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theravencawsatmidnight · 4 years ago

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Pink Chains (cont.)

Kyotani owns a grunge /punk apparel shop after leaving the Sendai Frogs after a incident with the Black Jackals. He designs his own clothes and hires Oikawa & Iwaizumi as his employees. Everything goes smoothly for awhile, till you walk in; pink dress, big smile , and bubbly personality. His whole life stops in that moment.

Punk! Kyotani x Bubbly F! reader. Aka my favorite cliche trope. It lives in my head every second of the day.

Brief Violence

The rest of the first half and all ive got so far ! / first half at the bottom !!

Your home was a cheap studio apartment not far from the college; a small studio with a cute bed by the window , a table with a bunch of markers with a big sketchbook sitting in the middle . You had the basic needs and a little couch in the corner but no tv , but there was a little pink cat bed next to the couch.

Kyo stuffed his hands in his pockets looking around the studio , it was weird being in a small studio for him since he has a home . Everything seemed shoved into one or two spots. He sat down on the couch and you were looking a little embarrassed, fussing with your dress .

“I know its not much but ! Its my little space heh, Mocha is probably in her little house sleeping. She will wake up soon though now that im home !!!” You picked up some clothes out of a basket. “Ill be right back , make yourself at home!”

“Okay sweetie.” He leaned forward dipping his head down to look in the cat hut . He could see a tiny kitten sleeping in it and smirked leaning back into the couch getting comfortable, well as much as he could in tight jeans. Kyo peeled his jacket off and pulled his phone out to check it .

Group Chat

Mattsun/ picture

Oikawa/ OOOOOO

Iwaizumi/ i knew pink was your color

Kyotonai/ guess where i am

Iwaizumi/well i dont see you so not at home

Oikawa/ are you at her house ?!?

Kyotani/yep, invited me to stay the night

Mattsun/ oh my , how adult

Kyotani/ shut up Mattsun

Oikawa/ hope you brought condoms

Iwaizumi/ be gentle with her

Kyotani/we aint gonna fuck i just didint want to leave yet

Oikawa/ 😙😙😙😗😙😙😙

Mattsun/ 😳😳😳😳😳

Iwaizumi/ 😒

Kyotani / i hate all of you

Iwa,Kawa, Mattsun/ 💕💞♥️

Kyo put his phone on the table when he saw you come out of the restroom, you were wearing a red panda shirt and matching shorts . Mocha emerged from her home too and meowed for attention . Kyo could not stop looking at you, so cute, so , so cute..

“Mocha! “ you bent down and picked up the brown kitten taking a seat next to Kyo to show him. “Shes a rescue ! I saw her all alone and i just had to help her.”

Kyo took the kitten from you and set it on his lap to pet her. “Shes cute” he leaned back tugging at his jeans trying to relax.

“Whats wrong?” You asked, Kyos lap to pet the happy kitten.

“Had these jeans on all day, i dont want to.. make you uncomfortable.”

Mocha nuzzled into Kyos stomach getting comfy and looked like she was not movin for any reason.

“I dont mine but.. you better do it fast because Mocha is not gonna care that you wanna take em off.”

Gently he lifted to kitten to fuss with his belt , you giggled getting up and grabbing your sketchbook. “Can i show you.. heh my drawings.”

“Of course sweetie, you draw?” He asked , pulling his jeans down with one hand and Mocha in the other. Kyo had on black and pink boxers . “Ugn finally..” he set Mocha back on his lap and placed the jeans on his jacket feeling a little unsure if he should have taken em off.

You hid behind your sketchbook when you saw him on the couch in his boxers. Kyo had tone legs from volleyball and a few tattoos on his legs along with some bruises and knicks.

Kyo looked down at Mocha feeling a little embarrassed. Why were skinny jeans so damn uncomfortable after a while? He asked as he pet the little kitten.

You sat down with him criss cross with the sketchbook on your lap. “Yep! I'm in college for art and design. I want to one day get picked up by a clothing store and have my drawings on shirts”

Kyo leaned towards you looking over the sketches with wide eyes. They might have been all cute things; like kittens, red pandas, hearts, patterns and space but they were so damn good. “You have a real talent these are awesome.”

“Really?!?”

“Yes sweetie. Id put these on my shirts. Oh that reminds me..”

“Oh my gosh!! Kyo that would be so cool!” Gently you placed the sketchbook on the table and looked at Kyo, he was a looking a little unsure of himself. “Whats wrong..?”

“Why exactly did you come into my store ? Ive never seen you in it before”

“ uhm Kyo.. you have a shirt in the window with kittens on it.. so.. “

He laughed wrapping his arm around you making you laugh too. “My ‘Sad Day’ shirt? With all the grumpy cats?”

“Its so cute, how could I not!!!” You hit his chest lightly not liking his tone.

“Okay okay.” Lightly he grabbed one of your hands holding it close. “Happy you did, really.” His eyes drifted off you and around the room.

“Kyo?” You inched closer, picking Mocha up leaning down to place her in her hut.

Kyo picked you up and sat you down on his lap facing him, placing his hands at your hips. He leaned back spreading his legs. “Yes? Sweetie..?” You could feel he was a little hard, it was really hot between your legs..

“Im happy i did too.. i really like you.”

His heart thumped a few times. “First girl to say that to me…” he rested his elbow on the arm of the couch to support his head. “I wasn't the nicest guy in highschool, i'll never forget the day Yahaba slammed me into that wall and told me to get my shit together.”

You looked a little sad at his words, Kyo only mentioned his aggression one other time but even then he sounded upset and full of regret.

“Do you want to talk about it?” You asked him , cupping his cheeks so he would look at you. His eyes told you ‘yes, yes please.’ But.. “No, i just want to hold you if that's okay.”

“Okay. If we fall asleep my alarm is going to go off at 8 so sorry in advance.” You got comfortable on his lap and Kyo tipped your chin up so you were looking at him.

“Would you be more comfortable on the bed?”

“Yes i think so. I dont think i can sleep like this. Hehe.”

Kyo gripped your hips picking you up, he stepped over Mochas hut and brought you to the bed to lay down with you, his face a little red. You latched onto his sleeve closing your eyes and drifting off. “Night Kyo..”

“G’night sweetie..”

Fuck what was he doing ? Talking about it will help.. right? Kyo had to wait a bit before you were fully asleep to get up and grab his phone.

Kyotani/ Iwaizumi

Iwaizumi/ Yes

Kytotani/ keep this between us

Iwaizumi/ you didn't hit it and ditch did you?

Kyotani/ what? No.

Iwaizumi/ are you scared to make it official Kyo

Kyo stared at the text for a few minutes reading it over and over .

Iwaizumi/ is it the anger issues

He squeezed his phone and sat down on the couch dialing his phone.

“Im scared ill lash out or something”

“Mm.. when was the last time that happened again?”

“The Tourney against the Black Jackals.”

“Ah yes, think Kei had to pry you off Bokuto or something right?”

“Yes… Iwaizumi i can't lash out at her. I just can't, i mentioned Yahaba and that day and she asked if i wanted to talk about it”

“You said ’no’, didn't you” Sigh “Kyotani she's not a threat, she's not an enemy . She's literally just a girl who likes you. Open up to her”

“How.”

“Uuhhmmmm, tell her you want to talk about it. I'm going to bed. You can do this Kyotani”

He hung up .

Kyo rubbed his face for a minute and glanced at you for a minute then back to his phone opening up Messages.

Kyotani/ Mattsun i know your asleep but invite Yahaba to the beach volleyball.

He set his phone down and very slowly made his way back to you. He wrapped his arms around your sleeping body and shut his eyes tight trying to sleep.

In the morning Kyo was awake early browsing on his phone, he stared at the screen for a minute before pressing Play on the video.

-flash back-

‘Another score for the Black Jackals!!! It is Match Point !!! ‘

The Sendai frogs were tired, sweaty and losing this Tournament. The Black Jackals were still full of energy and ready to go . It was a very hard game for both sides and Bokuto kept testing Kyotani, this was the first time he met the loud grey haired boy and he just did not like him. He knew Hinata but he did not like him too much.

Kyotani was doing better at keeping his temper under control and his team figured out how to hype him up without making him angry. Kei was not too fond of him but then again he did not really need to be, they just needed to be on the same page on the court.

That owl boy though, he was loud, annoying , and just testing him. Kyotani knew it, every serve, block, and spike was for him to clear or get rid of . Kyotani got hit with the ball a couple times and thats when he lost it.

‘Kyotani has taken another hit from the ball!!!’ Yelled the annoucer .

“Hey hey hey?!! Eye on the ball yea!??”

“Dont let it get to you” Kei told him .

“.........”

“..Kyot-“

He was on the other side of the net ontop of Bokuto punching him .The whole building was dead silent.

The last thing Kyotani remembered was hearing the announcer describe what was happening and Kei pulling him off of Bokuto.

He quit the Sendai Frogs that day, took his last check and left not looking back. He opened an apparel shop he called The Dog House and got in touch with his old highschool teammates starting over.

-end flashback-

You woke up to see Kyos hand on your head , you were not fully awake so you just laid there enjoying the nice feeling on your head. Mocha had also joined you in bed and was between you both sleeping. Kyo smelled like leather… an old leather that was renewed, it made your nose crinkle a bit. Looking up you saw he had a collar tattoo with spikes on it on his wrist . It was kinda silly but kinda cute too , although you wondered what it meant.

A minute later your alarm went off and you whimpered letting Kyo know you were awake. He let go of your head to slam your alarm clock off. He looked upset or angry in the face, and he was still staring at his phone.

Slowly you got up and gently placed Mocha on your pillow so you could scoot closer to him. “Kyo? Did you get any sleep?”

“I have to show you something.” He said as he turned his phone to you pressing Play again.

You were holding the phone now, it was alot heavier than yours . You had watched the video a couple times and everytime Kyo punched Bokuto you flinched. After the second time you placed the phone down to sit facing him.

“Kyo..”

He looked the other way running his hand through his hair.

“Kyo?”

He wanted to run away so bad. Start over again. Someplace without people like -

“Kyo.”

You were between his legs now , he had his knees up and was resting his elbows on them and still did not look at you. Dammit Mad Dog just say something to her, she's right there, dont shut her out.. dont shut..

You grabbed his face turning his head, kissing him, catching him very off guard. Kyo fell back taking you with him . You had no intention of stopping and just kissed him more and more even though he cursed between breaths. Kyo grabbed you lifting you up off his face and chest. You frowned at him and sat down on his lap once he let you go, cheeks flushed and very embarrassed.

“S..swee..sweetie”

“You aren't like that anymore!” You told him while you rubbed your eyes.

“Sweetie no don't cry please..” he sat up taking you in his arms rubbing your back in circles. “Sshh..”

“Please.. talk to me..” You sniffled into his neck squeezing him tight.

Kyo was shaking .. you were shaking . He laid his head on your neck starting from the beginning.. the very beginning. Every few minutes he would stop to check if you were still crying. He would cup your face and wipe under your eyes and ask ‘Are you Afraid of Me’ and you shook your head saying ‘No’ every single time. You were both tearing up by the end of it, Kyotani told you about Yahaba, Highschool after Iwa & Kawa graduated , how he became a Pro and Bokuto. The look on his face just made you so sad and seeing you sad was something he never wanted to see.

“Sweetie.. how , how can.”

“I like you Kyo, a lot. I'm not scared, never will be.”

“I'm so scared ill lash out at you sweetie.”

You grabbed his hand holding it and running a hand up and down his sleeve while you talked. “Kyo.. you let me touch your wolves. When we first met in your shop i noticed you were rubbing it a lot , like you were worried or you thought id just out right touch it”

“I..”

You kissed him again and wiped your eyes free of stray tears. “I want to be with you Kyo, i wanna.. see red pandas with you”

He laughed at that and so did you.

“I already said i'd take you didint i?” He asked cupping your face .

“Just making sure you know i really wanna go heh..”

“I know sweetie, believe me i know.” Kyo kissed you and you blushed wrapping your arms around him.

The alarm went off again too.

••

@zoppzoop @mocha-babes @haikyuu-but-low-iq @milkbreadcat @kozushiki

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#PinkChains #kyotani x reader #kyotani kentaro #kentarou x reader #kyotani 💕

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arthurmorgen · 5 years ago

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A Kiss and a Bounty

Prompt: Arthur and reader first meeting fighting over a bounty. and the bounty over one of their horses going "for god's sake just kiss her." - sarcasmwithasideofsass

A/N: This is my first prompted one-shot and I have already made an amateur mistake. I got so excited at “for god's sake just kiss her” that....I....well I didn’t fully complete the prompt. Thank you for the suggestion. Sorry this isn’t exactly what you wanted, but I still hope you enjoy it :)

I will get better at this! Requests are open!

Angst

2,123 words

...

You and Arthur had traveled everywhere searching for this bounty.

This damn bounty. He was a wormy type of man that kept sneaking out of your grasp. How? You’re not exactly sure. But one thing was for certain, this man was either dangerous or lucky.

What was supposed to be a quick day trip, ended up taking three and a half days of hunting him all over the Grizzlies.

To be honest you were about ready to give up. You hadn’t packed for this type of trip. You were cold and miserable, and weren't quite sure if all this hassle was worth a hundred dollars.

And you really didn’t want to hear it from Arthur.

He was always so quick to fuss over you. And you weren’t positive as to why. The two of you got along great and always had, but something was different lately. You’d caught him staring a little harder, offering to help ya when ya didn’t need it. Which, in retrospect, didn’t really bother you. You knew what a kind soul he was even if it was shielded by the big broad shoulders and all around rough exterior.

“You know Arthur, maybe we should just turn around.” You called up ahead. It was getting late, your stomach was gnawing, and you felt a headache coming on. You were just ready to return to camp, eat a bowl of questionable stew, and lay down on your lumpy bedroll and not exist for a couple of hours.

He knew you were right, of course you were, you were the smart one. The Grizzlies were dangerous not only because of the wildlife, but also the Murphee brood. They were dumb but unpredictable and dangerous. So all of this wasn't really his best idea. But this particular bounty by the name of Jim, Gold Tooth Jim, had gotten under his skin. He’s never had a bounty make him feel inadequate before. Usually if you gave him the poster in the morning he’d give you your bounty by nightfall. What made Jim so different? Why was he able to string them along for so long? It was infuriating.

Plus, if he were being honest. He really wanted to impress you a little. He knows he doesn't deserve you, but dammit if he couldn’t stop thinking about ya. You were pretty much the only topic in his journal as of late. And he knew you were not a shallow woman, but this whole big-strong-tough-guy was the only thing he felt he had going for him. The only thing that might possibly tempt you.

Thus, it was his stupid pride that wouldn’t let him quit. Even when he felt the exhaustion deep within his bones.

“Just a little while longer.” He called back.

You rolled your eyes. He didn’t even turn to speak to you. You could tell by the tension in his voice and how high he was sitting on his horse that he wasn’t playing around. So you bit your lip and dropped it. This Jim fellow, for some reason or another, had obviously gotten to him.

A few moments later, you blame it on your hunger or maybe even your boredom, missed the sound of a horse coming in hot. And before you could you could even process what was happening, two horses went skidding and two riders went flying.

“Arthur!” You practically screamed jumping off of your moving horse and ran to him gun drawn.

“I’m al’ight.” He said slowly through his wheezing breath. “What the hell happn’d?”

It was getting too dark to see, and from what your sluggish memory could recollect the man was dressed in dark colors, so you kicked around a bit searching for the son of a bitch who apparently had some kind of death wish.

You were distracted, yet again, this time by the sound of Arthur making his way to his feet. You were still slightly concerned for him, it was a hard hit at full speed. Your eyes checked him over just as the stranger leapt forward pinning you to the ground.

You hit the ground hard and your cheek landed on a rock, you yelped at the sudden contact.

Then the human pile got even heavier as Arthur tackled the man. You heard a faint-familiar “sonofabitch” before you stood quickly, relieved that the two men were off of you, and cocked your revolver aiming it at the dark pile of limbs.

“You are one big idiot aint’ ya mister.” You said as Arthur hauled the tall man to his feet.

The man smirked wildly as the moon reflected in his gold teeth, which you recognized immediately.

You returned the wicked smile “Well, Arthur I believe our luck has changed.”

“Wha the hell you talkin’ about?” He looked up at you and worry flooded his features. “Hey you ok?”

You wiped the blood from your cheek, realizing it was bleeding heavier than you thought. “I’m fine.” You responded with more venom than intended.

“This here is ol’ Gold Tooth Jim.” You said bringing Arthur’s attention back to the matter at hand.

Arthur whipped his head to study the man, and when he seemed to be in agreement, gave you a big grin.

He was so handsome. And it broke you every time you saw him happy. It was so rare that he ever was, it hurt your heart. Your eyes locked with his and his smile slowly disappeared. Worry crept back to his face as a large drop of blood landed on your collar.

A horrible creepy chuckle broke the moment.

“I see you finally caught me. Well done!” The sarcasm was palpable.

You were shocked to hear a british accent, the smooth voice not fitting the appearance of the dirty stringy man before you.

“Why did you run into my horse?” Arthur asked, sounding more than a little confused, he too seemed a little thrown off by the man.

“To be perfectly honest, I hate being hunted like some animal. And since the two of you were so relentless, I thought I’d just...give it up.” He chuckled again giving you goosebumps.

“By trying to kill em’?” You were annoyed that he had almost hurt Arthur. It frustrated you that that was what he called ‘giving up’, plowing into a man with a horse.

“Don’t get me wrong I was hoping it would kill you. In fact I was hoping to kill you both.” His eyes seemed to darkened even further as he stared you down, but his smile was cut short by Arthur’s fist hitting him square in the face.

He landed hard and when he looked up blood was oozing from both his mouth and nose.

“What was that?!” Jim asked furiously from the ground.

Arthur landed on top of him, easily turned him over, and reached one hand back to you. You, familiar with his thought process quickly got the rope ready and passed it to him.

Then you turned to find Arthur's horse, hopefully unharmed when you heard him whisper to Jim “If you say one more goddamn word to her, I’ll smash your face in.”

Chills ran up your spine. You wish you could say that that didn’t do it for you, but that would make you a liar. You didn’t need your honor defended, you didn’t deserve it, you too were a no good outlaw, but hearing him do it made you feel special. And the fact that he hadn’t even wanted you to hear it made it even...sweeter.

You found his horse, thankfully unharmed, and led her over to the two men.

He lifted Jim easily, causing you to swallow harder than necessary at how strong he was, and placed him on his horse.

He turned to you suddenly, without any warning and lashed out with a loud booming voice. “Why did you turn your back on the man?”

Confused at first, but then you picked up on the fact he kept glancing at your bloody cheek.

But that didn’t matter, you didn’t deserve to be spoken to that way. “Like I could even see where he was Arthur.” You rolled your eyes and tried to pass him to find your horse.

He grabbed your forearm hard and turned you back to face him. “You can’t be letting you guard down like that, what if he would have had a knife!”

His voice was still too loud for your liking

“Oh like you did any better. I wasn’t the one that went flying.” You chuckled and tried to shrug everything off, this for some reason or another, was getting too intense.

His eyes squinted and he let go of your arm like it burned him. “I reckon this’ll be the last bounty you go on.” He slipped his tough guy mask on. His features turned sharp and intimidating.

It’s never worked on you. You could never be scared of him. For him, yes, everyday. But never of him.

“You can’t decide that for me.” You hissed and hated the way tears welled in your eyes.

“Sure I can.” He stood even straighter brows furrowed and lips tight.

“I’ll do whatever I want, whenever I want Arthur. I’ll catch every damn bounty the sheriff posts, in every county if I want to, and you can’t stop me.” You stood slightly on your toes trying your best to reflect his body language. You could feel your face flush as the anger flared. “Besides, if we would have turned back when I said, this never would have happened.”

You hated that you knew how to hurt him. You could see it as his eyes fell and his fists clenched. Guilt smacked you as hard as Jim and his horse did earlier to Arthur.

You reached out to him, feeling like a piece of shit “Hey…”

He backed just out of your reach. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I always seem to get ya into trouble.” He sounded ashamed and somehow small. You didn't like it, not one bit.

“No, Arthur, look I didn’t mean that. The camp needs money and I offered to go with you. This was your run, it was your call. I should have just been more prepared is all.”

You smiled at him but he couldn’t look at anything but your cheek.

“It’s just a scratch. Don’t be so silly about it.”

His eyes hardened and looked at you with an intensity that you’ve never seen directed towards you. But his voice betrayed him, it was still as soft as the breeze. “And what if it’s not just a scratch next time? What if it kills you instead of just cutting your pretty face?”

“You, you think I’m pretty?” You hated that that was what your mind chose to focus on, but in your defense, it caught you completely off guard.

“Dammit! I’m serious! What if next time it’s a bullet? Or a…”

You stepped forward, reached out, and touched his dirty face. In an attempt to calm him down. You were surprised by how fast he leaned in, closed his eyes, and exhaled loudly.

Jim, completely forgotten by now, chucked again and called out “Oh for god’s sake just kiss her!”

Arthur moves to turn and presumably ‘beat the man's face in’. But you didn’t want him to do that. You were certainly tired of Jim, however, you were thankful for the suggestion.

You grabbed a hold of Arthur’s arm and turned him to you, one hand pulled his collar, the other pulled his head down, and you pressed your mouth firmly against his.

At first he doesn’t move, and all you can hear is Jim's ridiculous cackling, but then, then he started to kiss back. And nothing else existed in that moment other than Arthur Morgan.

It’s delicate so very delicate. Like he was afraid you'd shatter, or maybe he was afraid that he'd shatter? He lifts up slightly and kisses the tip of your nose, and then the center of your forehead. You smile largely, it hurts but you can’t help it, and he returns it with another soft kiss to your patiently awaiting lips.

After a few moments of his mouth gently playing with your mouth, he reaches to grab your cheek to deepen the kiss.

You gasp as his hand pulls your wound and he opens his eyes horrified.

“God I’m sorry.” He reached into his coat and pulled out his favorite handkerchief, pressing it firmly, yet gently, to your cheek.

It was your turn to close your eyes as his palm comforted you.

“We’ll get Miss Grimshaw to look at that when we get back.” His voice sounded almost hoarse.

“I told you it’s nothin’.” Your voice didn't sound much better.

You opened your eyes to see his shining back, with a beautiful smile on his face as he pulled you back in and kissed you.

You had never seen him so happy.

#arthur morgan x reader #one shot

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shikai-the-storyteller · 5 years ago

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WFC: Siege watch!

Part 1: Episodes 1, 2, and 3

[Part 2] (Linking because Tumblr isn’t even showing the post on my blog or on my dash 🙄)

As a side note: every single person in this fandom is horrible at tagging their spoilers, you guys really need to do a better job at that because I’ve got a bunch of blockers on and I was STILL almost spoiled multiple times. Come on you guys...it literally came out today, be better about this.

Alright going to try and keep expectations low because I feel like the target audience for this is G1 dudebros who take a series about transforming cars way too seriously, but I’m still cautiously optimistic because a friend vetted for the dudes working on this show so WE”LL SEE

Episode 1

Aw man there’s only 6 episodes??? Bummer, I wonder if they’re already working on Season 2 or if they’re going to see how this does and let it die in the water if it’s not popular enough.

Things I know going in: Skyfire / Jetfire is in this, Megatron has big lips, and Elita is in it. That’s literally it, I’ve managed to avoid spoilers thusfar (though a few of the promo images implied Skyfire’s a Decepticon, so you KNOW that’s gonna break bad eventually)

WHEELJACK Wednesday THURSDAY

OH MYG OSH IS THAT SKYWARP??? EXPECTATIONS ARE NOW SKY-HIGH

The transformation sequences look so reminiscent of those stop-motion videos people do of their Transformer toys transforming. This isn’t a dig at the animation style, I think that’s rather charming and I wonder if it’s intentional.

Wow Bumblebee sounds like a jerk. I’m instantly on-edge, please don’t make all the characters ~hyper-masculine mean guys who don’t know how to have fun or talk about their emotions~

“The Autobots aint paying you for attitude” YOU TELL HIM WHEELJACK

Yooo Velocitron exists!

Ahh so Bumblebee IS just a mercenary, not an Autobot

OHOHO HERE”S JETFIRE

Wow Jetfire you’re really going the bad dude route huh

Ayyyyyy there’s Starscream

YOOO THERE”S THUNDERCRACKER

Thundercracker I appreciate that you’re using fancy tech to identify wheeljack but his Autobot badge is literally Right There

WTF

WELL THAT DIDN”T LAST LONG HUH...that’s a bit disappointing

OH NVM THAT WASN”T A HEEL-TURN THAT WAS JUST A STRAIGHT UP “I”M THE BOSS” MOVE

huh so they’re making Skyfire the target of Starscream’s desire for power. hmm

WHY ARE YOU GUYS RUNNING JUST TRANSFORM INTO CARS unless they’re too low on energon to do it??

There he is...Mr. Big Lips

Well that’s a surprising take Megatron

Isn’t that Cybertron and Luna 1 in the sky though?? Are they on Cybertron rn or not??

Megatron’s voice is really throwing me off, if it weren’t for his helmet and color I’d really think that was Overlord

ITS TRUCK DAD

OHOHO HE SAID THE THING!!!!

Why does bumblebee have lips too

“What do you know of slavery?” Alright that line did make me go “OHHHH”

“Alpha Trion would be ashamed!” “Of us both, I think” ouch, but nice to see Alpha “Grandpa” Trion back in a series

Megatron PLEASE don’t say “I’m enjoying this, Prime” in that voice while I can hear Optimus groaning in the background

AYYY ELITAAAAAA

Why are the Seekers chasing these guys, who are running on foot, ON FOOT??? CHANGE INTO YOUR DANG ALT MODE

WHEELJACK SWORE

man I’m only like a few minutes in and I’m already bored. I’m going to watch the whole thing, but I feel like this is really lacking soul or personality so far. It very much feels like the script was written by people who aren’t familiar with these characters, so they’re writing them how they EXPECT them to sound, not writing them as they actually are. It’s more than a little disappointing, but this is only the first episode, so I’ll keep going and see if this is consistent throughout the series.

Oh man, just listening to Elita you can tell she was written by a dude. Oof.

There’s the Ark!

Dang everyone’s running low

Jeez Optimus and Elita wouldn’t just walk by all these injured Autobots!

And Optimus wouldn’t brush off his officers!! Agh!!!

YO Ultra Magnus!

Chromia!!!!!

oh my gosh is THAT Red Alert??

Hey where’s Ratchet though

Gosh the writing is so STIFF!!!! I can’t stand this, if I wasn’t a die-hard Transformers fan I would’ve bounced a few minutes ago

It might also be the way the VAs pause between words, please speak normally, these constant pauses between words are frustrating

Ok but where the frick is Soundwave

“His arrogance I actually like” pfft

Annnnd here comes Ultra Magnus to accept the treaty on Prime’s behalf, where he’ll get held hostage and probably wind up beefing it.

Episode 2

SOUNDWAVE!!!! BABY

And Shockwave!!!

YO SKYWARP ACTUALLY GOT A SPEAKING LINE

I want to know where Megatron got all this fabric for those stupid flags and where Ultra magnus got that cloak

Is. Is that Prowl with a weird paint job

Wow bad aim dude

Ultra Magnus you dummy....

Ok but if it was a battle then who were they fighting against???

Wow you’re really just gonna stand there and take that Magnus?

I know they’re on a time-crunch because they only have 6 episodes, but they have to do more to make me care about the characters. I’m inclined to care about them already because I’m familiar with the series and because as a stand-alone, even I’m like “Ok. So?” whenever new problems come up for them. I’m not invested!

Not to compare the two, because I feel like this entire liveblog will turn into a comparative essay, but Cyberverse got me invested in characters within the first episode! They were on an even TIGHTER time-crunch because their episodes were only 10 minutes, and yet they did a great job weaving a tight narrative and making good use of their time to tell a story and have characters charm the audience.

Optimus: Til All Are One Rodimus, coming out of nowhere: TIL ALL ARE ONE

WELL THAT”S NOT THE VOICE I WAS EXPECTING FOR SHOCKWAVE he sounds a bit reminiscent of his TFA version

What does de-rez mean

Ok but that’s assuming that this thing will automatically reprogram them?? Reformatting doesn’t automatically mean someone will turn into a Decepticon!

You know, there’s a lot of talking in the show but the dialogue doesn’t actually say a lot. It doesn’t reveal much about the characters or tell me who they are.

YOOO THERE”S SOUNDWAVE

AUDIO BOOB

It really annoys me that characters always pause after saying “I”. It’s always “I.........[long pause] rest of their sentence.”

what do you mean “Teams” Optimus there’s like 5 of you guys

I love you Soundwave!!!

Whoa wait was that Impactor in the background?

ughHHHHHH I HATE THAT MY BIGGEST PET PEEVE IS “what have you done?” SAID UTTERLY MONOTONE WHEN IT’S NOT EVEN A BIG DEAL!!! YOU CAN”T FLIP THAT LINE OUT WITHOUT ACTUALLY PUTTING IN THE FOOTWORK TO EARN IT!!! AGH!!!

Again, it feels very much like the writers read the wikipedia page for Transformers and maybe the first sentence of each character’s bio page and then wrote the entire script from there. It’s frustrating. I hate being so severe in my reviews because I hate dunking on my fellow writers because they don’t always have final say in what happens, but this is astonishingly poor writing.

Like, I can see what they’re TRYING to accomplish, but it feels like they whiff so badly.

YO IT IS IMPACTOR

oh thats Barricade that’s why I thought that was Prowl

Chromia!!!! My darling!!!! I can’t believe there’s only two girls in this show so far

Oh that’s Cog, I wasn’t sure if that was Beachcomber or what

Nice one Chromia

Oh is that Mirage?

Ugh ANOTHER WRITING PET PEEVE: Constantly having characters start to say something but then then their dialogue gets cut off. It’s fine if it’s once in a while but over and over it’s annoying

I also feel like a lot of the VAs lack...emotion. They don’t emphasize the lines. Like, “Get him into the repair bay” is one example. Depending on how you emphasize certain words in that sentence, you can infer a lot! Emotion, the state of mind of the character, etc. But when it’s delivered in such a bland way, it’s a bit like “ok whatever”, which is how I’m starting to feel about this whole show. This doesn’t go for all the VAs or all lines, but it’s consistent enough that my mind’s wandering.

RAVAGE??? RAVAGE???? RAVAGE?!?!?!??!?!

It was probably Bumblebee.

Not to be nitpicky but it should be “Neither we nor the Autobots”

The idea of reformatting is so stupid!!! It implies that Autobots and Decepticons are inherently different, which is stupid!! It’s so dumb WHY DO YOU GOTTA GO THAT ROUTE IT”S SO STUPID (ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY”RE TACKLING THE TOPIC OF OPPRESSION??? THEY”RE SAYING THEY”RE LITERALLY DIFFERENT SPECIES AND USING IT AS A PLATFORM TO SAY ONE GROUP IS INHERENTLY BETTER THAN THE OTHER. THAT SUCKS)

Episode 3

RATCHET!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lmao love your lipgloss Megatron

Ohh is Ratchet going to fix Impactor??

PROWL??? HE”S SO SHORT

Gosh please, please don’t have humans in this show

lmao Skyfire called Starscream a tool

RATCHET!!! :D

I’d like to see who was on the writing team of this show

Isn’t that Mirage?

YEAH THAT IS MIRAGE

Again with the sentences consistently being cut off....

Is that Sunstorm?

Points to Chromia and Mirage for showing the first bitof personality in this show.

Yooo Ratchet! Oof he’s not chummy with Prime huh

YOO CAMINUS EXISTS TOO

LMAO FEISTY GRANDPA

Oh Mirage come on

Actually no, don’t shut Impactor up he’s right

“I didn’t patch you up just so you could blow a valve here” *snorts*

Wouldn’t it be frickin hilarious if Magnus just popped open a panel and Minimus came out and just dipped outta there

lmao nice lightsaber Jetfire

LMAO “PULL THE TRIGGER MAGNUS”

JEEZ JUST PUNCH HIM RIGHT IN THE FACE WHY DON”T YOU

Ratchet is the ONLY character they’ve given personality in this show so far.

Jeez Mirage cool your jets

Oh for frick’s sake Optimus be cool

Megatron please stop torturing your ex boyfriend

Ok but who did they rise against??? Were there Quintessons in this universe too?

oh come on you guys

Oh boy something tells me Skywarp isn’t going to survive the rest of this episode

Oh jk, Skyfire just let him go. Well alrighty then

I’m not sure how they found the Autobot base, they implied that it was because of Impactor but that doesn’t make sense

This post is getting long so I’m going to spit it between two posts

#i talk #I'm watching WFC #Primordial robot hell #WFC Spoiler #That's how I'll be tagging my spoilers #but I'll throw a few more spoiler tags in here for good measure #transformers spoiler /#Siege spoiler /#wfc spoiler /#WFC siege spoiler /#ask to tag any other spoilers

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sweetchcolate · 6 years ago

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fandom: Inuyasha

words: 2934

inukag week, day 6: alternate universe

a/n: inspired by this post by @nokaninja, especially the bit with “the flowers were his moms idea.” For some reason, I pictured Izayoi calling her son “nunu” and it all devolved from there.

@inukag-week

“Inuyasha? Inuyasha?” A pause. “Nunu?”

“Gah, ma! Quit it with that nickname! I’m a grown ass― erk, I’m grown up now!” he yelped, ears flattening against his skull.

“I’m sorry, honey.” His ma’s smile was anything but apologetic, amusement hanging on her lips. She was fuckin’ teasing him about this old ass nickname he got for himself back when he was a brat and badly lisping: whenever his ma called him by his name, he tried to mimic her, but with little success. Eventually, he shortened “Inuyasha” to “inu,” more palatable to eleven-months-old him, and completely dropped the “I” over time, thus creating “nunu.”

Unfortunately for him, the nickname stuck. Since that fateful day, he was forever referred to as “nunu” by his parents, and and it didn’t change even as he turned into an adult.

His ma sighed, as if she could read his thoughts. Her eyes were glazed, faraway and nostalgic, seeing something that couldn’t be seen. “Oh, Inuyasha, you could be one hundred years old and have three thousand grandchildren of your own, and you’d still be my baby nunu. I remember when I could hold you up in my arms: you weren’t longer than my forearm.”

“That one of those ‘you’ll understand if you have kids of your own’ lessons, huh?”

His ma nodded. “Right. Today’s is ‘my child is hiding something and I’m wondering what.’”

“W-what makes you think I’m hiding something?” Shit, was he that transparent or was that just his ma’s mom senses?

His ma sipped her coffee calmly before pointing out, “You keep looking at the time and brushing your hands through your hair. Also,” she grinned, impish, “your ears were twitching all day long.”

Of fucking course! He covered the traitors with his hands with a low growl. “These damn ears stand out too much…” he muttered.

His ma laughed. “So, I was right, you were hiding something. Let me guess…” she brought a hand to her chin, supporting her elbow with her other hand, a gesture she had taken from his old man.

He was going to have to tell her anyways, so might as well be now since they were on the subject. “I’m meeting someone,” Inuyasha explained.

“Ooooh,” his ma cooed, clapping her hands in anticipation, eyes bright. “Who is it? Tell me, tell me!”

“Uh…” He looked away as heat crept up his neck and cheeks. Suddenly, he was way too warm, palms sweating, his heart thudding in his chest like a jackhammer and his mouth dry. “It’s… y’know… Higurashi Kagome.”

“Higurashi?” she repeated, something in her tone making the hair at the base of his neck rise and a shiver crawl down his back. “From the Higurashi shrine, near the park with those swings you loved so much?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh…” was all his ma said in answer, face frozen into something impassive, but eyes glinting with dark memories.

Fuck, he thought, nails digging into his palms as his heart gave one last throb before dropping to his stomach. That wasn’t the reaction he was expecting: he thought she’d be surprised, excited, supportive. Anything but this half-hearted, half-disappointed “oh”.

Worse is that he genuinely liked Kag― spending time with Kagome, but he also wanted his ma to be happy with his choice of partner: she was a good judge of character, and all the previous people he associated with that she didn’t like turned out to be shit.

His past relationship with Kikyo was another mess of its own.

“So, you don’t… approve?” he asked at last, voice tight because of the hard lump that had formed in his throat.

His ma blinked, as if she had woken up from a nightmare. “Oh no, not at all! It’s just…” she bit her lip, brows furrowing in worry and sadness, “little Kagome’s said to have the most spiritual power in her family in generations.”

Ma… She really was afraid of a repeat, wasn’t she? “Don’t worry, ma. Kagome can’t purify my ass― erk, my butt.”

His ma reached for his hand, rubbing a thumb on his knuckles like when he got sick as a kid, but Inuyasha thought this was more for her comfort than his, this time around. “I know being half-human protects you from total purification, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not painful or unpleasant.”

“Bah,” he drawled, waving a nonchalant hand, “it aint too different from the new moon nights. I trust Kagome not to zap me.”

Hi ma smiled a bit at his choice of words, slightly cheered up. “So, how did you meet her?”

He scratched the base of his ear, flushing a bit at the memories. “Eh, it ain’t nothin’ too glamorous. Her little brother Sota’s in one of my classes and it’s usually his ma who picks him up.”

“Oi, Sota! Ya still here?”

The boy looked up from where he was sitting, smelling of dried sweat and fresh tears. “Mama’s not here,” Sota said with a little smile, trying to appear strong, but his wobbling voice betraying his worry and fear.

“She’s probably late or somethin’, kid,” Inuyasha crossed his arms, pointing with his head at the mess left behind him. “C’mon. Since ya’re here, help me clean up.” That would distract the kid and change his mind until mom came to get him.

It was a good hour later, when it grew dark outside and Sota babbling away, that a girl barged in, clearly out of breath. “Sota!” she called, pushing her dark hair away from her face with both hands, revealing worried blue eyes and flushed cheeks. “I’m sorry I’m late!” she breathed.

“Kagome!” Sota yelled, flinging himself in the girl’s arms. “You really came for me!”

The girl, Kagome, placed a hand on Sota’s shoulders, patting his head. “Yeah, Mama’s had a problem with the car and I wasn’t home until recently. I’m sorry I took so long to come, kiddo.”

Sota shook his head. “It’s okay, sis! I helped Inu-sensei put away the benches and he said he would teach me a new move next time!”

Kagome tilted her head. “Inu-sensei?”

“That’d be me,” he drawled, finding it a good time as ever to inject himself in this conversation.

The girl looked up, eyes first stopping on his face before continuing their way upwards, catching… “Dog ears?”

Inuyasha bristled, the hair all over his body rising. Fuck, he forgot to put back his cap after the parents left earlier, having picked up their children from their martial arts class. Sota was a good kid and didn’t mind his dog ears: if anything, kid seemed to have a bit of a hero worship going on with him. Inuyasha’s half-demon status was, in his eyes, something amazing rather than fearful.

That didn’t mean it applied to his sister.

Kagome approached him, the top her head barely coming up to his clavicles. She even had to tilt her head a little, curled hair fanning over her shoulder and held back by a plaid headband (which matched her shirt), to look him in the eyes properly, crystal blue against his yellow-gold.

Well, at least she had the decency to face him, instead of avoiding his gaze. He’d give her that.

Suddenly, without warning, Kagome’s hands shot up towards his ears, fingers tweaking them this way and that. Her brows rose and her eyes shone with surprise. “Wow! They’re real!” she exclaimed with child-like joy.

He didn’t even have the time to react before she flushed, pulling her hands away. “Oh my god, that was so rude! I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me!”

Inuyasha’s words tapered off as his ma broke into a fit of laughter, doubling over and strands of dark hair pooling over the table. His ears stuck to his skull in his embarrassment and he carefully pulled her hair away from falling into her cup of coffee and the plates of food. Eventually, his ma straightened up, brushing tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes.

“Oh, nunu,” she said at last, shaking her head in amusement. “This is priceless.”

“Glad to know you get a kick outta your son’s ear misadventures,” he huffed, not really hurt by his ma’s reaction.

“That’s not why I’m laughing so much. It’s just… when I was pregnant with you, your father and I didn’t know what you’d look like. We knew you’d be half-demon, but we didn’t know which features you’d inherited: his hair or mine? His eye color or mine? His demon strength or mine?”

Inuyasha raised a brow, a bit interested in hearing about his early days and how this tied in with Higurashi Kagome tweaking his ears and getting his ma to laugh her ass off.

“When I first held you, I was a mess. It took me over a day to give birth to you, I was exhausted, hungry, half-loopy from all the painkillers, and couldn’t tell your dad from the nurses. And apparently, the first thing I did when I met you was blubber “puppy ears!” and nuzzle them.”

A groan left Inuyasha’s lips and he smacked his face in exasperation. This damn obsession with his ears… It cursed all the women in his life! Even his freakin’ stepmom, his old man’s first wife, slipped a comment about it when they first met! His ma, for her part, never failed to give him funny looks when it happened: he thought that she had grown desensitized to her son having odd features, even for someone part demon, but nope.

Turned out she was the fucken original Inuyasha’s ears fanclub member!

“So, how did you react?” his ma asked and he rolled his eyes.

“Y’know exactly how.”

“And yet, if you’re meeting up with her now, it means your grumpy attitude didn’t discourage her,” she teased.

Kagome was stubborn and gave back as much as she got. While most people cowered when his temper made an appearance, she had yelled right back, claiming he was “rude” for exploding on her when she had apologized for tweaking his ears.

Despite their rocky start, Inuyasha got to know Kagome better, since she became responsible for picking Sota up once his classes were done: she was stubborn, she was reckless, and she drove him absolutely nuts. Kagome was his total opposite: an optimist to his cynic views, openly kind to his gruff attempts at comfort, cheerful to the almost permanent scowl on his face, and so on.

Worst of all? She was a master sneak: slowly, so gradually he didn’t realize it, she had slipped past his walls, picking a spot in his heart and nestling there as if she owned the place. It wasn’t long before he had her name on his lips almost every day and before the syllables “ka-go-me” made his ears perk up in interest and his heart beat hopefully.

Inuyasha from a year ago would have been disgusted at his open vulnerability when it came to Kagome. Inuyasha of the present wouldn’t have it any other way.

“She gets attached too easily,” he answered in the end, voice fond and eyes soft, unable to find the words to properly describe Kagome.

His ma raised a brow, one corners of her mouth tilting up not quite in disbelief, but more like she knew something that he didn’t.

“What?”

Her smile grew wider, like the cat that ate the canary. “Nothing. I’m just glad you seem to be looking forward to that date. Speaking of which,” she said, tone pitching at the end, “when are you leaving?”

“Uh…” he took a quick look at the clock. “In an hour or so. I’m meetin’ Kagome at her place.”

“And what are you going to do?”

He shrugged. “Eat a bit, see a movie, hang out.” Honestly, he hadn’t planned this far ahead: being in Kagome’s presence was enough. He didn’t mind following what she had in mind as long as she was happy.

His ma pouted, tracing the rim of her coffee cups, as if disappointed he didn’t give her more meat to chew on. “And are you bringing her a gift?”

“Why would she need one?” Inuyasha blinked, genuinely confused.

“To commemorate, to show you were looking forward to that date, to show you care or simply to make her happy. There are many reasons, honey.”

To show I care… to make her happy… the words looped in his mind. What could he get for her without acting like that Hodo guy from her middle school days? Well, for starters, nothing related to illnesses or “get better” gifts! He could also scratch shrine/priestess-related stuff: she already had all a girl could dream of in that matter, thanks to her family.

“What about jewelry?” he asked his ma, looking for advice. Yeah, that sounded good: a necklace, to match with the black pearl hanging around his neck!

“Mm, it might be my own experiences talking, but I think it’s better to keep jewelry for later dates or for when you’re in a stable relationship,” she answered, fingering the thin silver chain around her wrist, a memento from his old man. She looked up with a small smile, “But what about flowers?”

“Inuyashaaaaa!” Kagome called from above, waving his way before she went down the stairs as quick as she could.

His heart lurched at the sound of her voice and he clutched the bouquet tighter behind his back. Shit, hope she didn’t see the flowers!

In the end, he had picked them as a gift, per his ma’s suggestion. They were a deep pink, almost red, their smell soft and their petals velvety. He also made sure to pick sturdy flowers which needed little care, so that Kagome could keep them for a long time.

Or at least, he hoped she would.

Kagome skipped over the last few steps, her momentum carrying her forward. Inuyasha stepped in front of her to catch her, breath knocked out of his lungs when she collided with his chest with an oof! He had to place a hand on her back to steady her, fingers sinking into her fluffy green top and drawing her closer instead.

“Thanks for stopping me, Inuyasha!” Kagome chirped, tilting her head back to catch his eyes. Her red lips curved up into a pleased smile, blue eyes soft, the tip of her ponytail brushing his hand.

He flushed. “Ya’re welcome.”

Kagome glanced at him up and down, taking in his outfit. “You clean up real nice!” she said. “I really dig your jacket too. I’m almost jealous!” she laughed, tugging lightly on the lapels, teasing.

Inuyasha never really had much of a reason to wear his red bomber jacket in the past, despite it being his favorite. It was one of his old man’s mementos, and he didn’t want to risk ruining it during fights with arrogant demon punks who got too frisky with him.

He also avoided wearing the thing, as its vibrant color would draw in people’s eyes and bring out scowls. It was like painting a big fat target on his back, turning himself into a matador’s red cape and the crowds into enraged bulls, as if he didn’t get enough flack for being half-demon.

It figured Kagome would enjoy his jacket: she seemed to appreciate about him what other people derided him for.

“Thanks. You… uh,” he swallowed, mouth dry and ears twitching. “You look good too.” Real cute.

She beamed, blue eyes glittering, twirling on the spot to show off. “Thank you! I almost didn’t wear this top, because Sota said I looked like ‘a green caterpillar’.” She mimicked her brother’s voice at the end. “The brat!”

Inuyasha smirked, teasing. “He ain’t wrong.”

Kagome mock-gasped, bringing a hand to her chest. “Well fine! Guess I will go back home to change into another shirt, since some people don’t have an eye for fashion.” With a huff, she whirled around, ponytail swinging, hands on her hips. Her brown skirt clung to her legs as she took the first few steps towards the shrine.

“Oi, Kagome,” he called, following after her. He waited until she turned around, a questioning look on her face. Inuyasha swallowed hard, throat working, heart damn near vibrating in his chest. His hand shook behind his back.

“If you’re going back up, t-take this too!” he managed, voice breaking at the end. Inuyasha whipped out the bouquet of flowers as his face erupted in flames, blushing so hard he was sure he was as red as his jacket. He avoided looking at Kagome, eyes settling on her bright earrings instead.

The blood rushed in his veins and his heart pounded in his head like a headache, so loud his ears barely caught Kagome’s faint gasp, a small hitch in her breath. When her hands wrapped around the bouquet, cool fingers brushing against his, he almost flinched, the muscles in his arms spasming.

He risked a quick glance at Kagome’s face: she was staring at the flowers with stars in her blue eyes. Her mouth was slightly open in wonder, cheeks as red and bright as the flowers he had offered her. Inuyasha was pretty sure he also saw sparkles shining around her.

Kagome brought the flowers to her face, inhaling deeply a few times. “They smell so good,” she whispered, as if afraid to break the moment. She then touched his hand and when he didn’t pull away, slipped her hand in his, squeezing.

“Thank you, Inuyasha,” she told him, voice gentle and full of feelings. “They’re wonderful.”

“Ya’re welcome.”

He squeezed her hand back.

#inuyasha #inukag week #inukag #inukag week day 6 #my fanfiction #sweetchcolate's nonsense of the day

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thuskindlyshescatters · 6 years ago

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Volume Six Opening

So... I’m just gonna do this all in one long-ass post. If you’re in the “recent” RWBY tag or on my blog, God save you, because the “Keep reading” won’t work. So, if you’re not interested in this, SCROLL. Scroll like it’s that “do you love the color of the sky” bullshit.

Number one, let me just say that I’ll have to see if I warm up to this opening, because, while I like it, I’ll probably like it a lot more (as it has been in the past) once the Volume progresses and a few things become clarified in foreshadowing.

Anyways, the logo/title card fades away, as is per tradition, though the letters are turning into snow instead of petals! Nice.

While the moon is usually a figure of interest in openings, the specific emphasis on the breaking thereof may FINALLY be foreshadowing some goddamn backstory.

is that an atlesian knight or, like, yknow

you aint slick roosterteeth

please watch gen:lock it will help support roosterteeth’s animation department

Earlier in the episode we saw Blake feeling bad, but now we also see Yang’s sour expression and Blake’s turn to melancholy as well upon seeing a happy partnership go by. This confirms that the Bumbleby conflict will hold focus, which I’m pleased by.

When Yang looks out the window at Adam’s reflection, Blake actually also turns her head to look at the same place. I think this might be a continuation of the moment she had while separating the train. This didn’t have much emphasis, though, so I’m not sure if it��s important.

The inclusion of Qrow in this sequence assumably alluding to Silver Eyes is just one of the hints dropped that this may be the volume in which we learn about Summer.

Also, Maria survived that train crash without Weiss’s grounding, so... there’s definitely some magic Yoda shit going on with her.

I don’t think that this is just alcohol symbolism or whatever, because those are specific Nuckelavee arms. I think this might allude to why Qrow drinks in the way he does -- hence, more evidence for a STRQ backstory.

It also transitions into this dark hellscape with Ruby being attacked by these things, so this may actually be Qrow’s nightmare. Once again, I can’t help but feel like Summer’s involved. This may be a literal scene, like Giant!Salem in Volume Five, but for now I’m assuming a metaphorical stance.

The inclusion of the Relic here is important, too -- since it wasn’t on Ruby in any other scenes in this opening, it probably has a special significance to why these creepy Nuckelavee arms are attacking her.

I know that we’re freaking out over the existence of Roman’s hat and being either like “OMG NEO” or “OMG CINDER” (I’m in the latter camp), but let’s not forget that it actually gets slashed through, and the figure takes a defensive stance. We might be able to have our cake and eat it too -- Cinder being followed/attacked by Neo in a weird revenge plot.

Emerald is not posing in a badass or SmircuryTM-esque pose here -- she looks tired and worried, which connects to her role in the trailer.

We’ve never seen Salem so legit FURIOUS before, so this is either a reaction to their failure at Haven, or (more likely) the next sequence with Ozpin.

I...have no idea what this is. Her outfit and her color palette suggest to me “Winter Maiden”, but that’s a weird conclusion to jump to. I’ve seen theories saying this was Salem waaaaay long ago, but that makes “Raven is Ruby from the future” sense to me.

However, what I can tell is that that Ozpin looks like this Ozpin:

He may have been one of the more significant Ozpins, though I’m not sure doing what. The hem of his jacket matches that of the floating “Reverence” figure in the trailer, so I’m assuming that there will be a flashback sequence, or even a whole flashback episode, about Ozpin.

This is also suggested by the presence of an Ozpin Maya model -- not just a matte painting, like his face in the Volume Five opening, but an actual poseable figure, which may be used in a flashback.

I’d also like to point out that the turquoise color that filled the screen of Angry!Salem is the same as that of Hipster!Ozpin’s wristband and King of Vale!Ozpin’s shirt, implying a strong connection between them. I can’t remember -- is there any turquoise in Oscar’s outfit, or just green?

By the way, if this IS the King of Vale, then his design only partially matches the one in the Great War WOR, but it seems accurate to the description -- the stories that Qrow tells in that WOR include “unusually harsh weather conditions” in the final battle, implying the use of Maidens.

Uhhh... that’s the Haven apartment. Did they just need a background, or is this also an allusion to a flashback? At this point, it’s getting more and more likely that there’s an Ozpin flashback episode in our future, a la Volume 3 Chapter 7.

So, this is definitely the tavern where ‘Cinder’ met with purple lady and her gang, so this fight is probably at least part of this subplot of whatever Cinder is doing this volume. (Also, good image of her hand and sword, for those who still think it could be Neo. However, while the hat could have been a red herring, the hand might ALSO be a red herring, and we’re double crossed and this ends up actually being Neo. Which makes no sense, but, hey, belief is the spirit of truth.)

So, all we really see of our main RWBY cast + Qrow is on the train. Which is, frankly, terrifying, because we JUST ESTABLISHED that we wouldn’t really be seeing any more train time after this episode, so aside from wandering through the wilderness and some Silver Eye/Summer exposition, I really have no idea what’s going to happen to them. All I know is that, from this image, Ruby might have a character arc that is as significant as Weiss’s with the return to Atlas, hence their front-and-center nature in this group shot. Maria is there, which confirms her importance in this volume. There is prominence of Ozpin’s cane, which leads me to believe that, as before, Ozpin will have focus this volume. Finally, Blake and Yang are on opposite sides of the screen, facing away from each other. I believe this is also meant to be symbolic of the Bumbleby conflict, which hopefully is resolved by the end of the volume.

Overall, I’m looking forward to a ton of flashbacks and expositional narration! I know that there are people who HATE the show-don’t-tell thing RWBY has going on, but I’m fine with a little bit of sitting-around-and-talking to enhance our story and characters. This volume looks kinda dark, which might be a good thing, considering the MANY overlapping subplots in this opening and the trailer that haven’t even been touched on yet.

Things are looking pretty cool for Volume Six.

#rwby #rwby6 #rwby spoilers #team rwby

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kara-dolan · 7 years ago

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All of it sis 💁🏻‍♀️

WELL OKAY THEN

0:Height

5′2 me and my short self

 1:Virgin?

YUP

2:Shoe size

Um… Hold on gotta check (I don’t know cause I don’t get shoes often) Okay so I wear 3 sizes I wear 7 ½ in heels, 8 and 8 ½. My feet are apparently weird.

 3:Do you smoke?

No, I have before tho when i was like 6 with my brother grosses shit ever. But I also use to smoke marijuana but like I havent done that since last year around May.

 4:Do you drink?

Occasionally. But I don’t get drunk. Never have gotten drunk either.

 5:Do you take drugs?

No only thing that came close was weed and that was for my depression and anxiety. It just wasn’t prescribe.

 6:Age you get mistaken for

20 or older. Like I got to see a kids movie tho because of how short I am. So yay!

 7:Have tattoos?

NO Sadly

 8:Want any tattoos?

FUCK YES I HAVE LIKE 17 Tats drawn up and I know where I want them to go.

 9:Got any piercings?

Ears.

 10:Want any piercings?

Yes my nose.

 11:Best friend?

Evelin mi hermanita, but also VIVIANA aka @notanotherdolantwinsblog

 12:Relationship status

Single until Grayson notices me or some shit

 13:Biggest turn ons

FUCK THIS HAD TO BE ON HERE. Um… Jaw clenching, Grey sweatpants, “Babe”, “Baby”, Cute nicknames, Biting, hair pulling, choking, scratching, certain laughs, spanking, deep conversations, weird but like when someone picks me up and I don’t expect it, lip biting, eye rolling, cheesy jokes, puns, dirty jokes, someone being so focused on something like full on has their attention.

 14:Biggest turn offs

Feet, anal (like shit comes out of there no thanks), Smells that would make me like revolt to Jupiter, douche bags like the I am better than everyone type of cocky douche.

 15:Favorite movie

Romeo + Juliet, Titanic, Nemo, Monsters Inc., Scream, It Follows, Little Mermaid (all of them), Austin Powers (all of them). Sucker Punch, Kick Ass, 5th Wave,Let Me In.

 16:I’ll love you if

Oof okay ahhh um get to know me for me and we have a form of bond like that honestly I feel so bad if people give me things they pay for like I feel like I am just taking and I feel like shit so yeah become my friend and I grow to love you for you and you hopefully do the same.

 17:Someone you miss

My Haybug. ( my cousins daughter who I call my niece who I helped basically raise) um Grayson and Ethan, my cousin Austin and my other cousin Pierce.

 18:Most traumatic experience

Yeah this is great, um I have a couple one really fucked me up and the other one almost made me kill myself so I won’t be posting about it because it is not something I want in the world.

 19:A fact about your personality

Uhhhhh…. it is still forming because I am trying to find who I am.

 20:What I hate most about myself

My weight and teeth.

 21:What I love most about myself

My eye color and laugh.

 22:What I want to be when I get older

Financially stable lol but also a musician and actor

 23:My relationship with my sibling(s)

Well I live with my little sister and we annoy the hell out of each other but we love each other too and then my brother is away in a different state with the national guard and trying to join the army, so complicated?

 24:My relationship with my parent(s)

Well fuck. I… this is so complex no one is ready for it.

 25:My idea of a perfect date

Surfing ( hopefully not dying from it) followed by a hike to a high place to over look everything followed by pizza and ice cream and a movie where we cuddle (after a shower of course)

 26:My biggest pet peeves

EATING WITH MOUTH OPEN AND SMACKING IT LIKE NO STOPPPPP.

 27:A description of the girl/boy I like

He is just so beautiful, the way his laugh lines crease when he smiles with or with out teeth is just incredible and the way his brown eyes that change color due to lighting and emotion shine through even when he isn’t at his best because he has the most amazing heart and puts everyone else before himself even though he knows he needs to take time and get to what makes him happy. His hair that goes through hell but it still maintains a soft poofy look and as of right now it is a light brown almost ash brown with bits of dirty blonde. His jawline is the kind you wouldn’t even see on a greek god because it is so unique to his face hell his bone structure is his own and yet in some ways completely different from his brothers. He has an athletic build that I barely pay attention to because his droopy eyes capture my attention with the intensity that he stare with. Not to mention he has the most creative beautiful mind I have ever seen with theories and words he has and things he acts out. His sense of humor is amazing he is such a goof ball and it’s a mix of stupid corny jokes and dirty jokes that he can’t fully say out loud because he is caught in the public eye all the time. He can’t be himself and it is the most painful thing to know because he has the biggest kindest heart ever and is human with insecurities beyond what I know. Plus his scars that add characteristic details to his face that tell a story of a young boy having fun without a care in the world is the most beautiful construct of his humanity. Whoa.

He completely owns my ass…

 28:A description of the person I dislike the most

Cheeto with a blonde toupee

 29:A reason I’ve lied to a friend

To protect them. Or myself.

 30:What I hate the most about work/school

That I don’t do either

 31:What your last text message says

I didn’t know I could describe someone like this

 32:What words upset me the most

You aren’t wanted here.

 33:What words make me feel the best about myself

When someone thanks me for helping them. I don’t help people for that reason but I like to know that I helped in some way. It makes me feel good that they feel good.

 34:What I find attractive in women

Confidence for sure. LIKE YES BOO YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL!!!! YES WORK THAT OUTFIT! YOU ARE GLOWING!!!!!

 35:What I find attractive in men

Honesty, pure real deep honesty. Like how they feel or asking them questions to where they give deep meaningful answers or even if its like “ I just wanna fuck” like Okay you hot but I aint down for that thank you for being honest but oof damn even hotter now but like I am good. (unless they are strangers then thats creepy)

 36:Where I would like to live

Greece, Rome, Italy, California, New Jersey like the nature aspects of all these places oh my damn it’s so beautiful.

 37:One of my insecurities

My smile

 38:My childhood career choice

Musician, I have always wanted to be a musician in 4th grade I even started a band with no instruments and wrote songs but my dickwad of an ex said songs had to be at least 2 pages long and it kind of made me mad and I stopped writing them for a few months. FUCK YOU ETHAN ( not dolan my ex fucking douche side note I dated him in 2nd grade he dumped me for my friend who he dumped for our other friend who only went out with him to dump him)

 39:My favorite ice cream flavor

Vanilla only cause you can add other flavors to it and make a delicious concoction.

 40:Who wish I could be

A better version of me which I am working on currently.

 41:Where I want to be right now

In a relationship with Grayson so I can cuddle in bed with him and watch scary movies so we both get scared and like grip onto each other for the rest of the night.

 42:The last thing I ate

Dark Chocolate covered pistachios I know it sounds weird but surprisingly good.

 43:Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately

Grayson Dolan

 44:A random fact about anything

I am related to Abraham Lincoln and Tom Hanks on my Grandfathers side ( my moms, dad.)

#asks #mintdolans #THIS SHIT MADE ME CRY #ESPECIALLY 27

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whittynovels · 7 years ago

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restore me predictions 2

*"It made me wish I’d had a sister. Or a mother. Someone to learn from and lean on. A woman to teach me how to be brave in this body, among these men" -Juliette gets friends!!!!! -I want juliette to get a makeover and people who give her boy advice and talk with her about girl stuff and ugh girls -She was never this way with the twins it always felt so awkward *Will Kenji get a love interest? -“he tries” -kenji totes flirts with international people -is the ex-girlfriend his????? -tahereh said kenji doesn’t get anyone in this book but thats ok we'll have a slow burn over a 3 book arc it's what he deserves -T said it’s someone we don’t already know which is fair bc everyone we already know he said is too much like a sister to him so it would be weird *Juliette’s favorite color is black? Sounds fake but ok *JAMES AND WARNER JAMES AND WARNER JAMES AND WA -“were you CRYING?” ummmm just fucking punch me in the lung next time -honestly is every character in this book just gonna witness a warner breakdown why we gotta do him so dirty like that -james is gonna be so mad when they find out they’re brothers because in unravel me he gets pissed about not being told stuff/getting left out -I don’t think it’ll happen this soon *WARNER’S EMO POWERS IN HIS POV -THIS IS THE NUMBER ONE THING I’M EXCITED FOR AND SHE HASN’T SHOWN IT YET IN THE SAMPLER SO I WAS WORRIED BUT YIPPEE I CANT WAIT TO GET CUTE WARNETTE SCENES WHERE WARNER IS AWARE OF JULIETTE'S FEELINGS AND ASKS HER ABOUT IT AND WANTS TO VALIDATE THAT SHE FEELS OKAY ASFUGHJKL;; *JULIETTE DRINKING ADFSGUHDIJ’K -I always wanted to write this but idk -Juliette is happy drunk / warner is emo drunk -Warner super concerned taking care of her *More people with powers? [we been knew reaction pic] -I honestly couldn’t guess any of the powers without just reciting powers from twilight or something lol *Kenji calling warner a dick and warner wanting to punch him -ME -Tahereh is teasing so much kenji & warner dialogue that it makes me wonder about them. Why are they together so much. Why does warner trust kenji. What. Help. Slow down *THE KIND OF MUSIC WARNER LISTENS TO -Either smooth jazz or beyonce, there’s no in between *What warner did to be leader of sector 45 -Pressure waves dude??? -No other predictions. no clue. help. *A cliffhanger?? -I honestly can’t tell you what state my anxiety will be in if there’s a cliffhanger -I think it’ll mirror other books where there’s certainly stuff unsolved but it’s not like someone dies then it’s like “aight, see ya next year” *She keeps hinting about deaths but tbh I don’t think anything will happen until book 6 -She did this with ignite me thinking big deaths would happen but it was nothing -I think she teases to create angst and fear but we’ll be fine -I trust her (t don’t let me down) *Another chapter 55 (◕‿◕✿) *lgbt characters !!!!!!!!! kenji, Brendan, Winston, whatever mans kenji gets *nO ADAM AND KENJI BRO MOMENTS HAHAHAHA -Kenji roasts adam at every opportunity *wARNER SPEAKING SEVERAL LANGUAGES UUGHGHHHHH WHAT A MAN!!!!!! WHAT A MAN, MY DUDES!!!!!!!!!!!! -Seven languages? Oh my lORDDT -I’m not even gonna predict what they are but hooooleeeee mollleeeeeey -We get to see him speak “a couple” ugghhhh I can’t wait to see juliette hear him break into Arabic or something and she’s just like !!!!!!!!!!!! *When asked about juliette and adam’s friendship growing, tahereh said “he’s a part of the story and there’s more left to come” and im just like noooooooo -At the same time, juliette is so forgiving I don’t doubt they’ll finally talk *PPL ROAST ME ABOUT AN ADAM REDEMPTION ARC BUT JUST THINK ABOUT WARNER AND ADAM’S FRIENDSHIP AND ADAM BEING SOMEONE WHO CAN SAVE THEM ALL IF HE PROJECTS HIS POWER AND DISABLES OTHERS’. I’M JUST SAYIN G *WARNER NAKED CRYING ON THE GROUND -WARNER HAS ANXIETY??? PLS LET WARNER HAVE ANXIETY I WANT ANXIETY REP -But at the same time I don’t because #tooreal -I feel like she posted this quote so out of context and it could be nothing but I leapt to the worst conclusions -Why isn’t juliette there? Did they have a fight? Did something happen to her? Did he read his dad’s journals? -DOES KENJI SEE HIS SCARS? -Is warner completely naked?? I’m so confused. I’M SO CONFUSED *Kenji calling warner cute constantly mY HEArt *WHY IS JULIETTE’S POV SPOILERY -Is she kidnapped??? Is she miserable??? Is a character with mind control powers harming her??? Is she separated from warner? Like WHAT??? It’s so spoilery that she can’t even find one quote to give us? *THE VALENTINES DAY SNIPPET -JULIETTE’S CONFIDENCE -THE TOWEL -WARNER’S POV SEXYTIMES -FWUJAOIFPKOIOBLHEIJKMF -SLIHBFLABKVLEAJFGFYOUDLHIJF -I was legit sobbing I was so happy for the first warnette kiss in 4 years -(lowkey wish there was more dialogue and description but that feels almost gluttonous at this point because we are so fortunate for having it at all) *Tahereh said she “likes” the ending of restore me -I don’t think we’ll have a cliffhanger, like I said. -She said “I don’t think it’s sad” so I hope it’s empowering like previous books -T said juliette is her favorite, ever, by the end of RM, so I think she’s fine and she doesn’t die clearly lol *AN EX-GIRLFRIEND COMES INTO PLAY -WHOSE??? WHAT IS THE TRUTH?????? -WHO IS GONNA CLAIM THIS WOMAN -Warner? Is it one of the overseas people? MY MANS IS A HOE!!!!! He out here saying “I didn’t have friends” but he actually meant “I had friends with benefits” -Kenji? Adam? Castle? I literally wish it were anyone else lol I’m solid on my theory of juliette being warner’s first everything but the internet and the author say otherwise *It’s confirmed that juliette MEETS her parents!!!!!! Oufhaouhilvgudyahisjkop;pzfx;ia I’MS O EXCITED SHE’S GONNA ROAST THEM I’M REA DY FOR HER TO ROOOAST THEM!! -Also warner said in unravel me he wants to kill whoever made her miserable as a kid so I want warner to threaten them or pull a gun or something and im just ready for there to be tea -The biggest question I have—more than what warner did to be leader of sector 45—is what her parents are like. Not even just physically and with their personalities. I’m so split on wondering if they’re sorry or if they still hate her. Are they happy without her? Do they regret it? Will they accept her as she is now? Will they learn to trust her? *New novellas??!!?!! -I was shocked we didn’t get one before this book. -Whose POV? We get a kenji short story so maybe from him. Since we get warner POV in the book, it’s not as important anymore as a separate novella. So it’s gotta be kenji, adam, castle, Anderson, someone, idk. james? new characters? -Maybe it’ll have bonus content from previous books in the trilogy (LS PS LP PL SP L S PL SPL S PLS PLS PL SPL S PLS PL S PLS) *The bird symbolism comes back I’m emo -Juliette flying (ie. Airplanes, she becomes the bird herself? Idk) -I always thought it was so weird that the “the bird I imagined is the bird on adam’s chest” conflict/coincidence was just randomly dropped. -Does juliette become adam’s bird? -DOES MY GIRL FINALLY GET TO SEE A BIRD???? AHHHHHHH --i used to want ignite me to end with her seeing a bird so maybe i can finally have my dream come true and one of these books has her seeing a bird in it *Juliette’s powers are still growing -Unless it has to do with killing people and not physically moving stuff like castle then idk. I’m conflicted about this one. *More about warner’s mom, it’s ok I’m just gonna cry over here *Warner’s virginity better not be a hot topic in this book because I am tired and I’m so happy not knowing -Same how I feel with sex scenes like ty for having them but I don’t need to be ~too~ well-acquainted with their anatomy, ya know? pls no sarah j maas porn in these woods, thank you *Juliette and warner get to travel!!!!!!! -Now that warner knows how to drive a helicopter I just imagine them being like “hey Barbie wanna go for a ride” “sure ken” “hop in” then I don’t wanna live forever starts playing because wasn’t there a helicopter scene in fifty shades *Warner and his 5 o’clock shadow sounds fake bc in unravel me when he was being held captive there was no beard [angery frog meme] -Why my mans so stressed he aint shavin????????? He needs a hug and 3 advil *SHE EITHER GETS A HAIRCUT OR A TATTOO IN THIS BOOK -I’m 50/50. On one hand, she mentioned in ignite me that she needs a haircut, but I really really reall yreally hate haircuts in books so I’m salty -Also Ive always wished she’d get a tattoo bc it’s so empowering and she has a lot of mantras she lives by and warner is such a cheerleader for them and he would love it too *WARNER IS LITERALLY THE EMBODIMENT OF CAR RADIO ABOUT OUTRUNNING SILENCE OAUHOSJIKO;DI;FSLDGYHIJ MY MANS IS EMO AND I LOVE AND SUPPORT HIM UNCONDITIONALLY -I’m concerned that he and juliette aren’t together more in this book. She’s in a meeting he’s not invited to??? Aaron warner? More like aaron burr, not being in the room where it happened

#ignore this #i'm linking it for goodreads lol

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uzdailjam · 7 years ago

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suppose years hence you wish to tell of the last days of ‘17. you come down from your cabin and stir the coals. some youngin hands you a mug and it steams in the broad morning. you recall back to when the sun was brief and try to find a few words. there are little records tucked away still, in the crook of folded things: the wing long since healed but favored even yet; the floret dew-beaded over rippled water; the missive smudged with salt and dust.

might be your little corner of country was having its warmest long fall in memory. when you rode home you did so shy of midnight, cool and damp, open-coated. there had been rain going out, the first in a long while. at that hour the sky was streaked with rolling clouds & the stars between them. the breeze on the lake, a little, lapping onto the strand and the light lapping there too & you on that leeward shore breath whistling between teeth like high harsh november gale.

perhaps on the first day of winter you caught a nail in the back tire, straight down the middle. this sucker was already bent 90 degrees and no one can answer how it ended up point first into the tread. you brought it with you, saying as if practicing an explanation, ‘this is my lucky nail now. it took a freak of chance to put it dead down the center of a tire like that and I’m not throwing it away until it does me a good turn and our luck is even.’ it’s possible when it comes to luck overall you’re well in the black and it’d be a fool’s demand to break even. but then maybe there’s some truth to when your roommate mimed you shooting yourself first in one foot, & holding a finger up for pause while you deliberated, then pointedly winging the other foot and proclaiming cheerfully ‘now I’m ready’: you do sometimes invite small disasters.

the fantastical rule daydreamed about the nail is this: that it sends the sort of luck that pushes you on to new things. it encourages the success of audacity and shakes up complacency or meekness. and you imagined this and it started paying out.

in those days did you try to nap cold and sleepless. did you rise without appetite to dawn’s snow dusting and morning light picking out the jewels in the grass. did you go out, fetching little near unlucks, in your mind eyeing that bent nail warily. on the way back did it catch you, that cow manure wind and the adiabatic chill. did it catch you, the sun behind a cloud bank mirroring the mountains, just obscured, faint wisps of prism.

would you recollect that on christmas you jogged up neighborhood, late and warm and sunblind and happy to meet the company of good friends. uncovered the soothe of a few unexpected words of correspondence. could be you weren’t ready for fall-winter & frost like you thought you were and if from ribs suddenly winded you said, ‘well if anyone here’s shook and I aint saying it’s me but if I were then maybe it’s cause I’ve put myself under just a little fire just a little bit broadsided by these well meant half-heard regards that drift in like javelins, sharp like myrrh and copper on the tongue’ then we’d say ‘yeah that’ll do it, that’s enough to throw ya in with all the other ghosts stuck haunting your doorways’ and if you asked us ‘what can i do to cast off anchor when i don’t wanna cast off anchor’, well friend not that it’s good advice mind you but odysseus didn’t stop up his ears to the sirens; he lashed himself to the mast.

do you remember that you bundled up and walked down to the post office, and before you set out you put snow in a currant pot & in doing so absent-minded accidentally swept the bent nail off the table & for then it was lost. really down to skin of the teeth stuff here but it’s enough. and warm good lucky things your way too.

did you go three days out at dusk a little earlier each day. just hints in the dark, by the lake, then stray colors, moon waxing gibbous in east. third day brighter still. 60 degrees. you kept thinking “i’m gonna find that nail again. I’m gonna find it with my tread, when I least expect it.” and searching in the grass with your hands for an idle minute you did find it. you lifted it up, said aha...but it was a different nail. you were laughing into a spring-warm day at the end of december, this other nail in hand, patches of snow still out there in the shade. out of the corner of your eye then you saw the bent nail & there ya go now you’ve got both. you credit yourself an interpreter of omens but hell if you know what this means.

maybe you put a lot of miles on the bike, patched up, those next several days. got colder. last day of the year back from friends’, the afternoon turning to even, full moon just rising. the sunset becoming vast and deep in salmon and layers, the drama unfolding first behind on the ride back then apexing across a third of the whorled sky by home-arrival -- and you’d remind your fireside listeners that on earth in the old days a third of the sky was vast, one could keep turning and craning and on it would go draped in the oranges of cinnabar and stone fruits. and maybe at the icy median of night you went into the backyard just as the rockets lit off, east past the mist and trees, heard but not directly seen, occluded but for flashes that in the fog & branches seemed as if the afterglow of lightning.

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minetra · 5 years ago

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a confession i will never be able to make, cause i never was able to get closure, if you (and you would know who you are) are reading this throw me off a cliff pls thanks

(heyyyy, to those who know me personally from real life, i have one thing to say

fuck off.

this is shit i dont want you to see... if you read this ill fucking rip your throat out. im warning you now, if i even get the hint or the smallest suspicion that you read this you will never gain my trust again. your choice on the matter really)

(haha, this is not a joke i will kill you)

(if not, and you do not know all my friends and my address. feel free to read it and embarrass me, i probably would appreciate it lol) (i probably would need that actually since i cried multiply times writing this oop-)

warning: grammar errors, that’s it yup

below is a really long post, like long long if you manage to read through everything, have a cookie, cause honestly how?

(i did this instead of studying hooray)

(for such a heavy topic, i played the madoka magica gun song the entirety of writing this shit) (which now that i finished the post is so fucking funny to me lol)

hey, do you know me in real life? did you accidentally click the keep reading thing? okay.. turn back lol you aint suppose to be here silly! get ready for your ass to be kicked when i get out of quarantine :)

(you probably know how violent i was back in grade five to seven. dont make me bring that out again cause i will)

okay? right...

i wanna get hugs from you again,, you were quite warm and made something in my chest rise in speed,,, (i was always the one to initiate hugs in every encounter, i loved hugs, and at first you hated them...) (but then when you did hug first, i swear to god my heart burst) (hug me again, please)

i wanna hold hands again,, (god your hands are so soft, holy shit i couldnt stop holding them. not like clouds, or a pillow not that kind of soft. soft like humming my favourite song, or soft like your smile. that’s my favourite soft)

i wanna make you laugh with my shitty jokes,,, (my jokes are all shitty, but you laughed at some anyways, i cant seem to remember your laugh now... i want to fucking search for my brain for your laugh.. curse my shitty memory... but i do remember you smiling to them...)

i wanna make you sigh in a tired but amused way,,, (im an attention seeking bitch alright, i know that much...) (but that sigh,,, when you sighed at me because of my shitty antics... i missed that a lot... more than my cousins back home... more than my sister going away for years... i miss you really, that much is true) (is that selfish of me? yup. do i give a shit? nope)

im probably never gonna see you again, which is a fucking bummer (hahah, wow my chess is tight and i oop,,,) and im really shit at staying in touch with people (haha, shitty i know...) and honestly? fucking scared of how ill react if i see you again (i bursted into tears the last time,,, ill do it fucking again)

i never really told you, but you meant the world to me,,, and in those days where i have nothing to distract myself, or when im lulling myself to sleep... or when i remember that one picture saved by my friend at her phone...

i think about you, and i can never sleep again (you wearing that flower crown has actually cleared my skin, thank you-)

i remember for a project i had to describe something without telling what the thing was. the first thing i thought of was your eyes, and god do i like staring at them... (you always looked away when you caught me staring... from embarrassment i would guess, but how can i not stop when you always looked so stunning?) (everytime you denied that you were not pretty i would scream inwardly... how? self esteem issues yes, i get that, but holy shit i looked at you everyday.. you always got prettier)

your eyes are so so so so pretty, like a gray cloud in the middle of a brewing storm. but you were never really angry, not at me anyways... (no matter how many times i pissed you off you always found some way to like me again... i was good at being annoying, how-) (flustered you was the cutest thing i can think of) (i wonder, did i ever push to hard? if i did im sorry)

you were oh so sweet, like a fuji apple (never too sweet, i think you were the only time i thought of liking something that isnt completely made of sugar) but i can never describe you in one word, or with one item, you were just you... something so i loved very very much

i miss the color of your hair, sometimes i can’t help but think it’s the only shade of blonde ive found. i never found anyone with the same hair color as you, nobody else. like a single bright yellow tulip in a sea of dandelions.... but my god can you pull off any hair colour (howd you pull of green? witchcraft i dare say-)

shoes, you always wore one pair of shoes. vans (or was it converse?) black ones. i remember them cause you drew at the white parts. (whenever i saw anyone else who did the same thing i always thought of your shoes...) (that made me sad when i did remember, cause all it did was make me remember you) (i never saw drawing or painting on shoes the same after that, all those fuckin tik toks-)

i liked it when you drew (ha liked? the fuck i loved it) i remember the first time i saw art from you. an aurora with stars that shined against black wallpaper... (for something in the five grade, that shit blew my mind holy fuck) i dont exactly remember how i got one of your drawings, but it is here, in my room,,, (i see it and smile, i wonder, are you still drawing? painting? if you are thanks, you motivated me to draw til this day)

we were utter opposites. you were an introvert, you hung around cool kids a lot, overall, popular. I was a lonely extrovert, i didnt have many friends (im afraid that i was too annoying back then.. i still am lol...) (i remember that i was jealous of you back then, wack, back me could not handle how perfect you are) (even now that i have seen you “imperfections” i can now confirm that i am not jealous anymore thank fuck)

the chances of us being even friends is bizarre to me, like fate. in the short time span i spent with you, nobody else compared.

you were cool, you made me feel cool. i loved you so very very much.. i dont exactly know what my feelings are, but i can say you were my best friend. the best of a lot of people.

this post is so embarrassingly long, (you would have laughed from how many typos i made) if you ever so this i would snap my neck honestly

i completely fell for you, without even knowing... wack (hahahaha, i admitted it now,,, and im so scared... you know why im scared...)

(to the people who know me in real life. youll know who this is,,, you had the fucking audacity to read this shit okay fuck you) (but i really couldnt blame you, curiosity is fucking deadly, (you now know one of my most hidden secrets, one that i have kept for years, from anyone in rl) (so congrats, you earned title of asshole)

(if you did read this, youll probably have questions... but please dont even tell me you saw this post... dont like this post... dont talk to me about this post... and mostly of all... dont tell them please... my heart will actually weep... so please dont)

to those who dont know who this is, this is a person who was my friend. i loved them,, very very much

#i cried writing this like #fifty times #lmaooooooooo #i dont even know what to say in the tags #um #hi #you now know something my rl friends do not even know #congrats #yeyeyeyeyeyeeyeyeyeyeeyey #why the fuck am i even posting this shit #might delete later who knowss #aye litttt #panic?#panic.

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sapphicluxanna · 6 years ago

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1-100 pls 🌹💕

BABE. oh my god. okay here we go, it’s gonna be long!!

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk? more cereal than milk I think?

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day? I love winter and everything about it, I’d rather be cold than hot

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books? post it notes, receipts, I’ve used flowers a few times, really anything that’s in reach

4: how do you take your coffee/tea? tea with a little bit of milk and honey, coffee depends on the day? typically with a lil bit of vanilla creamer. when I make my ‘fancy’ coffee at home with frothy milk on top I always top them off with a dusting of cinnamon

5: are you self-conscious of your smile? always

6: do you keep plants? ye! I have a succulent/cacti terrarium, some sunflowers, jasmine, african violets, tomato plants, hanging planters, and a few more I forget the names of!

7: do you name your plants? not the ones I have currently

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings? I love ink. I haven't been able to paint with ink in a while, but the movement of that and watercolor are just.. freeing? I dunno how to explain it. that and drawing using ink, every mark you make is permanent and I just kinda zone out when doing it

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself? aight listen. my future s/o is gonna have to deal with this a lot. shower? singing. car ride? singing. cooking? singing. y'all aint getting a break even if I sound like a dying cat

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? primarily side and stomach!

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends? I cant think of many at the moment but uhhhh. hmm. a few guys and I play a game together and I run the group (in rdr2), and we don't let people join it if their horse’s tail isn't braided so we’ll hunt them down and kill them instead

12: what’s your favorite planet? neptune looks beautiful

13: what’s something that made you smile today? the fact that you wanted to know more about me

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like? lots and lots of plants, kinda modern, a few fish tanks, smells like lavender and coffee

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is! mars has the biggest known volcano!

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish? stupidly basic, but chicken parmesan

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? I’ve always wanted to impulsively dye it some shade of blue just for a few weeks

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up. I got ridiculously drunk off tequila at a house party and was given my first mojito, thought he picked leaves off the tree out back and threw them in so I dug them out and threw them around the yard in disgust. I have a very vague memory of this but they always give me crap for it

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it? I have a couple! one is my bujo where I keep lists of things like self care ideas, favorite movies and books, quotes, friend stuff, etc. another I use to draw in and like to recreate van gogh sketches, others are private

20: what’s your favorite eye color? y'all ever really see brown eyes? oof

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces. I don't have this?

22: are you a morning person? I could be if I woke up next to the right person

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations? netflix binging, reading, aquarium shopping, walks with my dog in the woods, making stupid pancakes, and league with a babe

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets? it takes time for me to trust people, so probably all my life at some point with a girl. as for family? no

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into? I’ve locked myself outta my place a few times and had to go through the window

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit? several pairs of sandals and slides!

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor? just regular mint?

28: sunrise or sunset? watching the sunset on a blanket in the grass with a girl I care about

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? her voice gets a lil louder and she talks fast when she's excited about something and its flipping adorable

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared? yes.

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks. I love fluffy socks and patterned socks and ones with dinosaurs and stuff and I love socks so much, don't sleep in them though

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends. we played a drinking game based off how we did in a split screen game, one drink for every kill, got v drunk that night

33: what’s your fave pastry? I love baclava but I’m horribly allergic to walnuts

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it? I still have it! my dad went down to south carolina a lot and I was, and still am, very much in love with alligators. I think I was six or something but he came home with this giant garbage bag and was moving it like there was an animal inside and when I opened it, it was a giant stuffed alligator. he's currently sitting on my bed, but seems a lot smaller now

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often? I really wanna get into using thicker paper for letters with pressed wax seals and pressed flowers

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now? I don’t really focus on individual bands too much tbh, I bounce around a lot within genres. anything happy and country atm

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean? I’m tryna keep it cleaner, better habit to make myself get into

38: tell us about your pet peeves! people smoking around me (I don't care that you smoke whatever, I just ask you don't do it around me bc it makes me feel sick), a group of people that takes up the whole sidewalk going incredibly slow, people that cut me off in traffic without turn signals, people who f around in the tsa line and don't get ready then stand there for ten minutes taking everything off for the scanner and hold us up, “there” and “their” and “they’re” misuses, etc. jeez, didn't realize I had so many and that's not even all of them

39: what color do you wear the most? blue?

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you? I love my claddagh ring, my mom and sister both have the same one and we all match. currently not wearing it bc it was like 100 degrees F then other day and it burned my finger?????

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving? asoiaf!!!!

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it! I like this lil coffee shop about half an hour away, every drink has an individual and funny name and the workers are nice

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with? I honestly can’t remember, but I could really go for this right now

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything? uhhhh it’s been a bit? lotta stressors recently

45: do you trust your instincts a lot? I try to, should've listened to them regarding some stuff and I didn’t

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of. what do you call a blind dinosaur? a do-you-think-he-saurus.

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe? broccoli

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? santa and the dark, no on both accounts now

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought? no, I just use apple music

50: what’s an odd thing you collect? I dunno about odd, but I keep seashells and shark teeth I find on beaches

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them? somebody to love

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far? uhhhh I’m bad at keeping up with when these come out but probably the “wait was anyone going to tell me ___ or was I supposed to find out in this ___”

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them? I haven't seen these sorry!

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face? my dad

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point? I honestly cannot think of this right now

56: what are some things you find endearing in people? when they get excited about something, when their eyes sparkle a bit in sunlight, when they’re touchy (only certain ones), compassion, weird hobbies and interests, etc

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics? it’s an experience. listen with headphones on high or don't listen to it at all

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why? I guess I’d be the wine mom bc I don't drink heavily too often with my friends cause I’m usually the dd, vodka aunt would go to my friend S cause hell she puts that shit away fast

59: what’s your favorite myth? I love greek mythology

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves? sappho

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received? a lil cat bank that grabs a coin with its paw and drags it into the box and a potato, respectively

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind? not usually

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be? I kept all of my books on a shelf before the move but idk what imma do with them now bc I have no room for a bookcase so they're kinda messy rn

64: what color is the sky where you are right now? pale blue and cloudy

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with? a friend who moved away a few years ago, I miss her

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like? oooooh. hmm. lots of blues and pinks and purples with lil twisty brown vines?

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel? I love them, 10/10, perfect.

68: what’s winter like where you live? we either get 3 feet of snow overnight or a dusting, there’s no in between

69: what are your favorite board games? I cant remember the last time I played a board game??? I liked the game of life and monopoly when I was a kid

70: have you ever used a ouija board? nope

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea? whatever happens to be in the cabinet!

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it? I have the memory of a goldfish

73: what are some of your worst habits? letting people get away with things they've done to me, being too lenient with people that make me uncomfortable, etc

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns. they’re such a good friend and we have enough years built into our friendship that we can go a few weeks without talking and be right where we left off. they’re kind and caring and ready to help people when they need it

75: tell us about your pets! my cat is an 8 year old lil grump, but he gets so freaking affectionate and lovey too. he knows when I’m anxious and will come up and sit on my chest and purr. my dog’s a ball of jumping energy, she's always excited and happy, she’s only 2 so hopefully she’ll mellow out. then my clownfish are flipping adorable even though they try to bite my fingers when I’m working on the aquarium

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t? unpacking and socializing with family

77: pink or yellow lemonade? pink lemonade

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub? I don't care about them really, but the facebook minion memes passed around by moms gotta stop

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you? one of my exes surprise got me flowers sometimes, while the relationship just didn't work that was a cute action

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why? they’re kinda beige-ish? I just moved here and I don’t wanna repaint them

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of. hmm. one of my friends’ eyes are like the leaves on the forest floor, an assortment of greens and browns blended together with the occasional fleck of gold when light filters through the trees

82: are/were you good in school? I’m okay? In high school I was in honor classes and stuff and I've made the deans list a few times in college so far, but honestly I think I’m just average. I have a lot of issues with math and it’s why I couldn't go into one of the fields I was considering. I get overwhelmed quickly

83: what’s some of your favorite album art? tbh I don't look at this kinda stuff but I know kesha’s rainbow was good?

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones? ye! I want a small humpback whale on my left inner wrist, they mean a lot to me and I finally got to see one in person just last year. then I have some scars on my thigh I’ve been tossing around the idea of getting a tattoo to cover up, but idk if I would or what I would get

85: do you read comics? what are your faves? no sorry! I always wanted to when I was younger but I got psyched out by guys who would say they're not for girls who I never took advantage of the comic shop a family friend owns

86: do you like concept albums? which ones? I dunno what this is and I’m too tired to google it but imma guess its about music? to which I say I’m v bad at keeping up with everyones stuff

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives? the princess bride, star wars, lord of the rings, the sound of music, indiana jones (NOT crystal skull, it sucked), jurassic park, and a lottttt more.

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? impressionism, post impressionism, and expressionism

89: are you close to your parents? ish.

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities. I absolutely loved st. malo in france. I need to go back. it’s a giant walled city on the water and it’s just beautiful. I sat and watched an artist on the street for a while and bought two of his paintings afterward, gotta figure out where to hang them in my new bedroom. the air smelled amazing, it rained a lot when I was there but I still loved it and I wish I’d had more time to really explore than I did

91: where do you plan on traveling this year? I wanted to go to sri lanka to see my family but I don’t think it’s gonna happen, but I’ve got my fingers crossed for pennsylvania cause reasons

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch? cheese is life

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most? I braid it overnight and wear it down during the day!

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday? my dad a few days ago

95: what are your plans for this weekend? I think I’ve got another family party to go to? feel kinda done with my fam rn though

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot? I literally just installed 2 years worth of updates this morning, so yeah, I procrastinate updates quite a bit

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house? idk what the first thing is but the others are scorpio and slytherin!

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it? oh wow I can’t remember, but imma say yes? I wanna hike with my dog at some point

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. somebody to love, la mer, and some others

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why? 5 years into the future. I hope that future me is happy and comfy with someone she loves surrounded by their plants, aquariums, pets, and love.

#this was #so long #youre adorable ily #lack of emojis due to typing on my computer #oof #answered

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fableweaver · 6 years ago

Text

Arc of the Blind Warrior

Traveling the trade road was interesting to say the least. The first day out and they found a caravan of Rhodin traveling the same road. Ian talked to those he could, at first they were wary, but when he mentioned Kree’s name they lessened their guard enough to tell him stories. None of the Rhodin in that caravan knew about the singing stone or Sapphira so they rode on.

The Rhodin unlike common folk also appeared differently in Ian’s strange sight. Most people appeared in shades of gray to Ian’s strange sixth sense. The Rhodin however appeared in shades of blue, the shades varying again on the person’s mood and thoughts. They only appeared in blue however unlike someone with the Elder Magic which appeared in multi colors.

Rork didn’t seem to take to the saddle much, getting saddle sores their first day out on the road. They slept along the roadside, wanting to save their coin and avoid people. As they traveled Ian kept asking the Rhodin about Sapphira, Kree’s name a password into the Rhodin camps. They passed through villages and towns, but never stayed in them. The towns with Sects were almost as dangerous as those without Sects, those without were sure signs of a presence of the Legion.

The weather grew colder and Ian could hear frost cracking on the ground in the morning. He couldn’t see the changes the seasons wrought anymore, but he felt the temperature change and the smell in the air shift to colder smells of snow. He didn’t know what the southern Mark was like, but he guessed it was a simple place of country folk.

The roads seemed safe and the more they spoke to the Rhodin the more welcome they became. At last after a week of travel along the trade road Ian came upon his first lead.

They had been hunting for a camping spot when Ian smelled wood smoke. He steered them towards a Rhodin camp, the sound of dogs barking a greeting. He heard the draw of a bow and stopped, sensing a man hiding behind the trunk of a tree.

“Easy friend,” Ian said. “We be travelers seekin a safe spot ta rest fer the night.”

“You aint my friend, friend,” the man answered. “Just turn your horse about and you can go on your way.”

“I be a friend o Kree’s,” Ian said.

“Aint heard o her,” the man said. It wasn’t surprising, not every Rhodin knew Kree personally. Ian listed a few other names that other Rhodin had given him. He heard the man relax his draw and step out from behind the tree.

“Sorry for the hostility friend,” the man said more cordially. “Names Radek.”

“I be Ian, this be mine son Will n mine friend Rork,” Ian said. He and Rork dismounted and Radek led the way into his camp. Dogs and children ran to greet them, but Radek shooed them off. He helped Ian and Rork settle their horses with his and then they gathered around the fire. Radek’s wife served them with goulash and bread, everyone eating by the fire. When they finished Ian began with his customary question.

“Have ye heard o a Rhodin by the name o Sapphira?” Ian asked. Instead of the initial denial Ian sensed a surprised silence.

“My name is Sapphira,” Radek’s wife said.

“Ah, I be sorry,” Ian said before a misunderstanding could take place. “I mean the un that were the lover ta Tony Bones.”

“Aye I ken of her,” Sapphira said wryly. “My mother loved the tale and named me after her. Of course I never lived up to the name. Sapphira had many children, each by a different man. Me I just married the first Rhodin lad that managed to flip my skirt.”

Ian heard Radek laugh at that and perceived him to kiss his wife’s cheek. Ian was finding he could catch on to people’s emotions a bit better now, and could see the slight change in both their aura’s of affection.

“Why do you ask about her?” Sapphira asked.

“I heard the tale of her n Tony Bones,” Ian answered. “I were wonderin what happened ta her.”

“Her n her treasure you mean?” Sapphira asked shrewdly.

“Aye, I baint lie that I be mighty interested in what became o the loot she seduced outta old Bones,” Ian answered and Sapphira laughed.

“Well way I heard it was her children split it among themselves when she died,” Sapphira answered. “It’s probably split among all the Rhodin by now, or found their way back to some lord’s trove.”

Ian hid his disappointment; maybe he could still find another lead. Or if he could find one of Sapphira’s decedents he could find where some of the treasure went.

“Don’t mind my friend,” Rork said lightly. “See we were just looking for a particular piece of Sapphira’s treasure. The singing stone.��

“Singing stone,” Sapphira said wryly. “Most are more interested in the diamond the size of an egg than some stone. I doubt you’d find any word about that since most interest is around the gold and jewels.”

“Wait,” Radek said and Ian felt hope flare again. “What about the Piper of the Lost?”

“What does that song have to do with a singing stone?” Sapphira asked.

“Think about it,” Radek said. “The Piper was said to ‘play upon a flute as old as stone’ why not made of stone?”

“A flute made o stone be what I seek,” Ian said interested. “A singin stone; that be what caught my eye in Bones’ story.”

“I think you have it right,” Radek said. “The Piper of the Lost is an old tale of the Rhodin’s based on a true story. The story goes though that a Rhodin man, a piper by trade, came down with the illness and he died along with his wife and children. To guide his family and those he traveled with to the afterlife he played his flute. Soon he leads all those dying of the plague to their rest, playing his stone flute to guide them.”

“The true tale is much worse,” Sapphira said grimly. “During the plague times in history the Rhodin were blamed for spreading the plague. Many were hunted down and burned in their wagons. There was one time when a whole caravan was burned during a gathering of the Rhodin, hundreds died in the blaze. The village that had committed the crime later succumbed to the plague all that lived there died. The Piper of the Lost is based on that village because it was said a song could be heard over the dead village after everyone had died.”

“Where be this happen?” Ian asked.

“Regis,” Radek answered. “In a town called Bellerose. The town moved a bit since but it is still there. I heard there is a barrow there for the dead from the plagues; it is where the most died of the disease.”

“Thank ye,” Ian said feeling a sense of accomplishment war with disappointment. What was he going to do now that the trail led into Regis?

“Why so interested in a stone flute?” Sapphira asked.

“It were a family heir loom,” Ian answered, he wasn’t even lying technically since he was married to Bailey and she was descended from Eileen who had owned the flute in the first place. “Bones stole it from another pirate what stole it from Daun.”

“It worth anything?” Radek asked.

“Only ta mine family,” Ian answered. “N we baint have much in the way o gold.”

“Well I hope you find what you seek then,” Radek said. “You and your friend are welcome to our fire and shelter for the night.”

“Thank ye,” Ian said and Rork murmured his own thanks.

The next morning they had a quick breakfast of bread and bacon before hitting the road.

“That tale be eatsome at ya ja,” Rork said as they rode.

“Aye,” Ian said wearily. “I wanna go back ta Bailey, but it would be better ta head south n search some more. But it be dangerous fer me ta head inta Regis what with a price on my head from the Grand Sect.”

“Those never be all that rightsome,” Rork said. “Not like they gots some drawing of ya or anything ja. And it will tell of a man and woman traveling together. I taint be all that shapely.”

Ian couldn’t help but laugh at that and nod.

“Aye well that be true, but we do make an odd couple Rork,” Ian said.

“Not all that odd,” Rork said. “And I have some connections that we can call on.”

“In Regis?” Ian asked.

“Hyria trades with Regis,” Rork answered. “I’ll admit, some of my kin be in the unwholesome trade, criminals like. We can look ta them ta seek aid if things become diresome.”

“Alright,” Ian said, having an innate dislike for law breakers as he was one to obey most laws. In Daun those who broke the laws were criminals or the worst sort, murderers or rapists. In Hyria he had gathered from Rork that it was a common pastime to break the law. In fact it wasn’t really breaking the law since Hyria did not have many laws against smuggling or theft. It was only in other kingdoms that their activities became illegal. And a Hyrian cares little for the laws of other kingdoms.

“I coggin we can get along real fine in Regis if ya want,” Rork said.

“Aye, but…” Ian trailed off turning north and thinking of Bailey.

“Ya miss her,” Rork said this in a knowing way, and Ian could hear just a touch of envy to his voice.

“Aye, but I also ken o the look on her face ifn I handed the song ta her,” Ian answered.

“Ya taint able ta see the look on her face,” Rork said and Ian winced.

“Aye but I ken it’ll make her happy,” Ian said. “N proud…” The emotion that over whelmed him for the moment stole his breath. Bailey would be proud of him, and knowing that sent a wave of warmth through him. Even if he failed she would be proud of his effort, to continue the quest that she had set out on. Ian could sort of understand now why she had wanted to leave Barrow Múr in the first place.

“So what be it?” Rork asked.

“South,” Ian said. “We head for Bellerose.”

“Alrighty,” Rork said, his voice giving the hint of a wicked grin. Though Rork hated traveling the road he seemed to know the roads well. He bragged that he had a great sense of direction, but Ian knew he spoke to the Rhodin about where to go.

They steadily made their way south, making better time as they didn’t seek out the Rhodin. It was only two days until they reached the border between Regis and the Mark. There was only a post along the side of the road, but guards stopped them and they dismounted.

“Names,” the guard ordered briskly.

“Rork o Loamy Downs,” Rork answered. “And this is Cian and his son.”

Rork had already devised a cover story for them and so had told Ian to let him do all the talking.

“Papers,” the guard said and Ian heard the rustling of papers. He didn’t know what this meant, but Rork seemed to know what he was doing. “What about him? Do you have papers?”

“He’s blind sir,” Rork answered. “They taint have papers in Daun ja.”

“How did he get this far without papers?” the guard asked.

“How do the Rhodin?” Rork answered. “I met him in Hyria n decided to take him on as an extra hand in my trade ja.”

“Which is?” the guard asked.

“Animal husbandry, can’t ya read?” Rork said and guard grumbled as he shifted through the papers. “Lookin far work ja in Regis.”

“Why?” the guard asked.

“I won’t go inta details ja,” Rork said. “But let’s just say I fiddled the wrong girl.”

Ian gathered unspoken words were exchanged with a look then.

“I can’t let him past without papers,” the guard said stubbornly. Ian didn’t hear went on next but he perceived Rork shake the guard’s hand and whisper something to him. “Ah right here are his papers,” the guard grumbled as he turned away. “Go on through.”

They mounted their horses again and rode past the post, Ian waiting until they were far away before he rode next to Rork.

“What did ye do?” Ian asked.

“Bribed him,” Rork answered. “Hope ya weren’t fond o that silver coin ja.”

“Nowt, thanks,” Ian said with a wry grin.

They rode on into Regis and Ian tightened his guard. He kept Will wrapped in his swaddle, a new carrying basket along his back kept him warm through the cold days. He didn’t let anyone see him; his Aldan features could cause trouble. Rork helped keep watch, and feed Will occasionally from the nanny goat. The little nanny goat seemed to have taken a liking to Will, often sleeping near Will’s basket in camp. Will seemed to be growing well, and Ian felt pride that he had been able to care for him so well.

Still Ian felt worried about their travel through Regis. He felt a change now, not in weather but in the mood of the people. There was a tense air between the two races of Regis; the Elmerians were growing restless under the Regarian rule. Ian only had to listen to the whispers and grumbles of men in taverns to know that the words of the Legion of the Creed were spreading. Thanks to the attack at the royal wedding and the pressure from the Regarians to hunt down the cult many were growing resentful of the harsh treatment.

Rork, commenting as always as if he didn’t want Ian to miss anything, said that most of the people they passed were Elmerian. The farms they rode by, desolate at the end of the Colored One, were operated by Elmerians. The villages however held the Regarians. Rork said they passed several homes of lords by these villages, great estates far from the road. They avoided these naturally and only stopped in the villages for food and directions. The Rhodin were less here, but not unseen and occasionally Ian and Rork would share their camp.

“Tell me bout Bailey ja,” Rork said one day as they rode. “Ye hardly jabber bout her.”

“Cause I be so worried bout her,” Ian answered. “Though I guess I baint need ta be. She be strong, I mean powerful in the Elder Magic. Ifn ye kenned I were strong she be much stronger. She be kind but ifn ye cross her or endanger those she loves ye’d best watch out. Pepper, her twin, be fierce, but Bailey she be tough. She be soft n kind on the outside but that just covers a hard heart.”

“A hard heart?” Rork said puzzled. “She be cold then?”

“Nowt, I just ken that deep down she’ll always do her duty o’er her love,” Ian answered. “There baint be anything wrong with that, n I love her fer it. I ken now why she does it, ta do what needs done. Ifn ye baint then ye have failed yerself n those ye love. I baint sure I can explain it. I just ken I understand her better now, n wish ta do the same. When I see her gain I ken she’ll be proud o me fer it.”

“What else?” Rork asked softly. Ian wondered why he was asking these things but he continued on. Speaking of Bailey was hard, he missed her the more he spoke, but at the same time it felt good to remind himself of her.

“She likes it when I kiss her just behind the ear,” Ian said. “She loves sweets, n apples, un time she hid a biscuit under the pillow fer later n I crushed it ta crumbs by accident. She baint be afraid o spiders but she hates lint fer some reason. N when she laughs really hard she snorts a bit.”

Ian kept going on about Bailey as they rode, Rork never once asking him to stop.

Here in the south there wasn’t as much snow, but it was still chilly and windy. They traveled at a steady pace, faster than the Rhodin wagons but not a breakneck speed of a messenger. It took them ten days from the border to reach Bellerose, the day still young when they rode into the village. It was much like the other villages they had ridden through, twenty odd houses, a few shops, a post, and a lord’s manor sitting on a hill over the village.

Rork started to ride towards town but Ian stopped him.

“Where ye goin?” Ian asked.

“Inta town,” Rork said. “We need ta settle in the inn afore we go a looky loo far the mass grave ja.”

“Nowt, I baint want the Regarians ta catch onta anything fishy like,” Ian said. “We find the grave first.”

“But it’ll be dark soon,” Rork said nervously.

“Baint worry Rork,” Ian said with a grin trying to make light of the situation. “I’ll protect ye from the ghosts.”

Ian saw Rork’s aura shift and he realized he had said too much. Not that he had frightened Rork, but that he had just inadvertently said one of those things that only made Rork more attracted to him. Guiltily he turned away towards the road. He searched with his senses and found a few gnomes, summoning them over with a touch of power. The little earth spirits leapt up onto his horse, two settling before him and a third hanging onto Will’s basket. Ian heard Will laugh and knew the gnome would be making faces at the baby. He left them be, unconcerned that the gnome would harm Will.

“Can ye lead us ta where many men be buried?” Ian said to them. He found working with the Wild Folk that being polite helped a lot. He felt them nod in answer and one scampered off. The other sat on Ian’s saddle horn, guiding him with a tap on his hands. They rode around the village toward a great hill that rested about half a league away. The hill stood far from the Lord’s manor, practically out of sight of the village.

They rode around the hill, Ian feeling He Who Burns was sinking lower in the sky. A cold wind was blowing, rattling the branches of the bare trees and sending the leaves on the ground rustling across the road.

“Ya be sure bout this?” Rork asked nervously.

“Aye, baint ye worry Rork,” Ian said sure of himself. They stopped at the foot of the hill Ian able to sense a blocked opening before them.

“Ian we taint able ta move that,” Rork said. “There’s a huge boulder over the entrance.”

Ian ignored him and dismounted walking up to the blocked entrance. He sensed it was square entrance supported with wood beams. A great rock had been moved to block the entrance. Ian put his hand upon the stone, feeling the power of this place. It was not a meeting of the lines, but it was a place of certain earth powers. Ian could feel gnomes gathering around here, many of them joining him at the boulder.

“Can ye open the way?” he asked them. He felt them answer a yes, but they needed power. Shivering Ian drew the power they needed from the aether and fed it to them. The gnomes swarmed up over the rock and Ian quickly stepped back. There was a grating noise and a rumble, then the rock split open with a thundering crack. Pieces tumbled down, opening a gap big enough for Ian to fit through if he turned sideways.

Ian knew Rork was staring at him. For all his talk of magic and the Phay this was the first time Rork had seen Ian do anything of a substantial working. Ian ignored him, his mind on the opening. He stepped through, carefully moving so Will strapped to his back didn’t get caught on anything.

He heard Rork dismount and scramble to light a lantern, but Ian went on not needing a light. It was strange, he knew he entered a dark place, but his alternate vision did not change. If anything it grew better surrounded by walls strong in the earth powers. He could perceive the walls around him in muted tones of brown, though details eluded him so it was not the same as sight.

He walked through a short tunnel into the heart of the hill and there he found an open chamber. The room smelled of dust and decay, it smelled of things long dead and forgotten. The cavern seemed to be a manmade hollow in the hill, the rock walls carven and even. Ian guessed this was someone’s attempt at a mine before it became the home to the dead. Ian could sense a lot of the gnomes moving around the place, but as he took a step his foot encountered something. He knelt and felt a skull near his foot and he quickly pulled back. Rork came up behind him a gasped.

“What do ye see?” Ian asked.

“A big pile o bones,” Rork answered. “Ye taint expect ta sort through them do ya?”

“Nowt I ken a faster way,” Ian said. “Hail!” he shouted and dust stirred at his shout. All the gnomes in the cavern turned to him. “I seek the March o the Phay, can ye find it?”

There was a flurry of activity then, dust swirling and bones rattling as the gnomes dove into the mound of bones. Ian wondered what it looked like to Rork who could not see the gnomes. The Wild Kin could have an effect on the physical world as they chose, but since most people could not see them they only saw the effects they had. The stirring of leaves in the wind, dust devils, heat shimmers in the distance, or even that slight movement in the corner of the eye that one couldn’t quiet catch no matter how fast they turned; all these could be attributed to the Wild Kin.

Now though with Ian’s prompting and touch of power the gnomes were moving more than they normally would. At last they settled down and one stepped forward out of the group. It shook its head and then ran off as if it had lost interest suddenly. The others did the same, going back to their normal lounging around or exploring nooks and crannies.

“Well?” Rork asked nervously.

“It baint be here,” Ian said heartbroken.

“We tried Ian,” Rork said with a clap on the shoulder. “Might be we should go inta town now n see what we can stir up ja.”

“Aye,” Ian said but he had little hopes of finding anything.

They left the grave, but since the entrance stone had been broken they couldn’t reseal it. They rode back down the road and Rork led the way to the village. Evening had come and the villagers were all about, heading for the local tavern. They headed there as well since the tavern as always was in the local inn. A boy was sweeping the stable yard as they rode in, leaping to take their horse’s reigns.

“Be there any vacancies here lad?” Rork asked as he dismounted.

“Aye since the seasons dropped,” the boy answered as Ian dismounted. “Why do you ride the small one if you’re the taller one?”

“I taint like havin something so big between my legs ja,” Rork answered with a chuckle. The boy didn’t seem to get the joke so Rork took their saddle bags. “See the goat is settled too.”

“Yes sir,” the boy answered as he led the horses and goat off into the stables. Rork led the way into the inn, the smell of roasting meat and beer greeting them as they entered. The room was loud as well, many men talking and laughing.

“How can I help you strangers?” the innkeeper said as he approached them.

“A room ja,” Rork answered. “I take it ye have plenty?”

“Sure do sir,” the man answered. Ian gathered he was Regarian by his accent, though he could tell little from the gray shape he sensed other than that he was fat. “It’ll be two royals a night.”

“Two!” Rork said. “My good man just because it is the off season taint mean ya can charge n arm n leg fer a room.”

Ian left Rork to the haggling and slipped in past the innkeeper into the tavern. Negotiating the room was difficult, the gray shapes he perceived as people kept moving and blurring together. He stepped on a few toes and nearly knocked someone over until he found a seat at table. Two other men sat there and seemed surprised a stranger had joined them. Stranger still Will had started crying due to the noise of the room.

“Evenin,” Ian said. Sliding Will’s basket off his shoulders he unwrapped the babe and settled him on his knee. Once free of the basket in safe in his father’s arms, Will settled down enough to suck on his thumb and look around the room in curiosity.

“Evening,” one of the men said getting over his surprise.

“My name be Ian neighbor,” Ian said nodding in greeting. “This be mine son Will.”

“Names Gerald, this is my brother Gilbert,” the man said. “What brings a Daunish man to Regis?”

“My employer, that Hyrian feller talkin with the innkeeper,” Ian answered. “He be an animal healer what be lookin fer work. I just be his servant.”

“With a child?” Gerald asked.

“Mine wife died,” Ian answered. “I be all he has n a man’s gotta work. Lucky Rork baint care that I have him. What o ye?”

“We’re cobblers,” Gerald answered, seeming to do all the talking for his brother. “You’re blind aren’t you? What kind of servant is blind?”

“I be a good cook,” Ian answered. He guessed the brothers were Regarian as well, getting better at identifying things without sight. He saw Gerald’s aura shift slightly to a doubtful shade, darkening to disgust. He assumed Ian was Rork’s lover. “Rork said he heard tales bout this village.”

“What tales?” Gerald asked, on edge but seeming to like this change of subject. Provincial people loved talking about local legends.

“Bout the hill n plague all those years ago,” Ian answered. “Be it all true that all those people be dead in that hill?”

“True as true,” Gerald said. “Some say that hill is haunted by the dead.”

“No uns gone ta look?” Ian asked.

“We all stay away from there,” Gerald said. “You’d best too if you know what’s good for you. Nothing but bad spirits up there.”

Ian nodded and felt a hand on his shoulder. Ian turned to see Rork standing over him.

“Come on I got us a room n a private meal ja,” Rork said. Ian saw Gerald’s aura darken even more, but he ignored him as he followed Rork through the tavern and up the stairs to their room.

“Ye were jabberin bout me Ian?” Rork said crossly.

“Sorry,” Ian said. “But they caught on quick like ta yer tastes.”

“Cause I be Hyrian,” Rork said. “Everyun coggins what we be like ja.”

“Sorry Rork,” Ian said.

“I taint be mad Ian,” Rork said. “It just means I shouldn’t stay too long in this village ja. Regarians be even touchier then the Markians. They don’t even romp in bed like them. Sorry but it looks like we’ll have ta get outta town real quicksome like.”

Ian could only sigh defeated. It looked like he was going to have to go to Bailey empty handed, the trail had gone cold.

They sat at the table and ate their meal of stewed beef and potatoes and white bread. Ian found the food flavorless, not even a hint of herbs or spices to the meal. When they finished Rork took their dishes down to the kitchen and Ian fed Will from a milk bladder. After Will was fed he settled down in Ian’s lap playing with his rattle. Ian watched Will’s changing aura feeling as though he could see him growing.

Not for the first time Ian thought of Matt and Bailey when he looked at Will. He missed them both and worried. He wondered too if Will missed his mother and brother, and Ian felt a pang to know his son didn’t have his mother nor Matt have his father. He sat feeling his eye begin to water with tears thinking about Bailey, a hollow ache in his chest. Rork came back at that moment and stopped, Ian quickly drying his eyes.

“Ya be alright?” Rork asked putting a hand on Ian’s shoulder.

“Aye,” Ian said and Rork seemed to understand everything in that word.

“I only got us un bed ja,” Rork said. “Hope that be alright.”

“As long as ye keep yer hands ta yerself,” Ian said jokingly, but Rork just nodded. Ian sighed again and they went to bed. They just kicked off their boots, and Ian took off his ceramic mail. Ian settled Will in his basket to sleep, afraid of rolling over onto the child while he slept. He and Rork lay back to back, but Ian could still sense Rork’s tension even when he closed his eyes.

Ian tried to sleep, but Rork’s tension wasn’t helping. Ian tried to snore a bit, making his breathing even so Rork thought he was asleep in attempts of making Rork sleep. He felt Rork shift next to him, rolling over to his other side. Ian thought he was just settling to sleep until Rork put his arm around him. Rork moved in close, sliding his hand up inside Ian’s shirt.

“Rork,” Ian said warningly and Rork stopped, Ian feeling his breath on the back of his neck.

“Ya were awake,” Rork said regretfully withdrawing his hand. “Sorry, sweet dreams.”

“Dreams!” Ian said as he sat up struck with inspiration. Why hadn’t he thought of that? He hurried to retrieve his boots, groping around blindly for them. He pulled on his cloak, but left his mail off, deciding he wasn’t going to need it.

“Dreams?” Rork said puzzled. “Ian where ya be going ja?”

“I have ta go back ta the hill,” Ian said.

“Can’t this wait?” Rork asked but Ian didn’t answer. Ian wrapped Will up who started to cry at the rude awakening. Ignoring Will’s cries Ian put him in his basket and pulled him onto his back. He practically ran out the door, Rork hopping around still trying to get his boots on. Ian hurried down to the stable and found Enbarr simply because he was the biggest horse stabled there. Ian didn’t bother with a saddle; he pulled himself up onto Enbarr’s back and urged him on. Enbarr trotted off just as Rork came stumbling out of the inn.

It was just after nightfall and the tavern was still loud and full of life, no one but the stable boy saw the two men ride out again. Ian headed back for the hill, finding it by memory. Will’s cries tempered off into whimpers as they rode, but picked up again when they reached the hill. Ian dismounted and tied Enbarr’s halter to a nearby tree. He took Will down as well to comfort him, Will rooting against his chest looking for a breast.

“Sorry Will,” Ian said softly. “I baint mean ta wake ye but I baint wanna leave ye alone.”

Will only answered with a hiccup and Ian held him closer. Rork caught up on Puzzle, ridding at a full gallop. He came to a halt in a cloud of dust, leaping off Puzzle’s back and stalking over angrily.

“What’s gotten inta yar head?” Rork shouted.

“Dreams,” Ian answered. “Back in Barrow Múr me n Glen accidentally slipped inta a trance n dreamed o the past. I kennin I might be able ta do it again here n see what happened ta the song.”

“Ya sure?” Rork said sounding worried.

“I can do it, it baint take long,” Ian said. “Come on.”

He went into the hill and Rork followed reluctantly holding onto Ian since he couldn’t see in the dark. Inside the grave it was just as they had left it. Ian pushed the bones aside and sat down on the ground, Rork kneeling next to him.

“I’ll be goin inta a trance,” Ian said. “I won’t sleep fer long.”

“Should I hold Will?” Rork asked.

“Nowt, I can do this with him,” Ian said. “Just make sure nothin disturbs me.”

“Aye,” Rork said sounding scared. Ian lay down with Will on his chest and closed his eyes. At first he just laid there, doing something that he had only done by accident before on command was harder than he thought. He concentrated on the earth powers around him and slowly he began to feel his body relax. It was a bit like falling asleep, but Ian felt a slight shift as his spirit left his body.

He looked around but saw nothing. His sight had returned in the dream but at the same time he had that strange sense so he could still see in the dark. Around him was nothing but the earth of the hill, a feeling of suffocation starting to make him panic. He saw things as the gnomes did, the little creatures moving through the earth exploring rabbit warrens and mice dens.

Then light came in. Ian watched as miners broke into the hill and dug out the earth, moving the stone and earth to get to what lay under the hill. Ian watched as the men worked seeming to see things in snatches as the tunnel and chamber were dug. He saw the miners give up quickly when it became apparent there was nothing worth digging for and once more the hill was left alone.

The gnomes returned to explore the tunnels of men. Ian had no idea how long he watched the gnomes, time in dreams seemed to move strangely and he was underground away from the sun. The sound of a song made him turn, all the gnomes turning at the sound as well. From the entrance tunnel came a man of smoke playing a flute. He was burnt all over his body and a pall of smoke hung over him. He marched into the center of the cavern and continued to play, slowly more joined him.

The people crawled after the piper like rats on their bellies. Ian saw their skin covered in weeping sores and blackened with disease. The people followed the piper mindlessly; Ian was able to see the song holding their spirits in thrall. Hundreds crawled into the cavern, crawling over each other to huddle at the feet of the smoking man. When the last crawled in the song seemed to reach its peak.

With a sigh of relief all those in the cavern died together. Ian shivered, feeling his own wayward spirit seek to follow them onto the lines into the aether. With an effort of will he drew himself free to see the Piper still stood. He had no eyes, yet Ian knew he was looking at him.

“What do you seek here wayfarer?” the man asked, his voice a grating rasp from his burnt throat.

“I seek what ye hold,” Ian answered. The Piper looked down at the pipe and Ian did as well. It was a flute carven out of green soap stone; intricate carvings in tiny detail that made one want to examine it closely. Despite being held in sooty dirty hands the swirling green stone was not even marked or stained.

“It has guided us,” the Piper answered.

“Why did ye kill em?” Ian asked.

“They were to die anyways,” the Piper answered. “Though they killed me and my people. Now they will ride the wheel.”

“Ye should go as well,” Ian said.

“I will, to see her again,” the Piper said sounding sad. “Here, I give you what you seek.”

Ian tried to take the flute that was offered to him but it slipped through his hands.

“I can’t,” Ian said regretfully. “I only be here in spirit.”

“Then I am sorry,” the Piper said.

“Good rest ta ye,” Ian said to him. The Piper nodded and lay down in the center of the pile of bodies.

Ian once again watched the cavern again. The sound of stone being moved over the entrance told of others sealing away the dead. Ian was left alone to watch the bodies rot. He was glad the bodies turned to bones quickly in his dream, and he could still see the stone flute perched on the breastbone of the Piper. The gnomes moved around the bones of the dead curious rather than disturbed.

Time once again moved in an undetectable pace until once again a sound disturbed the peace. This time it was the sound of cracking stone. Ian turned to the entrance where lamp light flooded the cavern and three men walked into the cavern. He could see them clearly in the dream. Two were Elmerians, shorter drab men than their leader. The one in the middle was Regarian, a tall man with blonde hair and a mustache.

Their clothes and gear were dated, though from how long ago Ian did not know. The two servants set up lanterns as the Regarian stood studying the bones before him.

“Amazing,” he said at last.

“What was that master?” one of the servants asked.

“I am just amazed Rupert,” the lord answered. “All these people died over a hundred years ago, yet look at how the skeletons held together. There must have been no scavengers here to disturb the bones.”

Ian knew from watching that there had been mice and insects feeding on the bones, but these had been so small they hadn’t disturbed the bones.

The servants continued to set up lamps as the lord sat down to take out a drawing pad. He began to sketch the bones, the sound of charcoal over paper eerie in the grave. Rupert however finally spotted the flute in the center of the bones. He glanced at it and then at his lord. The Regarian was drawing the bones right in front of him, starting to take out a string to measure the bones.

Rupert walked around the pile, trying to look discreet. He couldn’t reach the flute however as it was in the center of the pile of bones. He tried to reach out but his foot shifted the bones and the Regarian looked up at him angrily.

“Rupert!” the Regarian shouted. “Do not disturb the bones. What are you doing anyways?”

“Nothing Lord Bellamy,” the man answered withdrawing. Bellamy glared at him but turned his attention back to the bones. That was when he too saw the flute. Excited he set his drawings aside to walk around the pile. At last he carefully stepped into the pile so he could snatch the flute from the Piper. The pile shifted slightly, but remained where it was as the lord stepped free of the bones.

He looked at the flute amazed, turning it around in his hands.

“What is it milord?” the other servant asked.

“A flute,” Bellamy answered. “It is of Aldan workmanship. How on earth did an Aldan flute come to rest in a Regarian mass grave?”

“I heard tell that Rhodin be buried here too,” the other servant answered. “They are known thieves.”

“Yes that could be it,” Bellamy answered. He was examining the flute in total fascination. He hesitantly put it to his lips and tried to play it, but no sound came out.

“It is beautiful all the same milord,” Rupert said, his eyes shining as he gazed at the flute. “Even if it doesn’t work.”

“Yes of course,” Bellamy said as he slipped the flute into his pocket, glaring at Rupert. “I think we’ve done enough for the day, we should head back.”

“Yes milord,” the other servant said. Lord Bellamy left the two men to gather the lamps as he left, carrying the flute with him.

Ian had seen enough and knew it was time to turn back. It seemed waking however was going to be just as hard as getting to sleep. Ian struggled through a smothering cloud of darkness, feeling lost as he sought his body. Then a pale gray thread of light seemed to pull him along and he found himself once more. Ian returned to his body startled to find he could barely move. He groaned and tried to rise, feeling a stiff hose had been shoved down his nose and throat.

His sixth sense came back to him and told him Will sat on his chest. The babe laughed as Ian opened his eyes and he felt a tiny hand on his cheek.

“Ian!” Rork shouted sounding utterly relieved. Rork knelt next to him leaning over. He took the hose out of Ian’s nose and Ian gagged as it left him.

“What were that for?” Ian asked his voice dry. Rork first helped him drink some water; Ian feeling like his muscles were made of unbaked dough.

“Ya’ve been snoozin far a long time Ian,” Rork said.

“How long?” Ian asked startled.

“Three weeks,” Rork answered and Ian felt a wave of shock. “I had ta put that tube down yar throat sos I could feed ya. It be what I’d do far an injured animal.”

Ian realized he was naked wrapped in a big blanket, a diaper the only thing he wore under the blanket. Ian felt a wash of shame at that and he knew Rork had been caring for him intimately. He felt Rork reach out and gently brush a lock of his hair off his forehead. The gesture was so tender Ian knew that Rork’s feelings had only deepened while he had cared for Ian.

Ian turned away feeling guilt catch in his throat. Rork knew him well enough by now to know why he turned away. Ian turned his attention to Will and felt his heart swell to feel how much he had grown. Will was now sitting on his own, and was quite the weight on Ian’s chest. Ian smiled as Will said some childish nonsense as his little hand tugged at Ian’s beard.

“Thank ye Rork,” Ian said. “Fer carin fer Will while I were gone.”

“I did it far ya Ian,” Rork said softly before shifting to a more brisk business like manor. “Now let’s get ya cleaned up n dressed.”

Ian nodded as Rork picked Will up and set him aside. Rork unwrapped him from the blanket and helped him sit up. Ian felt like he was the babe now, weak and hardly able to move. The cavern was warmed by a fire, Ian able to sense the salamanders of the fire. Rork helped him sit up and then took the diaper off. Rork washed Ian from a bucket of water with a wash cloth. Ian could tell immediately Rork’s touch was anything but business like.

“Rork,” Ian said with reproach. Rork only sighed and hurried to finish washing him. He helped Ian dry off and then don some clean clothes. Rork helped him sit by the fire leaning against the cave wall. He fed Ian a porridge of wheat and goat’s milk. Ian ate knowing this was what he had been feeding Will as well because soon Will was voicing his own hunger. Rork laughed and brought the child to sit in his father’s lap and he fed them both.

“Sos what did ya see?” Rork asked when he finished feeding them. Ian told him what he had discovered and Rork listened pensively. “Bellamy be the name o the local Baron. Ya ken he has the flute?”

“Maybe but my guess will be it moved on,” Ian said. “Somewhat like that would be sold er used as a dowry fer sure. Maybe it were even stolen, that servant Rupert were really interested in it.”

“I’ll go inta town n ask round bout the lord,” Rork said. “I can get the history o the Bellamy house n find out who that lord had been.”

“I can go with ye,” Ian offered.

“Naw Ian ya be weak still ja,” Rork said. “Sides which I told the locals ya ran off so they didn’t coggin ya were alone here n vulnerable when I been gone. They coggin me now too sos I’ve got their trust. I can figure out what ya need ta coggin. It be early now, dawns just rose. I should get goin.”

“Ye sure?” Ian said.

“Taint worry,” Rork said with a laugh. “I can handle myself. There’s plenty o water n porridge still by the fire. I’ll be back by lunch.”

Ian nodded as Rork stood and gathered a few things. He left Ian alone with Will.

“Well I guess it be just ye n me now sprout,” Ian said to Will. Will answered with a wordless grunt and Ian had an idea. “Hey Will can ye say Da?” Ian said in Daunish. For the morning he sat trying to get Will to speak, Will answering occasionally with wordless shouts or grunts. Ian was so taken with the noises he didn’t mind that Will wasn’t able to form full words. Every time he came even a little close Ian laughed and congratulated him.

It didn’t seem long then when Rork returned, and he was limping. Years of seeing his mother hide her injuries told Ian Rork had tried to do the same.

“What happened?” Ian asked trying to stand, but he was too weak.

“I be all goody good Ian taint worry yar head,” Rork said, his voice laced with suppressed pain.

“Bullshit,” Ian said. “Sit down Rork n tell me who did this ta ye.”

Rork sighed and sat down heavily, dropping his pack.

“I taint be so popular in the village,” Rork answered. “The Elmerians taint mind me, special since I can see ta their animals durin the winter. The Regarians though… well I stopped goin ta town awhile ago. Got all my supplies from the Elmerian farmers. But they wouldn’t coggin bout the lord so…”

“I be sorry Rork,” Ian said horrified. “Ye alright?”

“Aye I can take a beatin mate taint worry bout that,” Rork said wryly. “N I even got what ya needed. See a pretty lass coggin what ya needed ta coggin, only the men taint liked me jawin ta her. Nawt like I were gonna do anything ta her, I mean she taint my type after all.”

Ian would have found the dry joke mildly funny had Rork’s voice not been choked with pain.

“Anyways she told me that the lord was probably the first lord Bellamy,” Rork said. “After the plagues swept the lands there were many holdins without a lord so the king o Regis assigned new barons. He chose Bellamy for here. He were a scholar afore and when he heard there was an old mass grave here he came ta study it.

“Well old Bellamy continued his studies til he got inta a school that were in Versae. He gave the title ta his brother n went ta the school ta study.”

“What bout the song?” Ian asked.

“She taint coggin bout that,” Rork said. “My guess is he took it with him. The servant ya mentioned weren’t in her story, I coggin if he did any wrong by the lord like stealing she’d coggin bout it.”

It wasn’t iron clad, but it was enough.

“Versae,” Ian said softly. “That be Cair Leon now.”

“It were part o Alda afore that though,” Rork said. “Could be the lord Bellamy passed on the flute ta the Aldan. They could have it again.”

Rork said this with both excitement and bitter resentment. He knew that could mean Ian would go to Alda, and Bailey.

“Might be but I wanna check Cair Leon first,” Ian said. “No stone left unturned.”

“Well it’ll be some time afore ya be ready ta ride,” Rork said. “Ya be weak as a kitten now. N it be winter.”

“Aye,” Ian said wearily. “Un step at a time. Sos let’s get a look at yer wounds Rork.”

He might have argued if he hadn’t been so beat up. Instead he let Ian help him out of his shirt and prod at his bruises. Ian couldn’t see the damage, but feeling along Rork’s back and sides he found a few cracked ribs.

“I be guessin ye be bruised black n blue Rork,” Ian said. “How many o them were there?”

“Six,” Rork answered and handed Ian a pot of salve. “Rub that on my back. I managed to break at least un o their fat noses, another I scored a glorious cock punch on.”

Ian laughed as he started to spread the salve on Rork’s back feeling him shiver under his hands. Rork was silent and Ian decided not to say anything, guessing how he felt. Ian finished and Rork quickly pulled his shirt on.

“Be there anything else I could help ye with Rork?” Ian asked out of guilt. He heard Rork’s silence, the unasked question lying between them breathless.

“Could ya hold me?” Rork asked quietly. “Just that.”

“Aye,” Ian said. He sat back against the wall and held his arms open to Rork. Rork rested his head on Ian’s chest, snuggling against him much like a dog seeking the comfort of its master. Ian held him, ignoring the shivering sobs of the man in his arms. Rork’s breathing grew even and Ian heard him fall asleep.

Will however grew restless and Ian had to carefully reach over to pull Will over to him and settle him in his other arm. Will fell asleep too, and Ian wasn’t far behind, his mind slipping into a thankfully dreamless slumber.

#fantasy #series #writing #please read #fairies #dragons

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jrazillashadowworks · 8 years ago

Text

Second Chances

A new, original story. ^,,^

Warning: Blood. Violence. Sexual themes. Language.

Word count: 3322

Enjoy!

Waking up to the all too fancy apartment, the young man opened his dark eyes, staring at the blackened wall, the blur of sleep easing away. The alarm clock sitting on the nightstand beside him shown four am, the hologram luminescent straining his eyes even in its dim function. He had woken up before the alarm yet again. Feeling the grogginess lingering, he had to fight to sit up, pushing the covers off of him. His partner shifted in the bed, letting out a soft sigh.

Turning, he brushed the thick bangs from his face, eyes adjusting to the darkness to notice the mop of wavy hair flowing out on top of the pillow next to him, face marred within the tufts. Smirking, he tried his best to get up without making a sound. Stepping around the room, he found the bathroom and went inside, shutting the door behind him before turning on the fluorescent lights that blinded him when he clicked the switch. Groaning, he hovered his hand over his face, letting light filter through his fingers until his eyes had adapted.

The shower was all it took to clear away the last of the sleep and he was awake and alert. Doing the other cleanly necessities, he exited with a towel around his waist, coming back into the darkness. The lamp suddenly flashed in the room and his partner stared at him through the tresses of her messy hair. “Hello, sexy,” she said half groggy, half sensually. “Up already?”

“Morning,” he replied with a smirk. “Yeah, I figured I’d just get started since I woke up anyway. You got class today?”

The woman combed her hand through her pale brown mane, moving it from her beautiful face, full lips still molded into a smile. Sleep did not dull her looks like it did ninety-nine percent of the population, including himself upon waking up. “Not today. It’s my layover day.”

“Lucky you,” He scoffed.

She gave a mock pout. “Don’t be jealous.”

Walking over to the wide, oaken dresser, he pulled out his simple clothes for the day, moving over to the bed and sitting them down. Dropping the towel, he raised a brow. “I’m not.”

She scanned him up and down and wiggled her brows, blue eyes alight. “That’s a good start to my morning.”

Chuckling, he pulled on his boxers and jeans. “Just a sneak peek for now, I’m afraid.”

“You better make it up to me later.”

Pulling on his t-shirt that meshed to his muscled torso, he gave a nod. “Count on it.”

Walking up to her, he bent down, giving her a kiss on the lips, her arms wrapping around his neck in a vice, threatening to not let him go. Not that he minded much. But after a minute, she let go and slapped his ass as he turned to leave. “Good luck,” she breathed.

“Enjoy your day off.”

Pulling his zipped, black hoodie from the wall hook in the alcove by the door where all the jackets and shoes sat, he shrugged it on. Pulling on his shoes, he finally gave his partner one last wave before heading outside.

Staring out over the railing of the second story of the apartment complex, the sky was still pitch, the countless skyscrapers of the city raising up to the hidden clouds, only visibly by the ever relentless, neon lights that practically decorated every building. The light posts below however, remained darkened. As he strolled down the walkway, the little half orb lights above him flickered on, revealing his way down the descending stairs to the front and then to the side parking lot filled with futuristic vehicles, luminance following him.

Finding his VX-motorbike at the very back, he straddled the cushion and unhooked his helmet from the flank, pushing it down on his head. Flicking open the panel on its side, he pushed the button, the holographic visor glowing a green, showing coordinates to his location based on his brain waves, as he visualized where he needed to go. Squeezing his grip on the bars, his hands signaled the bike to start with a loud roar that was sure to piss off at least one of his neighbors.

Leading the long bike out with his legs, he revved it, nearly hovering off the ground towards the streets. However something jumped in the way of his bike just as he passed the threshold and he had but a millisecond to freeze the bike with his mind. Inhaling sharply, he glared daggers at the Doofy face of the person who got in front of him.

With a stupid smile, the upper corners of their mouth twitching, the man was immediately recognizable. “Sup, Clever?” He said, calmly.

Feeling a vein pulse on his forehead, Clever’s body tensed in pure rage on the bike, thinking of running him over after all. “Lucky, you dumb piece of shit, what the actual fuck?!”

The one known as lucky, giggled like a dork, making Clever immediately want to punch him in his dorky, punky face. “I could have run you over, you dip shit…”

“Nah you wouldn’t,” he replied with a laugh. “You got good reflexes!”

Though it was a compliment, it just pissed him off further. “What the hell are you doing out here so early anyway?” Clever grumbled.

“Walking Puff!” Pointing waggling hands downward, he proudly showcased the fluffy husky, pup, staring up at Clever with a silly face matching his dumb master. Puff gave a quick bark, acknowledging him.

“This fucking early?”

“Yeah…so?”

“Just get out of my way Lucky. I got to get to the school now.”

“This early?” Lucky Mimicked.

“You know. You consistently know how to piss me off.”

“I suppose that’s a skill.”

“Consider yourself Lucky, we are friends.”

“I am Lucky,” he chimed.

“Move,” he warned. “Or you’ll be a friend I used to know…”

Lucky tilted his head, the dog doing the exact thing. “I don’t get it.”

“Get the fuck outta my way or I’ll run your ass over you stupid, dumb, fucking asshole piece of monkey shit, bag of dicks!”

Moving away, he nodded, keeping the same light hearted expression. “Okay! Have a good day!”

Flipping off Lucky, with his metal implanted middle finger, he shot the bike forward, blasting a burst of air that ruffled up his friend’s hair and the dog’s fur into a fluff ball.

Leaving him behind, Clever revved the bike, soaring down the empty streets and overpasses towards the city. Before long, the roads suddenly filled with other vehicles of the early morning commute. Myriads of glowing colors zipped passed one another, leaving after images as they raced down the five lanes. His pathway was lit in a golden line for him to follow towards the school.

Soon, he was in the thick of the city, as buildings and sidewalks surrounded him, already bustling with people on their own missions. It still surprised Clever how different the city was compared to the slum lands he had lived and thrived in for the early years of his life, fighting to survive. These people had not the struggles he had once gone through. After the crazy events that led him to this path, things had definitely changed for the better. At least, for most.

Having to halt at a stop light, the gentle thrum of his bike rolling throughout his body, he happened to turn his head in time to see a group of men walking down a dank alleyway, dressed in much the same, punkish garbs as one another. Only a couple stood out between them, fear evident in their strides, encircled by this group. It left him with a foreboding feeling that set into his stomach. “A new gang huh?”

It was of course none of his business, and yet one last glance cemented the nagging irritation. A single, patch embroidered in one of the jackets of the men was the face of the Jester. His blood ran ice cold, brows furrowing over his dark eyes. A horn blared at his back, causing him to jump. Flipping off the one behind, he jerked his bike into the alley, silencing it before the noise would make it to the gangsters. Kicking the stand, he sat it upright, setting the thief lock that would send ten-thousand volts into anyone who tried to take his bike. Not that it would start for them anyway. Curiosity had gotten the better of him.

Taking off his helmet, he sat it on the seat and creeped after them, keeping his back to the wall. Something devious was obviously in the works and he was going to find out what. Though he was never the nervous type, he felt a slight shudder. “There is no way he can be alive,” he whispered. “Probably just remnants of his dead ass gang.”

Skittering towards a corner, he peeked out at the group who forcefully pushed the couple, Clever could now make out, wearing upper class suits and held glossy, briefcases. A robbing perhaps, he wondered. Probably procuring funds to restart their fallen gang that once ruled over the city and slums in terror. Though it was a pain, he knew he couldn’t let that stand. Though, he needed information first.

“This’ll do, you city slick, cock suckers,” a gravelly voice spat. It sounded much like rocks in a blender. “Now you wanna git out of this alley alive, we gonna need a million from each of you. We have our own bank account, all’s you gotta do is hand it over right now.”

Clever could already tell how stupid they were by their outrageous demands. Small timers. Should be easy, he thought. He could hear the couple of business men mumble incoherently.

“You don’t has it?! Then wire it from one of your business accounts! I aint foolin! I’ll bust ye up into a bloody mess, not even your money grubbing kids will be able to identify.”

That caused a cry of fear from one of them. It was obvious he would have to intervene and get information out of them the hard way. Good. Inhaling one long breath, he sighed loudly enough for them to hear him.

Rounding the corner, he pulled the hood over his head and shrugged his hands in his pockets. “It’s a nice morning isn’t it?”

A wave ran over the shoulders of the gang members, who spun on their heels to look at the newcomer. “What the hells you want? This aint none of Yo business!”

“What’s with the patch? You guys worship a dead bastard who was nothing but a bitch ass cockroach?” Clever inquired.

“The fuck you say?” They each replied, utterly offended, rage boiling on their ugly faces.

“Let’s not make this take long. I got places to be.”

The obvious leader, a man a bit wide in the middle threw his hand towards Clever. “Take that short fucker out!”

Clever shook his head. “I did miss this.”

The morons ran at him, sloppily, fanning out in front of him. The first one to make it to him swung his right fist, a pathetic move that Clever easily dodged, sending his own fist into the man’s stomach, knocking air and spit from his maw. Two next, swinging wildly at him, in which he simply moved around. Kneeing one in the groin, he kicked him into the one behind, toppling them over. A knife glinted past his face, nicking a strand of black hair free from his head. Another swipe. Stepping back expertly, Clever caught the man’s arm, his metal fingers pistons, hissing as he crushed the man’s wrist, the bone snapping completely. They wailed, in agony.

From the perspective of the leader, he could only see a mass of bodies shuffling around, footsteps and whines echoing out in the back alley with each thump and crash. “Git him good!” He urged them, still keeping the two businessmen in his grasp.

It was a pathetic fight in which Clever barely broke a sweat. However, they did get a couple of lucky hits which he glanced off, and countered with ease. Within a couple of minutes, they were all defeated, sprawled on top of one another, unconscious. The short man’s body was electric with adrenaline, his blood burning hot. Chuckling, he couldn’t wipe the grin from his face. “Damn, I missed this!”

The leader glared incredulously at him. “Who the fuck are yah?!”

“Just a civil servant, keeping the streets clean of has-beens and wannabe fucks like you and your crew. What a fall from grace.”

Tightening his thick arms around the necks of the two men, whose faces paled, the group leader threatened to break their necks. “Come closer and I’ll fuckin kill em!”

“How would you get the money then? Not a smart business strategy.”

“We can find more!” As he blinked, he failed to notice the flash as something sharp punctured his hand, sinking deep. Rearing back, the two escaped and Clever demanded them to make a run for it. They of course obeyed as the gang leader wailed in pain, staring at the knife that was plunged into his flesh, oozing blood.

“With a weak grip like that, you probably can’t even wank yourself properly,” Clever teased.

Eyes bulging, the fat man’s lips moved over invisible words, drool leaking between his few, grit covered teeth. Grabbing the knife, he winced and then pulled it free, lining a streak of blood before him. Pointing the sullied blade at Clever his face burned a bright red. “I’ll fucking kill you here and now!”

With monstrous steps, the behemoth that towered Clever over a foot, bumbled forward, thick, meaty arms curved outwards. “Raaaaah!”

“I don’t want hugs, tubbo.” Sidestepping away from the downed fools, the short man circled the buffoon, easily escaping his charges, followed by a swing of the knife. It was the definition of sad.

With one leg sweep, the fat man tumbled, nearly smacking into the brick wall. Face scrapped against the pavement. He remained there unmoving as Clever stamped his foot on his back, pressing down with as much strength as he could on the patch of the Jester, which was enough to make the man grunt and clench his jaw.

“It’s like standing on a mountain,” Clever said. “Now, tell me, what’s the deal?”

“None of your fucking business,” he growled.

Clever stomped on him five times for good measure, letting his anger out on the fat man’s spine. “Fucking tell me! I don’t have time for this shit!”

“Fine! FINE! I’ll tell you! We are-“

Suddenly a blaring, ear piercing, siren cut them off, as red and blue lights flooded into the alley, dancing off the walls. Armored and armed officers filled the tight space, surrounding them. “Raise both hands in the air!” they demanded.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Clever complained, raising both hands as high as possible. “I was getting to the good stuff!”

He was jerked off the gang leader, thrown against the wall and searched, rolling his eyes as they brushed over his crotch. “Don’t forget your change.”

“Just be quiet while we handle this,” the officer hissed.

“I don’t understand the unnecessary force. I did your job for you.”

“Silence. You are coming to the station so we can get a statement.” They read him his rights, though he simply just nodded.

“Whoopee,” he replied, exasperated.

Hands cuffed, he was lead to the cruiser and shrugged into the back, glancing at the cops looking over the downed gang members. “Well, now I’m going to be late as fuck.”

And that he was. The station was packed and it took him three hours to get through the proceedings, talking with dispassionate cops about all that happened. Luckily for him, the testimony of the two businessmen got him freed with a slap on the wrist. Leaving, he shrugged. “Do your job and none of this shit would have happened!”

“Have a good day, sir,” the female receptionist said, smacking her lips, giving him a sarcastic smile. “Your bike is out front waiting for you.”

Pushing out the double doors, he ran towards his bike and slammed his helmet on and skid out onto the streets yet again, leaving behind a black streak of tire. He pushed the speed limit, making it to the school in five minutes. Bursting through the front door, he ran through the sleek hallways of lockers and pin boards, hurrying to his classroom.

Huffing in the clean fumes of the school, he bound the stairs to the third floor and slid across the paneled steps onto the landing and froze when he saw who was standing before the door of his classroom, shoulders dropping. “Fuuuck,” he mumbled to himself.

The old hag by the entryway, was glancing inside, her wrinkled, talon fingers flicking against her pointy chin. Her frigid, angular form was stuffed in a black suit, her grey, wiry hair tied in a tight bun. A witch in principal form. As if to notice his life essence, her vulture-esque face turned to him, beady, black eyes locked on her prey. The wrinkles in her face tightened as her mouth lowered into a frown that nearly sagged off her face. “Soo good of you to join us,” she seethed in witch speak, uttering the words as if she was addressing trash.

“Yeah,” he breathed, trying to calm his frantically beating heart. “I got held up by some thugs.”

“Your excuses do not interest me, Lucas. And as far as I’m concerned, the only thug I see, is you.”

“yes.” he gulped down the hate in his voice. “Mam. My sincerest apologies.” He hesitated to step closer but finally did so, reaching for the handle. “It won’t happen again.”

She locked her crinkled, bone hand on his arm, holding it in place, the cold of them seeping into his skin. “See that it doesn’t or it will be….is that blood?”

Peeking down, he noticed many splotches of crimson, soaked into his hoodie, he had not noticed before. “Um, yeah… I told you, I got held up by thugs.” He could already see her disbelief set into her countenance. “Don’t trust me? Ask the cops. Now if you excuse me, Mam, I need to teach my class.”

“Not with that on you won’t,” she snapped, jerking his hood, harshly.

He had the sharp urge to punch her but exhaled to stop himself. “You are right.” Unzipping it, he took it off and folded it under his arm. Luckily, the blood only left very light spots on his shirt. The kids wouldn’t notice. “Thank you, Mam,” he said as sarcastically as he could. “Have a great day, Mam.”

She let him escape, with but a single claw before her face, pointed at him as if she was going to be watching him. No change there, he thought. Composing himself, he turned to his class who stared at him with wide, innocent eyes. “Good mor….day, class.”

“Good day, Mr. Lucas,” they all rang out in unison. It was a nice, relaxing sound. He had enough of dealing with adults for the day.

Back at the precinct, the lights flickered, broken bulbs snapping and crackling sparks. Walls were bathed in thick splashes of runny blood, as countless bodies were strewn below them, unmoving. It was a macabre scene of pure hell, as all officers were diced and left in pieces along the floor. The Cell doors of the jail were left open, emptied, all convicts freed. However, the thugs that were brought in only hours before, remained in theirs, a bladed card embedded into each of their foreheads. Expressions of slack jawed terror were all that was left, glossed eyes staring upward, frozen in death. A flash of stuttering light revealed the cackling face of the Jester painted in blood on the front of the cards.

#My writing #original work #cyberpunk

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