#‘you were meant for me’ AAAAAAAHHH

[wishchip106]

making my daily goodnight post

technically its past midnight so the streak dead 😔

gonna crash and burn how tf they looking at each other like they’ve been married for fourty years despite knowing each for a minimum few days

star-crossed lovers type shit

acting like that one thing that went like people were originally made up as two until a god (maybe zeus) got angry or something and split them all up, these two found each other man

actually crying they had a zing when they met in the ocean

bringing in all types of soulmatism

[countessofravenclaw]

¡Sí! - La Trinidad del Amor: Chapter six

In life, nothing is sure… but you always count on one thing. True Love, the ones who have it are the luckiest people in the world. Not everyone does… but the people in our story do. They fought through Fire, They fought through an ocean, They fought through the sun and the moon. There are six of them, and they form a trinity, the trinity of true love

We are here!! At the Gastina wedding, one you all have probably been waiting for, since -you know- my obsession, and the reason why the wedding chapters started to be slipt in two. We are following the format, so just Like the Simbar wedding, this also will be two parts, so here is the first

Corazón lleno de amor, sin miedo, sin arrepentimiento

“Try and relax a little bit,” Gastón ran his hand on Nina’s arm, as she sat basically frozen on the couch, “We invited them here for 5 pm, it is only 4:55 pm and it is Luna and Matteo, they’ll be late. There is nothing to worry about.”

It had been a week since they had moved back from Oxford to Buenos Aires and Luna and Matteo were finally coming to see their new house. They had not seen each other in person in almost a year. Luna and Matteo had meant to come to Nina’s graduation, but those plans had ended up falling through due to the graduation date being changed and Matteo getting unexpectedly roped into a chain of charity shows. So the bottom line was that all of them had been extremely busy so they hadn’t even really had a chance to talk properly in over two weeks. 

They definitely had a lot to catch up on.

“We should have already told them,” Nina leaned into him, taking his hand. He felt her relax as he ran his other hand through her hair.

“We are telling them as soon as we can. We all have lives, and schedules don’t always match. We wanted to tell them in person, there really is nothing else that could have been done.”

“What if they will be mad that we kept this from them?” Nina turned to face him. Gastón did understand her worries. The engagement was a big thing, and it was something Luna and Matteo definitely would want to know about. The month's delay in the news had not been on purpose, but just an unfortunate inconvenience. They had decided that they wanted to tell them in person, but they never intended to keep it this long. They had never intentionally hidden it from Luna and Matteo. 

“I highly doubt that. Annoyed? At least a little bit? Definitely, you know Matteo, but we would be happy for them, so they will be for us.” Gastón smiled at her, “Luna will jump through the roof. She does not have a mechanism to be mad about any happy news. You remember what she did when Simon and Ambar got engaged?”

“She squeezed them to death,” Nina laughed, “Ambar still complains about it.”

“That will probably happen again so we better brace ourselves.” Gastón joined in the laughter. “But, don’t worry. This won’t change anything, their opinion doesn’t matter. We are getting married, Luna and Matteo like it or not… or are you planning on jilting me if Luna gets mad at you?”

“Maybe I should…” Nina joked, “But no…” she came closer to him, “I would never.”

“Good, because I can’t live without you anymore,” Gastón smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her.

Not a moment later the doorbell rang. 

“They really have the worst timing,” Gastón remarked annoyed as they got up from the couch and walked to the door. 

“Aaaaaaahhh! You’re back!!!” As soon as Gastón had opened the door, a hurricane of bright colors and over-bursting energy flew inside, tackling him and Nina into a crushing hug. Well, apparently you did not even need an engagement announcement to Luna Valente to squeeze you to death in her happiness. 

“I can’t believe you two are finally back! For real, like you are back here, in Buenos Aires, and not leaving again,” Luna finally let them go, but still kept dancing on her feet in the hall. “You are here, right? You are not just some kind of mirage that vanish, like in dreams?”

“I missed you too Luna.” Nina laughed as she and Luna hugged, just two of them. As they were hugging, Gastón locked eyes with Matteo, who had come in a couple of steps behind Luna. 

“How much sugar has she had?” he asked Matteo as they did their handshake. They might have been almost in their mid-twenties, but that tradition they had started as 14-year-olds would stuck forever.

“Surprisingly, none, but she has been dancing like that the whole day,” Matteo laughed as he pulled Gastón into a tight hug. “I am so happy you’re back. I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

“You two are not allowed to leave the country anymore,” Matteo declared, “You have been gone way too long. If you try to leave again, I am gonna confiscate your passports.”

“He doesn’t mean it,” Luna punched Matteo lightly, laughing. 

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Gastón shared a look with Nina. “But, why are we standing here, come on.”

“I gotta say, this place is nice,” Matteo remarked as they were walking down the hall to the living room. “Isla had something to do with this, didn’t she?”

“You know my mother,” Gastón responded, “there is no saying no to her in these kinds of things. We have not unpacked everything yet, but we put most of the pictures already up.” he gestured towards a huge picture collage on the wall of the living room, next to the Tv. It included pictures he and Nina had taken over the years, including pictures of the two of them, and their friends from Buenos Aires and Oxford. 

They had not had that many possessions to move since their flat at London had been almost fully refurbished. The only pieces of furniture they had brought over were the bookcases they had gotten for the apartment themselves. All the other furniture in their house was new. 

“We can do a full-fledged tour after we eat.”

“Yes, but I am just gonna show Luna the bedroom, really quickly,” Nina said and she and Luna started climbing the stairs that led to upstairs, “It was not quite done yet, right?”

“15 minutes.”

“Don’t tell me you cooked,” Matteo asked as he and Gastón sat down on the couch after the girls had disappeared upstairs. 

“I have you know that I am a really good cook,” Gastón countered. Well, it was true that as university students, you often ended up living off frozen meals and take-out, but he and Nina had often made the effort to make something from scratch on weekends, and he had had a lot of practice during his teenage years when his parents had been away. He had often opted to make his own food and internet had provided all the needed instructions. “I didn’t have a personal chef growing up.”

“Auch,” Matteo laughed, “Well, actually you’d be surprised that I am not completely hopeless anymore. Luna is, so someone needs to make sure she doesn’t burn the kitchen down. Monica has been giving us lessons and Nonna sent me some recipes that Mom used to love.”

“Well, you can make dinner next time, as we come over to your place.”

“How’s the new job, by the way?”

“Well, I signed everything two days ago. I start there the week after Simon and Ambar’s wedding. The timing really could not be more perfect.”

“Oh, speaking off guitarista’s wedding,” Matteo suddenly pulled his phone out of his pocket and clicked on it a couple of times. Gastón’s own phone dinged and he saw that Matteo had forwarded a long message to him  “The honorable Best Man Pedro let me plan the stag party. I just sent you the details. Now that you are back on your Argentinian phone operator, I can get you added to the group chat.”

“Matteo you can’t be serious,” Gastón had just opened the message and stared at the contents. “Canada? You have to be kidding. I can’t do that.”

“Well, you have to.” Matteo grinned, “Every groomsman who is found inside of the borders of Argentina is obligated to attend. It is not optional.”

“I am being serious. I can’t just lift off and leave. You gave me no notice. We just moved back, there is still things to be done.”

“It is just for a weekend.” Matteo shrugged.

“I can’t leave Nina alone here now. We just got—” Gastón stopped himself before he accidentally slipped up. The plan was to tell them during dinner. 

“You got what?” Matteo had, unfortunately, noticed his little slip-up. He started eyeing him very suspiciously.

“OH MY GOD!!! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!!” Luna’s voice rang all of a sudden from upstairs. 

“What is going on?” both of the guys looked up.

“This is so amazing!!!” 

Gastón started to have a pretty good idea of what was going on. He didn’t know how, but Luna had somehow figured their news out. He was sure Nina hadn’t just told her, because that had not been what they had agreed on, but Luna could be quite of a detective when she wanted to be. 

“Is there something you haven’t told me?” Matteo suddenly asked.

“Uhm, yeah… actually, there is,” Gastón started. If Luna already knew, it was pretty pointless to try to hide it any longer. “We didn’t intend this to come out this way but…”

“Wait, hold on.” You could literally see the gears turn in Matteo’s head. “Wait… Is she—? Are you having a—?”

“NO! No no no no no no, no.” Gastón had no idea how Matteo had jumped into that conclusion over the right one. “Matteo, please.”

“Then what is going on?”

“Maybe we better go and see.” They got up from the couch and walked the stairs up. As they got to the bedroom where the girls were, Gastón got the confirmation on how he had suspected Luna had found out. 

Nina had forgotten to take the ring off and Luna had finally noticed it. Their plan had been for her to quietly slip it on during dinner and then wait it out to see how long it took Matteo and Luna to notice. 

This wasn’t the first time it had happened. This was exactly how the truth had gotten spilled to Flor, Marlee, and Ariana the day after he had proposed before they had made any plans on how to break the news to anybody. Honestly, Gastón could not help but adore the fact that Nina had been extremely worried about losing the ring or forgetting it once she took it off, when in reality the only thing she always forgot was to take it off. 

“Sorry,” Nina whispered to him as he got to her side.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s fine” he whispered back to her.

“Matteo, Matteo! Can you believe this!” Luna had moved to dance around Matteo who still looked like he did not understand anything.

“Okay, no somebody please spill what is going on here? Since apparently everyone except me knows.” Matteo crossed his arms. Luna had stopped dancing around and was stepping on her place looking extremely excited.

“Well, we could play charades all evening, but—” Gastón laced his right hand’s fingers with Nina's left hand, “—but since Matteo seems to like coming up with wild predictions, I don’t think I wanna risk it.”

He raised Nina’s hand from her side so the ring came into Matteo and Luna’s view. “We are getting married.”

*

“One thing, I still don’t get—” Matteo said as they were finally sitting down to eat that dinner, “—is that, did you propose at the airport or why did I never hear about this?”

“Yeah, about that,” Gastón laughed a little awkwardly, “We have been engaged a month.”

“MONTH?” both Luna and Matteo looked flabbergasted. 

“We were never trying to hide it,” Nina explained quickly, “We just wanted to tell you in person.”

“You are the first people we have told since we got back.” Gastón continued, “Only our parenst know. We don’t quite know, how we are telling everyone. You are not mad are you?” He looked at Matteo.

“Well, if I wasn’t so happy for you, I would be offended.” Matteo said, trying to fake a serious tone, but he could not mask the smile on his lips, “Actually… that is a good line for my speech.”

“What speech?” Gastón joked, knowing full well what Matteo was talking about.

“Well, obviously the speech I am giving at your wedding as your best man.”

“Luna, do you mind pulling douple duty?” Nina asked Luna, “I know you alredy are Ambar’s maid of honor and you need to focus on that right now, but…”

“Are you kidding?” Luna almost jumped up from the table. “Of course, I’ll be your maid of honor! You don’t even need to ask!”

*

“Click the button on the keychain, will you?” Gastón asked Nina as he was driving alongside the street where his childhood home was. While he had been living in England, his parents had updated the electrical gate. They had given him the key when they had last visited him and Nina in England. 

The gate opened and Gastón parked the car in the garage, just like old times. He was really glad to see his parents. It had been almost a month since they had moved back, but they had not had the chance to see his parents until now, since they had had a huge amount of business trips at this time, and Gastón and Nina had had Simon and Ambar’s wedding in Mexico. 

He looked up as they got to the door and he was getting his keys out. No way he was ringing the doorbell, this was still his old home. He hadn’t been there in a while, as the university had kept them very busy from visiting. 

“Mom will want to fuss, so just prepare yourself for that,” He said as he put the key into the lock. 

“Gastón, have you met my mother? I have been dealing with fussing my whole life, this will be nothing.”

“Fair enough,” he chuckled and opened the door. They entered the foyer which appeared to be empty, but he was sure that his parents were supposed to be home.

“Hey! We're here!” He yelled inside the house.

“Gastón! You are already here?” It didn’t take long to his parents to come to meet them and he was squeezed tightly by his mother. 

“You are finally here! You are staying here now, I won’t let you leave anymore.” Isla said as she finally released him. 

“Well, you have changed your tune,” Gastón laughed. “I don’t remember hearing that when you were the most adamant person that I should go to Oxford.”

“I am your mother. I am allowed to change my mind.”

“Good to know.” Gastón said and turned to his father and hugged him as well “Dad.”

“Good to have you back, truly.”

After he had greeted both of his parents, Gastón turned back to Nina who had been waiting in the background, letting his parents greet just him a peace. He walked up to her and placed his hand on the small of her back bringing her forwards. 

“We are so happy to welcome you as part of the family,” Isla said pulling Nina into a hug as well, while giving Gastón a brief “It was about time” glance. 

“Mom, please don’t suffocate her, or do you want me to get married or not?”

*

“Maria told me everything about the ring,” Isla told them as all four of them were sitting in the living room after dinner. “You were really involved with the design.”

“Yeah, I know, I am not really the jewelry type,” Gastón said while detaching his arm, from where it had been around Nina, reaching her left hand and running his finger over the ring. “But, I had to make sure it was perfect.”

“Sounds like someone else I know,” Isla said looking at Marco. “Did really none of my genes go through?”

“I am pretty sure he has a lot of qualities that he couldn’t have possibly gotten from me,” Marco said smiling while Gastón just rolled his eyes. Everyone always said he was the spitting image of his father, but he had his mother’s personality.

“Tomas was asking about you after he heard you were back,” Marco said to Gastón. Tomas was the brother of his father, so his uncle. “He and Coral want to have us, all of us, for dinner next week. Can you make it on Wednesday or do I give them another date?”

“I think we can,” Gastón responded, “We need to tell them the news about the wedding and it would be nice to finally meet Coral.” Coral was Tomas’ girlfriend. Gastón thought that it was quite comical in a certain way, that he was beating his own uncle, who was good 20 years his senior, to the altar, but everyone moved on their own pace in these things. 

“So do you have any plans for the wedding yet, because we will help with anything we can?” Isla asked

Gastón looked at Nina. They had sorta talked about all of that, but nothing very concrete quite yet. There had been so many other things to do with Nina’s graduation, the move, and Simon and Ambar’s wedding 

“Not yet, really.”

“We did talk about aiming for the winter, but we don’t have date or anything yet.”

“Winter?” Marco asked them, “Will six months be enough time?”

“We don’t want anything that big,” Gastón explained, “if I do the calculations, from the top of my head, there would maybe be 60 guests. Give or take 15. We just were in a huge destination wedding. One within a year is enough.  But now that we are talking about it, we really should decide on the date. So Oliver and Flor, Jacob, James, Marlee and Ariana can make sure they can come over.”

“We really need to start looking for venues then,” Nina responded looking at him. 

“Actually, you don’t need to look for anything,” Isla suddenly said, “I don’t understand why I haven’t thought about it sooner.”

“What do you mean, Mom?”

“We can hold the wedding at Villa bosque de Rosas. You don’t need to use valuable time looking for venues. It is our own property, you can do whatever you want with it, and have full access to it whenever you want. No need to compromise on the date either. It is as much as yours as it is ours, you’ll own it eventually.”

Gastón turned to look at Nina again. He had not ever thought of that… and he did not know why. Villa bosque de Rosas was the country villa his parents owned, with big property including fields, gardens, and a forest. It had been their vacation home for as long he could remember, but he also knew that his parents did sometimes rent it for weddings for outsiders and it could hold up to 150 people. 

“What do you think?” Gastón asked Nina.

“It is an amazing idea,” she responded smiling, “and truly saves us some time.”

“Good,” Isla said excitedly, “What do you say if we go visit next weekend? You can never start too early on these things. Nina, would your parents be willing to come as well, we owe them dinner anyway?”

“Dad is still in Miami, he said he is waiting for a date from me before he books any coming visits, but Mom and Mora could.”

“I’ll call them.”

“We have to take Luna and Matteo as well then,” Gastón said, “Otherwise we won’t ever hear the end of it. Matteo is already mad at me.” Gastón laughed. “Oh, and Mom, you can tell people now. I know you are just bursting to tell all your friends how I am settling down, finally… but don’t tell aunt Mía and Elise, or grandma.”

“Why?”

“I actually have been thinking that we’d go visit Cordoba at some point, probably next month.” Gastón explained, “It has been so long since I have seen them, and they have never met Nina and she has never been to Cordoba. We’ll tell them in person.”

***

Nina looked over the words she had written on the draft she was working on for Si Pudieras Tener Un Futuro, which was the sequel to her first book. If You Could Have A Future was just a working title, but she actually quite liked it, just perhaps she would be keeping it.

She was done for the day with the book. It was coming along nicely, but her editor wanted to have the first draft before Easter so there wasn’t too much time per se. 

She closed her laptop and took her tablet from the coffee table and opened the folder with all the wedding details. First she checked the calendar to see when the next fitting for the dress was with Mora. It was in two days.

Nina couldn’t quite believe that the wedding would already be in three months. The planning process had actually not been as hectic as she would have thought, yet anyway, who knew what was to come and that did stress her out. She was surrounded by lots of support and love and it had helped a lot. Everything would go swimmingly as long as she remembered to keep her mother out of the wedding planning and if something became something they could not overcome, she could always call Isabel, James’, their friend from Oxford, girlfriend who was a wedding planner. 

Nina didn’t know Isabel that well, James had only started dating her after he and Gastón had graduated from Oxford, so she was not in the wedding party, but still of course invited as James was a groomsman with Oliver and Jacob and of course all the guys from Buenos Aires.

It was quite crazy that her and Gastón had actually ended up having the biggest wedding party, given the size of Simon and Ambar’s wedding and Luna and Matteo’s upcoming one, but it had ended up that they had more friends, when you counted in their friends from England. The size of the wedding party was also a bit of a problem, since there were unequal amount of bridesmaids and groomsmen, even with the Oxford additions. Nina had not yet come up with a solution for it.

“What are you doing?” a hand suddenly tapped on her lower back as she had been crouched over the tablet. She looked up and saw Gastón standing behind the couch with two cups of tea. He gave her the other and came to sit down next to her with the other.  

“Agonizing over the wedding party.”

“Ah, I saw that you had your concentration face on.”

“You just could not have a one more friend? That would have solved everything.” Nina lamented showing Gastón the diagram she had constructed on the tablet. “Like, it should be easy. Obviously, Luna and Matteo, Simon and Ambar, Delfi and Pedro, Flor is with Oliver, Marlee with Jacob and that leaves James and Ariana, but then we are left with Nico and Ramiro, and Jim, Yam and Jazmin. Just like Ambar said. It is a math problem, with no even solution. Ramiro could walk with Yam and Nico with Jim, but I am not sure do I wanna make them do that.”

“It is our wedding, and they agreed to be in it. I don’t think they will mind… especially since everyone are friends.” Gastón said while looking at the diagram. “We have all known each other since highschool, the drama is old, forgiven and forgotten.”

“I know,” Nina chuckeled, “but that would leave Jazmin alone, and that just doesn’t feel nice.”

“Well…” Gastón said, his face turning pensative as well, “What if Jim, Yam and Jazmin walk down the aisle, just three of them, just like Jim and Yam did in Cancun, and then  Nico and Ramiro walk down together as well.”

“Honestly, that seems like a good idea,” Nina said swifting her diagram around.

“And it would look hilarious,” Gastón added, “Other solution, of course, is to do it like Simon and Ambar did.”

“I’ll need to think about it,” Nina said looking at the new diagram. “I’ll talk to Luna about it, and maybe Ambar too.”

“Maria is coming in 30 minutes.”

“Wait what?” Nina’s glance shot up, “Thats today?” she quickly opened her calendar again, and there it was marked. Maria Aguirre was coming to talk with them about the wedding rings.

“Did you forget?” Gastón was looking at her amused, “You really are becoming like Luna.”

“I guess I did,” Nina put the tablet down and rand her hand in her hair, “There are so many things to think about. Things have gone so well, it is only a matter of time before something goes wrong. I am just so afraid I’ll start panicking at some point.”

“Hey, everything is going to go well,” Gastón put his cup down and took her hands. “If you thrive towards perfection, you’ll never reach it. It’ll be perfect and amazing because I get to marry you, nothing else matters.”

“I know,” she looked at him in the eyes smiling. He always had the right words to calm her down, 

“Plus you are not alone, you have so many people to help you. I am not letting you do this alone, it is also my wedding. You know what, lets go over some things so you get your mind at ease. How are the bridesmaid dresses coming along?”

“Mora sends me different sketches everyday. I told her that if she actually wants me to pick one, she needs to narrow it down. We have a fitting in two weeks.”

“Marlee, Ariana and Flor?”

“They sent their measurements to Mora and she’ll make them easily modifiable so issues can be fixed during the last fitting when they are here during the week off. Your and groomsmen’s clothing?”

“We are going to Dad’s favorite tux place next week. Once we pick something out we’ll sent pictures to James, Oliver and Jacob and they’ll get ones close as possible they can find on their end.” Gastón said, before Nina even needed to ask about the overseas members of the wedding party. “The flowers?”

“We are meeting the florist in 15 days, I am going with Luna and your mother. The venue?”

“Mom told me everything is in order. The gardeners and cleaning staff will make sure it’ll look perfect. Everything in order with your parents?”

“Jim told me that the zoom dance lessons are going well with Dad, and they pick up in-person ones once he comes here a month before the wedding. Mom has been successfully kept out of the planning with Mora’s help. She is taking her and your mother to dress shopping soon, so Mom doesn’t fully feel left out. The officiant?”

“We have a meeting with him to discuss the ceremony next month.”

“What about the photographer? Did you talk with Mr. Acosta again?”

“Nina, you need to start calling him Míkael, as he wanted. He is not our teacher anymore,” Gastón laughed. Mr. Acosta— Míkael Acosta, Nina corrected herself, had been their photography teacher at Blake and they had gotten him to take their engagement pictures and he was also gonna photograph the wedding. “Everything is set with him. He’ll go scouting locations the week before the wedding. The invitations?”

“Everyone has RSVP:d,” Nina said pulling a spreadsheet on her tablet, “James and Isabel, Jacob, Marlee, Ariana, Oliver and Flor?”

“We are having a zoom meeting with them and Luna and Matteo the month before the wedding. They’ll come here the week before it, we’ll sort out the details in the meeting. Luna, Matteo, and Delfi will take care of them after we leave for the honeymoon. Arrangements for that are also taken care of,” Gastón grinned at Nina, “See? We absolutely got this.”

Ring!

The door bell rang suddenly. 

“I see that Maria is already here,” Gastón got up from the sofa and pulled Nina up with him. “Come on, we can’t get married without rings.”

“My, Isla has not been kidding, you definitely have grown.” Nina watched Gastón open the door of their house to a black-haired woman in her 40s who hugged him as soon as she got through the door. “I have to be honest, we could have done this at my office, but I was way too curious to see your house. Isla has told me all about it.” Maria and Gastón approached Nina, “Nina, it is good to finally meet you. It is amazing to finally meet the girl who has managed to sweep Gastón off his feet.”

“It is good to meet you too, I have heard so much about you.”

*

“Has the engagement ring been the right size?”

“Yes, I think so,” Nina said looking down on her left ring finger.

“Let me have a look at it, ” Maria said and took Nina’s hand and twisted the ring couple of times. “I would say, that it is a tad bit too big, but not enough it to be worth resizing. If it starts falling off then call me. Anyways, first I wanna get measurements from both of you.”

Maria took a very narrow measuring tape from the bag she had brough with her. Nina took her engagement ring off while Maria took the measurement from Gastón first, by putting the tapemeasure around his finger and noting the measures on her tablet. Then she had him try on couple of measuring rings of various widhs. After she had finished with Gastón, she did the same with Nina’s ring finger. 

“Okay, next, I wanna show you some models I came up with for the rings,” Maria said putting the measuring tools back into her bag and opening a new page on her tablet. “I figured you two would want matching ones, so these all are. I continued with the theme that engagement ring set up, these are all white gold, so the rings form a cohesive look.”

Maybe after an hour of discussing the rings and Maria showing them different variables and possibilities they had came into a conclusion about the rings. Nina would have a narrow band with couple of small sapphires while Gastón’s would be wider and have a wave design.

“Don’t you two worry, this will be my first priority. You’ll get the rings in… probably in a month… longest that it will take is 1.5 months, depends on when I get the stones in, but you’ll have your rings way before the wedding.” Maria said as she headed out of the door. “Don’t hesitate to call, if you have any questions.”

***

“Gastón, when are they coming?” Matteo asked Gastón as they were sitting at Jam and Roller with everyone. Luna and the girls were talking about something on the stage, and Ramiro, Simon, Nico and Pedro were joking at the table next to them. They had all gathered there to meet the arrivals from Oxford for their wedding since, outside of Luna and Matteo, no one else had met any of their Oxford friends, with the exception of Simon and Ambar very briefly meeting James and Isabel. “It is quite hard to coordinate a bachelor party here, when I do not have all my groomsmen.”

“Your groomsmen?” Gastón raised an eyebrow to Matteo, “You do remember that this is my wedding? Yours is later.”

“Of course I remember that,” Matteo snarked, “but I am the Best Man, I am in charge of the groomsmen, so they are my groomsmen. But seriously, when are they coming, or do these regal english people need a fashionably late grand entrance?”

“One of them is your cousin Matteo,” Gastón tried not laugh. “But they should be coming soon, the flight landed an hour ago, but it all depends how long they are taking to get out of there and get taxis.” Gastón said and looked towards Roller’s windows and saw that Nina was standing there looking out of there and not with the other girls. 

“Hey,” he made his way to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Any sign of them?”

“No,” Nina sighed, “Was it a good idea to let them find their own way here?”

“Well, we wouldn’t had had the time to go get them, and they understood that. They have the address,  and the gps and the cap services here work good enough.”

“And Flor knows this place,” Nina continued his thought, “So they should find their way here. Will they? That is going to be a different story.”

“I am sure they will find their way here, maybe at least for Christmas.” Gastón joked and saw a smile form to her lips. He couldn’t resist it and leaned down and captured her lips with his own. Usually, someone from the background would probably yell something about knocking it off, but he knew that no one would dare now. Their wedding was in seven days, so he was allowed to kiss his bride as much as he liked — not that he was planning on anything changing once she became his wife.

They separated just in time to see two caps pull up to the Roller. 

“Oh, I see that whole lot of crazy has officially arrived,” Gastón joked and took Nina’s hand. “Hey! Everybody!” He raised his voice to get every attention at Roller. “They are here, so try to behave yourselves.”

Everyone else stayed inside like it had been agreed upon as Gastón and Nina went outside to meet the arrivals. 

“We see you found your way around here eventually,” Gastón remarked in English as James, Isabel, Jacob, Marlee, Ariana, Oliver and Flor piled out of the caps. “Welcome.”

“Gotta say that this city is an absolute maze,” James said after giving him a hug. Gastón proceeded to hug Oliver and Jacob as well, as the girls had run to hug Nina first. “Ready to get hiched?”

“Is this the place that you used to skate at?” Oliver asked, “No way… we need to see you doing that, mate.”

“I still can't imagine you on skates,” Jacob laughed, “I am with Oliver, we need to see that.”

“Sorry Cob, not happening this week,” Gastón shrugged. The truth was that he had not skated in years. “I have better things to do, but if you really wanna see, I am sure Luna and Ramiro can show you a couple of tricks.”

*

“We’ll have a translator for you at the wedding, and Matteo and Ambar are fluent in English and Delfi holds her own super well too, others… manage, but I think it’ll be fine,” Gastón explained as they were walking into Roller with everyone, “Flor, I count on you that there will be no language barriers,” Gastón said in Spanish to Flor who was walking next to Oliver, holding his arm. 

“Usted puede contar conmigo.”

“Okay, so here we are,” Gastón and Nina stopped at the entrance of the cafeteria of Roller.

“Matteo!” Flor let go of Oliver and dashed to past them to hug Matteo. 

“So, here are everybody,” Gastón started speaking and he and Nina let the others further to the cafeteria. “You all have met them in some form, but still, here are our Best Man and Maid of Honor, Matteo Balsano and Luna Valente. Then we have the rest of our wedding party: Ambar and Simon Alvarez, James and Isabel have met them, Delfina Alzamenti and Pedro Arias, Jazmin Carvajal, Ramiro Ponce, Yamila Sances and Jimena Medina and Nicolas Navarro.” Gastón explained, “we have been formerly known as the team of Jam and Roller. Y todos,” Gastón said switching over to Spanish again. This really was a language brain workout, switching between languages so frequently, “Here are our friends from Oxford: Jacob Thomas, Marlee Wynne, Ariana Williams, James Wilson and Isabel Davidson, and Oliver Carson. Everyone has met Flor Astrella already, as she is Matteo’s cousin.”

Multiple greetings in multiple languages could be heard.

***

“It has been way too long,” Nina said as she sat down with Marlee and Ariana after all the introductions had been performed. The girls had been her roommates at Oxford, until she and Gastón had moved out of the dorms and in together, and were kind of the reason why she had been reunited with him in the first place as they had been part of his friendgroup first. 

“Well, I gotta say that nothing has really happened,” Ariana had a sneaky smirk on her face, “Except that Marlee has a girlfriend.”

“Were you never planning on telling me? You could have brought her to the wedding.” Nina turned towards Marlee, “It is very new. We only have been out a couple of times. We are not exactly in the place yet where I would take her to my friends’ wedding overseas. But this really was a trip, the flight took forever, but I guess it will be worth it, you are getting married after all. I gotta say, I would not have predicted this when I met Gastón, or you… but maybe I should have predicted it when I saw you two “meet”. I would like to say I was there when you first met… but that was not it was it?”

“Girls I am so sorry to interrupt,” Delfi appeared next to them with a clipboard, “but we really must be going. The dresses need their final fittings. I already sent the others on Ambar’s car.” Delfi had volunteered to be a wedding week coordinator, which Nina was highly grateful for as they had people coming from overseas and were supposed to be at ten places at once some times. Delfi as a video producer was very experienced with schedules. 

“Uuuu, Are we gonna get to see your wedding dress?” Marlee asked as she,  Nina, Delfi, Flor and Ariana got into Delfi’s car. 

“Yes, Mora wants to do a final fitting with it as well today, just in case something needs to be altered.” As soon as Nina had told her mother about the engagement, the news had reached Mora as well, for obvious reasons of course, so Mora had right away offered to design her wedding dress. Nina had absolutely expected that, and she would have not had it any other way, since Mora had been making clothing for her since she had been born, and knew her measurements and style perfectly, even after it had evolved as she grew up. 

What Nina had not expected was that Mora had also absolutely insisted on designing the bridesmaids' dresses as well. They really could have just bought them, but Mora had insisted saying that this was her only chance to make everything for Nina’s wedding.

“I can’t believe your aunt is a real fashion designer. She was your aunt right?” Ariana said from the backseat as Delfi started driving. 

“Mom or Dad don’t have siblings,” Nina laughed, “But she has been like an aunt to me, as my mother’s best friend. But they are together now, so I guess she also kind of is my stepmother.”

*

Nina stirred as she felt the heat of the sunlight on her face. She turned on her side and felt the mattress beside her… which was empty. 

She opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbows and saw that Gastón was sitting on the desk in their bedroom and appeared to be writing something. 

“Gastón?”

“Oh, you are finally awake?” She saw him turn on the desk chair towards the bed.

“What were you doing?”

“Nothing…” She saw him slip something to a desk drawer, but she had no energy to focus on that now.

“What’s the time?”

“Almost ten o’clock-”

“That late?”

“I let you sleep,” Gastón said getting up from the desk and coming to sit down on the bed next to her, as Nina sat up as well, “You were barely able get up the stairs last night, but if you would have stayed at Luna’s you would have not gotten any sleep.”

“I don’t even remember going to sleep.” Gastón’s description sounded pretty accurate, not because she had drunk, but because she had just been so tired. Luna had hosted her bachelorette party last night and it had been everything you could have expected from Luna. “You should have woken me up earlier.”

“No I should have not,” Gastón shot her argument down, reaching to take her hands “We are getting married tomorrow, you can't be all sleep-deprived, your well-being is above everything else. I already gave Luna strict instructions to make you sleep tonight.” Luna and Nina would leave for the Villa bosque de Rosas that day, while Matteo would be staying with Gastón at their house for the night before the wedding.

“We are getting married tomorrow.” She repeated what he had said, looking into his eyes. It still didn’t feel real.

“We are,” He said letting go of her hand and placing it around her waist pulling her closer, “It only took over eight years to get here.”

Nina laughed and put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

* 

“I just want a one last picture of our bride and groom,” Luna said holding her phone, after the guys had finished putting Nina’s bags into the car and transferring Luna’s from Matteo’s car. Since Luna did not have a driver’s license, Nina would be driving them tonight and Gastón and Matteo would come in Matteo’s car the next day. 

Gastón understood Luna’s intentions, and pulled Nina into a kiss, while Luna snapped a picture of them. 

“Okay,” Matteo said as the guys walked the girls over to the car, “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Gastón pulled Nina into one more brief hug before she got into the driver’s seat of the car. “I’ll see you at the altar.”

Here we go, we only have the wedding day left. I know I kind of threw you, my lovely readers, into the deep end with some Ocs, since I am writing my fics in the wrong order. Oliver, Jacob, Marlee and Ariana, who appear first time in this chapter and James and Isabel are original characters who will play major parts in my upcoming story about Gastón and Nina's Oxford years, and of course, would be at their wedding. So there is a lot of history and backstory that I know but you don't so I understand that it may seem a bit confusing right now. If you have any questions, please comment so I can explain the best I can, and I also recommend reading Memories of Time, since that fic actually provides some exposition, especially about what on earth Flor, Matteo's cousin, is doing here. My Oc list for an overview

[blightarts]

Blades of Order & Chaos

Chapter Title: 4 - Beast of Blood

Previous Chapter: Puppeteer

Word Count: 5135

Disclaimer: All rights belong to Pixelberry. This is my version for the upcoming sequel of Blades of Light & Shadow. I am not claiming this to be the canon story of the book. This is only written to increase the hype for the actual sequel.

MC/Pairing: Kite (Blue Elf Male MC) / Kite x Nia

Taglist: @princessstellaris @mechaspirit @brightningstar @cal-north @lxdy-starfury @tyrils-star @imturaxamara @kelseaaa

Trapped inside the harsh sandstorm plaguing the Zaradun Wasteland, the party struggles to seek refuge. Still unconscious from the fight against Laundsellyn, Kite is being carried on Tyril’s back while Kade and the nespers are in front of him, and Nia is at front, leading the party and conjuring an Orb of Light to prevent anyone from going astray.

Threep: It is futile! We have been trekking for almost an hour.

Kade: Can’t we like… use magic to blow this storm away?

Tyril: I’m afraid not. This sandstorm seems to big to be easily subsided.

Nia stops and looks down.

Nia: Wait! Look.

Everyone else follows her glance.

Loola: Red sand?

Threep: Ah, of course! The Red Desert, home of the molepeople.

Nia: Come on. Let’s keep moving. We might find their underground hideout and seek refuge there.

The party continues forward as they leave the Zaradun Wasteland and enter the Red Desert.

Tyril: I’ve read that the race of molepeople are mostly peaceful but tend to be aggressive when their home is threatened.

Kade: So, we just have to make sure that we mean to harm to the–

But before Kade could finish his sentence, he suddenly sinks under the sand. Threep and Loola, who were resting on his shoulder fall to the ground.

Tyril: Kade!

Nia: What happened?!

Threep: They just… sank…

Loola: Are we on quicksand?!

What remains of the party quickly scrambles while still making sure that they stick together but…

Nia: AAAAAAAHHH!!

Nia is plunged beneath the sand instantly after taking another step, frightening the others.

Tyril: Curses! Threep, Loola, get into the air! Get out of he–

Unfortunately, Tyril is unable to finish his exclamation as he is also pulled down, along with Kite, leaving only the nespers. Due to the strong winds of the sandstorm, should the nespers attempt to fly, they will be blown away. Threep turns to Loola.

Threep: Loola… Should we ever meet our demise here, I want you to knEEEOOOOWW!!!

Threep is interrupted and sinks with the others, shocking Loola.

Loola: Threep!

Soon, Loola joins him.

Minutes later, Tyril wakes up, laid in bed. He quickly opens his eyes and jumps out, instinctively ready for combat. He looks around and realizes he’s in some sort of cave beneath the sand, however, he notices that there are tables, chairs and medicine scattered around, almost as if someone’s been living inside the cave for so long. He moves to the door and opens it slightly to peek at what’s outside. What he saw is a large underground city, filled houses made of sandstone and metallic ore. He also saw dwarves and molepeople all around the city.

Tyril: This is…

Voice: Ah, you’re awake.

Tyril quickly closes the door and turns around in a fighting stance before meeting face to face with a dwarf.

Dwarf Healer: Easy, easy. I’m just a medic.

The mage lowers his guard.

Tyril: Where am I? Why did you abduct me and my companions?

The dwarf takes a sit and clears his throat.

Dwarf Healer: You’re in the underground city of the Red Desert. After the collapse of the Dwarven civilization of Zaradun, the dwarves who survived met with the molepeople and have coexisted with them for centuries. While we’ve hidden ourselves away from every other race in Morella and have deemed ourselves “extinct”, we are actually preparing for the return of the Empire of Ash and assist the Chosen Hero of Chaos in their journey to stop the Empire.

Tyril: “Chosen Hero of Chaos”?

Tyril turns to Kite, who is sleeping soundly.

Tyril: You mean Kite?

The dwarf nods.

Dwarf Healer: Indeed. Your friend, Kite, is in fact a descendant of House Nightbloom, whose first lord was the one who united every race in this realm in order to drive back the Empire and seal most of them within the Shadow Realm.

Tyril: I’ve never heard of House Nightbloom, nor have seen their history from the archives of Undermount.

Dwarf Healer: That is because Lucius, their traitorous child and who you may know as Sir Laundsellyn, destroyed any evidence of the House’s existence and made sure that he is the only surviving member of his House. However, seeing as how your friend is another survivor means that there is still hope.

Tyril’s friends begin to groan and wake from their slumber, prompting the dwarf to stand up and head for the door.

Tyril: Where are you going?

Dwarf Healer: Informing the Dwarven King that you are all well and awake.

As the dwarf leaves the clinic, Tyril approaches his friends.

Tyril: Are you all well?

Kade: Mmm… what time is it…?

Nia: Where are we…?

Threep: Have we joined the Gods in the Heavens?

Loola: I do not think so. The Home of the Gods seem… sandy.

While the others wake up slowly, Kite abruptly opens his eyes before jumping out of bed and looking around angrily.

Kite: Laundsellyn! Where is he?!

His friends look at him with concern.

Threep: I am having déjà vu right now.

Nia comes to Kite’s aid and holds his hand.

Nia: Kite, it’s okay. He’s gone. We’re all safe.

The elf gets a hold of himself and gently clutches his beloved’s hand.

Kite: I’m sorry. I just…

Kite looks at his free hand, recalling the time where he tried to cast Shadow Magic. He fears that he might be letting his anger and inner darkness control him.

Kite: …I’ll be okay.

He gives Nia a reluctant but reassuring smile before she smiles back at him. Kade walks up to Kite and lightly punches his chest while Tyril approaches him from behind and puts a hand on his shoulder.

Kade: We’re here for you, Kite.

Tyril: At least… most of us are…

The party’s expression falls into despair as Kite notices that Mal is nowhere to be seen.

Kite: What happened to Mal?

His friends remain silent until Loola speaks up.

Loola: He was… crystallized by Laundsellyn, the same way he did to Threep centuries ago…

Kite tries his best to contain his rage and just nods.

Kite: I did my best to protect him. I tried to fire three more Light arrows towards Laundsellyn, but he used the Blade of Shadows to create a portal in front of him then another one behind Mal, in order to change the trajectory of the arrows. I reacted just in time to take the blow of the arrows for him, but my strength faded when I let myself get impaled. I only prolonged his fate, not prevent it…

The elf looks down, almost about to tear up, before his friends give him a comforting embrace.

Nia: You’re not the only one that failed, Kite… We all did…

Voice: Failure is all part of the learning process. We, dwarves, know that more than anyone.

The party turns to the door to see a dwarf, clad in royal garments while accompanied by molepeople knights.

Dwarf Royalty: Greetings, travelers. I am Brynjar Flintheart, King of the surviving Dwarves of Zaradun.

The party compose themselves before kneeling and bowing in front of the King.

Kite: Your Majesty, we humbly apologize for possibly entering your territory without permission, but we have a rea—

King Brynjar: There’s no need for you to explain, son of House Nightbloom. We know why you are here.

Kite looks up, surprised.

Kite: Really?

Brynjar nods.

King Brynjar: You are here to know more about the Empire of Ash and how to defeat them.

Kite: But how…?

Brynjar motions the party to stand and they do so.

King Brynjar: Follow me. I shall explain on the way.

The Dwarven King heads out of the clinic while the party walks with him from behind, confused.

King Brynjar: It all began since the birth of the six Old Gods, who each govern one of the six main aspects of Magic and one of the fundamentals of life; Shagara, the Goddess of the Light and Hope; Magalus, the God of the Shadows and Courage; Shanron, the God of the Earth and Bonds; Theos, the God of Fire and Purity; Kushaora, the God of the Wind and Wisdom; and Namia, the Goddess of Water and Tranquility.

Tyril: I did not know that Magalus was also the God of the Shadows. All records mentioned that he is only the God of Courage, which sometimes inspires warriors to set aside their fears and face any challenge.

King Brynjar: History was rewritten in a way, so that Magalus will not be despised by the dwellers of the Realm. Magalus was never a God of evil and Shadow Magic were never meant to be viewed as an evil aspect of magic just because it is powered by negative emotions. Shadow Magic powered by hatred and malice will never be as powerful as pure Shadow Magic, powered by the will and courage of an individual. However, because of hubris, most notably, the hubris of the Shadow Court, one’s own selfish ambitions caused the misuse of Shadow Magic and its tainted reputation of only being used when one has evil intentions.

Kite: So, what you’re saying is that the Shadow Realm was not originally a place filled with corruption?

Brynjar nods.

King Brynjar: There once was a time where there were no barriers between the Light and Shadow Realm. Their inhabitants used to coexist. While dwellers of the Light Realm, known as Humanoids, are vessels containing the essence of Magic, the dwellers of the Shadow Realm, known as Draconians, are creatures completely made of Magic.

Nia: What caused the separation between the two Realms?

King Brynjar: The predecessor of the “Fateseeker”.

Threep: What? You mean there was a being who came before the “Fateseeker” and had the same intentions?

King Brynjar: He was known as Moirae Boreas, a Draconian who possessed ludicrous magical power and despised Humanoids, believing that they should not inhabit the Light Realm. He sought to claim the Light Realm for himself but with the joined forces of the Old Gods, the Humanoids and the Draconians who did not follow Moirae’s ideals, he was defeated.

Loola: But that was not the end of it, wasn’t it?

Brynjar shakes his head.

King Brynjar: Magic cannot be created nor destroyed. Even if you destroy the body, the essence of Magic remains and shall take another form. Since Moirae was a Draconian, a being made completely out of Magic, his essence remained. But just before his body disappeared, he vowed to return and he did, in the form of the “Fateseeker”.

Kade: So, what we’re up against is no ordinary monster… it’s actually history?

King Brynjar: Precisely.

The party falls silent.

Kite: This is… a lot to take in.

The Dwarven King and the party enter the underground castle.

King Brynjar: It is, but we have not yet reached the story of the Empire.

Brynjar clears his throat as he and the party reach the throne room. He takes a seat on his throne and continues.

King Brynjar: The “Fateseeker” wasn’t always the monster you thought him to be. He was once an elf, a poweful one too. Centuries before the rise of the Shadow Court, he led a conquest which would later lay the foundation of the Elven Empire.

Threep: The rumors were true then. The Empire of Ash was just the Elven Empire in its earlier days.

King Brynjar: Not quite. One night after the establishment of the Elven Empire, the “Fateseeker” was somehow transported to the Shadow Realm, where he merged with the essence of Moirae. The Draconians who were tasked to guard the dungeon containing Moirae’s essence were caught off guard and were later slaughtered by the “Fateseeker”, who now possessed Moirae’s power.

Loola: So… Moirae’s return was inevitable…

King Brynjar: Unfortunately, yes. He later took the essences remained from the destroyed bodies of the Draconians and used it for his experiments.

Kade: This can’t be good…

King Brynjar: Indeed, it wasn’t. Being an entity with merged Draconian and Humanoid essences, the “Fateseeker” theorized that if he could merge the Draconian essences he collected with the life essence of his subjects, he could create an unstoppable army and expand the rule of the Elven Empire.

Nia: Were the… experiments successful…?

Brynjar nods.

Brynjar: His experiments led to the creation of his Lieutenants of Sin and his army. Some of his soldiers followed his ideals, yet the rest were slaves to him, forced to do his bidding.

Tyril: Like Farin’s brother…

The party turns to Tyril.

Kite: What do you mean, Tyril?

The mage turns to his friends, recalling his dream back in Whitetower.

Tyril: I haven’t told you what I saw in my dream.

Nia: Does it have something to do with Lady Farin?

Tyril nods.

Tyril: One of the Lieutenants… the leader of the Vhampyrs… the Beast of Cragheart… was Farin’s own brother, turned into a monster…

The news horrifies Tyril’s friends.

Kite: So, we’re not just up against an entire army of ruthless monsters… but also, innocent people, turned into killer beasts?

Kite grits his teeth and clenches his fists. He turns to Brynjar.

Kite: How was the Empire defeated in the first place?

Brynjar worries for Kite but reluctantly answers.

King Brynjar: After the “Fateseeker” formed his army, your ancestor, the first of his House, Haldir Nightbloom, united all Humanoids of Morella and declared war against the Empire of Ash. He and his rebellion won after he sealed the Empire inside the Shadow Realm.

Kade: “Haldir Nightbloom”?

King Brynjar: Yes. He is the one you refer to as “the hero who controls the power of Chaos”.

Kite calms from his rage after hearing that his ancestor was the hero of the war.

Kite: And he’s… my ancestor.

King Brynjar: Indeed. Haldir was a humble elf, honest to a fault and willing to do what is right for the benefit of all. Prior to the war against the Empire, he was but a mere pilgrim, who travelled to the city of Zaradun, learning what he can about this Realm and about magic. At the end of his tutelage under the dwarfs, he learned about the Sacred Treasures and travelled across the Realm in order to find them.

Nia: Sacred Treasures?

King Brynjar: They are magical weapons forged by the ancient dwarves, as instructed by the Old Gods upon hearing Moirae’s threat of returning. Each Treasure, when awakened, contains the power of each of the Old Gods. They are the only ones capable of slaying the Lieutenants of the Empire.

Tyril: Then where can we find these Sacred Treasures?

Brynjar smiles and glances at Kite.

King Brynjar: You already possess one.

Kite looks at his sheathed Blade of Sol.

Kite: The Blade of Sol?

Tyril: But this is an heirloom to my House.

King Brynjar: Yes, while it may be true that your ancestor, Farin Starfury, possessed the Blade of Sol and made it the heirloom of House Starfury, it was originally a Sacred Treasure, a gift from the Gods.

Kite unsheathes the Blade of Sol and, along with his friends, stares at it, curious at its hidden power.

King Brynjar: With the limited time that Haldir had before the rise of the Empire, he was only able to find three of the Sacred Treasures, the Blade of Chaos, the Blade of Sol and the Sea King’s Cutless. He gave the Blade of Sol to Farin and the Sea King’s Cutlass to one of the Orc Tribe chieftains.

Kite: Farin and Haldir knew each other?

King Brynjar: After Farin and her House escaped the clutches of the “Fateseeker”, she sought help from Haldir. After the war, their Houses have always kept a close friendship.

Kite and Tyril look at each other.

Tyril: That would explain why I would easily tolerate you more than the others.

Kite chuckles.

Kite: That’s a funny way of saying that you liked me more easily than the rest.

Tyril rolls his eyes before Brynjar continues his story.

King Brynjar: The rest of the Sacred Treasures are the Tiara of Shagara, the Crown of Magalus, the Forest Dweller’s Lute, the Talon Sash, the Sea King’s Cutlass, and of course, the Blade of Chaos. You may know it as the Blade of Light.

Tyril: Wait, so the Blade of Light was originally a sword that both contain the powers of the Light and Shadows?

King Brynjar: Yes. It is the only Sacred Treasure not forged by my ancestors, but instead, it was forged by Shagara and Magalus themselves. They were able to fuse the power of both Light and Shadows in order to create a blade capable of permanently erasing magic, a feat that cannot accomplished by anyone.

Nia: And since the essence of Moirae present within the “Fateseeker” is made of magic, it is the only weapon capable of defeating him.

Brynjar nods.

King Brynjar: However, the creation of the Blade exhausted all of the two Gods’ strengths, which led to them and the rest of the Old Gods to be one with Magic and the universe.

Kade: So, we just have to somehow unlock both the Light and Shadow powers within the Blade, right? Should be easy.

Kite: I doubt that it would be.

King Brynjar: Kite is correct. Wielding the Blade alone requires conviction and power, but using it to its full potential requires the Spirit of the Hero.

Threep: The “Spirit of the Hero”?

King Brynjar: It is the ultimate power created by the Old Gods, which grants the wielder the ability to awaken and utilize the full power of the Blade of Chaos. It also allows the wielder to grant a percent of his power to his companions. The one who shall wield this must be a master of all aspects of magic and the fundamentals of life.

Loola: I can see why defeating the “Fateseeker” is no easy feat.

King Brynjar: Haldir was almost perfect to wield the Spirit of the Hero, but his little knowledge of Shadow Magic makes him unworthy. His descendants were no different, especially Lucius, who casted away Light magic and its importance.

Brynjar looks at Kite.

King Brynjar: But you are different, Kite. You possess a gift that no other in your House had. Should you pass the test to acquire the Spirit of the Hero, then you will be able to defeat the Empire of Ash.

Kite: But… I don’t even know where to start, your Majesty.

King Brynjar: You can start by finding, acquiring and awakening the Sacred Treasures.

Nia: Do you know where they are, your Majesty?

King Brynjar: Yes. We’ve kept Haldir’s notes containing every information about each Sacred Treasure. We shall provide them to you later. For now, time is of the essence and I must prepare you for the journey ahead.

King Brynjar stands from his throne and leads the party to the armory. While looking for new swords to use in combat, Tyril is approached by Kite, who hands him the Blade of Sol.

Tyril: What are you doing, Kite?

Kite: Just giving you what’s rightfully yours.

Tyril: I… cannot accept it. Not after I have failed to stop Athala.

Kite shakes his head and places the Blade on Tyril’s hands.

Kite: Farin could have said a similar thing after she failed to save her brother from the “Fateseeker”. But Haldir saw past that and still gave her the responsibility of wielding this.

Tyril: I…

Kite: You are a great warrior, Tyril. I cannot defeat the Empire alone. I need everyone’s help, including yours.

Tyril continues to hesitate but eventually accepts the Blade, equipping it on his back, where his old sword used to be.

Tyril: Thank you, Kite. I promise that I will not fail you once again.

Kite smiles and gently punches his fellow elf’s shoulder.

Kite: I know you won’t.

Tyril: Here, let me return the favor by helping you select a new sword.

Kite: Of course.

While the two look for a new blade for Kite to wield, Kade comes across a peculiar weapon.

Kade: What is this?

He turns to Brynjar while pointing at the peculiar weapon.

King Brynjar: Ah, yes. That is a brand-new ranged weapon we have invented. Here, let me show you how it works.

Minutes later, the party has prepared everything they need, such as weapons and supplies. Brynjar guides them to the underground city’s exit.

King Brynjar: From here, head east. You should be able to come across an abandon port. Just yell the words, “Glory to Zaradun” and my subjects stationed there should be able to help you return to Morella. Once you reach south of Riverbend, head northeast. Most of Morella is dangerous now, so it’s best to go around it to reach what’s north of Morella.

Kade: What can we find there, your Majesty?

King Brynjar: The Vishanti Mountains, the home of the wooly men. I’ve heard rumors about a powerful weapon sleeping beneath those mountains, which could be proven useful in your journey.

Kite: Is it a Sacred Treasure?

King Brynjar: Not exactly, but when reforged with the proper materials, it can be.

Kite: Understood, your Majesty.

Tyril: We won’t let you down.

Before seeing the party off, Brynjar hands Nia a book.

King Brynjar: This book contains everything Haldir knows about the Sacred Treasures; what they are, where they are located and how to awaken their power.

Nia: Thank you, your Majesty.

As Nia takes the book, Brynjar steps back and takes one last look at the party.

King Brynjar: Gods’ blessing upon you, heroes of Morella. Once you have gathered the Sacred Treasures and awakened them from their slumber, we, dwarves, shall join you in the war against the “Fateseeker”.

The party bows at Brynjar one last time before they depart.

Upon leaving the underground city, the party followed Brynjar’s instructions precisely, eventually leading them near Necropolis a day later. They set up a camp inside the forest south of the cursed city. Tyril looks north, towards the home of the Vhampyrs.

Tyril: Do you think they’re still in there?

His friends join him in staring at Necropolis.

Kade: I don’t think so. It’s been three days since Laundsellyn broke the Lieutenants from their prisons.

Tyril: It’s just that the atmosphere feels…

Kite: Unsettling? Yeah, I sense it too.

While remaining cautious about what might come from the darkness, the group continues on with their dinner.

Nia: So, the vhampyrs are just elves cursed with Draconian power which either gives them the ability to do Blood Magic or turn them into blood-sucking beasts? And they are under the influence of the “Fateseeker”?

Kite nods while holding Haldir’s journal.

Kite: That’s what Haldir believed.

Tyril: The evidence is that Lady Farin’s brother was one of those elves that were cursed. From what I recall from my dream, his name was Vladus Starfury.

Kade: And since he’s under the control of the “Fateseeker”, maybe we can break him from his brainwashing?

Threep: That won’t be an easy task.

Loola: Especially when he is a powerful Lieutenant and the commander of the Vhampyrs.

Tyril: We have to at least try. He did not deserve this!

Kite: If it’s worth a shot, if we do break him and the other Vhampyrs out of the control of the “Fateseeker”, they could aid us in the war against the Empire before we can finally set them free from suffering.

Tyril: That… is a possibility. Good thinking.

Suddenly, rustling can be heard nearby, startling the party. They stand in unison, preparing for what’s to come. Tyril unsheathes the Blade of Sol, while Kite wields the Shield of Castiel and a dwarven-forged sword. Nia and Kade stand behind them while the nespers hover above them all.

Kite: Keep your eyes peeled. It could come from anywhere.

There was silence for a moment, until…

Vhampyr 1: RAAAAAAAARRR!!!

A pale and feral elf leaps from a bush, attempting to attack the party. Kite reacts by bashing his shield against the monstrous elf, stunning them as they drop on the ground. While the feral elf tries to stand up, Tyril hurriedly yet reluctantly decapitates them, causing them to turn into ashes upon death. The mage then kneels, honoring the dead vhampyr.

Tyril: Your years of suffering are over. Rest with your loved ones.

Kite steps up behind Tyril and places a hand on his shoulder. The moment was cut short as more rustling can be heard nearby.

Kade: More incoming!

Kite: We can’t waste time fighting vhampyrs. We have to keep moving north!

As more vhampyrs appear from the darkness of the forest, Tyril turns to Nia.

Tyril: Nia, I need your assistance.

Nia: What can I do to help?

Tyril: I want you to infuse Light magic to the Blade of Sol.

The priestess nods and begins doing what she was told to. Tyril then turns to Kite.

Tyril: Kite, buy us some time.

Kite: I’m on it!

Kite gets between his friends and the incoming vhampyrs while holding the Shield of Castiel up. He then channels Light magic and infuses it with the shield.

Kite: Light Magic: Shining Barrier!

The elf slams the bottom edge of the shield on the ground, creating a spherical barrier of Light around him and his friends. The vhampyrs leap and attempt to tear through the barrier but are unable to make even a single scratch on it.

Kade: When did you learn how to do that?

Kite grins at Kade.

Kite: Nia taught me during our date back in Whitetower.

Kade: It’s so cool!

Kite: I know, right? Really convenient too since no one can hear all the noises inside it.

He winks at Nia, whose turned red. Tyril looks at Kite, annoyed.

Tyril: Can we save adult conversations after we get out of this alive?

Kite laughs while Kade and the nespers facepalm at his joke.

Tyril: Anyway, we’re almost there. Just keep the barrier intact, Kite.

Kite: Well, hopefully not too long. This is draining my vitality.

Tyril then ignites the Blade of Sol with Fire Magic, coalescing with Nia’s Light Magic.

Tyril: Coalescence Magic: Sunshine Blade!

Light almost as bright as the sun bursts from the Blade, almost blinding the party and startling the vhampyrs. The cursed elves begin to back away while hissing at Tyril’s sword.

Tyril: Now, Kite!

Kite grins and lets go of his magic, erasing the barrier surrounding him and his friends. Tyril gets into a stance, ready to unleash his attack.

Tyril: In the name of the Light and House Starfury, I shall put you all to rest!

Tyril leaps over his friends and towards a group of vhampyrs, cowering from him. He then swings his Blade and slashes the cursed elves, burning them and turning them into ashes. He glides across the campground and elegantly strikes the remaining vhampyrs. Kite sees the window of opportunity.

Kite: Quick! Rush northwards, while we still have the chance!

The party grabs all of their supplies and flees from their campsite, with Tyril guarding their tail from any incoming vhampyr. As the party travels further into the forest and around Necropolis, more and more vhampyrs appear, but Tyril takes care of them swiftly and easily.

Nia: We’re almost there. Just a little furthe—

Suddenly, a tree is hurled from right behind the party and crashes in front of them, blocking their path. Kade stumbles and falls down in a sitting position.

Kade: Huh?! Wha?!

The party looks behind them to see a hulking beast of a vhampyr approaching them. Tyril recognizes it and grits his teeth.

Tyril: It’s him… It’s Vladus.

Kite: I thought he’d be in Morella by now!

Tyril tightens his grip on the Blade of Sol, still infused with Light and Fire magic.

Tyril: Go! I’ll hold them off!

Nia: What?!

Kade: No!

Kite: We’re not losing you too!

The mage gives a reassuring smile to his friends, but fear can be seen on his face.

Tyril: I shall catch up with all of you. Worry not.

While Vladus continues to walk up towards the group, his underlings rush past him to attack them. Tyril annihilates them with his Blade.

Tyril: Hurry! Time is of the essence!

Kite clenches his fists in anger before leaping over the tree that was thrown in front of them. He extends his hand to Nia and Kade.

Kite: Come on!

Kade: But…

Kite: We have no choice!

Kade and Nia turn to Tyril one last time who nods at them while still holding off the vhampyrs almost swarming him. The two reluctantly climb over the fallen tree while Kite helps them and the nespers fly close. They give Tyril one last regretful look.

Nia: Light’s blessing upon you, Tyril.

Threep: Please return to us soon.

Loola conjures a bunch of ice shards.

Loola: We need to at least support him before we depart!

Kite and Nia agree by hurling Cleansing Fire and an Orb of Light, respectively, from their palms. Tyril grins with appreciation at them and Kite nods at him before turning to their friends.

Kite: Let’s go!

The elf runs north with the party joining him from behind. Meanwhile, Tyril continues to hold the vhampyrs back, even though their claws are already leaving tears on his garb and wounds on his skin. Despite his injuries, the mage continues to hold his own. Finally, Vladus appears right in front of him.

Vladus: Yourrrr ssswooorrrd… familllliaaarrrr…

The beast holds his arm up and clenches his hand into a fist, prompting the vhampyrs to stop their attack but surround Tyril instead. The mage takes a defensive stance while looking Vladus in the eye.

Tyril: I know who you are. You are Vladus Starfury, brother of Lady Farin. You are not a mindless thrall of the “Fateseeker”.

After hearing his own name and the name of his sister, Farin, Vladus slowly pieces it together, which leads him to recognize Tyril as a descendant of their House.

Vladus: Yoouuu… Starrrfuryyyy….

Tyril sweats but nods.

Tyril: Yes… and I’m here to break you all from your curses.

There is silence for a moment until Vladus finally speaks.

Vladus: Yoouuu…. Turrrrrnn…

Tyril: What?

Vladus reaches to grab Tyril, to which the mage responds by trying to slash the beast with the Blade of Sol. However, the cursed Starfury easily catches the blade, only slightly burning his hand, making him seem almost immune to its sunlight-like properties, despite being a vhampyr.

Tyril: No, this isn’t possible.

Without a response, Vladus confiscates the Blade of Sol from Tyril and turns back. His underlings once again swarm Tyril before grabbing his limbs and hoisting him up.

Tyril: Unhand me!

Vladus and the other vhampyrs make their way back to Necropolis with Tyril, struggling to break free, as their prisoner.

Tyril has left the party.

————— END OF CHAPTER ————

[trans-darkwing]

"i’m going to go ahead and cut you off right there, because i don’t give a shit." Donald @Gladstone?

The rocks settled after sliding through the mouth of the unseen cave, a cloud of dust and debris bloomed in its wake. They’d walked right onto the unstable ground and went tumbling down, with a mess of rocks and dirt following after. 

It was dark in the cavern save for a few stray beams of sunlight shining through. Gladstone could make out Donald’s silhouette, shoulders hunched and shaking from hacking coughs as he breathed in the dust. Luckily, when Gladstone had tumbled he’d rolled far enough in that he wasn’t in the thick of it like his cousin was.

He stood up slowly and sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth, “bad luck,” he observed.

Donald whirled on him, “and how is it that the luckiest duck in the world fell in here with me?” he demanded furiously, seeming to have taken the simple phrase as a personal insult.

The goose raised his hands in surrender. “That’s not what I meant, Donaldo. Only that this situation is kinda bad. Even my luck isn’t perfect.” He gestured towards the cave they were currently trapped in to demonstrate, though Donald wouldn’t really be able to see him do it.

“Whatever,” his cousin muttered, turning away.

Gladstone’s eyes began to adjust to the darkness, his perception of Donald shifting from hazy outline to the haggard visage of his cousin, though still draped in shadow. Gladstone really had been lucky it seemed, other than the soreness of falling down with a rock slide, he hadn't been hurt. Judging from the way Donald was clutching his arm, the same could not be said for him.

Gladstone winced at the thought and turned away to glance around the cave for anything useful. When he saw nothing but more darkness he plopped down, leaning back against the cave wall.

“Della!” Donald screamed towards the minuscule opening where light was just barely making its way through. “Scrooge!” he tried again. And a few more desperate times after that.

When there was no answer, his shoulders sagged. 

“Just sit back, D-nomite. They’ll come looking for us soon enough,” he advised easily from where he sat.

Donald turned on him again, squinting in the darkness, “What? And wait down here with you until we go mad with hunger and start trying to eat each other?”

Gladstone’s brow furrowed. “I don’t think we would resort to cannibalism that fast.”

“If it was you, I would,” Donald grumbled to himself in a low tone that he may have thought Gladstone wouldn’t be able to understand. He rolled his eyes.

Donald turned away again, this time not bothering to call for help. He crouched down and started to toss rocks away from the entrance and further into the cave. He was grunting in pain every time he lifted one though, exerting that wounded arm with each one he picked up. 

Gladstone scrunched up his nose as he watched him, cringing as his cousin let out a particularly strangled breath.

“Donny, you’re working too hard,” he started, stretching his legs out languidly as he spoke. “if you would just—”

“I’m going to go ahead and cut you off right there, because I don’t give a shit,” Donald spoke harshly not even turning to look at him this time. “Not everybody always gets a solution handed to them on a silver platter. I’m trying to get us out of this damned cave. And I don’t need your commentary.”

Gladstone was stunned to silence by the outburst. He knew perfectly well Donald harbored some anger towards him for his good fortune, but he’d always thought it was just a petty resentment, due to his own bad luck. Did Donald really always work this hard?

“Now get up and help me move these rocks or I really will eat you!” He punctuated this sentence with a grunt as he threw another rock, but this time in the other direction— towards Gladstone. He yelped and dove out of the way as the rock bounced off the wall beside him, not close enough to hit but enough to make him jump.

“Alright, alright!” He relented, feeling affronted he pushed himself up to walk over beside Donald.

Gladstone had never been the type to ‘put-your-back-into-it’. He’d never had to, so he was a little lost as he looked down at the sizable rocks at their feet. Worse, there were even bigger boulders ahead of them.

Donald groaned in pain again as he lifted another. Then he seemed to catch Gladstone looking lost and paused with a sigh.

“Okay, you want to bend your knees and get a good grip on the rock. Then let your legs do the heavy lifting or you’ll throw out your back,” he explained, demonstrating slowly as he spoke.

Gladstone watched him throw another rock away before tentatively looking back towards the stone, with a knit to his brow.

“Go on,” Donald encouraged, suddenly sounding in a much better mood, almost amused. Gladstone glared down at the stone, resolutely ignoring his cousin for the moment.

He bent his knees, crouching down and grabbing hold of the rough surface of the rock, he pushed himself up then with an effort, stumbling backward as he finally heaved the weight up.

“It’s kinda hard on your hands, huh,” he said, he hadn’t been expecting the harsh edges of the rock pressing painfully into his hands. In truth, it was sort of unexpectedly hard in general, but he wasn’t planning to admit that Donald had made it look easy.

“Uh huh,” Donald agreed, placating him patiently, “you can just drop it over there now.”

Gladstone turned around slowly, struggling to keep his grip on the rock. Before deciding a step away was good enough and dropping it unceremoniously—directly onto his own foot.

“Aaaaah!” he shouted in agony, falling backwards as the pain hit him. Behind him another rock dropped onto the ground with a thud and Donald was rushing over to him to lift the stone off of his foot.

“Are you okay?” he asked frantically, eyes wide with concern.

“Sure, I’m fine,” he answered sardonically, “it just hurts like hell!” He curled in on himself now, clutching onto his inflamed foot.

Donald drew away from him, his expression becoming guarded, “Well, why don’t you just sit there and I’ll get us out of here.” He didn’t sound angry this time, instead, his voice was even and calm. But somehow he seemed so far out of reach now.

Gladstone watched him curiously for a moment as he turned away from him once again and resolutely focused on moving the stones. He was sort of surprised Donald hadn’t just laughed at him for it. His shoulders drooped as he forced himself to do the hard thing because it was the right thing. He started to push himself up.

“You kidding?” he asked, managing to stand and balancing his weight on one foot. “We’re gonna get out of here together, Don.” That got him to stop, glancing back now to give Gladstone a look as though he thought he’d also managed to conk himself on the head with a rock.

“And we match now, besides,” Gladstone added, trying to lighten the mood.

“What,” Donald asked flatly, still defensive.

“Your arm— injuries?” he spoke looking at his cousin’s torn sleeve pointedly.

Donald glanced down at the wound like he’d forgotten it was there. “I… I didn’t think you even noticed,” he admitted.

Gladstone had very little to say to that, unsure whether the discomforting pit in his stomach was disappointment that his cousin thought that of him, or disappointment with himself because that was what he was like. He shrugged helplessly, “I noticed,” he countered weakly.

Donald nodded slowly, “okay,” he said, almost, sort-of, maybe smiling. Gladstone quirked his mouth in return. 

“But seriously,” Donald started again, his expression quickly turning strict once more, “sit back down or you’re going to hurt yourself again.”

“What?” he splayed his hands, grinning. If there was one thing he and his cousins had shared over the years it was jokes, “What’s wrong with that? The more hurt I am, the easier it will be to kill me when we go mad with hunger.”

“Gladstone, we both know I don’t need any advantages to beat you in a fight.” Donald shot back easily. “Now sit down.”

Gladstone snorted and did as he was told.

Donald had just begun to reach for another rock when they heard a faint voice calling.

“Donald!? Gladstone!” Della’s voice sounded distantly from above.

Both of them perked up at the sound.

“Down here! We’re down here!” Donald belted earth-shatteringly loud. He always did have a pair of lungs on him.

Gladstone silently leaned away from the noise, not that it did much good.

It wasn’t long before she was close enough to see the wreck of earth where they were trapped. “How did you get down there?” she called.

“We fell!” Gladstone answered.

“How did you know to look for us?” Donald asked his sister.

“We heard this scream of pain, like ‘AAAAAAAHHH!’” she mimicked what was— in his opinion— a very exaggerated version of Gladstone’s yell.

“Well, that’s pretty lucky,” Donald spoke, glancing over his shoulder at Gladstone. There was half a smile pulling at his bill as he quirked an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I guess it was,” Gladstone agreed, smiling carelessly once again. Then Donald was holding out a hand for him, he took it and let the man pull him up. His cousin looped an arm around his shoulders to keep him steady.

“Now, how about getting us out of here before I’m forced to eat Gladstone to survive!”

[graphitesblog]

Apartment zoo

Well it seems graphite has gotten an interest in some of earth's animals and it seems the human (who actually likes being called Roxanne) is being to be as stressed as you Moonstone. " hey graph how are you this morning *begins to poor milk into her cereal* - oh I'm doing fine thanks for asking I was just teaching the tiny version of you how this tiger is really really cool to hug - oh that's nice...*dropping her cereal as the sudden realization that a tiger is in her apartment* (breaths)... GRAPHITE! - AH WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING?! - WHY IS THERE A FLIPPING TIGER IN MY APARTMENT! - I THOUGHT ANIAMLS WERE ALLOWED HERE?! - DOGS AND CATS ARE ALLOWED HERE! - wait aren't tigers cats? - ...*Roxanne who making a face similar to yellow diamond* (breaths) - oh no - ...yes they are and you know how a cat lands on there feet when they fall from a high place? - they can do that? I thought those lion cubs roxy is playing with looked more adorable than it should - *looking at her daughter now* ...*pulls out phone and takes a picture* okay graph I'm only going to say this once... What other animals did you for some odd reason kid napped from the zoo? - uhh let see here this tiger, those two lion cubs, that Tasmanian devil, and Roscoe who went with me to the zoo oh and roxy she also went with me - did you say Tasmanian devil? - look to your left - *roxanne looks to her left and sees the Tasmanian devil eating the rest of her cereal* ...quick question where's Roscoe? - oh Roscoe said he was going to stick around for me because he knew something was going happen I don't what he meant by it though? - I can literally think of one thing graph *rolls up a news paper*- what are you doing with that AAAAAAAHHH"

I'm ending it there as the massive beatdown that just happened is too glorious for words to describe the way she kept hitting graphite with this news paper made it look like one of the battles a quartz would fight in. It was truly a spectacle to see.

@askblackdiamond

[dontreadthistrashgarbage]

Pt. 6

Guerin got a call at her desk halfway through a project she was working on for HEET. Groaning at the interruption since she knew it would take a while to get her focus back, she took a moment to exhale before answering. "This is Go Guerin."

"Guerin it's Han Jisoo. I need you to come to my office right now."

"Yes, I'm on my way." She said cheerfully before hanging up. Leaving her hand on the phone she stared at it for a moment. "I'm getting fired." She said outloud. Her entire life any time a higher up had asked to see her in their office she immediately assumed the worst. Her stomach churned as she tried to calm herself down, then she stood up, stuck her cell phone in her pocket and left to see the CEO of her company.

She knocked gently on the door and peered in to see Jisoo, who looked up and gestured her in. The room also had a PR manager, the company lawyer and HR. [Yeah this is either about the case or I'm being fired.] She stepped inside and bowed, greeting everyone politely.

"You're not being fired." Jisoo, the CEO quipped.

"Oh thank god." Guerin exhaled, her hand going to her heart as tension left her body.

"I've known you for a long time Guerin. Things have been rough lately and we're working on it. You're an excellent worker and overall an asset to our company, and you're a very good friend." Jisoo said, smiling, though Guerin caught the strain on her face and the serious expression everyone else wore.

"Thank you, I love my job and I want to do well at it. I like this company and how it is run." Guerin bowed with gratitude before sitting down as Jisoo gestured. She looked curiously around.

"All that being said, just like we were worried about you've been targeted again by rumors." Jisoo frowned. Guerin's heart sank, she had just started getting back to her normal mood. What happened now?

The PR manager, Jaemyun showed a printed out article from dispatch, "This was published online about fifteen minutes ago." She informed Guerin, who leaned forward curiously. Her mouth dropped open as she read the headline and stayed open the rest of the article.

"WOW OF A.C.E CAUGHT ON A DATE WITH CONTROVERSIAL FOREIGNER MANAGER OF HEET"

The article was punctuated by a picture of Seyoon and Guerin sitting in the cab, smiling, and another of Guerin getting out and leaning over to say goodbye.

"As you are aware, if you are dating a celebrity we need to know so we can react appropriately." Mina, the lawyer, spoke up.

"Yes of course I know! Which is why you haven't heard anything. We're not dating! We're friends! A bunch of us went out for karaoke and drinks last night and Seyoon rode with me to make sure I got home safely after drinking." She felt embarrassed admitting she had gotten drunk the night before in a professional setting, but she knew in this instance complete honesty was important.

"I figured it was something like that." Jisoo sighed and rubbed her temples. "We've contacted Beat Interactive. They're on their way with Seyoon now so we can talk about how to best handle this. Let's relocate to the conference room."

Guerin's phone was vibrating like crazy while she waited with everyone for Seyoon and his company to come. Charlie and HEET had gotten wind of the scandal as well as some other acquaintances. She only responded to The first two with assurances that she was okay and everything was getting straightened out now before putting her phone on silent and putting it back into her pocket.

It didn't take long for Seyoon, Minseok, Beat Interactives own legal and PR team as well as the CEO Kim Hyeim herself to come in. Everyone stood and bowed, greeting each other appropriately before settling in to discussions.

"Go Guerin has already informed us that they were not on a date." Jaemyun started.

"Kim Seyoon confirmed that, he said they met with a group and he made sure she got home safe as a friend." Started the other PR manager.

Seyoon tilted his head slightly and raised his hand, "Excuse me, but that's not exactly what I said."

For a moment everyone looked at him before Hyeim finally spoke up, "Is there something you want to clarify further?"

"Ah... yes. I said we did meet with a group of friends and it wasn't a date, and that I did excort her home. But it wasn't as a friend." He seemed to have finished talking despite everyone staring at him in need of more information. A few people glanced at Guerin but she was just as lost and put her hands up defensively, unable to withhold an awkward laugh.

"Kim Seyoon, please excuse us but could you explain what you mean by that." Jisoo requested in a polite but stressed voice.

"I like Guerin." He said simply, looking at Jisoo, before his eyes went to Guerin who stared back at him in shock, hands over her mouth, "I've been meeting her as a friend but also with the intention of developing a relationship eventually."

Guerin let out another awkward laugh through her fingers, eyes wide as she ran her hands through her hair in shock before stopping at her neck. Blinking rapidly she tried to center her thoughts.

"I'm guessing this is news to you." Mina stated with a sigh.

"Yea- yes. This is not what I expected." Guerin corrected her formality, sitting up and trying to look professional again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want it to come out this way." Seyoon said, still watching Guerin's reaction with his unreadable expression. He finally broke his stare and glanced around making it clear the apology was also intended for the rest of the people in the meeting.

"That complicates things." Jisoo frowned and looked at Hyeim, "What is your company policy on dating?" Everyone got filled in on the rules, Seyoon looking back to Guerin who was now chewing her lip thoughtfully. He smiled at her again and she couldn't help sending a smaller smile back to him.

"Go Guerin." Jaemyun brought her back to reality, "If you two are dating we'll need to-" she stopped talking to see Seyoon had raised his hand to politely interrupt again.

"I'm sorry, but we aren't dating. Guerin has only just heard of my intentions and she has not responded." Seyoon smiled as though unaware of the tension. Hyeim put her face in her hands and Jisoo coughed as they both tried to hide what might have been a chuckle.

"I see." Jaemyun nodded slowly, "Go Guerin, are you planning on responding to Kim Seyoon soon or should we write a statement without one?"

"I'm- I'm so sorry." Guerin looked around at everyone, "I've just been taken by surprise. I don't know what to say. And the talk I need to have is... a private one with Kim Seyoon." She finished the sentence hyper aware of how inappropriate it sounded, but relied on the others to understand.

"Why don't we get started on the first part while you two talk? There's some other details we need to address as well regarding Guerin's current legal issues." The Beat Interactive lawyer said. Guerin started as though he had slapped her in the face. Of course that would be a problem now, the case hadn't been resolved so her reputation was controversial and could affect all of A.C.E. Recovering she stood and bowed, then followed Seyoon out.

He turned to her just outside the door but she moved past him, grabbing his sleeve and leading him to a smaller unoccupied meeting room. Closing the door she let out an exhale and leaned against it, eyes shut for a moment as she recuperated. Blinking her eyes open she met Seyoon's gaze and couldn't help but laugh, shoving him slightly.

"What the hell Seyoon?!"

"I was gonna talk to you tonight but, it seemed like a bad idea to hide that." He shrugged.

"I mean yeah, can you imagine if they said we were just friends for that to change in what a week? A month? That would have sucked." Guerin agreed.

"So, if it would have changed," he took a step toward her, taking her words literally, "Does that mean they have?"

"I- I mean." She stammered then put her hand on his chest to stop his approach. "You're distracting me!" Guerin complained. His smile grew, narrowing his eyes mischeviously.

"So you find me distracting?" He wiggled his eyebrows and bit his lip bit didnt advance any closer.

"Yeah of course!" She couldn't hide it, "You're too damn sweet and cute and weird and handsome. You're fun and you keep me on my toes but you also are so genuinely supportive and kind, aaaaaaahhh." She groaned covering her face with her hands again. He reached for her wrists and took her hands in his, holding them both between them. She sighed hopelessly at him.

"You said you acted without thinking last night. I thought you meant that it was a mistake."

"Ah... I meant that I wasn't thinking because I just wanted to be in contact with you." He swung her hands in his lightly as though showing her what he meant, "But I didnt want to say it over text."

"I was actually disappointed." She admitted with a laugh.

"Does that mean you like me too?" He wiggled his shoulders at her and made her chuckle. Guerin peered into his eyes pensively, her heart beating rapidly.

"... yeah. I do. Of course I do."

He pulled her toward him, wrapping her arms around himself before hugging her tightly back. She stepped into it willingly, as she rested her chin on his shoulder and his body against hers, in her arms, it felt surreal. She had idly wondered what embracing him would feel like and now it was happening. But reality brought her back to her senses. Remembering the biggest obstacle, she reluctantly pulled away from him. He was still grinning but it faded slightly at her expression of regret.

"Seyoonie, even if I like you I don't know that we should date..." she started.

He tilted his head inquiringly, waiting for her to continue, "Your lawyer mentioned my case... I have a really bad reputation right now. It's already risky enough when an idol dates but... someone like me? A foreigner with rumors of attacking a fan? How would that affect A.C.E? Your whole career?" She trailed off again, not knowing what to say next.

Seyoon looked pensive and nodded slowly before speaking, "I love being a singer. It's my dream and I don't want to lose that."

"I know, and no one is worth giving that up for!" She agreed quickly.

"We know you're innocent. That's going to be revealed soon." He nodded along with his own reasoning, "And I'm going to get married someday. So I might as well begin with someone I like."

Guerin laughed loudly at his self satisfied expression with his simple logic, "You're too cute, it's killing me."

"Noonaaaa don't die yet." He poked his own cheek as he pouted, "We haven't even kissed yet."

"You little." She failed to look stern and tapped his lips lightly with her hand. He responded by wiggling closer to her. Getting swept up she chose to meet his challenge, moving forward she pecked him suddenly on the lips, then ducked away.

"Hey, wait I wasnt ready!" He called out surprised and reached out to grab her. She spun his arm and turned him so she was facing him and he was up against the wall as she smirked at him in his surprise before he licked his lips and gave a naughty smile.

"Okay, so get ready again." She moved her hands to his torso and leaned in again, eyes fluttering closed. He leaned in the rest of the way to kiss her lingering for a few seconds before they both begrudgingly separated.

"So... we should find out what our bosses have to say. About us..." she felt disheveled suddenly, straightening her clothes and running her hands through her hair. He watched her with a smile before taking her hand again.

"First, you have to tell me." He said.

"Tell you what?" She asked.

"You have to tell me you like me."

"I already did! And then I showed you." She winked then laughed in embarrassment.

"No, you only agreed with me." He glanced up, "and then you showed me." He nodded and looked back at her, "But I want to hear the words."

"Youuuu..." she trailed off, her heart unable to handle this giant baby.

"Noona. Go Guerin! I like you. Do you like me?" He said earnestly.

"Hmmmm..." she teased him, but couldnt Deny him for long, "Seyoonie. I like you." She stated.

"Perfect, now theres no question." He beamed, "you should give me a piggyback ride back to the conference room."

"Absolutely not. Any other time I'm game but we have enough trouble right now." She laughed at his feigned disappointment and snuck him a kiss on the cheek, "have that to keep you happy until after work today." She left for the door and he trotted along after her once he recovered.

The rest of the meeting was a lot of talking, phone calls, more talking, a lot of stress all punctuated by Guerin and Seyoon sneaking glances at each other and trying to not look too pleased due to the stress levels of everyone else involved. Ultimately it was decided that Beat Interactive would announce that while the two were not dating at the time the photos had been taken, they had begun dating recently and hadn't had a chance to confirm before the article was released. In the meantime, PWER, the company Guerin worked for, had gotten clearance from the police department for some details of the case while the police department worked on their own statement since the investigation had been concluded. No one was convinced that it was an ideal scenario but they hoped with everything coming together it could minimize this particular PR nightmare.

"I never should have let you meet them." Minseok complained to Guerin as they trailed out.

"I didn't start this!" Guerin responded defensively, "Besides its not my fault I'm irresistible."

Minseok groaned as Seyoon smiled and held Guerins sleeve for a moment. She glanced at him and slowed a step as he pulled gently backwards.

"Can we still meet after my practice tonight?" He asked quietly so others around wouldn't hear.

"I don't see why not, I was planning to anyway." Guerin said.

He looked around to see if the hallway was clear before sneaking a kiss to her cheek, then speeding past her to catch up with Minseok, his dangerous smile back in place.

"Guerin?" Jisoo looked back suddenly from ahead of everyone, "Will you meet me in my office after I see our guests out?" She asked.

Guerin nodded and when it was appropriate ducked away to Jisoo's office, certain she was getting fired as per her usual anxieties, but also logically knew it wouldnt be likely at this point.

While waiting for Jisoo she pulled out her phone to catch up on her blown up messages.

Han Jisoo returned before Guerin could text HEET through Woojin's phone. The two went into the CEO's office and as soon as the door closed, Jisoo spun on her friend and began smacking her in the arm repeatedly.

"Hey, you're my boss now you're not allowed to do that!" Guerin said in English, laughing and cringing away but otherwise letting it happen.

"You are such a problem sometimes aaah!" Jisoo responded with a final smack, also in english. "And this is how I'm supposed to find out one of my best friends is dating?? And an idol no less!"

"To be fair, I also just found out the same way which is, arguably, worse." Guerin rubbed her eyebrow subconsciously. "None of this even feels real."

"Well it is and now it's my mess to help clean up." Jisoo crossed her arms. Guerin looked at the ground guiltily causing Jisoo to sigh, uncross her arms and hug her friend, "I know it's not your fault. It's just an unfortunate pain in the ass."

"Guerin laughed and hugged Jisoo back, picking her up for a moment, "It's so cute when you swear in English!"

"Hey. Boss. Remember?" Jisoo protested disingenuously.

"It's payback for hitting me."

Jisoo tsked and changed the subject, "Mina is going to come here to talk you through how we're handling the court case since you'll need to testify. But first I wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I honestly havent processed most of today yet so I'm not sure. I was starting to be okay again and I think right now I'm okay too?" Jisoo nodded, knowing her friend had more to add and waited, "I was also wondering... how does this affect me working with HEET again...?"

Jisoo looked serious, "As of right now you not being manager is only temporary. We do need to see how things shake out but nothing has changed. Hopefully with the resolution of this case things will work out."

Guerin nodded in understanding. Jisoo had been friends with Guerin before she had even moved to South Korea as they had met in the states where Jisoo attended school and done internships at record companies around the world to broaden her knowledge of the industry. It helped her family was very well off and able to help her start her own company once she had returned. At that time Guerin was nearing the end of teaching English when Jisoo offered her a job. Guerin would forever be grateful for her friend and knew she had her best interests at heart.

"Jisoo, thanks for sticking with me. I'll fo my best." She said in Korean, it just seemed more genuine.

Jisoo was spared a heart warming response as Mina arrived.

The men of A.C.E were called into a meeting once Hyeim and Seyoon returned from their meeting with PWER. The four other members had an inkling of what it would be about given they too had seen the Dispatch article. Jun had texted Charlie who hadn't had much more information than he did at the time. Once everyone was seated, papers with the statement were passed out but Kim Hyeim talked before they could read it.

"On those papers your holding we have written a statement concerning Kim Seyoon and Go Guerin dating. We've agreed to let PWER and the police handle the statements regarding Go Guerin's legal case. Hopefully with her proven innocence and releasing of actual footage of what happened we won't get much extra blowback to an already risky announcement. Also you should know that as of this afternoon Go Guerin and Kim Seyoon have expressed an interest in dating and going forward they would like to be up front and honest about it."

The expressions on everyone's face changed wildly as she spoke, except for Seyoon who maintained his normal unreadable face, watching her despite the others looking around at each other.

"Wait." Chan started, "So it's TRUE?"

"It wasn't last night but apparently it is now." Kim Hyeim said with a crooked smile.

"Since when did you-?" Jun sputtered and stopped, "So...." the king of reactions lived up to his name as every thought raced through his brain.

"Good for you Wow!" Byeongkwan fist bumped his hyung.

"It's not how I expected you to go for it but it works." Donghun said, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"I didn't even know you felt that way about her?" Chan added, still shocked but smiling along, "Wait, what does that mean for-" he started and the boys swung their gaze to Jun.

Hyeim watched this curiously, "Park Junhee is there something wrong?"

"I wanted to tell you today but..." he trailed off for a moment, "Ah... I also confessed to a woman last night and she might be my girlfriend soon."

Kim Hyeim was frozen, then rested her face in her hands for a moment before looking up to Minseok who appeared just as shocked as she was, "Maybe we should rescind the idea that they can date." She said dryly.

"I'm so sorry I didn't know this was happening. I thought they were friends I didn't think they were their type!" Minseok said in a rush.

"What does that mean?" Jun asked with a hint of aggression as he and Seyoon snapped their faces toward their manager.

"I just meant they're foreigners and I just, i thought you each had a different type and with them being older and Guerin is a lot... they're really good people I'm sorry I'm just shocked." Minseok tried to explain.

Hyeim interrupted, sensing an argument and not wanting to deal with that on top of everything else. "Minseok will chat with me later." She shot him a look, also displeased with his judgment toward women and he bowed his head at the visual scolding, "What we need to figure out now is how we're going to handle the second announcement. I'll get someone from PR to meet with me, Park Junhee and his girlfriend. Until then we'll go through with what we planned for Kim Seyoon since with that article we do not have the luxury of time to discuss things."

She looked at all the boys, "I expect this to have an impact on the fanbase. We've just wrapped up promoting but maybe we can work on a special project for Choice to communicate with them. Think it over and let's start something soon."

The meeting was dismissed and Minseok hung back to talk to Hyeim as the boys meandered back to their practice room.

Guerin waited outside the door to the dance room as HEET wrapped up their practice inside. When their dance instructor left Guerin put a finger to her lips and winked so as not to give away the surprise. She was holding bags of fried chicken and iced coffee for the boys. The dance instructor smiled back and moved on without a word. Peaking around the corner she snuck in while the boys were straightening up or sitting on the ground catching their breath.

"Special delivery!" Guerin announced loudly, holding up the bags of goods. Byoungjin, Minhwan and Seungbin all startled at her sudden appearance, but once all five saw her they hopped up and ran over. Gabriel relieved her of her bags with Minhwan as Seungbin hugged her, Byoungjin held back with Tobio for his turn. Once they had all gotten their hugs in (Guerin had to guilt trip Gabriel and interrupt him setting up for the meal) they settled down to eat with Woojin.

"Woojin told me when your lesson ended and I asked him to let me bring you all food." Guerin explained, handing Seungbin and Gabriel next to her some extra chicken, "Are you boys being nice to him?" They all nodded through bulging cheeks.

"They've been working very hard." Woojin added with a small smile. He seemed the quiet accommodating type so Guerin was happy to hear the boys had seemed to accept him.

"I'm glad." She beamed at HEET as they dug in. "I don't know if you guys have heard anything but I wanted to stop by because I have some news."

"Are you gonna be our manager again!?" Gabriel called out through a full mouth.

"No, dummy. It's probably about the dispatch article." Tobio retorted and he shoved Gabriel away as he leaned into his Japanese teammate smacking his mouth annoyingly loud.

"Tobio is right. It's about the article." Guerin interrupted their bickering.

"Were you really on a date with Wow-hyung?" Minhwan asked, stunned.

"Well, no. We all met as a group of friends and he was making sure I got home safe." Despite telling the truth Guerin felt guilty so she moved on quickly, "But this afternoon after the article came out... while we were discussing how to address it... Seyoonie did confess."

The boys erupted, even shy Woojin reacted with surprise while Seungbin had leapt up, "I KNEW IT! NOONA I KNEW IT WHEN I SAW YOU AFTER THE ZOO!"

Gabriel was downright crowing in excitement as Byoungjin sat in shocked silence and Minhwan clapped excitedly. Only Tobio kept his head enough to ask "But what did you say?"

The boys all quieted again at his question. Guerin felt her face get warm as she responded, "Well he's my boyfriend now." The boys all erupted again, alternating between shocked and happy. Guerin waited for them to calm down before speaking again.

"I double checked with Han Jisoo and she said it so far hasn't meant I can't come back as your manager. But we still need to wait to clear the court case and we will need to see how the public reacts to the statement that we are now in a relationship."

Minhwan frowned, "So if a bunch of people decide to hate you, you won't be our manager?"

Guerin paused, "If it means you aren't safe. And we don't want to hurt your image." The boys looked crushed, "Your debut was strong, and you've all trained so long and so hard for this. I won't let something like my personal life ruin your futures." She added firmly.

"Noona..." Seungbin snuggled up to her and she put her arm around him, "They can't hate you right?"

Guerin wanted to comfort them, looking at all five faces of HEET- even empathetic Woojin seemed sad - but she wouldn't mislead them, "It's unlikely it'll come to that. We'll just wait and see and keep working hard okay? All of us."

Gabriel sulked, "Seungbin-ah was right. Seyoon-hyung was going to steal you from us."

"I understand that's how it looks, but I promise that wasn't the intention. Please don't hold it against him." She squeezed Seungbin and looked at all of them, "I love you all dearly and even if I'm not your manager I'm still working for PWER and we can see each other often like we have been. But my goal is to come back as your manager okay? I haven't forgotten you." The boys nodded quietly.

"Come on, let's finish eating." She encouraged them, changing the subject, "You also need to show me your new dance so far, I heard it's very challenging!"

Before long the seven of them had settled back into cheerful chatter about what HEET was working on next.