of vision is gradually brightening, but it's still a vast expanse of emptiness.

Amidst that magnificent landscape, we haven't witnessed a more wondrous scene.

Many times, the world is simply unreasonable.

MC: What a pity. If we had witnessed the "Golden Mountain" by the shores of Lake Namtso, it would have surely made us feel incredibly lucky.

MC: However, even though Professor Luo Ke has come so many times, he only caught a glimpse of it. And his experimental results still seem to be quite good.

MC: (smiles) So it's no problem, it's not that we have bad luck, we just don't have luck that's good enough.

On the road back, symptoms of altitude sickness paid me another visit.

After taking pain relievers, I lie a little bit dizzily in the passenger seat, my mouth couldn't help but mutter.

Lucien: This kind of randomness is quite interesting too, isn't it?

Lucien: We don't know when or in what circumstances we will encounter the most beautiful scenery.

Lucien smiled and there was no regret in his tone.

In the receding scenery, he looks so serene.

Lucien: The world would seem to be a much less interesting place if human beings could achieve their goals every time they beat their brains out.

MC: But even if not everything goes as planned, wouldn't you feel regret if most of your expectations couldn't be met?

Lucien: For me what's intriguing is the unknown.

Lucien: The outcome is merely a stepping stone toward the next unknown.

Lucien: Moreover... if most expectations aren't met, I believe there are more important things to consider than just feeling regret.

MC: Um?

He turns his head seemingly seriously, there’s a faint teasing glint in his eyes.

Lucien: Perhaps I should consider whether I need to change my job.

Lucien: Because unexpectedly, most of the outcomes have been failures.

I can't help but laugh, and all the unseen regrets are diluted at this moment.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We chat and laugh all the way, the endless road carrying boundless conversations, accompanied by the clouds floating in the sky.

And I gradually relaxed, enjoying this journey with Lucien more peacefully.

Back at the hotel, we had a good night's sleep. The next day, we woke up early, full of energy, and drove to the next destination.

The number of cars on the road decreases as we go, and the journey becomes bumpier. We are like solitary yet content explorers, walking on a path that belongs only to us.

MC: …Strange, according to the map, the sacred mountain should be nearby, right? Did we take a wrong turn?

After navigating numerous twists and turns, I still haven't spotted our destination outside the window.

Lucien: MC, look up.

MC: Um?

I instinctively lift my head, and a blanket of pure white emerges in grandeur after a turn, suddenly filling the entire horizon.

Snow and clouds shroud the mysterious pyramid-like structure, while the clear sky-blue reflects on the mountain's contours, rendering it incredibly serene and sacred.

But that was just a blink of an eye in our journey.

When the car finally comes to a stop at the base of the outer lake, the world suddenly changes its complexion. Fine snowflakes are whisked into the air between the mountains, swiftly guiding us into a nearby guesthouse.

The room is relatively simple, but it's enough to shelter us from the wind and snow.

There aren't many other guests besides us, and the owner warmly welcomes us, bringing us warm milk.

I lean against the window, and the snow-capped mountains outside are already submerged in clouds and the feather-like flurry, making it impossible to see any features.

Lucien: (chuckle) This classmate might turn into a little snowman.

A gentle touch of fingertips brushes against my brow, smoothing out the creases there.

Afterward, a piece of clothing wraps around me, creating a barrier against the lingering cold air in the room.

MC: If I turn into a little snowman, can I reason with the snowy mountains then?

Lucien: The snowy mountains might not have control over the weather either.

He smiles, wearing a similar ethnic attire that he just gave to me, and nestles beside me.

MC: What is this?

Lucien: The weather grew colder. Although our clothes were warm enough, I borrowed two more pieces of clothing from the owner.

Lucien: Because I hope to be more than just a "guest" here with you.

He brushes aside my hair and helps me fasten the robe and belt.

Lucien: (chuckle) Let me accompany you in becoming a little snowman here.

Lucien: Blizzard or sunshine, it doesn't matter.

Lucien: They are all just a part of our life.

His voice is gentle, falling softly like the snow.

I understand what Lucien means, so I gaze at him for a moment and then immediately raise the corners of my mouth, affectionately tidying his clothes.

Suddenly, I remembered something and took out a ribbon from my backpack.

MC: Then we should try to blend in more with the local customs!

Lucien: When did you secretly buy this?

Lucien: (chuckle) I thought you were resting well the whole time, except when you were with me.

MC: Hehe, since you can take care of renting the car and various matters, it's okay for me to buy a little gift, right?

I smile and ask him to turn around. I gently stroke the soft hair at the nape of his neck.

Strands of silky hair twine around my fingertips, gleaming with a beautiful luster against the snowy backdrop.

MC: Your hair has grown quite long.

Lucien: I hope this little travel preparation will also make you happy.

MC: (laughs) So Professor Lucien even planned for this.

MC: But my preparation is on point too. I specifically learned braiding techniques for this region online.

The ribbon is woven through the small braids at the ends of his hair, and the end of each braid is adorned with a neat little knot tied with beads.

I place the headband on his forehead and hold his cheeks, looking at him repeatedly with a little smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

Lucien: (chuckles and smiles with curved eyes) Are you satisfied?

MC: Couldn't be more satisfied!

It's as if my smile has infected him too. He then takes out a particularly unique headpiece and ribbons from his own backpack.

MC: How did you…?

Lucien: I can only say that our tacit understanding has always been like this.

He turns my body around, lifting my hair and slipping his fingers through it.

In the distance, the sacred mountain stands serenely, while snowflakes continue to drift down.

Lucien quietly holds and touches my hair.

At this moment, I can't see his face, but there's an incomparably sincere feeling of being touched tenderly and devoutly.

MC: I hope tomorrow will be good weather.

MC: And I can see the special "Golden Mountain" with you.

Lucien: This classmate seems to be more persistent than I imagined.

MC: Because... I want to see all the miraculous things in this world with you.

I lower my head, playing with the crimson bead strings, and surprisingly, I don't feel any urgency. Instead, a sense of tranquility fills me.

MC: Because this is something that only requires luck, just like the Northern Lights we witnessed together back then.

MC: A koi fish, a wonder... it's as if encountering these brings a bit of good luck.

MC: I hope the koi fish always jumps into your arms, and all the good luck can favor you.

MC: Even things that cannot be proven, may they stand by your side.

A pair of arms encircle my waist, gently pulling me back and drawing me into his embrace.

Lucien: (chuckles tenderly) Silly girl.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The snow and wind continue unabated.

The next day the sky is still filled with snow, and the possibility of seeing a sunrise is unlikely.

My heart is filled with regret, but I still muster my energy and get up. As I consider today's plans, I search for Lucien's figure.

MC: Lucien?

As I push open the door, in this world of pure white, everything comes rushing towards me—

Falling snowflakes, fluttering prayer flags, and the tinkling bells hanging from the yak's neck fill all of my senses all at once.

I stand there in a daze, gazing at those eyes that are as silent as this world, coming towards me from within the snow.

The incessant heavy snow falls onto his Tibetan robe, and he, like a figure from a painting, pulls the reins as the wind blows.

The swaying bells ring melodiously and echo in the mountains as if they are the melody of wind and snow.

Thin golden light bathes the mountain peaks, outlining the continuous undulating contours of the landscape in varying shades.

Like a divine oracle, pointing toward the end of the world.

Lucien: I seem to have heard you calling me.

At that moment, I felt a sense of relief, as if it didn't matter whether I saw the "Golden Mountain" or not.

Because I have already seen the God that came upon my call.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Part 4]

So it turns out Lucien went to explore the path ahead while the snow was lighter.

Lucien: I went to the side of the outer lake to take a look, but I still couldn't see much.

MC: It's okay, I think this is fine too.

Watching the swirling snow, I know that there probably won't be much of a chance today, but my mood is particularly relaxed.

MC: Isn't it nice to walk under the snow-capped mountains like this, accompanied by the light snowfall?

MC: And today is also the Qixi Festival. It feels like we're doing something particularly dreamy.

Lucien: I think what's really dreamy is something else.

He smiles and takes my hand, stepping on the light snow, and slowly walking in the mountains.

The world is covered by a layer of white dust, flying, quietly settling, gathering, and extending far into the pure white depths.

Between heaven and earth, there is no constraint in looking up or down.

Round and round, we finally return to the foot of the sacred mountain by the outer lake.

The lake is profound and unfathomable, holding sediments for countless years.

The wind stirs layers of ripples as we gaze across the lake, looking at the mountain hidden in clouds and mist as if looking at the gods hidden behind.

Countless ineffable emotions surge within my heart, leaving me only able to silently experience this brilliance and grandeur.

MC: Indeed, a lot of scenery is best experienced firsthand.

Lucien: I suppose this is probably the essence of traveling.

MC: We'll definitely come back here again in the future, right?

Lucien: Definitely.

Upon hearing his resolute response, I laughed softly.

I reverently place my hands together, raising them to my chest.

At this moment, my heart is tranquil. As I subconsciously pray, Lucien's name naturally appears in my heart.

I hope everything goes smoothly for him, his health remains strong, and he is safe and worry-free.

I hope he will never lose his curiosity about this world.

I hope he will knock on the doors to truth and reach even farther places.

I silently express in my heart; if there are truly unspeakable things in the world, I hope they can hear my wishes in this closest place to them.

Until suddenly, I feel a pair of warm palms covering the back of my hand.

I don't open my eyes, but for some reason, I know he is doing the same thing with me.

Even though I know he doesn't believe in anything, he has also made wishes with me countless times.

But now, will you still pray with me?

What will you pray to them for?

At this moment, everything seems to be quiet, as if wishing to carry the sounds of the world to even more distant realms.

But Lucien doesn't consider himself a believer in prayer.

The world is full of countless mysteries waiting to be explored and answered, and until accurate answers are found, he cares not the names humans bestow upon them.

Gods, heavens, destiny…

Even so, he's not sure of the reason, but there's always an incredibly real feeling of being touched gently and reverently by the girl.

As if cradled within the softness of her heart, embraced in her current prayer.

He feels that he is being blessed and protected.

An immensely heavy emotion burgeons within him at this moment, spreading to every part of his body, making him feel warm all over.

He can't help but close his eyes and press his forehead against the top of her head.

'I know that there must be things in the world that are unknowable.'

'I never set my heart on those illusory protections and blessings, only hoping for those silent bystanders to witness our smooth and winding journey through life.'

'But if there truly is something that can hear the sound of prayers, I hope they can give her a miracle.'

At that moment, he couldn't help but pray.

I slowly open my eyes, meeting Lucien's gaze, and we both break into laughter together.

MC: Lucien, just now the gods have already promised me that they will bless and protect you well.

Lucien: But I feel like I'm already being well blessed and protected by you.

MC: Then you just keep moving forward, you will definitely reach the place you hope for.

A tender kiss lands on my lips, devout and affectionate.

A fleeting moment can be engraved as if it were a thousand years, frozen in the gaze of the snow mountains.

At some point, the wind and snow stopped, and a subtle red tinted the area behind Lucien.

MC: How come the snow has turned red because of you…

As soon as my words fall, both Lucien and I suddenly freeze in place.

As Lucien turns around to reveal a vast expanse of vision, we witness a miracle.

Threads of golden light spill down, burning into the clouds and landing on the finally unveiled mountaintop.

As rows of clouds surge, that magnificent glow spreads across the mountain peak, turning red and then bright, casting a solemn aura over the sacred summit.

That touch of favor from the sun and the divine now fully rests before us.

The golden mountain is so vast, so bright, and even the floating clouds seem to bow their heads in reverence, offering all their respect, leaving only its radiance in the expanse of the sky.

I lost all words, only able to stare blankly at everything before me.

My gaze unintentionally becomes blurred, watching that intense deep red gradually transform into soft red, then quietly fade away.

Until that red light disappears, and the world falls silent once again.

The moment just now felt like a miracle.

MC: Lucien…

I excitedly throw myself onto him. Even though that scene was fleeting, it was enough to make me feel happy.

MC: We've seen it! We've seen the golden mountain!

MC: Something good is definitely going to happen!

He looks towards the mountain peak that has once again disappeared from sight, then looks at me.

He uses his fingertip to gently wipe away the tears in my eyes, then bends down to kiss my cheek, again and again.

In those deep eyes, I see the same emotions.

Sudden travel, random choices, silent scenery... Countless coincidences link together to become some kind of destiny.

Lucien: Probably since a long time ago…

Lucien: You've become my miracle itself.

-

[Post-Evolve phone call- Lab Koi]

-

[Karma Bonus Moments- Boundless]

Lucien's post: The magic of the world lies in the fact that amidst doubt and disappointment, anything is possible.

MC's reply: So, is it really possible that there's a "god" who can hear all our prayers?

Lucien: Perhaps there is some kind of "rule" that if two people love each other enough, all their wishes can come true.

-

Lucien's post: The magic of the world lies in the fact that amidst doubt and disappointment, anything is possible.

MC's reply: But what if nothing happens at all?

Lucien: Then it's just one of the many faces it's showing us.

-

Lucien's post: The magic of the world lies in the fact that amidst doubt and disappointment, anything is possible.

MC's reply: I hope that the direction it happens to be in is just the way you expect.

Lucien: I think that even if the world doesn't always align with our wishes, I'll remember your words and calmly navigate through every failure.

-

[Lux’s Rambling Corner]

What a very touching date🥺 I literally cried the first time I read them lmao. Both the art and writing of this date are truly exceptional, exceeding all my expectations. Perhaps it’s true that love has the power to create miracles and shape destinies.

I think the date tackle some heavy themes and questions. Are things like Gods or Heavens exist? and whether it's meaningful to pray for them without concrete proof. It also delves into the concept of human insignificance in the vast universe and the limits of our understanding. I believe this date provides satisfying and respectful approach to these questions. Although we can't know the absolute truth about such mysteries, it's perfectly fine to explore various possibilities. Praying or believing in such thing is okay because there's nothing wrong with taking more possibilities with your hand. While our time in this world is short and we might feel insignificant in the universe, it's comforting to follow your heart and make the most of every fleeting moment. Even a fleeting moment can be engraved as if it were a thousand years.

Regarding their interactions and dynamic in this date, the aspect that really struck me was how they view each other as something beyond humans, yet also manage to protect and care for one another in a very human way by praying. MC’s prayer is really touching, because you just can feel how much she just wishes to protect him and make him happy, his prayer even includes her wish for him to continue his curiosity; to find what he’s searching for; and, it’s just- very special you know? Because it shows how much she understands him and loves everything that makes him ‘Lucien’. And against rationality and logic, Lucien prays for her simply because he believes that she deserves all the good things in the world. What she wishes for, if there truly is god in the world, he hopes that god will realize her wish.

Still, the object of his devotion isn't the divine but his beloved. Because in his eyes, it’s her love that’s been blessing and protecting him all this time. This devotion is mutual, and it can be said that they’re each other's 'God' and believer. For her, Lucien is a 'God' that came upon her call, came from the snow and led her to see the golden mountain through wind and snow. While for Lucien, she is his cherished 'God', blessing him and letting him see color, allowing him to appreciate the beauty of the world in its fullest, and his ‘connection’ to the world.

This mutual devotion also shows through the repeated use of the term虔诚 (which translates to 'devout' or 'reverent' or ‘pious’) to describe their touches and I just- *died* everytime PG uses it. In other instances they also humanize the other, grounding them in the reality that they’re also humans that might experience failures and setbacks from time to time, but it’s totally okay of course, after all those are perhaps what makes life interesting. Anyway, this dynamic of humanizing and divinizing each other is a truly special aspect of their relationship and I can’t help but love them more for it.

Besides the aspect that I mentioned above, Lucien taking care of sick MC and their constant setbacks also add more bittersweet touch to this date. Lucien taking care of MC in particular, kind of gives me flashbacks of Distant Similarity UR. Lucien initially takes all of the responsibilities himself and MC reminds him again that he shouldn’t shoulder everything himself never fails to hurt me :”. And their constant setbacks… albeit a bit cliche, it’s also their brand to have angst with a happy ending right- That part when they accept that perhaps it’s simply not their luck to see the golden mountain is really melancholic yet also hopeful. Things might not go as planned, but it’s okay. Because as long as they have each other everything is good and there will always be the chance to try it again next time.

Other than those scenes, their interactions in this date are definitely brimming with sweetness and tenderness, from Lucien being certified love brain™ by letting her to change his phone case into something cute and childish while not caring what his colleagues think, ‘oxygen tank’ lucien (heh-), being two little snowmen together and my little fav scene when they have tacit understanding, it's as if they have this soul-deep connection and are able to communicate heart to heart, when Lucien somehow knows that she will do that and deliberately grow mullet for her to braid. Their mutual gift of headpieces and ribbon... when they braid each other hair, there's this magical feeling when they do that. It's as if they have this soul-deep connection and be able to communicate through heart 🥹.

Truly 10/10 date. I would put it on S tier with no second thought. If you read until this far- thank you so much for reading ahah. Hopefully y'all enjoy this date as much as I do~

[your-queer-dad]

Hey dad. So. I hevn't felt the need to come here to vent for a while lol. But here we are

So. I dom't like the way my irl dad is raising us (me and my bros). I understand that I'm lucky and all, but I just feel really bothered by his behavior lately. For first he's an ableist, which really bothers me cause at this point I'd be surprised if I WASN'T neurodivergent, my lil bro probably is too and my lilest bro might too, and he (my irl dad) is neurodivergent himself (it always baffles me to see him talk badly of people with different disorders than him, mostly developmental disorders). Second, he's that "I don't care as long as I don't have to see it" type of queerphobe. He literally looked me in the eyes and said he thinks me being trans is just a phase and internet influence, and he (and my mom too, but she tends to just agree with him, and I tend to take time to get mad if the offense isn't direct) compared it to playing guitar and not liking it (spoiler alert: I did like it. The youtube classes just suck and I'd rather learn by myself. So even there he didn't get it right.). Third, he just can be an asshole sometimes. My lil bro cries often for lil things that run out of his control and decision making, and what does my dad do? Try to actually talk to him and find out what's wrong instead of repeatdly asking "what's fthe problem [lil bro's name]?"? No. He tells him "to man up, cause [he's] a man and will have to provide someday for his wife" amd shit like that. He also days thing I can't remember to my lilest bro that I know, although I don't remember, he told me too ("swallow the tears" is om example) and made me how I am (bad thing. I'm emotionally constipated, phisically unable of crying, feeling emotions significantly less intese than I used to, distrustful of literally everyone in my life except lil bro (kinda. There's some bagage there involving my mom amd him trying to come as queer and my mom accusing me of influencing him although I literally just told him about a lot of identities cause I was excited and reducing queerness to sex and more shit that I won't talk about right now), unable to tell people how I'm feeling and mostly emotionally unavaible for others and myself.) and I dom't want that. He deserves to be able to talk about his feelings. The worst part? He's dragging my bros down the ableist path (I'd talk to my lil bro but I'm afraid now cause of the aforementioned events with my mom, and my lilest bro is on the age where he asks everything to parents (another emotional bagage over my mom being explicitly intersexist after I mentioned it to him) so I dom't for my own sake) and my lilest bro down the transphobe path (he (bro) literally came up to be twice to say I'm "a girl who wants to be treated like a boy" (though that's how my mom told him (she's also an asshole)) and I promised to myself that I won't stay if it makes me feel bad, but it's hard. I'm really attached to my bros, specially to my lil bro (we really vibe to the point where I can imagine a future with only my besties (alterous) and him, having cutted out my whole family, but it's hard if he isn't there.), more than I am to my parents and I really don't wanna lose them, but I also don't wanna talk to them cause it makes me anxious of my parents making the same thing again, talk to me like their age means they inheritly know more about everything in the world than me, including my own sense of self and struggles (ex: I often have a hard keeping up with goals I set up cause I get "stuck" doing other things I was already doing, even tho I wanna do that. I wanna go learn a new chord on my guitar right now, but I couldn't make my body move, but my dad attributes it to lack of willpower.). I have more to say but weirdly I can't pinpoint it. I know there's something wrong, but don't really know what.

This was very long. Feel free to delete this if you'd rather.

-Cain

Hey kiddo! I'm so sorry your parents are like that and you're having to deal with all of that, that's awful. If you ever need support or someone to talk to, I'm here 🫂🫂

- dad x

[gonzoclock]

Do you think you'll ever do another fanfic with Peter when this one ends?

Like maybe a time travel one where he's sent back first year before he meets the others and he's like 'Well, I caused unnecessary pain by what I tried to do so this time I won't get involved so I won't have to do anything.'

But he then proceeds to be Wormtail again because he doesn't see a reason to leave Moony alone (he can't escape character development even if it has to be thrown down his throat) which causes Remus to be confused on why the wolf in his head likes hanging out with their quiet roommate

And James being James meanwhile is like 'imma get you to be my friend cause im not wrong about people' and Peter is just avoiding him.

And then there's a scene during the sorting where Peter is fighting to Sorting hat because for some reason it wants to send him it Gryffindor and he thinks that logic is flawed. (Spoiler alert he loses, and ends up back there much to his confusion)

Sorry I rambled there for a second but anyway I really enjoy your fic and really like rereading it, I hope you have a good day/night! :D

I don't know if I will come back to Peter in a fic- at least, not as a redemption story. I think I would struggle feeling like I wasn't just rewriting the same story over again, and although that's not a bad thing, I have so many other fics I want to write first before I consider coming back to post-betrayal Peter

That said, this is such a fun idea omg- like, what if it was a typical 'character dies and comes back to find themselves back at square one' and Peter approaches the whole thing in a 'well obviously the last time I went down this path it didn't end too well, so lets try something different this time' way and things very quickly go absolutely crazy and Peter is OBVIOUSLY forced into confronting things about himself and how he feels about what went down. (Those things being feelings of regret and grief)

And also the whole time James is trying to wrangle Peter into the Marauders whether he likes it or not he's also thinking 'haha when Peter finds out I've come back too, he's going to be sooo surprised'

Anyways. Good stuff good stuff

Thank you for the ask! And no worries for rambling, I obviously have a similar problem lol and it was a delight to read. I hope you have a good day/night as well <3

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Stellarlune Paperback Edition Marella Short Story

Hello, wonderful Keeper readers! Some of you might already know that I love to sneak a little something extra into the paperback versions of my books whenever I can (since I don't think hardcover readers should get to be the only ones who sometimes find fun bonuses). For those who didn't know that: surprise! ☺

I knew I wanted to include a story from Marella's POV this time. Not only is she on the cover (looking fierce and fabulous!) and a fan-favorite character, but she also had some key scenes in Stellarlune that we only got to "hear" about. The Keeper books are limited to Sophie's POV, so I can only include moments where Sophie is present—and since Sophie didn't go with Marella to her meetings with Fintan, we only learn what Marella tells Sophie later. But what if there was something Marella didn't share?

Over the next few pages, you can watch one of Marella's conversations with Fintan play out in real time and hear all Marella's thoughts and reactions to what's happening. I've called this story "The Trade"—and I've worked in lots of fun little extra details (some of which might even turn out to be important later…*wink*). For those wondering, this story is based on a scene in chapter 31 of Stellarlune—and if you haven't read Stellarlune yet: SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! Reading this first will probably be confusing and will also give away a few tidbits too early. You'll be much happier if you start by reading Stellarlune and then come back here for all the Marella fun once you're done.

Happy reading!

—Shannon Messenger

THE TRADE 

Marella

“Ugh, I hate this place,” Marella muttered, shaking the freshly fallen snowflakes out of her gilded blond hair much harder than necessary and yanking her thick velvet cape tighter around her narrow shoulders. 

She said the same thing every time she had to trudge through the knee-high snowdrifts and found herself staring at the icicle-crusted entrance to the now familiar cave. Didn't matter how many times she'd gone there—or how important her visits were. 

She was never not going to dread making the long, slippery trek down to Fintan's frozen cell. The cave looked like some sort of open-mouthed snow beast Mating to devour everything in its path—which was probably intentional, since the prison was designed to be as miserable as possible. 

Especially for someone like her. 

The goblin guards even gave her pitying stares as they moved aside to reveal the endless icy path that wound down and down and down a whole lot more to a place where the tiniest glimmer of heat had long since been swallowed up by the suffocating cold. 

No amount of clothing could keep Marella warm in the heart of the prison. She'd actually tried wearing so many layers that she'd looked like an overstuffed gulon and she still couldn't stop shivering. And the whole "body temperature regulation" thing wasn't exactly possible when she had to use so much concentration to make sense of Fintan's ranting. 

It wasn't fair. 

Everyone else got to train their special abilities in fancy rooms at Foxfire, with Mentors who weren't creepy, unstable murderers. 

But they weren't Pyrokinetics. 

Marella was lucky the Council was letting her use her ability at all. 

They could just as easily label her Talentless, kick her out of their snobby academy, and ban her from ever sparking another flame. 

Or they could decide she was too dangerous and lock her away. 

In fact, Marella wouldn't have been surprised at all if the Council was already building an icy cage just for her—but the thought still made her shiver and she wished she could have manifested as…

Nope.

She stopped herself from finishing that sentence. 

If life had taught her anything, it was that there's no point wanting things that were never going to happen. 

Instead, she focused on the thin beams of sunlight streaking through a gap in the gloomy gray clouds. The light was far from warm, but if she really concentrated, she could feel a hint of lingering heat tangled among the brightness. 

She called the warmth closer and soaked it in—let it pool under her skin, pounding with her pulse, swelling with every heartbeat. Growing hotter and hotter and hotter until…

Snap! 

A flick of her fingers sent a small tangle of flames sparking to life above her left palm. 

"Feel better?" Linh asked as Marella let out a long, slow sigh. 

Marella nodded—though she definitely could've done without the whispers that were now hissing around her head. 

The flames had a soft, crackly voice. And they always made the same plea. 

Feed me. 

Feed me. 

Feed me. 

Fire craved fuel—constantly wanting more, more, more—and it would've been so easy for Marella to let the fire swell bigger and bigger and bigger.

But that was the kind of thing that would lead to a lifetime of shivering in an underground ice cube, so she forced her gaze to shift to Linh, who stood in a small, snowless circle surrounded by a halo of hovering snowflakes—-none daring to touch her long silver-tipped hair or shimmery purple cape.

Marella knew how hard Linh had fought to achieve that level of control, and how tentative Linh's hold over her ability still was. But the fact Linh could stand in a sea of frozen water and do nothing except keep the falling snow from settling on her flushed pink cheeks was very…

Annoying.

Then again, everyone annoyed Marella a little.

Her dad used to call her "fiery" long before he realized how accurate that description truly was.

But it wasn't Marella's fault!

People tended to be annoying.

Especially a Hydrokinetic who was currently looking all peaceful and pretty and perfect while making snowflakes flutter and spin in intricate patterns.

That didn't mean Marella wasn't also grateful that Linh was willing to tag along to her Pyrokinetic lessons. it was nice to see a friendly face after hours of Fintan's rambling. Plus, it seemed like a good idea to have someone with water powers around while she practiced setting things on fire.

They were even finding some pretty cool ways to work together. Fire and water might be opposites—but that didn't mean they couldn't be combined. Marella had actually figured out a way to ignite Linh's rain, and she couldn't wait to use that little trick on the Neverseen—assuming those black-cloaked losers ever showed up again.

For a fearsome, unstoppable rebellion, they sure spend a lot of time hiding.

"Are you going to start by asking him about the cache or do the lesson first?" Linh asked, reminding Marella why they were there.

Marella shrugged. "Depends on Fintan's mood."

Sometimes he was already babbling about some fancy new fire trick when she arrived, as if he'd started the lesson without bothering to wait for her. Other times she couldn't get anywhere with him until she'd let him go on and on and on about how foolish the Council was, or how badly he'd been wronged, or how much he missed the feel of a flickering flame—and she didn't necessarily blame him for the last one.

Part of her wanted to hold on to her fireball forever.

Make it her smoky little pet.

Instead, she curled her fingers into a fist and snuffed it out—but she didn't let all the heat dissipate. She called a single tingling glint deeper, letting it sear through her veins and settle into her heart.

She knew it was a risky move, even with all the defenses she wrapped around it. But she couldn't bear the cold emptiness of Fintan's prison without a least a tiny fleck of warmth tucked away.

A secret spark whispering, I'm here. You're not alone.

"Okay," she said, weaving a few strands of her hair together to clam her twitchy fingers. She'd picked up the nervous habit years ago—after her mom's accident—and the tiny braids were kind of her trademark now. "i guess I should stop stalling and head down to deal with Sir Creepysparks, huh?"

Linh smiled. "Probably. Unless you want to rehearse what you're going to say."

"Nah. I'm just going to offer him an ugly flower—that doesn't exactly need a big speech. Oh, but that reminds me…"

She reached into her cape pocket and pulled out the spiky dark blue Noxflare—which looked more like a dying weed than a super-rare flower—and held it up to the guards. "Mr. Forkle already checked this before I brought it here, to make sure it's safe for me to offer to Fintan. but I figured you'd want to check it too."

"We do," they agreed in unison as one of the biggest, deadliest-looking guards took the Noxflare from Marella and brought it over to the other goblins.

A lot of mumbling about potential kindling and fire hazards followed.

Eventually, the guards decided to quick-freeze the Noxflare into a block of ice in case there was any heat stored inside.

"Whoa," Marella said when the scary guard returned with the flower-filled ice cube—which had turned out as big as her head. "How heavy is that thing?"

The guard studied Marella's skinny arms. "I can carry it for you if you'd like."

"That'd probably be smart." Marella was pretty sure she'd drop it, or her fingers would freeze off during the long walk—and using telekinesis would drain her mental energy. "But can you stay out of sight? I was planning to tell Fintan he can only see his weird flower thing if he gives me access to his memories, and that's kinda ruined if there's a giant goblin holding it right next to me.

Not that it made the plan any less pointless.

Fintan was obviously going to turn her down.

He's already made it super clear that the only trade he was interested in was for his freedom—which was never going to happen.

Marella doubted a dying flower frozen in ice was suddenly going to make him be like, You know what? Who needs out of this horrible prison when I can have that!

But she was out of other ideas.

And Sophie wanted her to try the Noxflare thing, so…

Whatever.

Marella didn't care about Sophie's current power trip the way Stina did.

As long as she didn't have to be the one coming up with all the plans—or almost dying all the time—Marella was fine following orders. Especially if she got to say I told you so when they turned out to be a huge waste of time.

"Sure you don't want me to come with you?" Linh asked as Marella pulled thick gloves onto her hands. "Fintan likes me."

Marella wasn't sure if "like" was the right word, since Fintan didn't seem to like anybody. But he'd definitely been impressed with Linh.

He'd demanded to speak with "the Hydrokinetic" after Marella mentioned she practiced her pyrokinesis with Linh, so Marella had convinced the goblin guards to let Linh down into the prison. And when Fintan asked for a demonstration of Linh's ability to ensure she wouldn't "hinder his training," Linh had stirred up all the ice shards on his floor and made them rain around him like he was trapped inside a snow globe—which actually made him applaud.

Apparently, most Hydrokinetics struggled to manipulate water in its solid form, and were limited to liquid water or water vapor.

But not Linh.

Of course.

Marella was pretty sure that Linh was more powerful than any of her other friends.

"Well, if you need me, you know where to find me," Linh said as Marella forced her feet to carry her into the cave. "I'll just be here, making another snow menagerie." She flicked her wrist and wove the hovering snowflakes into a soaring alenon.

"Ugh, at least make some ugly creatures this time," Marella called over her shoulder. "I want to see a row of snow ghouls when I get back here. Or a giant Princess Purryfins!"

Linh gasped. "Princess Purryfins is not ugly! I'm going to tell her you said that!"

Marella laughed. "I'm sure you will."

She would've teased Linh more about her ridiculous obsession with her pet murcat, but the frigid air from the prison hit Marella hard, and she had to lock her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering.

At least she didn't have to make the journey by herself this time.

Marella could hear the scary goblin guard keeping pace several steps behind her as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim blue light cast by a series of glowing spheres dangling from the ceiling. The downward slope grew steeper with each winding curve, and Marella was always tempted to try sliding down the icy floor instead of walking—but she'd probably end up crashing into one of the weird ice thrones outside Fintan's cell. And she knew better than anyone that injuries couldn't always be healed.

Plus, the trudge gave her a chance to add extra defenses to the heat she'd tucked away in her chest.

She often wondered if Fintan had hidden a few sparks of his own when he was arrested. After all, he had to know the Council would put him on ice for the rest of eternity. Wouldn't he try to preserve what little heat he could?

But Marella had stretched out her senses a zillion different ways and never felt the slightest tingle of warmth when she was around him. So either there was nothing to find or Fintan was that good.

She had a horrible feeling it was the latter, and he was waiting for just the right moment to reveal his grand plan—but that wasn't the kind of thing she should be thinking about before having to face him.

Still, she spent the next few turns trying to figure out what she'd do if she were right.

Her feet turned numb while she plotted, and her bones were officially aching by the time the path widened— the only warning that they were getting close to Fintan's cell.

A few curves later, his cage came into view: a stark, icy bubble in the center of a circular cavern.

The round wall was reflective on the inside, so even though Marella could see Fintan pacing along the edge of his frozen barricade, he wouldn't be able to see her until she triggered the sensor by sitting in one of the freezing thrones positioned at the only point Fintan could peer through.

He looked extra tired that day—his sky blue eyes sunken by more shadows than usual, and he kept muttering under his breath about incompetence as he tucked his messy blond hair behind his pointy ears with a bit more force than necessary.

Marella glanced back at the scary guard, making sure he'd ducked into the shadows near the back of the cell before she made her big appearance. Then she took a deep breath and pressed her hand against her heart, reaching for her secret spark of warmth one last time before plopping into the closest ice throne.

"Awwwww, looks like you missed me," she said, tossing back her hair and flashing her brightest smile.

She liked to start her visits by showing Fintan she wasn't afraid of him—even if she totally was.

But Fintan didn't glance her way.

"I'm not in the mood for games," he warned as he continued his slow march around his cell.

"Neither am I" Marella assured him, deciding that was her cue to start with the cache. She sat up taller, trying to look extra confident as she added, "But I do have an awesome trade to offer you!"

Fintan sighed. "If this is about my cache, I already told you what I'm willing to accept. Unless you're here to grant me a day of freedom—"

"I'm definitely not. But! I found something you should like even better." She paused, hoping the extra bit of anticipation would somehow make her offer sound more exciting when she told him. "Noxflares!"

Fintan scrunched his slender nose. "What are Noxflares, and why would I care about them?"

Marella tilted her head, trying to tell if he was faking.

She hadn't expected him to jump around or applaud or anything—but she had expected him to at least know what Noxflares were.

Then again, his mind had been shattered and pieced back together so many times, his memories had to be in shambles—and Ancient minds tended to be a total mess anyway, since they were crammed with thousands of years of information and the past and present blurred together.

"Would it help if I told you I stopped by your old estate on my way here?" she asked, "Your garden could use some gnomish help, by the way. All the plants have turned into a giant dying tangle. But I dug around and managed to find this scraggly vine with dark pointy flowers—and I hear that plant is special to you, so I picked a few and—"

"You picked my Noxflares?" Fintan snapped, rushing to the wall of his cell and pressing his palms against the ice. "You must let me see them!"

Marella's lips curled into a huge smirk. "I thought you didn't know what they were."

Fintan gritted his teeth so hard, it sounded like cracking ice.

"Hey, I'm not saying I won't share. Buuuuuuuuuuut it'll cost you—and I'm pretty sure you can already guess what I want." She paused for another beat before she added, "Just so we're clear: I'll show you one of your Noxflares if you open your cache and show me what's inside."

Fintan's jaw tightened even more and his hands curled into fists.

But he didn't say no.

He didn't say anything—which was definitely new.

Marella had already offered him a long list of trade suggestions that she, Linh, Maruca, and Stina had all come up with—some really cool ones! And Fintan had shot each one down before she could even finish the offer.

She couldn't believe he looked so tempted by an ugly flower.

but as the silence dragged on, Marella started to wonder if she'd misread the situation.

maybe she'd pushed him too hard—taunted him too much—and now Fintan was letting her sit there in the cold, knowing the icy throne was turning her butt and legs numb.

She was trying to decide if she could make standing up look like a power move when Fintan told her, "Fine. You have a deal—but since you're only offering one Noxflare, I'll only show you one memory."

Marella barely stopped herself from blurting out, SERIOUSLY?

"Orrrrrrrrrrrrrr," she said instead, wanting to kick herself for not bringing more Noxflares with her. The whole thing had just seemed so silly—and the first few she'd picked had crumbled to dust. But the vine had lots more flowers, so she could fix the mistake super easily. "How about I go back, grab eight more Noxflares, and then you show me all nine memories?"

Fintan grinned. "Tempting. But one Noxflare is really all I need."

Need?

Marella wasn't a fan of that wording.

But before she could ask him what he needed it for, he added, "My offer expires in ten seconds," and started counting down.

By "six" she decided that one memory was better than nothing.

"Fine," she said, pulling the cache from her pocket and holding the marble-size orb up to the light. "But you go first. How do I open this thing?"

No way was she going to risk letting him back out—especially since he probably wasn't going to be happy when he saw his precious flower was stuck in the middle of a giant ice cube.

Fintan held out his hand. "Give me the cache, and I'll open it."

Marella laughed. "Hard pass."

"Ah, but you don't have a choice. I'm the only one who can access the memories. And I need to make physical contact with the cache in order to do so."

Marella squinted at the tiny gadget.

She didn't know much about caches—aside from the fact that only Councillors used them and that each colorful inner crystal held a single Forgotten Secret. But she did know that Dex had already tried everything he could think of to open the cache and failed—and he was one of the best Technopaths ever.

"Do I need to start counting down again?" Fintan asked. "I believe we'd gotten to five…"

Marella chewed her lip. "Uh, how do I know you're not going to destroy the cache or try to hold it for ransom or something?"

Fintan's smile was colder than his cell. "You'll just have to trust me."

"Yeah, I don't see that happening."

Fintan shrugged. "Then our deal is off."

Marella rolled her eyes. "Come on. Even if I wanted to, it's not like I can open your cell door and hand the cache to you."

She wasn't even sure if his cell had a door. The wall looked like one big solid piece of ice.

"You've proven to be very resourceful during our lessons," Fintan reminded her.

"Yeah, but—"

"It's your call," he interrupted. "If you want a memory, you'll have to trust me."

She snort-laughed—but before she could get another word out, he repeated, "You'll just have to trust me." And she could tell that was the only response he was going to give.

She turned to the scary guard, who had started pacing in the shadows. "Is there a way to pass Fintan a small item?"

"Ah, you have a hidden goblin escort—I knew you were resourceful!" Fintan clapped his hands. "And yes, there is a way to pass me my cache, otherwise I wouldn't have suggested it. Any guard can open the disgraceful tube they pass my horrid, frozen bits of food through. The cache should fit nicely."

The guard gripped his sword. "I cannot allow any unauthorized item to enter his cell."

Fintan clicked his tongue. "Clearly you're not considering the fact that I've already had plenty of chances to make this trade—and turned them all down. Do you think I would do that if the cache was even remotely useful to me?"

The goblin couldn't argue with that logic.

Neither could Marella.

And when Fintan went back to counting down, she told the guard, "The Black Swan knows I've been trying to make this trade—and they're working with the Council now. No one would let me do this if they thought the cache was dangerous."

Then again, they'd never discussed the possibility of handing the cache over to Fintan—but surely someone must've considered that during all their endless talking and obsessive overplanning…right?

Besides, if anything went wrong, she could always remind them that this was Sophie's idea.

"I don't like this," the scary guard growled. But Marella gave him her I-totally-know-what-I'm-doing glare until he set the frozen Noxflare down with a particularly dramatic thud, snatched the cache, and spent an eternity squinting at the tiny crystal, spinning it all different ways. "If anything happens, my priority will be subduing the prisoner—not protecting you. Are you certain you want to take that risk?"

Marella absolutely wasn't.

But…this might be their only shot at seeing one of Fintan's Forgotten Secrets.

Plus, she had her tiny little spark buddy she could call on if she needed. Surely she could use that to…

To what?

Take down a superpowerful, much more experienced Pyrokinetic with a history of murdering poeple?

But…did she really want to wimp out?

Sophie wouldn't.

And yeah, Sophie had, like, a permanent bed in the Healing Center. But Marella was pretty sure their whole group would vote "DO IT!"

There were also a dozen other armed goblins who would rush down as backup.

And Linh could attack Fintan with her cutesy snow animals.

It'd almost be worth it to watch Fintan get swallowed up by an ice wave shaped like Princess Purryfins.

"I can handle myself," she decided, using a tone that hopefully sounded intimidating.

Fintan's gleeful laughter echoed off the ice.

The scary guard muttered something about the arrogance of elves as he reached toward the top of Fintan's frozen cell and felt around for a specific spot. A faint clicking sound followed, and a tiny round door slid open—far out of Fintan's reach.

"I can neutralize you within seconds," the guard reminded him as he held the cache up to the opening. "By numerous means. Some far more painful than others."

"Yes, I'm well aware of the absurd lengths the Council has taken to keep me contained," Fintan assured him. "But I don't plan on giving you a reason to use any of them. Not today, at least."

The guard bared his supersharp pointy teeth, and Marella wanted to shout NEVER MIND, JUST KIDDING! But she let the guard shove the cache through the tiny opening—and then it was too late to change her mind.

All she could do was watch the glass orb make its slow descent, rolling around and around and around—down some sort of invisible path etched into the wall of the cell.

Her stomach backflipped with each rotation, and she felt more than a little vomit-y when the cache dropped low enough for Fintan to catch it. But he simply held it up and studied it.

Then he coughed on it.

And sneezed on it.

"Ewwwwwww," Marella groaned when he followed that up by drooling on it. "You know, there are better ways to give it your DNA."

"Yes, I'm aware." Fintan cleared his throat and launched a slimy blob of spit at the cache. "I also know your little Technopath friend is going to ask you how I accessed the memories, so feel free to give him a detailed list." He wiped the cache dry with his fingers and then ran it through his greasy hair before sneezing and coughing on it again. "Some of these methods are vital. Some are distractions. None can be re-created without me—but it'll be fun if he tries, don't you think?"

He laughed so hard, it brought tears to his eyes, and he smeared them across the cache before sneezing and spitting on it again���making Marella very glad she had gloves to keep her hands clean once he returned the cache.

Assuming she actually got it back…

She tried to make out what he was saying when he started mumbling a bunch of stuff into the crystal, but the words were all mushed together. He also tapped the cache in so many different places that she doubted even Sophie and Keefe with their fancy photographic memories would be able to re-create the patterns. And he looked so smug as he did it all that Marella decided to look as bored as possible—which was why she was barely paying attention when the cache flared to life, projecting a small hologram of Fintan standing alone in a wide, empty field.

"Huh," Marella mumbled. "Gotta admit, I was expecting something a little more exciting than a tiny glowing Fintan in the middle of nowhere doing…nothing."

"Then you should learn to be more observant." Fintan pointed to the swaying grass around the hologram's feet, and after a few seconds, Marella realized there was a vine of blooming Noxflares. "I figured I'd show you what Noxflares can do, since you're so generously bringing one back into my life."

Marella squinted at the tiny flowers, waiting for something to happen.

And waiting.

And waiting.

"So…they…blow in the wind?" she asked.

Fintan sighed. "No, they do this."

The hologram of Fintan waved his arms, and all the Noxflares erupted with searing white flames.

"Yeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaah, still not seeing why this needed to be a super-hush-hush Forgotten Secret," Marella grumbled as the Fintan hologram flicked his wrist and added purple fire to the white.

Sure, the flames were pretty—but all flames were beautiful.

"Try thinking like a Pyrokinetic!" Fintan snapped. "Tell me, are there any other flowers that could remain intact under such an inferno?"

Marella couldn't think of any.

And the Noxflares still didn't burn when the Fintan hologram added yellow flames to the fiery mix.

but other than clearly being fire-resistant, Marella didn't see the Noxflares actually doing anything—and the hologram of Fintan must've been equally unimpressed.

He frowned at the flaming petals and dragged a hand down his face, mumbling "something's missing."

"Still not seeing the point of this," Marella noted. "I mean…"

Her voice trailed off as the tiny Fintan waved his arms again and blasted the Noxflares with pink flames—which made the flowers spray sparks in every direction.

The effect was breathtaking.

Kind of like the sky during the Celestial Festival.

But that still didn't necessarily scream, THIS MEMORY IS IMPORTANT.

"How come the grass isn't catching fire?" she asked, grasping for anything that might be significant. "Do the Noxflares protect it or something?"

"No, I was protecting it. A pyrokinetic should always be in control of their flames."

He sounded so smug Marella was tempted to remind him that he let five Pyrokinetics die when he tried to teach them how to call down Everblaze and they all lost control—but that would probably make him throw one of his tantrums and send her away.

She needed the cache back first—and to hopefully find something useful in this boring memory. But sadly, all Fintan's hologram did was stare blankly at the stars and mumble "something's missing" again before the image flashed away.

"That's it?" the scary guard demanded, beating Marella to the complaint.

"Yeah, so…you put on a little fire show all by yourself with some spark-shooting flowers," she added, trying to sum up what she'd seen. "You were clearly disappointed by that little show. And then you must've remembered you needed to…"

She waved her hands, cuing Fintan to fill in the blank with whatever was "missing."

But he just stood there, staring at the cache with the same glazed look he always got whenever he started rambling about the beauty of fire—and Marella wished Linh had come with her after all.

Linh could pelt him with snowballs or something to snap him out of it.

But then she realized…

"You never figured out what was missing—did you?"

Fintan blinked and met her gaze. "Noxflares are full of possibility. But they need to burn."

"That doesn't answer my question," Marella noted.

Fintan shrugged. "Context was not part of our bargain."

"yeah, because I figured when I saw the memory, it would be obvious why it's this big Forgotten Secret. How does you setting some flowers on fire and then realizing you did it wrong matter to anyone?"

"I did nothing wrong," Fintan assured her, with a particularly haughty smile—but Marella wasn't buying it.

There was a tightness around his eyes that was way too familiar.

Her dad had that same tightness every time her mom was having one of her "bad days," and she knew exactly what it meant.

Disappointment.

Frustration.

A hint of helplessness.

So she marched over to the guard and grabbed the frozen Noxflare from the floor—too irritated to even notice how heavy the ice must've been as she hauled it back.

She plopped it in front of Fintan's cell. "Ta-da! One ugly flower, as promised—and I'm sure you're not surprised that I had to freeze it before I brought it down here."

"I'm not." Fintan dropped to his knees and gazed at the Noxflare like he was seeing a long-lost friend.

He pressed his hand against his cell, trying to get as close as he could. "Such power. Such…promise."

"Uh-huh," Marella agreed, letting his stare and stare, hoping it would help him let his guard down.

When his eyes turned a little teary, she went in for the kill.

"But there is something still missing, isn't there? That's why you saved this memory—to remind yourself to keep looking."

A whole lot of painful silence passed before Fintan slowly nodded.

Marella wanted to feel triumphant.

But all she'd done was prove the entire trade had been pointless.

There was no game-changing clue.

No dirty little secret about the past.

Certainly nothing to help them stop their enemies.

And she had a pretty strong hunch the other eight memories in the cache would be just as ridiculous.

"The answer is out there," Fintan murmured. "I can feel it. I just can't grasp it. Perhaps…"

"Perhaps?" Marella prompted when his eyes locked with hers.

Fintan stepped closer to the ice, keeping his voice low, like he didn't want the guard to hear him. "Perhaps a different Pyrokinetic is meant to find the truth. One who's already convinced the Council to trust her."

Marella laughed. "The Council doesn't trust me."

"The fact that you're here for a pyrokinesis lesson says otherwise—particularly since the lesson is with me." He started circling his cell again, mumbling under his breath and nodding. The only words Marella caught were "possible," "improvising," and "best option."

After three more times around the cell, he stopped in front of Marella again, leaning even closer to the icy wall as he whispered, "I believe it's time for me to offer a trade of my own."

"A trade," Marella repeated, not missing the way the scary guard gripped his sword.

Fintan glared at him. "This conversation is between me and my prodigy. She stands here of her own free will, shielded by who knows how many different kinds of protections—and she can leave anytime she pleases. Your presence is no longer needed."

"You still have her gadget," the guard argued.

"I suppose I do. but that can be easily remedied." Fintan set the cache on whatever invisible ledge it had slid down in the first place and gave it a good shove, sending it spinning up the path toward the top of the cell.

The guard had to scramble to catch it when it launched out of the ice bubble.

"See?" Fintan said, shifting his gaze back to Marella. "I can be trusted."

"Pretty sure the only thing I can trust is that you'll do what's best for you," Marella countered.

"As long as you get what you want, why would you care? After all, no matter what, I'm still stuck in here, aren't I?" He waved his arms around his little ice bubble, which suddenly looked way less secure than it had during her other visits. "Oh, relax—all I'm asking for is a little information."

Marella crossed her arms. "Right—and information has never gotten anyone hurt or killed."

"It's not that kind of secret. It's…" He frowned. "Honestly, I don't know what it is—and for someone my age, with my connections, that says something, doesn't it? I doubt any of the Vackers even know the full truth."

"Then how am I supposed to find it?" Marella demanded.

"As I said, you've proven to be quite resourceful. Particularly when you team up with your little friends." He scowled at the guard again before motioning her to step closer—until her ear was practically pressed up against the ice.

A voice in the back of her head kept screaming, WHY ARE YOU LISTENING TO HIM?

But…she was curious.

And there was nothing wrong with hearing his offer, was there?

Fintan's breath fogged the ice, obscuring his face as he whispered, "All I ask is that if you ever find out what's missing from the Noxflares, you share it with me."

"Why?" Marella glanced at the frozen flower, wishing she could see something more than just ugly shriveled petals.

"Because I want to know," Fintan said simply. "And because I can give you what you want in return."

"The rest of the memories in your cache," Marella clarified.

Fintan nodded. Then his lips curled into a smile. "And one other—something you've long wondered about, even though you probably don't admit it to yourself."

Marella raised one eyebrow, refusing to show any more interest than that.

Fintan cupped his hands around his mouth and pressed them to the ice before he whispered, "I know what happened to your mother."

Marella sucked in a breath.

"Yes," Fintan added. "I'm talking about her 'accident'—if we can really call it that. I know why she fell. And why her injuries were so incurable."

Marella stumbled back, collapsing into the nearest throne and hugging herself to stop her body from shaking with tremors that had nothing to do with the cold.

A tiny, terrified part of her had always thought the story she'd been told about her mom's fall hadn't totally made sense.

But everyone—everyone—was convinced it had been an accident.

Even her father.

And if it wasn't…

She leaned toward Fintan. "I don't need your games."

"Oh, this definitely isn't a game. But it's the only way you'll ever know the truth, and before you start overthinking everything, consider this: You have all the power here. Make the trade, don't make the trade—it's totally your call. You also don't have to make a decision right away. I'm trapped in this prison. I'll never find the answer on my own—and I'll never know if you find the answer unless you decide to tell me. So there's zero pressure. No one even knows we've had this conversation—and don't worry about the guard. See how frustrated he looks? That's because I made sure he only heard what I wanted him to hear. The rest is our little secret."

Our little secret.

Fintan was probably the last person she should have a secret with.

And yet…he had a point.

No one knew he'd made her this offer—and it wasn't like she'd come to any decision.

She didn't even have the information Fintan wanted anyway!

And with the way their investigations always seemed to go, she'd probably only find a whole lot more questions.

So there was really no point in telling anyone about this.

She could tell them whens he needed to.

If she needed to.

That wouldn't be wrong…would it?

It didn't feel wrong—or it wouldn't have if Fintan's smile wasn't so creepy.

"I'm not agreeing to anything," she said, wanting to make that very clear.

"You're not," Fintan assured her. "So how about we put this out of our minds and get started with our lesson? I'm sure your Hydrokinetic friend is wondering why you haven't come up to practice yet."

Linh was probably starting to worry.

She'd probably also built enough snow animals to make a frozen Sanctuary.

"Fine," Marella said, standing up and dusting ice off her cape. "What do you want me to work on today?"

"How about I teach you how to make those colored flames you saw in the memory," Fintan suggested. "You know, in case that ever comes in handy."

He winked, and the guard groaned and held out the cache to Marella. "Sounds like I'm no longer needed."

"You aren't," Fintan agreed.

The guard growled—looking scarier than ever—and turned to march away. But he spun back after a few steps. "He's right that I don't know what he offered you. But I can tell you're tempted. And I hope you're smart enough to reject it. Never make a deal with someone who has nothing to lose."

"I'm not," Marella promised.

And she wasn't.

She hadn't made any decisions—except to keep this to herself. But that didn't mean anything.

She was just trying to avoid a ton of drama and arguing and having people give her advice she didn't need.

Plus, everyone has secrets.

Shoot—the great Sophie Foster had more secrets than anyone.

So it was fine.

Everything was fine.

Nothing had changed.

Time to focus on controlling her fire.

And yet, for the rest of the lesson, the tiny spark in her heart burned hotter and hotter and hotter. Whispering a new plea.

Trust me.

Trust me.

Trust me.

Note: Thank you to @bookwyrminspiration for doing the bulk of this transcription!

[jinmukangwrites]

Bad Things Happen Bingo; weep little lion man (1/14)

@badthingshappenbingo

Next

Prompt: Friendly Fire

Fandom: Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order; Survivor

Rating: T

Warnings: light injury.

Notes: SURVIVOR SPOILERS PROCEED AT OWN RISK. Also yes I know this is a stretch interpretation of the prompt but hey if I'm going to lay awake at night thinking of Jedi Survivor one-shots then I'm going to put them to use and assign them a damn square. Also lemme know if you enjoyed this fic and would like continuations!

Ао3

Summary: After defeating Dagan Gera for a third and final time, the Compass ends up in Bode's hands without a scratch. He could go back to Jedha with Cal... but he's holding what he wants. He doesn't see the point in pretending any longer. He makes a split-second decision. Or: Bode's betrayal goes a bit differently.

-o-o-o-o-

The compass is in one piece.

Bode turns it over in his hands. It's odd, he almost expected his one way ticket out of here to be... grander. Heavier. Yet it's not, it's a simple cylinder with a greater purpose than to look as regal as the rest of the old Jedi temples.

And yet, he can't help but feel enchanted by the little device.

He's so caught up in finally holding the point of everything in his hands, that he almost misses what Cal says next.

"What if Dagan was right?"

Bode freezes. Laughs. "Are you sure you're not still, uh-" he uses a free hand to gesture vaguely. "You know?"

Cal stands up, face determined and step more steady that honestly Bode thinks it should be considering the still smoldering wound across his chest. "Think about it," he starts.

And Bode has thought about it. He's thought about it over and over and over again. It used to be something he didn't have to think about. When this whole thing started, it was so simple. He hardly cared about Cal Kestis, the Jedi who didn't know how to hide. He was a means to an end, a pathway to a greater reward. Yes, his friendship with him, in the beginning, was malicious. Parasitic. He needed Cal to trust him enough to let Cere Junda's location slip. It didn't take long for Cal to do so, but unfortunately, it also didn't take Bode long to find something... unintentional in their relationship.

He began to like Cal; and not only that, Cal's adventures eventually lead him to the perfect opportunity to take Kata and escape the Empire, the Jedi, and everything in-between for good.

He couldn't care less about Cordova, or Junda, Greeze, Merrin. They kept Cal noble. If it weren't for them, maybe Bode could have forced Cal to see that being selfish is the right call here.

Handing the Compass to the Hidden Path won't help anyone, especially not Bode's daughter.

It will keep people safe, sure, but for how long?

How long before the Empire noticed refugees and rebellious soldiers coming and going? How long before the Empire not only tracked them down... but found a way in without the compass?

If two determined Jedi of old could make one of these things, surely someone with the resources like the Emperor or Darth Vader would find a way easily.

His mind is decided even before Cal ends the conversation, a sympathetic smile on his face. "The others will want to see this, let's head back to Jedha."

Bode breathes. Nods his head. "Sure."

He makes an excuse that even to himself sounds lame, anything to get Cal to turn his back on him. It shouldn't make him feel as nauseous as it does when Cal doesn't question him. Doesn't bat an eye as Bode strolls a small distance away. Doesn't turn to double-check when he bends down to rub BD-1's head.

Bode watches with a lump in his throat, he doesn't want to hurt Cal, but he doesn't see any other way.

It's sickening how easy it is to throw the stun grenade and catch Cal in the radius. Cal is always on high alert, able to push a grenade, repulse a blaster bolt, parry a blow, within a pins drop of a notice. Bode knew how he felt about Cal, but this is the proof he needs that somewhere, Cal feels the same way.

Cal trusts Bode enough to let down his guard, and that's what makes it too easy to stab him in the back.

Bode wants to throw up.

But he doesn't, he doesn't waste any time as Cal's muscles seize in the radius of brutal electricity. He lowers the lethality of his blaster—low enough to be of no danger of killing, but high enough to hurt—and shoots Cal right at his knee.

The electricity stops and Cal goes down hard, screaming through clenched teeth at what must be the suffering of landing on his shoulder—jostling that still fresh lightsaber wound—with the added agony of twisting his now damaged knee on the way down.

Bode takes a step towards Cal, blaster drawn. "I'm sorry," he pushes through his teeth, "you'll understand soon."

"Bode?" Cal wheezes, his hands struggling to find purchase to haul himself upright.

Bode's heard his name said in that tone of voice hundreds of times. The Empire isn't the first galactic power to use his espionage. He knows the tone of betrayal well. Confusion. Hurt. He knows the look in Cal's eyes well when he turns to stare at Bode. The greens of his irises are so large and already watery. His face is twisted in pain, in anger, in shock.

He knows this all so well.

It's never hurt to see it like it does now.

But he can't go back. It's now, or failure.

"Bode? What is this?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you," he assures, approaching closer.

Cal's eyes flicker past Bode's face, but Bode notices too late before BD-1 is on his back jamming his slicer in-between Bode's shoulder blades.

Painful electricity bursts up and down his spine, but it's nothing compared to the shock in his grenades earlier. Those are meant to take down sapient creatures. A slicer is meant for simple electrical hacking. He's able to push through the pain, grabbing BD-1 by the head and launching the little droid across the room.

Cal's on his feet now, face twisted in agonized fury, knee bent wrong but persistently standing on it. "BD!"" He shouts as BD-1 hits a nearby control console and crashes to the ground. Cal glares at Bode, his shock at the situation melting at the sight of his droid being handled so roughly.

"I don't know what's wrong with you, Bode," he snarls, "walk away. We can talk. This won't end well, and we both know it."

His hand goes to his lightsaber, but doesn't grab it just yet.

Bode can't help but feel a flash of admiration for Cal. He's a survivor, to the point he's willing to fight friends who betray if it comes to his life.

That's the kind of Jedi this Galaxy needs now. Jedi who aren't afraid to fight for their lives and what they love, instead of hiding behind that passive aggressive neutrality. "Protectors" Bode's ass. It didn't work before the Empire, and it certainly won't keep anyone alive now.

That's why Bode has to do this.

Cal Kestis is his best friend. His brother. This beast fighting to survive will only become docile and weak if he continues like this, caring so much for the greater good at the cost of his own expense—at the cost of not thinking of what the consequences could be. It's suicide to take on the Empire, he wouldn't have joined them if he didn't think it would keep himself and his daughter reliably alive the longest.

Bode can't bear the thought of Cal ending like that, life wasted chasing an impossible dream. A noble one, Bode knows, but a useless one. He will die by the Empire if he continues like this, or worse, end up strapped to one of those chairs that turn good people into Inquisitors. Either way, it's as good as death.

"What's this about," Cal demands, eyes shooting down to the Compass Bode still holds in one hand. "Was this all for the Empire?"

Bode almost wants to laugh. He's so innocent. Not all the selfish people in the world are Imperial sympathizers.

Instead he meets Cal's glare as coolly as he can. "At first. But with this," he says, raising the Compass to chest height, "we can escape all of it. The dead Order, the Empire. We can be safe on Tanalor, never having to worry."

Cal looks so angry his ears are turning red at the tips. "That's the point!" He shouts, still leaning lopsided on his bad knee. "We can help people there, the Hidden Path-"

Bode shakes his head. "It's not that simple, brother. The Hidden Path, this grand plan of yours, it's only going to get you killed and destroy possibly the last and only safe place from the Empire. I can't let you take this back to them, and I can't let you die with them."

Cal freezes. "What are you talking about?"

Bode lowers the Compass, storing it safely in a pouch on his belt. "Surrender willingly, Cal. The Empire doesn't have to know about Jedha; about Cere." He takes a cautious step forward, Cal stays dangerously still. "The Inquisitors don't have to know."

Grim understanding falls across Cal's face, almost shadowing his features despite the room being pretty thoroughly lit.

A flurry of angry sounding beeps and whistles sound across the room. BD-1 has made it to his feet, the antennas pulled back like a predator. Bode doesn't know Binary, but it seems, that's all Cal needed to make up his mind.

"I'm sorry," Bode says, twisting the barrel of his gun towards BD-1, turning up the lethality. He doesn't want to hurt the droid—out of all of Cal's friends, Bode liked BD-1 the most—but it's just another soul to make Cal a martyr. The less people Cal has to justify his hero complex, the quicker Cal will understand what Bode is trying to offer.

A better life. No more looking over your shoulder.

"NO!" Cal shouts, sensing Bode's intentions.

Bode swears, he knows how quick a lightsaber draw Cal is, quicker than most Jedi Bode's seen even before the Order's fall. He swings his torso back towards Cal, shooting blindly at the droid and missing by metaphorical hairs. Cal has his lightsaber in his hand, about to burst it into power, and Bode does the only thing he can.

He grabs the lightsaber with the Force, tearing it out of Cal's hand and sending it flying towards his own. The surprise of the Force and the weapon being ripped from his grasp causes Cal to shout and stumble forward on his bad knee. His eyes are wide in shock, wider than they were at the initial betrayal, but Bode knew this revelation would hurt Cal more than anything

Surprise him, more than anything.

Bode grabs the lightsaber, not bothering to light it yet, or think too deeply on how wrong it feels in his hands, how deeply it does not belong to him, and he shoves Cal back with a burst of Force.

Cal gets knocked into his back, sliding a foot or two, groaning.

"You're not the only one who survived."

BD-1 makes to run towards them to do who knows what, but Cal holds a hand out and shoves BD-1 further away. "Warn the others!Tell them to run!" Cal shouts.

Growling, Bode aims his blaster at the droid once again, but BD-1 is already nearly out the door leaving a trail of sad, reluctant, but determined boops. Bode forces himself to ignore the droid, knowing that when it comes to an angry Force user, you don't have time to focus on anything else for long.

Cal's like a cornered animal, Bode discovers, when he's forced to fight without his lightsaber and on the ground wounded. He snarls at Bode and attempts to grab him with the Force, to do what Bode can't be sure. He's trained enough to know how to resist another's reckless tug on the Force, he may be a little rusty but it's childsplay to steady himself within the Galaxy, refusing to be knocked over.

Cal swears at him, abandoning his hopeless task of standing back up—Bode really would have appreciated having BD-1's STIMs right now—in favor of kicking with his good leg and punching with fists that aren't shaped right for something so offensive. Stars, kid barely knew how to fight without a lightsaber. Like this, he's no more scary than the corpse of Dagan laying a few steps away.

The scuffle that happens soon after takes longer than it should. Sure, Cal is a powerful Jedi with a decade of fighting dirty to survive under his belt not even considering the adrenaline he must be under, but Bode's bigger and physically stronger and he's not the one sporting a lightsaber wound to the chest and a blaster to the knee.

Bode can't get Cal pinned, not with him snarling—practically hissing—and squirming like that. Bode shoves him hard on the collarbone, pushing him so his shoulder-blades land roughly on the floor. "Enough!" he says, just as a bright flash of light and a familiar humming fills the space between them.

Cal goes deathly still, furious, as the blade of his own lightsaber rests between his jaw and shoulder, angling up from the floor and under his chin. The heat must be irritating from this small distance from skin contact, but Cal grinds his teeth and looks Bode right in the eyes; fingers digging into the belts of Bode's blaster holsters.

"Last chance, Bode," he says evenly.

"You'll thank me," Bode says back, "in time."

Then he slams down his other hand, hitting the back of his blaster against Cal's temples.

Bode knows how to knock out an enemy he needs alive. It's easy to do, like breathing.

Cal goes limp without a single word more, eyes fluttering but getting closer to closing. Bode retracts the lightsaber and stands up over his nearly unconscious friend. The communicator he lifts to his mouth feels heavy, but he gave Cal an option, and he didn't take it.

"This is a secure channel! How did you-"

"Listen to me, I'm an Imperial agent who has located a terrorist cell on Jedha. Don't trust your scanners, just follow these coordinates," he rattles off a string of numbers. "There are multiple Jedi at this location, inform the Inquisitorius at once. If Lord Vader wants Cere Junda, he'd better hurry."

It's tempting to drop the communicator then and smash it between the floor and the heel of his boot, but he doesn't. If he does he knows it would feel too much like regret.

Cal's lost his grasp on the land-of-the-awake completely by the time Bode works himself into the mindset solid enough to continue with this admittedly un-thought-through plan. He won't fool himself into thinking Cal wouldn't try to fight back the second he's awake enough to do so, so first thing to figure out is how to effectively keep Cal... helpless... until he can get to Nova Garon, get Kata packed, and nab some Force resistant restraints on the way out.

Luckily, right now, there's plenty of clothes Dagan Gera is no longer in need of. He tears strips from the thick robes and ties Cal's arms behind his back, wrists to elbows, and for good measure he takes a belt and wraps it around Cal's forearms. He then takes more stripped cloth and binds Cal's ankles and knees to their counterparts—careful of the wound, but not too much that the bindings are loose, it's nothing some bacta won't fix later. He also stuffs the blaster he gave Cal what feels like lifetimes ago now into his belt, refusing to think further into it.

He forces himself to work with efficiency, not thinking too deep about how wrong this feels. He never intended to kidnap Cal. He honestly hoped he'd have more time to convince Cal out of his martyrdom.

Hefting Cal over his shoulder, he quickly begins to make the trek back to where he left his ship.... Though not before grabbing Dagan Gera's lightsaber and hooking both blades onto his belt.

[v-tired-queer]

Hi!! I'm a Christian, and while I've encountered people who combine witchcraft with their Christian faith, I've never understood it. I saw in your pinned post that this is something you do. If you're willing/interested/have the energy, would you be willing to share more about that? Or point me in the direction of some more information on it?

I know really little about this, and I really want to understand more. I'm not coming here to be critical, just super curious. :D Hope you're well!

Hello there! 😃👋 I hope that you're doing well, too, and sure, I'd love to share a little more about combining witchcraft with my Christian faith!

I think, for starters, that it's important to remember that, like for everything else in life, how I've experienced this might not be how another Christian witch experiences it, views it, or even came about it. But I think that as Christians we can also understand that fairly easily, as that's just how a lot of us experience Christianity in and of itself. How one person came to Christ won't always be the same way that another person has come to Christ, and how we worship won't always look the same, either. It's just like that for Christian witches, too.

In an attempt to make a very long story short (spoiler alert: I failed), I feel like I am very lucky and blessed to have grown up with a Methodist mom, Southern Baptist father, aunts who were Catholic, cousins who became atheist and agnostic and friends at school who were Muslim and Jewish. I was surrounded by all sorts of different paths to take, and my mom had always encouraged my brother and I to choose our faiths for ourselves when we were old enough to understand what having faith really means, which is why we weren't baptized when we were babies, but raised in church nonetheless. I grew up very faithful. Sunday School was my favorite part of the week, and I loved to learn more about God and Jesus and say my prayers at meals and at night. God always made me feel loved. Still does 🩷

When I was in middle school, I was very, very traditional. I was open minded to others, but I was always hesitant to let myself explore more things for myself. I think I was afraid that exploring meant that I was a bad Christian, that I was questioning God, and I didn't want to make Him angry or upset with me. But I eventually met a friend who was a Wiccan, worshiping a god and goddess, living by the cycles of the moon and seasons, doing spells and rituals and worshiping at home or in nature. I loved things like that growing up, but always thought that it was just something from Hollywood or the mideavel period at best. I didn't think people actually did it, though I had always wished that they did. Little middle schooler me thought that maybe this was God's way of giving me permission to explore more, so I asked questions, watched spells and rituals, learned correspondences, and eventually asked, "Is there a Christian faith that's like this, too?"

Turns out there wasn't really one specific faith in Christianity that I could find, but rather, a practice instead. Google led me down so many different paths of people who were both Christians and witches and I decided I wanted to give it a try, too. And honestly? It felt like my faith was renewed. I felt like by choosing how I specifically worship and "do Christianity", I was making a relationship with God and Jesus and even the Holy Spirit that was closer than ever before because I was letting myself actually feel my faith instead of just going through motions at church, which was a rut than even middle school me was stuck in. I wasn't just doing what I thought I had to, I was doing what I wanted to do to show God my love and faith, and it really empowered me to form my own path in life, one that was and still is Christ centered, even if not in a way that tends to be expected for Christians.

So, the witchcraft itself: personally, I don't know if I view my spells an rituals the same way that other witches do. I don't really do a spell and think of it as me bending the wills that be to my desire, but rather, I view it as a really intense prayer. I see it as me using visual representations of my goals, needs and wants as a way to show God what it is I feel like I need (or just really, really want lol), but I always still leave it up to Him and His plans at the end of the day. I can do a thousand spells for the same thing over and over again, but if God says no, than the answer is no, ya know? My rituals are just ways to show my love, devotion, and gratitude. I pay special attention to seasons because the world God made is beautiful in all of its many ways, and personally, when I take the time to rest in the winter or come alive in the summer, I feel like I'm using the natural patterns of the Earth to further build my relationship with God, and Jesus, too. I feel like God made so many things in a natural rhythm and pattern--I just try to live by those things to strengthen the relationship between us.

I'm sure you can tell by how many times I've said it, but at the end of the day, it's all about my relationship with God and our Savior, just like for other Christians. I'm just doing things a bit differently. I'm 1000% that there are people who don't believe that this is a "valid" thing to do or that I'm sinning or that I'm going to Hell for all of this, but their opinions don't matter to me. My relationship with the Lord, His Son, and His Spirit matters to me, and when I do the things that make me feel the closest to Him, that make me feel His love and grace, then I feel like I'm doing fine.

Allllllll of that being said, there's lot of different ways that other Christian witches worship or practice witchcraft, which I think is really cool! There are some that have Mother Mary as a huge focus in their worship, or the Saints, or even the Disciples! I especially like witchcraft that involves the angels (Gabriel, my beloved 🤍). Personally, I steer clear of anything that involves demons or dark spirits and the like, but I'm always on the lookout for signs that angels are near or that the Lord is with me (which He always is, like he's always with you).

Unfortunately, I can't think of any sources or materials off the top of my head that would be good for further research. But maybe there are some other blogs on here that would have some good starting points, or would share their own views, too! You could search by denomination and then put witch after, like "Catholic witch" or Methodist witch", things like that. There are some books about Christian witchcraft, too, but personally I haven't read any of them. I think there might be come Christian witches on YouTube, too.

I hope this post made sense! If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask! 😊

God bless! 🕊

[game-boy-pocket]

And so, after 295 hours, I decided to finally challenge the final boss of Tears of the Kingdom today, and now the credits are rolling. I didn't finish every side quest yet or get every collectible, but I will do that overtime. I just wanted to be free from the shackles of worrying about seeing a spoiler. I'm afraid the final boss actually was somewhat spoiled for me, but it's something I could have easily seen coming. I won't be spoiling anything major here. If I do feel like something constitutes a major spoiler, I will put up a warning.

Breath of the Wild was always going to be in my top 3 Zelda lists temporarily. I could see that even before I beat the game. It was clearly the blue print for the future of Zelda, and the next game would dethrone it in that top 3 very easily...

Well, was I right about that?

I didn't have many problems with Breath of the Wild. It was pretty close to my idea of a perfect Zelda game. I just wanted more variety in the enemies, caves, and more unique looking dungeons. I also wanted better bosses, including the final boss, and a bit more backstory to the final boss. These were the bare minimum of what I was asking for. All of them were addressed for the most part. The common enemies from the last game are still the most common enemies in TOTK. But they have new tricks, and there are enough other enemies, and the less common enemies in BOTW are now more common, so I'd say the problem was fixed well enough for me.... I still want more enemies in the next game though. Caves were not game changers, but they broke up the overworld exploration and every one of them had at least one collectible in it, so that was worth something. I still haven't found a good chunk of caves in the game.

The dungeons are now themed. And there is one in particular that is super reminiscent of Ocarina of Time. I don't think these dungeons will make believers out of classic Zelda fans that dislike BOTW, even though they're taking out of the OOT playbook pretty closely... I just think classic Zelda fans choose to be difficult. It's not enough that you can make a hammer, it has to be the megaton hammer, it's not enough that you're making your way to a switch that unlocks the path to the dungeon boss, there has to be small keys in treasure chests, it's not enough that you gain a new ability before the dungeon that you need to reach the dungeon, and progress through the dungeon, and defeat the dungeon boss, it has to be a gadget you find in a treasure chest half way through the dungeon... I'm sorry to classic Zelda fans, but this is just so much better to me. .......all the shrines still look the same though, which sucks, but at least they're not as ugly as the BOTW Shrines. Just because it has irl historical inspiration does not make it good.

The bosses are better. Three of them are great, very classic Zelda. One of them sucks. And another one is more like a Donkey Kong 64 boss, but I still thought it was cool... the Final Bosses were great. Slight spoiler alert, but they do not explain anything regarding Calamity Ganon and his connection to Ganondorf, if there even is a connection. I guess the theorists are gonna have to do the leg work unless Nintendo has another expensive book to sell... The backstory for Ganondorf in this game kind of sucks and makes no sense. They're kind of retreading old ground here but not in a fanservicy way. But it doesn't bring my opinion of the game down.

As for the more common complaints other people tended to have with BOTW... I really didn't have issues with durability, in my opinion, people who do have an issue either have a skill issue, or a hoarding issue. So I didn't need that addressed. If anything, I actually don't care for how TotK addressed this "issue"... like, I kind of like the concept, but not the execution... not because it made a new problem or anything... it just made the weapons all look ugly... I also don't play Zelda for story. If anything, I prefer story to be more subdued and not break up the pace of the game like Skyward Sword. So weather the story was good or bad, the fact that it didn't get in the way of the game itself makes it a non issue for me. However, I cannot enjoy the story of this game if it's meant to take place in the same universe as the other Legend of Zelda games. There is too much revisionist crap that doesn't make sense and even retroactively sours all the easter egg in BOTW for me... however, if I treat BOTW and TOTK as a reboot with no connections to the past games, I think I quite like the story. But the easter eggs from BOTW are still gonna bother me. So in other words, TOTK has a good story, but it doesn't fit in with the rest of the series. I don't care how often this series does time travel... what's even more disappointing is that Ganondorf's first words in the game is a real "oh shit" moment for me, because I thought this was going to be a game that was very meaningfully connected to the past... but no, it turns out, they just re-used an old Zelda character's name for a new one, and he has no connection whatsoever to that old character. Just a funny coincidence.

Anyway... my favorite part of the Zelda series besides exploring vast worlds is also the combat, and almost all of Link's tricks from BOTW return. I already felt like the combat in BOTW was pretty great as long as you didn't just hammer the melee button and do nothing else. But TOTK adds a lot of options. Many new ways to alter your melee weapons, your bows, a lot of items an be thrown with varying effects, even your shields could be used in combat, and you could even build devices that can assist you in battle.

The building mechanic is kind of optional, but is too fun not to experiment with. You can make devices that will help you traverse the terrain more easily, gain altitude, assist in battle, just straight up make attack robots or turrets or attack vehicles, it's great. I do think some people can't be bothered to mess with it though, which is a shame. I don't like to fast travel unless it's absolutely necessary, so I was constantly building little scooters, ATVs, and even a small aircraft... I do kind of miss having the Master Cycle Zero though. Nothing I built quite matched it in ease of use and mobility. But being able to mount laser canons on the front made up for it.

I replayed BOTW immediately before this game. And I was pretty amazed at how fresh the exploration felt. So much of Hyrule is just not recognizable at all. There's still easily recognizable landmarks like the Dueling Peaks, but things really got shaken up...

I know saying this would cause me to end up like that meme with the cat having all those swords pointed at it, but I truly would not be mad if they made this a trilogy of games and reused this map one more time, as long as it was shaken up even more, and they gave us at least one more new landmass to explore...

...oh yes. That's right. This game had islands in the sky, and an entire Hyrule Sized map underground that is kind of like the Dark World from a Link to the Past, except once the novelty wears off, it's not really that amazing, it's mostly a place to gather a few resources, re-fight bosses, and you will occasionally encounter a curiosity or find a cool treasure chest... the game brings back Poes, but not really... they're not little ghost monsters you have to defeat for their souls, they're just little blue flames you can pickup and spend for currency. A little disappointing. But at least the things you can buy with them are kind of cool. Useful for replacing some of those easter egg weapons people will be too afraid to use for fear of breaking. The side quests in this game are much better than in BOTW, especially with the addition of the new "Side Adventures" which are generally a bit larger in scale... the rewards still tend to suck... not as much as in BOTW because a lot of of the useless junk that you'd just sell in BOTW now has a secondary use in TOTK. But much like BOTW, I don't care if the rewards suck... for me, the journey is the reward. I just like playing around in Hyrule, fighting monsters, and now, exploring caves and building vehicles and flying through the sky.

I might go more in depth in my thoughts at another time, I have so many of them, but this game is just too big for me to cover in one big tumblr post, it is made up of so many parts, this is one of Nintendo's biggest games to date, and it is also one of the most fun games i've played, probably since Breath of the Wild. This easily bodies anything they've released between then and now, for me personally speaking.

If you have anything you'd like me to talk about further, my inbox is open, and of course i'm happy to talk Zelda that isn't related to TOTK, or just talking in general. Have at me.

On a side note... one thing I wished was different from BOTW was that you could unlock the classic green tunic earlier rather than making it an end game reward... you can find it immediately since it' just in a chest somewhere... I am embarassed how long it took me to find all three pieces. I found the tunic... but the trousers and cap eluded me for many days while I scoured the game, but if I actually thought about where I found the tunic, and applied my knowledge of BOTW, I could have easily deduced the location of the other two chests. Oh well... also... the actual end game reward really sucks, but once again.... journey is the reward. I'm just happy I got my green tunic back.

[muttonthings]

Kdramas I have watched

94. See you in my 19th life

When I read the description of this show I was on the fence so I waited to hear if the show was good before I started watching. I saw some positive comments while it was airing and only then began watching.

I thought the show would be confusing with all nineteen lives but that part was explained well. I immediately fell in love in with this show, I will give credit to the child actors for that. Before we even got to see the lead actors I was fully invested in these characters' lives. The actors were incredible, I can't wait to see them get bigger roles as they get older.

By the time we get to present day, I have already formed an attachment to these characters and the casting was spot on. I could see similarities between the younger and older versions.

The show was SO goooood initially. It was fast paced-major developments were made in the plot in each episode and nothing dragged out + all the characters were so endearing. I was thoroughly enjoying it.

🚨SPOILER ALERT!!! 🚨

Once the talk of her first life came up things started to go downhill. I didn't like that they started to show little clips of her first life edited in a way to mislead us. It's fine if they show short clips to prolong the reveal but to show us different edits of the same scenario was irritating. I could forgive that but then we get to the last episode...

🚨MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD🚨

The end made no sense to me. She chose to break the curse and not remember her past lives but her past lives are what lead her down this path in this life, it would make sense for her to have complete amnesia, not just forget the people from her past lives. If she didn't live with her niece her life would have turned out very differently and also didn't she take steps to eventually lead her to Seo-ha? She wouldn't have the same life if she didn't remember her past lives. I think it would make more sense for her to not remember her past lives from her next life and going forward.

If you've read the webtoon please let me know how this was explained.

So while I loved this show at the beginning and simply adored the characters I can't recommend this. Unless you watch episode 1-11 and make up your own ending 😅

[classicintp]

Padme only died because George Lucas is such a poor writer with a shit imagination he couldn't come up with anything better. Can you imagine padme living through her childbirth, holding a grudge against Anakin and giving up her twins whether because she sees her failure with Anakin in them or else abandons responsibility to whole-heartedly dedicate the rest of her life to making him pay for his transgressions?

"You're wrong she had to die, Anakin's force-prophecy coming true despite his efforts solidifies his transition to Vader" No you're wrong. Sideous tells Anakin she died and he searches for her presence through the Force and he can't sense her; Anakin "killed" her when he attacked her the same way Vader "killed" Anakin so his force prophecy isn't wrong. She gives birth and she sends her children, whether she loves them or not, on the same path they were going to take anyway. Luke ends up with his extended family, Leia is adopted by Bail, we know their story, and Padme loosens her scruples and becomes hell bent on making Anakin pay. Maybe she becomes a warrior in her own right, or instead maybe she uses her political connections to constantly put a wrench in vital Empire conquests. She could lose herself completely to corruption or she could mostly keep true to herself while being forced to make morally gray decisions until she feels forced to make a few selfish ones where innocents get hurt or killed to further her goal. There's a potential for a whole new series of either television, movies, comics, novels, or whatever they want, where a mysterious force to be reckoned with is clearly coming for Vaders throat and getting uncomfortably close while he is dealing with every other challenge he's faced. There's a showdown or two, a reveal, Anakin gets to be even more conflicted while pretending to double-down on his Vader alter because he still thinks she betrayed him, Padme obviously fails, and after Vader and Sideous fall in RotJ Luke and Leia discover not only are they twins but their mom is still alive, bum bum BUUUUUUMM!! And spoiler alert she may not be evil but she is not a good person.

But no, the third most important person in Anakin's life was killed off because George "meh i only put thought into two characters so everyone else has to die so i don't have to try" Lucas bullshits up the idea that dramanakin skywalker needs her death to push him into becoming Vader as if he didn't already think she betrayed him when Obi Wan revealed himself. He didn't care if she died and she wouldn't have either if George wasn't a lazy writer

Had Padmé been 20-30 years older than anakin instead of 2-3 it wouldve fixed a significant portion of the franchise, including padmé's own chracterization

[ear-worthy]

Yeah, I F*cked That Up with A Tony Winner; The King's Reign About LeBron Debuts

The latest F* Up on Yeah, I F*cked That Up Interval Presents, Warner Music Group’s (WMG) in-house podcast network, has a new series, Yeah, I F*cked That Up, which challenges the stigma of failure as the podcast highlights stories of defeat from prominent figures in the entertainment industry. The interview series premiered July 11 with featured guests Kelly Rowland and Steven Van Zandt. I listened to these first two episodes and with no need for a spoiler alert, I can tell you that both episodes are so fresh and elegant in their narrative about "what I've would have different." The maestro here is the podcast's host is Grammy-nominated hitmaker Billy Mann, who has produced and written songs for some of the world’s most well-known musicians over the course of his 25+ year career. Mann dazzles as he carefully guides his guests through their journey of self-reflection. When you're a podcast host, and you're interviewing a guest about how they became a billionaire, you just ask a few perfunctory questions and enjoy the ride. When you're talking to a guest about mistakes, screw-ups, or decisions they'd take back, the journey can get bumpy. Thankfully, Mann is a pilot who navigates the show even in the most intense storms.

This week’s episode of Interval Presents’ new celebrity interview series, "Yeah, I F*cked That Up," features special guest Renée Elise Goldsberry. Renée Elise Goldsberry may never be satisfied. Yes, she won a Tony and Grammy for her role as Angelica Schuyler in one of the most celebrated Broadway shows ever, Hamilton, but the path there was paved with “no’s.” Host Billy Mann talks with Renée about the failures she’s faced head on, and the enormous weight of trying to build a career and family at the same time.

On Renee's pivotal choice: Broadway's Paper Moon or Jesus Christ Superstar National Tour, “I was graduating with two possibilities, two jobs, and I was freaking out. And I was so upset because I had two choices of what to do, and I didn't know what to do, and I thought I was going to let somebody down and myself.”During the episode, Renee shared how she was reluctant to audition for Hamilton. “First of all, I didn't think they'd cast me anyway. Thought I was too old, you know…I thought I'm going to be happily be sitting in the audience with my baby.”

Tune in HERE to catch the Tony Award-winning Hamilton star discuss her time on Broadway and the weight of trying to build a career while balancing personal relationships. New episodes of Yeah, I F*cked That Up air every Tuesday.

The Life Of LeBron On A King's Reign Debuts

  American sports fans are obsessed with GOATS. Not the animal, although they are "baaad," but the "greatest of all-time" discussions. Here's a new podcast that goes full-on GOAT, and takes the added step of looking at the athlete's life before celebrity. A King’s Reign,” a new podcast series from The Athletic, takes a look back at LeBron James’s unprecedented career.

In this groundbreaking narrative podcast series, a team of all-star sports journalists come together to highlight the important stories from LeBron’s legendary 20-season run as the face of the NBA with insights from the people who grew up with, lockered next to, campaigned with, toasted victory and cried in defeat with arguably the greatest basketball player of all time.

Episodes feature original reporting from The Athletic’s deep bench of experts, including David Aldridge, Sam Amick, Marcus Thompson II, Joe Vardon, Jason Lloyd, Zach Harper, the “No Dunks” podcast crew, and more.

In the introductory episode, senior NBA writer Joe Vardon details LeBron’s humble upbringing in Akron and his never-before-seen stardom in high school, up through the hopes of a franchise pinned on the mere possibility of being able to draft him out of its own backyard.

From now through July 28, the 12-episode series will dive into LeBron’s high school prospect days to his unique rivalry with Steph Curry, his cultural impact as a “meme generator,” and more.

Listeners can find A King’s Reign on The Athletic NBA Show feed.

[writings-of-a-british-fangirl]

Teacher’s Pet [Eddie Munson x Reader]

Title: Teacher's Pet Summary: You ask Eddie to teach you how to pay Dungeons and Dragons in order to impress a boy that you like. (Eddie just doesn't know that the boy in question is him). Warnings: Nothing ? (Mutual pining with a happy ending) Request: you ask eddie to teach you d&d under the premise that you want to impress a guy; he says yes in order to spend more time with you and he constantly tries to guess who the boy that you've got a crush on his (spoiler alert it's eddie)

Eddie Munson~Teacher's Pet

You couldn't help but stare at him. You don't want to- but, you do. Eddie Munson. You'd had a crush on the metal head for... For as long as you could remember. Eddie and yourself had crossed paths numerous times: he sat beside you in English, you went to the same middle school, you had mutual friends. And, yet you hadn't managed to say a thing to him about your huge and obvious crush you had on him. You hadn't managed to say much of anything to him, lately.

       "You know, you can go to speak to him," Robin chimes in, placing her lunch tray down and taking a seat beside you, "Or you know, you can stare at him forever."

       "Shut up Robin," you whine, "I can't just go up to him!"

       Robin rolls her eyes.

      "And, why not?" she asks, glancing towards you.

      "Because I don't even know what to say to him!" you insist, "What do I just say? Hi Eddie Munson I've been in love with you since middle school, let's run away together?"

       "Hmm maybe too subtle," Robin teases you.

       You groan.

       "This is hopeless," you profess, "I'm just going to never speak to him, graduate and move out of Hawkins. Perfect plan."

       "Or... Or you could ask him about that cult he runs!"

      "It's not a cult! They play a game," you insist, "It's called Dungeons and Dragons."

       "That's it! Ask him about that, then. Ask him to teach you how to play it," Robin plots, "That way you get to speak to him, and he gets to rant about hell...Hell Flame."

      "-Hell Fire," you correct.

      "See- you already care about his cult- club. You're off to a great start," she smiles.

      "You're ridiculous," you huff with a small smile, "But, you might be right."

      "I'm always right."

      "Whatever," you smile and push her lightly.

       And, yet, you can't stop thinking about what Robin had suggested. Even after lunch and into the next period, you mull over what she had said... I mean, it wasn't technically the worst idea- and if nothing else it meant you had a legitimate excuse for talking to Eddie. One where he might be too distracted with the topic of Dungeons and Dragons, that he was oblivious to your massive crush you had on him. You leave your class room, and your eyes widen as you see Eddie from across the hall. Well, it was worth a shot.

       "Hey, Eddie right?" you ask approaching him as he is just about to slam his locker closed.

       Eddie tries not to jump at the sound of a sweet voice beside him. He glances to you with a confused look on his face. His heart rate increases. You offer him a sweet smile, and he tries to not look too nervous. There was no way YOU were speaking to him right now. Eddie had a small (gigantic) crush on you ever since you were in the same class together in middle school, but he had yet to work up the courage to become more than acquaintances.

      "H-hi, yeah, hi," Eddie stutters out, "I mean, yeah I'm Eddie."

      You let out a small giggle, and Eddie curses himself. Did you come over to him just to make him nervous and embarrass him? Surely, you weren't that cruel... Eddie snaps out of it: no, he knew what you were here for.

      "I don't have anything on me at the moment, but I can meet you by the bench in the woods tomorrow-"

       "-Eddie, I'm not here to buy off of you," you smile, and then hesitate, "But, I do need your help."

       "My help?" Eddie asks, now even more lost than before: if you didn't want to buy, what could you possibly want?

       "You can totally say no to this by the way," you preface, "But I wondered if you could teach me how to play Dungeons and Dragons?"

       "Now, you're definitely just over here to tease me," Eddie rolls his eyes and fold his arms, "What? Pretty girl wants to learn how to play D&D? I don't buy it. Why now, huh? Hell Fire has been around for years and now you want to join? It doesn't-"

      "-I'm not teasing you," you insist, mortified that Eddie was getting annoyed at you, "Okay, I know I'm not the archetype of someone who plays Dungeons and Dragons, but the truth is I want to learn because I want to impress someone I like okay?"

      Fuck. You didn't know why you said that. He was definitely going to figure it out now.

      "Ooooh, Y/N has a little crush," Eddie smirks, dropping his annoyed expression and going back to a friendly demeanour, "A crush that likes D&D? Who is it?"

      "T-they don't go here," you snap, "And, yes he likes D&D- but if you're going to be like this then I can go ask Gareth to teach me-"

       "-No! No, it's fine. I'll teach you, don't be like that," Eddie halts you, "You want to learn from the best, right?"

      "What's your character name? Eddie the Humble?" you tease.

      "Ouch," Eddie feigns hurt, dramatically stumbling into his lockers, "You wound me."

      "I do apologise, my Liege," you say with just as much dramatic flare, "Are you free later? Pizza on me. Am I forgiven?"

      "You are forgiven. I am very easily swayed by flattery and bribery," Eddie replies, but pauses, "Your place or mine?"

      "My place works," you answer, scribbling your address down on the edge of your note book before ripping it and handing it to Eddie, "I have a free house. My parents are out of Hawkins for business, so no bed time for us."

      "Free pizza, Dungeons and Dragons, and no bed time? You really know a way to a mans' heart, sweetheart."

        "Shut up, Munson," you blush, "See you later. About 7."

        "It's a date."

         Your heart was beating so fast as you walk away from Eddie, and you can barely believe what had just happened. Eddie Munson was coming to your house. The Eddie Munson. If your middle school self you see you know, they would be screaming out of excitement. You have to call Robin- even if you would be met with a flurry of 'I told you so's, she deserved to know her plan had worked.

~~~

Eddie couldn't believe what had just happened. If it wasn't for the scrap of paper he held between his thumb and index finger, he would've definitely thought he dreamt it. He looked towards your figure, which was disappearing from his sight, then back towards your address. Eddie smiled. 1986 was definitely going to be his year.

        "Are we still on for practice later?"

        Eddie is that distracted by thoughts of you that he doesn't even realise that Gareth and the rest of Corroded Coffin had appeared behind him.

        "Huh?" Eddie asks, before his brain catches up, "Actually no. Gentlemen, I have different plans. Y/N and I-"

        "-Finally! You asked her out on a date," Gareth concluded.

       "Well no. No, not exactly," Eddie mutters, "But, they asked me to teach them how to play Dungeons and Dragons and I'm going to their place later. So no practice."

        "So she asked you?"

        "No! Yes- well, technically it's not even a date! You know what, I'm not even going to discuss this anymore- I've got to go freshen up."

        "For your date," Gareth teases.

        "Fuck you guys!" Eddie huffs, only half annoyed: in reality, he was too happy to be annoyed.

~~~

You laid on your bed, trying not to watch the minutes tick by. It was hard not to: the interaction you had with Eddie went perfectly, and so some part of you was beginning to suspect you had dreamt it and he was never coming. That was stupid. You were just over reacting. He was coming- he was definitely going to show up-

        The door bell rings.

        "Coming!" you say all but running down the stairs.

        You open the door and smile as you are greeted with Eddie, who has a book in one hand and a bag on his shoulder. He was going full teacher mode. You move aside so he can enter and direct him up the stairs to your bedroom.

       "Eddie," you smiled, "You made it."

       "Wouldn't miss it for the world, princess," he smiles back.

        Your heart all but flutters at the nickname.

       "First one on the left," you direct as you lock the door behind you and follow him upstairs.

        Eddie let out a low whistle as he entered your room. It wasn't what he was expecting. For some reason, he had pictured your room to be pink, full of frills and covered in cute decorations. And, teddy bears. Lots of teddy bears. Okay, so maybe he was just picturing a stereotypical girls room he'd seen in shows and movies, but he was surprised nonetheless when he took in what he saw. Posters: of bands he had actually heard of- and liked. Lots of decoration around- photos of your friends, bands you liked, you as a kid. And a teddy bear. Just one. Eddie looks to you with a smile.

        "You have such a cool room!" he exclaims, making himself at home on your bed, "No way! A judas priest poster!"

        You roll your eyes, "Don't act so surprised, Munson!"

        You take off your jacket, and he eyes the band t shirt that you're wearing.

        "And is that a Metallic t shirt? Wore it all for me?"

        "No, you ass hole," you jab back, sitting opposite him on the bed, "I just have good taste in music. Have you heard their new song 'Master of Puppets' yet?"

        "Heard it?!" Eddie exclaims, gesturing wildly with his hands, "I live and breathe it, sweetheart. I'm learning to play it! Almost got it down!"

        "Well, I have to hear it!" you encourage, "Next Dungeons and Dragons lesson is at yours!"

        "Inviting yourself round are we? Kind of forward," Eddie flirts, leaning in towards you, "You already want a second lesson? We haven't even had our first."

        You try not to give him the satisfaction of blushing.

        "Kind of eager," Eddie all but purrs.

        "Shut up!" you push back at him, gazing down at his hands where he was leisurely twirling one of his rings before looking back up at him, "You're just happy someone outside of Hell Fire wants to listen to you talk about this game!"

        Eddie breaks his gaze, and the tension lowers for a second.

        "You're not wrong," Eddie sighs dramatically, before adding, "And it does help that it's you..."

        It was your turn to tease him.

        "What does that mean?" you pester.

        "N-nothing!" Eddie gets flustered, losing his confidence as your stare at him, "Right! Dungeons and Dragons!"

         "Dungeons and Dragons."

~~~

Eddie watches you as you fill out your character sheet. He'd give you a run down of all the different types of characters you could be: their roles, their races, their traits. And, then instructed you to create your own character. As he watches you, his thoughts drifted back to why you had invited him here in the first place. You were learning this for a guy. Not him. Some guy. Eddie internally huffs; he'd been trying to get you to notice him for how long? And, now you were learning a whole fantasy realm for some guy. His thoughts spill over to his words.

       "So tell me more about your crush," Eddie says, twirling a strand of hair between his fingers.

       You look up at him, and are brought back to the white lie you had told Eddie to get him here.

      "I've been trying to guess, actually... I know you said he doesn't go to Hawkins, but I thought you might've said that just to throw me off the scent. I can rule a few people out," Eddie muses, "It's not Jason- he wouldn't be caught dead playing-"

     "-And Jason is not my type!" you object immediately, your attention completely leaving your character sheet, "Give me some credit. I don't like assholes like that!"

       Eddie puts his hands up in surrender.

      "What is your type then, sweetheart?"

       Your heart beats fast, and you feel like this is now or never. You'd only been crushing on Eddie since middle school. You could tell him. Rip it off like a bandage: just tell him. Just tell Eddie Munson you've been in love with him for yours. Your voice catches, but after a moment you speak.

      "I don't know... Uh, I like long hair. Good taste in music. Sweet. Makes me laugh. Brown eyes. Plays in a band," you take a pause, trying not to lose your nerve, "Named Eddie."

        Eddie's eyes widen.

        "I... What?"

         For once, Eddie is silent. This couldn't be real, could it? He'd only been in love with you since he was a young teen. Fuck. 'Tell her you love her! Tell her she's your type too!' Eddie's internal monologue screams. Say something- say anything. But, he couldn't. He lost his voice while he was processing your words, trying to decipher if what you said was a hallucination. Had he finally smoked too much? Your voice brings him from his thoughts.

        "The truth is... There is no guy," you confess, avoiding looking at Eddie, "Not really. Well, not another guy. You- you were the guy this whole time, and I just wanted to spend more time with you but I was too much of a coward to ask you out. So I, well Robin suggested it really... I asked you to teach me about D-"

       "-You like me?" Eddie interrupts, his eyes wide.

       "Yeah. Is that... Is that okay?" you swallow your words, glancing up at him.

       "Is that okay?" Eddie repeats, almost laughing at his and your obliviousness, "I've only had a crush on you since we were like twelve!"

      "Since middle school?!" you exclaim, "And you didn't say anything?"

      "Neither did you," he retorts.

      "Fair," you laugh out, not realising how close the two of you had gotten.

      "So... Uh-"

     "-Can I kiss you?" you interrupt.

     "Yes! I mean... Yes," Eddie rambles, only stopping when you press your lips to his.

     You pull Eddie closer to you, until you are basically in his lap. Eddie groans into you and his hands finds their way around your waist, and you in turn place your hand on the side of his face, before running it through his hair. God, you loved his hair. You wondered if he would let you pull on it.

     Gently, you lean back and look at him.

     "Hi," Eddie whispers.

    "Hi," you reply smiling.

    "So, how long have you been in love with me?"

    "Oh shut up," you giggle.

     Forever. You'd been in love with him forever.