#{v; main}

[firejugglinghobo]

Dustfinger nodded again. He knew his options, and he wasn't particularly thrilled about any of them. If he didn't stay with Cara, he knew he'd spend every moment of every day wondering where she was, what she was doing, and whether she was having any success.

"The coasts and hills of Italy are a lot like home. The craggy cliffs, the little villages... Anywhere with a good castle or a dense forest. Anywhere quiet."

He nodded, but he still didn’t seem sure, which was why Cara added, “You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. If you prefer not to stay with me, you don’t have to; we’d just have to figure out how we can check in with one another from time to time because I’m always traveling. If you don’t want me to try to find a way for you to get back home, I won’t. If you prefer we go our separate ways - if you never want to see me again once this elevator gets fixed, I will respect any and all decisions that you make. You’re the one calling the shots.” As for the elevator, she scrunched up her nose as she apologized, “I’m sorry, that’s something that neither of us have any control over right now. But while we’re waiting, why don’t you tell me about the places that you’ve found that remind you of home? Even if you don’t want to visit them with me, I’d still like to hear about them.”

[woodblxssomcrowned]

Since she never got to enter and subsequently never graduate the academy, Kaname was never photographed for a registration form.

Still, she did eventually get a formal portrait taken of herself by her late teens. Although it was for private use, after Mito’s death a copy of it did end up in records with material associated with the Shodai Hokage.

[mandysxmuses]

@mortau

Fiona didn't really know if she would be back to that place. She said she would be, but... that wasn't exactly an easy decision to make when it had drudged up an experience so personal to her. Going through that castle once was hellish enough. She never wanted to see anything like it again.

But now that she was back on Earth, she didn't know what she was going to do. She could try finding a place to stay and getting a job for herself, but that sort of thing would have been much easier with Flora around.

If there was one thing the Void did have over this place, it was easier access to food and shelter.

She would get by, though. Fiona just hoped things had settled down in Tokyo.

Something that gave her pause was when Hewie ran over to a woman closeby and began to sniff. She quickly went over to try and calm him down.

"I'm sorry- he won't bite, I promise." She just hoped the poor woman didn't have allergies. Just in case, she called Hewie back.

[merchantofwhispers]

At last (@worldofsenelfy)

Almost two months had passed since she'd been inside that same club. She rarely frequented the same place too often, not wanting any undesirables to make a connection between her and any missing men. Gemina imagined it had been long enough, eager to go back to a familiar hunting ground with richer blood than those she'd been preying on in dive bars.

Not to mention that it seemed the "higher class" was easier to fool; a man with nothing guarded himself far better than a man eager to prove how much he had to offer.

It was that exact mindset that found her up on the second floor overlooking the rest of the club, nestled halfway into some random man's lap. His hand was halfway down the back of her dress with hers toying at the buttons around the top of his shirt; she had one goal -- to feed.

Well, she did, until there was suddenly a shadow looming far too close as her lips pressed into the stranger's throat in a warning kiss. Slowly, she shifted her eyes as her future meal looked up.

"Can I help you, man?" He'd said just as Gemina recognized Will.

Oh, wonderful.

[wiedzmacienia]

@honorhearted | continued from x

the morning, having come off a long evening during which she herself had a meeting with washing.ton followed by alden, had caused frustration to lace most of her existence the last few hours prior to her decision to seek the major out. another meeting of her own had been conducted this morning with alden providing fresh word from mrs. morgan which had been less than ideal. an acceleration of a plan had now been required and she had saw to it that molnar had left camp with a company not an hour before to see it done. the following hour, however, had been less tense, at least within the grand scheme of things. she'd entered back into her space with her light hues washing over a chest and come to some sort of decision. an item about the size of a larger book is wrapped in a cloth in her arms when she meets him outside his tent, worry creasing her features for a moment before he begins to respond. that is when katarzyna's features begin to cool in response, hold tightening on the item in her hold as if a means to keep her own emotions in check.

'don't you already know?'

know what?

there is a multitude of meanings the major could be referring to though she believes she's aware of which once once she allows the shock of his coolness to wear off. this must have to do with the conversation she'd held with the general the day before though the timetable presented for such a mission as he presented her with had been unclear the day before (clearly it was no longer unclear). yet she fails to see what reason tallmadge could have to be so angered by such for if they were truly to work together what reason should he have not to allow her to meet with one of those spying for him. especially if she was expected to share her own information with him from her own?

'seeing how his excellency has been cluing you in to our tactical plans before myself as of late, i would've thought this would be why you're here.'

until his following comment washes over her. that was it, wasn't it? she knew things he did not and it angered him. it angers her too, or rather his tone does as she follows him into the tent, thankful that the child is not there presently. idly she wonders if it angered him more that he wasn't being informed of certain things when others were or if it was because his excellency was speaking about it with a woman? somewhere in the back of her mind the witch knows she can not entirely fault tallmadge for something he is unaware of. that her actual position within her forces is still unclear to him even if washing.ton is well aware (and if washington approves of such or not, he has accepted it as what such is to provide him his alliance). that does not halt the ice-filled and tone which leaves her lips in response though.

"i actually came here to bring you this--"

the item in her arms is dropped, not roughly but not entirely gently either, onto his cleared desk still wrapped in cloth. she'd mentioned before that she held a copy of sun tz.u's art of war in it's original dialect and while she knows he could not read it she had intended to offer him the chance to look at it and perhaps read some of it to him with his own copy as reference. after all, he had offered to teach her of a language she did not know, even if such would have been done with auggie present. this was how she saw fit to return the favor. now however, she's beginning to regret such a notion.

"--because i thought you might like to see it."

there is a harshness to her, a glare given to the wrapped book itself as if it burned her before falling up toward the major who she's now standing next to by the desk. she holds her ground, stance firmly in place, confident and perhaps defiant. men and woman had been punished for less of a tone with her. but he was not one of those under her command and she knows, even if she must keep reminding herself, that he can not be faulted for his lack of understanding. it's entirely infuriating and yet perhaps more of an indication of why he should not be informed of such, at least until he presents himself ready to accept it.

'i'm supposed to go check on abe -- by myself, might i add -- but w.ashington has suddenly decided that you need to come along.'

this is new information. katarzyna knew the town the general wished for her to go to with the major from their conversation of which also spoke of her own presence there prior, her own spies of which could help the cause though names had not been discussed. she imagined that would be worked out between her and the major or when they arrived and would meet with those allies they had. it seemed a benefit to have her join the major. no matter how one looked upon it, a crossover of their allies would have to transpire and it would only aid the cause if she could see where his lived and such be able to send a critical message quickly if needed. the new information in question however is the name. abe. it makes her eyes widen briefly before she lets out a calming breath. surely there was more than one abe in the town. he could not be referring to cabbage man.

'it's too dangerous. you're not a spy, zyna -- you're not even one of my men, so this is a fool's errand. please…'

anger rises back within her before his use of a nickname seems to cause her pause enough to actually listen to his words. has he ever referred to her such before? now she finds a strange mix of emotions playing at her. he has managed to insult her and express worry for her in the same breath. had he not seen what she had been capable of before that first night they met or even when they fought that horrid creature of a witch in the woods? surly if it was dangerous for anyone, it was more dangerous for him who held no powers to get him out of such a situation if he was caught. knowledge of her rank or not, would he ever see her for what she was truly capable or would they continue this dance for the entirety of the war? still, it is difficult to remain completely cross with him when there is a genuineness to the fact he is misguidedly attempting to keep her safe when he turns softer and looks upon her and asks her to reason with his commander.

god, why was benjamin tall.madge such an infuriating man? why could she simply not be cross with him and that be that?

"i'll put aside that you still seem to think i am unable to protect myself from danger." her tone is somewhat softer but still offended in a way she can not hide, turning matter-of-fact as she speaks again. "you're wrong though. it's not a fool's errand. i have my own spies in set.auket whom i imagine the general wishes you to meet and i have an alias there as well. if someone sees me, though i would rather them not at this time, a reason can be made for such unlike you. i'm afraid i can not reason with him when his logic for us to go together is sound. and-- "

this next piece of information would either serve to make him more angered or he would see the benefit of such.

"i know you do not seem to like seeing magic--"

she knows he understands that magic is not the same across the board at least in some sense as they have not actually bridged the gap in speaking topic, his own way of treating her especially after dealing with the incident in the woods and his willingness to let auggie play with cora and furgus said as much but she also knows he is still getting used to the idea of magic in a positive context and that would take time. she just wished, well, she's not entirely sure what she wished or why it mattered to her what he thought.

"--but if i see where this abe lives and he can be convinced that such is not evil i have means to pass communications to him quickly and directly but i must be able to see the place for such to work."

[firejugglinghobo]

continued from [x] @sadiebrin

Dustfinger clenched his teeth tight against the pain, stopping a scream just short of erupting from his throat as unexpected pressure constricted his leg where agony was already throbbing to the rhythm of his racing heart.

He really tried to resist looking down, knowing it would only only make him light-headed to see what his leg must look like, but curiosity got the best of him.

He thought he might have already become delirious when he did see what she was somehow doing. It looked like threads of the clearest seawater were weaving into the fabric of his dirty jeans.

At first glance, the wound didn't seem so bad; there wasn't nearly as much blood as he'd expected by the pain and former, though thankfully not personal, experience of this kind of weapon. But a slight shift of his leg - accompanied by a grunt of regret - brought his awareness to the back of his thigh, just above the knee.

The back of his pantsleg was wet with blood, all the way down to his tattered old boots. There was so much red that it was hard to tell whether the tightness around his leg was making a difference in slowing the flow at all.

He regretted looking. He clenched one hand into a fist in an attempt to keep himself more conscious than not.

S was telling him she'd carry him. Though he'd realized by now that she had some sort of combat training and was stronger than she looked, he still didn't expect her to be able to get very far carrying him, even if she was able to get him off the ground.

"You go. He's after you, not me."

His words were slightly slurred and his voice breathy, more likely from shock than blood loss, but it wouldn't be too long until the latter became an issue as well.

[ancientforgcd]

@sephirisms

The North Kaioshin was rarely away from her home universe, but sometimes travelling to other timelines or even dimensions was part of the job description. Hence why she stood in-front of the Basilicom, sensing the ruler of it behind the door. Closing her eyes, she mentally prepared herself and knocked on the door.

"Greetings, I am Purple Heart, the North Kaioshin of Universe 12. I came to seek an audience with the Herrscher Vivio."

[seafcamchild]

@godsspawn <From Aphrodite to Gianna>

"Gianna, darling, I'm not at ALL unfamiliar with teenage rebellion..." Copper eyes blinked back discomfort as she breathed deeply before parting her lips to speak.

"...but really? THIS? Rejecting LOVE? Living in the WOODS?!

I... am at a complete loss."

[mute-call]

@laidtowaste // permanent starter call.

"Mike Schmidt," Steve repeats, scribbling something down to pretend he's taking careful note of the young man's name and qualifications. Mike seems like a good kid--too good for a job like this--but Bell isn't exactly in a position to start turning away candidates. Between the pay and the hours, there haven't been too many people walking through those doors looking to join the Fazbear family.

"Great to meet you, Mike! Everything seems to be, uh... in order, so." Would it be suspicious to tell Schmidt he's hired so soon?

"What do you say we take a tour of the place? It'll be a lot quieter after hours, but it'd be good to get you familiarized with the layout, maybe meet the band for--for if we end up going ahead with the hiring process."

He drums his fingers against the desk, not making eye contact with the man in front of him.

"I gotta ask, Mr. Schmidt... what drew you to this position in the first place? Not that I'm not happy you applied! It's just-- well, this kind of work isn't for everyone. I just want to make sure it's going to be a good fit."

[woodblxssomcrowned]

No but this sword is her baby. 

She'll care for that sword before she cares for her own injuries. 

She have been gifted or offered other swords, new ones made especially for her, but she have either declined them, or they have ended up as decoration.

When Ashina Uzumaki gifted this sword to her when she was just five years old, he did tell her that it had a name Shinku no hana no ame - Crimson flower rain 

The samurai enjoyed giving names to their swords, to further add distinction to them as something alive and a part of their souls. Kaname doesn't talk about her sword with that name though, she thinks it's a bit much. During the era of warring states and the first few decades of the village era, chakra blades were incredibly rare to see in the hands of shinobi. The method of forging such blades had been created and largely safeguarded by the Samurai, and it was a craft that demanded immense skill and rare and expensive materials that few shinobi clans could get their hands on. (A few shinobi clans had by one way or another figured out the method, and were known to experiment with it in combination with ninjutsu to create blades with a far greater variety of characterizations. The samurai, who viewed ninjutsu as detrimental to the soul and a gross bastardization of chakra, were repulsed by these clans and their activities, seeing it as a unimaginable insult of their craft and philosophies, and they would be severely punished for it. This experimentation sometimes created truly deadly monstrosities few could wield, and other times it ended with disastrous results. The swords later posessed by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were swords created by such clans long before the group was formed. ) Few could commission such weapons, and having them was a mark of status. Not even all samurai had them or could commission them, and those who did have them had usually acquired them through inheritance or a battle trophy. In certain regions of the continent it was even illegal for anyone who was not noble or a samurai to be in possession of a chakra blade. When shinobi were able to obtain them, it was usually in the form of payment for a job (these blades were extremely valuable), or picked up from a corpse on the battlefield. When the samurai fell from grace after the founding of the hidden villages, chakra blades started appearing more frequently among shinobi, and with the knowledge how to forge them acquired, were often reforged into other types of weapons aside from the most commonly found katana. Kaname's sword had originally been made for a samurai, but had over time found its way into Ashina Uzumaki's extensive collection of swords and eventually gifted to her. The only thing that was changed for her was the tsuba - hand guard, which he had made to include imagery related to strength, nobility, tenacity and persistence against adversity.

Although she spent her life mastering kenjutsu, in my main verse, Kaname doesn't get much use of it, keeping it on display and carefully looks after it to make sure it stays clean and sharp and free of rust. But in my WS au, it is the only sword she uses, even if she often carries a second one into the field with her. Although she has no intention of letting go of it long enough to need a back-up, and she's more than lethal enough with just one blade. If you get to to touch it, it's probably because she's in a position where she can't stop you for one reason or another. It's her baby. A very deadly baby.

And they make for a very, very deadly pair.

[mandysxmuses]

@shindahime from here

"I... uh... where even am I? Sorry, I'm as confused as you are, I... came in through..." He took a deep breath. The lady had red eyes and even if that wasn't enough indication, people here had to be living under a rock not to know about supernatural stuff anymore.

"I came in through your mirror."

He stood from his crouching position, realizing staying that way was probably going to make him look infinitely more creepy.

[merchantofwhispers]

“Shhhh. You don’t want us to get caught, do you?” ~William 

"And what if they do?"

She grabbed him by the collar and tugged his face closer, continuing to blur the boundaries outlined in their original agreement. Gemina looked up at him, her red lips pursed together in a confident smile as she listened to the sound of the party outside. Bringing Will had been a last minute decision; she needed a date and a venue filled with high-class criminals and other "monsters" wasn't a bad place to take your-.. Whatever she could consider him.

Her plaything.

Her obsession.

"They weren't exactly out mingling, however, as Gemina had dragged him into one of the private rooms to "help her with her dress". That help meant it was now hiked up to her hips while she explored beneath the hems of his clothes. "-But if you're not the type of man to put on a show.." She hummed, dragging one of her hands up to his throat where she tapped. "Let me taste you in other ways. Please? I'm starving.."

@worldofsenelfy

[anthologyoflucas]

Talia is walking through the woods in the middle of the night with just a flashlight to guide her. "Don't know what I'm doing.. this is not my job.. I should be at home watching anime." She's singing a little ditty to herself as she keeps walking the woods following scratches on the trees and the faint sound of rustling and movement.

Something has been mutilating people just outside her town and she was probably the best bet at finding and eliminating it. How? She has no clue. She was just gonna go glowy-eyed and hope she could pull off this hunting thing.

[firejugglinghobo]

//continued from [x] @sadiebrin

Experience.

Every little thing Dustfinger learned about her was beginning to build a picture of who she was, though still foggy. She didn't like to talk about herself, obviously.

She was certainly very highly trained, though for what Dustfinger hadn't quite been able to figure out yet. Something that had required her to spend a good deal of time outdoors. Something that had honed her instinct for danger to be even sharper than Dustfinger's. And something that had caused her a lot of pain. She flinched like a mistreated animal.

Dustfinger's eyes followed the chain of the trap closely. His eyes stayed on the ground as he started walking again, more slowly and cautiously, his pleasant stroll through the forest turning to a careful stalk.

"You have good eyes. You see any other signs of hunters?"

[id1elust]

tell me you want me. / @carnalphenomena

ㅤㅤ He feels electrified by the sensation of Spirit's skin under his fingertips, revelling in the heat radiating from her body. As his hands explore every curve, a primal desire to possess her completely consumes him. The softness of her skin and the scent of her hair intoxicates him, sending a surge of lust through his veins. He is lost in the moment, completely enraptured by the woman lying before him on his sofa.

ㅤㅤ❝ Of course I want you— ❞ William whispers against lips, before kissing her with such gentleness and sincerity, ❝ Never wanted anything more. ❞

[secondhandmckie]

@painofhumanity | (continued from: x)

“Had a client that was…a little too enthusiastic with the sadism,” Morgan explained in a strained voice. He was never shy about where he worked, or what he did for a living, so casual mentions of rough sex with a paying customer were not unusual for him. He felt a spike of fear at the thought of going to a hospital, but he played it off with a pained chuckle. “Nah, you know you’re the only nurse I like, Ellie.”

No, it wasn't a secret, but Ellie did wish Morgan was more careful with himself. To have someone take things so far wasn't unusual, but it didn't mean she had to understand it or like it. She pulls over one of the dining chairs to sit in front of him, first aid kit open on her lap. "Stop being cute while I'm trying to concentrate." She admonished gently, her hands moving to his face first, turning it carefully this way, then that. "Tell me what hurts--and don't be a hero, okay? Tell me everything."