#( ⁎∴◦ ⊱ ━━ waste of time or waste of fear┊aes. )

[markantonys]

While I still don't think the show has done enough to show why the world despises and fears male channelers (since it really should've been embedded into the world building, so far we only know that the Aes Sedai hate and fear them) and it does kinda lessen the impact of the narrative that none of the EF5 had at least an initial gut reaction to Rand being able to channel. I do wonder how they're gonna handle that topic moving forward, cause it kinda has to be addressed now that Rand is actively channeling. I could see it being expanded more deeply as Rand's madness progresses/tie it into his arc.

the show has made it ABUNDANTLY clear that Male Channelers Are Considered Bad News By All. it IS embedded into the worldbuilding. was the king saying that logain's gone mad and trying to kill him not enough for you? was the people of tar valon jeering and throwing fruit at him not enough for you? was rand and mat saying "hey if i'm a male channeler please kill me" not enough for you? was rand's terror the second he realized selene saw him channel not enough for you? was selene's act of how a normal person would react to finding out her boyfriend can channel not enough for you? was his heartbroken yet unsurprised reaction to her rejection not enough for you? was the whole backstory of a male channeler causing the apocalypse not enough for you? do you think that show-onlys are completely incapable of putting all these pieces together along with aes sedai treatment of male channelers and coming to the conclusion that male channelers are probably not very popular with most people and it's going to be very tough for rand that he is one?

literally what else should they have done that would make sense within the very small world and very early story of the first 2 seasons/3 books that they didn't already do? shown emond's fielders sitting around the dinner table talking about how much they hate and fear male channelers when none of them has ever met one and thus it's not relevant to their lives? wasted time doing a whole sidequest for rand in s2 where his abilities are discovered by some Average Citizens and they react badly? shit all over show!mat's characterization and given him a negative reaction to rand in s2 that would not make sense for his current show headspace, just for the sake of furthering rand's randpain? i'm sick of the rand stans who act like rand is the only character who matters and mat's characterization should be sacrificed just so we can go "oh poor rand uwu even his own best friend is mean to him". portraying mat in 2x06 as the sort of person who bullies and kicks his best friend while he's down would've been beneficial because......? what is so wrong with the show making the ef5 feel like mutually loyal friends instead of "rand is the best and most loyal friend in the world but the rest are little shits who abandon him as soon as the going gets tough"? seeing as in the books, mat continues to be an extremely loyal friend to rand throughout the series but most readers are too stupid to see through his unreliable narration and realize he doesn't mean it when he says that rand channeling is like him eating babies, i'm not surprised the show decided to simplify things in order to convey the true heart of mat's character (loyal and caring friend to rand) in a more obvious manner.

and i guarantee you that no show-only is going "oh, it's only aes sedai who have a problem with male channelers, everyone else thinks they're cool". that's not happening. show-onlys are not stupid, and they understand that male channelers are considered bad news by all; or maybe they haven't thought much yet about how male channelers are viewed by the average public, but in future seasons once we see rand getting shit from the average public, they are not going to be surprised or confused or go "but i thought it was only aes sedai who had a problem with them and everyone else thinks they're cool?", they're going to go "oh, well we've seen how much aes sedai hate them, so it makes sense that everyone else does too". stop. think for 2 seconds about "have i actually seen a large number* of show-onlys misunderstanding X and/or do i think it's plausible that a large number of show-onlys would be likely to misunderstand X, or do show-onlys have enough context clues to figure out X for themselves or to be unsurprised when X is expanded on and made more explicit in future seasons and i'm working myself up into a state over a non-issue?"

*there are always going to be a handful of people incapable of critical thinking who willfully misunderstand what the show is showing us, just like there are readers like that with the books, hence unless a LARGE number of general-population show-onlys are misunderstanding X, as opposed to just 20 idiots on twitter, i do not consider it a failure by the show in portraying X.

[morgana-larkin]

Ok here it is, my Moiraine Sedai x reader one shot. If you would like to be on my Moiraine taglist then let me know! Not edited in the slightest and I hope you like it!

Together

Warnings: none

Words 5.5k

“I don’t want to take her.” One of the Aes Sedai says.

“One of you has to take her and train her to be an Aes Sedai.” Siuan says to the room.

*Outside the room*

You’re standing outside the hall as Siuan tries to find you an Aes Sedai that will take you in. You fear that no one will take you as you barely show any connection to the One Power. A couple girls that you trained with walk by and stop to talk to you..

“No one is going to take you, you barely have the One Power, no one is going to waste their time with you.” One of them says.

“Ya, you’re basically untrainable.” The other one says. Just then Moiraine and Lan walk by and see them picking on you.

“Don’t you girls have somewhere else to be?” She tells them and they look at her and leave right away. “What are you doing out here?” She asks you.

“No one has taken me in to train with them so The Amyrlin Seat is in there trying to find someone who will. But I know no one will.” You tell her.

“Why would no one take you in?” She asks you.

“Because I barely have any connection to the One Power. I don’t even know why they won’t just send me home.” You say and lean against the wall.

“That’s crazy, I’ve seen you train and you hold back. You haven’t tapped in to your whole power yet, only the surface.” She says to you. “I had trouble at first as well, but that was only because I had so much and only someone with a strong connection to the wheel was able to train me fully.” She tells you and then the doors to the hall open. The Aes Sedai leave, some of them spare a glance at you and you immediately know the meeting was unsuccessful. Siuan comes out at the end and she turns to look at you.

“I’m sorry Y/n, no one is willing to train you.” She tells you and you nod and bow your head.

“Siuan, why don’t you just send me home. It’s obvious that I’m not going to advance further.”

“If that’s truly what you want then-” Siuan starts to say but Moiraine cuts in.

“I’ll take her in and train her.” Moiraine blurts out and both you and Siuan turn to look at her.

“What?” You say confused.

“Moiraine can I take with you for a second please?” Siuan says, Moiraine nods and then they go into the hall to talk privately.

*In the hall*

“Moiraine as much as I’d love for you to train her, you’re currently on a mission right now to find the dragon reborn and you leave tomorrow for light knows how long.”

“I can take her with me, better to train outside the tower anyway.”

“You think she has more of a connection than she’s showing, don’t you?” Siuan says and Moiraine nods. “I think the same, it’s almost as I can sense it but it’s all been untapped.” Siuan adds on. “Do you really want to take her with you? It’s a big responsibility to try and find the dragon reborn and take on an apprentice at the same time.”

“I’m sure.” Moiraine says and Siuan nods before they walk out of the hall. “What’s your name?” Moiraine asks you.

“It’s Y/n.” You tell her and she nods.

“Well Y/n, you better pack up your things because you’re leaving with me and Lan tomorrow.” She tells you and you widen your eyes.

“Wait, you’re training me?” You ask her and she nods.

“Oh my Light, thank you!” You squeal and then run to your room to pack your things.

The next day you’re putting your stuff on your horse when Moiraine and Lan come out.

“So, are you just about ready to go?” She asks and you nod with a smile.

“Why are we leaving the tower though and for how long?”

“I can’t tell you yet and for however long it takes for me to complete my mission.” She tells you as she walks to her own horse and you follow her.

“Wait a mission? Why did you agree to train me if you’re already busy with a mission?” You ask her and she continues getting her horse ready.

“Because no one else wanted to train you and you need to be trained in order to access your full ability.” She says.

“Well thank you for taking me. And not just for training me but getting me out of the tower, those other girls I trained with don’t like me.” You say as you look at the ground.

“Hey.” She says as she grabs your chin and lifts it so you look at her. “Those other girls don’t matter anymore. What you learned in the tower was only the beginning, and I know that when you start tapping into your full power then you’ll do great things and be so much better than them.”

“You really think so?” You ask her and she nods. 

“Ok.” You say and then smile. “I can’t wait until we start, I have one more thing to grab from my room and then I’ll be ready to go.” You say and then run to go get it. Moiraine watches you run away with a smile and shakes her head as she finishes getting her horse ready. 

Lan walks up to her and leans in to whisper in her ear. “Might want to get rid of that blush before she comes back.” He tells her and she turns to look at him with a glare.

*An hour later*

“Ok so how is this going to work? Like how are you going to do your mission and train me at the same time?” You ask her as you’re all riding in the woods.

“Well, we’ll ride and look around the towns during the day and then I can train you for a couple hours in the evening.” She says and you nod.

“I can only help if I know what you’re looking for.” You say and she turns to look at you.

“Nice try, I don’t trust you enough.”

“How are we supposed to be a master and apprentice if there’s no trust? And I also barely know you.”

“Well what do you want to know?” She asks you and you’re taken back.

“Wait, you’re actually willing to tell me something about you?” You say and she nods.

“Like you said, we need to have trust, especially outside the tower, and a way to do that is to get to know each other.” She tells you. “So what do you want to know?”

“Ok, um, is your favourite colour blue or is it something else?” You ask and she smiles at you.

“It is blue, although sometimes I wouldn’t mind wearing another colour.” She tells you and you fake gasp.

“You rebel.” You say and she giggles.

“What about you, what’s your favourite colour?”

“F/C.” 

“Hmm interesting.” She says and you look at her. “Your favourite colour isn’t the colour that you choose but you’re required to wear it all the time.” 

“Why? Like you can’t wear beige pants and everything else blue?” You ask and she smiles and lowers her head for a second before looking back at you.

“Unfortunately not. That would seem unprofessional.” She tells you. “Do you have a colour you’re more leaning towards?” 

“Ya, I was thinking green.”

“Why green?” She asks you curiously.

“They’re the warriors, the important ones in the fight.” You tell her.

“All the colours are just as important.” She tells you and you look at her. “Sure that some are more in the shadows like the brown, but even what the brown Ajah does is important. Their research has saved us countless times and will continue saving us.” She explains and you look down at your hands. “I’m not saying to not pick green, because if you are as powerful as I think you are then green would be thrilled to have you. I’m just saying that every Ajah has a part and they’re just as important, even if they’re not fighting in the front lines.” She tells you and you nod.

A few hours later of talking and getting to know each other, you reach a town. All 3 of you get off your horses and continue walking through town on foot. 

“Where are you from?” She asks you.

“A small village, about a week's ride up north. Why?”

“So this is your first time exploring a town?” She asks and you nod. “Lan, do you mind finding a place to tie the horses up?” She asks him and he nods before grabbing the ropes from you and Moiraine. Moiraine then grabs your hand and pulls you further into town. “Welcome to the town market.” She tells you and your jaw drops. In front of you are a huge line of stalls set up with 100’s of people walking around and looking at what each stall has to offer. “I have money so if you want something then I’ll get it for you.” She says and you look at her.

“Really?” 

“Ya of course.” She says as she pulls you to the first stall. “What do you like? Jewellery? Clothes? Little trinkets?” She says and you have to think about it.

“I don’t know, never had to think about that.”

“Well let’s find out.” She tells you and she proceeds to bring you to many stalls in an hour. 

“That was a lot of fun.” You tell her and she smiles at you.

“Good, I’m glad. And you managed to find a hair clip that you like.” She says as she points to it in your hand. “Although I’m surprised you chose a blue one instead of green.”

“I’m not 100% sure I want to choose green, and besides the blue one looked prettier.” You tell her.

“Now there’s one more question for you.” She says and you look at her. “Do you want to sleep in an inn tonight or under the stars?” 

“Won’t we be sleeping under the stars a lot when we’re between towns?” You ask her and she nods. 

“I guess in an inn tonight.” She says. 

And that’s exactly where you found yourself in a few hours. She bought two rooms, one for the two of you and one for Lan.

“Good, just feel the One Power run through you, connect with it.” She says as she’s walking around the room, teaching you. All of a sudden the power you gathered vanishes and you sigh. “You keep losing your control on it.” She says and you look down. “Why?” 

“I don’t know, everytime I try to connect with it fully, it becomes a lot and I get scared.” You tell her.

“Look, yes it is scary but I promise you won’t hurt anyone. I can protect myself and anyone else if needed.” She tells you and you sigh. “How about I teach you that actually, have you been taught how to conjure a shield?” She asks and you shake your head. “Well it’s a good thing to know, especially since we’re travelling a lot.” She says and then proceeds to teach you how to conjure a shield.

The room only had one bed in it and you both ended up sharing the bed and you snuggled into her during the night. Moiraine woke up before you did and enjoyed a couple minutes with you snuggling into her before getting up. She carefully climbed out of bed without waking you up and got ready to see what she can get you for breakfast. 

You wake up a few minutes after she leaves and you immediately get dressed and go to find her. You find her downstairs and she’s sitting at a table with Lan talking.

“Good morning.” She says when she sees you and you walk over to the table. “I ordered us some breakfast, should be here any minute now.” She tells you and you nod. “How’d you sleep?” She asks you.

“Pretty good, my bed at the tower is definitely comfier, but no one is picking on me so I think it’s a fair trade.” You say and she smiles.

“Well when we get back to the tower, you’ll be better than all of them.” She tells you as she playfully nudges you. You smile and blush a bit at her words and then the food arrives. On the table in front of you has some scrambled eggs and a piece of bread. You look and see that Moiraine had gotten that for all 3 of you. 

“Thank you.” You tell her once the server leaves.

“Well we got a big day of walking around town ahead of us. And the town is quite big.”

“How is there a town this big close to Tar Valon?” You ask her and she shrugs.

“I don’t know. All of the others around Tar Valon are quite small.” 

“Lan, how come you don’t talk much? I think you’ve said 4 sentences since yesterday.” You ask him and he looks at you.

“Not much for talking.” He tells you and you look at Moiraine.

“I don’t really talk much either, it was a pretty good match.” She tells you.

“You talk to me a lot.” 

“That’s different, you’re my apprentice, I have to talk to you.” 

“We both know you don’t have to talk to me unless we’re training, you choose to talk to me when we’re not.” You say with a quirked eyebrow.

“Well how else are we going to build trust?” She asks you and you look at her and then continue eating, and you hear her giggle when you don’t answer.

You all finish eating and then get ready for a big day of walking around the town. You keep getting amazed at everything they have here. Moiraine has left you a couple of times to go somewhere but always leaves you where she knows she’ll find you and that you’re safe. A few hours later she brings you into the woods for some new training.

“Thought you might connect with your power more if you were surrounded by nature.” She tells you and you shrug.

“Worth a try.” You tell her and then close your eyes.

“Ok now feel the One Power run through you. Feel it, connect with it, feel it run through you.” She tells you and she sees the One Power being summoned and goes to you and starts to circle around you. “Don’t worry about what might happen, it’s your power, you control it.” She tells you. And then all of a sudden a leaf hits her in the face and she looks to see a bunch of them coming her way. She backs up and sees a bunch of leaves swirling around you. You open your eyes as you don’t hear Moiraine and see a bunch of leaves swirling around you and you cut the connection with the One Power and then they all fall down around you. Moiraine comes up to you with a smile. “I knew you had more power than what you were showing.” She tells you.

“I didn’t even notice I was doing it. How can I control what I don’t know what I’m doing?” You tell her.

“You do know though. You let go and let it flow through you. I’m proud of you. And I know it can be scary at first but you’ll love it soon.” She says and you nod. “Come on, let’s go back to the inn, I want to show you something.” She says and you both walk back. Once you get back to your room, she goes through her bag and pulls out a book. “I brought this to show you.” She says and hands it to you. You take the book from her and flip through it. “This is everything I was taught when I finally started using my full power. I want to teach it to you now that you’re finally starting to do that.”

“Some of these are pretty advanced and powerful.” You say and she nods.

“But they’re ones that you are able to do. With some more practice, you’ll be able to start learning these.” She tells you and you smile.

The next day the 3 of you head out of town and travel through the forest. You and Moiraine ride beside each other all day while Lan stays behind you both. Moiraine is talking all about history of the Aes Sedai and about her family while asking you questions about yours.

“We can stop by and visit your family.” Moiraine suddenly says after you finish telling her about your older brother and little sister.

“What?” You ask her and she looks at you.

“You like your family and it wasn’t fair that you got pulled away from them. But we can change routes if you want to see them again.” 

“But you have a mission, don’t you?” You ask her.

“I do but it’ll still be there when we get back on track. We can start heading North now and be there in a week and a half.” She says and she sees you look a bit guilty about doing that. “We’re going east so it won’t be completely out of our way.” She adds and you nod at that. 

“Ok, it would be nice to see them again.” You tell her and she smiles at you. 

A few hours later, Lan was out finding firewood while you and Moiraine found a log to sit on while she was showing you the book from yesterday. 

“Wow, you know how to produce fireballs?” You ask and she nods. “That’s so cool.” 

“I usually start the fire so I can show you when Lan finishes getting the wood.” She tells you and you nod. “For now, let’s work on your control.” She tells you and you nod. “Today just let it be around you, let it spin around you and nothing more. That way you can learn to connect with it more.” She tells you and you nod. 

You close your eyes and start summoning the One Power, and you bring it to only twirl around you.

“Good, now summon as much as you can, don’t worry about consequences.” Moiraine says and you nod. You start summoning more and more. “Open your eyes.” Moiraine tells you and your eyes flutter open. You look and see the amount of power you summoned and it was overwhelming. You had no idea you actually had this much power inside of you. “Do you see how close you are to the wheel? How powerful you really are? You have the same amount as I do.” She says with a smile. 

At that moment you hear a twig snap behind you and you shoot some power in that direction and you see Lan too late. Luckily Moiraine acted quickly and sent a shield to block it before it hit him.

“Lan, I’m sorry.” You tell him and he shrugs it off. 

“I wouldn’t be a warden if I couldn’t handle things like this.” He says and starts making a fire pit. 

“Wanna see me make a fireball now?” Moiraine asks and you nod enthusiastically. Moiraine summons the One Power and with a few waves of her hands, a fireball appears and she throws it at the wood, creating a fire instantly.

“Wow, that’s so amazing.” You tell her as you go sit by the fire. 

“You’ll be able to do it too, maybe sooner than I thought.” She tells you. 

After eating and practising a bit more, you both are laying next to each other on the ground and looking up at the sky.

“The North Star is right there.” She says and points straight up at the brightest star in the sky. Just then a small gust of wind blows and you huddle closer to Moiraine. 

“I forgot to bring a blanket.” You tell her when she looks at you confused. 

“Well we can get you one in 2 days when we pass by a small town.” She tells you and you nod. She allows you to huddle closer to her and shares her blanket with you. 

Moiraine wakes up with you cuddling her and instead of getting you off of her, she just lays there in content for a few minutes. She then carefully got up, readjusted the blanket on you and restarted a fire to cook breakfast. 

After you wake up, you all eat and then get back to your horses and continue riding. 

“Moiraine?” You ask after a bit of riding and she looks at you.

“Ya?”

“This mission, whatever you’re looking for, what are you going to do when you find it?” You ask her.

“I’m going to bring it back with me to the white tower. It’s supposed to help with the final battle.” She tells you honestly.

“What could help with the final battle? I thought only the Dragon Reborn can do that.” You say with a small chuckle and you look over at her as it hits you. “Oh my light, are you searching for the Dragon Reborn?” You ask her and she quickly looks around and then glares at you.

“Keep your voice down, we don’t know who’s around.” She tells you sternly. 

“So it’s true, everything we were taught and that’s what you’re searching for?” You ask her and she nods.

A little later in the day, Lan alerts you both that he hears something. You all continue riding with caution and then people start jumping down from trees and attacking you. Your horse gets scared and sends you flying back and off of him and you fall on the ground.

“Y/n!” Moiraine shouts and quickly gets off her horse as well as Lan. 

Lan does his best to protect you both while Moiraine goes and helps you up. After doing that, she starts conjuring the One Power and knocking the people out. Some of them start advancing on you and you start backing up, away from Moiraine and Lan. You start to get overwhelmed, not knowing what to do, and you see Lan get crowded with people as well as Moiraine. You feel yourself get kicked in the back and it sends you to the ground and it becomes too much for you and you let yourself go. 

The people start getting close to you and you start screaming then the One Power comes out of you full force and it sends every single person flying backwards, either to a tree or to the ground. Moiraine stops summoning and runs over to you while Lan cautiously follows her, making sure no one goes to attack again. 

“Y/n, are you ok?” Moiraine asks you and you whimper.

“I was surrounded, I didn’t know what to do.” You squeak out and Moiraine pulls you into her. 

“It’s ok, we’re safe now because of you.” She says while still hugging you. 

“Because of me?” You say and you feel her nod.

“Your survival instincts must have kicked in. I’m proud of you though. You connected to the One Power fully and used it to protect us.” She tells you and you pull back.

“We should go now.” Lan says. “They’ll start waking up soon.” He adds on and you all go to your horses.

You ride there silently and Moiraine can’t help but keep looking at you. She’s worried about you as you just experienced your first fight and while you normally start conversations, you’re now quiet. You’re too wrapped up in your head to notice her keep looking at you. You all ride a few extra hours that day to make it to the closest town by dusk.

Moiraine immediately brings you to an Inn while Lan brings the horses to a safe place. Moiraine orders you all food to eat and pays for two rooms. You inhale your food as the last thing you ate was breakfast and it’s been a tiring day. 

You then all make your way to the rooms, Lan goes to his and you and Moiraine go to your shared room. 

“Want to tell me what’s on your mind now?” She asks you while you get ready for bed. You shake your head at her and she sighs while walking up to you. She reaches you and you stop your movements, she grabs your chin and gets you to look up at her. “Please tell me what’s bothering you.” She says to you and you take a deep breath.

“I could have killed all of them.” You finally tell her and she brings you to sit on the bed. “I was lucky this time but what if next time we’re attacked and I use my power and kill everyone.” You tell her.

“If that happens then it happens. You’re still not fully in control of it yet but that’s why I’m teaching you. If you’re worried about that then the next thing I’ll teach you is controlling it during a fight.” She tells you and you nod. “But I’ll tell you that eventually you will kill someone, every Aes Sedai who’s left the white tower has. We don’t always want to but to survive then sometimes we must.” She adds on and you nod. You then wrap your arms around her and cuddle her and she lets you. She’s not normally a touchy person but with you, she is. “It’s any comfort, Lan and I didn’t go flying because you didn’t want us too.” She adds and you bring your head back and look at her.

“What?” You ask.

“Every single person went flying and got knocked out, except for Lan and I. Why do you think that is?” She asks and you think about it.

“I don’t know.”

“It means you have control over your power, you just think you don’t.” She tells you with a smile. “If you couldn’t control it then you would have knocked me and Lan out as well.” She adds. “Everytime I teach you, you could have hurt or killed me but you haven’t, because you don’t want to.”

“Moiraine, why are you the one searching for the Dragon Reborn?” You ask her and she sighs.

“Because Siuan and I were with the witch, the one with eyes so white, she saw the Dragon being born again when we were with her. And we made it our mission to find whoever it is. They’ll be 5 now.” She tells you.

“Are you and Siuan together?” You suddenly ask her and she looks at you.

“We were, we broke up when she became The Amyrlin Seat and I continued the mission.” She says and you nod.

“How did you know you liked women?”

“You’re asking a lot of deep questions tonight.” She jokes and you chuckle.

“I’m curious.”

“That’s a very brown Sedai thing to say.” She tells you with a smile. “But to answer your question, I never had any attraction to men and I always thought about women. Like hugging them, holding their hand, kissing them, being married to one.” She tells you.

“Moiraine, I think I like women.” You tell her and she holds your hand. You look at her with wide eyes and you glance down briefly to her lips and then you look away from her. She grabs your chin and gets you to look at her.

“I know.” She tells you and you lean forward and kiss her and she immediately kisses you back. “We should go to bed.” She tells you when you both pull back and you nod “Come here.” She says when she’s laying down and pats the spot in front of her. You curl up against her and she wraps an arm around your waist before you immediately fall asleep.

*15 years later*

Moiraine enters the tower with the 5 people from the two towers and Lan. 

“What are we going to do now?” Egwene asks Moiraine.

“We need some help, and I’m hoping that she’s here.” Moiraine says and walks down the hall.

“Who’s help?” Nynaeve asks Lan and Lan doesn’t answer, only smiles.

They all walk to a hall, following Moiraine and then she suddenly stops in front of a door. She takes a deep breath, looks at Lan for a second and then knocks. The door opens a few seconds later to reveal a man there. 

“Christo!” Lan exclaims and they go and hug.

“Is she in here?” Moiraine asks Christo and he nods and then lets them all in.

“Who was at the door Christo?” You ask and then you come into view. You stop when you see Moiraine there and you both look at each other before smiling and then running to her and attack her with a hug. “Oh my light! After 2 years I can’t believe you’re back.” You exclaim and then Moiraine surges forward and kisses you.

“Sorry, I’ve been wanting to do that for 2 years.” She tells you and you smile at her.

“You wouldn’t have had to wait if you let me go with you again.” You tell her and walk to the other side of your room.

“If I recall you were busy 2 years ago.” She teases you with.

“You know as well as I do that that’s not true.” You say and grab a book before walking towards her. “I’m assuming that this crowd means you need something.” You say as you exit your room.

“Yes but…” She says and goes to catch up with you. “I would prefer to have the conversation in one of our rooms, in private. 

“And why’s that?” You ask her, not bothering to face her or slow down. She then suddenly grabs your wrist and you turn to look at her. You then suddenly really look at the group and you feel it. “Did you find them?” You ask her and she nods. You then turn to Christo and hand him the book. “Christo, can you return this book to the Brown’s please. The rest of you, we’re going back to my room.” You tell them and they all follow you back to your room and you close the door behind them. “There’s 5 of you, which one is it?” You ask Moiraine and she gives you a look. “You don’t know.”

“I don’t but we’re going to face the dark one, all of us.” She tells you.

“And why do you need me?” You ask her with a quirked eyebrow and put hands on your hips.

“Well I could use the help of a fellow blue and my wife.” She says and you hear gasps from the rest of the group. You glance over at them briefly before looking back at Moiraine.

“It’s been told that whoever goes there, who’s not the Dragon Reborn, will die. You want to go there and you’re not even sure who the Dragon Reborn is.”

“I know but this could save everyone.” She says and you walk up to her and slap her head.

“Do you even hear yourself?!? You want to bring kids to the final battle, not knowing which one is the Dragon Reborn, knowing 4 of them will die, including yourself and you think that will save the world?” You say sternly. “If you really think that then you’ve gotten stupider with age.” You add and she pouts at you.

“Well this is why I came to you, I need some help.”

“No kidding.” You say sarcastically.

*A few days later*

You ride with Moiraine to the designated spot after Moiraine is exiled and you see everyone there already.

“I hope this plan of yours works.” You tell her before entering the void.

*Two days later*

You anxiously wait for the return of Lan, Moiraine and Rand. You’re sitting there near the entrance and then you see two figures coming and you quickly stand up which alerts the others. You see Moiraine and Lan emerge and you immediately go and hug her and she wraps her arms around you.

“What happened?” Nynaeve aasks.

“Where’s Rand?” Egwene asks right after.

“He’s gone.” Moiraine says and then looks at you after pulling away. “I’ve been stilled.” She says as tears fall down her face and you cover your mouth with a gasp.

“No, that can’t be true.” You tell her and she tries to summon the One Power and then looks at you with red rimmed eyes. You immediately wrap her in a tight hug and then you pull back and put your hands on her cheeks.

“We’ll figure this out together, ok?” You tell her and she nods before bringing you in a hug.

[asha-mage]

WoT S2 Premier - The Good, the Interesting, and the Messy

Now that I've had a chance to sleep on it and become half way coherent again, I want to say that I really really liked what their doing so far in season 2. You can see the seems of course, the places where COVID era production and changes had to shift things around, but the show is continuing it's central ethos of adapting the heart of the series and characters, even while having to shift the details to suit their limitations and medium, and that to me is far far more important then one-to-one accurate book scenes.

I don't have anything bad to say about the show, so instead I am going to split up my more general thoughts into three broad categories: The Good (stuff I adored), The Interesting (Things I'm very very curious to see where they are headed), and the Messy (the places where some of their working within limitations has created complex problems for further down the road, or might inform certain things more directly).

The Good

Every actor so far has knocked it out of the fucking park. I have to give special shout outs to Rosamund Pike, Joshua Stradowski, Zoe Robins, Natasha O'Keeffe, and Ceara Coveney for really clearly managing to convey the nuances and complexities of their characters in ways that just blow me away. The show's writing continues to get these characters on a fundamental level and every actor is turning in a performance that conveys their heart so well.

The visual look of the show still rules, but channeling especially has taken a huge step forward in how it's depicted. I didn't mind the way it looked in season 1 the way some did, but I appreciate that they've decided to hew to something closer to what the Darkhorse Comics did, especially as we have so many characters now trying to figure out how to actually channel the One Power.

I also like that we're seeing sharp differences already in the different groups channel, just visually. The Aes Sedai use sweeping graceful gestures, the damne sharp, short gestures, with little wasted energy, all clearly rehearsed as if drilled into the military style.

In other ways the visuals of the show, especially in it's art direction, also rule. The way Cairhien has a mix of Versailles era France and Han Era China in architecture and fashion. The way the Seanchan feel alien, strange, and other, and yet how key parts of their Empire's culture come through even as their conquering and destroying.

The use of the Texan/American accents hits the PERFECT balance I was hoping for to add to that level of strangeness. It's not heavy enough to be a joke, but it's so stark in comparison to everyone crisp vaguely European accents. On that note- the sheer brutality of the village's subjugation, this tiny nowhere village probably somewhere on Almoth Plane, just one ant being smushed by the huge fingers of the Empire. Talk about effective introductions.

The Interesting

I was admittedly a little skeptical of the choice ot have Rand working a asylum but having seen the show I'm glad I reserved judgement because it fits in perfectly with hie Messiah vibe. Here is the savior of the world, and is he staying in palaces and toppling cities? No (well not yet). He's spending his time caring for the sick and the mad, doing menial back breaking work for those society rejects and wants to forget. And of course, it's more complicated then simple altruism: Rand is being driven by his own fear of going mad, his own desire to know what he's facing, and yet that compassion still shines through.

I also really like that, since Rand can't be Lan trained in the show, they decided to do something very Jordan: take a classic trope (cooky wise old master) give it a shine of realism (he's got dementia and PTSD from being a vetran soldier) and dig at the humanity underneath (Rand is letting the old man train him as much to help the man as to learn the sword).

Liandrin is a character I'm shocked by how much I am enjoying her in the show. The decision to explore her depths more, to dig into her anger, her arrogance, her desire for control and power, is fascinating, and her relationship with Nynaeve and Egwene even more so. Her scene with Nynaeve where she gets Nynaeve to channel (an adaption of Siuan scene from the books) especially kicks ass. It's got the same fundamental point as the book: Nynaeve is limiting herself, holding herself back, but the show lets it be starker, crueler, because it IS Laindrin, not Siuan.

The choice to have Perrin be solo with the Shienarans, even if was basically forced on the writers by Barney Harris's departure. They don't waste any of that time, using it to explore Perrin's growing sense of isolation, his grief at Lalia, his relationship to Loial, and his growing fear of the wolves. I've always felt that Perrin, who is very introspective and quite, was the hardest of the main heroes to adapt, and the ways their bringing his conflict out and literalsing continue to be very smart.

The Messy

Some of the merges have caught me off guard, even though I knew they where coming. Elays and Hurin makes a great deal of sense. I have a strong fondness for Hurin, but I can admit he's an easy cut. It does raise the question though of how they are going to incorporate the element of noblesse oblige, which is an important part of how the series explores it's themes of government, nobility, responsibility, and duty. Of course, even if they had kept Hurin the party splitting means he'd probably be no where near Rand right now, so this was almost certainly the right choice.

Nynaeve's Acceptatron Test. Having sat with it, I still like it a lot, and I understand the choices they've made. I wish it had been a little bit more clear that her decision to go back in the final arch was her decision, having a scene of her forcing the arch to appear with the Power, but overall I think they had a good job otherwise. The first test was always going to have to be different since they've cut Aginor and Balthamel from the show, and the important part was Nynaeve choosing to go back over her own anger and desire for revenge, which they kept. The second arch probably would have required half the run time of the episode if they wanted to do it in full, so I don't mind them condensing it down, and again the important thing is that Nynaeve choose to leave the role of Wisdom behind for good, to seek the power to truly make a difference in the lives of those she cares about. The third arch is the big one, and the point of that sequence was always Nynaeve rejecting paradise in order to go back and protect those she loves. She is offered everything she could possibly want, but it isn't enough because her friends, those in her charge, are still at risk, and nothing has changed. She has to go back to save them, because that is the essence of who she is. The show takes the plank of showing that paradise would be hollow anyways, doomed to fall apart because the world needs Nynaeve, she is called to duty, and she can not reject it. It's....actually moment very reminiscent of Rand's Portal Stone journey/his arc in TGH which makes sense since they've always been parallel characters, and the closest thing to a male and female lead the series has.

Verin being merged with Vandene. This is one that it will take far more for me to decide on. On a very practical level it makes a lot of sense, but it has long term implications for Verin's arc in the series that wont be apparent for a very very long time. How will Adeleas factor into Verin's scheme? Does she know? Is she in on the plan to bring down the Black Ajah? Is she ignorant and Verin has been carrying this off in secret while her own sister had no idea? A lot of how this merger goes hinges on how those questions swing. Also, there is Adeleas's murder to consider. It's likely to be kept, but the circumstances being different, and Verin being Verin, the vengeance she seeks will likely be a great deal more dramatic and direct then what Vandene could do.

Past that though I mostly just have gushing and nitpicks, and far more gushing then nitpicking all things considered. Overall....another banger start. I probably liked the opening to season 1 a little bit better, but I suspect season 2 is going to go to some Interesting Places that I am Ready For.

[grapejuicegay]

Things I liked

Pat being able to take critique of his work like a champ

Pat's emotional regulation + all of them acknowledging it

Chot and Ae's friendship

Jeng stayed on long enough to make sure the department can stand by itself. It just happened to coincide with Pat's return to his life but Jeng and Jaab spoke about it early enough that I believe it was already in the works. I like the motivations here. I wish they treated him leaving the company as the big deal it was though, given that he was the heir and they were preparing to onboard him as the new vice president - that's massive structural changes too.

The return of Responsible Jeng - actually talking about his and Pat's fears, making it clear that he'll have this conversation once Pat isn't drunk. All the good shit

P'JENG

The step by step conversation

Constant communication (though I could have done with maybe touching base with some of the other characters, maybe dealing with the resignation thing properly, BRINGING BACK JAAB AND JEN.... but this is the bit where I talk about things I like)

Things I did not like

Where the fuck are Jaab and Jen

No Pat and Nan interaction

Pat seems to be leaning into the work-life integration of it all, I don't like it

Wasted time (again)

What was with that conversation about how Jeng's dad must have something planned given how easily he accepted the resignation? I understand that it's mostly about Pat and Jeng communicating but that seems like a pretty big ball to drop. I wanna know what happened there! It's honestly a little jarring how the importance of the actual work they do seems to gain or lose relevance at the drop of a hat. First few episodes and ep 11, it's life or death. Now it barely exists in the background and setup for drama and is then entirely ignored. Wish we could have found some sort of happy medium

Overall, I still like it! But... it really missed the mark for me in a few places

[baubeautyandthegeek]

Shadowed Eyes And Broken Hearts - Suroth/Liandrin

A/N: A little plot, a little smut.

Tears in eyes are not an unusual sight for Lady Suroth, but when Liandrin Sedai, the strongest and most fierce Aes Sedai that she has ever seen, drops to her knees at her feet, tears sparkling in bright ice eyes, she can’t help feeling a tug of hot rage.

Her touch is light as she turns Liandrin’s eyes up to her, reading the unspoken and barking orders that the Seat and her pet must be found and bound, they would be sealed next.

“Why…. Not me?”

“You are too pure a light to waste, my pretty one.”

Suroth murmurs, guiding Liandrin up slowly.

“Come…”

Liandrin, she knows, fears much, so when she sits on the bed she pats the space beside her as well as her lap.

“Come…”

Liandrin’s eyes sparkle all the more as she sinks into her lap and Suroth barely hides her slight laugh of surprise, choosing instead to claim soft lips and cherish the sound of Liandrin’s whimper when she skims a hand under the woman’s looser clothing, making use of the ripped red clothing to slide a hand high on a bared thigh, smiling as she teases a thumb against Liandrin and enjoying her shudder.

“My pretty girl…”

She murmurs again, curling fingers against the other woman slowly, taking her time to enter the other woman, her voice low when Liandrin chokes out a weak whine, sweetly warm.

“Easy now, pretty girl, just let me make it better…”

She focuses still further on the other woman, smiling when Liandrin shudders undone against her, her voice soft.

“There now, such a good girl…”

Later, much later, she will sit with Liandrin at her feet, soft blonde hair resting against her knee, a protective hand resting on the woman’s shoulder. She has claimed Liandrin’s life as hers to keep, she will do all she can to make it worth while.

[weilongfu]

Can you do insecure!fighter for the prompt thing?

In pursuit of love, one had many paths to choose from. Pete knew this well, but he also knew that those who pushed the hardest and fought the longest were also likely to be the ones who felt they had the most to lose.

And Pete knew that Fighter had plenty to lose.

Oh to be sure, Fighter's love for Tutor was true, earnest, and special. Fighter had seen the cracks and breaks, the rough spots, the sharp edges, and still he loved.

It was a love any child of Aphrodite or Venus could want.

And yet Tutor refused.

His twin was always above average, Pete supposed.

After so much refusal, it was only natural that doubt would begin to grow. With doubt came fear. With fear came insecurity. It was with insecurity and fear that Pete found his twin's suitor, drowning his sorrows away in the bellows of a forge and the blows of a hammer. Topless no less.

"Hephaestus boys and working topless, why are they always so dramatic?" Pete straightened out his shirt and pressed on. "Fighter?" Pete asked in a quiet moment as Fighter returned his most recent project into fire and flame. "Is everything okay?"

Fighter wiped the soot and sweat from his face and hands with a towel before responding. "Ah, Pete."

"I haven't seen you work this hard at the forge in a long time."

"Then perhaps you shouldn't," Fighter moved a stool and cleaned it off to provide a place for Pete to sit. "It is one of the rare times Tutor has allowed you to visit Camp Jupiter. I'd hate to see you waste it here."

"I am with a good friend," Pete said as he carefully placed a hand on Fighter's bare shoulder. "That would never be a waste of time."

"It is a waste of time if you'll continue to hear only the same things from me over and over."

"That's repetitive, not a waste."

"Pete-"

"You're worried, aren't you?" Pete said with a small smile. "That it's hopeless? That you're not enough?"

"If I was enough, he'd actually like me back." Fighter shrugged and pulled his project from the forge and picked up his hammer again. "That's how it works, isn't it?"

"That's true." Pete adjusted his seat to avoid the sparks from Fighter's next round of hammer strikes. "Sometimes it is how it works. One can only hope that the one they love will one day love them back." Pete blew away a stray ember and adjusted his seat once more. "Ae and I were that if I'm honest." Fighter turned his project about before hammering and Pete took it as his cue to continue. "And sometimes, we realize that the one we love is not for us because they aren't the one."

"So that's it then," Fighter said as he finished his hammering and returned the project to the forge. "I'm not the one meant for Tutor."

"I didn't say that."

"Then what am I?" Fighter gave Pete a mirthless smile.

"Yours is the love which one fights for." Pete handed Fighter his towel. "It's in your name, you know." Fighter rolled his eyes, but accepted the towel. "And believe me, you are good enough. You are more than good enough. And Tutor knows it." Pete rested a hand on Fighter's forearm, warm and tense from his work and fear. "You are not the problem, Fighter. Tutor is getting in his own way."

"That's kind of his signature, isn't it?" Fighter said with a sigh.

"See, no one who wasn't enough, who didn't love Tutor for all the right reasons, would know that." Pete took a clean handkerchief and wiped away droplets near Fighter's eyes, sweat or tears, he didn't bother to ask. "Know that I'm here for you, Fighter. We'll make it through to him yet."

"The power of love?"

"The power of love indeed." Pete looked up from tucking the handkerchief into Fighter's back pocket to find two pairs of eyes watching him, of which he'd only been anticipating one.

"Aeeee," Pete walked up to his boyfriend with a giggle and took Ae's hand. "Thanks for picking me up." Pete then turned to the one he hadn't expected. "Tor."

Tutor leaned in the doorway, aiming for casual but looking anything but. "Pete."

"What brings you to Vulcan's forges today?" Pete's expression was blank. "I thought you said you had business while I was here today."

"I did," Tutor said while glaring at his twin. He then redirected his gaze to the shirtless man still hammering away at something. "I still do. But apparently it requires both centurions so I'm here to reclaim my wayward partner so to speak."

"A partner you say," Pete giggled and Ae frowned, but it was quickly removed by Pete kissing his knuckles. "Well, I'll leave you to it then, but I would tell you not to bide your time." Tutor's jaw moved and Pete knew his twin was grinding his teeth. "Some chances when lost are lost for good."

"Pete." Tutor rounded upon his twin. "You do not-"

"Ae, I think I'd like lunch now," Pete said with a smile. "Can we go have lunch?"

"Of course we can." Ae waved at Fighter, who had finally looked up from his work to notice him. "I heard about a nice noodle place from Saifah."

"Noodles sound good! Do they have fish balls?"

"We can ask." Ae pulled Pete away from Tutor's glare and Fighter's shaking head. "See you later, Fighter, Tor."

Fighter watched the pair leave and looked expectantly at Tutor. Tutor's gaze remained on the light pink handkerchief in Fighter's pocket for a moment longer before he signaled to wrap things up and walked away. Fighter quenched his project and gently placed it aside. As he left, the forge light glimmered over a roughly shaped heart with wings.

[cannoli-reader]

It's not like he doesn't deserve it:

"They do need friends, Master Cauthon, as do you...They are on dangerous ground and blind to what lies beneath their feet...telling them to abandon this nonsense before it is too late. Foolish children who go too far can find themselves punished..." Mat wanted to back away...Instead he put on his most insolent grin. It had always landed him in trouble back home, but it seemed appropriate. "They see pretty well, I'd say." Nynaeve badly needed to be snatched down a peg or six, and Elayne even more, but he was not about to stand by and listen to this woman talk Nynaeve down. If that meant defending Elayne too, so be it. "Maybe you should abandon your nonsense."

-- A Crown of Swords, ch 16, A Touch on the Cheek

This is a situation where Mat loses nothing by nodding agreeably and saying "Yes, Aes Sedai, I agree, I will absolutely tell them that, don't you worry," and even do it, knowing it's not going to actually stop them or hurt them to pass on what Teslyn and Joline say. But you don't get to insult or belittle someone from the Two Rivers in front of Mat Cauthon.

It's not the first time either. The man who refused to bow to Siuan in Fal Dara, when he was surrounded by a troop of Shienaran soldiers and their lord doing so, knelt to Egwene and hailed her as "Mother" just the book before the above encounter.

...they were all ignoring the woman they had named Amyrlin. Egwene might as well have been alone; she looked alone. Knowing her, she was trying very hard to be what they had named her, and they let her walk alone, with everybody watching. To the Pit of Doom with them, if they think they can treat a Two Rivers woman that way, he thought grimly.

-- Lord of Chaos, ch 44 The Color of Trust

And bear in mind, "knowing Egwene" does not mean Mat is all that thrilled about the knowledge thereof. The book before this, he and Rand mention her loyalties seem to be more to her Aes Sedai and Wise One mentors, with Mat saying she's left the Two Rivers further behind and regrets it less than either of them. Mat and Rand know Egwene, and they are not happy about the choices they know she made, but she's still a Two Rivers friend, even if she no longer extends that loyalty reciprocally.

Hell, the whole reason Mat is in place for any of the events referenced in these posts is because Rand thought Egwene might be in trouble and sent Mat and the whole Band, primarily to get Elayne, but the safe extraction of Egwene is no less a priority. Egwene also comments that Mat seems to be willing to respect her wish to stay in Salidar, but not Elayne's, citing a promise he made to Rand. Egwene & Nynaeve are Two Rivers women. They want to stay with this lunatic cause, that's their choice. But Mat promised a friend from the Two Rivers to get Elayne safely to Caemlyn and that's what he's going to do if he has to fight the whole Salidar faction and Gareth Bryne's army. And while protecting her and Aviendha from each other, because he can see Rand cares about both of them.

And even before we were allowed into his head, we had instances like Mat, despite being possessed by the Shadar Logoth dagger, protecting Rand during his channeling illness and procuring food and shelter for him. Despite his evil-induced paranoia and desire to kill "Shiaine" when she tries to stab him, he lets Rand talk him out of it. When Perrin comes to the realization that he can help the pursuit of Fain's gang and the Horn & dagger, but it will mean accepting the ability he fears, his wolf-powers, his distress shows on his face, and Mat, despite being preoccupied with the fact that his life depends on retrieving a dagger they now have no way to track, notices Perrin's expression and offers to make him an herbal remedy. Outside of Falme, at the weakest he has been so far in the series, when Rand tells him that he should go ahead with Verin to get Healed, instead of returning to the town to look for Egwene, because he can't afford to waste any time, Mat, with his hands shaking from his infirmity insists "Saving Egwene isn't wasting time."

"Two Rivers Folk" is the best relationship in the series.

I would usually consider myself Mat Cauthon’s #1 defender and fan but then I remember Rand exists and I realize I’m a distant second place.

Tuon told him about how Mat literally kidnapped her and he straight up went “oh well, you probably deserved it. I’m sure he had a reason.”

Rand looks at Mat and goes “he’s just a silly little fella :)” and ignores all his crimes. Mat could stab someone out of nowhere and Rand’s first question would be “Mat! Are you hurt?” And the second “what did that guy do to you?”

[joanmarkov]

JOAN MARKOV:    a  pantone  edit 

[nyxicnymph]

Here, Kittykitty!

Genshin Impact characters as cats and how you ended up adopting them. Featuring: Aether, Venti, Xiao, Kazuha, Heizou + Scaramouche Special thanks to @eenochian for sparking this. Warnings: Implications of violence hidden in Xiao and Kazuha's sections. Beyond that, nothing? Kitties and kitty related fluff. Summary: You've adopted quite a few cats! How did you get all these cutie pies? Notes: OH FUCK XIAO'S GOT LONG.

Please reblog if you enjoyed!

Aether:

Aether was the first cat you adopted. You had been lonely lately, so you went to your local shelter, and found this beautiful golden baby with a white starburst on his chest.

The staff told you that he'd been separated from his littermate a while ago, and seemed quite sad.

You couldn't resist him after that, declaring that he was now your baby. You named him, signed the papers, and that was that.

You brought him home, made him comfortable, then settled in for some relaxation, hoping to give him some time to adjust.

After exploring your home some, he hopped up next to you, and gently put his paws on your lap.

"What is it, Ae baby?"

He licked your nose, then curled up next to you.

Aether is exceptionally good when you have company, the politest baby, always asking before cuddling someone. He also gives everyone thorough sniffs.

Eventually, though, your vacation ended, and you had to return to your job.

Aether always seemed so sad when you left, and so happy to see you when you returned.

But you could tell he was lonely. So you decided to adopt another cat to keep him company.

Venti:

The next cat you adopted was a shiny black kitty with turquoise eyes and a green sheen to his fur.

He had been biting his kennel when you came around the corner to see him, but as soon as he made eye contact, he rolled onto his belly and chirped at you.

You were captivated. Once again wasted no time in naming, signing papers for, and taking home this beautiful baby.

He took to Aether very well, though Aether looked a little bit steamrolled.

literally.

The first thing Venti did upon being released into your home was roll on top of a sleeping Aether.

Aether woke up very confused, and immediately dragged himself out from under Venti.

You could swear that Venti pouted.

Venti is a chatty kitty. Even if he's not with you, you can hear him meowing away in the other parts of the house.

The only times he's not talking are when he's sleeping, eating, or hiding.

The first time Venti disappeared, you freaked out.

You realized you hadn't seen him since that morning, and it was approaching dinnertime.

After calling his name several times, Aether caught your attention with a demure meow. When you looked at him, he trotted to the fireplace and meowed up the chimney.

"Aether, what- VENTI?!"

You dragged Venti out of the chimney. "How on earth did you get up there?!"

He continued to disappear randomly.

After a while you just gave up, figuring Venti would show up when he was hungry.

One time, he crawled out of your linen closet, disheveled and not quite aware of his surroundings yet.

You were pretty sure he'd slept in there for three days.

Venti was not allowed to come out whenever you had company.

Too rambunctious and mischievous.

He would steal anything and everything.

Before you started keeping him in your room when you had company, he'd taken a cap, a ring, a necklace, and someone's hairtie.

He'd even shoved his face in someone's drink. That was the last straw for him.

Xiao:

Xiao was an unplanned adoption. He didn't even come from the shelter!

His story was possibly your favorite.

It was midnight when you heard the sounds of a catfight outside.

Fearing for Venti and Aether, you woke up immediately and began looking for the source of the sound.

You're actions disturbed the golden cinnamonroll at the end of your bed, his face fur all smooshed on one side.

An insistent meow came from the living room, and you found Venti pacing the windowsill there. Petting him soothingly, you looked outside, your porch light casting an orange glow.

A flashing of eyes caught your eyes, and you gasped when you saw a small , and medium-haired black and dark gray tabby with golden eyes fighting off at least three rats, maybe more. You ran to your linen closet and grabbed a towel before running out the door.

The rats scattered as your front door opened, but the cat didn't. He remained in place, breathing heavily with his head down.

You cautiously moved towards him, then before he could run, scooped him up in your towel. He hissed at you, but even through the towel you could tell he had wounds.

Luckily, you had the necessary medicines and vaccines.

When you closed the front door, Venti hopped off the windowsill, and then sat at your feet, quietly meowing at the writhing bundle in your arms.

"Sorry, baby boy, but he's not in a good mood right now."

You gave the dark tabby a brief bath, Venti still meowing from the floor.

Aether came in while you were tending to the other cat's wounds, and before you could stop him, he'd darted forward and licked the other kitty on the forehead.

To your surprise, the other cat then immediately relaxed. He fell asleep! Aether purred smugly, and you had to wonder if he'd met this cat before on his brief ventures outside.

You kept the new cat exclusively inside for several weeks, eventually caving and naming him "Xiao". He wasn't very happy about being kept inside, but he tolerated it as best as he could.

Picky eater. Hated the dry kibble you had, so you had to set his food aside separately and drizzle water over it.

Eventually, you removed the last bandage from Xiao, and as you were leaving for work, you finally let him out.

You didn't expect him to come back, but when you came home, he was sitting on your porch, vigilantly scanning the yard below.

"Hi, brave boy!" you cooed. His ears flicked at you, and he stood up and arched his back.

Then he meowed at you, and you thought you were dreaming. He'd never meowed at you before, only hissed or growled.

When he followed you inside, and then joined the cuddle pile on the bed that night, you could have cried for how happy and proud of him you were.

Xiao is easily provoked and also quite shy, so he very rarely meets company. He only comes out when he's heard or smelled someone several times before, and even then he only watches from a distance, sitting straight up on the farthest stool, his golden eyes narrowed at the perceived interloper.

Kazuha:

You woke up to an unfamiliar weight on your chest and a strange purr rumbling around you.

You pried open your eyes at a wailing from Aether, and were immediately faced with crimson eyes.

A long haired, cream colored kitty with an orange spot on his right ear, and a few other speckles scattered through his fur stared down at you from your chest.

"What the-"

Xiao jumped up beside you and bapped the newcomer on the head, causing him to hiss.

"Xiao, no! Be nice!" You scolded, still pinned under the cream cat loaf.

"Excuse me, sir, I would like to get up. How'd you get in here?"

Venti chirped from your windowsill then, and you could swear he looked more mischievous than usual.

"Welcome home, vagrant," you mumbled as the cream cat stretched and removed himself from you.

You closed your window with a glare at Venti, who was washing his face, pointedly ignoring you.

"Okay, now what did you come here for?" You ask the newcomer, who is being intently inspected by Aether, and glared at by Xiao.

You give him a few strokes, and immediately noted several mats and knots in his fur. You probe farther and find a few scars, and an open wound on one of his front paws. He only hissed when you tried to get a closer look at his paw, curling it up to his chest in pain.

You got sick the next day, so you spent the next couple of days taking care of both yourself and this new kitty cat. You combed out his fur after a bath, tended to his paw and a few other wounds, and investigated his scars to make sure they weren't infected.

By the time you were well enough to return to work, the cat you had named "Kazuha" looked much healthier and happier.

He liked to follow Xiao outside, but opposed to stalking around the yard like he was on patrol, Kazuha preferred to nap in the sunny flowerbeds.

Occasionally, he'd wander off like Venti, but he always came home in time for dinner, even sometimes dragging Xiao or Venti with him.

You figured he'd leave when he was ready.

Kazuha was another cat that you let your guests meet, as he was gentle, quiet, and not easily provoked. They especially loved his fur, and one time, someone suggested that he might actually be a fairly prestigious breed.

Regardless, you didn't have a birth certificate, so you couldn't do anything about that.

Heizou:

You were at work when you saw this dark ginger and black tabby pacing in front of a tree.

When you clicked your tongue as a greeting, he swiveled his head around, and piercing green eyes met yours. He yelled at you, but didn't leave the base of the tree.

You saw him again the next day. And the day after that. Sometimes, you had your lunch break outside where he hung around, and he would join you.

He liked to sniff your food, then he'd wander off and try to catch whatever insects flew his way.

You even watched him stalk a squirrel once. He caught it, but then he let it go, tilting his head as it ran away in a panic.

After asking around, you'd determined that this sweet, playful ball of energy was just a stray. Somehow, he'd avoided Animal Control each time they came around, and they'd given up on him.

You resolved to take him home.

The first time, you'd called him over, calling him "Heizou", but when you'd tried to pick him up, he'd bounded away, his tail held high.

What a brat.

He knew it too, you could tell by the way he watched you as he washed his paws.

Eventually, you gave up, and on your next lunch break, you made a small sacrifice.

You opened a can of fish and left it in the passenger's seat of your car, as well as a small dish of water, left the window down a bit, and went back to work.

You came back to your car later to see the sassy tabby sleeping in the seat, the can knocked to the floor.

Your hands were shaking as you quickly unlocked the car, opened the door, and got in. You were rolling up the window when he sleepily opened an eye. Then he yawned and stretched his paws out.

You brought him home without an incident.

And when you opened the door to your house to let your kitty parade in, he fell right into line.

Heizou immediately got along well with Aether and Kazuha, and Venti to some degree.

Xiao was not a big fan at first, especially since Xiao was very possessive over Aether as his cuddle buddy, and Heizou stepped all over that.

You'd occassionaly let Heizou out to play when you had guests over, but usually only if there were kids who would play with him like he enjoyed.

Heizou enjoys yarn, cat toys, and scratchpads. You even caved and finally bought an indoor cat tree, one with enough space for all of your silly boys.

Scaramouche:

Scaramouche wasn't even your cat.

Xiao had discovered him first, and the fight was enough to bring you running from your office.

He had apparently decided that hiding under your porch was the best way to escape from his real owners across the street.

You had no idea how those ladies put up with him.

He was mean.

Still, you couldn't just let him starve, so you set out his own dishes of food and water, then explained to your neighbors where he was.

They patted you on the head and gave you their gratitude. They said he was "in a phase", but they were glad he'd found someone who would let him get over it.

They'd actually tried to come and get him back several times, but he always managed to vanish.

Whatever his problem was, he's occasionally get over it enough to slink out onto the porch and glare at you.

Don't you dare look back at him, though. As soon as you make eye contact, he runs away.

And avoids your place for several days.

That bothers you and his owners, but there's nothing you can do about it.

Still, it makes you sad that such an obviously pampered cat would have such a mean streak :(

~End~

[leiawritesstories]

As I Am, 18

Summary: London, England, 1816, early spring. The opening of the Season is every year’s most anticipated event in high society, especially among the young ladies. This Season has been predicted to be one of the most promising yet, given that the debutantes include Miss Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, Misses Nesta, Elain, and Feyre Archeron, Miss Elisa Selvari, Miss Elide Lochan, and many more. Not to mention that His Grace Rowan Whitethorn, the newly ascended Duke of Doranelle, shall be in town with his companions. Where shall the Season lead? We have yet to find out, but as with all Seasons, there will be parties, promenades, dancing and dining, a profusion of flowers in each young lady’s parlour, and of course, scandal.

STORY WARNINGS: language, arranged marriages and other 19th-century problems, eventual fighting, eventual smut

Inspired quite a lot by Bridgerton and Pride and Prejudice. Unknown chapter count. Characters are from Throne of Glass and ACOTAR, as well as various other characters from various other authors. I’ll credit them as they appear, and if anyone is unfamiliar, please go check out their books!

CHARACTER LIST             MASTERLIST

Word count: 3.6k

Warnings: language, brief Arobynn, implied capital punishment, mentions of prostitution, a guy with a fake French accent

Surprise! Happy Wednesday! Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Not only a wasteful drunkard, but an illicit brothel-owner as well?” Evalin gasped, snapping the Society Papers down onto the breakfast table. “Whatever has our world come to?”

“Do not forget that he is also a murderer, Mamma,” Aelin added, finding herself unable to stomach any breakfast at the moment. 

Evalin shuddered delicately. “We do not speak of such topics at table, Fireheart.”

Aelin raised an eyebrow. “Then how are we to discuss these topics at all, Mamma? I am forbidden to speak of anything ‘indelicate’ outside my home; if I cannot speak freely in my house, how am I to properly learn?”

“Behind closed doors, like all women do.” Evalin shook her head when Aelin opened her mouth to retort. “Please, Fireheart, leave it at that.” We can talk later, she mouthed.

~

Aelin found her way up to the attic later that day, found herself spending a good chunk of time alone with only the rhythmic thwack of her wrapped fists against the worn leather punching bag to break the silence.

A knock on the attic door. “Ae? You in here?”

Aelin crossed the room and opened the door. “Care to join, Elli?”

Elide efficiently slipped out of her skirt, revealing a pair of fitted trousers, wrapped her hands, and took a stance on the other side of the punching bag. “I’d love to.”

“You were at the opera that night, were you not, Elli?” Aelin ventured after a few moments.

Elide grunted, throwing an especially forceful punch. “I was.”

“And?”

“And I shall not rest until that man is rotting in hell where he belongs.” Her eyes burned with rage. “I do not give a shit how ‘proper’ it is for me to be involved in the proceedings; he murdered my--erm, Miss Essar, and he deserves to hang for that, let alone the list of his other crimes.”

“Your Essar?” Aelin had certainly not missed that part.

“We were friends,” Elide admitted, “though I kept it secret for fear of what Society would say.”

“Ah.” Aelin nodded. “Wise of you, as the mammas would certainly have plenty of gossip to spread.” She launched the punching bag back at Elide. “So what are your plans?”

“Right now?” Elide sighed. “I have an outline of a plan, little more. I intend to speak to Essar’s sister, Vassa, and have her agree to testify, as well as any other singers she can rally up. Firsthand accounts of Hamel’s pimping ought to convince the judge of his guilt.”

“But would you pay Vassa a visit? Or send a letter or something?” 

“You…have a point,” Elide admitted. “I suppose I shall have to either send a letter or…” She trailed off. “Or, I could enlist Lorcan’s assistance.”

“Lorcan?” Aelin wiggled her eyebrows. “We are on a first-name basis?”

“Shut up,” Elide grumbled, “that is not going the way you and His Grace want it to go.”

“Who said anything about Rowan?” Aelin inquired innocently, batting her lashes.

“If you think I am not aware that you schemed to get the two of us to dance together, you are quite mistaken,” Elide sniffed primly. “Yes, we are on a first-name basis. I should think that catching Essar as she fell would do that.”

Aelin stood stunned, her jaw slacking open. “Lorcan was there as well?” she gasped.

“Indeed. He was Essar’s lover, Ae.”

“Holy hell.” Aelin was incredulous. “So.” She shook her head, clearing her mind. “So he knows Vassa and could be seen going to her house and Society would not spread evil rumors, is what you’re saying.”

“Yes. Sadly, if I were to visit Vassa, the town would soon believe that I am running off to join the opera, and I should never be able to convince the gossipmongers otherwise.”

~

From her seat between her parents in the gallery, Aelin scanned the courtroom, quite packed to the brim with the fine spectators ready to witness Herr Hamel’s trial. Darting her gaze down to the witness bench, she met Elide’s eye and tossed her a reassuring smile. Elide nodded back, flashing a tight little smile.

Judge Kallias Invier entered the room, and everyone gathered therein stood in his presence. He took his seat, rapped his gavel on his desk. “This court is now in session.” Everyone settled back into their seats. The swarm of reporters standing in the back of the floor inked up their pens, poised to record every scathing detail. 

“Bring forth the accused,” Judge Invier declared.

Two burly bailiffs pulled a rather beaten-up Herr Arobynn Hamel into the courtroom and placed him at the stand.

“Arobynn Hamel, you are charged with the murder of Miss Essar Ild, one of your employees, running an illicit brothel, public drunkenness, and causing a public disturbance. How do you plead?” 

“Innocent of all charges,” Arobynn growled, “and you damn well know it.”

“Lest you seek to add contempt of court to the charges, Herr Hamel, I would suggest containing your replies to proper English,” Lord Invier drawled. He pounded his gavel twice. “The defendant pleads innocent. Let the proceedings begin.”

Arobynn was escorted to his seat, the bailiffs flanking him. He cast his surly eye at the witness bench, finding multiple sets of unforgiving stares directed back at him.

“The prosecution calls Captain Lorcan Salvaterre to the stand.”

Lorcan rose and went to the stand, was sworn in, and delivered a brief testimony. “Yes, Your Honor, I was in attendance the night Miss Ild was murdered. I caught her as she fell. I was at her side in her last moments.”

“Were you familiar with the lady, Captain?”

“I was.”

“Will you tell us of your relationship to her?”

“I was her lover for a brief time. Herr Hamel approached me some seven months ago and offered Miss Ild’s ‘services,’ I believe he called them, to me. Rather than engage in prostitution, I chose to seek out her company on my own. We did have relations, it is true, but I never paid her for any of our time.” The reporters avidly scribbled down each of Lorcan’s words. “I was her lover, never her owner or her master.”

Following a brief cross-examination, which yielded nothing more than he had already said, Lorcan returned to the witness bench. 

“The prosecution calls Miss Vassa Ild!” 

Vassa rose, was sworn in, and delivered her own testimony. “Essar is--was--like my older sister. We were only a year and a half apart, and very close. We are not related by blood, but we have known each other since childhood. When she joined the opera, I followed, at first just to keep our house, but I too joined the troupe some time later. And I have been trying to leave it ever since.”

“Why is that, Miss Ild?”

“Because Hamel treats his troupe little better than slaves, Your Honor. We are paid a sham of a wage, most of which we must pay him back for whatever costs he invents, and he sells our bodies to whatever gentleman with a wad of money approaches him and asks for a night with a singer.” The prosecution stepped down, nodding that the defense might cross-examine.

Gasps and murmurs rippled throughout the courtroom. The reporters’ pens practically flew over their pads, recording this latest bit of juicy news. Kallias pounded his gavel. “Order!”

“Miss Ild, can you prove any of these claims?” the defense inquired.

“Yes.” Vassa produced her small leather-bound ledger. “These are my wage records. I always kept the books for my family, even when that family was just Essar and myself.” She passed the book to the defense, who handed it to the jury, who looked over the columns and murmured in shock amongst themselves.

“The jury finds these records legitimate,” the head juror announced.

“Thank you, Miss Ild. No further questions.”

Vassa returned to her seat. The prosecution called the handful of other singers she had managed to rally, who each delivered another piece of the sordid tale of Arobynn’s whoremongering. 

“The prosecution calls Lady Elide Lochan!”

Her face impassive, Elide took the witness stand and was sworn in. 

“Lady Lochan, you were present on the night of Miss Essar Ild’s murder?”

“I was, Your Honor. In fact, I found myself at the side of Miss Essar, along with Captain Salvaterre.”

“How did this occur, my lady?” 

“I was nearby, having paid Miss Ild my compliments after her performance, as I am a patron of the opera and it is my custom to congratulate each singer after a concert. I witnessed Herr Hamel’s display of drunken rage, and I witnessed him call Miss Ild a whore and shoot her. While Captain Salvaterre attempted to stop the bleeding, I sat with Miss Ild, offering whatever comfort I could.”

“Rather noble of you, Lady Lochan.”

“I saw it as my duty, both as a human and as a patron of the opera.”

The defense cross-examined Elide, again revealing nothing more than she had already said, and she returned to her seat, tossing Aelin a tiny, elated grin.

“The defense calls Arobynn Hamel to the stand!”

Arobynn was sworn in and asked for his defense.

“My singers are my property, Your Honor,” he spat, “and I may do with them as I wish.”

“Employees are not property, Hamel, despite the outdated notions you obviously hold,” Lord Invier replied, staring coldly down at him. 

“Like hell they’re not,” Arobynn sneered. “Yes, I privately arranged for my singers to keep certain people company. And yes, some may call that prostitution. I prefer to call it side profit.” Shocked gasps from the crowd. “I fail to see how that is illegal.”

“All prostitution is illegal, Hamel,” the prosecution said coldly. “What have you to say for the murder of Miss Essar Ild?”

“It was deserved,” Arobynn growled. “She was leaving my theater, taking my profit.”

“So you admit you killed her?”

“Was I supposed to just let her leave?” he scoffed. 

Waves of utter shock and horror rippled over the courtroom. Lord Invier pounded his gavel again. “Order! Order in this court!” He turned to Arobynn. “I believe you have spoken your piece. I release the jury to deliberate.”

The jurors filed out of the room. Arobynn was once again escorted out, fire in his eyes. The witnesses and the crowd filed out the doors, dispersing around the courthouse to await the jury’s verdict.

The jury did not deliberate for long. Barely two hours later, the court pages hurried around the building, calling everyone back inside. “The jury has returned!”

Assembled once more, Lord Invier summoned Arobynn to witness his sentencing.

“We, the jury, unanimously find the accused, Herr Arobynn Hamel, guilty of all charges.”

“Very well then.” Kallias turned his steel gaze back to Arobynn. “Arobynn Hamel, you have been found guilty on all counts. For the charges of public drunkenness and causing a public disturbance, you are fined thirty shillings in total. For the charge of running an illicit brothel, you are relieved of your position as director, though I believe none of that sentencing will ultimately matter. For the charge of murder, you are hereby sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead.” He banged his gavel with finality. “This court is adjourned.”

The bailiffs dragged a cursing, kicking Arobynn away.

~

As she waited for Aelin’s family to come out of the courthouse, Elide sensed Lorcan coming to her side. 

“Yes?”

“We did it,” he said softly, half in disbelief. “Elide, we did it.”

“It would not have been possible without you speaking to Vassa,” she returned, resting a hand on his forearm. “Thank you, Lorcan.”

“Of course.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Look, Elide, about Essar--”

“I would really rather not bring that up just yet.” A bright pink flush crept across her cheekbones.

Lorcan nodded his assent, trying to control his own blush. “I understand.”

Aelin came down the courthouse steps. “Elide?”

Dropping Lorcan’s arm, Elide went to join her cousin.

~

The next week, as the news of Arobynn Hamel’s demise slowly became less of a fresh scandal, Feyre Archeron began her wedding dress fittings. Father had contracted “the finest tailor in all of London,” according to him, to prepare her dress.

Feyre was less than impressed with the tailor, a pompous little man with greasy mustachios. 

“Ah, oui oui, mademoiselle, and you shall be the finest bride to grace the Society this season, eh?” he purred as he took her measurements, his tape flicking efficiently around her body. At least he was efficient, else Feyre feared she might actually go insane listening to his obviously contrived French accent. She smiled politely and nodded along to his stream of chatter, anything but interested in actually conversing. 

When he’d taken her measurements, he took his leave with great flourishing, promising to return the next week with “zee greatest beautiful wedding-dress for la belle mademoiselle.” Feyre barely kept from rolling her eyes.

The next week, he was back, this time armed with an easel and a sketchpad and an assistant carrying quite as many bolts of fabric as he was tall. He snapped the easel into place and flicked the pages of his sketchpad out for Feyre and her family’s viewing pleasure. 

Feyre almost lost her lunch.

The man was trying to drown her in ruffles. The design he’d created featured a simple enough bodice with yards and yards of skirts, poofing out into great wads of ruffles that made the feminine silhouette in the sketches look like an over-groomed poodle.

Without waiting to hear any opinions, the tailor clapped his pudgy little hands. “Allons! Out, out! I have the magics to work!”

Feyre threw an imploring glance at her sisters. Save me, her eyes begged, before I actually kill this man.

She spent the next hour in utter fashion hell, standing still on a small raised platform while the tailor and his assistant wrapped layer upon layer of white, cream, silver, and pastel-pink silks around her waist, creating a pile of layers that vaguely resembled a confectionery Feyre had seen in a bakery window. It was all she could do to keep from shuddering as the tailor pinned and marked the fabrics and declared her “très belle.” 

A knock at the door. 

“Come in!” Feyre called, thinking it would probably be one of her sisters.

Elain poked her head into the room. “How is everything going, Fey? Do you need anything?”

“My sanity,” Feyre grumbled under her breath. “It’s…going,” she replied, screwing up her face at her sister. 

Elain snickered. “I see. Well, I believe we are having company shortly, so if you were able to attend, we would much appreciate it.” She winked slyly and popped back out.

The tailor carefully unwound the massive poof of skirts from Feyre’s waist. “We shall be basting the skirts together, my lady. I will bring the piece again next week.” Bowing, he too withdrew, barking orders at his assistant in rapid French. 

Feyre huffed a massive sigh of relief, stepping back into her day dress. Elain slipped back into the room, giggling behind her hand. 

“Goodness, I almost lost it when I popped in earlier.”

“Gods,” Feyre groaned, “I feel as though the man is actively trying to make me look like a simpering, stupid little girl.”

“Well, we can fix that,” Elain reassured her. “Lysandra is on her way over as we speak.”

Feyre grinned. “So that’s the company you mentioned.”

“Indeed.” Elain winked. “’Twould have been most indelicate to say outright that we were having a different seamstress make your wedding gown.”

“I doubt his ego would have survived that blow,” Feyre snorted.

“Touché,” Elain crooned in her very best impression of the tailor’s bad French accent. Feyre cackled, doubling over. 

“Gods, Lainy,” she wheezed, “you are far too good at accents.”

Elain swept her a little curtsy and headed out. “Let’s go welcome Lysandra, Fey.”

~

Lysandra took one look at the sketches the tailor had left and almost spewed her tea all over the room. “Good lord!” she exclaimed, “does he think you are a child’s doll?”

“No, but he does think I ought to look like confectionery,” Feyre scoffed.

“This ought to be illegal,” Lysandra scorned, whipping out her own sketchpad. “At least he left your measurements written on the page; that will help me greatly.” She smirked, her pencil flying as she traced a dress form onto her page. “We shall start from here.” Turning her sketchpad around, she showed Feyre the simple, elegant gown structure she’d designed. 

“It actually looks like a dress!” Feyre marveled, eyes roving over the silhouette.

Lysandra snickered. “It is supposed to, Miss Archeron. I believe this silhouette will flatter you best, drawing attention to your figure and your proportions rather than drowning you in ruffles.” She indicated the fitted bodice, the slightly puffed cap sleeves. “The sleeves will hit about halfway down your upper arm, leaving you the freedom to wear longer gloves.”

Feyre nodded. “Clever. And the veil?”

Lysandra flipped the page over and sketched out a few veil variations. “With your height, you would be best suited to have a chapel-length veil; I envision it flowing just past the skirts of the gown.” 

Feyre nodded. “So no overly long train, then?”

Lysandra actually shuddered. “Gods, no. You are not tall enough to pull off trailing skirts, milady, forgive me for saying so.”

“There is nothing to forgive,” Feyre grinned, “you are just being refreshingly honest, as always.”

“I do aim to please,” Lysandra smirked. “The skirts will pool around your feet, like so”--she constructed the skirts in the drawing to march her words--“and with the veil falling like this, every bit of your beauty shall be properly accentuated.” She turned the sketchpad around once more. “Well?”

Feyre was speechless. “I absolutely adore it,” she breathed, staring.

“In that case, stand up and take your dress off, and we shall get to creating the wedding gown of your dreams.” Lysandra clicked her tongue. “I shall be as swift as possible.”

“Oh, do take your time, Lysandra,” Feyre countered, standing once more on the platform, “as I am sure you have much you’d like to share with us.”

Lysandra winked, grinning with a touch of wickedness. “I do indeed.”

~

Rose tapped on Feyre’s door late that night, just as she was about to snuff her candle. “Miss? Are you awake?”

Yawning, Feyre went to the door. “Barely, but yes. What is it, Rose?”

“Note for you, miss.” She handed over the small, sealed envelope.

“Thank you,” Feyre whispered. “Do go and sleep, Rose, you need it far more than I do.” Waving a goodnight to her maid, she closed her door again and opened the note.

Feyre,

I have a bit of a conundrum and do not know to whom else I can speak. If you were deeply in love with a man of whom your elder brother disapproved for some trivial, idiotic reason, what would you do? Try as I might to persuade Rhysand to see the truth, he remains obstinate in his belief, refusing to see my side. I do not know what to do, Feyre. I am hopelessly in love, and I know mine loves me as ardently as I love him. Please, can you offer me some solution?

Your sister-to-be,

Elisa

Smiling a giddy little smile at “sister-to-be,” Feyre grabbed a sheet of notepaper and composed a quick response, hoping she was coherent.

Elisa,

To be perfectly frank, there is not much you can do to persuade your stubborn brother to change his mind. However, if your beloved pleads his suit to Rhys, he might be willing to listen, to have a man-to-man conversation. Men are like that sometimes, stubborn to idiocy. If that does not work, remember that it is your love that matters the most, not someone’s opinions. Love conquers all, Lis, no matter what it takes.

Your almost-sister-in-law,

Feyre

She wrapped herself in her dressing gown and slipped downstairs, tapping one of the footmen on the shoulder. “Pardon, William, could you do me a favor?”

“What is it, milady?”

“Could you please deliver this to House Selvari?”

“Of course, milady.” William tipped his hat at her. 

“Thank you ever so much.” Feyre smiled and returned inside, watching through the window as the young footman crossed the square and delivered her note to House Selvari, where a maid answered the door and took it. 

A dim light flickered on in Elisa’s bedroom some minutes later. Obviously, Elisa had stayed up, awaiting Feyre’s response. Feyre watched covertly from her bedroom window as Elisa’s shadow crossed the room and her curtain moved aside. Her lantern appeared in the window, flickered twice, and disappeared.

Code for thank you.

Grinning, Feyre flicked her curtains open and closed three times. You’re welcome. She snuffed her candle and tucked herself into bed, drifting off to thoughts, some of them naughtier than others, of her fiancé.

~

Lady Esther Selvari rang her little bell as the clock ticked towards ten. A maid appeared in the parlor within a minute.

“Yes, milady?”

“Anna, would you please check on Miss Elisa? I believe she has overslept this morning.” Anna bobbed a curtsy and headed upstairs.

Not five minutes later, a banshee-like shriek echoed through the house. Lady Selvari nearly dropped her teacup in shock. 

Anna came flying down the stairs and into the parlor. “Begging your pardon, milady, but…I found this in Miss Elisa’s room. And her bed was untouched.”

Hand shaking, Lady Selvari snatched the envelope from Anna’s hand. Mother, read the simple inscription on the front. She broke the seal and unfolded the single page, scanning her daughter’s words.

And fainted dead away.

Anna and the housekeeper revived her with smelling salts and a cold compress. Lady Selvari breathed deeply, shaking as she came to. 

“Whatever has happened, ma’am?” the housekeeper inquired, gently. 

“It is my daughter,” the dowager countess breathed, her voice quivering. 

“What about her, milady?”

“Elisa has eloped.”

~~~~~~

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[pepsiwriteswords]

14. Affection

    When Devdan dies, you wrench aer back into life with everything you have. Rage and fear and power combine somewhere deep inside you, swirling tighter and tighter, almost nausea-inducing.

   There is no finesse to it, none of the energy diverts to healing any of aer wounds, or replenishing the blood lost. Everything goes into getting aer heart beating again, putting breath back in aer lungs, making sure ae will open aer eyes once more. 

   If it weren’t for Sanev . . . all of your effort might have been wasted.

   You can’t stay on your feet, after, all of your energy went into the working. Sanev catches you, helps you sit down on the ground when your legs give out, and leaves you gasping for breath to work on stitching aer up.

   You let him do it, curling into yourself there on the ground. You can feel wetness on your face, but you don’t feel like you’re crying. It feels like you’re catching your breath, like there wasn’t enough air around until all three of you were breathing it again. 

   You’re not sure how long it takes - it could be hours, it could be minutes, all of it is meaningless to you - but eventually you feel a hand on your back, between your shoulder blades. A familiar hand. 

   Not Sanev’s hand.

   You want to whip around and throw yourself into aer arms, maybe cry into aer shoulder a little, but you know yourself. 

   You know the extent of your own abilities.

   You can’t keep yourself from turning quickly, but you’re more careful about it than you would be any other time.

   You stare at aer, at the new line of stitches along the side of aer head, across aer throat. You raise your hand, trace the former lightly with the tips of your fingers.

   “They’re going to scar,” you say softly, and you don’t acknowledge the tearful rasp to your voice. “I’m sorry.”

   Devdan shakes aer head, cups your face in aer hands, just as gentle as you’re trying to be. “No apologies. Not for this.” Ae leans aer head into your touch, wincing a little with it, but smiling. “I’m alive. You brought me back. I can live with a couple new scars.”

   You disagree, generally - you’re old enough that you should have been able to direct more energy to healing at least some of the damage, if not all of it - but for once you don’t want to argue. Later, when the shock of sudden death-then-not has worn off, when just the sight of this person up and walking and talking doesn’t make you look on in wonder, you can make all the counterpoints you want.

   For now, you let yourself dip your chin in something like a nod, angling your head to press your lips against the edge of aer palm.

[butterflydm]

wot reread: the shadow rising (chap 11- chap 15)

spoilers through the end of the shadow rising

1. Egwene goes adventuring in TAR! She’s trying to investigate to see if the Tanchico story is true. So I got the elephant skeleton and the giraffe skeleton, but the ‘big as a bear but with two long teeth’, I’m not sure what that one is. This is also where the Mercedes-Benz logo shows up, lol. We’ve got the bracelets of suffering, the broken ter’angreal, the not-broken angreal. Lots going on in the Panarch’s Palace.

2. One of Egwene’s dreams: “Mat wrestling with a Seanchan woman who tied an invisible leash to him.” 🥺🥺😥😥😭😭 The leashes theme is so painfully real for so many of the characters and it hurts my heart.

3. Ah, and she accidentally travels to the Aiel Waste in the dream because of thinking about something Aviendha mentioned about Aiel Wise ones being able to interpret dreams.

4. She meets Amys and has a spotting of Birgitte! Nice! Not bad for her first non-ring trip. She gets her formal invite to visit Amys and learn dreamwalking (under semi-false pretense -- she does lie about being a full Aes Sedai sister, as they’ve been doing this whole trip).

5. Elayne learned about first-sisters in the last book, and now she learns about sister-wives (women who marry the same man). It was implied in the last book (”let no man” etc) but Aviendha makes it clear here.  Aviendha points out that, in Aiel culture, if that if two women are close to each other but then attracted to the same man, it’s considered better for them to marry the guy than to ruin their relationship by fighting over said guy. the ‘two hands’ meme, essentially. I wonder if the show will also give us brother-husbands as well. They seem willing to do the poly stuff so far and even expand on it a bit so 🤞.

6. Aviendha gets summoned to Rhuidean and she’s so unhappy about it. 🥺 🥺 🥺  it’s okay bby. 🥺 🥺 🥺

7. Perrin and Mat having a conversation about the Two Rivers and about Rand’s ta’veren pull on them -- Mat can’t even tell Perrin that he will go with him, now that the option is on the table, while Perrin says the one reason to go is able to outweigh all the reasons to stay with Rand. In fact, Perrin was able to actually start packing to leave as soon as he heard the rumors about Whitecloaks in the Two Rivers. Though, since he is one of the people the Whitecloaks are specifically hunting, he has strong guilt-based reasons to want to go solve the problem.

8. Yeah, Mat refers here to the (now-established through changes in the Rand/Egwene backstory) tradition of the Two Rivers’ parents arranging marriages for the Two Rivers’ boys without their knowledge or consent, and basically just presenting it as a done deal and steamrolling them into it.

9. Berelain dismisses the idea of chasing after Mat because she thinks they’re too similar. I’m just gonna sit and imagine that plotline for a moment, if they’d done it. This belief of hers tells us a lot either about how she sees herself or how she sees Mat. Or both. Ironically, I think this romance might have worked out a lot better than Berelain thinks it would. I don’t think she’s anywhere near as good at reading men as she believes that she is (as we saw from how badly she read Rand in chapter 2).

10. lol, Berelain is 100% unwilling to admit to Perrin that Rand has absolutely forbidden her to ever try to speak to him in private again. Fear is strong but her pride is stronger. Also, she goes into his rooms as well without knocking, and so catches him shirtless, a common theme from TDR, now brought back again.

11. “I always get what I want in the end.” Again, considering how total and complete Rand’s rejection of her was, this stinks of her trying to salvage her pride.

12. And here Faile, for possibly the first time in her life, actually WANTS all the power that comes along with her birthright, because she’s realized that being seen as ‘just’ a peasant actually doesn’t have the kind of power that she feels she would need to challenge Berelain. That being said. Kinda hate that it’s in service to what is, essentially, a ‘catfight’, as Faile’s struggle about whether or not to accept her upbringing now that she can see that it has things that would help her get what she wants in her current life actually is compelling.

13. Ah, yeah, Berelain was somewhat interested in Perrin before, but only enough to try to lure him to Mayene, but she wasn’t going to go particularly out of her way for it. It’s Faile attacking her with a knife that makes her decide that she wants him enough to change her plans in order to try to yank him away from Faile. It’s now much more about making Faile lose him than it is about actually getting Perrin herself (going back to Nynaeve’s accurate character analysis of Berelain!).

14. And when Rhuarc breaks up the fight, Faile tries to attack him, too. Between this and hitting Perrin when she felt frustrated and angry, violence really does seem like it’s Faile’s primary language, and one that she is equally willing to use on enemies, neutral parties, and the people she claims to care about. Which. Is not my personal preference in characters. To put it mildly. But it’s also an interesting contrast to how Perrin constantly struggles with the idea of violence, that he fell in love with someone who defaults to violence so readily.

15. REDSTONE DOOR TIME!

16. Fascinating and delightful and creepy. Love me some redstone doorway time. This is just one of those sections that is an amazing journey to read. This book has several of those sections, which may be why I remember it as one of my favorites. There’s a great slow-building horror in this section.

17. Mat learns his fate. 🥺🥺😥😥😭😭

18. Doorway couldn’t handle three people inside all at once, and one of those people being Rand. It got stressed. And Mat has to again forcibly remind himself that Rand isn’t who he used to be, because when he looks at Rand, he does still see the same person. lol, he thinks that Rand is acting super-cool and wishes he could emulate it.

19. And Moiraine is mad at Rand for trying to find his own answers but, of course, when he turns the question on her, she’s no more ready to share the questions that she asked and the answers that she got. We also find out here that Mat was able to easily speak an ancient dialect of the Old Tongue with the Aelfinn and didn’t even notice he was doing it..

[deckofaces]

@surplus-of-sarcasm tasked me to find the words smirk, touch, hair, lose, impossible!

anyone who knows my ocs there may be small lore tid bits 🫢 also like tw for some whump I’m pretty sure

Smirk & Hair

Dystopia smirked at the woman in front of him, almost as if he found her presence amusing. She was just as familiar as ever with her light blonde hair and touch of fear in her eyes. Though she was trying to hide it, he could see past the mask. He knew her for four years after all.

“I’m nothing like you,” Narcissa snarled, “I never will be.”

Dystopia chuckled at her comment. “Let’s compare notes then, shall we?”

Touch

Astrid gazed at the blank wall. The same wall that has been aer room (more like cell) ever since ae has been a child. While sitting there, ae subconsciously reached up and touched aer arm. It was sore, over it was a small plain band aid. Astrid just had blood drawn, like a million times before. The soreness was a familiar feeling, a horrible familiarity.

Lost

Rookie stared at the floor, guilt clawing at their gut. Other than the painful silence of waiting to see when Whumper would come back, the occasional quiet and dull clicking of metal could be heard coming from the cuffs that kept each team member’s hands behind them. Most of them have given up trying to pull out of the cuffs on their wrists, as it only caused them to throb with no success. They were trapped, and none of them could figure out a way to escape at that moment. 

“I’m sorry,” Rookie whispered, finally breaking the silence. They almost felt lost or defeated.

Impossible

“Narcissa, please, I never wanted to fight you. I know you are hurting, but I just want to talk-“ Myranda cut herself off with a yelp. In front of her a full length mirror materialized. Just as quick as it appeared, Narcissa lunged out of it and onto her former team leader, pinning her to the ground. She held a blade to her throat, keeping Myranda on the dirty roof floor. 

“You want to talk?” She snarled, hate filling her eyes. If the knife didn’t sit so close to her neck, Myranda would have flinched from the stare. “We’ll talk. How about we talk about how stupid it was for you to seek me out. And you are right, I am hurting, but maybe that’s an impossible idea to get through your head. I mean, look at yourself, you look like you’ve been letting yourself go to waste.” 

~~~~

I’m tagging @justalittlecorrupted, @onlywhump, @whumpasaurus101, @laffy-taffy-creations, and @hufflepuffwritingstuff2

ummm some words for you guys can be trapped, cry, soft, smile, and eyes

(Those were some random words jeez)

Find the Word

I was tagged by @kaatiba for find the word!  My words are shine, ring, try, calm, and hear.

—

Shine

I mostly closed the door. It squeaked slightly, just enough to hear it but not so sharply as to be unpleasant. A sliver of the cool, faintly colored light from the library shone in and faded before it reached the covered book shelves. I wandered to the desk, then sat on my haunches to remove my satchel, careful not to catch the crook of my horns.

Keep reading

[hazelcephalopod]

The Eye of the World Ch 29-30

This is just whump at this point. I could give a more dignified description, but I think that both captures the plot and spirit of the chapters. But specifically it’s Perrin Egwene whump.

Disclaimer: this is my first read thru but I’ve watched all of the show this far and been spoiled on some book things. So… I’m going to lean into that. Enjoy figuring out what I know, and what I think I know, and what I just don’t. Also s/x I add commentary when I edit.

Spoilers for the first book and up to the most recent episode under the cut. Potential spoilers for latter books.

Ch 29

Perrin POV

And we are back running. And running as fast and stealthily as possible. Tho, stealth may indeed do nothing for them

Bud. Accept the gift of the wolves.

Taking off his hat. That’s really smart actually

Honestly? Rarely been more nervous about birds. (Possible before in fiction. Once irl with some seagulls)

“A misshapen lump of torn fur marked what had been the fox.” (Perrin) seeing a flock of ravens take down a fox.

Go Egwene!

That’s no mist (?) (it’s the birds)

“Think, if you want to stay alive. Fear will kill you if you don’t control it.” -Elyas to Egwene and Perrin as the hide from the ravens. (‘Fear is the mind killer…’)

Damn and it’s only now midday. That is grueling.

Ohhh. Ohh. Oh no. I’m not going to describe that but that’s pretty bad even if it’s just a rabbit. Mmm. That’s some Birds shit right there

Ok. Yup. Ravens bad. Got it.

Didn’t need that image in my head.

So this and new powers angst? All the angst. All of it

I mean the wolves did and you’re people. With axes. And slings. Mainly axes tho

How is this worse than the Trollocs…? I guess an Aes Sedai really makes a big difference huh?

Ohhh noooo. Just the worse decision right there

The plot? Do I hear mercy from the plot? (Mm not really. Life yes)

“I feel as if I lost something.” -Egwene after Perrin feels something odd and Elyas looks like he knows something good(?).

“The One Power won’t work here; they can’t touch the True Source. Can’t even feel the Source, like it vanished. Makes them itch inside, that does. Gives them the shakes like a seven day drunk.” -Elyas on why neither Ravens who spy for the Dark One, nor any Trollocs, Fades, nor Aes Sedai would follow them where he’s led them.

Ah. It’s a stedding.

Ogier! (I later learn there aren’t any here. Disappointment…)

Yup. Gotta eat.

Oh. Don’t linger on that. Don’t need to answer that now.

“Artur Hawkwing’s eye. The eye of the High King himself. This is what his power and glory came to in the end.” -Elyas on the stone that was a statue -or marker?- they’ve made their fire against for the night.

Lore time!

Highlights of the lore- High King Artur “Hawkwing” Paendrag Tanreal united most of the Westland’s and some lands beyond the Aiel wastes. Sent armies across the Aryth. Ruled enough of the world it might as well have been all of it for Westlanders. And under it the common folk had peace and justice. Paid for by the sword, and with no mercy for lawbreakers or enemies of the state. Enemies of the state included Aes Sedai of Tar Valon, whom he warred against:”; also putting a price on their heads, 1k gold each. But the people loved him for the peace.

“An Aes Sedai healer could have saved him when he took sick… Be wouldn’t let one near him…” -Elyas (paraphrased) on Artur Hawkwing and Aes Sedai. Sounds familiar. (Much like a story from a shadow in the shadows.)

So yea it’s a statue. The people raised money for it. Because he was going to build a city in that stedding. But the city was never built because he died the day the statue was raised and his empire descended into chaos.

“…the last of the Hawkwing’s blood vanished from the earth — except maybe for some of those who went over the Aryth Ocean.” -Elyas on the fall of Hawkwing’s empire.

Ah. So the War of the Hundred Years basically The Dark Ages. That’s when the statue was pulled down (allegedly)

Ah. Right. Teens, nuance is a learned thing usually I suppose. It can always be both Egwene.

And on the lovely (/s) note of comparing the stone eye to a ravens the chapter ends.

Ch 30: Children of the Shadow

A sun! Odd considering the chapter name. (I later learn why. Not good why. But apt)

Still Perrin POV

Hey dude. Maybe. Now that you have the time. Perhaps, ask her? Hmm?

“… as long as you hate using it, you will use it more wisely than most men would. Wait. If ever you don’t hate it any longer, then will be the time to throw it as far as you can and run the other way.” -Elyas advising Perrin on keeping his axe and when to put it down.

What the hell is happening? That’s what I call dissociating but there’s wolf magic so..??

Oh no. Separating always goes poorly. (I later learn I was right)

Oh it’s people.

“Dapple says they smell wrong. It’s sort of the way a rabid dog smells wrong.” -Elyas on those people. Don’t like that. Somehow doubt it’s rabies and also wish it was rabies instead. (Even wolves hate WCs)

Love, why does anyone bother you? Yup. It’s sucks. They suck that’s why.

I’m sry. Wolf brothers get night vision? That’s pretty damn cool!

“I felt the rock.” -Perrin lied. To Egwene.

Oh it’s fucking Whitecloaks? Ugh.

“I told you somebody could hide in that? Isn’t that a horse?” -some Whitecloak pointing to Bela while she and Egwene and Perrin hide in the hand of a statue. Hilarious.

/Lol at my brother saying Perrins powers have no downsides. I mean mostly true honestly? So far so good. He’s just scared of it. I assume some people might be asshole. But for sure he’s got the least downsides of the rest of the TR crew. Right?/

Oh no.

Oh Hopper lost an eye. And killed a dude, sorta with Perrin

Wait… did Hopper fucking die?!

Oh no

Oh crap the coin!

BS Byar. You killed one of three

Yup. Sure. Totally that’s over

Bornhold. Truly. You may be the smartest Whitecloak ever. It’s a pretty low bar. And you are still mostly wrong.

And fuck off plz

Still an utter asshole of course

Well this is going poorly. But… doubt it could ever go well

Shocking that the Whitecloaks suck at their own damn mission /s. Though I suppose when everyone is dead there won’t be anymore Darkfriends.

Oh shit. They’re gonna kill Perrin

Tbh Whitecloaks suck worse than basically any enemy so far. It’s the banality of evil thing. Like these dudes have just existed, so I hate them more.

[asterjennifer]

Hey um...I seriously don’t feel good today. I feel like burdening everyone. My depression is just killing me in a literal sense. If it’s not too troubling for you..can I request After Ending Saeran and Unknown taking care of a really depressed MC? To get rid of my numbness would be nice...

-🍉anon

🎀 Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that. Of course I can do that, I'm no leaving you in the dark.🎀

Hard Times

Fandom: Mystic Messenger

Pairing: Unknown AE Saeran x Reader

Category: Angst (fluff)

Warnings: depressed MC

Word count: 2201

Author's Note: I hate it being down so I'd love to cheer ya up with this^^

Summary: Everyone can feel down sometimes.

He knows it better than everyone else.

So he knows exactly what to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unknown

You felt so awful today, nothing seemed to go the way you wanted and above all, you haven't seen him the whole day since he's too busy with his job to look after you. It's not that you asked of him to play your babysitter, but you indeed wished that someday he'll take some time for you even with all the work. Especially at days like these. Where you felt like there's nothing you could do right, or achieve to make a difference. Feeling useless isn't uncommon for you in this very weird cult with ridiculous high standards and even if he didn't say it, you knew you weren't very skillful. Today had been a real pain, all your paperwork drained you to the bone. Feeling frustrated by the people around you and their stupid whispers while you tried to keep a cool head. Body and mind at its lowest the moment you were lonely in your room. Sometimes it just hurt to breath. You just wanted to close your eyes and never wake up, knowing it wouldn't really change a thing, either. There were people better than you, it's not hard to replace you. With a cup of your favorite hot drink in your hand, you sat down into one of the big chairs of your room, staring out of the window with these poisonous thoughts running through your head to keep the mood absolutely miserable. Speaking of the devil. When the door to your room opened, you kinda wished you wouldn't have thought about him.

"(N), why didn't you come over after work?! Also, I don't know what bit you but you literally just stopped midway in your work. You can't just leave things unfinished."

He complained, sounded like he's having some of the still blank paperwork in his hand. You pulled the knees closer to your chest, the need to cry being unbearable. It's not like you tried to get into trouble by just cutting it off. But you felt too drained to continue. Too stupid as you couldn't finish it the way you wanted. Your boss took your silence as something bad and huffed, the sound of his boots coming closer until he stood beside you. Quickly, you hid your face into the blanket which's laying over your body.

"Are you ignoring me? Seriously, what's just wrong with you?! You ca–"

"I'm sorry!!! I... I am s-sorry for not being.. stupid."

"Huh?"

Was all he said after that, making you want to sink into the ground and never come back. God, why were you still around wasting his time. You bit down onto your lip to swallow the sob, but the tears found their way out regardless. His steps the only sound in the room until he.. stood in front of you? Was he going to kick you out now? Porbably. Maybe.

"Hey. I know you're crying. Look at me."

How did he found out? You've been quiet in a desperate manner. When his hand touched your knee, you knew there's no chance to get out of it and looked up in fear. The tears burned down your face, it hurt. His mint eyes stared through you for a long moment, it scared you more and more.

"Are you feeling depressed?"

You swallowed the lumb in your throat. There's no going back anymore anyways. As you shook your head, his eyes changed to something more dark.

"I don't feel depressed. I am depressed, boss."

Silence following your statement. But it's not even a lie, you're just very good at hiding it. Especially since coming to this place, it could be dangerous to show how you really felt. Unknown kneeled down then, taking your legs so he could rest his chin on them. It managed to pull a gasp out of you.

"Welcome to the club, Princess."

He smirked, tired body language and dark bags underneath his eyes speaking walls for that. The words made you chuckle for a short moment. Your boss hummed before sitting down, never leaving your lap. Was it that comfortable?

"I didn't know you're depressed, I guess you did a good job hiding it."

"I could say the same for you."

He smriked, it let something warm explode in your chest. Without much thought you left some fear and began to stroke through his white hair.

"What bullshit. Guess we're both in need of a break."

He closed his eyes, seeing him so calm in your presence and above all, letting you touch him somehow managed to make you feel a bit better.

"Can we... watch some movies, maybe?"

He then stood up from the floor, not only taking the cup from you to put it down onto the table, but also your body while the blanket's still wrapped around. You gave your boss a confused look. But he only snickered.

"We can do that in my room. Your sent often helps me to calm down, so I guess it would help you smelling mine."

AE Saeran

If there's one thing you hated with all your heart it's how pathetic your crying was. You hated to cry like a little baby over things that are so minor nobody would even care about it. And now, when having a boyfriend that's so perfect and able to overcome so much in a order to moving on, it felt like you're even more pathetic than ever before. Saeran's such an angel, he's so great at leaving the bad memories behind and smile with confidence. He always told you that's your doing, and that he'll be forever grateful. But sadly that wasn't the case for you. These thoughts caused by memories left you with nothing but frustration. The times where you thought about him and how you didn't deserve such an angel, it caused you to cry in awareness. That he's too good for you. That you're just pulling you down alongside yourself. Why couldn't you do it like him and leave behind all these terrible words circling inside your head?

"My angel, I'm home!"

You quickly wiped away the tears, trying in vain to make it look like you're just fine. That you're happy, this positive ball out of beautiful thoughts. That's what the whole RFA thought of you, after all. Even your boyfriend didn't know it differently. And it's killing you. You're not this perfect sunshine and it became extremely difficult to hide it away lately. All you wished was for your boyfriend to see through the lies and take you into his arms.

"W-Welcome back!"

You tried to say it in your most happy voice and stood up from the bed you'd been crying at just a moment ago. And there he stood, white shirt with dark pants. White messy hair and beautiful mint eyes now owning such a bright shimmer. Like nothing had ever been wrong. He smiled to you and frankly, you just wanted to cry again.

"How was y-your day..? Had fun?"

Your asked, hating how your voice broke at the edges and cleared your throat. Saeran put down a grocery bag onto the table in the kitchen. The moment you were in his space, he grabbed you to pull you into a tight hug. The contact's almost too much to handle.

"It was fine, I couldn't stop thinking about you. And that gave me some motivation, hehe. What about you, my love? How was your day?"

"G-Great! I.. I had a good day.."

It hurt like fire to lie into the face of the one person you adored the most. But what else could you do? You didn't want him to know how pathetic you were deep down. Saeran's hand started to stroke over your hair, patting the top of your head with a sweet sigh. You hated how good he was. You hated how weak you were.

"My angel please don't take this the wrong way but.. I can't help the feeling you're.. not okay. Am I right?"

Oh well, there it was. Of course he'd find out. You couldn't help it anymore and digged your fingernails into his shirt, pulling him even closer to hide the tears into his shoulders. He caught you. He probably did the moment you started to break. Saeran didn't say anything, he just held you tight while the sobs and tears came out without premission. At least he's aware know, that took a lot of weight from your tense shoulders. You didn't deserve such a great guy.

"O-Of course you noticed I-I'm pathetic.. I'm sorry.. Y-You're too good for me. I really.. I'm ashamed."

Couldn't help but let the words spill over like a waterfall. Saeran pulled away enough to cup your face with his hands, mint eyes wide with worry for you. You're sorry to cause him trouble now.

"What are you saying? (N), that's not true. I love you more than anything else, you're the best thing that happened in my life.. Why are you feeling so depressed? Wait."

He looked deep into your eyes, like he's trying to see into through your soul. At least his touch helped to stop the crying, something in his face clicked then. A little frown filled with concern and sympathy for the way you felt. That's when you knew he got it all figured out.

"You're depressed, aren't you my angel."

You didn't expect anything less from a man who knew depression like the back of his head. With a nod, he sighed. Wiping the tears away, he offered you a genuine smile for comfort. Seeing him giving you all his affection made you return it, despite how awful you felt. He kissed your cheek then. As you leaned into the touch, he gave you a quick peek on the lips as well. It felt good to know he loved you regardless how you felt deep down.

"It's okay, you don't have to be ashamed for that. I know how you feel.. And we can work on it. There's a lot to help you deal with it, like therapy. Mine does wonder."

He said in a playful voice, it made you chuckle roughly. Wiping the last tears away yourself, you watched him pulling out a big a cup of Ice cream form the bag.

"For now let's just cuddle and watch the sky, I heard tonight shall a meteor shower happen. Wanna watch it together?"

"Yeah! I'd love to do that. Thank you honey."

[ink-fireplace-coffee]

Marble and Magic Monday: Mafia AU Part 1

A/N: we start the AUs with a Mafia one because y e s

TW: death, blood, guns and knifes. I think that's all.

If there's one thing you need to know about magic, is that it turned into a luxury.

And when people start fighting for something, only the most powerful survive.

Unknown to the Starless people, the city is constantly on the edge for those with magic. Having to choose between three sides - affiliating to the Eterna Realeza, ruled by the Asya family; work for the Striker Gang, a mismatch of powerful outcasts; or going solo… With all the implications of that.

There were little things that could make both empires crumble to the ground, and yet, Jasper Cheasya just happened to be one.

It took him exactly two days to notice he was being observed and followed by no less than six different people: he came from a rich family, and there was no trace of a doubt his status preceded him.

After all, his mom was no other than the Witch.

Since his arrival three weeks ago now, this was the first time Jasper had tried to outrun his followers. And not knowing the layout of the city clearly became a problem. Anxiety growing in his chest with every heartbeat he had ended in a street full of closed businesses.

"I wouldn't turn there," a voice at his back said, right before he was about to go to the right. "That's a dead end, right there. Although," the man kept rambling, "you are gonna end up dead either way."

Jasper finally turned around to face him: a man in his thirties, his broad shoulders and the gun he was carrying were indicative of his job.

"Why did you tell me that?" Jasper tried not to stand small, knowing damn well he was just buying time. The man would not have time to chit chat.

With a simple shrug and a sharp smile he answered: "Because I like to give my preys time to run."

He then swung forward towards Jasper who took off running as fast as he could.

'He needs me alive,' he thought trying to find somewhere to hide in between the alleys and streets. When he heard the first gunshot, the statement vanished.

To his dismay, in between the gunshots and laughs of his hunter, another voice joined the chaos.

"Hey!" It was a girl's, and stood in between Crazy-Man-With-a-Gun and him.

Panting heavily and wanting to roll over and vomit, Jasper sent a last prayer to the Stars and wished his death was as quick as possible.

But Death did not come looking for him. Instead, he just heard more shots… Not aimed at him!

The boy spotted some trash cans and quickly kneeled behind them, trying his best not to make any sound.

The girl and the man were too busy with each other to even think of him anyway…

Agatha hated patrol days. Waving off drunk men and waking up homeless people who were in their territory was by far the most thrilling things that could happen in one of those days.

But try telling that to Kathan.

"Direct others," she mimicked his voice while rolling her eyes. She was worth more than just walking around their territory for the Stars' sake!

She jolted when she heard the first gunshot. What the Hell?

A guy passed running down the street, and in no time she stood in between him and another man.

"Hey!" Her gun was already in her hand, pointing at the man. "Realeza trash, I thought your kind knew this is our territory-" she cocked the gun- "And that we have permission to eliminate all of you if you so much but step on it."

"I'd love to see you try Flower Girl."

A few shots later, the blood right from the man's head dyed the ground red. Agatha scowled and looked at him with disgust one more time before remembering about the other boy.

When he took off running she wasted no more time.

"Stop running," she called, but that weird kid wouldn't listen, and she had to make sure whose side he was on.

'Desperate times…' Agatha launched forward, making the stranger fall to the ground beneath her.

When he tried to escape and grunt, she carefully pushed a little knife to his throat.

Jasper's scream died in his mouth when he felt the pressure of the blade against him.

"Now, now, Pretty Boy, are you sure you want to move again?" her voice was the soft caress of a lover, and that only increased Jasper's fear.

"I will only ask once, and to give you a hint, there's only one correct option." Her mouth was as red as the blood of his hunter. "Whose side are you on, Pretty Boy?"

"Side? I have no idea what you are-Please don't kill me!" he begged when the pressure of the little knife increased. "I truly have no idea what you are talking about, I swear for the Stars."

Only then she pushed the knife away. “If you are lying I promise you-”

“I’m not! I arrived in the city three weeks ago. I have no idea who that dude was or why was he following me!”

Agatha stood up, towering over the boy. “In that case, let me give you a friendly welcome: You got yourself in Striker’s territory, and what happens to people who come here and should not be here…” She looked back at the corpse. “Understood?”

Jasper nodded a few times, popping carefully onto his elbows.

“Now if you aren’t a part of Realeza, but they wanted you…” she muttered to herself. “You are coming with me, Pretty Boy.”

“I haven’t done anything wrong!”

“Oh well, that’s your word, but the most powerful mafia sending a guy to track you and hunt you down says otherwise. Besides,” she added, “I think you would not turn down protection from us, now would you?”

“Protection?” Jasper’s head felt foggy.

“Yes, protection,” the girl sighed like talking to him was unbearable. “You are important for them, which makes you a valuable piece for us. So come on, I’m bringing you to the Boss.”

And with that, Jasper, the son of the Witch, was taken under the wing of the Striker Gang.

“My name is Jasper, by the way,” he added when the silence in between them was too uncomfortable.

“Agatha. Let me give you a free tip, Jasper: watch your back. I don’t have a clue why you are so important for some people, but if I were you, I would always carry a loaded gun with me.”

Maybe he would have to get one.

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